“The Love of Jesus”
Lent Series: Winning the War Within
March 1, 2009; Galatians 5:22-23, John 13:12-20, 34-35

Introduction: (Fruit of the Spirit Intro Video)
Scene 1- The fictional comic book character, The Incredible Hulk was created by Stan Lee in 1962. The Hulk is the alter ego of mild mannered physicist Dr. Bruce Banner who was accidentally made radioactive by gamma rays. Whenever he gets angry, he turns into the Hulk, a creature consisting of pure rage which is incredibly strong. The angrier the Hulk gets, the stronger and bigger he becomes.
Scene 2- Many of us are aware of the beast within us. And of the thin veneer of civility that makes us respectable citizens. Occasionally someone will snap and the beast breaks out. Then we are all horrified at the violence done to persons and properties. Sometimes it is not a person but a mob or a nation. And in the aftermath amidst the carnage, we are again reminded of the evil that lurks within the heart of human beings. While some of us are aware of it, others are not. Many try to repress their daily anger. Doing so they become impatient, irritable and aggressive. Repressing anger does not make it go away. Like energy, emotions can be converted into other forms. Repressed anger is converted into hatred, bitterness and anxiety.
Scene 3- Today people are angry about a lot of things. Look at the economy. Why were loans given out, thereby triggering a worldwide recession. Or you get angry you might lose your home. You get angry and then you feel guilty. I remember what Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (Eph.4:26-27). What are you supposed to do?
Scene 4- There’s this old Cherokee story named “The Two Wolves”: An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed.”
Scene 5 - Jesus experienced the war within. While he never sinned the scriptures tell us that he was tempted in every way just like us. He too faced discouragement, fear, and anger. But early in his life, in the desert, in his Lenten experience, he learned to say “no” to the voice of evil and “yes” to the power of the Holy Spirit, a strength that sustained him through life’s challenges . . . all the way to the cross.
The Apostle Paul knew about the war within. You can feed the flesh, he said, by which he meant the evil passions, or you can feed the spirit. (hold up orange). So as Christ followers we want to learn to feed our spiritual hunger in a healthy way.
Over the coming 9 weeks of Lent join us as we flee from sin and dine on God’s good fruit.

I. The Fruit of Love- (1 Cor. 13:4-8; John 13:12-20, 34-35; Phil. 2:6-7;
Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 63:3; Titus 3:4; Ephesians 2:7-8; 1 John 3:16, 4:7-8)
We are told in Galatians 5:22 that one of the fruit of the Spirit is “love”. Now I first want to note that the word “fruit” here is singular; it is not fruits, plural. This is because as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have all of the fruit; it is all encompassing. And the first fruit mentioned here is love.
As we wonder what this love is that we have, the good news is that we have the perfect example of love in Jesus Christ. In fact, this whole Lenten series on the Fruit of the Spirit is an opportunity for us to learn from Jesus; to see how Jesus lived out these fruit. By seeing this, hopefully we will be able to begin to model this same behavior and see the fruit shown through our lives!
Now in respect to Jesus, and the love He shows for us, I could speak for hours on this. My challenge this last week in writing this sermon was how to limit it. But let’s look first at a few of the aspects of God’s love shown to us through Jesus:
1. Unselfish- The first aspect of Jesus’ love is that He was unselfish. In the
book of 1 Corinthians 13:5, the apostle Paul tells us that, “Love…is not self seeking.” This was a truth that Jesus lived out. Christ was not selfish, but took His eyes off Himself so that He might give Himself for you and me. We see this in our John 13 text, where Jesus took on the role of a servant and washed His disciples feet. This experience freaked Peter out. But Jesus explained to them that love causes us to give ourselves over to others without regard of what it might look like to others. This is the unselfish love Jesus showed us.
2. Has no status- On top of that, love has no status. Going back to 1
Corinthians 13, verse 4, we read: “Love does not boast, it is not proud.” We see that Jesus was willing to disregard His place as Philippians 2:6-7 tells us: “(Jesus), Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Out of love for us, and what this love would do to us, Jesus chose to humble Himself for our good. Jesus flip-flopped the pecking order. For love to be shown, we have to not try and build ourselves up, but seek to care more about what others are going through.
3. Kindness- When we think about Jesus, we are quick to think of His
power, His passion, and His devotion. But those near to Him knew and know God comes cloaked in kindness: Kind enough to care about a blunder of hospitality (at the wedding where He turned the water to wine); kind enough to have lunch with a crook (Zaccheus the tax collector); kind enough to bless a suffering sister (the woman who was bleeding). Why? Because as Paul writes: “Love is kind.” And the scriptures thoroughly support this.
Nehemiah tells us in Nehemiah 9:17, “You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness.”
David agrees, as we are told in Psalm 63:3- “Your lovingkindness is better than life.” Here we see David putting loving and kindness together.
The apostle Paul reflects this thought in other writings of his as well. In Titus 3:4 Paul speaks of “the kindness and love of God our Savior.” In Ephesians 2:7-8 he writes: “Now God has us where he wants us with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it.”
4. Trust- Love also breeds trust. Example: Several years ago I went on a little
retreat to Forest Home Conference Center. They have this deal that Pastor’s can come and stay for free in this little cabin that they have. So I went on a little personal retreat of study. The first night I was there however I heard the little sound of a mouse. I knew that this would be a long retreat if I couldn’t get rid of the mouse, since for the most part, a mouse really only makes noise at night when you’re sleeping. How come a mouse can’t make noise during the day when you’re out studying? NOOOOO! It has to make noise at night. So I get up to try and see if I can catch it. Well, it was humorous, my attempts, but I was able to catch the mouse in the trash can.
Now have you ever tried to convince a mouse not to worry? If you have succeeded, then you are wiser than I am. Because I was trying to calm him down, but to no avail. You could tell the little guy was scared. So abandoning my attempts to calm him, I proceeded to take him outside, far away from my cabin, all the while explaining to him that I was going to release him. He never did calm down, probably still hasn’t to this day! He never trusted me. How else could I have gotten him to trust me. Learn mousese? Turn myself into a mouse?
You think it would be absurd to turn yourself into a mouse to calm a mouse, but that is exactly what God did!!! God became flesh so that we could understand Him and listen to Him. Why? Because He wants us to trust Him. And just as Christ did this so that we might trust Him, so we too should seek to put ourselves in the place of others so that they might trust us.

II. Living out Love- (John 13:34-35)
Example- The Power of Being A Friend- There is a story of a freshman in high school named Jim who one day while walking home from school saw a kid from his class walking home. His name turned out to be Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. Jim thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.' As he was walking, he saw a bunch of kids running toward Kyle. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him... He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes
Jim’s heart went out to Kyle. So, Jim jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and he saw a tear in his eye. As Jim handed him his glasses, he said, 'Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives. ' Kyle looked at Jim and said, 'Hey thanks!' There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. Jim helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.
As it turned out, he lived near Jim. They talked all the way home, and Jim even carried some of his books. Jim asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends; Kyle said yes.
They hung out all weekend and the more Jim got to know Kyle, the more he liked him, and Jim’s friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.
Over the next four years, Kyle and Jim became best friends.. Kyle was valedictorian of our class so he had to prepare a speech for graduation. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.
Jim could see that he was nervous about his speech. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began 'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through these tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends.... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.’ Kyle went on to tell the story of the first day that he and Jim met and how Kyle was so depressed by how he was viewed and how he was treated that he was going to go home and kill himself. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. 'Thankfully, I was saved,’ he said as he looked at Jim. Not until that moment did Jim realize the depth of friendship.
Never underestimate the power of your actions of love.
Jesus says to us in John 13:34-35- “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Conclusion: We started out by talking about the character of the hulk and what happens to him when he gets angry. We talked about how repressed anger can turn into bitterness, hatred, and anxiety. We talked about how this is part of the war that is within us. As Jesus experienced this war within, He was able to say “no” to this voice of evil.
Today, I hope you realize that love can indeed conquer all. But we need to feed this spiritual hunger of love with the love that Jesus taught us; with the love that Jesus gives us. And by doing this, not only will we win the war within, but we will be able to make an amazing impact in the lives of those around us.
I am excited that over the next few weeks we will learn how to live out the fruit of the spirit; the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Let us learn to do this together. Amen.

“Ultimate Celebration”
The Mystery Revealed Series
Sunday, February 22, 2009; Leviticus 25:1-7

Introduction: What is the best party you have ever been to? As I thought about this question, I have to say that there wasn’t any ONE party that stood out to me. I began to think of the birthday parties we have had for our kids; parties that have ranged from Mc Donalds to the park, a rock climbing wall to sleep overs. And then I thought of our 75th anniversary for the church, just 4 years ago, where we gathered on the front lawn of our church, with a band playing, lots of food and cake. That was a lot of fun as well.
Parties are fun. Why is that? (Have congregation give me some answers)…
Today we conclude our series on “The Mystery Revealed.” Hopefully you have learned how God has given us care, stewardship over our character, commitment, our decisions, the care of others, our role in the body of Christ, and our call to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. IN ALL OF THIS WE ARE TO CELEBRATE!

I. Celebrating Life- (Philippians 2:4)
a. God owns all things- Recognizing that God owns all things is
central to our life, and the ability to live this life with freedom. I say this, because whenever we take ownership of anything, it actually limits our freedom, since we become possessive, and worry about losing it. We hold on tight. We struggle to share it with others. We have a different mindset.
But, on the other hand, if someone loans you something to use, with the thought that you can have it as long as you need it, you still take care of it, because you want to return it in good shape, but you don’t have that ownership worry. You also feel blessed because someone is willing to share what they have with you!
Part of celebrating life, is understanding that as God owns all things, and shares all this with us, we are here to enjoy this life. This includes salvation. When we are saved, when accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, it isn’t just an eternity decision. This decision doesn’t just affect the fact that when we die we will spend eternity with God in heaven. It affects our life now. Salvation should change how we think, and act, and experience life NOW!
What I mean by this is that we celebrate our salvation because it makes a difference in our every day life. It helps us to experience peace in the midst of turmoil, joy in the midst of hardship, love in the midst of an angry world. It means that we are living in the Kingdom of God now. We can live the life God has planned for us, because we are walking with Jesus each and every day. Even in the midst of our sin, and the sin of others around us, we can find a way to be the people God created us to be, and live life in a way that was designed for us.
b. God’s ultimate glory- As we celebrate this life we have, we realize
that it isn’t just about us. It is about others as well. The apostle Paul challenges us with these words from Philippians 2:4, as he says: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” What Paul is telling us, is that celebrating life is recognizing that we are connected in this world to others and to God. The enjoyment of life isn’t just about having our needs met. Being able to celebrate isn’t just about me. It would be a pretty lonely celebration if I had a party, and I was the only one who attended! Parties are meant to include many people.
It also becomes a pretty lonely life is we try to receive the glory for all that we do; especially if we understand that all that exists, and all that has been given to us belongs to God! EX. Whether it is in sports, or in music, or in movies, it is about the full cast of people. One person may get an award, but if they don’t understand that the game was won, or the movie was a success because of the work of the collective group, then they will soon find themselves in a very lonely world.
So it is in life. We will find ourselves in a very lonely world if we fail to understand the part that everyone around us plays in our lives. And even more important, if we fail to understand the role God plays. When we live our lives for just ourselves, and fail to include God, then we will get lost very quickly. And when we try and take the glory for what happens, instead of acknowledging that the glory goes to God, then we too fail to experience the real blessing this life can be.

II. Celebrating our gifts- (Leviticus 25:1-12)
a. Understanding of gifts- I have talked many times about the gifts
that God gives to us. I talk about it often, because I believe that not only do we fail to understand our gifts, but even more we fail to use our gifts as God has designed for them to be used! I often think about what this church could become if every person in the church used their gifts to their full capacity. Many people are very selfish with their gifts. They hold them to themselves out of laziness, or fear, or lack of desire.
As stewards of our gifts, we must understand that they are primarily given not for our own benefit, but the purpose of blessing others. Think about a time that you were going through you house, your garage, your closet, and you found a number of things that you realized you didn’t need anymore. You decided to give them away; not just to some organization, but to a person you know who needed them. And then think about how you blessed that person that you passed these things on to. Your decision to share your possessions not only blessed them, but it blessed you!
This is exactly what we are to do with the gifts that God has given you and me. If you have the gift of teaching, but you don’t find opportunities to teach, then you have limited the blessing of others who will gain from your teaching. If you have the gift of helps, but fail to find opportunities to use that gift, then others are doing extra work and carrying an extra burden.
When we use our gifts in ministry situations, we bless others and we bless God; we grow in our relationship with others, and we grow in our relationship with God. But when we find ways to share our gifts, then there is reason to celebrate, because the Kingdom of God will flourish, and lives will be changed.
b. Management of gifts- So it really is about the management of our
gifts. Celebrating life is about caring for others with our gifts and resources. And if you think about it, that is what a party is all about, lavishing gifts on someone to help them feel special. So we carry this idea into life, into our world, into the way we choose to live. We make ourselves aware of the needs around us, and then find a way to connect our giftedness with those needs.
In our scripture passage for the morning, Leviticus 25:1-7, we see an interesting practice. Just as there was a Sabbath day, where we are called to rest on the seventh day, so there was a Sabbath year. In this Sabbath year, God is to be honored. So the farmer would break up his land into 7 sections, and would not use one of the 7 sections each year, so that that section of land would have a chance to renew itself during that year it wasn’t used.
But this idea of Sabbath continues; listen to Leviticus 25:8-12, “'Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.’” On the fiftieth year there was to be a special observance in which there was to be an attempt to make things more equal among the people. All debts were to be canceled; all land was to be returned to the original owners.
Now as you hear about this, you might think, “Well, it is good news for the poor, but what about for others?” Imagine being a college student and having your loan debt canceled, or having your mortgage debt canceled! For many this would mean a whole new lease on life!
The truth however is that as far as historians can ascertain, the year of Jubilee was never observed by the Jews. The prophet Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 61:1-2 that it was something that the Messiah would do. It is the Messiah, Jesus, who forgives all our sins and cancels all our debts. But if we tried to apply this idea to forgiving others and canceling debts, it could greatly impact our relationships.

III. Celebrating our relationships- (Deuteronomy 22:26; Matthew 22:2-4)
a. Party- But let’s try to understand the Kingdom of God in terms of
relationship; relationship with God and each other. In Deuteronomy 14:26 we read: “Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice.” Here we see the money from people’s tithe to go towards food and drink so that everyone could rejoice together in the presence of the Lord. In essence, they were to have a party in the presence of the Lord.
The great thing about this party is that everybody was invited. It didn’t matter about your status, or your income, or your place in society. All were welcome to the party. It was a time for all the people of God to gather together and rejoice. It was about rejoicing in the Kingdom of God. It was to be a foretaste of what heaven would be like; all types of people together in God’s presence, praising God, and having a good time together.
It was also an opportunity to forget about the troubles of life and focus on having some fun. By having fun with each other, we are taught a little about the kind of God we believe in, serve, and worship. God is not far off and judgmental, but rather a God who wants to be there with us, and have us there with Him. And really, our God likes to party. Listen to Matthew 22:2-4, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'” Jesus says that the Kingdom is like a big wedding reception.
b. Understanding our relationships- Now I will admit that this reality
of the Kingdom is yet to come; this ultimate celebration of joy is still in the future. But if we understand even a little of this, then we understand that God wants us to party with each other; God wants us to not be concerned with status, and position, and title, and place. God wants us to accept each other, and be in fellowship with all believers.
If we do this, then we will have a different understanding of relationship. We begin to understand how God calls us to be together, not just in worship, but in fellowship. Not just in Bible Study, but in partying; in celebrating the fact that we are all children of the Lord, with the same Father, the same Lord!
Now, as I talk about this idea of partying, it may offend some people. There are some who would think that spending money to party together would be wasteful or inappropriate. Maybe that is because we don’t understand the importance that partying has on our relationships. EX. Think about the types of parties you have with your family. In fact we just had one for my aunt’s 70th birthday last weekend. It was a wonderful occasion for many reasons: it brought many in my family together that I hadn’t seen in a while; it allowed my aunt to feel special to have 20 members of her family together (some who had traveled from San Jose, San Francisco, and Seattle). My mom was going to come from Arizona before she had some health problems; it allowed us to share about our life; we were able to laugh together and enjoy each other’s company. I could go on and on.
The point is, that partying helps us to connect; helps us to understand each other; helps us to understand our place as children of God; helps us to stop and enjoy our place in this world and in the Kingdom. When we party together, we celebrate the relationships God gives to us!

IV. Celebrating our rewards- (Isaiah 55:2; Matthew 25:21)
a. Consequences- As I talk about this whole concept of celebrating, it
can be a challenge to accept because we have had the idea of “work ethic” drilled into our brains. So, when we come to church, it is to be about doing the work of the Lord, or about being in worship. We need to do one or the other. But to take time to party, to celebrate, to relax and have fun can be a different kind of concept.
Because of this, we often fail to use our money as individuals, or as a church, to support celebrations. Money needs to go to pay the bills, support the staff, do the mission. And while that is true, God also wants us to use part of the money to celebrate. As I say this, I’m thinking partly about how next year, in 2010, our church will have been in existence for 80 years. It will be a good time for us to have a party! It will be a good time to remember God’s faithfulness to this church.
And so putting aside money for mission, and staff, and bills, and programs, is good stewardship, but so is putting aside money for celebration. The consequences of not putting aside money for play and partying is that we become burned out, tired, and lose the excitement of the vision. Celebration helps to lift us up and energize us to again be ready to move forward in serving the Lord.
We are told in Isaiah 55:2, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” When we understand that celebration is a satisfying event, and that the Lord wants us to have times of celebration, then we can confidently put our money and our energy toward this.
b. Rewards- As I say all this, I also need to encourage us to
remember that when we are good stewards, God celebrates. It pleases God’s heart to see us using our money, our gifts, our lives in acceptable ways. God promises us rewards for being faithful stewards.
Illus. A few years ago I went to Princeton Seminary for a Pastor’s Preaching
Conference. So I was there with many other pastors. One night we had some free time, and so a few of us went over to the gym to play basketball. Now I really enjoy basketball, and I am not a bad player at all, but I am short, and so many people don’t look at me as a basketball player. During the games, there were a couple of pastors who knew each other, and so they would pass the ball back and forth to each other, and make most of the plays. I rarely got to touch the ball, and even less often did I get to shoot the ball. We won the games, but I didn’t feel a part of the team, and I didn’t get excited at the fact that we won.
When we work together, and God does great work in and through our lives and ministry, then there is the need to have great celebration together. And when we are good stewards in this way, we will see that there will be celebration in heaven as well. And when we get to heaven, we will hear the voice of God say words similar to the words the master said to his servant in Matthew 25:21: “His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’”
There is nothing wrong with looking forward to our rewards in heaven. God has promised these rewards. These rewards come to those who faithfully serve God, and give of themselves for God. These rewards come to those who desire to celebrate God working out His will through our lives for the Kingdom of God.

Conclusion: God wants to have a party with us in heaven. God wants to celebrate with us when we get to heaven. But even more, God wants to be in our midst here on earth as we celebrate together. And when we take the time to celebrate, these celebrations will have a lasting memory in our lives. These celebrations will help to carry us forward in doing the work of God and being more connected as the family of God. We don’t follow a workaholic God. We follow a God who wants us to have times of rest, and times of celebration. Let us be thankful for this kind of God, and let us be obedient to living this out. And in just a few moments, we get to have a celebration of sorts, as we have a luncheon together. Let us give thanks to God. Amen.

“Unparalleled Commission”
Series: The Mystery Revealed
Sunday, February 15, 2009; Matthew 28:18-20

Introduction: It is interesting that the end of the gospel is actually the beginning of our story. As Jesus was coming to the end of His time here on earth, it actually marks the start of our ministry. Up to this point the disciples were following Jesus, watching Jesus, and taking in all that Jesus was doing. They were followers, disciples, but they had not been set loose to really do ministry. Jesus has sent them out a couple of times, but this was really just a test; a trial period.
As we look at our scripture passage for the morning, Matthew 28:19-20, I want us to understand that Jesus is giving us an unparalleled commission; a commission like no other has ever been given. But even more, it is a commission with a promise; the promise that we will have Jesus’ presence, and Jesus’ power. It seems straight forward, but there is much to understand.

I. Jesus assures them of power- (John 1:1; 14:1-6, 11-14, 16:7, 12-15; Matthew 8:29)
a. All authority- We start out by seeing that Jesus claims to have all
authority. I say that He claims to have authority, because you can say you have something, but it doesn’t mean you really possess it. Jesus was very confident when He made this statement. What makes Jesus so confident?
1. Jesus is confident because He knows where He comes
from. Jesus knows that He is from heaven. In the gospel of John, 1:1, we are told: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” Jesus is the Word become flesh. Jesus came from heaven to earth to guide us, and lead us, and save us. Jesus walks with authority, and talks with authority because of where He is from. Jesus knows that even though He is on the earth, His place of origin is heaven.
2. Jesus is confident because He knows who He is. Along
with knowing where He comes from, Jesus knows who He is. Throughout the gospels Jesus is trying to help the disciples, and others know who He is; the Son of God. Jesus is very clear of who He is. It is interesting to see that even though people struggled to fully understand who Jesus was, the demons did not.
In one scene, Jesus encounters 2 demon-possessed men. As they come upon Jesus, they say in Matthew 8:29, “What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” The demons know exactly who Jesus is and the power that Jesus possesses. They know that Jesus has the power to remove them, exorcise them from the men.
I could do a whole sermon on who Jesus is, but for this morning, it is important to know that because of who Jesus is, the Son of God, God in the flesh, Jesus possesses the power of God.
3. Jesus is confident because Third, Jesus is confident
because He knows where He is going. In John 14:1-3 we hear Jesus saying: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 My Father's house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Jesus here is telling the disciples that He is going to go back to heaven. Because He is going back to heaven, He will be restored to His heavenly place, and in so doing, will again have the full power of being God, the Son. From heaven, Jesus will be able to assist believers in many ways, one of which is to pass on His power to us.
b. Power passed on- In John 16, Jesus tells the disciples why He had
to leave; John 16:7- “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” We see the third part of the Trinity at work. Jesus had to leave, so the Holy Spirit could come to live within us. By living within us, we are given access to God’s power, as Jesus tells us in John 16:12-15: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
Jesus had also taught the disciples that by faith they could do great works. In John 14:11-14 Jesus says: “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Because through faith, Jesus passes on His power to us, we are able to do all that God calls us and commissions us to do! But we must have faith, we must believe this to be true, or we won’t step out.
Now an important note, is that we need to trust in Jesus, and learn how to access the power of Jesus. Jesus tells us that nothing is impossible with God, but most things are impossible without God. This is not about us trying to show off power, but rather trying to utilize God’s power to do God’s work.
II. Jesus gives them a commission- (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-4)
a. Go- As Jesus gives the disciples the commission, He simply says, “Go.”
Illus.- (from Charles Swindoll’s, Come Before Winter devotional, pp. 283-284).
On March 10, 1904, the London Daily Illustrated Mirror challenged Houdini to escape from a special pair of handcuffs they had prepared. There were 6 locks on each cuff and 9 tumblers on each lock. On March 17 a crowd of 4,000 spectators came to witness Houdini try and escape. At precisely 3:15 p.m. Houdini was handcuffed, and then he stepped into an empty cabinet, which came up to his waist. For 20 minutes he squatted down, out of sight, working feverishly to get loose. He then stood up and smiled to the crowd. The crowd began to applaud thinking that he was free; but he was not. He asked if he could have more light. He knelt back down, out of sight, and worked for another 15 minutes. When he stood up the crowd again began to applaud. This time Houdini told them that he had to stretch his legs. Down in the cabinet he went for another 20 minutes, as the crowd began to murmur. A third time Houdini stood up, and a third time the crowd applauded. This time Houdini jumped out of the cabinet, grabbed a knife with his teeth, and pulled his jacket over his head. He then cut it into pieces until he could remove it, explaining to the crowd that he was getting hot! Jumping back into the cabinet he worked for another 10 minutes. With a dramatic flourish he jumped from the box showing that he was free!! Houdini had achieved the incredible, if not the impossible. Later Houdini was interviewed. Everyone wanted to know why he had to interrupt the process of his escape by continually standing up. He smiled, and with a twinkle in his eye he said: “My brain is the key that sets me free! I knew that I could get loose, but I wanted the applause from the audience to give me the encouragement I needed and to help keep up my enthusiasm.”
The first part of this commission is our understanding that we need to “Go.” When our minds understand this call, then we will be able to indeed go out beyond ourselves; beyond our comfort zone; beyond our church walls to do the impossible. But along with our minds, we need to know that God is there applauding for us, cheering us on, keeping our enthusiasm up!
b. Make disciples- And what are we commissioned to go and do? We
are commissioned to “make disciples.” Someone who is commissioned derives authority directly from a sovereign power. The sovereign power here is God. The authority is to make disciples. So it is not something we have to get permission to do, it is something that we are obligated to do as the commissioned one.
So what does it mean to “make disciples?” At the core, it is moving people from a place of not believing in Jesus, not following Jesus, to a place where they do believe and follow. In terms of how we are to do that let me give you a little strategy:
First, we need to select someone. While making a disciple can just happen, more often than not it happens when we have someone specific in mind. As we pray about this opportunity, God will lead us to that person. Second, once we know whom God wants us to reach out to, we should then begin to associate with them. Learn about them, and let them get to know you. Lifestyle evangelism is one of the best ways to help people learn about Jesus.
Third, we then begin to impart our life and our knowledge of Jesus to them. Just as Jesus spent time with the disciples to share Himself with them, so we need to utilize some of the time we have with people to share Jesus with them. Most of all during this time we share the love of Jesus. That is what giving ourselves away is really about. Fourth, we demonstrate our lives. As we are getting to know this person, we demonstrate to them who we are in Christ. Because we ourselves are disciples, we have been changed by Christ. As we demonstrate this to them, they will see the changes in our lives; they will see how Christ has impacted our lives. Hopefully this will lead them to ask questions and desire change. Fifth, is their turn around. What I mean by this, is as they ask questions, they will come to want to know and follow Jesus. Whether it is you or someone you know, they can be led at this point to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. Once this happens, they are then put on the road to “Go and make disciples” as well!

III. Jesus promises them a presence- (Romans 6:3-4; Matthew 28:20)
Lastly, we see in this commissioning, that we are promised the presence of
Jesus. In Matthew 28:20 Jesus says, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Now you may wonder why God would charge you and me to take this important life-saving message to a lost world. We are sinful, we are irresponsible, we are at times even afraid. Isn’t this a great risk on God’s part?
But we need to understand who we are. The apostle Paul, in Romans 6:3-4 tells us: “Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Just as Christ was raised from the dead to glory, so we have new life. We are not who we were before we knew Jesus. We might act like it much of the time, but we are not. We are a new creation. We are given power, and authority, and the ability to do impossible things!
A couple weeks ago I came across a reading called “The Lost Generation,” by Jonathan Reed. This reading is about how today’s generation is viewed. Let me read it for you… (see reading at end of sermon)
I think that this is a similar sentiment to our commissioning. It might be thought that this generation of Christians is lost. And it will be true unless we reverse the trend by understanding who we are, the authority we possess in Jesus, and the fact that we have the presence of Jesus with us.
We have to live like Jesus is with us. If Jesus was walking with you throughout each day, would you behave any differently? Would you take advantage of your opportunities more?
Illus.-The other day in my daily devotional reading, I was reading the upper room. And the writer was telling a story of how she was buying some flowers at a florist for the church. When the florist found out that they were for a church, she put some extra ribbon on the flowers. The writer, her name was Deb, asked the florist how much the extra ribbon would cost. The florist replied: “No charge. I’m working to get in. Points for heaven, you know?” Deb let the comment go by and left. Later in the day she realized that she had failed to take advantage of an opportunity to share the truth about salvation and discipleship.

Conclusion: Undoubtedly, God could have chosen another way to accomplish this all-important task. But he did not. He chose you and me to play a key role in carrying out this mission. We are in essence co-missionaries with God. This is perhaps another of God’s most profound stewardship privileges that God has given to us. As we seek to become effective stewards in every area of life, we become better equipped for the profound task to play a part, however small or large, in the unparalleled commission of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I hope this sermon has challenged you, and maybe even motivated you to want to fulfill this commission God has given to us. My prayer is that as individuals, and as a church, we would go out and make disciples, on behalf of Christ. Amen.


THE LOST GENERATION
By Jonathan Reed
I am part of the lost generation and I refuse to believe that I can change the world.
I realize that this may be a shock, but
“Happiness comes from within”
is a lie. and
Money will make me happy.
So in 30 years I will tell my children that
they are not the most important thing in my life.
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family.
I tell you this,
once upon a time,
families stayed together.
But this will not be true in my era.
This is a quick fix society.
Experts tell me
30 years from now I will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of my divorce.
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making.
In the future
environmental destruction will be the norm.
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth.
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic.
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.

And all of this will come true unless we reverse it.

There is hope. It is foolish to presume that My generation is apathetic and lethargic. It will be evident that My peers and I care about this earth. No longer can it be said that environmental destruction will be the norm. In the future I will live in a country of my own making. I do not concede that 30 years from now I will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of my divorce. Experts tell me This is a quick fix society. But this will not be true in my era. Families stayed together once upon a time, I tell you this, family is more important than work. I have my priorities straight because my employer will know that they are not the most important thing in my life. So in 30 years I will tell my children that
“Money will make me happy” is a lie and true happiness comes from within. I realize that this may be a shock, but I am part of the lost generation, and I refuse to believe that I can change the world.

“Unique Calling”
Psalm 139:13; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
The Mystery Revealed Series; February 8, 2009

Introduction: All too often in life we think that it is about us. Life is about me. I’m most concerned about me; my welfare, my needs. But Psalm 139:13 reminds us of a different reality, as it says: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” In this verse, we are reminded that it is God who created us. But listen to the language; “you knit me together.” These words show the careful, personal work that God was involved in when He created us. When you are knitting, you need to take your time to get each stitch right; you need to follow the pattern. This is what God is doing for us; getting each stitch right; following the pattern He designed for each of us.
But the news gets even better than this. God didn’t just create us in our mother’s womb, God also has given us a purpose, a calling for our lives. This morning we are going to talk about how we have been gifted in a particular way, and we are stewards of these gifts. As we use our gifts, we will fulfill our unique calling.

I. Unique Creatures- (Psalm 139:14; Genesis 1:1-27, 2:19)
a. Creation- Most people are familiar with the creation story. But let
me give you some highlights to set the stage for the sermon this morning: First, God was “in the beginning.” God was always there. This reminds us of God’s place verses our place in the world. Second, every action came from the initiative of God. Creation was God’s thought and God’s action. In this first chapter of Genesis, we read the phrases “God said” 10 times, and “God saw” 7 times. These actions are important in understanding the importance of what God created.
As the world was being created, we read that it happened by God speaking it into being; “God said, ‘Let there be light…’ and God said, ‘Let the water be filled with living creatures…’” It was by intention that each part of creation was spoken into being. It didn’t just happen, God intentionally and purposely created all things. And even more, after God creates each part of creation, He stops and looks at it to determine if it was what He wanted. And after each day “God saw that it was good.” God rejoices in His creation as good and purposeful.
So we see darkness and chaos become organized and illuminated. Scientists all around us argue about how all things came to be, about the nature and development of the universe, but if you look at the intricacy of the world, and how everything works so well together, I believe that there is no other explanation than God. For things to by luck or happenstance come to work together seems so absurd to me. For things to have evolved over time, but now no longer evolving seems ludicrous. God created all things by His simple and majestic words!
And we see that God didn’t just make everything come to exist all at once; it didn’t happen in a moment of time. Genesis 1 tells us that certain parts of creation came into being on certain “days.” How long each day lasted cannot be known, especially since the sun and the moon (which govern our time now) didn’t exist until the fourth day. Time with God is not the same as time with us. We try to measure the length that our world has existed, but we do it with imprecise tools; tools that cannot measure the works of God. So again we see God taking His time to make everything wonderful and just right.
b. Diversity- But everything is not the same, and does not have the
same function. As we go through Genesis, chapter 1, we see God creating the animals, and the fish, and the birds. After 5 days there is more to be done. The last day God creates in a way different than He had created before. We read in Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Here we see that there is diversity. God creates humans; male AND female. God gives them dominion over all creation; gives them authority over all creation; gives them a calling over all creation; makes man and woman in His image, yet different in make-up and qualities. Similar, yet unique.
When we get to chapter 2, we see that Adam is given a job, the job of naming the animals; Genesis 2:19, “Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” Why did God do this? Because each animal had a purpose and was special and unique. To be given a name helps to make us unique and special.
Could you imagine having to name everything? What if these items didn’t have a name, and you had to name them? Show some items and talk about their names (i.e. scissors, tape, stapler, etc…). But why are they named that? And yet, once we name them, we can refer to them in their special function. Instead of saying, “Could you get me that thing that you push together and shoots out a metal something to hold the papers together?” We can instead say: “Would you please get me the stapler?”
We have been given general names (man and woman) and specific names (Chris, Betty, Verl, Teri…). We are unique in this way. But even more we are unique in that we are made in the image of God and given the capability and call to care for this world and all that is in it. That is the first part of our calling!

II. Unique in the Body- (Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:8-10;
Isaiah 58:13-14; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31)
a. Relationship with God- Along with our calling to be over all
creation, we have a calling of relating to God and each other. Let’s first look at our calling to be in relationship with God.
From the beginning of time we see that God has designed us to be in a special relationship with Him, unique from any other creature. While we have been given charge over the world, to work and care for it, we have also been given a day of rest. We see this first in God’s example, as He rested on the seventh day. But we also are told in Genesis 2:3, “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.” What does it mean that God “blessed” the seventh day? One day is the same as the next in terms of existence, but God has specifically set the seventh day apart for a special purpose.
What is the special purpose? It is for the purpose of resting. As God rested on the seventh day as an example to us, so God wants us to use this holy day to rest. Rest is important for our well-being. When we work too much, we risk damaging our health (mentally, physically, and emotionally. God knows this about our make-up, and so has given us this day to rest, renew, and recreate
But this day was also designed for an even greater purpose, and that is to be in relationship with God. God knew that when we get busy, we fail to take the time we need and give the attention to our relationship with God. God also realized that just making it a suggestion wouldn’t cut it with us, so He made it a command. We read this in the ten commandments, Exodus 20:8-10, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.”
This day is to be a special day, given to the Lord. The other six days we can seek to accomplish all that we feel called to do, but on the seventh day, we are to give it over to God. The prophet Isaiah helps to give us perspective in Isaiah 58:13-14, “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14 then you will find your joy in the LORD…”/ It is difficult to build our relationship with God if we do not take time out each week to specifically do this. God desired this so much, that He sent Jesus to be sacrificed so that our broken relationship (due to our sin) could be restored.
b. Relationship with each other- Along with being called into a
unique relationship with God, we are also called into a unique relationship with each other. We are different than any other part of creation. Nothing else in all creation has the relationship with God that we can have, and nothing else in all creation can have the kind of relationships we can have with one another. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we have been granted the ability to become sons and daughters of Christ. We are “the body of Christ.”
In our Bible passage this morning, we see how the apostle Paul tells us that as part of the body of Christ each person has a unique purpose; a specific calling. Up to this point we have talked about a general calling; a calling to help take care of the world, and a calling to be in relationship with God and others. But in our call to relate to each other, we have been given gifts from the Holy Spirit that are meant to bless and complement others. This includes individuals as well as the church.
Each person is necessary and unique. Our “calling” in life is far more than the job or the tasks God entrusts to our care. Your calling and mine is to develop the unique gifts and talents that God gives to us, FOR GOD’S GLORY!
It is vital for us to understand that “the Church” is not the buildings around us. While our facilities offer us benefits to do ministry and to be more visible, our buildings do not make us the body of Christ. If we don’t work together and do God’s work, these buildings will be meaningless, and will fade away, because the church will come to be no more.
Illustration- George Gallup, of the Gallup poll fame, did a survey not too long ago to see if there were any differences between Christians and non-Christians. He found that in a variety of categories—people who called in sick when they weren’t, people who lied on their resumes, people who cheated on their tax returns—that there was “little differences in the ethical views and behavior of the churched and unchurched.” To really be the body of Christ and be in relationship with others we need to understand our personal identity as followers of Christ; as the body of Christ.
This then leads us to our unique and indispensable status.

III. Unique and Indispensable- (1 Corinthians 12:21-26)
a. Unique- EX. If you have e-mail, you are probably familiar with
some of the fun things that get passed around: “getting to know you,” “do you know me?” and other fun questionnaires that you are supposed to answer, send to your friends, and then get their answers back. This is fun because it helps you to get to know people better. And it also reminds us of our unique personalities.
Another way to discover aspects about yourself and others is to take a “gifts” test. This test helps you to get an idea of the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to you. If you have never taken a “gifts” test, I would love to give you one to take; just talk to me after the sermon. The “gifts” test can help to guide you to your unique gifts so that you can be more aware of how God might want to use you.
We are unique in that we don’t all have the same gifts. We are unique in that even when we have the same gift as another person, God calls us to use that gift in our own unique way. Just because you have the gift of teaching doesn’t mean you have to teach a Bible Study class. You may be called to teach kids, or a small group, or teach someone in a one-on-one setting. Just as we are unique, so how God calls us to use our gifts is unique as well.
The other important factor here is that there are many “ordinary” gifts. While there are gifts like teaching, prophesying, and speaking in tongues, there are also gifts like administration, organization, and helps. When you think about the gifts, you need to understand that as God knit you in your mother’s womb with care, so the Holy Spirit gives you special gifts with care, just for you!
b. Indispensable- Whether someone owns a business, is a student, is
retired, or is unemployed, God makes it clear that you are not only unique—you are an indispensable part of the body of Christ and given a special calling.
Story: There is a story of a teenager named Patrick, who lived in Britain. In 405 A.D. he was kidnapped by pirates, taken to Ireland, and sold as a slave to a farmer. The farmer put him in charge of his sheep. Patrick had grown up in a Christian home, his father had been a Deacon, and his grandfather an elder in the church. But his faith had never been real to him. One day Patrick, while tending the sheep in the barren hills of Ireland, said he encountered “the Great Shepherd,” Jesus, and that Jesus gave him the call to follow Him. Eventually Patrick escaped his slavery and returned to Britain where he became a priest. One day he felt the Lord calling him to return to Ireland, which was a very pagan, non-religious land. He faithfully obeyed, and he later became known as Patrick of Ireland, one of the greatest evangelists ever! By the time he died in 461 A.D. he had started many churches, witnessed to kings, and helped to turn Ireland from a pagan to a Christian country!
Could you imagine being Patrick? Being kidnapped by pirates? At this time he was not strong in his faith. But he realized that he had a unique calling, and that his service to God was indispensable. You and me are indispensable as well. We can’t let ourselves feel insignificant. We can be an indispensable influence for good.
The apostle Paul reminds us (by using the physical body as an example) that we are indispensable, as he says in 1 Corinthians 12:21-26, “The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable… But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
If we each understand that we are unique in our giftedness and our calling, just as the eye is unique from the ear, then we can hopefully begin to believe that each one of us plays an important role, and that we are inter-connected.

Conclusion: As believers in Christ we are all filled with the same Spirit of God. And this Spirit gives to you and to me specific gifts, designed for you, and designed for me! With these gifts, we are given a calling to bless each other and the world God created. I’m not sure where you are today; you may be feeling great about yourself, or you may be down on yourself. You may feel like you have a purpose, or you may not be feeling that. But regardless of what you feel, God’s truth is that we are unique creations of God, given a charge by God to be in relationship with God and others. I pray that you would discover your gifts, and by knowing your gifts, you can better know what God calls you to do this day and every day. Amen.