Tag Archives: Jesus

Christian Growth

Gallery June 27, 2004 David

Christian Growth
June 27, 2004	Sermon by DRW	Passage Philippians 1.1-11

Father,

I pray that you would allow us to see our growth in You. Be blessed as we come to understand better our identity, our growth, and our goal as Christians. Enable us this day to be changed by Your Spirit to reflect in a greater way Your Son that our lives may glorify, praise, and honor You. Teach us this day the wonderful truths contained in Your Word. Amen.

Would you please turn to Philippians 1.1-11.

Before we begin, let’s recall a little background to the passage we are about to study. By the way, when I first began at EFCC, this is the book the high school went through in our Wednesday Bible studies. Paul is writing to a church that owed its very existence to his ministry. It was his preaching that had opened the heart of Lydia to respond to the gospel. He had gone through flogging and imprisonment. His testimony had converted the jailer and his family. It was Paul who had strengthened and encouraged the young, new church. You can read about it in Acts 16.

And now Paul is is basically on death row. He is “in chains for Christ” as he says in v 13. He doesn’t know whether he will be released or executed.

As for the Philippians, they face the pressure of persecution. There are those among them who are distorting the gospel by their teaching, and leading the others away from a sound faith. There is some tension and hostility within the fellowship.

Paul’s eyes are wide open to the problems actual and potential. But for all that, this is an overwhelmingly positive letter. Why? Because it is full of God. In these first eleven verses that are thirteen direct references to God and Christ. It is saturated with Jesus, and full of excitement about what God is doing in the lives of those Christians in Philippi.

Paul is torn between the prospect of being executed and the prospect of being released from prison. For his own sake he would prefer to die and go to Christ. But for the sake of the church he knows that he still has work to do. He says in 25:

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.

How would you react if someone took you aside and asked you about how you are progressing and finding joy in the faith? If you are anything like me there would be a twinge of guilt. I would prefer that people didn’t ask how my progress in the faith was progressing. The reason is that my progress seems to be too little and taking way too much time. The effort I put in, at times, is so half-hearted. Steps forward seem to be accompanied by just as many steps back. As one writer quipped: “Three steps forward and two steps back.” Better to draw a discreet veil over the whole thing, I thought as I pondered my title for this morning: Christian Growth. It is too shaming. Too depressing.

But then I began to study this passage. And I made a tremendously encouraging rediscovery. You see, that twinge of guilt at the thought of what I consider my lack of progress is quite telling. It reveals who I think is primarily responsible for my progress in the faith. Me. It is basically down to me, so I should be feeling guilty. I was saved by grace. But the quality of my Christian life is up to me. Wrong. That is precisely what Paul preached against in the book of Galatians. Now of course there is a right balance to be struck here. I must not abdicate all responsibility for my growth as a Christian.

The chief characteristic of someone living their life the way God created them to live it, who have confidence in God’s work in their life will be the characteristic of joy.

Joy comes from being centered in God. It comes from the liberation of knowing that every aspect of our Christian lives is lived by grace. Not only have I been saved by grace, but I am being saved by grace and I will be saved by grace, through faith – that is, through depending on the person and work of Christ to accomplish what needs to be accomplished, rather than by depending on what I can do. The truth is, Christ is taking us to heaven. We are not making our own way there. What a relief. What freedom. If it is up to me, I’m in trouble. Thank God it is not.

Let’s see how that works out in these verses. We can see three aspects of what it is to be a Christian here. Verses 1-2 focus on THE CHRISTIAN’S IDENTITY; verses 3-8 on THE CHRISTIAN’S PROGRESS; verses 9-11 on THE CHRISTIAN’S GOAL.

First, THE CHRISTIAN’S IDENTITY (v 1-2)

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul calls himself and his co-worker Timothy “servants”. Why? Far from exalting himself, he is drawing attention to the fact that he is not a free agent. He is not in control of his own life. It is not up to Paul what he does. It is up to Christ. Christ calls the shots. And what was true for Paul and Timothy was true also for the Philippians and it is true for every Christian. As Christians, like Paul, we are servants of the Lord of Lords. He deploys us. He commands. We are not our own.

Then not only are we servants of Christ Jesus, we are also “saints in Christ Jesus”. Paul certainly recognizes the particular leadership role of some of the Philippian Christians. There are the overseers and the deacons. Appropriate leadership structures are needed in any church. But the significance of those leaders does not lie in such roles. It lies in their relationship to God through Christ, as with everybody else. They are all “saints”. They have all been chosen and set apart by God to belong to him. They have been rescued from a life of rebellion and now they are the possession of Christ Jesus. They are holy. They are sanctified.

It is vital for us to grasp this. It is right that as Christians we struggle for holiness of living. But we must understand where we are starting from. It is not that holiness is an unattainable goal on the far horizon that seems to move farther and farther away the more we move towards it.

Holiness is something that we have been given in Christ. We have been taken into his possession. So it is not primarily in order to be holy that we should live lives of holiness. It is because we are holy. We are saints.

1.27 : “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” That is, live in the light of what Jesus has already done for you. Not to prove your worth or to earn your keep. But because of who you are, and what Jesus has made you. A saint.

A Christian is a servant of Christ. A Christian is a saint in Christ. A Christian is a sibling with Christ. A Christian is a subject of Christ.

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father… ” The Christian belongs in the family of God not only in the sense that all mankind is the creation of God and dependent on him. This is much more personal, much more intimate. The miracle of grace is this: that God is our Father as he is the Father of Jesus. By grace we are adopted into the nuclear family of God our Father, our “Abba”, our Dad. And in this sense Jesus is our brother.

It is not just that he shares our humanity (which he does, totally). It is that he has brought us into the inner circle of his relationship with the Father. We have open access to the Father through the Son. We share his Sonship. We are siblings with Jesus.

If that does not create a deep, inexhaustible, subterranean reservoir of joy in your life, then either you are not yet a Christian, or you have failed to grasp the immensity of the privilege that is yours. Jesus is your brother. Because you deserve it? No. No more than the fact that you are your parents child because you worked for it. God has done it for you.

Servant of Christ. Saint in Christ. Sibling with Christ. And subject of Christ. “Grace and peace to you from … the Lord Jesus Christ.” Not only are we on his staff, and in his possession, and in his family. We have a place in his kingdom.

Jesus is our King. He reigns at the right hand of God. There are no elections for him, and there is no legitimate or loyal opposition to his government, for he is eternally and rightfully King. He has supreme power. And he is in the process of returning not only for his people but to give the whole universe back to its rightful owner. No other authority has a claim on our lives that can override his claim. “Our citizenship” says Paul in 3.20, “is in heaven”. And the Lord Jesus Christ has power that enables him “to bring everything under his control.”

Such is our identity as Christians. Servants. Saints. Siblings. and Subjects. And we haven’t even got beyond the greeting yet! But that is OK because when we have begun to understand who we are as Christians, then the nature of Christian growth begins to fall into place. The notion of progress is put into a proper perspective.

The Christian has already been given everything in Christ. We have already been transformed by grace through faith. We are a new creation. And now God is growing us, like a master gardener. And that is what you can see in vv 3-8.

So secondly: THE CHRISTIAN’S PROGRESS (vv 3-8)

“I thank my God every time I remember you” Paul says in v 3. Why? Because it is the Lord who is responsible for the progress that they have made in their faith. He it was who brought them to faith. He it is who is nurturing them and caring for them, and ensuring that their faith develops.

He doesn’t say to them “Well done, you guys. I know it’s been hard but you’ve stuck at it. Great job! Pat yourselves on the back, and keep going.” He looks at them, sees their progress, and turns to God with gratitude in his heart for what God is doing among them.

Now of course that is encouraging for the Philippians. After all, he is telling them what he is praying. This is not just between him and God. He is making it public, because he wants them to draw strength from the fact that he can see God at work in their lives. But he leaves no room for pride. The credit goes to God and not them.

Perhaps we should be more alert to similar opportunities around us. What do you do if you see someone growing in faith? Do you do nothing? That is a missed opportunity. Do you tell them they are doing well? If you are not careful, that may encourage a misplaced pride. Do you give thanks to God and say nothing? Surely better, but still a missed opportunity. Or do you do what Paul is doing here, and give thanks to God, but tell them that you are praying for them?

When someone does that for us it can be a powerful spur. It helps us to see what progress we are making, and encourages us, and at the same time turns our minds towards God, and ensures that we give him the glory. Then we can have a growing heart without a growing head, swollen with pride.

Thanks to God is followed by joy in gospel partnership. Vv 4-5:

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…

Let’s not fail to notice the extent of Paul’s praying that is revealed here. Paul’s praying for his fellow Christians is not an occasional thought, an arrow prayer now and then. There are two “all’s” and an “always” just in v 4.

Paul is continually in prayer for those who are on his heart. And he rejoices in the fellowship that he shares with them. What is this fellowship? Not just a chat and a joke and cup of coffee. It is working with them in their common task of gospel ministry. This is what has brought me great joy over the years I have ministered here. There have been many faithful followers of Christ in fellowship with me in the ministry here over the years. I think of Eddie, Brian, Ben, to those you see here today, Christine, Cindy, and Erik. I can almost say that each one of you have played an integral part in the work of this church.

Such ministry is the work not just of some, but of the whole church. Paul singles no one out here. Evangelism is a task for all of us, not for specialists alone. It is a task undertaken not alone but together. It requires the whole range of gifts that are present in the church. And it rejoices Paul’s heart when he sees everybody pulling together consistently to further the cause of the gospel, as had been happening in Philippi right from the time when the first Philippians had become Christians. There is a strong bond of love between him and his brothers and sisters in Christ. V 8:

God can testify how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

But he goes on, v 6:

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Lest they miss the point, he spells it out in such a way that they cannot fail to get his meaning. The progress of the gospel among them, and the progress that they have been making in the faith, is not their work. It is God’s.

God began it. God is carrying it on. And for all the obstacles and hardships and detours that they may make, God will ensure that it gets finished. Because what he begins he finishes. He doesn’t forget. He doesn’t get distracted. He cannot be overcome by a higher power because there isn’t one. Paul knows that. No wonder then that he is confident. Not that there aren’t problems to be sorted out. That’s why he is writing to them. But the final outcome is not in doubt.

God’s grace wins through, and, as he says in v 7: “all of you share in God’s grace with me.”. There is no question then that they will reach the goal that God is leading them towards. That is a truth that needs to be engraved on that the heart of every Christian. It frees us from fear. It fills us with just the kind of assurance that God wants for us: an assurance based on confidence in him and his power to keep us safe in him to the end.

Our own goals for our lives are often very fragile and uncertain. It is as well to recognize that, so that we are not too devastated when they crumble before our eyes. But we need to know that God’s goals will be accomplished. Then we can have the freedom and boldness to follow Christ however risky the path looks, because we know that our lives are secure in his loving and powerful hands.

So let’s ask ourselves whether we share Paul’s attitudes in relation to his fellow believers and partners in the work of the gospel. What are his feelings towards them? They are these: thanks to God; joy in gospel partnership; confidence in good work; and affection through grace shared. These are my feelings toward each one of you too.

But what exactly is the good work that God is doing among them? What are God’s goals for our lives? Paul expands on that in the last three verses of this passage: vv 9-11.

So to my third and last heading: THE CHRISTIAN’S GOAL (vv 9-11)

V 9: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more…”

Paul doesn’t specify the object of this love. But love for God and love for others cannot in the end be separated. That is we worship God and fellowship with others. No doubt he wants to see both kinds of love grow. And it is to be abundant growth.

And love depends on an understanding of the truth. So Paul continues:

that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best…

We grow in proportion as we know. This can be seen in the area of discipleship. Ignorance stunts growth. And knowledge of God comes through Christ.

Jesus said:

No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Knowledge of God is a gift of God. It comes through Jesus by revelation. Paul talks in 1Timothy 4.3 about Christians as “those who believe and know the truth.”

Truth is an essential ingredient in Christian experience. But with it must come the discernment to apply it to our lives. In Colossians 1.9 Paul says:

…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Knowing God, knowing the truth, and knowing how to please God all belong together. So in Philemon v 6 Paul says:

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding [that is, knowledge] of every good thing we have in Christ.

We cannot begin to live lives that please God unless we have a knowledge of the blessings that are to be found in Jesus, and at the same time it is as we live for Christ – in this example by being active in sharing our faith – that our grasp on the blessings that Jesus brings gets tighter, and our understanding grows. This is through evangelism.

So Paul prays, too, for growth in holiness (v 10):

so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

Purity is what you might call “inner holiness” – a profound Christ-centeredness of mind and heart. Blamelessness you could call “outer holiness”. It is the outworking in life and example of that inner quality of obedience to God’s will.

Then finally Paul prays that they will be …

…filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.

This is a picture of a full crop ready for harvest; effective service flowing from a loving, willing and mature obedience. And once again this is not something we can produce in ourselves apart from Jesus. It is the result of the work of Jesus. It is through him alone that such fruit can grow. This is ministry.

What is the harvest that Paul is looking towards? It is “the day of Christ” (v 10); the Second Coming; the Day of Judgement. And what is this harvest for? What is the purpose of it all? What is all this abundant growth in aid of? It is all “to the glory and praise of God” (v 11).

Paul’s praying always heads like an arrow for the glory of God. And there is nothing that glorifies God more than the spiritual growth of his people. Why? Because that growth is not in the end up to us. When it happens, we can take no credit for it. It is an answer to prayer. It is a work of grace in the lives of those who are servants of Christ, saints in Christ, siblings with Christ, and subjects of Christ. What a relief. What freedom.

So when we are challenged about our spiritual growth, let’s learn not to wince with guilt, but to rejoice. God is growing his people, as the master gardener.

Let’s with Paul be grateful to God for all he is doing amongst us and in us – rejoicing in our gospel partnership; full of affection for one another through the grace that we share; and confident that he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus – to his glory and praise. Let us fulfill his purposes in our lives by trusting him to do this great work in us, as he has been doing, and going out and allowing him to work through us, as you have been doing.

Let’s pray:

Father, I pray for each person in this room. Grant us knowledge of Your Word that will transform us. Grant us knowledge of You that will transform others because of the work You have been doing in our lives. Let us live to glorify You, to bring others to praise and honor You as our lives are lived in praise and honor of You. Amen.

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Hebrews, New Testament, Sermons

Running the Race

Gallery May 16, 2004 David

Running the Race
May 16, 2004	Sermon by DRW	Passage Hebrews 12.1-3

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside (Romans 13.12, Ephesians 4.17-32) every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run (1 Corinthians 9.24-27) with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Galatians 6.9).

Introduction

I use to be a runner. Not many people believe that. I have slowed down some but I use to be fast. I can reflect back on my senior year in high school and a few years after that and recall many races won. I could do the 100 meter in just over 10 seconds. The 200 meter in just over 22 seconds. The 800 meter in 1 minute 50 seconds. My mile was pretty slow, just under 6 minutes. My three mile run was in the low 16 minutes. I only ran one 10k and that was pacing a man in a wheelchair. And I personally think Nancy is crazy. My most memorable race was the 200 meters.

Each year we went to an invitational and every year I cam in second to the same guy. This was the fourth time we had done this invitational (through the church I attended). This year I knew I was going to win. There was nothing that could stop me. I looked for the guy that beat me every year and felt sorry for him. I had my church in the stands cheering me on, my coach was giving me final words of comfort and strategy. The starter told us all to get in the blocks. We set ourselves, he raised the gun, he fired and we ran like the wind. Going around the curve, I was in the lead. I knew I had him. Fifty yards to go and the victory was mine. A thought crossed my mind. Despite my church and my coach’s encouragement, I listened to this voice in my head. In one split second I found myself doing what no runner should ever do. The voice in my head told me that I couldn’t win the race. The voice told me that I would never beat this guy. The voice told me to look back because the guy was getting ready to pass me. I listened, I looked, I lost.

It is my desire that this look into my past will help us in our present and future walk in Christ. Let us pray.

Father,

We ask that Your Holy Spirit show us the truth contained in Your Word. Allow us to see what Your Word has for us. We seek Your presence in this service and Your Holy Spirit to be actively teaching us as we look into Your Word, please look into our hearts. Help us to see what You created us for and how we can live that life that You have created for us to live.

In Jesus name, amen.

If you haven’t done so as of yet, turn in your Bible to Hebrews 12. We will be looking at verses one through three. I would like to discuss and present for you today a look at our Christian walk as seen in the eyes of a runner.

The first thing we notice in this passage is that there is a crowd surrounding us, cheering us on, who have lived their lives as an example for us. This crowd is comprised of those people in Hebrews 11 and all who have lived their lives for Christ.

A. The Crowd (1)

Let’s read that verse again:

1. The Saints Before

This passage provides us with a reminder that there are those in Heaven who are looking at our every move, seeing what God will do in and through us. Peter reminds us that the angels long to see what is going to happen to God’s people (FIND REFERENCE). With this in mind, we need to live a life that brings Him glory, living a life of purpose (1 Peter 2.21).

a. Old Testament

b. New Testament

c. Post New Testament

2. Brothers and Sisters

We should also see that those who cheer us on are our fellow brothers and sisters today, who are alive and sit beside us on a day-to-day or week-by-week basis. Our Christian friends are looking to us to be an example of one who runs the race well, just as we are looking to them for an example of the same.

a. Christian friends

b. Our Church

One of the biggest opportunities our church offers for encouragement to run the race well is our Friday Night Fellowship for the younger groups and CYA (CHAT) for the collegians and up. It can also be evidenced in our activities as each of us lead a life to glorify God. I see the forum at efccerritos.com being used, for the most part, for this purpose. People are posting questions, doubts, concerns, and are asking for help. For the most part, many of us are seeking to bring biblical advice into these discussions and this is what will help each of us press on in the race that God has set before us.

c. CHAT or FNF

3. Satan

There is another in the crowd. Not being the best cheerleader. He is Satan. He provides us with doubts, fears, he places people in our paths that will give us the wrong example, and he seeks to keep us from running the race that has been set before us.

If you remember the voice that came into my head when I was running that told me that I couldn’t beat the guy I was running against, that is what Satan does for us. His entire purpose is to keep us from the purpose that God has for us. Most of the time, as we are running, he places doubts and fears into our minds. He tempts us to doubt God’s goodness and promises or to live in fear through believing a lie. A good acronym for fear is Falsehood Existing As Reality. He places people in our lives that will lead us astray. He places temptations in our lives to cause us to stumble [REFERENCE STUMBLE FROM ISAIAH 40 FROM LAST WEEK AS THIS PART OF THE VERSE COMES UP IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RUNNER].

When we believe his lies, when we follow his examples, when we fall into temptation and sin, we lose. His desire is for us to believe his lies. Second Corinthians 4.3-4 tells us that Satan wants to blind our eyes from the truth because that is how he holds us captive. When this is done, 2 Timothy 2.24-26 tells us, Satan has us trapped. The only way to be freed, according to Jesus and Paul, is through the truth that is found in God’s Word not in the wisdom of this world (2 Corinthians 4.1-4; 2 Timothy 2.24-26).

Allow me to is illustrate this with two balls. As you can see, I can palm both of these balls but it is easier by far to palm the one with less air in it. I can control this ball with the greatest of ease. It is harder for me to grip the ball filled with air, and harder, therefore, to control it.

Satan cannot indwell us (possess us) for the Spirit of God does. When Satan tries to control Christians, he does so through what is called oppression. He places pressures in our life that make us think it is coming from God or from ourselves. An example of this is when David took a census in 1 Chronicles 21.1-8. It says that Satan moved David to take a census of the military men which was against God’s express will. He wanted David to rely on Him not on his army. When David spoke to Joab to number the troops, he didn’t say that Satan told him to do it. He told Joab that he made a decision to count the army. When this happened, God was displeased (7) and David confessed that he had sinned. Although David knew the truth he didn’t live it out, because of this, David sinned.

Back to the two balls. Satan can only get a grip in our lives as we are deflated. Let us compare the air in the ball to the Holy Spirit, who is called the Spirit of Truth. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives (pump up the Infusion ball), the less Satan can grip our lives. The more we have the Word of God (continue to pump the ball) in our lives, the more we can resist Satan, the more he loses grip in our lives.

That is enough of a description of the crowd, let’s look at the course that we are called to run.

B. The Course (1-3)

Let’s read those verses again:

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Galatians 6.9).

One of the first things we notice is that a course has been created for us to run. It is our duty to understand that course to the best of our ability. I remember running cross country in High School at Pierce College, in the San Fernando Valley. This particular meet was the preliminaries to the finals. If we won this race, or came in second or third, we would have gone to the CIF finals. It was an important race. I recall it being a hot day with a lot of smog. The job of each runner is to walk the course to familiarize ourselves with the turns, the hills, and the finish line. Remember, it was hot and smoggy. Most of the team from my school, Narbonne, walked the hilly part of the course. It was hot so we looked for shade to sit in. We said we would look at the rest of the course after we rested. Well, we never did. We didn’t know where the finish line was nor what the course looked like before it. In order for us to qualify, I had to finish fifth overall. That was it. My pattern for running was to run in the middle of the pack until the last half-mile of the run and then do my 1 minute 50 second half-mile sprint. I was getting ready to do just that. I said that I would begin my sprint when I turned the next corner. The corner came, I sprinted around the corner passing people on the way. I moved up from thirtieth to seventeenth. I knew as soon as I turned the corner that I could easily finish in the top five. I saw the entire crowd in front of me, within yards. I rounded the corner, and there was the finish line. I finished somewhere around tenth. We lost the opportunity to go to CIF finals because I didn’t know how the course finished.

If there is a course created for us to run, we need to know what the course is like, how to run it, and where it ends. This will enable us to run the race with endurance. Our course was created by Jesus Christ. The great thing about Christianity is that

1. Jesus Christ

not only created the race but He has run it to show us that we can complete it as well. He designed it and ran it to show us it could be done. He tells us how to run it well, this is what the Bible shows us. He also shows us through living examples (remember the crowd?) of what needs to be done and that it can be done. We can run the race as we focus on Him and follow the godly examples He has set before us. Remember my 200 meter race? I lost it because I looked back, taking my focus off of the finish line. We do the same as we forget to look to the author and finisher of our race. Remember Peter as he sunk in the water when he took his eyes of Jesus.

a. He ran the race

b. He designed the course

c. He tells us (Bible) and shows us (saints) how to run it

God knows that we are going to stumble, lose our way, and want to give up in the race that He has set before us to run. This is one of the reasons He has provided us with the Holy Spirit.

2. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit guides us during the race, He indwells us to keep us focused on what is important. John 14 and 16 tell us that He is our guide and comfort that directs our focus on Jesus. He gives us the strength to finish the race set before us.

a. He guides us through the race

b. He gives us comfort as we compete in the race

The last part of this passage tells us a little about us.

C. The Cruiser (1-2)

The first thing we need to notice is that those who are being addressed are Christians. If we are not Christians, this is meaningless to us because we won’t see a need to do these things. A Christian is anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is God, that their sin has separated them from God, that each of us has sinned, that Christ’s death was the payment for the debt sin made, and then personally accepting this for ourselves. If you haven’t done this, please talk with Mike or myself today.

1. Christians

a. Only those who believe can run this race

b. Believe that Jesus is God

c. Accept His death for your sins

In order for us to run this race effectively, secondly, we must be in condition to complete it.

2. Conditioning

We need to prepare for the race. This involves quite a few things as a runner. To begin with, each runner needs to be loose continually. That is, we need to be in the habit of stretching out quite often. We also need to train for the race on a continual basis. We cannot just go and run a 100 meter or a three-mile race and expect to win without practice. We also need to have a strategy to overcome the difficulties during the race itself. When running in a few sprints in a day, there needs to be a strategy to compete successfully in each race. When running a distance race, a strategy is required too.

a. Preparation for the race

b. Stretch

I see stretching as analogous to personal devotions, prayer and Bible study. If we are not continually stretching ourselves out we will become stiff and unable to run. The moment we stop our personal reading of Scripture and prayer time, we become unable to compete in the race that God has set for us to run. We will be unable to live the life He created us to live.

c. Train

I see training as analogous to doing what we have learned through personal and corporate Bible study and prayer. That is, we act what we have learned. This is done privately and corporately. We do, we run, what we have learned. We see this as happening through FNF and CHAT, through talking with others about what we have learned, by living what we have learned.

d. Strategy

I see the strategy as devising a plan to live out the life, to run the race set before me. The strategy for running a three-mile race was to run with the pack and then sprint at the end. The strategy I had for running a few sprints in a day was to run, hydrate, eat bananas, stretch, rest, and then run. It may not be the same thing Becky does, but it worked for me. When need to understand that Satan has a strategy to make us fall, we need to have a strategy to run successfully. This strategy should involve fellowship, church, worship, Bible study, prayer, and ministry to the church and to those outside the church through evangelism and the like.

As you can see, this is a tough thing to do and requires a level of commitment that runs deep.

3. Commitment

This commitment needs to be deep because it requires are all. It is like when Christ was heading to Jerusalem where He would be crucified. We are told in Luke 9 that He set His face like stone. He would not be moved from completing His task. We are told the same thing by Peter in 2 Peter 1. We are to be committed to this race. This is seen in our passage in verse 1. We need to lay aside everything that will keep us from running well. There are few, if any, runners who are overweight. Most runners refuse to carry anything with them because they know it will slow them down. What is weighting you down, keeping you from running well? Whatever it is, we need to get rid of it. Our journey is a long, hard one that requires we be persistent and committed. I refer you back to last week’s message that explained how we can gain strength to finish well.

a. Hard

b. Long

c. Journey

We also see in this passage that we are to actually run this race and complete it.

4. Completion of the Course

When running a distance race we need help to complete it. I have never run a marathon and don’t plan to run one either. But, from my understanding, all along the course there are markers that letting you know how far you have gone. There are also markers with people there providing you with needed refreshment. There are orange markers, banana markers, first aide markers, water markers, and so on. Each one of these markers are intended to replenish what your body is losing during the run. We need to be in close fellowship with brothers and sisters that we are being replenished by them as we are running. Our problem is that we place people who are not believers at these markers. We are seeking to be refreshed through people who don’t have the ultimate Refresher living in them. We can never be fully refreshed by people who are not Christians nor by Christians who are not living for Christ. Who is it that you are seeking to refresh you?

a. Markers

b. Crowds (who you are hanging with)

Finally, in each race there is a finish line.

5. Commencement (or conclusion)

The race that we are in has many winners. A winner is someone who crosses the finish line. Ask Nancy if she felt like a lose when she ran the LA Marathon. She didn’t finish first. What caused her to be a winner was that she finished. That is how we need to see this life. The goal is to finish. Are you running in such a way as to finish well?

a. Crown of life

I want to commend you to do the following:

1. Focus your eyes on Jesus.

2. Devote yourself to prayer and Bible study as a personal and corporate habit.

3. Have Christians who are following Christ as part of your support group.

4. When you find yourself starting to stumble, refer to number 1.

New Testament, Philippians, Sermons

Pressing On!

Gallery March 17, 2004 David

Pressing On!
March 17, 2004	Sermon by DRW	Passage Philippians 3.10-4.1

I really like Boba. It is a milk tea with balls of tapioca in it. I remember giving Coach Brent, Coach Jackie, and Mr. McGee an opportunity to taste it a few years ago. They refused to take a drink. Most places that sell Boba don’t sell it before ten in the morning. I wanted one to drink, stopped in, and ask Joe if he could make me one. I told him that I really wanted one. He told me it would take ten to fifteen minutes. That seemed like quite a bit of time. So, I told Joe to forget about it and the wait wasn’t worth it.

Why did I change my mind? I really wanted one and then when I found out what it would cost, I didn’t think it was worth it. How often we say we want something. And then we find out how much it’ll cost – in terms of time, or trouble, or money or whatever. And suddenly it doesn’t seem worth it.

There is a verse in Philippians 3.10 that is wonderful. It presents us with a goal in life that is magnificent. Paul tells us the thing he most wanted in life: “I want to know Christ.”

And when you think how much he’d lost for knowing Christ, that is remarkable. Just think what it had cost Paul to be a Christian. Think what he was in Philippians 3.5: he’d been a respected Pharisee. He’d studied at the best Jewish theological college; he was a rising star; he was well-respected.

Then think of him now. He’s in prison because the Jews didn’t like what he said about Jesus. His old friends had disowned him. He’s on trial for his life. He’s no longer respected or liked or popular or comfortable. And all because he’s a Christian. And still he says, v10: “I want to know Christ.”

For most of us, I don’t know what it costs us to know Jesus as Lord. What it costs at home – trying to be a witness to parents or family and friends; trying to bring friends to know the Lord, with no guarantees that they’ll ultimately want to. I don’t know what it costs at school – what issues we’ve had to take a stand on, what isolation we’ve experienced, how we may have been disadvantaged or discriminated against. I don’t know what the public struggle with peer-pressure has cost you, or the private struggle with temptation. I don’t know what knowing Christ has cost you emotionally, mentally, physically, socially.

But I do know that if you’re a Christian, it has cost you. And that either you have faced, or sometime will face, the question: “s it worth it?”

And Paul must have known that that question would be in the minds of the Philippian Christians. In Philippians 1.27-30, Paul tells us:

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then… I will know that you stand firm in one Spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you… For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

They knew what it was to be poorly received as Christians; to be argued against for what they said and how they lived; to be frightened by how negative the reaction could be. They knew what it was to wobble in their faith. To ask, “Is it really worth it?” And to help them, Paul lets them in on what kept him going.

Let’s return to Philippians 3.10:

“I want to know Christ,” he says, “And the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” [ie, I want to keep going whatever the cost – even if it is death.]

Well, what gets someone to that point of Christian maturity where they can say, ‘I want to know Christ, whatever it costs’? The answer lies in this morning’s passage: the person who says, “I want to know Christ whatever it costs,” is a person whose eyes are fixed on heaven, and on the cross.

1. Press on all the way to heaven (v12-16)

To people who were wobbling in their faith, Paul says, in verse 12-16:

“The way I keep going is this: I press on with my eyes fixed on heaven. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect. But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.”

He’s just been telling us what his goal in life is. Verse 10: to know Christ personally; to experience God’s power so that he can serve Christ as he should, and be the person Christ wants him to be; to be willing to go all the way in obedience – no half-measures or half-heartedness.

That was Paul’s goal. But he wasn’t claiming to have achieved it: “NOT that I have already attained all this, or have already been made perfect” (v12); “Brothers, I do NOT consider myself YET to have taken hold of it” (v13) Paul knew that that would be true only beyond the grave. So he says, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” So we can know Christ personally. But we can only know him imperfectly this side of heaven. We are going to experience what it is to be raised from the dead in a new resurrection body when we’ll be sin-free. But not yet, not this side of heaven.

And because that’s the way things are, Paul says “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (v12), and “I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus” (v14). [And by the way he doesn’t mean he has to earn his place in heaven. He’s just using an illustration to make the point that his eyes are on the finishing line.]

And our mistake as Christians is to forget the not yet. We forget that most of the benefits of knowing Christ come beyond this life. So we get dissatisfied, and feel like giving up, and ask, “Is it worth it?” And that’s the mistake Paul is out to correct.

So, for instance, we say (rightly) that the Christian life is a personal relationship with Jesus. But it’s a “long-distance” relationship with someone we can’t see. It’s indirect, praying and reading the Bible and living by trust. And Paul says, “Yes, but we haven’t got it all yet. One day we will be with him. We will see him. We won’t struggle with doubt any more. But that’s future, not yet.

Or take the struggle of witnessing for the Lord. The lack of interest or negative reactions to invitations keep us from telling people about Jesus. When heaven comes, this struggle will end, as well. But that’s future, not yet.

Or take the struggle of personal holiness. The sinful nature doesn’t get any less sinful as the Christian life goes on. The strength and frequency of many temptations remains the same. They’re quite a bit like the Energizer Bunny. They just keep coming and coming and coming. But, says Paul, we haven’t got it all yet. But we will. We will have resurrection bodies in which we are perfectly sin-free. No more letting the Lord down. No more shame-faced confession, over and over again. No more despairing with ourselves and giving up. That struggle will also end. But that’s also future, not yet.

Paul is saying: don’t calculate the” worthwhile-ness” of the Christian life purely on the present. No-one in their right minds would be a Christian purely on the strength of the difference it makes in the present. Because the difference it makes in the present is that it makes it harder. It gives you struggles and problems you didn’t have as a non-Christian. It’s like that quote about marriage: “A wife is a great help to a man in all the problems he’d never have had as a bachelor.” Well likewise, knowing Christ creates new problems in the here and now. And no-one would be a Christian purely on the difference it makes to the here and now. At least, that’s what Paul says elsewhere in 1 Corinthians 15. Where he says: if Christ wasn’t really raised from the dead, nor will we be. And if that’s the case, there’s no life after death; the here-and-now is all there is. And then he says this. “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Cor 15.19). But there is a heaven. It’s real. And Paul says in verses 13 and 14:

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

So he forgets what’s behind. He doesn’t dwell on what he’s lost. Position, popularity, freedom, comfort. Why dwell on the state of your prison cell when Jesus has said, “In my Father’s house are any rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14.1-3)? He doesn’t dwell on the cost because it looks very small against the certainty of heaven. And nor should we. The Lord never trivializes the cost. Jesus knows from experience how real it is. But he calls us to get it into perspective.

Nor does Paul dwell on his regrets. Remember verse 6: he had more than most to regret. He persecuted Christians to death in his non-Christian existence. He had blood on his hands. But he’s a forgiven man. And Paul knows that if God has forgiven the past, he can put it behind himself, too. And so can we.

Maybe some of us need to hear that, particularly. I can’t remember how many times I have had people who became Christians later in life or who were Christians but squandered away their youth come up to me and tell me with tears in their eyes that they wished they had gotten right with God sooner. “I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time,” they tell me. People need to hear verse 13: from now on, “One thing: forgetting what is behind, and straining towards what is ahead, press on…heavenwards’

Or maybe there’s a particular thing in our past which dogs our footsteps. Something on our consciences for which we find it hard to accept forgiveness. Well, regrets are right and proper. But they can keep us from the other right and proper thing, which is to believe God’s forgiveness of our past – our pre-Christian past, and our past since coming to Christ. “Forgetting what is behind, and straining towards what is ahead, I press on…heavenwards,” said Paul. And so should we.

That’s what kept Paul going. Don’t calculate things as if the here and now was all there is, he says to us. The best is yet to come, so press on all the way to heaven.

Then verse 15:

All of us 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.

Doesn’t that overturn our natural ideas of what makes a mature Christian? We tend to think of ourselves as “nearly there” in the Christian life; almost “arrived’; bordering on first class holiness. We grow very easily satisfied with ourselves. We lose the urgency we had in our early Christian days for holiness and serving the Lord more. Perhaps we even look back and think we were a bit foolish when we first became Christians. But that isn’t maturity, according to Paul. That’s stagnation.

And I guess we tend to think that older Christians or Christian leaders are “nearly there’. They’ve pretty much arrived, we tell ourselves, putting them up on a pedestal. I remember thinking that leaders and pastors don’t struggle with pride or lust or envy or temper anymore because they have grown so much in Christ. I then became a pastor and realized what dangerous nonsense those pedestals are. And how dangerous it is as a leader of any sort to let people put you on a pedestal.

What a contrast with verse 15. The mature people are the ones who know they haven’t arrived; who are dissatisfied with themselves; who are still pressing on in holiness; who are more concerned, not less, to find time to read the Bible and pray; who as they get to know the Lord better detect more within themselves, not less, that’s imperfect and needs God to change it. And Paul says, literally, “If somehow you think differently, God will reveal this to you.” In other words, if you think differently about maturity, you need God to change your mind. Because the really mature are the ones who know how far they still have to go.

Then verse 16:

Only, let us live up to what we’ve already attained.

We’re all at different stages in the Christian life. Some know God better than others. Some know better what to aim for than others. That’s not the point. I’m to live up to how well I know the Lord, and you’re to live up to how well you know him. What matters is not so much where we’ve got to, or what we know, but whether we’re moving forwards.

Press on all the way to heaven.

The second point I see in this passage:

2. Beware here-and-now religion (v17-19)

Paul knew that there were other religious voices in Philippi apart from his own. And he knew they’d be attractive to hard-pressed Christians for one simple reason: the religion they offered was much easier. So he has to say, verse 17:

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

I take it that the pattern Paul gave is in Philippians 2.6-11. That passage is really the centrepiece of the letter – the jewel at the heart of Philippians. It’s the pattern of Jesus death and resurrection: costly obedience NOW, and glory LATER. That’s the pattern that Paul lived by. So he could rejoice in a prison cell facing death – because he knew the deal was: suffering now, glory later. Back in chapter 2, Timothy could happily work his socks off for the gospel (2.19-24) and Epaphroditus risk his life for it (2.25-30) – because they knew the deal was: suffering now, glory later. If the Lord Jesus had been obedient to the point of death, what right did they have to a more comfortable ride in the Christian life? “No servant is above his Master,” after all. (John 13.16, 15.20)

And Paul says (v17): follow those who live by that pattern: costly obedience now, because they’re sure of heaven to come. And he has to warn them against following others in verses 18 and 19:

For, as I have often told you before, and now say again with tears, there are many who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction. Their “god” is their stomach and their “glory” is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

In other words, beware: there are plenty of religious people who live according to a different pattern – a pattern that makes for an easy life, here and now. He’s talking about people who had a religion, but a religion without the cross of Christ.

You see, the trouble with the cross is twofold. For one thing, it’s humbling. It tells us we’re not good enough for God, however good we think we are. It says our sin is so serious it deserves the judgment Jesus faced when he died for us. It says we need saving from judgment and can’t save ourselves. Very humbling. Which is why the message doesn’t go down well. The other thing is that the cross is demanding. If Jesus did that for me, how can I say to him, “I’ll follow you, but only up to this point’? If I follow a Lord who suffered for me, it will mean suffering for him.

So, if you want an easier religion, an easier message and an easier ride, just forget the cross.

And basically, these people in verses 18-19 did exactly that. They had a message about a God with whom you’d be OK if you did the right things. Nothing very humbling there. Nothing that ruffles human pride and says things like, “You’re a sinner and you need to be saved.”

We’re all natural suffering-avoiders. We’d love a more acceptable message that went down better. I remember being with a group of people and I was introduced as a pastor. Everything was great. People were having a great time. People were talking with me about Jesus. Everything was easy-going and jovial – until one guy said, “But you’re not saying that the Jews and Buddhists and Muslims are all wrong, are you?” That’s the crunch, isn’t it? Either I opt for a continuing easy, jovial time. Or I tell the truth. So I said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. According to the Christian message, they’re all wrong.” And the joviality disappeared. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. The cross goes down like a lead balloon.

Isn’t that a choice we all have to make on a day-by-day basis. We are having a great time. Then someone says something that goes against what we believe. Our choice is to continue as if nothing happened or to stop and stand up for Jesus. Tough choices.

We’re all natural suffering-avoiders. So we’re all attracted to easy religion: religion that amounts to just a few “add-on’s, but doesn’t actually demand anything of us. I can recall junior high students coming to Christ at camp, all excited, went home and told their parents. And the parents told them, “That’s lovely, dear. I just hope you’re not going to go religious on us.” In other words, don’t take it too seriously. A little bit of Bible reading, yes. But no more. Nothing demanding. Nothing life-involving.

We’re all attracted to easy religion: either other religions, or false versions of Christianity. Versions of Christianity that say you don’t have to speak for Christ, because everyone’s way to God will get them there in the end. That “P.C.” version makes for a quiet life. Or versions of Christianity that say God affirms us as we are, so we don’t actually use words like sin or call on people to repent of sin. Or versions of Christianity that say that God is out to fulfil us completely in the here and now, or to bless us materially or physically without fail in the here and now.

All very easy. All totally false. And if -end of v19 – our minds are on earthly things, if we have no eternal perspective, if in practice we too only really believe in the here and now, we will buy in to them. We will miss out the cross, because that’s what makes for trouble in the here and now.

Which brings us to the last point:

3. Only firm conviction about heaven will make us stand firm in the present (3:20-4:1)

In a way, this just brings us back where we began, pressing on to heaven: Verse 20:

But our citizenship is in heaven [ie, that’s where we belong, we’re just temporary residents down here]. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body.

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord dear friends!” (3.20-4.1)

Back in 1:27, Paul’s main command to them was: stand firm. And after another two chapters he sums up, 4:1 “There you have it. That is how you should stand firm. That’s the secret to standing firm.’

And the secret is to be convinced about heaven. That’s what this whole passage has been about – from verse 12 down to 4:1. We’ll only be able to accept costly obedience now if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only press on in personal holiness if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only witness to Christ in a way that could lose us friends if we’re convinced about heaven. We’ll only stand up for what is right when all others opt for what is wrong if we’re convinced about heaven. We simply can’t and won’t live the Christian life on “here and now” reasons and incentives. It just doesn’t work.

What gets you through the costliness of knowing Christ? What keeps you going as a Christian? Paul says: the prospect of heaven. The Christian life isn’t just life here and now. This is just the waiting room, there is heaven to follow.

Martin Luther was once asked how he lived the Christian life the way he did. He said this: “I live as if Jesus died for me yesterday, rose today, and is coming to take me to heaven tomorrow.” And I said Paul would have said “Amen” to that. Do you?

Matthew, New Testament, Sermons

I Can’t Do It!

Gallery March 9, 2003 David

I Can’t Do It!
March 09, 2003	Sermon by DRW	Passage Matthew 7.24-27

Our 8^th grade class has been studying through the book of Proverbs through out this school year. We have read through the book a few times. We have found many interesting things throughout our studies. We have been learning about diligence, humility, pride, contentment, patience, anger, foolishness, poverty, wealth, and the like. It has been somewhat overwhelming to learn all this.

One of the things I have been trying to accomplish, is to get each student to practice at least one of these a week. The goal is to have them make the positive character traits part of their life and to overcome, through Christ, the negative ones. What I have been trying to do is to allow them to see the truth of the Bible and find ways to apply it to their lives. They wrote a paper on a positive characteristic from a Bible hero. Their Memory Quiz final from Romans 12 included an application of one verse or section from the verses they had memorized. For many, this part of the final was very difficult. I will be asking them how they are doing in the completion of the application this coming week. I wonder how they did.

In all the years I have been in ministry and in teaching, I have found applying the Bible to be the most difficult. Just doing what it says is so hard. Most of us want to follow what the Bible says but find it difficult. I have often been asked why that is so. I can see at least four reasons why this is so.

I. Forget to do it

James 1.22-25

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.

We really mean to do it, but we don’t memorize the Word, we don’t put it into our hearts, we don’t seek to know the author of the Book. In so doing, we end up forgetting what to do. It is much like the student that places his homework assignments in his assignment book but forgets to look at the book.

[tell the shaving story here]

II. Don’t follow instructions (do it our own way)

2 Timothy 3.10-17

10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings–what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All through Scriptures we find God calling out to us to follow His instructions, to do things His way and not our own. He has called us to be followers of the Word of God not the word of man.

It would be as if I were to ask you to collect 250 of these water bottles and place them into a single trash bag for me. You would look at me, say it couldn’t be done and walk away. You would look at the size of the bottle, the size of the bag, and conclude that it is impossible to accomplish. We do this in our lives as-well. God asks us to overcome a sin through Him, and we say we can’t because it is impossible for us to do so. We look at our own situations and tools we have, but we forget to follow the instructions in the Bible. God says what is impossible for man is possible for God. He commands us to be pure, He will give us the power to be pure. He commands us to be victorious, He gives us the tools to be victorious. We need to read the instructions and follow what He says. This is where Hebrews 12.1-2 comes into play. God calls us to focus our eyes on Jesus, when we do we will overcome the impossible. [tell the Peter walking on water story here].

By the way, if we follow the instructions on the bottle (crush the bottle here), we have no problem getting more than 250 in a trash bag.

III. Don’t want to

Most of the time, we don’t live the life God has called us to because we just don’t want to.

James 4.17

17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

For example, let’s see how we maintain purity from Psalm 119.1-9.

1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD .

2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

If we want to remain pure we need to keep God’s Word and to seek Him with all our heart. If you were to recount the times that you have sinned this week, and asked yourself the question: Why? You probably will find out it is because you willingly disobeyed one or more of His commands and sought the things this world has to offer and not God. Sometimes we know the right thing to do and still refuse to do it, we sin.

IV. Building on the wrong foundation

This brings us to our passage today.

Matthew 7

24″Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

We need to build our house on the Rock of Jesus Christ, nothing else will do for all else will collapse under the weight of the world.

1 Corinthians 3.10-15

10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

All too often we are building our live upon what we think, what others tell us, what we remember to be what God wants. If we were to truly analyze our lives, the foundation upon which we live, we would come up short and realize we have been building upon the wrong foundation, upon the wrong rock.

What is His foundation? Jesus Christ according to Isaiah. What does He build with? According to Psalm 89.14

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you

Luke 6.46-49

46″Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

This passage shows us the importance of building our lives on Jesus Christ and that involves doing what He tells us to do, applying His Word. We need to take time out to memorize, study His Word so we can know the truth that will set us free to do His will. How can we do His will if we don’t know His will? We need to evaluate our lives to see if we are truly living our lives according to His will or our own way. If we are living our own way, we need to turn back to Him in repentance. Jesus promises us if we live our lives following His Word, our lives will be blessed for He will be glorified. We will become wise, for we have hid His Word in our hearts. And, we will be living the life He has created for us to live.

I want to ask you one question today: What are you building your life upon?

If your life were to come crashing in on you what would happen to you? Would you remain standing firm in your belief or would your life fall to pieces?

1. ___________________ to do it (James 1.22-25)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.

2. Don’t ___________________ instructions (2 Timothy 3.10-17)

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings–what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

3. Don’t ___________________ to

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. James 4.17

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD .

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. Psalm 119.1-9.

4. ___________________ on the wrong foundation

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7.24-27

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

1 Corinthians 3.10-15

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before youPsalm 89.14

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

1 Corinthians, New Testament, Sermons

Communion March 2001

Gallery March 3, 2001 David

Communion
March 03, 2001	Sermon by DRW	Passage 1 Corinthians 11.17-29

Teddy Roosevelt, the man who would become the 26th President of the United States, was afraid to go to church when he was a child because of a creature he called “The Zeal.” His mother eventually realized the reason for Teddy’s fear was a Scripture verse he had heard the pastor read, John 2:17, “It is written, ’’The zeal of thine house has eaten me up.’’” Teddy did not really know what that verse of Scripture meant. There are other parts of the Bible, however, which can cause some fear even when we do understand what they mean. One frightening Bible passage is our text today, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. I remember reading this portion of Scripture when I was a teenager and getting a little nervous. What disturbed me was verse 11:27

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. And also verse 11:30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

I understood that this passage is about sharing in the Lord’s Supper. I also knew that “a number of you have fallen asleep” was really just a nice way of saying that “some of you have died.” I got concerned that every time I took communion, I might be risking my life. What would happen if I ate the bread or drank the cup in an “unworthy manner”? And how was I supposed to know what an “unworthy manner” was? Well, eventually my fears subsided, but it was not until quite a few years later that I really started to understand what the Lord is saying to us through this text. As that has happened, I have also grown to realize what a wonderful privilege we as Christians have in coming to the Lord’s Table together. So, let’s pause and pray that God would use His Word to help us grow in our understanding and appreciation of this important part of our Christian life.

We start with the Lord’s Supper in 1st Century Corinth.

11:17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.

Throughout the book, Paul has been addressing problems in this church and now he turns his attention to some more.

11:18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. He’s mentioned various divisions in the congregation a couple of times already in this letter. 11:19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

That is a God-inspired use of sarcasm on Paul’s part and then he makes a point.

11:20-22 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

Christian congregations in the 1st Century liked to eat together. That is one tradition we’ve kept up real well. Apparently they would gather regularly, maybe once a week, for what they called an Agape Feast, or a Love Feast. To close their meal together, they would share the bread and the wine, the elements of the Lord’s Supper. But, it was not working out in Corinth. I don’t know what type of picture came to your mind as we read these verses, but it sounds pretty chaotic. They are all trying to grab food and drink for themselves, afraid there will not be enough for everybody to get what they want. The result in Corinth is that some gorge themselves on food and get drunk, while others get nothing to eat. Paul finds the whole thing totally disgusting. And so does God.

In verses 23-26, Paul reminds the Corinthians what the Lord’s Supper is really about, and we will come back to that later.

11:27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

Now, what is the “unworthy manner” of which Paul speaks? That is an important question. The word, “therefore” probably gives us a big clue. Does “therefore” refer back to something Paul said in verses 23-26 where Jesus’ words at the Last Supper are recorded? I don’t think so. I think “therefore” refers back to verses 20-22, where Paul is talking about the conflict and division in Corinth. Thus, I am convinced Paul is saying that those who take part in the Lord’s Supper after they have been grabbing everything they can at the meal; who mistreat others in the fellowship; whose lives are characterized by total selfishness and lack of concern for others, those folks are eating and drinking in a manner which is unworthy of the Lord.

Paul then says,

11:28,29 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. Participating in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is not a good thing to do.

So, he says, before you eat…examine yourself. Make sure you are qualified to participate. What should we look for in a spiritual self-exam? Should we look for sin? Some folks say, “Examine yourself to make sure there is no sin in your life.” No sin in my life?? Remember, 1 John 1:8 says,

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves…”

Or, we are lying. Others say, “Make sure you don’t have any known sin or any serious sin.” Really? Are there types of sin which are not serious to God?

Whenever I examine my heart, I find some sin, either something I have done, said or thought that I should not have, or something I have not done, said or thought that I should have. I guess I would think I was a pretty rotten, creepy person if I didn’t know that almost all the Christian leaders I admire—Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Spurgeon, Billy Graham—all say the same thing. We are sinners saved by grace. So, if the prerequisite for coming to the Lord’s Table is that we need to have stopped sinning before we come, I don’t think anyone would be worthy to partake.

Others say, “Yes, we all sin, but the way to prepare for taking communion is to confess those sins. When we confess our sin, God cleanses us, and makes us worthy to come into His presence.” Now, that is essentially true, but is that what Paul has in mind here? Or do we need to look at our relationships with other Christians? I believe a key phrase in understanding this passage is in verse 29,

“without recognizing the body of the Lord.”

What does that mean? Maybe you have heard that it has something to do with thinking about Jesus’ physical body as we share in the Lord’s Supper, but I don’t think that fits the context. Rather, I would suggest “the body of the Lord” is the body of Christ, the church, people who are believers in Jesus. I think the person who participates in the Lord’s Supper without recognizing the relationship he has with other Christians, who is interested not in serving people but in using them, is the individual who is participating in an unworthy manner and may face God’s judgment. Thus, I would say that when we examine our lives before we eat at the Lord’s Table, the focus should not be so much on our vertical relationship with God, but on our horizontal relationships with other Christians. Obviously the two are connected. In many ways the vertical relationship is more important, but in this passage, I believe Paul is saying we should make sure we are treating those within the body of Christ in the right way, make sure we don’t have bitter or hateful attitudes toward a Christian brother or sister before we eat and drink the Lord’s Supper.

I suspect a number of you are thinking that my explanation of these verses seems a little different. Let me give you some reasons why I think what I have said makes sense. The first reason is Matthew 5:23,24

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Now, certainly Jesus is not talking about the Lord’s Supper here. But it makes sense that God might want us to follow the same procedure when we do come to the Lord’s Table. “First, go and be reconciled with your brother, then come to eat and drink.”

The second reason is the context of 1 Corinthians 11 and really the whole letter. Divisions, factions, conflicts were ripping apart the church in Corinth. Certainly Paul saw those as urgent problems with which to deal.

Thirdly, the New Testament teaches that bad attitudes toward other Christians is a very serious spiritual problem. Ephesians 4:27 says that to be continually angry with someone gives the devil a foothold in our lives. That is why Paul says, Ephesians 4:31

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

What better time to do that than before we eat together at the Lord’s Table.

The fourth reason is: I believe that part of the purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to remind us of the unity we ought to have as believers in Christ. Yes, we come together to remember the Lord’s death, but I think we also come together to remember that through His death, Jesus has taken down the walls that divided us from each other and made us members of one family. Observing the Lord’s Supper is not something we do individually at our kitchen table or something like that. It is something we do together as a congregation, as a group of Christians. Roger Williams, the fellow who started the first Baptist church in North America in Providence, Rhode Island, separated himself from so many folks that he was only willing to take communion with his wife, and eventually he was not sure about her either. It is not supposed to be that way. Sharing in the Lord’s Supper is intended to be a corporate activity, something we do together, and that is why it makes sense that Paul would tell us to examine our relationships with other Christians before we eat.

Well, what will happen if we participate in communion in an unworthy manner? In Corinth, this was a sin which God dealt with rather severely. 11:29,30

For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

Is Paul saying what he seems to be saying? Yes, “fallen asleep” is a 1st Century euphemism for death. Some of the people at Corinth had gotten sick and even died because of their abusive attitudes they exhibited at the Lord’s Table. That certainly seems like a harsh punishment. Maybe you are thinking, “But, Pastor Dan, God is a loving God; He would never do anything like that.” Yes, God is a loving God, and out of love He sometimes disciplines very harshly, as we see in other parts of the Bible, including Acts 5 where the Lord strikes Ananias and Sapphira dead for lying. But, remember, 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. This is our Heavenly Father disciplining His children. The pain that is experienced by those who receive it is intended to keep them from experiencing greater pain in the future.

Now, it is a mistake to think that God always disciplines those who abuse the Lord’s Supper in this way, or to think that He would never do something like that. There may be people here today who have brought some terrible, hateful attitudes to the Lord’s Table, and who are in perfect physical health. I am certain there are plenty of Christians whose sickness or death had nothing to do with punishment for this or any other sin. It would be foolish for someone to think, “I bet the reason Jim got the stomach flu last month was because he did not have the right attitude when he took communion.” But at the same time, it would be foolish for us to try to take out of God’s hand the right to discipline very directly a sinner whom He loves. If I have a cold, there is nothing wrong with just making sure and asking, “Are my attitudes toward my brothers and sisters in Christ what they should be?” If they are great, the cold will be gone in seven days or one week, whichever comes first. If my attitudes are not what they should be, it is time to get them straight, whether I am sick or not. 11:33,34

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

Paul is very practical. Instead of fighting with each other over food at the Agape Feast so that you are bringing bad attitudes to the Lord’s Table, eat at home before you come. Make sure your hearts are full, not of jealousy or bitterness, but of love for those who, like you, have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ.

OK, that is what our text says. What does this mean for us?

1) Remember, the Lord’s Supper is meant for those who are Christians, believers in Christ. Being a church member, or a religious person, or a nice guy doesn’t qualify one to participate in this event. How does one become a Christian? By trusting in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If you have never done that, I encourage you to do so today. As God’s Spirit enables, you need to turn away from your sin and pride, stop pretending you are good enough the way you are and instead, by believing in your heart, receive the marvelous salvation that the Lord offers. If you do that, if you have done that, then the Lord’s Supper is for you. In our church we require Christians to be baptized before they participate in the Lord’s Supper.

2) We need to make sure we have good relationships with other Christians. If there is any hatred, bitterness, jealousy or, as Paul said, “any form of malice,” we need to get rid of it. It doesn’t matter what the other person has done to us, what they have said about us, or what they are like. If I am hateful, bitter or jealous, I have a problem. These are destructive attitudes. When a rattlesnake is cornered, it can become so frenzied that it accidentally bites itself with its deadly fangs. In the same way, a Christian who harbors hatred and resentment poisons his own soul. As we have seen today, bitterness makes us unfit for the Lord’s Table. Paul’s specific concern is our relationships within a local congregation. It is not good to have bad attitudes toward someone who attends another church, but bad attitudes toward someone else here at EFC Cerritos is especially destructive. Now, this doesn’t mean we need to be great friends with everyone else in the church. We are all different personalities, and we will naturally get along better with some folks than with others. We are called to love every fellow Christian. We need to keep working on that, but the first concern is to get rid of bad attitudes that so easily seep into our souls. Michelangelo and Raphael, the painters, were commissioned to paint the inside of a cathedral at the same time. They were so jealous of each other that they never spoke, even though they were both supposedly working for the glory of God.

Is there someone in this room that, if you see them somewhere, you turn around and go the other way? It is not supposed to be that way. If there is any form of malice toward a Christian brother or sister, I encourage you to confess this to the Lord, ask for His help and then, if necessary, go to that person and seek reconciliation. Even if the other person hates you, you need to do your part in getting rid of every form of malice.

3) We should not participate in the Lord’s Supper if we have a wrong attitude toward a Christian brother or sister. If there is bitterness, jealousy or hatred in your heart toward someone else in this room, it is best that you don’t eat and drink with us today. If you do, I am afraid you might be eating and drinking in an unworthy manner and would be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Jesus. Now, whether or not you choose to participate is really up to you. Paul says, “A man ought to examine himself.” It is up to each individual to determine whether or not they can partake in a manner worthy of the Lord.

4) We should approach the Lord’s Table with joy. Taking part in communion should not be a fearful experience. If we have examined ourselves and don’t see any obvious bad attitudes, we can approach the Lord’s Table with confidence knowing that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. As we do, we are reminded in our minds and hearts of the most magnificent reality in the world, God’s love and grace, given to us through the death and resurrection of His own Son, and experienced by all who trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Let us enjoy a joyous communion with each other today.

What is the _______________ _______________ ?
What does it mean to “eat in an ______________ manner?”
How do I _______________ my heart?
1. _______________ 5:23,24
2. 1 _______________ 11
3. _______________ 4:27, 31
4. The _______________ of the Lord’s Supper
What does this _______________ for us?
1. The Lord’s Supper is meant for those who are _______________ .
2. We need to make sure we have _______________ _______________ with other Christians.
3. We should not participate in the Lord’s Supper if we have a wrong _______________ toward a Christian brother or sister.
4. We should approach the Lord’s Table with _______.
  1. What is the _______________ _______________ ?
  2. What does it mean to “eat in an ______________ manner?”
  3. How do I _______________ my heart?
    1. _______________ 5:23,24
    2. 1 _______________ 11
    3. _______________ 4:27, 31
    4. The _______________ of the Lord’s Supper
  4. What does this _______________ for us?
    1. The Lord’s Supper is meant for those who are _______________ .
    2. We need to make sure we have _______________ _______________ with other Christians.
    3. We should not participate in the Lord’s Supper if we have a wrong _______________ toward a Christian brother or sister.
    4. We should approach the Lord’s Table with _______.

Ephesians, New Testament, Sermons

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 2)?

Gallery August 12, 2000 David

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 2)?
August 12, 2000	Sermon by DRW	Passage Ephesians 5.1

The question we pose this week is the same as the one from last week: What Would Jesus Want You to Do? We have already seen that we must learn the Bible, listen to the Holy Spirit, lean on the resurrection power of God, and love Jesus. But, what will we look like when we do these things? What would our life be characterized by? If we begin to do the things that Jesus would want us to do, by following those four steps, what would we look like? We know that our life would be characterized by those characteristics that were consistently demonstrated in the life and ministry of Jesus Himself.

When people saw Him, they knew He was different. It wasn’t because He looked different (Isaiah says He was no different than any man in appearance); not because He was wealthy (the Gospels tell us that He relied on the gifts of those who followed Him); not because He had power (His power was withheld; He told the officials that He could send down legions of angels to destroy them and yet didn’t). What made Him different was that His message aligned with His life. He was what He preached, first and foremost. If we truly want to have an impact on the world around us, we need to portray those same things that Jesus did on a daily basis.

1. What Jesus would do, I should do . . .

1. He was gracious, I need to be too (Luke 4.22; John 1.14f, John 1.18f)

Jesus was grace personified. He came to explain the Father and His words were gracious, that is filled with grace. His number one priority in life was to allow people to experience that grace in salvation. Our lives need to have the number one priority of allowing people to experience the grace of God through our lives. God’s riches at Christ’s expense for our sake is a good definition of grace. This means displaying our personal relationship with God before others and to live a life that personifies forgiveness. For this is grace, the art of graciousness.

2. He was angry, I need to be too

In a dramatic scene, Mark portrays Jesus “looking around with anger” at religious leaders (3:5). They were concerned only to see if Jesus would break their rules by healing a man on the Sabbath. When Jesus did, they immediately plotted to kill Him. But though Jesus was angry with these religious rulers, He was also “grieved by their hardness of heart.” While the cruelty of their callousness deserved His anger, the condition of their stony hearts caused Him grief.

Aristotle saw clearly that “anyone can become angry — that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not easy.” That is the challenge before us.

Jesus felt “indignant” (Mark 10:14) when His disciples did not allow mothers to bring their children to Him for his blessing. The disciples’ self-importance irritated Jesus. Jesus slapped them with stinging rebukes: “Let the children come to Me; stop preventing them.” Jesus then hugged the children, blessed them, and laid His hands on them (10:16). Jesus’ feeling of annoyance with the disciples quickly gave way to an outpouring of warm affection for the children.

In another instance, commercialism in the temple inflamed the zealous anger of Jesus and moved Him to a violent action. The words of the prophet were like fire in His bones: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17, quoting Isa. 56:7). …Though the terrified merchants running from the crack of His whip saw only the destruction of business as usual, Jesus’ anger was motivated by “zeal for [God’s] house” (John 2:17, quoting Ps. 69:9).

Our anger is often sparked by a threat to our own self-interests and usually results in bitter hostility. We need to heed Paul’s warning: “Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27). The temple-cleansing story is too often used to justify incivility and unforgiving animosity. Paul knew of our propensity to legitimize our self-centeredness, and so his words on anger are full of warning. Anger is fire. When it burns destructively, it harms and destroys life. But the anger of Jesus kindles a flame within us that warms and restores life.

It is this passion for the holiness of God that must consume us in holy rage. To be angry like He was angry is to know the Word of God so deeply that we know what angers Him and we get involved with Him. What angers Him today in your life?

3. He showed grief, I need to as-well

Think about the story we call Jesus’ “triumphal entry” (Luke 19:41-44). In Roman tradition, a triumphal procession showcased a victorious general riding in a gold-covered chariot pulled by powerful white horses. His army marched in resplendent array behind him. Wagons loaded with spoils and slaves attested to his power.

But Jesus rode on the colt of a donkey. A motley parade of peasants and children cheered Him on His way as their long-awaited king. And the emotion that best describes Jesus’ state as He rode was grief.

Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem as He rode down the Mount of Olives into the city. His words describing the impending catastrophe were hyphenated by sobs. He wept, He wailed with grief over the coming desolation of Jerusalem.

Jesus also wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Witnesses said, “See how He loved him” (John 11:36). When Jesus saw Mary weeping, “He was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” (11:33). When He stepped near to the tomb of His friend, “again He was greatly disturbed” (11:38). When the word “disturbed” was used for animal sounds, it denoted the loud, angry snorting of horses. When used for human emotions, it emphasized the mixture of anguish and rage. Jesus wept. His groans welled up from the depths of His spirit, racked His body, shook the tombs, and echoed back from them. He raged against death, that terrible enemy that had attacked this, and every, family.

Likewise, Jesus was “troubled in spirit” when He told His disciples that one of them would betray Him (John 13:21). He grieved over this betrayal by His friend Judas. Jesus had lavishly given His love to Judas. He called Judas to be one of the inner circle with the Twelve, to be close to Him, and to participate in His work. He gave Judas the moneybag. He washed his feet. He gave Judas the place of honor next to Him at the table. He gave him the dipped bread, a sign of love. All the time He knew that Judas would betray Him. But still Jesus did not withdraw to protect Himself. He gave himself to Judas without measure, and so he set Himself up to suffer the pain of betrayal. When Judas led the temple troops to arrest Jesus in the garden, Jesus called him “friend.”

The Gospels portray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane as one who is crushed by a heavy load of grief. He did not shrink from disclosing His deepest and darkest emotions to His disciples: “I am deeply grieved, even to death” (Matt. 26:38). He begged them to stay awake and keep Him company, but they “slept because of sorrow.” His emotions were too heavy for them to bear. They escaped into sleep, leaving Jesus alone. “Terror-stricken and in terrible anguish” (Mark 14:33), Jesus agonized over the awful choice to endure or to escape the cross. As He wrestled in prayer, He was drenched in His own sweat “which ran like blood to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Jesus’ familiarity with grief should give us pause. Too often we hear Americanized versions of the gospel that offer quick fixes, easy solutions, and suffering-free Christianity. We need the reminder that the man who knew God most intimately and fulfilled His will most completely was described by Isaiah as a “suffering servant”: “Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows” (53:4).

What is grieving you today? Your sins grieve Jesus, do they grieve you? Are you hurting over the loss of a loved one, have you grieved. Today, Karen isn’t here so I can tell the story of the year I grieved. JUDI.

Do you see others around you who are grieving? Are you ministering to their hurts or adding to them by passing them up? Think of someone who needs comfort, will you comfort them today? Write them a letter, call them, e-mail them. Let them know you care.

4. He was joyful, I need to be too (Luke 10.21f)

While Jesus was a “Man of Sorrows,” Luke also paints a scene where Jesus “rejoiced very greatly in the Spirit” (Luke 10:21)—which implies more than cracking a smile. The occasion for this outburst was the return of the 70 from their successful mission. They had been given spiritual authority over all the powers of the enemy and had liberated hostages. There was good reason to celebrate.

But Jesus cautions them, “Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (10:20). No matter how much power they exercised in their ministry, the ultimate source of their joy was to be rooted in their heavenly community: their names were written in heaven. Ministry is temporary. Life in the Kingdom is permanent. Then Jesus joyfully thanked the Father for opening the hearts of the disciples to see this and to enter into the fellowship of the Father and the Son (10:21-24).

On the evening of His execution, Jesus told His disciples that all He had revealed to them was so that “My joy may be in you and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11; 17:13). They should abide in His love as He always abides in the love of the Father (15:10), and they should be one as He and the Father are one (17:11). Here again joy is the mark of life within divine love relationships.

Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, was also the Man of Joy. He obeyed the will of the Father and endured the cross by focusing on the joy set before Him—the joy of unshakable love relationships in heaven (Hebrews 12:2, 22).

What brings you joy? Not happiness, which is temporary, but lasting joy? Where did Jesus joy come from? It came from His relationship with the Father and His brothers. 1 John 1.1-4 reminds us that our joy comes from the same place: our relationship with God and our brothers.

How are you doing in those very important relationships? Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your brother as yourself? This is your cause for joy. The way you can tell whether your relationship with God is good is if your relationships with people are good (1 John 4). If you want joy in your life, check your relationships with others. Are they godly?

5. He was truthful, I need to be too (John 1.18; Ephesians 4.15; John 14.6)

This quality of Jesus often got Him into a lot of trouble. When He told the Pharisees the truth, they sought to kill Him. If you claim to be honest, claim to have integrity, you set yourself up to be shot at. Jimmy Carter once said, “I won’t lie to you”. A correspondent on the White House staff said that as soon as the president said that, a whole group of correspondents determined to prove that he lied. They weren’t interested in anything else. This is Jesus, and needs to be us.

Jesus was honest with the rich young ruler, the Pharisees, the Samaritan woman, and many others in the Gospels. Even though this might have estranged them, He spoke the truth. It was more important to have integrity, to be truthful, than to be accepted with dishonesty. Even though He was rejected by many and accepted by few, He felt it necessary to always speak the truth in love, to wrap His words in grace.

How do you speak to your friends? Are you always truthful? What about with your parents? Your boss? Your teachers? Do these people trust you? Do they say that your word is as good as gold? I remember watching Kung Fu: The Legend Continues where Kane was asked if he was lying by someone who didn’t know him. The person asked him, “How can I believe you?” His response was, “I never lie.” That needs to be our response as-well. No matter the circumstances, we always bear a truthful witness. When we lie, we are letting others and God know that we don’t trust God. Tell the truth.

6. He was flexible, I need to be too

1 Thessalonians 5.14-we must realize that we meet the needs of people in different ways. As the old saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” Or as Paul said, “I become all things to all men that I might win some to the Lord. To the Jew, I am a Jew; to the Greek, a Greek.”

Jesus confronted the Pharisees; admonished James and John; comforted Timothy (2 Timothy 1.7); and prayed for Peter.

We must admonish the unruly; encouraged those of little faith; and support the weak. This is being flexible. How do you fare? When dealing with your brother or sister, do you treat them as if they were older, younger? Do you treat you friends, family, co-workers, etc., as they need to be treated? That is, you don’t treat a 28 year-old as if he were a 12 year-old. And you don’t treat an 8^th grader as if he held a degree in engineering. How you treat people is important, but how you change to meet their needs is even more important. That is the art of being flexible.

7. He was patient, I need to be too

1 Thessalonians 5.14 reminds us to be patient with all men. Jesus was patient with the sleeping disciples. He gave them a gentle admonition. Jesus is very patient with us because He loves us. God is waiting for people to come to know Him as Saviour; His love waits. Love motivates patience.

There is a story of a mother who took her six-year-old boy into a doctor’s crowded waiting room. As they waited their turn, he began to ask her all kinds of questions. In half an hour he managed to cover almost every subject known to humanity. To the wonder of all the others sitting in the room, his mother answered each question carefully and patiently.

Inevitably, he got around to God. As the other people listened to his relentless “how’s” and “why’s,” it was plain to see by the expressions on their faces that they wondered: “How does she stand it?” But when she answered her son’s next question, she answered theirs too. “Why,” he asked, “doesn’t God ever get tired and just stop?” “Because,” she replied after a moment’s thought, “God is love; and love never gets tired.”

How patient are we toward people? I dare say, not as patient as we should be. Our love for God determines our love for people and our patience towards them.

If we are truly patient with people we will build a hopeful future for them. Jesus was being asked many questions during the last supper. He could have tired. But He continued answering questions. In John 14 we see why. He wanted to give them a hope that tomorrow will still be there, and He will be with them in the Holy Spirit. Do we provide people with hope? We do when we show them patience.

8. He was empowering, I need to be too

Jesus enabled the 70 to evangelize, the 12 to change the world. And He empowers us to do mighty works today through the power of the Spirit who dwells in us. The Holy Spirit is our ally. He produces in us conviction, regeneration, and transformation. He is the agent of change in our lives. He enables us to do what we previously were incapable of doing.

At one time a group of men were attempting to raise an obelisk in Egypt to its base, and the work was under the supervision of a very exact and careful engineer. They had raised the great mass of granite to within a few inches of the level of the base and then were unable to lift it further. They could not get it up to the level of the pedestal by their utmost efforts. But there was a secret in nature that they did not know. There was a sailor there who knew all about it. He shouted, “Wet the ropes!” As they did so, the ropes began to groan, and strain, and shrink, and the great mass rose, and rose, till it came to the level of the base, and they could push it over and establish it firmly on its pedestal. It was a little secret, but it was an effectual one. The men had pulled at the cordage and strained away at it, but the obelisk was in mid-air, and there it hung until the cry came to wet the ropes. The instant you let the Holy Spirit saturate your soul, the Lord Jesus Christ brings into it all His infinite forces of love and power. One touch of God will do all that your tugging and struggling could not do.

This is what Jesus has done for us. Are we doing this for other people. I am not saying that we become the Holy Spirit for them. But that we enable them to trust the Spirit, that we free them to trust the Word of God by our trust, that we trust the Spirit’s power and direction so that it is contagious and others will want what we have.

9. He was humble, I need to be too

Although He is the Creator of the universe, He became a creation. Although He deserves to be praised and worshiped by all living creatures, He served those around Him even to the point of washing their feet.

How are we doing here? Are there things you won’t do because you feel it is below you to do them? Did Jesus? No. Are there people you won’t talk to because they don’t fit in with your kind? Did Jesus? No.

10. He was cooperative, I need to be too

Jesus had the 12 disciples helping Him. Today, He has us as His ambassadors to this world. We need to be cooperative with His people and with His Spirit so we can accomplish great things here in Southern California.

During World War II, over China and Burma, the Flying Tigers of General Claire Chennault were out-numbered—in the air, on the ground, and in planes, pilots, and parts. Yet they destroyed 217 enemy planes and probably 43 more, according to James Wilson in his book “The Principles of War.” Chennault had 20 operational P-40s and this remarkable record was accomplished in 31 encounters. His losses were six pilots and 16 planes.

Throughout the campaign, Chennault used a strategy that the enemy apparently never discovered. His men flew in pairs firmly committed to each other. Even when out-numbered 10 to one, Chennault never sent up 10 planes to the enemy’s 100. He sent up five pairs of two; each pair went after one enemy plane at a time. His two aircraft always out-numbered the enemy’s one.

Chennault was using the principle of concentration. Before, his pilots engaged in individual dogfights which as sport were superb, he said, but as war were all wrong.

We are at war against the prince of the power of the air—Satan, the deceiver, who can still be overcome by those who use cooperation and other sound principles found in God’s Word. Jesus used cooperation when He sent out the disciples in pairs.

Who are you in ministry with? Who do you have to confide in? Who do you know will support you? Who do you know that will back you up and help you out?

11. He was prayerful, I need to be too

One of the survival tactics of Jesus was prayer. Whenever a decision came, He prayed. Whenever a need arose, He prayed. Whenever He was hurting, He prayed. Whenever He was thankful, He prayed. This is why Paul tells us to pray without ceasing.

Why don’t we pray? There are at least five reasons we don’t pray, according to Richard Halverson:

1. Unbelief.

1. We don’t think it really works.

2. It’s just something you have to endure in church.

2. Indifference.

1. We don’t pray until a problem is huge because we think we can handle it.

3. Priorities.

1. Other things are more important to us and we think it will work itself out.

4. It is hard work to focus on God and give Him our daily life and all it entails.

5. We are focused on this world.

1. We limit our goals to what we expect here and now.

2. The things of God do not mean much to us because they deal with something other than the here and now in our minds.

We are called to be like Jesus in prayer. He prayed as if His life depended on it, do we?

12. He was goal oriented, I need to be too

Jesus was seeking change in the lives of people. Whenever He met someone, their lives changed. Simon became Peter; the Samaritan woman turned her life around; Martha quit being busy and sought Jesus; the rich young ruler refused to change. He was asking each of these to consider what they live for. If it wasn’t eternal, He asked them to change their goals.

What do you have to live for? Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that “Hope without an object cannot live.” If you have ever lost the focus of life, you understand hopelessness. Perhaps you have invested much into your job, marriage, or the struggles of life; and then you saw it all destroyed. The object of your hope is gone, and you feel dead and aimless.

Psychologist William Marston asked 3,000 people this question: “What do you have to live for?”

94 percent responded that they were merely enduring their lives, hoping someday that things would get better. This is something that we need change. This world is living for a hopeless end. The Christian has an endless hope. How can we live our lives in such a way as to offer life changing, goal oriented hope?

I like what Thoreau said: In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore . . . they had better aim at something high.

I believe this is important for us today. As people are looking for something to live for, we can offer them something mediocre or something great, depending upon what we are aiming at. I am aiming at becoming Christ-like. What are you aiming for? If it is anything less it will produce anxiety and hopelessness in the long run. If we achieve our goals, we have no purpose for living; if we don’t, we are left hopeless. The good news of the gospel is that the goal of becoming Christ-like is attainable when we reach Heaven. But, I can see the progress down here too. What changes do you need to make in order to be more like Him?

13. He was peaceful, I need to be too

Although Jesus did lash out in holy anger at times, for the most part He was a very peaceful man. When times were tough, He was at peace. When they were trying to frame Him in the courts, He was peaceful. He found His rest in God (Isaiah 30.15).

We need to know that God is in control. Then we shall have peace. If we truly want to live a peaceful life, we must know that God is in control of everything.

14. He was forgiving, I need to be too (Luke 23.34)

When Jesus was on the cross, He asked the Father to forgive the people who crucified Him. When Jesus was asked how many times should we forgive someone, He answered cryptically. We know He told Peter, 70 times 7. This doesn’t mean 490 times. It may not even imply an infinite amount of times. The book of Daniel tells us that Jesus will come back to establish His throne at the end of 70 times 7 weeks. Could Jesus be telling us to forgive until He returns, when no forgiveness will be necessary?

What happens when we don’t forgive? When somebody’s done me wrong, my gut instinct is to lash back, to let the anger burn, to plot revenge. Often, forgiveness is the last thing on my mind. But then I start to get these weird feelings. I get tense. Upset. Mad.

When I don’t forgive, those feelings get even uglier, going through a typical progression. When I don’t forgive, I often feel…

* judgmental (“You’re a jerk!”)

* hateful (“I despise you!”)

* guilty (“I feel bad about the way I reacted.”)

* unforgiven (“If I don’t forgive you, do I deserve God’s forgiveness?”)

There’s a reason, of course, that my thoughts progress to the point of feeling unforgiven:

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).

When I don’t forgive others, I’m essentially saying, “You’re a sinner, and I’m not.” But God can’t forgive me until I admit that I, like everyone else, have “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and that I need his forgiveness.

When I do choose to forgive, I go through a whole new set of feelings, feelings that free me, alleviate my stress, and generally make me more fun to be around. Feelings that, pretty much, are just the opposite of the ones I’ve already described.

When I forgive, I feel:

* non-judgmental

* merciful

* guilt-free

* forgiven

Those are good things. But they’re not the only reasons to forgive. The main reason is this: God tells us to forgive.

Forgiveness is healing—not only for me, but also for those I forgive. When I choose to forgive, relationships can be restored—not only between me and others, but between me and God, too.

Now, forgiveness isn’t easy. Sometimes, it seems downright impossible—and without God’s help, it would be. God never said forgiveness would be easy. Do you think it was easy for Jesus, His hands and feet nailed to the cross, to forgive the people who so mercilessly carried out such a cruel execution (See Luke 23:34.)?

It’s not easy for us to forgive others either—even though the “trespasses against us” that we experience almost every day are pretty insignificant compared to Jesus death.

But forgiveness is the right thing to do. Not only because it brings the nice, warm feelings of freedom and joy, but because God wants us to do it. And that’s reason enough to forgive.

Who do you need to forgive today? Who do you need to seek forgiveness from?

15. He was loving, I need to be too

Love permeated, guided, and empowered the spectrum of Jesus’ emotions. He felt compassion, was angry, grieved, and rejoiced because He loved. Love is an unshakable commitment of the will. Love transcends feelings and keeps on going when feelings falter or vanish. But love also involves and expresses emotions.

Jesus loved with strong desire. He told His friends, “I have desired with great desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The combination of the verb “desire” and the noun “desire” doubles the intensity in Jesus’ expression of His deep longing to be with His friends.

When a wealthy young man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him, and asked how he could inherit eternal life, “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21). As soon as He saw him, affection welled up in His heart for him, just as sometimes when you meet someone, you get a strong feeling that this person could be your best friend.

His love led Him to suffer and die. Jesus pointed to His sacrificial death as the ultimate measure of His love. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He asks His friends to live up to that standard of love. “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you…. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:12, 14). To live by that standard of love requires much more than emotions. It calls for total commitment to give up your life for someone else and to trust in the power of God to keep that commitment. But loving as Jesus loves also includes emotions—intense, diverse, deep emotions. His kind of love will arouse emotions of compassion, anger, grief, and joy.

Sometimes we want insurance against the heartbreaks of love. The way of Stoic “apathy” seems safer than the emotional traumas that inevitably accompany the way of loving as Jesus loved. But hardening ourselves against the pains of love kills the capacity to love. As C. S. Lewis warns us in THE FOUR LOVES: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

I am spellbound by the intensity of Jesus’ emotions: not a twinge of pity, but heartbroken compassion; not a passing irritation, but terrifying anger; not a silent tear, but groans of anguish; not a weak smile, but ecstatic celebration. Jesus’ emotions are like a mountain river, cascading with clear water. My emotions are more like a muddy water or feeble trickling. Jesus invites us to come to Him and drink. Whoever is thirsty and believes in Him will have the river of His life flowing out from the innermost being (John 7:37-38). We are not to be merely spellbound by what we see in the emotional Jesus; we are to be unbound by His Spirit so that His life becomes our life, His emotions our emotions, to be “transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory.”

As we follow the four “L’s” from last week (learn, listen, lean, and love), these will things that we have spoken on today will become parts of our lives. Some will come more easily than others; some will require work on our part; but the good news is that God will develop them in our lives as we submit to Him.

Father,

The gospel writers paint their portraits of Jesus using a kaleidoscope of brilliant “emotional” colors. Jesus felt COMPASSION; he was ANGRY, INDIGNANT, and CONSUMED WITH ZEAL; he was TROUBLED, GREATLY DISTRESSED, VERY SORROWFUL, DEPRESSED, DEEPLY MOVED, and GRIEVED; He SIGHED; He WEPT and SOBBED; He GROANED; He was IN AGONY; He was SURPRISED and AMAZED; He REJOICED VERY GREATLY and was FULL OF JOY; He GREATLY DESIRED, and He LOVED.

In our quest to be like Jesus we often overlook the emotions that characterized His life. We know, Father, that Jesus reveals what it means to be fully human and made in the Your image. His emotions reflect the Your image without any deficiency or distortion. When we compare our own emotional lives to His, we become aware of our need for a transformation of our emotions so that we can be fully human, as He was.

Help us to do this. Help us to recognize our need to be more like Jesus. Look over the incomplete list before you. Ask God to take one of them and help you become more like Jesus this week in that area. Make a commitment to Him to do what Jesus would want you to do.

Father, we commit our lives to You. Help us to be more like You.

Amen.

Ephesians, New Testament, Sermons

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 1)?

Gallery August 5, 2000 David

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 1)?
August 05, 2000	Sermon by DRW	Passage Ephesians

Question	Yes	No	Maybe(only 2)
1. hang out with people who treat others badly
2. hug a stranger who has AIDS
3. cheat on a test to get a passing grade
4. help a relative die who has a terminal illness
5. stay at a party where people are drinking
6. copy answers from a friend’s homework
7. keep the money when the cashier gives you too much change
8. smoke a cigarette
9. lie to your parents
10. speed to make it to school on time
11. maintain sexual purity
12. spread rumors about someone who hurt you
13. lie for a friend to an authority figure
14. be the first to talk to the new person in school
15. date someone who doesn’t believe in God
16. sneak out after curfew

Directions for chart:

Read off each statement, have the people place a check mark in the appropriate box. Let them know they can only have two maybe’s. Have them “take a stand” on an issue. Yes, they would do that or no, they would not. Only allow two maybes per person. The goal is for them to make a decision.

The trick about this is not telling them what you plan to do after you go through the entire list. After you read off the last item, you repeat the list with a different question. It’s no longer “what would you do,” but instead it is “what would Jesus want you to do?” At this point they will place a X to signify their answer. If it is the same, they can make their check into an X.

What did you notice about the marks you made? Were they the same in both cases or do you realize that you have to change a few things in your life to match the title of the sermon? This is why we ask this important question:

I. What would Jesus Want You to Do?

A. A significant and answerable question because it is a

1. Call to imitation (Ephesians 5.1)

The apostle Paul made this very commitment. He resolved to live his life for Jesus, no matter the cost or consequences. In Ephesians 5.1 he wrote, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.” The word for “followers” is μιμηταὶ. The word means to imitate and describes a mimic, an actor. True Christians are imitators of Christ. In Acts 11.26, it says the followers of Christ were “first called Christians at Antioch” because their lives, actions, values, and attitudes reminded unbelievers of Jesus Christ! He was their purpose for living. Paul thought he knew God until he met Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this earth to reveal God and redeem man. Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, confessed Him as Lord and Savior, and became a mimic, an imitator, a follower of Jesus!

The apostle Paul voices his commitment in Philippians 3.7-14. Paul says, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not say that I have laid hold of it yet: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Here we can see that Paul had a passion for Jesus Christ. He wanted to be identified with Him, please Him, and live for Him. However, Paul also knew to do so was not easy. He had his own struggles in following Jesus. He surely would tell us that doing what Jesus would do, requires preparation. Here are four steps from Paul’s life, to consider as we make our own commitment to imitate Christ.

a. Step One: LEARN the Scriptures for they speak of Christ, they include the words and deeds of Jesus Christ. In Philippians 3.10, Paul expressed the desire to know the Savior. He said, “That I may know Him.” How can we aspire to do what Jesus would do in every situation no matter what the cost or consequences, if we do not know Jesus?

They say that when you have been married for twenty five years, you begin to know what a spouse will say, think, respond, and feel about most everything! How does this happen? We get to know a person by spending time with that person, entering into the life of that person!

It’s the same with Jesus Christ. We must become disciples of Jesus, if we are going to do what He would do in each and every situation. A disciple is a student, a pupil. To know Jesus we must search the Scriptures, study the life of Jesus, the words of Jesus, the desire of Jesus, what made Him happy, what made Him sad, what made Him mad. It is more than putting on a shirt or bracelet. It is putting on a life!

1) Came to meet people’s needs

a) Luke 4.18-19; Isaiah 61

b) Bind the broken hearted

2) Came to be a man for the valley

a) Luke 9.37

b) Transfigurationneed to bo back down; Meet needs of people

3) Came to be a servant

a) Mark 10.45

b) John 13 (esp 12f)

c) Stand along side of

b. Step Two: LISTEN to the Spirit of Christ within. Jesus speaks to His followers, not just through the written Word, but through His indwelling Spirit. The voice of the Holy Spirit, is also called the Spirit of Christ, because He always confirms the will of God and of Christ (John 14, 16).

Just as we tune in on a certain frequency to hear our favorite radio station, we must tune in on the voice of God, the Spirit of Christ within. Those who truly seek the Lord, His will, His way, will find Him!

1) Prepared well for His valley engagements

a) Luke 2.40ff-Listening/learning among the teachers

b) A process to prepare Him well for the valley (Hind’s Feet on High Places)

c) Hebrews 10.24-25-We are a people of the assembly where we learn to be prepared

c. Step Three: LEAN upon the supernatural, spiritual resurrection power of Christ. Paul wanted not only to know more of the person, Jesus Christ, but he wanted to know more of the power of the resurrected Christ. In Philippians 3.10 he says, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection.”

We do not possess the necessary power to face the opposition and live for Jesus. The power must come from the Holy Spirit of God within our hearts! Notice these verses. In 2 Corinthians 4.7 Paul says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Then in Romans 8.11-14 Paul says, “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” We must remain connected to the power source of God’s Spirit!

1) Placed Himself totally under His Father’s authority

a) Hebrews 10.7-God-man in the valley for His Father

b) John 7.17

(1) We have come as ambassadors of God, with His message, under His authority, proclaiming His love, grace, and word.

(2) With authority, not as an authoritarian.

c) Humble

d) Accountable

(1) Not My will but Yours be done.

e) Direction

(1) As He sought He healed

(2) His intent to do His will (we are intended and created to do His will)

f) Commitment

2) Committed Himself completely to obeying God’s Word and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

a) God said it, I believe it, and that settles it (Billy Graham)

b) Luke 4.1ff

(1) In the desert He was led and greatly tempted but overcame

(2) “It is written”

c) Ecclesiastes 12.9-11

(1) Dependence on Him

(2) Pray for guidance.

(3) Take the Word of God and match it to the situation.

(4) Powerful allies-the Word of God and the Spirit of God

d) 1 Kings 3

(1) “Perspiring over the biblical text to find the verse that will meet the need of the hurting, the bruised, the broken.

d. Step Four: LOVE the Savior, Jesus Christ more than anything. Paul was willing to suffer to know Christ and follow Him. In Philippians 3.10 he concludes, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” Jesus said to be His disciples, His followers, we must “deny ourselves.” Sin is selfish, it is preoccupied with pleasing self, loving self over God and others. Self is our greatest obstacle to overcome, if we are to be like Christ.

Conclusion of WWJYD-part 1

Someone once wrote with sarcasm: “I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb not a new birth. I want about a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. I’d like to buy $3 worth of God, please.” How much of God do we want? How closely do we want to follow in Christ’s steps?

Do we want enough of God that we stop using our money, resources and time selfishly, and start using them to help others and build the kingdom of God?

Do we want enough of God that we develop a ravenous hunger for the Word and let all other priorities fall behind it?

Do we want enough of God that we become passionate about prayer instead of speaking to God in thoughtless, trite phrases when we want something?

Do we want enough of God that we give ourselves as humble servants to others?

Do we want enough of God that we learn to forgive those who hurt us, forgo bitterness, give up resentment, and if possible, make peace with our enemies?

Do we want enough of God that we develop His compassion and love for the most unlovely, that we lay aside our pharisaical, condescending attitudes and love all men with the passionate love of Christ?

How much do we want to follow “in His steps?” How serious are we about doing what Jesus would do? How much of God do we want? Three dollars?… Discipleship is far more than a What Would Jesus Do wristband. Jesus said in Luke 14.33 “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

Here are some questions to consider when answering WWJWYD?

1. Would Jesus be saved? He IS salvation. Acts 4.12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

2. Would Jesus be baptized? Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist to “fulfill all righteousness.”

3. Would Jesus Join our Church? It was Jesus who said, “I will build my church.” Jesus established His church. He’s the head of the church.

4. Would Jesus go out of His way for you or for someone else? He went to the cross for you and me.

5. Would Jesus come to Sunday school or Wednesday night Bible Study? His habit was to worship .

6. Would Jesus bring his friends to church? Jesus was the “friend of sinners.”

I realize what is going on in your minds right about now. You are thinking that there is a huge gap between doing what you are currently doing and doing what Jesus would want you to do. And do you know what that gap is? It’s called life. You leave here. It’s your job. It’s your parents. It’s piano practice. It’s school. It’s your boss with a last minute assignment. It’s your teacher with a Summer assignment. It’s paying the bills. It’s having to fix the computer after it has broke for the third time. It’s an argument with your sister. It’s life. And we meander through this life. And we get back to church the next Sunday and there’s the preacher telling us again that we need to be obedient and committed. And he just doesn’t understand all the things we have to do. I’m lucky if I get back here to get a little more of that presence of Christ.

So what are we to do with this gap? With this thing called life that sits in between the presence of Christ and our obedience to him? Well, what if we took the question what would Jesus want me to do? What if we took that question and instead of trying to fit it into our life or tag it onto the end of our life what if we put it at the beginning of our life right after the presence of Christ. What if after we left here that became the question that preceded everything we did? What if obedience came right after presence? And then life came after that?

Well, that’s not practical, you might say. And I would say yes. That would inform everything I do, you might say. And I would say yes. That would mean having to rearrange my whole life, you might say. And I would say yes. That would mean a whole new set of priorities, you might say. And I would say yeah, you’’re probably right.

Well I don’t know that I can do that. And that’s the real point, isn’t it? When the preacher calls for obedience we’re just not sure we can do it. And do you know what? We can’t. We don’t have it within us to be obedient. But here’s the good news. The Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit does have it within Him to be obedient. The Holy Spirit has it within Him to cause us to be obedient. And maybe the way by which we would avail ourselves to the Spirit is to simply commit ourselves to the daily and the hourly asking of the question. What would Jesus want us to do? What would Jesus do? And ask the Spirit to take over from there. It might just change things for you and me. they might wonder what we’re up to. They might just start calling us that obedient and committed church.

Is there something that is keeping you from doing what Jesus would want you to do? Can I pray for you? Write it out on the registration card. Would you like to talk with me about ways you can incorporate this into your life, to evaluate your life, so you can be freed from the worries of this life and be free to do what Jesus would want you to do? Please let me know on the registration card.

Let’s pray:

Father, here Your children gather to seek You, to know You better and to do Your will in this world. Some have come today seeking You, others have come out of habit, I pray that You have touched each person’s heart to desire to do Your will.

You know, people, the first step in doing what Jesus would do is to be saved. If you desire this, please raise your hand now and then write on your registration card that you have made that decision.

Speak to our Father today and ask Him to help you as you travel through life to be committed to Him. Ask Him for boldness to overcome the fear of failure, the fear of peers, the fear of letting go. He will. Father, help us to lead the obedient committed life You have created for us and have always intended for us to live.

Amen.

John, New Testament, Sermons

Scrapping Dross: God’s Method for Growth

Gallery September 13, 1998 David

Scrapping Dross: God’s Method for Growth
Septermber 13, 1998	Sermon by DRW	Passage John 6.16-21

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,

17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.

18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.

19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles,* they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.

* Greek rowed twenty-five or thirty stadia (about 5 or 6 kilometers)

20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

The oriental silversmiths working in the marketplaces do something very lucrative for them and insightful for us. They take coins that Western tourists give them and then melt them down. Then they form them into little silver trinkets, small jewelry and the like. Then they sell them back to the tourists who had given them the money in the first place. You see, very lucrative.

It is done in a primitive way. Normally, there is a small furnace that has a pot set over it containing molten silver. They drop the coins into this and melt it away. Every now and then the silversmith goes back to the pot, looks into it, scrapes a little of the dross off that had risen to the top. He then goes back to work selling and buying things. After a short time if he looks in and finds the silver is ready, he will begin his work of forming the silver in trinkets.

The interesting thing is that he continually looks into the pot even though he knows there will be dross on top. If we were to ask him why, his answer would go something like this:

“I look into the silver until I find that the dross is all gone and the silver purified; I know when the dross is gone, because I can see myself reflected in the silver as in a fine mirror.”

This might help explain Malachi and other Old and New Testament writers.

PRO 25:4 Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes a vessel for the silversmith;

ISA 1:22 Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. ISA 1:25 I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.

EZE 22:18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver.

MAL 3:3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,

This may explain why we go through some much testing, as if by fire. God desires to remove the dross from our life until His image is reflected in us for the world to see.

HEB 12:6 “the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

The principle of refining and purifying for His image to be found in us is seen in John 6.16-21. If you are taking notes, here is the outline

I. Jesus Saw Them in Their Need (Mk 6.48)

II. Jesus Was There in Their Need (Mk 6.48)

III. Jesus Saw Them Through Their Need (Jn 6.21)

Let’s recall the setting:

Jesus had just heard the news that John the Baptist had died, the disciples had come telling stories of their victories over Satan, the multitudes were following after them, He fed the 15,000, twelve baskets of food were left over and He sent the disciples away so He could pray. Now, the odds are that they had taken the twelve baskets on that boat. He dismissed the crowds and went to the mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee and prayed.

I. Jesus Saw Them in Their Need (Mk 6.48)

Mark 6:44-48 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,

A. Jesus knew what they were getting into

We need to see something about this storm. It wasn’t caused by great black clouds like we feared yesterday at the park, those clouds that sent us running to our cars. I don’t think the disciples would have went if they saw dark and black clouds. This was a storm caused by winds, these were very common on the Sea of Galilee.

The disciples did not see what was on the horizon which made the time through the storm more harsh. The point is that Jesus knew what He was sending them into.

He knew that a gale would come up against them and would drive against them and would overtake them. He knew that after nine hours of striving they would need salvation to come to them or else they would die in a boating accident.

B. Jesus knows what His brothers and sisters are getting into

He knew what Noah was about to get into, Abraham, Job, Moses, Joshua, David, Paul, Wyclif, Zwingli, Luther, Spurgeon, you and me. He knows. He sees what happens to us. He sees how the silver is refined. He keeps looking to see if His image is being reflected.

Have you ever thought that He didn’t see or that He wasn’t there when you went through that harsh time, that time of growth? He was there, looking in to see how you are being refined. How sanctification is coming along, how you are growing.

Have you ever sat down and wondered about 1 Corinthians 10.13? I have. What does Paul mean when he says that God has given us a way out, that we may be able to escape? I believe that question is answered in this text: Jesus sees us in our need, sometimes He sends us there for growth. He knows there will be a point that we need to turn to Him to deliver us from the temptation. We will find that we need to call upon the Lord, as Peter did, and His arm will reach out to us to save us. He will allow us to struggle at times, prayer may seem dry, Bible study boring, our faith dry. He may call us to days of dryness for us to struggle through to work our muscles of faith. He allowed the disciples to row hard for nine hours before He came to them. Jesus told them to go the other side and that He would meet them there. They knew that if they stayed true to His words that they need not fear death nor futility although every circumstance pointed out it was a failure. The believed, but the winds kept blowing and the waves grew higher. They believed but the water kept coming on board faster than they could throw it back. An interesting thing is they didn’t fear the waters but they were afraid because they saw what they thought was a ghost coming to them.

John 6.16-20 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

C. Jesus removes the dross to help purify us

If you remember earlier in Jesus ministry He was really tired and decided to go across this sea and went to sleep in the bottom of the boat. The storms came and Jesus remained asleep. His disciples became very fearful and woke Him up. He told them they had a small faith and then calmed the sea and went back to bed (Mk 4.35-41).

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

They weren’t fearful because of the wind and the waves. They were struggling through to get to the other side. Jesus had already removed that dross and His image became a little clearer in them. I imagine they had a feeling that God would come and rescue them but they were looking for something great and marvelous. When Jesus came to them then they became fearful because they didn’t know who He was. I really don’t think that I would expect God to come to me that way either. I can almost hear their prayers for deliverance: Part the waters oh Lord. Calm the Sea Father. Bring us to shore quickly and safely through Your mighty hand.

God answers their prayers by walking past them on the water. Since He didn’t come the way they expected Him to come, they almost missed Him.

I guess the point of this section is that Jesus sees our needs, knows what struggles we go through and is waiting to come and help us in our need but not always the way we expect Him too.

II. Jesus Was There in Their Need (Mk 6.48)

God is always with us. Never is He away. We are going to see something fascinating here. Something that you may have never seen before concerning this miracle of Jesus. Let me give you a preview by saying: the disciples didn’t realize the power of Jesus until it happened to them.

MAT 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

MAT 10:30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

MAT 10:31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

MAT 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

A. Jesus came but they didn’t recognize Him

1. They thought He was a ghost. The answers to their prayers almost passed them by because they were seeking something great and tumultuous to happen when God had other plans. Jesus was going to walk quietly by and let them call upon Him.

Sometimes God comes to us in quiet unassuming way. Remember He showed Elijah that He comes sometimes in balls of fire, sometimes in great whirlwinds, but most of the time in a still small voice. Allow me to illustrate. A man who works in a lumber mill had lost his watch in all the tailings and saw dust. It was a very valuable and personal watch. He placed a reward for it and dozens of men came to sift through that rubble. After three hours no one had found it. They had used rakes, they had used every machine available to them but to no avail. They left for dinner and a boy came in. Within 10 minutes he came outside with the watch. The other workers asked him how he did it: “I laid down in the sawdust and listened. After a while I heard the ticking and found the watch.”

The disciples had not yet learned to lie down and listen for His voice, His quiet work.

2. We think He is a ghost too. We look for answers to bring us through the storms of life. We too expect God to come in a mighty fashion and deliver us. Most likely He won’t. Allow me to illustrate how God has worked in the past, quietly and if I wasn’t watching I would have missed Him as He walked by.

I have a friend named Kim who has had a bad back for her entire life. She has had a rod in her back for the most part of her life. I have mentioned her before. She was being taken care of by a physician who was in it for the money. He really didn’t care too much for her, except for what the insurance premiums would pay. One day her insurance decided not to pay, so he quit her. Another doctor had heard this and came to her and told her that he was willing to help her out. Her only cost would be hospital time. He told her that he would be willing to pick-up the bill for everything else. When she entered the hospital things started to happen. She was there for some time. The amount of money was mounting and she couldn’t pay it. Something wacky happened with her nurse who came in and told her that if she were truly a Christian God would heal her, so Kim probably wasn’t a Christian. The administration of the hospital learned about this. The next thing Kim knows her hospital bill disappeared.

Did you see Jesus quietly passing by in that situation? I was exasperated with people. I thought that people were all going rotten. Then Jesus shone a little light on the subject and whispered to me, look at the doctor and the hospital. They care for Kim even though she cannot pay. Did you see Jesus walking by, I did.

Allow me another illustration of Jesus passing by. Larry Brown coaches/coached the San Antonio Spurs. One afternoon he spent an afternoon at a clothing store for men in San Antonio. He was scheduled to appear for two hours, but he stayed three, signing autographs, talking, and taking pictures.

He was able to leave the store. As he was getting into his car he saw a boy who was late getting there. He jumped off his bike and pressed his nose against the window to see if Coach Brown was there. He saw that the coach had gone and turned in disappointment. Coach Brown saw this. Turned his car off and walked to the boy. Sign and autograph, bought him a soda, spent lunch with him, and encouraged him. Only one other person had seen this. He showed the boy and the observer that he had the heart of a coach. It wasn’t money and games that day, it was a child and round ball.

Did you see Jesus walking by? That observer did and his day was enriched.

When the disciples saw Jesus walking by in the middle of their storm, they called Him a ghost. A phantom. An hallucination. To them the gentle light was anything but God.

When we see these little lights shining, we often have the same reaction. We dismiss these occasional kindnesses as apparitions, accidents, anomalies, not religious. Anything but God.

When Jesus comes the disciples and we think, He will split open the skies step out and our storm will be over. When Jesus comes all pain will be gone. Life will be easy and all doubt removed.

Because we look for God in the great bonfire, we miss His gentle lights. Because we listen for the shout, we miss His whisper. Someday He will come in great glory and with the shouts of heaven, but today He speaks in a small voice, gently. “When you doubt, look around; I am closer than you think.”

B. When they did recognize Him they worship Him

Jesus came in an unexpected way. He came quietly and was intent upon passing them by unless they recognized Him.

Matthew 14.33, a parallel account of John 6.16-21 gives us some insight into what was going on in the disciples mind. Jesus had just calmed the sea and stepped into the boat. The disciples then did something they had never done before. They never did something as a group. This time they did. A first for the disciples. They all shouted, Truly, You are the Son of God. The worshiped Him. Corporate worship. They all bowed and exalted the name of Jesus.

They didn’t worship Him when He healed the leper. Not even when He forgives the adulterer. Those sermons never led them to corporately worship Him. They were willing to follow, to leave their families, to cast out demons, to be His army as we shall see next week, but they never corporately worshiped Him.

Why?

Simple.

Before the leper was healed, not them; the adulterer was forgiven, not them. But here they were the ones who were saved. This time they were the ones whom God reached out and touched. They plucked them from certain doom. They worshiped as only those who have been given a pardon, a reprieve from the Great God of Heaven could.

We say all too often, and it is true, that God is the Creator of the Heavens and the earth. And we stand back and admire His work. We see His wisdom and learn from Him. We understand His strength and we rely on it. But only until He saves you will you worship Him.

I have gone through some storms of my life in which I almost missed God quietly coming to me; but I did see Him. He came in and at that moment, He was no longer a deity to be admired, no longer a teacher to listen and observe, no longer a master to obey. He became a Saviour to be worshiped.

Allow me to illustrate this. Remember the scenario: The disciples were rowing hard against the wind for about nine hours and their boat was about to go down. Jesus came and saved them and they worshiped Him. About 1900 years later a similar incident occurred. John was his name. His father had trained him to be a sailor for her majesty’s royal fleet. He was a great sailor but lacked discipline and moral integrity. Instead of promotions he was flogged and discharged. He became a sailor on a slave ship. One day on a journey from Africa to the America’s a storm hit that ship. For nine hours the shipped was tossed. The hull gave way. The ship would normally have sunk but because of the buoyant cargo it didn’t. John climbed from the belly of the ship to the deck and cried out to God to save him. God did. The entire crew was safe in harbor in a moment of time. No one else from that ship saw God’s hand in their deliverance, but John did.

He was so profoundly effected by that nine hours in the storm that he gave himself over to God and His work on earth. He became a preacher and wrote a few songs. You may recognize one of them: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see. Through many dangers toils and snares, I have already come. Twas grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home. When we’ve been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun, we’ll no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.

He experienced God’s salvation personally and had to worship.

Have you been driven to worship God in your life because of what He has done? Before we continue let’s take time now to praise God in prayer and worship Him there.

III. Jesus Saw Them Through Their Need (Jn 6.21)

There is one more point I’d like to show. Jesus not only saw their storm, not only came to their storm, He saw them through their storm.

A. He saw Peter through his ordeal.

1. Peter stepped out in faith and failed, but he stepped out in faith and until this time he was an ordinary man.

a. God was cleaning the dross from the life of Peter. Peter had said many great things and many stupid things to this point in his life. This was no exception. It was a great statement of faith and of fear. He was in a boat about to go down. He saw Jesus walking safely on the water. He chose to be with the one who seemed safe despite how it looked. Up to this point in Peter’s life, he was mostly talk; here is where he finally puts some of that talk to action. The image of Christ in him became a little clearer.

b. Peter walked on the water to Jesus. He cried out to come from desperation, he came in faith to his Saviour. He realized the rowing wasn’t working. He knew Jesus was powerful, he went. He was surprised, he actually walked on the water. Death is disarmed. I can come to Jesus and not worry about this storm. He could see God. No more worry or frets. He walked wobbly and slowly. Then he saw the storm out of the corner of his eye. He turned away from the Saviour to see the big bad waves consuming him and his faith failed. He was worse now than before. Before he had a boat and friends, now he has nothing. Nothing except a faith in a God who he can see. Peter finds something great about God right here. Not only is God within sight but within reach. The story shows us that Peter was a great distance from Jesus. But when Peter called to Jesus to save him He was there instantaneously.

After this Peter wasn’t a normal person, he was a man who personally knew the salvation of God from a great storm in life. He was a man who had faith, failed and was restored to new life. Later in this chapter he cries out that he would follow Jesus only because Jesus was life to him.

Jesus looked into the pot and scraped off some more dross, His image in Peter was getting clearer.

2. Noah, Abraham, Job, etc and before they did they were ordinary men.

Allow me to illustrate this through some ordinary men in history who were not ordinary after they took what they believed about God and acted upon it, that is after they lived by faith.

Noah was told by his God to build a boat. Imagine the ridicule, the storm that he went through as he built a boat in a landlocked area that had never known rain. I imagine he felt the pain and testing, he felt the dross being taken away, the refiners fire purifying him through these 120 years of building and stocking that ark. Yet he did what God had told him because he had heard the small voice and he reacted in faith. He was not ordinary after this.

Abraham was told to leave his home and go far away to a land he had never heard of before. Imagine the ridicule, the storm that he went through as he packed his family up and left Ur to go to who knows where. I imagine he felt the pain and testing, he felt the dross being taken away, the refiners fire purifying him until God’s image was seen in him as he walked aimlessly for 40 years and never actually lived in this new country. He failed but still reacted in faith to that small voice that told him to go. He was not ordinary after this.

Moses was told to go back to a land that was to execute him and take 3 million people who didn’t want to leave that land to a land they had never seen nor known. Imagine the ridicule, the storm that he went through as he told Pharaoh the Israelites were leaving and the Israelites were saying no way Moses. I imagine he felt the pain and testing, he felt the dross being taken away, the refiner’s fire purifying him through those years of deliverance, walking, and frustration and never being able to live in that land he was taking these people to. He failed but his faith grew because of it and he continually listened to that voice of God. He was not ordinary after this.

Luther was told to go against the establishment by telling them they were wrong. Each person before him who had done this was sent to death as a heretic. He had grown up and lived and breathed Catholicism. Imagine the ridicule, the storm that he went through as he told the church they were wrong about who God was and that grace was God’s method of salvation not works. I imagine he felt the pain and testing, he felt the dross being taken away, the refiner’s fire purifying him through those years of turmoil we know as the Great Reformation. Yet he continually listen to the voice of God. He was not ordinary after this.

3. Until we do we will be ordinary Christians.

You may not be a Noah, an Abraham, a Moses, a Peter, a Luther but neither were they until they listened to God and did His will. Until they allowed Him to work within them removing the dross and allowing His image to be seen through them.

They followed the will of God for their lives. God had a personal plan for each of them and He has one for each one of us. Many people ask what that will of God for their life is. I respond to them, He will let you know. Until that time take a step out in faith and do what He has shown you to be His will so far:

ROM 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

EPH 6:6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

1TH 4:3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;

1TH 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

HEB 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

1PE 2:15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

1PE 4:2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

1PE 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

1JO 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Jesus will see you through when He calls you to do the task. After that, after you have allowed Him to come and scrape the dross you will not be the ordinary you will be the supernatural for God will be at work within you to do His perfect will.

B. He saw the rest of the disciples through their storm.

C. He will see you through your storms.

PSA 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.

Luke, New Testament, Sermons

What Stands in Your Way?

Gallery August 10, 1997 David

What Stands in Your Way?
August 10, 1997	Sermon by DRW	Passage Luke 14.25-35

Luke 14.25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:

Luke 14.26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14.27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14.28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?

Luke 14.29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,

Luke 14.30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

Luke 14.31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

Luke 14.32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

Luke 14.33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14.34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

Luke 14.35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Introduction

While the Lord Jesus was on this earth, many people desired to be identified with Him. In fact, in the height of His popularity, it was difficult for Him to travel without great crowds following Him.

People came from everywhere to see Him perform the miracles that He did, such as heal the sick, cast out demons, multiply food, and so forth. They marveled at His stand against the established religion of the day; they were attracted to Him by His love; and some followed just to be part of the crowd. And Jesus knew that many of these people, if not most, were hoping that He could do what others had failed to do: liberate them from their oppressors, and establish a new kingdom, here and now, of which they could be part.

Many people follow Jesus today for the same reasons that people 2000 years ago followed Him. They want to see the miracles; they want to rule in a kingdom; they want to get what they can from Christianity.

Our churches are full of those who were eager to make professions of faith. They are full of those who desire to get something from the church because they are members of it. And it is sad that some people join the church for social reasons or loneliness.

What I want to ask you this morning is the same thing that Jesus asked a crowd 2000 years ago: Have you counted the cost of discipleship, of following Him?

In verses 28-30 Jesus uses the story of building a tower to illustrate the need to carefully analyze all that is involved in being a disciple of Christ. When a person goes about the task of building a structure, he first needs a plan. He then analyzes his plan, and divides up the different tasks that must be performed in order to complete the building. Next, a list is made up of all the materials that will be required to build the structure, and then this list is priced. The decision is then made whether to go ahead and attempt to build the structure or not. [House on Calle Mayor]

We have His plan-the Bible. We must analyze the plan by reading all of the different things that are required of us by the Lord in order to be His disciples. Here Jesus is telling us to count the cost. The Lord Jesus has given us a list of materials, and we must determine if we are willing to pay the price. We must determine whether it is worth it or not to follow Him.

We must consider, what stands in our way of being His disciples?

Pastor Hui has told me that your church has been going through the concept of discipleship this year. It is to be commended. I will not bore you with the details of a definition of being a disciple, except to give you my definition:

Someone who follows the teachings of another through adhering to the teaching and imitating the teacher. For us the Teacher is Jesus and the teaching is the Bible.

Today I will take you through Luke 14.25-35 to show you what is demanded of each one of us in becoming a disciple and then I want you to leave here answering the question: What Stands in the Way of my becoming a Disciple?

Let us pray:

“Father, teach us through Your Word today what You would have us know about being Your disciple. Speak to us today. In Jesus name, amen.”

I. Total Commitment (26)

Our text reads: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple.

Jesus stood before a rather large crowd and didn’t ask them to come and follow. He asked them to count the cost of following so they may be sure later when times get tough that they made the right decision. He wanted total commitment from them. Jesus wasn’t asking for a promise of following or believing what He said. It isn’t enough just to give our word in order to become totally committed to Him. What He is telling us is that we must LOVE Him more than anything else in our lives. If we do this, total commitment will naturally follow.

Each person here today needs to ask him or herself this question: Is there anything in this world that I love more than the Lord Jesus? You see, Jesus cannot be our Master if there is another to whom we have a stronger allegiance.

Our love towards Him must be stronger than the love for our mothers, or our fathers, or our sisters and brothers. It must be stronger than our love for our husband or wife. It must be stronger than our love for our children. Finally, it must be stronger than our love for our own lives.

You cannot follow Christ without learning to despise your old ambitions. Jesus wants you to learn to love every member of your family. But He’s realistic. Family members have ambitions for your life, what it should look like, what you should bring them. Hate those competing desires. Give up expecting the approval of family members for your decision to follow Jesus.

You also have competing desires. Jesus says, “Hate … even your own life.” When your soul’s deepest longings — who you want to be, how you want others to see you, what you want to do with your life — conflict with Christ’s, you must hate them.

Every self-centered agenda and every ambition that competes with God’s ambition for your life must be challenged.

We must put Jesus above everything else that we love in life. It is that position Christ desires to occupy in our lives.

That’s asking a lot, isn’t it? How much do you love your mother? You must love Him more! How must do you love your husband? You must love Him more! How much do you love your children? You MUST love Him even more! How much do you love yourself? You MUST love Him more!!!

Jesus demands total commitment to Him know or when the times get tough, we will want out. This is the truth of

Revelation 2.4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

They didn’t count the cost of total commitment. [swimming pool story???] And when difficult times came, they walked.

II. Taking your Cross (27)

Our text reads: And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Have you ever thought what it means to bear your own cross? Some think it means putting up with all the aches and pains of living: getting old, getting sick, turning gray, working for a living.

But I think the meaning becomes very clear when we stop and realize that the cross is an instrument of death. It is designed to kill. It is designed to put an end to your character before Christ. It is meant to put aside the lust of the flesh and produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5).

And Jesus says if we don’t carry our own cross, like He did, then we can’t be His disciples. Our Lord carried His cross to His death, and then was crucified on it. In the same way, we are expected to put ourselves upon our cross, and allow ourselves to be crucified and with the Apostle Paul say: “I die daily.” But Jesus also needed help carrying His cross. We will need the fellowship of other believers to help us as well.

What about you? What have you crucified on your cross lately? Maybe your ego? Maybe your dignity? Maybe a habit, a sin or your reputation?

When we crucify ourselves, we allow the Lord to live through us and to use us. We become the instruments that glorify Him!

Let your light so shine before men that they glorify your Father in Heaven.

Is that what you want? Then you must take up your cross daily and die to self!

To some, bearing the cross means their very life. In some countries, it is death to be known as a Christian.

2 Timothy 3.12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

How fortunate we are that we have it so easy in this country to be a Christian as compared to some. Our cross must seem very light to one who has lost his home, family, and is fleeing for his life because of his love for Christ.

You cannot follow Christ without expecting to experience alienation and rejection from others. Are you willing?

Serious rebellion against the Roman state was punished on the cross. It was very public, very humiliating — the whole focus was to deter others from treason. This is why it is so important to understand was is means to become a Christian, a disciple demanded all of the person. It was a high cost to count-it could mean your very life. The decision to follow Christ, to devote yourself to His purpose, will be viewed by the rest of the world as treason against their standards and lifestyle. Expect a very public humiliation and rejection. Take up a life that is unacceptable and expect to pay a price.

Therefore, count the cost.

The two illustrations that follow ask, “Do I have what it takes to see this through to the end?”

III. Take Into Account the Cost (33)

Our Text Reads In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

How attached are you to your home? Your car? You toys? How about your job or career? What about your dreams for your future? Or, your money?

If the Lord said to you, “Follow me, but take nothing with you except the clothes on your back,” could you do it?

If the Lord said to you, “Give all that you have to the poor,” could you do it?

If the Lord said to you, “Give your children to My service,” could you do it?

The apostle Paul had a godly perspective concerning worldly possessions: we can read about it in Phil.3:7-8.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Paul’s chief object in life was to possess the Lord Jesus. His relationship with Christ was the most prized treasure that he could possibly have. He was willing to give up a place to call home in order to have that relationship. He was willing to give up all material possessions, his freedom, and his very life rather than lose his treasure.

Paul estimated the cost of being a disciple of Christ. And he calculated that it wouldn’t cost him 20 per cent of what he owned, not 50 per cent, but 100 per cent. You cannot follow Christ without losing control over your finances. Following Christ will cost your material possessions — i.e., your money, your means of getting it — your stuff! The disciple has a new life orientation and for him it doesn’t matter. Things in this world are resources to be used up in order to draw people into Christ’s kingdom.
The word “give up” does not mean “get rid of” — that’s easy. The word means “arrange or set aside, make ready for use.” That is harder. It implies marking something — making it available for use as the need arises. The disciple creates an inventory of money, things, and the means of getting them — each with a tag that reads “AVAILABLE FOR HIS USE.”

My question to you this morning is this: Do you consider your relationship with Jesus to be worth giving up everything that you have? Does He mean that much to you?

The cost may seem high, but the rewards are eternal!

IV. The Gain (34-35)

Our Text Reads “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus does promise us a worthwhile life if we become His disciples.

If you follow Jesus Christ…

1. He will change your understanding of God. He is God. His perfect obedience to the Father shows us how to relate to God. Godliness means becoming more like Christ. To be a disciple, again, is to be one who learns and adheres to the teachings of Jesus and imitates Jesus in life. 1 John 1.1-4 promises us joy as we get to know Him and make Him known. Only disciples have this.

2. He will expose your sinful nature. Jesus is the light: If your heart is open you will want to be around Him. If your heart is closed you will hate who He is and what He stands for. As we learn of His teaching, we begin to see how far we are from Him and will want to rid ourselves of things to be closer to Him. We will be willing to lose all for the sake of gaining Christ.

3. He will provide for your continued growth. He died and rose from the dead for you. He constantly prays for you. He gives every resource you need to be productive in your pursuit of God’s purposes. We must keep this in mind: the cross was never the goal but only the means to the goal. Death was not God’s goal but the Resurrection that all might have life was the goal (Hebrews 12.1-2). When we follow Him we may feel bad or that it is too hard, but seen in the light of the life that we gain (after time) we will count it all as worth it [sin is almost always easy, it is only in struggle we can gain].

4. He will call you to make disciples. This is God’s clear, authoritative purpose for your life. You are not following Christ if you are not joining with Him. He wants you to give your life so that others might grow in their relationship with Him. One of the great benefits of following Him is that He uses us to reproduce in others the same desire to follow. We become the salt of the earth.

What is standing in the way of your being totally sold out to Him?

Are you willing to count the cost of being His disciple and forsaking that which stands in the way?

If you are, speak with Pastor Hui or myself after service that he may guide and direct you into a better understanding of what should be done.

Let us pray:

“Father, we ask that Your Holy Spirit search our heart and show us what stands in the way of us being totally committed to You. As we leave, Father, I pray Your Spirit does His work in our lives. To the end that Jesus be raised and You be glorified. Amen.”

John, New Testament

He Knows

Gallery November 10, 1996 David

He Knows
November 10, 1996	Sermon by DRW	Passage John 11

Outline

1. Jesus Loved Lazarus (3, 36)

2. Wasn’t Worried (4, 9-11)

3. Jesus Was Compassionate (35)

4. Jesus Was Able (38ff)

Discussion

Introduction Have you ever been in a situation that you thought was too hard for you to handle? Maybe it was a job you sought after and couldn’t get or a helper in ministry that never showed or a helpmate for eternity that remains elusive or a child that you wanted to have that hasn’t come. Maybe it is good grades that are getting harder and harder to maintain, or a relationship with your family that is rough and beyond help. Maybe it is a tomorrow that you are worried over or a past that has caused you grievous guilt. If we are breathing, we each have been in a situation that was too hard to handle (maybe more than once). Think about that as we consider our passage before us. ***** read a portion of the passage. As we continue, we shall read the rest of it. Let us pray:

Father, open our eyes to Your wonderful truth. Allow us for this period of time to worship You in that truth. Father, show us that we are here to give you glory and honour as we worship You. Grant us understanding in how to praise You more as we seek Your Spirit’s insight into this Scripture before us today. Amen.

TRANSITION: I would like for us to notice a few things about this passage before we even begin to discuss it.

1. Jesus Loved Lazarus (3, 36) Repeat that with me. Jesus Loved Lazarus. Again.

2. Jesus Was Not Worried (4, 9-11) Repeat that with me. Jesus Was Not Worried. Again.

3. Jesus Was Compassionate (35) Repeat that with me. Jesus Was Compassionate. Again.

4. Jesus Was Able (38ff) Repeat that with me. Jesus Was Able. Again.

Remember these truths as we continue in our discussion of John 11.

1. Jesus Loved Lazarus (3, 36)

As the story goes, Jesus was somewhere other than Judea (we can guess as to the place: Nazareth; maybe the Samaritan town of John 4; probably about 4 days or so from Bethany). It was here that a man gave a message regarding Lazarus and his sickness. It is of interest to note that the man describes Lazarus as one whom Jesus loved (as did the crowd in John 11.36). I bring this to our attention today because of its significance to us when we beseech the Lord in a matter.

Martha, Lazarus and Mary were part of a family that supported Jesus financially and physically. They provided coins and a house, food and a table; they were a second family to Him. We all know that Martha was a very busy woman. In Luke 10 Martha is complaining to Jesus about Mary’s lack of service. In John 12 she is quietly serving Jesus with no complaints. Something happened between these two dinners that caused her attitude to be transformed and that had to have been what we shall see in John 11. She went from attention to herself to attention to Jesus and John 11 shows why (as we shall see).

Little is know of Lazarus for he is very quiet. His voice is never heard in the Gospels. The only mention of him outside of John 11 is John 12 where the religious leaders were seeking to kill him because of his great witness for Christ (a silent one, but effective due to the life change he had).

Mary is always seen at the feet of Jesus. In Luke 10 she is seated at His feet, in John 11 she runs and falls at His feet, and in John 12 she is wiping His feet with her hair. In her we see a simple trust and faith; a submission to the One who rules over her and a grateful heart for what he has done and (for us) will do on the cross.

So, these three send word to Jesus to heal the man of the household that He loved. Listen to their appeal: “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” They brought their burden to Jesus. They brought it to the only One they knew who could do anything about it. They brought it to Jesus as much as we should bring our to Jesus. We can also see the basis of their appeal is not what they did for Jesus and they did do a lot for Him. Sometimes, we pray that way don’t we: Lord, if I give (or I have given) to the poor, so bless me. Their appeal wasn’t on the basis of their love for Jesus, although they did love Him enough to be like an adopted family to Him. We do this: Lord, I love You so much; bless me for this love. They came to Jesus the only way possible-with request in hand; they came to Jesus for an answer-not because of their works or their love- but because He loved them. Jesus would come to them not out of obligation but out of love for them. Jesus would answer their prayers (and ours) because He loves us, not from a sense of duty or obligation. That is good news. He will hear and act from love and nothing less. Remember: Jesus loved Lazarus and he loves each of us too.

TRANSITION I guess the question must be asked: Why did He wait if He loved them (5-16). The answer is given in verse 4.

2. Jesus Wasn’t Worried (4, 9-11)

Jesus knew what was going to happen. He knows the end from the beginning. He is not limited to time-He is God. He states the sickness will not result in death. God knows. He also waited so God’s glory can be known. As we shall see, the death-life that happened to Lazarus glorified God greatly but not the way Mary and Martha would have had it (in the beginning). The waiting was also for Jesus to be glorified. Jesus publically raised someone from the dead. More than that, this showed that Jesus is able to handle even the toughest situations we can get into. Jesus wasn’t worried.

He wasn’t even worried about His possible death (because He knows the end at the beginning-for Himself as-well-as for us) by traveling through Judea (8-16). Those verses seem peculiar to me (9). Why did He mention that. I believe He meant that if any one has the light of God (not the world) in him, he doesn’t have to worry about what may or may not happen to him. If the light of God is in us (His Word and His fellowship), then we don’t have to worry about stumbling or anything else. If Jesus wasn’t worried, should we????

3. Jesus Was Compassionate (35)

More than once in Scripture we have a picture of Christ’s compassion-the bleeding woman, the woman who’s son had died. Here we can feel the compassion Jesus had. Jesus wept so says our text. Why did Jesus weep? (I think some of us men in this body need to consider whether we would weep or refuse to.) What led up to this famous passage?

Jesus made it to Bethany and Lazarus was in the ground for four days. Was He surprised at this and cried because of the death? No-He already knew this was to happen and wasn’t worried. Could it be because He was upset at their unbelief (Mary nor Martha and certainly not the crowd believed that He could raise the dead). TELL THE STORY AND EMPHASIZE THE FAITHS OF MARTHA AND MARY.

Now, Jesus wept because of the compassion He had for people, especially His people in misery. Jesus had compassion because of their pain, and He does the same for us today.

4. Jesus Was Able (38ff)

DISCUSS THE STORY OF THE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM LUCADO’S “THUNDER”.

Conclusion: Jesus love doesn’t stop at Lazarus but extends to us; He knows our circumstances as-well-as He knew Lazarus and He wants us to see His love in our circumstances and not to gauge His love by our circumstances; His compassion extends from eternity to us today and tomorrow; His ability never ends, it is the same yesterday, today and forever.

So, if there is a situation that you are finding difficult, remember that Jesus loves you, isn’t worried, has compassion toward you and is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond what we can hope.

Do you believe? I hope so-let’s trust Him.

Jesus, thank You for being in control of all things and working good results in all things even though we may not see it. Thank You for doing what is best despite what we might want from our circumstances. Thank You for loving us and letting us grow through our circumstances. As this week progresses Lord, show us Your hand in our life. We trust You and believe You. Amen

Scriptural Truths for Today's World