Mark 8:27-30
Who is Jesus Christ? Do you really know?
Down through the last several thousand of years the church has used ‘creeds’ to define the great truth revealed to us by God through Jesus Christ.
The purpose of a creed is to act as a yardstick of correct belief, or orthodoxy. The creeds of Christianity have been drawn up at times of conflict about doctrine: acceptance or rejection of a creed served to distinguish believers and deniers of a particular doctrine or set of doctrines. For that reason a creed was called in Greek a σύμβολον (Eng. sumbolon), a word that meant half of a broken object which, when placed together with the other half, verified the bearer's identity. The Greek word passed through Latin "symbolum" into English "symbol", which only later took on the meaning of an outward sign of something.
Read with me the Nicene Creed that has been the standard of the Christian faith for thousands of years.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
This creeds says a great deal about who God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit was and is and will be in the future. Of all that it describes from the Bible the most important part of the creed may very well be the word “Amen” and the period that follows.
I want to show you why as we look at the following passage where Christ asks all of us an important question…
27. Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
Mark 8:27-30
Let’s play a game called: “Who Am I.” The first person to guess the identity of this person will win a gold coin with a chocolate middle. If you are reading this right now you are disqualified from playing the game. There will be other chances so if you want to participate stop reading now and finish reading this message after the service.
Who Am I Game…#1
I was a tax collector
I cheated people out of their money
I was very, very small
I might be found up a tree
That’s right…. Zacchaeus from the Bible. Very good!
Let’s play again…
Who Am I Game…#2
My brother and I were called the Sons of Thunder.
I was one the closest to Jesus Christ.
I wrote the last Gospel.
That right… John the Apostle. Very good!
Who Am I Game…#3
I claimed to be equal to God even though I was a human being.
I insisted that I was the only one who could save others from hell.
I claimed to be perfect every way.
I claimed to have created everything that exists.
That’s right… Jesus Christ! Very good!
How do we know people? We know them by their actions and reputations. Sometimes these are shocking and scandalous or they may be praise worthy…but they define who are in the eyes of the world. Jesus Christ is hailed as many things today but to know who He really is we need to remember what the one act he accomplished that still has everyone talking today. Do you know what it was? That’s right…He died upon the cross and God raised Him on third day.
If we are really going to know people we must understand the motive behind their actions. So let me ask you this question: “Why did Jesus die on the cross?”
Most people will give me the Sunday School answer which is, for our sins. This is true but does not really answer the question about His motives. The people who executed Jesus Christ will tell you He was crucified because He claimed to be equal to God. Jesus Christ told His disciples that He was going to die on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for all of humanity so the debt we owed God could be transferred to Him. This would give Him the right to forgive the sins of any who would put their faith in Him…that He was God in the flesh.
If He was not God in the flesh then He could not be a sacrifice for our sins, or have the authority to forgive sins. If He was not God in the flesh He was then mentally unstable because this is what He repeatedly claimed in front of many witness. If He was mentally ill then we should not follow His teachings.
Believe it or not, many who say they believe in Jesus Christ do not believe in these claims of Christ or in His purpose when He died upon the cross. Many will agree with what He did but not why He did it and so change our understanding of “Who He Is.”
As the disciples traveled with Jesus Christ, learned at His feet and watched His amazing life…they came to their own united conviction about who He was. Most others who only took a casual interest in Jesus Christ had other ideas about Who He Was/Is.
28. They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
Mark 8:27-30
The one great problem that Jesus Christ creates for all of us is that we know that He is like no other, but we are afraid of going as far as saying that He was God in the flesh.
Let’s play our “Who Am I” game again. I identify this religious group.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins.
We believe that Jesus Christ was created by Father God as were all angels and humans.
We believe that Jesus was a spirit child of Father God.
Tough…I know. The religion that believes this is the Mormon religion.
Because we have a Mormon running for the president of the United States there is desperate attempt to shore up the belief in the eyes of the media that they are Christians like everyone else. The truth is that they cannot agree with the Nicene Creed we shared together at the start of this service. They would consider it blasphemous to say:
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
Now let’s play our game one more time: what religion is this…
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins.
We believe that it is probable that Jesus Christ sinned when He was on this earth.
We doubt that there is a Hell, Satan, or Holy Spirit.
That’s right…almost half of everyone in America who describes themselves as a Christian! Not so good... (http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality).
This is why the “Amen” and the period at the end of the Nicene Creed are so important. They tell us that you can not add contradictory statements to the creed and break the meaning of the creed by the additions. We have basically altered the meaning of the constintution of the United States in this way but add on laws and interpretations. So too we have altered the great truth and meaning of Christ’s death upon the cross by going beyond the “Amen” and the period.
One last question…
29. “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
30. Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Mark 8:27-30
Peter believed that Jesus was the Christ…what irony. Most of us don’t realize that “Christ” is not the surname of Jesus. His father was not Joseph Christ, the husband of Mary Christ. No…Christ is a title.
Christ (ancient Greek: Χριστός, Khristós, meaning 'anointed') is a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ), the Messiah, and is used as a title for Jesus in the New Testament. Followers of Jesus became known as Christians (as in Acts 11:26) because they believed Jesus to be the messiah (Christos) prophesied in the Hebrew Bible – therefore they often call him Jesus Christ, meaning Jesus the Christos. The word was originally a title, but later became part of the name "Jesus Christ", yet it is still also used as a title, in the reciprocal use Christ Jesus, meaning "The Messiah Jesus".
So what did Peter mean when He called Jesus the Messiah or Christ? Christians believe Jesus to be the Messiah that the Jews were expecting:
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.[Jn. 1:41-42]
The Christian concept of the Christ/Messiah as "the Word made Flesh" (see also Logos) is fundamentally different from the Jewish and Islamic. The majority of historical and mainline Christian theologies, as seen within the Nicene Creed, consider Jesus to be God or God the Son.
Christians believe that Daniel (Hebrew: דָּנִיֵּאל, or Daniyyel) was a prophet and gave an indication of when the Messiah, the prince mashiyach nagiyd, would come in the Prophecy of Seventy Weeks.[Dan. 9:25-26] Daniel's prophecies refer to him as a descendant of King David, a Son of Man, who will rebuild the nation of Israel, destroy the wicked, and ultimately judge the whole world.
To say you are a Christian means that you believe that Christ was the Messiah…the One and Only Son of God come in the Flesh, God incarnate. If we are truly a Christian we don’t take away or add to this statement. We put an emphatic “Amen” and a period at the end of the declaration.
Jesus knew that this true belief in Him would get His disciples killed if they dared to say it in public. This was exactly the kind of case the Jewish community was building against Jesus. There were spies trying to build a case against Jesus and they would stand before the court of the Sanhedrin accusing Jesus of believing He was equal with God as the promised Messiah. He warns them: “Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.”
The disciples had already traveled with Jesus for three years and had told thousands about Jesus, inviting others to hear Him teach and see the miracles He was performing. They did not advertise or really see Him as being “God in the flesh”, “Immanuel.” From this point on they realized that is exactly who they were following and it was a dangerous revelation.
Who Am I…?
I believe Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God
I believe that Jesus Christ and Father God are one in the same person.
I believe that we can only be saved by His perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Who am I…a true biblical Christian.
Amen
.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
“Playing the Favorites”
James 2:1-12
Have you ever had a battle over what music is playing on the radio or stereo? There is music for everyone now and we can sure get picky about what kind of music we like. If you live long enough you may find that your taste in music will change over the years.
Music is not the only thing we are passionate about. Food, video games, and cars are just a few of the other things we like to pick our favorites. We develop these preferences because we believe they will give us something we want. Sometimes we are even magical in our thinking about a few of our favorite things.
Remember the “Sound of Music?”
These are just a few of my favorite things….
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
It is natural for everyone to have favorites, after all that is how we make choices. We go with those things that have given us positive payback over the years and with ones we hope will eventually give us what we long for in our hearts. We favor winning over loosing. We favor health over sickness. We favor prosperity over poverty. We favor good people over bad. We favor wisdom over foolishness. We favor love over hate. We favor beauty over the ugly. We favor holiness over sin.
Give that this is a virtue that keeps us moving towards compliance with God’s will, why then would the word of God say this:
1. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
James 2:1-12
We are going to play musical pews this morning, so get ready to move. When the music plays we are going to switch seats according to those things we favor over others. If you prefer prosperity over poverty, then move to the front of the Church. If you favor all of us being poorer, then move to the back of the church. Move now while the music plays.
Thank you…very well done. Now listen to this verse.
2. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4. have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:1-12
The Bible seems a bit harsh here don’t you think? Who here does not prefer prosperity over poverty? Do not the poor of this world wish they could be like the wealthy? Is it wrong to honor those who know how to make a dollar into two with business savvy and courage?
So why shouldn’t the successful be treated with a greater degree of honor and respect than those who are poor and desperate? Yet the Bible tells us that when we treat people in this way we are discriminating with “evil thoughts.” That is harsh…
Now… understand that the Bible is not saying that discrimination is wrong. In our culture we are running up against the conundrum of discrimination. We know we need to do it but we don’t like to do it. We have adopted the idea that any discrimination against another person is wrong, but we still need to protect ourselves against people and ideologies that threaten our lives and way of life. If we don’t discriminate we will find ourselves endangering the lives of others.
God is Himself discriminatory and judgmental towards people. He actually encourages us to tell the difference between evil and good. Consider that the Apostle James is being discriminatory and judgmental towards those in the church who are discriminatory and judgmental of others!
Yet this is the Word of God and if that is what we take away from this passage we have miss understood what God is trying to teach us. When we make discrimination a negative value in all cases we run into the conundrum described above. The Word of God shows us the way out by telling us that: “have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”
What is the evil in our thoughts? We look on the appearance and trappings of an individual and we make a decision if they have anything we should value. Our evil thoughts flow from the idea that we can identify the value of a person based on their appearance. After all who would go to a poor man to learn how to be a business success?
I have stumbled on a TV series called “Hotel Hell” that seeks to save historic hotels that are in danger on closing. In the first episode the successful restaurateur checks in as a guest and evaluates the Hotel. To help the business succeed he helps the owners realize that the staff he under values actually hold the secrets to His success and saving the Hotel. He discriminates in a evil way based on pride and prejudice rather than on Godly wisdom and insight. The result would be bankruptcy if he did not change his ways.
The Word of God is warning us not to judge on the basis of evil motives but in a Godly and righteous way realizing another great truth found in the next passage. But before we get to this passage let me ask you to move one more time.
We are going to play musical pews again, so get ready to move. When the music plays we are going to switch seats according to those things we favor over others. If you prefer hardship over an easy life, then move to the front of the Church. If you favor a comfortable and untroubled life free of trials and tribulations, then move to the back of the church. Move now while the music plays.
Thank you…very well done. Now listen to this verse.
5. Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6. But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7. Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
James 2:1-12
Our favorites can keep us from discovering the better things in life. When we simply follow what we like and makes us feel good we may miss the life we really desire and loose some of our favorite things. When we give up some of our favorite things for the right reasons, we can discover the better things in life…but this is a risk, one that many are not willing to take very often.
The Word of God tells us that those who don’t have the advantaged of the wealthy must rely on faith in God rather than bank accounts and the services it can buy. Christ taught and demonstrated that a life filled with faith in God is a far better life than putting our faith in things and events. Although it may not seem like it to the rest of the world, those who are walking by faith may have more God given wisdom than those who have the symbols of success in their possession.
Christ taught…
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
We find it near impossible to be poor and reliant on God when we have so many other options and opportunities to trust in first. The Corinthian church was a successful congregation that knew a good economy and the luxuries of life but did not know much about a faith filled life. The Apostle Paul wrote them to tell them…
8. Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9. For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
1 Corinthians 4:8-13
The grace of God is often expressed by the less fortunate and the bravest of us are born out of trouble and turmoil. Royalty may be born into families with crests and endowments, but those who are born of the heaven inherit the same obscurity and neglect experience by prophets, apostles and by Christ Himself when He walked this earth.
38. the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Hebrew 11:32-29
Some of the most royal of God’s children are the obscure and overlooked of this world. To know them you need to have a discerning heart. To some they seem like fools and very unfortunate. The fates seem pitted against them but what we often don’t see is how heaven watches over them. Angles walk with power over those that world overlooks. The least of this world receive great attention and hope of heaven.
We treat the easy life and a favorite simply because we don’t know at what cost easy is bought…
You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Revelation 3:17 NIV
By looking for the easy road, the less risky choice, and the safe bet we miss the adventures that God has in mind to make life worth living. In the same book of Revelations he tells those who suffer in the service to Christ:
I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich!
Revelation 2:9
We are going to play musical pews one more time, so get ready to move. When the music plays we are going to switch seats according to those things we favor over others. If you believe in your heart that God loves you personally, then move to the front of the Church. If you believe that God does not love you then move to the back of the church. Move now while the music plays.
Thank you…very well done. Now listen to this verse.
8. If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13. because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
James 2:1-12
There should be no one at the back of the Church this morning, but sad to say there are many who sit at the back not because it is the favorite place to be rejected by God, but because this is truly what they believe.
Although the word tells us no to discriminate and judge others out of evil notions like pride, and envy that is exactly what we do to ourselves everyday. I often find that people are merciful with others because they are cruel and unjust toward themselves in self condemnation. This is a problem that goes to the bone and the royal law of Scripture because meaningless: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
This is how God does not show favoritism to any one person. He loves everyone and wants them up here at the front of the Church believing in His love. Yet there are many who sit at the back shrinking from the Love of God in fear and dread.
This is the amazing mystery…God Loves you. Not the way you are, and how you intend to become. He loves you because He created you and has a purpose for you life before you were even born. You are His child whether you live that way or not. God loves all of us equally and longs to have all people everywhere repent of their sins and choose to become obedient sons and daughters of God.
Mercy does triumph over judgment and discrimination. If we are going to live in such away we must accept that mercy of God in our hearts that condemns us and judges without mercy. If harsh words come pouring out of your mouth towards those you should love, you are probably sitting in the back of the church finding it hard to approach the throne of God.
If you are gracious, patient, and forgiving towards others who are thorns and thistles, then you must have already embraced the mercy of God towards you in your heart. Surely you hold this mercy as your most favorite part of life. Like the great people of the Bible you have found that the love and mercy of God is more valuable than any other treasure on earth.
Receive His mercy, give his mercy and let the favoritism of God rest on your life.
32. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33. who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34. quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38. the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Hebrew 11:32-29
Have you ever had a battle over what music is playing on the radio or stereo? There is music for everyone now and we can sure get picky about what kind of music we like. If you live long enough you may find that your taste in music will change over the years.
Music is not the only thing we are passionate about. Food, video games, and cars are just a few of the other things we like to pick our favorites. We develop these preferences because we believe they will give us something we want. Sometimes we are even magical in our thinking about a few of our favorite things.
Remember the “Sound of Music?”
These are just a few of my favorite things….
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
It is natural for everyone to have favorites, after all that is how we make choices. We go with those things that have given us positive payback over the years and with ones we hope will eventually give us what we long for in our hearts. We favor winning over loosing. We favor health over sickness. We favor prosperity over poverty. We favor good people over bad. We favor wisdom over foolishness. We favor love over hate. We favor beauty over the ugly. We favor holiness over sin.
Give that this is a virtue that keeps us moving towards compliance with God’s will, why then would the word of God say this:
1. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
James 2:1-12
We are going to play musical pews this morning, so get ready to move. When the music plays we are going to switch seats according to those things we favor over others. If you prefer prosperity over poverty, then move to the front of the Church. If you favor all of us being poorer, then move to the back of the church. Move now while the music plays.
Thank you…very well done. Now listen to this verse.
2. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4. have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:1-12
The Bible seems a bit harsh here don’t you think? Who here does not prefer prosperity over poverty? Do not the poor of this world wish they could be like the wealthy? Is it wrong to honor those who know how to make a dollar into two with business savvy and courage?
So why shouldn’t the successful be treated with a greater degree of honor and respect than those who are poor and desperate? Yet the Bible tells us that when we treat people in this way we are discriminating with “evil thoughts.” That is harsh…
Now… understand that the Bible is not saying that discrimination is wrong. In our culture we are running up against the conundrum of discrimination. We know we need to do it but we don’t like to do it. We have adopted the idea that any discrimination against another person is wrong, but we still need to protect ourselves against people and ideologies that threaten our lives and way of life. If we don’t discriminate we will find ourselves endangering the lives of others.
God is Himself discriminatory and judgmental towards people. He actually encourages us to tell the difference between evil and good. Consider that the Apostle James is being discriminatory and judgmental towards those in the church who are discriminatory and judgmental of others!
Yet this is the Word of God and if that is what we take away from this passage we have miss understood what God is trying to teach us. When we make discrimination a negative value in all cases we run into the conundrum described above. The Word of God shows us the way out by telling us that: “have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”
What is the evil in our thoughts? We look on the appearance and trappings of an individual and we make a decision if they have anything we should value. Our evil thoughts flow from the idea that we can identify the value of a person based on their appearance. After all who would go to a poor man to learn how to be a business success?
I have stumbled on a TV series called “Hotel Hell” that seeks to save historic hotels that are in danger on closing. In the first episode the successful restaurateur checks in as a guest and evaluates the Hotel. To help the business succeed he helps the owners realize that the staff he under values actually hold the secrets to His success and saving the Hotel. He discriminates in a evil way based on pride and prejudice rather than on Godly wisdom and insight. The result would be bankruptcy if he did not change his ways.
The Word of God is warning us not to judge on the basis of evil motives but in a Godly and righteous way realizing another great truth found in the next passage. But before we get to this passage let me ask you to move one more time.
We are going to play musical pews again, so get ready to move. When the music plays we are going to switch seats according to those things we favor over others. If you prefer hardship over an easy life, then move to the front of the Church. If you favor a comfortable and untroubled life free of trials and tribulations, then move to the back of the church. Move now while the music plays.
Thank you…very well done. Now listen to this verse.
5. Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6. But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7. Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
James 2:1-12
Our favorites can keep us from discovering the better things in life. When we simply follow what we like and makes us feel good we may miss the life we really desire and loose some of our favorite things. When we give up some of our favorite things for the right reasons, we can discover the better things in life…but this is a risk, one that many are not willing to take very often.
The Word of God tells us that those who don’t have the advantaged of the wealthy must rely on faith in God rather than bank accounts and the services it can buy. Christ taught and demonstrated that a life filled with faith in God is a far better life than putting our faith in things and events. Although it may not seem like it to the rest of the world, those who are walking by faith may have more God given wisdom than those who have the symbols of success in their possession.
Christ taught…
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
We find it near impossible to be poor and reliant on God when we have so many other options and opportunities to trust in first. The Corinthian church was a successful congregation that knew a good economy and the luxuries of life but did not know much about a faith filled life. The Apostle Paul wrote them to tell them…
8. Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9. For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
1 Corinthians 4:8-13
The grace of God is often expressed by the less fortunate and the bravest of us are born out of trouble and turmoil. Royalty may be born into families with crests and endowments, but those who are born of the heaven inherit the same obscurity and neglect experience by prophets, apostles and by Christ Himself when He walked this earth.
38. the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Hebrew 11:32-29
Some of the most royal of God’s children are the obscure and overlooked of this world. To know them you need to have a discerning heart. To some they seem like fools and very unfortunate. The fates seem pitted against them but what we often don’t see is how heaven watches over them. Angles walk with power over those that world overlooks. The least of this world receive great attention and hope of heaven.
We treat the easy life and a favorite simply because we don’t know at what cost easy is bought…
You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Revelation 3:17 NIV
By looking for the easy road, the less risky choice, and the safe bet we miss the adventures that God has in mind to make life worth living. In the same book of Revelations he tells those who suffer in the service to Christ:
I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich!
Revelation 2:9
We are going to play musical pews one more time, so get ready to move. When the music plays we are going to switch seats according to those things we favor over others. If you believe in your heart that God loves you personally, then move to the front of the Church. If you believe that God does not love you then move to the back of the church. Move now while the music plays.
Thank you…very well done. Now listen to this verse.
8. If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13. because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
James 2:1-12
There should be no one at the back of the Church this morning, but sad to say there are many who sit at the back not because it is the favorite place to be rejected by God, but because this is truly what they believe.
Although the word tells us no to discriminate and judge others out of evil notions like pride, and envy that is exactly what we do to ourselves everyday. I often find that people are merciful with others because they are cruel and unjust toward themselves in self condemnation. This is a problem that goes to the bone and the royal law of Scripture because meaningless: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
This is how God does not show favoritism to any one person. He loves everyone and wants them up here at the front of the Church believing in His love. Yet there are many who sit at the back shrinking from the Love of God in fear and dread.
This is the amazing mystery…God Loves you. Not the way you are, and how you intend to become. He loves you because He created you and has a purpose for you life before you were even born. You are His child whether you live that way or not. God loves all of us equally and longs to have all people everywhere repent of their sins and choose to become obedient sons and daughters of God.
Mercy does triumph over judgment and discrimination. If we are going to live in such away we must accept that mercy of God in our hearts that condemns us and judges without mercy. If harsh words come pouring out of your mouth towards those you should love, you are probably sitting in the back of the church finding it hard to approach the throne of God.
If you are gracious, patient, and forgiving towards others who are thorns and thistles, then you must have already embraced the mercy of God towards you in your heart. Surely you hold this mercy as your most favorite part of life. Like the great people of the Bible you have found that the love and mercy of God is more valuable than any other treasure on earth.
Receive His mercy, give his mercy and let the favoritism of God rest on your life.
32. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33. who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34. quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38. the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Hebrew 11:32-29
Monday, September 3, 2012
“Skin Deep or from the Heart?”
Pastor John R. Wiuff
Sept. 2, 2012
Mark 7:1-8
An avid sports fan Tom Pech of Oshkosh was asked before the library board meeting if he planned to attend the Packer-Lion game at Green Bay come Sunday. His reply? "Is the Pope Catholic?"
The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern in November 1969
Like an unquestioned fact, the Pope's Catholicism must be considered beyond doubt - hence the ironic humor in merely asking the question. Apart from the occasional dissident Catholic writer who might ask the question provocatively in order to make a theological point, no one would actually ask the question seriously.
What if the Pope didn’t have a story about how he became Catholic? Would anyone take that as evidence that he’s not really Catholic? If I were to ask, “is the Pope really a Catholic?” no one would answer with his conversion story. The evidence isn’t a story about how he chose Catholicism but certain acts or facts that would count as evidence.
Any Catholic male who has reached the age of reason can be elected Pope (woman cannot become Pope because they cannot be ordained as priests). In practice, one of the cardinals in the conclave is elected as the new Pope. (The last non-cardinal elected Pope was Urban VI in 1379). If a Pope is not a bishop, then he will have to be consecrated as a bishop prior to becoming Pope. Technically, a non-Catholic male could be elected Pope, but he would have to be immediately converted to Catholicism, ordained as a priest, and consecrated as a bishop before becoming Pope. However, this is extremely unlikely.
The new pope also has to be able to speak Italian and must be under the age of 80 years old. Most of the cardinals in the conclave can speak Italian. None of these things means that the Pope is a true Christian. He can be truly Catholic but fail to be a real Christian in his heart even though he may be considered the head of the Christian church on earth.
Religion and traditions have been used to identify people and their beliefs since the beginning of time. You might say the first act of violence was over religious traditions between Cane and Able. We have been fighting ever since about what is the right tradition to follow and which makes us a real follower of Christ.
If our faith does not go beyond the surface of the skin it will never be real or true. A tradition that is worn does not necessarily reflect the inner faith that comes from the heart.
The proud always claim to be humble; liars plead innocence; and thief’s protest that they are the victim. Should it surprise us that the religious claim a sincere heart felt faith and love of God? How do we know that our faith is more than skin deep? How do we know that we are being led by the flow of the Holy Spirit from the heart? That is the question that Jesus takes up in our Bible lesson today.
1. The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2. saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. 3. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
Mark 7:1-8
Why do you wash your hands? Do you wash your hands? The number one rule for health all over the earth is to wash your hands on a regular basis especially before eating or handling food. With the start of school next week the spread of disease will rapidly increase as children gather, infect each other, and bring it home. This happens every fall and the first line of defense is the parents lecture: “Wash your hands!”
Most of us have been told that we should do something without know why we should. The generation before us simply told us to do something and didn’t take time to explain why it would be a great idea. Going to church, not getting drunk, and keeping sex for marriage are some of the great warnings given to us by our ancestors along with washing our hands. But we have been busy ignoring anything that was not explained or justified as some sort of silly rule.
This has become the anti-religion movement in America today. We are being told that we must choose between Religion and Faith as if they are incompatible. I’m sorry but that seems as silly as choosing to not wash your hands because “…it is a ritual lacking any meaningful purpose. Even if the medical community tells me that some invisible force is out there ready to kill me if I don’t wash, I can still choose to follow what I want to believe and feel in my heart. Some days I may just not want to wash.” (note: irony implied).
Part of us just doesn’t want to do something because we were told by our parents that this would be best. Just being a good child that is obedient seems like an unacceptable option to a questioning rebellious child. We see the pit fall of both and we believe the rebellious skeptic is just safe because we are in control.
In this passage the Pharisees have reduced the instruction to wash to a ritual that defines the worthiness of people rather than God’s original intent. You can’t really blame them or call them silly. We all need to be threatened by people in authority once in awhile to keep us from harming ourselves and others. Yet threats and “Because I said so” will not satisfy any of us for long.
So much of our lives are lived out of rules because someone told us so and that’s the way it’s always been done. There is always someone standing near by watching and evaluating us on whether we keep the rules and traditions. This is the way we raise our children and manage industries.
We see someone do something and we think we know what it means. They “saw some of the disciples eating food with hands that were ‘unclean.’”
So first we must ask what is the issue here: is it being ‘clean’ or following tradition?
5. So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”
Mark 7:1-8
The answer given by the religious is the tradition more than being ‘clean.’ They would argue that we are kept clean in the eyes of God by following the traditions of men. Tradition is the measurement of clean and therefore more important.
Do we live by tradition? Do we argue that it is tradition that keeps us clean and therefore more important as a standard to achieve a desired result? Many Christians don’t like to associate with the Pharisees as being hypocritical religious zealots. The truth is that most of us live out of tradition rather than understanding and devotion to Christ.
I have encountered this at the most basic level throughout my ministry no matter where I am or who I am talking with. This week I had several conversations with Christians who did not know the reason why Jesus had to die on the cross so I could be forgiven. They knew they were supposed to forgive others, but when asked how the Bible defines forgiveness they could not answer. This is a profound example of how we get by on tradition without understanding.
Does saying the words: “Jesus forgive me…” and recognizing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God save us from sin, and hell while making us clean in God’s eyes? The answer is ‘NO!’ If we are just saying the words and following a formula given to us by another, we will find that tradition will land us on the wrong side of the sorting in heaven.
21. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23. Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:21-23
When we receive forgiveness beyond tradition we realize that we must have a Godly remorse in our hearts in order to have a God inspired joy. Just knowing about Christ and forgiveness is not the same as being know by Christ and experiencing a real spiritual cleansing of our souls.
Don’t let tradition keep you from knowing Christ. Assume you don’t know before you jump to the conclusion that you do know.
6. He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7. They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
8. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
Mark 7:1-8
I am sure that the religious teachers of that day would be shocked to be accused by Christ in this way. They knew and taught about the importance of obedience to God and the following of tradition. What they did not understand is the nature of the heart.
Some of us believe that if we change how we act we can change the nature of our hearts. Changing behavior and environments does not change a heart. Wanting to do better and trying to do better will not make us better. The idea that the problem exists outside of heart and can be fixed there is to totally misunderstand the gospel message.
Jesus came to teach us that the problem is in our hearts and not in anything external. That does not sound very encouraging because we all know that we can do more about our situation than we can change our hearts. All the forces of social reform, psychology, and good intentions are helpless in changing the nature of a person’s heart. If we are bent to sin and rebellion we rename it as personal choice and social reform. We know it is easier to rename something than to change it. We now claim the sexual sin is as fixed as gender in the heart of a person and can not be changed. We are surrendering to the unchanging heart and learning to live with all its faults and failings.
Miracles of miracles this is exactly what Jesus insists must change. The heart is something we don’t change but an organ that is changed from the inside out as we begin with facing some simple truths like sin, Godly remorse, and repentance. Our hearts are changed when they are touched by the Love of God and His sweet forgiveness. The hardness of hearts is transformed and shaped by the Master by believing, trusting and risking everything on the Word of God.
The Lord wants our hearts before He wants our lips. Even in saying this, many don’t know what it means beyond the tradition of the church, so let me break it down we can understand with our heads before we understand with our hearts.
When the word of God says ‘heart’ it means technically: soul. Soul is not a style of music in the Bible. Soul specifically means the way an individual reasons, feels, and most importantly chooses. When Christ wants a change of heart it is not simply a matter of feelings. Some people think they love God with their heart when the feel something in a worship service. Others can be intellectuals like me thinking that understanding God’s instructions and reasoning through the rational for His instructions is the change we need in our hearts.
The main issue with our hearts is not our feelings or our intelligence, although they are important and often flawed. The part God really wants to reach, the game changer to every part of our lives is our will. Will power, the ability to make a choice and hold to that choice no matter the cost, the reasons, or how we feel is the key to a changed life.
Our will is too weak and broken to be reliable. When we surrender our will to God He strengthens it and gives it the power to rule over our minds, emotions, and even our bodies. We live in a world of weak willed people who find it impossible to allow God into that level of their heart. Yet this is the very place God must be worshiped, loved and obeyed. Nothing else will do. We have been conditioned to surrender our will to desires, temptations and emotions, but the one person we could surrender to that would make a difference we avoid.
God wants your heart and that means He wants your will above everything else. How do we give Him our will? We choose. We choose with an unshakeable resolve to follow Him and to obey God no matter the cost. Even if we fall we choose now to get up and keep following. When we make that choice our emotions will follow and we will find an passion for pleasing Father God which will be greater than any other passion. When we make that choice we will find that our minds are sharper, better able to make sense of the world around us. Life will make sense again and there will be a purpose in everything we do, but we must begin with that choice deep in our heart. Not only will we understand why we need to be clean and how to be clean…we will want to be clean in the sight of Father God.
Sept. 2, 2012
Mark 7:1-8
An avid sports fan Tom Pech of Oshkosh was asked before the library board meeting if he planned to attend the Packer-Lion game at Green Bay come Sunday. His reply? "Is the Pope Catholic?"
The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern in November 1969
Like an unquestioned fact, the Pope's Catholicism must be considered beyond doubt - hence the ironic humor in merely asking the question. Apart from the occasional dissident Catholic writer who might ask the question provocatively in order to make a theological point, no one would actually ask the question seriously.
What if the Pope didn’t have a story about how he became Catholic? Would anyone take that as evidence that he’s not really Catholic? If I were to ask, “is the Pope really a Catholic?” no one would answer with his conversion story. The evidence isn’t a story about how he chose Catholicism but certain acts or facts that would count as evidence.
Any Catholic male who has reached the age of reason can be elected Pope (woman cannot become Pope because they cannot be ordained as priests). In practice, one of the cardinals in the conclave is elected as the new Pope. (The last non-cardinal elected Pope was Urban VI in 1379). If a Pope is not a bishop, then he will have to be consecrated as a bishop prior to becoming Pope. Technically, a non-Catholic male could be elected Pope, but he would have to be immediately converted to Catholicism, ordained as a priest, and consecrated as a bishop before becoming Pope. However, this is extremely unlikely.
The new pope also has to be able to speak Italian and must be under the age of 80 years old. Most of the cardinals in the conclave can speak Italian. None of these things means that the Pope is a true Christian. He can be truly Catholic but fail to be a real Christian in his heart even though he may be considered the head of the Christian church on earth.
Religion and traditions have been used to identify people and their beliefs since the beginning of time. You might say the first act of violence was over religious traditions between Cane and Able. We have been fighting ever since about what is the right tradition to follow and which makes us a real follower of Christ.
If our faith does not go beyond the surface of the skin it will never be real or true. A tradition that is worn does not necessarily reflect the inner faith that comes from the heart.
The proud always claim to be humble; liars plead innocence; and thief’s protest that they are the victim. Should it surprise us that the religious claim a sincere heart felt faith and love of God? How do we know that our faith is more than skin deep? How do we know that we are being led by the flow of the Holy Spirit from the heart? That is the question that Jesus takes up in our Bible lesson today.
1. The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2. saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. 3. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
Mark 7:1-8
Why do you wash your hands? Do you wash your hands? The number one rule for health all over the earth is to wash your hands on a regular basis especially before eating or handling food. With the start of school next week the spread of disease will rapidly increase as children gather, infect each other, and bring it home. This happens every fall and the first line of defense is the parents lecture: “Wash your hands!”
Most of us have been told that we should do something without know why we should. The generation before us simply told us to do something and didn’t take time to explain why it would be a great idea. Going to church, not getting drunk, and keeping sex for marriage are some of the great warnings given to us by our ancestors along with washing our hands. But we have been busy ignoring anything that was not explained or justified as some sort of silly rule.
This has become the anti-religion movement in America today. We are being told that we must choose between Religion and Faith as if they are incompatible. I’m sorry but that seems as silly as choosing to not wash your hands because “…it is a ritual lacking any meaningful purpose. Even if the medical community tells me that some invisible force is out there ready to kill me if I don’t wash, I can still choose to follow what I want to believe and feel in my heart. Some days I may just not want to wash.” (note: irony implied).
Part of us just doesn’t want to do something because we were told by our parents that this would be best. Just being a good child that is obedient seems like an unacceptable option to a questioning rebellious child. We see the pit fall of both and we believe the rebellious skeptic is just safe because we are in control.
In this passage the Pharisees have reduced the instruction to wash to a ritual that defines the worthiness of people rather than God’s original intent. You can’t really blame them or call them silly. We all need to be threatened by people in authority once in awhile to keep us from harming ourselves and others. Yet threats and “Because I said so” will not satisfy any of us for long.
So much of our lives are lived out of rules because someone told us so and that’s the way it’s always been done. There is always someone standing near by watching and evaluating us on whether we keep the rules and traditions. This is the way we raise our children and manage industries.
We see someone do something and we think we know what it means. They “saw some of the disciples eating food with hands that were ‘unclean.’”
So first we must ask what is the issue here: is it being ‘clean’ or following tradition?
5. So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”
Mark 7:1-8
The answer given by the religious is the tradition more than being ‘clean.’ They would argue that we are kept clean in the eyes of God by following the traditions of men. Tradition is the measurement of clean and therefore more important.
Do we live by tradition? Do we argue that it is tradition that keeps us clean and therefore more important as a standard to achieve a desired result? Many Christians don’t like to associate with the Pharisees as being hypocritical religious zealots. The truth is that most of us live out of tradition rather than understanding and devotion to Christ.
I have encountered this at the most basic level throughout my ministry no matter where I am or who I am talking with. This week I had several conversations with Christians who did not know the reason why Jesus had to die on the cross so I could be forgiven. They knew they were supposed to forgive others, but when asked how the Bible defines forgiveness they could not answer. This is a profound example of how we get by on tradition without understanding.
Does saying the words: “Jesus forgive me…” and recognizing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God save us from sin, and hell while making us clean in God’s eyes? The answer is ‘NO!’ If we are just saying the words and following a formula given to us by another, we will find that tradition will land us on the wrong side of the sorting in heaven.
21. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23. Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:21-23
When we receive forgiveness beyond tradition we realize that we must have a Godly remorse in our hearts in order to have a God inspired joy. Just knowing about Christ and forgiveness is not the same as being know by Christ and experiencing a real spiritual cleansing of our souls.
Don’t let tradition keep you from knowing Christ. Assume you don’t know before you jump to the conclusion that you do know.
6. He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7. They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
8. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
Mark 7:1-8
I am sure that the religious teachers of that day would be shocked to be accused by Christ in this way. They knew and taught about the importance of obedience to God and the following of tradition. What they did not understand is the nature of the heart.
Some of us believe that if we change how we act we can change the nature of our hearts. Changing behavior and environments does not change a heart. Wanting to do better and trying to do better will not make us better. The idea that the problem exists outside of heart and can be fixed there is to totally misunderstand the gospel message.
Jesus came to teach us that the problem is in our hearts and not in anything external. That does not sound very encouraging because we all know that we can do more about our situation than we can change our hearts. All the forces of social reform, psychology, and good intentions are helpless in changing the nature of a person’s heart. If we are bent to sin and rebellion we rename it as personal choice and social reform. We know it is easier to rename something than to change it. We now claim the sexual sin is as fixed as gender in the heart of a person and can not be changed. We are surrendering to the unchanging heart and learning to live with all its faults and failings.
Miracles of miracles this is exactly what Jesus insists must change. The heart is something we don’t change but an organ that is changed from the inside out as we begin with facing some simple truths like sin, Godly remorse, and repentance. Our hearts are changed when they are touched by the Love of God and His sweet forgiveness. The hardness of hearts is transformed and shaped by the Master by believing, trusting and risking everything on the Word of God.
The Lord wants our hearts before He wants our lips. Even in saying this, many don’t know what it means beyond the tradition of the church, so let me break it down we can understand with our heads before we understand with our hearts.
When the word of God says ‘heart’ it means technically: soul. Soul is not a style of music in the Bible. Soul specifically means the way an individual reasons, feels, and most importantly chooses. When Christ wants a change of heart it is not simply a matter of feelings. Some people think they love God with their heart when the feel something in a worship service. Others can be intellectuals like me thinking that understanding God’s instructions and reasoning through the rational for His instructions is the change we need in our hearts.
The main issue with our hearts is not our feelings or our intelligence, although they are important and often flawed. The part God really wants to reach, the game changer to every part of our lives is our will. Will power, the ability to make a choice and hold to that choice no matter the cost, the reasons, or how we feel is the key to a changed life.
Our will is too weak and broken to be reliable. When we surrender our will to God He strengthens it and gives it the power to rule over our minds, emotions, and even our bodies. We live in a world of weak willed people who find it impossible to allow God into that level of their heart. Yet this is the very place God must be worshiped, loved and obeyed. Nothing else will do. We have been conditioned to surrender our will to desires, temptations and emotions, but the one person we could surrender to that would make a difference we avoid.
God wants your heart and that means He wants your will above everything else. How do we give Him our will? We choose. We choose with an unshakeable resolve to follow Him and to obey God no matter the cost. Even if we fall we choose now to get up and keep following. When we make that choice our emotions will follow and we will find an passion for pleasing Father God which will be greater than any other passion. When we make that choice we will find that our minds are sharper, better able to make sense of the world around us. Life will make sense again and there will be a purpose in everything we do, but we must begin with that choice deep in our heart. Not only will we understand why we need to be clean and how to be clean…we will want to be clean in the sight of Father God.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
No Turning Back
John 6:60-69
Would you agree with the following declarations as the standard for a Christian Spirit filled life?
• A believing Christian should not be killing people in their neighborhoods just because they are angry?
• A person who truly believes in Jesus Christ must be forgiven and forgiving toward others.
Now this is getting hard, I don’t know if I want to go on…
• A true believer in Jesus Christ as Lord should never be drunk.
• A true believer in Jesus Christ should contemplate fornication or adultery but be faithful to the one they declare their love.
While many can agree with the basics of the faith there is usually a line where we find it difficult to continue to make a stand for Christ. We call this the point of no return when we decide that we are fully committed no matter the cost. Many would be believers in Jesus Christ only follow the Lord until they come to this door of no return. They know that if they go beyond that point they will not be able to back out and change their minds.
The odd part of this ‘door of no return’ is that the standard has been dropping over the years. I remember as a youth the door of no return was the day you gave your heart to Christ for salvation from your sins. Many of my friends were reluctant to be saved because they just knew God would ask them to go to the mission field or do something else they didn’t want to do right then. To even repent and claim to be a Christian was the point of no return.
Today we think that there are degrees of commitment and we don’t need to be hard core Christians. We can agree with the basics but keep our appetite for booze and sex out of the relationship we have with Christ. We will attend church occasionally and even talk about God to our friends but we are not eager to press people with the urgency of salvation in the light of the ultimate and terrible punishment to come in the fires of hell. We may not be even sure if we believe in ‘hell’, evil or sin…but grateful to be saved from them just in case.
Into every would-be believers life comes a day, a day like to day, when the Lord confronts us with a hard truth that we must accept on faith, or reject in self preservation. This point of no return is critical in our lives if we are going to be counted among the true followers of Christ and not among the pretenders that hang around in great numbers until the going gets tuff.
Our Bible passage today is taken from the gospel of John when Jesus confronts him and the other followers with a door of no return.
60. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61. Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62. What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63. The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
John 6:60-69
The door of commitment is marked with God offending us with His unreasonable demands. When I raise the issue about drinking and being drunk there are many so called believers who think I am being unreasonable and judgmental. When I raise the issue about sexual restraint before and after marriage once again I am accused of being unreasonable, and judgmental. In other words I ‘offend’ people by suggesting or insisting that God’s standards are much higher than our own and we would be wise to make sacrifices in these areas to please the Lord.
Christ will often ask of us a sacrifice or an act of obedience that we find unreasonable and those who are no ready to accept Jesus as Lord will be offended. One of the most common complaints I hear is how people are offended by the Bible, by Christ and His teachings. They are so offended many have worked hard to change the words in the Bible, or our teaching about the Bible, or even our understanding of Christ. We are more offended today by all of this that we have banned it from the schools and the public arena. We have placed all our modern problems at the feet of the Bible, Church and Christ claiming that these offensive institutions have caused all the wars and discrimination in the world.
What we failed to grasp is that we have turned back from the test that God has placed before us to move forward by faith rather than backwards through fear. The Response that Jesus Christ gives to our outrage is simply a question: “Does this offend you?”
What offends you will tell you where your commitment lies. Where you are offended is also your opportunity to change. Today we are so often offended by anyone telling us what we can and cannot do it matters little if it’s about drugs, alcohol, or sexual behavior. We are offended by any constraint on us like what day to worship, how to dress, or whether we even read our Bibles. We are offended by the suggestion that Christ would insist on governing anything in our lives and this is why we fail to be true followers of Christ. He calls us to follow, and obey and we reply, “Who are you to ask for such a thing?”
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”
The offense of Christ is the price we must pay to gain the life the Holy Spirit want to breathe into us. If we follow our offended spirit and refuse to obey then we are in the realm of the flesh and it will die on its own.
If we are going to know a better life then we need to change by surrendering the very things we though so important to gain a real Spirit filled life under the control of the Spirit.
64. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”
John 6:60-69
The enemy is whispering in the ear of every person who hears this message that they don’t need to listen to such old fashioned preaching. I know he is telling you that because the same voice whispers in my ear every day. Hell it self is offended by this claim of Christ, that we are to pay the price He asks because He asks.
Jesus already knows who is willing to pay the price and who is not but we don’t know who we are because we have avoided the decision. We make compromises and muddy the waters with degrees of faith so we never come to the door of no return.
To accept the offense of Christ and to bow to His unreasonable demands is to enter that door when you will not turn back. I would push you through that door but I can’t. Each person must go willingly.
4. And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5. you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. For this is contained in Scripture:
“ Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
7. This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“ The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the very corner stone,”
8. and,
“ A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
1 Peter 2:4-8
At some point you may have accepted that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and His forgiveness of your sin. You may have received miracles from His hands and taught you great spiritual truths. You may have enjoyed worship and felt His presence around you but until we are offended by His claim on our life, we have not passed the point of no return in our relationship with Him.
There are many today, like the large crowd that followed Christ around, who thought they were true believers but only realized they were not when they stumbled over His offensive words of Lordship over their lives.
To believe in Christ means to build on Him as the cornerstone, fully relying on Him as the foundation of your life. Many of us who have been following Jesus like to think that is what we are doing but until we come to the audacious claim of Christ which offends us we will never be sure that we really believe. Could you and I give our lives, our fortunes, and our families for the Kingdom of God? Is that asking too much?
The truth is that our faith only goes so far and then we begin to doubt. That place of doubt is where Christ will offend us or gain our trust and obedience. We either stumble at that moment or say with others…
… “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24
How far can Christ go in our life before we begin to think He is going too far? When do we become offended and turn back to our own self controlled lives and away from a Spirit led life?
66. From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
68. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:60-69
The moment that Christ goes beyond our expectations and offends us is the turning point in our faith. We grow or we fall back but to offend our self rule with His rule is the only way any of us make any progress.
Shall we evaluate our faith? Would that offend you? How shall we measure the depth of our faith in Christ? Many who walked away from Christ that day were real disciples of Christ. They were willing to accept his leadership and follow Him as long as they received what they were promised. Yet they stumbled over the offense of the cross. What is the offense of the cross and why is it a measurement of our faith?
Our faith is not measured by what we choose to do for Christ or by what we choose to give to Christ. That is a very small thing and leaves us in control of our lives. Rather our faith is measured by our willingness to give Christ what He asks of us, when He asks us. Obedience at any cost is the measurement of the cross and it’s offense. Christ was measured by the cross and found not to be wanting in His love of Christ because it is this kind of love that is not easily offended by the requests of God.
I have been asked by God to surrender many things that I did not want loose. Each time I was tempted to be offended at the unreasonable demands of Christ. Satan is always there to whisper the self justifying offensive words into our ears. But each time I decided that my only hope was in obedience my faith grew and became stronger.
27. Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
28. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Matthew 19:27-30
We can follow Christ to gain more and see our sacrifices as an investment in a distant future but that would be a weak faith. There are many now who claim to be apart of a ‘faith movement’ that names and claims their hearts desires. They give to the church and others in order to receive. But what greater faith would it be to give to God without expecting anything in return except the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
To love God is to set aside an offended Spirit and to surrender all no matter the cost. We do this for we want to live by the Spirit and not die by the flesh. That turning point of no return is the offensive requests of Christ. Will we obey and follow or turn back.
Has Christ offended you recently? Did you swallow your pride and accept His correction and surrender what He asked of you? If you did then passed through the door towards a full commitment and only the love of God can do that in your life.
Would you agree with the following declarations as the standard for a Christian Spirit filled life?
• A believing Christian should not be killing people in their neighborhoods just because they are angry?
• A person who truly believes in Jesus Christ must be forgiven and forgiving toward others.
Now this is getting hard, I don’t know if I want to go on…
• A true believer in Jesus Christ as Lord should never be drunk.
• A true believer in Jesus Christ should contemplate fornication or adultery but be faithful to the one they declare their love.
While many can agree with the basics of the faith there is usually a line where we find it difficult to continue to make a stand for Christ. We call this the point of no return when we decide that we are fully committed no matter the cost. Many would be believers in Jesus Christ only follow the Lord until they come to this door of no return. They know that if they go beyond that point they will not be able to back out and change their minds.
The odd part of this ‘door of no return’ is that the standard has been dropping over the years. I remember as a youth the door of no return was the day you gave your heart to Christ for salvation from your sins. Many of my friends were reluctant to be saved because they just knew God would ask them to go to the mission field or do something else they didn’t want to do right then. To even repent and claim to be a Christian was the point of no return.
Today we think that there are degrees of commitment and we don’t need to be hard core Christians. We can agree with the basics but keep our appetite for booze and sex out of the relationship we have with Christ. We will attend church occasionally and even talk about God to our friends but we are not eager to press people with the urgency of salvation in the light of the ultimate and terrible punishment to come in the fires of hell. We may not be even sure if we believe in ‘hell’, evil or sin…but grateful to be saved from them just in case.
Into every would-be believers life comes a day, a day like to day, when the Lord confronts us with a hard truth that we must accept on faith, or reject in self preservation. This point of no return is critical in our lives if we are going to be counted among the true followers of Christ and not among the pretenders that hang around in great numbers until the going gets tuff.
Our Bible passage today is taken from the gospel of John when Jesus confronts him and the other followers with a door of no return.
60. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61. Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62. What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63. The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
John 6:60-69
The door of commitment is marked with God offending us with His unreasonable demands. When I raise the issue about drinking and being drunk there are many so called believers who think I am being unreasonable and judgmental. When I raise the issue about sexual restraint before and after marriage once again I am accused of being unreasonable, and judgmental. In other words I ‘offend’ people by suggesting or insisting that God’s standards are much higher than our own and we would be wise to make sacrifices in these areas to please the Lord.
Christ will often ask of us a sacrifice or an act of obedience that we find unreasonable and those who are no ready to accept Jesus as Lord will be offended. One of the most common complaints I hear is how people are offended by the Bible, by Christ and His teachings. They are so offended many have worked hard to change the words in the Bible, or our teaching about the Bible, or even our understanding of Christ. We are more offended today by all of this that we have banned it from the schools and the public arena. We have placed all our modern problems at the feet of the Bible, Church and Christ claiming that these offensive institutions have caused all the wars and discrimination in the world.
What we failed to grasp is that we have turned back from the test that God has placed before us to move forward by faith rather than backwards through fear. The Response that Jesus Christ gives to our outrage is simply a question: “Does this offend you?”
What offends you will tell you where your commitment lies. Where you are offended is also your opportunity to change. Today we are so often offended by anyone telling us what we can and cannot do it matters little if it’s about drugs, alcohol, or sexual behavior. We are offended by any constraint on us like what day to worship, how to dress, or whether we even read our Bibles. We are offended by the suggestion that Christ would insist on governing anything in our lives and this is why we fail to be true followers of Christ. He calls us to follow, and obey and we reply, “Who are you to ask for such a thing?”
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”
The offense of Christ is the price we must pay to gain the life the Holy Spirit want to breathe into us. If we follow our offended spirit and refuse to obey then we are in the realm of the flesh and it will die on its own.
If we are going to know a better life then we need to change by surrendering the very things we though so important to gain a real Spirit filled life under the control of the Spirit.
64. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”
John 6:60-69
The enemy is whispering in the ear of every person who hears this message that they don’t need to listen to such old fashioned preaching. I know he is telling you that because the same voice whispers in my ear every day. Hell it self is offended by this claim of Christ, that we are to pay the price He asks because He asks.
Jesus already knows who is willing to pay the price and who is not but we don’t know who we are because we have avoided the decision. We make compromises and muddy the waters with degrees of faith so we never come to the door of no return.
To accept the offense of Christ and to bow to His unreasonable demands is to enter that door when you will not turn back. I would push you through that door but I can’t. Each person must go willingly.
4. And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5. you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. For this is contained in Scripture:
“ Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
7. This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“ The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the very corner stone,”
8. and,
“ A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
1 Peter 2:4-8
At some point you may have accepted that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and His forgiveness of your sin. You may have received miracles from His hands and taught you great spiritual truths. You may have enjoyed worship and felt His presence around you but until we are offended by His claim on our life, we have not passed the point of no return in our relationship with Him.
There are many today, like the large crowd that followed Christ around, who thought they were true believers but only realized they were not when they stumbled over His offensive words of Lordship over their lives.
To believe in Christ means to build on Him as the cornerstone, fully relying on Him as the foundation of your life. Many of us who have been following Jesus like to think that is what we are doing but until we come to the audacious claim of Christ which offends us we will never be sure that we really believe. Could you and I give our lives, our fortunes, and our families for the Kingdom of God? Is that asking too much?
The truth is that our faith only goes so far and then we begin to doubt. That place of doubt is where Christ will offend us or gain our trust and obedience. We either stumble at that moment or say with others…
… “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24
How far can Christ go in our life before we begin to think He is going too far? When do we become offended and turn back to our own self controlled lives and away from a Spirit led life?
66. From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
68. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:60-69
The moment that Christ goes beyond our expectations and offends us is the turning point in our faith. We grow or we fall back but to offend our self rule with His rule is the only way any of us make any progress.
Shall we evaluate our faith? Would that offend you? How shall we measure the depth of our faith in Christ? Many who walked away from Christ that day were real disciples of Christ. They were willing to accept his leadership and follow Him as long as they received what they were promised. Yet they stumbled over the offense of the cross. What is the offense of the cross and why is it a measurement of our faith?
Our faith is not measured by what we choose to do for Christ or by what we choose to give to Christ. That is a very small thing and leaves us in control of our lives. Rather our faith is measured by our willingness to give Christ what He asks of us, when He asks us. Obedience at any cost is the measurement of the cross and it’s offense. Christ was measured by the cross and found not to be wanting in His love of Christ because it is this kind of love that is not easily offended by the requests of God.
I have been asked by God to surrender many things that I did not want loose. Each time I was tempted to be offended at the unreasonable demands of Christ. Satan is always there to whisper the self justifying offensive words into our ears. But each time I decided that my only hope was in obedience my faith grew and became stronger.
27. Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
28. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Matthew 19:27-30
We can follow Christ to gain more and see our sacrifices as an investment in a distant future but that would be a weak faith. There are many now who claim to be apart of a ‘faith movement’ that names and claims their hearts desires. They give to the church and others in order to receive. But what greater faith would it be to give to God without expecting anything in return except the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
To love God is to set aside an offended Spirit and to surrender all no matter the cost. We do this for we want to live by the Spirit and not die by the flesh. That turning point of no return is the offensive requests of Christ. Will we obey and follow or turn back.
Has Christ offended you recently? Did you swallow your pride and accept His correction and surrender what He asked of you? If you did then passed through the door towards a full commitment and only the love of God can do that in your life.
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