Monday, June 25, 2012

"Go Out and Go Deep"
John 4:7-26
Sunday, July 1, 2012


Introduction: In our passage this morning we see one of the few times that Jesus breaks away from the disciples. Normally, Jesus wants the disciples to see what He is doing. Much of how Jesus taught the disciples was by them watching Him deal with people, and loving people, and healing people. But in this case, Jesus is tired and sits down at the well to rest as the disciples go on ahead to buy some food. This gives Jesus the opportunity to encounter the Samaritan woman at the well. There are 2 reasons why Jesus does it in this way: first, Jews were not to talk to Samaritans; and second, men and women (especially those who are strangers) did not interact with each other. So the disciples, if they were there, would have made it difficult for Jesus to have this discussion with the woman.
            Jesus knows that He has a great opportunity for ministry to happen when He encounters this woman. Jesus understood that this woman, who was from Sychar, had traveled about a half of a mile outside the city to get water, when there was water in Sychar. Jesus understood that she was an outcast because of something she had done. Jesus took the time to minister to her. 
This morning we are going to look at how Jesus was able to reach out to her by finding a way to connect with her first, then finding some common ground to use for  discussion, and finally reaching the point of sharing a truth with her that would lead her to overcome the bondage she was under.

I.                   Be Willing To Be Served- (John 4:7)

a.      Helping others to feel needed- In the movie “Failure to Launch,”
Sarah Jessica Parker plays a woman who helps parents get their adult children to move out of the house. She does this by getting into a relationship with the men, and leading them to believe that it would be better to live out on their own. And so in one of the scenes in the movie, Sarah Jessica Parker is employing one of her strategies to reel the guy in, and this strategy is to allow the man to “teach her something.” She believes that if the man is put in this position of “instructor,” that it will lead him to feel more wanted and needed.
            This concept of connecting with people in a way that allows them to feel wanted and needed, can be a valuable way to build relationships. But unlike Sarah Jessica Parker, it needs to be sincere. When you can find a way where another person can help you, when you can seem to have a need met by another, it is humbling for you, and empowering for them.
            In fact, we see Jesus doing just this in our story. Jesus is sitting at the well, He is thirsty, but the well is too deep for Him to get any water. Then this woman comes along, and she has a bucket to get water. This is a great opportunity for Jesus to break the ice, and to have a need met by another. So He says to the woman: “Give me a drink.”/              This surprises the woman that Jesus, a Jewish man, would speak to her, a Samaritan woman. And yet, just by getting her to speak this statement, Jesus has broken the ice. Because she has spoken, it opens the door for Jesus to respond and begin a discussion.

b.      Helping another who is burdened- Now before we get into analyzing
this discussion, I want to point out something else that is important. I’m sure that this discourse, in John chapter 4, is not the whole discussion that took place. It is probably a summary that was told to the disciples and which John placed in his gospel. It is like the minutes of a meeting. It gives you the overview of the important points, but does not include everything that was said. I make mention of this, because I think that this woman was burdened by her predicament of having had several husbands; burdened by her failure in her relationships; burdened by being an outcast. And I’m sure that she saw love and compassion in Jesus’ eyes. In Jesus, she saw someone who wasn’t going to judge her, but would listen to her and be there for her.
            EX. I have seen this happen in my own life as well. I have always seemed to have this gift where people will share their troubles with me. When Tyler and Tiffany were in elementary school, I would drop them off at school. Every so often I would get into a conversation with one of the other parents. As I talked to them, I could  tell they felt burdened about something, and the more we talked the more they shared their predicament. And as they shared, I could see that their burden was being lifted off of them, because they finally had found someone who would listen to them, without judging them. Even though our talking didn’t solve the problem, it was still helpful because I could guide them to Jesus, and let them know that I would pray for them.
            I believe that this happened with Jesus and the woman. Jesus is willing to converse with her, and she senses Jesus to be someone with whom she can pour out her soul, and maybe even find some help and release from her inner turmoil.
            By asking for her help, Jesus in a sense humbles Himself to her, and she feels a sense of empowerment. This gives her the courage to speak out to Jesus.
            And so, I ask the first question of the day: “Who is someone that you know who might be burdened? How can you ask for their help, and by doing so open up the lines of communication for discussion in a way that might let you help them in their burden?” It could be that you need to borrow some sugar from your neighbor, or maybe something has broken and you know someone who could help you fix it. There are many ways in which you can ask for help and create an opportunity.

II.                Find Common Ground- (John 4:7-15, 21-23)
Jesus knows that there are some barriers as He talks with this woman: he is Jewish and she is a Samaritan; she is a woman and He is a man. Jesus can tell that  she feels they have nothing in common. So Jesus begins to further the discussion by showing her the things they do have in common.
a.      Water- The first is water. She is seeking to get water that will satisfy
her thirst. Jesus wants her to know that there is a thirst in her, in us, that is greater than physical thirst. It is our spiritual thirst. While our physical thirst seems to be a greater need, because it is always there before us, our spiritual thirst is more hidden and needs to be brought to our attention.
            Isn’t this true in our world? People are seeking the physical. Whether it is relationships, or sex, thrills or possessions, the physical needs seem to be most important. And yet, the spiritual is a vital part of who we truly are. The truth is our spirit is the only thing that will live on after we die. And so caring for the spiritual is a greater need./  In verse 10 we read: “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you ‘give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’”/  Jesus surprises her with this statement. I believe this answer is very clever of Jesus, because now Jesus has this woman’s curiosity going, and from this point on she will lead the conversation forward. Jesus takes the topic of water, and leads her into a spiritual discussion!
b.      The well- The second thing that they have in common is the well.
Jesus’ statement in verse 10 causes the woman to respond in verses 11 & 12: “…. ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well..?”/  Wow. The woman has now opened up the conversation to “living water” and “Jacob.” What a great opportunity for Jesus to move forward in a spiritual discussion. What a great opportunity Jesus has of challenging the woman in regards to faith.
            Jesus responds in verse 13: “… ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’”/  After this statement, the woman wants what Jesus has for her. She is hooked by His truth and by the fact that even someone like her, burdened by her past, can receive this eternal life./     But Jesus knows that she is not ready yet. She has to admit her sin and unburden her life. So Jesus asks her about her husband. “I have no husband” she responds. Jesus tells her that He knows all about her life; her 5 husbands before, and now she is living unwed with a man!/
Jesus says this in a way that is truthful and yet not judgmental. We see this to be true by her response in not shying away from Jesus, or turning and running, but to call Jesus a prophet and to talk about worship./  This opens another door.
c.      Worship- The third thing that they have in common is worship. And
in fact, Jesus knows that other than salvation, worship is the most important aspect of life. Jesus knows that all people have been created to worship God, but that so many worship the wrong god, or worship in the wrong way. So Jesus tries to educate the woman on worship; its importance and how it is to be done.
            He flat out tells the woman that she is worshipping wrong. Jesus has now established Himself enough to speak with this kind of forwardness and truth. She is worshipping the wrong god! And Jesus has the opportunity to tell her this./   How often do we realize that someone is worshipping the wrong god, and not tell them?
EX. A number of years ago we had some neighbors move in across from us. The family consists of 3 children, a mom, and a dad. Our children started to play with them and become friends with them. They are Catholic, but do not go to church regularly. I started to talk with the mom about faith issue. One day I noticed that some Mormons were starting to visit her house. This concerned me, so I prayed to see if God wanted me to help educate her on how Mormons were not Christians. God gave me an opportunity, and after that she didn’t let the Mormons come anymore.
We should tell others when they are seeking after the wrong gods! And Jesus did tell this woman. But even more, Jesus told her who she should worship, and how she could worship. Jesus tells her that the God of the Jews is the true God, and that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who will lead all people to the true God. And so it is through Jesus only that we can worship God.
      But even more than that, it is through our spirit that we worship. Because God is Spirit, not physical, we have to find a way to connect our spirit to the Spirit of God. That is what a worship service is designed to do, connect our spirit with God’s spirit. That is where prayer, and singing, and the Bible, and confession come in. These aspects of worship lead us to the inner part of our being; to our spirit. And as we open ourselves to God in worship, God can then fill us with His Spirit and lead us forward.

III.             Speak the Truth- (Galatians 6:1; John 4:16-20, 24-26)
The last point I want to make this morning, is that you can be straight with
people, you can be truthful with people, and still be loving. The apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:1- “My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”
a.      In love- The whole concept of speaking truth is to restore others to a
right way of living, and a right way of worshipping. But this is to be done with gentleness and love. When Jesus spoke truth to the woman, He didn’t want to embarrass her, or put her down, but rather to help her to move to a place where she realized that she was not living right, and to help her to be right with God. I believe this is why Jesus spoke to the woman without the disciples. This whole encounter would have been embarrassing for her in front of others. And yet it was needed, so Jesus did it one on one. As you speak the truth in love with others, do it one-on-one.
            Illus. - I’LL CATCH YOU- One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."
            Often, when we encounter others who have gone astray, and we speak the truth to them, they are not always willing to listen and change their ways. They are like the boy who couldn’t see his father, and because they can’t see the way to go, we have to assure them that we can see and we will get them there safely. Jesus was letting the woman know that He knew the truth and could guide her to where she needed to go. If she trusted Him, He would get her out of her sinful life, and into a wonderful and worshipful relationship with the true God!
b.      Without judgment- But on top of this, Jesus didn’t judge her.
Although it might seem like He was judging her, telling her that she was living in sin, and telling her that she didn’t worship the right God, in fact Jesus was trying to help her see the error of her ways./  If Jesus was judging her, He would have told her there was no hope for her.
            Let me show to you that Jesus wasn’t judging her by sharing again with you some statements He made to the woman: verse 10, “if you knew the free gift that God is offering you..”/   In answer to her statement “I have no husband,” Jesus concludes: “What you say is true.” And then He goes on to help her see whom He is, and whom God is, and how to worship this God. And when the disciples come and ask Jesus why He is talking to her, Jesus goes on to talk about doing the will of His Father, and that the fields are ripe for harvesting the lost.
            As I said before, the woman didn’t feel judged, or she would have left, or tried to defend herself. But instead she made statements like: “Sir, give me this water,” and “I see you are a prophet.” And then when she goes and talks to the people back in the city. She tells them about Jesus being the Messiah./   Even though Jesus is the One person who could judge her, He doesn’t. WHY? This wasn’t the time to judge her, and judgment wouldn’t serve God’s purposes. God’s purpose for Jesus, and for us, is to go out into the world and without judgment share God’s truth of love and salvation.

Conclusion: God’s call on our lives, as individuals, and as a church is to build bridges with those who are lost or have gone astray. In our scripture passage today we saw a wonderful example of how Jesus built a bridge with the woman at the well. We saw how this allowed Him to capture her interest, so that He could share God’s truth with her. Just as the well was deep, so Jesus was able to go deep with this woman. I pray that we would find ways to have deep spiritual conversations with those in our lives who haven’t yet found the truth of God. And when we do, may we do it in a loving and non-judgmental way. Let us commit to do this for the Lord now and always. Amen.

Monday, June 18, 2012

"You Are My Servant"
Isaiah 49:1-7
Sunday, June 24, 2012


Introduction: Last Sunday we talked about Jesus’ call, for workers to work in the harvest. Jesus tells us that the need is great (there are many in the harvest who aren’t saved), but there are much fewer people to work the harvest. We talked about needing to have a heart like God, praying the prayer ‘God, use me.’
            Today we are looking at Isaiah 49:1-7 and the important truth of God calling us to do His work. This calling, even back in Isaiah’s time, went out to all people, Jews and non-Jews alike. As Isaiah starts with these words in verse 1: “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations.” The call goes out to all. All who will listen, even from faraway lands, they are asked to heed the call and serve the Lord!
            This morning I want us to see how God knows us deeply and intimately. For those who are attentive to God’s voice, His words will penetrate deep into our being. And God is ever-present in our lives!

I.                   You Named Me- (Isaiah 49:1-2; Psalm 139:13-16; Heb. 4:12; Lk. 9:59-60)
a.      Before I was born- There is a wonderful truth in the Bible, and that is
that God knows us deeply. We read it here in Isaiah 49, verse 1, when it says: “Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth He has made mention of my name.” We read it also in Psalm 139:13-16, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
            Because God is all-knowing, He has known us even before we were born. In knowing us, God knew what our skills, and gifts, and talents would be. God was calling us to be His child and to do His work even before we were born. GOD KNEW US BY NAME. God knows us by name. This is a big deal, that the God of the universe, the God of all creation KNOWS US!
            For some, this causes them to feel fear, because of the way they are living. But it shouldn’t cause us fear, it should excite us. God knows us, and loves us, and gives us a purpose for living: to do His work. God made us to be wonderful people. The challenge is to live up to this. Some of us do, but many others squander their lives away. How often have you seen someone’s life, and said: “They had so much potential, but they aren’t doing anything with their life?!”
            Psalm 139 tells us that ‘all the days ordained for me were written in your book…’ Would you say that you are becoming the person God created you to be? In what ways do you need to grow more? In what ways do you need to serve the Lord more? In what ways do you need to give up your selfish choices, and choose things more in line with what God would have for you? As long as you run away from the purpose and call that God has for your life, you will not be satisfied with life. You will always be wanting, and wondering why you are not at peace with life.
b.      Give me words to speak- Isaiah knew that God knew him from birth.
Isaiah knew that God had called him to be a servant of the Lord. Isaiah knew that this call was to be a prophet of the Lord. As a prophet, Isaiah was to speak the truth of God to God’s people. This was not always easy, because it required Isaiah to reprove God’s people for their wrongdoing. Isaiah had to let the people know that they had turned away from God, and that they were suffering because of their turning away. In their turning away, they had left God’s presence and God’s power.
            Isaiah says in 49:2, “He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. In the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver.” If you have been with us on Wednesday nights as we have studied the book of Isaiah, you have seen how eloquently Isaiah writes. The book of Isaiah is filled with wonderful poetic like statements that make powerful points. In this verse Isaiah is saying that God is the One who gives Isaiah the words he is to speak. His words will be like a sharpened sword which will be able to cut deep into the people’s hearts, and minds, so that they will hear and understand what God wants them to know. We see a similar illustration in Hebrews 4:12, which says: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
God will not leave Isaiah to do the work alone, God will give
Him help in what he is to say! The words Isaiah speaks
will penetrate like the word of God itself.
            Have you ever wondered about how you could speak for God? We are not called to be prophets, but we are called to speak God’s truth. There are many scriptures that tell us that our calling is to tell people about the Lord. Jesus, in Luke 9, is talking to a man, and calls him to follow. The man starts to make an excuse as he says in verse 59: “…‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’” Jesus wasn’t being unkind to the man by telling him not to go bury his father. Jesus knew the man was just making an excuse, and was basically saying that if he didn’t follow now, he might never follow. And the call when we follow is to go and proclaim the name of Jesus! AND GOD WILL GIVE US THE WORDS TO SAY.

II.                The Splendor of God is on Me- (Isaiah 49:3-4; Colossians 3:17)
a.      God’s blessings- Helen Keller once said: “The best and the most
beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched…they must be felt.”
            Illus. “A King who did not believe”: Once upon a time there was a king who did not believe in the goodness of God. This king had a slave who, in all circumstances would say: ‘My king, do not be discouraged, because everything God does is perfect, no mistakes!’ One day they went hunting and along the way a wild animal attacked the king. His slave managed to kill the animal, but could not prevent his majesty from losing a finger. Furious and without showing his gratitude for being saved, the nobleman said "Is God good? If He was good, I would not have been attacked and lost my finger." The slave replied only "My king, despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good, and he knows the "why" of all these things. What God does is perfect. He is never wrong!"            Outraged by the response, the king ordered the arrest of his slave. Later, he left for another hunt and was captured by savages who made human sacrifices. While on the altar, ready to sacrifice the noble, the savage found that the king had a missing finger and so he was released. According to them: he was not so complete to be offered to the gods. Upon his return to the palace, the king authorized the release of his slave to whom he said very affectionately: My friend, “God was really good to me! I was almost killed by the wild men, but for lack of a single finger, I was let go! But I have a question: If God is so good, why did he allow me to put you in jail?” My King, “If I had gone with you in this hunt, I would have been sacrificed for you, because I have no missing finger."
            Isaiah tells us in verse 3: “God said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor…” As Israel was God’s servant, so we are God’s servants. As God desired to display His splendor in Israel, so He wants to display His splendor in us! We need to have eyes to see that God displays His splendor in and through our lives in ways we might not imagine, but if we trust we will see it come true. We will indeed see the goodness of God. Because of this we are called by God to live our lives in His will!
            As His servants, we will see God’s glory displayed in our lives. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:17, And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
b.      Laboring for a purpose- There are many who live their lives and do
not see God’s splendor on them. There are many on whom we do not see God’s splendor. So if God’s splendor is to be on us, why are so many lacking this splendor? The key is that we need to live as God’s people; as God’s servants. We will not experience God’s holiness, goodness, wonder, or care if we are not living in the will and the way of God.
            This was true of Isaiah’s people in Isaiah’s time, and it is true for us. In fact, the Israelites saw themselves taken into slavery by Babylon because they turned from the Lord. The truth is, they were laboring in vain. This is indeed what Isaiah said to God in verse 4: “But I said, ‘I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.’” Have you ever felt like this, like you are laboring in vain? Do you feel that you have no real purpose in your life? It is because you have turned from the Lord and are not following His will and His way.
            Actually, recognizing the fact that your life seems to have no purpose is the first step to encountering God’s splendor in your life. If we think that life is great, and that we don’t need God (like so many do for a time), then we will live life without God being a part of it; we will continue down that path of laboring in vain. So many people go through life seeking to find happiness and meaning in things. Life will never have meaning and purpose until we make contact with the One from above —God. When we try and find meaning apart from God, we tend to do what everyone else is doing, and we fail to see what life really is about.
            Finishing verse 4, Isaiah says: “Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” Once you accept that God has your best interest in mind, and accept that what He gives you is what is due to you, and don’t compare it with what is going on with everyone else, THEN you will understand that what you have is God’s reward to you. More often than not, the greatest reward you will receive is when you are serving the Lord, and you see how God touches the lives of people around you because of your service! Affecting people’s lives for good, and for God, is truly a wonderful reward.

III.             Your Hand is on Me- (Isaiah 49:5-7)
a.      Bring us back- Illus. “Footprints, the New Version,” You might be
familiar with the poem, Footprints, but I came across a new version of it that I think illustrates our next point well. Let me read it to you… Imagine you and the Lord
Jesus are walking down the road together.  For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling, His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.  Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.
           
This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change.  The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.
Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one. This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints. You are amazed and shocked…..Your dream ends. 
            Now you pray: "Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits.  I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You." "That is correct."  "And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely." "Very good. You have understood everything so far."
When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like
You in every way." "Precisely."
            "So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."
……There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice. "You didn't know?  It was then that we danced!"
            Isaiah gives us these beautiful words in 49:5, And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength.” God does not let us go off on our own without seeking us out. God calls us to Himself, and when we stray, He pursues us, and reminds us of His love. God is ever waiting for us to come to Him. And when we do, we realize how we need to be like Him; walk in His steps. And when we reach that place, we do indeed feel like dancing because we find our place in this world, and for eternity!
b.      Even greater purpose- Yet, in all that God calls us to do, God has an
even greater purpose for us! Hear verse 6: It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
God is letting Isaiah know that more was being asked of him. Not only was Isaiah being called to speak out to God’s people so that they would return to God. God wanted Isaiah to speak to the Gentiles (the non-Jews) and call them to God as well.
            If we were to think about what this means for us, it means that as we find ourselves in a diverse community, we are to reach out to all people. It is probably the easiest to invite people to church who are Christians, but don’t have a church. Yet, God wants us also to invite people who aren’t Christians to come to church. Even more, God wants us to invite people who are different than us to come to church. Who we invite should not be about comfortability, but about fulfilling the call to reach out to all people; for all people need the Lord!
            God wants to make us a light to all people. What does a light do? It shines in the darkness so you can see. As a light for the Lord, we are to shine the light of God’s love and salvation. As a light, we are to help break through the sin and selfishness that have a hold on people, and help them to be free of that burden. As a light, we shine the way, so that people can come into the presence of the Lord and become children of God.
            Who do you know who have strayed away from the Lord? Reminding them about the Lord is like Isaiah bringing back the tribes of Jacob. Who do you know who doesn’t know the Lord? This is like Isaiah being a light to the Gentiles. Let the Lord speak through you. Receive the words of God into your life, and let them shine from you to those around you!

Conclusion: For the last month or so I have been talking about how we are called to call others to the Lord. If we were to do this faithfully, and successfully, we would see our church filled with people praising God. We would see people coming to know the Lord and being saved. We would experience baptisms, and confessions, and spiritual vitality. I hope you will really hear the words of Isaiah from chapter 49. Let yourself understand that God knows you deeply and intimately. Be attentive to God’s voice and let His words penetrate deep into our being. Know that God is ever-present in your life! Be a light for the Lord, shining to all who need to see Jesus. Let us commit ourselves to doing this, today, and every day. Amen.

Monday, June 11, 2012

"Our State of Mind"
Exodus 2:11, 3:1-7, 10
Sunday, June 17, 2012


Introduction: I have to confess to you that probably the toughest part of the week for me is Monday morning. I come into the office knowing that there are many things to do; people to see and visit, meetings to prepare for and attend, studies to teach. But it is also challenging because I come into my office, turn on my computer, click on a new document, and wonder what I am going to say in my next sermon. Now I always have a title and a scripture to get me started, but it is a big responsibility to have the role of preaching every week. So I take it seriously, and with humility. I want to make sure that I am speaking the words God wants me to say. I want to challenge, and encourage, and lead, and teach. I know that this time we have together each week is a valuable time for changing and transforming our lives for God. This meeting together each week as a church is important!!

I.                   The Function of the Church- (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
a.      The local church- So I think we need to understand that the local
church, this church we belong to, is greatly important. It is important first, because it is the most leadership intensive enterprise in society. Look at the structure of the church. You have a few paid employees, but you have many volunteers. And in this volunteering, people have an opportunity to lead, and teach, and gain leadership skills. There are very few places in society where you can practice leading even when you haven’t acquired the skills yet for that particular kind of work./  But in the church you can./   Second, there is great sacrifice. When people volunteer, they sacrifice their time. It is said now that time for people is even more valuable than money. So when people give up their time to work in the church, they are making a sacrifice. But it is a sacrifice of love. And because of this leading and sacrificing, the church is still the greatest institution in making a difference in our world. We should never discount the importance of the local church. There is no church too small that it can’t make a difference, not just for God, but for the community in which it resides.
b.      The spiritual gift- In 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, the apostle Paul reminds
us: 4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” /  There is no better place than the church to seek to know and use our spiritual gifts. And yet there are a couple of challenges in this. The first challenge is the fact that many people don’t try to know what their gifts are, or if they know, they don’t always seek to use them. When we don’t use our gifts, which the Bible tells us is for the common good, we keep much good from happening in and through the church. But the second challenge is that often times the church undermines the expression of people’s gifts. Meaning that we don’t find the ways to help people put their gifts to use. The best way for a church to do this is to start new ministries based on the gifts of its members. This not only gives new opportunities for ministry, it also expands the impact of the church.
c.      Leading and being led- Over the years I have talked a lot about
leadership. I have expressed what for most of us is a new definition of leadership. Let me share that definition again: Leadership is having influence in the life of another. And while it is true that we all can be leaders, it is equally true that there are times when there is one leader, or a small group of leaders, and there are also those who follow. In this situation, being the leader does not make one better than those who follow, but there are times when it is bad to have too many leaders. In fact, most people in a church love to be led. Most people do want to have a strong leader who helps them to hear and know the call, and to move forward in that call. If you have too many people trying to play the role of leader in this scenario, you could have chaos and confusion. So there are times when God calls for those with the gift of leadership to step forward and lead. That is why I appreciate the Nominating Committee, because together we seek to discern who we believe God is calling to help lead this church. It is an endeavor that is taken with seriousness and prayer. It is an endeavor that requires a listening ear and a humble spirit. It is an endeavor that if employed right, sets the church in the right direction.
d.      Hope for the future- But all the more I believe that the church, more
than any other institution, is the hope of the world. Now this is an interesting state-ment considering that church attendance is going down in our society. It is an interesting statement when you see people searching for religious understanding in so many places other than the church. But just because we see this happening, doesn’t mean that the church can’t still play a big impact in our world. In fact, it should challenge us all the more to find ways to connect our church with our community and our world. A while ago we did a Bible Study series on a book called “The Present Future.” It is about the church learning how to transform herself to be relevant in an ever-changing world. It is about the church accepting the challenge to find new ways to reach out with the message of Jesus Christ, because we believe we have such an important message that needs to get out.
Did you know that during times of crises and disaster, the local churches have as big if not a bigger impact in people’s lives than organizations like the Red Cross and others? We have to believe in the local church, and continue to make the commitment to do what we need to do to make a difference and continue to proclaim the hope that is found in God! We have to rise up together and show this message of hope by the way we live our lives (as people who are saved) and by the way we love others.

II.                The Function of A Leader- (Exodus 2:11, 3:1-7, 10, 16-22)
And yet, having said all of that, let me now turn back to the idea of how each
one of us is a leader, and needs to be a leader. A leader helps to cast a vision, build teams to carry out that vision, and by carrying out the vision, bring in needed change. And so we have to believe that each of us is capable at any time of casting a vision from God. We have to believe that each of us can see a part of what God is calling us to do, and how this can fit together with the role of the church.
a.      Cast vision- So it starts with seeing the vision that God has for each
one of us. And there is a vision for each of us. But how do we know what it is? It actually is fairly simple to discover it. You discover it by asking yourself a question: “What stirs me up?” In Exodus 2:11-12, we read, “11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” /    
            You see here that Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of his own people. He also noticed that nobody was doing anything about it. It bothered him so much that he acted upon it. Unfortunately, he did not choose a good way of dealing with it, because he killed the Egyptian. But the point is that he was stirred up by the abuse he saw taking place. We see God using this later when Moses encounters God in the burning bush. God knows that seeing the Hebrews suffer disturbs Moses. And so God sends Moses on a mission to free the Hebrews from the Egyptians./     
EX. You may remember the cartoon “Popeye the Sailor Man”? In almost every episode of this cartoon, Popeye’s girlfriend Olive Oil would get picked on. Popeye would try to deal with the situation, but always got turned away. Finally he would get to the point where he would say: “That’s all that I can stands; I can’t stands no more.” Then he would eat his spinach, which would make him strong, and he would take care of the situation.
            In each one of us there is something that causes us to stir. To cast a vision about it we need to understand what that one thing is. We have to let it cause us to say: “That’s all that I can stands; I can’t stands it no more,” and then act upon it. In this way we cast a vision for a ministry to happen! For me, it is seeing how people are so lost without Jesus in their life. This has led me to become a minister, and seek to find ways to care for people in the name of Jesus, and speak often about the love of Jesus!
            When David, in the Old Testament, heard Goliath trash talking his God, he got to that place where he couldn’t stand it anymore, and acted on behalf of God. When Martin Luther King Jr. couldn’t stand the racial oppression anymore, he was led to speak and act against it.
SO WHAT IS THIS AREA THAT YOU CAN’T STANDS NO MORE  (Homelessness, hunger, poverty, abuse, racial injustice)?
b.      Build teams- In Exodus 3:16ff, when God was sending Moses off, He
told Moses to go and assemble the elders of Israel for this task./   This reminds us that once you have a vision, the next step is to build a team through the church, because when we do it together, more can get accomplished than trying to do it by ourselves. And most often this might mean starting a new ministry.
That is why a team is important, because we can work together to get the resources we need to move the vision forward. With more bodies you have more ideas, more energy, more time at work to make the vision happen. You can begin to seek out others who might have this same passion and desire. And there is joy in the activity because you are using your passion and giftedness for the kingdom of God. And like Moses, David, Martin Luther King Jr. and others, God will bless your efforts and bring hope to those who are struggling to have hope; bring love to those who don’t feel loved.
c.      Leading change- This all will lead to change. It could be a small
change, like helping one family get back on their feet.     EX. I remember a situation when I was in Colorado. One of the families in our church was struggling. The mother was sick and couldn’t do much, and the father was going to school while trying to work. He was almost done with his schooling, which would allow him to get a better job and provide better for his family. He came to me one day and told me he couldn’t pay his house payment that month (his payment was only $300.00). So I decided to take this to our men’s ministry, and that morning I raised $350.00 ($300.00 went to the rent and the other $50 went for food). Soon after that he finished school and got a better job!
Or it could be a big change, like changing policy that helps people to get more help. The result shouldn’t be your goal as much as trying to make a difference in this area that God has led you to. And by moving forward on this vision, others will come alongside, and some will even branch off to other ministries they feel passionate about.

III.             The Function of A Committed Life- (2 Chronicles 16:9; Luke 10:1-2; Ex. 4:1-5)

In 2 Chronicles 16:9 we are told: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout
the entire earth, to strengthen the entire earth…” God is looking for people who will go out in His name to strengthen people for Him. Remember Jesus, with a heavy heart told His disciples in Luke 10:1-2 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”/  
a.      What’s in your heart- God is looking for people like you and me to do
His work. God is looking for us to be committed to Him. The most powerful prayer we can pray is this: “God, use me.” That’s it:         “God, use me.” Because when you are willing to commit yourself to God in this way, God will use you in powerful and wonderful ways.
So as we get to this point and have seen the function of the church and the function of a leader. Each of us needs to understand our place in all of this. And to fulfill our place, we must make that commitment to God, by saying: “God, use me.” But for God to use us, we have to evaluate ourselves with this question: “What is in my heart?” /  God wants us to have a heart like His. God wants us to see the world the ways He sees it. God wants us to use our resources the way He gave them to us to be used.
            King Solomon was the richest, most famous, most intelligent king there was in all of the Bible. And yet, even with riches and fame and intelligence, he prayed this prayer to God in Psalm 72:1-4, Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.” / We see here that Solomon’s desire was to serve God by serving those who were afflicted and needy. Solomon was one who committed himself to being used by God. Solomon’s heart was one that sought to see what God saw, and feel what God felt, and act in the ways God would act. Our state of mind must be the same. God, use me.

b.      What is in your hand? We don’t have to have the fame, the riches, the
power, or the intelligence of Solomon to do this. We just have to have a willing heart. Because God can do great things with a willing heart. The beauty of all of this is that God uses what we already have. When Moses was concerned with being taken seriously, God asked Moses this question: “What is in your hand?” Moses answered: “A staff.” Moses had a simple shepherd’s staff with him. God wanted to show Moses that it wasn’t what you had, but the fact that he had God with him. So God went on to tell Moses that the staff would be what God used to do great things through Moses. Now it is important to understand that God doesn’t do miracles to show off, but to make a point. And so everything that God would do through Moses and his staff would be to make the point that God can use whatever we have, to do his works; we just have to be willing and committed.
            So God tells Moses to lay down his staff and God will make it come alive. And when Moses lays down the staff, it becomes a snake. And as the time goes on, God uses Moses’ staff to turn the water into blood, to split the Red Sea, to make water come out of a rock. This simple “STAFF” becomes “the rod of God.”
            God asks us the same question: “What is in your hand?” We may say, “I have a car, but it doesn’t work too well.” Or we may say, “I have a talent for cooking.” Or we may say, “I have a little money, but hardly enough to live on.” And God says to us: “LAY IT DOWN, AND I WILL TAKE IT UP AND DO MIRACLES!!”
EXAMPLE- I have here 10 coins. And let’s say God
asks me to give 1 away. How many do I still have? Nine, right.
Nine coins is still a good amount. The Bible tells us
that we are to give one tenth of what we have away, and that
the 9/10’s that we have left will be enough to care for our needs,
while the 1 we gave away will be multiplied to make miracles
happen as the church ministers to others for God.
            It may be $1 of every ten you have. It may be a tenth of your time to service for God in some way. It may be something else that you possess. But be open to those times when God asks you to use what you have so that He might do a miracle through you.

Conclusion: What is in your heart? Hopefully it is a desire to pray: “God, use me.” And what is in your hand? For each of us it is different. But whatever it is, if we lay it down, God will lift it up and do miracles with it!! Whatever we commit to God, God will use. I pray that Our State of Mind is becoming more and more like God’s each day. The way to become like Christ is to give. Let us seek to give this day, this month, this year. Amen.

Monday, June 04, 2012

"Go Out Together"
Mark 6:6-13
Sunday, June 10, 2012


Introduction: I remember my first public speaking class. We were told that we had to write a speech and then give it to the class. If you know anything about public speaking, writing a text for speaking is much different than writing a text for reading. So the challenge for me was twofold: how to write a speech. And then having the courage to speak it to the class./    Have you ever had an experience like this? An experience where you were asked to do something that was not only out of your comfort zone, but also out of your current ability?
In Mark, chapter 6, the disciples had been comfortable watching Jesus talk to others and make the speeches. But all of a sudden Jesus decides it is time for the disciples to try it./    Yikes! How scary is this?/             The truth is, while the text talks about how this was a challenge for the disciples, I want us to all understand that in some way or another the challenge is for us as well.

I.                   Follow the Buddy System- (Mark 6:6b-9; Deuteronomy 17:6)
a.      Go in pairs- As we think about Jesus sending the disciples out, and we
think about their fear of going, it is interesting to note that Jesus didn’t send them out by themselves, but in pairs. Unlike the “public speaking” class, the disciples weren’t asked to do the assignment on their own. They were given a partner; a buddy. I believe this was for several reasons: first, there is safety in numbers.
EX. 1- If you have ever worked with kids, you know that whenever you take a group on a trip, you always have them “buddy up” so that if they were to somehow get separated from the group, they wouldn’t be by themselves./  Second, having a partner gives you more courage and confidence because you know that you don’t have to do it all yourself; there is someone else helping you in the task. But even more important, the third reason is because there is truth in more than one witness. As Deuteronomy 17:6 tells us in regards to the law: “On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.”/  In a court of law, there is much more truth found in a testimony if it is corroborated by two or more witnesses. So Jesus sending out the disciples in pairs gives more authority to the testimony, to the witness they will give.
EX. 2- In the original Matrix movie, there is a character called NEO who discovers that all that he knows and believes of life is not true. The film is about a world in which the Matrix is an artificial reality created by machines to subdue and make use of the human population/  as an energy source/  by growing them and connecting them to the Matrix. Neo comes to join a group that is seeking to destroy the Matrix and free the humans from these machines. To do this they must destroy agents of the machines who are seeking to keep the truth from being revealed. Each time they go to attack these agents, they go in pairs or in groups. However, the leader, Morpheus, is captured in one of the trips, and so Neo goes back himself to save Morpheus. This is almost his undoing, because he has no back-up and no help!
b.      Take nothing on the journey- But if this assignment given to the
disciples wasn’t tough enough, Jesus tells them to take almost nothing with them on the journey…. I have some props here to help us with the lesson. First the things they can’t take: bread (meaning they weren’t supposed to take any food), a bag (meaning they weren’t supposed to take any extra clothes), and money (so they couldn’t buy anything). The things they could take: a staff, a tunic, and sandals. Why are they to take almost nothing?
            It is simple, Jesus is telling them that they are being sent on a trip in which they are to trust God. God will take care of their needs, and by taking almost nothing, they will have to depend on God providing for their needs.
EX. At the end of the year we always have a time when we are called upon to make a pledge to the church. You get a pledge card,  you fill out the card and then send it in. The Session collects the cards, calculates what has been pledged, and then with your help, we form a budget for the next year. The challenge in this process is that the pledges don’t always match the amount needed to balance the budget. Even more they are not guaranteed amounts. We don’t know for sure that this money will be coming in. Often times if people don’t come to church, they don’t give their pledge. Or if people move away, their giving ends. SO, the budget is really a faith budget. MEANING that we set a budget for what we believe God is going to provide for our church.
            This is what the disciples were being asked to do, trust that God would provide for them through the generosity of others. When they went to a home, they would be in need of lodging and food. They would have to trust that people would share their faith in God by giving them a place to stay and food to eat. And if not, they were to move on.

II.                Follow the Kingdom Path- (Mark 6:7, 10-11, 13)
a.      Learning the Path- So Jesus gives this call to His disciples. It is a call
to take what they have hopefully been learning from Jesus, and seek to apply it to ministry. It is a mid-term of sorts. Remember, Jesus is training the disciples to carry on the ministry after He is gone. Jesus knew that His time was short, and the people of this world would be the ones to continue it on. So Jesus is giving them the opportunity to learn how to do this by doing it themselves. I’m sure that Jesus didn’t expect for them to get an “A” on this assignment; he expected that they would make some mistakes. But all the more, it was to help them to evaluate where they needed to grow, and what would really be expected of them once Jesus left.
EX. There is a story of a Junior High minister, who was one day teaching his kids about how to tell others about Jesus. As the lesson was going along, he noticed that the kids were getting bored and not really listening. So he stopped the lesson, and said to them: “Okay, let’s go out to the park and practice what we have learned.” So he took them to the park, paired them up, and sent them out. Not too much time went by when the kids came back to their leader frustrated. “We can’t do this,” they said. “We don’t know what we are doing!!” they replied. “Would you please teach us how to do this better?” they asked. J And at this he smiled, because now they understood better.
            This is exactly what is going on with Jesus. Jesus knows that the tendency of human beings is to get lazy when all you do is watch and listen. So Jesus knew that if He sent them out, they would be all the more eager to listen and learn from Jesus. They would be all the more willing to plan and prepare for the final exam; that time when Jesus really would send them out because Jesus would be returning to heaven.
b.      Given authority- So Jesus is seeking to lead them down the kingdom
path. It is a path that is to be traveled on together. It is a path that is to be done with faith and trusting. It is a path that is to be done with the power of God behind you. That is why verse 7 tells us: “and (He) gave them authority over the unclean spirits.” Even though Jesus was asking the disciples to take almost nothing on their journey, He wasn’t leaving them empty handed. He was giving them what they needed the most; God’s authority; God’s power!
            And what was this authority going to mean for them? It was going to give them a place of honor to those who would accept them. When they entered a town and spoke to the people, those who had ears to hear would hear that these disciples were speaking the truth of God. And they would bring them into their homes and care for them. Secondly, it would give them power to do miracles. And so we see in verse 13 that the disciples were able to cast out demons and heal the sick. And just like with Jesus, the purpose for the miracles was to lead people to believe in Jesus. Thirdly, it would give the disciples confidence to know that they had the presence and power of God behind them.
            The disciples were following the path God has for us all. A path that leads us to speak the truth of God. A path that leads us to repent of our sins and call others to do the same. A path that leads us to seek God’s mercy. A path that calls us to reach out and care for each other. A path that can sometimes lead to rejection/   but that rejection shouldn’t be taken personally, rather should cause us to move on to others who might be more receptive to following the path of God with us.

III.             Follow the Plan- (Mark 6:7, 12-13)
In this passage we can see Jesus’ strategy for ministry. Jesus wasn’t here to do the ministry Himself. Jesus was here to teach and lead others so that they might be prepared to do God’s work. And God calls us all to follow the plan that He has set in motion. The plan begins with selection:
1.      Selection- God selects us to carry on His work. But not all will hear or
follow the call. That is why Jesus tells the disciples that “If any will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” Jesus is in essence saying that the dust of that town or village is defiled by their rejecting the disciples’ message of Jesus. We should not waste our time and energy on those who do not hear or are not receptive. We should move on to someone who will listen and follow.
2.      Association- When we find someone who will listen, we are to associate
ourselves with them: eat with them, get to know them, share all we know about Jesus with them. Let them see our struggles and our shortcomings. Let them see that we are sinners, but we have received the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
Know that leading people into a deeper commitment to Christ takes time.
3.      Consecration- Obedience. The disciples had a choice. They could have
chosen to not go out as Jesus directed them. But to do so was to choose obedience. So many in our society are not obedient to God’s call. You look at their lives and do not see obedience to God. We ourselves have to decide if we are going to be obedient. I believe that God is calling us as a church to join together in discovering the plan that God has for our church. We have some important and challenging decisions in front of us as we think about how to get more people and money into the church. Obedience takes sacrifice. Sacrifice means we have to give up something that is important, for something we believe is more important. I believe there is nothing more important than living out God’s call on our lives and our church. Are we going to choose to do this together?
4.      Impartation- Meaning Jesus gave Himself away. He came to give Himself
(mind, body, and spirit) to the disciples. And His call to them, as He sent them out, was for them to impart themselves to whoever received them. Do you seek to give yourself away to those who listen to you? It can be challenging, but very rewarding, and a fulfillment of God’s call on your life as a follower of Jesus!
5.      Demonstration- As Jesus demonstrated living, and loving, and healing to
the disciples, Jesus was now calling them to go with God’s authority and demonstrate this to others. I don’t know if they were surprised at first when they actually were able to cast out demons and heal people, but I do know that it made an impact on their lives and on the lives of those who were impacted by this power of God. And as you and I go out and live faithfully for God, as we go out and love others and pray for healing for others, we will be demonstrating God’s love and God’s power.
6.      Delegation- The sixth part of Jesus’ plan was delegation. As I said before,
Jesus wasn’t here to do the ministry all by Himself. His plan was to delegate this authority to the disciples, who would in turn delegate it to others, and on down the line of history. Jesus’ sending out of the disciples was the first step of delegation. And when we choose to step out for Jesus, we are accepting that this plan has been delegated to us as a part of the body of Christ.
7.      Reproduction- Last, the plan of Jesus was reproduction. Jesus was seeking
to reproduce Himself in the disciples. That is in fact what a disciple really is; one who seeks to become like the one who is discipling them. In our lives, we are hopefully helping others to grow in their faith so that they might be able to step out for God. You do this by teaching others from the gifts you have. For ex., if you have the gift of helps, you might be involved with a certain ministry, say setting up for the luncheon. To reproduce yourself would mean that you involve others with you and in doing this you help them learn how to give in their giftedness. By doing this, we increase the involvement of those who are serving God.
            (Taken from “The Master Plan of Evangelism” by Robert E. Coleman)

Conclusion: We are called to do ministry and outreach in pairs or in groups. Why? Because it is easier to do with others. Even more, mission is bigger than any one individual. It is the job of the church to do together. That is why it is such a joy to belong to a church, because God calls churches to affect communities. As we join together to reach our community, it is more fun and effective when we do it with others. We need to continually think about mission, and how we can reach out into our community. I want to see us being a church that is seeking to “Go Out Together” and make a difference for the kingdom of God, with the power and authority of Jesus Christ behind us. And I hope you will be excited to be a part of this as well: By helping to come up with ideas; and by being involved. My prayer for you and for our church, is that by our actions we will show our commitment to living out the kingdom path, and fulfill God’s plan for our church. Amen.