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Finding Your Purpose: Kingdoms in Conflict
Mark 8:31-36
October 25, 2009
Jim Whittaker
Sermon Illustration: The Need to Look to God
The Buzzard
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.
The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
The Bat
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, can not take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
The Bumble Bee
A bumble bee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
People
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumble bee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up.
In regard to us as people getting our proper focus Friedrick Nietzche (1889) says these words:
Have you not heard of the madman who lit a lamp in the bright morning and went to the marketplace crying ceaselessly, "I seek God! I seek God!" There were many among those standing there who didn't believe in God so he made them laugh. "Is God lost?" one of them said. "Has he gone astray like a child?" said another. "Or is he hiding? Has he gone on board ship and emigrated?" So they laughed and shouted to one another. The man sprang into their midst and looked daggers at them. "Where is God?" he cried. "I will tell you. We have killed him--you and I We are all his killers! But how have we done this? How could we swallow up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the horizon? What will we do as the earth is set loose from its sun?" [The real question is how have we killed God?]
Chuck Colson responds: “Nietzsche's point was not that God does not exist, but that God has become irrelevant. Men and women may assert that God exists or that He does not, but it makes little difference either way. God is dead not because He doesn't exist, but because we live, play, procreate, govern, and die as though He doesn't.” C. Colson, Kingdoms in Conflict, p. 181.
Those words are shocking. We live as if God doesn’t exist. What is our purpose? Why do we exist? How can I find my purpose in this life?
As we go to God’s word for answers, I note the first words in the gospel of Mark are these: “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news” (1:15). His second words were: “Follow me and I will make you fish for people” (1:17). His last words were these: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to all creation” (16:15). God has a purpose for us. His purpose is to have a relationship with us and for us then to live into that relationship. We find in these first and last words of Jesus in the book of Mark: repent, believe, follow me, and go.
I. You are not an Accident (Warren, “Purpose Driven Life,” 22).
As the church people were coming to John the Baptist to be baptized, which means a new beginning. He told the church people in Matthew, “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (3:8). What he meant for us today is if you claim to be a follower of God or a follower of Christ, then your life should look God like. That would seem self evident, but it is easy though to do as Chuck Colson said, “live as if God does not exist.” When we pick up our story with Peter today in Mark 8, we find the stiffest rebuke you could get from Jesus. This came about because Jesus was laying out God’s plan and that was for Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of humanity, defeat death, and rise again opening the doorway for us to have a relationship with God that had been damaged since the fall of humanity where we chose our independence of God. Jesus was repairing the damage done. Now Peter didn’t understand. We don’t always understand God’s will for us today or for the world today. Could it be possible for us to find ourselves attempting to block what God is doing? That’s where Peter finds himself, Jesus said he should have had his mind on God things instead it was the world’s things.
Rick Warren says, “we are planned for God’s pleasure” (63). Bahamian preacher Myles Munroe reminds us in his book God’s Big Idea that it has always been God’s desire to bring heaven on earth. So when we go back to the Genesis account, we pick up some basics of who we are to be as God’s people. We find that we are no accident.
a. We are to bear God’s image. Warren says, “we are created to become like Christ” (171). God created the heavens, the earth, and its inhabitants. (God saw that it was good). We are also told that we were created in the image of God in other words our lives are to bear who God is. Think about who God is. Love, compassion, mercy – that’s who we should be. Let’s move from the Garden to when God made himself manifest here on earth. Who did God hang out with? Jesus wasn’t afraid to have fun. He was at the wedding party at Cana. Jesus healed the hurting. He hung out with sinners (tax collector), he befriended a prostitute, and he taught them about God’s love. He did things that upset the religious elite like all of their rules that said “we have never done it that way before.” Ephesians 2:10, he created us in Christ Jesus for good works. Not for salvation, but because of salvation. Jesus Christ corrects who we are. As we once bore God’s image in the garden, Christ makes it possible now. We once again can have a relationship with God. Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace…it is a gift from God.
b. We are to have fellowship with God. Warren – “God wants to be your best friend” (85). God Set up the Garden (the word Garden means enclosure – meaning God’s protection). It was to be heaven on earth. Yes Adam and Eve made a mistake that Peter makes. They looked at the world’s things rather than God’s things. Adam and Eve gave us something that we still have – a corrupt human nature. When we declared our independence from God in the Garden, it means that we have to get right with God before we can have fellowship with God. Let’s fast forward to the last chapter of the last book of the Bible in the book of Revelation. What we find is there is the heavenly city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. It was a new heaven and a new earth. God in that chapter is preparing a new garden for us – a new heaven on earth for us. God’s plan was not thwarted in the garden. We need to just get with God’s plan. That is for us to bear the image of God and to have fellowship with him.
c. God’s purpose was for us to do God’s work (to till the garden). Warren, “Life on earth is a temporary assignment” (47). God doesn’t leave the garden motif for our lives. We are to bear fruit for God. John 15 says Christ is the vine and we as Christ followers are the branches. What are the branches to do? They bear fruit. Those branches that do not bear fruit are thrown into hell. The Bible is clear – if you belong to God, there should evidence of our salvation. Ephesians 1:13 says we are “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” John 14:16 says, I will give you an advocate the Spirit of truth. When we align ourselves with God; when we rely on the saving grace of the cross; when we rely on forgiveness of sins, we are also aligning ourselves with God’s transforming work. If we say we are saved, it should look like we are saved.
II. Our default position is on Human Things – Kingdoms in Conflict
a. The works of the flesh (Warren – “Everyone’s Life is driven by something” (27).
George Bernard Shaw is perhaps most renowned as a free thinker and liberal philosopher. In his last writings we read, "The science to which I pinned my faith is bankrupt. Its counsels, which should have established the millennium, led, instead, directly to the suicide of Europe. I believed them once. In their name I helped to destroy the faith of millions of worshippers in the temples of a thousand creeds. And now they look at me and witness the great tragedy of an atheist who has lost his faith." Nobody talks so constantly about God as those who insist that there is no God.
Heywood Broun.
An atheist by definition is one who is free to choose as they please. They feel accountable to no one. Jesus said there are two kingdoms. The kingdom built by humans and the kingdom built by God. He did this when he told Peter his mind was on human things rather than Godly things. Galatians talks about things of humans in 5:19. It says we have moved God’s gift of making love or sexual relations to a cheap and loveless act, there are divisions in the church and divisions at home, rather than working together it becomes cut-throat competition, we consume things and are never satisfied, we pile us emotional and mental garbage rather than giving it to God, we frantically reach for happiness in everything coming and going rather than God, we look to astrology, self-help books, and even the satanic forces themselves in trying to find our purpose in life. We become drunken with power and drunken with wine. It’s anyway but God’s way. This is where Peter found himself. It is not heaven living on earth and these deeds will doom us from never ending the heavenly realm. When we find these things in our life, we need to repent. That means to change our ways and seek forgiveness from God.
Jesus was clear. To follow Christ means sacrifice, it is no longer all about me. It is not about my kingdom. I am no longer independent. I follower a ruler. That ruler is God who created me. I have to bring daily my humanness, my wants (not God’s will) to the cross, to God’s altar, and lay it down as a sacrifice of sweet smell to God. Our worship of God should show our surrender to God (Warren, 77).
When we go back to the beginning, we also have to recognize the fall. That was the reason Jesus had to die on the cross. We also need to recognize what was done on that day.
b. Facing Our Independence
On that day in the garden when Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they declared their independence from God. Our default position as a human being is not one of a follower of God. It is one who follows a competing kingdom. It is one that is made up of deception and whose leader is none other than Satan the deceiver.
What did we lose in the garden?
1. We lost fellowship with God. There are consequences to accepting the deceiver’s offer. We no longer have direct access to God after the fall. Jesus reversed our loss. Warren said, “God wants to be your best friend” (85).
2. We lost being called “children of God.” We are more likely to think we are children of the devil. This makes John’s proclamation that we are children of God huge. I John 3:1, “see what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called children of God.”
3. We lost our ability to be Godly. We become depraved and decadent rather than godly. What is one of the first acts we read about after Adam and Eve opted out of God’s rule – Cain kills Abel. Again Christ reversed our loss.
III. God’s Plan Revealed (following Christ and going)
Jesus was revealing God’s plan of salvation on that day with Peter. It reversed the damage done by our accepting Satan’s competitive kingdom. We need to heed to God’s plan. Get right with God and live like you believe it.
a. Accept Christ as your Savior – this is the good news. Christ died so that you could live. God does not condemn you or I anymore if we accept his gift. Acts 4:12, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which you must be saved.” Sometimes we attend church for years and have never done this beginning step in our journey. We can learn a lot of good things in church, but this has to be the beginning step for change. God wants to change us and turn us from children of the devil to children of God. Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation or are you living like it doesn’t matter. Rick Warren reminds us that “this life is not all there is” (36).
b. Do God’s will – “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” Remember Rick Warren’s words, “It is not about you” (17) and “the heart of worship is surrender” (77). Our will is replaced with God’s will. Now this seems so self evident, but - Do you pray to do God’s will each day? Do you read God’s word each day? Do you attend church every time you can? Any excuses you think you might have, bring them to God. Tell God about it. If you are feeling uncomfortable in any way right now, you may not be doing God’s will. Another problem area: Do you bring your decisions unto God or do you live like God doesn’t exist? Or consider this: If the government were rounding up Christians to execute them, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Warren says, “you are as close to God as you chose to be” (92).
c. Demonstrate a Spirit filled life – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. These are the evidences that the fruit of God lives in you. Rick Warren says, “God wants you to grow up” (179).
Jesus had to wake Peter up to his complacency, his lazy attitude toward being a Christ follower, and his unwillingness to concede that being a follower of Christ might just cost him something. Grace is free but it is not free. It is free to everyone and free to lead us to salvation, but we are not free to keep Satan’s competing kingdom and our default position, we must choose to accept God’s kingdom. We must declare God as the new ruler in our life.
d. Go and do God’s Mission– Warren, “It’s all for him” (53) and “the smile of God is the goal of life” (69). Remember we are called to do God’s work. The end of Mark says, we are to proclaim the gospel. Matthew says we are to make disciples. Luke says we are to proclaim “repentance and forgiveness.” John says we are to follow what Christ did. This is why we were created to bring heaven to earth as God’s image bearers. We are to be little Christ’s unto the world.
What is your World View? Is it God created us, gives us a purpose for this life, and God made a way for us to be reconciled to God? Or is it a competing view – This is all there is – Get all you can. The strongest survive – destroy or be destroyed? We are either on one side or the other. Peter found out that he had aligned himself up on the wrong side. How about us? Are we willing to pick up a cross to follow Christ’s gospel? Can we say it is all for Jesus?
Amen.
References:
Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002).
Myles Munroe, God’s Big Idea. (Shippensburg, PA: (Destiny Image Publishers, 2008).
Finding True Contentment without Breaking the Bank
Philippians 4:11-13
Jim Whittaker
Illustration on Contentment:
William Randolph Hearst invested a fortune collecting art treasures from around the world. One day Mr. Hearst read the description of a valuable art item which he sent his agent abroad to find. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had finally found the treasure. To the surprise of Hearst, the priceless masterpiece was stored in none other than the warehouse of William Randolph Hearst.
The multi-millionaire had been searching all over the world for a treasure he already possessed. Had he read the catalog of his treasures, he would have saved himself a lot of time and money.
Today in the Word, December 13, 1995, p. 20.
William Hearst was seeking what he already had. Why is it that we have the tendency to want something that we think we don’t have. I read this week “if the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, remember they probably have a high water bill.” There is a reality of our wanting that we often don’t talk about. No matter what you have, you want more. In regard to the American dream:
But money remains something to dream about. For Americans with household incomes under $25,000, it would take $54,000 a year to fulfill the American dream. Those who make $100,000 plus crave an average of $192,000. In other words, the American Dream usually lies nearly twice the distance away.
But money remains something to dream about. For Americans with household incomes under $25,000, it would take $54,000 a year to fulfill the American dream. Those who make $100,000 plus crave an average of $192,000. In other words, the American Dream usually lies nearly twice the distance away.
Amy Bernstein, U.S. News & World Report, July 27, 1992, p. 11
We as a people are never satisfied. Financial guru Dave Ramsey says it best, “We Americans love our stuff.” How do we as Americans balance our lives against the command in Luke 12:33 to “sell your possessions and give to the poor?” Perhaps, a deeper question is where does contentment lie? Is contentment based on stuff or something else? I think we all know what the answer is. How often have you bought something new that you really wanted and 6 months later, you can’t even find it. Where does the true source of contentment lie?
Background:
In our Philippians 4:11, Paul states he has learned whatever state he is in to be content with that. The word that jumped out at me was learned. Paul “learned.” Paul has come to a different opinion. The Greek word here would mean to be taught in the ways of a follower or of a disciple of Christ. Paul used to have a different opinion on things. If you remember, he got the best religious education that money could buy. He was a Roman citizen – something that brought him privilege. He was zealous to rise to the top of the religious hierarchy, but something happened. He met Jesus face to face on the Damascus Road. Because of that encounter, Paul is now in prison for teaching the Christian faith.
Paul is saying, I have been on the fast track and I have been kicked off the tracks. I know now what is really important. That brings us to another important word. Paul says he has now reached contentment. Paul has got my attention. Has he got yours? What did you learn Paul that brought you contentment? I have to be honest with you when I studied the Greek word for contentment it meant self sufficient. What? Paul is saying he has learned to be self sufficient? Again this week, I want us to see there is something bigger in the story. That difference maker is Christ.
While the actual word means self-reliant, this does not mean a self made man. What it means is that Paul does not rely on any outside sources in his life except Christ. He doesn’t rely on the gift that is given by the Philippians. (see Carolyn Osiek, Phillipians and Philemon (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), 120 and “autarkies,” The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 173).
Paul has learned to see life differently because of Christ. What may he have learned?
Important Point – Paul learned to not measure his success in worldly standards.
If Paul measures himself according to worldly standards, he would say I have known both riches and poverty. While our natural tendency is to say, and I will take the riches, Paul says I have learned something I did not know before, Jesus Christ satisfies all of my longings. Through his power, I can do what I thought before to be impossible. Paul wants us to move toward contentment in Christ.
I. Contentment Blocker #1 – I got the Wrong Attitude!
a. Change Your Habits – We have to quit holding onto things and give them over to God. We have to admit, we have a bad attitude. Sometimes when it comes to godly things or the giving up of things in this world, we are like a toddler, they are mine, mine! Contentment almost certainly means we need to change things in our life or to readjust as we might get out of balance. We form habits and we can break habits. Habits form you. How are you being formed?
b. Resist Comparing Ourselves to Others – We all do it. We have a tendency to say if “so and so” has something, I want it too. I know because of our Methodist system what all of my pastor friends that I graduated with make at their churches. I know the size of the church and have a good idea on the budget. It is easy for me to get caught up in saying they have a big salary or they have a big church shouldn’t I? Paul has some advice. Don’t do it!
c. Learn to be thankful when others are more blessed than you. Joyce Meyers quote: : I believe God actually tests us in this way. Until we can pass His "I-am-happy-for-you-because-you-are blessed" test, we are never going to have any more than what we have right now. I am challenging you to take it a step further – Learn to pray even more blessings on the ones that you are concerned.
Illustration - Grateful
An estimated 1.5 million people are living today after bouts with breast cancer. Every time I forget to feel grateful to be among them, I hear the voice of an eight-year-old named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she thought long and hard and finally said, "I don't know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!" The kid is right.
(Erma Bombeck, Redbook, October,1992.)
To ignore our tendency to not being grateful - this is to risk growing into a life of greed. Jesus described a Christian who could not mature into the faith as one who was “choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14) or as Romans 12:2 says, ”be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Contentment requires that we have the right attitude – the attitude of Christ.
Contentment Blocker #2 – My Priorities are Wrong!
a. Confess our tendency toward self sufficiency or self centeredness.
Illustration:
One summer in the 1940s, Nabokov and his family stayed with James Laughlin at Alta, Utah, where Nabokov took the opportunity to enlarge his collection of butterflies and moths. Fadiman relates: "Nabokov's fiction has never been praised for its compassion; he was single-minded if nothing else. One evening at dusk he returned from his day's excursion saying that during hot pursuit near Bear Gulch he had heard someone groaning most piteously down by the stream. "'Did you stop' Laughlin asked him. "'No, I had to get the butterfly.'" The next day the corpse of an aged prospector was discovered in what has been renamed, in Nabokov's honor, Dead Man's Gulch." While people around us are dying, how often we chase butterflies! (Vernon Grounds)
We will never be contented as long as we make ourselves the center of our universe. This is a spot designed in our very creation for one alone – God. When we become self centered, we remove God from his rightful place and put ourselves there. We in essence can make ourselves gods. When we are not willing to confess our tendencies to look out for only ourselves, this will lead to a life of dissatisfaction. We will never be satisfied with what all God has truly blessed us with. We will always look for more.
I can never forget Rick Warren’s words in his book, The Purpose Driven Life. “Its not about you.
Philippians 2:3 says, “do nothing out of selfish ambition.”
b. Confess our tendency toward materialism (things). Things distract us from God. Things distract us from relationships. Things distract us from doing mission work. Can you name 10 things that you have and really don’t need? Can you name 25 things that you have and you really do not need? Can you name 100 things that you have and you really do not need? I honestly think I could give you 100 things and it would just be a closet cleaning. Why do we have so many things that can move us from God?
- We judge a person’s worth by how many things they have.
- We judge a person’s character by how nice those many things are.
Things do not give you contentment.
Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (NIV).
c. Confess our tendency to hoard things we don’t need.
A man became envious of his friends because they had larger and more luxurious homes. So he listed his house with a real estate firm, planning to sell it and to purchase a more impressive home. Shortly afterward, as he was reading the classified section of the newspaper, he saw an ad for a house that seemed just right. He promptly called the realtor and said, “A house described in today’s paper is exactly what I’m looking for. I would like to go through it as soon as possible!” The agent asked him several questions about it and then replied, “But sir, that’s your house your describing.”
Source unknown
Matthew 6:19 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
d. Confess our tendency to ignore “the means of grace” (ways to grown spiritually).
Paul learned how to be content. This means he at one time did not understand. He got there by a disciplined life. He got there by believing God’s promises. He got there by trusting God will provide.
Philippians 4:6 says, “do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made unto God.
Matthew 7:26, “the foolish man built his house upon the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell with a great crash.
When it comes to priorities, we get to set them. Are we setting Godly priorities, which will lead to true contentment or worldly ones that are quickly gone.
III. The Result of a Contented Life
A contented life is complete as we give our all to Christ. Just as a life that is not contented brings us worry and anxiety, a life contented in Christ brings us peace and joy.
Paul was saying, “I have learned to rely on the all sufficient Christ.”
- It leads to a love for our neighbor and a giving attitude
- It leads toward priorities of the kingdom of God.
- It leads to trusting God for salvation and our daily existence.
- It leads to growing in our love of God and neighbor.
Authentic Faith, Gary Thomas puts it this way. He says,
"Contentment….is satisfaction, peace, assurance, and a sense of well-being that is cultivated by pursuing the right things. Instead of more power, more money, more pleasure, and more control, ...we seek an 'abundance' of grace and peace...contentment is the opposite of striving, aching, restlessness, and worry."
Paul had learned what true contentment was – that is to be centered fully in Christ. Paul said he was going to rely on Christ. At the end of the Spiritual Retreat “Walk to Emmaus,” a statement is made to each person individually, “Christ is counting on you,” and the response is “and I am counting on Christ.”
Are you counting on Christ? When we allow Christ be our all in all then we can truly say as Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Don’t let anything keep you from Christ today. Amen.
Finding the Peace that Passes all Understanding
Mark 4:35-41
October 11, 2009
Jim Whittaker
A wise old gentleman retired and purchased a modest home near a junior high school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace and contentment. Then a new school year began. The very next afternoon three young boys, full of youthful, after-school enthusiasm, came down his street, beating merrily on every trash can they encountered. The crashing percussion continued day after day, until finally the wise old man decided it was time to take some action.
The next afternoon, he walked out to meet the young percussionists as they banged their way down the street. Stopping them, he said, "You kids are a lot of fun. I like to see you express your exuberance like that. In fact, I used to do the same thing when I was your age. Will you do me a favor? I'll give you each a dollar if you'll promise to come around every day and do your thing." The kids were elated and continued to do a bang-up job on the trash cans.
After a few days, the old-timer greeted the kids again, but this time he had a sad smile on his face. "This recession's really putting a big dent in my income," he told them. "From now on, I'll only be able to pay you 50 cents to beat on the cans."
The noisemakers were obviously displeased, but they did accept his offer and continued their afternoon ruckus. A few days later, the wily retiree approached them again as they drummed their way down the street.
"Look," he said, "I haven't received my Social Security check yet, so I'm not going to be able to give you more than 25 cents. Will that be okay?"
"A lousy quarter?" the drum leader exclaimed. "If you think we're going to waste our time, beating these cans around for a quarter, you're nuts! No way, mister. We quit!" And the old man enjoyed peace.
(From: http://www.hehe.at/funworld/archive/fun4you.php?joke=1472)
I. Background
We all want peace, don’t we? CBS has been running nightly specials on the war in Afghanistan this week. Why? We would like to win, get peace, or get out. War is what we do when we run out of options. War is never good. One escalation will always make another one at a later date. Well if Afghanistan wasn’t bad enough, then there is Iran with what looks like a prospect that they can build a nuclear bomb, and they have a missile to shoot it somewhere, and this doesn’t even include North Korea.
When Jesus said there is going to be “wars and rumors of wars,” I believe what he was saying we will never fully experience peace on this earth. In fact, during the last 4,000 years there have been only 268 years of peace in spite of good peace treaties. (J.K.Laney, “Marching Orders,” 50). That is less than 1%.
Don’t you feel like saying, God if we can’t have peace in the world, then let me have peace of mind. God, I want to live with a peace of mind. Don’t you?
When we look at our text today, it seems to say when the storms of life assail you, call upon Jesus and he will rescue you. This passage seems to give an easy answer to getting peace of mind. Perhaps, that is due to our very individualistic culture.
Consider this: In a 2005 National Study of Youth and Religion, the most prevalent form of religion in America is Deism. Deism believes God created the world. Deism believes God leaves us alone. Our special form of Deism is that God helps us when we ask him and good people go to heaven. There is something lacking in this explanation of God. It is Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit’s transformation. It is the challenge to pick up the cross and follow Jesus. There is something missing in our explanation of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This is the religion of our culture. Jesus with no sacrifice. Baptism with no commitment. I am asking you to re-consider your thoughts on this passage. It is natural for us to see this passage as our calling God down in time of trouble. Is that what this passage is saying? Do we define living in peace with God as the ability to call upon God and he fixes my every problem? I believe there is something more.
I invite you to turn to your Bibles and let’s look at this passage closely. This passage begins with Jesus’ words, “let us go over to the other side” (NIV). If this is a passage about us finding peace, then let us first note, Jesus commanded the disciples to go across the Sea of Galilee. If hard times are coming ahead with the rolling waves and the mighty wind, Jesus commanded the disciples to get right in the middle of that turmoil. We also need to remember to the Jew water represents evil and chaos. When the disciples get out in the middle of the lake, chaos happens. It goes completely crazy, and Jesus commanded his disciples to be there. I think there is something bigger in this story. Don’t you? This is not a simple story of the disciples having difficulties in life and Jesus helping them out. Jesus sent them there. Maybe we need to ask some more questions?
Where are the disciples going? I mean what is their destination? If Jesus sent them, and they got in a mess, maybe where they are going is important. So, where is it? The scriptures say, “to the other side.” They went to the region of the Gerasenes. This is not a Jewish territory. It is part of the 10 nation area called the Decapolis. It is under Roman control. This is the rest of the world. If it makes you think of the scripture in Matthew that says, “go into all the world and make disciples” then you are on the right track. We might think Jesus helps us when we are witnessing since this is tying this passage to the Great Commission, but I think that answer is also too simplistic.
What were the disciples doing? They were doing God’s will.
II. Peace Blockers
Learning Point #1 – When we concentrate on Life’s Problems rather than depending on God, we will not have peace.
I share with you this story:
In 1555, Nicholas Ridley was burned at the stake because of his witness for Christ. On the night before Ridley's execution, his brother offered to remain with him in the prison chamber to be of assistance and comfort. Nicholas declined the offer and replied that he meant to go to bed and sleep as quietly as ever he did in his life. Because he knew the peace of God, he could rest in the strength of the everlasting arms of his Lord to meet his need. So can we! (Source Unknown).
This story reveals a peace of God that is so deep that in the midst of a terrible storm this man is calm and at peace and is not calling on God to somehow intervene in his situation. How can you have peace like that?
I believe we are getting closer to one of the points of the story. Jesus is on the boat. There are several boats so there are several disciples perhaps the 12 and others. The story comes representing the chaos in our lives. The boats are getting swamped meaning it won’t be long and they are going to sink. During all of this, Jesus is asleep on one of the boats – calm, collected, and peaceful.
So who are you?
The disciples are fearful and think their life is over. Jesus is calm with no fear at all. He is at perfect peace. Are you a disciple or are you Jesus? Are you afraid or are you at peace?
Learning Point #2 – Fear and worry block Peace in our life.
It is said that the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin so feared for his safety that his residence in Moscow contained eight bedrooms. Each night Stalin chose a bedroom at random to ensure that no one knew exactly where he was sleeping. (unknown)
God does not want us to live in fear that is why Jesus stood up and rebuked the waves. The greatest fear we can have is to live in this chaotic world without Christ. How can we move from fear to peace?
III. The Road to Peace
We must first: Recognize God is in Control (God’s Sovereignty)
This story is first and foremost about this: The Son of God Jesus was God. God has the power to control the chaos of this world. God is in control. At this year’s Pastor’s Convocation, Phillip Jenkins stated the church of the future realizes that there is a “Spiritual War” going on out there and believes that there is power in Jesus.
You can’t move past fear if you don’t believe that Jesus can calm your waves in your life.
Charles Stanley, in his book titled, “Finding Peace,” names 5 essentials of Peace. Let’s see if we can find them in this story.
1. God Props the World Up. – Jesus calms the waves.
2. God Provides – The disciples escape death.
3. God has a Purpose for You – The disciples all died for Jesus – their purpose to tell the world the good news. God created us with a purpose. We were created in the image of God.
4. God has a Place where you belong – with the people of God the church.
5. God has a Plan in your fulfillment.
We must secondly: Submit to God’s Will
The scriptures admit the difficulty of this reality. Not only does the book of Romans 3 tell us we are all sinners. It lists some things that people do when they have not submitted their life onto God’s will. Their tongue is out of control letting out bitterness and cursing. Their paths lead to misery, ruin, and destruction. They have not known peace because they do not “fear God.” To fear God means to trust God completely with your life and to submit your life completely to God.
Joyce Meyers in her book “21 Ways to Peace and Happiness” says we often say, “I probably shouldn’t but,” I probably shouldn’t do this, say this, buy this, etc. That is not a surrendered will to God.
We must thirdly: Trust God fully
Jesus critiqued the disciples for not having faith, for not trusting in God fully. Jesus critiqued the disciples for trusting in themselves resulting in fear. When you are living in God and fully trusting him, you do not live in fear. I Corinthians says, “perfect love casts out fear.”
When you move from fear because of the trust you have placed in God. There are some repercussions of that move of faith.
IV. You Will Find Peace
The word peace in the Bible is a full wholeness of both body and spirit. When I was in Israel, the most common saying as you was leaving the company of someone was shalom – maybe God’s entire peace be with you or stated plainly, “shalom to you.”
In our story today, peace is described with stillness and calmness. That is a state of mind, but it is more than just a state of mind. St. Augustine said there are echoes of redemption when peace is used in the Bible. The ancient Romans saw in the word peace a legal security (think of assurance of your heavenly salvation). Peace is the result of a legal document or agreement. The Jewish historian said peace was about mercy and forgiveness.
I go back to our original question: Is there something bigger going on here?
I say there is: This is the story of redemption. For the first time, the disciples saw Jesus more than just a healer, they saw him as the Son of God who gives redemption. When you know you are at peace with God, trusting God fully, and abiding in the will of God, you will receive that peace that passes all understanding.
When the disciples stood up and said “save us Lord.” Jesus defeated the chaos and the evil around their life. Jesus is not something or someone we call upon when we are in trouble. Jesus is everything.
Jesus is calling to you. Come, I give peace to the world, but you must submit yourself unto God. Here is what God wants:
Jesus wants your mind. Romans 8:6, “to set the mind on flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (NRSV).
Jesus wants your heart. Ephesians 3:17, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
God wants all of you. II Cor. 5:15, “and he [Jesus] died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
Illustration:
Telemachus was a monk who lived in the 4th century. He felt God saying to him, "Go to Rome." He was in a cloistered monastery. He put his possessions in a sack and set out for Rome. When he arrived in the city, people were thronging in the streets. He asked why all the excitement and was told that this was the day that the gladiators would be fighting and killing each other in the coliseum, the day of the games, the circus. He thought to himself, "Four centuries after Christ and they are still killing each other, for enjoyment?" He ran to the coliseum and heard the gladiators saying, "Hail to Ceasar, we die for Ceasar" and he thought, "this isn't right." He jumped over the railing and went out into the middle of the field, got between two gladiators, held up his hands and said "In the name of Christ, forbear." The crowd protested and began to shout, "Run him through, Run him through." A gladiator came over and hit him in the stomach with the back of his sword. It sent him sprawling in the sand. He got up and ran back and again said, "In the name of Christ, forbear." The crowd continued to chant, "Run him through." One gladiator came over and plunged his sword through the little monk's stomach and he fell into the sand, which began to turn crimson with his blood. One last time he gasped out, "In the name of Christ forbear." A hush came over the 80,000 people in the coliseum. Soon a man stood and left, then another and more, and within minutes all 80,000 had emptied out of the arena. It was the last known gladiatorial contest in the history of Rome.
If you want peace, give yourselves completely to God. That is the answer to the big question. Amen.
Life is Messy: God Gives Grace for Start Overs
Acts 15:36-41; Communion Sunday
Oct. 3, 2009
Jim Whittaker
Wow! Talk about “Life is Messy.” Today we find Paul, the darling of the New Testament having a sharp disagreement with Barnabas. It seems that John Mark had disappointed Paul, and Paul did not trust him to get another chance. Paul’s personality was one of black and white. Paul is not known to be easy with his words. Yet Paul is not all harshness as he tells us in the book of Romans, he would die for his people, the Jews, if they would accept Christ. There is also a soft side of Paul as well. Now Barnabas is not like Paul at all. He is nicknamed the “encourager.” They must have been quite a team. Paul would tell the people they had sinned against God and needed Christ. Then, Barnabas would encourage the people to grow in Christ. The Bible doesn’t sugar coat the Word of God. What we have here is 2 Christians fighting. It becomes so intense that they go their separate ways. They can’t do the Kingdom work of God together.
Now the Word of God did not give us this story as an example: that is Christians are to fight. The Bible gave us this story for us to live out what Christians should do when things get rough. This story does not give us a solution. It only tells us this: there is a problem in the church. Now let’s be real: this type of behavior is not good for the church. This type of behavior is sin. Our D.S. told me where he was in a church at a meeting and the argument got so bad he thought they were going to come to blows. Listen to this: this is sin. This is where we get when Satan has us where we wants us. Satan wants us to be ineffective in our witness for Christ. Have you ever been in the place where you have said, how did we get here? This is not a good place? What happened to the Christian witness? There needs to be a new start. Maybe your need of a new start is different – new career. New neighborhood. New friends. Maybe you are like Paul and need a new start spiritually. As we look at starting over, let us look at the end result of this story. In II Tim. 4:11, Paul says, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.” Paul is reconciled unto John Mark at this point. How can we receive reconciliation?
Reconcile in its most basic form means simply to be friendly again. That might mean getting friendly with a fellow brother or sister in Christ. It may mean your neighbor, your family, or your community. It may mean getting friendly with God. How did Paul get there?
The Bible doesn’t give us a roadmap of this turnaround, but it is a turnaround. Paul at some point must have realized at the least that he was too hard on John Mark or at the worst that he was flat out wrong about John Mark.
Forgiveness is the key.
Illustration: Opaquing fluid is the magical liquid that covers over your errors, your typos, your unfortunate slip-ups. You brush on the liquid and start all over again--hopefully this time with no unfortunate slip-ups. Opaquing fluid is forgiveness, an obliteration of a goof with no telltale traces that the goof happened at all. From: John V Chervokas, How to Keep God Alive from 9 to 5.
1. Paul had to first forgive ____________(himself).
If you and I want to help a person in need, or speak up against an injustice, our first priority must be to get things right in our own hearts” (Total Forgiveness, R.T. Kendall, 130).
Matthew 7:5, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye.”
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, there are some pretty profound words. Forgive me O God as I have forgiven others. We have to come to the realization if we can’t forgive others it is a sin. We also have to realize we might have made a mistake that had some bad consequences. Just as others deserve forgiveness, so do we. The first step in reconciliation is to forgive yourself. Paul had to realize that he had made a mistake and take that to the cross. Forgive me O God, for I have sinned.
2. Paul had to secondly forgive ____________(others)
Jesus wants us to move forward past the offense into a lifestyle of forgiveness” (Kendall, 129).
II Cor. 2:10ff, “Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
When we do not forgive, we are living right where Satan wants us to live. When we hold grudges against family members or friends that is slowly killing us spiritually. If you have any feelings like that, then we need to do an exorcism – be gone Satan for we claim the forgiveness found in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Illustration:
A couple was having marriage difficulties. I ask you, which of the two responses was most helpful. The wife suggested to the husband that they both keep a jar and fill it with the complaints of the other one. They did so both jars were open and soon filled up, then they traded jars. When the husband read his notes in his jar they were filled with things such as need to pick up dirty clothes, etc. The wife read hers and each note simply said, “I love you.” I am not trying to say that they wife did not have a legitimate complaint, but which one do you think was the most helpful. The one that said, “I love you.”
3. Paul learned that it is better to _____________(encourage and build up) than to complain, belittle, and tear down.
“Forgiveness is not total forgiveness until we bless our enemies – and pray for them to be blessed (Kendall, 194).
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).
When we come to this last point, we realize that we have to ask the question am I furthering or hindering God’s purpose for me and for the church in the world. It is a time of gut checks. Forgiving ourselves moves us from self hatred to love. Loving ourselves moves us to loving others. If we love others, we want to build them up not tear them down.
God is a God of redemption. Redemption by definition is new beginnings. We are all sinners. God gives us each a new start in God. God forgives our sins and lets them go. We should to as we confess our sin and then let it go. Accept God’s forgiveness.
God allows new starts that aren’t tied to relationships. Perhaps our new start is a new job. Do we hold resentment toward God for letting this misfortune happen to us? It’s easy to blame God, but God is a God of love. He doesn’t want us to live in bitterness. God wants you to live in joy. If your life is not filled with joy because of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, then today open yourself up to God. Forgive yourself, confess your sins, and forgive others. If you are mad at God, then confess that as a sin as well. God loves us and does not despise us. Let it go. Accept God’s forgiveness and love. This is the key to starting over again. Amen.
Life is Messy Series
Mark 5:35-43 – Hope in the Midst of Chaos
September 27, 2009
Jim Whittaker
Fear Illustration
“At 8:17 on the evening of March 3, 1943, bomb-raid sirens bansheed through the air above London, England. Workers and shoppers stopped on sidewalks and boulevards and searched the skies. Buses came to a halt and emptied their passengers. Drivers screeched their brakes and steeped out of their cars. Gunfire could be heart in the distance. Nearby antiaircraft artillery forces launched a salvo of rockets. Throngs on the streets began to scream. Some people threw themselves on the ground. Others covered their heads and shouted, “They are starting to drop them!” Everyone looked above for enemy planes. The fact that they saw none did nothing to dampen their hysteria.
People raced toward the Behnal Green Underground Station, where more than 500 citizens had already taken refuge. In the next 10 minutes fifteen hundred more would join them.
Trouble began when a rush of safety seekers reached the stairwell entrance at the same time. A woman carrying a baby lost her footing on one of the 19 uneven step leading down from the street. Her stumble interrupted the oncoming flow, causing a domino of others to tumble on top of her. Within seconds, hundred of horrified people were thrown together, piling up like laundry in a basket. Matters worsened when the late arrivers thought they were being deliberately blocked from entering (they weren’t), so they began to push. The chaos lasted for less than a quarter of an hour. The disentangling of bodies took until midnight. In the end 173 men, women, and children died. No bombs had been dropped. Fusillades didn’t kill the people. Fear did.”
Fear has taken over our culture. We fear being sued. We fear finishing last. We fear the eroding of our pension plan, our savings, and even paying the bills. We fear the new mole on our back. We fear the ticking of the clock that let’s us know that we are getting older. We fear for the safety of our children. We are fearful of getting pregnant and not getting pregnant. The fear of losing our job or getting a job we don’t want. We are fearful of change and life is changing at an incredible speed. We are fearful of tests, and my all time favorite – we are fearful of snakes. If somehow I have missed your fear, please insert it at this time. I haven’t even touched on some of our biggest fears – the fear of an economic collapse, the return of terrorism in America, or the collapse of democracy as we know it.
While fear can help us make it through difficult times in that it prepares us to fight or flight, an obsession with fear though will bring about our downfall and lead to a hopelessness. Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger—if we couldn't feel it, we couldn't protect ourselves from legitimate threats. But often we fear situations that are in no way life-or-death, and thus hang back for no good reason. (from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fear )
1. Name and Claim our Fears
Can you name your fears? What is it that you are most fearful for right now?
Last fall I watched my pension plan lose ½ of its value. Dianna’s job almost disappeared, and our son-in-law is in Iraq. These are real fears. Another real time of fear for me was around 911. Everyone was fearful of what might happen next. An aircraft had sprayed some type of dust around Monroe, NC. My daughter lived there. We have fears.
Today we are looking in our scripture for help in our lives today. We are coming with the assumption that God loves us, and we are his beloved children of God. God doesn’t want us to live in fear. God wants a relationship with us so that we do not have to live in fear. Max Lucado, in his book Fearless, says in the Gospels there are 125 Christ issued imperatives of these 21 urge us to not be afraid or to have courage (10). I give you a few of those Bible verses.
Matthew 10:31, “do not be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows” (NCV).
Matthew 6:25, “I tell you do not worry about everyday life – whether you have enough” (NLT).
The scriptures are telling us to keep our priorities right and to realize there are bigger things to worry about – even life and death issues. This is where we join our text, Jarius, a local synagogue ruler had a little daughter who was dying. To bring it up to speed today, the local preacher’s daughter was dying.
Talk about naming your fear – this is a big one. A child is dying. Now for us today, this would be when hospice comes in or it would be when the doctor says there is no hope. This situation speaks to us. It is real for a child is involved.
It speaks to us how we can feel in our world. The world is out of control. Violence is escalating. Terrorism is real. The economic situation is dismal. We are losing our health insurance. It is easy for us to get to the point where we day, “there is no hope.”
I like how Max Lucado explains our situation. “Fear has taken a hundred year lease on the building next door and set up shop” (Fearless, 5). I want to define fears for you a little bit further.
1. Fright is instinctive fear, designed to protect us from physical danger.
2. Worry is fear produced by our worst imaginings.
3. Guilt is fear caused by a troubled conscience.
4. Insecurity is fear prompted by feelings of inadequacy.
5. Dread is fear generated by life’s fundamental uncertainty.
(by Forest Church, “Freedom from Fear” Nov. 9, 2003)
Where can we go for help? Where do we go to find “hope in the midst of Chaos?”
2. Give it to God
Our first action, our first reaction, and our first move should be to give our fears to God. In the scriptures, we find that Jesus the healer, the “Great Physician” was on his way to help the local synagogue leader. Help was coming. The ambulance siren is blowing, and he is delayed with a traffic jam. Actually what happened in Jesus’ case was a woman needed healing and touched Jesus’ garments thinking I won’t bother the great healer, but Jesus felt a transfusion of power go out of him and asked who touched me. Jesus told her, she had been healed because of her faith. The Greek word here pisteou simply means she “trusted Jesus,” Trust is a “confident expectation” according to Webster’s.
The first step in giving our fears to God is to believe God loves us. This means that God wants what is best for us. I like what Billy Graham said in Hope for the Troubled Heart, “No matter what sin we have committed. No matter how terrible it may be. God loves us” (25). Love by definition means you have compassion. Love by definition means you care. God wants us to know that. I love you. John 3:16, “for God so loved the world.”
The second step in giving our fears to God is to have a relationship with him. Jesus wants to be our friend and savior. A friend will tell you what you need to know because they love you. Listen to these words of Jesus, “Friends do not fear those who kill the body…fear him [who] has authority to cast into hell” (Luke 12:4). Do you feel like you have a relationship with God or has it grown cold like an old friendship or a bad marriage?
The third step in giving our fears to God is to trust or believe that God is trustworthy. We expect in some way for God to help in our situation. The woman had suffered from bleeding for 12 years. She believed that God could somehow make things better. God saves us. Go d heals us. God cares for us. God will not leave nor forsake us. Now this doesn’t mean that once we claim Jesus as our savior and friend that no bad things will ever happen again. We find the world nailed Jesus to the cross. Again I quote from Billy Graham, “the way of the cross is hard, he never said it would be easy” (43). Doubt is our enemy.
Now I am going to be honest with you, we actually like to hold on to things. We are saying release your fear and give it over to God. We say we are giving things to God, but we want to take them back. This means we do not fully trust God to help us. Billy Graham says, “Today more than ever we need to know how to find strength to live life to its fullest” (Billy Graham, Hope for the Troubled Heart, 13). Taking that step of faith even when we know we will be strengthened by it is hard. How may takers were there when Jesus told Peter come on out and walk on the water?
God has given to us a source – a way to toss our fears overboard. The only problem is we are fearful of letting go of our fears. I can’t even imagine how the synagogue leader must have felt before they got home someone from the house told him it’s too late, your daughter has died. His heart must have stopped. I can imagine him starting to sweat. His heart is broke. The tears are flowing. He crumbles down to the ground. Fear of all fears. Listen to the advice given by Jesus in this situation, “do not be afraid; just believe” (Mark 5:36 NIV).
Nothing fosters courage like a clear grasp of grace (Fearless, 38). Forrest Church says to live into this we should:
1. The Courage to Act – fear can paralyzes us or drive us to depression.
2. The Courage to Love – we can be pitied to think no one loves us and so we can’t love, when in fact God loves us and we should spread that love.
3. The Courage to be (ourselves – just who we are) – we are not to try to be somebody we aren’t. God saves us just who we are. If we don’t pretend we are somebody we aren’t, we will be more honest with God about our fears.
Even though the synagogue leader was feeling the Fear of all fears – it’s too late. Even though his friends said, “Don’t bother the Son of God, it’s too late,” Jesus said “do not be afraid.” Are you ready to take that step of faith and give your fears to God?
3. God Gives Hope for the Impossible
The story has been told of a lone survivor of a shipwreck who was marooned on an uninhabited island. It is hard to imagine the fear they felt. The fear of being alone. The fear of never being found. The fear of dying out on this deserted island and never getting to speak to his family again. Yet, through it all, he managed the best he could. He made a hut and put everything in it that he had saved from the ship wreck. He prayed to God and anxiously scanned the horizon for ships.
One day he returned to his hut and to his horror, it was on fire and all of his possessions were gone. He had nothing left and now he was fearful for his life. It was not long after this tragedy that he was saved by a passing ship. Upon boarding the ship, the captain told him, I would have never seen you if you had not set the fire. The shipwrecked man fell to his knees and thanked God for his rescue (Billy Graham, Hope for the Troubled Heart, preface). God can work through the fires in our life.
Are you willing to believe that in God even the impossible is possible?
. The Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev went so far as to claim that every time we pray, we pray for a miracle. "Every prayer reduces itself to this," he said: "Great God, grant that twice two be not four." Sometimes twice two is not four. We have all known so-called miracles in our lives. A loved one awakens from a coma. The cancer riddling our body goes into sudden complete remission. Such things happen just often enough that it would be foolish not to throw a Hail Mary pass with two seconds left and one’s life on the line. (Forrest Church)
We find just this scenario in today’s text. Jesus walks into the house where the dead child is and says, “the child is not dead just sleeping.” The Message translation says, “provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn’t know what he was talking about.”
Now we shouldn’t expect God to grant us a miracle just to get us out of our mess. God didn’t come to clean up the messes we made, God came in the Son Jesus to cleanse us so that we don’t make a mess.
Here is the greatest hope that we can have:
1) God loves me. God has granted each of us the opportunity to have a relationship with him. When we accept God’s gift of grace through Jesus, he fills us with love. He fills us with joy. After the miracle on that day, the text says, “they were besides themselves and were full of joy.”
2) This simple story really is about the greatest miracle of all – We are all dead unto God. Our sins have betrayed us making us an outcast unto God. God comes into the room. Satan says they are dead. Jesus breathes into us the breath of life through his own death on the cross and his own resurrection.
3) This new day, this new beginning, this is our day. God gives us new life eventhough we were dead in disobedience. God gives us eternal life for those who are willing to touch his garments and believe and to those who are willing to go to the house of the dead girl and know there is the possibility of new life. God’s grace frees us to new life. We are liberated from fear and move into love and hope.
When we believe in God’s salvation, depend on him daily, and expect a future of worshipping God, we get hope; therefore,
- My hope is not founded on my bank account.
- My hope is not founded on my pension
- My hope is not founded on my job, my career or even my family.
- My hope is not founded on the turn around of the economy.
- My hope is not founded on my good health.
- My hope is not founded on my ability to make things right with my spouse, and my children.
- My hope is founded on the eternal one.
- My hope is founded on the one who will not fail.
- My hope is founded on the one who said, I have come so you may have abundant life.
- My hope is founded on the only one who says come unto me and receive my grace.
- My hope is founded on the Jesus who takes me as I am a sinner unclean.
- My hope is founded on forgiveness undeserved by the great God who forgives.
- My hope is founded on the one who makes me like him.
Today is the day to let go of your fears and receive the hope that only comes from a God who loves us, who understands our pains. Say yes, yes to Jesus today. Let him transform you to be better than you deserve.
Let go of yourself and get a hold of God. Today is the day of salvation my friend do not let it pass you by.
Amen.
Joanna Bourke, Fear: A Cultural History (Emeryville, CA: Shoemaker and Hoard, 2005), 232-33.
Sermon – The Way of a Servant
Mark 9:30-37
September 20th, 2009
Jim Whittaker
An inexperienced preacher was to hold a graveside burial service at a pauper's cemetery for an indigent man with no family or friends. Not knowing where the cemetery was, he made several wrong turns and got lost. When he eventually arrived an hour late, the hearse was nowhere in sight, the backhoe was next to the open hole, and the workmen were sitting under a tree eating lunch.
The diligent young pastor went to the open grave and found the vault lid already in place. Feeling guilty because of his tardiness, he preached an impassioned and lengthy service, sending the deceased to the great beyond in style.
As he returned to his car, he overheard one of the workman say to the other, "I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years and I ain't never seen anything like that."
We can try to please to our fullest ability and it not amount too much. The preacher was trying to please, but he was already late. There was no need to preach a sermon. A question we should ask is this: Are we trying to please ourselves or God?
What does it take to please God? Ken Crockett gives us this advice.
Pleasing God - Changing Audiences
We have let the world define greatness for us. Our society has built itself on the philosophy of the devil instead of on the wisdom of God. As long as we believe Satan’s big lie that our lives are insignificant unless we are on top, we will live in constant state of dejection, worthlessness, and strife.
To overcome this incorrect way of thinking, we must change audiences. Which audience are we trying to please: people in this world, or God in heaven?
(Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 141-142) – from website: http://www.kentcrockett.com/cgi-bin/illustrations/index.cgi?topic=Pleasing%20God
Jesus was living his life for God. The disciples were trying half heartedly and ended up missing the lesson Jesus wanted to give them. The way of a servant is a hard lesson to hear when the world is saying lift yourself up high.
Jesus talks about being lifted up – lifted upon a cross. That’s the way of a servant. The confusion in this story builds just because the disciples wouldn’t ask about Jesus’ way.
As we look at the text, in chapter 8, ch. 9, and in ch. 10, Jesus gives them news they don’t want to hear – there will be no compromising – Jesus is going to do God’s will and die for the people so they could be saved from their sins. He will be handed over to humanity, killed, yet in three days he will rise again.
Peter is so torn up with those statements in Ch. 8 – that he tells Jesus don’t do it. Jesus tells Peter get behind me Satan. At that moment, Satan was using Peter. Just as the Devil had directly tempted Jesus in the beginning of his earthly ministry, he now uses one of Jesus’ disciples.
Who is our audience – God or the world? Are we more interested in what our family thinks, our friends think, our co-workers think than about what God thinks. Jesus told Peter, you are interested in things of men not the things of God. This scripture is really about that point. Jesus is telling them, you have to be a servant of God’s kingdom – that is where true greatness can be found. Time is short on this earth for Jesus and he wanted to be sure they got this message. He could see the hearts of the disciples and he knew they were in conflict with this teaching. When Jesus was talking about being lifted up high on the cross, the disciples talked about being lifted high up in God’s kingdom.
Don’t miss this point. We are the disciples. We get messed up on what is really important. Today’s scripture story is for us.
Jesus’ Discussion – Jesus Gives us the Words of Life that are Really Important
Jesus and the disciples went on the road. They are in Galilee. This is the place that they were called and in Mark’s gospel, they are told to go to Galilee and wait for Jesus after the resurrection. Galilee is home turf. We are told that they are keeping a low profile. When you travel, you have time to talk.
Our son Andy played on a travel soccer team, which boiled down to practice once or twice a week and a game day on Saturday. They don’t call them travel teams for nothing. We travelled to Gastonia, Statesville, Roanoke Rapids, Jacksonville, Fayetteville, Wilmington, and Greensboro. Then there were the tournaments in Augusta, Georgia, Richmond, and DC. That’s a lot of time on the road with a mini-van full of kids. We had good conversations on the road. Dianna and I found that some of our best talking time with the children was on these trips. What else is there to do, but talk. You probably have experienced that as well.
Jesus found that their road trips was good talking time. They are keeping out of the busy thoroughfares and Jesus is using this time to teach the disciples. Time is getting short. They are headed to Jerusalem. This will be a two or three day journey. Jesus knows his ultimate purpose is at hand. He wants to be sure they get the message. Mark records three times in a row what is going to happen. We look at Ch. 9. Jesus will be betrayed and handed over to human rulers. They will kill him, but amazingly he is not defeated since he will rise again.
I have wondered how this conversation came off to the disciples. Peter had confessed that he was the “Messiah” in Mark and Matthew has him saying he is the “Son of God.” Can God’s anointed be killed? Can the “Son of God” be killed?” This was confusing to the disciples.
It was confusing because there were two completely and totally different perspectives going on here. The disciples had no place in their plans for a dead Messiah.
This brings up an interesting point – Could God’s will ever get in the way of our will? We may not want to admit it, but I think the answer is yes. When I felt God calling me to ministry, I asked him why now? I have a good job? Bills to pay. Did you mean to send this call to someone else? This really isn’t fitting with plans. I told God if he would wait until I was 55 I would have nearly a full pension with a guaranteed health insurance. Sounded like a good deal to me, but the question is – was this what God wanted or was it what I wanted?
I didn’t want to change anything in my life. I didn’t want sacrifice? I didn’t want to hear what God was saying. Ever been there. I am thinking you probably have. God has told you either you needed to do something or told you to stop doing something and you were in no mood to hear of it. Our natural tendency is just to ignore God. If we don’t answer God when he tells us he wants us to do something, maybe he will go away. Its amazing at times we act like we are afraid of God. We act like he doesn’t have our best interest in mind. We act like God doesn’t love us when he had told us we are his beloved children.
Jesus was laying out the plan of redemption to them. Your sins though they are many and stained like crimson with the forgiveness that we have with Jesus’ death on the cross, those sins disappear and we become white as snow. Jesus cleans us up. But, this isn’t all. Even though Jesus dies this is in no way defeat, he rises again victoriously and we as believers know that we will rise victoriously as well.
The scriptures say, the disciples were afraid. They didn’t want to engage Jesus in this discussion. He was laying out the plan of salvation and they were afraid to step forward. They preferred to stay just where they were and in confusion. Jesus is the light. He illuminates our sins. There is no place to hide.
The Disciples Discussion – They are looking in all the wrong places
This section reminds me of a country song, “looking for love in all the wrong places.” The disciples were looking to please God, but whom were they looking toward for help?
An old fable that has been passed down for generations tells about an elderly man who was traveling with a boy and a donkey. As they walked through a village, the man was leading the donkey and the boy was walking behind. The townspeople said the old man was a fool for not riding, so to please them he climbed up on the animal's back. When they came to the next village, the people said the old man was cruel to let the child walk while he enjoyed the ride. So, to please them, he got off and set the boy on the animal's back and continued on his way. In the third village, people accused the child of being lazy for making the old man walk, and the suggestion was made that they both ride. So the man climbed on and they set off again. In the fourth village, the townspeople were indignant at the cruelty to the donkey because he was made to carry two people. The frustrated man was last seen carrying the donkey down the road. (From: http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/peer_pressure.htm)
Don’t get caught carrying a donkey. Everybody has an opinion both sinners and saints.
The disciples were definitely interested in the kingdom. They wrote off Jesus’ description of dying. I guess they thought that wouldn’t really affect them so they moved onto something that was really important to them. Themselves. Not only were they interested in themselves, but they also wanted to lift themselves up to greatness so they got into an argument on who should sit the closest to Jesus on a throne in his kingdom.
They would have been better to have said let me see more of Jesus and less of me. Since we seem to be on a song kick today, there is a contemporary Christian song that says, “I want to see Jesus lifted high” meaning more of Jesus and less of me. Why is it then that we seem to always want to bring someone else down for their race, their gender, their nationality, or their economic status. That’s a sin. This sin thing is world wide.
My doctor, who is Indian, described to me that the Indian culture was divided by two basic criteria. The stronger rise to the top, and those with whiter skin rise to the top. The darker you are, the weaker you are, the poorer you are – all are things to drive you downward in society.
Its almost as the disciples saw Jesus as their ticket to fame. It’s a sad day when we come to church for social benefits rather coming to honor a God who gives us salvation. The disciples really should have asked the question, whose audience is our life for? It would seem that they had not fully committed themselves to Jesus. They were walking the centerline in the road. They were straddling the fence. Maybe they could have the best of both worlds, life with a renowned theologian, a known healer, and one to bring deliverance to Israel without having to give up anything. In fact, just maybe, they would become more wealthy in this exchange.
Who are we living for – Christ or the world? They didn’t pursue any questions, because they were afraid to ask. Fear kept them from being God’s people.
Jesus Responds to their Conversation
In the NRSV translation, Jesus says what were you arguing about on “the way”? The way – this keys us in that the disciples are on a journey of following Christ – it is the way of Christ. We too are on a journey of following Christ.
When I went on my trip 3 years ago to Israel, out of all the things I saw – two were prominent to me. The place marked as where the cross stood according to church tradition and “Via Dolorosa” or the way of Christ on his journey to the cross. The “Via Dolorosa” was a powerful experience in that you knew that Christ walked there. It was nothing special – mainly walking down alleys between buildings heading out of Old Jerusalem. When you think you are walking where Christ walked, it puts a new appreciation to following Christ – following Christ to a real cross and a real tomb.
In Capernaum, the disciples followed Christ into a house – this would be a code word for a private time with Jesus. He sat down – this means that he is going to teach. He knows their motives are wrong.
What was your private conversation about that you have not shared with me as we walked along the way (our faith journey with Christ). The disciples had been caught red handed or with their hand in the cookie jar. They are guilty and no one wants to confess.
It doesn’t matter, Jesus knows what they talked about. Jesus knows our conversations. Be careful, what you say, God has big ears to hear. Talk about embarrassment – had they forgotten, that Jesus was the Son of God. In any case, he goes straight to their problem – how to be great. We might called it God’s Recipe for Success.
If you want to be first, then you got to be last. If you are in line, get out and go to the end of the line. Priorities change with this type of thinking. There is no room for me first mentality. With this being Homecoming, we are thinking about heaven and those friends, neighbors, and family that have already gone on to be with God. What do you think heaven will be like? Do you think there will be a lot of selfish people in heaven? I think we all know that doesn’t fit. Why then do we become selfish, self centered, and not concerned about others while we live here on this earth.
Something is not right. We have got to backup. Jesus reverses our thinking; instead, of lifting ourselves up, if you want to be great, lift others up. Jesus says what they needed to do was be a servant. As we look at this word servant, which is the same word that we get deacon from, it means to be serve God by doing God’s will. It means to do a task of our master. Our master is God. Our task is God’s will.
Jesus has given us marching orders. This is his will. Quit pulling yourself up so high and realize we all have a sin problem. If it was for the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, none of us could make it to heaven.
We lift others up by having compassion on them. We lift others up by leaving something in our budget to give to others. We live a little more simply than we can afford. While we all have compassion on a child knowing they need our help, Jesus says that’s who we should treat everybody – a radical hospitality – I will call it grace.
Jesus was a servant to God’s will. He was willing to die, but he also believed that in three days he would rise again. Jesus knew that this was not the end. It was one point on a journey. He gave is life for humanity because we can never earn enough merits to become who God wants us to be, but God loved us so much that he wanted a relationship with us now, and wants a relationship with us for eternity that he made a way to heaven for us. If we will just believe in his saving grace.
Who are we living for? Has the world tricked us and got us to take our eyes off Jesus. Paul said his eyes remain on the prize – the heavenly calling to Jesus Christ. He has called us to be citizens of heaven. Remember your calling. You are beloved children of God. Called to be God’s servants – a witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Sermon – The Devil’s Double Dare
Genesis 3:1-7
September 13, 2009
Jim Whittaker
Illustration:
The commanding officer was furious when nine GIs who had been out on passes failed to show up for morning roll call. Not until 7 p.m. did the first man straggle in. “I’m sorry, sir,” the soldier explained, “but I had a date and lost track of time, and I missed the bus back. Being determined to get in on time, I hired a cab. Halfway here, the cab broke down. I went to a farmhouse and persuaded the farmer to sell me a horse. I was riding to camp when the animal fell over dead. I walked the last ten miles, and just got here.”
Though skeptical, the colonel let the young man off with a reprimand. However, after him, seven other stragglers in a row came in with the same story—had a date, missed the bus, hired a cab, bought a horse, etc. By the time the ninth man reported in, the colonel had grown weary of it. “Okay,” he growled, “now what happened to you?”
“Sir, I had this date and missed the bus back, so I hired a cab...”
“Wait!” the colonel screeched at him. “don’t tell me the cab broke down.”
“No, sir,” replied the soldier. “The cab didn’t break down. It was just that there were so many dead horses in the road, we had trouble getting through.”
Contributed by John F. King
Americans have a penchant for lying. 91% of Americans admit to lying. 20% admit to lying every day. Where does all this lying come from? The 9th commandment of the 10 commandments says don’t perjure yourself – in other words don’t lie. Yet, we as humans have a tendency to lie.
Today, we are going to talk about Satan, the father of lies according to Jesus in John 8:44. I also remind you of the scripture in I Peter 5:8, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (NIV). We are going to come face to face with the reality that we let Satan deceive us. Just as Adam and Eve were deceived, Satan deceives us. To fight against the enemy, Satan – we must be prepared.
Let’s go back to our text in Genesis:
What we find is that Satan is not wearing a red costume. He doesn’t have horns. He doesn’t have a forked tongue. He is a serpent. In Revelation 12:9, and later in Ch. 20, we find where the prophet John says, “the great dragon was hurled down – the ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray.” Jesus says that the great dragon the serpent, or Satan is finally done away with. It’s not that we should be afraid of snakes, though we might be.
Fact #1 - It is this fact: Satan came in such a way that neither Adam nor Eve caught on they were begin deceived. The II Corinthians 11:14 tells us that “Satan himself masquerades as the angel of light” (NIV). Don’t expect Satan to look like our pictures of the devil. He is going to look just like me and you.
Fact #2 – Satan will twist God’s word in such a way so that you doubt what God really said. Look at the text (Gen. 3:1), “Did God really say?” The story is talking about obedience. In the story, obedience is to not eat of the tree in the middle of the garden – the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan uses the same logic today. “Did God really say?”
For example, did God really say that borrowing and not returning something was stealing? Did God really say that physical relations outside of marriage was wrong? Did God really say that looking out for #1 and pursuing your career at all costs was idolatry? You see what I am saying. Through the Holy Spirit, God will speak to us a believers. Satan will then come to you and get you to doubt God’s word.
I call what happened in the story Satan’s double dare: first Satan says I dare you to eat from any tree in the garden. Even in her response back to Satan Eve adds to God’s word. “Don’t even touch the tree in the middle of the garden,” she said. God didn’t say that.
I. Main Points: The Lies of Satan in Genesis
Now Satan hits her again, I double dare you to eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. You will be just like God.
We are going to talk today about some of the lies that Satan will use against you. In this passage in Genesis 3, we find Satan used these lies against Adam and Eve.
Lie #1 – Satan does not Exist
Lie #2 – God cannot be trusted
Lie #3 – God is holding out on you.
Lie #1 – Satan does not Exist
Flip Wilson, had a character named Geraldine, who would use the familiar phrase, “the devil made me do it.” While I often thought that line was a way to escape personal responsibility, we should not entirely slough it off as a joke either. Satan is the great tempter though Satan doesn’t make us do anything.
Paul believed in Satan, he says in I Corinthians 7:5, “so Satan will not tempt you.” Jesus believed in Satan, he said, “I watched Satan fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). In fact Satan is used 53 times in the Bible. The word “devil” is used 36 times in the Bible. James says, “resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Satan is always involved in deceiving people. Rev. 20:10 says, “the devil who deceived them” was cast into the lake of fire. God declares the victory.
Eve was not surprised by a talking Serpent and in fact had a conversation with this serpent. When we say that Satan does not exist, we are actually giving power to the enemy. Satan would like nothing more than for your marriage to fail, for you to lose your job, and for every known hardship to occur.
Temptation is often just like this, “Oh, come on one time won’t hurt.” Every alcoholic has a first drink. It only takes one time with the drug Met to be hooked. Tell a spouse who has been cheated on that only one time won’t hurt. This is a deception of Satan. The first step is to admit in the reality of one who deceives. Our membership vows tell us to “reject” and to “resist” evil.
Lie #2 – God cannot be Trusted.
In the Genesis story, Adam and Eve faced a deception of Satan face to face. He weakened their resolve to live in perfect relationship with God by making them doubt God had their best interest in mind. God was holding out on them and they had the power – the freedom to invest in themselves.
Satan spoke to their pride. We know the scriptures talks of Satan as one who full of pride wanted to make himself like God. He uses his very own deception to deceive others. Don’t you want to be like the Jones? Why everyone should have one of those? Why give to God’s work, God’s not doing anything for you? Don’t give your time to volunteer, God’s building up his own super team and he doesn’t have your best interest in mind.
Know this scripture: Hebrews 6:18, “it is impossible for God to lie.” Jeremiah 31:3 says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” So when God who loves us tells us something, it is for our own good. Matthew 6:19 says, “do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth.” What is God saying – he is saying that the pursuit of wealth will never solve all of life’s problems. In fact, the pursuit of wealth will create new ones: Many a family has sacrificed God on the altar of their own doing. What is it that is more important than God?
If you are not here on Sunday morning, that maybe a question you need to answer. We can feel that God is holding out on us. Realize that this is one of the oldest lies of all – straight from the Garden of Eden.
Lie #3 – God is holding out on you.
For Adam and Eve it played out like this. God knows when disobey his command and do what you ware wanting to do that you will gain knowledge. You will be like God himself. God is holding out on you, because he doesn’t want you to have that knowledge.
Let me tell you something brothers and sisters, I do not have to experience every pain in this world to know that it is painful. God gives us a way of escape. We don’t have to have the knowledge of the pain:
Of drug addiction, broken relationships, failed career paths, or disobedient children to know it is painful. Satan is saying, trying it you will like it. God doesn’t want you to know.
Saying like, everybody is doing it, if it feels good do it are sly ways of saying God doesn’t want you to be happy. God doesn’t want you to have joy. Instead, I am saying God is holding out to you the promise of abundant life.(John 10:10 NRSV). In that same passage, it says, “the thief comes to kill, steal, and to destroy.”
It is easy to buy into the lies of Satan. These are other lies that Satan tells to deceive us and to keep us from having a relationship with God.
II. Satan lies to break our fellowship with God right now.
Lie #1 – You have plenty of Time
If God is convicting your heart, that you need to get right with God, it is Satan who is whispering in your ear – not today. Put it off until tomorrow. You would be embarrassed to go up front. Satan will tell you whatever it takes to keep you from making things right with God. God wants a relationship with us.
Satan says, don’t commit yourself to Christ. Don’t say you will obey God. Put it off. God wants to rob you of your youth. God doesn’t live up to his promises. Put it off. That is Satan talking.
We should have learned to combat Satan we use God’s word. God’s word says in Luke 19:9, Zaccheus salvation has come to this house today. We might say well that is for Zacchaeus. Hebrews 3 says “today if you hear his voice and do not harden your heart.”
The parable of the Wealthy fool in Luke 12 showed a man who was building bigger bank accounts when God said, you fool tonight you life is demanded of you. How will you account for your desire of greater wealth? Where did God fit into your life plan? This could be our only chance?
Lie #2 – It Doesn’t Matter What you Believe
Luke 12:48 says, “to whom much has been given, much is required.” We in America represent the Christian faith to much of the world. The Christian faith believes Jesus is the Son of God – no one else does. The Christian faith believes Jesus rose again. No one else does. The Christian faith believes in salvation by grace not works – no one else does. We cannot as a Christian faith make the statement, “it doesn’t matter what you believe.” When Jesus said he was the way, he meant it. No one else has done what Jesus did. In other religions our good works make us more God like, we hope to experience karma. If Satan has told you, you are finding your own way on your own terms. You may have just bought into a lie. It does matter what you believe. We believe that God sent his Son in love and as a gift. This gift of love is one we receive by grace and then by grace share it with others. Adam and Eve tried to come to God in their own terms and were thrown out of the garden and revealing our sin nature. We need grace not determination. We need God’s strength not our own. We cannot do this by ourself. It requires a God who has intervened at the cross for us.
Lie #3 – Get Yourself Straightened out before you come to God.
Another lie that Satan will tell us is, you are not good enough to come to church. You are not good enough to become a church member. The fact is we will never be good enough. We will never be able to earn enough “attaboys” or “attagirls” to earn our salvation. In fact, we you can admit, you need straightened out, that is the time you most need God. God is speaking to your heart.
Closing
God is speaking to all of us today. He is saying beware of the lies of Satan. Have you found yourself buying into one. Genesis tells us that Even saw that it had a good appearance to cheat on God, to disobey God. There was something to be gained by selling God out to the world. Adam said Eve you are right. What the world has to offer is better than what God offers.
They had bought into Satan’s lie. Have you? Are your priorities messed up? Has God been apart of your picture lately? Even in Adam and Eves mess and they were in a mess. God sought them out as the hound dog of heaven. God is seeking us out today.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus says, “Behold I stand at the door and know. I you open the door of your heart, I will come in. I want to come in. That’s why I am knocking, but God wants us to ask for him to come into our life. Satan is telling you right now. Put it off. You don’t need to make a new commitment. You made one 10 years ago. Just remember who is talking to you. Satan is the father of lies. Listen to Jesus. He is knocking. Is he knocking on your heart today?
Amen.
Melody preached on September 6, 2009
Remembering a Forgotten People
Micah 4:6-8; August 30, 2009
Justice Series: Case #4 – Those we don’t see
Jim Whittaker
Proverb
Heaven
An ancient Asian tale gives two images that contrast the difference between heaven and hell. The image of hell is this: There is a large banquet hall. The room is prepared with all the finest that money can buy. The table and chairs are made of oak from the Black Forest of Germany. The linen is handmade by European craftsmen. The plates and saucers are bone china and the glassware is Waterford crystal. The meal itself has been prepared by the world's best chefs. The guests are present and are dressed in their finest attire. The only odd thing about this scene is the silverware utensils, which made of sterling silver, are very long, heavy and cumbersome. When the guests sit down and begin to eat, some people are not able to lift any of the utensils. Those that are able to lift the fork, knife or spoon cannot maneuver it so as to get anything to eat. Soon banqueters begin to bump into each other in their attempt to eat. Frustration and even anger is the result. In the end no one gets anything to eat.
The image of heaven is a bit different. The same banquet hall is adorned in the same way; the Black Forest oak, linen, bone china, Waterford crystal and fine food are all present. Even the large and cumbersome silverware is present. There is a different group of guests who are dressed very smartly. Somehow these banqueters have learned an important lesson. They realize that the utensils will not allow them to feed themselves. Thus, as they sit down to eat, those that are able to lift the utensils pick up food and maneuver it so as to feed a neighbor. When necessary two people lift a fork and feed a third person, who, in turn, with aid feeds those who fed him. In the end all eat well; each person is satisfied, because they have learned to feed each other.
(from www.ParishPublishing.org)
Introduction
We have been studying scripture passages that demonstrate God’s desire for justice. These passages have been the prophets telling Israel that there would be a judgment on them for not carrying out justice. Micah is no different. In Chapter 3, God spells out specifically those who despise justice and the punishment will be Zion will be plowed like a field. The end is coming. Chapter 4 though tells another story. While God has been trying to get across to us for the need of justice, we find in the last days God is going to help us accomplish doing what God wants. One of the things we know God wants is justice. The last days may be as reference to either the first or the second coming. In Chapter 4, we are told “he will teach us his ways.” Though obviously this seems to be a reference to Christ’s second coming, it also could be a reference to Jesus’ time on earth as he instructed us and still does with God’s holy Word. While we might look at this passage as totally fulfilled when Christ comes again to set up his kingdom, we also know he lead us in his life here on earth as Luke 4 states he came to set the captive free. If we continue to look at these verses, we find that God is concerned with the outcast (thieves, robbers, prostitutes, criminals, those with AIDS), and the afflicted (sick or suffering or hungry). God says he will use the weak or the lame to make something great. Peace on earth and worship in Jerusalem.
In Micah we see both condemnation and restoration. God never leaves us under condemnation. God wants to instruct us a school child so that we grow in maturity in our faith. To say we are a believer in God, and it not affect our faith calls into question whether or not we believe.
I. Living Out Injustice
In Micah 3, the prophet says the people do not like good, they like evil. What a stunning statement. Who have they forgotten for such a condemning charge? Who have we forgotten?
I searched for forgotten people in the news. This story was reported by CNN in February 2009. CNN's Dan Rivers follows the story of hundreds of Rohingya refugees as they escape persecution in Myanmar and escape to Thailand. Rohingya refugees take a chance and flee persecution as a Muslim small sect and get in boats to make it to a safer place. The news story was at least 6 boat loads of Rohingya refugees made it to Thailand where the Thailand police loaded them back into boats and dragged them out into the ocean. It was reported that 5 of the 6 boats sunk. No one seems to care for these forgotten people.
Also in Feb. 2009, Human Rights Watch says there is gross abuse by police in India. CNN's Sara Sidner reports that those called stealing were abused by the police. How? Allowing the crowd to beat them, dragging them behind a motorcycle, often resulting in death. Does no one care that people are stripped of their rights. These people seem to be a forgotten people.
Here in America in June 2009, it was reported that the graves of Indians baptized in the Catholic faith in San Francisco with unmarked graves unlike other graves that mark the history of that city were finally going to be recognized. Amaya Fabrio-Irwin, and she is a direct descendant of the Ohlone and Miwok people who lived in the Bay Area before Europeans came and changed it forever. She was baptized and 233 years later her forefathers and mothers had their grave marked. It would seem they were not important – a forgotten people.
I was encouraged as I read where a Baptism Mission targeted specifically forgotten people in the various countries around the world. There are forgotten people everywhere.
In our land and in our time, probably the most forgotten people or the invisible people were people with AIDS. In the early 80’s, we responded in fright not compassion. Television preachers preached AIDS was the result of sin, and we should let people wallow in their sin consequences – not very compassionate. For awhile it became a political hot potato. It would seem that if you had AIDS you were a forgotten people. No body cared.
Homeless people have been labeled as invisible people. They are everywhere and some help is given. It is easy to cast blame and say it is your fault. I am not sure the money we gave a homeless person while we were sitting on the bay at St. Petersburg went for drugs or for food. I’ll let God work that out. What I have discovered is many people are homeless because of physical disabilities, mental illness, and being bi-polar. We can’t assume every homeless person is either an alcoholic or a drug addict. Are the homeless a forgotten people?
Micah states God will gather those who have been driven away. God is a God of second chances.
II. Living Out Justice
When it comes to living out justice, there is an assumption that we are a believer in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Paul in the book of Romans, says someone might be willing to die for a good person, but Jesus died for us when our classification wasn’t “forgotten people,” but enemies of God. God knew who we were sinners in need of grace. Sinners in need of compassion. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his love toward us that while we were yet sinners, God died for us.” Sinner means we have missed the mark or are not living out what God intended us to be. Our natural tendency is to not do what God would have us do. Since we live in a land where Christianity is at least a basis of our beliefs whether or not it is lived out, we have an idea of what God would have us do, but there is a difference in us saying, that sounds right and I must do right. What does the Lord require of thee? To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God. I don’t believe we can do that without the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ – God’s saving grace where we confess we believe that Jesus forgives sins even mine.
When we think of justice, remember this parable. There was a man who owed a billion dollars. He was condemned to life in prison and then some. The ruler of the land called him up for a parole hearing and said you are guilty. You deserve to die. I will take your place. My death will replace yours. You have gained life because I am the giver of life. Go! You are freed, just don’t sin anymore. On the way home from prison, the newly freed man ran into an acquaintance who owed him $10. He demanded the man pay him right then, but the man did not have the money so he had him thrown into jail. That was the law! But, was it right? A man who had been given grace is unwilling to show any grace to those he lives with. It would seem right for this man to be thrown into jail, but is that the lesson that God wanted us to receive? No, it is not. God reminded us that we have been give grace. This saving grace demands that we give grace to others whether or not they deserve it. The moral of the story was this: You who have received grace and has not had your heart softened by that grace, you will pay for your lack of grace you demonstrate on others. The heart demonstrated there was no grace in the heart. The ruler of the land sent the man pack into prison without parole.
III. God Gives us Another Chance
Justice is just giving people a chance. The boat people in Burmese – no chance. Justice for the robber in India – no chance. Justice for Indians when we used to consider them less than human – no chance. Justice for the person infected with AIDS – our past response has been – no chance. Perhaps, women infected by an indiscrete husband who had AIDS woke us up. Justice does mean we have to ask the question – why? But, it also requires that we say why not? That’s mercy speaking. Why don’t we help them? God is in the restoration business.
He healed the sick. He made the lame to walk. He even brought back the dead to life. He gave sight to the blind, but one of the greatest miracles of all – he freed the oppressed. Those who were tied to sin, addictions, and bad habits. He freed us to make a choice to God. God is not going to let us wallow in sin as believers.
Micah is claiming in God new life begins. There aren’t dead ends that we can’t back out of. When we have been given such grace, in spite of our own arrogance, pride, and selfishness surely we can be just to others.
We come full circle. Romans 3 says, “no one is just” – no not one. It’s hard to show justice if we have not been justified. Romans 5 says, we are “justified” because of Christ’s death and blood spilled for us. He took our place. He paid the price. He satisfied God’s own holy law. He demonstrated love.
If we don’t know this Jesus, surely today is the day to get to know him. If we need to make new commitments unto this God of grace, surely God is waiting with open arms.
Come unto God today. He died for you and for me. Amen.
Justice Issue: Help Me to Die with the Grace of a Risen Savior
Amos 5:18-25
August 23, 2009
Jim Whittaker
Joke: “Pick Heaven or Hell”
One day while walking down the street a highly successful executive woman was tragically hit by a bus and she died. Her soul arrived up in heaven where she was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter himself. "Welcome to Heaven," said St.Peter. "Before you get settled in though, it seems we have a problem. You see, strangely enough, we've never once had an executive make it this far and we're not really sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in." said the woman.
"Well, I'd like to, but I have higher orders. What we're going to do is let you have a day in Hell and a day in Heaven and then you can choose whichever one you want to spend an eternity in."
"Actually, I think I've made up my mind...I prefer to stay in Heaven", said the woman.
"Sorry, we have rules..." And with that St. Peter put the executive in an elevator and it went down-down-down to hell. The doors opened and she found herself stepping out onto the putting green of a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a country club and standing in front of her were all her friends - fellow executives that she had worked with and they were all dressed in evening gowns and cheering for her. They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times. They played an excellent round of golf and at night went to the country club where she enjoyed an excellent steak and lobster dinner. She met the Devil who was actually a really nice guy (kinda cute) and she had a great time telling jokes and dancing. She was having such a good time that before she knew it, it was time to leave. Everybody shook her hand and waved good- bye as she got on the elevator.
The elevator went up-up-up and opened back up at the Pearly Gates and found St. Peter waiting for her. "Now it's time to spend a day in heaven," he said.
So she spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds and playing the harp and singing. She had a great time and before she knew it her 24 hours were up and St. Peter came and got her.
"So, you've spent a day in hell and you've spent a day in heaven. Now you must choose your eternity," he said.
The woman paused for a second and then replied, "Well, I never thought I'd say this, I mean, Heaven has been really great and all, but I think I had a better time in Hell."
So St. Peter escorted her to the elevator and again she went down-down-down back to Hell. When the doors of the elevator opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and Filth. She saw her friends were dressed in rags and were picking up the garbage and putting it in sacks. The Devil came up to her and put his arm around her. "I don't understand," stammered the woman, "yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a country club and we ate lobster and we danced and had a great time. Now all there is a wasteland of garbage and all my friends look miserable."
The Devil looked at her and smiled. "Yesterday we were recruiting you; today you're staff."
This story is a good reminder for us that the devil seeks to lead us astray. We have been talking about justice issues where the Bible time and time again says look after the widows, don’t cheat the poor, and take care of the children. The prophet Amos is no different. In Chapter 2, Israel is said to have sold out the poor for a pair of sandals. They push those with afflictions out of their way. They made money by putting fines on people, and then got drunk in God’s house with the money. They are sexually immoral. That is why our text for today asks them the question – You want people to be judged and you are saying come quickly God and judge these sinners. Don’t you realize you have sinned? God says I don’t respect and am not accepting your worship because it means nothing to you. He wasn’t listening to their songs of praise, because they had forgotten something: justice and righteousness. The theme is very consistent in the Old Testament. Remember, the definition of justice is to do right with obligations to both God and neighbor.
Definitions:
I share with you this definition of Justice and righteousness by Bruce Birch, who wrote Let Justice Roll Down – Justice is the claim to life and participation by all persons in structures and dealings of the community. Righteousness is more personal and means the expectations in relationships with intentions and actions that make for the wholeness of the relationship. According to the prophets, if justice and righteousness are not carried and lived out, then the covenant with God is broken. Jesus carried out this theme of carrying for those who had no help, had no voice, and had no way out. In Matthew 25, we are told that Christ is in the sick, the poor, the naked, and those in prison. If we ignore them, we are ignoring Christ. We are not to just sit back and say that’s the way it is. Justice calls us to action.
Another common theme we have had so far is the sacredness of life. Life is sacred at the beginning, throughout, and to the end of life itself. I read this from Psalm 139:13-16:
For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. And then in verse 16, in your book were written all the days that were formed for me. The preciousness and sacredness of life is stressed in these verses.
Define it: Euthanasia
Today, we take on the 3rd of our difficult and controversial subjects: Euthanasia. What is it? Think Dr. Jack Kevorkian. It is the intentional ending of a patient’s life by a physician, usually by lethal injection. It is sometimes called physician assisted suicide. This is not even legal in North Carolina. What if it was? The European countries seem to be slowly legalizing it with Belgium, the Netherlands, and now it has come across the ocean to Columbia, and to Oregon in the United States. What seems to hit the west coast usually ends up on the east coast. In 1997, the federal court ruled that a person does not have a right to die. Five states have put it on the ballot and it was defeated.
A very public and national case was made a few years back in regard to Terry Schiavo. She was found in her apartment with no pulse and not breathing. After the EMS made several attempts to revive her, they finally did get her heart and lungs working. The initial diagnosis and the diagnosis that remained during those years from 1990 to 2005 was persistent vegetative state. In other words, no measureable brain activity – she was brain dead. In 1998, her husband wanted the life support removed, and that is when the battle began with Terry’s parents. Terry’s parents were devout Roman Catholics and said they believed in the sacredness of life and to remove her life support was euthanasia. You probably remember the story, politicians got involved – even the president. Why did the courts allow her to die? They ruled this is the same decision families make daily. It is not Euthanasia to remove life support from someone who has no reasonable chance of recovery. All families want to keep their loved ones alive. In Terry Schiavo’s case is was to admit heroic efforts for recovery had failed, and it was time to give her over unto God.
Families do not come to this decision lightly. It is only after all reasonable attempts of recovery have been made. Since I have been pastor, I have seen several families have to make that call – let me be sure we get this straight – when we pull someone off life support and the end is inevitable, that is not assisting in suicide. It is letting what God planned for us to happen. It’s a hard call for the family, and that is why Dianna and I have a Living Will that says when all reasonable attempts have been made, it is Ok. We are prepared to die. What we are doing is saying quit all the heroic acts and the body that is diseased, and worn out be allowed to die. As Christians, we believe that we are eternal beings. I Cor. 15 says we must put on imperishability and shed the perishable.
Jerry Seinfeld managed to poke fun out of this very serious situation by exposing Kramer’s fear of death. Elaine to pull his strings told him that if he was ever on life support that she would pull the plug. Well, Kramer had an accident and was in the hospital. Elaine came to visit him in the hospital and they got into an argument. Elaine went over to pull the plug. Kramer’s injuries were minor, and he wasn’t on life support, but when Elaine was going to pull the plug, he thought he was going to die. Believe me, Kramer was not prepared to die. Our Funeral liturgy says, live like we are prepared to die. As Christians, this isn’t it. There is more.
Biblical Texts
What does the Bible say about Euthanasia? Well, there was King Saul who rather than being killed by the enemy asked if his sword bearer to kill him mercifully. I had forgotten that King David has the sword bearer executed. That didn’t turn out to well. Then there was Judas who committed suicide. Neither of these are looked as faith examples in the scriptures. The Spirit of God had left King Saul and Judas had listened to the devil. This example would not be good either.
Most Christians are against Euthanasia simply for this reason. If as Psalm 139 says, God has numbered our days, should we ever play God and end a life early. God has given us modern medicine to help lengthen life. This is a gift, and we should use it wisely. Euthanasia is when we use modern medicine to shorten life. I don’t want to belittle anyone who faces these difficult situations and we should feel compassion on those who are in those difficult situations. Adam Hamilton on writing on Euthanasia, asked where were the doctors, and the family when Jack Kevorkian assisted in a suicide for an individual. We have the means that no other people have had before us and that is to make people comfortable with a managed pain. We have people whose jobs are to assist the terminally ill with Hospice.
Who do we practice Justice?
1. We Give Encouragement
What reviewing the statistics told me was that in the places where Euthanasia is legal that the percentage of people who wanted to die not out of pain but so that they would not be a burden for the family had increased dramatically. Listen to this, depression became the number one reason for those wanting Euthanasia. Church, you want to know if it is important for you to be around the dying? The answer is it most certainly is important. We can give what Barnabas was known for in the scriptures – encouragement.
2. We Practice a Care of the Dying
I believe the justice issue with Euthanasia is in our care for the dying. When the scriptures tell us to honor our parents (one of the big commandments), it includes taking care of them when they are older. You honor your parents by taking care of them because they took care of you. Remember Bill Cosby, he said, “I put you in this world, and I can take you out.” Your parents didn’t take you out, they raised you. The justice concept means we take care of our elderly.
It means we have to come face to face that we are to be there for the dying. Justice says we are connected as a community, and as a family. We have obligations to that person.
A danger of legalizing Euthanasia, it becomes so casual – just like abortion has. When I read statistics from the Netherlands, there were those situations where physicians assisted in suicide for the patient without any implicit directive. It is a slippery slope once it is opened. Euthanasia devalues any life that is not what is deemed as livable. How about the handicapped? Where does it stop?
3. We acknowledge that suffering is part of our human existence.
No one wants to suffer. We should do all we can to reduce suffering. That said the fact is we suffer. Is there something to be said about how we deal with suffering? Can suffering help our loved ones make the transition? Could it be that death is the vehicle that God uses to prepare us for life?
God can take something that is evil – suffering, and make it into good. If you believe the scriptures, you know somehow that is true. Job in the scriptures lost his entire fortune as a wealthy man, lost his children, and then lost his health. His wife said what everybody was thinking, Job just go ahead and curse God and die. Job would not. Job believed you witness of God’s grace in all situations.
4. We Die Well
I believe there is an opportunity to give a Christian witness even at the face of death. John Wesley even stressed in his Armenian Magazine that Methodists “die well.” All Christians should die well, but what he was stressing was the fact we should all “have an assurance” we are saved. That changes how we view death.
I remember when I had my mini-stroke at 45 years old coming to the realization that my time might just be up. My thoughts were God is this is it, I am ready. Now I know I wasn’t in any pain. That complicates the issue. Sometimes people are in much pain, and it is difficult.
As a pastor, there is no better words I want to hear than when someone can say, “I am ready to meet my God.” Shelly Dowd was a man of faith. We talked many times on his front porch. He always wanted to say a special prayer for me. I watched Shelly go from assisted living to the nursing home. I watched his health decline further, and I saw his face filled with anxiety of his current situation, but he told me this: Jim I might be going home today, and I want you to know I am ready.
Jesus felt our human pain. On the night before his death, he shed drops of sweat mixed with blood. Jesus was in extreme stress. If Jesus was stressed, well I suppose it is OK if we get stressed. But, when Jesus hung on the cross, and his end was imminent, he told the thief, “today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus knew where he was going and that changed things.
Jesus was able to give last instructions. John take care of my mother like a son, and Mother consider John your son.
At 88 years of age, John Wesley passed away on Wednesday, March 2, 1791. His last words were spoken twice, with great fervour, "The best of all is, God is with us." He lifted his arms and said again, "The best of all is, God is with us."
God does not abandon us at death. God is there to whisk us off to the heavenly realm. As the funeral prayer says, God let us live like we are prepared to die. Are we ready? Do we carry that assurance?
Amen.
Justice Issue: Death Penalty – I Believe in the Foolishness of the Cross
Isaiah 10:1-4 then 9:6-7
August 16, 2009
Jim Whittaker
Joke:
One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex was staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the boy, and said quietly, “Good morning Alex.”
“Good morning pastor” replied the young lad, focused on the plaque. “Pastor McGhee, what is this?” Alex asked.
“Well son, these are all the men who have died in the Service,” replied the pastor.
Soberly, they stood together, staring at the large plaque. Little Alex’s voice barely broke the silence when he asked quietly, “Which one, the 9:00 or the 10:30 service?”
Source Unknown
Introduction
John Wesley once said there are two sides to the coin. We talk and put a lot of emphasis on getting people on the road to heaven. Praise God! That is one side of the coin, but there is another side of the coin, now listen to this – God wants to get heaven into us. God wants us to put away our selfish and greedy ways. God desires to fill us with his love so that we can love people both when the deserve it (that is the easy love), and also when they don’t deserve it (that is the hard kind of love). God wants us to forgive people both when they deserve it and even when they don’t, because if we hold grudges against one another, if we can’t get along, it leads to one thing hate – and hate will lead you straight to hell.
To talk about justice is for us to realize God seeks us to be proactive in how we live. When Christians ignored slavery and the abuse that occurred in particular to the American slavery, God said – that was not good enough. When Christians in regard to civil rights to blacks and said that is just the way it is – God said – that is not good enough. Either we have become God’s new creation or we haven’t, which is it?
The justice issue covered today is the Death Penalty. I was reading Adam Hamilton’s book, Confronting the Controversies, when a member of his congregation asked him why do you preach on these tough issues? Why don’t you “talk about the Bible and God” (in other words generic – not specific teaching) (Hamilton, 49). Why indeed. Is the Bible only relevant for a children’s Sunday School discussion or is it relevant for the most difficult subjects in the world today? If the Bible is not relevant, then we are wasting a lot of time.
My own personal journey in regard to the Death Penalty is probably not note worthy or done for good theological reasons, but it goes like this. When I was younger, I was for the death penalty. I thought, “If you do the crime, we are going to fry em.” I saw the world in black and white, but along the way, I noted a few things that seemed to demonstrate the existence of gray. In West Virginia, a DNA consultant used for many crimes due to his help to the prosecutors, was found to falsifying DNA reports. In fact, he didn’t even run DNA tests. Whatever he personally felt about the case, which was usually agreeing with the prosecutors, that’s how he turned in the DNA tests. That rocked my world. All of a sudden, everything didn’t seem so black and white. I hadn’t see the grays in the world, and now I saw them. It was about this time in Sunday School class as we were having discussions on the death penalty and everyone seemed to be for it. I did what I often will do, I argued for the other side – against the death penalty. I moved my defense from the Old Testament to the New Testament and argued death is final and often our cases for death are riddled with problems from the police, to the judges, and to those running DNA tests, and is not consistent enough for a final judgment of death. (That is called a personal opinion). It was a little later that I realized that the death penalty was inconsistent with a pro life position of being against abortion. Weak as it is, I moved to the position of being against the Death Penalty.
It was only by doing the research on this sermon that I found out that the United Methodist Church in the 1956 General Conference took a stand against the death penalty and continues to be against the death penalty. It was only after I went to Duke Divinity that I found out that Catholics believe in something called the “Consistent Life Ethic,” which means if we are to argue for the sacredness of life, it applies in all situations. They are against the death penalty because it ends life.
I actually don’t come today to argue that we all take the same position. In reality, we are a deeply divided nation. The south by far is the strongest proponent for the death penalty. For the time span from 1976 to 2008, the south had 912 executions compared to 1136 nationally (Amnesty International Website). Virginia and Texas had 525 executions or almost half of those in the nation. There are now 139 nations and 15 states that have abolished the death penalty if not by law at least in practice (Amnesty International Website). What I do want to talk about today is this: Does God’s justice that he has asked us as disciples of Christ to follow, have anything to say about the death penalty? Either our culture changes us or we use a Biblical worldview to help change our culture to a Christian perspective. Let’s take a look at our passage for today that deals with justice.
Our text:
Isaiah 10 declares that government laws can be written that are oppressive. That take away the rights of the people who need protected the most: the needy, the poor, the widows, and the orphans. Usually these are taken advantage of, or are ignored for one major reason – verse 3 spells it out. We ignore justice because it will cost us as taxpayers or it will use money in our church coffers. Greed is the name of the game. Isaiah let’s get down to it – where the real problem is. Isaiah reminds us that no amount of money will save us come the judgment. No large bank account can speak for you when God asks us did we practice mercy, do justice, and humble ourselves before God. Our case study today is the death penalty. I am not as interested in whether you agree with my own assessment of the death penalty as to whether we ask are we living justly.
I. Biblical Worldview – Mercy for those deserving Death
When Michael Dukakis faced George Bush in a presidential debate, he was asked would he want the death penalty for an offender if someone killed his wife Kitty. He side stepped the question and said he was against the death penalty. I am not sure how I would feel if one of my loved ones encountered a horrible death by someone who just wanted to inflict pain on someone. Although I am against the death penalty, most of us would like that person to get theirs. Genesis tells us that blood is required for those who take a life. In other words, it is a life for a life. Numbers backs that up as well. There is without a doubt in the Old Testament, a death penalty for certain crimes. There are in fact 11 total death penalty situations. Of course, there would be the one for someone who takes a life. There are others as well though – ask yourself if you are guilty of these:
1. Physical intimacy outside of marriage.
2. Working on the Sabbath.
3. Disobedient to parents.
All of these are death penalty cases. Clearly, we are not following the Old Testament to the letter or more than likely, we would all be convicted. Who has not been disobedient to their parents? It is clear that these crimes were meant to deter other crimes from occurring. As we consider these Old Testament procedures and before we ask what the New Testament says, consider this: there was no police force in Moses’ day. There were no prisons. Punishment was quick and decisive, because they were a nomadic people. God was teaching his people that life is precious. King David received mercy for his plot of murder. He should have received death. Even in the Old Testament, punishment was not consistently carried out. The Talmud, the Jewish commentary of Moses’ law, reduced some of the offenses from the death penalty.
I read where one preacher said his momma taught him that cause someone hits you on the school yard does not mean, you hit them back. Adam Hamilton reminded me of the saying we are familiar with: two wrongs do not make a right. Methodist Bishop Ray Chamberlin said, “we will not echo your behavior.” We will not kill as you killed. “We will break the cycle of violence.” (Sermon, “Right to Life’). Theologian Stanley Hauerwas said when we kill those who have killed we become a victim once again to their violence (seminary class, 2004). Are these preachers and theologians on to something? How do you match their views in with the Bible?
To answer that question, we move to the New Testament. One thing that is clear from the book of Romans is that we are all sinners. We are all guilty of God’s punishment that is dealt to sinners – Death. Yes, we are all under God’s capital punishment and received a death sentence. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus directly responds to justice dealt in the Old Testament of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Jesus said, you say and eye for an eye, but I say unto you have mercy. The New Testament doesn’t contradict the Old, it fulfills it. If we consider the cross, Jesus’ whole ministry is about mercy to those who deserve death.
What did the thief on the cross who confessed Jesus get? Mercy. Jesus said, today you will be with me in paradise. We are familiar with the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. What did Jesus give her as her accusers demanded the death sentence? Mercy. If anyone should have received the death penalty, it would have been Paul for his murders of Christians. What did he receive? Mercy. Jesus said, I have come to give you abundant life. Regardless of your position on the death penalty, one thing is clear. Jesus preached mercy. This is the Biblical worldview. Christ first showed us mercy as those condemned for our sin, and now we show mercy toward others. This is not to say that one does not pay for the crime. It just says we should show them mercy.
II. Biblical Worldview: Justice for those who have Offended Us.
A. Retribution versus Restoration
Since Jesus showed us mercy, and we are to show mercy to others, our first priority is redemption. If we are to redeem those in prison, then we are to make all attempts to restore them to society. Presently, there are 2,500 people on death row. Is it possible these or any of these can be redeemed? Karla Faye Tucker was the first woman to be executed in Texas in over 100 years. Pat Robertson and James Dobson both decried the death penalty because she had been saved, converted, and redeemed. Though they still hold to the death penalty, they also recognize that people can be restored, changed, and transformed. When do we give up on restoration? We should be doing more toward restoration.
There are no second chances when we execute someone. It is a scary thing that we might even execute an innocent person. The last statistic I saw was that North Carolina has exonerated 8 people. In other words, they have released 8 people from prison that was on death row. This is a justice issue. Isaiah said the government sometimes takes away rights, and that is not right.
If we believe as Christians that Christ redeemed us, we should always be seeking ways to redeem or to restore criminals to normal human existence. Perhaps, the crime has been so bad that they should spend a lifetime in jail even then we should not deny basic human rights.
We often say it is cheaper to kill someone than keep them in prison. I am not sure what that says. Either we feel that this human is not worth redemption or we are saying when it all boils down to it – I’m greedy – don’t spend any of my tax dollars to redeem someone. In our current system, the fast is the death penalty is the most expensive option.
We often use the possibility that the death penalty is a deterrent for crime, but the fact is in the south where most states have the death penalty, they also have the most homicides. Could we not better spend tax payers dollars? How about on drug rehabilitation programs, physical abuse programs, or mental health programs. Our goal should not only that someone pays for their crime, that they are restored to society if at all possible. I believe a Biblical Worldview demands that we tell them that Christ seeks to restore their souls. Redeem them from their sins. Save them from an eternity of hell. Matthew 25 says, Jesus was in prison but no one visited me. If we truly believe that Jesus redeems then our main goal should be to save souls in prison and the death penalty shortens that time frame. Jesus said have mercy.
III. Justice Issues
Well this is a justice series. Let’s go back again to our scripture passage. In Isaiah 9, we read a familiar passage. One as Christians, we believe Jesus fulfilled. “Unto us a Son is born, his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, almighty God. The scriptures continue and say he will practice justice and righteousness (or mercy) from this time forward. Are there justice issues with the death penalty?
A. Race
Amnesty International reports that the murders committed by whites are about the same as those committed by blacks yet blacks are by far the larger number of death row inmates. The greatest predictor of one who commits a homicide being on death row is whether or not they are black. That is why North Carolina has passed a Racial Justice Act.
B. Geography
If you commit a homicide in Virginia or Texas, you are much more likely to end up on death row. In fact, ½ of the executions in the whole country are made in these states.
C. Finances
It shouldn’t surprise you that most of those on death row are poor. They can’t afford proper counsel and the fact they are poor often puts them in crime situations to start with.
D. Corrupt officials and Police force
In Chicago, they have been investigated for using terrorist tactics to get people to confess. Not surprisingly, innocent people have confessed to crimes they have not done.
IV. God’s Solution
God’s solution is Jesus saves us. Jesus transforms us. Jesus seeks to change us from our greedy and prideful ways. This passage today reminds us that the almighty dollar will send many people to hell. Many churches will be closed because of their worship of the dollar and not of God.
No matter what we think about the death penalty, there is room for more justice here. Justice means that all people get to have basic human rights. God is saying that each person is a precious child of God. God is the giver of eternal life, abundant life, and a restored life. We are all sinners in the need of salvation that comes by grace and grace alone. It’s not that I have a foolish belief that criminals are transformed, it is I believe in the foolishness of the cross where sinners including me and you are transformed.
Illustration:
Supreme Court Justice Horace Gray once informed a man who had appeared before him in a lower court and had escaped conviction on a technicality,
“I know that you are guilty and you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law.”
Source Unknown
Practice justice begin by being generous in our thoughts, words, and of our belongings. A generous heart is a heart that has found the heart of God – be generous with mercy, love, and grace. Christ has been generous to you. Amen.
Why are there so many Abortions?
Scripture: Micah 6:6-16; Justice Files: Case Study - Abortion
August 9, 2009
Jim Whittaker
Justice a word not used often
I have shared with the congregation how I try to read through the Bible each year and have even given reading plans for the congregation. I may be slow to pick up on things but I have noted some themes in the Old Testament that took this constant reading before I saw them. The are:
1. The sacrifices that Israel made at the temple meant nothing to God if they were not being obedient to God’s word. In other words coming to church on Sunday means little to God if are not changed by God’s word and become faithful followers of Christ. Jesus echoes those words in Matthew 9.
2. The second thing I have noticed is God is real concerned about justice. The prophets are constantly talking about the need to live justly. Our scripture text for today is an example of that. When I put those two together I get this: God isn’t interested in our Sunday worship if we have forgotten to live justly as part of our Christian witness.
Here is the problem. I have never heard of a preacher preaching on justice. Well I have heard that God is just to judge us sinners. What I haven’t heard is God is just and we should practice justice. I think we understand that we are to live right, but justice goes further than that. There has been a lack of emphasis on justice. I looked in the hymn book and found out that the hymns that talk about justice I don’t know. We might be lead to believe that God was interested in his people practicing justice in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament it’s not as important. We are covered by grace. That assumption is wrong.
Before we can begin a series on justice, I find we need to first define it. The NIV Theological Dictionary describes justice as follows: was someone who fit into the framework of society fulfilling right obligations toward gods (God) and ones fellow human beings (329). This is a two prong definition. We are to do right before God and with other human beings. Our problem goes back to our understanding of justice in the New Testament as personal piety.
Justice is Misunderstood
(Taken from Justice in the Burbs by Will & Lisa Samson)
Error #1 – Justice is Personal Piety
In our passage in Micah, we understand justly to be “to make right judgments in regard to rights and obligations.” (Strongs, 4941). Note those two words: rights and obligations. Our problem is not in the Old Testament understanding but in the New. Brian McLaren gives us an explanation in book Justice in the Burbs. He states the problem is translating the Greek word dikaois into English. While the meaning of dikaois is “fairness, integrity, right treatment and equity in human relationships,” this word is translated as righteousness in English, which in our world of individualism comes to mean personal piety rather than right relationships. Our problem is we think too much of ourselves and not of others. In Spanish, Italian, and French, this word is always translated justice. I decided to check this out. Out of the 44 times that the word righteousness is used in the New Testament, 43 are the word dikaois. What if we were to translate this word as it is in Spanish, Italian, and French. Here is a sampling of verses:
Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who thirst and hunger after justice.”
Mark 2:17, “I have not come to save those who practice justice, but those who don’t.”
Acts 24:15, “the resurrection of both the just and the unjust.”
Romans 3:10, “there is no one who is just, no not one.”
James 5:16, “the prayer of one who practices justice, is powerful.”
Error #2 – Justice is Compassion
An on-line magazine called Catalyst Leadership described in an article titled Beyond Compassion by Kara Powell that our problem with justice today in our society as Christians is we think it means compassion (June-July 2009, 15).
We need to ask ourselves this question: How do we practice justice?
Compassion is to give someone a drink who does not have cold water. Justice is why couldn’t they get their own water and what can we do about it?(Catalyst Leadership, 15). Compassion would better fit the word mercy. We are instructed to love mercy (compassion), to do justice (this means with other human beings), and to humble ourselves before God (meaning we are sinners in need of grace).
A lot of our mission in the church focuses on compassion. We give food to the needy because we feel bad or feel compassion that they are in need of food. Our hearts are touched. Justice makes us ask the question and use our head – why was there not enough food? Churches though are making moves toward justice.
The Rev. Mike Slaughter at Ginghamsburg UMC in Ginghamsburg, Ohio has led a team to Africa where the church drilled a well for water. They asked the question – is there anything we can do so they can get their own water. That is a question of justice. The purpose of this series is to ask the hard question in regard to some of the controversial issues of our time.
Living Justly in regard to Abortions
This series is about living out justice. The first one is abortion. This is not just a modern day problem. There were crude abortions going many centuries back. The Jews were consistent in the time frame of Christ – from 1 century before to one century after – induced abortion is considered murder. (Stallsworth, The Church & Abortion, 108). In the 2nd century, Clement of Alexander, theologian and bishop of the church, condemned abortion so the church has always taken a dim view on abortion. In the early church, the most common practice was abandonment. The woman went into the wilderness, had the baby, and left it. Early Christians said this is not treating a newborn human being right. It was a justice issue.
President Obama said something on the campaign trail that rung a bell. Let’s agree to disagree on abortion and just do what we all want – let’s reduce the number of abortions. Adam Hamilton, in his book Seeing Gray, we must get past an extreme liberal or a conservative understanding of abortion and realize most people are closer to the middle. If we work together, we can reduce abortions (Hamilton, 156). William Saletan said in The New York Times, “abortion is bad, the ideal number is 0” (Hamilton, 155). There has been a 10 point drop in the approval of abortion in the past few decades, but that said we in America are a deeply divided people. Rev. Adam Hamilton of the Methodist Church of the Resurrection says there has been a lot of heat (meaning anger) but not much light over the past 30 years (Hamilton, Seeing Gray, 153). Some of the latest research shows a little over 50% think abortion should always or usually be legal and slightly less than half thought it should be illegal in most cases. 55% of Americans responded to a Pew Research poll that said compromise is out of the question (Hamilton, 154) so it would seem we are at an impasse.
With Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court defined that a woman has a right to abort her pregnancy. The court did not recognize any rights of the fetus or developing baby, but other Supreme Court decisions have made it where the state can restrict the right of abortion in the 2nd and 3rd trimester (Bouknight, Should Christians Always Oppose War, 95). The difficulty is that those who are pro abortion do not see a fetus as a baby until it is born while those who are pro-life see a fetus as a baby as soon as it is conceived since as Christians, we believe a soul is attached to that baby. You may want to read Psalm 139 or Jeremiah 1 to see how the Bible sees life as sacred for we are wonderfully made. That is where the controversy lies. From a justice standpoint, we need to ask why are there so many abortions? This question goes beyond whether or not it is legal.
So What Can We do to Lower the Rate of Abortions?
We have to face the facts. 26% of pregnancies in the United States are aborted (Bouknight, 94). Something is wrong when ¼ of our next generation is missing. Justice demands that we ask how could this be prevented. We are going to address 3 issues in regard to justice. Justice for the woman. Justice for the baby. Justice lived out in the church.
1. Justice for the woman. The NIV Theological Dictionary defines the enemy of justice as violence. Even if the church recognizes that abortion is undesirable, could there be exceptions to that rule. The United Methodist Church recognizes abortion should not be used as birth control. Over 50% of the abortions are for birth control purposes. Abortion should not used as gender selection. India and China both use abortion for that purpose. Abortion is regrettable in the best circumstance, but exceptions are recognized for incest, rape, or direct threat to a woman’s life. If the enemy of justice is violence, you can see how violence ruled when incest and rape end in a pregnancy. Justice would recognize the woman’s right to reverse this violence done to her. That doesn’t make this an easy decision. It just recognizes the possibility. The following statistics were given in Relevant Magazine (July-August 2009, 62):
- 72% favor abortion if mother’s life is endangered.
- 70% favor abortion if pregnancy was caused by rape or incest.
2. Justice for the baby. The controversy in abortion appears to be around the question when is the fetus a baby. In my opinion, since the magic number is 24 weeks in a pregnancy and since the baby has a high chance of surviving outside of the womb then at 24 weeks no matter how you look at it - the fetus is a baby, and to abort a fetus over 6 months is to kill a baby. That comes out kind of strong, but I want to say this – Doctors are only doing what the law allows. Women – abortion is not an unpardonable sin. The problem is the baby needs protecting. Justice demands that no abortions be performed after 6 months of pregnancy. This is a law that can be and should be overturned. Late term abortions should be illegal. Relevant Magazine noted only 10% of the US favor abortion in the last 3 months of pregnancy.
3. Justice lived out in the church. I believe this is the biggest issue. It is an issue to be honest with you that we normally never even consider. Is there something that the church should be doing to promote justice in the area of abortion. Justice says an unborn baby needs to be protected. Our laws have had difficulty in defining these rights for an unborn baby.
a. Unwanted Pregnancies reduced – If abortions were not used for birth control, 500,000 abortions a year could be prevented (Hamilton, 156). The amount of abortions has dropped in the last 10 years, how can they drop further. How can the church address this issue?
1. Abstinence and birth control both need to be taught. While that might occur in our public education system, churches need to teach some sacred truths.
Church Truth #1 – Marriage is sacred and created by God. Marriage is a committed relationship where children can be raised. Sexual intimacy should be preserved for marriage. The most recent issue of Christianity Today said the church should recognize the value of marrying earlier than our society’s tendency to wait later and later. Less people are getting married, and they are getting married later. The church needs to stand up and say – marriage does mean something. In the Methodist Church it is a covenant between the man and the woman and the congregation and God. In spite of all the divorces, marriage is good. It is more than good. It is sacred.
The church should enlist Hollywood to reshape our current generations understanding sexual intimacy as something casual and as entertainment. Intimacy is sacred and created by God. Everyone should do all that we can do to reduce unwanted pregnancies. More across the aisle (meaning ideological different) ideas should be given to reducing pregnancies. People must learn to work together (Relevant, 62).
The reality is in America while the church is preaching that life is sacred, fetuses are ground up and tossed out as medical waste (Relevant, 62). Talk is not enough, we must do something. For example:
1. The Medical profession should be able to not participate in abortion because of conscience. This is not consistent across the US.
2. Tax laws should be changed to help make adoption easier.
Church Truth #2 – The burden of carrying a child out of wedlock should not have a stigma attached to them. The truth is because of the stigma of carrying a child out of wedlock, many abortions have occurred. Church Truth #2 - Ever child is a “Child of God.” In our Book of Discipline, churches are asked to carryout 3 ministries (BOD 2008, 105): (Sacred and priceless)
1. Ministries to reduce unintended pregnancies.
2. Ministries of nurturing to those who have had abortions.
3. The Church should support and encourage adoption.
- And in 2008, a line was added were churches are to assist in the ministry of the pregnancy crisis centers.
B. The hard facts are if you want to change things, you have to be willing to change. A Christian by definition is one who tries to live like Christ – they are a little Christ. Is it a better witness to take a hard line position on abortion and they should not be allowed in any circumstances, or would this be the better witness:
We are Christians – give us your children. We will adopt them. We will find a home for them. We will build group homes for them. We love children. We as Christians should be saying there is a better way. The early Christians looked for babies that had been abandoned and raised them (Stallsworth, 115). If we want to give a witness of life, then Christians today need to be able to say babies are more important than money (Relevant, 62). We are the witness for sacredness of Children.
An abortion counselor will not tell you that no abortions are done usually before 7 weeks in the pregnancy and by that time the fetus has visible arms, legs, and brain waves.
An abortion counselor will not tell the mother that years after the abortion has occurred that many mothers know a child is missing and are struggling mentally and emotionally with that fact.
We need to say each child is sacred and priceless. Justice demands that we speak up for those with no voice and that is the unborn child, but we are not to be pointing fingers at people.
Illustrations:
I was at a church. A young lady got pregnant. She was my children’s age. No one wanted to give her a baby shower because she was not married. What would people think? Finally, smarter heads prevailed and said this baby is a child of God. This young lady is a child of God. Are we to hand them off to the wolves? I think not. As Christians, we are to love, and to encourage.
The gospel singer Ethel Waters. She sang at the Billy Graham crusades, “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” In her autobiography, she confessed she was conceived after her 13 year old mother was raped. She repeated the Psalm, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Adam Hamilton, our great Methodist preacher of the last 30 years. He was preaching on abortion. He received a letter. It was a letter from a young lady whose family wanted her to have an abortion. She wanted to have the baby and get married. She was told if she didn’t get an abortion, she was not welcome back in their home, after, what will the neighbors think? She refused. She got married. It was hard and they divorced 12 years later, but she said, I learned in Sunday School that every child is a gift of God and eventhough she was pregnant in High School, and she knew she had given up her chance at college. My world has been forever changed she said. I wouldn’t take any of it back. For I see who this child has become. He has become a wonderful father and a wonderful son. I would have never dreamed, he would touch so many lives for Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful for you for you are the one that was almost aborted. You are my pastor, my best friend. Love, your mother.
Adam Hamilton in Confronting the Controversies, says God takes our mistakes, and redeems them. (Hamilton, 107).
Today’s passage actually says we are to do 3 things if we are to live for God.
1. Love mercy – practice it. Give it. A kind word, and an understanding hug will always go further than I told you so. Mercy means we look at someone who is hurting and given them love.
2. Do justice – We can’t sit back and say, the other side won’t let us change the law. That’s not good enough. A Christian is to practice justice no matter what the law is. It’s too easy to do nothing. The worst sinner in the world can do that. We are God’s children. We practice justice. It will require us to do something.
3. Walk humbly – It is only by God’s grace, that we are not there in a difficult place. We are all sinners, in need of grace. There are no pointing fingers here. That is not Christian. The Pharisees pointed at the adulterous woman and said she did it, she really messed up. Jesus just looked at the ground. Jesus knew that woman was all of us. It could be any of us. He knew what she needed right then was not blame, but grace.
Oh it is so easy for us Christians to forget it’s all about grace. It’s so easy to talk about how bad someone else is. Let’s take the high road; instead, ask this: What can I do to help? Is there something we could change so this wouldn’t happen?
We Christians have forgotten to ask that question. What can I do? God is the judge. He will judge all of as sinners. The only difference is some will be covered by the grace of Jesus Christ and others won’t. Accept grace, and live it.
Have you given yourself to Jesus? Have you said forgive me Lord of my sins. If you have, live justly. Amen.
Bibliography:
Bouknight, William. Should Christians Always Oppose War? Anderson, Ind., Bristol House, 2004.
Hamilton, Adam. Confronting the Controversies. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001.
Hamilton, Adam. Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008.
Merritt, Jonathan. “Abortion Reduction,” Relevant. (July-August, 2009), 62.
Powell, Kara. “Beyond Compassion,” Catalyst Leadership. (July-August, 2009), 15.
Samson, Will & Lisa. Justice in the Burbs. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2007.
Stallsworth, Paul T., Editor, The Church & Abortion. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993.
__________. The Book of Discipline 2008. Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 2008.
“This is Our Time”
Lectionary Passage: John 6:24-41
August 2, 2009
Jim Whittaker
Joke: Bring riches with you (remember in heaven the streets are paved with gold).
There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.
An angel hears his plea and appears to him. "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you." The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules.
The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase and fills it with pure gold bars and places it beside his bed.
Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. St. Peter seeing the suitcase says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"
But, the man explains to St. Peter that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough, St. Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."
St. Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!!!"
From: http://www.ahajokes.com/heaven_jokes.html
This joke reminds us to not get to tight to this earth or we might think this is heaven or even worse yet, we might to start thinking this physical and earthly existence is all there is. In fact, we are gathering today with homecoming to celebrate the fact there is an actual resurrection, Jesus brings salvation, and heaven is real. The fact that we do this says we believe there is something greater that the here and now. We are the church for today for this community. As we think about our Christian witness in the world remember this: we are the church for today. We are the ones who will witness to a world filled with sin in 2009. We are the ones when the world looks at all of the violence and tragedy in the world, and say we have another story. It’s not the 12 disciples responsibility. It is not the saints who have been part of this church and gone on to be with the Lord. Today, this is our time. Realizing that today is our witness, it would be good for us to see how we can mess our witness up and how we can make our witness a blessing. We are going to look at 2 errors we can make and 1 truth we need to live into.
C.S. Lewis said if you want a comfortable religion, don’t pick Christianity. The religion of America is of a self centered one where the most important thing is for an individual’s happiness. This is actually contrary to scriptures as Jesus was always interested in more than our happiness. He was interested in our salvation and eternal home.
1. Error #1: Searching for Jesus for all the Wrong Reasons
Let me state this first: we have a great and awesome God. He can bless you like you have never been blessed. Our problem becomes when we start to think that worshipping God is about what God gives me. Christianity becomes something that blesses your life. That said, we do not worship God to get blessings. If you are looking for a blessing, consider this: Jesus died on the cross for you so that your sins could be forgiven. God wants a relationship with you. We go through life wondering whether or not we are doing the right thing. Jesus is saying let me have the wheel and let me guide your life. That is where you will find the blessing and that is to know you are in God’s perfect and good will. You will know that you are loved beyond measure. You want to be blessed. Ask Jesus to be your pilot in life. He doesn’t want to be your co-pilot. He wants to drive your plane. He wants your life.
Incorrect Motive #1 – To follow God so that you can “get” God’s blessings.
Antidote #1 - Seeing God and God’s works.
Let’s tie to our gospel story in verse 26 – Jesus said, they were seeking him because he gave them something to eat. Jesus met their physical need. That is not a bad thing. In fact, we are commanded in Matthew 25 to feed the hungry. The question becomes why do we come to church? Is it to meet some need? Or, is it to meet a living God? What we find in the story is they were not connecting the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 to a bigger spiritual issue.
a. Blindness is part of the issue. The people cannot see God at work. Now either they were looking the wrong way, or they had their eyes shut. Now think for a moment, who else could feed 5,000 men. Isn’t it obvious, the answer is God.
b. Their tradition blinded them. Around 1,000 years ago, God rained something called “what is it” down from heaven in the dew that they scraped off the leaves of plants and made into bread. They knew the miracle of 1,000 years ago. The question was, could they recognize the miracle or work of God right now? The answer is no. Are we any better? Jesus is the bread from heaven. He fed the 4,000 and the 5,000. God worked then. Can we see what God is doing right now? Or are we tied back to an event that occurred 2,000 years ago and can’t see what God is doing right now? It’s easy to be blinded. Jesus said “get those blinders off.” Or another way to say it, “put your glasses on.” When we say we are seeking God, we need to be sure that we can see what God is doing.
Face the Facts:
If we are not careful, we will be just like these first century people who witnessed a miracle of Jesus. Blindness will cause us to not see God working. They were still talking about a miracle 1,000 years ago. Had God gone out of the miracle business?
This is our time, right now:
Do we see God working? To ask is God still performing miracles today, is like we are storks with our heads in the sand. Africa is having the greatest revival of all time. In fact, there are more Christians in Africa, than there are Americans. Did you hear what I am saying? God is working mightily. God isn’t out of the miracle business. Korea has the largest church in the world – over 800,000 members. People are praying every single day at the church. People are being saved just like in the book of Acts, daily.
This is our time. We are the richest people ever. We have more potential to make more difference in the world for Jesus Christ than anyone ever. It would appear that we as Christians in America are either blind to what God is doing in the world or we truly have become the luke warmed Christians in Laodicea in the book of Revelation.
That isn’t us. We are saved by grace, freed from sin, endowed the power of the Holy Spirit. God is calling us and saying come and set my people free. Come and give them the gospel message. It’s up to us to say this is our time. We will bring the gospel to our world. We are not going to just keep talking about the feeding of the 5,000 miracle 2,000 years ago. We are looking and we are expecting God’s miracle now.
God is working now and you are even working with God or you are working against God.
2. Error #2: Thinking we could do something to Save us.
Incorrect Motive #2: Doing something good to get right with God.
After the people found Jesus, Jesus told them to get their priorities right and seek spiritual or heavenly things so they responded by saying what is it we could do in a spiritual or a heavenly way that would put us right where God is. It was like they were saying, show us where God is and we will get there and get busy so we then can be children of God. One of the things the Jews constantly got wrong was they thought they deserved God’s grace. Time and time again we have a prophet going to a King and telling him God’s judgment was coming. Upon hearing the words, the King was cut to the quick. He repented of his sins and tore his clothes to show his remorse. God would then send the prophet back to the king and say God has heard your cry of repentance. God’s grace is available for all. God’s grace is free – we don’t earn it. God’s grace is a gift – we do not deserve it. Grace is not grace if we have done something that earns God’s love.
Help #1 – Realize, there is nothing you can do to earn salvation. Seek Grace
None of us deserves God’s favor, but God is willing to give us his favor because of what God has already done. He died on the cross for our sins so that we could be forgiven. Don’t try to get right with God so he will accept you. He accepts you and he will make you right. With grace God touches our heart and we respond to his call to come unto him. Many of us have spent some time at the altar rail, but do not stop there.
Help #2 – Trust God for Everything
Here is what we often do. We come give ourselves unto God at the altar rail or at our pew, walk out of the church, and take some of ourselves back. We fail to trust God for everything. Trust him with your finances. Trust him with your children. Trust him with your life. Trust him with your decisions. Trust him with your salvation. Trust him with your heavenly home. Those in today’s story had an issue with trust.
Jesus said they couldn’t even trust God to provide food for them to eat so here is God who can heal their diseases, heal all their hurts, soothe their rough place out and all they were concerned with is what are we going to eat?
Jesus told them they had a believing problem. When the bible says we need to believe in Jesus. It doesn’t mean – I believe Jesus existed. It doesn’t mean Jesus was there some 2,000 years ago to help the Jews. I agree with those things with my head. To believe, is to let yourself go and expect God to catch you. It means to trust. Trust God for your physical needs. Trust God for your spiritual needs. Trust God to save you, redeem you, and provide a place in heaven with him.
Help #3 – Stop thinking about what you can get, and start thanking God for what you will receive.
It is about attitude. When you are looking for what you can get from God, you will miss the blessings that God wants you to receive. Too often in our modern society, we are used to getting things. It becomes a part of who we are. We start looking for what we can get out of the church rather than what blessing we might receive if we were willing to say, what can I give to the church or to God’s ministry.
We give because God first gave his Son to us.
Solution: Jesus says the key to keep our motives right is to believe. To believe is more than saying Yes Jesus exists. Yes, Jesus provides salvation. Yes, I believe that too be true. When you say you believe, you are saying “I fully and completely trust in God.” I trust in God to provide what is needed.
3. Get it right – Our solution: Jesus – the source of eternal life and the resurrection.
Correct motive: To trust God fully and completely for our life, our salvation, our eternity, our resurrection, and our heavenly home.
Jesus was trying to get the people to see they needed to put aside their wants to they could receive God’s will. Jesus was God’s will. Jesus death paid the penalty for our sin so that we could be saved. Jesus is the Bread of life meaning he satisfies all the penalties of sin that our sin nature brings against us so we can fully receive God’s grace and salvation.
This is how we are to live. With our motives right, our priorities right founded on a trust in God the son Jesus Christ for our salvation, then and only will God’s grace do its work to change us from who we once were to whom God wants us to be or as Paul says a new creation. Live that way each way and just look for the chance to serve your God. You will know it when you see it.
In Pulpit Digest William H. Willimon used this illustration; "Philip Haille wrote of the little village of Le Chambon in France, a town whose people, unlike others in France, hid their Jews from the Nazis. Haille went there, wondering what sort of courageous, ethical heroes could risk all to do such extraordinary good. He interviewed people in the village and was overwhelmed by the ordinariness. They weren't heroes or smart, discerning people. Haille decided that the one factor that united them was their attendance, Sunday after Sunday, at their little church, where they heard the sermons of Pastor Trochme. Over time, they became by habit people who just knew what to do and did it. When it came time for them to be courageous, the day the Nazis came to town, they quietly did what was right. One old woman, who faked a heart attack when the Nazis came to search her house, later said, 'Pastor always taught us that there comes a time in every life when a person is asked to do something for Jesus. When our time came, we knew what to do.'"
Today is our time. Our moment. Our day of salvation. Are you where God wants you to be? Are you trusting on wrong things? Has this world got a hold on you? Is your desire for world things or heavenly things? This is our time. Right now. What are you going to do?
Amen.
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