“Road Signs”
(from the book “One Month to Live” by Kerry and Chris Shook)
Sunday, January 4, 2009; 2 Kings 4:1-4; Mark 6:35-44

Introduction: C. S. Lewis once said: “Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” How often people have felt lost in life, thinking that it would take a miracle for things to get turned around. Whether it be the saving of a marriage, or the success of a business, or for them to get their kids out of trouble, they believe it would take a miracle for things to get better.
The truth is, that God is in the business of miracles. In fact, the existence of the world, and of you and me, are miracles in themselves. As we just heard C. S. Lewis say, the miracles that God does is a reminder of the miracles He’s already done. So we need to believe and understand that our lives are in God’s hands, and if we give over our lives to God, our priorities to God, God will do miracles.
This morning, on the first Sunday of a new year, as we think about what God might have for us in 2009, I want us to understand that God places “ROAD SIGNS” in front of us to guide us in His ways, and put us in a place where He can do miracles.

I. One Way Streets- (2 Kings 4:1-2)
When you are driving, if you come to a one-way street, obviously you only drive
one way; the way that all the traffic is going. If you drive the opposite way of everyone else, you will get a ticket, and possibly get in an accident. God uses one-way signs in our lives; not always, but sometimes when we really need guidance.
EXAMPLE- One example of this is the story of Elisha in the Old Testament. The
story begins with a plea for help from a widow to Elisha: “The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.’" This woman has lost her husband, and now she is in danger of losing her 2 sons. In her mind this is an impossible situation. Because of the loss of her husband, she is in financial straights as well, and because she can’t pay her creditors, they want to take her sons if she doesn’t pay!
a. Admit your need- Her situation teaches us a lesson of receiving a miracle
in our lives; first, we have to admit our need. If we want a miracle in our lives, we have to admit that we need God. Miracles don’t take place until we get to that place; until we get to the place of acknowledging that our situation is impossible without God. We have to be willing to get past our pride (thinking that we can do it on our own), and get past our independence (thinking that we don’t need anyone else), and admit that we can’t fix it ourselves.
The truth is, we try to hide our troubles from God and others and pretend that they don’t exist. We work so hard to try and manage everything ourselves. We might complain about them, but we don’t want to appear vulnerable in any way. So we give off this persona that we are in control. And yet, God cannot work in our lives until we acknowledge that His intervention is essential and invite Him into the situation. And by doing this God can take her to her desired destination.
But then something seems to go wrong as Elisha replies to her statement in 2 Kings 4:2- “Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’" Elisha’s response comes across like he doesn’t care about her; or at least like he doesn’t want to help her. It’s as if she is bothering him. But if we look a little closer, it might just be that Elisha isn’t wanting her to count on him, to put her trust in him, but in God. Elisha is wanting to point her to the One who can help her, the One who can do a miracle in her life.
b. God will lead you- So the first one-way street is admitting we need God’s
help. This leads us to another one-way street, and that is letting God lead us in the right direction. Many times our problems come about because we are trying to determine which streets we are going to go down.
People try all kinds of things when they are in need. But there’s only one outside source who can provide the miracles we need. We can go directly to God, the only One with the power, wisdom, and love to focus on our best interests.

II. Stop, Look and Listen- (2 Kings 4:2)
a. What do you have?- The next “ROAD SIGN” on our journey is the
stop sign. This comes out in the story of Elisha and the widow as well. Elisha has asked the widow a strange question: “Tell me, what do you have in your house?” Why would Elisha ask this? Especially after insinuating that there is nothing he can do to help. Elisha asks this because God always asks this question before He works a miracle in our lives. This is so that we can get past this “woe is me” attitude, of how we don’t have anything, and can’t do anything. It is so that we might realize that there are possibilities with what God has already given us.
Elisha wants the woman to understand that God has already given her the begin- nings of her miracle; she just doesn’t recognize it yet. And this is true for you and me, we have to stop sometimes and assess what we have to work with. God always begins to work from where we are and with what we have. He doesn’t just zap us and make everything go away, or make everything work out. God first asks: “What do you have to work with?” In other words, God wants us to be part of the miracle.
b. Surrender- Example: “God’s Wings,” A little something to put things
in perspective...After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise…She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast ....because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live. The mother bird surrendered herself for her offspring. She didn’t have much to use, but she used what she had.
God is willing to do a miracle, but we have to be willing to use WHATEVER we have available. Our time, talent, resources, and energy. Our willingness and surrender activates God’s intervention and blessings.

III. You-turns Allowed- (2 Kings 4:2; Mark 6:35-44)
a. A new perspective- The third sign we come to is the U-turn signs. If
we’re going to see God transform our circumstances into His destiny for our lives, then we need to follow this third sign. This sign helps us to turn from the wrong direction we are going in, the wrong choices we are making, and go in the right direction that God has for us.
So often in our lives, when problems arise, we tend to exaggerate the situation by talking about how bad it is. Our problems send us into a negative demeanor. We feel as if there is no hope. This was the widow’s first response in answering Elisha’s question; she says: “"Your servant has nothing there at all." She starts our very negative. Of course she is in a bad place, remember? She has lost her husband, can’t pay her bills, and is going to lose her two sons!
But then we see a glimmer of hope; a speck of positive thinking. At the end of 2 Kings 4:2 she says: “…except a little oil.” She acknowledges that she does have something; a little oil. This shift in direction is a spark of faith. She is realizing that there is one small resource; one possibility. This spark of faith will lead to hope. And this hope will overcome her denial that all is lost.
And so we see why God wants us to be part of the solution. Faith doesn’t deny that a problem exists, but rather believes that nothing is impossible with God. Faith gives us a new perspective; the perspective of seeing things through God’s eyes.
b. God can multiply- If you don’t look through eyes of faith, the small
blessings that God has given us will be overlooked. And when we overlook our blessings we speak as the woman first did: “There’s nothing in my house in which I can use to overcome my problem.” But when we have faith, and our perspective changes, our attitude changes as well. This attitude change provides room for God to work the miracle in our lives.
God loves to take the little bit that we have and multiply it. When this happens, God alone gets the credit. It’s like our scripture reading for the morning. There were thousands of people who were hungry. Jesus wanted the disciples to feed them. The disciples knew that they didn’t have enough resources to feed them as they argue in Mark 6:37, “… ‘That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” Then Jesus asks them, just as Elisha asked the widow, what resources they had available. They had only found 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish from a child. With this, Jesus feeds more than 5,000 people!
God loves to take the ordinary and do the extraordinary, because in so doing He reveals more of who He is. Often we stifle God’s ability to provide the miracle even as we’re praying for it. We become fixated on negative words, blaming others and worrying. None of these are conducive to faith or a shift in perspective. We can’t recognize what God is doing in our lives if we’re wallowing in our own negativity. We have to make that U-turn and focus on God instead of the problem.

IV. Yield Ahead- (2 Kings 4:3-6)
a. Filling empty vessels- The fourth sign on the road to a miracle is the
most important one: the YIELD sign. If you follow the three other signs but don’t follow this one, you can’t expect a miracle. It’s essential that we begin serving others with the blessings God’s already given us.
In the widow’s situation, Elisha asks her to do something very unusual. He says: “Go around and borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels—and not a few…Then pour out the oil you have into all those vessels, setting aside each one when it is full.” Now this is a strange thing for the prophet to do, don’t you think? But this is apparently what God wanted her to do. And it is in fact what God asks us to do if we want a miracle in our lives. He asks, “What’s in your house?” AND “What do I have to work with?” And then “look for empty vessels to fill.”
This is usually the opposite of what we would normally do. When we have a problem, we can’t focus on other people, because we are so consumed with our own problem. We are concerned with our own needs, so much so, that we can’t think about taking care of others until we first take care of ourselves. So we hoard our time, our resources, our energy, our money, our emotions, and our love.
Because of this we are unaware of the needs of others around us. Our problems cause us to worry, which blinds us to most everything around. But if we were to take the time to look, empty vessels turn up everywhere: at work, in our family, in our neighborhood, in our church. These empty vessels need our time, attention, energy, and love. EX. I see this happen a lot at Christmas. There are many “secret Santas” who give to those with needs. But what about during the rest of the year? This needs to happen on a regular basis.
b. Take the focus off yourself- Here’s a paradox that we may never
understand. When we move the focus off ourselves and onto God and start pouring our life into others and yielding to His direction, then God starts pouring His miracles into us! The best advice we can listen to is this: when you are going through a problem, look for empty vessels around you and pour yourself into them. Seek to bless someone who needs to be blessed, especially when you are struggling. When we do this, then God moves to take care of us all the more. God waits to see if you have the faith to step out and start meeting someone else’s needs, and trust Him to meet your own. It’s so unnatural that it’s supernatural.
If you want to see miracles in your life, then find some empty vessels to pour your life into. Elisha tells this woman she has to take some action to get her miracle. She has to go out and get all the empty vessels she can find and bring them home. But look what happens when she does: (2 Kings 4:6)- “When the vessels were all full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another vessel.’ And he said to her, ‘There is not a one left.’ Then the oil stopped multiplying.” By her obedience, we see God blessing her. She saw God abundantly provide for her!

Conclusion: Obedience brings blessing. The miracle God provides may not look like what we asked for, but ultimately we recognize how He has given us more than what we could have even imagined. Somehow, some way, god works through our expectations. He works in our lives about as much as we expect Him to work in our lives. So what are you expecting God to do in your life in 2009? As we are told in Mark 10:27: “If you will give Me the little bit you have, I can do great things through you.” Whatever you are facing, admit you need help, go to God, make a U-turn away from the negative expectations, and start looking to God. Yield to Him, and pour your life into others. In the end, God will provide for you. Receive this day a life filled with miracles. Amen.

“The Peace of Knowing God”
Sunday, 12/21/08
Fourth Sunday of Advent

Introduction: I want you to indulge me for a moment, and close your eyes. And as you close your eyes, think about what is it that is stirring around in your head? Are there anxious thoughts about all the things you still have to do for Christmas?… Are there worries? And if so, what are those worries? OR, are you able to let your thoughts fade away/ so that your mind is quiet?
OKAY, you can go ahead and open your eyes now. This fourth Sunday of Advent we talk about PEACE. And usually when you think about peace you think about quiet, calm, and maybe even silence. Or maybe you go a different direction and think about not being anxious or not fearing anything. How many of us can say that we are at peace? This morning I want us to understand how we CAN have peace, even in the midst of the busyness of the holidays; even in the midst of life’s troubles!

I. Do not be afraid- (Luke 1:26-33)
a. Perplexed-
1. Mary: This passage is a familiar one. We read it every
Christmas. We read it every Christmas because it is an important passage of when Mary finds out that she will be pregnant with the savior of the world! And if that isn’t enough, she finds this out by having a visit from an angel.
I love how the angel gets right to the point, as he says to Mary: “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Now even though the angel gets straight to the point, Mary doesn’t respond, because she doesn’t understand. The scripture says that she is “perplexed.” She doesn’t understand why the angel is visiting her, and why he would tell her that she is favored.
The angel understands her dilemma (I’m sure this is not the first time someone has been bewildered over the visit of an angel!). The angel continues on, knowing that Mary will come around, saying: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” The angel wants Mary to know that she has been favored. And sometimes it takes repeating something like this several times before it is believed. And how is she favored? She is favored with God. NOT BAD.
It is interesting to note that the same Greek word for favor (charis) is also translated as grace. “Grace is a gift given to us that we do not deserve.” So for Mary to find favor with God meant that God was going to give her a gift that she did not earn or deserve. God chose Mary to give a special gift to. Mary has no idea yet what this gift is, but she will soon find out. SO, maybe at this point Mary’s mind is thinking about how God’s grace will be shown to her. Maybe God will give her and her family some blessings to ease the strain of their daily lives.
What the angel tells her next, she could never have been prepared for, as the angel tells her that she was chosen to be the mother of the savior of the world. If Mary was perplexed at the initial greeting, Mary is definitely perplexed at this statement. What does that mean to be the mother of the savior of the world?
If ever there was something that would cause you unrest, to not be at peace, it would be to find out that you were going to get pregnant and have the savior of the world, and yet you are not married. At this point, we have to understand that Mary’s head is spinning out of control, not able to put this into perspective.
Later in the passage we will see the angel explain how this will be!
2. Us: So let’s step away from the text for a moment and ask
these questions: What is perplexing you right now (Relationships, family, health issues, money issues, envy issues as you want what others have but you don’t. The list could be endless)? But there is also the question: What would it take for you to believe that you have favor with God? MOST people don’t live their lives understanding that we can have God’s favor. There was nothing about Mary that was any better or greater than you or me. God just chose her for this duty.
You and I are chosen every day to live for God, with God’s favor upon us. That is because when we are called by God, that alone is a favor from God, but God also comes alongside us to walk with us (this too is God showing us favor).
b. Letting God reign- So it is really about letting God show you what
God has in store for you, and accepting this. Mary had to accept what the angel was telling her before they could move forward. This is what we see Mary doing./ But it didn’t come to her right away, just as it doesn’t come to us right away. The angel of the Lord is trying to explain all this to Mary, and she is trying to take it all in. She is told that she will bear a son; she is told what his name will be (Jesus); she is told what He will become (Son of the Most High and reign over the house of Jacob).
This is so much information; and so quickly. I don’t know if you’ve ever had this situation, where someone just unloaded on you all this startling information, but it can be hard to take in. We see Mary struggling with this, as she says in verse 34: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” This is one of the great controversial scriptures; THE VIRGIN BIRTH. We think that it was easy for Mary to understand; but it wasn’t. At least it wasn’t until she gave it over to God. It is God that will make this happen!
If we are going to walk with God as Mary did, then we need to take those experiences that perplex us, especially when it comes to God wanting to use us for His purpose, and we need to give it over to God. At first it may seem too big for us, or we may not want the responsibility, but once we give it over to God, as Mary did, then we can be more at peace with what God places in front of us. But at first, there isn’t much peace, because we are struggling to put it into perspective and believe.
Let's take a look for a moment at some things said by experts in times past:
Western Union, 1878: "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
Charles H. Duell, an official at the US patent office, 1899: "Everything that can be invented has been invented."
Wilbur Wright, 1901: "Man will not fly for 50 years." FIRST FLIGHT HAPPENED IN 1902.
Scientific American, 1909: "The automobile has practically reached the limit of its development."
Thomas A. Edison, 1910: "Gasoline engines will soon be rendered obsolete."
Pittsburgh newspaper, 1920: "The radio isn't even worthy of discussion."
Louis-Jean Lumiere (co-inventor of the first film projector), 1929: "Talking films are a very interesting invention, but I do not believe they will remain long in fashion."
Irving Thalberg, MGM Studios (who turned down 'Gone With The Wind'), 1938: "No Civil War picture has ever made a nickel."
Darryl Zanuck, 20th Century Fox, 1946: "Television won't last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night."
Business Week, 1968: "With over fifteen types of foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big share of the market for itself."
Margaret Thatcher, 1970 (she became Prime Minister in 1979): "No woman in my time will ever be Prime Minister of Great Britain."
Ken Olsen, President, Digital Equipment Corp., 1980: "There is no reason for any individual to have a personal computer in their home."
The point is that people think they know what is possible, but we really don’t know. Just in our own world we see things come about that we could have never imagined. If this is true, then how much more with God?

II. Overshadowed by God- (Luke 1:34-38; Isaiah 6:5, 8)
a. The Understanding- So Gabriel begins to explain some of what God is
capable of doing. It’s as if Gabriel is saying to Mary, ‘You worship a mighty God, let me explain how mighty God truly is.’ What Gabriel really says to her is: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.”
Illus. “Finding God’s Resources,” Illus. Unlimited, p. 242, #3- The Amazon river is the largest river in the world. The mouth is 90 miles across. There is enough water to exceed the combined flow of the Yangtze, Mississippi, and Nile rivers. So much water comes from the Amazon that they can detect its currents 200 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean! One irony, is that sailors in ancient times died for lack of water…caught in the windless waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They would be adrift and helpless. However, sometimes sailors from South America who knew the area would come alongside and call out: ‘What is your problem?’ And the sailors from the other boat would say: ‘Can you spare some water?’ To which the sailors from the first boat would answer back: ‘Just lower your buckets. You are in the mouth of the mighty Amazon River.’
The sailors didn’t understand the power of the Amazon River. The challenge for Mary, and for most people today is to believe in the all-powerfulness of God. Do we really believe that God is capable of doing unfathomable things? Do we believe that God is capable of causing a virgin to become pregnant? Do we really believe that God can take on human form? These are things we must believe, if we are to have an accurate understanding of who God is.
To further help Mary understand God’s powers, Gabriel also tells Mary that Elizabeth is pregnant. This is another miracle because Elizabeth was advanced in age and thought to be barren. So now we have a pregnant virgin and a barren woman in her old age that is pregnant. Oftentimes, we need to see more than one miracle before we will even believe the first one. That is what God is doing here.
b. Peace will come- Gabriel concludes by saying: “For nothing will be
impossible with God.” And then we see Mary believe it. I mean really believe it. She responds by saying: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” And with this, we sense that there is a peace that comes upon Mary.
This isn’t the first time that someone had said these words, “Here am I.” In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah doubted that he was worthy to be a servant of the Lord. He said in Isaiah 6:5, “… ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips…’” How could Isaiah be a servant of the Lord and speak for the Lord if he was a man of unclean lips?
But then God comes and tells Isaiah that he would take away his guilt, and blot out his sin, and that he would be clean, and that because of God’s favor he could be God’s servant. And then in Isaiah 6:8 the Lord asks, “… ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And Isaiah said, ‘Here am I; send me!’”
You can hear in both responses, from Mary and from Isaiah, in those words “Here am I,” the peace that comes not only from having been chosen by God to be His servant, but even more, the understanding that they can indeed be God’s servant. Peace comes from accepting God’s help, following in God’s will, and living out God’s purpose, all the while knowing that God is walking with you and working it out for you!
FABLE (Illus. Unlimited, p. 405)- There is a fable of a sparrow who once asked a wild dove, ‘Tell me the weight of a snowflake.’ The dove answered, ‘Nothing more than nothing.’ The sparrow then responded: “Well then, I have a marvelous story to tell you. I sat on the branch of a fir tree, close to its trunk, when it began to snow—not heavily, not a blizzard—no just like in a dream, without a sound, and without any violence. Since I did not have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles on my branch. Their number was exactly 3,741,952. When the 3,741,953rd snowflake dropped onto the branch, nothing more than nothing as you say, the branch broke off!” Having said that the sparrow flew away. The dove thought about this for a moment, and then remarked: “Perhaps only one person’s voice is lacking for peace to come to the world.”
God desires for you and me to say “Here am I.” If one of us says it, then another says it, and another, then in time we can bring peace to our world. For all you know, you are the 3 million, seven hundred and forty one thousand, nine hundred and fifty third person….whose desire to serve God for peace can be the person that sets peace into motion. “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Conclusion:Mary provides us with an example of what it means to struggle with her call, to have some fear, to question Gabriel, and then move to being at peace with it all. 1. Mary is an example to us by her submitting to the will of God. 2. Mary is an example to us by showing us her gratitude toward God for bestowing grace on her. 3. Mary is an example to us in her grasp of the purposes and promises of God. 4. Mary is an example to us in her acceptance of the things of God. 5. Mary is an example to us in her willingness to be God’s servant.
God used a pregnant virgin to bring the Messiah into this world and instead of running scared she faithfully served God and was a great example. In her acceptance and carrying out of God’s will, Mary ultimately experienced peace. How can you and I experience peace? By allowing God to use us no matter the cost to our reputation or the comfort of our life? By letting God give us understanding of His purposes. By knowing that God can use us as He did Mary!!!!
May we be able to say as Mary did, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” And by these words, know that we will indeed experience the peace of the Lord! Amen.

THE ONE WHO IS WORTHY
Second Sunday of Advent: Joy
Sunday, December 7, 2008; Mark 1:1-8

Introduction: The definition of archaeology is “the systematic study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence.” Archaeologists try to recover data and remains from past civilizations to prove that life existed there, and they seek to reconstruct what that life was like. For many people, the remains aren’t always that impressive, and the work of an archeologist is painstaking, and not that exciting (unless you are Indiana Jones)!
Today is the second Sunday of Advent where we think about and talk about Joy. I would like to propose to you this morning that to find real signs of life in Christians, we must be able to find the evidence of “JOY.” One who is a real follower of Christ will be alive; alive with the spirit of joy. As we are told in Galatians 5:22, joy is the second fruit of the Spirit. So let us look at why so many Christians seem to lack joy, and then discover how we can all be alive in the “joy of the Lord.”

I. A Lack of Joy- (Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Tim 3:3; Titus 3:2; 1 Pet 2:18)
READ Philippians 4:4-7- (4) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We can see here in this passage that there are 5 aspects of joy: rejoicing, gentleness, prayerfulness, gratitude, and peace. So, it would make sense that to be lacking in these qualities would keep one from having joy.
a. No rejoicing- The Greek word for “rejoice” is “chairo.” In the Bible,
we see many events that take place which cause people to rejoice: the incarnation (God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ); being with others who believe in Jesus; the hearing of the good news that God forgives and brings new life to all who confess and believe in Jesus; and the prospect of a reward in heaven. These are just a few instances. Unfortunately, these occasions don’t necessarily bring rejoicing to many people. The incarnation is just something that happened 2000 years ago. The good news of God doesn’t always seem like good news when you go through the struggles of life. The prospect of a reward in heaven seems so far off that it is not on people’s minds, because we live so much in the ‘here and now.’ Being with other believers is not always occasion to rejoice, because we allow so many things to get in the way. So consequently, all too often, we don’t see a lot of rejoicing.
b. No gentleness- The apostle Paul said: “Let your gentleness be known to
everyone.” How many people around you would you classify as gentle? Would many people classify you as gentle? And yet, gentleness is a characteristic of a person who is full of joy. Why is this?
The Greek word translated as "gentleness" ( epieikes ) appears infrequently in the New Testament. When it is used, it is contrasted with such qualities as hostility, harshness, and quarrelsomeness. (1 Tim 3:3; Titus 3:2; 1 Pet 2:18). Gentle people seek peace rather than conflict. Though they may speak the truth with conviction, they don't use words to wound, but words that communicate and heal. So the joy of life is experienced through living in the truth and peace of God. Unfortunately, much of our lives is not lived in gentleness.
c. No prayerfulness- The third characteristic is prayerfulness. A person
who is alive with the joy of the Lord is one who knows where to turn. As Paul said: “…but in everything, with prayer and supplication…make you requests known.” I’ve said this before, and I will say it again, we should have the constant response of going to the Lord for guidance in all areas of our lives. But whether it is they don’t want to bother the Lord with trivial things, or whether they just haven’t ingrained it in their minds to pray all the time, people usually only go to the Lord when they have big requests to bring to the Lord. If we are truly alive in Christ, we'll pray the first thing in the morning and the last thing before bed. We'll pray in good times, bad times, and ordinary times. We'll pray alone and we'll pray together with other believers. But I don’t see this happening often enough. And because of this, people struggle to experience joy in their lives.
d. No gratitude- The next area Paul talks about is gratitude. When Paul
talks about praying, he talks about it in regards to being grateful; grateful to be able to pray and grateful for having a God who answers prayer. But an all too familiar attitude with people is that of expectation. When we expect God to do things for us, and our prayers are answered as we expect, then we are not thankful, because it is what we expected; what we thought should have happened. However, if our prayers are not answered as we expect, then we get angry at God because we thought God should have answered our prayers like we asked.
If you were to analyze our world, you would not see a lot of gratitude. Maybe it is because we really have an abundance of things, and therefore don’t appreciate what we do have. Or maybe it is because we live in a free world; a land that was established for the pursuit of happiness. But we have sought out happiness in the wrong places, and thus have grown discouraged. Without an attitude of gratefulness, there will be no joy.
e. No peace- Lastly, Paul talks about peace. Peace comes from
having our fears and burdens eased; either by their being taken away, or by us trusting that they are unwarranted, or by believing that God will work them out. Peace doesn’t come from having everything calm in your life, but rather by knowing that you are protected and guarded against ultimate harm. But how often do we worry? Our worry only intensifies the lack of peace in our lives. Our worry keeps us from being able to trust anything or anyone. Our worry keeps us from focusing on what God would want us to focus on, and carries us to a place of unstableness. People have no peace, because they do not trust God as they should. And without a sense of peace in their lives, they lack the joy that comes from God.

II. Joy Discovered- (Mark 1:1-8)
a. The source of joy- Example: “Who Helps the Helper?” Illus.
Unlimited, p. 283. There is a story of a young man who came to a renowned doctor in Paris complaining of depression. He believed this doctor could help him overcome his depression. The doctor told this young man that he needed to get to know someone named Grimaldi, a leader of a café society. As the doctor said: “Let him show you how to enjoy yourself and you will get well.” The young man was quiet for a moment, and then replied to the doctor: “That is a problem, doctor, because you see, I AM GRIMALDI!”
Happiness and joy are not the same things. Happiness comes from our experiences. When they are good, we are happy. But there will always be times in our life when things are not good. We have to understand that joy is something that is deeper, and that can come only from God.
In our text this morning, we read from the first chapter of the gospel of Mark. The passage starts out by telling us about John the Baptist. John the Baptist was given the task to prepare the way; he was a messenger. But John the Baptist was not to be the focus. His message was clear: “… ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming…I have baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’”
We see here that Jesus came filled with the Spirit of God and came to fill us with the Spirit of God. Which is important, because if “joy” is a fruit of the Spirit, we need to be filled with the Spirit to have joy as a part of who we are. We must receive the source of joy, Jesus Christ into our lives. Jesus is the One who shows us the example of gentleness, prayerfulness, gratitude, and peace. Jesus is the one who teaches us how to rejoice at all times and in all ways. Jesus IS the source of joy!

b. The One who is worthy- This last week I came across an e-mail I had
received a while ago titled: “36 Ways to Reduce Stress.” I thought this was appropriate both for the season and the topic, so I would like to take a few moments to read some of them to you…. PRAY; go to bed on time; GET UP ON TIME SO YOU CAN START THE DAY UNRUSHED; say no to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or compromise your metal health; DELEGATE TASKS TO CAPABLE OTHERS; simplify and unclutter your life; ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO DO THINGS AND TO GET TO PLACES; take one day at a time; SEPARATE WORRIES FROM CONCERNS SO THAT YOU CAN LET GO OF THE ANXIETY; live within your budget (nothing stresses people out more than money worries); DO SOMETHING FOR THE KID IN YOU EVERYDAY; eat right; GET ORGANIZED SO EVERYTHING HAS ITS PLACE; every day, find time to be alone; TALK TO GOD RIGHT ON THE SPOT WHEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM; make friends with godly people; LAUGH; laugh some more; DEVELOP A FORGIVING ATTITUDE; talk less and listen more; SLOW DOWN; remind yourself that you are not the God of the universe; EVERY NIGHT BEFORE YOU GO TO BED, THINK OF ONE THING THAT YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR.
Now much of this might seem obvious, but the truth is that so many people don’t follow this good advice; advice that really can cut down on the stress in our lives. But even though following this advice can help reduce the stress, it will not fully bring joy to our lives. That joy can only completely come from Jesus Christ.
As we will be singing at the end of the service, the familiar Christmas Carol and hymn “Joy to the World,” which says: Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king. Jesus is the king, the one who is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. As we understand the words of this song, we will understand that we are not worthy, but the one who has come, Jesus Christ, He is worthy, and in Him we will find joy…As we receive Jesus, we will put ourselves in that place where joy can abound, where we will pray and give thanks and rejoice.

Conclusion: If someone walked into our church, how would they know that we are a church full of joy? By the way we exhibit those five characteristics: rejoicing, gentleness, prayer, gratitude, and peace. But even more, we will exhibit the humble adoration of our worthy king, who has come to us and fills us with the Spirit of God.
The Christian life, if it is anything at all, should be consistently joyful. I'm not saying we need to deny our pain. I’m not saying that we need to pretend our life is perfect. The truth is that our struggles and failings are the very thing that ends up helping us to rejoice in the Lord because they drive us to the cross, to the One who is worthy where we receive God's mercy and grace. Joyful living is a response to what God has done in Jesus Christ. If you want to pray with more faith, if you want to trust God more, if you want to be more joyful, begin with thanksgiving. Remember God's goodness to you and tell him all about it. You'll find your faith coming alive, your prayers expanding in their scope and boldness, and God’s presence experienced more deeply. Gratitude is one of life's greatest gifts. When we're grateful, we savor life's goodness. Gratitude magnifies our joy in living. Furthermore, when we remember how God has graced us and when we give him thanks in return, our faith is kindled and we're inspired to pray bigger prayers. But more than the asking, our prayers will connect us with the One who can carry us through all aspects of life. And because of this reality, we will be able to say: “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.” Amen.

“The Lord’s Favor”
Isaiah 64:1-4, 8-11
Third Sunday of Advent; 12-14-08

Introduction: STORY: “A McDonald’s Love Story,” There is a story of a little old couple who came into McDonalds one cold winter evening. Many in McDonald’s looked at them with admiration thinking that they had been together for many, many years. The old man walked to the counter, made his order, and then walked his wife to a table near the back wall. There was only one hamburger, one order of French fries, and one drink. He carefully unwrapped the hamburger, cut it in half, and then placing half of it in front of his wife. Next, he carefully divided the fries evenly between the 2 of them. As people looked on, you could tell that they were thinking that the 2 of them were used to sharing everything. But as time went on, it was noticed that the wife wasn’t eating anything. Just taking a sip of soda every so often. A young man came by and offered to buy them another meal. They thanked him, but said that they were used to sharing and didn’t need much to eat. After a little while longer the young man could stand it no more, as he watched the woman sit there without eating. He again went up to them and asked: “Why aren’t you eating; what are you waiting for?” Without hesitation the woman responded: “The teeth!”
I guess if the young man wanted to really help, he should have offered to buy them another pair of teeth! LOVE in many ways is the easiest word to say, but not always the easiest to live out. For example, we might say: “God loves you and so do I.” BUT, what does that mean to us. We can express love in so many different ways: we love our children, we love our spouse, we love our parents, we love our friends, and we love God. But we love each one in a different way and to a different degree.
This morning, the third Sunday of Advent, we focus on love. And in our time together, I would like us to seek to understand how we can begin to live this out by experiencing the love of God in our own lives.

I. The Truth of Love- (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Matthew 5:43--44)
If you wanted to find the definition of love, the only place you could really go would be
1 Corinthians 13:4-8. This is the only place, because here we have love spelled out for us in very complete and challenging terms; and it comes to us from God; love Himself. I’m going to READ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 to you, and as soon as I start, it is going to be very familiar to you. And because it is familiar, you might start to tune out what the words have to say. Don’t do it! Listen carefully to this wonderful text!!!
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…”
I want to take a little time and walk through this passage, but I don’t have the time this morning to go into much depth. The goal here is to get a sense of the complexity and wonder and challenge of what it means to love and be loved. If you want a more complete teaching on this passage, Max Lucado’s book “A Love Worth Living” is a great resource.
a. Patient and kind- The passage starts out by telling us that love is patient and
kind. Now it is interesting that Paul doesn’t put qualifications to whom this love is to be showed. If he were to say that we are to love our family and close friends this way, then we could be comfortable with that. But what about the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’” With these words we begin to understand the challenge of loving. We are to seek to love everyone around us with patience and kindness.
But what if they are mean to me? Love with patience and kindness. But what if they don’t love me back? Love with patience and kindness. True love is patient and kind. Love begins with patience and kindness. Words of love are important, but as the saying goes, “Nothing shows love more than actions.” When we can be kind, we are beginning to live out love. And when we are patient, we allow those around us to not get down on themselves. If we can love those who are our enemies, just think how much more we can love those with whom we feel genuine closeness and affection.
b. Not envious, boastful, arrogant or rude- Paul goes on to let us know that love
is not envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, selfish, or resentful. All of these behaviors are self serving. When we behave in any of these ways, we are really just being immature. To love means to grow up to the point where we are not comparing what we have with what others have (for example…show one of Tyler’s hot wheel cars…let say you have this car…you begin to think about how you have a nicer car than someone else, and you let them know it, you boast about your car)./ To grow up in love also means that we are not in competition with others (show a ball, talk about how in competing and winning can lead to being rude and boastful)./ To grow up in love also means that you aren’t resentful about what someone else gets to do (Ex. Tyler and I were watching Jurassic Park, Tiffany upset; she was resentful and kept saying: “that’s not fair!!”) Love is not self serving and does not get angry with another in hurtful ways. Love wants to seek out the best for another and rejoices when this happens.
c. Bears, believes, hopes, endures- Read from “What does love mean; 4-8 year olds”
1. Denny, age 7 says: “Love is when mommy makes coffee for daddy,
and takes a sip before she gives it to him to make sure it tastes okay.”
2. Emily, age 8 says: “Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when
you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”
3. Karen, age 7 says: “When you love somebody, your eyelashes go
up and down and little stars come out of you.”
4. Lauren, age 4 says: “I know my older sister loves me because she
gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
5. Rebecca, age 8 says: “When my grandmother got arthritis she
couldn’t bend over to paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her.”
6. Bobby, age 7 says: “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
The apostle Paul says: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
d. Love never ends- And then Paul closes the passage with these words: “Love
never ends.” You know, a rising trend in our society for many years has been prenuptials. If you don’t know what a prenuptial is, it is a legal document that a man and a woman sign before they get married. This document spells out a number of things. For ex. In regards to property you are asked on the form: Do you want to make a list of each party's present property? Describe specific items to be kept separate. And then it says: “Separate property is property that will not be divided between the parties in the event of a breakup. In other words, there will be no question as to the legal ownership of the property or whether the other party has any entitlement to it. Choosing this option offers the highest degree of 'protection' for parties seeking to keep property separate.
The problem is, if you really love someone, and love never ends, then why do you need a prenuptial? Why do you need to specify that your spouse has no entitlement to some of your property? It is because we do not love others in the right way. And if this is true, then it is also true that we don’t let God love us in the right way. And it is true that we don’t know God as we should.

II. God’s Love Poured Out- (1 John 4:8; Isaiah 64:1-4, 8-11; Lamentations 3:21-24)
In 1 John 4:8 we are told- “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
a. God is love- So if God is love, then God is patient, kind, and not envious. If
God is love, then God is unselfish and not easily angered. If God is love, then God does not rejoice in any evil coming to us. If God is love, then God bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
STORY: There is a story from Jewish tradition that talks about how when God was nearly finished with the act of creation, an announcement was made that the only thing left to create was a creature capable of understanding and marveling in the greatness of God. This being, called human, was not only to be of the earth, but also to be created in the image of God. Then God declared: “Let these beings have reason, intellect, and understanding.” At this TRUTH approached and pleaded with God: “Oh God, I ask you to refrain from calling into being a creature who is capable of lying. The last thing we need is to have a world filled with deception and fraud.” Then came forth PEACE to support truth, saying: “O Lord, I beg you not to create creatures who will disturb the harmony of Your creation. I fear that these humans will act with revenge and initiate war.” Finally, LOVE stepped forward, saying: “Dear God, I know that any being created in your likeness will have the capacity to perform great and kind deeds. Filled with your Spirit these human beings will comfort the sick, visit the lonely, and provide shelter to the homeless. Such a being cannot but bring glory to you, O Lord.”/ And though God listened to the voices of TRUTH AND PEACE, before the final act of creation, it was because of LOVE that human beings were created.
(Stories for the Journey, p. 45)
We see in the Isaiah passage that there is no other God like our God. Our God has created us in His image. Our God has placed us over the earth to care for and govern. Our God has shown immeasurable patience with His people when they wander astray. And then in Isaiah 64:11, the writer asks: “After all this will you restrain yourself, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and punish us severely?” And the answer is, no, God’s design is not to punish, but to love. God has time and time again poured out His love upon us!!
b. Love poured out- The Christmas story, if it is anything, it is about
love. It is only because of “love” that God decided to come to this earth, in human form, to not only live with us, but give us a glimpse of the presence, the character, the glory of God. It is because of love that God showed his love not just in words, but in actions. As Lamentations 3:22-23 says: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Every day we wake up to a new opportunity of experiencing God’s love poured out to us. In fact, I’m going to do something a little different, and ask you to help me here./ I would like you to shout out some ways God’s love can be seen…………. (other suggestions are: the love offering, that takes care of our deficit every year; God bringing people to this church who want to do God’s work in this community; wisdom that God gives us so that we can make important decisions, the children and grandchildren that God gives us….). BUT MOST OF ALL IT WAS [SHOW IN GOD TAKING ON FLESH, AND COMING TO EARTH IN THE FLESH, IN JESUS CHRIST….SHOW MORGAN WEISTLING PICTURE, “KISSING THE FACE OF GOD.” As it goes around read the back…
“This painting was first inspired by a song that I heard one day. Sometimes, hearing one phrase is all it takes, and then a flood of inspiration follows. The phrase “kissing the face of God” immediately struck me with this powerful image of Mary and the Baby Jesus. It is an image that we have seen depicted many times, but never simply as a mother and her child with real tenderness. I started to contemplate the awesome privilege that Mary was given, being able to hold God in her arms, but also keeping in mind that He was still her baby. This cute little child whom she bore was also God in the flesh. And yet, she cuddled and kissed Him, just as all mothers do with their babies. This thought propelled me right into this painting, which I wanted to be a very human representation of divinity. My prayer is that the viewer will be struck, as I am, with the amazing way that God chose to send His Son into this world — in pure humility.” (Morgan Weistling)

Conclusion: In a Peanuts comic strip Lucy is heard berating Charlie Brown for losing the baseball game for their team, as she says: “You blockhead! You struck out, and we lost the last game of the season! You were standing there thinking about your new girlfriend, weren’t you?” As Charlie Brown walks away he’s heard mumbling: “I thought being in love was supposed to make you happy.” Then Lucy yells out to him: “Where did you get that idea?” (Amusing Grace, p. 28, #58)
Our world can be really messed up when it comes to love. God is love. And to know God is to know His desire to daily pour out His love to us; for Him to give us His favor. If we can receive this love, then it will flow out of us to others, and we will seek to give favor to others. Let us each day seek to be aware of God’s love for us, and ask God to help us love more fully and unselfishly. Amen.