"Mission: It's About Others"
Sunday, May 6, 2012
1 Corinthians 1:25-31

Introduction: EX. When I was a kid, I would play baseball by myself in my back yard. Sometimes I would be the pitcher, and sometimes I would be the batter. Inevitably, I would put myself in that difficult situation…you know, if I was the pitcher there would be bases loaded, 2 outs, full count, my team ahead by one. I needed to throw a strike. I would wind up, throw the pitch: strike three! OR, if I was the batter it would be the bottom of the ninth, down by one, runners on second and third, and I had a full count on me! The pitch would come, and I would get the hit to win the game! Isn’t it interesting how when we were kids, in our fantasies, we never failed? We are always strong, and smart, and successful. It’s never….and he swings, and he misses, and he strikes out, and loses the game.

When we get older we realize that we aren’t always strong, or smart. We don’t always win the game. In fact, we often feel weak, and bumbling, and look at only our failures. And so when it comes to living our lives, we go through these periods where we don’t feel too great about ourselves; where we don’t think we have that much to offer.

            This morning I have good news for you and me… God can actually use us all the more when we are in this condition. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:10- “For Christ’s sake, … when I am weak, then I am strong.” For many of you, this might be a change of perspective. But the Christian life is really a change of perspective. There is nothing about God’s word that is really conventional. God loves sinners, seeks out the outcast, includes the excluded. This is a different perspective on life than what the world around us tells us. Jesus tells us 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.’”

            That is not conventional wisdom. People thought Jesus was foolish and weak, and according to the ways of the world, His teaching, His life, and His death were foolishness. But as we just read in 1 Corinthians 1:25, “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”/  So let us look at how we can become a people of God and a church that lets God turn our weaknesses into His strength.

I.                   Leadership- (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Change is part of life. And so therefore change is part of church life. The

churches that succeed from generation to generation are the churches that learn to embrace change; that make friends with change. Change needs to occur because the environment, the people, the community is constantly changing. I don’t think any of us would deny that this community has changed significantly in the last 20-30 years. And as a people of God called to care for others around us, we need to be changing. And yet, it is important to understand that this change must be worked into the fabric and identity of the church. Change must also be managed, starting with the leadership of the church.

a.      Pastoral- We live in a time where Americans are often suspicious of

authority and hierarchy. In fact, there are many bumper stickers that say: “Question Authority.”/  Americans do not like to be told what to do. The good in this is that it has created our democratic society. The bad in this is that when authority is radically questioned and resisted, it is impossible for communities to move ahead.

            So, when we look at the church, we need to understand that it is the “body of Christ,” of which “Christ is the head.” The leadership of the church is to be there to serve the will of God first and foremost over the will of the people. Under this section of “Leadership,” let’s first look at the office of pastor, and then look at the church officers and other “leaders.”

            The office of pastor has been established by God to serve God’s purposes. We are told in Ephesians 4:11-13, “The gifts God gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry; for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”

            To be a pastor and teacher in the body of Christ is an awesome responsibility and a high privilege. I have to be honest with you, sometimes I feel overwhelmed and humbled by this responsibility and call. Without your help, encouragement, prayers, and belief in what I am trying to bring to you, I would be lost in many ways. But the pastor is also called by the congregation for the education, training, and experience that he or she possesses. And in this biblical and theological training, in this grounding, the pastor protects the congregation from getting caught up in the following of other “gods.”

            Part of my responsibility and privilege as pastor is to “wrestle with God” until I receive God’s vision and mission for the church. This wrestling includes prayer, Bible study, learning the needs and the make-up of the church, and learning the social and cultural setting of the community.

So the crucial first step of managing change, and having a heart for others, is to personally know the vision of God for our church, and having confidence in my understanding of what God has called us as a church to do in this time and place. In my times of wrestling, I have many moments where I start to see more clearly what God has placed before us.

            When I first arrived at this church in 1999, the session and I worked

together to put together a mission statement that we believed spelled out in general terms what God was calling us to do. You can find this statement on the back of the bulletin. It says, “The mission of this church is to bring people to know Jesus Christ, to help one another grow in faith, to be committed and responsible members, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share God’s love beyond the church.”

            If you were to summarize this, it is basically saying that we need to “know Jesus, grow in faith, and tell others about Jesus.”

b.      Church- But it is not enough for just me to have a sense of God’s mission.

It is important for the leaders of our church to believe in this mission and live and lead like they believe. When the nominating committee meets every year, we try to seek out people who we believe are committed to this church, but even more who have a heart to do what God calls us to do. At every Session meeting and Deacons meeting we start the meeting with this mission statement so that we are reminded of the purpose for which God calls us.

            The goal here is to include the officers of the church in the Mission of the church, and allow them to be a part of setting the specific goals to help carry out this Mission. Why? Because God does not give the vision of the church to just the pastor, but to those who are following God and are called to serve the Lord with “enthusiasm, energy, and creativity.”

            None of us is wise enough alone to comprehend fully the length and breadth, the height and depth of God’s will for the church in the world. There is a confidence when the leaders God lifts up join together and share their collective wisdom. Through this there is a wonderful working together in ministry! We are called to support each other, and encourage each other, and live out the mission together!

            We need to all work together: pastor, leaders, and congregation. God will lead us into change, and we need to manage this change together. This change will be related to the programs of the church, the worship, the budget, and on and on it goes. You can see that it takes everybody working together, getting excited together, and caring for the needs of others together.

Story: “The Pharmacist and his brother,” (e-mailed story)- There is a story of a little girl named Tess, whose brother was very sick. She heard her parents talking about how he needed a miracle if he was going to live. So she got all of her money and went to see the local pharmacist, hoping she could buy a miracle. It just so happened that the pharmacists brother was there with him as Tess spoke about buying a miracle. The pharmacist informed the girl that they didn’t sell miracles there. The brother, however, was interested in her story, and so he asked Tess: “How much money did you bring for this miracle.” She answered: “One dollar and eleven cents. It’s all the money that I have.” The pharmacists brother asked: “What is wrong with your brother?” Tess told him that her bother had something bad growing inside his head, and her parents had said that only a miracle could save him.” The pharmacists brother then told her: “It just so happens that a miracle today only costs $1.11. Why don’t you take me to see your brother.” The pharmacists brother happened to be Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon who specialized in neuro-surgery. After seeing the Tess’ brother, he was able to perform the surgery and save the boys life! All because of a girl who believed in miracles.

       When you are part of the Mission to care about others, you will see miracles happen!

II.                Communication- (1 John 4:18)

a.      Ministry information and needs- Now as difficult as change can

be, it is even more difficult if people don’t know what is going on or why it is going on. That is why it is important to listen to God, and communicate together what we feel God is calling us to do. Without communication, there is often fear of what is happening. But the Bible tells us in 1 John 4:18- “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear.”/  If we can understand that what we are doing is because God loves us, and God loves others, and the church is the place where God shares His love, and calls us to pass it on to others, then we will go forth in the change God calls us to make, and it will be easier to bear.

            It is important to communicate changes, new ideas, plans for the future, and upcoming actions. This can happen through word of mouth, congregation meetings, the Caller, announcements, and so on.

            The primary way we communicate is through the Caller and weekly announcements. In the Caller we try to have articles that highlight the different programs, as well as Session highlights that let people know of the important decisions the Session has approved. There is also the calendar page as well as flyer inserts. Then we try to continue to highlight important events and upcoming events in the weekly announcements. Sometimes it may even take the form of a Minute for Mission.             A second way that communication happens is by the leaders and staff themselves passing the information on to those to whom they regularly see. In these conversations the leaders themselves can share about the happenings of the church and the important future events that are being talked about and planned.      A third way is through congregation meetings, where we talk about the life of the church, the budget, and the overall mission. This is also a time where questions can be raised.

b.       Budget information and needs- Example: “Boiling it down to

the essence,”  p. 370, #10, Illus Unlimited. There is a story of an American textile buyer who was giving a little speech at a luncheon in Seoul, Korea. He would talk a little, and then the translator would translate. He closed his talk with a funny little anecdote, to which the translator translated it in just a few words. The crowd broke into laughter and applause. Later, the textile buyer commented to the translator: “I think it was wonderful the way they appreciated my joke. I was amazed at how you could translate it into Korean in such a few words!” The translator replied: “Not at all. I merely said, ‘Man with big checkbook has told funny story. Do what you think is appropriate.’”

Money is an amazing thing.  Those who have it feel blessed; those who don’t have it are struggling.  It is true for the church as well.  When the church doesn’t have money, it struggles.  It struggles to pay its bills; it struggles to carry out its programs; it struggles to come up with new programs.  God has continually blessed our church by helping us to meet our budget most every year. But in the past 2 years we have not met budget. Yet, by God’s faithfulness we are able to still have money to carry out the mission that God places before us.

I know that people don’t like to come to church and hear about money, but money is one of the big resources that is needed to live out the mission of God. Jesus talked regularly about releasing money’s hold on us by learning to give it away. As a church we try to be faithful with creating a budget that is realistic, but that still stretches us in faith. We need to all be prayerful in deciding how much to give.

Conclusion:  Whether it is being involved in the leadership, or being involved in the grass roots of ministry, or being involved in the giving of money - we all have a part to play in God’s kingdom, and in the work of the church.  You don’t have to feel like you are the most gifted; you don’t have to feel like you have it all together; you don’t have to have tons of money.  What is important is that we have the under-standing that it’s about others, and not about ourselves.  Meaning that God desires to use us in spite of ourselves; to use us to touch the lives of others.  As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:27 – “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”  We who are weak, we who feel foolish, in Christ become strong, and wise, and powerful.  When you care about others, you will see miracles happen.  Let us join together to fulfill God’s mission for us, today and always.  Amen.

“Turning a Negative Into a Positive”

Exodus 13:17-22

                                                               Sunday, April 29, 2012

Introduction: If you have ever been to a professional concert where there was a soloist, you know it is a pleasure to hear them play so beautifully. The soloist has practiced and played for many years to become the best they can be. It is amazing to hear them make difficult pieces sound almost easy. Yet, the truth is, for someone to become so accomplished takes many years of struggle and mistakes, and frustration. Being a musician myself I know that it is not easy to become so accomplished!

            Life is a lot like this. We want our life to be easy. We want only good to happen in our lives. We don’t want to make mistakes. We don’t want to struggle. We don’t want to have frustration./  But this morning we are going to see that it is actually the struggling and the mistakes, the frustrations and the negative events, that allow us to become all that God wants us to be and do all that God wants us to do!

I.                   Biblical Examples of Negative Events- (Ex. 13:17-22; Acts 15:36-41)

Biblical examples- There are many examples of this in the Bible. But let us

look at just a couple.

a.      The Israelites- In the book of Exodus we see that the Israelites were in

slavery in Egypt. They were in a very negative situation. Moses had gotten frustrated with the way the Egyptians treated his people. This actually led him to kill an Egyptian guard. After this he had to flee into the dessert. After spending some time with God, Moses was given a calling by God to stand up to the Pharaoh and ask for his people to be freed. After much struggle, and many plagues, the Pharaoh agreed to free them.

So off they went, heading towards the Promised Land. They are probably thinking that they are free, and life is going to be great, right? But soon into the journey they noticed that something wasn’t right. They weren’t going the short route; they were taking the longer road. They might have asked: How come Moses is taking us the long way around? How come we aren’t traveling the easier, shorter road? Exodus 13:17 tells us right off: “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought, ‘If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.’”

            If you follow this story in Exodus, you will see that time and time again the people get frustrated and angry at their situation. They blame Moses and God for not giving them an easier road. But the truth is/   that going down the path that seemed easier, would have led them into a war with the Philistines, and they were not ready as a people to fight a war. Even more than that, God wanted Israel to become a nation, and it was going to take them time, along with some negative events, to prepare them for this next chapter of their existence.

            And yet, we see in this passage an important verse; verse 21: “The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.”/  Even though God was having them travel the longer road, God was right there with them providing for them all that they needed. He was guiding them by pillars of a cloud and fire. And as the story goes along, God provides them with laws, food, shelter, guidance, and on and on it goes.

b.      Paul and Barnabas- Let’s take a look at another example in the Bible. In

Acts 15:36-41, Paul and Barnabas were taking a break from their travels. It comes time to head off again, and Paul says to Barnabas: “Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”/ Paul wants to go and visit those to whom he has led to the Lord; to those he has taught and encouraged. Barnabas seems willing, but wants to change the plans a little by bringing a man named John Mark with them. Paul does not want John Mark to come with them.

            Let us stop the story for a moment to understand who John Mark is, and why Paul doesn’t want him around. John Mark is Barnabas’ nephew. But John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia. It is not said why John Mark deserted them, or how he deserted them. But the fact is, he did desert them. And for Paul, he did not want to give John Mark another chance. Paul was in essence saying: “You let me down once, and I don’t want to risk having you let me down again!

            So what happens. Well, of course since John Mark is family, Barnabas is going to stick with him; Barnabas is going to give him another chance. And the scripture says in verse 39- “The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company…”/ Here we have a major struggle. Two important church leaders, Barnabas and Paul, have such a severe disagreement that they part ways!!  When you think of Paul, do you think of someone who would be so hard headed; so unforgiving? But this is exactly what happens in the story.

            The wonderful ending to this negative event is that Paul and Silas go off and continue to do great ministry. Paul is able to train Silas as a leader. And in regards to John Mark, he does indeed redeem himself. It just so happens that this disagreement let Barnabas have an opportunity to work one on one with John Mark and help him to grow into a faithful servant for God. Barnabas believed in John Mark, and in the end John Mark justified that belief. It is hard to know whether this would have come about had Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark went off together. We see that ultimately Barnabas, John Mark, and Paul reconcile.

II.                The Power of a Negative-

a.      The positive- We all have negative events that happen in our lives.

What are we to do about these negative events in our lives?

It is easy to talk about the negative events of others, but when it deals with you and me, when it gets personal, then this is another story. I know for me, it is true that I don’t want conflict, struggle and negative events to happen. In many ways they are not fun. But the truth is, they do exist. Sometimes they exist because God allows them to happen. Other times they exist because of my own wrong choices. Either way, we need to understand that God brings good, out of the negative events that occur.

       Let me give you a list of some positive outcomes that come from negative events.

• Without negative events we become complacent in life. When life is going

along easy, we tend to get bored and maybe even a little lazy. A negative event at this time can wake us up to what God is calling us to do.

• Negative events can also push us to new growth. There may be something in

our future that God wants us to do, and this negative event helps us to learn important lessons, or skills that will be needed.

• Negative events can help us to learn that we have gifts we didn’t know we

had. For example, let’s say that two people close to you are having a conflict and you are involved as well, but not directly. This is a negative situation in your life, but God may allow you to be the one to reconcile the two together. Through this experience you discover a gift you didn’t know you have. You discover that you can help people resolve their conflicts!

• Negative events can also build character. Example- In a Peanuts comic strip

Schroeder says to Charlie Brown: “Don’t be discouraged, Charlie Brown. These early defeats help to build character for later in life.” Charlie Brown then asks: “For what later on in life?” To which Schroeder replies: “For more defeats!” Charlie Brown then decides to go and see Lucy’s psychiatric booth for a second opinion. Lucy gives Charlie Brown this advice: “Adversity builds character. Without adversity a person could never mature and face up to all the things in life!” “What things,” Charlie Brown asks. “More adversity!” Lucy says. (Amusing Grace, #712).            The truth is, when we go through negative events, we mature and gain new insights into life. These adversities prepare us for future events in our lives.

• Negative events also help us to recognize areas of weakness or fear in our

lives. If  we seek to face these events with God’s help, then we will be stronger and more capable people and we will be prepared to do more for God and make a greater difference in this world.

• Negative events can also indicate leadership potential in us. When we are

able to face these events head on and work through them, we gain leadership skills.

• And negative events help to confirm future roles in our lives. There are

times when we go through a struggle, and because of going through this struggle we actually gain perspective about where God is leading us to a new place.

b.      Personal examples- I have had many negative events happen in my

life. Some very difficult, and some not so difficult. And it is easy to try to forget these negative events. It is easy to try to put them in the archives of my brain and lock them up. But the truth is, when we are willing to speak about them, look at them, remember them, we will begin to grow in ways that we can’t, if we hide them away. The truth is, when we deny the pain of our past, we really can’t grow in our present or our future. So I would like to share with you two examples of negative events in my past.

            The first is when I got to my twenties, and all my friends started getting married. Some even started having kids. I myself longed to be married; longed to find that special someone in my life. I too desired to have children. I believed I would make a good husband and father. But the problem was/  that I wasn’t finding that person to whom I wanted to marry. The good thing is that I wasn’t trying to force the issue. I finally gave it to the Lord in my late twenties and said if I didn’t ever get married, that would be okay. And I did mean this. I committed myself to serving God in ministry. This didn’t mean that I stopped looking to date, but it did mean that I stopped worrying about being married. Really, what led me to give it up to the Lord and stop worrying about it, was a bad dating situation I had right before I met Tami. The person I was dating decided to go back with her boyfriend whom she had stopped seeing right before we dated! It was quite a surprise to me when she told me this!! ….Not too long after this, I met Tami!! And I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to have Tami as my wife.

            The second event is right after I finished seminary and was thinking about looking for a ministry call. I was working at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Camarillo, and they were in the process of looking for an associate pastor. I thought the job would be perfect for me, and it would mean that Tami and I could stay where we were. I got a call one day from someone on the committee telling me that I needed to get my PIF in right away, as the committee was ready to stop receiving resume’s. So I worked hard the next day and turned it into the committee. Not too long after that I found out that I did not get the call for the associate pastor position! This was hard enough to accept, but even more, I found out that the senior pastor had told the committee to not even consider my PIF because he didn’t think it was right for me. Isn’t that something the committee and I should have decided after an interview? HOWEVER, this rejection led me to Colorado, and then ultimately here to Community Presbyterian. It was difficult to get over the negative events, but as I look back I can see God helping me learn from them, and grow from them. God allowed them to benefit me as a person and as a minister. I believe God prepared me for this call through what I went through both at Trinity Presbyterian, and in Colorado. It makes me appreciate all the more the love and support I receive here!!

c.       Filtering Negative Events- So for us to bring positive out of the

negative in our lives, we have to learn how to filter these experiences through the proper lenses. And there is generally three lenses that will help us here.

            The first lens is the lens of character. Through some of the negative events of our lives, God is calling us to look at the issues that help us to learn about our self-esteem, our confidence level, and ourselves. God is calling us to believe in whom He made us to be. What are the areas of my life/your life where we might be deficient in character?

            The second lens is the lens of relational insight. Through this lens God is bringing to the surface how we relate to and react to people. Too often we let others run over us, or for some of us we might run over other people. We might tend to resist or run away from conflict, even though by running away/  the conflict doesn’t go away. How is God calling us to relate more maturely to others?

            The third lens is the lens of ministry assignment. The truth is, we are all called by God to be involved in some ministry or program. We might not admit it, or we might not seek to get involved, but we are called to get involved. Through negative events, God shows us where he wants us to be serving Him.

Conclusion: Paul tells us in Romans 8:28- “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God…” God can and does bring positive out of our negative experiences. I challenge you to not hide them away, but bring them to the surface, to God, and let Him bring amazing results and insight into your life. Let us praise God this day for how He walks with us in all things. Amen.

"Foolishness Made Wise"
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Sunday, April 22, 2012

Introduction: Have you ever met a really intelligent person? I mean a person who wowed you with their knowledge? I have known many intelligent people in my life. I am amazed at how some people are just so much smarter than others. If they are reading directions, they get it right away. If they are watching a complex movie, they can follow the plot line completely. When you talk with them, they are able to bring into their conversations quotes from famous authors. Like I said, they are quite impressive.

But there can be a problem with being too intelligent. Many times, those who are intelligent don’t have much common sense. They don’t know how to interact with others very well. They have trouble with the lack of knowledge that most people have. And even more, they may not understand how all the knowledge they possess fits into the scheme of every day life. They do not know how to transfer their knowledge into their living.

You see, as I’ve talked about before, there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is the accumulation of information. Wisdom is being able to use that information for life. As the well-known author and minister Chuck Swindoll said in his book The Strong Family, “Wisdom is the ability to see with discernment, to view life as God perceives it.”

I. Where is the one who is wise? (1 Corinthians 1:18-23; John 3:16; Psalm 33:10; Romans 1:21-22; Proverbs 14:12)

We have just finished Lent season, concluding on Easter Sunday. We talked about how Lent season is the time for us to remember the basics of why Jesus Christ came into the world and to understand what He did for us. But this is a problem for many people, especially when it comes to the cross. As the apostle Paul starts out in 1 Corinthians 1:18- He says, “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing…”

a. Those who are perishing- First of all, let’s understand who Paul means

when he talks about “those who are perishing.” There are only 2 classes we can fall under: one, is those who are perishing; and the other is those who are saved. Paul is trying to make it clear here that those who are perishing, are the ones that deny that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. The biggest reason they deny this is because they cannot believe that one whose life would be ended on a cross, in death, could be God’s Chosen One./ But the scriptures tell us clearly tell us that “God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” The word “gave” used in John 3:16 is the Greek word “didomi” which means to “give up to death.” It is in the “aorist” tense, which means that it is an event with no time reference. Meaning, that Jesus’ death is for all people in all times who believe. But those who do not believe will indeed perish!

So we have a problem here, and that is that those who are perishing, who don’t believe that Jesus’ death on the cross saves them, are thinking that they can discern life and death and eternal life better than God. Those who don’t believe in what God has done believe they have a better alternative to what life and death are all about. They believe that they can save themselves by their own means. What the Bible teaches, is to them foolishness. It doesn’t make sense. They can’t process it in a way that gives them an understanding of how things should be.

Example- There is a story of a woman who was having trouble getting her car started. Every time she would turn on the ignition she would get a clicking sound. So naturally she thought that her battery was dead. Without checking with anyone, she sent her son down to purchase a new battery. When he returned he put the battery in and she tried to start the car again, but she got those same clicking sounds./ Finally, she called a mechanic who took one look at her cable ends and analyzed her problem. He said, “Ma’am, you have a good battery but your cables are bad.” That day she learned a good lesson about her car; you must always make sure that you have a good connection to the battery.

You see, those who are foolish, really just have a bad connection to the power source; GOD. Their cables (which is what they believe in) are not connected right. They think they have the right answer (like the woman sending her son to the store for a battery), but they are misinformed, and therefore are not making a wise choice.

b. God makes the world’s wisdom foolishness- As Paul continues, we read in

verse 19- “For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise…’”/ Now what Paul is really doing here is making a play on words, because no one is wise except for God. We humans think we are wise. But we fool ourselves. We think we know a lot, but we are blinded to our foolishness. We think we have it figured out, but we don’t!

This is not a new thought, for from of old/ God’s way has stood in contrast to what humans think is wisdom. The book of Psalms and the book of Proverbs are filled with verses that explain wisdom. Psalm 33:10 tells us, “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the people.” You can tell here that it is nothing for God to frustrate the plans of even the strongest and wisest. People always think their way is right, but God confounds their wisdom and intelligence.

And isn’t it foolishness to think that we can know more than our creator? As Romans 1:21-22 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as

God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish

hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.”

People’s hearts become so darkened that they no longer acknowledge that there is a God that created them. People get so lost in their thinking that they believe they know more than the creator. They have gotten to the point we they do not have any sense that there is One who is greater and wiser than they are. And so therefore, they become the ones who are wise… in their own minds! But as Proverbs 14:12 states, “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.”

II. Christ: A Stumbling Block- (Luke 20:9-19; 1 Corinthians 1:23)

Let’s turn our attention back to Jesus Christ. As Paul says, Jesus is the One who becomes the greatest stumbling block.

a. Jesus’ time- In Jesus’ day we see this to be true. You don’t have to search

the scriptures very far to see this. Let me give you an example:

Story 1- “The Parable of the Wicked Tenants” which is found in Lk. 20:9-19, we read, ⁹He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. ¹⁰At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. ¹²He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. ¹³"Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' ¹⁴"But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' ¹⁵So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!" ¹⁷Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: " 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone^’? ¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." ¹⁹The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

Now we could say many things about this parable, for it is a rich and wonderful Bible passage. But for our purposes here this morning, I want to just make a couple of observations. The first observation is that this is a story about how people through the ages have treated God. The vineyard represents our world. The slaves represent the prophets that God sent to tell the people about Him. The son represents Jesus, God’s Son. And what did they do in this story? They rejected and killed the son.

The second observation is that when Jesus finished the story, the Scribes and Pharisees (the religious leaders) wanted to get rid of Jesus. However, they didn’t get rid of Him at that time because they feared the people./ They didn’t fear Jesus, because they didn’t believe that Jesus was God’s Son and had the power to bring them salvation. Jesus was a stumbling block to them because they believed He was falsely leading the people astray, teaching about His death, and how His death would bring life to the world. They couldn’t see, because they were blinded by their foolishness. As Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:23- “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”

b. From Jesus to now- There is much more I could say about what

happened in Jesus’ day, but let us turn our attention to modern times. Even today, Christ is a stumbling block for so many. You hear people say things like: “Christianity is so narrow, because it teaches that there is only one way to heaven; by believing in Jesus Christ.” Our world has trouble believing that Jesus was God in the flesh, and that His crucifixion is what brings salvation to people.

And so to try to get around this teaching, people will twist the scriptures. What they try to do is to make it so that the Bible doesn’t teach that Jesus is God in the flesh. If Jesus isn’t God in the flesh, then even if He did die, His death doesn’t bring salvation. Instead people try and say that Jesus was as perfect a human being as there could ever be. Jesus is not our savior, but our example of how we are to act and live. Or they say that Jesus is god-like. Depending on the group then, Jesus is referred to in different ways:

For Eastern-oriented religious groups, he is an avatar—one of the many incarnations of God. For Christian Scientists, he is the Great Healer.

For political revolutionaries, he is the Great Liberator. For Spiritualists, he is a first-rate medium. For Jehovah Witnesses, he is a god, but not on the same level as Jehovah, God the Father.

But the problem with all of this, is that it is foolishness. There is nothing in the Bible to support these claims; they are twisting scripture to develop a theology that fits into their belief system and lifestyle. But the Jesus of the Bible was the second person of the trinity, God in the flesh, crucified for our sin, and by whom we gain salvation!! This is not foolishness, it is truth!

III. God Is Wiser Than Humans- (1 Cor. 1:24-25; 1 Jn. 4:10; Prov. 2:1-5)

a. The wisdom of God- The Greek language has three words for

wisdom, and all three are used to describe God’s wisdom. The first is sophia, from which we get our word philosophy. It means insight into the nature of things; an ability to see through, to comprehend truly and fully what is going on. So sophia is having insight to the point of knowing things not only on a worldly level, but on a spiritual level as well. It is being able to understand the whole of things.

The second Greek word for wisdom is phronesis. Phronesis is taking insight and applying it. It is the ability to discern right modes of action in any given situation. Sophia and phronesis must be married to produce the fullness of wisdom.

The third Greek word for wisdom is sunesis. Sunesis, often translated as understanding, describes this marriage, this joining of sophia and phronesis. Sunesis is really the uniting of the reality/ with what is perceived.

For example, in Matthew 13:14-15, Jesus is quoting from the prophet Isaiah:

“You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn—and I would heal them.”

God alone has this kind of fullness of wisdom. God is able to understand the nature of things, the deeper meaning of life, and knowing what to do to get the desired result. And in this wisdom, God chose to have Christ crucified.

b. Wisdom and Power- Paul then finishes this passage with these

words in verses 24-25: “But to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”

On a school bulletin board there was found this message: “Free! Wisdom on Mondays through Fridays. Bring your own container.” (Amusing Grace, p. 149, #504)

The good news for us is that God’s wisdom to us is free. And the container we bring is our bodies and our minds, through faith. Those who believe, are the called. And as called we have access to the wisdom of God, which comes through Jesus Christ. Those who are called, know that the crucified Christ means power. Before the call/ we were defeated by sin; blinded by sin. After salvation, as we respond to this call, we now realize there is a new power at work in us; the power of God.

Christ is also the wisdom of God. This idea of wisdom runs through this passage. Paul’s joining together of wisdom and power is important. Had the way to God been through ‘wisdom,’ Christianity would have opened the way to salvation only to the intellectually gifted. The power in the cross opens the way for the humblest to know God and to overcome evil. Through Christ there is a wisdom superior by far to anything the philosophers could produce. So in this way, the ‘foolishness’ of God proved to be true wisdom. (Tyndale, NT Commentary: 1 Corinthians, by Leon Morris, p. 46)

So we see here that Paul is saying that the things of God, which might seem foolish to us, is wiser than any wisdom we could attain; and anything of God which might seem like weakness to us, is stronger than anything that could come from humans. God’s least bit of wisdom is greater than our greatest wisdom. God’s least bit of strength is greater than our greatest amount of strength. We cannot match God in any way, shape, or form.

Just because we don’t fully understand why God would choose to become human and die on the cross, doesn’t make it foolishness. What it does show is God’s great love for us. As we are told in 1 John 4:10- “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” And so we need to hear these words from Proverbs 2:1-5:

“¹ My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, ² turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, ³ and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, ⁴ and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”

Conclusion: In a Peanuts comic strip Lucy and Linus are talking. Linus asks Lucy: “When you get big, do you want to be somebody great?” To which Lucy responds: “That’s an insult.” Linus, confused by her response asks: “How is it an insult?” To which Lucy says: “I feel that I’m already great.” (The Parables of Peanuts, by Robert L. Short, p. 55)/ The sign-seeking Jews were blind to the significance of the greatest sign of all when it was before them, because they thought themselves to be great and wise. The wisdom-loving Greeks could not discern the most profound wisdom of all when they were confronted with it, because they too thought that they were great and wise./ We as well, too often think that we are already great and wise, and so we fail to seek to understand God’s great wisdom in coming to earth in Jesus Christ, and being crucified for our sin. I pray we would leave here today, humbling ourselves in a way that allows us to accept what God has done for us, see the great wisdom in the greatest event of our history, and through this event, accept that God’s wisdom is there for us to seek and understand. Amen.

"Transforming the Stone"
Easter Sunday, 4/8/12
Matthew 28:1-10

Introduction: When it comes to Easter, people have many responses. I’m not talking about Easter as a holiday. I’m talking about Easter, the event; the event of Jesus Christ being raised from death to life. The scope of thought stretches from unbelief to horror, curiosity to true belief./ I mean, just the words spoken to the women from the angel: “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen just as he said.”

What amazing words. “He is not here.” Jesus had said He would not be in the tomb after 3 days. But nobody really believed it. The women didn’t, because they were coming to visit Him in the grave. The disciples didn’t, because they were off grieving. And so, the question for us today is: Do we believe it? I mean believe it in a way that will transform our lives like it should!

To do this, let us walk through the positions that many others hold.

I. Unbelief- (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:1; Hebrews 9:27; John 18:36;

Luke 7:21-23; Matthew 17:22-23)

a. A fictional story- The first is unbelief. Many treat the resurrection like

a fictional story. I mean, all people die, and once they are dead, they are dead. Right? So a story about someone dying, and then coming back to life has to be fictional. Doesn’t it?

Illus. You might remember the television show “The Twilight Zone.” Each week

the crisp voice of Rod Serling would come out and set-up the show. And his last words before the show started were always: “As we travel into another dimension known as….The Twilight Zone.” And each week the show would indeed take us into another dimension where things would happen that could never happen in our dimension. The events of the show were bizarre and wild, and led us into facing our fears./ But the truth of the show is that it was not real; it didn’t happen.

That is what so many people believe about the resurrection. It wasn’t real; it didn’t happen. Something like that could never happen in our world. Death is final and cannot be changed once it happens. Even scripture affirms this:

Genesis 3:19- “You will have to work hard and to make the soil produce

anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed…”

Ecclesiastes 3:1- “There is a right time for everything: A time to be born and a time to die…”

Hebrews 9:27- “Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.”

So if scripture itself teaches this, then how could we believe that Jesus could have been raised from the dead?

b. A real twilight zone- To believe this would mean that we would have

to go into a real twilight zone; a dimension apart from our own. And to do this, we need to follow the thinking, the teaching of Jesus Himself. Jesus Himself would talk often in ways that didn’t fit into the thinking of this dimension. Jesus often made statements that sounded other dimensional.

Let’s look at a few of them: (John 18:36) ³⁶Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

Jesus tried to tell people that earth was not where He came from and not where He was going to stay. He had a mission, and after that mission He would return to His place; heaven.

Then in Luke 7:21-23, ²¹At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. ²²So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. ²³Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Now even though Jesus didn’t raise anyone from the dead in this passage,

He did start to speak about this possibility.

Matthew 17:22-23, ²²When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. ²³They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.”

Here Jesus straight out gives the statement that He would be raised from death to life. The disciples were filled with grief because they did not believe it could be possible. Others I’m sure just scoffed at His statement. But Jesus is talking about accessing a power beyond this world; the power of God that can bring people back from death to life.

II. Horror- (John 3:16)

a. A willing response- Another response that many people have to the

death of Jesus is that of horror. How could a father let his son die? If you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and if you don’t believe in the resurrection, then this event of Jesus being killed is a terrible, horrible thing. How often do we listen to the news and hear of a story of someone who is young dying a terrible death. We listen in horror.

But even worse is the story where a father or mother either watches as their child dies, or maybe even kills them, themselves. There is nothing more horrible than this kind of story. How could a parent ever just stand aside and let their child die? And isn’t this what God the Father did? John 3:16- “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” The Father willingly gave up His Son to death.

Amusing Grace: Page 107, #327- “There is a true story of a minister who was giving the eulogy of a prominent citizen and extolling the virtues of this individual. At one point in the eulogy the minister said/ while pointing to the body in the casket: ‘We have here only the shell—the nut is gone.”

Maybe this is fitting for Jesus. So many thought of Jesus as a nutcase. Maybe it was better that He was gone./ The religious leaders sure felt this, because they were the ones that sought to have Him killed using trumped up charges. But still, this couldn’t condone the act of a Father letting his son be killed.

b. The effect- We need to go back and read and understand the second

half of John 3:16- “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, (and then it continues) so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”/ The “so that” is important, because it is telling us that there is a purpose to Jesus’ death. While the death is a horrible thing, especially if you understand how He died, the effect of the death is a wonderful thing; it brings life to all who believe.

What would actually be more horrible is God leaving us in our sin to die, which would cause us to be eternally separated from God, from God’s love, and from God’s goodness. What would be more horrible is to have no hope in this life. What would be more horrible is for us to be lost in our sin with no idea of what direction to turn.

Jesus’ death and subsequent resurrection keeps these horrible events from occurring.

III. A Passing Fancy-

a. Can it last? Still others believe that Christianity is not true and will

not last. The French philosopher Voltaire once said: “The Bible and Christianity will pass within a hundred years.” Voltaire died in 1778. Christianity still continues strong.

Friedrich Nietzsche, in 1882, said: “God is dead.”/ Because of the dawn of science, Nietzsche believed that Christianity was doomed. And yet, Christianity continues.

And over the years, people have tried to bury Christianity, replace Christianity, or exchange Christianity for another belief. And while some have thrown away Christian beliefs, Christianity is still the largest faith in the world.

We are told by God in Isaiah 55:10-11, ¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

b. Standing Strong- It is said that 33% of the world is Christian. The

next closest religion is Islam at 21%. Now that is not an overwhelming amount of people by percentage, but by number it is approximately 2.1 billion people! The Christian movement has never been stronger. How can we explain this; how can we show that Christianity is not a passing fancy?

At first glance it is astounding. Jesus, who started this whole movement

was just a lowly peasant. He never wrote a book or held an office. He never journeyed more than 200 miles from his hometown. His friends left Him because His teaching was too hard to follow. One of His close followers, Judas, sold Him out to death. Those whom He helped forgot Him after He was arrested, and abandoned Him right before His death. But after His death they couldn’t resist Him.

WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE? His death and resurrection.

IV. A Transforming Belief-

a. The difference- Jesus’ death and resurrection make the difference,

because when He died, so did our sin. And when He rose, so did our hope. When Jesus rose from the grave/ your grave, and my grave, and the grave of everyone who believes was changed. It was no longer a final residence, but temporary housing. When we die, our permanent address will be heaven, and our permanent place will be in God’s glory.

But as important/ is that it changes our life here on earth as well. We are told in the book of Romans, 6:4- “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.”

When we believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are committing ourselves to a different, better kind of life. We seek to die to our old, sinful, hurtful way of living, and try to become born, and transformed into a new kind of life. We should be more ethical, more honest, more kind, and more loving. We should be able to overcome life’s hardship, because we have the power of the resurrection behind us. When we fail to live as Christ would live, it bothers us to the point where we know we need to change our behavior.

When King Herod heard that Jesus had been born, he gave this sentiment: “Kill Him, there is room for only one king.”/ That is true. There is room for only one king, and that king is Jesus! Jesus needs to be the king of our lives. And if this happens, then our lives will be transformed!

The “Dark sucker”- There was an article printed in the Journal of Sucker

Theory, from Bell Laboratories entitled “A Light in the Dark.” Here is a portion of that article… For years it has been believed that electric bulbs emitted light. However, recent information from Bell Labs has proven otherwise. Electric bulbs don’t emit light, they suck dark. Thus, they now call these bulbs dark-suckers. The dark theory, according to Bell Labs spokesman, proves the existence of dark, that dark has mass heavier than that of light, and that dark is faster than light. The basis of the dark-sucker theory is that electric bulbs suck dark. Take for example the dark-suckers in a room where the light is turned on. There is less dark right next to the lights than there is elsewhere. The larger the dark sucker, the greater the capacity to suck dark.

As with all things, dark suckers don’t last forever. Once they are full of dark, they can no longer suck. This is proven by the black spot on a full dark sucker. A new candle has a white wick. You will notice after the first use the wick turns black, representing all the dark which has been sucked into it. If you hold a pencil next to the wick of an operating candle, the tip will turn black because it got in the way of the dark flowing into the candle. Dark is also heavier than light. If you swim deeper and deeper, you will notice it gets darker and darker. When you reach a depth of approximately fifty feet, you are in total darkness. This is because the heavier dark sinks to the bottom of the lake and the lighter light floats to the tops.

In conclusion, Bell Labs stated that dark suckers make all our lives much easier. So, the next time you look at an electric bulb, remember that it is indeed a dark sucker!

As I read this, you might have wondered it if is true. Of course, this thinking of a dark sucker is ludicrous. At first it might make some sense, seeing that I mentioned Bell Labs. I also mentioned about the shadows by lights and the darkness of the deep ocean. As long as your focus is on the “dark” you can get confused very quickly. This is true in life as well. We hear someone teaching a different truth than that of the Bible, and we take our focus off of the truth of the Bible. This false teaching can sound true to us, unless we filter it through the truth of the Bible. The real truth is that light shines in darkness. Even the smallest of light can pierce through the thickest darkness.

Conclusion: The stone of the tomb represents the truth of the Bible. Jesus came to die for our sins, but He was also raised from the dead so that He could continue to be our living Lord. As our living Lord, He brings light inot our lives. As we believe this, our lives will be transformed, just as the moved stone in front of the tomb transformed the lives of the women who first came to the tomb. These women then proceeded to take this truth to the other disciples, who ultimately proclaimed it to the world. Because of this we can bring the light of Christ to the world and share this great truth! Let yourself be transformed by the stone, so that you can in turn help the lives of others to be transformed. Amen.