Monday, November 26, 2012

"Christmas Hope"
Isaiah 2:1-5
Sunday, December 2, 2012


Introduction: A while back is was reading about how Dr Martin Luther King Jr. conducted civil rights marches throughout the south. He gave inspiring speeches for which he and others were persecuted and arrested during the sit-ins and demonstrations.
            "Why do you think Dr. King kept going? Why was he willing to be arrested and mistreated for his beliefs? What motivated him to tirelessly campaign for civil rights in a time period when things between whites and blacks weren’t very civil?
            The answer is that he was a man of hope. He dared to imagine that the world could be different; that the world could be a better place. That is why he said,
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the
sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will
be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have
a dream that one day in the state of Alabama, little black boys and
little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and
white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream
that one day, all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews
and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and
sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
He had the hope of a better tomorrow; this is what inspired these words from Dr. King. The same thing is true about our reading this morning from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah is saying, "Yes, I know that things aren’t going well. Things might seem hopeless in many ways. Yes it is because of our sin and we live in a war ravaged time. But I believe that someday, things are going to change around here! I have a vision from God! There are better days ahead! Someday, this sinful land is going to become the home of the living God! An oasis of freedom and justice and righteousness. A place where people from all over the world can come to learn the word of God! A place where nations will throw away their weapons of war. And learn the ways of peace.”
On this first Sunday of Advent, we talk about the hope of Christmas; the
hope that is found in Christ alone!

I.                   The Hope of Togetherness- (1 John 5:11-12; Colossians 1:15-16; 
                                                                        Matthew 20:16; Isaiah 2:4)

a.      What if Jesus had not come?- In the book of 1st John we are told in
chapter 5, verses 11 and 12: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”  The one who has the Son has it all. But exactly what is included in the “all”? Well, the first thing is that Advent promises new life in Christ because: It means we now know what God is like. The coming of Christ gave us a living picture of who God is. Christ’s coming put a face on God. The Bible says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:15-16). This is what we mean by the word “incarnation” — God came to earth wrapped in a human body. The God of heaven came to live among us so that we might know what He is truly like. He came to teach us. He came to die for us that we might be forgiven. He rose from the dead to help us know that we too will be raised. He promised that He will return so that eternal hope would burn in our hearts; the hope of knowing that the doors of heaven have been opened for us.
               Imagine what the world would be like if God, in the person of Jesus Christ, had never come to earth. Many colleges and universities would not exist, because they were started as Christian institutions. Did you know that Harvard and Yale were founded as Christian institutions? The founders of these schools believed that to study “science” was to study the work of God. It was a way of learning more about what God was like. Many hospitals would not exist, because they were begun by people who had hearts full of compassion for those who were ill, due to their personal experience with Jesus Christ and being transformed by his love. The churches that existed would be very different. There would be no Y.M.C.A. We would have half a Bible. We would not have heard of the love of a personal God. God would never have visited the world and we would have no hope of his returning to the earth. There would be no Christmas — no gifts symbolic of God’s greatest gift.
b.      Dead in our sin- Without Jesus, Mary Magdalene would have died
in her sin. Matthew would still have been a traitor to his countrymen. The Roman soldier would have continued his cruelty. Peter, James and John would have done nothing more with their lives than fish for a living. The Apostle Paul would never have been more than a cruel Pharisee steeped in legalism with an unrelenting demand for perfection from other people. In the gospel of John, 10:10, Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Without this hope of what Jesus brings to us, we would not have the fullness of life that God promises to us.
            What would I be like if Jesus had never come? I think back to my days in high school, when I started to stray and go down the wrong path; make some wrong choices. I saw my friends get in some real trouble. In finding Jesus, my life was transformed. I became a loving, giving, caring person. I began to help others and look beyond myself. I had hope of doing something profound with my life. I had hope of making a difference with my life. What would you be like if Jesus had never come?
             Because Christ came and showed us what God was like, we who seek Him want to be like him.  We have been transformed by his grace and renewed by his love. We extend grace to others because it has been so wonderfully extended to us. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We give because He gave to us. We live because He has given us eternal life.
            This is why we sing about Emmanuel at Christmas — Emmanuel, which means God with us. He was with us 2000 years ago, and He is with us now in this present moment to show us what God is like. He was the friend of sinners and calls us to be friends to sinners as well. He showed love and compassion to the outcasts of the world and calls us to show love and compassion to the outcast. He healed the sick and raised the dead and calls us to heal the sick as well. He taught us look away from the values of this world, but to have a completely different way of thinking and living, as He said in Matthew 20:16- “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” He taught us that our value to God was more important than what anyone else thought about us. This indeed brings us hope!
            Jesus first of all brings hope, because He has given us a new vision. As Isaiah tells us in chapter 2, verse 4: “He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks…” Do you hear these words from Isaiah? They are words of people seeking to get along; they are words of a different way of life. They are words of hope that can only come true because Christ has come into the world!

II.                The Hope of God’s Light- (Isaiah 2:3, 5; John 3:16-17; John 8:11;
1 John 3:1; 2 Corinthians 3:18)
a.      New life- Secondly, Advent promises new life and new hope
because our sins can be forgiven. And so therefore we can walk in the light of Christ. Think for a moment of the worst thing you have ever done — the thing that makes you feel shame. And then think of what it would be like if Jesus had not come and you could not be forgiven of your sin. What would that be like? Your guilt would never be relieved, and condemnation would always be hanging over your head. You would not live in the light, but in darkness. You would not have hope, but things would be hopeless.
But since Jesus came, forgiveness has come to those of us who have received the grace that Christ came to offer. We know the freedom that forgiveness brings. We can forgive others and ourselves because we have experienced the liberating forgiveness that Jesus Christ came to give us.
            If Jesus had never come, we would have only commandments to follow, and we would never hear the great words of the New Testament from John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
If Jesus had never come, we would be missing a Savior. There would be no talk of forgiveness and reconciliation to God, only laws to be obeyed. Grace would not be a word in our vocabulary. We would talk about justice, and people getting what they deserved, rather than finding mercy with God. If Jesus had never come, the woman caught in adultery would never have heard the words: “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).
           
J Children are great. They can bring real joy to your life. For example, When Tiffany was younger, she was also one to give a great quote. She said things like: “I had a brain blast,” meaning that she had a thought. She called last night “yesternight.” She told us she didn’t want to do ballet anymore, because she said “Doing all those positions isn’t dancing.” And my all time favorite, when I asked her why she didn’t close her eyes when she prayed she said: “Because it’s dark in there.”                        Children are a joy to be around and a reminder of what is true. Children remind us of the hope of a pure and simple life.
b.      Children of the Lord- Example 2- But children can also cause
great frustration. Anyone who has had children knows what I’m talking about. Tyler and Tiffany are at an age where they think they know what is right and what is best. Because of this they challenge us in our decisions. They question us until we have to emphatically say “no.” When they don’t get what they want they get a tone of frustration and have an attitude that they are not happy with us. They are not as accepting of our decisions as they once were.
            WE are children of the Lord. The Bible says in 1 John 3:1, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” We are children of God because we have been forgiven as an act of the grace Jesus Christ made possible by His coming to this earth, and His atoning death. It is as simple, and as difficult, as humbling ourselves and asking for the forgiveness which He offers. Yet, as His children, we can sometimes take a prideful tone with God and not accept His guidance and His truth!
We need to understand that what Christ offers is more than forgiveness; it brings about a transformation in our lives. The Bible says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Christ came to not only clean our hearts, but to change our hearts. We are being transformed into his character more and more with each passing day./   Because we live with him, we are becoming like him. His Holy Spirit is working in us to produce his image. This is what it means to walk in the light of the Lord.
      This is the hope of Christ, that we can become more and more like Him in every way!
              Example-
In his book Dare to Believe, Dan Baumann illustrates what it is like to know that something is yours even though you have to wait for it. You may even have it in hand, but are not able to enjoy it “out of the box.” He says that when he was young he always did a lot of snooping at Christmas time, trying to find his gift and figure out what was in the wrapped packages, which his Mom had hid. One year he discovered a large package with his name on it that he knew was a set of golf clubs. One shake of that box revealed the unmistakable sound of clubs. He says, “When Mom wasn’t around, I would go and feel the package, shake it, and pretend that I was on the golf course. The point is, I was already enjoying the pleasures of a future event; namely, the [unwrapping]. It had my name on it. I knew what it was.” It was his, but it would not be handed over to him until Christmas morning. Then he would see with his eyes what before he had only seen with his heart.
           
Conclusion: Christ’s coming means that not only has Christ given us new understanding of why we are here on earth, but Christ has given us the gift of heaven. At this point it is still wrapped. But the package has our name on it. We know what awaits us. It is ours. We would never have received the gift if it were not for Christ. But we wait longingly for the day when we will enjoy the gift of heaven in all of its unwrapped wonder. As the Bible says, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).             Because Jesus came, we know what God is like. We experience forgiveness for our sins and the transformation of our hearts and minds. We can know togetherness and we desire to get along. We can walk in the light of Christ, and be freed from our darkness. We have received the promise of heaven and eternal life. This is the hope we have: hope for a wonderful today, and an even better tomorrow. What better gifts could we ask for? Amen.

Monday, November 19, 2012

"Increase Our Faith"
Luke 17:5-10
Sunday, November 25, 2012


Introduction: Illus. There is a story of three large men on Harley Davidson motorcycles pulling up to a café one day, and as they entered they saw this little man perched on a stool quietly eating his lunch. Feeling a little bored, they decided to harass the man. So they grabbed his food away from him and laughed in his face. The man, saying nothing, got up, paid for his lunch and left. One of the three bikers looked at the waitress and said: “Boy, he sure wasn’t much of a man, was he?” The waitress answered, “I guess not.” Then looking out the window she continued, “I guess he’s not much of a truck driver either…. He just ran over 3 motorcycles.” (1001 Humorous Illustrations, p. 87, #193, “True Clout.”)
            All too often in life, our response to conflict is to take revenge; to do unto others as they do unto us. Today is the Sunday immediately after Thanksgiving. It is a reminder to us that God calls us to be thankful of what we do have, and seek to bring peace and love into a troubled and conflictual world. I want us to remember, as we prepare for the Advent Season, which starts next Sunday, to have a different attitude than the world has. We will see this morning that this all stems from our faith being exercised daily.

I.                   Faith: The Greatest Force- (Luke 17:5-6; Philippians 4:13)
a.      The disciples request- In our passage this morning we see the disciples
come to Jesus and make a request of him: “Lord, increase our faith.” The disciples recognize the need to have more faith; the disciples recognize the need to have a stronger faith. The disciples recognize that it is their faith which controls their thinking, and their actions.
They probably didn’t know it, but the first place to start in the process of increasing faith is to admit that we have a deficiency in our faith, and to see that it is Christ who can strengthen it. We admit our deficiency, when we, like the disciples, ask the Lord to increase our faith.
            This section in Luke 17 then proceeds to talk about faith. This passage talks about not causing others to stumble, about confronting others in their sin, and about forgiving others whenever they ask for forgiveness. With this in mind, the disciples say to Jesus: “Lord, increase our faith.” They realized that these were things that would not be easy to do on a regular basis and by their own power. It would take the help of the Lord. And this help could only happen through increased faith.
            “The Same Kind of Folks,” Stories for the Journey, p. 46. A traveler is walking along a road one day when he meets a farmer. The traveler asks: “What kind of folks live here?” The farmer asks: “What kind of folks lived where you just came from?” The traveler answers: “Oh, they were terrible: rude, unkind, unhospitable.” The farmer says: “I’m sorry to say that is what you’ll find here too.” The traveler walks on towards another town. Later that day another traveler happens by and  asks the same question. The farmer proceeds to ask him: “What kind of folds lived where you just came from?” “Oh, they were wonderful, kind, giving, thoughtful.” The farmer smiles and says: “That’s what you’ll find here too!”
            Faith allows us to respond to others with kindness. Faith allows us to forgive others when they sin against us, or just when they sin in general. Faith allows us to love others the way God loves us, and the way God loves them. Faith changes our perspective on how we see and experience the world around us!
b.      Jesus’ response- For some, whey they read Jesus’ response to the
request (“If you had faith the size of a mustard seed…”), it might seem like a rebuke; it might seem like Jesus was criticizing them for not having any faith. But what Jesus is really doing here is teaching them of the power of faith. Jesus is helping them to understand that it only takes a small amount of faith to access the great power that God has for you. WITH FAITH, nothing is too hard. As the apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:13- “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” As long as we know where our faith is to be placed, in Jesus Christ, and in the God who has created this world, then we can do anything.
            You might remember, in another passage in one of the other gospels, Jesus talks about gaining salvation. He says that it is impossible to do it on our own, “… but with God, all things are possible.” Faith in itself is not powerful unless that faith is placed in the right source, GOD! With the power of God working through us, which is does when we exercise faith, then we can avoid causing others to stumble; we can support others when they fall; we can keep others accountable so that they can stay faithful to God; we can have an endless amount of forgiveness; we can love others as God does; and we can and will do great things!!

II.                Faith: The Greatest Service- (Luke 17:7-10; Philippians 2:5-8)
a.      The duty of a servant- In this next section of the passage (verses 7-10),
we see Jesus continue the teaching about faith by making reference to the role of a servant. He says, Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
The duty of a servant, Jesus says, is to do what the master asks. If the master says “come and do this,” then the servant goes and does what is asked. A servant does not occupy the same place at the table as the master. A servant does the work that is given by the master until that work is completed. A servant understands his or her place, and is humble in their position. If a servant tries to be like the master, then the servant is not able to fulfill their responsibilities; they are unfaithful.
            Jesus was trying to help them understand that faith leads us to serve God not for a reward, but because that is our duty. While God promises to reward us, and bless us, our attitude should be that of a servant. Even Jesus had this attitude, as we are told in Philippians 2:5-8, “…have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
            One of the amazing aspects of Jesus’ teaching is that He lived out what He taught! Jesus gave us an example of how He wants us to live: by faith, in humility, as a servant.
b.      We are God’s servants- Someone once said: “God did not save you to
be a sensation; He saved you to be a servant.” (Illus. Unlimited, p. 452, #2) We are God’s servants. Our whole strength and all the time we have on this earth is to be used to serve God. And to serve God, you need to serve others. Jesus, Himself, said: “I have come not to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.” I have heard people say: “I have already done my duty, it is time for someone else to do it now.” NO!/  Jesus says, “… later you will eat and drink…” Meaning, that our work is never done for the Lord, until our life has ended. Whatever we can do with our minds, our energy, our bodies, our prayers, and our resources, we must do!
            Now this is where faith comes in, because without faith in God, we might lose the desire to serve, or lose the hope that our service is worth anything, or doubt that we have the gifts and abilities to serve. Faith is what leads us to continue to do the greatest service; the service we were created to do: the service of faithfully serving God in this world. Those who through faith have this servant’s attitude, and who live this servant lifestyle, are the ones who are most fulfilled and who will make the greatest impact with their lives for in the kingdom of God.
            Faith also breaks our pride, and humbles us to understand that God is the creator/master, and that we are the creatures/servants. We do not serve to merit favor or even to receive thanks, but as Jesus says in Luke 17:10- “…We have done only what we ought to have done.” If God were to gain from our service, then that would make God indebted to us. So we serve in faith, and through faith we do the greatest service!

III.             Faith: The Greatest Peacemaker- (Matthew 5:9; Philippians 4:6-7; John 14:27)
a.      The call to be a peacemaker- Each of us is on a journey, growing in
our faith, growing in our faithfulness, witnessing to the mercy and love granted to us by God through Jesus Christ. Jesus has called us to be His disciples as we seek to be faithful to God’s will. As we live out our faith, we begin to live as children of God. Matthew 5:9 says- “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Being a peacemaker is one of the important callings that we have as we seek to live out our faith as servants of the Lord. Being a peacemaker is not easy, but that is where the power of faith again comes in; we need this power to be peacemakers. As Romans 12:18 tells us, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all.” Senator Hubert Humphrey once said in regards to being a peacemaker: “Negotiating between conflicting parties is like crossing a river by walking on slippery rocks…It’s risky, but it’s the only way to get across.” (The Be-Happy Attitudes, by Robert Schuller, p. 169).
            We are called to be peacemakers. Along with it being one of the duties we have as servants/children of the Lord, being a peacemaker is also very rewarding. When we can bring peace where there is tension, conflict, and strife, we experience a healthy feeling of satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-worth. This world truly needs more peacemakers, because the world has become so contentious.
b.      How to be a peacemaker- So how are we to be peacemakers? A
peacemaker is one who has a peaceable disposition. A peacemaker loves peace, desires peace, and delights in peace. So we must first have peace within ourselves and have a desire to see peace around us, if we are to bring peace elsewhere. Someone who is stressed, angry, confrontational, is not at peace with themselves and therefore cannot be a peacemaker. We find peace in God in the faith we have and in the One who can give us peace. Looking back to the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul tells us in 4:6-7- “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be make known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
            In John 4:27, Jesus says- “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
1.      Jesus says, only in me can you have this peace. It is only in faith that we
can seek out this peace by giving up all things to God, and let Him fill us with His peace; the kind of peace that comes from trusting, and hoping, and relying on God.
2.      Secondly, a peacemaker is one who has peaceful conversations. In our
conversations, through the words we use, we try to preserve the peace. If  the peace is broken by our words, or the words of another/ then by our words we try again to establish peace.
3.      Thirdly, a peacemaker is one who follows the example of Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to this world to proclaim peace on earth. It is at the core of who we are to be as disciples of Christ; to seek to bring peace in our relationships, and in this world. To truly bring peace into this world, we must take those who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and challenge them to grow deeper in their faith. For those who do not know Jesus Christ, we must introduce them to Jesus, so that they too can be followers of the Lord of Peace.
            When we have faith, we should be more at peace with our lives, and with others around us.

Conclusion: This morning I want us to be more committed to being faithful servants of the Lord. I want us to be thankful for the faith we have, and the impact our faith makes in our lives. This is a wonderful day (the Sunday between Thanksgiving and Advent) where we can reflect on how we are one in Christ with all who believe in Christ around the world. We have a common Lord, a common faith, a common purpose.
In this time of worship we should be reminded that Jesus Christ, showed His faith by being obedient to the Father, by humbling Himself as a servant and by His sacrifice on the cross. As we have faith in Jesus, we will receive a greater faith, and a greater peace with the Father by the removing of our sins; the removing of the barriers that cause conflict.  It is not easy, and like the disciples, we must regularly ask: “Lord, increase our faith.” May you leave here today with a desire to increase your faith, and with that increased faith, the desire and means to be a peacemaker. Praise be to God who not only desires for us to have faith, but helps our faith to be strong and constant. Let us give this faith over to God. Amen.

Monday, November 12, 2012

"Mission, Not Money"
November 18, 2012
Matthew 9:9-13


Introduction: This morning, I want to focus a on how God gives to us a mission.
The title of the sermon is “Mission, Not Money.” This title is important, because while you need money to carry out the Mission, without understanding your mission, you won’t use the money that you have wisely.
            On top of that, the focus should never be on money. A study was done in regards to people’s giving, and 4 things were found:
1.      If you ask for money, but people don’t care about what you are doing, they won’t give.
2.      If you ask for money for something people do care about, but don’t give them a clear sense that giving will make a real difference, then you won’t get very much.
3.      If you ask for money and people know that giving will make a major difference, then you will get even more money.
4.      If you engage people’s faith, understanding, involvement, and commitment to God for a mission that makes a difference, then people’s generosity increases greatly.
You see, what is important is not the money, but the Mission to which the money, time, energy and influence goes. When we know that we are involved in something that is important and life changing, and has eternal consequence, then our desire to give in every way is increased. So let’s take some time to understand God’s mission, which I think we’ve outlined well in our Mission statement.

I.                   Know Jesus Christ- (Luke 19:10; John 3:16; Matthew 9:2, 12)

a.      Why Jesus came- Our Mission statement (which you can
find on the back of the bulletin, begins: “The mission of this church is to bring people to know Jesus Christ….”/ This is the beginning of our mission statement, because this is the mission for which Jesus Himself came. Listen to these verses: Luke 19:9-10- “Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’”
     John 3:16- “For God so loved the world, that He sent His one and only
     Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Matthew 9:12- “..It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
     The purpose, the mission for which Jesus came/   was to bring salvation to a lost world. God knew that we could not save ourselves, and so He made provision for our salvation; Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, people are lost, they are spiritually sick, they are separated from God. So God’s goal, and our goal too, is to introduce Jesus to those who do not know Him, or who have forgotten about Him!! If we forget this, then we will be a church that exists for no reason!
STORY: “Mister, can you spare a dime?”- There is a story of a man who for a year begged on the streets for a living. One day he touched a man on the shoulder and asked him: “Mister, can you spare a dime?” As soon as the man turned around he recognized him as his father. His father threw his arms around his son and said: “Oh my son, at last I’ve found you. You want a dime? Everything I have is yours.” This man, who was begging for ten cents, found his father who had been searching for him for 18 years! His life was never the same after this.
This is a wonderful illustration of how God desires for us to come to know Him through Jesus Christ. And how through Jesus we become heirs to all that God has; heirs to the abundant life that God has planned for us! Our life before knowing Jesus is like that of a beggar. After we find Jesus, we are as rich as can be. Don’t you want others to know Jesus as you do? Don’t be satisfied that you are saved; help others to become saved as well! This is our Mission!!
b.      Living it out as Jesus did- So we need to live this out. But
how? By seeking people as Jesus did; by loving people as Jesus did.  People can’t know about Jesus until they hear about Jesus. But even more, people won’t know about Jesus until they see Jesus in you. Jesus sought to love all people. Jesus sought to tell people God’s truth. Jesus sought to care for people in all of their needs.
            Story of the paralytic- In the book of Matthew, chapter 9, some men brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. Well, actually they didn’t just bring the man. The house where Jesus was teaching was full, so much so that they couldn’t get through the door. So these men climbed up onto the roof, cut a hole in the roof, and then lowered this paralyzed man, who was lying on a mat, down to Jesus. Now, obviously this man’s need was to be physically healed. But Jesus knew that even more important than being healed, was for him to be spiritually whole. And to become whole his sins needed to be forgiven. So Jesus says to the man in Matthew 9:2- “… ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’” But Jesus’ healing of the man didn’t excite  the man or the crowd. And so Jesus then said in verse 6- “So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…Get up, take your mat, and go home.’
                         Jesus wanted the man to have faith, and so in the end He healed him physically so that he would realize that his spiritual need was important as well./  We need to care for people’s physical needs so that they might be open to seeing Jesus. That is why we have our food pantry and our bread ministry; that is why the session has granted me a Pastor’s Discretionary fund, so that I could help people in their physical and financial struggles; that is why we should invite people to meals whenever we have them here at the church; that is why we have given people little jobs to do so that they could make a little extra money; that is why myself and other leaders have given counseling or rides to people in need. We seek to care for their physical needs so that they might see Jesus!!

II.                Grow in Faith- (Revelation 3:16; 1 Corinthians 3:5-6; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Timothy 2:2)

So the Mission statement says: “The mission of this church is to bring people to know Jesus Christ, …” Then it goes on … “to help one another grow in faith….”
a.      Grow in faith- We all know that it is important to believe in Jesus.
The Bible is clear that without faith in Jesus, we will not be saved; we will not go to heaven. But it is important to understand that it doesn’t stop there. We are called to not only have faith, but to grow in that faith; to be alive in our faith; to let others see our faith.
            In fact, when people believe, but then don’t grow, God is not happy. We are told in Revelation 3:16- (And God is saying this to the Christians at the church in Laodicea who are not growing) “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
There are many verses in the Bible that challenge us to grow, but here are a couple: 1 Corinthians 3:5-6- “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”
2 Peter 3:18 says: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” God wants us to grow; grow in love, grow in grace, grow in our knowledge of God.
            In a Peanuts comic strip Lucy and Charlie Brown are talking, and Lucy says: “Sometimes I get discouraged.” Charlie Brown responds: “Well, Lucy, life does have its ups and downs you know…” Lucy quickly jumps in: “But why should it? Why can’t my life be all ups? If I want all “ups,” why can’t I have them? Why can’t I just move from one “up” to another “up”? Why can’t I just go from an “up” to an “upper-up”? I don’t want any “downs”! I just want “ups” and “ups” and “ups”!” At this point Charlie Brown is walking away and he says to himself: “I can’t stand it…” (“The Gospel According to Peanuts,” by Robert Short, p. 70-71.)   
Life is full of ups and downs, and the stronger we are in our faith, the more we are consistently growing in our faith, the more capable we will be of dealing with these ups and downs!
b.      Helping others grow- But like most things in life, it is easier to
grow when we allow others to help us grow. When we have others around us, we can learn from them, they can help keep us accountable, and we are usually more motivated.
            In another Peanuts comic strip, Lucy is trying to help Linus get unattached to his blanket, and so she hides it from him. He comes running in and shouts at Lucy: “You buried my blanket? You can’t do that! I’ll die without that blanket! I’ll be like a fish out of water! I’ll die! I’ll die! Tell me where you buried it! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!” Well, Lucy doesn’t tell Linus, and a couple of weeks go by where Linus is in terrible agony, daily digging in his backyard trying to find it. Then one day Snoopy happens to be digging in the back yard and finds the blanket. As he is running by Linus, Linus sees the blanket, tackles him and says: “Oh Snoopy, you found the blanket. You found it! You found it!” And then in the last frame Snoopy says to himself: “Every now and then I feel that my existence is justified.”
(Gospel According To Peanuts, p. 91-92).
            Obviously, to help others grow, they have to want to grow. Without that desire, we can encourage others, but they will not grow. So as a church, we are to encourage each other to come to church, and provide opportunities for growth, but people must make the decision to participate and receive instruction. As the apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:2, And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Along with our Sunday Worship service, there are many groups that help us grow: Mariners, Presbyterian Women, Sunday Morning Adult Sunday School (which meets in the parlor at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays, our Wednesday night Bible study, the Session Bible study, the choir meetings, as well as one-on-one Christian friendships. We will also be starting a new session of Alpha in January. Alpha is a “getting back to the basics” study that is good for everyone because it helps us to get in touch with what God really wants us to know and live out in our lives!
            If you are serious about growing in your faith, and as a Christian you should be, I encourage you to be involved in one or more of these groups, and encourage others to be involved as well!

III.             Show Commitment- (John 3:16)
Our Mission statement ends with these words: “….to be committed and responsible members, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share God’s love beyond the church.”
a.      Be a responsible member- In even another Peanuts Comic
Strip…there is a boy from Charlie Brown’s school who comes up to him and says: “So you see, it’s the heat from the sun that keeps us warm.” “Not entirely,” Charlie
Brown responds. “What do you mean ‘not entirely?” the other boy asks. Then Charlie Brown holds out his hands and says: “MITTENS!” (“The Parables of Peanuts,” p. 260).
While God is the one who created the world, who created our world, and
keeps this world going, we are called by God to be committed to His creation. We are the mittens of this world, if you will, seeking to show that we have responsibility as well.
            So how do we show that we are responsible members of this church?
We do this by regularly attending church, being involved in more than just the Sunday service, and volunteering our time in some activity or program in the church. It is showing that we care about God by caring about the things of God; showing that we believe that we are called to help this church make a difference for the kingdom of God. We seek to bring those who know God, but don’t have a church to this church. We love one another and seek the unity of the church.
If we want this church and its ministry to be active and fruitful, we must all be responsible members giving our time and energy and resources.
b.      Sharing the good news- And we are called to share the
good news of God with others. Now, to share the good news, you need to understand first what the good news is: it is simply John 3:16. Let me say it again: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes would not perish, but have everlasting life.” As you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you receive God’s love and forgiveness. This is good news; you have been saved and can know that you will spend eternity in heaven with God!
I’ve heard this illustration many times, I’ve said it many times, and you’ve probably heard it before, but I’m going to say it here because it is a great illustration./ If you had the cure for cancer, you wouldn’t keep it to yourselves, but you would share it with the rest of the world!!/   Even more importantly, we know the cure from our being separated from God, from our being kept out of heaven; it is Jesus Christ. And in knowing this, we need to share it with others!/  Now, I know that many people get nervous when they think about talking about their faith. It makes people nervous because of they risk being rejected or getting into a discussion that might get beyond their understanding of the Christian faith.
When I talk about sharing your faith, you probably think of going door-to-door, and the threat of this kind of rejection. Or think about just talking about Jesus out of the blue. It is not this, but rather just being willing to talk about the difference Jesus has made in your life when you get the opportunity (and you will get the opportunity more than you might think).
There is a great book called “Becoming A Contagious Christian,” by Lee Strobel and Bill Hybels, and in this book they talk about sharing your faith by just being yourself; sharing your faith by sharing how you met Jesus and how Jesus changed you. The best way to share Jesus is to share your story!
Lastly, we are reminded in our Mission Statement that this all happens with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is not on our own power that we do these things, but by God’s power, guided by the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit will give us opportunities. The Holy Spirit will give us wisdom in our conversations. The Holy Spirit will take our words and empower them to those who hear them!

Conclusion: Our mission is to love God, love others, grow in our faith, and tell others about Jesus. I hope this is a mission that you can really get excited about. It is a mission that God is excited about, because it is God’s mission for the world. And now that we understand it better, I hope that we would seek to support it in our church, and live it out in our lives. Don’t forget, the more people in the church that are involved in the living out of this Mission, the more that are involved with the shaping of the vision, the more powerful our impact will be in this community and for the kingdom of God.
This morning, after church, we will be having tea and scones in celebration of St. Andrews Sunday. There will also be the 2013 proposed budgets for you to look over. This year your pledges, your gifts, are needed more than ever. While it is more about mission than money, it takes money to carry out the mission. I have heard from so many people how important this church is to you. If that is the case, then I encourage you to make sure our mission is funded!! Let’s join together in this venture! Amen.

Monday, November 05, 2012

"Exercising God's Power"
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Sunday, November 11, 2012


Introduction: Example- A few years ago my brother decided that he wanted to run the L.A. marathon. A marathon, if you don’t know, is a race that is run, and it covers a little over 26 miles. To do something like this, you can’t just show up on the day of the race. You have to train; you have to exercise your body daily. You have to start fairly slow, running about 5 miles a day, and then slowly build up to 10 and then 15, and so on. As you train regularly, you begin to feel your body getting stronger, more powerful, more capable of harnessing the energy in your body.
            Last week we talked about how God’s power is evident in the world and should be evident in our lives. We talked about how God is all-powerful. We talked about how God’s power was demonstated through the life of Jesus. We specifically talked about how God has power over nature, sickness, death, and Satan. We began to talk about how God’s power is available to us. But how do we fully access this power; how can we exercise the power God wants to give to us?
This morning I want to talk about 4 keys to accessing God’s power!

I.                   I Must Admit My Lack of Power- (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
           
a.      Humble ourselves- The first important lesson to be learned, is that to
access God’s power we must humble ourselves and admit that we lack power. Now, for some of you, that thought is a challenge, because you want to be independent; you want to do things on your own. You don’t want to think that you are not capable. For some reason thinking that you lack power makes you feel like less of a person.
            EX.- I can relate to this feeling, because as I was growing up, there
would be times when I would try to do things, and I would struggle. And my dad would see me struggling. But instead of coming over and trying to help me to do it, or teaching me how to do it better, he would just take over and do it for me. Consequently, I felt like I was incompetent; inadequate; not good enough.
            Maybe you feel this way. But the truth is, until you can get to that
place where you admit you have weaknesses/ that you don’t have the power to do it all on your own/ you will not be able to access the power of God!
            In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 the apostle Paul says: “Each time He said,
‘My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
b.      Help when things get heavy- OBJECT LESSON: Have a volunteer
curl a dumbbell, press it over their head. Not too difficult. Then have them hold it straight out to the side.
            Life is like this weight. There are many things in life that are easy enough to do….get out of bed and get ready for the day, shop for groceries, drive to work or to do your errands, even make many of the decisions that have to be made. That is like curling the weight. There are other things in life that are a little more challenging, and yet we are still capable of doing it on our own….making dinner, taking the car in for new tires, balancing the checkbook, and so on. This is like pressing the weight over your head………Ask the person holding the weight how they are doing.
            But, there are some things in life where we need more power: overcoming the temptations in our life, understanding what God wants us to do in life, being strong in our faith and believing/   when things are hard. WALK OVER TO THE PERSON AND HELP HIM WITH THE WEIGHT. As the person struggles, if I give my strength, my power to him, he is more able to sustain the weight.
            This is what God does for us. When we admit we need God’s power, we put ourselves in a place to ask and then receive God’s power!

II.                I Must Believe By Faith- (Mark 9:23)

a.      A God who can do the impossible- Have you ever had a situation in
your life, where things seemed hopeless? You might even be in a situation like that now. It is a hard and lonely place to be. There doesn’t seem to be answers. There doesn’t seem to be a way out. The more you think about it, the more it seems impossible. I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU…WE BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE.
            Examples- 1. In the Bible we read how Abraham and Sarah were promised by God that they would have a child. But they didn’t have one for the longest time! At age 99 for Abraham and age 74 for Sarah, it indeed looked hopeless. But God made Sarah pregnant, and she had a son at the age of 75!
                        A second example is that of Daniel, who disobeyed an order from the king, and worshipped God even though it was forbidden. Because of this he was thrown into a den of lions to be eaten. The lions, who were very hungry, began to approach Daniel, but he prayed to God for protection. God closed the lions’ mouths and kept Daniel safe.
                        Third is how after Jesus had died and was resurrected, the followers of Jesus began to start small home churches. This angered the religious leaders, and one leader named Paul personally went around from city to city killing the Christians. It looked quite despairing for the church. But on one such trip, God spoke to Paul, and rebuked him for what he was doing. He then blinded Paul. A few days later God sent a Christian man to Paul to heal him of his blindness. Paul put his faith in Jesus, and had a new purpose in life; starting churches! Because of this, what seemed hopeless, impossible, became possible.
            Mark 9:23 says: “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
You might say, well those are just Bible stories. What about God doing something like this today? God still does the impossible today: I have seen many such miracles, but here are just a few……
b.      God’s power seen in miracles-

1.      I’ve mentioned this several times, but it is such a wonderful example of
God’s power at work, that I love to mention it over and over. It was a little over 10 years ago when Margaret Jones went into the hospital. She was having trouble with her heart, and soon after, her kidneys began to shut down. After a few more days she got weaker and weaker, until one day I got a call from her daughter Leslie that she was in ICU, doctors couldn’t do anything more…..I went and prayed with her, she was still alive the next day….struggled the next 3 months, most of which she doesn’t remember….then received full healing, and just celebrated her 90th birthday not too long ago!!!
2.      Over thirteen years ago I came to this church. It was struggling at the
time, hadn’t grown in many years. It was searching for direction and vision and purpose. Some in this church even believed that the Presbytery was going to close it down. But when I came, the leadership of this church and myself began to pray, and seek God’s presence, and admit our weakness, and call out for God’s help and power, and I can confidently say that this church is alive and making a difference for God in this community! While we are struggling financially, we are still making a difference for the kingdom of God!!
3.      In my time here at Community Presbyterian I have seen God help us
make budget at the end of most every year. This has included God bringing the AT&T antenae’s, the Day Care rent, as well as the rent from Iglesia Primer Amor. However, for the first time, last year we didn’t make budget. And even though we are around 4,000 – 5,000 dollars short a month, we have a nice surplus in the bank that helps us to keep going. This was given to us a couple of years ago by Vera Knight when she passed away. This money is helping us to do ministry in this time of shortage. This money is allowing us to look at the status of our church, and ask God where He is calling us next.
            I believe even the opportunity we have to maybe merge with Christ Presbyterian Church is a miracle from God.
            FAITH is believing even when you can’t see a way out. FAITH is believing that God can do the impossible. And when we have faith, we have access to the power of God in our lives!!

III.             I Must Talk Like I Believe God- (2 Corinthians 4:13)

a.      Thinking positively- Have you ever noticed that when you are down,
when things seem hopeless, your talking becomes more cynical and negative? It is very common. When we feel down, we talk more negatively. We have less energy, desire, and direction. We stumble through life; we go through the motions.
            Example- One area of my life where I see this is when I am playing golf. Someone once said of golf: “Golf is a nice walk/ ruined by a small white ball.” Golf can be a frustrating sport. There are so many things that have to happen for you to play well. You have to have the right grip, the right positioning, the right turn, you have to keep your club straight, you have to bring your hips and your shoulders through the swing together, you have to bring your hands through as you complete the swing, and make sure you don’t just stop. Unfortunately, often when I play, I have periods when I struggle with my swing, and it starts to affect my score negatively. When this happens, I start to get frustrated and talk negatively. The more I do this the worse my swing gets!
     To break this I have to start thinking and talking positively again! I have to think about how to do it the right way. I have to remind myself it is a game and I am there to have fun and enjoy my time with the people I am with!
b.      Excited about your faith- This is true of our Christian faith. You can
Tell the difference between someone who is excited about their faith and someone who isn’t. Someone who is excited about their faith will talk positively even when things are down. We need to follow these words: “I must talk like I believe God.” Why? Because when I talk like I believe, in time I will believe my words. When I talk like I believe, I will live like I believe.
            As the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:13- “But we continue to preach
                        because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he
                        said, ‘I believed in God, and so I speak.’”
Example- There is a true story of a high school football team that was down by 30 at halftime. Of course you could imagine how frustrated the players were. As they walked into the locker room, they had long faces, they moved slowly, there was no energy, their heads were down. They were acting like the game was over and that they had already lost. The coach walked in and immediately reprimanded them. He showed great energy and gave them a pep talk like no other. He demanded that they hold their heads up, play their hardest, believe that they could win…And you know what? The team won!
     When we talk like we believe, we put ourselves in a place to receive God’s power.

IV.              I Must Act Like I Believe God- (Joshua 3:14-16)

Lastly, we must act like we believe God. We can’t just have faith. We can’t even just have faith and talk about our faith. We have to act out our faith. There is a great story about this in the Bible, in the book of Joshua. Now to set up this story in Joshua 3:14-16, you need to understand that the Israelites had been freed from slavery from Egypt. They had been in the wilderness for 50 years waiting for God to bring them to the promised land and make them a nation unto themselves. They had faced many challenges: poisonous snakes, lack of food, lack of water. And even though God had continually met their needs, they still had times of doubting and complaining. As we get to this passage in Joshua, we see that Moses has died and Joshua has become the leader.
            They finally get to the place where they can see the promised land, but they have to cross the Jordan river. They were told that they would follow the priests (who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant) across the river. The problem? The river was fairly deep and a quick flowing river. It was not an easy river to cross. But God had promised to dry up the river so they could cross. However, it wouldn’t happen until the feet of the priests touched the water. Let me read Joshua 3:14-16 for you…
            “When the people set out to cross the Jordan, the priests who were carrying
            the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. Now it was the harvest season,
and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests, who were carrying the Ark, touched the water at the river’s edge, the water began piling up at a town upstream called Adam….And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the city of Jericho.”
Did you catch that? “As soon as the feet of the priests…touched the water at the river’s edge” the water started to recede so that they could walk across dry land! This tested the faith of God’s people. This was a time when they had to act out their faith.
For God to bless us and give us His power, we have to act out our faith. Could you imagine being the priests? They not only had to believe that God would dry up the river, but they had to put their feet in this deep, fast flowing river before God acted, while carrying the heavy Ark of the Covenant. It is quite common for God to wait for us to act like we believe before He begins to act.

Conclusion: Let’s take a moment to review. The 4 keys to accessing God’s power in our lives are: admitting our lack of power and believing that God’s power is there for us. Believing by faith that God can do anything. Talking like we believe, which leads us to act like we believe.
If this were a test, how would you score? Do you live in this way? Can you admit your lack of power and acknowledge that you need God’s help, God’s power in your life? Do you believe that God can do the impossible? Do you talk like you believe so that you might act like you believe?
            This isn’t a magical formula. But what it is, is a pattern of behavior that leads us to God, leads us to trust God. This behavior puts us in a place of humility and faith that enables us to receive God’s power in our lives. I hope that you would take the outline that is found in this bulletin, take it home, and review it through the week, and practice these 4 keys on a daily basis. In no time at all, you will see God’s power working in and through you! Amen.