Pastor Nancy's Bible Blog

Sermon "Reunion Time"

2008-06-02T10:29:00.001-04:00

“Reunion Time” – Pastor Nancy Cantrell

Deut 11: 18-24a

Reunions, this is the time of year when most families have them. My Dad’s family, the Floyd’s, have them the first Sunday in June. We have them at a beautiful park on the banks of the White River. I’ve learned allot about my family, myself and why I am who I am by simply listening to past stories, advice, directions and life shared.

I’ve heard the men of my grandfather’s generation laugh when he reminisces about being out on the week-end then on Sunday evening attempting to come home he would throw his hat in the door before he went in, that way he knew whether it was safe to come in or not. This story would be followed by my Grandmother’s version of the many destroyed hats. I’ve heard of struggles through the depression, my Grandfather and Grandmother were actually a part of the migration west during the 30’s that has become famous in the book “The Grapes of Wrath.” They really did live under a big tree with a tarp stretched to make a tent for two years as they picked lettuce in the fields of California. My Dad was seven weeks old when they made that dusty uncertain trip west in a Model A. As these stories would get told even the youngest would sit spellbound, laughing at the funny parts and hurting with family members because at times they got separated looking for work, barely having enough food, and crippled by poverty.

Over a red checkered table cloth, soda pop on ice, paper plates and food spread from one end to the other I would hear stories of my Dad’s generation. Tales of deer hunting exploits, the deer get bigger every year, Babe the Blue Ox has nothing on deer that my Dad and his family have killed and drug 14 miles out of the woods, up hill all the way. At times the stories would take a darker turn and ex-spouses names would get mentioned eyes would simply rest on an empty lawn chair. As these stories would get told even the youngest would sit spellbound, laughing at the funny parts and hurting with family members who got separated due to bad choices, barely keeping the family together and crippled by the ravages of divorce.

This was followed by stories from my generation, memories of how we encouraged my younger brother, Thomas. You see Thomas was the youngest and we felt the need to educate him in farm life such as how to call hogs. To call the hogs on our farm we would grab Thomas by the arms throw him over the tin sheet fence of the pig pen, shake his body up and down and yell at the hogs. They never failed to charge the dangling boy, just as they reached his legs we’d jerk him over the fence as the hogs slammed into the sheet of tin. Thomas has never been the same. As the evening would draw near our conversations always seem to remember sad times, one cousin crippled by disease, one by drugs and alcohol. As these stories would get told even the youngest would sit spell bound, laughing at the funny parts and hurting with family members who got separated by sickness or addiction, barely able to get through the day and crippled in more ways than one.

When I read Deuteronomy chapter eleven it almost feels like reunion time. The book of Deuteronomy is Moses giving final instructions to the new generation of people about to cross into the Promised Land. Everyone one with the exception of Moses, Caleb and Joshua who had seen the plagues of Pharaoh; the dry ground under the Red Sea; and the law given at Sinai were dead. Now as he spends time with these eager young family members he gives direction as he remembers things about the his people – good and bad. It was like story time at the family get-together with the kids listening and learning about the history of those who went before them, history that had shaped and formed them.

Deut. 11: 18 - Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Fixing the words in their hearts and minds; tie them to their hands and foreheads as Moses uttered these words could he have been remembering the time when…They came to Sinai, the Lord called to Moses and said, ”Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession.” When Moses told this to the people, they all answered as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

It wasn’t but just a little while later they were dancing and bowing before a golden calf. Moses knew they needed to do more than just say the words, they needed fix them in their hearts and minds.

How are we fixing God’s Word in our minds? How many of you know the words to “Acky Breaky Heart?” How do you know those words? You know those words because you heard them repeated, over and over and over and over and admit it, you have sang them. So how do we fix God’s Word in our minds? Repetition, reading it, saying it over and over. How about fixing God’s Word in our heart? You know the heart is different than the mind. We fix God’s Word in our heart by asking Him to help us, to reveal the truth of the Word to us by letting the Holy Spirit through the Word form us, change us, and make us more like Christ.

Yes, I believe when Moses was giving these directions to the new generation of Hebrews he remembered part of the family that had made a vow to God to obey, to listen, then chose not to…and they were consumed by fire, families separated, lawn chairs left empty, and crippled in life.

Duet. 11: 19-21 - Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heaven are above the earth. As Moses uttered those commands between mouthfuls of cold fried chicken and potato salad, could he have been remembering the time when…He stood before the burning bush and tried to get out of the call, how he had asked for help and received Aaron. Through the years Aaron fell hard but each time made the choice to repent and return to God. Later on the journey in the wilderness God actually gave a sign to all the people that Aaron really was the priest of His choice, when out of the twelve staffs of Israel only Aaron’s budded. With all the mistakes Aaron made one of them was not with his children. He taught them about life by instructing them to fix the Word upon their hearts and minds.

And when it was time for Aaron to die, it was God who took Aaron, Moses and his son Eleazar to the mountain top then gave instructions to make Eleazar the priest. Moses smiled as he thought… because that wasn’t the end of the story. Eleazar taught his son the Word of the Lord and when the nation openly sinned against God at Shittim God began to punish them with a horrible plague. As this sickness was spreading, and when I say spreading I mean to the number of 24,000 dead. It was Phinehas, Eleazar’s son who with his zeal for the Lord put a stop to the sin and the nation was saved. Aaron had taught Eleazar, Eleazar had taught Phinehas to fix the Word in their heart and mind. And because of that they were blessed.

How and what are you teaching your children? Do you read the Bible with them? Do the kids see you watch more “Family Guy” or “Wheel of Fortune” than time spent in activities that would make you more like Christ? Are sporting events more pressing than worship services? Do they see you spend money eating out or buying things then wrestle with whether to pay your tithe? We all teach our children something.

Yes, I believe when Moses was recounting this command in Deuteronomy to the new generation of Hebrews he remembered part of the family that chose to teach their children…and they received a covenant of peace from the Lord himself.

As Moses speaks to his family he knows the only way to blessing is to fix the Word in the mind and teach it to the children. We call it Learning.

He understands for the family to continue they will need to fix this Word not only in their minds but also in their hearts. They will need to not just know what the Word says but to know God, to have a deep desire for Him, adore Him, worship Him in the corporate setting and individually. We call it Loving.

And God will be with them, supply for them, watch over them, care for them, fulfill his promise to and for them.

Deut 11: 22 – 24a –“ If you will diligently observe this entire commandment that I am commanding you, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and mightier than yourselves. 24 Every place on which you set foot shall be yours…” As Moses tells stories, gives direction, and remembers … his words begin to give hope. Hope that when the word is fixed in them they will carry the great news of God every where they put our foot. When we get the Word fixed in our hearts & minds then teach it to our children we give this hope filled message of a God who gives, cares, provides and blesses to a lost and lonely world. We take God’s love in Jesus to those across the river and take this incredible good news everywhere we put our foot. We call it Leading, leading others to Christ.

It’s June, time for reunions. Maybe it’s time for a reunion with God. It might be the first time you’ve ever heard about this God who loved us so much that he made a way to have a family relationship with Him, through His Son Jesus. If that’s you today, He is here, choose him. He is ready for a new generation to follow Him… for you to follow.

Or maybe you need to have your memory stirred up, stories of the past shared - good and bad – sitting spellbound laughing at the funny parts and hurting at the sad. But choosing blessing by fixing the Word in your heart and mind, teaching it to the children and taking it everywhere we put our foot.

Benediction

“…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore…” Deut 30: 19b – 20a

Sermon "One Word" 1 Peter 5: 1-10

2008-05-05T17:01:00.000-04:00

Text: 1 Peter 5:1-10 Title: One Word

Collaboration: Jimmy Skeen & Nancy Cantrell Date: May 4, 2008

If you could use one word to summarize your parent’s life what would it be? How about your best friend’s life? How about your children? Your teacher? Your pastor? (Be careful now!) If you could use one word to summarize your life what would it be?

You could summarize his life in one simple word … Independence. From the earliest of days he did life his way. When the family wanted to go to McDonald’s he voted for Wendy’s. At school the other students fought over the monkey bars but not him. He liked to find the closest teacher on duty and engage them in some contest, a friendly game of one on one or a lively debate. He was always doing life his own way often finding himself sitting all alone.

As a teenager things were no different. Despite the best efforts of his parents he simply chose to be independent. He loved his parents, he even thought they were good people, but his life was his life. One day he was off to rendezvous with his buddies when his father encouraged him to stay home. There was a good reason. They were all headed over to his grandparents’ house. Dad warned him “if you leave now you won’t be back in time and we will have to leave without you.” He loved being at his grandparents house. The laughter, the fun, the cooking…it was worth any price he had to pay; except the price of his independence. Truly meaning no harm to his father he set out to do life his way. Off he went.

Lost in the joy of the moment he forgot all about grandma and the trip the family was taking. When he remembered … his heart began to pound, his palms began to sweat, and his mind began to race, “Oh no!” he cried and with that he tore off like he was being chased by a tiger. His legs grew tight as he pushed them to their extreme limit hoping to get home before his family’s departure. Panting, aching, and sweating he arrived at his destination … and they were gone. He stood up for his independence and now he sat down on the porch alone.

Independent that was him. His independence appeared to make him a natural born leader. As an adult he commanded the respect of his peers just on the sheer force of his personality. He continued to do life his way and people would follow. Anyone could work with him, learn from him, add to his career as long as they did things his way. He was great at leading but never followed. Those who tried to convince him, control him, or correct him found themselves cut off, cut loose, or cut down. And when there was a confrontation, an argument, or a difference of opinion he made sure to do life his own way. Every time he stood up for his independence and every time he sat down finding himself alone.

Business was slow that day. The fish just weren’t biting like he had hoped. He decided to head into shore and make use of the time repairing his nets. He had no more tied up to the bank when a large crowd backed him right up to the water. They were there following Jesus. Jesus told him to get back in the boat so they could push out, using that boat as a pulpit Jesus preached.

When Jesus was finished, he turned to Peter and said, “Push out into the deep water and let your nets out for a catch.” Now Peter was tired, he stood up and stretched his back, looking toward the shore. This tough old knowledgeable fisherman knew these waters. Jesus was a carpenter for heaven’s sake, what does he know about fishing. Peter turned and said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow.”

You could have heard a pin drop, the two men standing looking at each other, Jesus and Peter. What would Peter choose? He really did know allot about fishing. It was his opinion that this was the wrong time of day to even try. He was certain everyone on the boat was hungry and tired. No one had slept a wink and they had stayed awake while Jesus had preached, from his boat wasn’t that enough?

But there was something in this man Jesus, something that Peter could sense. There was authority in his Words. So, Peter stooped down and picked up the net, obediently casting it over the water. It was no sooner said than done – a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to some other fishermen nearby to come out and help. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Independent, standing tall, that was Peter, that’s how he defined himself, that’s how others defined him. Normally his mind would have been tabulating the money this catch would bring. Normally he would have loved hearing everybody hollering what a great fisherman he was, the hero. But when Peter saw the catch, he turned away from it and fell to his knees before Jesus. For the first time in Peter’s life, for the first time in front of his co-workers and friends, for the first time he bowed down to someone else. He knelt before Jesus, the catch didn’t matter, the money didn’t matter, being the boss didn’t matter, success didn’t matter. All he could think of was the times he had forced his independence. The many times he had to do life his own way and how he was left all by himself. With his head bowed he said, “Lord, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” He fully expected to be left by himself. He fully expected to end up sitting alone and empty.

But not this time, not this time. Jesus reached out to Peter and stood him back on his feet and said. “There is nothing to fear, from now on you’ll be with me, I will never forsake you, I will direct your path, I will be your guide, you will never be alone or empty again. As a matter of fact from now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.” With that they pulled the boat up on the beach and Peter followed Jesus. He gave himself to the kingdom, he submitted completely and he was not alone. This burly, rough and tumble, calloused handed fisherman, the man who always had to have his way, the man who didn’t take anything off of anybody, the fella that always had to be right, be first, be the leader… later in life penned these words, humbly words, words of one who knew how to submit, our text for today.

1 Peter 5: 1-10 NIV ¹To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ²Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. ⁵Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." ⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. ¹⁰And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

By kneeling down Peter was lifted up. By bowing to the will of God Peter is currently sharing in the glory to be revealed. By submitting to the Word of the Lord he has received the crown of glory that will never fade away. By following Christ he became a gentle shepherd of the church, serving and an example for us to follow even today. By humbling himself to the will of the Father he could cast all of his anxiety away and trusted God to carry it for him, so can we. By surrendering his career, his family, his dreams to the Lord he was safe from the enemy who would seek to destroy. Peter was able to stand firm in the faith even to the point of death, crucifixion upside down and beyond death. And today the word we associate with the name Peter is Christian. Christian, Christ-follower, preacher, teacher, godly, Christian.

If you could use one word to summarize your life what would it be?If others could use one word to summarize your life what would it be? Christian or something else? Today we can either stand up, exert our independence and stay in charge of our own life or we can kneel submitting to the Lordship of Christ. That is what will define us, which ever we choose that will be the word what summarizes our lives.

Sermon Acts 2: 14-42

2008-04-17T08:17:00.000-04:00

Text: Acts 2:14-42 Title: Where R U Standing?

Date: April 6, 2008 Collaboration: Jimmy Skeen & Nancy Cantrell

Hear the word of the Lord from Acts 2:14. “Then Peter stood up …” That’s a familiar statement. Peter always stood up. He stood up for something or someone and sometimes stood up against something or someone. Peter was a man’s man. He was independent and intense. He was fierce and fiery. He would be your best ally at a hockey game. He was a good guy, a hard worker, and full of passion. Peter could be your best friend and worst enemy all at the same time. He was never afraid, rarely backed down, and always stood up for what he believed in.

Then Peter stood up …” Peter always stood up. With their bellies full of multiplied bread and fish the disciples headed across the lake. Jesus stayed behind to pray. Out on the water the darkness of night swept in upon them and a storm raged around them. They paddeled for all they were worth but fast failing. They gave everything they had, but the waves left them with aching arms, hurting backs, and discouraged hearts.

That’s always the result when we fight life’s storms without Jesus. In our own strength we are quickly overcome and so were they. But Jesus did what Jesus always does, he saw his people headed toward destruction and he ran to them, down the mountain, onto the shore, and out on the water. No boat and no jet ski just skipping across the lake!

When the disciples caught a glimpse of someone approaching on the waves they did what all brave, brazen blue collar workers do … They screamed like little girls! “It’s a ghost.” They were scared spit less (That’s the literal translation by the way J). Jesus spoke up and said, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage I am here.” Then Peter stood up. Leaving the eleven in their holy huddle he stepped to the front of the storm battered craft and said, “Lord if its you, tell me to come to you on the water” and Jesus says, “Well come on.” In a sheer act of faith Peter takes Jesus at his word and all alone stood up on the water! His success was short lived. A couple of steps on the sea and he sinks. A lecture from the Lord and you would think Peter would learn.

“Then Peter stood up …” Peter always stood up. Jesus was in Gethsemane, filled with anguish, crying out to the Father. The disciples were piled up around the camp fire, filled with supper, comfortable and sawing logs. The darkness of night swept in upon them. Judas sauntered into the garden flanked by an evil entourage and with a simple kiss the storm began. Judas stepped back and the soldiers pounced. The disciples scattered and Peter all alone grabbed a sword. He whirled the weapon into the air and sent it downward bent on destruction. Peter’s blow missed its intended target but he managed to cut off Malchus’ right ear. In the middle of the garden Peter risked his life all alone and stood up for Jesus. But his success was short lived. Jesus picked up the ear and healed the man. A sharp rebuke and you think Peter would learn.

“Then Peter stood up …” Peter always stood up. After the storm in the garden it picked up in the city. People were screaming, cussing, jeering, and laughing as the Son of God passed in chains. The city was no place for friends, family, or followers of Jesus. The blood thirsty crowd grew with each passing moment. They were not there for a trial they were for an execution. Sympathizers stood silent & defenders departed.

When Jesus was drug into the high priest’s home Peter got as close as he could. He warmed himself by a fire out in the courtyard. This was the front porch of the enemy. He was surrounded by a hateful mob and supported by no one. Yep, even here, all alone Peter stood up. But his success was short lived. And he crumpled into a whimpering heap under the question of one little girl. Three times he denied knowing Jesus and as the rooster crowed for the second time tears streamed down his cheeks. A load of guilt and embarrassment … you think Peter would learn.

“Then Peter stood up …” It’s almost a summary of Peter’s life. He stood up on a lake, in a garden and in the courtyard. Peter always stood up. When others slunk back and sank down, Peter pushed forward and stood up. He was a manly man. He was well meaning, good hearted and had sheer grit and determination. Yet the glory of the moment faded quickly. His life was full of ups and downs, standing and falling, standing and failing, standing and alone. He found himself the same place we have all been, sitting smack dab on the roller coaster of life. Try real hard, fall real fast.

“Then Peter stood up with the other eleven…” Wait a second. Here is something different. Peter stood up with the other eleven? That’s not like Peter. He was independent, self reliant, capable of handling this world alone. He could fit right in with good ole’ Americans that cry, “Be your own man!” “Have it your own way!” “Keep your business to your self!” When he stood up on the lake he did it alone. When he stood in the garden he did it alone. When he stood in the courtyard he did it alone…and each time he bottomed out.

But here he stood up with the other eleven. Hand in hand, arm in arm, and side by side they stood. This time when Peter stood up, there was no failure or falling. The same man who cowered in front of a little girl we see here in Acts chapter two boldly proclaiming the gospel.

As I look in the mirror and around this sanctuary I see Peter. Good hearted well meaning people who are willing to stand up. Just the fact that you are here testifies to your tenacity. You could have stayed in bed, watched the Royals, mowed your lawn but you didn’t. You stood up! Many of us have been standing up for years. But in our independence we see our intentions are good but often the results are not. We find ourselves riding the rollercoaster up and down, up and down. Peter’s life screams one simple message … “You can’t stand up on your own!”

Oh, we are so like Peter. We come here often very alone even among the crowd and we go back home in the same condition. We want to be in the Word. We fully intend to have a real prayer life. This week we are going to kick that habit. I’m going to be nicer to my family. I’m going to do better with my money. I’m going to take better care of my body. Off we go with some new book or program and promise to “Be all we can be”. A few months, weeks, days, or sometimes hours finds us right back where we started, falling, sinking, failing. We always stand up but the resolve is short lived.

Maybe you see the fallout of living the Christian life alone. You try with everything in you to overcome, to stand firm but your energy is quickly sapped, your resistance runs out and sin comes flooding back in. Your intentions are good but the results are not.

We are a lot like Peter. We have heard the lectures, the rebukes, felt the guilt, the embarrassment and we try, and try, and try. This standing up for Jesus is just too hard.

It is if you try to do it alone…

But something happened to Peter at Pentecost. He obeyed Jesus, prayed fervently, was filled with the Holy Spirit and became community. Not just part of a community but with the others who had been filled became one. For the first time Peter didn’t rely on Peter. Oh, they had lived together, eaten together, laughed together but now every move they made for God was done in, by and for community. No longer would they try to stand up on their own, no more Lone Ranger. And the roller coaster days were over.

Now Peter stood up… stood up with the other eleven! He never backed down, they had his back. He never let up, they surrounded him with courage. On that day the Word went forth and went to work. It convicted those living in sin and drew them to the Savior and Redeemer. Over 3000 people were baptized and added to the community that day! What a day, the birthday of the church!

Are we there, do we find ourselves up and down, up and down? “I try to do devotions, I try to be nice, I try to quit,” what ever … only to fail. Could it be that we aren’t obeying Jesus, praying, filled with the Holy Sprit or living in community? Sure we know each other, we help each other, we even love each other but do we really stand up together? Do we even know when one of us is struggling. How many of us get sick and just tough it out on our own? How may of us have something that we need to break but won’t tell anyone? How many of our children won’t share their problems because they’ve learned from Mom and Dad to keep it quiet?

We do not have to live there, we do not have to go there and we certainly don’t have to stay there. The Holy Spirit has been poured out, it’s been given, He is here. We simply ask him to fill us and then we stand up together. We live out this Holy Spirit filled life in community, real and authentic with one another. Hand in hand, arm in arm and side by side!

What will happen if we embrace this? I don’t know, you never know what might happen when the Holy Spirit is poured out. But when it happened for Peter and the others – the gospel was proclaimed and three thousand were added in one day.

This morning I want us to respond different than normal. If you’ve been up and down, up and down in any area of life. If you’ve been trying to do devotions and just can’t keep it up. You’ve been trying to pray but just can’t be consistent. If you’ve been trying to kick some habit or add a discipline to your life and just can’t seem to make it happen. If you have some sin that has you bound. If you are so busy you can’t even find time for your family much less the Lord. If you are carrying a burden: illness, lost loved one, anything. And are trying to do it alone then I’m asking you to stand. I am asking you to be real and authentic this morning to stand up right where you are. And folks I’ve just got to come down there and stand with you because I try to carry burdens myself just like you do. But no more, we either are one body or we aren’t.

Then I want any everyone who is standing to come together and support one another. The eleven and Peter stood up together under the power of the Holy Spirit and the world has never been the same! This is the day here in this church we stand up under that same power and are the community.

Benediction

Church go forth to live out this Holy Spirit filled life in community, real and authentic with one another. Hand in hand, arm in arm and side by side!

Sermon Matthew 28: 1-11 "All Shook Up"

2008-03-25T10:07:00.001-04:00

Sermon Matthew 28: 1-11 “All Shook Up”

Text

It was 1974, my parents had just built a new home and our family had moved. Like many of the homes built in the early to mid-seventies it had the gold chandeliers with five arms and glass globes. Anyone remember those? It was in the afternoon. My mother was in the kitchen, I was in the living room when those globes began to shake and the light fixtures swing. In the dining room the glass door of my grandmother’s antique china cabinet sounded like it was braking. Small knick knacks found on the coffee table began to dance. I jumped up about the time Mom rounded the corner, she looked at me and I looked at her with that “this is the big one” look. About that time everything stopped and a 30 second silence surrounded us. Then we both burst into speech, it was truly an earthquake. My home town is found on the southern part of the New Madrid fault line in north Arkansas. Not a big quake but big enough to shake us up and gave us a memory that will last a life time.

It was still dark outside, the darkness that comes right before the sun begins to cast its rays over the horizon. Two women made their way through the deserted streets, outside the gates of the city, then wound their way to the place where the graveyard was located. It was a heart wrenching task. They both had a bag slung over their shoulder full of everything they would need to really clean and prepared a dead body. But dealing with the body was the easy part. Each harbored their own rising panic at having to remove the head covering and see the face. That beautiful, young face of the one they loved so much, had followed, who had shaken their whole world.

Mary Magdelene, had been emotionally dry, a WALKING DEAD PERSON more years than she could remember. She had been possessed by seven demons and her life had been out of control. Then she met him, with a word, the demons had left her and she was alive & free. From that point on she determined she would serve him. And what a ride it had been, he said GET UP AND GET OUT and it was worth the obedience. She had seen were more miracles than she could count. But the greatest thing he did in her situation was give her significance. Because you see, women in her day were only property, they had virtually no opportunity or even human rights. But not in the new kingdom he had proclaimed, everyone was important, anyone could be a disciple. This whole teaching had shaken up the teachers of the law, people in general and even the culture itself. And now as they walked in the darkness, the living water he talked about seemed just an EMPTY BUCKET of memories. Always being one to bottle up her emotions she just gritted her teeth and walked on. You know IMAGE IS EVERYTHING.

The other Mary had know him his whole life, she wept openly as she thought of the little curly headed boy who followed Joseph around in the shop, hammering pegs, and pretending to saw things apart. The teen-ager who had lots of friends but spent more time contemplating the things of God than anything else. The man who knew more about the torah then anyone she had ever met, yet, continued the simple life of a carpenter. After the calling of her son James she had joined their band of travelers cooking, washing and giving of her funds so that they could proclaim the good news of the kingdom. What a bold new message. His words made the hearts of everyone in hearing distance quake …”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” No one had ever heard teaching like this, it didn’t separate the haves and have nots, it didn’t base things on who you were or who your family was, it was for everyone, it included absolutely anyone, there was no EMPTY CHAIRS at his table! Now, he was gone, her weeping became sobs, she stumbled and her friend supported her as they walked on.

Just as they came near his tomb, they expected to have to pay off the guards to roll away the stone. They came around a large sycamore tree and heard it first … the rustle of leaves and branches turning into a roar. In another second they felt the tremor under their feet but this was no ordinary quake, they saw the ground begin to make waves like the sea, trees, rocks, and tomb markers split. They held on to each other as they fell to the ground. At that instant what they thought was lightning struck right at the front of the tomb but instead of a blinding flash, the light remained. The soldiers who had been groveling in the dirt because of the quake now didn’t move. The women weren’t sure if they were dead or just terrified.

In the middle of the light sat a beautiful man, later the women could never find words to really describe his features. The now motionless ground enabled them go from a face down position to a kneeling one. They still clung to each other and their bodies trembled with fear. The man spoke, “Do not be afraid.” Is he kidding, we just experienced a major quake, a bolt of lightning and a glowing man, not be afraid. We’re shaking in our sandals! “Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for the crucified one. He is not here.” Not here, what do you mean not here. We saw his dead body wrapped and put here three days ago. We saw the soldiers seal the tomb before they so rudely ran us off. “He is not here for he has been raised, as he said. Come see the place where he lay.” With that they edged right up to the tomb, even with the shimmering being sitting on the rolled back stone. His light filled the tomb they could see the bloody wrapping and the head piece folded but no teacher. “Now go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” The older Mary grabbed the younger by the hand and took off like a rocket. They were no less shaken up but overcome by joy. They had to get back to the others to tell them.

As they ran right in the middle of the path … in the middle of the fear, in the middle of earthquake debris, in the middle of not understanding, in the middle of their joy & fear … stood Jesus. Now, they had experienced seeing an angel, you would think that would be enough. But God does not operate that way, he actually came to them … he came to them … right in their time of need - good, bad, happy, sad. While they were on their way, Jesus showed up and spoke peace to them.

There are a lot of people here who have a testimony like that…earthquakes, unbelievable world rocking experiences, frightening or joyful things happening in this life and they discover Jesus standing right in the middle of their road.

We chose to celebrate that today on Easter. We can know what it is to be truly alive because the resurrected Jesus has resurrected us. This room is full of people who have entered into the abundant life that comes from the Savior who left the tomb empty and met them on the path. But don’t just take their word for it. See for yourself the tomb is empty, Jesus is standing right where the earthquake has happened, right where others may be laying like dead men, or on the way to spread some news. He’s there waiting … He’s here waiting.

On this Easter morning the death-defeating, life-giver comes to us. He comes to bring forgiveness and deliverance. He comes to shake things up, to fill empty people BECAUSE NOTHING GOD HAS CREATED IS MEANT TO BE EMPTY. At the end of second service several people who have met the resurrected Jesus are going to be baptized into the Christian faith. They went running up the path of life and ran right into him. And on this Easter morning if you have yet to share life with the life-giver then it’s time to let Jesus shake you up. If you once knew him and walked away he’s standing with arms extended saying return to me. If there is any business you need to do with Jesus he’s right in the middle of the road waiting for you. We invite everyone to stand and as we sing feel free to walk down the aisle, to this altar of prayer and meet Jesus who is waiting in the middle of the path.

Sermon Matthew 21: 1-11 "Empty Praise"

2008-03-17T15:19:00.001-04:00

Reading of the Text Matthew 21: 1-11 “Empty Praise”
What a great Sunday, sun shining, perfect… none of those present had ever experienced anything like it. It had started a couple of weeks earlier. It was at Lazarus’ tomb that the gathering crowd began to be noticeable. People had heard Jesus call and watched the wrapped, stinking body of Lazarus come forth. Jesus had hollered GET UP AND GET OUT; they had seen life in the face of death. This was naturally followed by people fainting, weeping, running, screaming, laughing, then the funeral band had began to play a lively tune and everyone started to dance. There weren’t any Nazarenes around so that was allowed. Twirling, side stepping and singing, even Jesus did a doe-see-doe. God had worked in their midst. That’s what praise is all about … or is it?

Coming through Jericho there was the healing of Bartimaeus, poor old man, blind and begging his whole life. Jesus had simply told him “go, your faith has made you well.” And he could see perfectly! There was shouting, jumping up and down, hands in the air. That’s what praise is all about… or is it? They had stopped off in Bethphage. Jesus sent two disciples to go get a colt that had never been ridden, untie it and bring it to him. The disciples were just a tad uneasy about walking into somebody’s yard and taking their furry Ferrari. But Jesus tells them no problem just tell the owner, "it’s for the Lord." Sure enough, they went and got the donkey and the owner had no problem with the deal. All the way back to Bethphage they sang praise choruses and passed the peace. That’s what praise is all about …or is it?

The now growing group of believers put their most used and needed possession on that colt, the coat right off their back. Nobody gave up their cloak, they were expensive, it was your blanket at night, it was your rain gear, it was your winter apparel, it was your shade! What a generous offering to give. That’s what praise is all about… or is it?

Then they lifted Jesus high into the air someone started to pour a water cooler full of ice on him but instead they placed him on the back of that donkey. They were carrying on like people at the Democratic Convention when they finally decide on one candidate. Balloons were going up in the air, loud music was blasting and somebody was playing a saxophone. That’s what praise is all about… or is it?

Coming into Jerusalem the crowd had swelled to an uncountable number. At the lead was Jesus on the colt surrounded by the twelve, the women, Lazarus, tax collectors, prostitutes, poor people, lepers, rich people, working people and children. Everybody was singing, throwing their coats on the ground for a donkey to walk on!

They lined the street with palm branches, flowers, confetti and streamers. What a parade, right into town better than any St. Patty’s day parade anywhere. Echoing off each building you could hear, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

This stir had thousands asking who is this, what’s happening here, I want to be in on it. So the mob got bigger with folks who just love a party, they had no idea what was going on or why. But where there’s dancing and the possibility of fun they just gravitate. You know IMAGE IS EVERYTHING I mean the excitement and anticipation was at a fevered pitch. That’s what praise is all about… or is it?

Jesus next stop was the temple, hoorah! It was time; he would announce his kingdom and the reign of the world by the Israeli people would begin.

Then, then unexpectedly Jesus went… crazy. Now wait just a minute David never did anything like this. This was the temple for heaven’s sake and Jesus was overturning tables and calling the everyday merchants robbers. He was chasing the sacrifices right out the door. This was no way to the top, didn’t Jesus know he was going to need the priest and the merchants to over throw the Romans. You can’t get to the throne by making enemies of people who are powerful. Suddenly, there was no longer a parade and the crowd began to scatter.

The chief priests and the scribes became angry and began to confront Jesus. Confrontation, I hate confrontation, I mean to be a real ruler why not just smooth things over, it never hurts to have friends in high places. Compromise, mediation it’s what savvy people do. These are the church leaders, Jesus can’t possible take them on; they know everything there is to know about scripture and God. They might throw Him or us out of the club. The singing became a whisper, the party ended and all that was left of the throngs were those who Jesus had helped, disciples and some children.

Everyday that week Jesus went to the temple. Everyday the people crowded in. Everyday they expected him to declare war on Rome or any other nationality. Everyday they expected him to accept kingship and get rid of nasty old Herod.

But instead Jesus keeps talking about this weird kingdom where tax collectors go in ahead of theologians; throwing people into the darkness where there is gnashing of teeth, get real and loving your neighbor like yourself. What kind of words are these, my neighbor happens to be a different denomination, surely that can’t mean me! And all this talk about having to die, what happened to happily-ever-after? What happened to the world bringing gifts and meeting our needs?

I thought this guy was the guy. I laid my coat on the ground for his donkey to walk on. I got splinters in my hands climbing up that palm tree. I let my kids join the parade. I clapped while we were singing! This must just be another scammer, he’s supposed to put the Romans in their place, punish the Samaritans, annihilate the Greeks, and you know do things the way I think they ought to be done. The way we have been taught, the way we understand. I thought this was about people getting what they are entitled too and no one having a problem with that.

What is this hog wash about pulling the temple down and rebuilding it in three days? And the whole concept of carrying the burdens of others, I’ve got enough problems of my own. Why can’t the miracles be mine, wellness and a bed of roses?

And the crowds disappeared, no more quoting scripture. Coats were taken home and washed. Palm branches were burned to make supper. The donkey was returned. And finally no one was left but the twelve… the twelve in an upper room. Even that was weak… one disciple left dinner to sell Jesus out and the others swore a very short lived allegiance.

On Friday another crowd had gathered. But instead of throwing confetti, they were throwing accusations. Instead of walking behind Jesus on a donkey, they lead a chained prisoner. Instead of waving palms they slapped his face. Instead of friendship there was betrayal. No more singing only cursing. Instead of ousting the Romans they were appealing to their authority to kill the very one they had hailed as king. Praised by singing, dancing, quoting scripture, waving palm branches, obeying, giving offerings to, enjoying fellowship around … That’s what praise is all about… or is it?

Or is it?

Empty praise, empty praise… at some point we’ve all done it. We’ve praised out of feelings; we’ve praise because life is going like we think it should; we’ve praised because those around us are praising; and we’ve praised because it is Sunday and it’s the right thing to do.

But full, authentic praise extends beyond what we feel. It definitely extends beyond how my week or my day has been. It extends beyond having little or much. Praise is when we look into the face of Jesus and realize He is the King, whatever that may look like. Praise happens when I live, move and have my being in Christ… not just on Sunday but everyday.

It is when I praise at home, at work, washing clothes, cleaning the toilet or preparing a meal. It is understanding that God inhabits praise. It is knowing that in every moment He is present. Praise is an expression of love and thanks to God. Praise is above anything we face: disappointment, brokenness, sin, happiness, contentment, any emotion or event. Praise is prayer, intimate and powerful BEING CLOSE ENOUGH TO GOD TO HEAR HIS VOICE. Praise recognizes forgiveness, ever given, and deliverance by the blood of Jesus.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem to become the innocent lamb who took away the sin of the world. Sacrificing his own body, he opened a doorway from death to life, from rebellion to friendship, from separation to closeness, and that’s why we praise.

Any action: singing, dancing, fellowshipping, helping, church going, giving, anything that is done for me, because of my preferences, my expectations, what happens to me, or about me will always be empty praise AND NOTHING GOD HAS CREATED IS MEANT TO BE EMPTY. Yet, these same actions when done solely because of Jesus are what makes praise real.

Authentic praise is understanding that Jesus body was broken for us to be restored to God (tear bread). Jesus and only Jesus alone is Redeemer. Authentic praise is realizing our sins are only forgiven because His blood was shed (hold up cup). Jesus and only Jesus is Savior. Come to the Table.

Praise is knowing personally (let me repeat that) Praise is knowing PERSONALLY, CLOSELY AND INTIMATELY the Ancient of Days, Burden-Bearer, Creator, Deliverer, Emmanuel, Faithful One, Good Shepherd, Healer, Immortal, Justifier, Keeper, Lamb of God, Messiah, Nurturer, Over-comer, Prince of Peace, Redeemer, Savior, Transformer, Unfailing, Victorious One, Worthy, Yahweh, Zealous God.

Sermon Ezekiel 37: 1-14 "I See Dead People"

2008-03-10T10:01:00.000-05:00

Sermon Ezekiel 37: 1-14 “I See Dead People”

Wal-Mart is an interesting place. Not only do I spend half of my earnings in there, it is one of the best people watching venues in all of America. Everybody goes to Wally World. Admit it! You know it’s true! While I was there the other day I rounded a corner and ran into a good friend of mine, Pastor Don Palmgren from Church on the Rock. We were enjoying a few shallow pleasantries when… Movie Clip – I See Dead People

… a dirty, young man began to walk up the aisle. I could tell by the pale color of his skin, the weaving gait and the glassy look in his blue eyes that he was an addict. As he approached us he recognized Don and said hello. Immediately, Don asked him how he was and very honestly that young man relpied, “Not so good, I’m in over my head, I can’t get out” hopeless, desperate, empty. There before us in flesh and blood stood a walking dead person.

It was a dark room in the high school. A girl of sixteen, mother left her with friends a few months back, never knew her dad, now homeless, with no where to go except to juvi. Here sat someone overcome by the consequences of others sin, circumstances she couldn’t control. She looked me in the eyes, a very healthy, pretty face and cute little outfit on… Movie Clip – I See Dead People …and said, “What have I got to live for, nobody wants me?” hopeless, desperate, empty. There on a small couch with her knees pulled up to her chest in a little ball rocked a flesh and blood dead person.

I sat in the bleachers of a 5^th grade girls traveling basketball game. And one of the fathers sat next to me and as we cheered on this little team he began to talk about his day. Drive to the city at 6 AM, work in an office until 4PM, drive home, pick up kids, grab a bite of fast food , hit one of the many sporting events, where he sometimes meeting his wife unless she’s carting another one of the children to another event. Then a mad dash home, everyone shower and to bed. His head hits the pillow and he barely mumbles good-night to the love of his life much less giving thanks to or even thinking about God… Movie Clip – I See Dead People …without looking up he said under his breath, “some life huh?” Then barely audible he added, “No life really” hopeless, desperate, empty. There was zero indication that this man had called out to the GOD WHO COMES THROUGH. There beside me in flesh and blood sat a dead person.

Sunday after Sunday they went to church. They smiled and they shook hands. They attended Bible study and potlucks, IMAGE IS EVERYTHING. And each time they left the building he opened the door for her, she would nod her head in thanks and they headed for the car …

Movie Clip – I See Dead People ... loathing each other. The marriage started out wonderful, fun, fulfilling but as time went by they began to hate everything about the other. It was an empty relationship AND NOTHING GOD CREATED IS MEANT TO BE EMPTY. They stayed together for the kids, the kids grew up. Then they stayed together for the grandkids and the family. Now, they just stayed together and they had no idea why … hopeless, desperate, empty. And when they would sit across the table from each other there in flesh and blood were dead people.

Text Ezekiel 37: 1-14

Ezekiel was kidnapped along with about 10,000 of his Judean brethren and taken to exile in Babylon. His wife died sometime after this gruesome event. And there he was homesick for a community that had been burned to the ground; longing for a wife whom he had buried; and called to be a spokesperson to his own people about impending doom. How much worse can it get? What a hopeless, desperate, empty existence. The Lord takes Ezekiel and drops him right in the middle of a valley where there was nothing but old dried skeletons. This would be a CSI nightmare. Thousands upon thousands of bones scattered, unburied, and long dead. As he began to walk through the valley Ezekiel could hear the crunch, crunch, crunch under his feet and felt nauseated. And God asked Ezekiel “Can these bones live?” What a crazy question, “Can these bones live?” Of course these bones CANNOT live, Ezekiel just mashed three dozen into the ground as he walked 20 feet. The worms have even left the area! There’s nothing left but dry, white fish food. IMPOSSIBLE!!! But Ezekiel happened to be CLOSE ENOUGH TO GOD TO KNOW HIS VOICE, so he answers, “O Lord only You know.”

And God says, “I hope your voice is well oiled today because I want you to preach to these parched, dehydrated, dried out bones. Say to them, “I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live. I will lay flesh on you and cover it with skin. You shall live and know that I am God.” Now, old Ezekiel may have stood there blinking unbelievingly… But He GOT UP AND GOT OUT, choosing obedience, doing what God told him to do. He began to proclaim, to holler, to shout and to stomp around like any good preacher. But then I think he got quiet as a mouse, stood still and trembled with excitement because all of a sudden those bones began to make a rattling sound, move, then dance and came together. Bone to bone, then flesh and skin covered them over. What a sight, it was incredible, unbelievable, there laid people.

Ezekiel looked around in confusion. Where did God go? We got bone, we’ve got tendons, muscles, veins, hair, teeth and eyeballs but there’s no life. Just flesh and blood dead people… Movie Clip – I See Dead People. Then the voice… that Ezekiel knew and trusted said, “Hey, Ezekiel call the breath, my breath, my ru’ah and tell it to breathe on these stiff, dear departed, dead carcasses. Ezekiel didn’t have to be told twice he begins to prophecy to those corpses and the breath of God Almighty went into them and a vast multitude lived! Nothing is impossible for God!!!

That same day at Wal-Mart I saw Tomas with his son, who he has brought with him faithfully to church. As a matter of fact for many years now Tomas has brought friend, after friend, after friend and along with the entire Hispanic class, lead by Laura they have introduced those new folks to the life giver. The walking dead are dead no longer. As a matter of fact they’ve gone to different states, even different countries with the sweet taste of Jesus in their mouths and his breath in their bodies.

Just a little while after I had sat with that pitiful teen-age girl, I attended a band concert at the High School. At that event Jesse Strickland and Sadie Welhoff, proclaimed life to the friends who sat around them. And Ben, a brand new Christian, introduced me to friends he’s introducing to the life giver. We have young people, teachers and administrators walking those halls with the ru’ah of God respirating through them and from them.

At the same time as the father of that 5^th grader was lamenting about the dead busy-ness of his life. There were families sitting nearby who had learned to depend on the One who breaths the Spirit in them and on them …then follow his leading with the stewardship of time… enjoying abundant life as a family. A breathing example that God can show us how to be alive in the midst of the circumstances of everyday living.

And the couple who stayed together as dead people…swallowed their pride, got on their knees and asked for forgiveness from God and each other. They begged for the Spirit to fill them and God in his mercy did it, overflowing their love for each other. And now at seventy they are an inspiration to struggling couples, breathing out what God breathed into them.

Do you realize those dry bones didn’t know God, but God sent someone to them that did know Him … to proclaim Him to those cadavers. And there are young people, old people, church people, busy people and street people who are hopeless, desperate and empty, the walking dead are all around us. “I see dead people.”

I would venture to guess that there are dead people in this very service today. People who are dead in addiction and it can be any kind of addiction: drugs, alcohol, porn, … or even work or family.

I believe there are dead people here today who because of the circumstances beyond their control feel like there’s nothing to live for.

Maybe there are dead people here because life has gotten so busy, so overwhelming you don’t even have time for relaxing with the people you love the most much less with the Lord.

Could it be that there are dead relationships all over this building, oh, you’re committed but it’s empty? If so, the Life Giver is ready to fill you with His Holy Spirit and give you breath, please…please open your heart and receive it.

And for those who are in this place who have received this life already, we are the Ezekiels of today. We proclaim God’s Spirit to the dead and He will give life. The miracle of the valley dry bones can happen in our work places, our shopping places, our schools, our homes, our church, anywhere … that Holy breath can come to the flesh and blood dead. When God breaths into a person, they are filled with life. When God breaths into me and into you we have life! It doesn’t matter how dead, impossible, improbable, unachievable, hopeless, despairing or empty a life is … God can resurrect it. The flesh and blood dead made alive.

Sermon 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 "Close Enough"

2008-03-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

SERMON – 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 “Close Enough” – Nancy Cantrell

When a couple who has desired a child finds out they are expecting, they begin to do some pretty strange stuff. They go into high gear getting things that are a “necessity” for the nursery. Long before they could possibly use them these frantic people begin to shop for maternity clothing, look at baby magazines, think about names for the little one, and buy furniture. There are absolute must “need” items such as: a rocking horse, learn to read books, a walker, baseball glove or how about one of those little table and chair sets. You know, they are just so cute, red with little trains or flowers on them. And there in that nursery sets a pint-sized empty chair … waiting.

Samuel was a leader in the Old Testament in a book that is titled with his name. He was the last of the judges for Israel and a prophet. He was a miracle birth. His mother, Hannah, was barren and prayed for a baby, promising to give the child back to God. Sure enough she conceived, Samuel was born and when he was weaned she took him to the temple and placed him under the care of the priest Eli. I bet when she went home that day after leaving him at the temple, she walked in her door, saw his little empty chair and wept. Hannah is an incredible example of GETTING UP AND GETTING OUT, of true obedience even when it didn’t benefit her in anyway, even when it was painful, even when she couldn’t see the future.

As a boy Samuel in the middle of the night heard God’s voice and from that point on was sold out. He followed the Lord. He grew up and filled the seat of judge, priest and prophet of Israel. As he got old he knew it was time for a new leader and the chair once again set empty… waiting.

He considered his sons and hung his head. He experienced what many parents experience. The children he had raised, prayed for, taught and guided had become adults. Then they made decisions that took them on a road away from God. So if you are a parent in that boat you are in good company. Continue to lift those children to God but be released from any false guilt Satan would place upon you. Stay close enough to God to hear his voice that’s what Samuel did, that’s what we do

The people of Israel also know the chair is to be vacant, so they come to Samuel and say “we want that chair to hold a king, give us a king like everyone else.” There is zero indication that the people called out to the God WHO KNEW HOW TO COME THROUGH. God would have given them direction but instead they went to Samuel. So, faithful Samuel prays and is close enough to hear God’s voice.

The Lord tells Samuel go and anoint Saul as king. Saul was exactly what the people expected, tall and handsome. He was what they envisioned any warrior king would look and act like. And through by-passing God the people got exactly what they wanted.

Saul started out a great fit for the chair. He was anointed, obedient, cried out to God, filled with the Spirit, and was victorious. The seat felt good, it fit, he filled it well. Then something happened, he began to see the chair not so much as a way to hear God’s voice but as a throne to proclaim his own. If you sit on a throne you are the boss, you make the decisions, no need to cry out, no need for God or what God desires.

As a throne the empty chair becomes a place for my own needs, when people don’t do what I expect, I’ll simply make decisions concerning them. When they disappoint me I’ll just decide what needs to happen and make it work. If God doesn’t do things quick enough or like I think they ought to happen, I’ll just use this throne to my advantage.

Saul began to listen to his own voice and understanding. And the chair that Samuel had faithfully filled and God had given Saul the privilege to sit on…once again stood empty…waiting AND NOTHING GOD CREATED IS MEANT TO BE EMPTY. We pick up with today’s scripture.

Text 1 Samuel 16: 1-13

Samuel came out of retirement he fills his horn with oil and is CLOSE ENOUGH TO GOD TO HEAR HIS VOICE. There’s no room for Samuel to continue to look in the past and grieve that things didn’t turn out like he thought or wanted. He could no longer mourn that his adult children made bad decisions; that Saul is deaf to everything but his own voice or that the people couldn’t see past their own noses and needs. He simply had to be obedient to the voice of God no matter what.

He gets to Bethlehem and everyone freaks out, they know who Samuel is. They know that he gave the chair to Saul. They know that Saul has made it into a throne. Here Samuel shows up to worship with his horn of oil for anointing a king, that’s treason. Jesse’s family is invited, consecrated, expected and Jesse with his sons… at least the sons that matter … arrive ready for whatever God desires. Samuel sees the first son, handsome, tall, kingly. Ah Ha! This one can fill the chair, this must be him, Samuel opens the horn of oil. And as the scent of the oil reaches his nostrils God voice says, “Woooooooo there buddy, be patient, this isn’t him.”

Samuel was God’s judge, prophet and priest. Yet, he is still human and still can’t always see clearly. He has to listen to God for direction. So, do we regardless of where we are at on this journey. Samuel plugs the horn. The next son, the next son, the next and each time God says, “Nope, this isn’t him.” Samuel looks at Jesse, “Is this all your sons?” Jesse stammers a minute and then says, “Well, there’s the runt. He doesn’t count. He’s out watching the sheep. We didn’t even bother to invite him to the worship service. We certainly didn’t invest time into him all he does is play with sling shots. He’s got seven brothers ahead of him, manly men, why bother?” Samuel hollers, “Go get him, we’re not moving from this spot, until he’s here.”

Shortly, in runs David, red faced, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Nothing like what Samuel would have chosen, certainly not what Jesse expected, and David’s brothers are rubbing their eyes in unbelief. He’s the youngest! He’s unimportant, inferior, unprepared, ill-equipped, unqualified, not to mention showing up for church in his jeans and sweater! And GOD says, “Samuel, upon on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one.” Samuel uncorks that horn and pours out the oil in ceremony for the new king. “Not one that the people chose but one God chose!”

And here we are three thousand years later, an empty chair waiting near me, near you. I wonder who it is that God intends to fill it with? And not just enjoy worship with us but maybe be something greater...

The lady at the check-out counter is she another Hannah? The boy who lives with his single mom, maybe he’s the next Samuel. How about the drunk who stumbles out of Katie’s at closing time every Friday night, is he a David? People all around us that may appear nothing like what we envision a God-person to look like. They just need to be brought in from the pasture, counted as significant, called for, believed in and anointed with the oil of God.

Samuel didn’t see like God did, he thought Eliab was the man. But Samuel was CLOSE ENOUGH TO GOD TO HEAR HIS VOICE say which one was God’s choice. And we must be close enough to God to hear Him say, “Look at him, look at her, they are the ones, bring them in. I have chosen them to fill the empty chair, to be mine, to serve me, I see their heart.”

God’s direction was very clear to Samuel in this passage go to Bethlehem. His voice is very clear to us as well, “Go into all the world and make disciples” non-negotiable. Like Samuel we take chances, even frightening ones, going outside our comfort zones bringing others into worship. Where God chooses prophets, priests, preachers, children’s workers, drummers, worship leaders, and who knows what.

As a matter of fact, maybe you are the next Hannah, Samuel, or David. Or, or could it be that because you are close enough to God to hear his voice then obediently fill the empty chair in this place, the most unexpected person you can think of becomes the one who God will make the next leader in His Kingdom.

Servers please come. Today, as we come to the table to receive the broken body of Christ and his shed blood for the forgiveness of sin. Hear the voice of this God who chooses the most unlikely people and makes them into someone great. May this tangible, touchable means of grace enable us to hear God’s voice when he says, “bring in the red faced, the beautiful, those in the fields, the insignificant, the disregarded, the runts into worship… the empty chair is waiting.” Come to the table.

Sermon "Empty Living: Get Up and Get Out"

2008-02-18T12:40:00.001-05:00

Text: Genesis 12:1-4 Title: “Empty Living: Get Up and Get Out” Sermon Collaboration by Pastor Nancy Cantrell and Jimmy Skeen

Reading of Scripture

NIV ¹ The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. ² "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." ⁴ So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran

“Faithful” … that’s the word we usually here when describing Abraham. But there was a time when that was not always true, a time before “Faithful Abe.” I am not sure exactly how Abram’s story went but if he were here to share with us today, I think he might say something like this …

Abram’s Story:

“…You will never believe the phone call I received. I mean it was really hard for me to accept it so I bet you would have trouble believing it too. You see, I received a call, from the most important being in history … it was God! I know, you might think this old man has lost his mind; in fact it took me a while to accept it myself. You see I have known a lot of pranksters in my day. I could imagine Ben Friend/Phil Rogers hiding behind a rock and calling out my name, “Abram! Abram! This is God speaking!” You know he would love to pull a trick like that!

Not only do I know a few jokesters but there was no reason in the world the God of the universe should call me. I mean I am a nobody? I know you all think I am a man of great faith. You might think I am cut from a different cloth than you, but that simply isn’t true! In fact, I really was in no way qualified to hear from God. If you don’t believe me just look at my resume; I was a sheep herder, that’s what my family was and that’s what I planned on being. I was going into the family business. I spent all day everyday in the middle of dust dirt and … well, even stinkier things! Beyond my vocation, I had a heritage that was far from perfect. My family was not exactly Ned and Nancy Nazarene.

Flip over to Joshua 24:2 with me (Read the verse). ² Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. That is the legacy my family left for me. My own father “Worshiped other Gods.” And you know what isn’t mentioned in that verse? He taught me to do the same!

I learned from my parents just like you all learned or are learning from yours. I was involved in other religions, serving other gods, living for my own selfish desires. As you can see this is not the type of history that would lead anyone to think God, the one true God, would make a personal contact with me. But it still gets worse. Not only was my history checkered my future was dark.

My wife was barren. We could not have children. My family, my whole world was going to end with me. My entire life was empty. The only living I did was empty living. I had an empty life and an empty future. My life was empty. But you know what I discovered? Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

Then God called to me. It really was God, the God of the whole universe, calling to me! I couldn’t believe it! He called to me right where I was, right in the middle of my stinking circumstances. In the middle of the sheep pooh, smack dab into the muck and mire of my life God called to me. I didn’t clean up, straighten up, or put on make-up, I didn’t have to because God came to me right where I was just exactly the way I was.

I can honestly tell you I was never as excited as I was at that moment. I mean you can’t help but be pumped when God shows up in your daily life, especially when life is empty. But it immediately got even more exciting. You see God told me there was a plan for my life, a purpose for my existence. Like I told you my family was farmers, ranchers, sheepherders, that was the best I could hope for, the only option I had ever considered. But God had another plan for me, a higher purpose.

God said, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous …” YAHOOO! YIPPEEE! There are no other words to describe my emotions. This little old farmer was speaking with God and I found out I was going to be famous. I got to be honest I really liked this part. God came to me and then told me I was going to be well known, very influential, and who wouldn’t love that message. But the next part of the conversation was a little less exciting.

God said, “You excited? You ready?”

“You bet I am Lord. Lay it on me. Make me a general superintendent.”

God said, “Ok here’s the plan … GET UP AND GET OUT!”

“Uh… excuse me?”

“You heard me, get up and get out, pack your suitcases, hit the road Jack! Leave this empty life. ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family.”

My shouting and celebrating ceased, and the only noise I made came from my jaw slamming against the rock hard earth. I really liked the idea of being famous, but I wasn’t so sure about leaving my home, my family, and my country.

You might not understand this because you live in an individualistic society where you are encouraged to, “Be your own person,” “Make your own way,” where you are rewarded and celebrated for “Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” Please for just a moment you must stand in my shoes, in my culture, in my society. My entire identity was wrapped up in the community I lived in. My country, my relatives, and my family were not just important relationships they were my very identity. My family defined who I was. My wife was selected from this group, the jobs I could pursue came from this small circle, my friends, my lively hood were all tied up in these communities. God told me I would be famous. But that huge promise came with a mighty push, get up and get out!

Now if you could have been there at this moment in my life you might not think of me as “Faithful Abe” because I was scared, frightened, confused, and timid. Leave my family? Leave my country? Reject my culture? This just can’t be.

Finally, I asked God a question I found I would ask many times, ‘Why?’ I mean I wanted to do God’s will but why did I have to make such a huge change? If God really was all powerful and all knowing why couldn’t God just change me and use me right in the middle of the place where God found me? God’s answer didn’t come directly but I have since learned the answer, it was for my good and His glory. And that is always the answer to “why?”

When God calls He always meets us right where we are, no matter our past, no matter our circumstances. But … He always intends to take us somewhere else. He wants our empty living to be left in the dust and the journey of promise to begin. God knew if I stayed with my family, a family serving other gods, the temptation to stray would be great. For me only by moving to “The land God would show me” would I be free to serve Him completely. Also, if great things were accomplished in me in my current circumstances then others might attribute the glory to me, but leaving my family would cause all the glory to go to its only true source … God alone.

Through the years I have come to learn that God’s call always includes one command, “Get up and get out.” See he meets us right where we are but never intends to leave us there. God’s call and invitation to holiness always involves a change in life.

From self centered to God centered, from self promoting, to God promoting, from self seeking, to God pursuing, from empty living to a hope filled journey of promise.

God’s promise comes with a push but it also comes with a plan. God told me He would make me the father of a great nation and He would make me famous. Not only that but He promised the whole earth would be blessed through me. And you know God always makes good on His promises!

If you read the first chapter of Matthew you will find that the savior of this earth, God’s only Son came from my family. The whole earth was and continues to be blessed through me! What a blessing! But all of this, every ounce of it, is for the glory of the one I serve!

I am not positive but if Abraham were here I think he might have told his story kind of like that. But what I do know for sure is this; Through the years God has called some pretty ordinary people to some pretty extraordinary things. He called a scaredy cat named Moses to be the leader of Israel, a prostitute named Rahab to protect the spies when they entered the Promised Land, a ruddy young boy named David to slay a giant, and a timid teenage girl to give birth to our Savior.

God has also called a lot of ordinary people in this church to some extraordinary things. He called a lawyer to the mission field, He called a nurse into pastoral ministry, He called addicts to freedom, He called a 4^th grade young lady to walk across the street and lead her neighbors to Jesus.

The best news of all is not what God has done, but what He wants to do. You see God is still in the business of calling people. He is calling to us to get up and get out, to leave our life of emptiness behind. He is calling us out of empty living to a life filled with hope. He is calling us to join Him on a journey filled with promise. God is still in the business of calling people today …

(Phone Rings twice)

There He is again … and this time He’s calling for you!

Response at the table:

This morning If you have heard God call to you to “get up and get out.” We are going to invite you to come to the table. If you know what it is to be empty and this morning you have heard God calling would you consider Jesus? Between now and Easter consider if Jesus is the one you have been searching for. If that is you this morning we invite you to come.

We will receive by intinction this morning. That means you will tear off a piece of the bread and hear the words, “The body of Christ broken for you.” You will then dip it into the cup and hear the words, “The blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin.” Then eat it. You don’t need to be a member here or ever to have attended here before. All we ask is that you are somewhere on this journey with God, maybe you are just stepping out in faith maybe you are near the end. God is calling us. Out of emptiness and into fullness. To a journey filled with hope. Come to the table.

Sermon "Nothing God Created is Meant to be Empty"

2008-02-18T12:32:00.001-05:00

Sermon – “Nothing God Created is Meant to be Empty” – Collaborative sermon by Pastors Nancy Cantrell, Jimmy Skeen and Ang Droese

Genesis 2: 15-17, 3: 1-7

First this: God created the Heavens and Earth – all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss. (Gen 1: 1 & 2 The Message)

Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

God spoke and began to fill things up: light, darkness, day, night, sky, heavens, land, ocean, plants, trees, sun, moon, seasons, days, years, fish, birds, animals. Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

At the time when God made Heaven and Earth, God planted a garden in Eden but it was empty. He began to fill things up: roses, posies, palm trees, dandelions, bluebells, banana trees, carrots, apples and pumpkins, brooks into streams and streams into a river. God took the man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order. Wall to wall garden. Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

God brought all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air to Adam to see what he would name them. What a time they had, Adam and God, laughing as they gave each animal their names, especially when the duck billed platypus waddled up to God’s side to be scratched behind the ears. The man named the cattle, the birds, and the wild animals. He could see the animals all had mates of their own kind. God looked at Adam … Adam looked at God, no emptiness in this garden. So, God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from Adam to make Woman and presented her to the Man. Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

Days were filled with the task of caring for this beautiful perfect place. The ground was full of good crops, flowers and trees. The air was full of singing birds. The evenings were full of Adam, Eve and God walking, talking, laughing, enjoying each other’s friendship. And the nights were full of the loveliness of pure and holy marriage including all the benefits that go with it.

The reading of God’s Word

¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

3: ¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" ² The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " ⁴ "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." ⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

The Word of the Lord “Thanks be to God.”

The heavens and earth are full. All the animal and plant kingdom is full. The garden is full. Adam’s house is full. Adam and Eve’s relationship with God is full. Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

Then a whisper echoed through the garden, “There are trees you cannot eat from, you are unfilled, hollow.”

“You are missing out.” “You are empty.”

And the woman said, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, “Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you will die.”

And the serpent said, “You don’t have everything, God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you will see what’s really going on. You will be like God, you will know everything from good to evil. God is holding out on you.”

If you just had a different spouse then you would have the love you crave. If you just had more money then you would never have anything to worry about. If you just had a different job you would be significant. If you just had a different body, you would be fulfilled. And in your ears you hear, “You are empty.”

At that moment doubt and mistrust took root in the first couple. Could God really be holding out, keeping something from them? Eve turned, looked at the tree and saw that the fruit looked good to eat and she realized what she would get out of it – she would know everything, it was all within her grasp.

Could God really be holding out…am I empty because there’s something God has kept from me? My boyfriend says he loves me, so I’ll sleep with him and have him. I’m really broke so I’ll keep this week’s tithe, just in case. One drink won’t hurt, just this once. Yes, this is the fourth job in a year but it will be the right one. This house is just too small, the one across town is bigger. And Satan whispers, “You God is cheating you.”

She took and ate the fruit and gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate. Immediately the two did “see what was going on.” They immediately knew good from evil and death entered the world.

And they received something they had never experienced before, it was theirs, it was true their eyes were open and they found themselves…empty.

For the first time, they knew the hollowness that comes with disobedience to God’s word, the deep void sin always brings. They knew shame and a cavernous hole filled them and has filled the human race since.

They looked at each other and knew they were naked, defiled, sinful, unfulfilled. All creation bowed and fell, a vacuum filled the heart of mankind, creation groaned. They looked at each other in disgust and made aprons of fig leaves, all the sweet pureness of the love they had known was gone. They hid.

But ever so faintly a sound was heard, the sound of walking, closer, closer… it was in the evening at the end of the day, among the sweet smell of flowers.

They hid in humiliation, indignity and embarrassment. What would happen when God found them? How they longed to go back, to cough up the fruit, to return to the way it had been before, that’s always how it feels when we choose to sin.

But in those footsteps and the voice was mercy. The voice called to the ones who had disobeyed, who had failed in their trust, who had doubted, who had chosen to separate themselves, “Adam, where are you?” “Adam, where are you?”

Grace poured from the one who loves beyond all hope, God came seeking. You see their sin was not unknown by God, how he must have wept as they succumbed to the deceit of the serpent. Now, the voice, of the one who loves, calls out for the two friends who had sinned. The voice called their name, calls my name, calls your name.

Mercy extended to those who had committed the offense…God still talked with them respected them enough to ask, “What have you done?” And then God killed animals… sacrificed their lives to cover the nakedness, to protect Adam and Eve for living in a fallen world.

Grace showered down as God said, “You must leave this garden, for if you eat of the tree of life now, you will know despair and separation from me forever.” So, he barred the way with angels and a sword, keeping them from eternal emptiness.

Love, love from a God who longed to walk once again in the garden with his creation, with us. Love so deep and so wide than he EMPTIED himself … emptied himself of his very Godhood and became flesh in Jesus Christ. He became the sacrifice so that the penalty for sin would be paid, we can be reconciled to him and enjoy the fullness of His Spirit.

Can you hear God’s footsteps, smell the flowers in the evening breeze, hear the sound of the voice “Nancy, Joe, Kathy, __________” where are you? What are you trying to be filled with? You do not have to remain hollow you can be overflowing with my grace. You can be packed to the top with My mercy.

It doesn’t matter if this is the first day you’ve ever heard about Jesus or if you been serving him a long time you need to be filled and re-filled and filled and re-filled. He is here today to give us Himself until we spill over. Never listen to the whispers of the old snake, experience fullness. Nothing God created is meant to be empty. Response Time with song and prayer.

Sermon Galatians 4: 4-7

2008-01-02T14:49:00.001-05:00

Sermon 12/30/07 “Who’s Your Daddy” Galatians 4: 4-7

She was everything he had dreamed of, no that’s not true, she was more than what he had dreamed of. They had been dating for some time and had so much in common, they were perfect for each other. Every moment was gold, every date perfect, they laughed, joked, were serious, even cried together. It was one of those rare matches but from the beginning he knew there was more to it than just the two of them.

You see, there was a son, a little boy who had his Mom’s eyes and smile. What about this little stranger, could it be possible to love someone enough to commit to live with them. Now, his Mom no problem that was mutual but what kind of relationship would develop here? There were barriers and obstacles. The man and the boy were captive to the authority of a third party, a biological dad who had never really been in the picture but exerting presence just the same, even if only in name. The two were held captive; they were forced to remain strangers, held at arms length.

The big day came, no not the wedding day, that was incredible but it wasn’t the big day in either the man or the woman’s lives. You see they had chosen and were given each other. But on this particular day, the man stood before a towering, polished wood desk of a judge.

The same black robed judge who until this day was only known to the man for dealing out punishment, edicts, and law. But this day, the judge’s face was different, it was smiling and satisfied. The obstacles had been faced, the walls had been removed and the barriers addressed, now this judge would determine the fate of the boy and the man.

The judge had given the child an advocate, one who looked at the entire situation, considered every option and would appeal to the judge on behalf the boy, a representative to deal with the obstacles and walls. This barrister took the stand and after fulfilling all that was needed gave worthiness to the man. Then the judge with all the formal proceedings known to the office, pronounced the boy free from the captivity of the one who didn’t care, the one who had only caused pain, the one who was forced to relinquish all rights. With a wave of his hand he pronounced the man free to be a father… a daddy and the boy to be a son.

NIV ⁴But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ⁶Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Paul begins this letter to a group of people whom he really loved, a group of people in an area of the world known as Galatia. This letter was in response to news that had come to him. We learn in this short note that when he was in Galatia he had been desperately ill; these folks had taken him in and cared for him. That what Paul’s doorway, his unique opportunity to present the gospel to them, which they readily accepted.

They received this gift of grace by faith and assurance that they could never earn it only accept it. There sins were paid for by the very blood of Jesus. They were justified completely, the penalty gone. They had been made totally new, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, regenerated. And amazingly, they were adopted into the family of God. When Paul presented this to the Galatians they believed it completely. So do we, this is actually one of our, the Church of the Nazarene’s, statements of faith.

Article of Faith IX.

We believe that justification is the gracious and judicial act of God by which He grants full pardon of all guilt and complete release from the penalty of sins committed, and acceptance as righteous, to all who believe on Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

We believe that regeneration, or the new birth, is that gracious work of God whereby the moral nature of the repentant believer is spiritually quickened and given a distinctively spiritual life, capable of faith, love and obedience.

We believe that adoption is that gracious act of God by which the justified and regenerated believer is constituted a son of God.

We believe that justification, regeneration, and adoption are simultaneous in the experience of seekers after God and are obtained upon the condition of faith, preceded by repentance; and that to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.

God used Paul and this example of adoption to let us know just how far this grace stuff goes. The Lord is not just lending us a hand, just being a good God, He is literally making us an equal part of His family.

In this letter an event was happening, some of the people in Galatia had a background in the Jewish faith. They had been taught that by virtue of their birth and the fact that God had communicated with Jewish people through the centuries like Abraham and Moses they weren’t a slave to sin. They had been given the very law of God, what was meant to be a guide they had made into salvation. They had taken these rules and made them the remedy for sin. They carried this belief system into this new church in Galatia and they began to weave these requirements with the new Christians around them. Now these new Christians had come out of pagan culture and had no idea what they needed to do. So when these people or Paul calls them Judaizers said, “You must do this, this and this to be a Christian, they believed them and submitted. These new Christians were simply going from a being a slave to sin, to being a slave to rules. Paul tells them, “That is bologna.”

All of them and all of us, regardless of background, must have faith to receive the grace, in other words they had to have a relationship with God. They had to begin thinking of him as a real Dad. They had to begin thinking of themselves as part of a family.

So we take this two thousand year old scripture and I am tempted to say, “so what, no body is running around here trying to get us to keep the all the laws we find in Leviticus, so how does this apply us in 2007? Then the Lord begins to tap me on the shoulder and say, “Just a minute here, let’s look at it a little deeper.” That forces me and us to ask… could there be people today, who have been raised in a Christian home; been part of a church; been taught well; done all the right things; said all the right words but still be a slave? Only see God as a judge? Know exactly how church is supposed to work? We know exactly how “saved” people are suppose to behave, dress, talk and walk, rather than depend upon God’s grace poured freeing to us and to them.

Could it be that there are people here, at this very moment, who are going to church and doing everything they know to do to be good but still be a slave? They work in the church, or in a host of great help organizations and serve others, doing, doing, doing, and have never grasped… that it is by faith through grace that we know God and call him Daddy? Could it be they only know God in the sense of a Master/Servant relationship? Trying so hard to please, instead of just taking time to be with Him and others.

Could it be that there are people sitting in this very place, thinking that because they are here and really aren’t bad people that’s good enough. Never realizing God must be Papa, up close and personal, and we are the dependent child, loving, trusting. It’s not about what you do or don’t do, it’s about who you know. Could it be there are some who have never talked to him intimately, never touched His face? Keeping him separate from sections of their lives, keeping him distant, at arms length? When God is “Dad” it means we crawl up into his lap, listen to what he has to say, lay our head on his shoulder.

As the man and the boy were brought together under the binding word of a judge, they looked into each other’s eyes. The small hand reached up and took the strong hand of the man and the relationship went from uncertainty to certainty; from one of hesitation to one of confidence. That day the father and son, better know to us as Patrick and Mike Thompson walked out of the courthouse as united, legal, binding family. No longer captive to a third party, fearful of what the future might hold.

By this adoption they were free to do life together.

As we end this year and an era of this church we can start with total freedom. Not following the rules, or serving in an attempt to please or here Sunday after Sunday but never really connecting to God. We really can place our hand into the mighty hand of God, understanding He has adopted us? God Eternal has brought us into His household, His family, made us heirs to all that is His. Let me repeat that one and may you take it deep within you. This relationship with the Lord can be certain, confident, complete, whole, free, no restraints, no hesitation, no faltering, or wavering given by Jesus Christ… our advocate. Our advocate who looked at the entire situation, considered every option, satisfied the judge, our representative who fulfilled all that was required and gave worthiness us. Jesus Christ with whom we are now co-heirs with, a family. And we are free to do life together with God.

Study Galatians 4: 4-7

2007-12-26T13:35:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone,

I trust you all had a Merry Christmas!! We had a great time at our house, over the course of the week-end each of our adult children, dear friends and our grandchildren spent time together. There was much food, laughter, gift giving and praising God for His gift of Jesus.I haven’t sent out a Bible study in a few weeks. This is the study for the text I will be preaching this Sunday. May the Lord speak to all of us through it.

Many Blessings, Nancy

Galatians 4: 4-7

THE MESSAGE ^{4 -7}But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

NIV ⁴But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ⁶Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

KJV ⁴But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, ⁵To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. ⁶And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. ⁷Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The Letters (Epistles) of the New Testament

If you went into someone else’s home and started reading their mail, what kind of response do you think you might receive? It might not be very nice…

When we are reading the epistles of the New Testament (Galatians being one) we really are reading other people’s mail. While this is true there is no evidence that these letters were intended for only the original recipients; there were intended to be passed around and read by all, us included. But we must remember we are reading a letter. In these documents we will find timeless truths but we will also find specific information to a specific people at a specific place in a specific time. Therefore, these letters in the New Testament demand that we know as much as possible about both the sender’s and the recipient’s lives. When reading the epistles of the Bible for personal growth it requires more background information than some of the other genres of the Bible.

Here are some GREAT guidelines for being spiritually formed by any of the New Testament letters.

1. Read the whole epistle in one sitting to get the big idea of the letter and its main contours.

2. Think in terms of the paragraphs being the main units of thought. BEWARE of isolating verses from the context of their paragraph!!!

3. Do some background reading in order to understand better the letter’s main concerns and its historical and cultural setting.

No part of the Bible seems so directly applicable as these letters. The struggles of the early church and its community are still very much the struggles today. Playing with Fire by Walt Russell

Galatians

By the middle of the first century, although the early Christian movement was still connected to Judaism, and increasing number of its members were Gentiles (non-Jew). The relationship between these new, non-Jewish converts and Jewish Christians, became an issue of importance. One crucial issue concerned the status of the Law of Moses. Should Gentile Christians convert to Judaism in the process of becoming Christians? The letter to the Galatians gives Paul’s view of this controversy. The letter is Paul’s defense of his Gentile mission as a whole and the particular understand of the law on which it is based.

The exact date of the letter’s composition is not known, but it was written presumably some time between the late 40 and 50 A.D. The address of this letter are “the churches in Galatia” (1: 2), a Roman province in central Asia Minor where, according to Acts, Paul preached. (Acts 13: 14- 14: 23; 16: 6; 18: 23).

4: 1-5 As I was researching I found a great explanation of this particular passage by Bob Deffinbaugh in an article entitled “The Inferiority of Immaturity.” I’ve copied it below.

In chapter 3 Paul has established, on biblical and theological grounds, the superiority of grace over law, of receiving the blessings of God through faith as opposed to the curse which comes through the works of the Law. He now seeks to illustrate and apply this truth by turning to a well-known practice in the ancient world, that of an heir coming of age, so as to enjoy all that he has legally possessed, but which has been beyond his personal control. Here Paul refers to a Roman legal process, well known to himself and his readers.According to Roman law, the heir was under the control of a tutor until the age of 14. This tutor was named by the father and placed in his will. From the age of 14 until the heir was 25, he was under a curator, at least sometimes named by the father. The tutor and the curator were not necessarily intended to be synonymous with Paul’s “guardians” and “managers” (4:2). It may be that the “guardian” was in charge of the child, while the “manager” was in control of the assets of the child.When the heir reached the age of 25 (or the age stipulated by the father), he then entered into the full privileges of his possession. Until that time, the heir was in the frustrating predicament of legally owning his father’s inheritance without actually enjoying its possession. Our legal system places an estate in the hands of a trustee until the child reaches legal age, with a certain amount of funds provided during childhood as established by the father. We can hardly imagine the confinement of the “heir” of Paul’s day who had someone to tell him what to do and not to do and another to spend his money for him. The restrictions on the heir of ancient times were far greater. Can you imagine what it must have been like for a young man to be, as it were, a millionaire, and yet not be able to do as he wanted with this money? For all intents and purposes, the heir was no different from the slave, for he received only what the “guardians” and “managers” determined to give him (4:1). In verses 3-5, Paul makes the analogy to the status of the Jews who lived under the Law. The “heir” under Roman law had legal ownership of his father’s wealth; he did not actually possess it or enjoy it. So too the Jews had the promises of God to Abraham, yet they were not yet realized or enjoyed. Just as the Roman “heir” was under the dictates of the appointed “tutor” and “curator,” the Israelite was under the Law, with all of its restrictions and mediators. The time for both preparatory periods to end was established by the father. For the “heir,” it was the age determined by the Roman law or specified by the father. For the believer, the Law’s tutelage ended at the appointed time when the Father determined for the Son to be sent to the earth to redeem mankind. Paul seems to speak specifically here of the Jews as implied by the term “we” in verse 3, which is paralleled in verse 5 by “those under the Law.” Christ was sent to the earth as one “born of a woman” (4:4). This was necessary to fulfill the promise of Genesis 3: 15. And was a necessary part of the incarnation, so that Christ could die for man as man. In addition, Christ was born “under the Law” (4:4) so that He was able to bear the curse of the Law to enable men to receive the blessings which God promised to Abraham’s offspring (2:13-14). The “adoption as sons” (4:5) is that enjoyment of the promises of God to Abraham, and the passing from the restrictions and confinement of the Law to the fullness and freedom of grace.

Galatians 4: 6-7 Paul has previously taught that sonship has not only come to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. While the particulars are not identical, the process of the Gentiles coming to faith is similar to that of the Jews, and thus similar to the analogy of the “heir” under Roman law which Paul has given in verses 1 and 2. In verses 6-11 Paul compares the sonship of the Gentiles to that of the Jews, stressing the foolishness of seeking to place themselves under the Law as the Judaizers urged. In verse 6 Paul broadens his reference to the benefits of sonship which belong to the Gentile Galatian Christians. The “you” (4:6) refers specifically to the Galatians just as the “we” (4:3,5) referred to the Jews. The evidence of sonship is the ministry of the Holy Spirit, which causes us to respond and relate to God as Father. This ministry of the Spirit was not present under the Law in the Old Testament. Since the Galatian Christians possessed the Holy Spirit (cf. 3:1-5), the spirit of adoption (4:6; Rom. 8:15-17), they were just as certain of their sonship as the Jewish saints. Since they were sons, they could no longer be slaves. Better still, they were also “heirs” of the promises to Abraham (4:7).

Prayer Study 1

2007-12-13T09:40:00.001-05:00

Lesson 1 – Breath Prayer

I am pleasantly surprised at the response of so many to want to deepen their prayer life. Here’s what I’d like to do, weekly there will be a teaching then each of us is to practice that teaching, journal on it. Then individually we will, through email, talk about how that particular prayer practice is affecting us. Of course, there may be a week for me or you where a crisis happens (by the way busy-ness is not a crisis nor an excuse) where I am unable to get the study out or you cannot participate. If that happens we’ll just trust the Lord that He knew we needed more time for whatever exercise was the week before.

This is not a head activity, this is a heart activity. That means you can’t just read these emails and do NOTHING… If I read all about J. but never get intimate with him our marriage will soon be in trouble! We can know all there is to know about Jesus but not know Jesus and soon be in trouble! Prayer is giving all of oneself to God through Christ by the Spirit.

Lord, I am so inadequate for this task. Your disciples asked You to teach them to pray and You did so. Now, these precious brothers and sisters ask the same of me. I really can’t do this without you, so please help me, guide me and impart to them you sweet Spirit that when none of us know what to say, the Holy Spirit cries out for us. We beg this in Jesus name. Amen.

Starting points – Begin a journal. Yes, you can keep it simple (please do). It can be a school spiral notebook or whatever. No, you don’t have to do it everyday, but I do ask that you would make an entry once a week (at least while we are learning something new) AND anytime the Lord really speaks to you. I will be using as a resource the book “Spiritual Disciplines Handbook” by Adele Calhoun (don’t let the title scare you). J As well as my own personal walk, experience and whatever grain of insight the Lord has given me. If the lesson during any particular week is a means of prayer you are already using. Then continue to do so, sharing your insights with me and if not intensely private I will share with the others. We want to learn from each other. I do want to assure you anything really private will not pass through me.

Prayer is a word that describes a relationship. It is a dialog with God. Prayer is not a duty it is a desire to connect and grow in intimacy with the Trinity. There are multiple ways of entering into prayer. We will work on a variety of different types of prayer, we will discuss them then practice them with one of the exercises listed with each prayer. Some exercises may not appeal to you but please practice at least one of them anyway. After a week of practice we’ll talk about them again.

Breath Prayer

Breathing is an unconscious thing and breath prayer reminds us that just as we can’t live on one breath, we can’t live on one breath of God. God is the oxygen of our soul, and we need to breathe him in all day long. Breath prayer reminds us that each breath we are given is God’s gift and that God’s Spirit is nearer to us than our own breath. This is a type of prayer you can do many, many times a day to keep you focused and aware of God’s presence.

Breath prayer (or sometimes called “prayer of the heart”) has been practiced in the church for over one thousand years. The Eastern Orthodox Church in particular has seen breath prayer as a way of living out Paul’s instruction to “pray without ceasing.”

Examples of Breath Prayers

Breathe in “Abba,” breathe out “I belong to You.”

Breathe in “Healer,“ breath out “speak the word and I shall be healed.”

Breathe in “Shepherd“ breath out “bring home my lost son, friend, etc.”

Breathe in “Holy One“ breath out “keep me true.”

Breathe in “Lord,“ breath out “here I am.”

Breathe in “Lord Jesus“ breath out “have mercy on me.” (This one is known as the “Jesus prayer”) or sometimes done breathe in “Lord Jesus Christ” breath out “have mercy on me a sinner.”

Before you begin the exercises below write these questions in your journal and answer them. Then choose one of the Breath prayers from above or create your own and write it in your journal.

How do you currently practice the injunction from the Apostle Paul to pray without ceasing?
How does the thought of repetitive prayer strike you?

Exercises (Chose one)

Become comfortable. Breathe deeply. Intentionally place yourself before God. In rhythm with your breathing, gratefully inhale the breath of life. Exhale remembering that Jesus gave his last breath of love for you. Gently and thankfully repeat one of the breath prayers… Done, it takes one minute. Now you understand why you can do this multiple times per day. Practice it though out the day.
Decide to pray the Jesus prayer or which ever one you use as often as you are able in one day. If you worry about forgetting, set a clock or your cell phone every hour to remind you.

Personal things I done which have helped me with this particular prayer…

I practice breath prayer when I’m driving, currently I am using the Jesus Prayer.

I have a really good friend who is battling cancer. There are times when I cry out to God for longer periods of time for her. But I last spring I began using the breath prayer of … Breathe in “Healer,“ breath out “speak the word and Susan shall be healed”… it really helped me pray persistently and constantly for her.

Sometimes I practice this when I am confined to a waiting room or at Sonic waiting on my food J, it can be used anywhere, silently or out loud.

Lord, I ask that you would help each of us pray continually, giving you thanks in all circumstances. In the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.

Resource: Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

Study Matthew 24: 36-44

2007-11-28T09:12:00.001-05:00

BS Matthew 24: 36-44

Before we even look at this scripture we must learn terminology, for some it will be new and to others old hat, BUT it is necessary to understand this passage.

Apocalyptic Literature – A type of Jewish and Christian religious writing that means “revelation” or “unveiling” and is applied to writing that contains alleged revelation of the secret purposes of God, the end of the world, and the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. NIV Bible Dictionary

Apocalyptic literature typically includes a number of concepts: 1) time is divided into two ages – the present age is ruled by Satan, the age to come will be ruled by God, the transition will occur very quickly, the end of the present age will happen in the very near future, the transition will include wars, plagues, famine, earthquakes and other natural disasters. 2) There will be a general resurrection of the dead. 3) There will be a final judgment. 4) Satan’s supporters will be annihilated. 5) God’s supporters will enter a period of peace and happiness. We find Apocalyptic Literature in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old it is found interspersed in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah and Daniel. In the New Testament we find it in Mark, Matthew, Luke and Revelation. Paul does touch on the subject matter in 1 Corinthians 15: 20-28; 2 Corinthians 5: 1-3; 1 Thess 4: 15-18; and 2 Thess 2: 1-12. Internet - 11/27/07 “Religious Tolerance.org http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_ntb5a.htm

NIV ³⁶"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴²"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

The Message ³⁶"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. ^{37 -39}"The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah's. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away. ^{39 -44}"The Son of Man's Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.

The primary point of this passage (along with the three parables following) is THE IMMINECE OF HIS RETURN. The point is … Jesus is coming back, it’s really going to happen. The exact time is not important, what is important is we are ready and waiting.

³⁶"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Jesus begins with the truth that no one knows when his coming will happen. The expression “day or hour” is used throughout scripture to indicate a GENERAL reference to time.

We see here some of the “emptying” of Christ in this passage. This emptying or in Greek kenosis (found in Philippians 2: 7) contends that when Jesus became flesh he limited the use of his divine attributes so that he could experience the full human life. While He did not in any sense give up his deity, Jesus voluntarily limited the use of these characteristics (Hebrews 4: 14-16). He voluntarily limited himself and remains uninformed to the time about “that day.”

³⁷As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Jesus uses a familiar story with his audience, the story of Noah. The people in the days of Noah did not heed the warnings of judgment that were given to them. They continued to carry on in the every day activities. Although in Genesis 6: 11-12 the people of Noah’s day were identified as evil, Jesus’ main point in this passage is not necessarily that the people are evil. They were just so wrapped up in everyday living they were caught off guard because they had no concern for righteousness and spiritual realities. Ouch, does that sound familiar???? By contrast, Noah and his family went through with the preparations for the coming flood, even though they could see no specific signs and did not know the time. That is Jesus expectation of us…regardless of whether we know the time or not, can see signs or not, we are to be ready and waiting.

⁴⁰Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Jesus gives two other regular daily examples for the people of his time, folks in a field and grinding with a hand mill. The way Jesus relates is amazing. Here he is teaching about future events but he makes it easy, in our day he could have just as easily said, “two people sitting at their computers in an office” or “two people shopping at Wal-Mart.” The point is that the Son of Man gathers his people at his return to enjoy the fullness of his Kingdom, while those left behind experience his judgment.

⁴²"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

“Watch” implies not only to keep looking but also to be prepared. Ultimately the human race is divided into two groups – those who watch for Christ’s coming and those who do not. The principle of separation is illustrated here graphically. The keynote for this passage is “Watch” literally “stay wide awake!” For no one knows when Christ may come. To live without watchfulness invites disaster! A home owner must be vigilant or the thief will rob him. We must remember that the watching of the Christian for the coming of Christ is not that of terror-stricken fear and shivering apprehension, it is the watching of eager expectation for the coming of glory and joy. The spirit which leads to disaster is the spirit which says there is plenty of time, it is a delusion. Watching here is NOT a passive term.

Here’s an example, a fireman. Firemen are really intentional about being ready at any given moment, to the point of having their fire pants fixed perfectly over their boots - so as to simple step into the boots, pull up the pants and run. When on duty they live in this state of complete readiness, they prepare for it, they plan it, they think about it, they strategize about it, etc. So we must ask ourselves what does it look like for me to be watching, ready, prepared? What does it look like for the community of faith I belong to be ready? I think I won’t answer that, because for each of us the answer may be different. BUT I’d like for you to think about it and email me back one statement about what this “watchfulness” could mean for you or for the body of believers you know. Resources: NIV Bible Dictionary, NIV Application Commentary, The Gospel of Matthew by William Barclay, Beacon Bible Studies – Matthew by Ralph Earle, Commentary by Matthew Henry

Study 1 Samuel 17

2007-11-07T17:11:00.001-05:00

NIV ¹ Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. ² Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³ The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. ⁴ A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels ; ⁶ on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. ⁷ His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. ⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." ¹⁰ Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." ¹¹ On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. Now, this is a battle scene I would think you would see on an old movie. Soldiers lined on the side of one hill, a valley in between and then the other army on the opposite hill. But unlike a Hollywood movie, instead of running down the hillsides into hand to hand combat, one huge, 9 foot warrior steps out wearing about 150 pounds worth of armor. He’s a crusty, war hardened soldier, “Killing is his business and business is good” to quote Damon Wayans from the movie “Major Payne.” This one warrior challenge would not have been a strange sight in the days of David and Goliath. It was acceptable for one chief warrior to challenge another, then the army of the loser submit. In this particular passage, we note that the Philistines sent their largest warrior. We know from I Sam 9: 2 that Saul was Israel’s tallest and was their envied warrior. But Saul is terrified and all Israel knows it. This brought incredible humiliation to the people. In those days people really believed when they won a battle it was because their god was stronger. Sooooooooooo, when no one from Israel steps out, then the Philistines conclude that Israel’s God is weak and their gods are supreme. So this was not just a challenge for the nation of Israel but a challenge for Israel’s God.

¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's time he was old and well advanced in years. ¹³ Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem. ¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. ¹⁷ Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸ Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. ¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines." Often in the Old Testament we find repeated information about heritage and families. We do find statements here about David’s background that has been given in prior chapters, this was a common practice. I don’t think it’s really that uncommon today, often I hear people repeat information when they tell a story, especially if that have what I call part-timers. J David is sent on a servant’s errand. This is truly a story of an underdog becoming the hero. David is obedient, Jesse could have sent one of his servants but he sends David as a servant. I sometimes talk to Christians who think they are not doing anything for God’s Kingdom because they aren’t a missionary, a pastor, a singer, they “only” make sure the building is clean and ready for service; they teach five year olds; they empty trash or take meals to the sick – they are “only” servants. Oh, how I wish they could realize what heros they really are.

²⁰ Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. ²² David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. ²³ As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. David was not a part of this battle and was oblivious to what was happening. Vs. 16 says that every morning and evening for forty days Goliath repeated his challenge and David missed it, simply because he was somewhere else. How much do we miss because we are not at the front lines of the battle? How much do we miss when we are apathetic to what’s happening with God’s Kingdom and His people. When David takes food to the front lines he hears the challenge. He sees the fear, he hears of the reward, he gets in on all that’s going on. And he becomes involved. Are you on the front lines…

²⁴ When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear. ²⁵ Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel." ²⁶ David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" ²⁷ They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him." ²⁸ When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle." ²⁹ "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" ³⁰ He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. ³¹ What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David when he hears Goliath is angered because he trusts God. Maybe it takes someone fresh and new to join the front lines to help remember who’s Almighty. Seeing conversions of sinners ignites a church and a passion to do God’s work. David’s brother gets angry at him. The brother has been there fighting, the brother knows what’s going on, knows who the soldiers are and how they should respond, and David’s not a soldier, how could he possibly make comments! Could folks who have been in the church take this stance with new Christians when they come in with new ideas. David ignores the brother and continues to ask why, why, why? Finally, it gets to the top soldier, Saul. Saul attempts to explain the situation and why they are in fear, the magnitude of the consequences, the strength of the enemy and the inexperience of David. David is right on top of that, unknown to anyone in the world God has been preparing David for battle with his own experiences. How often do we discount new Christians from being part of the “leadership” because of their lack of training or experience or whatever? David has confidence in the preparation God has given him. We see a rare glimpse into the sane Saul, here as he gives permission and blessing. Saul was staking the nation on this boy and his faith in God. Are we courageous enough to stake our church on maybe some of the new believers, or new ideas and bless them?

³⁸ Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. ³⁹ David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Saul attempts to give David what Saul thinks he needs. How often do I attempt to cram all of my years of walking with Jesus to a new Christian, instead of patience, love and time? David tries to use the armor but can’t, David must rely on what God has equipped him with and Saul has to trust that. David learns he can’t be another person. And Saul, maybe part of the reason he wanted David to wear his armor was because it was suppose to have been HIM fighting Goliath. Could it be that we want others to shoulder our burdens… surely not.

⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. ⁴¹ Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ⁴² He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. ⁴³ He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" ⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." ^{48 -49} That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt. ⁵⁰ That's how David beat the Philistine—with a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. No sword for David! ⁵¹ Then David ran up to the Philistine and stood over him, pulled the giant's sword from its sheath, and finished the job by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their great champion was dead, they scattered, running for their lives. ^{52 -54} The men of Israel and Judah were up on their feet, shouting! They chased the Philistines all the way to the outskirts of Gath and the gates of Ekron. Wounded Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road all the way to Gath and Ekron. After chasing the Philistines, the Israelites came back and looted their camp. David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem. But the giant's weapons he placed in his own tent. ⁵⁵ When Saul saw David go out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "Tell me about this young man's family." Abner said, "For the life of me, O King, I don't know." ⁵⁶ The king said, "Well, find out the lineage of this raw youth." ⁵⁷ As soon as David came back from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him, the Philistine's head still in his hand, straight to Saul. ⁵⁸ Saul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?" "I'm the son of your servant Jesse," said David, "the one who lives in Bethlehem." The story of David and Goliath are so well know sometimes we can miss very important points.

The Philistine was defying God when he defyed Israel, taunting God, in fact. Such arrogance was bound to meet divine punishment eventually; and this gave David a source of faith and courage.
David was already well able to protect his father’s flocks from predators. The present situation was not different in kind: the nation of Israel was the flock of God and Goliath was no more than a predator. It is symbolically appropriate that David killed Goliath with a shepherd’s weapons.
David did not underestimate the danger, but he saw it in the perspective of God’s purposes and goodness.
In the whole episode there is a lesson that God brought the right man on the scene a the right time.
David put his whole trust in God; though it is important to note that this did not mean that he would fail to use his own weapons and the skills he had acquired.

The enemy does attack, the enemy will attack. David runs to meet him head on, using what God has given him. He totally finishes the job that God gave him. I wonder how often I have embedded the stone only to leave the head in place of the enemy so that later he can get back up. All of us stumble in our walk with Christ, but we can be defeated if we don’t kill the enemy. Example: if I have battle with gossip and the Lord speaks to me and I repent, then immediately I need to let those whom I talk with most know of my battle and repentance, so they can help me be accountable, kill the enemy. Once the enemy is completely overthrown, the rest of the army scatters. Remember David did this in full sight of everyone, no secrecy in overcoming the enemy. Do we often attempt to keep things secret while we battle? If so we will probably loose, or fail repeatedly. Kill the giant, whatever it may be.

Sermon Luke 19: 1-10

2007-11-07T17:03:00.001-05:00

Sermon Luke 19: 1-10 “From a Tree to a Table”

Collaboration of Steve Estep, Nancy Cantrell, Jimmy Skeen

Grooms and grade-school kids. One of the things they have in common is they need someone to tell them where to go. (Be careful). Example: In most weddings, the groom has needed all the help he can get. Seeing the bride in her gown is enough to cause him to lose his senses. Most get so nervous they don’t even know where to stand. That’s why preachers make them repeat things… The same thing happens when kids in a Christmas program step onto a platform in front of a crowd, stage fright takes over. They forget what they’re supposed to say, and where they are supposed to go. But we in the pastoring/teaching world have developed a remedy helps both grooms and grade-school kids.

(Hold up roll of masking tape) Two pieces of masking tape make all the difference in the world. A little X on the carpet marks the spot for a groom to stand if he wants to be in the right place at the right time. When you’re in a wedding, you do not want to be in the wrong place. A little X on the stage marks the spot for any young actor to be in the right place at the right time. When you are in a Christmas program, you do not want to be in the wrong place.

When he got word that a celebrity was coming to town he wanted to be in the right place at the right time to see him.

He was used to always having the best seats with the best view. World Series, Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, Opera (although I must say I’m not sure who would want front row opera tickets) – he never had to worry about not being able to see because his seats were always in the front row. You can do that when you’re filthy rich. He could make money at the drop of a hat. So what if other people were getting poor, he was getting rich. He was rolling in it. So on this particular day if he could have paid for a seat it wouldn’t have been a problem but there were no tickets for this event. No special treatment.

The crowd had already formed and there was no room at the front. The same people he had cheated out of their taxes were standing in front of him. And in no mood to give him a free pass to the front. The vertically challenged tax man had a view that consisted of backs, arms, and elbows. More than once he got an elbow on his chin; a heel ground into his toe or a shove from the side. Those in the crowd weren’t overly obvious, but they did take advantage of the pressing bodies to conceal a well placed jab in the kidneys. How they hated him. It didn’t take much of that for the tax man to be bruised up and looking for a way out. It was totally unlike him to subject himself to that kind of humiliation anywhere, but there was something compelling him to see this particular celebrity. Somehow he was willing to pay a much higher price for this view than he’d ever paid before.

Finally, he squirmed out of crowd ran ahead, anticipating the place where the celebrity might cross. He located a tree, climbed it and found a comfortable place to sit with his feet dangling and his mind racing, he waited to catch a glimpse, not sure of what he would see or even why he wanted to see it. But he knew this was one day when he wanted to be in the right place at the right time, no matter what.

Now, this particular celebrity could have gone to the temple and hob-knobbed with the Billy Graham of his day. He could have stopped at the home of the mayor for a fancy sit-down dinner. He could have just kept going and not stopped anywhere else in Jericho, but He didn’t. When Jesus neared the place where the tax man was perched, he didn’t hesitate. Like a groom on his wedding day or a kid in the Christmas program he was drawn to it. On the ground beneath Zacchaeus he saw it. An “X” marked the spot of an encounter with a short tax man with a fat wallet who was hungry to find more than he could pay for, who was ready for a life-change. Somehow Jesus knew. He always does. He can always tell when people are ready for an encounter with Him.
Jesus stopped at the base of the sycamore tree, looked up through the leaves, and called out. “Zacchaeus, come down. I must come to your house today.” Zacchaeus shimmied down the tree like a little kid going down a slide. My house? My house? He’s coming to my house! Zacchaeus didn’t know what all it meant but he did know this – Jesus wasn’t afraid to go home with him. In fact, He insisted on it. Of course Zacchaeus could have said no, but why on earth would he have done that? It never makes sense to say no when Jesus wants to come home with you.

The two of them walked side by side, the crook and the Christ, all the way to Zacchaeus’ house, while the bewildered crowd wondered why on earth Jesus would go to the home of a sinner like Zacchaeus. He was a liar, a cheat, and a traitor. But curiosity got the best of them and they kept following. Sometimes curiosity gets us to a place where we can see something Jesus wants to show us about himself. That’s the way it was with this crowd. They followed all the way to the house and got the surprise of their lives.

After a few minutes inside with Jesus, Zacchaeus came out with a wheelbarrow full of money. He told the people to line up, just like the lines they had formed to come and pay their taxes. Only this time instead of demanding money from them, Zacchaeus was giving his money away, ½ of his money to the poor. He repaid everyone he had cheated 4x the amount he has stolen. You should have heard the crowd then. Instead of saying, “Little sawed-off, thieving weasel” they were saying

“Can you believe this? I sure didn’t expect to walk away with any of Zacchaeus money in my pocket! Amazing! What’s happened here?” Zacchaeus spends a little time around a table with Jesus and all of sudden his whole attitude towards money changes. Instead of grabbing more of it, he’s giving it away.

The guy spends a little time at a table with Jesus and all of sudden the way he treats other people is radically rearranged. He doesn’t just say,”I’m sorry,” He shows “I’m sorry.” If Jesus can change a guy like Zacchaeus, He can change anyone. He spends a little time at a table with Jesus and his actions cause other people to notice the change! If Jesus can change Zacchaeus, He can change anyone.

Read the text: Luke 19: 1-10 NIV ¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ²A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. ⁵When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." ⁶So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. ⁷All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " ⁸But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." ⁹Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Zacchaeus made a little journey that day - from his home, through the town, past the crowd, and beyond all the barriers, to a sycamore tree. Jesus walked through Jericho past the synagogue, the businesses, the priests, the people, to a sycamore tree. Jesus saw an X that marked the spot where He wanted to transform the life of Zacchaeus.

This morning you and I made a little journey as well - from your home, through town, past the crowd and beyond all the barriers until you arrived here. This morning I believe if you look close enough right between your feet you might be able to see it - an X that marks the spot where Jesus wants to have an encounter with you. Right here and right now is the spot; the spot where your journey toward Jesus and His journey toward you come together. It’s an encounter waiting to happen, and it’s a lot more than a one-time good feeling or emotional high. If it’s anything like the encounter Zacchaeus had with Jesus, it can be the beginning of relationship changing everything.

For him, it started at a tree and moved to a table – a table where life was shared and a relationship built. I guess as far as Jesus is concerned, there is no way to come to a person’s heart without going to their home. Can you hear Him? “Come down from that tree, I’d love to come to your heart today, I’d love to come to your house today.” It doesn’t matter if this is your first encounter with Jesus or a renewing, a refreshing, a healing, a restoring encounter. It’s change all the same.

(Move to communion table) This is another place where we move from a tree to a table – from the Tree of Calvary, to the Table of grace where Jesus invites us to have life with Him. More than just remembering, we believe we encounter Him here, here in this sacrament (Break the bread) of love, love that left his body broken, (Hold up cup) his blood shed.

At this table Jesus gives grace –

Grace that accepts sinners; grace that forgives;

Grace that has the power to change the way we handle our possessions;

Grace that has the power to change the way we see and treat people.

That’s the kind of thing that can happen when we spend a few minutes at a table with Jesus. And here, at this table, we’re all invited to a front row seat.

Here at this table all are welcome. If you have never been to this church before it doesn’t matter you are welcome. All we ask is that you desire an encounter with Christ, to stand on the X and allow Him to have a relationship with you.

If you would move to the two center aisles tear off a small piece of bread and hear the words, “The body of Christ broken for you.” Then dip it in the cup and hear the words “The blood of Christ which was shed for you.” Then partake right there, knowing you are in the right spot at the right time, experiencing a relationship with Jesus who is already there.

BENEDICTION

“Come down out of that tree, I’m coming to your house.” Go forth with God’s blessing. Follow the journey with joy. Walk with Jesus side by side. Share your encounter with the world. Amen

Study Isaiah 43: 14-25

2007-10-30T17:06:00.001-05:00

Study Isaiah 43: 14-25

What is prophecy? The popular stereotype of the prophetic books of the Old Testament has sometimes been misleading. While the prophetic writers do employ wild images when expressing what God revealed to them, these pictures are only a small percentage of the whole. The scholars Fee and Stuart give us these statistics: less the 2% of the O.T. prophecies speak about the Messiah; less than 5% speak about the new covenant era; and less than 1% predict events that are yet to come. These statistics show that the prophetic books are something quite different that what is commonly thought. The Prophets are really forthtelling of God truths and will rather than foretelling the future. Resource Playing With Fire by Walt Russell

What was a prophet? Israel’s prophets were recipients of a special call from God to undertake a special mission for Him. Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel give us the record of their call and commission. The call compelled them to deliver messages that were often contrary to what their audience wanted to hear. The prophets were passionately concerned about Israel’s election, destiny, and mission to the world. The goal of their preaching was to remind the nation of its identity and relation to God. The message of the prophets was grounded in the historical and theological traditions of Israel. Prophetic books make reference to the mighty acts of God and covenant with Abraham, the Exodus, the Sinai covenant, etc. The message of the prophets was about Israel’s relationship to God. They called the nation to show forth devotion to God through obedience, repentance, and life-transforming worship. The prophets challenged the people to respond to their moral, ethical, and social obligations to others. Resource Discovering the Old Testament, editor Alex Varughese

Who is Isaiah? Little is know except what he tells us himself. The name itself means – Salvation of Jehovah. His father was Amoz but nothing is known about him. Isaiah was married and had two children (Isa 7: 3; 8:3). He prophesied during four reigns of kings of Judah, from Uzziah to Hezekiah. The first date given is the year of Uzziah’s death (6:1), which occurred about 740 BC. The last historical event referred to is the death of Sennacherib (37:38), which occurred in 681 BC. Isaiah treats the Syro-Ephraimitic war in the days of Ahaz as nothing compared to what the Assyrians are going to do to Judah, beyond that he predicts the mightier foe, Babylon. Fortunately, Isaiah also gives hope predicting the downfall of the enemy period! Isaiah is preeminently the prophet of redemption. The greatness and majesty of God; His holiness and hatred of sin; the folly of idolatry; His grace, mercy and love; and the blessed rewards of obedience are constantly recurring themes in his writings. Resource NIV Bible Dictionary

Now let’s look at the specific text.

NIV ¹⁴ This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, in the ships in which they took pride. ¹⁵ I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King." ¹⁶ This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, ¹⁷ who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: This section emphasizes the fact that redemption is by grace. The Lord Himself is the speaker here. The same God who overwhelmed Pharaoh and the army of Egypt in the Exodus promises deliverance from Babylon. Just as dramatic and just as final! I love this particular little section because of the many images of God we see here: LORD, Redeemer, Holy One, Creator and King. God is God of every area in the universal order, as well as our lives.

Moving on…What happens here is God takes the hearers into a nostalgic trip into the past. There’s nothing necessarily wrong in doing that, especially in times of turmoil, the familiar can bring us comfort.

¹⁸ "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. But God then let’s them (us) know that if we stay in the “good old days,” if it becomes a habit of mind, then it is can cause us to become spiritually forgetful, weak, and lethargic. Anytime memories threaten to tie people to the past, causing stagnation to present realities or slowness in responding to new opportunities, we must forget them.

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ²⁰ The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, ²¹ the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. God is letting them know to be watchful, creative, believing in the impossible, looking all the time for what God is doing and will do. Biblical evidence from other O.T. books indicate that there were many Israelites who had been captive in Babylon who were RELUCTANT to go back to Israel. It was an uncertain place, it would mean LOTS of work, and Babylon was pretty comfortable… This was (is) a wake up call! The people then (and us now) are presented a challenge, we must be open to the possibility of change and receptive to the opportunity to begin anew.

²² "Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel. ²³ You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense. ²⁴ You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses. These verses are an indictment against forms of worship that serve to disguise the true character of the worshipers. In response to the God who created all that is and to whom Israel (and us) owes everything, the response is pathetic, indifferent and complaining. They tried to fulfill worship in duty but not with their heart. Here we see a loving God looking for evidence that the worshiper feels some sense of gratitude, genuine response not more sin. Soooooooooooooooooo, when we worship where is our mind? Or do we neglect worship all together and just not go at all. Do we see house cleaning, yard work, sporting events, family events, the lake as more important than worship? No wonder God gets weary. Do we see worship as something for us, or could it be about our focusing – giving praise/honor – dialoging with God communally? This is definitely a passage for today… are we wearying God with our “half way” attention, praise, offerings, etc. Let’s look at a worship service, when the scripture is read aloud are we in awe? When the singing of praise is happening are our arms crossed in front of our, our mouths shut, and wondering “when can I sit down?” When the offering plate is passed are we eager and glad to be able to give? Just some things to think about… I don’t know about you but, personally, I really don’t want to weary or burden the God of the Universe.

²⁵ "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.Everything about the hearers in Isaiah’s day and us today rest on the fact that God is merciful and pours out grace. Hope for freedom from sin lies in the love of God. I think maybe the main thing to see here is even though Israel had broken faith with God, He never breaks faith! The living God so forgives that He forgets. Let me say that again, the living God so forgives that He forgets. We are recipients of this grace. God desires us, you and I, to be His bride, His love, His companion, are we?

II Timothy Sermon on Study

2007-10-23T16:49:00.001-04:00

Text: II Tim. 3:14-4:5 Title: Word Up

10/21/07 preached by Pastor Steve Estep – sent and printed with permission

We’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat.” Fat greasy food will turn you into a fat, greasy dude. But that’s the kind of food we love. We’re a culture of junk-food junkies. The other day I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. When I was kid there was like 1 flavor – orange. It made you not want to eat an orange for about 6 months because it tasted terrible. Now it’s a whole new ball game. My hygienist Mary at Doctor Long’s office rattled off a list of flavors to choose from and I actually had (no lie) Mocha Latte! We can’t even get our teeth cleaned without the taste of candy! The things that taste good aren’t always the things that are good for us. Chocolate, pop, chips and ice cream taste good. The candy we’ll give away at the House of Hope is good. There’s a reason we give candy bars instead of broccoli spears. Candy good, broccoli bad! It’s not just the kids who enjoy it, I like I too J. That’s one of the reasons I run – so I can keep eating whatever I want!

What’s true of taste is true of sound. What sounds good isn’t always what’s good for us either. Sometimes what we want to hear and what we need to hear are two different things. When writing to the young preacher, Timothy, Paul said to him (to me & every other preacher or teacher) don’t be giving people junk food. Don’t give out ear candy, give the truth. Preach the Word. People need to be formed and informed, shaped and molded by the Word of God. We know that. We want that. None of us came here today to get ear candy. We came to be fed by the Word.

It happens every day in front of a studio audience and is broadcast to millions of viewers who watch from home. No topic is too personal, no subject too sacred, no laundry too dirty to air in front of a watching world. Husbands and wives, parents and teenagers, siblings and sometimes former friends allow themselves to become spectacles on shows where they share some their sorry stories. Pick up the TV guide. It’s a smorgasbord of dysfunctions, addictions, twisted actions and perverted motivations. In the end it just about always boils down to relationships and love or the lack of it. Love – longed for, scorned, distorted, betrayed or forgotten. Love that can’t quite seem to find the right expression. Unloved or unloving people subject themselves to public humiliation in hopes of getting some help from the gurus of talk-show TV. They put their trust in folks like Dr. Phil and Oprah, certain that their words of wisdom will make all the difference. Beliefs and behaviors are addressed. The goal is correction. Correct the false beliefs, correct the destructive behaviors. Sometimes I’m sure it helps. Good advice is offered. Insights for behavior modification are shared as viewers clap and cheer. Yet a thousand episodes of top notch talk shows don’t have the power to change a whole lot. There will be another show tomorrow, another season next year. It’s not that their words are bad, but they aren’t God-breathed. They may even be inspirational, but they are not inspired. Sooner or later it happens that the words from the host begin to taste a lot like junk-food. There’s a reason for that. There’s a big difference between a human word of correction and a Divine Word that has the power to bring about what it says to the unloved and the unloving.

I Corinthians 13:1-8a. ¹If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. ⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails

They were sitting at the kitchen table for a meal that was more likely to end in indigestion than satisfaction. Not because there was any problem with the spaghetti, but because of the hostile environment they were eating it in. The kids had been at each other since they got home from school. In fact, it started even before then with an argument about whose turn it was to sit in the front seat. It didn’t get any better when they got home. It was almost like they were looking for something to argue about, and if they didn’t find something, then they were going to make something up. I’m sure none of your kids have ever acted like that, but in this family, at least on this particular night, that’s what was going on. They couldn’t pass the salad dressing without a snide comment and the parents of these two kids were getting sick and tired of it. They had about all they could stand. After a couple of failed attempts at encouraging some better behavior, both parents jumped all over them. “What’s wrong with you guys?!” “That’s not how you’re supposed to act. If I see any more of this, in fact if I hear one more word or see one more look between the two of you, you are going to be sorry!” While they may have been motivational, these words were not “inspired” words. Under other circumstances this would have been enough to send the kids into a retreat, silencing the fighting and if not peace, at least bring some quiet to the meal. It didn’t happen… because the night before, the last thing these kids heard before they fell asleep was, the sound of their parents arguing with each other. Some of the same names they called and phrases they used at the dinner table weren’t learned at school. These were names, phrases, looks and attitudes that they had seen at home, exchanged between parents who were now rebuking their kids. While the kids still knew they had better straighten up if they knew what was good for them, the words from their parents were empty. As they continued to eat their spaghetti and salad the words of rebuke these kids were asked to eat along with it started tasting like junk food. The words might have been true. But there is a big difference between a word of rebuke from an inconsistent parent and a Divine Word of rebuke that somehow has the power to bring about what it says.

Matthew 12:33-37.

33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

In many ways it was more than a game. Football was his life. Although his playing days were long since over everything he learned, all the games he played in, even the friends he hung around with centered on his life in football. His wife would often tease him because it seemed as though he lived life based on the motivational speeches his coach used to give him. His coach was impressive. Every word from his mouth was like Scripture to the boys on his team. “Leave it all on the field! Never give up! Push through the pain! Don’t let them see you hurt! The goal line is the only goal!” yeah those words from the coach guided him through most of life. When he went to work he “left it all on the field” when he started dating his wife he “never gave up” any time an obstacle would come he would push through the pain His life was moved by the motivational words from a mountain of a man. That is until he faced a mountain in real life. The coach guided him through a game where the rules are set and the goals are clear, but life is not like that. There are few rules and plenty of surprises. Standing at the graveside of his first and only child those previously powerful words from his coach began to taste a lot like junk food. The words that were meant to encourage now could do nothing to chase away the discouragement, the fear, and the pain. There’s a reason for that. There’s a big difference between a human word of encouragement and a Divine word that can somehow do what it says.

Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

There are some things only the Word of God can do. II Timothy 3: 14- 4:5

¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 4 ¹In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry

The correction of a talk show host can be a great thing. But it will never have the same power as the Word of God. This (Word) is our authority, and somehow it does more than just inform – it forms. It brings about the correction it calls for. The rebuke of a parent can be a powerful thing, but it will never have the same power as the Word of God. This (Word) is our authority, and somehow it does more than just inform, it forms. It brings about the rebuke it calls for. Encouraging words from a high school coach can be powerful. But it will never have the same power as the Word of God. This (Word) is our authority, and somehow it does more than just inform – it forms. It brings about the encouragement it calls for.

The Word. The Word written is the Scripture. The Word visible is the sacraments communion & baptism. Both the written and visible Word point to the Living Word who is Jesus Christ. We know who He is from the Written Word. We experience His presence (among other ways) through the visible Word of the sacraments. We are a people hungry to be formed and informed, shaped and molded by the Word. By the grace of God may we never settle for what sounds good; may we never settle for ear candy when we can be feasting on the life-giving, life-changing Word. Amen.

Benediction: By the grace of God may we go forth to be formed and informed, to learn, love and live out this God-breathed Word, Amen

II Timothy 3: 14 - 4: 5

2007-10-23T16:48:00.001-04:00

II Timothy 3: 14-4:5

NIV ¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 4 ¹In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

The Message ^{14 -17}But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us^{1 -2}I can't impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple. ^{3 -5}You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.

Who is Timothy?

He was Paul’s spiritual child (1 Tim 1: 2; 2 Tim 1: 2), fellow-traveler and official representative. His character was a blend of amiability and faithfulness in spite of natural timidity. Just knowing something about Timothy helps us understand that God can and does work through us no matter what our personalities. Here was a young man who was definitely non-assertive and yet was a successful proclaimer of Christ. I have often heard people make statements like, “I don’t have the gift of evangelism, so I can’t do that.” Only to discover that through their other gifts they talk easily of Jesus and help people in His name. None of Paul’s companions are mentioned as often and are with him as constantly as is Timothy. Timothy was young (1 Tim 4: 12); timid (1 Cor 16: 10); frequent ailments (1 Tim 4: 12) despite this he was willing to leave home to accompany Paul on dangerous journeys, to be sent on difficult errands, and to remain to the very end Christ’s faithful servant. Once again Timothy’s personality traits did not keep him in bondage nor the circumstances – “young, frequent ailments” and he was still effective. Timothy is first mentioned in Acts 16: 1, as an inhabitant of Lystra (where Lydia was from). He was from a mixed marriage; with a Greek pagan father and a devout Jewish mother, Eunice. Our past, our upbringing, who we are doesn’t have to dictate what we become. From his childhood he had been instructed from the scriptures. First grandmother Lois, then Eunice became followers of Christ, as a result of their cooperation with Paul, Timothy also did so. Christian Moms and Grandma’s if you have non-believing offspring keep praying, loving and teaching, look where it got Timothy! According to tradition in Ephesus he became its first bishop, and was stoned to death there when he opposed the pagan festival of Katagogian in honor of Diana. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, one written about 65 AD from Macedonia and the second from Rome while he was in prison awaiting execution.

Background and purpose of 2 Timothy

Emperor Nero, blamed for Rome’s burning (AD 64), in turn blamed Christians, who suffered frightful persecution. Paul was imprisoned (second Roman imprisonment). He faced death (2 Tim 1: 16-17: 2:9); Luke alone was with him. Others had left him, either on legitimate missions or because they had become enamored of the present world. Meanwhile, soul-destroying error continued in Timothy’s Ephesus. The letter’s purpose was to urge Timothy to come to Rome as soon as possible in view of the apostle’s impending departure from this life and to bring Mark with him as well as Paul’s things. Paul also wants to encourage Timothy to cling to sound doctrine, defending against all error. The theme of 2^nd Timothy is sound doctrine, chapter 3 is to abide in it, knowing that enemies will arise, and that it is based on the sacred writing. Chapter 4 is to preach it, in season, out of season. A call to Timothy to remain faithful in view of the fact that Paul is about to die. The letter is a message of farewell from a man who knows that death is very near.

Now to the text…

Our reading this week begins with the word but, therefore, we must look back. Beginning in verse 12 we see that Paul is convinced that there is no easy road for the children of God. Jesus declared the cross would be inescapable for those who followed Him. To live in defiance of God’s will and/or to give oneself to errors in the end will bring shame and deception. Anyone who allowed himself to be seduced by error could expect deepening blindness. With Timothy it is different, he had the benefit of many Christian teachers, chiefly Paul. Timothy had a foundation of truth. This is a tribute to the faithful instruction he had received from his godly mother and grandmother. Instruction in the Scriptures (Old Testament) was regarded as a sacred responsibility in every orthodox Jewish home and should be regarded with equal seriousness in every Christian home. You can’t read this passage and not realize the importance of what is taught in the home! In Christian circles it seems very common to see that Sunday School, Bible School, worship services, Christian Education, etc. are how children learn about the grace of God through Jesus. BUT this is a lie from the pit! These are wonderful tools for families, but it is in the home where we teach godly concepts, principles and Scripture. Personal confession, J. and I didn’t do very well here and we are paying a dear price. I read my Bible and prayed but I did not CONSISTENTLY include them in that process. Some people say, “Well, I don’t want to stuff religion down their throat.” Trust me, stuff! Please listen to my heart, whatever it takes in your life style, change or do, so that your home is the first CONSISTENT place your children learn about Christ and the Bible. Do not put all your expectations in the church, it wasn’t meant to be the primary scriptural teaching avenue, your home is. If you must throw the TV out the window, do it! If you must pull them out of a school event, do it! If you have to make them mad by choosing their friends, do it! Whatever it takes to make time to teach them about our loving, forgiving Father in heaven and His blessed Word it’s worth it.

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

In verse 16 again Paul would be referring to O.T. in its entirety. The adjective rendered inspired by God literally means ‘breathed into by God’, it accurately expressed the view of the inspiration of the OT prevalent among Jews of the first century. Because God speaks through the scriptures we can trust them for instruction - a positive source of doctrine; for reproof - for refuting error and rebuking sin; for correction – convincing the misguided of their errors and setting them on the right path; and for training – education. When scripture is used this way it causes people to be complete and equipped for good works. With the development of the NT alongside the OT, it was easy and highly proper for this concept of inspiration to be attributed to the newer writing which developed in the context of the Christian Church.

4 ¹In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

This reference to judgment is appropriate, for it is Christ who at his second coming will judge how far Timothy, and every other minister/teacher of the gospel, has discharged his obligations. This verse has a liturgical ring to it and may have been used as an early baptismal creed. The word “charge” here carries more emphasis that we might catch. The word here is a legal affirmation, a demand.

: ²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

By the word the apostle means the message concerning Christ as Redeemer, Savior, and Lord. This is what the NT means by the proclamation. This is to be the substance of Christian preaching. “in season and out” in the NEB is translated “press it home on all occasions, convenient or inconvenient.” “In season and out” can have the military meaning ‘be posted, ‘stay at one’s post’, ‘be at one’s task’ brings out exactly what Paul wants to say. This phrase might be paraphrased, “Whether the moment seems opportune or not.” Paul gives the threefold approach to appeal - reason, conscience, and the will. Refute – reasoned argument, rebuke when called for – exhort/encourage – urge. Whatever approach he is using he must never lose patience with people and must always show himself a sound and resourceful teacher of Christian truth. This is a passage for all of us, not only preachers. We will probably never win anyone to the Kingdom by angrily arguing with them or not listening. We need to know our scripture inside and outside because we love God and it is breathed by him. Then present that scripture with love, timing and patience. Far too long it has been the Christian’s “objective” to “win sinners to Christ by all means necessary” this seems just a hair manipulative to me! What ever happened to loving all people because God loves all people or being friends with them not because I want something from them, but simply to be friends, really caring. Jesus came to this earth and gave His life so that we could be reconciled to God, a restored relationship, not so we could pray some little prayer asking Jesus in our heart, then hammering others to do the same but to have a vibrant, intimate friendship with God and with others.

³For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

People have always had a preference to hear “smooth” positive talk. In Timothy’s day and today people have ears that ‘itch” for the comfortable word and are willing to reward handsomely those who speak it. Hearers of this type have rejected the truth for “what sounds right to me” which often is just opinion or a lie. It was Jesus himself who said, “carry your cross daily” personally, that doesn’t sound too positive but it certainly sounds realistic. What is truth…the longer I live, the more I read, the more school I attend, the more people I know, I am becoming more convinced than ever that the concepts in that “God Breathed” book, the Bible (which is known as special revelation) really is truth. Yes, there is other truth in our world but I’m finding that other truth proceeds from the general revelation (creation/things pertaining to creation) of God. All truth is God’s truth, be very wary of anything else.

Sermon on Luke 17: 11-19

2007-10-18T13:12:00.001-04:00

Text: Luke 17:11-19

Title: “Cured or Healed” preached by Pastor Jimmy Skeen

Sent and copied with permission

What is it that defines you? If you would have asked me that morning who I was, the answer would have been easy, a leper. Leprosy was not only what I was but who I was. I was defined by my disease. I was untouchable, unclean, an outcast, something less than human, I was simply – a leper. Sure I had a family, a job, hopes and dreams, just like you, but as soon as the leper label was applied, none of that seemed to matter anymore. In fact, it seemed as if I didn’t matter anymore.

There was one place I was even tolerated. It was a colony, a community of other miserable outcasts who shared my plight. We lived on the border of Judah and Samaria known affectionately as “no man’s land”. It’s the kind of place where people don’t really live, they just exist.

We came from different backgrounds, had different beliefs, and in any other circumstances we would have never been together. But we had one thing in common; we were all defined by our disease. You see in leper land it doesn’t matter if you are smart or dull, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile. Social barriers of every shape and size were broken down by a sickness that was breaking us. It is sad to say that sometimes a disease or a disaster can accomplish what good health never can – it can break down barriers that should never be there in the first place. Anyway, as soon as the leper label was applied, none of that seemed to matter anymore. In fact none of us seemed to matter anymore.

Life in no man’s land was the same old horrible routine day after dreary day. No new medicines arrived, no visitors came to offer hope, no friends stopping by just to check on us. Everyday felt like doomsday. That is until Jesus showed up. He walked right into the middle of no man’s land, sauntered right in! When we couldn’t go to Him, He came to us. He has a strange way of doing that you know, showing up in places where no one else would even step foot, to the people that no one else seems to care about. He love’s to visit no man’s land.

He didn’t say a word, he didn’t lift a finger, he didn’t give a dime … all he did was show up, and you know what? It was enough. Just his presence in my no man’s land was enough to convince me of one thing, “I mattered to this guy!” Whatever the rest of the world thought about me and whatever I thought about myself, Jesus cared! It was almost as if he couldn’t read my leper label. He didn’t define me by my disease. For the first time in a long time a strange sensation that filled my soul … it was hope. I couldn’t help it I started crying out his name. By law I was to shout “Unclean! Unclean!” to warning people to stay away but I mattered to this guy so on that day I cried out to Jesus.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who received Jesus’ gentle smile as a giant ray of hope because the other nine began shouting with me, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Where death once dominated, life sprang forth, men who were nothing more than walking corpses began to raise up like a spring time lily reaching for a beam of sunshine. This group of rejected and dejected lepers were as excited as children in the school yard, or a group of girls when Derek Duey walks by J (right Derek?). It was amazing! All this hope, all this life, just because Jesus showed up.

Just a side note here, if you really want to love a leper you don’t need all the answers, a fancy education, or lots of resources. Just take Jesus with you and … show up! You might be surprised at the life that springs forth.

Anyway, I’ll never forget how he responded to our cries. He actually heard us. He listened. He cared. And He even stopped to talk to us. That’s something I learned about Jesus that day. I learned that no matter who we are, where we are, or what label we wear, Jesus cares when people cry out to Him. Maybe you need to know that about Jesus today. Take it from me, a guy NO ONE listened to, you can cry out to Jesus and He’ll hear you. He’ll listen, and He’ll care.

The crowd was thick that day, like the outlet mall the day after Thanksgiving. I remember how many of them appeared to be the picture of health. Man that made me jealous. It had been a long time since I had been close to anyone. I had to stand at a distance from Jesus, but they didn’t. These people had the means, the resources, and the opportunity to walk with Him, talk with Him, just to be with Jesus.

Strangely enough though, most of the crowd stood farther away from Jesus than I did. They kept their distance. Some people do that even when they don’t have to. I am not sure if it’s because they are intimidated, afraid of what He might ask or reveal, or what but it happens. A lot of people keep their distance from Jesus even when they don’t have to.

The distance for some of them only increased when they saw Jesus drawing closer to us. He came right over, looked each one of us square in the eyes, man I have never seen eyes like that. When you wear a leper label all you see are eyes filled with fear, hate, and disgust, but not Jesus. No for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I saw compassion, I saw love, and most of all I saw acceptance. Then He said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” This might not mean that much to you but it did to us. The only way for a leper to be allowed back into the community, to get their life back, was to be declared clean by a priest. When Jesus told us to go to the priest we knew what that meant. We were going to be cured! When you where a leper label ANY compassion is extraordinary but this … there just aren’t words to describe how I felt.

All ten of us did the same thing. We did what we were told we headed toward the temple. We might not have been the smartest group of guys but we were no dummies. We knew right away Jesus wasn’t looking to make a deal. All he was looking for was obedience. Some people try to bargain with Him. They say things like, “I will obey you if you do this first. If you fix my marriage I’ll do what you ask. If you get me out of debt, I’ll pay my tithe. If you get my kids out of trouble then I’ll serve you.” There are a lot of times when Jesus asks for obedience and what He gets instead is a negotiation. He never shows up and says, “Let’s make a deal!” Nope, He just shows up and says “Here’s what I want you to do.” We figured it out right away, he didn’t need us to make a deal he needed us to do what He said.

I took one final glance at this gentle Jesus and then I wheeled and took off for the priest. I am telling you, if a leper’s feet can leave skid marks in the dust mine did! I have never run so fast or furious. But I didn’t get very far. Just a few short strides away I noticed my feet didn’t ache and my arms didn’t hurt. I looked at my left hand and … it was clean. My pace slowed as I inspected my right arm and found the same results. Now was I was at a standstill as I scoured my legs and stomach. To my utter glee I was totally, completely clean! My leper label fell off like a week old band-aid and underneath was healthy vibrant skin.

My heart was racing and the breaths came harder than they did when I was at full sprint. I just stood there taking it all in. Suddenly everything changed. The men I was running with whizzed passed me. They continued their frenzied journey toward the tow, oblivious to my pause. I watched as the people I had spent years with drifted farther into the cloud of dust rising behind them. These were the only friends I knew. The only comfort I found came in that group. But I couldn’t go with them.

As they ran toward town, towards their families, their lives before leprosy, I turned back, and ran to Jesus. I fell down at his feet and cried, and cried, and cried. Jesus gave me a brand new identity that day. I was no longer defined by my disease. Now, I was his follower. He can do that for anyone, you know. Whether what used to define us was leprosy, or addiction, or loneliness, or anger, or any other label. Jesus gives us a new name, a new heart, a new identity.

I found out something else that day. Besides discovering that Jesus isn’t afraid to go to people and places no one else would go; that He hears when we cry out to Him; and that He has power over any kind of disease that would seek to destroy us; I discovered that there is a very big difference between being cured and being healed. Being cured is temporary but being healed is eternal. All ten of us were cured of our leprosy but none of us were going to live forever. As great as it was in that moment the cure was only temporary.

When I went back to Jesus He said to me, “Your faith has made you well.” The word He used for “well” is the root word for salvation. Real salvation is not just deliverance from an earthy disease, nor is it deliverance from a fiery eternity. It is being made whole, being healed, in the deepest, fullest, and richest expression of the word. It means being made complete through a relationship with Jesus that starts now and carries over into eternity.

All ten of us were cured but only I was healed. My friends got what they wanted and went on. I got what I thought I wanted only to discover what I really needed. It wasn’t just a physical cure, but the wholeness that only happens when having Jesus is more important than having anything else. I understood as I fell at His feet. He spoke to the crowd, leaned down and helped me to me to my feet. I was crying before but I was blubbering now. This was the first physical contact I had in years. I was untouchable, but now I was being held by my healer! What a moment that was. I had what I thought I needed but now I had so much more than that. I had Him. Jesus offered Himself to me and He became my friend. So I worshiped and worshiped and worshiped … how could I do anything else? I entered that hopeless leper colony unclean and unloved. But because of Jesus I left there not only cured but healed.

This isn’t a story about a Jesus who did miracles a long time ago. It’s about a Jesus who hears our cries today. He still shows up in no man’s land, he still listens to those that cry out, and he still cures some sicknesses, but He brings healing to every broken heart and life that is hungry to be made whole.

We as a colony, a community, a church believe in a God who can make us whole. The fourteenth article in our articles of faith says, “We believe in the Biblical doctrine of divine healing and urge our people to seek to offer the prayer of faith for the healing of the sick. We also believe God heals through the means of medical science.” Healing, wholeness, salvation – it’s much more than the temporary cure of a physical ailment. It’s being made whole and well in the deepest sense of the word through a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is why a person can be cured and not be made whole, and a person can be made whole without being physically cured.

If you are in need of a healing touch today we want to give you an opportunity to cry out to Jesus. It’s not just broken bodies that need healing, it’s broken hearts, broken emotions, broken relationships, all need a healing touch. If you entered this place feeling hopeless, unclean and unloved, you could find yourself leaving not only cured, but healed, saved, made whole. Do you need a touch from Jesus? If so I invite you to come, to cry out, and to experience the presence, healing power, and the love of Christ today.

Benediction: Go forth to worship the Lord Jesus Christ who hears our cries and makes us whole. Amen.

Luke 17: 11-19

2007-10-18T13:10:00.001-04:00

Bible Study Luke 17: 11-19

NIV ¹¹Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy^[a]met him. They stood at a distance ¹³and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" ¹⁴When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" ¹⁹Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

The Message ^{11 -13}It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" ^{14 -16}Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan. ^{17 -19}Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."

Vs 11 ¹¹Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. Every time I run across this statement "on his way to Jerusalem" in the gospels, I stop, take a deep breath and am thankful. Jesus knew he was going to die; he knew he was the sacrifice for sin; what an incredible burden that must have been. There is no way to really understand the weight he carried, we can only be filled with gratitude that he did. Yet, all along the way he always has time to meet the needs of those around him. I mean salvation of the world, past, present, future OR heal a few lepers. And Jesus has time for both… what a Savior. How often does the phrase escape from my lips, "I don't have time." The other item in this verse is the route itself. It was by no means a direct route and in Matthew we see all kinds of things happening on this very same route, Matthew 19: 1- 20: 34. He even has time to bless some little children, all on the route to pain, rejection and death.

¹²As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosymet him. They stood at a distance ¹³and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

In the Bible there are different types of skin diseases. Those classified as tsāra 'ath (always translated leprosy in the KJV), were believed to require isolation. Leprosy begins with brownish-red spots on the face, ears, forearms, thighs, and/or buttocks that later become thickened nodules and, losing their skin covering, become ulcers with subsequent loss of tissue, followed by contraction and deformity. This was believed to be contagious, so great precaution was taken by the people. Lepers were required to stand far off, live separated lives, therefore, if they had something to say or a need it had to be yelled. When they were coming into proximity to non-lepers they were required to shout, "Unclean, unclean." So that others could avoid getting close. There was no specified distance at which they should stand, but some authorities say when a leper was windward of a healthy person, they should be 50 yards away. So, here we have ten lepers standing at a distance hollering at Jesus. I also notice, that these lepers had some knowledge of Jesus and who he was. I wonder if they had been in contact with another leper whom he had healed? Cantrell speculation there. J

¹⁴When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. In the book of Leviticus it gives specific instructions about skin diseases. What must be done and how. One part is that the priest (the health inspector of the day) must see that the leprosy or skin disorder is clear, so that they could return to the community. Now, Jesus who is God in the flesh, I wouldn't think would need to have a priest declare them clean. Jesus could have healed them right then and there. So I'm forced to ask why? He could make their flesh like a newborn's instantly but we see that he follows the accepted traditions of the day; he follows what he's been taught; actual protocol. We must understand that to Jesus the law was seen in relational terms, NOT RULES. Jesus was radical, he was assertive, he was an instigator but he was not a heretic. There was nothing wrong with the Law, only how man had twisted it. He knew for those men to be credible with their own communities (relationships), he must send them to the priest, that way there could be no question in the future as to their healing, not for them, their associates or the health officials of the day (priests). As we see change in the church (and we need to see change in methodology) there are some things that are not negotiable. There's nothing wrong with the theology of the Church. But when any of us take the relationship out of our belief system and make it a set of what to do or not to do, we've missed it!!! O.K. that's a whole different study. Next we see "as they went, they were cleansed." They acted in obedience BEFORE the miracle happened. It happened as they did what Jesus told them to do. I can not begin to recount the times that I've heard, "Well, I'd _____________ for God if He _________________ for me." And unfortunately, my own lips have uttered that phrase in a variety of ways. "Oh, Lord if you will just heal my boy I will serve you." "Lord, if you'll keep me from going bankrupt, I'll be sure and pay my tithe." "Oh, Lord if you'll keep me from dying, I'll be a preacher." We see a miracle of healing happen in this scripture but it follows obedience first…important lesson for us.

¹⁵One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. This one man is fully conscious of the miracle which had happened and is deeply grateful. With great emotion and with loud voice he expresses his thanks. I hope I praise in the same way! Twenty-six years ago my life was a mess, I really had no identity, I had little love, I was empty then I was restored completely by Jesus. I really was made new, transformed, changed! So different that when people who knew me saw me they commented on how different I looked physically! I was healed from a variety of hurts and down the road I was even healed from Hepatitis C. I can't even begin to re-count all the times God has done unexplainable, miraculous things in my life to this very day. So how can I be quiet! When the Chiefs win (and that's a miracle) people jump up and holler. Jesus Christ has conquered death, hell and the grave, how can I be quiet and reserved…how can we, any of us, not have great emotion and with a loud voice express thanks. Let that mull in you as you come to corporate worship next Sunday. J Next point, where are the other nine? Sometimes when people get what they pray for, get what they want, it becomes a testing moment. For nine of these lepers, for reasons unknown they took their healing and never looked back or gave thanks. So, I can only believe there is a difference between healing and wholeness. One was made whole and nine were healed of a sickness. I know people who are dying today, who have prayed for healing from whatever disease racks their body but continue to live with it, YET (and that's a big yet) they are more alive than many other people I know who are healthy. They are at peace, they are loving, they are praising God, they are without fear, they are truly whole.

¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Now the story takes a turn, we discover that one of the ten was a Samaritan. This gives it a completely different slant. It's not just about healing, gratitude and praise. Samaritans and Jews did NOT associate, not in any shape form or fashion. Yet, here they are living together, traveling together…dying together. Could that be the key, illness or desperate need of some kind is no respecter of persons. They were brought together by their common sickness/need, everything else went to the wayside. They forgot they were Jews or Samaritans, they only knew they were in a hopeless situation.

¹⁷Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

I don't know the tone that was in Jesus voice…was it frustration, hurt, anger, I wonder? Or could Jesus have been disappointed for another reason, the fact that he knew ten were healed of a sickness, but only one was made well… made whole… made complete…given abundant life? He gave opportunity to ten but only one took it, that is really one of the saddest things I've ever thought about. It makes me think about how many times God offers Himself to us and we don't take it, we continue to rely on ourselves, denying inner peace that is available.

¹⁹Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Jesus, then blesses him and gives him purpose, go. I can imagine he would have loved to followed Jesus, been the thirteenth disciple. I mean he came back and fell at his feet, this is what one would do to a master as a slave, or a soldier to a Caesar, or a worshipper to a god. This man came to place himself in Jesus service but the Lord says go. Go back to your life, go back to your family or whatever but go – now can you imagine what was on this fellows lips as he went back. You can bet he was a preacher and a half. Praise for God, praise to Jesus, praise for the one who made him whole – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Jesus is definitely willing to heal. He still offers wholeness. The question is, am I calling out, obedient, grateful, praising and willing to serve. Am I really ready for wholeness or do I just want the problem fixed? A question for all of us to ponder...

Resources: Beacon Bible Commentary by Charles L. Childers; The Communicator's Commentary – Luke by Lloyd J. Ogilvie; NIV Bible Dictionary; The Gospel of Luke by William Barclay; Beacon bible Expositions by Reuben Welch

Study Lamentations 3

2007-10-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

Email Study

Lamentations 3: 19-26

NIV 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." 25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

The Message 19-21I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lost-ness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember— the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: 22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left. 25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times.

To study anything out of Lamentations we MUST know context and genre here, or misinterpretation can happen easily! I will be using information from Discovering the Old Testament Story and Faith, Edited by Alex Varughese (who was one of Pastor Steve’s professors at Mt. Vernon). This is a great easy to read book and I highly recommend it for anyone who teaches, preaches or studies the Old Testament. What I would like to do is simply give an over view of the entire book then the passage itself can be properly understood.

Lamentations is part of the Writings in the Hebrew Canon. As I researched this book it came to my attention that the title in the Hebrew is “How” – I wonder if the writer was thinking, “how did we get here?” or maybe “how did it come to this?” Many scholars regard this book as the work of a writer who was an eyewitness of the tragic fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Tradition holds it was Jeremiah and this is perfectly possible, for that was in his lifetime and he was part of the fall of the nation.

We must understand this is not biblical law, story or lists, this particular book is poetry or poetic song. Each of the five poems (chapters), except the last one, is constructed as an acrostic, using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These are also to be read as funeral dirges. We don’t often hear dirges, or at least not on a regular basis. Even at funerals we often hear happy or hopeful songs, which is fine but the author of Lamentations is unafraid to cry out. Then through poetry/song express the deep emotional distress over death and destruction, as always we could learn from this open honesty.

This little book reminds us of the tragic consequence of breaking covenant with God. Though suffering is a major issue in this book, we MUST place it in context, God’s wrath is poured out upon those who have been unfaithful to him. This book is very different from Job, where he suffers even though he hasn’t sinned. The Bible is really does address situations all around us, even today. There will be times when we suffer because of choices to sin. Then there will be times we suffer by no choice of our own, suffering simply because we live in a fallen, broken world. There may even be times when we suffer, not because we’ve made sinful decisions but because someone else does. God doesn’t shy away from pain and we should not either. Grief is not a personal matter. Lamentations challenges us to speak openly about our agony, pain and the chaos that surrounds our human existence. We must also take time to examine, reflect, and come to grips with our pain. We must take time pray, confess, and seek God’s forgiveness if it comes due to bad choices. In the end, what sustains us regardless of life’s circumstances is God’s faithfulness and love, which surrounds us no matter what we are going through.

Let’s look at each poem just a little… (1: 1-22) The author laments over the desolation of Jerusalem and recognized the truth that the desecration of the Temple was the direct consequence of the sins of God’s people. God had withdrawn His presence, which left Israel with no rest or comfort. The poet invited the nation to admit that God is righteous in all that He does, and to confess their rebellion against Him. (2: 1-22) The author saw the destruction of the Temple and other symbols of God’s holiness as the sign of God’s anger against sin. God withdrew His communication through the Law and prophetic visions. However, God would have pity for them if they would come into His presence with a broken heart. (3: 1-66) Like Job, the author complained to God about his suffering. But unlike Job, the writer was convinced that he and his nation were suffering because of their sins. Nonetheless, he maintained hope in God’s great love, compassion, and faithfulness. In the midst of suffering, even suffering from the consequence of choices made by ourselves or others around us, this person proclaims God GOOD! The poet challenges the people to confess their sin and acknowledge their guilt before God so they would once again experience unbroken relationship with him. (4: 1-22) The poet reminds the people they were paying a terrible price for their sins. This situation was as bad as it gets. During this time of Babylonian siege, even mothers lost compassion for their starving children. The responsibility for this tragedy was on the prophets and priests, who failed to give proper spiritual direction. Those of us in leadership need to take notice.

(5: 1-22) The writer emphasizes in this particular tragedy it is all because of the sin of the people. The song ends with an appeal for restoration of God’s people. He understands God will not reject or be angry forever with a repentant sinner.

Last spring this book was part of my own personal devotion time, I found it to be rich and meaningful. One reason was because it’s real, it is not at all “pie in the sky and the sweet by and by.” Jesus was real when He walked this earth, He was honest, He cried at death, He hated it when people mistreated each other, He died to defeat death and reconcile us with to Himself. Our walk with God is not based on circumstance (good or bad) it is based on our relationship with the One in who’s “great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." 25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

Sermon Luke: 15: 1-10

2007-10-01T17:02:00.001-04:00

Sermon by Pastor Steve Estep to go with last week’s Bible Study -- Luke 15:1-10 Title: “Lost and found”

(Printed with permission)

I saw it in the lobby of the elementary school. It usually takes a few months for it to appear but by the end of the year it’s always full. It was mounded up with jackets, hats, gloves, and mittens without mates, sweatshirts and even some shoes. They’d been left somewhere in the school or on the bus by an absent minded kid who had a whole lot on their mind besides keeping track of their stuff. They weren’t old or worn out or worthless by any means. They were just forgotten, and there were a lot of kids who weren’t going to take the time to sort through everything to find what they had lost. So the clothes were piled up into a mound in a container that looked like a cage…Discarded. Forgotten. Lost but not found. Near the end of the year last year, Mr. Erholtz asked me if we could use it and I said the Thrift Store would take it, to let me know if he needed anyone to take it down there. As far as I know that’s where it all ended up. Lost. Thrown into a cage. Taken away.

The table where Jesus sat in Luke 15 must have looked like a cage of forgotten people. They’d been discarded, left alone, and to use language that is both literal and spiritual, they were lost. Lost souls without a home and as far as they knew, no one was looking for them. That is, until Jesus showed up. He was a lot different than any other religious person they’d ever been around. He was fun. He didn’t ignore them. He didn’t put on any masks or take on any new tones whether he was talking to them or talking to God. There was something refreshing about him. Something that made them want to be where He was. He wasn’t repulsed by them and they sensed that. In fact Jesus didn’t just tolerate being around them, he made it a point to be with them, on purpose. He invited them to be where He was.

Around Jesus’ table sat an assortment of sinners, the equivalent of a Baskin Robbins of broken humanity that was as flavorful as it was colorful. Yet all of them were drawn to Jesus. They were interested in what He had to say. When He spoke it was if he could read not just their minds, but their hearts. He connected with them. He cared about them. When they were with Jesus, they felt like they really mattered. Who wouldn’t be drawn to someone like that? Every person I know wants that too – to know that they really matter, that they’re worth something, that they are worth finding.

It was an interesting bunch sitting around Jesus’ table. Tax collectors, prostitutes, con men. One of them was probably Levi, or Matthew. He had been a tax collector too. I think it’s not too far fetched to imagine that he knew some of those who were at the table that day, and even more than that, that he had invited a couple of them to be there. Matthew had a great story. His life had been a mess. He made a living cheating people. He was a traitor who sided with Roman government to make a buck. He alienated himself from folks by taking advantage of them. While he didn’t have a lot of friends, he did have a lot of cash. But it wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t going to be enough no matter how much He got. And He knew it. Possessions can only take a person so far, satisfy so much. In the end there’s really no substitute for really living, no matter how much money a person has. Matthew knew the emptiness this cage of humanity that surrounded him was feeling because he had felt it too.

He knew what it was like to do life in the cage of the lost, wanting more but not knowing where to get it. Hungry for God and not knowing it. Wanting to be found but not knowing how. It all changed for him when Jesus showed up one day right where he was. Jesus is like that. He tends to show up right where people are, right where people need Him, and right when we are ready to respond to Him. Whether it’s a tax booth, toll booth, house, office, car, restaurant, grocery store, construction site, chapel or church, He always seems to show up where people need Him.

Jesus had invited Matthew too. Not just to dinner, but to life, and it was an invitation Matthew had accepted. He left the old way of life behind – totally. He walked toward Jesus and when he did he walked away from sin. In one day his life totally changed directions and what was old was made new, what was dead came alive. It really is possible for that to happen, you know. Life can change in one day, in one encounter. One invitation from Jesus to walk with Him can make all the difference in the world. It did for Matthew, and if he was going to have anything to say or do about it, some of his friends were going to experience it too. It is that way when you get found. When a person goes from being lost to being found, that’s not the kind of thing you keep to yourself.

Matthew might have been at the table, but the Pharisees would have been looking at the table, keeping their distance, not getting too close. They had their own ideas about what should be done with the riff-raff around Jesus’ table. They needed to be lost. Thrown into a cage. Taken away. They were unclean and needed to be avoided. You can’t stay clean running around with filth. Purity has to be protected. Sinners are to be avoided.

But Jesus didn’t avoid or ignore the sinners to maintain His purity. Apparently He didn’t think their sin was a threat to His holiness and He jumped into the cage with them, which was something the Pharisees totally didn’t get. I can see where they were coming from. Who of us hasn’t said to our kids, “Be careful who you hang around with because birds of a feather flock together.” The truth is, while we may find it easy to see the faults of the Pharisees, there’s probably a little Pharisee in all of us. Some sizes and shapes of lost are better left in the cage. The folks who were at the party but not part of it, the religious people, they murmured. They grumbled under their breath. They complained about Jesus sitting at a table with sinners, and in response to their high-brow belittling, Jesus said, “Let me tell you a story” this is where we find Luke 15: 1-10.

I think I can see Matthew nudging his lost friend about right here. “That’s what I’ve been telling you. I was a lost sheep and He came looking for me. It’s a great life, this being found. In fact it’s why He came. He’s still looking. He doesn’t walk by the cage of lost humanity and keep going, He jumps right into it. Jesus doesn’t see any of us, not one of us as worthless. He wants us all to be found, even the Pharisees. The way He goes about it is a lot different than anything we’ve ever seen before, but it sure makes you want to be found doesn’t it?”

While the Pharisees are grumbling and Matthew is praying for his friend, and His friend is contemplating the biggest move of his entire life, Jesus is on to another story just to make sure that if they didn’t get it the first time they get it now.

God is the kind of God who goes looking for lost people, because He values them – He values us. God is the Shepherd who goes after the lost sheep, the woman who tears up the house looking for her lost coin, the Father who welcomes a lost son with open arms. He’s the Creator who jumps into the cage of the lost and joins us where we are so that we might be able to join Him where He is. And He’s the kind of God who sees to it that when lost folks like us get found, there’s always a party.

That’s what it’s like in the Kingdom. It’s a party. It’s a celebration every time a lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son or daughter gets found. The Father says “strike up the band, get the food on the table, tell the angels to start dancing because there’s going to be a party!” There was a party when Matthew who was lost, got found. There was a party when … who was lost got found. There was a party when… who was lost got found. And maybe, just maybe today heaven itself is waiting to spread the table, start the music, and get it started again for someone right here who came in lost, but is going to go out having been found.

When the story we’ve just heard starts, it starts with Jesus at a table with a bunch of sinners. One of the things that got him on the bad side of the religious people was that he ate with, fellowshipped with, entered into relationships with sinful people. According to their way of thinking, eating with these folks was the same as condoning what they did. I can see that I guess. But there was more going on than eating at this table. Jesus was sending everyone there a message. It wasn’t a message that said He was OK with sin, but it was a message that said He wasn’t going to wait for the sinners to get all cleaned up before He was willing to sit down and talk with them. I guess in some ways the Table (Pastor walks to the church’s communion table) here is supposed to look like the table there. If all we have is the already found around the table, then we’ve been guilty of walking past the cage that Jesus jumped into. I think pretty much every time we get together there ought to be sinners pulling up to the table. Lost sheep invited by found sheep who are interested in what this Jesus has to say, this pure and holy Jesus who welcomes sinners and forgives sins. The Jesus in our story from Luke is the same Jesus who is here right now. I think He’s interested in having people like us in places like this pull up a chair at His table and enjoy His company. We may even find ourselves sitting right beside someone who is the cause of a party in heaven this very day. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see. Amen.

2007-09-25T08:57:00.001-04:00

Luke 15: 1-7

NIV Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes inners and eats with them." 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it. 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I tell you that in the same way there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do no need to repent.

The Message By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. 2 The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with the, treating them like old friends." 3 Their grumbling triggered this story. 4 "Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it. 5 When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, 6 rejoicing and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' 7 Count on it – there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

This is a parable, parabolē (Greek), likeness. A parable is thus a comparison of two objects for the purpose of teaching. We can also see in the New Testament that the parables also contain elements of other figures of speech, such as an allegory. There are some principles for interpreting a parable: perspective, cultural, and exegetical.

Perspective - understanding the parables in their relation to who Christ/God is and what the Kingdom of God is. Cultural – one must not overlook the back ground in which our Lord lived and worked. Exegitical – what is the one central truth the parable is attempting to teach; how much of the parable has the Lord himself interpreted for the listeners; and is there a comparison and what is it?

Chapter 15 of Luke could be titled, "Seeking the Lost" there are three parables in it about lost-ness and being found.

Now, this parable…

The first thing that catches my eye is who the audience contained (vs 1) Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. Why? Why would these folks of "doubtful reputation" be hanging around a preacher? I can understand verse 2, there's the church people…it is common and normal for church people to gather around someone who talks about God and God stuff. But these were not the "nice, Dudley Do-Rights" that were at Jesus feet listening intently, why is that? Could it be that Jesus didn't condemn…he just spoke truth? Could it be that Jesus was out in their world, walking their streets, eating in their homes…rather than simply expecting them to seek him out, come to his street, eat in his house (which he didn't have anyway)? Could it be that Jesus always built them up, made them someone…rather than expecting them to behave appropriately? In Jesus day every thing in life was based on who you were and what you had. But Jesus gave everyone who He came in contact with him - distinction, even a naked wild man! Jesus still does, for us that means………. if we are Christians, we give everyone distinction, worth! If we look at our lives who gathers around us, why? Who's streets do we walk, why? Who's homes do we eat in, why? So, if Jesus is our example, if we are to reflect Christ, who's listening intently at our feet? And on the other side of the coin, who's feet do we sit at? Would we identify with tax collectors and sinners (listening intently), or are we the Pharisees and teachers of the law (whining about who Jesus is hanging with), now really? In this parable see a comparison between Jesus attitude and that of the Pharisees toward people who were not considered appropriate, love/hate, acceptance/rejection.

O.K., sorry for the tangent, the parable…

Vs 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it." The hundred sheep - this could be referring to mankind in the beginning before the fall. We were all a part of the fold, there was no separation. From this description then leaving the 99 would really be mankind and any one who sins (and we all have) being sought by the shepherd. That means everyone from the beginning of time through the future are diligently pursued by the shepherd who see their incredible worth. God wants all of us to come to be His sheep. Then he is most happy over this than anything else. Or this flock could be referring to those who already are a part of the Kingdom, already knowing the shepherd, Jesus. In this second explanation it would mean that there are those who have followed Jesus but for one reason or another have become lost, and the shepherd goes to retrieve them, seeks for them. When thinking this direction it would also really be indicating, that he leaves those who are in the flock (the church) to seek the lost one. He leaves the 99 in the wilderness! Now, leaving the 99 in the wilderness doesn't sound like the same Jesus who says in Matthew 28 "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." Unless, the shepherd felt secure that the 99 would be safe, how could they be safe with the shepherd gone, especially in the wilderness? Safety - if they take care of each other, not expecting the shepherd to do it all. Safety - if they protect, feed, help each other, knowing the shepherd is seeking the lost one. Safety – in staying together, in unity. What would that mean for us as a church, who do we depend on to do the care, the teaching, the work, create the unity, etc. in the flock?

5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' Celebration, joy, party hardy! When the shepherd finds the lost one he puts it on his shoulders and dances a jig. What I don't see here is the shepherd spanking the sheep for being lost, no where is there any hint of blame, condemnation, fault, pointing the finger at, reproach, or criticism, just joy. As one of the ninety-nine what is my response to those who are lost? And am I really joy filled when they are found, or is my response, "it's about time?" Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

7 I tell you that in the same way there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do no need to repent.

This is pretty straight forward, it's a party in heaven when a sinner repents and do they know how to party! Just as a side note: repent means turning around, going the opposite direction, change. Now back to the fun time in heaven! Unfortunately, what's not here causes me to examine my motives and actions. I can't find the following reasons that cause heaven to whoop it up: church attendance; contributions; Bible memorization; service; and you can fill in the blank many times over. Don't get me wrong these things have their place but they are not what causes the festival. Heaven rejoices when a sinner comes to repentance, when they are reconciled to a relationship with God.

The main point to this parable and the two that follow is not necessarily the love of the shepherd/father (although it's there) or the search (it's there too) but the joy over the found and the desire God has for that joy to be shared. In these stories we get the meaning of repentance and the incredible celebration that God has when a sinner is reconciled to Him. Remember these parables tell us about God through Christ. RESOURCES: NIV Bible Dictionary,1987 Zondervan; Childers, Charles, Beacon Bible Commentary-Luke, Rueben Welch, Beacon Bible Expositions; Fred Craddock, Interpretation - Luke

Luke 14: 1, 7-14

2007-08-27T11:39:00.001-04:00

Luke 14: 1, 7-14

NIV ¹One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched

⁷When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: ⁸"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. ¹⁰But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. ¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." ¹²Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

The first thing I notice here is that despite the fact that Jesus had experienced multiple confrontations with the Pharisees and knew they were out to kill him, he still accepts an invite to dinner. This says to me that, I don’t write people off even when I’ve been hurt or don’t necessarily agree with them.

I also notice right off the bat Jesus was being carefully watched. We all are being watched by someone, now, I’m really not paranoid. J I just know that it’s human nature to watch others, especially if they proclaim something about themselves. If someone tells me, they play guitar, I anticipate their being able to play a song and it be recognizable. If they tell me they can cook, I expect it to taste good. If they tell me they are a Christian then I watch to see if they follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. I sure meet a lot of people who claim to be Christian who do not practice what Jesus taught, sometimes they haven’t even read his teachings (the Bible). I have to tell you this makes me sick! Let me tell you how I really feel…whoops, maybe I better not use that language here. You see the word Christian means (little Christ) it means we follow, believe and practice what Jesus taught. As humans, we make mistakes, we sin, we fail but if we claim to be Christian we confess, repent and make restitution then don’t keep hurting people (because that’s what sin is). Remember repent means “turn and go the opposite direction.”

Then Jesus tells a story, the story of a person who was invited to a banquet and takes the best seat in the house. Now this would be like being invited to a large banquet where Queen Elizabeth and parliament were the special guests. Getting there early then sitting on the platform beside her chair and waiting on everyone to arrive. Of course, when the Secret Service (or what ever those British guy’s in black are called) get there, my guess would be… you will be moved to a different table or out the door in rapid secession. This would embarrass and humiliate anyone, thrown out after you rented that Tux. Jesus is saying don’t be arrogant, don’t consider yourself above others, in His Kingdom we really are on level ground. Put others first, there’s no scratching to get to the top. When we take this mind set, when we really consider others as loved by God and loved by us, it’s easy to put them first. Oh yes, there’s risk involved, Jesus life shows us that!!!! I mean he ended up murdered. Yet, “God exalted Him and gave Him the Name that is above every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess the Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Being humble brings inner rewards from God… things like I don’t have to be stressed out about climbing the ladder, I can be content in encouraging others, I can have inner peace by not worrying about what others think, freedom from the bondage to be social acceptable. Personally, I love those rewards, simplifies life…

The passage ends with a call to be hospitable to those who can’t repay. I must look into myself and say, “How often do I do good things because there’s something in it for me?” It could be as little as doing something and feeling good about myself or as broad as doing good because it brings me economic rewards. Jesus is saying do it because you love God, because He is the only one you wish to please, and there in His Kingdom everyone matters. He invites the “misfits” and because we are Christian , so do we. No prejudices, no arrogance, no conceit, no egotism, no pride, no overconfidence, no self-importance – we are simply followers after God and lovers of mankind.

Sermon on John 12: 37-43

2007-08-13T13:48:00.001-04:00

Sermon by Dr. Steve Estep – “The Naz” Harrisonville Campus 8/12/07 used with permission

Text: John 12:37-43

Title: “Fear Factor”

Pastor began the sermon with short video of clips from the TV show fear factor then moved to clips from “The Naz-Fear Factor” the first was of someone in the pew watching as the offering plates comes closer, closer, closer…then moves to a woman who is being asking to help in the nursery then running screaming away…then to someone in the music portion of worship with an apathetic, flat facial expression who unsuccessfully keeps attempting to raise one hand…and finally moving to looking at houses through a fence in deathly fear of “sharing” Jesus with someone…

Does anyone know what these words mean?

Agyrophobia- Fear of streets or crossing the street.

Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.

Sesquipedalophobia- Fear of long words

Homilophobia- Fear of sermons – hope none of you have that!

Today we’re going to look at a Scripture where people were afraid. Read text.

John tells us that even though they had seen Jesus in person doing miracles, many of the people still refused to believe in Him. I guess seeing isn’t always believing. Others, however did believe, but they had another problem. They were afraid to let anyone know about it because they thought it might get them kicked out of the club (the Temple), and what other people thought of them meant more to them than what God thought. They were afraid to speak up.

The fact that others didn’t yet believe in Jesus and were lost, separated from God, and had not experienced His forgiveness was not a big enough motivation to compel them to face their fears. Even though it really was a matter of life and death that had eternal consequences, their fear factor was too big. Their silence was a sign. It was a sign that they found nothing greater to live for than self, which had to be preserved. Their own reputations were more important than other people’s eternal destiny and they refused to say anything when given the opportunity to speak up about their belief in Jesus. Not even money would have motivated them to overcome their fear of being labeled, disliked, and disallowed from entry into the temple. The truth that some of their own friends, neighbors, and even family members did not believe in Jesus and consequently were not experiencing the kind of life we only find in Him didn’t matter to them.

But it matters to us! It does matter to us that we have neighbors who we talk to when we’re out working in the yard, whose kids we watch on occasion who are missing out on a relationship with Jesus. It matters to us that we have family members who are not walking with or living for God. It matters to us that across the street, across the office, and sometimes under our own roofs there are people we know, love, and care about who need someone to speak up about Jesus. That does matter to us.

That doesn’t mean the fear factor is totally gone for us. It’s not an easy thing to speak out about Jesus when you’re not sure how your words are going to be received. Even the boldest of witnesses have had to face and overcome the tendency we all have to want other people to approve of us. No one likes to be ostracized or the brunt of jokes, even if it is because of our faith. While the reality that others may in and of itself not completely banish our fears, it’s a big enough motivation to cause us to face them.

We know that there is a motivation for actively proclaiming Christ that is far more significant than the protection of our reputation. We wouldn’t do it for money either, but there is a motivation that’s greater than money - it’s the motivation of our mission which is rooted in a love for God and for others who need God. It may not have mattered to the silent believers in our scripture for today that lost people around them needed to hear about their belief in Jesus, but it matters to us.

It’s really kind of crazy the things people will do on TV to get money. They’ll confront all kinds of fears. Money is a motivation that drives them. But the only thing driving the people we’re reading about today is fear, which is never the best motivation.

The fact that their silence effected not only the lost, but other believers didn’t matter to them either. It didn’t matter that other people who believed in Jesus but were also a little timid about saying anything would have been strengthened, empowered, encouraged to get vocal themselves if some other believer would have been willing to speak up. It didn’t matter that they could have built up each other’s faith. At least it didn’t matter enough to make any difference. The self-serving motivation to stay silent was stronger than any value they put on how their speaking or their silence might effect others who believed. Their silence was a sign. A sign that they found nothing greater to live for than self, which had to be protected. The impact their silence was making on other believers wasn’t nearly as important as what people thought of them. Not even money would have motivated them to open their mouths and overcome their fear factor. They were controlled by the fear of being labeled, disliked, and disallowed into the temple. The way their actions effected other believers - it didn’t matter to them.

But it matters to us because we understand that everything we do impacts not just us, but all the people who are around us. It matters to us that all of our behavior, whether has to do with speaking out about Jesus or not, will help or hinder, build up or tear down, represent well or misrepresent Christ. It matters to us that our integrity, our consistency, or the lack of that impacts the people around us. It matters to us because we care about each other like a family, like the Body of Christ is supposed to care about each other. It matters to us because this is not the kind of place where we can say with our words or our actions, “I don’t care about how my actions affect you.” In fact, we know that the Word says we are to prefer each other, putting each other’s needs above our own, and being so concerned with how our actions might impact our brothers and sisters that it impacts everything we do. We know there is something a lot more significant than self worth living for. We understand that everything we do or won’t do effects other believers. That means something to us that it didn’t mean to the people in this text.

Knowing that our silence can have an adverse effect on our brothers and sisters in the faith doesn’t mean the fear factor is totally gone for us. It’s not an easy thing to speak out about Jesus when you’re in the school cafeteria, the opportunity is there to say something God-centered and you’re not sure if anyone else feels the same way you do. It’s not easy when a group of people is poking fun at “goody-goody” Christians to identify yourself as one of them. But when we know that there may be another believer around who will either be inspired and helped by our speech, or disappointed and defeated by our silence, we put our fear aside.

Not even money would have motivated the people in our text to speak up, but we know that there is a motivation for proclaiming Christ that is far more significant. We wouldn’t do it for money either, but there is a motivation that surpasses that, and it’s the motivation of our mission which is rooted in a love for other believers, and love for God.

Love can motivate people to do all kinds of things. Sacrifices are made for love that wouldn’t made for anything else in the world. Mothers who are scared of spiders would stare down a lion because of love for their kids. Men would be fearless in the face of an armed felon in order to protect the woman they love. Women who would watch entire football games, and men would spend a whole day enduring hours of torture and trial otherwise known as a shopping spree for love. Love causes us to do things we wouldn’t normally do. The poor people in our Scripture today couldn’t be motivated by concern for the lost, care about other believers, and they couldn’t even find motivation in love for Jesus. Their silence was a sign. A sign that they found nothing greater to live for than self. The love shown to them by a holy God didn’t matter, not nearly as much as what other people were going to think of them. It didn’t matter to them that love compelled Christ to cross the cosmos and make earth His home. It didn’t matter to them that Jesus loved them so much He was willing to give His life for them. Neither love nor money would have motivated them to open their mouths and overcome their fear factor, the fear of being labeled, disliked, and disallowed from entry into the temple. The fact that God loved them – when confronted with their self-motivated fear, it just didn’t matter to them.

But it matters to us. We know that the only way we even know what love is, is because we saw it first in Jesus, and that matters to us. We know that greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for His friends - and that matters to us. We know that Jesus loved us with a love enough to die, and that matters to us. It may not have mattered enough for the people in this Scripture to stand up, speak out, and face their fears, but it does for us. We know that there is a motivation for proclaiming Christ that is far more significant than the protection of self. We wouldn’t do it for money either, but there is a motivation that surpasses what money can entice, and it’s the motivation of our mission which is rooted in love – love for God and love for others. There’s a reason for that.

There’s something else that love does. I John 4:18 – perfect love casts out fear. The love that God has for us, and that we have for God can be so great that it motivates, empowers and compels us to do what fear would otherwise prevent. It’s love - love for the lost, for each other, and for God that empowers us to speak up when we could be silent. It’s love that overcomes fear.

Communion: His love is announced at this Table. His love is given and received at this Table. His love is proclaimed at this Table. Paul said I Cor. 11:23-26: “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” Our celebration of the sacrament is one of the ways we actively proclaim Christ. But here today, as we celebrate His love for us, and foster our love for Him, may we also be given the grace to receive the kind of love that casts out fear, and forces our silence to flee.

Benediction: Our mission is to glorify God by actively proclaiming Christ. Our motivation is Love. Let’s get to it.

John 12: 36-43

2007-08-13T11:37:00.001-04:00

John 12: 37-43

NIV ³⁷Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" ³⁹For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ⁴⁰"He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them." ⁴¹Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. ⁴²Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³for they loved praise from men more than praise from God

The Message ^{36 -40}Jesus said all this, and then went into hiding. All these God-signs he had given them and they still didn't get it, still wouldn't trust him. This proved that the prophet Isaiah was right: God, who believed what we preached? Who recognized God's arm, outstretched and ready to act? First they wouldn't believe, then they couldn't—again, just as Isaiah said: Their eyes are blinded, their hearts are hardened, So that they wouldn't see with their eyes and perceive with their hearts, And turn to me, God, so I could heal them. ⁴¹Isaiah said these things after he got a glimpse of God's cascading brightness that would pour through the Messiah. ^{42 -43}On the other hand, a considerable number from the ranks of the leaders did believe. But because of the Pharisees, they didn't come out in the open with it. They were afraid of getting kicked out of the meeting place. When push came to shove they cared more for human approval than for God's glory.

I think a couple of things need to happen right off the bat here… first in verse 37 we see the word they. Soooooooooooo, who are “they.” We can find this info earlier in the passage, vs 20 – some Greeks; 22 – Andrew & Philip; 29 – the crowd that was standing there, this could have contained some or all of the disciples, Pharisees, healed people, sick people, etc. I am always amazed at how close to home scripture from 2000 years ago hits! The crowd’s disbelief may seem irrational, but then often that is the case because unbelief is irrational. They had seen the signs and wonders Jesus had performed and still they didn’t believe he was the Messiah. How many of us have seen God’s hand move and still have trouble trusting? I guess we could also ask how many times has God done something around us that we didn’t see at all?

John then takes us back to Isaiah. The writers of the New Testament often do this simply because the Old Testament was as common and well know to them as ice cream at Dairy Queen or hamburgers at McDonald’s is to us. The crowd would have been familiar with this passage of scripture, even the Greeks, by the time of Christ the Old Testament had been translated into Greek for some time. At first glance this may look like Isaiah is saying, “God made the people not believe, to have closed eyes and hard hearts.” But if we read it that way we miss what was happening in during Isaiah’s time. John doesn’t give a lesson on Isaiah here because Jesus’ listeners wouldn’t have needed it. But we are not first century Jews, most of us do not have the back ground they would have had. Therefore, we must look at Isaiah’s heart. Isaiah had preached, preached then preached again to the people of his day getting no response. He had put everything he had into delivering the word God had given to him. The people refused to listen and Isaiah’s heart was broken then he makes this statement which John quotes. Isaiah might as well have said, “For all the good I’ve done I might as well have never said a word. Instead of making people better my message seems to have made them worse, you’d think God had meant them not to believe.” The words of Isaiah are the words of a person who is bewildered by the fact people aren’t turning to God! They were NOT meant to be taken literal. We can understand this phrase of scripture NOT to mean that God planned for certain people to not believe but that the opportunity to have faith, if ignored, neglected, or refused, becomes unbelief, pure and simple.

In verse 41 it says Isaiah beheld Jesus glory. John is referring to Isaiah’s experience in the temple where it is important to see some of the original language. This is a quote from John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible. “The Jewish targum renders it “I saw the glory of Jehovah” and in Isaiah 6:5 it is “mine eyes have seen the King” Jehovah Zebaot, the Lord of hosts; which the Chaldee paraphrase renders “mine eyes have seen the glory of the Shekinah, the King of the world, the Lord of hosts.” There is no way I can say it better!! Jesus is the shekinah, Isaiah say it then, we can see it now!

Now John moves back to very practical things. In the Message we see ^{42 -43}On the other hand, a considerable number from the ranks of the leaders did believe. But because of the Pharisees, they didn't come out in the open with it. They were afraid of getting kicked out of the meeting place. When push came to shove they cared more for human approval than for God's glory. I don’t know how much more commentary I can do here, I’m not sure I can say it any plainer! Yet we must not begin to apply this passage to quickly to our own situation. First, we must say, “what did the original readers see here?” John’s gospel was written late in the first century. He was an old man, everybody else he had hung out with was dead. He saw the people who came out of the woodwork after the crucifixion then he saw those who believed at Pentecost. He had been through the first persecution of the Christians by the Jews then the Romans. It was currently a time of relative peace in the Christian community. Those original readers would have looked at this and said, “I need to remember those who looked for man’s approval, they are now dead and gone. What really matters? Coming out of the closet and proclaiming Christ is what will last… is what has lasted. Man’s approval is worth nothing, there’s not even a temple left!” These first century readers would have totally understood how fleeting people pleasing really is. Now, we begin to look at ourselves and how this passage speaks to us. In this day and age where everything is to be separate can we still proclaim the gospel? Of course we can! We can love like Christ, when we are asked why we have hope it’s perfectly acceptable to say “because I have a relationship with God” and explain that. I’ve never had success “preaching at” anyone outside of the church. Loving the needy, the hurting, being there for those around us is always what has attracted others to Christ then enabled me to proclaim His great love to and for them. A great man of faith in the 12^th century by the name of Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel and if you must use words.” My dear friends come out in the open with your belief in Christ by a life of love, actions of service and when you speak those beautiful words of truth, your proclamation of Christ will have power. We don’t have to be afraid ever, even if they kill the body, throw us out of the building, feed us to the lions, whatever, proclaiming Christ, in word and deed, now and forever will be worth it. No fear!

Resources: An Exposition of the Four Gospels by Herschel Hobbs; Beacon Bible Commentary – John by Joseph H. Mayfield; The Gospel of John by William Barclay; and Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Study Exodus 20: 8-11

2007-07-11T13:52:00.001-04:00

Exodus 20: 8-11

NIV ⁸ "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

The Message ^{8 -11} Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don't do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.

We begin our look at Sabbath we must go back in time to Genesis 2: 2 & 3 where we see “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” Although the word “Sabbath” is not used here, the Hebrew verb translated “rested” is the origin of the noun “Sabbath.” The first time we see the word Sabbath is in Exodus 16: 23 but the principle of the seventh day as a day of rest and holiness is set forth in the above passage. We also see the word holy used here, holiness involves being consecrated to the Lord’s service and thus being separated from the commonplace. In our text for this week, Exodus 20: 11 quotes the first half of v. 3 but substitutes “Sabbath” for “seventh,” clearly equating the two.

In verse 10 two reasons are given for not working…1) the Israelites were to observe the same pattern in service at God in service, “He rested on the seventh day.” The Israelites were to be thoughtful of the people who worked for them, the animals and the planet itself. All things need rest and God provided a means to obtain that rest.

We can see once again this is NOT a rule!!! It’s God helping mankind be whole and at its best. It’s God helping mankind be considerate of others in and outside of our households, considerate of the wonderful plant and animal world he has given us to care for.

I would like to quote a little bit from a book I use in my personal devotions and rule of life. The name of the book is “Spiritual Disciplines Handbook” by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun it is practical and wonderful. I highly recommend it to EVERY person who is seeking God. I hope it will help you see the Sabbath in a different light.

“Sadly, everything about us works against slowing down. Our compulsion to produce and not waste time invades the space God gave us for rest. Children’s athletics, national sporting events, round-the-clock accessibility to work, e-mail and stores also fill up the Sabbath day, so we never stop. When you get indignant over how seemingly incompatible Sabbath is with the tiring and relentless demands already facing you, CONSIDER, what your tiredness means. Humans recognize the difference between work and rest. The fact that we make distinctions between being tired and rested is an indication that we need to do both. Sabbath is God’s way of saying, “Stop! Notice your limits! Don’t burn out!” It is a day he gives us to remember who and what work is for as well as what matters most. Sunday generously hands us hours to look into the eyes of the ones we love. Rhythmically, the Sabbath reminds us that we belong to the worldwide family of God. God’s Sabbath reality calls us to trust that the Creator can manage all that concerns us in this world as we settle into his rest.”

Sermon 2 Kings 5: 1-17

2007-07-11T13:51:00.001-04:00

Sermon

2 Kings 5: 1-17

“That’s Not How It’s Suppose To Work”

The church had prayed for weeks that the Spirit of God would fall on the community for the up coming revival. They prayed diligently that God would revive them and save the lost. They had high hopes and went out on a limb bringing in one of the best evangelist in the area. As the time drew near so did the excitement and anticipation for what God was going to do. Then it came revival time, the singing was high energy, the preaching was magnificent, the altar was…empty except for a few Christians seeking a deeper walk.. The next night the singing was even better, the prayer was intense, the scripture was expounded upon better than ever and the altar was…empty. The folks at the church didn’t understand, they had prayed, they had fasted, they had financially committed in faith. So, they prayed harder, the preacher preached longer and the altar was…empty. Finally, on the last night one scrawny teen-age boy went to the altar and was saved. What a disappointment, the community was still lost, the church was disappointed, the evangelist went home with only his expenses paid and a sandwich. Expectations and excitement, this church had asked God to work, begged God to work, prayed with His will, and they were disappointed, angry, discouraged. They knew the routine, they knew how it was suppose to work, pray for the Spirit, make good plans, get the best preacher and invite unsaved friends, people are won to the Lord, a community is won to the Lord. That’s how it’s suppose to work.

She was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Interestingly Her father; was a creative, artistic man who could turn his hand to anything. He owned a flooring business in the city and bought a farm not far away where she became a champion horse rider. She described herself as an "immature and headstrong teenager." It was at that point in her life she came in contact with "Young Life" a religious youth organization that works with high school kids. It was at a camp run by "Young Life" that she understood the Gospel and gave her life to Christ. She prayed, "Lord if you're really there, do something in my life to change me around, I'm begging you....! Her friends and mentor were excited, she was a talented artist and maybe God would use that. Her Dad knew she loved horses and could ride beautifully God could certainly use her in that arena. Everything was going along great. One hot summer day the answer came, friends were everywhere, laughter permeated the air, she took a run toward the water, a beautiful dive, then darkness, broken neck, paraplegic. Expectations and excitement, this young lady had given her life to God, she had a wonderful support group. They had asked God to work, begged God to work, prayed with His will, and they were disappointed, angry, discouraged. They knew the routine, they knew how it was suppose to work, God’s saves girl, girl makes commitment, family and fellow Christians support, girl has good life serving God. That’s how it’s suppose to work.

There he stood, hot, sweaty, humiliated and above all still covered in disease. He had lowered himself to listen to a slave girl; he had gained an audience with two kings; he had traveled with his caravan and regiment of soldiers; suffered illness in silence; been dirty and dusty for weeks; carried with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and the best of clothing as a gift. Expectations and excitement, this esteemed, honored general had done everything he was suppose to do, he had a wonderful support group. They had given him everything he needed to make the journey; they had encouraged him to seek the healing; how could he go home now, he was disappointed, angry, discouraged. He knew the routine, he knew how it was suppose to work! Prophet comes out in all pomp and circumstance, maybe sing, dance, perform elaborate rituals, then call on the name of whatever god, wave his hand or a rod or something over you and the problem would be solved. That’s how it’s suppose to work. That’s how it’s suppose to work…

NIV ¹ Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. ² Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. ³ She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." ⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." ⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!" ⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." ¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. ¹³ Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.” 16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. 17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.”

This is a pretty straight forward story. Naaman, who is of the rich and famous, has the dreaded disease of leprosy. He is so desperate for a cure he listens to a slave girl, goes to the top people, spends allot of money and makes a long trip to get well. He has covered every base. He knows how the world works, he knows how people respond and think. He knows how to go about this.

And that’s where we pick up the story, verse 9. Naaman finds himself standing at the gate of Elisha to be healed of leprosy. This man is a warrior, he is not a Hebrew, he is from a nation north of Israel, a nation that warred with Israel off and on for years. This commander of a victorious army has gone to a defeated nation, a defeated God (at least in his eyes); a defeated king of Israel; on the word of a slave girl; with his troops; his money; his letter of reference; his chariots; his caravan; his power; his expectation of being healed and Elisha doesn’t even come out to greet him. He sends a servant which tells him to go wash in the river of a defeated foe and in a conquered kingdom. This prophet doesn’t even acknowledge who Naaman is, he just tells him to go wash in the Jordan. No singing, no dancing, no ritual, no gift giving or receiving. Naaman’s whole understanding and belief system is challenged. No wonder in verse 11 he is angry! The Message says," He stomped off, mad as a hornet.” Naaman’s expectations and understanding are unfulfilled. How he envisioned the situation working was not at all what was happening.

How many times have I/we expected something out of God and it didn’t work like it was suppose to? I mean in the last ten years we really have jumped into our community with all kinds of ideas and attempts to make a difference. For instance…

We prayed about God’s will concerning reaching the un-churched those folks who couldn’t come to worship on Sunday. We also set it up attempting to reach the age 19 to pre-children age group. We planned, we sought God’s will, put tables with candles up, we opened an espresso bar, we wore our jeans/shorts and we started a Saturday night service. But it didn’t work like we thought is should, we never attracted those people who couldn’t come on Sunday or who were in that age group. We had wonderful services but our expectations of ministering to a specific group of people never happened. It didn’t work like it was suppose to.

We prayed about God’s will concerning building this building, originally one of the reasons was for more Sunday School space and a gym. But it didn’t work like it was suppose to, we still need Sunday School space. We have a gym but we never met the anticipation of having more classrooms. We never had classrooms like we were suppose to.

We prayed about God’s giving us a bus ministry here in this neighborhood behind the church. We got a great deal on the bus, we prayer walked, we made bus repairs, we got riders and drivers then no one, not one child would ride. The bus sat idol it never fulfilled what we thought was the plan, it never worked like it was suppose to.

You see Naaman’s expectations were based on his understanding, in terms of his experiences, traditions and beliefs. He expected the prophet of the God of Israel to heal him as he understood the way healings were suppose to happen. And by how prophets were suppose to perform.

Our expectations are often based on how we see things, how we understand, our up bringing, our backgrounds, our own belief systems or what we’ve seen in other places. We often have confidence in our finite mental abilities or dreams. Our expectations are there out in front, limiting our understanding of the expanse of God’s vision, of God’s Kingdom, God’s plan.

Naaman at the promptings of his traveling servants is finally obedient to what the prophet says then is totally and completely healed. That is a wonderful miracle but I don’t really believe that’s why this story is in the Bible. Could it be we have this story because of what happens in verse 17? The fact that, Naaman doesn’t just get healed, he was expecting that. But he finds a living God, a new faith in God, a new testimony of God, he takes with him worship of God which up until that point was not in Syria. A nation, an entire lost people are introduced to an Almighty God because of what happened to one man. The healing of Naaman is awesome, but taking the worship and knowledge of God to people who have never heard of Him is so much bigger. Naaman could have never dreamed what was happening, God’s Kingdom extending beyond national boundaries, cultures, viewpoints, and language.

Are you disappointed, angry, discouraged, because your expectations or your expectations of the church, haven’t been fulfilled like you imagined or believed they would be. Have you prayed, believed and acted upon something you felt was in line with God’s will only to see no or little results. Let me give you some good news. God’s plan is still going on, He is still advancing the Kingdom, far above anything we can envision, no matter how grand.

You see we can know that we are to pray, to plan, to seek, to do, to be, but we are not in charge of the outcome. We can’t even fathom what God is up to -- it’s so much bigger than us, our church, our thoughts, our dreams, even our world.

If Saturday night service had never happened the Methodist Church would have never began their third service, which is ministering in a mighty way to people we didn’t even know existed. Bruce and Deborah Boydston might never have gotten back into the ministry and Pleasant Hill would not have them as pastors. And they are doing an incredible job! Kingdom extension over and above anything we could have ever dreamed! God is active with His plan, Saturday night service did work just like it was suppose to!

If we had filled this building with classrooms instead of the wide open spaces, there would have never been room for Kid Connection or Heritage. But when it seemed we hadn’t done what we had prayed about, God’s plan unfolded and now look around at how His Kingdom has been extended to people and places we could have never foreseen! God’s plan for this building turned out just like it was suppose to.

Who would have thought that old idol bus and a failed plan for the neighborhood would be bringing children and adults from miles away and ministering unbelievably to an area we didn’t even know about when we bought that bus. Our expectations so far below the sight of God! That old bus is going just where it was suppose to.

Naaman sought healing BUT ended up finding God, then taking the worship and knowledge of God back to the nation of Aram. God’s Kingdom far above anything he could have expected or even knew was possible.

And the one scrawny teen-ager saved in that “so called” failed revival was Billy Graham. God’s Kingdom far and above anything that church could have expected. That revival worked just like it was suppose to.

And that girl who had gotten saved with hopes of ministry as an artist or in the equestrian community but ended up with a broken neck - Joni Erickson Tada. A woman who has taken the story of victory and hope through suffering worldwide! God’s Kingdom far and above anything she, her family, her mentors could have ever expected. That call worked just like it was suppose to.

And today where are we???? Some maybe confused because you’ve prayed, believed and not seen anything turn out like it ought to. Some maybe angry or disappointed because you have worked, given time, effort, money and it’s not like it was “was suppose to.” Could it be there are those here today wondering if we are going in the right direction at all and anticipating some kind of understandable outcome?

When in reality what we’re looking for, may not at all be what God has in mind. What we are to do is, like Naaman, to seek and be obedient then let God extend in His own way, His own plan, His Kingdom, which is always bigger, better and higher than ours.

And like Naaman he thought something was going to be done for him…healing. God was thinking…I’m going to become friends with Naaman. Namaan is getting allot more than a healing he is about to discover me and take me home, home to Syria, to his family, to his people and where ever he goes I’ll be with him.

Be encouraged today, God is on the move, don’t allow what may look like failure to hinder. Don’t allow your own understandings to consume you or be a block. God’s Kingdom can, will and is advancing far and above anything we could ever expect, imagine or envision. Maybe it is working just like it’s suppose too, maybe while we’re looking for results all the time God is just looking at us and wanting us to look at Him, to trust Him, and to move with Him.

I hope you will spend some time in prayer with the Lord about this whole concept of “things working like I think they ought to.” Maybe it’s not suppose to look at all like what I think, maybe the I shouldn’t be there at all. May God help us to see with His eyes and to look to Him.