Dedicated to God
Romans 12.1 – 8
The book of Romans is divided by most scholars into the theological section – chapters 1 -11 – and the practical section – chapters 12 – 16. Paul does this in most of his books – he sets forth the theology first and then applies it to life. That is what he does here.
In Chapter 1 he wrote that the righteous will life by faith.
In chapter 2 he says those who sin apart from the law will be judged and those who sin while under the law will be judged.
In Chapter 3 Paul writes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
In Chapter 5 Paul wrote that because of his love for us, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In Chapter 6 we learn that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.
In Chapter 8 Paul writes that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Because of all of that, Paul writes that we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Read Romans 12.1 – 2. The logical thing to do after all the things God has done for us is to give our bodies, our whole selves, to God as a living sacrifice. God wants all of me and all of you in his service. We used to talk about winning souls for the Lord. God want not just souls, but all of us. As Chrs we do not divide ourselves into parts, but we are whole beings and God wants all of us.
He does not demand that we give ourselves to God, but he urges us to give ourselves as living sacrifices to God. In the OT God told the Jews he wanted them to sacrifice animals to him and thousands of goats and sheep were sacrificed to him. These animals were killed and their blood was given as the sacrifice. God instead of that wants living sacrifices – we are to give ourselves to him to live for him every day. This is a pleasing sacrifice to God.
Have you committed yourself to God? There is a difference between becoming a Chr and committing ourselves to God. There should not be, but there is in practice. God wants all of me to serve him, all of us to serve him. He wants our talents, our love, our time, our money and all of us. Make a commitment to God right now – give him all of you.
Paul then goes on to tell us what this means. He says we are to be changed morally, mentally, and even our motivation. He says, do not be any longer conformed to the pattern of this world. The Chr is too much like the rest of the world. One of my Professors used to say that is alright to have the ship in the ocean, but not to have the ocean in the ship. The church is indeed in the world, but we can not have the world in the church, especially in morally. We need to be careful not to be conformed to the attitudes and actions of the world. Our world says that there is no such thing as sin. We should never judge the actions of any one. What is good for you is fine, but do not tell me what to do. What is good for me is what I follow. I can do any thing I want as long as I do not get caught or break the law. There are no absolutes in our world just choices I make about what makes me happy. At least that is what the world thinks.
I was listening to a radio program by Charles Colson this week. He was talking about two young men who have written a book entitled, Do Hard Things: Rebellion Against Low Expectations. The world expects kids to accomplish very little morally and educationally, but this book calls on kids to do the hard things even if the culture does not expect you to. This is where Chr kids go on mission trips to build a church or school instead of going to the beach and getting involved in sex and drugs. Do not be conformed to the pattern of the world.
The next phrase is “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Our thinking needs to be changed. Again we as Chrs too often have the same patterns of thinking as the world. We honor the rich and look down on the poor. We like the pretty people and avoid the not so pretty people. We watch the same movies and TV shows as the rest of the people around us. We have time and money for every thing that is a pleasure for us, but not the time or money for serving the Lord.
Our minds need to be renewed for the glory of God. I said yesterday in the wedding I had, there needs to be a transition when we get married from thinking about me to thinking about we, and from I to us. Before we are married a man or woman can think of what is best for me, but when he or she marries, the thinking needs to change to what is best for us. Some people never make that transition. When we become Chrs we need to stop thinking what do I want and start thinking about what God wants me to do and be. Chrs think differently from non-Chrs.
In one of the books I was reading this week, the writer told about his change from an unforgiving spirit and wanting revenge to being forgiving. He and his family had been hit in a car accident by a drunk driver. His wife, his daughter and his mother were all killed, and one other child was injured. He was naturally angry at the driver of the other car. But he said after time he recognized that this anger had changed to wanting revenge – real revenge. He saw that that was based on the unforgiveness he had in his heart. As Chrs we think like Jesus Christ so we can not want revenge. He talked about getting rid of the unforgiveness and revenge. That is having our minds renewed in Jesus Christ our Lord.
When we stop being conformed to the world and have our minds transformed to the mind of Christ, we will as the last part of this section says, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” For all of us as Chrs this is what we want more than anything in our lives – to know what the will of God is in our lives every minute. God knows what is best for us and that is to do his will. When we get outside his will we know it and the Spirit of God helps us to know it. When we are living according to the will of God we know that too. God never forces us into his will, but he leads us into that will, and then blesses us as we do his will. I felt very definitely that I was in the will of God on the mission trip to Zimbabwe, but you do not have to go to Africa to be in the will of God. Every day we can be in his good, pleasing, and perfect will. This is what the rest of the book of Romans is about – being in God’s will.
God had given us salvation and righteousness in Jesus Christ. Because of that, we dedicate our lives as a living sacrifice to God. Then we stop being conformed to the pattern of the world and have our minds transformed by the power of God. Then we will be in the perfect will of God again for his glory.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Zimbabwe trip sermon
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
James 1.1-4
I want to begin by saying thank you for praying for us while we were in Zimbabwe. I could feel the power of God working in all of us and his protection while we worked there. In about 9 days we conducted an all day VBS, preached 8 sermons and taught about 15 lessons in various churches. We traveled 3 or 4000 kilometers and were safe all the time. Thank you.
I bring you greetings from many Chr. brothers and sisters in Christ from many churches in Zimbabwe. Every where we went we met young people and old who wanted to talk about the US. They wanted to know all about this country, and I was surprised at how much they knew about this country. It was not long before I began to see that even though we were separated by thousands of miles and spoke very different languages, we believed the same thing about our Lord Jesus Christ.
I remember here in the church when I was a teenager; Max Ward Randall came to tell us about flying from South Africa to Rhodesia to open up a mission field there. I asked around some and three or four of the older Chrs had seen Max Randall and knew the churches he started. So the mission money this church sent to the Randalls a half a century ago help start churches in the country now called Zimbabwe.
The passage of scripture I want to use this morning is from James 1.1 – 4. Read. James is writing to fellow believers who he had never seen, but they were his bothers and sisters in Christ. I think we need to understand that. There are fellow believers all over the world speaking hundreds of languages but all worshiping the same God.
The most exciting thing I experienced was participating in the Lord’s Supper in Zimbabwe. The first Sunday I was there I was dropped off at the Town Church in Gweru. The congregation has a new brick building that is not finished, but will be very nice when it is done. The leaders greeted me – mostly in English. There were about a hundred people there when we started, but more came in as the service continued. Most of the service was in the Shona language – the songs, prayer, and announcements. (By the way, they use some of the western songs and tunes, but in the Shona tongue.)
I sat on the platform with two other men and on the table before us were a holder for the small cups and a plate for the bread for the Lord’s Supper. At the appropriate time, one of the elders of the church stood up and read from John 6 just as we did today and then prayed in Shona. I did not understand any of what he said, but I knew we were joining together to commune with God. As they served me and all the others in the church I had tears running down my face. I was the only white person in the church building, but all of these people were indeed brothers and sisters in Christ worshiping God through Jesus Christ.
The next Sunday we were in the western part of Zimbabwe at a church in Hwange. At that service the elder of that church stood and read from John 6 and then prayed in the Tonga language. Again I was overcome knowing we were joining together to commune with God. I also thought about you meeting 7 hours later to partake of the Lord’s Supper as we were doing.
Then my mind went all over the world. Sunday starts in the east. I do not know what country comes first, but somewhere about 9 or 10 in the morning in country after country elders read maybe from John 6 and then pray in hundreds of languages in thousands of churches. Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippians, Korea, China, Burma, India, Russia, Europe, the middle east, Africa, South America, North America, and all the way to the last country before it become Monday. We are part of a huge fellowship of God worshippers.
There are a lot of Chrs in Zimbabwe. The churches buildings we saw are generally small, but they can put 2 or 3 hundred people in a very small place. They are going though very difficult political and economic times. They had an election over two months ago, but the President did not release the results for over a month. He lost, but there needed to be a run-off election between the two top vote getters. The constitution says it should be held in three weeks, but it will be delayed until June or July. No one knows if it will be held or if it will be fair or rigged. The Mugabe government has been extremely repressive and violent and it continues to be that. (White farmer we stayed with.)
Economically it is a disaster. A lady told me that in 2002 you could get 60 Zim dollars for one US dollar. When we got there it was 204 million Zim dollars for one US. When we left it was 250 million to 1. (I have a number of $50 million dollar bills to give way – making you instant millionaires.) It almost does not matter because there is little to buy there. The shelves in stores are empty. We had to go to 2 or 3 different gas stations to get fuel. It was $650 million per liter or about $10 a gallon. We had electricity less than half the time – we had a lot of candle light dinners and they were not very romantic. We talked to a couple of retirees who had a pension when they retired, but with the inflation, their retirement money is worthless. They live on nothing now.
But these believers are tremendously dedicated to God. They enjoy their faith, they love to worship – it is lively and loud – singing and dancing. I have some of it on video in the back. They enjoy their fellowship and share their faith with others. They give at offering time even though they have little for themselves. Their faith has been tested over the years, but as the scriptures says, the tests have produced perseverance, and that perseverance is producing maturity. I enjoyed talking to the few older people in the churches – they with great smiles on their faces proclaimed that God had been faithful to them for 40, 50, and 60 years. There are fewer middle aged members as AIDS has taken a terrible toll on that age group in Zim. There are a lot of kids and so many eager teens in the churches.
They have a Zimbabwe Chr College in Harare and it is educating good young men and women for the ministry. There were about 40 students on campus plus over 100 taking courses by correspondence or by extension classes. These ministers seem to be dedicated to serving the Lord and their congregations.
Again I say thank you for praying for us. You were an essential part of this trip. Please pray for me – I am still very tired.
I hope we can learn from the Zim Christians. They have learned to be faithful in times of testing, and are a model of what the Chr faith can do for people.
Finally, they are indeed brother and sisters in Christ – we worship the same majestic God. Join me in praying for these people as they live the Chr life.
James 1.1-4
I want to begin by saying thank you for praying for us while we were in Zimbabwe. I could feel the power of God working in all of us and his protection while we worked there. In about 9 days we conducted an all day VBS, preached 8 sermons and taught about 15 lessons in various churches. We traveled 3 or 4000 kilometers and were safe all the time. Thank you.
I bring you greetings from many Chr. brothers and sisters in Christ from many churches in Zimbabwe. Every where we went we met young people and old who wanted to talk about the US. They wanted to know all about this country, and I was surprised at how much they knew about this country. It was not long before I began to see that even though we were separated by thousands of miles and spoke very different languages, we believed the same thing about our Lord Jesus Christ.
I remember here in the church when I was a teenager; Max Ward Randall came to tell us about flying from South Africa to Rhodesia to open up a mission field there. I asked around some and three or four of the older Chrs had seen Max Randall and knew the churches he started. So the mission money this church sent to the Randalls a half a century ago help start churches in the country now called Zimbabwe.
The passage of scripture I want to use this morning is from James 1.1 – 4. Read. James is writing to fellow believers who he had never seen, but they were his bothers and sisters in Christ. I think we need to understand that. There are fellow believers all over the world speaking hundreds of languages but all worshiping the same God.
The most exciting thing I experienced was participating in the Lord’s Supper in Zimbabwe. The first Sunday I was there I was dropped off at the Town Church in Gweru. The congregation has a new brick building that is not finished, but will be very nice when it is done. The leaders greeted me – mostly in English. There were about a hundred people there when we started, but more came in as the service continued. Most of the service was in the Shona language – the songs, prayer, and announcements. (By the way, they use some of the western songs and tunes, but in the Shona tongue.)
I sat on the platform with two other men and on the table before us were a holder for the small cups and a plate for the bread for the Lord’s Supper. At the appropriate time, one of the elders of the church stood up and read from John 6 just as we did today and then prayed in Shona. I did not understand any of what he said, but I knew we were joining together to commune with God. As they served me and all the others in the church I had tears running down my face. I was the only white person in the church building, but all of these people were indeed brothers and sisters in Christ worshiping God through Jesus Christ.
The next Sunday we were in the western part of Zimbabwe at a church in Hwange. At that service the elder of that church stood and read from John 6 and then prayed in the Tonga language. Again I was overcome knowing we were joining together to commune with God. I also thought about you meeting 7 hours later to partake of the Lord’s Supper as we were doing.
Then my mind went all over the world. Sunday starts in the east. I do not know what country comes first, but somewhere about 9 or 10 in the morning in country after country elders read maybe from John 6 and then pray in hundreds of languages in thousands of churches. Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippians, Korea, China, Burma, India, Russia, Europe, the middle east, Africa, South America, North America, and all the way to the last country before it become Monday. We are part of a huge fellowship of God worshippers.
There are a lot of Chrs in Zimbabwe. The churches buildings we saw are generally small, but they can put 2 or 3 hundred people in a very small place. They are going though very difficult political and economic times. They had an election over two months ago, but the President did not release the results for over a month. He lost, but there needed to be a run-off election between the two top vote getters. The constitution says it should be held in three weeks, but it will be delayed until June or July. No one knows if it will be held or if it will be fair or rigged. The Mugabe government has been extremely repressive and violent and it continues to be that. (White farmer we stayed with.)
Economically it is a disaster. A lady told me that in 2002 you could get 60 Zim dollars for one US dollar. When we got there it was 204 million Zim dollars for one US. When we left it was 250 million to 1. (I have a number of $50 million dollar bills to give way – making you instant millionaires.) It almost does not matter because there is little to buy there. The shelves in stores are empty. We had to go to 2 or 3 different gas stations to get fuel. It was $650 million per liter or about $10 a gallon. We had electricity less than half the time – we had a lot of candle light dinners and they were not very romantic. We talked to a couple of retirees who had a pension when they retired, but with the inflation, their retirement money is worthless. They live on nothing now.
But these believers are tremendously dedicated to God. They enjoy their faith, they love to worship – it is lively and loud – singing and dancing. I have some of it on video in the back. They enjoy their fellowship and share their faith with others. They give at offering time even though they have little for themselves. Their faith has been tested over the years, but as the scriptures says, the tests have produced perseverance, and that perseverance is producing maturity. I enjoyed talking to the few older people in the churches – they with great smiles on their faces proclaimed that God had been faithful to them for 40, 50, and 60 years. There are fewer middle aged members as AIDS has taken a terrible toll on that age group in Zim. There are a lot of kids and so many eager teens in the churches.
They have a Zimbabwe Chr College in Harare and it is educating good young men and women for the ministry. There were about 40 students on campus plus over 100 taking courses by correspondence or by extension classes. These ministers seem to be dedicated to serving the Lord and their congregations.
Again I say thank you for praying for us. You were an essential part of this trip. Please pray for me – I am still very tired.
I hope we can learn from the Zim Christians. They have learned to be faithful in times of testing, and are a model of what the Chr faith can do for people.
Finally, they are indeed brother and sisters in Christ – we worship the same majestic God. Join me in praying for these people as they live the Chr life.
Monday, March 17, 2008
sermon 3/9/08
God’s Economics – the Widow’s Mite
Mark 12. 41 – 44
The message today is taken from Mark 12. This is the last section of public teaching by Jesus before his death. He would teach his disciples in the upper room, but this was for the religious leaders of his day. In the whole book of Mark Jesus has shown that his kingdom and his people will be different than the religious leaders of the day. What they taught and practiced was not what Jesus wanted for his church and his people. Read Mark 12.41 – 44.
This is what this might have looked like – 3 men putting in money in the offering with a lot of show and for the praise of men. One (smiling because it made her happy) putting in just two pennies but it was all that the person had. The people around praised the ones who have been giving a lot of money. They may have made fun of this widow for giving just two cents.
Let’s look at this widow, her gift and what it means to us today.
1. First, her gift was a gift of faith and trust. She gave all she had because she had learned that God would supply her needs. She had learned to trust God for what she needed. All of us need to learn to trust God and learn that he is faithful to supply what we need.
This lady is really dumb or very smart. She is dumb if she gave all she had and did not have anything to buy food or clothes. God does not expect us to starve to death or give everything we have to others. Then we would have nothing and need to depend on others for even our food. She gave what she had and in God’s economics she gave more than all the rest. Would we rather have the two pennies she gave or $200? I believe God can do more with her two cents than the $200.
If it is very clear to you that God is telling you to give everything, then do it. Give everything. But usually God tells us to give a certain amount and he will supply what we need. For the last few years it has been clear to me that God wanted me to give a certain amount – a very specific amount. When God made it clear to me what he wanted me to give, I did not have enough to cover that. But I just said, if you want that amount, then you will need to supply the money, and he has completely every time.
On our money is the motto of our country – In God we Trust. (It is there right now – there are some who what that removed.) As Chrs especially that should be our motto. God, I trust you to supply what I need for myself and to give to others.
2. Next, the gift of the widow was a sacrificial gift. It cost her everything she had to give this gift. The others gave out of their bounty or as one writer said, they gave out of their excess or superfluity. I like that word – superfluity. They had a lot of money and they just gave a small amount of that. Most of the time, we give out of our excess. After all, we need to take care of ourselves, don’t we? We give if we have any left over.
One of the things I have learned about giving is that some of the money I have is God’s money. In the OT the tithe or 10% of the income of the Jews belonged to the God. It was God’s money. It is not my money to spend. It is His money. In the OT God told his people that they were robbing him. They were robbing God in their tithes and offerings. People were using God’s money as if it were their own. God’s money has bought a lot of cars and clothes, and a lot of other things I think.
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills according to Ps 50. He has an unlimited supply of money that he wants used for his purposes. What he does usually is get one of us to be the channel of his money. He says, Steve, I want this money given so you give it and I will supply it. (Too often he gives us money and we just keep it ourselves.) He gives us money so we can take care of what he wants to get done. If we give sacrificially he will supply what we need to give. We need to open channels to him so his money will flow to us and then out from us to do his will.
Lastly, the widow gave a gift of love. She loved God so she gave so his will would be done. The money she gave to the offering in the temple that day was to be used to support the priest and the poor. (I wonder if the poor got their fair share.) Even though she had little, she still gave so his work could be done.
The greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This widow loved God and her fellow believers and she showed it by giving what she did – all she had. Our giving is an act of love – we give because we love God and we love the people who receive what we give.
Giving sacrificially helps us to know and love God. It is fun to listen to God about our giving and then watch him supply what we need. He does it in some unusual ways. It builds our faith in God as we see him working today – not just years ago. He wants his will to be done and he will supply what is necessary.
Last year the National Missionary Convention was in Cincinnati. Dave and I went to it. On Friday night they had an invitation for all who wanted to commit themselves to full time mission service to come forward. There were a lot of people with eyes full of tears as we watched about 100 people stream down the isles of that auditorium. These were mostly young couple and individuals, but many of them were middle aged and older. They want to go to mission fields to win people to Christ while there is still time to do that. I was thrilled, but I also thought that the churches need to supply the thousands of dollars that is necessary to send them to foreign countries and keep them there. These will need somewhere near $2-4 million a year to go and preach and teach.
Who is going to pay for this? We are in the churches. How? Most of us would claim we do not even have enough for ourselves. How can we give to others? God will supply. But he needs you and me to be willing to give the money.
I have a challenge for you. A while ago I heard a televangelist say – you send me $1000 and if God does not bless you in a special way, I will give you back your money. I am saying, if you give $1000 to mission this year and are not blessed in a special way, I will give you back your $1000 – no questions asked. Will you trust God and give?
Mark 12. 41 – 44
The message today is taken from Mark 12. This is the last section of public teaching by Jesus before his death. He would teach his disciples in the upper room, but this was for the religious leaders of his day. In the whole book of Mark Jesus has shown that his kingdom and his people will be different than the religious leaders of the day. What they taught and practiced was not what Jesus wanted for his church and his people. Read Mark 12.41 – 44.
This is what this might have looked like – 3 men putting in money in the offering with a lot of show and for the praise of men. One (smiling because it made her happy) putting in just two pennies but it was all that the person had. The people around praised the ones who have been giving a lot of money. They may have made fun of this widow for giving just two cents.
Let’s look at this widow, her gift and what it means to us today.
1. First, her gift was a gift of faith and trust. She gave all she had because she had learned that God would supply her needs. She had learned to trust God for what she needed. All of us need to learn to trust God and learn that he is faithful to supply what we need.
This lady is really dumb or very smart. She is dumb if she gave all she had and did not have anything to buy food or clothes. God does not expect us to starve to death or give everything we have to others. Then we would have nothing and need to depend on others for even our food. She gave what she had and in God’s economics she gave more than all the rest. Would we rather have the two pennies she gave or $200? I believe God can do more with her two cents than the $200.
If it is very clear to you that God is telling you to give everything, then do it. Give everything. But usually God tells us to give a certain amount and he will supply what we need. For the last few years it has been clear to me that God wanted me to give a certain amount – a very specific amount. When God made it clear to me what he wanted me to give, I did not have enough to cover that. But I just said, if you want that amount, then you will need to supply the money, and he has completely every time.
On our money is the motto of our country – In God we Trust. (It is there right now – there are some who what that removed.) As Chrs especially that should be our motto. God, I trust you to supply what I need for myself and to give to others.
2. Next, the gift of the widow was a sacrificial gift. It cost her everything she had to give this gift. The others gave out of their bounty or as one writer said, they gave out of their excess or superfluity. I like that word – superfluity. They had a lot of money and they just gave a small amount of that. Most of the time, we give out of our excess. After all, we need to take care of ourselves, don’t we? We give if we have any left over.
One of the things I have learned about giving is that some of the money I have is God’s money. In the OT the tithe or 10% of the income of the Jews belonged to the God. It was God’s money. It is not my money to spend. It is His money. In the OT God told his people that they were robbing him. They were robbing God in their tithes and offerings. People were using God’s money as if it were their own. God’s money has bought a lot of cars and clothes, and a lot of other things I think.
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills according to Ps 50. He has an unlimited supply of money that he wants used for his purposes. What he does usually is get one of us to be the channel of his money. He says, Steve, I want this money given so you give it and I will supply it. (Too often he gives us money and we just keep it ourselves.) He gives us money so we can take care of what he wants to get done. If we give sacrificially he will supply what we need to give. We need to open channels to him so his money will flow to us and then out from us to do his will.
Lastly, the widow gave a gift of love. She loved God so she gave so his will would be done. The money she gave to the offering in the temple that day was to be used to support the priest and the poor. (I wonder if the poor got their fair share.) Even though she had little, she still gave so his work could be done.
The greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This widow loved God and her fellow believers and she showed it by giving what she did – all she had. Our giving is an act of love – we give because we love God and we love the people who receive what we give.
Giving sacrificially helps us to know and love God. It is fun to listen to God about our giving and then watch him supply what we need. He does it in some unusual ways. It builds our faith in God as we see him working today – not just years ago. He wants his will to be done and he will supply what is necessary.
Last year the National Missionary Convention was in Cincinnati. Dave and I went to it. On Friday night they had an invitation for all who wanted to commit themselves to full time mission service to come forward. There were a lot of people with eyes full of tears as we watched about 100 people stream down the isles of that auditorium. These were mostly young couple and individuals, but many of them were middle aged and older. They want to go to mission fields to win people to Christ while there is still time to do that. I was thrilled, but I also thought that the churches need to supply the thousands of dollars that is necessary to send them to foreign countries and keep them there. These will need somewhere near $2-4 million a year to go and preach and teach.
Who is going to pay for this? We are in the churches. How? Most of us would claim we do not even have enough for ourselves. How can we give to others? God will supply. But he needs you and me to be willing to give the money.
I have a challenge for you. A while ago I heard a televangelist say – you send me $1000 and if God does not bless you in a special way, I will give you back your money. I am saying, if you give $1000 to mission this year and are not blessed in a special way, I will give you back your $1000 – no questions asked. Will you trust God and give?
sermon 3/16/08
Cross Talk
Mark 15.21-39
The cross is an unusual thing for us to talk about and display. It was the instrument of torture and death in the first century. It would be the electric chair or lethal injection equipment and the water boarding instrument all rolled into one. It is strange that we would wear a cross as a necklace or ear rings. Why do we display it in our churches? Because, the cross is absolutely central to the Chr faith. The cross was used by the Romans to execute traitors or terrible criminals. The torture element was that it could take days for the person to die on a cross. The person would struggle all that time in awful pain trying to breathe. Jesus was nailed to a cross and the crowd watched as he struggled to breathe. As he was on the cross different things were said to him and he said some things. This morning we are going to look at four things that were said and see how it applies to us.
Read Mark 15.25 – 30. The place of execution was a very public place – it always was so it would be a stark warning to other people not to do the crime being punished. Lots of people walked by to just stare at the condemned people. Some even shouted at Jesus thinking that they could heap even more disgrace on him. Mark writes that some said, “You who were going to destroy the temple and build it in three day, come down from the cross and save yourself.” Jesus could have saved himself – he could have popped those nails out of his hands and feet with the blink of his eye. The truth is that the nails were not what held him on the cross at all. It was the absolute love for you and me that held him on the cross. He had the choice to either save himself or save us, and he chose to save us by giving his life on the cross. What love! What self-sacrifice he made for us!
The truth is these people and the leaders of the Jews in the next section did not have a clue what was taking place before their eyes. They thought they were seeing a poor God-forsaken criminal getting what he deserved for his crimes. What was actually taking place was a cosmic, universal and eternal drama between God and evil. The pure Lamb of God was being sacrificed once and for all for the sins of everyone in the world. If Jesus would have come down from the cross, there would be no salvation, no hope, and no eternal life for anyone.
Next Mark records some of the things the chief priest and teachers of the law said to him. Read 31 – 32. These men demanded that Jesus be crucified and now they mocked him while he was on the cross. They did not believe he was the Christ – the anointed one. They did not believe he was the king of Israel. To them Jesus was just a man who was an absolute threat to them and their power as religious leaders. And they lied when they said that if he would come down from the cross they would believe in him. These men had seen all kinds of miracles – feeding on 5000 people, healing all kinds of sicknesses, driving out evil spirits, and even raising Lazarus from the dead. A simple miracle like coming down from the cross would not have changed their minds at this time. They in fact did not want him to come down from the cross – they wanted him to die so they would have been rid of him.
Later on the apostle Paul wrote that the Jews wanted to see signs of the power of God, but even the greatest display of power, the clearest display of power would not convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus did not come down from the cross because he loved these very religious leaders so much he was willing to give his life for them. He was willing to forgive them for what they were doing and saying. He wanted them to have new life in Christ. They wanted a show, a trick. Jesus gave them his life. Jesus gives us his life.
The next section of this chapter deals with one of the most difficult passages of the Bible. Read verses 33 – 38. I think Jesus knew this moment was coming even before he came to this earth. When he would be suffering the most, when all the sins of every one for all time were heaped on him, he would be separated from God. For all of eternity, millions of years, the Father and the Son had shared a loving and joyful intimate relationship. They were together in an absolute unity forever. But at this moment, when he was on the cross, he cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’ – My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This was a pray to the father, as many of the other statements Jesus made on the cross. This was an absolute cry of the heart from one who felt completely alone at that moment. I do not understand why he had to be alone right then. It may be that the sin heaped on Jesus at that moment meant that God could not be there. This to me is a profound mystery.
The last statement in this section was made by the centurion, the Roman soldier in charge of the crucifixion. Roman soldiers stationed in Jerusalem probably hated their jobs. They were hundreds of miles away from their homes. They probably hated the religion of the Jews and the petty laws of the Jews. Here he was killing another Jew for some crime that did not make sense. He heard what the people said, and what Jesus said, and concluded and confessed that this man was the son of God. Not just the king of the Jews as the sign over his head, said. “Surely this man was the Son of God.” I do not think even the disciples of Christ at that moment would have confessed what this soldier said. I do not know if this was special revelation from God or maybe he was more spiritually awake than anyone else in the crowd so he could see that this criminal hanging on the cross was indeed the son of God. We confess that this morning – Jesus is the Savior, the son of God.
So here we are. Jesus was nailed to an ugly cross. His own people did not accept him or understand what he was doing. The Messiah, the Son of God, was hanging on a cross. He had breathed his last breath. He was dead. The darkness of that afternoon reflected the darkness in the heart of all his followers. They did not know that it was Friday and Sunday was coming. They did not know that the resurrection was coming. For them hope was gone. For us the cross is a necessary step – the death of Jesus on the cross, but it lead to his burial and eventually to his glorious resurrection – to Easter.
We are going to sing the invitation hymn, “On a Hill Far Away.” Before we do I want to look at this song for a couple of minutes. Turn with me to page 317. (Go through the song verse by verse.)
This morning – do you love the cross? Do you love the dearest and best who died on the cross? Are you ready to give your life to him forever?
Mark 15.21-39
The cross is an unusual thing for us to talk about and display. It was the instrument of torture and death in the first century. It would be the electric chair or lethal injection equipment and the water boarding instrument all rolled into one. It is strange that we would wear a cross as a necklace or ear rings. Why do we display it in our churches? Because, the cross is absolutely central to the Chr faith. The cross was used by the Romans to execute traitors or terrible criminals. The torture element was that it could take days for the person to die on a cross. The person would struggle all that time in awful pain trying to breathe. Jesus was nailed to a cross and the crowd watched as he struggled to breathe. As he was on the cross different things were said to him and he said some things. This morning we are going to look at four things that were said and see how it applies to us.
Read Mark 15.25 – 30. The place of execution was a very public place – it always was so it would be a stark warning to other people not to do the crime being punished. Lots of people walked by to just stare at the condemned people. Some even shouted at Jesus thinking that they could heap even more disgrace on him. Mark writes that some said, “You who were going to destroy the temple and build it in three day, come down from the cross and save yourself.” Jesus could have saved himself – he could have popped those nails out of his hands and feet with the blink of his eye. The truth is that the nails were not what held him on the cross at all. It was the absolute love for you and me that held him on the cross. He had the choice to either save himself or save us, and he chose to save us by giving his life on the cross. What love! What self-sacrifice he made for us!
The truth is these people and the leaders of the Jews in the next section did not have a clue what was taking place before their eyes. They thought they were seeing a poor God-forsaken criminal getting what he deserved for his crimes. What was actually taking place was a cosmic, universal and eternal drama between God and evil. The pure Lamb of God was being sacrificed once and for all for the sins of everyone in the world. If Jesus would have come down from the cross, there would be no salvation, no hope, and no eternal life for anyone.
Next Mark records some of the things the chief priest and teachers of the law said to him. Read 31 – 32. These men demanded that Jesus be crucified and now they mocked him while he was on the cross. They did not believe he was the Christ – the anointed one. They did not believe he was the king of Israel. To them Jesus was just a man who was an absolute threat to them and their power as religious leaders. And they lied when they said that if he would come down from the cross they would believe in him. These men had seen all kinds of miracles – feeding on 5000 people, healing all kinds of sicknesses, driving out evil spirits, and even raising Lazarus from the dead. A simple miracle like coming down from the cross would not have changed their minds at this time. They in fact did not want him to come down from the cross – they wanted him to die so they would have been rid of him.
Later on the apostle Paul wrote that the Jews wanted to see signs of the power of God, but even the greatest display of power, the clearest display of power would not convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus did not come down from the cross because he loved these very religious leaders so much he was willing to give his life for them. He was willing to forgive them for what they were doing and saying. He wanted them to have new life in Christ. They wanted a show, a trick. Jesus gave them his life. Jesus gives us his life.
The next section of this chapter deals with one of the most difficult passages of the Bible. Read verses 33 – 38. I think Jesus knew this moment was coming even before he came to this earth. When he would be suffering the most, when all the sins of every one for all time were heaped on him, he would be separated from God. For all of eternity, millions of years, the Father and the Son had shared a loving and joyful intimate relationship. They were together in an absolute unity forever. But at this moment, when he was on the cross, he cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’ – My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This was a pray to the father, as many of the other statements Jesus made on the cross. This was an absolute cry of the heart from one who felt completely alone at that moment. I do not understand why he had to be alone right then. It may be that the sin heaped on Jesus at that moment meant that God could not be there. This to me is a profound mystery.
The last statement in this section was made by the centurion, the Roman soldier in charge of the crucifixion. Roman soldiers stationed in Jerusalem probably hated their jobs. They were hundreds of miles away from their homes. They probably hated the religion of the Jews and the petty laws of the Jews. Here he was killing another Jew for some crime that did not make sense. He heard what the people said, and what Jesus said, and concluded and confessed that this man was the son of God. Not just the king of the Jews as the sign over his head, said. “Surely this man was the Son of God.” I do not think even the disciples of Christ at that moment would have confessed what this soldier said. I do not know if this was special revelation from God or maybe he was more spiritually awake than anyone else in the crowd so he could see that this criminal hanging on the cross was indeed the son of God. We confess that this morning – Jesus is the Savior, the son of God.
So here we are. Jesus was nailed to an ugly cross. His own people did not accept him or understand what he was doing. The Messiah, the Son of God, was hanging on a cross. He had breathed his last breath. He was dead. The darkness of that afternoon reflected the darkness in the heart of all his followers. They did not know that it was Friday and Sunday was coming. They did not know that the resurrection was coming. For them hope was gone. For us the cross is a necessary step – the death of Jesus on the cross, but it lead to his burial and eventually to his glorious resurrection – to Easter.
We are going to sing the invitation hymn, “On a Hill Far Away.” Before we do I want to look at this song for a couple of minutes. Turn with me to page 317. (Go through the song verse by verse.)
This morning – do you love the cross? Do you love the dearest and best who died on the cross? Are you ready to give your life to him forever?
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Healing the Blind man
Healing of the Blind Man
Mark 8.22 – 26
The message this morning is about the miracle Jesus performed at the village of Bethsaida – he gave sight to a blind man. I would be devastated if I lost my sight. A number of years ago I was listening to the Chr radio station while driving to Rochester. They were interviewing a man who had suddenly become blind. He was about 40 – married with two kids, a successful business man – leader in his church. On day his eyes felt a little different. The next day they hurt some, and within two weeks he was completely and irreversible blind. A virus had attacked the optical nerves and he was blind. As I listened, my heart sunk. What would my life be like if I could not see? I love to read and my profession depends on seeing the words – reading. I drive my car a lot. If I were blind I could not drive or do much else. The story today is about a blind man. Listen as I read Mark 8.22 -26.
Imagine with me this scene. One day a man’s children came to him. There were three young men and two daughters. They were all married and had children, and they loved their father a lot. “Dad, please come with us? There is a Rabbi in a village not too far from here. He is leading our people back to God. He can also heal people by the power of God, even blind people!” “I would like to go, but I am sure I will be blind the rest of my life. I believe my blindness is the will of God and I have accepted it,” the father replied. “At least come with us and listen to the man. He has some good things to say about our faith, and maybe, he will heal you,” said one of the sons.
Jesus had just come into the village of Bethsaida when the children brought their father to Jesus. Jesus walked outside the village with the man and then put spit on the man’s eyes. He asked the man if he could see. The man replied that he could see partially but not very well. Jesus touched him again and the man could see fully. This might be the only miracle that Jesus did where the person was only partially healed right away. I will talk about this some more in a bit. Can you imagine the joy for this whole family as the father rejoined them seeing again after so many years of being blind? He could see his kids and wife, the beauty of the sunrise and the other parts of God’s magnificent creation.
What a tremendous miracle. Here was a man who could not see at all. Jesus touched him and the optical nerves and all the other things that needed to be healed were made perfect. I believe the man had perfect 20/20 vision. This is a miracle and it was done by the power of God working through Jesus Christ.
This story is about healing physical blindness, but I think the chapter underneath is about spiritual blindness. In the chapter the Pharisees tried to test Jesus by asking for a sign of some kind to prove he was the Messiah. They had a lot of signs to see already, but they wanted an amazing miracle of some kind to absolutely prove who he was. Do a better trick and we will believe in you, they were saying, but they would not have believed in him no matter what. They were religious but really blind to the work of God, or maybe better we could say they were partially spiritually blind. There are some people who can not see any thing spiritual, but there are others who can see things of God but not clearly or completely. They are the partially spiritually blind. As the man Jesus healed, at first he could see men moving like trees, these men could see only a fussy image of God and what he was doing.
Even the disciples could not see what Jesus was doing and understand what Jesus was talking about. In Mark 8.17 – 21 the disciples did not understand him. Read.
In the recent newsletter from Trevor and Cassie Long, Trevor wrote that he has a number of students who are doing Bible studies with him. They like the discussion, but when it comes to certain teachings of the Bible, they dismiss them. They want to see spiritual things, but they only want to see certain things. They are partially spiritually blind.
I was talking to a man a couple of weeks ago at a church. He said he attended a lot. The more we talked the more I recognized that he had a view of God that was not biblical at all. I talked to him about putting Jesus Christ first in his life, but he said no. He did not want to become a religious fanatic or something. A little religious stuff is good, but not too much, according to him. He was partially spiritually blind.
Jesus came to earth to show us as clearly as possible what it was like to know God as completely as humans can. He taught the disciples and then all the people what walking with God and serving God was like. The Jews of his day were religious and even very moral, but God has always wanted more than that. He wanted a personal relationship with his people, just like he had in the garden with Adam and Eve before they sinned. Jesus had that intimate relationship with God when he was on earth, and we can have that relationship too. We all need to be cured of our blindness – spiritual blindness. God wants us to see him clearly and fully.
One of the things I enjoyed most last week in Jamaica was walking with Antony and Keysha. I was pushing a couple of kids on the swings when I first saw Keysha. I looked over and saw her playing in the dirt by a short wall by the swing set. I went over to say hi to her, but she ran away. I went back to pushing the swings and she went back to her place.
In the next hour or so I tried a number of times to talk to her. I reached out my hand and she moved away. I do not know her medical condition or her background, but I thought she was afraid of me. Eventually she came to me and took my hand. For the next two days Antony, Keysha and I walked up and down the street at Westhaven. I talked to them, prayed for them, sang to them, and played with them. Antony had little reaction, but Keysha smiled and sort of laughed a number of times. One of the workers said she had never walked with anyone like that at all.
On Saturday she walked with me for about an hour, but then I stopped to help some other kids. When I looked up, she was gone. I found her playing in the dirt again where she was when I first saw her. She would not come and walk with me again. She played in the dirt. At least she had a couple of days of having fun, I think.
I wonder how many of us are like that. God comes to us at the special time. We are playing in the dirt somewhere. He reaches out and takes us by the hand and we walk with him for a while, enjoying his touch, his love, and his closeness. Then for whatever reason, we decide to go back and play in the dirt. No matter what God does to reach out to us, we do our own thing.
This morning God is reaching out his hand to you and to me – he loves us so much. Please take his hand and walk with him. Be healed of spiritual blindness. See him clearly and come to him.
Mark 8.22 – 26
The message this morning is about the miracle Jesus performed at the village of Bethsaida – he gave sight to a blind man. I would be devastated if I lost my sight. A number of years ago I was listening to the Chr radio station while driving to Rochester. They were interviewing a man who had suddenly become blind. He was about 40 – married with two kids, a successful business man – leader in his church. On day his eyes felt a little different. The next day they hurt some, and within two weeks he was completely and irreversible blind. A virus had attacked the optical nerves and he was blind. As I listened, my heart sunk. What would my life be like if I could not see? I love to read and my profession depends on seeing the words – reading. I drive my car a lot. If I were blind I could not drive or do much else. The story today is about a blind man. Listen as I read Mark 8.22 -26.
Imagine with me this scene. One day a man’s children came to him. There were three young men and two daughters. They were all married and had children, and they loved their father a lot. “Dad, please come with us? There is a Rabbi in a village not too far from here. He is leading our people back to God. He can also heal people by the power of God, even blind people!” “I would like to go, but I am sure I will be blind the rest of my life. I believe my blindness is the will of God and I have accepted it,” the father replied. “At least come with us and listen to the man. He has some good things to say about our faith, and maybe, he will heal you,” said one of the sons.
Jesus had just come into the village of Bethsaida when the children brought their father to Jesus. Jesus walked outside the village with the man and then put spit on the man’s eyes. He asked the man if he could see. The man replied that he could see partially but not very well. Jesus touched him again and the man could see fully. This might be the only miracle that Jesus did where the person was only partially healed right away. I will talk about this some more in a bit. Can you imagine the joy for this whole family as the father rejoined them seeing again after so many years of being blind? He could see his kids and wife, the beauty of the sunrise and the other parts of God’s magnificent creation.
What a tremendous miracle. Here was a man who could not see at all. Jesus touched him and the optical nerves and all the other things that needed to be healed were made perfect. I believe the man had perfect 20/20 vision. This is a miracle and it was done by the power of God working through Jesus Christ.
This story is about healing physical blindness, but I think the chapter underneath is about spiritual blindness. In the chapter the Pharisees tried to test Jesus by asking for a sign of some kind to prove he was the Messiah. They had a lot of signs to see already, but they wanted an amazing miracle of some kind to absolutely prove who he was. Do a better trick and we will believe in you, they were saying, but they would not have believed in him no matter what. They were religious but really blind to the work of God, or maybe better we could say they were partially spiritually blind. There are some people who can not see any thing spiritual, but there are others who can see things of God but not clearly or completely. They are the partially spiritually blind. As the man Jesus healed, at first he could see men moving like trees, these men could see only a fussy image of God and what he was doing.
Even the disciples could not see what Jesus was doing and understand what Jesus was talking about. In Mark 8.17 – 21 the disciples did not understand him. Read.
In the recent newsletter from Trevor and Cassie Long, Trevor wrote that he has a number of students who are doing Bible studies with him. They like the discussion, but when it comes to certain teachings of the Bible, they dismiss them. They want to see spiritual things, but they only want to see certain things. They are partially spiritually blind.
I was talking to a man a couple of weeks ago at a church. He said he attended a lot. The more we talked the more I recognized that he had a view of God that was not biblical at all. I talked to him about putting Jesus Christ first in his life, but he said no. He did not want to become a religious fanatic or something. A little religious stuff is good, but not too much, according to him. He was partially spiritually blind.
Jesus came to earth to show us as clearly as possible what it was like to know God as completely as humans can. He taught the disciples and then all the people what walking with God and serving God was like. The Jews of his day were religious and even very moral, but God has always wanted more than that. He wanted a personal relationship with his people, just like he had in the garden with Adam and Eve before they sinned. Jesus had that intimate relationship with God when he was on earth, and we can have that relationship too. We all need to be cured of our blindness – spiritual blindness. God wants us to see him clearly and fully.
One of the things I enjoyed most last week in Jamaica was walking with Antony and Keysha. I was pushing a couple of kids on the swings when I first saw Keysha. I looked over and saw her playing in the dirt by a short wall by the swing set. I went over to say hi to her, but she ran away. I went back to pushing the swings and she went back to her place.
In the next hour or so I tried a number of times to talk to her. I reached out my hand and she moved away. I do not know her medical condition or her background, but I thought she was afraid of me. Eventually she came to me and took my hand. For the next two days Antony, Keysha and I walked up and down the street at Westhaven. I talked to them, prayed for them, sang to them, and played with them. Antony had little reaction, but Keysha smiled and sort of laughed a number of times. One of the workers said she had never walked with anyone like that at all.
On Saturday she walked with me for about an hour, but then I stopped to help some other kids. When I looked up, she was gone. I found her playing in the dirt again where she was when I first saw her. She would not come and walk with me again. She played in the dirt. At least she had a couple of days of having fun, I think.
I wonder how many of us are like that. God comes to us at the special time. We are playing in the dirt somewhere. He reaches out and takes us by the hand and we walk with him for a while, enjoying his touch, his love, and his closeness. Then for whatever reason, we decide to go back and play in the dirt. No matter what God does to reach out to us, we do our own thing.
This morning God is reaching out his hand to you and to me – he loves us so much. Please take his hand and walk with him. Be healed of spiritual blindness. See him clearly and come to him.
Servant Leaders
Leaders are Servants – The Church is Different
Mark 9.33 – 37 and Luke 9.46 – 48
If we would walk through a secular bookstore or a Chr bookstore, we would find hundreds of books on leadership. 12 Secrets of Leadership. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The Leadership Principles of Genghis Khan. Hitler’s Leadership Style. We could go on and on with titles about leadership in business and in the church. Some think that these principles of leadership are completely interchangeable – if it works in business, then it will work in the church. Jesus taught his disciples how they were to lead and I wish the church had learned what Jesus taught. There have been times in the history of the church that you could not tell the difference between the leaders of the church and leaders of society. In the Middle ages, they dressed the same, they fought wars the same, and they lived and sinned in the same ways.
Is it important for all of us to hear a sermon about leadership? You might say, “I am not a leader in the church. Do waste my time. Talk to just the leaders of the church about leadership.” I think all of us are leaders in our own ways and we need to see what leadership is like. The specific leaders in the church need to lead the way Jesus taught and all the people need to remind the leaders of the way Jesus taught his disciples to lead.
There is a short passage in Mark 9.33-37 that Jesus used to teach the 12 about leadership. Read. Jesus caught these men arguing about who was the greatest among them. Can you imagine all of these saints – St. John, St. Peter, St. Matthew and all the rest arguing at all, but especially about who was the best among them? When you put these verses in context it is even worse. In the section of scripture just before this, Jesus told them that he would be arrested by his enemies, they would kill him and he would rise in three days. The passage says that they did not understand what he meant by this, but they quickly started arguing about who was the greatest or the best among them. They were human and maybe too human in this case.
Being servants is a huge part of being a Chr. As Chrs we are servants of all. A Chr husband is the servant of his wife. He loves her and serves her because of that love. A Chr. wife serves her husband because of her love for him. Chr parents serve their children. You kids don’t realize how much your parents serve you. In turn, you Chr kids need to serve your parents now and later in their lives when they need you. As a Chr church we need to serve this community and all people all over this world. We do that in doing missions and sending money so others can serve the people around them. Servanthood is a huge part of our Chr life.
I think this picture (Jesus washing the feet of his disciples) gives us the greatest example of who Jesus was and is. Just hours before he was crucified, he met with his disciples in the upper room he washed the feet of all of these men. That was the job of household slaves, but God himself in human flesh, became the servant and washed the feet of his disciples. He set an example for all of us as Chrs to be servants to one another.
Greatness and leadership is not a popularity contest. Do remember Mohammed Ali years ago standing in front of the cameras and almost yelling, “I am the greatest!” Over and over again he said this. I do not know any Chr leaders who would be so overt in claiming their greatness, but in almost everything they do and say they think and act like they are the greatest.
Jesus sat down in the posture of a teaching Rabbi, and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” If any of us want to serve God as leaders we must be the last and least and the servant of all. Jesus is the perfect example of servant leadership. He was the undisputed leader of these disciples, but he was a very different kind of leader. He did not lord it over these men. He was their lord and God, but he traveled with them and lived with them as their servant. Some times we might think that these disciples carried Jesus around on some kind of mobile chair, and set him on a throne ever night and served him like slaves. Jesus walked with them and I am sure he did the chores just like the others.
Ultimately Jesus became the servant of all by going to the cross and giving his life for all of us. How much more of a servant can there be?
Next, Jesus took a child who had no power or authority and told his disciples that this child was the greatest in the kingdom of God. The child could not order people around as a boss at least not in that culture. This kid was a servant of the family.
What does this mean to us? The way leaders lead is an important factor in how the church functions. Jesus is today as he always has been the head of this church. We are the body of Christ. Jesus is the Head of this church. The Head of the church directs the various parts of the body to do their work.
Let’s look at the main words for leaders in the church. Bishop or overseer is one of them. An overseer seems to be the boss type of leader, but as an overseer he was the second in command. The owner of a farm hired an overseer to run things. In the church the bishop is under the rule of Jesus, the head of the church. The pastor or shepherd is another term for leaders in the church. A shepherd cares for the sheep – he leads them, finding food and water for them, and protects them. The shepherd certainly serves his sheep and the pastors of the church are the servant of the flock. The term deacon is a transliteration of the Greek word for slave – diakonos. Instead of calling some one Deacon Jones, we should call him Slave Jones. The only one that does not fit this pattern is the term “elder” but I can see how an elder serves the people in the church.
This is the pattern of leadership in the church. Jesus Christ came to the earth to be the ultimate example of being a servant of all. He washed the feet of his disciples and even went to the cross to serve us. As Chr leaders, pastors and elders, we follow the example of Jesus and do everything we can to serve you. We put Jesus first in our lives and we want to lead you to make the Lord first in your life. We serve you in teaching and ministering to you in every way we can. Our goal is for you to follow our example and the example of Jesus to serve others. You meet people every day who need the love of Christ shown to them. Reach out to them as servants of God. The greatest compliment a church can receive is to be called a church that serves people. Then we are truly following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mark 9.33 – 37 and Luke 9.46 – 48
If we would walk through a secular bookstore or a Chr bookstore, we would find hundreds of books on leadership. 12 Secrets of Leadership. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The Leadership Principles of Genghis Khan. Hitler’s Leadership Style. We could go on and on with titles about leadership in business and in the church. Some think that these principles of leadership are completely interchangeable – if it works in business, then it will work in the church. Jesus taught his disciples how they were to lead and I wish the church had learned what Jesus taught. There have been times in the history of the church that you could not tell the difference between the leaders of the church and leaders of society. In the Middle ages, they dressed the same, they fought wars the same, and they lived and sinned in the same ways.
Is it important for all of us to hear a sermon about leadership? You might say, “I am not a leader in the church. Do waste my time. Talk to just the leaders of the church about leadership.” I think all of us are leaders in our own ways and we need to see what leadership is like. The specific leaders in the church need to lead the way Jesus taught and all the people need to remind the leaders of the way Jesus taught his disciples to lead.
There is a short passage in Mark 9.33-37 that Jesus used to teach the 12 about leadership. Read. Jesus caught these men arguing about who was the greatest among them. Can you imagine all of these saints – St. John, St. Peter, St. Matthew and all the rest arguing at all, but especially about who was the best among them? When you put these verses in context it is even worse. In the section of scripture just before this, Jesus told them that he would be arrested by his enemies, they would kill him and he would rise in three days. The passage says that they did not understand what he meant by this, but they quickly started arguing about who was the greatest or the best among them. They were human and maybe too human in this case.
Being servants is a huge part of being a Chr. As Chrs we are servants of all. A Chr husband is the servant of his wife. He loves her and serves her because of that love. A Chr. wife serves her husband because of her love for him. Chr parents serve their children. You kids don’t realize how much your parents serve you. In turn, you Chr kids need to serve your parents now and later in their lives when they need you. As a Chr church we need to serve this community and all people all over this world. We do that in doing missions and sending money so others can serve the people around them. Servanthood is a huge part of our Chr life.
I think this picture (Jesus washing the feet of his disciples) gives us the greatest example of who Jesus was and is. Just hours before he was crucified, he met with his disciples in the upper room he washed the feet of all of these men. That was the job of household slaves, but God himself in human flesh, became the servant and washed the feet of his disciples. He set an example for all of us as Chrs to be servants to one another.
Greatness and leadership is not a popularity contest. Do remember Mohammed Ali years ago standing in front of the cameras and almost yelling, “I am the greatest!” Over and over again he said this. I do not know any Chr leaders who would be so overt in claiming their greatness, but in almost everything they do and say they think and act like they are the greatest.
Jesus sat down in the posture of a teaching Rabbi, and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” If any of us want to serve God as leaders we must be the last and least and the servant of all. Jesus is the perfect example of servant leadership. He was the undisputed leader of these disciples, but he was a very different kind of leader. He did not lord it over these men. He was their lord and God, but he traveled with them and lived with them as their servant. Some times we might think that these disciples carried Jesus around on some kind of mobile chair, and set him on a throne ever night and served him like slaves. Jesus walked with them and I am sure he did the chores just like the others.
Ultimately Jesus became the servant of all by going to the cross and giving his life for all of us. How much more of a servant can there be?
Next, Jesus took a child who had no power or authority and told his disciples that this child was the greatest in the kingdom of God. The child could not order people around as a boss at least not in that culture. This kid was a servant of the family.
What does this mean to us? The way leaders lead is an important factor in how the church functions. Jesus is today as he always has been the head of this church. We are the body of Christ. Jesus is the Head of this church. The Head of the church directs the various parts of the body to do their work.
Let’s look at the main words for leaders in the church. Bishop or overseer is one of them. An overseer seems to be the boss type of leader, but as an overseer he was the second in command. The owner of a farm hired an overseer to run things. In the church the bishop is under the rule of Jesus, the head of the church. The pastor or shepherd is another term for leaders in the church. A shepherd cares for the sheep – he leads them, finding food and water for them, and protects them. The shepherd certainly serves his sheep and the pastors of the church are the servant of the flock. The term deacon is a transliteration of the Greek word for slave – diakonos. Instead of calling some one Deacon Jones, we should call him Slave Jones. The only one that does not fit this pattern is the term “elder” but I can see how an elder serves the people in the church.
This is the pattern of leadership in the church. Jesus Christ came to the earth to be the ultimate example of being a servant of all. He washed the feet of his disciples and even went to the cross to serve us. As Chr leaders, pastors and elders, we follow the example of Jesus and do everything we can to serve you. We put Jesus first in our lives and we want to lead you to make the Lord first in your life. We serve you in teaching and ministering to you in every way we can. Our goal is for you to follow our example and the example of Jesus to serve others. You meet people every day who need the love of Christ shown to them. Reach out to them as servants of God. The greatest compliment a church can receive is to be called a church that serves people. Then we are truly following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
mission trip 2008
Mission Trip 2008
Dr Stephen DeFor – Austin Church of Christ
What could be better than going to Montego Bay, Jamaica at the end of January each year? The temperature is always warm, the ocean is magnificent to swim in, and the food is wonderful.
For the last ten years I have spent a week in Jamaica on mission trips. Teens and adults from the Austin Church of Christ and other churches go there to work in two orphanages and help a couple of schools. We bring our suitcases filled with children’s medicines, school supplies, clothing and other things to give children and to the workers in the orphanages. We do repairs where that is needed, we paint walls, we carry cement to help build new buildings, but mostly we hold and play with the children. The staff people give the kids enough food and care for them well. What we supply is arms to hold kids, hands to push them in swings, ears to listen to them, and voices to talk and sing to them. It is not hard work, but we are sure tired after working with 50 or 60 kids a day.
We pay our own way. Some take precious vacation time to go. We come back exhausted but filled with joy. Our hearts are sometimes breaking when we realize that these kids we have learned to love will be never have parents and homes. They will never have their own clothes and toys. They will probably not get a good enough education to advance themselves in life. We give what we can of ourselves and show the love of God in ways only He can inspire. We are servants of God in a special way during the mission trip.
Our group is leaving on January 28 for a week. Please be praying for us that we will be safe, that we will remain healthy, and that we can truly show the love of God to brothers and sister in Christ in Jamaica.
One more thing: Would you like to go with us next year? The cost is not too great and the rewards in inspiration and joy are tremendous. Give me a call when I get back.
Dr Stephen DeFor – Austin Church of Christ
What could be better than going to Montego Bay, Jamaica at the end of January each year? The temperature is always warm, the ocean is magnificent to swim in, and the food is wonderful.
For the last ten years I have spent a week in Jamaica on mission trips. Teens and adults from the Austin Church of Christ and other churches go there to work in two orphanages and help a couple of schools. We bring our suitcases filled with children’s medicines, school supplies, clothing and other things to give children and to the workers in the orphanages. We do repairs where that is needed, we paint walls, we carry cement to help build new buildings, but mostly we hold and play with the children. The staff people give the kids enough food and care for them well. What we supply is arms to hold kids, hands to push them in swings, ears to listen to them, and voices to talk and sing to them. It is not hard work, but we are sure tired after working with 50 or 60 kids a day.
We pay our own way. Some take precious vacation time to go. We come back exhausted but filled with joy. Our hearts are sometimes breaking when we realize that these kids we have learned to love will be never have parents and homes. They will never have their own clothes and toys. They will probably not get a good enough education to advance themselves in life. We give what we can of ourselves and show the love of God in ways only He can inspire. We are servants of God in a special way during the mission trip.
Our group is leaving on January 28 for a week. Please be praying for us that we will be safe, that we will remain healthy, and that we can truly show the love of God to brothers and sister in Christ in Jamaica.
One more thing: Would you like to go with us next year? The cost is not too great and the rewards in inspiration and joy are tremendous. Give me a call when I get back.
One with Authority
Mark 1.21 – 45
We are continuing this series of sermons from the book of Mark. I want to do something this morning to help us understand how the original people saw Jesus. We see him from the point of view of knowing all about him – all of his life. The people in the villages of Judea where he first taught did not know who he was.
Think with me for a minute. What if Bruce and Anita came to the church building this morning – just walking into the door, and they asked to sing to us for a half hour. We would probably say no. We would not know who they were, what they believed, how well they sang. But, since they were here last year and blessed us with their message, we know Living Proof and what they do. They have authenticity and authority with us so we invite them to minister with us.
When Jesus came into the Capernaum to start his ministry, he needed to earn his right to speak to them. He did this in two ways. Turn with me to Mark 1.21-22. Read. First thing he did was he taught in the synagogue but not just like other teachers. Other teachers would quote a rabbi and then another rabbi, but Jesus taught from the scripture and from himself. He taught as on having authority. This is the same thing the Jews said after Jesus finished the sermon or teaching on the mount in Matthew 5-7. I think in the synagogue in Capernaum he taught the same things as in Matthew. Let us look a little bit at what he taught in just chapter 5 to see why the people were so excited and challenged by what he taught.
MT 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. (To make it salty)
MT 5:14 "You are the light of the world. (To give it God’s light)
Mt.5.20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (They worked toward righteousness, we are forgiven)
MT 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. (Jesus made living for him harder than for the Jews)
MT 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Outward acts/ inward)
MT 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, `Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Revenge/ forgiveness)
MT 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Jesus indeed taught with authority and because of this he earned an authenticity for himself. But Jesus did not just want to be known as a good teacher. He wanted to be seen as the very son of God. So he did the next thing – he used his power to do miracles to show the Jews he was more than just a teacher. Read Mark 1.23-28. Here was a man who was controlled by evil spirits – the demons forced him to do evil deeds for the devil. (The man asked, what do you want with us, so there was more than one.) Demon possession was something Jesus faced often in his time and it is still faced today. When this man came into the presence of the holy and pure Jesus, he reacted to him. When evil comes into the presence of holiness there has to be a clash. Jesus spoke and the evil spirits came out of the man with a shriek. What a tremendous blessing this must have been for the man who was healed, and what a challenge it was to the devil who before was able to control people with evil, but now the holy Lord was able to cleanse those who were possessed with demons. Jesus was stronger than the demons.
The people in the synagogue were amazed by his teachings and his power to do miracles. Read Vss. 27 – 28. Jesus went on to heal others too, but he knew the problems this could cause. People want the miracles but not the new life that comes from God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus cleansed a man possessed by demons and stopped a fever. The people were utterly amazed as we would be, but these are just little things to the all-might God. He spoke and all things came into existence in the beginning. He can cure fevers and drive out demons and heal all kinds of sicknesses when it is best for his plan and purposes. We humans are amazed at such little things. God can and does far greater things every day, most of which we can not even see. By teaching what God wanted for his special people and doing miraculous healings, Jesus earned authenticity with the Jewish people and eventually opposition from the Jewish leaders.
Jesus still meets people today in the same way. We come to Christ either by being introduced to his teachings or we are impressed by his miraculous power, but I think we need both. I was reading about Muslims being converted to Christ even in Iraq today. Many come to Christ by hearing the teachings of Jesus Christ, especially about his love and forgiveness. They are thrilled at these teachings. Others are brought to Christ when he does something miraculous in their lives – a healing or a specific answer to prayer.
I came to Christ mostly from learning about his teachings, but then as time when on in my life I could see the power of the Lord working in me and for me. When we have both we know Christ more fully as the people originally did when Jesus preached and healed in the synagogue in Capernaum. The teachings of our Lord are absolutely true and extremely challenging. The power of our Lord is greater than anything we can imagine. Together they draw us to the Lord and his service.
Mark 1.21 – 45
We are continuing this series of sermons from the book of Mark. I want to do something this morning to help us understand how the original people saw Jesus. We see him from the point of view of knowing all about him – all of his life. The people in the villages of Judea where he first taught did not know who he was.
Think with me for a minute. What if Bruce and Anita came to the church building this morning – just walking into the door, and they asked to sing to us for a half hour. We would probably say no. We would not know who they were, what they believed, how well they sang. But, since they were here last year and blessed us with their message, we know Living Proof and what they do. They have authenticity and authority with us so we invite them to minister with us.
When Jesus came into the Capernaum to start his ministry, he needed to earn his right to speak to them. He did this in two ways. Turn with me to Mark 1.21-22. Read. First thing he did was he taught in the synagogue but not just like other teachers. Other teachers would quote a rabbi and then another rabbi, but Jesus taught from the scripture and from himself. He taught as on having authority. This is the same thing the Jews said after Jesus finished the sermon or teaching on the mount in Matthew 5-7. I think in the synagogue in Capernaum he taught the same things as in Matthew. Let us look a little bit at what he taught in just chapter 5 to see why the people were so excited and challenged by what he taught.
MT 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. (To make it salty)
MT 5:14 "You are the light of the world. (To give it God’s light)
Mt.5.20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (They worked toward righteousness, we are forgiven)
MT 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. (Jesus made living for him harder than for the Jews)
MT 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Outward acts/ inward)
MT 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, `Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Revenge/ forgiveness)
MT 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Jesus indeed taught with authority and because of this he earned an authenticity for himself. But Jesus did not just want to be known as a good teacher. He wanted to be seen as the very son of God. So he did the next thing – he used his power to do miracles to show the Jews he was more than just a teacher. Read Mark 1.23-28. Here was a man who was controlled by evil spirits – the demons forced him to do evil deeds for the devil. (The man asked, what do you want with us, so there was more than one.) Demon possession was something Jesus faced often in his time and it is still faced today. When this man came into the presence of the holy and pure Jesus, he reacted to him. When evil comes into the presence of holiness there has to be a clash. Jesus spoke and the evil spirits came out of the man with a shriek. What a tremendous blessing this must have been for the man who was healed, and what a challenge it was to the devil who before was able to control people with evil, but now the holy Lord was able to cleanse those who were possessed with demons. Jesus was stronger than the demons.
The people in the synagogue were amazed by his teachings and his power to do miracles. Read Vss. 27 – 28. Jesus went on to heal others too, but he knew the problems this could cause. People want the miracles but not the new life that comes from God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus cleansed a man possessed by demons and stopped a fever. The people were utterly amazed as we would be, but these are just little things to the all-might God. He spoke and all things came into existence in the beginning. He can cure fevers and drive out demons and heal all kinds of sicknesses when it is best for his plan and purposes. We humans are amazed at such little things. God can and does far greater things every day, most of which we can not even see. By teaching what God wanted for his special people and doing miraculous healings, Jesus earned authenticity with the Jewish people and eventually opposition from the Jewish leaders.
Jesus still meets people today in the same way. We come to Christ either by being introduced to his teachings or we are impressed by his miraculous power, but I think we need both. I was reading about Muslims being converted to Christ even in Iraq today. Many come to Christ by hearing the teachings of Jesus Christ, especially about his love and forgiveness. They are thrilled at these teachings. Others are brought to Christ when he does something miraculous in their lives – a healing or a specific answer to prayer.
I came to Christ mostly from learning about his teachings, but then as time when on in my life I could see the power of the Lord working in me and for me. When we have both we know Christ more fully as the people originally did when Jesus preached and healed in the synagogue in Capernaum. The teachings of our Lord are absolutely true and extremely challenging. The power of our Lord is greater than anything we can imagine. Together they draw us to the Lord and his service.
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