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Methodist sermons from Carrollton to Ellijay (with a long pause in between). See you Sunday!
Episodes
Tuesday May 16, 2017
Tuesday May 16, 2017
What Was Promised
Ephesians 6:1-3
Ways It Should, and Shouldn't, Be:
Ø Last Night with the a Family...
- A little boy with (thankfully) a simple break (in two places!)
- A young mother being a very good Mom (now with two in slings!)
- Exactly how is should be!
Ø This past week with a friend (who just turned 50)
- ...who shared her history of abuse and a mother who even now tells her she is a horrible disappointment
- Exactly the way is should NOT be!
Ø Every mother a broken bearer of God's image
- Thankfully, more of us have had the former experience...
- Even with the occasional frustration (like maybe her being a tad overprotective), most of us have been blessed with Moms who have always, even during times of disagreements, shown us unconditional love
- For those who haven't, it is my prayer that you find joy in those "adopted mothers" that God has placed in your life.
- For moms here today, especially the new ones, may God bless as you perform the most challenging, rewarding task in life...
Promises, Blessings, and Rewards
Ø "The first commandment with a promise"
- How do we understand Bible promises?
- "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Prov 22:6(NIV)
- We know this does not take away their freedom to choose, but we also know that all things being equal, a good start makes a BIG difference!
- Eph 6:3 "If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”"
- Commandment #5: “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you." Exodus 20:12 (NLT)
- If things are the "way they should be," then if you receive what you are given, you'll have a better life.Honoring doesn't always mean agreeing! It means being respectful and not dismissing Mom (& Dad) as "stick-in-the-muds."
*Remember the old joke about how when you were 16 your Mom and Dad were idiots, but by 25 you were amazed at how smart they had become?
- This is actually the basis for honoring traditions:
*Parents hand down to you (hopefully) the best parts of their experiences and wisdom; their parents did the same for them, and so on. With each generation knowledge is refined and updated in a gradual way, and the "baby isn't thrown out with the bath water"
*Unless you have a "cultural revolution" like most of the major civilizations did in the previous century. Then the baby goes flying! (Ex: Scientists have recently found that baby boys and baby girls are different!)
Ø Moms, you have reason to be confident in what you pass on!
- Yes, the world is changing... but people haven't changed!
- Yes, there are many new ways of doing things, but I'm glad my wife & I know some old ways (hobby farm upon retirement!!)
- Yes, there are more options for life and faith brought to us than ever before, but that has always been the case; never doubt the value of the faith you pass on, or at the least never doubt the necessity of proving by example that a life without faith and meaning is impoverished:
- Recently on Facebook: ...On the one extreme you have heavy-handed indoctrination where the child never learns to think for themselves and winds up shackled to whatever authority figure they latch on to. On the other extreme is abdication, where those questions that are (generally agreed upon to be) the most important in life are treated as unimportant, and the child drifts through a superficial, un-examined life... Hopefully my kids (yes, the "preacher's kids") know the following: questions of faith and the meaning of life are of the utmost importance for building one's life, Mom and Dad found answers to these questions and purpose in life through their (Christian) faith, they (our kids) have a responsibility to reflect on life and its meaning for themselves, and if their answers are different from ours we will not "disown" them.
And so, Mothers, Grandmothers, and those who stand in their stead...
Ø We thank you, for your love, support, sharing, and caring...
Ø We honor you for shaping the generations to come and passing down what you learned
Ø We pray for you, for it is an awesome, overwhelming responsibility
Ø We praise God for you, for in you we have received God's love
Wednesday May 10, 2017
Wednesday May 10, 2017
(Graduation Sunday:)
Entering a Broken World
1 Peter 2:19-25
Graduation in the Shadow of Easter
Ø "This is a Day of New Beginnings"
- with endless possibilities!
Ø The Shadow of the Cross
- "...Christ suffered for you."
- Lectionary: "patiently endure unjust treatment..."
- (a bit of a "bummer?")
This World is Broken
Ø And as a Christian, you are called to be part of the FIX (aka. "the Kingdom of God")
- Life ISN'T Fair (Just/Righteous)
- Sometimes against us
- Sometimes for us
- You are called to BE fair, just, holy, and loving
- To all people (those you like and don't)
- Even to yourself (seeing yourself clearly is HARD)
Ø You are also called to look beyond the "is" to the "what could be"
- You are called to a life of unrelenting Hope (and Faith, and Love)
Things to Remember
Ø Words from ministers:
- “Education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. … We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. And so on. But when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.”~ A. C. Dixon
Ø Some Very Practical (Proverbial) Advice
- Surround yourself with people who make it easier for you to love God and people.Christians were never meant to be isolated.
- Don't just live in the Christian bubble; Jesus ate with everybody.
- Dreaming big dreams is one thing, but waking up, getting out of bed, & doing the hard work is what makes your dreams reality.
- Think before you speak…or post something, or send an email, or text(you get the idea).
- Make good choices!You’re going to have to look at yourself in the mirror every day…
- Never stop pursuing the truth.But don't confuse truth with opinion. "I have my truth and you have yours" is an example of said confusion.
- Truth includes facts, but facts can only imply truth.Don't implications overwhelm your faith.
- You can't be a real disciple of Jesus just one day a week; it takes all seven!
- Jesus is not your "ticket" to heaven, or to the good life, or to any of your goals.Trying to use God for your own ends, never ends well.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously. Take God very seriously.
- Don’t settle for ordinary, when extraordinary is just a few steps away.
- Love people…all people.Even if they really need a bath.
- Never underestimate the power of a firm handshake and good eye contact.
- It’s never too late to stop procrastinating.
- Humility includes knowing your strengths (without arrogance) and knowing your weaknesses (without despair).
- Facebook is not the place to handle interpersonal conflicts or meet eligible singles in your area.Neither is Tinder!!
- Some hills aren’t worth dying on…but, then again, some are.
- Don’t fill out those credit card applications that you receive in the mail.Just because congress cannot live within their means doesn't make it wise.
- Children who truly love their parents, call them at least once a week and text them more often…just not while they’re driving.
- 1st impressions really do matter! (I'll spare you the quote...)
- Live out Ephesians 2:10–“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
- Never forget who you are.Never forget whose you are.
- Be flexible enough to change your course when warranted, but determined enough to stay the course when needed.The Serenity prayer is worth praying often.
- Spend enough time dwelling on the good memories that they stick (bad memories tend to stick without effort). Spend enough time making good memories so that you have many to dwell on.
Wednesday May 03, 2017
Wednesday May 03, 2017
Signposts Along the Way
Luke 24:13-34
Going "old school" today, but first...
Ø Road signs...
- A lot of funny ones in the world... and on Google
- But some are easily missed...
Ø The disciples on the road missed a few things...
- Jesus walking with them; the necessity of the crucifixion
- Are we any differe-nt?
Ø “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures." - Jesus of Nazareth, 30AD
- We're not the 1st generation to struggle with what was written!
- We have come up with new and ingenious reasons to ignore it.
Ignoring the Signs
Ø The Inevitable March of Progress?
- More of the world explained (and explained away)
- Science has provided us a MUCH better quality of life
- The promise of a new secular age...
- ...which had theologians trying to "insulate" the gospel:
¨ "Not 'fact' but still 'true'"
¨ The "Social Gospel" as a "gospel" for this world only
- ...which in fact has NOT happened:
¨ more people un-churched, but not all that more atheists
¨ most are "spiritual," or superstitious
¨ In March 2016, a temple dedicated to the Norse god Odin & other gods opened in Denmark. Nine Roosters were sacrificed and consumed as a part of the ritual.
¨ After a popular campaign, European Union officials agreed to add the leprechauns as a protected species in the area of the Carlingford mountains. (263 left)
- "When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing— they believe in anything." ~ G. K. Chesterton
- Two world wars, multiple genocides, the threat of nuclear war...
- Scientific progress has shown us how to do many things; it has nothing to say about whether doing them is good...
Ø But WE certainly aren't like that, right?
- A little fill-in-the-blank...
- For God so loved the world that _________________
- In the beginning was the _____________________
- And you will see the Son of Man coming __________
- If your eye offends you ____________
- The just shall live _____________
- Yea though I walk through _______________
- For everything there is a season, and _______________
- Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ________ _______ ____
- ..choose you this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, _______________________
- And some other things...
- First 5 books?The 4 gospel writers?
- Who wrote most of the NT letters?
- What makes James and Jude so special of the NT writers?
- Where to look for a coat of many colors?
- Who was safe in the lions' den? In the fiery furnace? Did they know each other?
Ø First order VBS stuff?
- Any teacher should tell you, to perform higher level thinking, you have to have some content.
- How much time have you spent with God's word not just over the past week, but over your life?
- If you were taken to North Korea, could you tell your kids and grandkids the stories of Jesus?
Following the Directions
Ø And in the meantime...
- Jesus invites us to walk with Him and talk with Him, in a concrete way that will challenge our presuppositions, and change our thoughts and desires...
- Every story was given for a reason
- Yes, they are "stories."Yes, they really, factually, happened. But these were recorded intentionally by the authors, and the Author guiding them.
Ø What is the point of this story?
- Jesus is with us! Even when the times are tough.
- Jesus will teach us through our engagement with God's word! That learning experience will challenge us, but also comfort us.
- We will experience His presence as we fellowship with one another, especially in the "breaking of bread" (communion).
- And that is how we receive strength for the journey!
Ø Finally, lets end with some "signs"
- Jeremiah 29:11; Matthew 11:28-29; Isaiah 40:29-31
- Romans 8:37-39; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Revelation 3:5
Monday Apr 24, 2017
Monday Apr 24, 2017
Demonstration of the signs mentioned in the sermon here.
The video played during the sermon here.
Receiving and Believing
John 20:19-31
Narrowing Our Focus
Ø So Rich in Possibilities!
- Remember your first time at a buffet? (For me it was Duffy's.What to eat first!?!)
- There is a wealth of possible topics in today's post-Easter lectionary reading:
- The disciples were hiding and fearful; quite the opposite of Pentecost!
- Jesus appears! Is He a spirit?No, He shows them His wounds...
- Why does Jesus retain His wounds?
- Isn't it neat that He says "Peace be with you," which was their everyday polite greeting, like "how's your mom & them, but His mission was to bring Peace?
- That part about forgiving and retaining sins: is that license for the Roman Catholic practices of penance and excommunication, or is that about our ministry of declaring forgiveness through faith in Christ (as the Greek suggests)?
- Was Thomas stubborn, hurt, the first scientist, or what?
- Thomas' confession was light years beyond Peter's finally unmasking for us Jesus as God.
Ø Let's narrow it down to these:
- v22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit."
- v29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
- AND v31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
- What is this link between believing in Jesus and receiving new life through the Spirit?
Do We "Believe?"
Ø I have a problem with Indiana Jones...
- #1 - After you see the Ark of the Covenant destroy a group of Nazi's, how do you still interpret it without bringing in God?
- #2 - That scene in The Last Crusade about the "leap of faith..."
Ø The problem with the Leap of Faith
- We tend to define what is "leaped over" as a lack of evidence
- Look at what Thomas says...
- But in my experience, what we "leap over" is more about the struggle in our hearts (insecurities, fear of being hurt, etc.) than the struggle in our heads
- Imagine yourself as Thomas, and look at what he did...
Ø The problem with "belief"
- Like "love," we can say a lot or a little when we say, "I believe"
- ex 1: "I believe it's going to rain."
- ex 2: "I believe this airplane is safe."
- ex 3: "I believe in my wife."
- As in, "No, that wasn't my wife tossing dollar bills at the Chip & Dale performers!"
- Or better yet, "Honey, I need you to leave the house for the next 30 minutes.No questions. Trust me. This is important." (I will, of course, ask if she's in any danger...)
- "Belief in Christ" is that kind of belief that starts with a realization and moves quickly to trust, then over time permeates the center of your being and fills every corner of your life...
- Thomas: "My Lord and my God!"
Part of the New Creation
Ø John's hidden implication:
- Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- John 1:1a In the beginning was the Word... v3 God created everything through him, & nothing was created except through him.
- Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
- John 20:22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit."
Ø As a disciple, you are called not just to a set of rules or a certain standard of behavior, but to willingly participate in your own re-creation...
Ø The impact that people of the New Creation have is amazing...
- "Christians are made of Steel!" - a clip from an Egyptian news broadcast in which a Muslim journalist reacts to an interview with the widow of the gatekeeper who prevented a suicide bomber from entering an Alexandria church yard on Palm Sunday, thereby saving countless lives....
That is the kind of impact we are called to have as a part of the New Creation, a post-Easter people!
Wednesday Apr 19, 2017
Wednesday Apr 19, 2017
He Is Risen!!
Matthew 28:1-10
Are You Ready for Easter?
> If you could pick your own, "Best News EVER," what would it be?
- No war? No famine? Sicknesses cured? Death vanquished!?!
- How about the promise of all of the above?
> That is what the we mean when we say Jesus the Christ is ALIVE!
- He is RISEN! And we MUST share this, that it happened, and what it means!
Christ Risen in History, in Defiance of Meaninglessness and Death
> Yes, even people back then knew that the dead stayed that way!
- Gentiles believed in nothingness, or that the body was crude and corrupt...
- Jews were divided, only imagining a resuscitation (like Lazarus)
- Even some (sophisticated?) Christians...
- 1 Corinthians 15:14-19 NLT
- For "moderns," we have tried to limit faith to teaching "truth," rather than "facts."That doesn't work on Easter!
> Paul had it right: if Jesus was not alive on that first Sunday after Passover, then the whole thing is a cheat. Everything is pointless...
- BetrandRussel represents this view:“...only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”
> Paul:
- Cor15:20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
- An open challenge to the readers of the letter: go ask the eyewitnesses, or ask the Romans to produce the body (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
> God doesn't ask us to surrender our reason, but to honestly use it!
> This is the pivot point of human history, on which all of it turns!
- A world without Christ is a world that retains the practice of slavery, rejects the equality and complimentarity of women and men, retains the horrors of infanticide and the dehumanization of the "other"
- A world without Christ is a world characterized by the human sacrifices of the Aztecs, the gas chambers of Nazi Germany, and the ruler worship and idolatry of modern North Korea (we see their true darkness by the Light of the Son)
- A world without Christ is a world without challenge to the Rabbinic prayer, "Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has not made me a Gentile;... not made me a slave; ... not made me a woman."
Christ Risen in the Heart of Believers, in the Midst of the Kingdom Work
> This pivot point of human history is the pivot point of our lives!
- We are called into the world love our neighbors as ourselves, to visit the sick and imprisoned, to act out of compassion and agape (selfless) love.
- We live in a world that still struggles against the darkness, yet where the light of Christ still shines in the hears and through the actions of His disciples
- And we are told, in God's word, that in Christ... Galatians 3:28-29 NLT There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
> The Choice we make as a body, and as individual disciples:
- Will we allow Christ to dwell at the center of our lives, will we enthrone Him as the king of our decisions?Will we allow Him to shape and fortify our closest relationships, to make them truly loving and life-giving?
- Will we accept that our actions have eternal meaning and allow Him to work the painful yet joyful process of transformation, making us into what God made us to be?
- Will we choose to be not just on the "right side of history," but on the "right side of His-Story?"
- Will our hearts ring out with joy at the coming of the King in power and glory?
> The Promise:
- A southern illustration:Do you like blackberry pies? How do you know a good pie is not far off? When you walk down the driveway and find that first ripe berry...
- Easter is not just the celebration of what has happened, but what is on the horizon. Jesus is the "first fruit," proving the harvest to come.
- The Promise is one of New Life, and Light banishing darkness, of the fulfillment of our deepest and most sacred desires for reunion and redemption and resurrection!
Friday Apr 14, 2017
Friday Apr 14, 2017
*TECHNICAL ISSUES: THE LAST FEW MINUTES OF THE SERMON WERE CUT OFF*
The King Is Coming
Matthew 21:1-11
A Moment of Triumph and Joy
> Don't you want to live in the land of Happily Ever After?...
* The moment they (Jesus' followers) had all been waiting for!
* A part of me wishes we could stay in the victory, in the "positivity," in the "feels" of this moment!
> ...Instead of in the land of Everything Falls Apart?
* Yet Jesus had told His followers how this week would end
* Did you watch the Oscars?
· My son, who LOVES "La La Land," was crushed!
· You have won best picture!!!! (cheers, joy,...) Oh, wait....
* Have you ever struggled under the weight of what might have been?
> But aren't the best stories about how after everything fell apart, there was a not-dared-hoped-for victory?
* This is the Greatest Story Ever Told, not the simplest, nor the easiest...
· Here the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world are clashing
Kingdoms Conflicting
> At the Western Gate: Pilate
* Welcomed by the people of power and authority
· who didn't like him at all, but were playing politics
· who would later demand that he crucify Jesus
* Projecting strength through military power (stallions and soldiers)
> At the Eastern Gate: Jesus
* Welcomed by the powerless, the voiceless
· who loved Him and wanted God's Kingdom in charge
· who were crying out so loudly that the powerful wanted them silenced
* Projecting strength through peace (a donkey and palm branches)
> Whose vision would triumph?
Sidebar: cycles of revolution
> Feelings of powerlessness lead to anger
* one of the worst feelings is lack of control, lack of voice
> The powerless throw off the oppressor
* "...Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government..."
> Often the once-oppressed become the new oppressors
* The Who, Won't Get Fooled Again, "Meet the new boss, Same as the old boss"
* The Culture War can be seen through this lens (each side views itself as oppressed and the other as oppressor)
A Week that Changed the World
> Happily Ever After yields inevitably to Everything Falls Apart
* Yet what if Someone broke this cycle by embracing suffering and defeat as the path to true, miraculous victory?
> Jesus would later tell Pilate, "My Kingdom is not of this world."
* Not just "not a physical kingdom," but "not following the pattern of worldly power and authority."
> If we follow Him, we'll not seek victory through personal power
* That's hard for me, because I've got my rights!
· And I hate being "powerless."
· (I'm used to feeling short, but I hate feeling small.)
* But He calls us to end the quest for personal power through surrender to the Father and obedience to His will.
· Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done...
· Do you have a "situation" (at work, at school, within your family) where you feel powerless, angry, threatened, like striking back? Is Christ possibly calling you to handle it a different way, following the pattern of His Kingdom?
· Trust in the One who brings Resurrection when your "happily ever after" becomes "everything falls apart"
Thursday Apr 06, 2017
Thursday Apr 06, 2017
Encounters With Jesus
A Dead Man in the Tomb
John 11:(1-16), 17-45
A Different Kind of Encounter
>The previous encounters centered around Jesus' interactions with a particular individual and their response.
>Here, the dead man, Lazarus, is:
*the "low-hanging fruit" of John's (& Jesus') message
•Christ brings us from death to new life
•the climactic sign of the seven signs in John
*the reason for the in interactions with others
*a window into the heart of Jesus
The Mourners at Bethany
> The Family Jesus Loved
*“Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”, "Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus"
*Impression is that this was a place where Jesus could "recharge"
> The Disciples
*Clueless, Fearful, Missing the Darkness-to-Light point yet again
*Jesus is going to bring life from death; they assume He's leading them to their deaths
> Martha the Busy, Responsible One
*Full of sorrow; full of faith
*Confessing that Jesus is indeed the Messiah
> Mary, the Student of Jesus
*Luke 10:39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet...
*This time, she falls at His feet...
>The "other people"
*"Funerals" were a BIG deal
*If you were a rich tax collector that no liked, you would have hired professionals to come and mourn at your death
*Probably not professionals, but they had "distance" enough to speculate in v37: But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
>So, EVERYONE was there. From the deep mourners to the fearful to the (intentionally?) distracted. All typical of people's reactions to the reality of death.
*But how did God in Christ react...?
The Heart of Jesus
>Jesus was... angry?
*Old-time-y interpretation was that Jesus was angered, then sorrowful, over their lack of faith... But He had only told the Disciples, Mary, and Martha, that He would raise Lazarus
*v33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.
*He appears angry at the sorrow death has caused
>Jesus wept
*Serious weeping, because v36: "The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”"
*On the way to the tomb
>Jesus' intention
*For the Disciples: v15 "And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe."
*For the mourners: "41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”"
*And now, here, faith does come into play. There was a reason for the heartache. But it seems like Jesus is not only telling listeners, but reminding Himself, why this was necessary...
>Jesus' action
*At this point the climax of the story. Death is reversed at the command of Christ! Through Him, we are indeed brought from death to new life!
The Heart of God at the Funeral
>But was it the mourners alone who grieved? Or was Jesus grieving as well? Maybe over the sorrow death causes?
>I have been to many funerals, many deaths...
*I have heard many trying to make sense of death
*I have heard many "reasons" floated, some good, some bad, to try to numb the heartache. (Please be careful voicing these.)
*I have brought what comfort I can
*But buried deep down, I am always angry at the sorrow the parting has caused, and the closer I am to the situation, the angrier I am.
>And here, finally, is the point:
*God is not up in heaven dispassionately saying "time to go!"
*When God is at the funeral, he is angry along with us, he sorrows with us, & for us... even when the reasons are obvious.
*He gave his only son, so that this will not continue.
*He weeps with us!
Wednesday Mar 29, 2017
Wednesday Mar 29, 2017
The video used at the midpoint of the sermon can be found here.
Encounters With Jesus
A Blind Man on the Road
John 9:1-16,(17-41)
Bearing the Shame
> Have we ever been as...
Nicodemus, trying to avoid shame & guilt?
The Woman at the Well, shamed and burdened by guilt?
The Blind Man on the Road, shamed yet innocent?
• HARD to bear (at least when you know you're guilty,
you perceive the shame as "penance")
> Who sinned?
Even the disciples asked what did he (or his parents) do to deserve this?
Had NONE of these people read the book of Job?
• Understandable, as we really want to believe bad things
happen to everyone but us.
• And if we link bad things happening to moral failings, then
we have the power to prevent bad things in our lives (or so we think).
• Unfortunate side effect: we condemn, even vilify, those
who have the bad things happen to them.
The theory at the time was either his parents had sinned,
or he had sinned in the womb
• really??
> But since Jesus had healed him on the Sabbath, the Pharisees
brought the hammer down...
...resulting in his "excommunication"
John 9:17-24
A Note on Blindness...
> Born Blind vs. Willfully Blind
> Stuck in darkness vs. choosing darkness
A Note on Public Opinion
> Why do we give people such power over us, by worrying so much about what they think of us? Wouldn't we rather have our Heavenly Father's approval?
Nicodemus wandering in the dark, later paid for the
spices for Jesus' burial
The Woman at the Well hiding from the townsfolk, then
running into town to tell them about Jesus.
The Man Born Blind condemned by the respectable Pharisees,
then confronting them in the temple.
Physical and Spiritual Blindness
> The Man Born Blind was healed of both
John 9:35-41
Brought from physical blindness to both physical and spiritual sight.
"Lord, I believe!" "Sent" (siloam) to speak to the spiritually blind.
> The Pharisees remained in the dark. Why?
Honest conviction? No, then Jesus would not have condemned them.
Feeling threatened? Probably
• Jesus was a threat to their spiritual authority (and
thereby their worldly power).
They chose to remain blind... This leads us to our
"Lenten Question" of the week...
> "Have we chosen (are we even now choosing) easy blindness over a difficult sight?"
Truths about ourselves, others, our situation...
sometimes it is "easier" to not admit things to ourselves
> But Jesus calls us to live in the light!
I want to be like the man Jesus healed, confronting the
source of his shame, even in having the worst happen
not letting his newfound freedom falter!
Monday Mar 13, 2017
Monday Mar 13, 2017
Encounters with Jesus: A Pharisee at Midnight
John 3:1-17
Just as Jesus entered into this world as a helpless infant, so do we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven by the grace and mercy of God, helpless to deliver ourselves into a new birth. This vulnerability before God is dificult for some, especially the "accomplished" who are accustomed to trusting in their own efforts and maintaining control.
Wednesday Mar 08, 2017
Wednesday Mar 08, 2017
Led into Temptation
Matthew 4:1-11
The Season of Lent HAS to begin with the Temptation
> The great point of Hebrews 4:15 - " This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin." (NLT)
> It significantly effected Jesus; just look at the Lord's prayer:
* "Lead us not into temptation"
* "Give us our daily bread"
* "Thy Kingdom come on earth"
> Jesus was the only one who could have shared this story
Where is the evil or the harm in these requests?
> Stone to bread = feeding of 5,000; Physical safety = Resurrection; Authority now = Authority after the Resurrection
> Malcolm Muggeridge - What should the messiah look like?
* People's messiah?
* Torah messiah
* Kingly messiah?
* Certainly NOT the Suffering messiah!
Satan was tempting Him with a quick, non-suffering way to achieve the aims of the incarnation, the crown without the cross, to be human without the bad parts, to be the superhero rather than the Messiah
> Isn't that often temptation's way, offering us the shortcut to security or pleasure that are in themselves good, but can be grasped in the hurtful, destructive way?
> But looking over your own history, don't you sometimes wish God had been the conquering superhero, rather than the gentle Father? Why does God seem to sit on His hands?
* Yet would we not find, like Elijah, that the Lord was not in the Wind, the Earthquake, or the Fire, but in the Still, Small Voice?
* Satan was tempting Jesus to do things his way, the way that forces obedience rather than the way that encourages Love
> "Yet what was offered Thee? There are three powers, three powers alone, able to conquer and to hold captive for ever the conscience of these impotent rebels [humans] for their happiness; those forces are miracle, mystery and authority. Thou hast rejected all three and hast set the example for doing so." - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
> Satan's power is external and coercive; God's is internal and persuasive
> Phillip Yancey, in The Jesus I Never Knew, "Only Love can summon the response of Love" Yes. Coercive power would only compel fear...
Jesus chose...
> God's kingdom, God's will, God's methods that promote love rather than compel fear
> The path of self-sacrifice, the hard but GOOD path, the path that leads us to grace