A Little Touched July 12, 1998 John 9: 1-11
There is something wrong with the people around us
they're a little touched
list of sayings from office file
letter I got in the mail
Does there have to be something wrong with everyone?
The man born blind
God must be punishing him
no....that 's not the point
rain falls on the just and the unjust
God wants to show his power
In any event, God wants to show his power
Why does God do things the way he does? it sure is strange
waited years to heal him
mixed spit with mud on the ground
maybe the point is--we are not supposed to be figuring it all out, just worshipping
after he is healed, no one believes he is him
hey, I'm the one, touched by God
How much change has Jesus made in your life?
It doesn't matter what they think about you or what they say
I may never be as good as they are, but on thank God I am better than I was
being around Jesus is a good thing....it's the only thing
being touched by him is beyond valuing
find a place to pray, thank him for his touch, ask for his continued working with you
let's not spend our time drowning those who are worse off than we are
let's not spend our time denying the power of God
Let's not spend our time explaining why others have not been touched by God
Let's be glad for everyone who has been touched,
let's be glad for the touch of God
maybe some day it can come out way
It's wonderful and exciting when God touches people
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see
I may
Showing posts with label Share his grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Share his grace. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Why Are We Here John 21:15-17 4-13-2008
Why Are We Here 4-13-2008
Jn 21:15-17
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?' "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs,." 16Again Jesus said, "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take are of my sheep." 17the third time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."
Summary..... how we got to today
Summarize the story to date
Jesus is not recognized
Common problem that we humans have
They catch 153 fish-
In this blessing they recognize him
We don't always do this, but it is a good habit to get into
They have dinner
Dinner with a friend
Jesus takes Peter aside
Gets in his grill
Now we are gonna have a talk
Memorable talks of my life
Coach Buck - Willow Glen game
Sweep-outside containment
Brinkman, you can watch from the sidelines
Age 14-15, sassing my mother
I should never complain about my mother
I drove her to dysfunction
Insanity is hereditary; parents get it from their children
Wait until you father comes home
Starts out slow and controlled
You are not just messing with your mother,
You are messing with my wife
Before she was your mother, she was my wife
You will treat her with respect
Bishop WT Handy
Jesus has Peter's attention
Do you love me more than these?
Fish? Friends? Comfort?
Now lets say that Jesus is speaking to you....
List 3 things that Jesus might want to call you away from
Comfort=Security=Sports=Control=Pride
Take some time and list them
Now is there something that he would call you to?
The number of people that run from their calling
Not go be a preacher or a missionary.
Somebody has got to fish.
Maybe to coach a youth team.
Maybe to stop coaching 3 teams and keep your family at home
Some should work more==Some should work less
Write a book
Not everyone has some special feeling or direction
But, Each person's purpose is the same...
Be a dispenser of God's love
Share his grace
Conclusion
I am not talking about your dreams or desires
What if we are doing what we want to do, instead of what we are called to do?
Did Mother Teresa do what sh did because she wanted to?
I am talking about if there is something at God wants you to do
Life goes better when we listen
If there is something else that Jesus wants to get in your grill about
Time for you to get off the sidelines and into the game
Let nothing get in the way.
Jn 21:15-17
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?' "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs,." 16Again Jesus said, "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take are of my sheep." 17the third time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."
Summary..... how we got to today
Summarize the story to date
Jesus is not recognized
Common problem that we humans have
They catch 153 fish-
In this blessing they recognize him
We don't always do this, but it is a good habit to get into
They have dinner
Dinner with a friend
Jesus takes Peter aside
Gets in his grill
Now we are gonna have a talk
Memorable talks of my life
Coach Buck - Willow Glen game
Sweep-outside containment
Brinkman, you can watch from the sidelines
Age 14-15, sassing my mother
I should never complain about my mother
I drove her to dysfunction
Insanity is hereditary; parents get it from their children
Wait until you father comes home
Starts out slow and controlled
You are not just messing with your mother,
You are messing with my wife
Before she was your mother, she was my wife
You will treat her with respect
Bishop WT Handy
Jesus has Peter's attention
Do you love me more than these?
Fish? Friends? Comfort?
Now lets say that Jesus is speaking to you....
List 3 things that Jesus might want to call you away from
Comfort=Security=Sports=Control=Pride
Take some time and list them
Now is there something that he would call you to?
The number of people that run from their calling
Not go be a preacher or a missionary.
Somebody has got to fish.
Maybe to coach a youth team.
Maybe to stop coaching 3 teams and keep your family at home
Some should work more==Some should work less
Write a book
Not everyone has some special feeling or direction
But, Each person's purpose is the same...
Be a dispenser of God's love
Share his grace
Conclusion
I am not talking about your dreams or desires
What if we are doing what we want to do, instead of what we are called to do?
Did Mother Teresa do what sh did because she wanted to?
I am talking about if there is something at God wants you to do
Life goes better when we listen
If there is something else that Jesus wants to get in your grill about
Time for you to get off the sidelines and into the game
Let nothing get in the way.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Mercy-Grace-Forgiveness Matthew 18 1-16-05
Sermon 1-16-05 Mercy-Grace-forgiveness Mt 18
Introin the culture that Jesus was born into, mercy was a character flaw; the ideal was justice. "This was the moral climate in which Christianity taught that mercy is one of the primary virtues -- that a merciful God requires humans to be merciful.
Justice is getting what we deserve.Mercy is not getting what we deserve.Grace is getting better than we deserve.
Forgiveness is often a process…..Grace is ongoing
Mercy is a point in time, a choice we make that begins the process of granting forgiveness and extending grace
My first ticket: I expected mercy and was wrong
We do not receive mercy in court….we receive justice. We are not used to mercy.
In life….We don’t expect to be granted it.
Consequently we end up carrying enormous burdens……why is so and so, so unhappy? Why are they so mad all the time? They are carrying the guilt of every sin + of others sisns that they wont forgive
Body
1. Scripture: what God does
God has set the example of granting mercy…lavishly
Scripture: what we do:
fail
While peter is asking about forgiving others [show mercy] and is considering how he has been done wrong, Jesus responds by talking about the forgiveness that you have received. Jesus turns it around…to what degree have you been forgiven. If you have received mercy then let it go
This provides Some things to think about:
We can be burdened or we can let go
When you let go it begins a cleansing process…if you don’t let go you are holding onto a cow chip. How sad it was for the unmerciful servant to carry around a cow chip
The role of mercy and forgiveness in marriage…many cow chips in marriage
When your pride gets in the way
When your expectations get in the way
When your insecurities get in the way
The glory of relationships is not the fun times or the times we really connected. The crowning joy of a lasting relationship is the ability that we have to deliver mercy to another. To pardon their sins, to help them know that they are still loved. It rises above going on a honeymoon or a vacation, or any number of life’s joys. To give mercy to another is to give a gift, which cannot be valued:
Jesus hints….We can change:
Mercy may mean only that you decide to let it go….they don’t have to come over for dinner. You begin to believe that God can love them, that they are special to him, and that maybe with Gods help, I could learn to see you the way that God sees you.
It doesn’t mean that you don’t still feel anger or frustration…..it just means that you have made a conscious choice to let go. To focus on God instead of the event or the person….and that’s not a bad thing
in granting mercy you break the cycle of revenge and hatred.
Mercy sees, not the enormity of the deed, but the enormity of the need to be forgiven. We should never say…that is too much to be forgiven…rather we should say, that sin needs more than ever to be forgiven.
When a child comes in from play with a dirty face, we don’t say….you are too dirty to be washed…we say…you need more than anything to be washed
Someone’s story….I was very judgmental….I saw people do things and I said….how could they….I would never…..then later in life, in a particular time of my life, I found my self do ing some of those very things. I began to understand my own humanity, my own broken ness, my own need for forgiveness. I am very glad for the forgiveness offered and I find it much easier now to understand and forgive the struggles of others.
The very contradictions in my life are in some ways signs of God's mercy to me.
By granting mercy We can find Joy:
A picture of our need for forgiveness should not take us to despair, for it ends not in condemnation but in mercy, grace and joy…….and in our expanded ability to forgive others……
If we reflect on a time when we did something wrong and another person forgave us, we can see how good it felt and we can remember the release. We forgive, not just for ourselves, but as a gift. It is something we can give to another.
Why is granting mercy such a gift? Why is it the pinnacle of love? We are saying…I will go on loving the life in you, the soul in you even when I abhor what you have done or what you stand for. I will attempt to see you as my equal, you life has equal value to my own, even tho I despise what you did.
You cannot kill the evil in the world, but by extending mercy, you can transform moments dominated by evil to moments dominated by love
God’s mercy to us is huge
It is absurd to spurn/ignore/forget such grace
How can you understand and accept Gods mercy and still not grant it to others
Conclusion
When Allied troops liberated the Ravensbruck concentration camp in 1945, they stumbled onto the indescribable horror of he Nazi Moloch-machine in which 92,000 women and children had died. But they also came across signs of unquenchable faith. The following words were found written on a piece of wrapping paper near the body of a dead child:O Lord,Remember not only the men and women of goodwill,But also those of ill will.But do not only remember the suffering they have inflicted on us,Remember the fruits we brought thanks to this suffering,Our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility,The courage, the generosity,The greatness of heart which has grown out of all this.And when they come to judgment,Let all the fruits that we have borne, Be their forgiveness. Amen
Maybe you have never really yet understood that you are loved and forgivne that in Christ, God has delivered his mercy to you.
Maybe there is someone that God is asking you to forgive….it doesn’t make sense, you may not want to, but God is asking you
Maybe you have been weighed down with the burden of another’s actions, and your inability to grant mercy and forgive…it is time to let go
Introin the culture that Jesus was born into, mercy was a character flaw; the ideal was justice. "This was the moral climate in which Christianity taught that mercy is one of the primary virtues -- that a merciful God requires humans to be merciful.
Justice is getting what we deserve.Mercy is not getting what we deserve.Grace is getting better than we deserve.
Forgiveness is often a process…..Grace is ongoing
Mercy is a point in time, a choice we make that begins the process of granting forgiveness and extending grace
My first ticket: I expected mercy and was wrong
We do not receive mercy in court….we receive justice. We are not used to mercy.
In life….We don’t expect to be granted it.
Consequently we end up carrying enormous burdens……why is so and so, so unhappy? Why are they so mad all the time? They are carrying the guilt of every sin + of others sisns that they wont forgive
Body
1. Scripture: what God does
God has set the example of granting mercy…lavishly
Scripture: what we do:
fail
While peter is asking about forgiving others [show mercy] and is considering how he has been done wrong, Jesus responds by talking about the forgiveness that you have received. Jesus turns it around…to what degree have you been forgiven. If you have received mercy then let it go
This provides Some things to think about:
We can be burdened or we can let go
When you let go it begins a cleansing process…if you don’t let go you are holding onto a cow chip. How sad it was for the unmerciful servant to carry around a cow chip
The role of mercy and forgiveness in marriage…many cow chips in marriage
When your pride gets in the way
When your expectations get in the way
When your insecurities get in the way
The glory of relationships is not the fun times or the times we really connected. The crowning joy of a lasting relationship is the ability that we have to deliver mercy to another. To pardon their sins, to help them know that they are still loved. It rises above going on a honeymoon or a vacation, or any number of life’s joys. To give mercy to another is to give a gift, which cannot be valued:
Jesus hints….We can change:
Mercy may mean only that you decide to let it go….they don’t have to come over for dinner. You begin to believe that God can love them, that they are special to him, and that maybe with Gods help, I could learn to see you the way that God sees you.
It doesn’t mean that you don’t still feel anger or frustration…..it just means that you have made a conscious choice to let go. To focus on God instead of the event or the person….and that’s not a bad thing
in granting mercy you break the cycle of revenge and hatred.
Mercy sees, not the enormity of the deed, but the enormity of the need to be forgiven. We should never say…that is too much to be forgiven…rather we should say, that sin needs more than ever to be forgiven.
When a child comes in from play with a dirty face, we don’t say….you are too dirty to be washed…we say…you need more than anything to be washed
Someone’s story….I was very judgmental….I saw people do things and I said….how could they….I would never…..then later in life, in a particular time of my life, I found my self do ing some of those very things. I began to understand my own humanity, my own broken ness, my own need for forgiveness. I am very glad for the forgiveness offered and I find it much easier now to understand and forgive the struggles of others.
The very contradictions in my life are in some ways signs of God's mercy to me.
By granting mercy We can find Joy:
A picture of our need for forgiveness should not take us to despair, for it ends not in condemnation but in mercy, grace and joy…….and in our expanded ability to forgive others……
If we reflect on a time when we did something wrong and another person forgave us, we can see how good it felt and we can remember the release. We forgive, not just for ourselves, but as a gift. It is something we can give to another.
Why is granting mercy such a gift? Why is it the pinnacle of love? We are saying…I will go on loving the life in you, the soul in you even when I abhor what you have done or what you stand for. I will attempt to see you as my equal, you life has equal value to my own, even tho I despise what you did.
You cannot kill the evil in the world, but by extending mercy, you can transform moments dominated by evil to moments dominated by love
God’s mercy to us is huge
It is absurd to spurn/ignore/forget such grace
How can you understand and accept Gods mercy and still not grant it to others
Conclusion
When Allied troops liberated the Ravensbruck concentration camp in 1945, they stumbled onto the indescribable horror of he Nazi Moloch-machine in which 92,000 women and children had died. But they also came across signs of unquenchable faith. The following words were found written on a piece of wrapping paper near the body of a dead child:O Lord,Remember not only the men and women of goodwill,But also those of ill will.But do not only remember the suffering they have inflicted on us,Remember the fruits we brought thanks to this suffering,Our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility,The courage, the generosity,The greatness of heart which has grown out of all this.And when they come to judgment,Let all the fruits that we have borne, Be their forgiveness. Amen
Maybe you have never really yet understood that you are loved and forgivne that in Christ, God has delivered his mercy to you.
Maybe there is someone that God is asking you to forgive….it doesn’t make sense, you may not want to, but God is asking you
Maybe you have been weighed down with the burden of another’s actions, and your inability to grant mercy and forgive…it is time to let go
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