Sermon 8-21-11 forgiveness part 2 forgiving one another Mt 6:1-14 kkkk
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Forgiveness series
Part one – God forgives me, how can I forgive myself
We have to let the voice of grace become louder than the voice of self condemnation
Forgiveness part two – forgiving one another
We all get this
The business partner that stole from me
The rapist, the employer, the church member,
The cheater
The nazi’s, osama ben laden
At the core of every moment of forgiveness is the realization that Someone hurt me
Here is the sermon on the mount
The main stuff
And the lords prayer – the main stuff
And here right in the middle of his prayer and his sermon, is forgiveness
Optional for humans, not optional for Christ followers
To reject the call for forgiveness is to reject the one who teaches that we must do it
So in effect, if you refuse to forgive someone, you are rejecting Jesus
If you refuse to forgive, you are not on board with what God is trying to do in this world
What forgiveness is not
Misconceptions about forgiveness
1. Approval of what they did
2. Excusing what they did
3. Justifying what they did
4. Not pardoning what they did
5. Reconciliation - Restoration of fellowship
6. Not a denying of what they did
7. Forgetting
8. Pretending that we were not hurt
Forgiveness is a choice and a process
If I can wave my hand and forgive you, then what was between us wasn’t very much
Forgiveness – point in time and a process
Consider the consequences of not forgiving
Bitterness
Others are defiled
Broken fellowship with God
If you refuse to forgive, you are living your life in your own strength
Thoughts are consumed with anger and sadness
Consider the consequences of forgiving
Love can come back in
They get grace from me
I get grace from God
Forgiveness is beautiful
In "The Christian Leader," Don Ratzlaff retells a story Vernon Grounds came across in Ernest Gordon's Miracle on the River Kwai. The Scottish soldiers, forced by their Japanese captors to labor on a jungle railroad, had degenerated to barbarous behavior, but one afternoon something happened. A shovel was missing. The officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced, or else. When nobody in the squadron budged, the officer got his gun and threatened to kill them all on the spot . . . It was obvious the officer meant what he had said. Then, finally, one man stepped forward. The officer put away his gun, picked up a shovel, and beat the man to death. When it was over, the survivors picked up the bloody corpse and carried it with them to the second tool check. This time, no shovel was missing. Indeed, there had been a miscount at the first check point. The word spread like wildfire through the whole camp. An innocent man had been willing to die to save the others! . . . The incident had a profound effect. . . The men began to treat each other like brothers. When the victorious Allies swept in, the survivors, human skeletons, lined up in front of their captors (and instead of attacking their captors) insisted: "No more hatred. No more killing. Now what we need is forgiveness." Sacrificial love has transforming power.
We have the power
When the first missionaries came to Alberta, Canada, they were savagely opposed by a young chief of the Cree Indians named Maskepetoon. But he responded to the gospel and accepted Christ. Shortly afterward, a member of the Blackfoot tribe killed his father. Maskepetoon rode into the village where the murderer lived and demanded that he be brought before him. Confronting the guilty man, he said, "You have killed my father, so now you must be my father. You shall ride my best horse and wear my best clothes."
A couple married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements. They wanted to make their marriage work and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they planned to drop a slip in a "Fault" box. The boxes would provide a place to let the other know about daily irritations. The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach: "leaving the jelly top off the jar," "wet towels on the shower floor," "dirty socks not in hamper," on and on until the end of the month. After dinner, at the end of the month, they exchanged boxes. The husband reflected on what he had done wrong. Then the wife opened her box and began reading. They were all the same, the message on each slip was, "I love you!"
Thomas A. Edison was working on a crazy contraption called a "light bulb" and it took a whole team of men 24 straight hours to put just one together. The story goes that when Edison was finished with one light bulb, he gave it to a young boy helper, who nervously carried it up the stairs. Step by step he cautiously watched his hands, obviously frightened of dropping such a priceless piece of work. You've probably guessed what happened by now; the poor young fellow dropped the bulb at the top of the stairs. It took the entire team of men twenty-four more hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb carried up the stairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one. That's true forgiveness.
How can I learn to forgive
1. Choose to forgive and say the words
2. Make a choice not to tell anyone what they did
3. Be pleasant to them when around them
4. If conversation comes up, say words that release them from bondage
This allows them to feel good about themselves
5. Protect them from their fear
6. Pray for them –
forgive them,
bless them
7. Keep it up – next week, next month, next year
The greater the hurt, the greater the amount of the holy spirit that you need to forgive
The greater the hurt, the greater the blessing that comes from forgivenss
John 8:36 - He whom the son sets free is free indeed
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Forgiveness 1 John:5-10 8-14-11
Sermon 8-14-11 forgiveness – one 1 john 1:5-10
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Is the headline of your life’s newspaper sin or forgiveness?
God’s story of sin and forgiveness
Sin is real – sin is like a dirty diaper
Sin is a great deceiver, promises what it cannot deliver
Sin is not the headline. Love is the headline.
God so loved the world.
Our story of sin and forgiveness
Why is it easier for me to feel bad about myself?
I know psalm 103 says as far as the east is from the west, but they seem to be stuck on me.
Misspelled words – loveable, judgment, forgiveness
I hope you don’t understand this, but those of you who do,
Maybe this is why forgiveness is such good news
Why does my relationship with God feel like a transaction?
Remedies
God has solved the problem of sin.
He has made the way thru Jesus
God has already done the work, nothing more is needed.
Then there is the problem of how we see ourselves
We hear forgiveness, but have trouble sensing that it is for us
Seeing – the board in your eye mt. 7
In order to see, we have to change the way we look at things
When our vision is obstructed, we see the world incorrectly
How do we see god + ourselves when there is a board in our eye?
When our judgment is obscured
God is a mean angry father
And we are unworthy, unlovable, worthless
This is an insult to God
How do you see God when we walk in the light and we see clearly?
God is a loving father, aka prodigal son
God is love
Demello story – tell him I don’t remember his sins
How do we see ourselves? Imperfect, but loved
Pastor shawn shared with me Newborn Baby
We see the sin. I lie. I cheat. I steal. etc. (and we act out of that “seeing”. Guilt/shame/anger/etc.)
God sees more than that. God sees the potential me (The me I am created to be). The grace. The love. The peace. Etc.
Here’s my illustration…..
New born babies.
They are ugly. Wrinkly. Splotchy. Covered in goop and cleaned up they don’t get much better.
But ask a parent holding their new baby and they will describe the wonder, beauty, the grace. It’s almost as if they don’t even notice their kid is a misshapen prune.
Newborns are ugly, but parents see more.
Sinners are ugly, but God sees more.
Let’s take a closer look at this passage
Does God expect us to be perfect?
How do you read it
Light and darkness, good and bad or
Light and darkness, seen or unseen. Open and honest or hidden
1 jn 1:9 if we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
Living in the light or living in darkness- if we walk in the light as he is in the light
Read it both ways
Isn’t this the characteristic of your best friend?
They know the worst about you, but they love you all the same.
Conclusion
If you are in love with God, confession is not about sin. It is about grace.
Will we hold up sin or God?
Ps 32
Prodigal son
Deep desire for the father to reconcile and walk with
What is the headline in your life, sin or grace
What is the headline on the newspaper of your life?
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Is the headline of your life’s newspaper sin or forgiveness?
God’s story of sin and forgiveness
Sin is real – sin is like a dirty diaper
Sin is a great deceiver, promises what it cannot deliver
Sin is not the headline. Love is the headline.
God so loved the world.
Our story of sin and forgiveness
Why is it easier for me to feel bad about myself?
I know psalm 103 says as far as the east is from the west, but they seem to be stuck on me.
Misspelled words – loveable, judgment, forgiveness
I hope you don’t understand this, but those of you who do,
Maybe this is why forgiveness is such good news
Why does my relationship with God feel like a transaction?
Remedies
God has solved the problem of sin.
He has made the way thru Jesus
God has already done the work, nothing more is needed.
Then there is the problem of how we see ourselves
We hear forgiveness, but have trouble sensing that it is for us
Seeing – the board in your eye mt. 7
In order to see, we have to change the way we look at things
When our vision is obstructed, we see the world incorrectly
How do we see god + ourselves when there is a board in our eye?
When our judgment is obscured
God is a mean angry father
And we are unworthy, unlovable, worthless
This is an insult to God
How do you see God when we walk in the light and we see clearly?
God is a loving father, aka prodigal son
God is love
Demello story – tell him I don’t remember his sins
How do we see ourselves? Imperfect, but loved
Pastor shawn shared with me Newborn Baby
We see the sin. I lie. I cheat. I steal. etc. (and we act out of that “seeing”. Guilt/shame/anger/etc.)
God sees more than that. God sees the potential me (The me I am created to be). The grace. The love. The peace. Etc.
Here’s my illustration…..
New born babies.
They are ugly. Wrinkly. Splotchy. Covered in goop and cleaned up they don’t get much better.
But ask a parent holding their new baby and they will describe the wonder, beauty, the grace. It’s almost as if they don’t even notice their kid is a misshapen prune.
Newborns are ugly, but parents see more.
Sinners are ugly, but God sees more.
Let’s take a closer look at this passage
Does God expect us to be perfect?
How do you read it
Light and darkness, good and bad or
Light and darkness, seen or unseen. Open and honest or hidden
1 jn 1:9 if we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
Living in the light or living in darkness- if we walk in the light as he is in the light
Read it both ways
Isn’t this the characteristic of your best friend?
They know the worst about you, but they love you all the same.
Conclusion
If you are in love with God, confession is not about sin. It is about grace.
Will we hold up sin or God?
Ps 32
Prodigal son
Deep desire for the father to reconcile and walk with
What is the headline in your life, sin or grace
What is the headline on the newspaper of your life?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Acts, part 6 Acts 15:36-41 07/17/2011
Sermon title Acts – part 6 Acts 15:36-41
The good that Paul and Barnabas do in chapters 12-15
First missionary journey
Travel- preach – encourage-kicked out of one city- about to be stoned in another –snuck out. Mistaken for gods. Paul is stoned but survives. Disputes. Preaching. Telling the story. Winning people to Christ. It is pretty amazing
u can see where they went. Now getting ready to go again, there is a prob.
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
2 parts to this….their conflict. What we can know about conflict
Notes about the conflict between paul and barnabas over john mark going along
This was heated- they could not find a resolution- sharp disagreement
Disagreements to the point of fracture-
Paul and barnabas were not separated by persecution, impositions of the churches
Yet our humanness- pride, passion still get into the way
John Mark left them before-
Why the conflict - He is a relative of barnabas
Sometimes we get our personal agendas in the way of what is best
Yet paul too could have offered some more grace
Neither would yield, and therefore there is no remedy but they must part.
Even good Christians have disagreements.
Yet there is good news coming out of this conflict
a. Barnabas believed in mark and he later finds restoration
Everyone needs someone to believe in them
b. Go easy - Things can change in the future
Paul writes Timothy (2 Tim. iv. 11), 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
and he writes to the Colossians - 10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)
c. The gospel is furthered. Paul goes to his home – barnabas to his 4:36
Now that is paul and barnabas, what about you and me?
Everyone has conflict. A man once said that he and his wife have only had one fight their entire marriage. He said it started on their honeymoon and he is still waiting for it to end.
Any argument has two sides, and they're usually married to each other.
Officially the vote was 40 yes, 7 no. and one, over my dead body.
Lisa boehm’s cartoon
Principles to face conflict
1. Pray for help- Seek God
Don’t react. Stop and think. Pray. Step back. Act out of the best of who you are
Ps 46:1 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2. Ensure there is a problem, not just an offense
Offer grace. Have you ever done anything like this?
If you can let it go, let it go
A horse can't pull while kicking. This fact we merely mention.
And he can't kick while pulling, Which is our chief contention.
Let's imitate the good old horse And lead a life that's fitting;
Just pull an honest load, and then -There'll be no time for kicking.
Many things that we get upset over are not worth it.
French novelist and playwright Alexandre Dumas once had a heated quarrel with a rising young politician. The argument became so intense that a duel was inevitable. Since both men were superb shots they decided to draw lots, the loser agreeing to shoot himself. Dumas lost. Pistol in hand, he withdrew in silent dignity to another room, closing the door behind him. The rest of the company waited in gloomy suspense for the shot that would end his career. It rang out at last. His friends ran to the door, opened it, and found Dumas, smoking revolver in hand. "Gentlemen, a most regrettable thing has happened," he announced. "I missed."
Two men who lived in a small village got into a terrible dispute that they could not resolve. So they decided to talk to the town sage. The first man went to the sage's home and told his version of what happened. When he finished, the sage said, "You're absolutely right." The next night, the second man called on the sage and told his side of the story. The sage responded, "You're absolutely right." Afterward, the sage's wife scolded her husband. "Those men told you two different stories and you told them they were absolutely right. That's impossible -- they can't both be absolutely right." The sage turned to his wife and said, "You're absolutely right."
Years ago, a large statue of Christ was erected high in the Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile. Called "Christ of the Andes," the statue symbolizes a pledge between the two countries that as long as the statue stands, there will be peace between Chile and Argentina. Shortly after the statue was erected, the Chileans began to protest that they had been slighted -- the statue had its back turned to Chile. Just when tempers were at their highest in Chile, a Chilean newspaperman saved the day. In an editorial that not only satisfied the people but made them laugh, he simply said, "The people of Argentina need more watching over than the Chileans.
3. Act quickly- don’t let it fester
Don’t let the sun go down upon your wrath –eph 4:26
26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
Heb 12:15 - 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
4. Talk directly to the person- don’t triangulate
Mt 18 if your brother sins against you – go talk to them
Speak directly with the person involved.
Fern Bondurant
5. Be prepared to forgive as we have been forgiven
Forgive.
1 cor 13 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6. You don’t have to agree, but you do have to love
Jn 13 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Value the person, concentrate on winning them, not winning the argument
leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without too much apparent loss of face.
7. Keep at it Until you cant anymore
Until it is resolved
Until you need a break
Until you cant any more
Relationships are broken when there is no more grace left to give
Grace is much more powerful than we think. Keep trying to deliver it.
To be continued. Stay tuned. Lets pray
The good that Paul and Barnabas do in chapters 12-15
First missionary journey
Travel- preach – encourage-kicked out of one city- about to be stoned in another –snuck out. Mistaken for gods. Paul is stoned but survives. Disputes. Preaching. Telling the story. Winning people to Christ. It is pretty amazing
u can see where they went. Now getting ready to go again, there is a prob.
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
2 parts to this….their conflict. What we can know about conflict
Notes about the conflict between paul and barnabas over john mark going along
This was heated- they could not find a resolution- sharp disagreement
Disagreements to the point of fracture-
Paul and barnabas were not separated by persecution, impositions of the churches
Yet our humanness- pride, passion still get into the way
John Mark left them before-
Why the conflict - He is a relative of barnabas
Sometimes we get our personal agendas in the way of what is best
Yet paul too could have offered some more grace
Neither would yield, and therefore there is no remedy but they must part.
Even good Christians have disagreements.
Yet there is good news coming out of this conflict
a. Barnabas believed in mark and he later finds restoration
Everyone needs someone to believe in them
b. Go easy - Things can change in the future
Paul writes Timothy (2 Tim. iv. 11), 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
and he writes to the Colossians - 10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)
c. The gospel is furthered. Paul goes to his home – barnabas to his 4:36
Now that is paul and barnabas, what about you and me?
Everyone has conflict. A man once said that he and his wife have only had one fight their entire marriage. He said it started on their honeymoon and he is still waiting for it to end.
Any argument has two sides, and they're usually married to each other.
Officially the vote was 40 yes, 7 no. and one, over my dead body.
Lisa boehm’s cartoon
Principles to face conflict
1. Pray for help- Seek God
Don’t react. Stop and think. Pray. Step back. Act out of the best of who you are
Ps 46:1 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2. Ensure there is a problem, not just an offense
Offer grace. Have you ever done anything like this?
If you can let it go, let it go
A horse can't pull while kicking. This fact we merely mention.
And he can't kick while pulling, Which is our chief contention.
Let's imitate the good old horse And lead a life that's fitting;
Just pull an honest load, and then -There'll be no time for kicking.
Many things that we get upset over are not worth it.
French novelist and playwright Alexandre Dumas once had a heated quarrel with a rising young politician. The argument became so intense that a duel was inevitable. Since both men were superb shots they decided to draw lots, the loser agreeing to shoot himself. Dumas lost. Pistol in hand, he withdrew in silent dignity to another room, closing the door behind him. The rest of the company waited in gloomy suspense for the shot that would end his career. It rang out at last. His friends ran to the door, opened it, and found Dumas, smoking revolver in hand. "Gentlemen, a most regrettable thing has happened," he announced. "I missed."
Two men who lived in a small village got into a terrible dispute that they could not resolve. So they decided to talk to the town sage. The first man went to the sage's home and told his version of what happened. When he finished, the sage said, "You're absolutely right." The next night, the second man called on the sage and told his side of the story. The sage responded, "You're absolutely right." Afterward, the sage's wife scolded her husband. "Those men told you two different stories and you told them they were absolutely right. That's impossible -- they can't both be absolutely right." The sage turned to his wife and said, "You're absolutely right."
Years ago, a large statue of Christ was erected high in the Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile. Called "Christ of the Andes," the statue symbolizes a pledge between the two countries that as long as the statue stands, there will be peace between Chile and Argentina. Shortly after the statue was erected, the Chileans began to protest that they had been slighted -- the statue had its back turned to Chile. Just when tempers were at their highest in Chile, a Chilean newspaperman saved the day. In an editorial that not only satisfied the people but made them laugh, he simply said, "The people of Argentina need more watching over than the Chileans.
3. Act quickly- don’t let it fester
Don’t let the sun go down upon your wrath –eph 4:26
26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
Heb 12:15 - 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
4. Talk directly to the person- don’t triangulate
Mt 18 if your brother sins against you – go talk to them
Speak directly with the person involved.
Fern Bondurant
5. Be prepared to forgive as we have been forgiven
Forgive.
1 cor 13 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6. You don’t have to agree, but you do have to love
Jn 13 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Value the person, concentrate on winning them, not winning the argument
leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without too much apparent loss of face.
7. Keep at it Until you cant anymore
Until it is resolved
Until you need a break
Until you cant any more
Relationships are broken when there is no more grace left to give
Grace is much more powerful than we think. Keep trying to deliver it.
To be continued. Stay tuned. Lets pray
Monday, July 11, 2011
Acts, Part 5 Acts 10:1-23 07/10/2011
Ben will be here to speak about Joplin
Sermon 7-10-11 acts pt 5 Acts 10:1-23
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. 17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
The series
The ongoing saga
The story of chpt 10 and 11
The rest of the story
Peter goes to Cornelius house
He enters it
He tells him the story of Jesus
Cornelius believes
The setting- background
The centurion – in charge of a hundred men
Man of deep character – not to charge into battle, but to be willing to stand and fight to the death
He is an invader, an occupier, here without the consent of the jews. Most jews wanted them out.
Peter- the gentiles are hated. You don’t help on in child birth as it will only add another gentile to the world.
Yet peter is staying with a tanner. This is an unclean place for jews. Simon is probably a Christian. So you can see that peter is already open to the religious law being superceded by the law of love
A good jew did not hang with gentiles. They did not hang with jews that did not obey the law. This is why the men stopped at peters door.
And when peter got to cornelious house, would he step across the threshold?
Take away one
Real Christianity works to bridge divides, not separate
The overwhelming evidence of scripture is that God heals wounds
His desires is that all will come to faith 1 timothy 2
Take a way two- the law can be dangerous
The roads back into the law are legion.
The purpose of the law is to show that everyone sins. But the jews used it to show their superiority
So religious actions can sometimes drive people away
Brian McLaren
Do you know people that act this way?
Take away three- even the most devout can be mistaken
Let him that thinks he stands, take heed less he fall – 1 cor 10:12
Peter is living out his religion. He is doing this based on the rules of the bible as he understands them.
But he has forgotten gods people
In fact, his entire religion had turned its back on Gods mission to the people
Think of how they treated the Samaritans……lepers…
Imagine this happening to Billy graham…..
Take away 4- we need to be continually converted
He has had a conversion but still doesn’t get it
Rejecting classical Judaism, peter is still stuck in many of the forms of religion that look and sound religious but are not caring for god’s people
Peter moves toward God at least 4 times
1. Leave your nets, come follow me
2. Get thee behind me satan
3. 3 denials
4. Vision of the unclean lunch
From glory to glory he’s changing me 2 cor 3
Take away 6- we need to have some friends who do not look like us
What is tragic is that we have friends that look too much like us. If you don’t have friends or acquaintances that are not Christians, how are you reaching or influencing anyone?
What would you think of a religion that taught rules, but also taught that its followers should stay away from lepers, the poor, the undesireable?
I saw ann Humphreys eating with someone that did not look like a Christian. Ummm. Im telling.
How tragic
When jesus said, go make disciples, he wasn’t meaning just among the Methodists. In fact the disciples themselves did not need to be made into disciples. Jesus expected them to go, just as he did, to the blind, the poor, the prostitutes and sinners.
In 11:3 – the others are upset with what peter has done –
1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
criticized. You ate w sinners - So did jesus
luke 5: 29 then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
luke 7:33 for John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Is your work place, the restaurant, the store where you shop a hostile environment or an opportunity for you to love others?
Imagine the thoughts in the minds of such folks when they expected to be looked down on again, but instead, you embraced them. The least of these.
Take away 7 – careful with your biblical proof texting
Peter is quoting the bible when he is arguing with God
What does this mean? Does it mean that revelation is progressive? Maybe
It certainly means that we need to be very careful with bibilical interp
Lead from the whole, not the parts. Follow the core the theme, not the individual
Judas went out and hung himself. Go thou and do likewise. What thou doest, do quickly
The bible is not a hammer
Max lucado describes the scriptures as a wooden fence with holes in it… you can go and look thru the holes and see some of what is on the other side, but we will never in this life grasp the entire mystery.
Don’t get stuck on the fence- don’t settle for your interpretation of the fence
Conclusion
We cannot use the scriptures to paint us into a corner of our comfort. The tone of scripture sends us into the neighborhood with hearts filled with love
And isn’t this the root problem? We don’t love the centurions. We don’t love the hells angels. We don’t love the oppressors. When we love them, and see them as people, everything changes. And we begin to live the life that God intended.
Are your ideas about Christianity holding you back or are they sending you out into the world to love others.
Sermon 7-10-11 acts pt 5 Acts 10:1-23
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. 17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
The series
The ongoing saga
The story of chpt 10 and 11
The rest of the story
Peter goes to Cornelius house
He enters it
He tells him the story of Jesus
Cornelius believes
The setting- background
The centurion – in charge of a hundred men
Man of deep character – not to charge into battle, but to be willing to stand and fight to the death
He is an invader, an occupier, here without the consent of the jews. Most jews wanted them out.
Peter- the gentiles are hated. You don’t help on in child birth as it will only add another gentile to the world.
Yet peter is staying with a tanner. This is an unclean place for jews. Simon is probably a Christian. So you can see that peter is already open to the religious law being superceded by the law of love
A good jew did not hang with gentiles. They did not hang with jews that did not obey the law. This is why the men stopped at peters door.
And when peter got to cornelious house, would he step across the threshold?
Take away one
Real Christianity works to bridge divides, not separate
The overwhelming evidence of scripture is that God heals wounds
His desires is that all will come to faith 1 timothy 2
Take a way two- the law can be dangerous
The roads back into the law are legion.
The purpose of the law is to show that everyone sins. But the jews used it to show their superiority
So religious actions can sometimes drive people away
Brian McLaren
Do you know people that act this way?
Take away three- even the most devout can be mistaken
Let him that thinks he stands, take heed less he fall – 1 cor 10:12
Peter is living out his religion. He is doing this based on the rules of the bible as he understands them.
But he has forgotten gods people
In fact, his entire religion had turned its back on Gods mission to the people
Think of how they treated the Samaritans……lepers…
Imagine this happening to Billy graham…..
Take away 4- we need to be continually converted
He has had a conversion but still doesn’t get it
Rejecting classical Judaism, peter is still stuck in many of the forms of religion that look and sound religious but are not caring for god’s people
Peter moves toward God at least 4 times
1. Leave your nets, come follow me
2. Get thee behind me satan
3. 3 denials
4. Vision of the unclean lunch
From glory to glory he’s changing me 2 cor 3
Take away 6- we need to have some friends who do not look like us
What is tragic is that we have friends that look too much like us. If you don’t have friends or acquaintances that are not Christians, how are you reaching or influencing anyone?
What would you think of a religion that taught rules, but also taught that its followers should stay away from lepers, the poor, the undesireable?
I saw ann Humphreys eating with someone that did not look like a Christian. Ummm. Im telling.
How tragic
When jesus said, go make disciples, he wasn’t meaning just among the Methodists. In fact the disciples themselves did not need to be made into disciples. Jesus expected them to go, just as he did, to the blind, the poor, the prostitutes and sinners.
In 11:3 – the others are upset with what peter has done –
1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
criticized. You ate w sinners - So did jesus
luke 5: 29 then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
luke 7:33 for John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Is your work place, the restaurant, the store where you shop a hostile environment or an opportunity for you to love others?
Imagine the thoughts in the minds of such folks when they expected to be looked down on again, but instead, you embraced them. The least of these.
Take away 7 – careful with your biblical proof texting
Peter is quoting the bible when he is arguing with God
What does this mean? Does it mean that revelation is progressive? Maybe
It certainly means that we need to be very careful with bibilical interp
Lead from the whole, not the parts. Follow the core the theme, not the individual
Judas went out and hung himself. Go thou and do likewise. What thou doest, do quickly
The bible is not a hammer
Max lucado describes the scriptures as a wooden fence with holes in it… you can go and look thru the holes and see some of what is on the other side, but we will never in this life grasp the entire mystery.
Don’t get stuck on the fence- don’t settle for your interpretation of the fence
Conclusion
We cannot use the scriptures to paint us into a corner of our comfort. The tone of scripture sends us into the neighborhood with hearts filled with love
And isn’t this the root problem? We don’t love the centurions. We don’t love the hells angels. We don’t love the oppressors. When we love them, and see them as people, everything changes. And we begin to live the life that God intended.
Are your ideas about Christianity holding you back or are they sending you out into the world to love others.
Acts, Part 5 Acts 10:1-23 07/10/2011
Ben will be here to speak about Joplin
Sermon 7-10-11 acts pt 5 Acts 10:1-23
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. 17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
The series
The ongoing saga
The story of chpt 10 and 11
The rest of the story
Peter goes to Cornelius house
He enters it
He tells him the story of Jesus
Cornelius believes
The setting- background
The centurion – in charge of a hundred men
Man of deep character – not to charge into battle, but to be willing to stand and fight to the death
He is an invader, an occupier, here without the consent of the jews. Most jews wanted them out.
Peter- the gentiles are hated. You don’t help on in child birth as it will only add another gentile to the world.
Yet peter is staying with a tanner. This is an unclean place for jews. Simon is probably a Christian. So you can see that peter is already open to the religious law being superceded by the law of love
A good jew did not hang with gentiles. They did not hang with jews that did not obey the law. This is why the men stopped at peters door.
And when peter got to cornelious house, would he step across the threshold?
Take away one
Real Christianity works to bridge divides, not separate
The overwhelming evidence of scripture is that God heals wounds
His desires is that all will come to faith 1 timothy 2
Take a way two- the law can be dangerous
The roads back into the law are legion.
The purpose of the law is to show that everyone sins. But the jews used it to show their superiority
So religious actions can sometimes drive people away
Brian McLaren
Do you know people that act this way?
Take away three- even the most devout can be mistaken
Let him that thinks he stands, take heed less he fall – 1 cor 10:12
Peter is living out his religion. He is doing this based on the rules of the bible as he understands them.
But he has forgotten gods people
In fact, his entire religion had turned its back on Gods mission to the people
Think of how they treated the Samaritans……lepers…
Imagine this happening to Billy graham…..
Take away 4- we need to be continually converted
He has had a conversion but still doesn’t get it
Rejecting classical Judaism, peter is still stuck in many of the forms of religion that look and sound religious but are not caring for god’s people
Peter moves toward God at least 4 times
1. Leave your nets, come follow me
2. Get thee behind me satan
3. 3 denials
4. Vision of the unclean lunch
From glory to glory he’s changing me 2 cor 3
Take away 6- we need to have some friends who do not look like us
What is tragic is that we have friends that look too much like us. If you don’t have friends or acquaintances that are not Christians, how are you reaching or influencing anyone?
What would you think of a religion that taught rules, but also taught that its followers should stay away from lepers, the poor, the undesireable?
I saw ann Humphreys eating with someone that did not look like a Christian. Ummm. Im telling.
How tragic
When jesus said, go make disciples, he wasn’t meaning just among the Methodists. In fact the disciples themselves did not need to be made into disciples. Jesus expected them to go, just as he did, to the blind, the poor, the prostitutes and sinners.
In 11:3 – the others are upset with what peter has done –
1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
criticized. You ate w sinners - So did jesus
luke 5: 29 then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
luke 7:33 for John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Is your work place, the restaurant, the store where you shop a hostile environment or an opportunity for you to love others?
Imagine the thoughts in the minds of such folks when they expected to be looked down on again, but instead, you embraced them. The least of these.
Take away 7 – careful with your biblical proof texting
Peter is quoting the bible when he is arguing with God
What does this mean? Does it mean that revelation is progressive? Maybe
It certainly means that we need to be very careful with bibilical interp
Lead from the whole, not the parts. Follow the core the theme, not the individual
Judas went out and hung himself. Go thou and do likewise. What thou doest, do quickly
The bible is not a hammer
Max lucado describes the scriptures as a wooden fence with holes in it… you can go and look thru the holes and see some of what is on the other side, but we will never in this life grasp the entire mystery.
Don’t get stuck on the fence- don’t settle for your interpretation of the fence
Conclusion
We cannot use the scriptures to paint us into a corner of our comfort. The tone of scripture sends us into the neighborhood with hearts filled with love
And isn’t this the root problem? We don’t love the centurions. We don’t love the hells angels. We don’t love the oppressors. When we love them, and see them as people, everything changes. And we begin to live the life that God intended.
Are your ideas about Christianity holding you back or are they sending you out into the world to love others.
Sermon 7-10-11 acts pt 5 Acts 10:1-23
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. 17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
The series
The ongoing saga
The story of chpt 10 and 11
The rest of the story
Peter goes to Cornelius house
He enters it
He tells him the story of Jesus
Cornelius believes
The setting- background
The centurion – in charge of a hundred men
Man of deep character – not to charge into battle, but to be willing to stand and fight to the death
He is an invader, an occupier, here without the consent of the jews. Most jews wanted them out.
Peter- the gentiles are hated. You don’t help on in child birth as it will only add another gentile to the world.
Yet peter is staying with a tanner. This is an unclean place for jews. Simon is probably a Christian. So you can see that peter is already open to the religious law being superceded by the law of love
A good jew did not hang with gentiles. They did not hang with jews that did not obey the law. This is why the men stopped at peters door.
And when peter got to cornelious house, would he step across the threshold?
Take away one
Real Christianity works to bridge divides, not separate
The overwhelming evidence of scripture is that God heals wounds
His desires is that all will come to faith 1 timothy 2
Take a way two- the law can be dangerous
The roads back into the law are legion.
The purpose of the law is to show that everyone sins. But the jews used it to show their superiority
So religious actions can sometimes drive people away
Brian McLaren
Do you know people that act this way?
Take away three- even the most devout can be mistaken
Let him that thinks he stands, take heed less he fall – 1 cor 10:12
Peter is living out his religion. He is doing this based on the rules of the bible as he understands them.
But he has forgotten gods people
In fact, his entire religion had turned its back on Gods mission to the people
Think of how they treated the Samaritans……lepers…
Imagine this happening to Billy graham…..
Take away 4- we need to be continually converted
He has had a conversion but still doesn’t get it
Rejecting classical Judaism, peter is still stuck in many of the forms of religion that look and sound religious but are not caring for god’s people
Peter moves toward God at least 4 times
1. Leave your nets, come follow me
2. Get thee behind me satan
3. 3 denials
4. Vision of the unclean lunch
From glory to glory he’s changing me 2 cor 3
Take away 6- we need to have some friends who do not look like us
What is tragic is that we have friends that look too much like us. If you don’t have friends or acquaintances that are not Christians, how are you reaching or influencing anyone?
What would you think of a religion that taught rules, but also taught that its followers should stay away from lepers, the poor, the undesireable?
I saw ann Humphreys eating with someone that did not look like a Christian. Ummm. Im telling.
How tragic
When jesus said, go make disciples, he wasn’t meaning just among the Methodists. In fact the disciples themselves did not need to be made into disciples. Jesus expected them to go, just as he did, to the blind, the poor, the prostitutes and sinners.
In 11:3 – the others are upset with what peter has done –
1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
criticized. You ate w sinners - So did jesus
luke 5: 29 then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
luke 7:33 for John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Is your work place, the restaurant, the store where you shop a hostile environment or an opportunity for you to love others?
Imagine the thoughts in the minds of such folks when they expected to be looked down on again, but instead, you embraced them. The least of these.
Take away 7 – careful with your biblical proof texting
Peter is quoting the bible when he is arguing with God
What does this mean? Does it mean that revelation is progressive? Maybe
It certainly means that we need to be very careful with bibilical interp
Lead from the whole, not the parts. Follow the core the theme, not the individual
Judas went out and hung himself. Go thou and do likewise. What thou doest, do quickly
The bible is not a hammer
Max lucado describes the scriptures as a wooden fence with holes in it… you can go and look thru the holes and see some of what is on the other side, but we will never in this life grasp the entire mystery.
Don’t get stuck on the fence- don’t settle for your interpretation of the fence
Conclusion
We cannot use the scriptures to paint us into a corner of our comfort. The tone of scripture sends us into the neighborhood with hearts filled with love
And isn’t this the root problem? We don’t love the centurions. We don’t love the hells angels. We don’t love the oppressors. When we love them, and see them as people, everything changes. And we begin to live the life that God intended.
Are your ideas about Christianity holding you back or are they sending you out into the world to love others.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Acts, Part 3 - 7:51-60 06-26-11
Sermon 6-26-11 Acts 7:51-60 hh
The nature of the series - A serial
Last week we found
Gamalials advice, peter’s shadow falling
51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” 54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Today we are in chapters 5-8
Here are the take aways
Take away one – gamalials speech persuades the sanhedren
5:40-41
40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
We are worthy of suffering
Persecution of Christians around the world – get info
A little bit more than not being able to put the nativity up in govt buildings.
7 churches bombed in Iraq over a weekend in 2009
Christian church bombed in Egypt jan 1 2011- 23 dead
Around the world, pastors killed, people displaced
China it is illegal to be apart of a non approved church
We are worthy of suffering
What would happen to Tv preachers ministry
The prosperity gospel
The real message of the Christian faith always puts god’s purpose before things and our comfort
Take away 2
6:2-4 deacons
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The pastors cant do it all
Jeff u need to let others do some of
I don’t know what is going on with 75% of the church
We need you. The church needs you. You need to serve.
We are the happiest when we give of ourselves
The pastor and staff are here to help you for this purpose eph 4 – for the equipping of the saints
Eph 4 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
Take away 3
6:7 priests come to believe
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
I like this……….
The spirit is speaking to them
They weren’t all a bunch of stuck on themselves, power hungry dudes
Take away 4
7:1-50 speech to Sanhedrin
Wonderful recounting of the jewish faith and ot history until – stiff necks
51- stiff necks and stoning
51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised.
The prophetic voice
When is it good
When will it get you in trouble
When do you fall on your sword
Very difficult for a pastor. Balancing the comofort of your congregation with the need to pursue faithfulness
Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable
Tension and release
Take away 5 – Stephen died for his faith
Are you willing to die for your faith
We who shrink back from the slightest criticism
We complain that we are not being treated fairly
We pray that god will take away the offense
Do we count ourselves worthy of suffering
Are you willing to die for your faith?
What if you could be arrested for coming to church? Owning a bible? Being found in prayer? Gathering with other Christians?
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you
Not some guilt laden thing
Not are you annoying enough people
Not are you going door to door
Gal 5 -22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
Prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness
If everyone supported the church as you do, would the budget and attendance double or would WCC have to close its doors
If everyone lived and loved as you do, would the kingdom of God be seen all over the earth or would Jesus’ church be erased from the face of the earth?
Uhooo. The preacher is making us feel guilty - - No………
I just want you to get a picture of how serious they were about their faith.
It was not an after thought
It was not an footnote to their life
It was their life. It was their heart and soul.
They took very seriously the simple sayings of jesus
Mt 1039 whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Mt 16 26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Stay tuned - To be continued – let us pray
The nature of the series - A serial
Last week we found
Gamalials advice, peter’s shadow falling
51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” 54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Today we are in chapters 5-8
Here are the take aways
Take away one – gamalials speech persuades the sanhedren
5:40-41
40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
We are worthy of suffering
Persecution of Christians around the world – get info
A little bit more than not being able to put the nativity up in govt buildings.
7 churches bombed in Iraq over a weekend in 2009
Christian church bombed in Egypt jan 1 2011- 23 dead
Around the world, pastors killed, people displaced
China it is illegal to be apart of a non approved church
We are worthy of suffering
What would happen to Tv preachers ministry
The prosperity gospel
The real message of the Christian faith always puts god’s purpose before things and our comfort
Take away 2
6:2-4 deacons
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The pastors cant do it all
Jeff u need to let others do some of
I don’t know what is going on with 75% of the church
We need you. The church needs you. You need to serve.
We are the happiest when we give of ourselves
The pastor and staff are here to help you for this purpose eph 4 – for the equipping of the saints
Eph 4 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
Take away 3
6:7 priests come to believe
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
I like this……….
The spirit is speaking to them
They weren’t all a bunch of stuck on themselves, power hungry dudes
Take away 4
7:1-50 speech to Sanhedrin
Wonderful recounting of the jewish faith and ot history until – stiff necks
51- stiff necks and stoning
51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised.
The prophetic voice
When is it good
When will it get you in trouble
When do you fall on your sword
Very difficult for a pastor. Balancing the comofort of your congregation with the need to pursue faithfulness
Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable
Tension and release
Take away 5 – Stephen died for his faith
Are you willing to die for your faith
We who shrink back from the slightest criticism
We complain that we are not being treated fairly
We pray that god will take away the offense
Do we count ourselves worthy of suffering
Are you willing to die for your faith?
What if you could be arrested for coming to church? Owning a bible? Being found in prayer? Gathering with other Christians?
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you
Not some guilt laden thing
Not are you annoying enough people
Not are you going door to door
Gal 5 -22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
Prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness
If everyone supported the church as you do, would the budget and attendance double or would WCC have to close its doors
If everyone lived and loved as you do, would the kingdom of God be seen all over the earth or would Jesus’ church be erased from the face of the earth?
Uhooo. The preacher is making us feel guilty - - No………
I just want you to get a picture of how serious they were about their faith.
It was not an after thought
It was not an footnote to their life
It was their life. It was their heart and soul.
They took very seriously the simple sayings of jesus
Mt 1039 whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Mt 16 26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Stay tuned - To be continued – let us pray
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saying Goodbye Luke 24:44-53 5/29/11
Sermon 5-29-11 Luke 24:44-53 saying goodbye
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Apologize for the title of this sermon
Saying goodbye
Point of sermon is jesus ascends, disciples say goodbye
Saying goodbye.
I hope to get there in a bit but we have several things to discuss today
Today we are saying goodbye to The beacon
The beacon umc, our new church start has closed.
This was not what we were hoping for, but we just did not generate what the conference refers to as self sustainability.
I apologize for the sadness that this brings
But I celebrate the efforts of pastor dave and so many of you.
I also celebrate that our church is willing to take risks for the kingdom
Pastor dave will be appointed june 1 to Ohio stree t umc in butler
We will continue to work on ways to reach out and make disciples
Today we need to talk about the tornado in Joplin
One week ago today our friends in Joplin were having Sunday services.
Later that day, a big tornado moves thru
How we will help st pauls
Collecting goods
Special giving
Weekly trips
why
Why does the tornado hit Joplin?
What can our brains do with that?
God is in control, but not controlling
We are not in charge
We are not promised a rose garden
Life has suffering
God stands with us in our pain
Calamity gives us the change to be the hands and feet of Jesus
Psalm 103
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him
We are not in charge. This world will always bring us challenge. But God is not against us. God is with us. God is for us. God stands with us. These terrible things, as terrible as they are, can cause us to trust him. We have nothing else in this life ultimately to trust. No promise of health, wealth or comfort. The only promise that we have is that our God is with us. His love in fills us.
May 21 and the end of the world
Quiet time and the whole world reflected
Just for a moment people said, what if. What if it all ended. Who am I trusting.
Memorial day
Read scripture passage………..
Post resurrection stories - Jesus leaves
Saying goodbye to those you love
To friends and loved ones
To marriages, homes and friends
Plenty of grief to go around
To savor the good
To focus on what was, or what is
Saying goodbye when it is your turn
When we are saying goodbye our selves.
American culture tells us that everything can be bought. Can be stabilized.
Everything is permanent
But noting in this world is permanent. We all fade like the flower
Once we accept the transitoriness of everything in life, be can simply relax and enjoy the day
When we come to understand that nothing of this world is trustworthy, we can start to trust God
Is your God a scary God that you aren’t sure isn’t going to catch you on a technicality
Or will you die in full assurance of faith, believing in a god of love and trusting in jesus
Going home- should feel like going home.
Spending time with a friend
What a friend we have in Jesus
What are the beliefs that you have chosen about death
Death will rip me away from my family
Death will strip away all that I have worked for in life
Death will force me to stand in front of this God that I barely know
Or do you believe that
Death is a natural part of human life
Death is an opportunity for us to love our families and teach them how to die
To tell them that I am entering into the hands of a loving god
Death is a going home, to be with my jesus
What are your beliefs about death?
A group of nuns named their members for attributes of Jesus and Mary
The tower of wisdom
The cause of our joy
The virgin most afflicted
What will be the words written on your tombstone
Her life taught us how to live. Her death taught us how to die.
Jesus left them bodily, but he was always with them. To the extent that we understand and believe that jesus is with us, we can live in joy and die in peace.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Apologize for the title of this sermon
Saying goodbye
Point of sermon is jesus ascends, disciples say goodbye
Saying goodbye.
I hope to get there in a bit but we have several things to discuss today
Today we are saying goodbye to The beacon
The beacon umc, our new church start has closed.
This was not what we were hoping for, but we just did not generate what the conference refers to as self sustainability.
I apologize for the sadness that this brings
But I celebrate the efforts of pastor dave and so many of you.
I also celebrate that our church is willing to take risks for the kingdom
Pastor dave will be appointed june 1 to Ohio stree t umc in butler
We will continue to work on ways to reach out and make disciples
Today we need to talk about the tornado in Joplin
One week ago today our friends in Joplin were having Sunday services.
Later that day, a big tornado moves thru
How we will help st pauls
Collecting goods
Special giving
Weekly trips
why
Why does the tornado hit Joplin?
What can our brains do with that?
God is in control, but not controlling
We are not in charge
We are not promised a rose garden
Life has suffering
God stands with us in our pain
Calamity gives us the change to be the hands and feet of Jesus
Psalm 103
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him
We are not in charge. This world will always bring us challenge. But God is not against us. God is with us. God is for us. God stands with us. These terrible things, as terrible as they are, can cause us to trust him. We have nothing else in this life ultimately to trust. No promise of health, wealth or comfort. The only promise that we have is that our God is with us. His love in fills us.
May 21 and the end of the world
Quiet time and the whole world reflected
Just for a moment people said, what if. What if it all ended. Who am I trusting.
Memorial day
Read scripture passage………..
Post resurrection stories - Jesus leaves
Saying goodbye to those you love
To friends and loved ones
To marriages, homes and friends
Plenty of grief to go around
To savor the good
To focus on what was, or what is
Saying goodbye when it is your turn
When we are saying goodbye our selves.
American culture tells us that everything can be bought. Can be stabilized.
Everything is permanent
But noting in this world is permanent. We all fade like the flower
Once we accept the transitoriness of everything in life, be can simply relax and enjoy the day
When we come to understand that nothing of this world is trustworthy, we can start to trust God
Is your God a scary God that you aren’t sure isn’t going to catch you on a technicality
Or will you die in full assurance of faith, believing in a god of love and trusting in jesus
Going home- should feel like going home.
Spending time with a friend
What a friend we have in Jesus
What are the beliefs that you have chosen about death
Death will rip me away from my family
Death will strip away all that I have worked for in life
Death will force me to stand in front of this God that I barely know
Or do you believe that
Death is a natural part of human life
Death is an opportunity for us to love our families and teach them how to die
To tell them that I am entering into the hands of a loving god
Death is a going home, to be with my jesus
What are your beliefs about death?
A group of nuns named their members for attributes of Jesus and Mary
The tower of wisdom
The cause of our joy
The virgin most afflicted
What will be the words written on your tombstone
Her life taught us how to live. Her death taught us how to die.
Jesus left them bodily, but he was always with them. To the extent that we understand and believe that jesus is with us, we can live in joy and die in peace.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Resurrection Stories Peace Be With You John 20:19-23 5/15/11
Sermon 5-15-11 resurrection stories peace be with youu
John 20:19-23
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
A couple of things
Musical, gina k, iris, change the world, end of the world may 21
If you forgive their sins they are forgiven, if you don’t…
How will we do this?
Are you forgiving people their sins?
Are you forgiving yourself?
The boy kicked his mother and was told the story about him growing up and they had to saw off his leg to get him into the casket
God never forgets
He gives them peace
He forgives them
Without a confession, without any begging on their part
I am not saying that we shouldn’t confess, we should
I am not saying we shouldn’t be sorry for our sins, we should be
But I am asking you to look at the picture in this story.
And I am realizing that it looks the same as in many other stories-
The prodigal son is not squeezed to get his pint of repentance
The thief on the cross is not given the spiritual third degree
Its like Jesus sees their hearts and responds to that
To the entire world -Jesus on the cross
Father forgive them
Paul on the road to Damascus did not confess his sins or say a prayer
He did it later……..maybe, maybe not
But the overwhelming picture given in the story is the amazing power of god
God just rushes in and says, Ive got this
Back to jesus and the disciples hiding in the room
Jesus doesn’t make them grovel
Got a nice note from someone this past week who is struggling with guilt
God loved the people so much that he is taking over and getting his work done.
The work is already done
Accept it
No time for sulking or groveling, I love you – lets go
Christians walk into the room and judge others as needing them
And we are not forgiving their sins.
Who are we to count someones sins agains them?
But we do it because we are still counting our own against ourselves
When you know that you are forgiven, you are much more forgiving to other
some people want me to tell them how bad they are.
why? What does that do to your daily living? Your confidence?
Do you think that Jesus wants you spending you life running around remembering how crummy you are? Is this how you want your children to live?
But this is what we do to ourselves
And what is the result.
We come up with nutty things like this…..
What happens if I sin before I die?
You have to be up on your forgiveness, if you aren’t, then you will go to hell.
Really. Is this what we believe? How did we learn things like this?
Is this what God is like?
Get off of your sin. God’s grace is bigger
We are not filled with the spirit because we are filled with doubt and fear.
2 timothy 1:7 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Jesus says, receive the holy spirit, forgive their sins
Let them go. Free them. Welcome them. Heal them.
God walks in the room and speaks peace
man is that why they call this good news?
the spirit rushes into the disciples
as the father has sent me, so I am sending you.
We are not very comfortable about being sent
Why
Because we thought the message was - telling everyone how bad they r
Holding their sins against them
But Jesus says, you have to power to forgive them. Do it.
What if we can learn to deliver the message of forgiveness and love?
What if the message doesn’t address what is wrong with you but instead it rushes into you and fills you
You then are able to do this, be this to others
you rush into the room with the message of love.
Are you ok with being sent then?
This blows my theology out of the water.
He does not insist that they repent.
He does not give them any correction
There is nothing that they have to process to receive the blessing
They are simply given the spirit
The peace is imposed.
Is it possible that god’s love is so big that when it comes into the room, nothing else matters?
What kind of god were you taught about?
What kind of god do you follow?
What picture of god are you giving to others?
To your friends, your children?
• Watch out- god is going to judge you
• God is mad at you
• Come learn the secret knowledge of god that only I know
• May 21 end of the world
Or are you teaching them about the god who is love. Who comes into the room and gives the spirit
Conclusion
Jesus walks in the room and gives speaks peace.
What? Are you kidding? They just killed you. And I am glad you have risen as you said but are they going to do that to us?
Peace? Really?
Yes. You are going to live in a world of struggle. But I have overcome and so will you.
Love them, heal them, bless them.
Breath on them
Receive the holy spirit
As the father sent Jesus, so he is sending you
Receive and go carry his love into the next room you are in
Jeff Brinkman
Pastor
Woods Chapel United Methodist Church
You can read Jeff's blog at www.canyouhearthebirdssing.blogspot.com
John 20:19-23
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
A couple of things
Musical, gina k, iris, change the world, end of the world may 21
If you forgive their sins they are forgiven, if you don’t…
How will we do this?
Are you forgiving people their sins?
Are you forgiving yourself?
The boy kicked his mother and was told the story about him growing up and they had to saw off his leg to get him into the casket
God never forgets
He gives them peace
He forgives them
Without a confession, without any begging on their part
I am not saying that we shouldn’t confess, we should
I am not saying we shouldn’t be sorry for our sins, we should be
But I am asking you to look at the picture in this story.
And I am realizing that it looks the same as in many other stories-
The prodigal son is not squeezed to get his pint of repentance
The thief on the cross is not given the spiritual third degree
Its like Jesus sees their hearts and responds to that
To the entire world -Jesus on the cross
Father forgive them
Paul on the road to Damascus did not confess his sins or say a prayer
He did it later……..maybe, maybe not
But the overwhelming picture given in the story is the amazing power of god
God just rushes in and says, Ive got this
Back to jesus and the disciples hiding in the room
Jesus doesn’t make them grovel
Got a nice note from someone this past week who is struggling with guilt
God loved the people so much that he is taking over and getting his work done.
The work is already done
Accept it
No time for sulking or groveling, I love you – lets go
Christians walk into the room and judge others as needing them
And we are not forgiving their sins.
Who are we to count someones sins agains them?
But we do it because we are still counting our own against ourselves
When you know that you are forgiven, you are much more forgiving to other
some people want me to tell them how bad they are.
why? What does that do to your daily living? Your confidence?
Do you think that Jesus wants you spending you life running around remembering how crummy you are? Is this how you want your children to live?
But this is what we do to ourselves
And what is the result.
We come up with nutty things like this…..
What happens if I sin before I die?
You have to be up on your forgiveness, if you aren’t, then you will go to hell.
Really. Is this what we believe? How did we learn things like this?
Is this what God is like?
Get off of your sin. God’s grace is bigger
We are not filled with the spirit because we are filled with doubt and fear.
2 timothy 1:7 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Jesus says, receive the holy spirit, forgive their sins
Let them go. Free them. Welcome them. Heal them.
God walks in the room and speaks peace
man is that why they call this good news?
the spirit rushes into the disciples
as the father has sent me, so I am sending you.
We are not very comfortable about being sent
Why
Because we thought the message was - telling everyone how bad they r
Holding their sins against them
But Jesus says, you have to power to forgive them. Do it.
What if we can learn to deliver the message of forgiveness and love?
What if the message doesn’t address what is wrong with you but instead it rushes into you and fills you
You then are able to do this, be this to others
you rush into the room with the message of love.
Are you ok with being sent then?
This blows my theology out of the water.
He does not insist that they repent.
He does not give them any correction
There is nothing that they have to process to receive the blessing
They are simply given the spirit
The peace is imposed.
Is it possible that god’s love is so big that when it comes into the room, nothing else matters?
What kind of god were you taught about?
What kind of god do you follow?
What picture of god are you giving to others?
To your friends, your children?
• Watch out- god is going to judge you
• God is mad at you
• Come learn the secret knowledge of god that only I know
• May 21 end of the world
Or are you teaching them about the god who is love. Who comes into the room and gives the spirit
Conclusion
Jesus walks in the room and gives speaks peace.
What? Are you kidding? They just killed you. And I am glad you have risen as you said but are they going to do that to us?
Peace? Really?
Yes. You are going to live in a world of struggle. But I have overcome and so will you.
Love them, heal them, bless them.
Breath on them
Receive the holy spirit
As the father sent Jesus, so he is sending you
Receive and go carry his love into the next room you are in
Jeff Brinkman
Pastor
Woods Chapel United Methodist Church
You can read Jeff's blog at www.canyouhearthebirdssing.blogspot.com
Monday, May 2, 2011
Doubts We Have John 20:24-29 05/01/11
Sermon`5-1-2011 Thomas the doubter John 20:24-29 doubts we have
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Resurrection stories
Thomas the doubter
A great legacy
Not a very positive guy
Lets go to Jerusalem and die there with him john 11;16
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Before we are so hard on him
All of the disciples ran away
None of htem got it
They all had their doubts – did not believe the report of the women
We are not really much different
Human, broken people trying to follow God
If you don't have any doubts, you are kidding yourself. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it alive and moving.
Better a little self doubt than to see ones self as always right
Those who do not doubt are dangerous – jim jones
Some are not honest with themselves-
Others have god is such a box that they have it all figured out
When you enter the mystery of God, the story does not add up
Human minds cannot connect the dots
Doubt is often the source of honest, humble, authentic faith.
Real relationships are grounded in clean air..brave people are not afraid to ask the hard questions.
Faith without doubt is dead. Faith without doubt is pretent.
Healthy doubt searches for more faith. Lord I believe, help my unbelief.
We have doubts about God
We have doubts about ourselves – or what we are trying to do
Last week with the pastors
I am not like them – john ortberg story
Comparing themselves with themselves they are not wise 2 cor 10:12
12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
When you have your eyes on yourself, you will always feel bad about yourself
What would you tell a child?
We doubt our faith sometimes.......that is really what Thomas is doing
Have I really given my heart to Christ? Over and over as youth
I don't feel very faithful
I am discouraged
There are always going to be questions about life and God's world
God is bigger than our questions.
Unto disciples he said, gentlemen,
Remember the story..remember who I am
See my hands, touch my side......Consider the truth
I cant leave myself in my brain
Jesus comes into the room
It makes the story
Changes the moment
They go from hiding in fear, to being willing to give their lives
By the way, the greatest proof of the resurrection is that the disciples died for this faith
Would you be willing to die for a lie
Would you hide the body and then go die for the story
The story is true
When you contact jesus your life is different
Not perfect, but better
Christians aren’t better than other people, they are just better than they were
Is jesus in your room? The thing that I forgot is that Jesus is already in the room. He never left.
He is spacially with me always.
The problem is not that he is not there the problem is that I was so caught up with what was going on that I forgot to look. REPEAT
So how do we meet jesus – many many ways 30,000 feet on airplane
Hearing a sermon about Gods love
Hearing a song about forgiveness
A book about biblical archaeology
On a mission trip - When I do the work of God, I feel his presence
In the sunset
In the forest
In the garden – tulips, ajuga, Angelina, blue salvia, sedem, hosta, iris
In the sanctuary
In the embrace of a friend
In the scriptures
At home in prayer
Simple faith
Dr. Julius Modlenhawer confessed from his own experience that when he was a child, he knew so little that he believed the Christmas story, just as Luke tells it. Then came a time when he thought he knew so much - after studying science, biblical criticism, comparative religion and philosophy - that he could not believe the miraculous setting of the story. But now, once again, he knows so little that he believes the story just as Luke tells it.—
Adam’s altheimers story
If you don't have a faith story, then maybe today is the day for you to receive one
The power of faith is greater than the power of the human mind.
Faith is the great “yes” to God.
I invite you to hear God’s call and understand that Jesus Is already in the room. place your faith in our lord and savior Jesus Christ.
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Resurrection stories
Thomas the doubter
A great legacy
Not a very positive guy
Lets go to Jerusalem and die there with him john 11;16
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Before we are so hard on him
All of the disciples ran away
None of htem got it
They all had their doubts – did not believe the report of the women
We are not really much different
Human, broken people trying to follow God
If you don't have any doubts, you are kidding yourself. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it alive and moving.
Better a little self doubt than to see ones self as always right
Those who do not doubt are dangerous – jim jones
Some are not honest with themselves-
Others have god is such a box that they have it all figured out
When you enter the mystery of God, the story does not add up
Human minds cannot connect the dots
Doubt is often the source of honest, humble, authentic faith.
Real relationships are grounded in clean air..brave people are not afraid to ask the hard questions.
Faith without doubt is dead. Faith without doubt is pretent.
Healthy doubt searches for more faith. Lord I believe, help my unbelief.
We have doubts about God
We have doubts about ourselves – or what we are trying to do
Last week with the pastors
I am not like them – john ortberg story
Comparing themselves with themselves they are not wise 2 cor 10:12
12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
When you have your eyes on yourself, you will always feel bad about yourself
What would you tell a child?
We doubt our faith sometimes.......that is really what Thomas is doing
Have I really given my heart to Christ? Over and over as youth
I don't feel very faithful
I am discouraged
There are always going to be questions about life and God's world
God is bigger than our questions.
Unto disciples he said, gentlemen,
Remember the story..remember who I am
See my hands, touch my side......Consider the truth
I cant leave myself in my brain
Jesus comes into the room
It makes the story
Changes the moment
They go from hiding in fear, to being willing to give their lives
By the way, the greatest proof of the resurrection is that the disciples died for this faith
Would you be willing to die for a lie
Would you hide the body and then go die for the story
The story is true
When you contact jesus your life is different
Not perfect, but better
Christians aren’t better than other people, they are just better than they were
Is jesus in your room? The thing that I forgot is that Jesus is already in the room. He never left.
He is spacially with me always.
The problem is not that he is not there the problem is that I was so caught up with what was going on that I forgot to look. REPEAT
So how do we meet jesus – many many ways 30,000 feet on airplane
Hearing a sermon about Gods love
Hearing a song about forgiveness
A book about biblical archaeology
On a mission trip - When I do the work of God, I feel his presence
In the sunset
In the forest
In the garden – tulips, ajuga, Angelina, blue salvia, sedem, hosta, iris
In the sanctuary
In the embrace of a friend
In the scriptures
At home in prayer
Simple faith
Dr. Julius Modlenhawer confessed from his own experience that when he was a child, he knew so little that he believed the Christmas story, just as Luke tells it. Then came a time when he thought he knew so much - after studying science, biblical criticism, comparative religion and philosophy - that he could not believe the miraculous setting of the story. But now, once again, he knows so little that he believes the story just as Luke tells it.—
Adam’s altheimers story
If you don't have a faith story, then maybe today is the day for you to receive one
The power of faith is greater than the power of the human mind.
Faith is the great “yes” to God.
I invite you to hear God’s call and understand that Jesus Is already in the room. place your faith in our lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Luke 24: 1-12 4/24/11
Easter sermon 4-24-11 without and with the resurrection <>
Luke 24: 1-12
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Introduction
Good Friday - the same story keeps getting told over and over and it goes right down into our souls.
Into our lives that are so human, the story speaks in a super human way
This Jesus, the son of God, relates to the common person
No other life I n the history of the world has proved to be as powerful and enduring as that of Jesus
Is there anything to this following Jesus?
Following Jesus -it’s not fire insurance
I want to share with you to day that there are joys of being a Christian in this life, and in the world to come.
Let’s begin with a Story
Peter Rollins story about those who did not know about the resurrection
Love, forgiveness, and celebration
I fear that now instead of following him for the kind of life that he taught us, my children will follow him selfishly, because he has ensured their personal salvation and eternal home.
The gifts of the Christian life now
The Christian life is good.
One old pastor used to say, even if there is no eternity, I will choose the Christian life. There is no better life
The gifts of the Christian life here and now
1. Love
Easter reminds us that god loves ordinary and flawed people.
God can do extraordinary things through ordinary people.
Mary was a demon possessed woman, but Jesus healer her Luke 8:1-2
Luke 8:1-2 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
2. Joy
3. Service
4. Celebration
Transformed the followers then, and continually transforms the lives of those who believe today.
The Christian life in the future
The gifts of the resurrection
This is amazing news –
We who die can live again
Do you believe in eternity? How could I simply cease to exist. The human body is such a miracle wrapped up with a soul.
1. Bible teaches that if we accept Jesus, our sins are forgiven;
Peter's last contact with the lord is the three denials. Now running to the tomb - he saw and believed. And how joyful it was for Jesus to welcome peter back, forgive him and commission him.
2. We spend eternity in heaven. Not to play the harp, but to enjoy the love.
Visiting with atheists about the God of love
3. Questions answered - propositional or relational Presence of God
4. For all of you who have lost a loved one..........see them again
5. No more tears quote revelation- 21:3-6
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
Conclusion
For the gifts of following you in this life, and in the next, we praise you
We are more than we will ever understand. In Christ we find our completion. We find a place to land that feels right. It feels like home.
All enemies are conquered
Easter gives us hope because what appeared to have been the worst defeat imaginable, remarkably turned out to be the greatest victory of all.
Sin is defeated. Death is defeated. Broken ness is defeated.
Christ is the victor
Easter is god's I want u.
It’s the u r forgiven. Grace flows down. [from the hands and feet, that were nailed to the tree, grace flows down and covers you and me.]
Luke 24: 1-12
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Introduction
Good Friday - the same story keeps getting told over and over and it goes right down into our souls.
Into our lives that are so human, the story speaks in a super human way
This Jesus, the son of God, relates to the common person
No other life I n the history of the world has proved to be as powerful and enduring as that of Jesus
Is there anything to this following Jesus?
Following Jesus -it’s not fire insurance
I want to share with you to day that there are joys of being a Christian in this life, and in the world to come.
Let’s begin with a Story
Peter Rollins story about those who did not know about the resurrection
Love, forgiveness, and celebration
I fear that now instead of following him for the kind of life that he taught us, my children will follow him selfishly, because he has ensured their personal salvation and eternal home.
The gifts of the Christian life now
The Christian life is good.
One old pastor used to say, even if there is no eternity, I will choose the Christian life. There is no better life
The gifts of the Christian life here and now
1. Love
Easter reminds us that god loves ordinary and flawed people.
God can do extraordinary things through ordinary people.
Mary was a demon possessed woman, but Jesus healer her Luke 8:1-2
Luke 8:1-2 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
2. Joy
3. Service
4. Celebration
Transformed the followers then, and continually transforms the lives of those who believe today.
The Christian life in the future
The gifts of the resurrection
This is amazing news –
We who die can live again
Do you believe in eternity? How could I simply cease to exist. The human body is such a miracle wrapped up with a soul.
1. Bible teaches that if we accept Jesus, our sins are forgiven;
Peter's last contact with the lord is the three denials. Now running to the tomb - he saw and believed. And how joyful it was for Jesus to welcome peter back, forgive him and commission him.
2. We spend eternity in heaven. Not to play the harp, but to enjoy the love.
Visiting with atheists about the God of love
3. Questions answered - propositional or relational Presence of God
4. For all of you who have lost a loved one..........see them again
5. No more tears quote revelation- 21:3-6
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
Conclusion
For the gifts of following you in this life, and in the next, we praise you
We are more than we will ever understand. In Christ we find our completion. We find a place to land that feels right. It feels like home.
All enemies are conquered
Easter gives us hope because what appeared to have been the worst defeat imaginable, remarkably turned out to be the greatest victory of all.
Sin is defeated. Death is defeated. Broken ness is defeated.
Christ is the victor
Easter is god's I want u.
It’s the u r forgiven. Grace flows down. [from the hands and feet, that were nailed to the tree, grace flows down and covers you and me.]
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Lent Begins 1 John 1:5-2:2
Sermon Lent begins 1 jn 1:5-2:2
1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 2:1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
Lent is a time to consider the suffering of Jesus
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
Lent is about the journey of self discovery
Lent asks the question
Where is god-Where are we-Where do we meet
Lent calls for self examination
Lent calls us to look at our selves
Lent is the annual reminder to remember that it is not about us
Often we think we have arrive- we can get kind of smug
When in fact we haven’t even got on board for the process yet
Let calls us to leave the areas of superficial spirituality & give ourselves to god
Lent includes struggle, moving along the road, hard choices needed for meaning
Lent asks the hard question - Are you willing to repent of your sin
12 step program = fearless moral inventory
Sermons in this series will include
Temptations, sin, prayer, repentance, and crucifixion
Time to consider the suffering of Christ, repent and identify with Christ
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
Q: What is Lent?
A:Historically, Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, it began on Ash Wednesday and ended on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday).
Q: Why are Sundays excluded from the reckoning of the forty days?
A: Because Sunday is the day on which Christ arose, its inappropriate day to fast and mourn our sins. On Sunday we must celebrate Christ’s resurrection Q: Q. Why are the forty days called Lent?
A: They are called Lent because that is the Old English word for spring, the season of the year during which they fall. This is something unique to English. In almost all other languages its name is a derivative of the Latin term Quadragesima, or “the forty days.”
Q: Why is Lent forty days long?
A: Because forty days is a traditional number of discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible.
Moses stayed on the Mountain of God forty days (Exodus 24:18 and 34:28),
the spies were in the land for forty days (Numbers 13:25),
Elijah traveled forty days before he reached the cave where he had his vision
Nineveh was given forty days to repent (Jonah 3:4),
Jesus spent forty days in wilderness praying and fasting (Matthew 4:2).
Q: how long has this been going on?
Since 400 ad
Q: When does Lent begin? Why do we put on ashes?
A: Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is the day on which they faithful have their foreheads signed with ashes in the form of a Cross (see piece on Ash Wednesday). It is also a day of fast and abstinence.
Ash wed
So why, tonight, do we put this on
Palms are burned from palm Sunday – joy changes to sorrow.
The Bible tells us that we came from the dust and to the dust we shall return. ...
These ashes are also a sign of repentance.
Ashes are a symbol of repentance & signs that we seek to follow in God's path.
What did we experience on ash Wednesday?
Q: What are appropriate activities for ordinary days during Lent?
A: Prayer, Repentance, Mercy, [I reject this - ] Giving something up
2 extremes of repentance – those who don’t, and those who keep beating themselves up
repentance
Garrison Keillor writes about Larry, a resident of the fictional town of Lake Wobegon. Larry was saved 12 times at the Lutheran Church, an all-time record for a church that never gave altar calls. There wasn't even an organ playing "Just As I Am Without One Plea" in the background. Regardless of that, between 1953 and 1961, Larry Sorenson came forward 12 times, weeping buckets and crumpled up at the communion rail, to the shock of the minister, who had delivered a dry sermon on stewardship. But now he needed to put his arm around this person, pray with him and be certain he had a way to get home. "Even we fundamentalists got tired of him," Keillor writes. God didn't mean for you to feel guilty all your life. There comes a time when you should dry your tears and join the building committee and grapple with the problems of the church furnace and the church roof. But Larry just kept repenting and repenting.--Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home
All of us need to repent - All are guilty [1998]
At the funeral of Tsar Nicholas II, who was buried last summer 80 years after he and his family were murdered by Bolshevik zealots, Russian President Boris Yeltsin noted the necessity of national repentance for the crimes against the Romanov family. "We want to expiate the sins of our ancestors," he said. "Guilty are those who committed this heinous crime, and those who have been justifying it for decades - all of us."
We are all complicent in the death of jesus in the rejection of God
Repentance means - Explain repentance…..turning around
• I want to be a better father
• I want to be a better driver
Giving up something for lent
John Smith was the only Protestant to move into a large Catholic neighborhood. On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill.
Meanwhile, all of his neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper. This went on each Friday of Lent. On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John. He was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn’t take it anymore.
They decided to try and convert John to Catholicism. They went over and talked to him. John decided to join all of his neighbors and become a Catholic, which made them all very happy.
They took him to church, and the priest sprinkled some water over him, and said, “You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, and now you are a Catholic.”
The men were so relieved, now their biggest Lenten temptation was resolved. The next year’s Lenten season rolled around. The first Friday of Lent came, and, just at supper time, when the neighborhood was settling down to their cold tuna fish dinner, the smell of steak cooking on a grill came wafting into their homes. The neighborhood men could not believe their noses! What was going on?!
They called each other up and decided to meet over in John’s yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent. The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water. He was sprinkling some water over his steak on the grill, saying, “You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish.”
A conversation between a father and his 10-year-old son, reported in the newspaper, illustrates the problem in our attitude toward Lent. The father was attempting to explain to his young son the necessity for giving up something for Lent. In fact, the father went beyond the nondirective method of parenting to suggest that the lad give up candy.
Quizzed by the boy about this kind of religiosity and what it would bring, the father replied that It will improve your character. You'll be a better person on Easter Sunday if you give up candy. After all, your mother and I have given up liquor for Lent.
The boy then said: That's funny Dad. I saw you and mother having a drink before dinner last night. The father replied, That was wine. We gave up hard liquor.
The lad countered, Oh, that's good. I'll give up hard candy.
We should not give up things that we should give up anyway
We should give things up because it helps us think about god
its not about no diet coke. We shouldn’t think about no diet coke
It is about this loss makes me think about God
What might you give up if you were serious?
Sports? Tv? Children’s activities
From DS cody- going into the wilderness
Lent is like being in the wilderness
You didn’t have to find your way there
You didn’t have to pretnet that you wanted to go
All you have to do is open yourself to the possibility that some chaos, some wild energy, lives within you and God will show you how to find it.
You can go kicking and screaming (my words). God will show you parts of yourself that you may not wish to see, but God also will comfort you and show you truth, and from truth you can expect new humility, energy and freedom.
Where will you find peace and strength for the days ahead? Is there a specific place, time, reading, and spiritual discipline that you are planning that will renew your soul? I have led several devotional times with leaders throughout our conference, and I am finding that the most difficult part for pastors is when I take a minute for us just to listen and be silent. Perhaps the best exercise we can take up during this season of denying, taking up, and following is holy listening.
Conclusion - suggestions for your lent
give something up
“Cut back on work.” Whatever is taking the most itme in your life, pare back on it so that you can find the quiet time
“Have a heart-to-heart with God.” Go for a walk. Spend some time in quiet
if you are not engaged in acts of mercy, this is the time to start
my radical lent question….
yet isn’t this what we should be doing all the time…
Lent…….take time to consider the suffering of Jesus and your condition
You cannot apologize or even understand your shortcomings unless you spend some time to consider them and repent of them.
There is no Easter without lent
No resurrection without death
If there were no darkness, there would be no need for light
There is no understanding without contemplation
As we begin lent, lets make time to consider the suffering of - lord Jesus Christ.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 2:1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
Lent is a time to consider the suffering of Jesus
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
Lent is about the journey of self discovery
Lent asks the question
Where is god-Where are we-Where do we meet
Lent calls for self examination
Lent calls us to look at our selves
Lent is the annual reminder to remember that it is not about us
Often we think we have arrive- we can get kind of smug
When in fact we haven’t even got on board for the process yet
Let calls us to leave the areas of superficial spirituality & give ourselves to god
Lent includes struggle, moving along the road, hard choices needed for meaning
Lent asks the hard question - Are you willing to repent of your sin
12 step program = fearless moral inventory
Sermons in this series will include
Temptations, sin, prayer, repentance, and crucifixion
Time to consider the suffering of Christ, repent and identify with Christ
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
Q: What is Lent?
A:Historically, Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, it began on Ash Wednesday and ended on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday).
Q: Why are Sundays excluded from the reckoning of the forty days?
A: Because Sunday is the day on which Christ arose, its inappropriate day to fast and mourn our sins. On Sunday we must celebrate Christ’s resurrection Q: Q. Why are the forty days called Lent?
A: They are called Lent because that is the Old English word for spring, the season of the year during which they fall. This is something unique to English. In almost all other languages its name is a derivative of the Latin term Quadragesima, or “the forty days.”
Q: Why is Lent forty days long?
A: Because forty days is a traditional number of discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible.
Moses stayed on the Mountain of God forty days (Exodus 24:18 and 34:28),
the spies were in the land for forty days (Numbers 13:25),
Elijah traveled forty days before he reached the cave where he had his vision
Nineveh was given forty days to repent (Jonah 3:4),
Jesus spent forty days in wilderness praying and fasting (Matthew 4:2).
Q: how long has this been going on?
Since 400 ad
Q: When does Lent begin? Why do we put on ashes?
A: Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is the day on which they faithful have their foreheads signed with ashes in the form of a Cross (see piece on Ash Wednesday). It is also a day of fast and abstinence.
Ash wed
So why, tonight, do we put this on
Palms are burned from palm Sunday – joy changes to sorrow.
The Bible tells us that we came from the dust and to the dust we shall return. ...
These ashes are also a sign of repentance.
Ashes are a symbol of repentance & signs that we seek to follow in God's path.
What did we experience on ash Wednesday?
Q: What are appropriate activities for ordinary days during Lent?
A: Prayer, Repentance, Mercy, [I reject this - ] Giving something up
2 extremes of repentance – those who don’t, and those who keep beating themselves up
repentance
Garrison Keillor writes about Larry, a resident of the fictional town of Lake Wobegon. Larry was saved 12 times at the Lutheran Church, an all-time record for a church that never gave altar calls. There wasn't even an organ playing "Just As I Am Without One Plea" in the background. Regardless of that, between 1953 and 1961, Larry Sorenson came forward 12 times, weeping buckets and crumpled up at the communion rail, to the shock of the minister, who had delivered a dry sermon on stewardship. But now he needed to put his arm around this person, pray with him and be certain he had a way to get home. "Even we fundamentalists got tired of him," Keillor writes. God didn't mean for you to feel guilty all your life. There comes a time when you should dry your tears and join the building committee and grapple with the problems of the church furnace and the church roof. But Larry just kept repenting and repenting.--Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home
All of us need to repent - All are guilty [1998]
At the funeral of Tsar Nicholas II, who was buried last summer 80 years after he and his family were murdered by Bolshevik zealots, Russian President Boris Yeltsin noted the necessity of national repentance for the crimes against the Romanov family. "We want to expiate the sins of our ancestors," he said. "Guilty are those who committed this heinous crime, and those who have been justifying it for decades - all of us."
We are all complicent in the death of jesus in the rejection of God
Repentance means - Explain repentance…..turning around
• I want to be a better father
• I want to be a better driver
Giving up something for lent
John Smith was the only Protestant to move into a large Catholic neighborhood. On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill.
Meanwhile, all of his neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper. This went on each Friday of Lent. On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John. He was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn’t take it anymore.
They decided to try and convert John to Catholicism. They went over and talked to him. John decided to join all of his neighbors and become a Catholic, which made them all very happy.
They took him to church, and the priest sprinkled some water over him, and said, “You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, and now you are a Catholic.”
The men were so relieved, now their biggest Lenten temptation was resolved. The next year’s Lenten season rolled around. The first Friday of Lent came, and, just at supper time, when the neighborhood was settling down to their cold tuna fish dinner, the smell of steak cooking on a grill came wafting into their homes. The neighborhood men could not believe their noses! What was going on?!
They called each other up and decided to meet over in John’s yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent. The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water. He was sprinkling some water over his steak on the grill, saying, “You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish.”
A conversation between a father and his 10-year-old son, reported in the newspaper, illustrates the problem in our attitude toward Lent. The father was attempting to explain to his young son the necessity for giving up something for Lent. In fact, the father went beyond the nondirective method of parenting to suggest that the lad give up candy.
Quizzed by the boy about this kind of religiosity and what it would bring, the father replied that It will improve your character. You'll be a better person on Easter Sunday if you give up candy. After all, your mother and I have given up liquor for Lent.
The boy then said: That's funny Dad. I saw you and mother having a drink before dinner last night. The father replied, That was wine. We gave up hard liquor.
The lad countered, Oh, that's good. I'll give up hard candy.
We should not give up things that we should give up anyway
We should give things up because it helps us think about god
its not about no diet coke. We shouldn’t think about no diet coke
It is about this loss makes me think about God
What might you give up if you were serious?
Sports? Tv? Children’s activities
From DS cody- going into the wilderness
Lent is like being in the wilderness
You didn’t have to find your way there
You didn’t have to pretnet that you wanted to go
All you have to do is open yourself to the possibility that some chaos, some wild energy, lives within you and God will show you how to find it.
You can go kicking and screaming (my words). God will show you parts of yourself that you may not wish to see, but God also will comfort you and show you truth, and from truth you can expect new humility, energy and freedom.
Where will you find peace and strength for the days ahead? Is there a specific place, time, reading, and spiritual discipline that you are planning that will renew your soul? I have led several devotional times with leaders throughout our conference, and I am finding that the most difficult part for pastors is when I take a minute for us just to listen and be silent. Perhaps the best exercise we can take up during this season of denying, taking up, and following is holy listening.
Conclusion - suggestions for your lent
give something up
“Cut back on work.” Whatever is taking the most itme in your life, pare back on it so that you can find the quiet time
“Have a heart-to-heart with God.” Go for a walk. Spend some time in quiet
if you are not engaged in acts of mercy, this is the time to start
my radical lent question….
yet isn’t this what we should be doing all the time…
Lent…….take time to consider the suffering of Jesus and your condition
You cannot apologize or even understand your shortcomings unless you spend some time to consider them and repent of them.
There is no Easter without lent
No resurrection without death
If there were no darkness, there would be no need for light
There is no understanding without contemplation
As we begin lent, lets make time to consider the suffering of - lord Jesus Christ.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousnes Matthew 5 02/13/11s
Matthew 5 the beatitudes – blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be filled
We continue in our series on the beatitudes
Jesus lays out the principles of the gospel – the gospel is good news
Easy face value
Hunger, thirst, filled
If we aren’t careful this sounds very much like good works.
• I stay with it, then God loves me and blesses me
• I work hard enough then I can be the righteous
• Victorious Christian living
• And the Pharisees are cheering
• It is too easy for Christians to start sounding like this
Problems with this……..
1. Ultimately I don’t need jesus because I have arrived
2. I am living in a pretend world
3. We come to believe in a god that is fearful and only blesses us if ……
As long as there is an if associated to love, it is not good news
God free us from any gospel that says we receive the blessing when we are good enough. While we were sinners, Christ died for us.
Maybe there is something else here
But first, lets look at the metaphor – hungry and thirsty
commercial
Hunger is a metaphor that all of us can understand
It is the human experience- everyone will get this
Mozambique Cvv
If we have a child and we lock it in the closed and starve it to death. That is considered murder. If we don’t feed them enough, that is child abuse. Yet, when God’s children are hungry and we can help, but we don’t, nothing happens.
Law enforcement- the church needs to do what the church can do, and let law enforcement do its job
Man coming out of prison – needs a place to stay – has worked as a roofer, landscaper
Read Mt 25:34-36
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Pray
Commercial over
Is there something else that jesus might be saying
Some people cant fix their problems……..there is no cupboard to go to
Those who cant fix their life - who don’t get it.
We aren’t there yet
We are desperately goofed up
Keep eating, keep getting empty
There are moments of tension that we just cant fix
Despair.
Addiction.
real people still have real problems
Sometimes, for no reason at all, life just stinks and you cant figure it out.
I am supposed to write this blog………I have nothing
I am supposed to know what to say to someone. I have nothing
I am supposed to see the good, but I find myself depressed
A preacher talked to someone- I want to buy a couch. But if I spend $1000 on a couch, I could have provided water to a family for their life.
A quote from a book I am reading- we do not necessarily need to feel guilty about our wealth. But we do need to get up every morning with a deep sense that something is terribly wrong with the world, and yearn and strive to do something about it. [the problem is] there is simply not enough yearning and striving going on.
When Helping Hurts
This hungering is about a rightness……
Wishing, hungering for the world to be right, shalom
Peace. Bringing gods kingdom here
God is with you in the tension.
He does not wait for you to get it together. You can keep working on it, and you should, but he does not wait for you to have it all together.
You don’t have to pretend
He blesses you when you don’t have it all together
It is ok to have days where things don’t add up
That is real human living
The gospel has room for you to have a bad day or a season of despair
There is room for your humanity there
conclusion
how were they filled?
His followers did not rush out to get a seminary degree
they did not suddenly come into some righteousness
Jesus stood with the drunkards, the prostitutes and the sinners
his presence with them, his love for them, healed them
And the moment that you realize that he is there and that he loves you. You are filled.
Even when your life is a mess - God loves you and walks with you
How filling
That friends, is good news
Blessed are all you who hunger and thirst. You are loved. You are embraced. God is with you. Be filled with joy.
We continue in our series on the beatitudes
Jesus lays out the principles of the gospel – the gospel is good news
Easy face value
Hunger, thirst, filled
If we aren’t careful this sounds very much like good works.
• I stay with it, then God loves me and blesses me
• I work hard enough then I can be the righteous
• Victorious Christian living
• And the Pharisees are cheering
• It is too easy for Christians to start sounding like this
Problems with this……..
1. Ultimately I don’t need jesus because I have arrived
2. I am living in a pretend world
3. We come to believe in a god that is fearful and only blesses us if ……
As long as there is an if associated to love, it is not good news
God free us from any gospel that says we receive the blessing when we are good enough. While we were sinners, Christ died for us.
Maybe there is something else here
But first, lets look at the metaphor – hungry and thirsty
commercial
Hunger is a metaphor that all of us can understand
It is the human experience- everyone will get this
Mozambique Cvv
If we have a child and we lock it in the closed and starve it to death. That is considered murder. If we don’t feed them enough, that is child abuse. Yet, when God’s children are hungry and we can help, but we don’t, nothing happens.
Law enforcement- the church needs to do what the church can do, and let law enforcement do its job
Man coming out of prison – needs a place to stay – has worked as a roofer, landscaper
Read Mt 25:34-36
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Pray
Commercial over
Is there something else that jesus might be saying
Some people cant fix their problems……..there is no cupboard to go to
Those who cant fix their life - who don’t get it.
We aren’t there yet
We are desperately goofed up
Keep eating, keep getting empty
There are moments of tension that we just cant fix
Despair.
Addiction.
real people still have real problems
Sometimes, for no reason at all, life just stinks and you cant figure it out.
I am supposed to write this blog………I have nothing
I am supposed to know what to say to someone. I have nothing
I am supposed to see the good, but I find myself depressed
A preacher talked to someone- I want to buy a couch. But if I spend $1000 on a couch, I could have provided water to a family for their life.
A quote from a book I am reading- we do not necessarily need to feel guilty about our wealth. But we do need to get up every morning with a deep sense that something is terribly wrong with the world, and yearn and strive to do something about it. [the problem is] there is simply not enough yearning and striving going on.
When Helping Hurts
This hungering is about a rightness……
Wishing, hungering for the world to be right, shalom
Peace. Bringing gods kingdom here
God is with you in the tension.
He does not wait for you to get it together. You can keep working on it, and you should, but he does not wait for you to have it all together.
You don’t have to pretend
He blesses you when you don’t have it all together
It is ok to have days where things don’t add up
That is real human living
The gospel has room for you to have a bad day or a season of despair
There is room for your humanity there
conclusion
how were they filled?
His followers did not rush out to get a seminary degree
they did not suddenly come into some righteousness
Jesus stood with the drunkards, the prostitutes and the sinners
his presence with them, his love for them, healed them
And the moment that you realize that he is there and that he loves you. You are filled.
Even when your life is a mess - God loves you and walks with you
How filling
That friends, is good news
Blessed are all you who hunger and thirst. You are loved. You are embraced. God is with you. Be filled with joy.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Fresh Directions Philippians 3:1-15
Sermon 1-2-11 fresh directions Phil 3:1-15 clip vs 1-4a
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
Fresh directions for the new year
I don’t need a fresh direction………
Everyone needs to move on, move forward.
Jesus is going somewhere
Yes occasionally he sits, but usually he is going somewhere…
He sent his disciples out Two by two
Send his disciples out – 70 of them
Jericho
On the road to Jerusalem
Cross
Damascus
On the road to Emmaus
Go ye into all the world
Jesus is going somewhere
In 2011 where are you on the road w jesus
But I like where I am in life.
Is it where Jesus would have you to be?
The greatest enemy of our growth is us
Learning and unlearning
This is what repentance is all about……
Gold is scraped, shaved , cut, melted
Three most difficult things for a human being-
• Returning love for hate
• Including the excluded
• Admitting that you are wrong
Passage today, Paul says he has not arrived, but is pressing on
Forgetting what is behind, he is pressing onward
There is more
Where are you going on the road with Jesus in 2011
Every year on the first Sunday, Wesley gave directions to his preachers – I am not Wesley, you are not his preachers, but I want to give you some things to think about as we enter 2011
Some New directions
1. To listen for the nudge
how are you led by the holy spirit
weekly or monthly nudges
To show up for someone
2. In the dark valley
to not simply give a pat and run back to your comfort
it is called dark for a reason
spend what time you can
grab a hold of them. I hear you. I love you. I stand with you
when one hurts, everyone hurts
3. In missions
History of woods chapel missions
Everyone on a missions trip
Everyone involved hands on
Integral part of our understanding of the Christian faith
Billy and franklin graham
Betty perkins
Did you know that
• we are sending at least 3 teams to Jamaica this year
• 54% of Haitians do not have a dependable water source
• Every 6 seconds a child dies of hunger related causes
• Our church sponsors an orphanage in Russia w 48 kids
• The largest surge in our youth group attend is after a mission trip
• What if everyone went on a mission trip in 2011
• How would we impact the world
• How would you grow if you went on one trip this year?
• Which one will you choose
• We are encouraging each member of WCC to make a difference for jesus this year in the mission field
4. To be present with god
not just on Sunday morning – worship or waking up?
every day, every where
to see the sky and give thanks
to see the trees and give thanks
to see the wonder of God
practicing the presence of God- brother andrew
these things I ask you to work on this year as your pastor
forget what is behind, lean forward for more in these areas
let’s press on to the high calling in Christ Jesus
Covenant prayer pg 607
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
Fresh directions for the new year
I don’t need a fresh direction………
Everyone needs to move on, move forward.
Jesus is going somewhere
Yes occasionally he sits, but usually he is going somewhere…
He sent his disciples out Two by two
Send his disciples out – 70 of them
Jericho
On the road to Jerusalem
Cross
Damascus
On the road to Emmaus
Go ye into all the world
Jesus is going somewhere
In 2011 where are you on the road w jesus
But I like where I am in life.
Is it where Jesus would have you to be?
The greatest enemy of our growth is us
Learning and unlearning
This is what repentance is all about……
Gold is scraped, shaved , cut, melted
Three most difficult things for a human being-
• Returning love for hate
• Including the excluded
• Admitting that you are wrong
Passage today, Paul says he has not arrived, but is pressing on
Forgetting what is behind, he is pressing onward
There is more
Where are you going on the road with Jesus in 2011
Every year on the first Sunday, Wesley gave directions to his preachers – I am not Wesley, you are not his preachers, but I want to give you some things to think about as we enter 2011
Some New directions
1. To listen for the nudge
how are you led by the holy spirit
weekly or monthly nudges
To show up for someone
2. In the dark valley
to not simply give a pat and run back to your comfort
it is called dark for a reason
spend what time you can
grab a hold of them. I hear you. I love you. I stand with you
when one hurts, everyone hurts
3. In missions
History of woods chapel missions
Everyone on a missions trip
Everyone involved hands on
Integral part of our understanding of the Christian faith
Billy and franklin graham
Betty perkins
Did you know that
• we are sending at least 3 teams to Jamaica this year
• 54% of Haitians do not have a dependable water source
• Every 6 seconds a child dies of hunger related causes
• Our church sponsors an orphanage in Russia w 48 kids
• The largest surge in our youth group attend is after a mission trip
• What if everyone went on a mission trip in 2011
• How would we impact the world
• How would you grow if you went on one trip this year?
• Which one will you choose
• We are encouraging each member of WCC to make a difference for jesus this year in the mission field
4. To be present with god
not just on Sunday morning – worship or waking up?
every day, every where
to see the sky and give thanks
to see the trees and give thanks
to see the wonder of God
practicing the presence of God- brother andrew
these things I ask you to work on this year as your pastor
forget what is behind, lean forward for more in these areas
let’s press on to the high calling in Christ Jesus
Covenant prayer pg 607
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Pondering Christmas Luke 2:11-19 12-26-10
Sermon 12-26-2010 luke 2: 11-19 ppppppp
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Mary pondered all these things in her heart
Pondering
To weigh in the mind, to consider, to appraise, to reflect on, to weigh
Its not exactly clear, this takes a little more thought
There are joys and concerns
The wonderful and the scarry
The frightening and the amazing
In life, god often joins the amazing with the problematic
And we choose whether we will be lost in the fear
Broken and paralyzed by the problem
Or filled with joy at the chance to be alive, to participate
Lavonne
Wow, if people had any idea what you have had to live through
No, I would love to tell people about the things that I have had the joy of living through
This was not easy-
Was mary complaiing? Were the wise men>?
Will mary look back and complain
Will the wise men look back and complain
Sometimes we react to things without considering the value of the moment-
We are cut off by a bad driver –
Someone is late for a lunch appointment – thankful for the quiet?
Angry that our parent dies, as if parents don’t die if we just get mad enough
Angry instead of savoring
there is value even in the difficult moments
In them, god is still working
He tends to have our attention
I suggest to you today that there is a richness in the challenging times, a value, a joy.
James 1:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Joy is not based on circumstances
Happiness is
I am so happy because I…………….
Joy transcends circumstances
Joy is found by those who ponder. Consider. Weigh the moment
Joy is found by those who find something deeper to trust. Something that transcends how its going
The shepherds saw the baby and went back to their old life……
glorifying and praising God
the wise men saw the baby and started their long journey back - rejoicing with exceeding great joy
The fruit of the spiritual life as outlined in Gal 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
spirituality is not measured by whether or not we get our way.
Love, joy, peace, patience
Did mary like this………you are gonna have a baby…..
As you have said, let it be done to me……….
Joy is much talked about…..
Few people actually have it
Turn up the heat and you will see who is grounded in faith and who is depending on the circumstances of life
joy is found in may places
joy of receiving
joy of giving - fulfills you more when you give to others – water, Katrina, adopt a child
joy of doing the right thing
joy of savoring a moment
Appreciating your life
[demello] the paralyzed man – the man in the body cast
Joy is contagious…..funny hat, someone starts to laugh
It takes over everyone else
christmas eve story of picket and grant – joy is contagious
We like being around people that are joyful
It simply starts with taking the time to consider your life. Ponder the situation. Don’t get stuck on the delivery, enjoy the baby. Don’t invest your unhappiness in others, show them your joy.
Joy leaves behind a kernel of the eternal
Terency Elwyn Johnson, of Margate Community Church (New Jersey), tells the story of Bonnee Hoy, a gifted composer, who died in the prime of life. At her memorial service, a friend told of how a mockingbird used to sing regularly outside Bonnee's window on summer nights. "Bonnee would stand at her bedroom window, peering into the darkness, listening intently, marveling at the beautiful songs the mockingbird sang. Then, musician that she was, Bonnee decided to sing back. So she whistled the first four notes of Beethoven's 'Fifth Symphony.' With amazing quickness the mockingbird learned these four notes and sang them back to Bonnee. 'And in perfect pitch,' Bonnee marveled. Then, for a time the bird disappeared. But one night, toward the very end of her life, when Bonnee was so terribly sick, the bird returned and, in the midst of other songs, several times sang those first four notes of Beethoven's 'Fifth.'" At that memorial service, her beloved friend, with a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes, said, "I like to think of that now. Somewhere out there (in a big, big world) is a mockingbird who sings Beethoven because of Bonnee."
possibly the greatest source of joy in live is to be accepted and loved by that person that is most significant to you
if you are a child and you are in trouble, to be welcomed by mom or dad
if you have had a hard day at work and you go home and your wife loves you.
Nothing better than that.
At Christmas, the most significant one, tells us that we are loved, for he has sent his son into the world to love us, forgive us and die for us….
It is the day after Christmas, we are open for business.
We have a message for anyone that is listening.
See it, think about it, ponder it, it is good.
Tell your friends.
Spread the joy.
Let us pray.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Mary pondered all these things in her heart
Pondering
To weigh in the mind, to consider, to appraise, to reflect on, to weigh
Its not exactly clear, this takes a little more thought
There are joys and concerns
The wonderful and the scarry
The frightening and the amazing
In life, god often joins the amazing with the problematic
And we choose whether we will be lost in the fear
Broken and paralyzed by the problem
Or filled with joy at the chance to be alive, to participate
Lavonne
Wow, if people had any idea what you have had to live through
No, I would love to tell people about the things that I have had the joy of living through
This was not easy-
Was mary complaiing? Were the wise men>?
Will mary look back and complain
Will the wise men look back and complain
Sometimes we react to things without considering the value of the moment-
We are cut off by a bad driver –
Someone is late for a lunch appointment – thankful for the quiet?
Angry that our parent dies, as if parents don’t die if we just get mad enough
Angry instead of savoring
there is value even in the difficult moments
In them, god is still working
He tends to have our attention
I suggest to you today that there is a richness in the challenging times, a value, a joy.
James 1:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Joy is not based on circumstances
Happiness is
I am so happy because I…………….
Joy transcends circumstances
Joy is found by those who ponder. Consider. Weigh the moment
Joy is found by those who find something deeper to trust. Something that transcends how its going
The shepherds saw the baby and went back to their old life……
glorifying and praising God
the wise men saw the baby and started their long journey back - rejoicing with exceeding great joy
The fruit of the spiritual life as outlined in Gal 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
spirituality is not measured by whether or not we get our way.
Love, joy, peace, patience
Did mary like this………you are gonna have a baby…..
As you have said, let it be done to me……….
Joy is much talked about…..
Few people actually have it
Turn up the heat and you will see who is grounded in faith and who is depending on the circumstances of life
joy is found in may places
joy of receiving
joy of giving - fulfills you more when you give to others – water, Katrina, adopt a child
joy of doing the right thing
joy of savoring a moment
Appreciating your life
[demello] the paralyzed man – the man in the body cast
Joy is contagious…..funny hat, someone starts to laugh
It takes over everyone else
christmas eve story of picket and grant – joy is contagious
We like being around people that are joyful
It simply starts with taking the time to consider your life. Ponder the situation. Don’t get stuck on the delivery, enjoy the baby. Don’t invest your unhappiness in others, show them your joy.
Joy leaves behind a kernel of the eternal
Terency Elwyn Johnson, of Margate Community Church (New Jersey), tells the story of Bonnee Hoy, a gifted composer, who died in the prime of life. At her memorial service, a friend told of how a mockingbird used to sing regularly outside Bonnee's window on summer nights. "Bonnee would stand at her bedroom window, peering into the darkness, listening intently, marveling at the beautiful songs the mockingbird sang. Then, musician that she was, Bonnee decided to sing back. So she whistled the first four notes of Beethoven's 'Fifth Symphony.' With amazing quickness the mockingbird learned these four notes and sang them back to Bonnee. 'And in perfect pitch,' Bonnee marveled. Then, for a time the bird disappeared. But one night, toward the very end of her life, when Bonnee was so terribly sick, the bird returned and, in the midst of other songs, several times sang those first four notes of Beethoven's 'Fifth.'" At that memorial service, her beloved friend, with a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes, said, "I like to think of that now. Somewhere out there (in a big, big world) is a mockingbird who sings Beethoven because of Bonnee."
possibly the greatest source of joy in live is to be accepted and loved by that person that is most significant to you
if you are a child and you are in trouble, to be welcomed by mom or dad
if you have had a hard day at work and you go home and your wife loves you.
Nothing better than that.
At Christmas, the most significant one, tells us that we are loved, for he has sent his son into the world to love us, forgive us and die for us….
It is the day after Christmas, we are open for business.
We have a message for anyone that is listening.
See it, think about it, ponder it, it is good.
Tell your friends.
Spread the joy.
Let us pray.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Love All - Luke 23; 16-19 December 19, 2010
dec 19 - Love All scripture - Luke 23333
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Advent conspiracy, the series
Move toward Christ, Spend less, give more, love all
Some have found this annoying- how can this be?
Do not upset my paradigm
Jesus upsets our paradigm – do we want a jesus that doesn’t?
Last years sermon series – this years
Are you uncomfortable? I am
Maybe for the first time in my life we are telling the truth about Christmas
There is a shadow world and the real world
Plato’s cave
The matrix Neo and Morpheus
The matrix picture
Choosing to be sucked in or choosing to live in the real world with all of it s pain
Strange Christmas this year for me. Fewer boxes, less wrapping, less scurrying around. All intentional.
Result = less worry, less tension, more time to think about what it really means. It isn't just that spending less allows me to give to the poor or to the water project at church, pulling back has allowed my brain the time and space to think about the story. Somehow in choosing to use our resources differently, our brains and souls have been touched.
I find myself thinking daily, not of the shopping list, but of the baby in the manger. No one has really been motivated to do much decorating this year at our house. Very few of the decorations have left the bins. For the first time ever, there are no Christmas lights on the house. Now I don't recommend this for everyone, but in some interesting ways, our home is lit up in ways that it has never been lit up before.
As we have endeavored to push out the commercial, we have made room for the eternal. I am thinking more about Jesus, and that can only be good.
The encounter with the baby should change us
The shepherds – the encounter changes them
The story ends differently than it begins. Anytime god is present the story ends differently
The shepherds
Glorifying and praising god
Telling the story
They probably go the same places, but they are talking about different things
The Christmas mouth
Everytime your mouth opens you are either glorifying god or not
And everytime you don’t, you are wasting an opportunity to love all
We celebrate Christmas everytime we show gods llove
By speaking kindly of those whom we would otherwise not
By learning to speak kindly 364 day s of the year about those we otherwise would not
loving all
Do we think of Christmas a a come and sit and bask
We should, but there is also a going out
Love all
You and me, sitting around the tree
Who is Christmas for
Illustration - Turning in and turning out
It is for the political opposition – Obama - Bush
It is for the three kings, it is for herod
It is for your friend who gives you gifts
It is for the person who has nothing
The memories that I would not trade for anything
Are not kids opening presents
But they are of taking kids to restart
Going to the san jose rescue mission as a kid
Its not about the stuff
Narrator: So he paused - and the Grinch put a hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low... then it started to grow.
Narrator: But this... this sound wasn't sad. Why... this sound sounded glad. Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, was singing, without any presents at all! He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other, it came just the same.
Grinch: It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags!
Narrator: He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!
Narrator: And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!
Narrator: He brought everything back, all the food for the feast. And he, he himself, the Grinch - carved the roast beast
Final scene: "Christmas day is here at last, as long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas day will always be, just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas, while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand."
How would we feel about the story of the Grinch if the presents never came back?
Everything you own owns a little bit of you
Get the stuff out of the way so that you can see the story
when we get the stuff out of the way, we can truly worship
we can truly love
we are upset that Merry Christmas is being removed.
Happy holidays is here in it s place
Email that reminds us that if we are holding up Christmas the word is going to get out
conclusion
A soldier goes to a hostile environment to protect you. The soldier’s father who was so overjoyed that his son was home for Christmas, out of harms way
We have to celebrate that
But we must also remember that our father did the opposite, on Christmas, he send his son to suffer and die in a hostile environment. All this for you.
And so we kneel at the manger and find him
But we also turn out and carry the message
Go tell it on the mountain, that jesus Christ is born
Prayer
Walk to the manger
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Advent conspiracy, the series
Move toward Christ, Spend less, give more, love all
Some have found this annoying- how can this be?
Do not upset my paradigm
Jesus upsets our paradigm – do we want a jesus that doesn’t?
Last years sermon series – this years
Are you uncomfortable? I am
Maybe for the first time in my life we are telling the truth about Christmas
There is a shadow world and the real world
Plato’s cave
The matrix Neo and Morpheus
The matrix picture
Choosing to be sucked in or choosing to live in the real world with all of it s pain
Strange Christmas this year for me. Fewer boxes, less wrapping, less scurrying around. All intentional.
Result = less worry, less tension, more time to think about what it really means. It isn't just that spending less allows me to give to the poor or to the water project at church, pulling back has allowed my brain the time and space to think about the story. Somehow in choosing to use our resources differently, our brains and souls have been touched.
I find myself thinking daily, not of the shopping list, but of the baby in the manger. No one has really been motivated to do much decorating this year at our house. Very few of the decorations have left the bins. For the first time ever, there are no Christmas lights on the house. Now I don't recommend this for everyone, but in some interesting ways, our home is lit up in ways that it has never been lit up before.
As we have endeavored to push out the commercial, we have made room for the eternal. I am thinking more about Jesus, and that can only be good.
The encounter with the baby should change us
The shepherds – the encounter changes them
The story ends differently than it begins. Anytime god is present the story ends differently
The shepherds
Glorifying and praising god
Telling the story
They probably go the same places, but they are talking about different things
The Christmas mouth
Everytime your mouth opens you are either glorifying god or not
And everytime you don’t, you are wasting an opportunity to love all
We celebrate Christmas everytime we show gods llove
By speaking kindly of those whom we would otherwise not
By learning to speak kindly 364 day s of the year about those we otherwise would not
loving all
Do we think of Christmas a a come and sit and bask
We should, but there is also a going out
Love all
You and me, sitting around the tree
Who is Christmas for
Illustration - Turning in and turning out
It is for the political opposition – Obama - Bush
It is for the three kings, it is for herod
It is for your friend who gives you gifts
It is for the person who has nothing
The memories that I would not trade for anything
Are not kids opening presents
But they are of taking kids to restart
Going to the san jose rescue mission as a kid
Its not about the stuff
Narrator: So he paused - and the Grinch put a hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low... then it started to grow.
Narrator: But this... this sound wasn't sad. Why... this sound sounded glad. Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, was singing, without any presents at all! He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other, it came just the same.
Grinch: It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags!
Narrator: He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!
Narrator: And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!
Narrator: He brought everything back, all the food for the feast. And he, he himself, the Grinch - carved the roast beast
Final scene: "Christmas day is here at last, as long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas day will always be, just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas, while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand."
How would we feel about the story of the Grinch if the presents never came back?
Everything you own owns a little bit of you
Get the stuff out of the way so that you can see the story
when we get the stuff out of the way, we can truly worship
we can truly love
we are upset that Merry Christmas is being removed.
Happy holidays is here in it s place
Email that reminds us that if we are holding up Christmas the word is going to get out
conclusion
A soldier goes to a hostile environment to protect you. The soldier’s father who was so overjoyed that his son was home for Christmas, out of harms way
We have to celebrate that
But we must also remember that our father did the opposite, on Christmas, he send his son to suffer and die in a hostile environment. All this for you.
And so we kneel at the manger and find him
But we also turn out and carry the message
Go tell it on the mountain, that jesus Christ is born
Prayer
Walk to the manger
Joyful Gifting 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 12-12-2010
Sermon 12-12-10
Dec 12
title - Joyful Gifting
scripture
2 cor 8:1-15
1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. 13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”[b]
Give more
What we often think when asked to give more
What if the gift isn’t about how much?
It is easier to give if I have less.
20k or less give 4% over 20k give 2%
7 loaves of bread or 7 million dollars
7 bananas or 7 cars
The offerings at the Bispo church
What if we gave to something and everyone was in support because everyone could give something and it was about participating, not the how much
Advent Conspiracy: Give More - Dan Teefey
Recorded on Sunday, December 13th, 2009
•
• Artist: Dan Teefey
• Title: Advent Conspiracy: Give More
• Length: 29:56 minutes (13.71 MB)
• Format: Stereo 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Sermon text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Download Sermon: pdf / doc
Last week we discussed how the messages that our culture has been giving us are lies. Our joy is not dependent upon our stuff. And we have to be vigilant, especially during the Christmas season, to identify the consumerist thieves and robbers around us and to run towards the true shepherd, who is the source of eternal and abundant life.
Last we talked about spending less and that is good . . . but not enough. So you spend less and less and your income keeps coming and sometimes gets larger and larger . . . does your bank account, and your retirement, and your standard of living just get bigger and bigger too . . . or is there something more we are called to.
We are called to be people that give. When you hear this passage and think through what we are called to, you are probably always going to think about money . . . and that indeed a part of how we demonstrate our generosity . . . but it is not all of it. We want to also think about how God is calling us to be generous with our time, with our presence, and with our talents.
Let's take a look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-15.
1-2 “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”
Romans 15:26, “For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.”
We don't know what exactly the Macedonian church was facing when Paul mentions their severe trial and extreme poverty, but it is clearly not good. And he honors their generosity out of their poverty.
It reminds me of the story in Luke 21. “As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Repeatedly throughout scripture, those with little are praised not because of the amount of what they give, but because of what they sacrifice to give it. It is even more pronounced in the New Testament as the focus of giving moves well beyond some arbitrary percentage to what one is giving up. Biblical generosity is not measured by how much is given . . . it is not measured by the total dollar amount given . . . but by the level of sacrifice in giving it.
You know what I mean. Some people can give 10% and have $100,000 left over. Others can give 10% and have $10,000 left over. That 10% means something very different to those two people.
British Evangelist George Muller said, “God judges what we give by what we keep.”
It is not the dollar amount that is significant.
3-4 “For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.”
What does it mean to give “beyond their ability?” This is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of giving. When we open up the floodgates of our generosity, God regularly pours out his abundance.
This is the part of giving that makes us radically uncomfortable. We are often very comfortable giving from our excess.
I have seen this in our girls even at a young age. If there are three balloons in the room and Adelaide is playing with them and Miriam wants one, then she generally has no problem giving one of the balloons to her. It is not a big deal because she still has two balloons to play with herself. But if there is just one balloon and Miriam wants to play with it . . . it is much much more difficult to convince Adelaide to give it to her. She will give it up when she gets to the new and better thing, but not while she still wants to play with it herself.
When we are honest with ourselves about our own willingness to give we know that we are the same way. We are perfectly fine giving away our old television, but it would seem crazy to us to give away our new one. The same with our clothes. We have no problem dropping our old clothes off at Goodwill, but it would seem bizarre to us to donate our new clothes.
And to be honest, Paul does not pretend that this more radical understanding of generosity comes naturally to us. It doesn't. Our nature tells us that we must hoard what we have to protect ourselves against anything that could happen in the future.
When Paul says that the Macedonian Christians gave “beyond their ability,” he is saying that the Spirit has empowered them to trust beyond what seems reasonable to their culture. He is saying that what they previously thought was impossible, God has made possible.
There is a clear sense repeatedly in Scripture that we cannot do anything of any real significance without God. We can give some here and there, but ultimately, for the earth shattering, life transforming work, we have to let the Spirit guide us. To lift us beyond ourselves in generosity.
Verse 5 helps us to understand the path to radical generosity.
5 “And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.”
The first step is always giving ourselves entirely to the Lord. It always starts here. When we began this sermon series on consumerism in our culture around Christmas, we began it with worship.
Any true transformation always begins with worship. It is our worship, our allegiance to God that overflows into sharing with others. Jesus sums this up when he answers the question which is the greatest commandment in the law. In Matthew 22, Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.”
First, we love God. And it is not such a sequential thing that we can say that we are not ready to love others yet, because we have not loved God enough. That can be a problem too.
If you remember a couple months ago we had a drama where a bunch of church folk were meeting at a restaurant and discussing plans for a great church event. As the drama went unfolded the church folk were talking about their plans and who was going to do what and how much it was going to bring glory and honor to God, when the waitress came to their table. They treated her very rudely . . . sending their food back and repeatedly asking for tiny things. The worst part was when they were praying for their meal and the waitress came to the table . . . they basically told her to leave them alone, they were busy praying . . . and made her wait as they went on and on.
Loving God truly will move us into giving generously. Later on in 2 Corinthians 9, Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
I heard a story once about a mom who was trying to teach her daughter about giving and so she gave her a quarter and a dollar and told her that she could keep one, but must give the other to the church. After church the following Sunday, the mom asked the daughter whether she had given the dollar or the quarter. The daughter said that when she went to church she intended on giving the dollar, but then the pastor gave a sermon on giving cheerfully and she decided to give the quarter instead.
6-9 “So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
There is one concept that Paul repeatedly links with giving and generosity in this passage. It is grace.
It is by grace that we are capable of giving. Paul began by saying, “we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.” The ability to give generously comes through grace. It is God empowered.
Paul is challenging them. You are good in a lot of things: faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness and love . . . but you should also be good in giving. And the reason he gives is because Jesus was good at giving . . . in fact his entire life was one of giving. Paul says, “that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
This is the main force of his argument as to why we should be people of radical generosity. That since God has been radically generous to us . . . we should be generous to others. And the point is not that God has poured out material blessings on us. Remember that the example he uses is that of the Macedonian Christians who did not have anything, yet gave generously.
Regardless of our economic status and how much stuff we have in our houses . . . we all begin life desperately poor because we are sinners who regularly flee from God. But the Good News of Christmas and our faith is that our rich God, who needed nothing, came to earth as a human being. God became a poor baby born in a tiny Bethlehem cave in animal food trough . . . He grew up to be a modest Jewish carpenter that was nothing special to look at . . . and he ultimately faced ridicule, insult and death . . .
Our God who is perfect and needs nothing . . . chose to put on our flesh and walk in our world . . . for no other reason than that he loved us. That is radical generosity. He was rich, but became poor . . . so that we could become rich.
It should be noticed too that God did not wrap up a nice new bicycle and FedEx it down to us from heaven to show his love. He came down himself and gave us himself. That is why we keep saying that at Christmas we want to be people that give presence and not just presents. Because that is what God did. He gave himself.
10-12 “And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.”
The first step is to develop a willingness to give. The second is to actually give. Hypotheticals help us to feel good about ourselves. “If someone really needed me to buy them dinner, I would do it.” “If someone needs me to help them move, I am there.” And perhaps our intentions are right on, but many times when it comes to actually completing what we offered we come up short.
Take a look at this past year. Where have you demonstrated generosity with you finances, time, talents.
Paul adds again that what matters in our giving is not the total amount of the gift, but what percentage it is of what one has. We can’t measure the depth of our generosity by what others give. It is a very personal assessment. Our generosity is most accurately measured by what we keep.
13-15 “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”
Paul concludes with some language that may make us uncomfortable. He says that the goal of generosity is not to put ourselves in a destitute situation while others flourish upon our gifts . . . the goal is equality. It is a reciprocal agreement . . . those with plenty supply the needs of those with little so that when the situation is turned around the opposite will be true too.
Paul then ends with, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”
This is a quote from Exodus 16. The Israelites had just escaped Egyptian slavery and captivity and find themselves in the desert. They are mad at Moses and Aaron who led them out of Egypt because at least when they were slaves in Egypt they had food to eat. Now they might starve to death.
But God blesses them with Manna, which came from the Hebrew for “what is it.” And here is the interesting part about the Manna that God gave the Israelites. Exodus 16:16 says, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.” And they were told not to keep it overnight . . . eat what you need, don’t try to save it . . . instead trust that God will provide again tomorrow.
As you can imagine the Israelites had a hard time with this. Some took more than they needed. Others tried to store it. Some tried to collect it on the Sabbath when they were not supposed to.
As Paul uses Jesus as an example of God’s generosity . . . so is God’s providing for the Israelites.
God’s gift to us was a relationship built on love. So it’s no wonder why we’re drawn to the idea that Christmas should be a time to love our friends and family in the most memorable ways possible. Time is the real gift Christmas offers us, and no matter how hard we look, it can’t be found at the mall. Time to make a gift that turns into the next family heirloom. Time to write mom a letter. Time to take the kids sledding. Time to bake really good cookies and sing really bad Christmas carols. Time to make love visible through relational giving. Sounds a lot better than getting a sweater two sizes too big, right?
Final Blessing
Malachi 3:8-12 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.”
Dec 12 – [Jeff] Give More (of your presence: your hands, your words, your time, your heart)
Scripture:
God’s gift to us was a relationship built on love. So it’s no wonder why we’re drawn to the idea that Christmas should be a time to love our friends and family in the most memorable ways possible. Time is the real gift Christmas offers us, and no matter how hard we look, it can’t be found at the mall. Time to make a gift that turns into the next family heirloom. Time to write mom a letter. Time to take the kids sledding. Time to bake really good cookies and sing really bad Christmas carols. Time to make love visible through relational giving. Sounds a lot better than getting a sweater two sizes too big, right?
Dec 12
title - Joyful Gifting
scripture
2 cor 8:1-15
1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. 13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”[b]
Give more
What we often think when asked to give more
What if the gift isn’t about how much?
It is easier to give if I have less.
20k or less give 4% over 20k give 2%
7 loaves of bread or 7 million dollars
7 bananas or 7 cars
The offerings at the Bispo church
What if we gave to something and everyone was in support because everyone could give something and it was about participating, not the how much
Advent Conspiracy: Give More - Dan Teefey
Recorded on Sunday, December 13th, 2009
•
• Artist: Dan Teefey
• Title: Advent Conspiracy: Give More
• Length: 29:56 minutes (13.71 MB)
• Format: Stereo 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Sermon text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Download Sermon: pdf / doc
Last week we discussed how the messages that our culture has been giving us are lies. Our joy is not dependent upon our stuff. And we have to be vigilant, especially during the Christmas season, to identify the consumerist thieves and robbers around us and to run towards the true shepherd, who is the source of eternal and abundant life.
Last we talked about spending less and that is good . . . but not enough. So you spend less and less and your income keeps coming and sometimes gets larger and larger . . . does your bank account, and your retirement, and your standard of living just get bigger and bigger too . . . or is there something more we are called to.
We are called to be people that give. When you hear this passage and think through what we are called to, you are probably always going to think about money . . . and that indeed a part of how we demonstrate our generosity . . . but it is not all of it. We want to also think about how God is calling us to be generous with our time, with our presence, and with our talents.
Let's take a look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-15.
1-2 “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”
Romans 15:26, “For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.”
We don't know what exactly the Macedonian church was facing when Paul mentions their severe trial and extreme poverty, but it is clearly not good. And he honors their generosity out of their poverty.
It reminds me of the story in Luke 21. “As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Repeatedly throughout scripture, those with little are praised not because of the amount of what they give, but because of what they sacrifice to give it. It is even more pronounced in the New Testament as the focus of giving moves well beyond some arbitrary percentage to what one is giving up. Biblical generosity is not measured by how much is given . . . it is not measured by the total dollar amount given . . . but by the level of sacrifice in giving it.
You know what I mean. Some people can give 10% and have $100,000 left over. Others can give 10% and have $10,000 left over. That 10% means something very different to those two people.
British Evangelist George Muller said, “God judges what we give by what we keep.”
It is not the dollar amount that is significant.
3-4 “For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.”
What does it mean to give “beyond their ability?” This is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of giving. When we open up the floodgates of our generosity, God regularly pours out his abundance.
This is the part of giving that makes us radically uncomfortable. We are often very comfortable giving from our excess.
I have seen this in our girls even at a young age. If there are three balloons in the room and Adelaide is playing with them and Miriam wants one, then she generally has no problem giving one of the balloons to her. It is not a big deal because she still has two balloons to play with herself. But if there is just one balloon and Miriam wants to play with it . . . it is much much more difficult to convince Adelaide to give it to her. She will give it up when she gets to the new and better thing, but not while she still wants to play with it herself.
When we are honest with ourselves about our own willingness to give we know that we are the same way. We are perfectly fine giving away our old television, but it would seem crazy to us to give away our new one. The same with our clothes. We have no problem dropping our old clothes off at Goodwill, but it would seem bizarre to us to donate our new clothes.
And to be honest, Paul does not pretend that this more radical understanding of generosity comes naturally to us. It doesn't. Our nature tells us that we must hoard what we have to protect ourselves against anything that could happen in the future.
When Paul says that the Macedonian Christians gave “beyond their ability,” he is saying that the Spirit has empowered them to trust beyond what seems reasonable to their culture. He is saying that what they previously thought was impossible, God has made possible.
There is a clear sense repeatedly in Scripture that we cannot do anything of any real significance without God. We can give some here and there, but ultimately, for the earth shattering, life transforming work, we have to let the Spirit guide us. To lift us beyond ourselves in generosity.
Verse 5 helps us to understand the path to radical generosity.
5 “And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.”
The first step is always giving ourselves entirely to the Lord. It always starts here. When we began this sermon series on consumerism in our culture around Christmas, we began it with worship.
Any true transformation always begins with worship. It is our worship, our allegiance to God that overflows into sharing with others. Jesus sums this up when he answers the question which is the greatest commandment in the law. In Matthew 22, Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.”
First, we love God. And it is not such a sequential thing that we can say that we are not ready to love others yet, because we have not loved God enough. That can be a problem too.
If you remember a couple months ago we had a drama where a bunch of church folk were meeting at a restaurant and discussing plans for a great church event. As the drama went unfolded the church folk were talking about their plans and who was going to do what and how much it was going to bring glory and honor to God, when the waitress came to their table. They treated her very rudely . . . sending their food back and repeatedly asking for tiny things. The worst part was when they were praying for their meal and the waitress came to the table . . . they basically told her to leave them alone, they were busy praying . . . and made her wait as they went on and on.
Loving God truly will move us into giving generously. Later on in 2 Corinthians 9, Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
I heard a story once about a mom who was trying to teach her daughter about giving and so she gave her a quarter and a dollar and told her that she could keep one, but must give the other to the church. After church the following Sunday, the mom asked the daughter whether she had given the dollar or the quarter. The daughter said that when she went to church she intended on giving the dollar, but then the pastor gave a sermon on giving cheerfully and she decided to give the quarter instead.
6-9 “So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
There is one concept that Paul repeatedly links with giving and generosity in this passage. It is grace.
It is by grace that we are capable of giving. Paul began by saying, “we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.” The ability to give generously comes through grace. It is God empowered.
Paul is challenging them. You are good in a lot of things: faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness and love . . . but you should also be good in giving. And the reason he gives is because Jesus was good at giving . . . in fact his entire life was one of giving. Paul says, “that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
This is the main force of his argument as to why we should be people of radical generosity. That since God has been radically generous to us . . . we should be generous to others. And the point is not that God has poured out material blessings on us. Remember that the example he uses is that of the Macedonian Christians who did not have anything, yet gave generously.
Regardless of our economic status and how much stuff we have in our houses . . . we all begin life desperately poor because we are sinners who regularly flee from God. But the Good News of Christmas and our faith is that our rich God, who needed nothing, came to earth as a human being. God became a poor baby born in a tiny Bethlehem cave in animal food trough . . . He grew up to be a modest Jewish carpenter that was nothing special to look at . . . and he ultimately faced ridicule, insult and death . . .
Our God who is perfect and needs nothing . . . chose to put on our flesh and walk in our world . . . for no other reason than that he loved us. That is radical generosity. He was rich, but became poor . . . so that we could become rich.
It should be noticed too that God did not wrap up a nice new bicycle and FedEx it down to us from heaven to show his love. He came down himself and gave us himself. That is why we keep saying that at Christmas we want to be people that give presence and not just presents. Because that is what God did. He gave himself.
10-12 “And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.”
The first step is to develop a willingness to give. The second is to actually give. Hypotheticals help us to feel good about ourselves. “If someone really needed me to buy them dinner, I would do it.” “If someone needs me to help them move, I am there.” And perhaps our intentions are right on, but many times when it comes to actually completing what we offered we come up short.
Take a look at this past year. Where have you demonstrated generosity with you finances, time, talents.
Paul adds again that what matters in our giving is not the total amount of the gift, but what percentage it is of what one has. We can’t measure the depth of our generosity by what others give. It is a very personal assessment. Our generosity is most accurately measured by what we keep.
13-15 “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”
Paul concludes with some language that may make us uncomfortable. He says that the goal of generosity is not to put ourselves in a destitute situation while others flourish upon our gifts . . . the goal is equality. It is a reciprocal agreement . . . those with plenty supply the needs of those with little so that when the situation is turned around the opposite will be true too.
Paul then ends with, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”
This is a quote from Exodus 16. The Israelites had just escaped Egyptian slavery and captivity and find themselves in the desert. They are mad at Moses and Aaron who led them out of Egypt because at least when they were slaves in Egypt they had food to eat. Now they might starve to death.
But God blesses them with Manna, which came from the Hebrew for “what is it.” And here is the interesting part about the Manna that God gave the Israelites. Exodus 16:16 says, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.” And they were told not to keep it overnight . . . eat what you need, don’t try to save it . . . instead trust that God will provide again tomorrow.
As you can imagine the Israelites had a hard time with this. Some took more than they needed. Others tried to store it. Some tried to collect it on the Sabbath when they were not supposed to.
As Paul uses Jesus as an example of God’s generosity . . . so is God’s providing for the Israelites.
God’s gift to us was a relationship built on love. So it’s no wonder why we’re drawn to the idea that Christmas should be a time to love our friends and family in the most memorable ways possible. Time is the real gift Christmas offers us, and no matter how hard we look, it can’t be found at the mall. Time to make a gift that turns into the next family heirloom. Time to write mom a letter. Time to take the kids sledding. Time to bake really good cookies and sing really bad Christmas carols. Time to make love visible through relational giving. Sounds a lot better than getting a sweater two sizes too big, right?
Final Blessing
Malachi 3:8-12 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.”
Dec 12 – [Jeff] Give More (of your presence: your hands, your words, your time, your heart)
Scripture:
God’s gift to us was a relationship built on love. So it’s no wonder why we’re drawn to the idea that Christmas should be a time to love our friends and family in the most memorable ways possible. Time is the real gift Christmas offers us, and no matter how hard we look, it can’t be found at the mall. Time to make a gift that turns into the next family heirloom. Time to write mom a letter. Time to take the kids sledding. Time to bake really good cookies and sing really bad Christmas carols. Time to make love visible through relational giving. Sounds a lot better than getting a sweater two sizes too big, right?
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