Imagine that you wake up in the morning to the United States in a time of great need (a big stretch over the last 10 years I know!). You turn on the news to see the President addressing the nation before cameras and reporters. "And now," he says, "I'm going to call the one person I need to help accomplish and fulfill the mission before us--the task of saving the people of our great nation."
From off camera, one of his staffers hands him a phone. He starts dialing. He puts it to his ear.
And your phone starts ringing.
Caller ID says: Washington D.C.
It's him. He's calling you.
What is going through your mind in this moment?
OK, here's the deal--If the President were ever to call me, I would first think it was a joke. Then I would be stunned and flabergasted that the President would call me for anything. Then I would consider myself totally unqualified and I ...would try to find a way out of it.
Among other things. I would be intimidated, I might be tempted to avoid answering the phone, but I would neverbe rude to the President, never hang up on him or pretend I can't hear him because of a bad cell connection (whether I like the current guy or not). Would you have the nerve to hang up on the President? I wouldn't.
Above all, I hope I would have the courage to do what was asked of me.
The connection in this scenario is that we have someone who has called us that is far bigger and more important than the President: the Creator of the Universe. He has a Mission to be accomplished and it is very important to Him. He wants to save people and give them an eternity with Him.
When God wants to save someone, He SENDS someone. The best example of that is Jesus. Read John 3:17 (everyone knows 3:16). When God wanted to save us, He SENT His Son. God is a Mission Sending God.
And He wants to include us as a vital part of His Mission. God wants to save people now by Sending You. He calls you, maybe not on the phone, but He is calling you to fulfill a great need.
Is this a burden or a Privilege? Do you think God only calls a few select people to this mission? Would you rather God call someone else to do it? Do you want to be left out of it?
Too many believers in Jesus see this mission as a burden and not a responsibility much less a Privilege and a joy. They don't want God to include them--when He calls they refuse to answer the phone or even hang up on the Creator of the Universe.
If it is wrong to do so to the President, how much more to our Creator?
When you become a believer, you given a Mission. How big is your mission? Do you really want the most menial, insignificant and least satisfying mission? Do you really want to go AWOL to the One you call Savior?
You will never understand your faith as well until you become someone who is fulfilling your mission and actively sharing your faith--Philemon 1:6 (NIV especially)
This is more than Smokey the Bear saying, "Only You can prevent forest fires." It's more than just a suggestion--it is a command and a privilege.
Begin seeing your mission as a Privilege and not a burden.
The Pursuit Life
Showing posts with label mission of Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mission of Jesus. Show all posts
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Changing Perspectives--The Warrior Shepherd
In yesterday’s post, I talked about a new perspective on the 23rd Psalm and the phrase, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.
From that line of thinking, my mind went to another familiar story: the Parable of the Lost Sheep—Luke 15:3-7. The reason the sheep was lost is never given, but it’s always spoken of in terms of the poor little guy just wandered off and wasn’t paying attention. Suddenly he looks up and realizes that he’s all alone, or maybe he’s fallen down a ledge and can’t get back up. The Jesus, the Good Shepherd comes and lowers His hand or His staff and lifts the sheep to safety.
In the artist renditions of this, I’ve seen pictures of a smiling Jesus, casually carrying the lost sheep on His shoulders—looking like he’s having a conversation along the lines of:
“You silly little sheep! What were you thinking wandering off like that?” Kind of like this.
But what if the circumstances of why the sheep is missing changes? What if it is more like when David described himself to Saul before facing Goliath; paraphrasing, “when a lion or a bear carried off a sheep—I went after it, grabbed it by the throat and killed it.” Those moments of facing down the lion and bear—knowing that God was with him and had his back—it was in those moments that David knew he could defeat Goliath.
Back to the lost sheep story—I considered—maybe the reason why the sheep is lost is more like David’s experience with the lion or the bear. What if the reason that the sheep is lost is not because it is just wandering around not paying attention but instead because it is carried off by a hungry predator?
Does that change the mental image of this picture? It does for me. A predator was one of the greatest enemies of a shepherd. And once a predator began to see the flock as an easy meal—it would continue to pick them off until it is killed.
So a predator, a lion is an enemy of the shepherd. Then I turned to 1 Peter 5—Paul is giving instructions to the elders of the church to “Be shepherds of God’s flock under your care.” He then says in vs. 4—“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
It makes sense then that in v. 8—Peter brings up the subject of a lion. 1 Peter 5:8—“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Applying that passage and David’s description of the life of a shepherd to the story of the lost sheep changes it’s tone. In this scenario, the Good Shepherd is not just thinking, “the poor little guy has wandered off again” but instead sees signs that the sheep has been attacked and carried off. He picks up his staff and begins to follow the trail of blood, looking for footprints to let him know what He’s dealing with, hoping that He’ll find his sheep in time before the predator kills it.
His face is stern and ready for a fight. When He finds the sheep, He first has to fight and kill the predator, a daunting task for a single shepherd with a staff and His bare hands—much like David. The shepherd’s body is charged with adrenaline and is now focusing on the probably injured sheep.
So now, when I think of this parable and the description of the Good Shepherd carrying the sheep on his shoulders—it’s no longer the casual, smiling face—it’s the stern face of someone who has just come out of a fight. There is blood on his hands and there is a dead lion a short distance behind Him. He is rejoicing because He has rescued His sheep. From certain death. Once again, we are rescued from the dominion of darkness by our Warrior Shepherd.
A friend from work, Sharon, worked with me for a month to get this concept down. This is done in colored pencil. She did an amazing job!
From that line of thinking, my mind went to another familiar story: the Parable of the Lost Sheep—Luke 15:3-7. The reason the sheep was lost is never given, but it’s always spoken of in terms of the poor little guy just wandered off and wasn’t paying attention. Suddenly he looks up and realizes that he’s all alone, or maybe he’s fallen down a ledge and can’t get back up. The Jesus, the Good Shepherd comes and lowers His hand or His staff and lifts the sheep to safety.
In the artist renditions of this, I’ve seen pictures of a smiling Jesus, casually carrying the lost sheep on His shoulders—looking like he’s having a conversation along the lines of:
“You silly little sheep! What were you thinking wandering off like that?” Kind of like this.
But what if the circumstances of why the sheep is missing changes? What if it is more like when David described himself to Saul before facing Goliath; paraphrasing, “when a lion or a bear carried off a sheep—I went after it, grabbed it by the throat and killed it.” Those moments of facing down the lion and bear—knowing that God was with him and had his back—it was in those moments that David knew he could defeat Goliath.
Back to the lost sheep story—I considered—maybe the reason why the sheep is lost is more like David’s experience with the lion or the bear. What if the reason that the sheep is lost is not because it is just wandering around not paying attention but instead because it is carried off by a hungry predator?
Does that change the mental image of this picture? It does for me. A predator was one of the greatest enemies of a shepherd. And once a predator began to see the flock as an easy meal—it would continue to pick them off until it is killed.
So a predator, a lion is an enemy of the shepherd. Then I turned to 1 Peter 5—Paul is giving instructions to the elders of the church to “Be shepherds of God’s flock under your care.” He then says in vs. 4—“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
It makes sense then that in v. 8—Peter brings up the subject of a lion. 1 Peter 5:8—“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Applying that passage and David’s description of the life of a shepherd to the story of the lost sheep changes it’s tone. In this scenario, the Good Shepherd is not just thinking, “the poor little guy has wandered off again” but instead sees signs that the sheep has been attacked and carried off. He picks up his staff and begins to follow the trail of blood, looking for footprints to let him know what He’s dealing with, hoping that He’ll find his sheep in time before the predator kills it.
His face is stern and ready for a fight. When He finds the sheep, He first has to fight and kill the predator, a daunting task for a single shepherd with a staff and His bare hands—much like David. The shepherd’s body is charged with adrenaline and is now focusing on the probably injured sheep.
So now, when I think of this parable and the description of the Good Shepherd carrying the sheep on his shoulders—it’s no longer the casual, smiling face—it’s the stern face of someone who has just come out of a fight. There is blood on his hands and there is a dead lion a short distance behind Him. He is rejoicing because He has rescued His sheep. From certain death. Once again, we are rescued from the dominion of darkness by our Warrior Shepherd.
A friend from work, Sharon, worked with me for a month to get this concept down. This is done in colored pencil. She did an amazing job!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Changing Perspectives--Who's Got Your Back?
Something hit me today that has changed the way I think… and no, I wasn’t hit by a rock or some other flying object.
It started when I was thinking about the 23rd Psalm and the phrase, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”
I’ve always pictured this in my head as a great peace amid turmoil, strife, danger or even in dying. That Jesus is there with a comforting hand on my shoulder assuring me that everything is going to be OK.
"The Valley of the Shadow of Death" by George Inness, 1867
There’s nothing wrong with that picture, I just now think that I’ve been missing something all this time.
It struck me to ask—when was David, the author of Psalm 23, most often walking through that valley? Most often, it was in battle.
We know David was a man after God’s own heart—I believe that he was one who was pursuing after God’s heart—not that everything about him was as God would want him to be. There is one way in which we don’t typically think of David’s heart reflecting God’s heart, but it does. David had the heart of a warrior.
Most of us will remember David as a boy having the courage to stand against Goliath when grown men dared not. But we must not forget that David is also described with this phrase, “Saul has slain his thousands and David, tens of thousands.” David had spent so much time fighting—successfully, I might add—that God would not let him build the first temple in Jerusalem because he was a “man of blood.”
David was a warrior. His life had been in danger during many battles. It struck me while thinking about this to also ask, where did most battles take place during David’s day? Typically, they occurred in the valleys—where there was open fields for horses, chariots, regiments. Bodies would be lying on the left & right, fighting on all sides—they truly turned into valleys of death. Which is where Revelation gets the imagery of the valley of Armageddon being full of blood.
This is where our “Good Shepherd” comes to us—during battle—and not just to rest a peaceful hand on my shoulder—but to join me in battle and fight to get me out of the valley.
David had an elite guard of might men for a reason. Their primary duty was to protect the king and guard him—to watch his back. I’ve never been in battle but I suspect that nothing is scarier than to be surrounded by your enemies, cut off from friendly forces, outnumbered and alone. By yourself, staring at a number of enemies before, you know that it’s over—your done. You might be tempted to give up, despair, lose hope or even kill yourself as Saul did. You know you won’t survive unless someone comes to rescue you. Even if just one other person was there to fight with you, you’d have hope to fight on.
With one other, the two of you would stand, back to back & swing away with whatever weapon you had at your disposal. Suddenly my picture of this phrase in Psalm 23 changed. He doesn’t just come to bring you peace and take you out of the battle. He comes to bring hope and encouragement to Keep Fighting. To help you fight through the valley of death.
“I’m here, I’ve got your back –Keep Fighting! Don’t give up!”
I then pictured Jesus with His shepherd’s staff swinging away like at the end of the movie Davey Crockett on the walls of the Alamo—swinging at anything that got close.
His rod and staff comfort me—in other words—He is armed and dangerous—He has a weapon and He knows how to use them. Usually when people talk about the rod and staff they think of how it is used on themselves—typically as a disciplinary tool. But they were also effective weapons for fighting off other animals or thieves. Now I think of them also being used in a fierce battle when my Shepherd comes to my rescue and fights alongside me. Knowing Jesus is right beside me, swinging away at the enemy, watching my back is a great comfort. He is right there, fulfilling…
Isaiah 52:12b --for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
58:8—“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”
He is on a Rescue mission—
Colossians 1:13—“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves”
Jesus is not passively walking us through or even just carrying us through the valley (there’s nothing wrong with those ideas remember) but He is actively fighting alongside us to deliver us through the valley of the shadow of death in Victory—not defeat.
Jesus has my back! That is awesome! And He will never leave us nor forsake us. And if God is for us—who can be against us?!
We have to keep in mind that sometimes the paths of righteousness lead us into the valley of the shadow of death. Living for God, living by faith, doing what is right is not safe, is not always well received—but thankfully we are not sent off into battle alone. He is right there with me—and I will fear no evil—no defeat—because He is with me. Our Shepherd is not just Good, He is a Warrior.
Tomorrow I'll share how this perspective has reshaped another popular passage in my mind. Can anyone think of another Scriptural account that could be affected by this reflection?
It started when I was thinking about the 23rd Psalm and the phrase, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”
I’ve always pictured this in my head as a great peace amid turmoil, strife, danger or even in dying. That Jesus is there with a comforting hand on my shoulder assuring me that everything is going to be OK.
"The Valley of the Shadow of Death" by George Inness, 1867
There’s nothing wrong with that picture, I just now think that I’ve been missing something all this time.
It struck me to ask—when was David, the author of Psalm 23, most often walking through that valley? Most often, it was in battle.
We know David was a man after God’s own heart—I believe that he was one who was pursuing after God’s heart—not that everything about him was as God would want him to be. There is one way in which we don’t typically think of David’s heart reflecting God’s heart, but it does. David had the heart of a warrior.
Most of us will remember David as a boy having the courage to stand against Goliath when grown men dared not. But we must not forget that David is also described with this phrase, “Saul has slain his thousands and David, tens of thousands.” David had spent so much time fighting—successfully, I might add—that God would not let him build the first temple in Jerusalem because he was a “man of blood.”
David was a warrior. His life had been in danger during many battles. It struck me while thinking about this to also ask, where did most battles take place during David’s day? Typically, they occurred in the valleys—where there was open fields for horses, chariots, regiments. Bodies would be lying on the left & right, fighting on all sides—they truly turned into valleys of death. Which is where Revelation gets the imagery of the valley of Armageddon being full of blood.
This is where our “Good Shepherd” comes to us—during battle—and not just to rest a peaceful hand on my shoulder—but to join me in battle and fight to get me out of the valley.
David had an elite guard of might men for a reason. Their primary duty was to protect the king and guard him—to watch his back. I’ve never been in battle but I suspect that nothing is scarier than to be surrounded by your enemies, cut off from friendly forces, outnumbered and alone. By yourself, staring at a number of enemies before, you know that it’s over—your done. You might be tempted to give up, despair, lose hope or even kill yourself as Saul did. You know you won’t survive unless someone comes to rescue you. Even if just one other person was there to fight with you, you’d have hope to fight on.
With one other, the two of you would stand, back to back & swing away with whatever weapon you had at your disposal. Suddenly my picture of this phrase in Psalm 23 changed. He doesn’t just come to bring you peace and take you out of the battle. He comes to bring hope and encouragement to Keep Fighting. To help you fight through the valley of death.
“I’m here, I’ve got your back –Keep Fighting! Don’t give up!”
I then pictured Jesus with His shepherd’s staff swinging away like at the end of the movie Davey Crockett on the walls of the Alamo—swinging at anything that got close.
His rod and staff comfort me—in other words—He is armed and dangerous—He has a weapon and He knows how to use them. Usually when people talk about the rod and staff they think of how it is used on themselves—typically as a disciplinary tool. But they were also effective weapons for fighting off other animals or thieves. Now I think of them also being used in a fierce battle when my Shepherd comes to my rescue and fights alongside me. Knowing Jesus is right beside me, swinging away at the enemy, watching my back is a great comfort. He is right there, fulfilling…
Isaiah 52:12b --for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
58:8—“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”
He is on a Rescue mission—
Colossians 1:13—“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves”
Jesus is not passively walking us through or even just carrying us through the valley (there’s nothing wrong with those ideas remember) but He is actively fighting alongside us to deliver us through the valley of the shadow of death in Victory—not defeat.
Jesus has my back! That is awesome! And He will never leave us nor forsake us. And if God is for us—who can be against us?!
We have to keep in mind that sometimes the paths of righteousness lead us into the valley of the shadow of death. Living for God, living by faith, doing what is right is not safe, is not always well received—but thankfully we are not sent off into battle alone. He is right there with me—and I will fear no evil—no defeat—because He is with me. Our Shepherd is not just Good, He is a Warrior.
Tomorrow I'll share how this perspective has reshaped another popular passage in my mind. Can anyone think of another Scriptural account that could be affected by this reflection?
Monday, April 14, 2008
Who Could Be Opposed to Prayer?--Mark 1:35-45
The audio for this message will be better and more developed than the text. I dared to stray more often than usual! Some, I know will be proud of me :-)
I'll get the audio posted ASAP
Who Could Be Opposed to Prayer?
Very few people refuse prayer. Most people believe and practice some form of prayer—even without knowing who or what you’re praying to—many people will appreciate the concern and good will expressed in prayer. But not everyone appreciated Jesus and His efforts at prayer—often because He came back changed and empowered for great ministry.
Mark 1:35—39
1. Jesus Went Out to Pray and Came Back with Renewed Purpose--Changed and Charged
a. Left the house—sometimes special places are necessary
b. Solitary place—a place without interruption or distraction
c. How possible in the busy world? How possible with kids or other demands? Realize just how important and necessary our prayer life is—without it, we’re not hearing from God and you’ll have a hard time knowing what God would have you do.
d. Somewhere in His time of prayer, Jesus got the message that He had stayed in one place long enough. Jesus went out to pray and He came back with a greater Purpose.
e. Jesus Returned saying—let us go somewhere else. My ministry can no longer stay in this isolated, small pocket—there are many people who are hurting many people who are sick, many people affected by the Deceiver—I need to go to them—the nearby villages
f. So in this respect, Prayer broke the monotony, broke the stagnant, commonplace existence. If it feels like nothing is moving or happening in your life, if it feels like you’re staying in the same place all the time, then seek God’s direction and Purpose. Jesus went out in prayer and came back with a message to shake things up!
g. Time With God Gave Jesus Direction & Instruction—even Jesus sought time alone with God to seek His will, His Presence, His voice.
h. But the last thing those who were losing influence wanted was for Jesus to really be communing with God and receiving Purpose and power from Him.
i. Jesus Came Back with Renewed Purpose--Communion With God Gives or Reminds Us of Our Purpose
j. Let’s Go So I can preach there also—that is Why I Have Come
k. He didn’t just want to move for the sake of moving—He had something to do—to preach—the Good News of God’s Love—of Redemption & Repentance.
l. What’s amazing to me is what He doesn’t say-- as much as what He says. He didn’t say, I came to Heal. He didn’t say, I have come to drive our demons—No—Jesus says I have come to Preach—somehow or another, this sharing of the Good News to all was more important—had a greater eternal value, this preaching brought healing, brought deliverance and rescue from the demonic. Those things happened as a result of the courage and boldness of preaching the Good News and the Kingdom of God.
m. Who could be against this? We’ve already seen how the teachers of the law and the Pharisees are opposed to this teaching. And they would be opposed to Jesus gaining any more influence or popularity. By expanding His ministry area, Jesus would be drawing their ire. But not only because of the expansion, but how He went forward, and what He did.
2. Jesus Went Forward With Enhanced Power & Compassion--—vs. 40-45
a. As a Result—of leaving what had become His base, Jesus Saw God move, saw God’s hand at work. Sometimes you and I miss God’s Hand at work when we stay where it’s too comfortable, when we don’t break out explore new territory.
b. What Jesus found was more people hurting and in need of the healing touch of God. Jesus’ renewed purpose also came with Enhanced Power and Compassion.
c. Communion With God Enhances our Compassion—makes us think of others more than ourselves.. The Power of God is at work when we minister to those hurting and in need
d. You would think that helping someone like this man would draw praise—but let me assure you again, that this is not the case. Jesus touches someone no one else would—He crossed a line that the Pharisees and teachers of the law would not. They kept this man at a distance. He was an outcast until “he confessed his sin” and God restored him.
e. Jesus was not afraid of this man like these others were in their hypocrisy. They were not moved to compassion, they were moved to scorn. And the contrast between them couldn’t be more clear.
f. We have to check ourselves here—there are many conditions in which we hesitate and draw back— we often want people to get their lives together first, to get themselves clean and sober before we really welcome them into church with all of their disruptions and problems.
g. We’ll ask people how they are doing—but we want to hear “I’m fine” more than, I’m really struggling today. We’ll pray for those who’s marriages are struggling or who are dealing with alcohol addictions but we don’t want to really get involved. Do we really want to cross a line and help someone with AIDS?
h. Jesus did not fear crossing social barriers to reach the lost, the hurting, the outcast. He even touched this man—something that may not have happened for years. In this ministry—after receiving a refreshing Power and Compassion from His time in Prayer, Jesus touched this man and healed him.
i. Immediately—the leprosy left him.
j. Not only did Jesus touch someone who shouldn’t be touched, but He did something they themselves had been unable to do—heal this disease.
k. And notice, that the people he wants to know about it are not the masses, but the priests. Do everything right as the Law commands “as a testimony to them.”
l. In Mark, this is the first person sent out with the Good News. He had called Peter and some others, but they had not been sent out yet. Jesus sends this man to the Priests—to be a witness—to the ones who may be the most opposed to Him. He wanted the priests to see and confirm the healing so the man could re-enter the community of faith—kind of like going back to the doctor for a 2nd opinion or test. But the intention was also so they may believe and bear testimony to the power of God—they have an even bigger platform from which to proclaim—if the priests and Levites got on board with what Jesus was doing, then more of Israel could be saved. Those who were supposed to be closest to God—also needed to hear the Good News.
m. Those of us who are familiar with God, those of us who think we’ve got God figured out—we need to be reached—we still need to see God at work—see His power touch someone’s life—if we don’t we will become stagnant, stale and powerless. We won’t really be able to help those in need—those who are struggling and in need of a touch from God.
n. You and I need to be reminded of how Good God is—how we draw our purpose and our power, even our compassion from our Time with Him in prayer.
o. Word spread--The man goes out and spreads the word so much that it disrupted Jesus’ ability to effectively minister in town—but those most involved in the church were not reached with this Healing.
p. The man’s healing is marred by the word, “instead”. Instead of following Jesus’ directive to show himself to the priest, the man tells everyone else. Jesus had intentionally, I believe, wanted this man to testify to the religious leaders so they would have a better opportunity to believe themselves. Now, God still spread the word, still accomplished good from the disobedience (an encouraging thought) but perhaps the real opportunity was lost. I pray that our lives and our walk with Christ cannot be marked by the word, “Instead”.
q. You and I need a Greater sense of our Purpose—but also a Greater Power and Compassion—it will come when we truly pray for one another—when we leave our cloistered faith and take it out to those who need to hear the Good News.
r. Only when we do that will see more of God at work in our lives.
s. And if you are here today, needing a touch from God—in need of healing—know that it won’t happen without coming to Him. This man “came to [Jesus]”, sought Him out and received the blessing of Jesus’ touch.
I'll get the audio posted ASAP
Who Could Be Opposed to Prayer?
Very few people refuse prayer. Most people believe and practice some form of prayer—even without knowing who or what you’re praying to—many people will appreciate the concern and good will expressed in prayer. But not everyone appreciated Jesus and His efforts at prayer—often because He came back changed and empowered for great ministry.
Mark 1:35—39
1. Jesus Went Out to Pray and Came Back with Renewed Purpose--Changed and Charged
a. Left the house—sometimes special places are necessary
b. Solitary place—a place without interruption or distraction
c. How possible in the busy world? How possible with kids or other demands? Realize just how important and necessary our prayer life is—without it, we’re not hearing from God and you’ll have a hard time knowing what God would have you do.
d. Somewhere in His time of prayer, Jesus got the message that He had stayed in one place long enough. Jesus went out to pray and He came back with a greater Purpose.
e. Jesus Returned saying—let us go somewhere else. My ministry can no longer stay in this isolated, small pocket—there are many people who are hurting many people who are sick, many people affected by the Deceiver—I need to go to them—the nearby villages
f. So in this respect, Prayer broke the monotony, broke the stagnant, commonplace existence. If it feels like nothing is moving or happening in your life, if it feels like you’re staying in the same place all the time, then seek God’s direction and Purpose. Jesus went out in prayer and came back with a message to shake things up!
g. Time With God Gave Jesus Direction & Instruction—even Jesus sought time alone with God to seek His will, His Presence, His voice.
h. But the last thing those who were losing influence wanted was for Jesus to really be communing with God and receiving Purpose and power from Him.
i. Jesus Came Back with Renewed Purpose--Communion With God Gives or Reminds Us of Our Purpose
j. Let’s Go So I can preach there also—that is Why I Have Come
k. He didn’t just want to move for the sake of moving—He had something to do—to preach—the Good News of God’s Love—of Redemption & Repentance.
l. What’s amazing to me is what He doesn’t say-- as much as what He says. He didn’t say, I came to Heal. He didn’t say, I have come to drive our demons—No—Jesus says I have come to Preach—somehow or another, this sharing of the Good News to all was more important—had a greater eternal value, this preaching brought healing, brought deliverance and rescue from the demonic. Those things happened as a result of the courage and boldness of preaching the Good News and the Kingdom of God.
m. Who could be against this? We’ve already seen how the teachers of the law and the Pharisees are opposed to this teaching. And they would be opposed to Jesus gaining any more influence or popularity. By expanding His ministry area, Jesus would be drawing their ire. But not only because of the expansion, but how He went forward, and what He did.
2. Jesus Went Forward With Enhanced Power & Compassion--—vs. 40-45
a. As a Result—of leaving what had become His base, Jesus Saw God move, saw God’s hand at work. Sometimes you and I miss God’s Hand at work when we stay where it’s too comfortable, when we don’t break out explore new territory.
b. What Jesus found was more people hurting and in need of the healing touch of God. Jesus’ renewed purpose also came with Enhanced Power and Compassion.
c. Communion With God Enhances our Compassion—makes us think of others more than ourselves.. The Power of God is at work when we minister to those hurting and in need
d. You would think that helping someone like this man would draw praise—but let me assure you again, that this is not the case. Jesus touches someone no one else would—He crossed a line that the Pharisees and teachers of the law would not. They kept this man at a distance. He was an outcast until “he confessed his sin” and God restored him.
e. Jesus was not afraid of this man like these others were in their hypocrisy. They were not moved to compassion, they were moved to scorn. And the contrast between them couldn’t be more clear.
f. We have to check ourselves here—there are many conditions in which we hesitate and draw back— we often want people to get their lives together first, to get themselves clean and sober before we really welcome them into church with all of their disruptions and problems.
g. We’ll ask people how they are doing—but we want to hear “I’m fine” more than, I’m really struggling today. We’ll pray for those who’s marriages are struggling or who are dealing with alcohol addictions but we don’t want to really get involved. Do we really want to cross a line and help someone with AIDS?
h. Jesus did not fear crossing social barriers to reach the lost, the hurting, the outcast. He even touched this man—something that may not have happened for years. In this ministry—after receiving a refreshing Power and Compassion from His time in Prayer, Jesus touched this man and healed him.
i. Immediately—the leprosy left him.
j. Not only did Jesus touch someone who shouldn’t be touched, but He did something they themselves had been unable to do—heal this disease.
k. And notice, that the people he wants to know about it are not the masses, but the priests. Do everything right as the Law commands “as a testimony to them.”
l. In Mark, this is the first person sent out with the Good News. He had called Peter and some others, but they had not been sent out yet. Jesus sends this man to the Priests—to be a witness—to the ones who may be the most opposed to Him. He wanted the priests to see and confirm the healing so the man could re-enter the community of faith—kind of like going back to the doctor for a 2nd opinion or test. But the intention was also so they may believe and bear testimony to the power of God—they have an even bigger platform from which to proclaim—if the priests and Levites got on board with what Jesus was doing, then more of Israel could be saved. Those who were supposed to be closest to God—also needed to hear the Good News.
m. Those of us who are familiar with God, those of us who think we’ve got God figured out—we need to be reached—we still need to see God at work—see His power touch someone’s life—if we don’t we will become stagnant, stale and powerless. We won’t really be able to help those in need—those who are struggling and in need of a touch from God.
n. You and I need to be reminded of how Good God is—how we draw our purpose and our power, even our compassion from our Time with Him in prayer.
o. Word spread--The man goes out and spreads the word so much that it disrupted Jesus’ ability to effectively minister in town—but those most involved in the church were not reached with this Healing.
p. The man’s healing is marred by the word, “instead”. Instead of following Jesus’ directive to show himself to the priest, the man tells everyone else. Jesus had intentionally, I believe, wanted this man to testify to the religious leaders so they would have a better opportunity to believe themselves. Now, God still spread the word, still accomplished good from the disobedience (an encouraging thought) but perhaps the real opportunity was lost. I pray that our lives and our walk with Christ cannot be marked by the word, “Instead”.
q. You and I need a Greater sense of our Purpose—but also a Greater Power and Compassion—it will come when we truly pray for one another—when we leave our cloistered faith and take it out to those who need to hear the Good News.
r. Only when we do that will see more of God at work in our lives.
s. And if you are here today, needing a touch from God—in need of healing—know that it won’t happen without coming to Him. This man “came to [Jesus]”, sought Him out and received the blessing of Jesus’ touch.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Sermon-- The Message that Sent Jesus to the Cross-- Pt. 2
Last week we began looking at the Gospel of Mark for reasons why people would have wanted to send Jesus to the Cross. From Mark 1, last week we looked: Here is the Audio of the message.
1. A Message Shared with a Criminal
2. A Message of Fulfillment
3. A Message of Repentance
4. A Message of the Good News
All of these things contributed to many wanting to send Jesus to the Cross. Yes, even the Good News—that God is a God of Grace, that Salvation is a free gift that is not earned or deserved—so angered people, so stripped the religious Pharisees of unlawful authority that they opposed Him and hated Jesus for it.
But there’s more—there’s more in this passage that provided fuel to the fire.
1. A Message of Authority—1:21-22
a. Jesus has a teaching that is contrary to the world’s way of thinking. He comes right into the middle of our lives and teaches that mercy is better than sacrifice, that the thoughts and attitudes of the heart are just as important as one’s actions, that doing good in they eyes of man will never earn salvation. He confronts our apathy, He confronts our prejudices, He proclaims that the Love of God is not based on ceremony or ritual but forgiveness & holiness, especially sacrificial love. A love so great that the answer is that the innocent would lay down His life for the guilty.
b. But one thing that upset the local leadership is that it didn’t take people long to figure out that Jesus had a greater authority than they did.
c. One reason why Jesus stood out so much in this day and age was because very rarely would a speaker or teacher speak for themselves. They would always quote and say what someone else said. Some famous teacher, some commentary on the Torah. They would speak with someone else’s authority to try and bolster their own. Reading the words of Jesus, especially in the Sermon on the Mount—“You’ve heard it was said, but I say to you…”—it was different—Jesus spoke not just as one who had read and heard things all his life, but as One who knew the heart of God so well, One who remembered the intent of those laws when they were written before all the baggage
d. Matthew 7:28-29—“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
e. For years, the people had depended on the voices of the Pharisees and other teachers of the law. They were the Gatekeepers—Access to God was granted or restricted based upon the adherence to their rules and regulations.
f. They set the rules, they said what you could do and couldn’t do—only if you satisfied them, would you be granted access to God. but their rules were not based upon Scripture—but the additions of opinion—there were the rules of the law—and to avoid breaking those laws—we’ll make buffer laws, or we’ll make special exceptions so you can do the same thing without violating the law. You don’t have to honor your father and mother if you say “corban” and dedicate your wealth to God—after you die of course. You don’t have to honor the Sabbath if you follow certain paths, but you violate the Sabbath if you do good or pick a few seeds.
g. I’ve heard some—Christians shouldn’t play cards—shouldn’t go to the movies—women shouldn’t wear pants—no dancing—you must have a quiet time before your feet hit the floor out of bed. Many of these rules are not necessarily wrong—they have elements of truth and warnings of danger—but they are convictions—the hard part, the dangerous part —the excessive demand and rule comes when you or I try to take those convictions and make them rules or mandates that every “good” Christian should follow.
h. You do know what makes a good Christian don’t you? Everyone who agrees with me and does what I do.
i. Jesus is the only one who can say that. He possessed a greater authority than those in charge and the people were hungering and thirsting for it. That hasn’t changed.
j. So many people are hungering and thirsting for authoritative teaching. And there are many that are jumping forward to claim the title. Even Oprah is involved in a webcast of spiritual truth that thousands are following which says there is no such thing as sin—many ways to God—that the kind of divinity Jesus had is yours if you would only realize it. among other things that are contrary to biblical teaching. Many are claiming to be the authority—But Jesus is the one who has the Authority
k. And just in case there was any doubt to this authority, Jesus gives some proof with…
2. A Message of Power—vs. 23-26, 30, 32-34
l. Vs. 23-26—the demonic live in a spiritual reality—the things that we are typically not aware of is the reality they see every moment and understand.
m. The Demons Knew Him—“I know who you are”—they knew Jesus’ identity.
n. The Demons Feared Him —have you come to destroy us?—they knew what Jesus was capable of.
o. The Demons Obeyed Him
p. The Demons Fled from Him
q. Even the demons believed
r. Vs. 27-28
s. Such a contrary message—from other incidents in the New testament, we know that in Judaism, within the people blessed with the testimony of God’s intervention, blessed with the law, there were still people ravaged by demonic influence—some affected children, throwing them into the fire. Some were so violent and uncontrollable that they lived in tombs. Others caused an inability to speak. The demonic caused immense suffering—and many had lost hope at overcoming them. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were helpless when faced with this kind of opposition.
t. Then Jesus comes along—the demons know Him, they fear Him, they Obey Him. As long as this Jesus has this kind of power even over the spiritual world, then the teachers of the law would fear the influence of Jesus—“what do we do, they might start looking to Him, they might start listening to Him more than they listen to us.
u. Not just over the Demonic—but the Physical as well—vs 29-34—let’s us know that a fever, not caused by the demonic was cured—that many people with various diseases were brought to Jesus.
v. What’s worse for the leadership is that “the whole town gathered at the door” For those accustomed to being the mouthpiece of God, used to the attention and prestige for their religious authority—Jesus came in with authoritative teaching—came with demonstrations of authority of disease and the demonic.
w. Jesus claimed it, He proved it—and He awakened such an impassioned resistance even from the demonic that He was sent to the Cross—you will either want to embrace Jesus or you will want to crucify Him—this middle ground of –“Wow, He’s really interesting or a Good teacher” is not really a sustainable position—you must make a decision about who He is and what He has come to do.
x. Because it is in that message of authority and power that comes…
3. A Message of Calling—Mark 1:16-20
a. This good news Jesus did not allow His teachings to just become a nice set of laws or teaching philosophies. Jesus comes across people who’s hearts are seeking after God and He calls them out of their ordinary existence and puts them on the path of eternal significance. Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
b. He calls you and me to a decision—a decision that will radically change
i. what we are doing,
ii. why we are doing it and
iii. who we are doing it for.
c. Whatever you are doing in life—God calls you to a greater cause, a greater purpose, a greater more abundant life. I wonder what Jesus would have said if He had been walking in front of a bunch of
i. Accountants—Come, follow me and you will tally the harvest of heaven.
ii. Mechanics—Come, follow Me and I will have you repair those seeking the Way of Holiness
iii. Soldiers—Come, follow Me and I will have you rescue the fallen from behind enemy lines
iv. Professors—Come, follow Me and I will have you bring the true light to minds darkened by sin
v. Garbage Men—Come, follow Me and I will have you bring beauty to the unclean
d. There is no mundane life, no mundane job, no area of life that Jesus cannot transform into something glorious. The Call of God is to take our lives and Transform them into a grand adventure—for the Kingdom of God—it’s not about fame, fortune, brilliance, the bold or the beautiful—He calls you out of a life that does not fulfill our hearts desire and unite it to a more noble purpose.
e. 2 Timothy 2:20—“ In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
2TI 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
f. Gold, silver, wood, clay—all of them were capable of being used for noble purposes. We miss that fact sometimes. We sometimes thing that only the best, only the smartest, only the most talented, only the best paying are capable of being used for God’s glory. But that’s not true—a noble purpose is something that only God is able to give.
g. People in the world by nature, do not do things of a true, eternal, noble purpose—they may be able to accomplish some good, even great things—for themselves, for others—but our purposes are always tainted by our sin nature that come through and taints what we want to do with greed, selfishness—and accomplish things that will not make a difference in eternity.
h. The truly noble things, great and meaningful tings are the ones which Jesus invites us to—because what Jesus invites us to will have an Eternal Kingdom Value.
i. And these men were seeking something—seeking something greater, something bigger, something more inspiring than the daily grind. Their hearts were yearning for something significant. Do you share that? Do you share the desire for your life to mean something? It requires doing what they did—immediately, with desire and urgency—follow Him—even if it means leaving behind the comforting things.
j. Jesus is calling you and me out of where we are and into a life of significance. There is something more to be living for and Jesus is the one with the Authority and Power to show it to you!
k. Let me say that I don’t believe you will ever look at your job, your life, your opportunities the same way again when it is your heart’s desire to glorify God and draw people to Him in whatever you happen to be doing.
1. A Message Shared with a Criminal
2. A Message of Fulfillment
3. A Message of Repentance
4. A Message of the Good News
All of these things contributed to many wanting to send Jesus to the Cross. Yes, even the Good News—that God is a God of Grace, that Salvation is a free gift that is not earned or deserved—so angered people, so stripped the religious Pharisees of unlawful authority that they opposed Him and hated Jesus for it.
But there’s more—there’s more in this passage that provided fuel to the fire.
1. A Message of Authority—1:21-22
a. Jesus has a teaching that is contrary to the world’s way of thinking. He comes right into the middle of our lives and teaches that mercy is better than sacrifice, that the thoughts and attitudes of the heart are just as important as one’s actions, that doing good in they eyes of man will never earn salvation. He confronts our apathy, He confronts our prejudices, He proclaims that the Love of God is not based on ceremony or ritual but forgiveness & holiness, especially sacrificial love. A love so great that the answer is that the innocent would lay down His life for the guilty.
b. But one thing that upset the local leadership is that it didn’t take people long to figure out that Jesus had a greater authority than they did.
c. One reason why Jesus stood out so much in this day and age was because very rarely would a speaker or teacher speak for themselves. They would always quote and say what someone else said. Some famous teacher, some commentary on the Torah. They would speak with someone else’s authority to try and bolster their own. Reading the words of Jesus, especially in the Sermon on the Mount—“You’ve heard it was said, but I say to you…”—it was different—Jesus spoke not just as one who had read and heard things all his life, but as One who knew the heart of God so well, One who remembered the intent of those laws when they were written before all the baggage
d. Matthew 7:28-29—“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
e. For years, the people had depended on the voices of the Pharisees and other teachers of the law. They were the Gatekeepers—Access to God was granted or restricted based upon the adherence to their rules and regulations.
f. They set the rules, they said what you could do and couldn’t do—only if you satisfied them, would you be granted access to God. but their rules were not based upon Scripture—but the additions of opinion—there were the rules of the law—and to avoid breaking those laws—we’ll make buffer laws, or we’ll make special exceptions so you can do the same thing without violating the law. You don’t have to honor your father and mother if you say “corban” and dedicate your wealth to God—after you die of course. You don’t have to honor the Sabbath if you follow certain paths, but you violate the Sabbath if you do good or pick a few seeds.
g. I’ve heard some—Christians shouldn’t play cards—shouldn’t go to the movies—women shouldn’t wear pants—no dancing—you must have a quiet time before your feet hit the floor out of bed. Many of these rules are not necessarily wrong—they have elements of truth and warnings of danger—but they are convictions—the hard part, the dangerous part —the excessive demand and rule comes when you or I try to take those convictions and make them rules or mandates that every “good” Christian should follow.
h. You do know what makes a good Christian don’t you? Everyone who agrees with me and does what I do.
i. Jesus is the only one who can say that. He possessed a greater authority than those in charge and the people were hungering and thirsting for it. That hasn’t changed.
j. So many people are hungering and thirsting for authoritative teaching. And there are many that are jumping forward to claim the title. Even Oprah is involved in a webcast of spiritual truth that thousands are following which says there is no such thing as sin—many ways to God—that the kind of divinity Jesus had is yours if you would only realize it. among other things that are contrary to biblical teaching. Many are claiming to be the authority—But Jesus is the one who has the Authority
k. And just in case there was any doubt to this authority, Jesus gives some proof with…
2. A Message of Power—vs. 23-26, 30, 32-34
l. Vs. 23-26—the demonic live in a spiritual reality—the things that we are typically not aware of is the reality they see every moment and understand.
m. The Demons Knew Him—“I know who you are”—they knew Jesus’ identity.
n. The Demons Feared Him —have you come to destroy us?—they knew what Jesus was capable of.
o. The Demons Obeyed Him
p. The Demons Fled from Him
q. Even the demons believed
r. Vs. 27-28
s. Such a contrary message—from other incidents in the New testament, we know that in Judaism, within the people blessed with the testimony of God’s intervention, blessed with the law, there were still people ravaged by demonic influence—some affected children, throwing them into the fire. Some were so violent and uncontrollable that they lived in tombs. Others caused an inability to speak. The demonic caused immense suffering—and many had lost hope at overcoming them. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were helpless when faced with this kind of opposition.
t. Then Jesus comes along—the demons know Him, they fear Him, they Obey Him. As long as this Jesus has this kind of power even over the spiritual world, then the teachers of the law would fear the influence of Jesus—“what do we do, they might start looking to Him, they might start listening to Him more than they listen to us.
u. Not just over the Demonic—but the Physical as well—vs 29-34—let’s us know that a fever, not caused by the demonic was cured—that many people with various diseases were brought to Jesus.
v. What’s worse for the leadership is that “the whole town gathered at the door” For those accustomed to being the mouthpiece of God, used to the attention and prestige for their religious authority—Jesus came in with authoritative teaching—came with demonstrations of authority of disease and the demonic.
w. Jesus claimed it, He proved it—and He awakened such an impassioned resistance even from the demonic that He was sent to the Cross—you will either want to embrace Jesus or you will want to crucify Him—this middle ground of –“Wow, He’s really interesting or a Good teacher” is not really a sustainable position—you must make a decision about who He is and what He has come to do.
x. Because it is in that message of authority and power that comes…
3. A Message of Calling—Mark 1:16-20
a. This good news Jesus did not allow His teachings to just become a nice set of laws or teaching philosophies. Jesus comes across people who’s hearts are seeking after God and He calls them out of their ordinary existence and puts them on the path of eternal significance. Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
b. He calls you and me to a decision—a decision that will radically change
i. what we are doing,
ii. why we are doing it and
iii. who we are doing it for.
c. Whatever you are doing in life—God calls you to a greater cause, a greater purpose, a greater more abundant life. I wonder what Jesus would have said if He had been walking in front of a bunch of
i. Accountants—Come, follow me and you will tally the harvest of heaven.
ii. Mechanics—Come, follow Me and I will have you repair those seeking the Way of Holiness
iii. Soldiers—Come, follow Me and I will have you rescue the fallen from behind enemy lines
iv. Professors—Come, follow Me and I will have you bring the true light to minds darkened by sin
v. Garbage Men—Come, follow Me and I will have you bring beauty to the unclean
d. There is no mundane life, no mundane job, no area of life that Jesus cannot transform into something glorious. The Call of God is to take our lives and Transform them into a grand adventure—for the Kingdom of God—it’s not about fame, fortune, brilliance, the bold or the beautiful—He calls you out of a life that does not fulfill our hearts desire and unite it to a more noble purpose.
e. 2 Timothy 2:20—“ In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
2TI 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
f. Gold, silver, wood, clay—all of them were capable of being used for noble purposes. We miss that fact sometimes. We sometimes thing that only the best, only the smartest, only the most talented, only the best paying are capable of being used for God’s glory. But that’s not true—a noble purpose is something that only God is able to give.
g. People in the world by nature, do not do things of a true, eternal, noble purpose—they may be able to accomplish some good, even great things—for themselves, for others—but our purposes are always tainted by our sin nature that come through and taints what we want to do with greed, selfishness—and accomplish things that will not make a difference in eternity.
h. The truly noble things, great and meaningful tings are the ones which Jesus invites us to—because what Jesus invites us to will have an Eternal Kingdom Value.
i. And these men were seeking something—seeking something greater, something bigger, something more inspiring than the daily grind. Their hearts were yearning for something significant. Do you share that? Do you share the desire for your life to mean something? It requires doing what they did—immediately, with desire and urgency—follow Him—even if it means leaving behind the comforting things.
j. Jesus is calling you and me out of where we are and into a life of significance. There is something more to be living for and Jesus is the one with the Authority and Power to show it to you!
k. Let me say that I don’t believe you will ever look at your job, your life, your opportunities the same way again when it is your heart’s desire to glorify God and draw people to Him in whatever you happen to be doing.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sermon- 12/23/07 - Mission Initiated - Christmas 2007
Mission Inspired
Mission Impossible—assignment received, then self destructs
The mission didn’t start in Bethlehem, it started according to John 1:1—“In the Beginning”—in the heart of God—remember a couple of weeks ago that the Crucifixion an wasn’t Plan B—it wasn’t a MacGyverism Improvisation. God knew
God lost something in the Fall—something He desperately wanted back.
Because of sin God was No longer able to walk among His precious & prized creation. Ephesians 2:10 describes you and I as “God’s workmanship”—the work of His hands—from the word Poeima—where we get the word Poem—God’s Masterpiece—where He is writing the story of our existence into the universe. Humanity is precious to Him
And that precious creation which He was able to walk and talk with was put on the other side of a great chasm of separation due to some of the very creative power He had given them—moral awareness of right & wrong and the Freedom to decide.
Imagine DaVinci never able to look upon the Mona Lisa after completing it because it blinded him. Imagine Shakespeare never able to read or listen to another one of his sonnets because the words poisoned him. Imagine your pride and joy—something you worked hard for, something you built or restored being off limits.
We are so much more than any thing or item to the heart of God—He considers you and me, His masterpiece.
There in the garden, He was able to walk and talk with us as you or I would walk with our spouse, with our friend—take a leisurely journey together for no other reason than the fact that you enjoy their company.
Sin disrupted that, it broke that—His holiness and aversion to sin made it humanly impossible to fix—we couldn’t just shout out a quick, “I’m sorry” and God come back with “Hey, no big deal. Just forget it ever happened… same time tomorrow?”
No—Our Sin is a Big Deal—the Great Chasm of Separation that is too great for us to overcome—doesn’t just hurt you and me—it grieves the Heart of God. It is possible to grieve the heart of God
PS 78:37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.
PS 78:38 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.
PS 78:39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
PS 78:40 How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland!
Ezekiel 6:9-- how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols.
Ephesians 4:30-- 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
We grieve His heart—
While that is a barrier to us—the great thing about God is that it won’t stop Him—the Barrier was not something He would just Snap His fingers at and fix
God is unwilling to Reestablish this Relationship like I Dream of Jeanie—a quick painless blink of the eyes and—poof—it’s all better.
No—this was too serious for that—a battle had to be fought—you and I were now held captive in the kingdom of darkness, slaves again to fear & sin, Satan & death—
Picture the Kingdom of Darkness with a great gate—like the Black Gate from the Lord of the Rings.
Can you picture God walking up to the door, knocking softly and saying, “excuse me, I’m really sorry to bother you Satan, but can I please have my valuables, my masterpieces back?”
The Mission was a Call to Battle—it was a fight to regain and restore captured men and women—
The heart of God was and is willing to fight for you and me. In the Beginning—God knew our Redemption, our Reconciliation, our ability to freely and without fear walk the journey of faith & life would Require an Invasion.
I typically envision an invasion as a huge number of soldiers storming a beach like at Normandy in WWII.
But God did not send an invading Army, He sent only One invader—His Only Son—
Now if you’re going to send One Soldier into hostile territory, behind enemy lines what do you think that soldier should look like?
NAVY SEAL
Captain America
Incredible Hulk
Superman
We don’t get a soldier trained for battle even an enhanced Patriot, we don’t get a super-strong creature or even an alien Superman
We get THIS—(picture of Mary holding baby Jesus)a Tiny Baby with no skills in Jujitsu, no Advanced Infantry Training, no Special Ops, no Hostage negotiation—I mean, this baby looks totally harmless—
And yet the arrival of this child is the first knock that shatters the gates of the Kingdom of Darkness
This arrival we typically call the Incarnation—
John 1:1—In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 14—And the Word became Flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
We read the words of:
Matthew 1:20—“an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
MT 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us."
That sounds so nice, we can get so easily lost in the cuteness of it all. But I noticed something when looking back at that moment in Isaiah. Immanuel does not come for the nation of Israel in the calm of the night—Immanuel comes as the Deliverer, when all hope is lost, when the enemy is at the gates.
While Isaiah 7 is the well known introduction of the term Immanuel, ch. 8 describes the invasion of Assyria it this way. 8:8-10-- Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!"
8:9 Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
The Arrival of Immanuel is a time of Battle—of the Victory of the Lord. It is the plan and salvation of Immanuel that will win the day.
True Restoration—True Freedom—True Rescue
To be what God had created you and me to be—not only enjoy walking beside us, but living within us. That little baby that we celebrate at Christmas is the Key to our Creator once again enjoying the closeness of the Garden, and that little baby is the Key to a Secure Future with our Creator that can never be broken or lost again.
He willingly laid aside all that He was and became a Flesh, became a Human Being in order to accomplish it all--
What exactly did God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity lay aside?
Jesus laid aside Eternity, and He laid aside Omnipresence—being everywhere at the same moment and confined Himself to an infant body bound by time and space
He laid aside Omnipotence—All Power, and Omniscience—All Knowledge—and limited or emptied Himself into a body that didn’t have the power to feed itself, that couldn’t move from one place to another unless someone else carried him.
PHP 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
PHP 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
PHP 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!
Laid aside the “very Nature of God” which was already His and
Laid aside the right to be Served as King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Laid aside His immunity to death
He didn’t come fully formed ready for battle, He didn’t come with all the training, no big muscles, no advanced infantry training
God did not see fit to place Jesus among a team of highly trained operatives, not a military outfit that could train Him in the art of battle--but 2 young newlyweds, a few animal activists and a few animals. Instead the heart of God was moved to Initiate our rescue with Innocence, Holiness and Helplessness. “The foolishness of God is sure wiser than man’s wisdom
In spite of this helpless appearance, our Hero had—according to Colossians—“all the fullness of deity liv[ing] in bodily form.”
Even in that infant—there was power—there was Promise, there was Hope.
It doesn’t seem like the best way to mount a rescue, but for God—it was ideal because Jesus being born, gained something from this infiltration to the kingdom of darkness.
What did Jesus gain? Flesh and Blood untainted by sin—that’s what the Virgin Conception and Birth was for.
He gained an opportunity to walk among us without us running and hiding.
He gained an opportunity to share in our sufferings, endure every temptation, yet be without sin.
He gained the ability, not just to tell us about the love of God, but truly demonstrate it with action, by dying for us, dying in our place, receiving the punishment that we deserved.
The Mission was Accepted and Initiated and the Hero of the Human Race was born on that simple Christmas morning.
And it was and continues to be a moment worth praising God over.
Even God’s Mighty Warriors—the angels in all their glory—praised God over this:
“Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth—peace to men on whom His favor rests”
And when the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see what the angels announced—they too Praised God.
The Word—God Himself—was made Flesh—shared in our Humanity—walked among us and Restored the Possibility of a Journey and Walk of Faith—by holding to His mission of the Cross—By Demonstrating Victory in the Resurrection—
and so our Savior, born that first Christmas—is able “to save completely & forever those who come to God through Him”
When the time came—the baby was born to restore and make possible a life of faith and a close walk with God—the Mission was initiated to accomplish that.
Initiated not with Grandeur, posing or a show of force—but with simplicity and a show of love.
Luke 2:6—“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Mission Impossible—assignment received, then self destructs
The mission didn’t start in Bethlehem, it started according to John 1:1—“In the Beginning”—in the heart of God—remember a couple of weeks ago that the Crucifixion an wasn’t Plan B—it wasn’t a MacGyverism Improvisation. God knew
God lost something in the Fall—something He desperately wanted back.
Because of sin God was No longer able to walk among His precious & prized creation. Ephesians 2:10 describes you and I as “God’s workmanship”—the work of His hands—from the word Poeima—where we get the word Poem—God’s Masterpiece—where He is writing the story of our existence into the universe. Humanity is precious to Him
And that precious creation which He was able to walk and talk with was put on the other side of a great chasm of separation due to some of the very creative power He had given them—moral awareness of right & wrong and the Freedom to decide.
Imagine DaVinci never able to look upon the Mona Lisa after completing it because it blinded him. Imagine Shakespeare never able to read or listen to another one of his sonnets because the words poisoned him. Imagine your pride and joy—something you worked hard for, something you built or restored being off limits.
We are so much more than any thing or item to the heart of God—He considers you and me, His masterpiece.
There in the garden, He was able to walk and talk with us as you or I would walk with our spouse, with our friend—take a leisurely journey together for no other reason than the fact that you enjoy their company.
Sin disrupted that, it broke that—His holiness and aversion to sin made it humanly impossible to fix—we couldn’t just shout out a quick, “I’m sorry” and God come back with “Hey, no big deal. Just forget it ever happened… same time tomorrow?”
No—Our Sin is a Big Deal—the Great Chasm of Separation that is too great for us to overcome—doesn’t just hurt you and me—it grieves the Heart of God. It is possible to grieve the heart of God
PS 78:37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.
PS 78:38 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.
PS 78:39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
PS 78:40 How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland!
Ezekiel 6:9-- how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols.
Ephesians 4:30-- 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
We grieve His heart—
While that is a barrier to us—the great thing about God is that it won’t stop Him—the Barrier was not something He would just Snap His fingers at and fix
God is unwilling to Reestablish this Relationship like I Dream of Jeanie—a quick painless blink of the eyes and—poof—it’s all better.
No—this was too serious for that—a battle had to be fought—you and I were now held captive in the kingdom of darkness, slaves again to fear & sin, Satan & death—
Picture the Kingdom of Darkness with a great gate—like the Black Gate from the Lord of the Rings.
Can you picture God walking up to the door, knocking softly and saying, “excuse me, I’m really sorry to bother you Satan, but can I please have my valuables, my masterpieces back?”
The Mission was a Call to Battle—it was a fight to regain and restore captured men and women—
The heart of God was and is willing to fight for you and me. In the Beginning—God knew our Redemption, our Reconciliation, our ability to freely and without fear walk the journey of faith & life would Require an Invasion.
I typically envision an invasion as a huge number of soldiers storming a beach like at Normandy in WWII.
But God did not send an invading Army, He sent only One invader—His Only Son—
Now if you’re going to send One Soldier into hostile territory, behind enemy lines what do you think that soldier should look like?
NAVY SEAL
Captain America
Incredible Hulk
Superman
We don’t get a soldier trained for battle even an enhanced Patriot, we don’t get a super-strong creature or even an alien Superman
We get THIS—(picture of Mary holding baby Jesus)a Tiny Baby with no skills in Jujitsu, no Advanced Infantry Training, no Special Ops, no Hostage negotiation—I mean, this baby looks totally harmless—
And yet the arrival of this child is the first knock that shatters the gates of the Kingdom of Darkness
This arrival we typically call the Incarnation—
John 1:1—In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 14—And the Word became Flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
We read the words of:
Matthew 1:20—“an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
MT 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us."
That sounds so nice, we can get so easily lost in the cuteness of it all. But I noticed something when looking back at that moment in Isaiah. Immanuel does not come for the nation of Israel in the calm of the night—Immanuel comes as the Deliverer, when all hope is lost, when the enemy is at the gates.
While Isaiah 7 is the well known introduction of the term Immanuel, ch. 8 describes the invasion of Assyria it this way. 8:8-10-- Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!"
8:9 Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
The Arrival of Immanuel is a time of Battle—of the Victory of the Lord. It is the plan and salvation of Immanuel that will win the day.
True Restoration—True Freedom—True Rescue
To be what God had created you and me to be—not only enjoy walking beside us, but living within us. That little baby that we celebrate at Christmas is the Key to our Creator once again enjoying the closeness of the Garden, and that little baby is the Key to a Secure Future with our Creator that can never be broken or lost again.
He willingly laid aside all that He was and became a Flesh, became a Human Being in order to accomplish it all--
What exactly did God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity lay aside?
Jesus laid aside Eternity, and He laid aside Omnipresence—being everywhere at the same moment and confined Himself to an infant body bound by time and space
He laid aside Omnipotence—All Power, and Omniscience—All Knowledge—and limited or emptied Himself into a body that didn’t have the power to feed itself, that couldn’t move from one place to another unless someone else carried him.
PHP 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
PHP 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
PHP 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!
Laid aside the “very Nature of God” which was already His and
Laid aside the right to be Served as King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Laid aside His immunity to death
He didn’t come fully formed ready for battle, He didn’t come with all the training, no big muscles, no advanced infantry training
God did not see fit to place Jesus among a team of highly trained operatives, not a military outfit that could train Him in the art of battle--but 2 young newlyweds, a few animal activists and a few animals. Instead the heart of God was moved to Initiate our rescue with Innocence, Holiness and Helplessness. “The foolishness of God is sure wiser than man’s wisdom
In spite of this helpless appearance, our Hero had—according to Colossians—“all the fullness of deity liv[ing] in bodily form.”
Even in that infant—there was power—there was Promise, there was Hope.
It doesn’t seem like the best way to mount a rescue, but for God—it was ideal because Jesus being born, gained something from this infiltration to the kingdom of darkness.
What did Jesus gain? Flesh and Blood untainted by sin—that’s what the Virgin Conception and Birth was for.
He gained an opportunity to walk among us without us running and hiding.
He gained an opportunity to share in our sufferings, endure every temptation, yet be without sin.
He gained the ability, not just to tell us about the love of God, but truly demonstrate it with action, by dying for us, dying in our place, receiving the punishment that we deserved.
The Mission was Accepted and Initiated and the Hero of the Human Race was born on that simple Christmas morning.
And it was and continues to be a moment worth praising God over.
Even God’s Mighty Warriors—the angels in all their glory—praised God over this:
“Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth—peace to men on whom His favor rests”
And when the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see what the angels announced—they too Praised God.
The Word—God Himself—was made Flesh—shared in our Humanity—walked among us and Restored the Possibility of a Journey and Walk of Faith—by holding to His mission of the Cross—By Demonstrating Victory in the Resurrection—
and so our Savior, born that first Christmas—is able “to save completely & forever those who come to God through Him”
When the time came—the baby was born to restore and make possible a life of faith and a close walk with God—the Mission was initiated to accomplish that.
Initiated not with Grandeur, posing or a show of force—but with simplicity and a show of love.
Luke 2:6—“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sermon-- Mission In Progress-- 12-16-07
Most of the sermon below is just referencing various texts of Scripture used to make the overall point. I knew what I wanted to say and didn't write as much down this time. If you want the whole context, you'll have to listen to the sermon when it gets posted.
Check at www.ubcfellowship.com
Mission In Progress
We’ve been working backwards to Christmas and the incarnation—starting with the Return of Christ and the Mission Victorious—then last week, we looked at the Mission Accomplished—with Jesus’ work on the Cross.
Today, we’ll be looking at the Mission In Progress—what others thought His mission was supposed to be and how Jesus described His own mission.
1. Mission Imposed
a. Throughout Jesus ministry, people thought they knew what the Messiah should be about—they tried to tell Him what to do, how He was supposed to do it—who His friends were supposed to be—even who He should or shouldn’t be having dinner with—essentially—many people tried to impose their understanding upon Jesus—essentially—they were trying to tell Jesus how to do His job.
b. Here’s a Definition of an Armchair Quarterback-- a person who is not a quarterback, but offers opinions and criticism on the performance or decisions of those who are
c. There were many people who wanted to offer their opinion on what the Messiah should be, or offer their criticisms of Jesus performance as the Messiah.—and I thought patients commenting on a surgeon’s technique was bad.—or a drunk driver trying to tell a sober driver all the things they are doing wrong.
d. Miracle Worker— LK 4:23 Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: `Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' "
LK 4:24 "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
e. Pharisees--MK 8:11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
f. Herod-- LK 23:8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.
g. Public Figure—John 7:1-- JN 7:1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world."—stop hiding out here—you need to be in the Big City so you’ll get noticed
h. We Know Who Your Friends Should Be-- LK 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
LK 5:29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and `sinners'?"
LK 5:31 Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
i. MT 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
j. King by Force-- JN 6:14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
k. Again, Jesus failed to have His mission imposed on Him. He refused to have His behavior Imposed on Him—He refused to have the “right people” imposed on Him—H refused to be made King by some other means, He refused even to do miracles in some places.
l. You and I have many expectations of Jesus—He’s one of the more talked about and misunderstood characters in history—we try to make Jesus into our own image—if I’m for it, or I’m doing it—then I’m sure Jesus is doing it or for it too. Jesus won’t care—not only does He love everybody, but He saves everybody.
2. Mission Explained
a. We want to let ourselves off the hook on so many things—saying the law of righteousness or the call to holiness by God no longer applies to us or it is outdated. We may not always understand what this means MT 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
b. We think of Jesus as the cute and cuddly Savior—much like the Teddy Bear you received last Christmas—But Jesus describes Himself this way in the Sermon on the Mount---Matthew 10:34T 10:34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” He wants people to make a decision about Him—and that decision will divide friendships, households, even nations.
c. So many want to make Jesus tolerant—never imposing His faith—never trying to tell someone else they are wrong----MK 1:38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.—for there to be Good News—there had to be Bad News—for there to be demons, there has to be evil—and He called it what it was—
d. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
JN 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
e. JN 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
JN 12:47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it
f. Even today—we expect Jesus to come in and solve all our problems—if we just get Jesus back into our schools, if we just get Jesus back into our government—those expectations are not much different from the Jewish misunderstandings of what the Messiah was coming to do. But Jesus came to save people and change people and in so doing will change society. In describing His mission—Jesus, in visiting His hometown said this LK 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
LK 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
LK 4:20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
g. So much of what follows in the Gospels are moments when He feeds the hungry, frees those held in demonic bondage, restores sight to the blind, heals the sick.—He doesn’t go to the halls government—he goes to the hearts of people.
h. Since so many don’t like to hear that they are wrong, don’t like to hear that they are going down the wrong path—they have issues with the real Jesus--Luke 19:10-- 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."—if you’re lost—you need someone to find you , to put you on the right path
i. I would expect someone as important as Jesus to demand favorable treatment—superstar glamour--some big wigs before agreeing to a speaking engagement require a certain amount of money, certain hotel and food perks—but not Jesus Matt. 20:28-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
j. Predictions of death & resurrection
i. MT 20:17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
ii. MT 26:1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 "As you know, the Passover is two days away--and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
3. Mission in Action
a. Jesus was all about reconnecting people with God
b. That’s why, when He saw the abuse at the Temple—He was willing to throw over tables, and drive people out who were cheating and taking advantage of the poor.
c. Rather than allow himself to be king—to be used as a political tool--even when the people tried to force the issue, Jesus would Slip away from being made king—even when Satan offered it all for a small price
d. Jesus Refusing to make Himself into a Public Figure by going to the feast with His brothers—but came silently and began to teach
e. Refusing to do miracles on queue—
f. Instead, Jesus Setting his face toward Jerusalem –on numerous occasions, Jesus’ determination to go to Jerusalem is described—nothing could alter His course—not even the begging of His disciples
g. Refusing to escape—Gethsemane—don’t you know I could call upon 10 legions of angels
h. Nothing could deter Jesus from fulfilling His mission. Every step of the way—when moments of temptation would come to take Him off the path—you need to know that your face flashed before His eyes—the ones He came to save—the ones He came to rescue from darkness and death.
i. Also consider the passion with which He fulfilled His mission—how nothing dissuade Him—not fear, not death, not embarrassment—all because of His love
j. Now consider that after fulfilling His mission—Jesus gave you and me a mission that we need to fulfill with the same undeterred passion that Jesus had. To share our light—to help rescue people from darkness. Nothing should deter us from the Mission that Christ Accomplished on the Cross and gave to us to share—not fear, not death, not embarrassment. Too often we do let those things and more stop us.
k. But our love for Jesus should compel us—it compels me to want to fulfill my mission—to see you fulfill your mission—to see the Kingdom of God grow in our hearts and our church and our city. So this Christmas—honor the birth of Christ by fulfilling the mission He gave you.
Check at www.ubcfellowship.com
Mission In Progress
We’ve been working backwards to Christmas and the incarnation—starting with the Return of Christ and the Mission Victorious—then last week, we looked at the Mission Accomplished—with Jesus’ work on the Cross.
Today, we’ll be looking at the Mission In Progress—what others thought His mission was supposed to be and how Jesus described His own mission.
1. Mission Imposed
a. Throughout Jesus ministry, people thought they knew what the Messiah should be about—they tried to tell Him what to do, how He was supposed to do it—who His friends were supposed to be—even who He should or shouldn’t be having dinner with—essentially—many people tried to impose their understanding upon Jesus—essentially—they were trying to tell Jesus how to do His job.
b. Here’s a Definition of an Armchair Quarterback-- a person who is not a quarterback, but offers opinions and criticism on the performance or decisions of those who are
c. There were many people who wanted to offer their opinion on what the Messiah should be, or offer their criticisms of Jesus performance as the Messiah.—and I thought patients commenting on a surgeon’s technique was bad.—or a drunk driver trying to tell a sober driver all the things they are doing wrong.
d. Miracle Worker— LK 4:23 Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: `Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' "
LK 4:24 "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
e. Pharisees--MK 8:11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
f. Herod-- LK 23:8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.
g. Public Figure—John 7:1-- JN 7:1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world."—stop hiding out here—you need to be in the Big City so you’ll get noticed
h. We Know Who Your Friends Should Be-- LK 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
LK 5:29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and `sinners'?"
LK 5:31 Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
i. MT 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
j. King by Force-- JN 6:14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
k. Again, Jesus failed to have His mission imposed on Him. He refused to have His behavior Imposed on Him—He refused to have the “right people” imposed on Him—H refused to be made King by some other means, He refused even to do miracles in some places.
l. You and I have many expectations of Jesus—He’s one of the more talked about and misunderstood characters in history—we try to make Jesus into our own image—if I’m for it, or I’m doing it—then I’m sure Jesus is doing it or for it too. Jesus won’t care—not only does He love everybody, but He saves everybody.
2. Mission Explained
a. We want to let ourselves off the hook on so many things—saying the law of righteousness or the call to holiness by God no longer applies to us or it is outdated. We may not always understand what this means MT 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
b. We think of Jesus as the cute and cuddly Savior—much like the Teddy Bear you received last Christmas—But Jesus describes Himself this way in the Sermon on the Mount---Matthew 10:34T 10:34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” He wants people to make a decision about Him—and that decision will divide friendships, households, even nations.
c. So many want to make Jesus tolerant—never imposing His faith—never trying to tell someone else they are wrong----MK 1:38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.—for there to be Good News—there had to be Bad News—for there to be demons, there has to be evil—and He called it what it was—
d. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
JN 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
e. JN 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
JN 12:47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it
f. Even today—we expect Jesus to come in and solve all our problems—if we just get Jesus back into our schools, if we just get Jesus back into our government—those expectations are not much different from the Jewish misunderstandings of what the Messiah was coming to do. But Jesus came to save people and change people and in so doing will change society. In describing His mission—Jesus, in visiting His hometown said this LK 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
LK 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
LK 4:20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
g. So much of what follows in the Gospels are moments when He feeds the hungry, frees those held in demonic bondage, restores sight to the blind, heals the sick.—He doesn’t go to the halls government—he goes to the hearts of people.
h. Since so many don’t like to hear that they are wrong, don’t like to hear that they are going down the wrong path—they have issues with the real Jesus--Luke 19:10-- 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."—if you’re lost—you need someone to find you , to put you on the right path
i. I would expect someone as important as Jesus to demand favorable treatment—superstar glamour--some big wigs before agreeing to a speaking engagement require a certain amount of money, certain hotel and food perks—but not Jesus Matt. 20:28-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
j. Predictions of death & resurrection
i. MT 20:17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
ii. MT 26:1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 "As you know, the Passover is two days away--and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
3. Mission in Action
a. Jesus was all about reconnecting people with God
b. That’s why, when He saw the abuse at the Temple—He was willing to throw over tables, and drive people out who were cheating and taking advantage of the poor.
c. Rather than allow himself to be king—to be used as a political tool--even when the people tried to force the issue, Jesus would Slip away from being made king—even when Satan offered it all for a small price
d. Jesus Refusing to make Himself into a Public Figure by going to the feast with His brothers—but came silently and began to teach
e. Refusing to do miracles on queue—
f. Instead, Jesus Setting his face toward Jerusalem –on numerous occasions, Jesus’ determination to go to Jerusalem is described—nothing could alter His course—not even the begging of His disciples
g. Refusing to escape—Gethsemane—don’t you know I could call upon 10 legions of angels
h. Nothing could deter Jesus from fulfilling His mission. Every step of the way—when moments of temptation would come to take Him off the path—you need to know that your face flashed before His eyes—the ones He came to save—the ones He came to rescue from darkness and death.
i. Also consider the passion with which He fulfilled His mission—how nothing dissuade Him—not fear, not death, not embarrassment—all because of His love
j. Now consider that after fulfilling His mission—Jesus gave you and me a mission that we need to fulfill with the same undeterred passion that Jesus had. To share our light—to help rescue people from darkness. Nothing should deter us from the Mission that Christ Accomplished on the Cross and gave to us to share—not fear, not death, not embarrassment. Too often we do let those things and more stop us.
k. But our love for Jesus should compel us—it compels me to want to fulfill my mission—to see you fulfill your mission—to see the Kingdom of God grow in our hearts and our church and our city. So this Christmas—honor the birth of Christ by fulfilling the mission He gave you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)