"Encountering Jesus"

Jesus, the Provocative Teacher Series

Sunday, July 6, 2008; Matthew 7:24-29

Introduction: It is important for us to understand that the stories in the Bible about Jesus are there for us to encounter Jesus. In this series (Jesus, the Provocative Teacher) we will be looking at how those in the Bible encountered Jesus, and how we should be encountering Jesus. We will be looking closely at who Jesus is, His grace and love, His passion and mission, and how He came to connect with people like you and me! For those of you who feel like you know who Jesus is, this will be an opportunity to gain even more insight and have a fresh perspective for your life today.

Since Jesus is anything but dull, this series should be very exciting. Hopefully Jesus will shake up our lives and our church just as he shook up the world around Him. Jesus was constantly surprising people, challenging people, and causing many reactions. That is the design of this series as well, to have the life of Jesus surprise us, challenge us, and create a reaction in and through us.

I. Provocative Teachers-

The English word “provocative” has its roots in the Latin word “provocare,”

which means “to call forth.” It has the idea of stimulating or inciting a reaction. When someone is provocative, they are desiring a response from their listeners.

Have you encountered teachers that were provocative? As I thought about this during the week, I thought about some of the teachers I have heard teach who were more provocative than others. Let me give you a couple of examples:

a. Billy Graham- To me, Billy Graham is a very provocative teacher. I have

never been to any of his Crusades, but I did hear him speak at Bel Air Presbyterian church when I worked there. And what I found interesting, is that Billy Graham’s message was simple. Even when he was preaching at a church, to a congregation of people who believed in Jesus, he still kept his message simple. He spoke about God’s love, and God’s grace, and God’s forgiveness. BUT it was how he did it. His presence was captivating, his delivery was polished, his words were to the point, his stories connected. And in the end, he demanded from you a reaction. Just as he does at his Crusades, calling people forward to accept Christ as their savior, so he called people to come forth and make a decision; a decision to follow Christ. For some it might have been their first decision for Christ, for others it was a recommitment of their initial decision to follow Christ. Billy Graham provoked the people.

b. Bill Hybels- A second preacher/teacher that I have heard speak, who I

think is provocative, is Bill Hybels. Bill Hybels is the minister of Willow Creek Community Church in Willow Creek, Illinois. I have heard Bill Hybels speak on many occasions, and I have always gone away both enjoying what he said, and being challenged to want to act upon his teaching. I believe what makes Bill Hybels so provocative is his overwhelming desire to see people come into the kingdom. Bill Hybels is zealous to do evangelism; to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all who do not know Christ. Because of this, a new venture that Hybels is participating in, is to teach and train pastors and leaders to be able to teach and lead their congre-gations for evangelism. Like Billy Graham, Hybels doesn’t just want to entertain people with his words (although he is a very entertaining speaker), Hybels wants to provoke people to change and be change agents.

Being provocative is not easy. It is not easy because people don’t like to be provoked. In fact, when you hear that word, you might think of it in negative terms. Part of the definition of provoking is “to insight anger.” I am sure that there are people who have heard Billy Graham, and Bill Hybels, and others like them, who have gone away not happy with what was shared. To be a provocative teacher, you have to be willing to make people uncomfortable; you have to be willing to push people to the edge of their thinking; you have to be willing to challenge people’s belief systems; you have to be willing to upset the norm.

Jesus was provocative, because he was willing to do all these things. He made people uncomfortable. He pushed people to the edge. He challenged people’s belief systems. He upset the norm! When people heard Jesus speak, they always had some sort of reaction; not always positive, but they did have a reaction.

II. Jesus was Provocative- (John 10:10; Mark 8:34;

Matthew 12:1-8; Matthew 7:24-29)

Jesus’ teaching was anything but conventional. His teaching was often

unsettling to people. His teaching was often irritating to others. And his teaching was always provocative. There were times when Jesus finished teaching, and He left people in stunned silence. And there were times when His words created a near insurrection. There were times when His words seemed to contradict themselves, and other times when people were completely confused by what He said.

For example, Jesus said in John 10:10: “I came that you might have life, and have it to the full.” And the people thought that was great. Everyone wants a full life.

But then Jesus also said in Mark 8:34- “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” And people would wonder if they missed something. How can you have a full life by denying yourself? Are we supposed to create punishment in our life to have a full life? This doesn’t make sense. How can giving up what you have and denying yourself make your life more full?

But Jesus wasn’t afraid to provoke people. Matthew 12:1-8 we read…

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. ²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath." ³He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. ⁵Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? ⁶I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. ⁷If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus was challenging the teaching of the religious leaders, and by doing this provoking them both to anger, and to wondering. A wondering of who He was, and what His teaching was really saying. You see, the whole point was to teach people to be doers, not just hearers. This is the lesson of our scripture reading for the morning, Matthew 7:24-29. As verse 24 states: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock.”

Jesus didn’t come to capture votes or to be popular—Jesus came to liberate hearts. His teaching was designed to confront women and men with the realities and hopes of life in an ongoing relationship with God; not the world of limited time. Jesus came to move us from our world toward His, and to do this He used prodding, and startling assertions, and soul-searching questions. As a provocative teacher, He unsettles you.

But Jesus did something else that made Him provocative, and that was His use of everyday objects. When Jesus told stories He used objects like mustard seeds, stones, houses, water, and sand. Jesus once even used a child as a prop. He also used word pictures to create a more vivid understanding of the truth He was trying to get across to the people. And because of this, we read the reaction of people; Matthew 7:28-29, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

III. Casual Observers vs. Committed Followers- (Matthew 12:22-28, 13:53-57, 14:15-17, 16:21-23; Mark 4:35-41)

Casual observers and committed followers were all caught off guard by Jesus’ words and actions. There were some who thought He was confused, others who thought He was schizophrenic, still others thought He was delusional. Let’s look at some examples:

a. Casual observers-In Matthew 12:22-24- “Then they brought him a

demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. ²³All the people were astonished and said, ‘Could this be the Son of David?’ ²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.’” Here the Pharisees think (and try to get others to believe) that Jesus is possessed, and that He does His miracles by the power of Satan. And so Jesus straightens them out in verses 25-28, “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

The Pharisees were casual observers, and were afraid of Jesus leading people astray. They didn’t understand Jesus, and so they attacked Jesus and accused Him of being of the devil. They were caught off guard by Jesus’ ability to heal a demon- possessed man. They didn’t understand that Jesus’ power came from His being God in the flesh; the Messiah; the Son of God.

We see this truth especially from those in His own hometown; Matthew 13:53-57.

“When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. ⁵⁴Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. ⁵⁵"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" ⁵⁷And they took offense at him…”

b. Committed followers- But those who were committed to Him still

did not understand Him. How often did His own followers doubt Him and question Him? In Matthew 14:15-17, “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’ ¹⁶Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ ¹⁷‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered.”

OR Mark 4:35-41, when Jesus and the disciples are in the boat, Jesus was asleep, and a great storm arose. The disciples were greatly afraid and woke Jesus. They then had this interchange: “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don't you care if we drown?’ ³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ ⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”

OR Matthew 16:21-23, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ ²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’”

The disciples, those who spent the most time with Him, and should have known Him best, were regularly confused about Jesus’ teaching and actions.

Conclusion: If the disciples were as confused about Jesus as anyone else, it shouldn’t be a surprise to us when we have trouble understanding who Jesus is, and what Jesus is trying to do in our lives and in His church.

In the coming weeks, may we open our minds and hearts to encounter Jesus, the Provocative Teacher. May we let ourselves come near to Jesus, and watch and listen to Jesus. In doing this, we will probably have some unsettled moments. But this is okay, because Jesus can take this unsettledness and use it to lead us into a deeper relationship with God, and a more profound way of living our lives! Amen.

"Faith Like A Child"

Dangerous Wonder Series

Sunday, June 29, 2008; Matthew 18:1-5

Introduction: Children are amazing! As we watch children grow, it is interesting to see how they make decisions and how they act. In his book, Dangerous Wonder, the book we have been using for this sermon series the last few weeks, author Michael Yaconelli tells of a Christmas that he got an electric train when he was four-years-old. He was so excited to have this new toy he so much wanted. But as family came over, his train got hogged by all the men; he couldn’t get in to play with his own present. So he tried to figure out what he could do. He decided to call the police and report a hijacked electric train….When his dad found out what he was doing, he got on the phone, explained it to the operator, and then made all the men back away so he would play with his own present!!

It is important for us to discover our childlike faith; the passion, curiosity, wonder and grace of a child. The willingness to live with abandon; the desire to listen to the thin silence of God. It is not easy as an adult, but it is possible.

I. Pray like a child-

a. Genuine speaking- Have you ever heard a child pray? Their

prayers are very simple, but honest. Illus. You might have heard these prayers

before, but even still, they are a good reminder of how kids pray… Dear God, maybe Cain and Abel would not have killed each other if they had their own rooms, That’s what my mom did for me and my brother… Dear God, is it true my father won’t get into heaven if he uses his bowling words in the house?… Dear God, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in the church. Is that ok?..Dear Jesus, I want to thank you for going up there on the Cross for us every Good Fridays. You must be real happy when the weekend is over…

Children tell God what they are genuinely thinking. They are honest, simple and direct. They understand that God is listening, and they understand that prayers are very important. Somehow when we become adults, we forget how important praying is. We start to think we have to pray with fancy words, and with a certain formula. SO, first, to have faith like a child, we need to remember our prayers. And our prayers need to be direct, honest, and sincere.

Story: About 10 years ago, Billy Graham came to Sacramento to hold one of his Crusades. The night before the Crusade was to start, one of the choir members was driving home after a long rehearsal. As he was driving through the downtown area, about midnight, he noticed a man slumped over the steps of the capitol building. It was cold outside, and the choir member was moved to help this poor, homeless man. The man was a little nervous, not sure what he might do, and so he carefully walked up behind the man and touched him gently on his shoulder. “Sir, can I help you? Are you okay?” the choir member asked. As the man looked up, he noticed that it was Billy Graham! Billy Graham was praying for the city of Sacramento.

Like a child who really believes in the power of prayer, Billy Graham knows where the power of his Crusades comes from; from God through prayer. Billy Graham knows that there will not be power in his words without prayer. Billy Graham knows that hearts won’t be softened and changed without prayer. Billy Graham knows never to start a Crusade without prayer.

b. Limited Vocabulary- As I have talked to people about prayer, I

know that one of the things that holds people back is vocabulary. If you have ever heard those who are accomplished prayers, pray, you know that there is a certain vocabulary that comes with praying. Those who don’t know this vocabulary feel intimidated when it comes to praying, especially praying out loud. But think of this, children don’t have a large vocabulary. But yet they still pray. Why? Because they don’t know to be embarrassed by their lack of vocabulary. Which is how it should be!

But even beyond words, children pray through hugs, winks, tears, squeezes, laughter, screaming, dancing, and silence. When you and I decide to pray like a child, we can learn that praying is more than our words. For example, let’s say that my daughter hurts herself, and comes up and gets in my lap with tears streaming down her face. Without saying any words, she is asking me: “Daddy, will you please comfort me, and help me through this pain?” That is how we can pray like a child without any words. We might be sitting silently with God, but God sees the pain in our heart, or He sees our tears, or He sees us struggling along, and without us saying any words, as we come quietly to God, WE ARE PRAYING!

Then, as time goes on, the more we pray, the more comfortable we get, and just like a child’s vocabulary grows, our prayer vocabulary will grow. As this happens, we will rely less on our non-verbal prayers, and be able to verbalize our prayers more. It will come will consistency and practice.

II. Ask for help-

a. Over your head- A second aspect of having faith like a child, is

that of asking for help. Children are not afraid to ask for help. They have no problem admitting they are in over their heads. Although, there comes a time when the child will say to you: “I can do it.” During this time, they are trying to learn some independence. But as they try to do it, after they have struggled for a while, they come to you and ask for help.

But we adults have trouble asking for help. We think that once we have become a so-called adult, we have to do it on our own. We have to be independent and self-reliant. We think that if we call for help we will be humiliating ourselves by saying that we are not capable. We think that asking for help is a sign of weakness.

Story: There is a story of a very independent woman who was vacationing in Hawaii. One day, while laying of the beach, she decided it was time to go in the water to cool off. She took her mask along to look at some fish. Fascinated by the fish she began to lose track of where she was swimming. She began to follow a school of very colorful fish. Without realizing it, she began to swim out far from the shore. When she finally looked up, she discovered that she had been caught in a riptide. She then began to swim hard for the shore. It didn’t take her long to realize that she was in trouble. Despite how hard she was swimming, she was actually getting pulled out farther from the shore, but being the determined woman she was, she would not give up; she would not be defeated by the current and the riptide. Finally admitting that she was close to drowning, she began to wave her arms and yell. Fortunately a lifeguard heard her just in time, and was able to drag her back to the shore. It took her almost an hour before she gained enough strength to sit up.

b. Giving in- How many of us are like this woman, independent and

not willing to call for help? How many believe that faith is for saving us from our sin, but then after that we don’t need anyone else? Too many Christians think they don’t need the church. Too many Christians think they don’t need help from other Christians. Too many Christians think they can do it without any help from Jesus.

Faith is not religious positive thinking. It’s not a motivational course, a pep talk, or an exercise in positive self-imagining. Faith is for the helpless. And because of our sinful nature, we all fall into this category of the helpless. We do not come to faith to find a little extra help. We come to faith because without the help of Jesus, we will become exhausted, weakened, ready to give up, and ready to drown.

Faith is not giving up, it is giving in. Giving in to the One, Jesus Christ, who can save us. We cannot LIVE this life God has given us, the way He wants us to live it, without the help of God’s Spirit leading us and empowering us. We cannot LOVE the way we need to love. We cannot SERVE the way we are called to serve. We cannot FORGIVE the way God commands us to forgive. We cannot GIVE with the generosity with which we are directed without God’s help. We must ask for help. And to do this we have to take on the attitude of a child.

III. Embrace your ordinariness- (Matthew 18:1-5)

a. Living the simple- Have you ever noticed that children are taken

by the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. In fact, often times they like the ordinary more. I remember when Tyler was a small child, about 1-year old, he had as much, if not more fun playing with the pots and pans as he did with his fancy toys. Children are not overly impressed with power, or unimpressed with the ordinary. Faith allows us to recognize the indiscriminate power of God that takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary.

EX. I don’t know if you have ever participated in a Taize service, but they are very basic worship services. A Taize style of service is primarily meditative but blends music, word, and silence together. The songs used are often chant-like, and very repetitive. However, it is difficult to worship in this style and experience the presence of God if you have a cluttered lifestyle, because you will find it difficult to slow down and release yourself to God. You will find it difficult to focus, and maybe even become bored. You will not draw from the service what is designed, and will probably walk away disappointed that you didn’t experience more.

We live in a world that is fast paced. We live in a world that is high-tech, with many fancy gadgets. We live in a world that has become disconnected from one another in many ways. We live in a world that has airplanes, and submarines, and flies rockets into outer space. So the ordinary of our world can seem out of place.

I love it in those times when we tell our children that they can’t watch the TV, or play on the computer, or play with their game-boys. I love it, because I watch as they make-up their own games, or as Tyler builds with his Legos, or Tiffany plays with her dolls. You watch how what is now considered more ordinary takes on significance and meaning. You see how they can become fascinated with the simple.

b. Ordinary living- Our faith is to be like this. Faith is not about

always seeing great miracles or experiencing overwhelming feelings. Faith is about living the ordinary, day-to-day life, where we see how God walks with us and guides us each step of the day. Faith is about seeing God in the mundaneness of life, knowing that God can work in the ordinary as well as in the extraordinary.

In our scripture reading this morning, we hear Jesus asking the people this question: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Now, before Jesus answered this question, the people probably misheard the question, just hearing the words “Who is the greatest?” And the answer for them would be someone of power, or nobleness, or great talent. But Jesus’ answer stuns them, as He says: “Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” The ordinariness of a child; the ordinariness of the humble. This is what is great.

Childlike faith is for ordinary people. People like you and me who know our flaws too well. We know our inconsistencies and understand that the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ liberates us from the oppression of our ordinariness and gives us permission to trust God to make us extraordinary.

IV. Don’t stop playing- (Matthew 21:16)

a. Don’t stop- Story: You might have heard this story before, but it is

fitting for our talk this morning. It is the story of the well-known pianist Ignace Jan Paderewski. Paderewski played a concert in New York one time, where the concert had been sold out 6-months prior to his playing. On the night of the concert everyone came all dressed up (tuxes and fancy dresses). A mother brought her 9-year-old son because she wanted to get him excited about the idea of playing the piano. She believed that if he heard Paderewski play, he would want to do well in his piano lessons, instead of always complaining. She wanted him to see what he could become. As the story goes, right before the concert was to start, the boy wandered away from his mother. The next thing she knew she saw her son sitting at the Steinway piano on the stage. Then, even more to her surprise, he started to play chopsticks on the piano. The people in the audience were furious, and yelled out: “Get that kid off the stage.” “This is an outrage.” “What is this boy doing here?” The startled ushers began to move toward the stage to remove the boy, but then Paderewski himself appeared on the stage. (The boy was oblivious to all that was happening, enjoying his opportunity to play what little he knew). As Paderewski came up behind the boy, he whispered in his ear: “Don’t stop. Keep on playing. You’re doing great.” While the boy continued to play, the great pianist put his arms around the boy and began playing a concerto based on the tune of “Chopsticks.” While the two played, Paderewski kept saying to the boy: “Don’t stop. Keep on playing.”

There will be many times in life where what we do might not be seen to be extraordinary. There will be times in life when we will get frustrated with God. There will be times in life when we might seem to lose faith. There will be times when others are coming down on us, and we get discouraged. In those times, we need to have faith like a child, because God will come up behind us, and whisper to us, “Don’t stop. Keep playing. You’re doing great.”

b. Keep playing- As you look at your life, as you look at your faith,

where do you stand? Some of you may feel strong and secure. Some may have times of strength, but also times of great weakness. Some may feel like they are needing a great boost to their faith. The great college basketball coach, John Wooden, once said: “You are never as good as you think you are, and you are never as bad as others think you are.”

I think this relates to our faith as well. Our faith is not our own, it is a gift from God. But for us to rely on God, we must humble ourselves like a child, and give ourselves over to God. We have to be able to admit that it is not what we can do, but what God can do through us. We don’t have all the answers, and we don’t have all the strength. That comes to us by God, through the Holy Spirit, because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

On the front of the bulletin you see a verse from Matthew 21:16, which says: “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praises.” For God, the praise of a child, is as good, if not better, than the praise of someone who is powerful or holds a position of honor. We have to get it into our understanding that God turns things upside down, and brings honor to those who humble themselves like a child.

Conclusion:

In a Barna survey, the question “What do Americans Want?” was asked. There were six specific conditions that at least 75% of all adults want. The six are: “having good physical health (listed by 85%), living with a high degree of integrity (also 85%), having one marriage partner for life (80%), having a clear purpose for living (77%), having a close relationship with God (75%), and having close, personal friendships (74%).” 75% of Americans say that they want to have a close relationship with God. The problem is that adults let too many issues come between them and God. If we could only have “faith like a child,” then we might be able to let God have a greater role in our lives, and we might trust God more, and we might ask God for help more, and we might actually discover the joy that God has for us to experience. Commit yourself today to let yourself trust God as a child trusts his or her parent. Commit yourself today to humble yourself before God like a child. And by doing this, you will experience a greater relationship with God. Amen.

"God's Grace Is Outside the Lines"

Dangerous Wonder Series

Sunday, June 22, 2008; Luke 14:15-24

Introduction: (Show Playdoh Creations picture) I have here a picture my children made for me on Father’s Day many years ago. Around of the outside of the picture you can see some scribbling. Tami then wrote what the kids told her it said: “This says, ‘Happy Father’s Day until your birthday comes. I love you to the sun and to God and Jesus and all the way down to our house!’” Now, I could look at this and think that is not good writing at all. I could look at this, and criticize it, and then go over to my kids and try to teach them how to write better. But of course, as their father, I think that it is the most beautiful scribbling in the world!!

For a child, it is okay to scribble or to color outside the lines. To a child, their scribbling and coloring is wonderful work. They are naïve about life and about what is good. And the good news is, that when it comes to God’s grace, there is much naivete. He looks at much of our work and thinks: “Hmmm. You certainly like to do things the same way all the time. I love your effort. You definitely put lots of passion into your work. I like it!” SO, this morning, I want to talk about how God’s grace is outside the lines of our understanding, so much so, that all we can do is stand in awe and wonder. It is like us trying to understand the coloring of a little child.

I. God’s Grace Legitimizes- (Romans 8:15-16)

I finished seminary in 1995. After that I began to look for a call to a church,

which I got in February of 1996, in Pueblo West, Colorado. On Sunday, February 11, 1996, I had my ordination and installation service. It is a wonderful and humbling service, because it is designed all for one person; ME. Of course, it is a service that honors God and the call God has given me for ministry, but the goal of the service is to recognize how God has called me into service as a minister. At one point, near the end of the service, there is a “charge” that is given encouraging me about what it means to be a minister. And then after the charge, all those who are ordained ministers are to come forward, lay hands on me, and pray for me.

Before this day, I had been doing ministry in many capacities for 15 years. But in one sense, I was not a “legitimate” minister. There were things that I couldn’t do (like marriages and communion)./ I had actually started as the minister of this church on February 4, but I couldn’t serve communion until after this service; I hadn’t been legitimized by the church yet. However, more than legitimizing me as a minister, this service, and the confirmation of others helped me to see myself as a minister for God.

While technically illegitimacy refers to children who are born out of wedlock, there are many ways in life where people might feel illegitimate. There are people serving in ministries who aren’t ordained. There are children who are a step-child, who don’t feel like they belong. There are even people who might feel like a step-child in the family of God.

Even, more, we as Christians can be seen as illegitimate in the family of God, since it was Israel who was to be “God’s people.” But God has made it so that we are all part of the family of God. The apostle Paul makes this clear in the book of Romans, chapter 8:15-16, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.” We have been adopted into God’s family, and thus legitimized.

Do you feel like there is an area in your life where you aren’t legitimate? Maybe you feel less capable than you ought to, or maybe you don’t feel accepted somewhere. This can be difficult, but this feeling of illegitimacy will keep you from being able to live fully. Or maybe you feel like you have to “color within the lines,” and you don’t always get it right. WHEREVER you might feel illegitimate, give it to God, and God will help legitimize you!

II. God’s Grace Equalizes- (John 3:16; Luke 14:15-24)

Another aspect of God’s grace is that God loves everyone. We all know this

because we are familiar with John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…” God is not careful who He calls to His church or who He calls to be His friend.

We see this illustrated in our scripture passage for this morning, Luke 14:15-24. In this passage Jesus tells the story of a wealthy man who threw a lavish banquet. On the day of the event he sent out his servant to invite many honored guests to come and enjoy this banquet with him. However, as the servant connected with the people, they all had excuses of why they could not come. They seemed to be legitimate reasons: weddings, business, land deals… However, this angered the host, and so he said to the servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' Now, we might not think that the poor, crippled, blind, and lame are appropriate guests for a nice banquet, especially when they don’t seem to have a relationship with the wealthy man.

Think about this banquet for a moment; maybe even think of yourself throwing this banquet. What would it be like to have all these guests you didn’t know? What would it be like to have all these people with special needs? What might your friends think when they see who you have at your party; what the world would call uncivilized rejects.

But if we are to understand this parable, Jesus is saying that this is the make-up of the church. Jesus is making it very clear that “ALL” are welcome in the church. It doesn’t matter your physical condition, your mental condition, your status or abilities, all are welcome. The only criteria is to accept the invitation of Jesus!

Jesus makes it clear that there is no room for arrogance in the kingdom of God. Jesus makes it clear that there is no room for elitism in the church. Jesus makes it clear that there is no status in the church. All are welcome, AND all are considered equal. This is a bold concept in our world, because our world is full of position and status. There are presidents, and there are peons, and peons are not on the same level as presidents. This self-righteous snobbery will not be accepted. When it comes to God and God’s kingdom, God’s grace equalizes the unequal. How wonderful this is for you and me. When it comes to God, we are not lower than anyone else. When it comes to God, His grace is there for us just as much as it is for anyone else.

III. God’s Grace Evens Out-

For most people, grace is difficult to believe and difficult to accept. We want so desperately to believe that God loves us unconditionally, yet we keep trying to add conditions to God’s love. We might say, “Okay, once I get my act together, God will love me.” OR, “Once I am on my feet God will love me.” OR “Once I am past this one sin I keep doing, God will love me.” We want to be worthy of God’s grace. We have difficulty believing that God shows grace to us in our failures.

EX. A few years ago, at the Northern California State track finals, there were participants from all over the state competing against each other. The criteria to be invited to this race was that you had to have won at least one event in the regional competition. When it came time for the 3200-meter race (which is 8 laps around a track), there was one girl who limped badly. It didn’t make sense how she made it to the state finals (it turns out that she was the only person in her region to run the 3200 meter race). People in the crowd wondered if she was able to overcome this limp once it came time to run. But when the race began, she limped even when she ran. After the first lap she was a quarter of a lap behind the other runners. By the time the other runners had finished she still had a lap to go all by herself. As she came down the backstretch there was agony on her face, but she was determined to finish. At this point the crowd stood and started to yell, “Go! Go! Go!” When she finally crossed the finish line the crowd erupted with an ovation. Afterward, people remarked how they couldn’t remember who won the race, but they remembered the determination of this girl./ Most girls with her disability would have declined to run in a state final. But how wonderful it was for her, and for the crowd, that she chose to run that day!

The grace of God says to you and me, “I can make last place more significant than first place. I will use those who are down, those who are social outcasts to teach others about gratitude. I will use lepers as examples of cleanliness. I will take men (like Paul) who persecute the church, and turn them into pillars of the church. I will take the dead and give them life. I will take uneducated fishermen and make them fishers of men.” God’s grace does not exist to make us successful. God’s grace seeks to even out that which is uneven, if not in this world, then definitely in the next. God’s grace exists to point people to a love like no other love they have ever known; a love that is outside the lines.

IV. God’s Grace is Inclusive- (Matthew 25:31-40)

The wonderful truth about God’s love, is that when you start to understand how God loves you outside of the lines, you start to live outside of the lines. And one of the biggest ways we do this is by how we love and do ministry.

In life, we tend to be friends with people we connect with and have something in common with. In church life, we tend to go to churches that have people that are similar to us. That is why Sunday morning is the most segregated day of the week! But this is not what God desires from us. The wonder of God’s grace is that He accepts all who call on Him. And as God’s children, we need to accept, love, and connect with all who need the Lord.

EX. When I was considering this church 91/2 years ago, I began to investigate the church and the community. I found out that this church had declined from over 1000 members in the late 60’s, early 70’s, to 140. I also discovered that the surrounding area had changed from being a white middle-class neighborhood, to being multi-ethnic. I knew that when I was called to this church, and accepted this call, it would take a significant change to again be a community church. As I look at our church today, I think that we are making strides forward, and that is pleasing to God. As I look at our church today, I see that we are coloring “outside of the lines.” As I look at our church today, I think that we are seeking to show God’s grace./ In my time here, we have established a relationship with the church called “His Nesting Place,” which houses and helps unwed mothers. Many of these mothers would have to, or would choose to get an abortion if it were not for “His Nesting Place.” We are allowing the Vietnamese church to rent our facilities. They are reaching out to the Vietnamese speaking people in this community, and are doing a great ministry for the kingdom of God. We have established a relationship with the WomenShelter of Long Beach. By giving them love, support, and clothes, we help them to further their mission of helping abused women get free from their abusive relationships. AND, we are currently moving forward in our ministry to the Hispanics in our community!

Listen to these words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-40, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

Naïve grace is the kind of love that wants EVERYONE to be included instead of finding ways to exclude. Jesus Christ gave us the example of welcoming everyone.

Conclusion: Grace is receiving a gift that you do not deserve. If I am honest with myself, I know that I do not deserve God’s love; I do not deserve God’s blessing. There is nothing that I do that is extraordinary, and there are many things that I do that is not good. But the truth is, we don’t have to earn God’s grace, we don’t have to be worthy of God’s grace. God’s grace comes to all who ask for it, all who come to Jesus.

In fact, when we see God’s grace, we realize that it is indiscriminate, foolish, impractical, crazy, and naïve. But that is the beauty of it, it is not determined by you and me who will get God’s grace, it is determined by God. And hopefully, if we look carefully enough, people like you and me might actually believe Jesus Christ is winking at us, letting us know that we have all the grace we need. And if we taste of this grace long enough, we might even share with others how they can taste the grace of God as well! Amen.

"Having the Right Kind of Fear"

Mark 6:45-52

Dangerous Wonder Series: 6/15/08

Introduction: Have you ever noticed that fear is something that we dislike, but are also attracted to? People love scary movies; roller coasters that set you on edge; haunted mansions; doing activities that are potentially dangerous.

Example- The other day I took something from Tyler and then I ran away. He started to chase me, but I was far enough ahead of him that I was able to hide downstairs. Actually, I went out the front door and hid right outside the door. A few minutes went by and I didn’t hear any voices, so I finally came back inside. When I went upstairs to find them, Tami told me that they were too afraid to look for me because they thought I was going to jump out at them. And yet, there was a part of them that liked what I was doing, even though it was kind of scary!

In the end, they weren’t really scared, because they knew that I am their dad, and they don’t need to be afraid of me. Even though I am bigger and stronger, and can yell out louder, they know I love them and would never do anything to harm them.

In the same way, we believe in, worship, and follow a God who is bigger and stronger than us, and there is a sense of fear in regards to Him; but yet there is not.

I. Do we fear God?- (Luke 2:9; Exodus 3:5-6; Psalm 36:1)

a. What happened to terror?- There doesn’t seem to be much terror

in the Christians of today. When I talk about fearing God, often I get this look from people that says: Why? When you read the stories in the Bible, you see how people reacted in the presence of angels, much less the presence of God. For example, in Luke 2:9 we read: “An angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” The shepherds weren’t terrified of the angels as much as they were of the glory of the Lord. And in Exodus 3:5-6, when Moses goes over to the burning bush to see why the flames aren’t consuming the bush, we read: “‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ ⁶ Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” But people don’t seem to have this same awe, fear, and worship of God and God’s glory.

The question we need to ask is: Are modern followers of Christ capable of being terrified of God? Why is there no fear of God today? No fear of Jesus Christ? No fear of the Holy Spirit? Because we lack this fear, we have ended up with a feel-good gospel. This feel-good gospel might attract thousands of people, but it won’t transform them, because they are not meeting the One True God.

It is time for Christianity to become a place of terror again; a place where God continually has to tell us, ‘Fear not’; a place where our relationship with God is not a simple belief or doctrine or theology, but the constant awareness of God’s terrifying presence in our lives.

We need to have a healthy, childlike fear of God. A healthy, childlike fear should make us more in awe of God than we are of our government, our problems, or any earthly concerns. God is capable of calming the storm, AND putting us right in the middle of the storm. God is capable of crushing a nation (like with Sodom and Gomorrah), as well as saving one (like Ninevah). God is big, and holy, and frightening, and gentle and tender. God is our God, whose love should both frighten us, AND draw us near to Him. But somehow we have become too comfortable with God.

b. Comfort with the familiar- We live in a country that is familiar

with the Christian faith, and has the thinking that we live in a “Christian nation.” A large percentage of Americans still attend church on a fairly regular basis. We know about God and Jesus and the Bible. We’ve heard the stories, sung the songs, gone to Sunday school, been baptized and confirmed. We know all about God. God is part of our culture, part of our upbringing, part of our daily lives.

But this has become dangerous, to be too comfortable with God.

EX. There was a man who was traveling to Northern Ireland. When he arrived he was met by a college student, who was assigned to take him to his hotel. The man asked the student how he managed to live in a country that had so much violence. The student responded: “You Americans. You watch too much television. There is more crime in one day in New York that there is in an entire year in Belfast.” As they continued driving the man then asked the student what his hotel was like. The student responded: “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I forgot to tell you, the original hotel you were booked in was blown up about a month ago. We had to change your hotel.”

As you think about this, you realize that this young man was so used to the violence that it didn’t bring him fear anymore. He had become oblivious to a terror that could destroy him.

There is similarity here to the Christian faith. We have become comfortable with the radical truth of the gospel; we have become familiar with Jesus; we have become satisfied with the church. The Bible is no longer a double-edged sword, it has now become dull and slow. The world-changing church has instead become changed by the world. The life-threatening Jesus has become an interesting enhancement to modern-day life.

If Jesus is the Son of God, we should be terrified of what He will do when He gets His hands on our lives; if the Bible is the Word of God, we should be fearful every time we read its soul-piercing words; if the church is the body of Christ, our culture should be threatened by our intimidating presence. But because we have reduced the gospel to a set of principles, Bible verses, moral absolutes, and theorems—we think we can understand and control God.

As Psalm 36:1 says, “An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.”

II. Our God is too small- (Mark 6:45-52; 1 Corinthians 13:12)

a. Familiarity- Not only does familiarity take our fear away from

God, but is also makes God seem smaller. The disciples were very familiar with Jesus. They knew Him inside and out. Or so they thought. In our scripture reading this morning, we see that Jesus had spent a long day in ministry, and He decided to send the disciples on ahead while He went up on a mountainside to pray. While they were rowing their boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the winds picked up and the water became rough. The disciples were making little headway. All of a sudden they looked up and saw Jesus walking on the water. But they didn’t recognize Jesus at first; they thought He was a ghost. Then we are told in verse 50, “They cried out, because they saw Him and were terrified.”

The disciples had been with Jesus for 2 years at this point; they had seen His miracles, healings, and people brought back from the dead. And still they were terrified when they saw Jesus walking on the water. Why? Because they didn’t understand the power Jesus possessed. They thought they knew Jesus, but the Jesus they believed Him to be, was too small to walk on water.

When you and I are in the presence of the mysterious Son of God, the mystery becomes more mysterious. God shouldn’t shrink when we know Him well, He should expand; God shouldn’t become smaller, He should become bigger. As the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Often times here on earth we only see in part, as if you were seeing your reflection in a pond; a poor reflection of what is really there. Here on earth we only have part of the knowledge of who God really is. It won’t be until we get to heaven that we will see God in full. The veil will be lifted, and the mysterious will be known. Even then we will feel a sense of fear, because we will know who God is, and what God is capable of doing.

But even though we can’t see fully here on earth, there will come many times in our faith that we will get past what we don’t believe God can do, and see God doing the miraculous, the powerful, the awesome. As our faith matures, we begin to understand better, which helps us to see clearer, and the familiar will actually allow God to become bigger in our eyes.

b. Darkness- Another place where people have fear is in the dark.

When we are in the dark, we can’t see anyone or anything. We start to panic as our mind plays tricks on us. We think we see things that aren’t really there. We feel lost, confused, and frightened. And we can even feel alone because darkness isolates us; disorients us, and causes us to exaggerate reality. It was late at night when the disciples saw Jesus, and because of the darkness, their reality was distorted. They were overcome with panic and confusion.

In C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia book “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” the boat the Dawn Treader has sailed into Dark Island and everyone on the boat is terrified except for a lone courageous mouse named Reepicheep. At one point in their journey, when it looks as thought they will never get out of the Dark Island, Lucy, one of the visitors to Narnia, whispers: “Aslan, Aslan, if ever you loved us at all, send us help now.” (Now Aslan is the Christ figure in the story) Lewis writes next: “The darkness did not grow any less, but she began to feel a little—a very, very little—better.” Almost immediately one of the crew spots a tiny speck of light ahead, which again did not alter the darkness, but did light up the ship.

You see, God does not always rid us of the darkness; He joins us in the darkness. “Lucy looked along the beam of light and presently saw

something in it. At first it looked like a cross, then it looked

like a kite, and at last with a whirring or wings it was right

overhead and was an albatross. It circled 3 times round the

mast and then perched for an instant on the crest of the

gilded dragon at the prow. It called out in a strong sweet

voice what seemed to be words though no one understood them…

But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had

whispered to her, ‘Courage, dear heart,’ and the voice, she felt sure, was

Aslan’s and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face.” (pp. 159-160)

When the disciples saw Jesus, they were terrified. But in the midst of their terror they heard Jesus whisper, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” The truth is, even when we feel alone, even when we are in the dark, we are not alone, we are not without help; Jesus Christ is Lord even in the darkness.

III. Fearing the complicated- (Matthew 11:1-19)

a. Confusion- In our world, people have much confusion about God.

They might believe God exists, but have a fuzzy understanding of the truth. Like the STORY of the mom who picked up her second-grade daughter from her Christian school one day and asked her daughter what she had learned. “I learned about the bees,” she said. Then her mother asked: “Oh? What did you learn about bees?” The daughter responded: “My teacher said that God made the bee and the Devil made the stinger.”

So many people want to attribute all good things to God and all bad things to the Devil. By doing this, it limits the complications of God; it limits the issues that have to be resolved. And it makes God out to be One that does not have to be feared.

But the teacher was wrong. God made the bee and the stinger. We live in a world where bees can sting us, and for some it can cause death. And that is scary! The truth is, reality is complicated, life is complicated, and God is complicated. Because of this, there is much that happens in life that we don’t understand, and this, not being able to understand is terrifying. But it is okay to not know what God is doing.

But here is the good news. Remember how at the beginning I told you how there are times when we like to be afraid. Even though kids are afraid of the dark, they still play games in the dark. Even though I might jump out and scare them, they know I am not a monster, and that I will not hurt them. One of the glorious complications of God is His ability to reveal Himself in the unrevealable. God is not lost when we are. God is waiting for us even in the darkness.

We see this illustrated in the life of John the Baptist. His job was to prepare the way for Jesus. And by his doing this, he was put in jail. When his followers questioned him, John the Baptist sent them to Jesus. Jesus said to them: “Yes, I am the Messiah. Yes, I am healing the sick and raising the dead. And no, I am not getting John out of prison.” In other words, life is complicated, and for John the Baptist, it meant that he would suffer for Jesus. John knew to trust Jesus and that Jesus would be with him even in his death.

b. The upside-down life- Here is a story that represents the challenge

of life: A woman was vacationing on one of the islands in South Carolina. One day, a loggerhead turtle (about 300 pounds) dragged herself up onto the beach and laid her eggs. The woman did not want to disturb the turtle, and so she left and came back the next morning to check on the eggs. To the woman’s alarm, she noticed that the turtle had walked in the wrong direction. She followed the footprints and found the turtle on the hot sand dune. If the turtle stayed there much longer she would surely die. So the woman, thinking fast, covered the turtle in seaweed, and poured some cool seawater over her, then ran to notify a park ranger. The ranger was there in a jeep within a couple of minutes. He then flipped the turtle upside down, attached chains to the turtles front legs, and then dragged her to the beach. He was going so fast that sand went in the turtles mouth and her head bent back as though it would snap off. Once at the ocean’s edge, he flipped the turtle back over where the water began to lap over her body. But at first the turtle did not move. Finally she began to move, slowly at first, and then when the water was deep enough she pushed off into the water and disappeared. The woman made this observation about what she had just seen: “Watching her swim slowly away, and remembering her nightmare ride through the dunes, I noticed that sometimes it is hard to tell whether you are being killed or being saved by the hands that turn your life upside down.”

Do you ever feel like God is turning your life upside-down? And when this happens, you wonder if you are being killed or saved. But the turtle couldn’t have survived that ride on its belly, and the ranger couldn’t have gotten a 300-pound turtle to the beach any other way. Sometimes we are going through trials and struggles that could lead us to spiritual death, if not physical death. And God sometimes needs to turn us upside down and drag us to safety. This upside-down life makes life seem very complicated. But if we remember that God is there for us at all times, in all situations, then we can survive the journey!

Conclusion: We as adults don’t talk about fear and terror much. Children do though. They talk about monsters, and the boogie-man, and fear of the dark. That is another reason to be more like a child. It is important to remember that sometimes we need to have fear; we need to talk about our fear. There is a “right kind of fear.” And at its core, we need to fear God. As we are told in the Bible, in Matthew 10:28- “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” And yet this God whom we fear is the same One who loves and tells us in 1 John 4:18- “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” We need to have a healthy awe and respect of who God is, and what God can do. And this fear draws us to the love of God, who then watches over us and guides us in right paths. Amen.

"A Life of Passion"

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Dangerous Wonder Series: Matthew 13:44-46

Introduction: Sue Kidd, in her book When the Heart Waits says this about the spiritual journey: “I’m discovering that a spiritual journey is a lot like a poem. You don’t merely recite a poem or analyze it intellectually. You dance it, sing it, cry it, feel it on your skin and in your bones…It lives in the heart and the body as well as the spirit and the head.”

Faith in God isn’t just about head knowledge, it is about heart knowledge as well. Our faith journey needs to be passionate. But what does it mean to live a passionate life? I think this is an important question, because God created us for more than just to go through the motions in our lives. God wants us to draw out of life every ounce of passion and experience that we can. While the Christian life can have many ups and downs, valleys and mountaintops, the overall experience is to be a blessing. Or another way to look at it is “as a roller coaster.” A roller coaster has ups and downs, but what a ride it is!/ This morning I want to talk about how we can live a passionate life by living fully for Jesus.

I. Lost Passion- (Romans 8:10-11, 15; Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)

In Romans 8:10-11, 15 we read: “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead

because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship…” Romans 8 tells us that in Christ we are made alive. But too many Christians do not live like they are alive. They live like they have lost their passion.

a. The job- One area where people have lost their passion is in their

work. This could be work in the workplace, work at home, or the volunteer work that we do. We are told in Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.”/ While our work has a sense of “toil” to it, God desires for us to find satisfaction in this toil. But the problem is that we have changed our way of thinking; our toil is now designed to get us the money and things we need to provide for our leisure. Work has become a means to an end.

For many it is similar to this sentiment of a minister who was six months away from retiring: (this statement is in response to someone who asked him if he was going to miss the pulpit) “I retire from this church in six months—23 Sundays, to be exact. Have you ever driven across Arizona or Nevada in the middle of the desert? Your car is speeding along on a road that seems to stretch forever in front of you, and, depending on how fast your are going, a telephone pole swishes by you every few seconds. Every Sunday, after my sermon is over I think to myself, another telephone pole.”

How sad it is to see that so many people just try to get through each week. It is toil, but even more, it is drudgery. They are just doing what they have to do, but there is no excitement in their lives; especially when it comes to their work. The passion is not in their work.

This can be seen in the attitude people take towards volunteering is well. You really have 2 kinds of volunteers; those who volunteer because it is a great blessing to them to serve, and those who volunteer because they feel like they have to. More and more people are volunteering because they feel like they have to, or they get talked into it, but there is no real joy in their serving. To them, each time they serve is like another telephone pole going by. One more notch they can count.

b. Relationships- Passion has been lost in our relationships as well.

There is a story of a minister who was talking with an elderly woman after church one Sunday morning. The woman was telling the minister that her husband of 40 years had past away. The minister said to her: “I’m sorry to hear this. You must miss him terribly.” She responded to him: “I wish I did, but I have come to terms with the fact that in 40 years of marriage, I never knew him.” They were together for 40 years, sleeping in the same bed, raising children and grandchildren, and all she could say in the end was “I never knew him.” Forty years of passionless marriage.

Unfortunately, if you look at marriages today, there are too many passionless marriages. This might be because couples rush into marriage, or because they want a companion, or because it is too easy to get a divorce, and so consequently, couples aren’t putting in the hard work of knowing each other and developing passion in the relationships.

But it isn’t just marriages that are suffering. Friendships are suffering as well. We have lost the meaning of friendship. It used to be that when you made a good friend, that person would be part of your life no matter what. But that isn’t the case any more. How many people who you consider friends, have been your friends for very long? We seem to go through friends a lot more frequently than we used to.

c. Where is the passion? When there is no passion, we live our lives

in the smoky fog of sameness. Life loses its distinction and nuances. We no longer feel our feelings. We have become insensitive in many ways. We walk through life in a trancelike state; emotionless, just getting by. We feel that what we are doing doesn’t really matter. We feel that we have no real purpose.

So where has this passion gone? In his book Dangerous Wonder, Mike Yaconelli tells a story of when a friend of his invited him to speak at a Toastmasters Convention. Because Mike had been involved in Toastmasters when he was younger, he accepted. As they were driving up together, Mike asked his friend what areas the people at the convention would be coming from. His friend responded: “They are the postmasters from every city in northern California.” Mike stared hard at his friend for a moment, and then said: “What did you say? Postmasters? I thought you had said Toastmasters.” Then Mike realized that in a few minutes, he would be speaking to a convention of Postmasters! He decided to pull out his talk on the loss of passion. He said that halfway through his talk people were crying throughout the audience. This affirmed for him the truth that many people were living their lives without passion.

II. Recovering Our Passion- (Luke 15:11-32; Mark 14:3-9;

Matthew 13:44-46)

a. The passion of Jesus- So if we have lost our passion, then how do

we recover it? First, we need to recognize the passion that Jesus had. Through seeing Jesus’ example, we can hopefully be motivated in our own passion for life.

One of the famous stories that Jesus told was “The Prodigal Son.” This story is popular because it brings up in us the longing of knowing how God feels about us and receives us. In this story there are 2 sons. The younger son decides that he doesn’t want to wait until his father has died to get his inheritance, and so he demands his inheritance now; this is of course a great insult to his father. But the father gives in, and gives the younger son the inheritance. The son leaves his father’s home and goes off and parties the money away until he is penniless and homeless.

The father has never recovered from the loss of his son; he has been hurt deeply and grieves his son’s actions. But the father also deeply loves and misses his son. The father daily looks out at the road hoping to one day see his son return. One day he does indeed see his son a great distance away. The father is so excited to see his son that despite the hurt, he runs out to his son to welcome him home. He orders his servants to kill the calf, and get a robe and a ring for his son. He shouts out: “My son is back, my son is back, we are having a party!”

In this story we see great passion from the father. In this story Jesus is telling us that God’s love is extravagant and full of passion. God is passionate about you and me. God exists with great passion, and wants you and me to exist with passion and love with passion. Jesus Himself exhibited passion in the way He lived and the ways He loved. We allow ourselves to be so worried about right and wrong, about acceptable and unacceptable, that we stifle the passion within us. We have to learn to get beyond the borders of expectation and limitation, and find the world of passion God so desires for us; the passion God created in us!

Story: There is a story of a 3-year-old boy who heard his dad come home. He wanted to show his love for his father by getting him a treat. As the father walked in the door, he saw his son trying to poor a glass of milk for him. But the milk was too heavy, and he spilled much of it on the floor (although some did go in the glass). Then when he tried to get the cookies, he knocked the jar over, many of the cookies going on the floor. The boy, seeing his father, grabbed a cookie and the glass of milk and ran it over to his dad. The father threw his arms around his son and exclaimed: “Thank you son for this wonderful gift!”

The boy was showing passion for the father, and the father, knowing there would be time to clean up the mess, acknowledged this passion with his own.

b. The gift of gratitude- Jesus’ stories were full of the expression of

passion. Another story Jesus told was that of a woman who barged in on a meal Jesus was having at the home of Simon the Leper. She had not been invited to this party, and so this caused great anger. But what she did next caused even more shock and anger; she poured some expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and then dried his feet with her hair. The guests responded with statements of: “How dare you waste such expensive perfume.” And “You could have sold the perfume for more than a year’s wages and given the money to the poor.”

Jesus, seeing her passion, responded: “Leave her alone! Do you see this woman! I came into your house. You did not give Me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give Me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not put oil on My head, but she has poured perfume on My feet!”

This woman’s passion came from her gratitude; she was so thankful for what Jesus had done for her, that she had to show her thanks in an extravagant way. She was not just grateful, she was overflowing with gratitude, so much so that her eyes could not contain her passion. If we understand who God is, and what God has done for us, then it should show itself in passionate living.

When I think of extravagance, one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is children’s birthday parties. Isn’t that true? Parents go to great extremes to throw an extravagant party. They get a clown, a jumper, a great amount of food and decorations. Parties for children these days costs a great amount of money. Why do parents do it? They are showing their passionate love for their children.

c. Taking a risk- I think that many people don’t live passionately

because it is risky. When you live with passion, you don’t hold back. That is hard for others to accept. When we are passionate, we can lose friends and family, and we are often misunderstood. So before we live passionately, we ask ourselves the question: Is it worth the risk?

In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus tells us: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. ⁴⁵ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Jesus talks of this risky kind of living, but what might it look like in real life?

Story: There is a true story of a girl who graduated from high school uncertain of her future. She enrolled in college not knowing what degree she might pursue. Her parents were happy that she was going to college. But after a year and a half she decided to drop out and live in Hawaii. This concerned her parents greatly. She did this because she was searching for God. After Hawaii she decided to go live in Lake Tahoe and snowboard. This concerned her parents even more. But her parents didn’t know anything about her inner journey; her inner turmoil. She kept telling them she was going to return to college the next year. But when the next year came she told them she was going to go to Africa to spend 5 months on the Mercy Ship. Her parents were not only shocked, but concerned with how much it would cost and how she would get the money. However, in 2 months she raised the money and had a five-month adventure in South Africa. She decided to put together a newsletter to share about her trip with those who were supporting her: One excerpt said this…

“It was around midnight and my friend Carolyn and I were sitting on

top of a jungle gym (in Canaan) talking about how quickly our time

in South Africa had gone. The moon was shining through a thin slice

of clouds, and the stars were shining almost as brightly as they do

in my hometown. The wind was blowing some Eucalyptus trees, and

Carolyn and I were bundled up in sweatshirts and dirt covered skirts.

‘I’ve fallen in love,’ I told Carolyn. ‘I’ve fallen in love, and I am never

falling out.’ I will never forget that night, the trees, the wind, the smells.

I had broken out of my eggshell, emerged from my cocoon, and I was

ready to tell the world that I had fallen in love. I had found what I was

looking for, and when I found Him He hadn’t moved. He wasn’t lost.

He just embraced me and said, ‘Thank you, thank you. I have loved

you all along, Jill. All this time, I loved you first.’ What an amazing love!”

In her wild adventures Jill had finally found God.

What would it mean for you to take a risk in your life? What would it mean for us to take a risk in our ministry for God? I think we are taking a risk by seeking to not be comfortable in our setting, but reaching out into our community. I think we are taking a risk when we give ourselves to His Nesting Place, or the WomenShelter of Long Beach, or the Hispanic ministry. In our daily lives it might mean for us to take that step and talk to our friend or neighbor about Jesus. It might mean changing our job or living situation. But when we take a risk for Jesus, when we are serious about living passionately, Jesus will guide us and bless us!

Conclusion: This way of living seems so irresponsible to those who don’t understand it. It is so much easier, so much safer to not be passionate. But Jesus says to us with His words and His life, “Go ahead, live irresponsibly! Forget about what is sensible, responsible and prudent and rediscover the childlike passion of life.” We can only do this when we have fallen in love with God. We can only do this when we are grateful for what God has done for us. We can only do this when we don’t accept life as it is, and understand there is always more that God has for us.

When you like around and see people just going through the motions, what do you think? It is actually depressing to see people living without passion. I believe that if we live with passion, we will do 2 things: first, we will give a great example to others about the kind of life Christians live, and second, we can help energize others around us. Take the ride of your life on the roller coaster of His unconditional love. Live your life with passion this day and every day. Amen.