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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.

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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.

Old Testament, Proverbs, Sermons

Trust the Lord with Your Family

Gallery June 18, 2000 David

Trust the Lord with Your Family
June 18, 2000	Sermon by DRW	Passage Proverbs 3.5-6

Some of you may not know, but Karen and I had our first child in January. He is a joy to the both of us. This can’t and doesn’t qualify me to speak to you today about raising a family. I have been in the ministry with youth for two decades and have been teaching middle school children for 6 years. This may add some credence to what I have to say. All I ask of you is not to be like John Guzman. On our second to last day of school, the 8^th graders were allowed to visit classes and sit in to talk with the other students who weren’t graduating. In my classes, I don’t allow the students to visit. If you come into my room any day of the year, we are learning something. John popped his head into my room, looked around, and said: “Let’s don’t go in there. They are learning.” Today let’s learn what the Bible tells to us fathers about raising a family for Him.

1. You must be saved (Trust in the Lord with all your heart)

Before we can expect our children to follow the ways of the Lord , we need to follow Him. This begins with our own salvation. We need to accept Christ as our Savior and follow after Him before we can truly expect our children to. What does becoming a Christian involve?

a. believing that you have sinned, done wrong

b. believing that this sin keeps you from being the person God intended and created you to be.

c. believing that God has done something to change your situation.

d. believing that Jesus Christ is God and that He died to pay the penalty for your sins.

e. accepting His payment as your own by praying to Him and accepting the truth of the Gospel.

There is a true story about a man who needed a heart transplant in order for him to live. He felt that it was wrong for anybody to have to die in order for him to live, so he wouldn’t take the transplant. He was 51 years old at the time and had resigned to the fact that people in his family died young from heart disease. His own mother died at 57. Although his daughter kept prodding him to get the transplant, he always refused. And always told her that he thought it was wrong for someone to die so that he could live. This is the way many of us were when we heard the story about Jesus dying so we could live. We refuse to believe that it is an option for us. We believe that we are destined to die and that is the end of the story, after all everybody else dies. So we live thinking that salvation, a real heart transplant, isn’t for us.

That man’s story doesn’t end there, it would be tragic if it did. For years the family and friends and doctors prodded him to get on the waiting list for the heart transplant. He always refused. Then one morning when the daughter wasn’t present the father decided to get the transplant. That afternoon he received the heart he so badly needed. What changed his mind? His daughter was killed in an automobile accident, he received her heart. Each one of us, before we can truly raise our children the way God had created them and intended them to grow, we need to accept His heart transplant of salvation.

Many of us in this room have already accepted God’s salvation, for us we need to daily choose to follow Him by following His Word. When we do this we will not trust nor follow the world’s way of raising a child.

2. You must not trust the world’s way of doing things (lean not on you own understanding)

Someone once wrote an inventory of what can be done to ensure that your child will not grow up to be the person you want him/her to be. He entitled it: How to Bring Down a Son

1. Provide him with plenty of free spending money.

This way he thinks money is the answer to all the problems and questions in life. He will spend his life pursuing this and, in the process, leave morals and family far behind.

2. Permit him to choose his own companions without restraint or direction.

Paul tells us that we shouldn’t be fooled. He says that bad company does corrupts good morals. As parents, we need to guard our children from the corruption this world and the people in it have to offer. This means you have to get to know your children’s friends. My sister does this because she is really concerned for her children. We all need to do this.

3. Give him a latchkey and allow him to return home at any hour of the night.

This lets him know that you don’t really care too much about him. Where he goes, how long he is there, or when and if he gets back.

4. Make no inquiry as to where and with whom he spends his leisure hours.

When we don’t talk to our children we lead them to believe that we don’t care about them. When we don’t ask them questions they feel they aren’t accountable to us. Talk to your children, even if they don’t want to answer back. Over time, if you show them that you care enough about them to be rejected when asking a simple question but you continually ask that question, they will return to you for the hard ones. I remember my step father, Joe, before he was my step-father, he was my Sunday School teacher. He would continually asked me to come to church with him, I always said yes. However, after he drove the many miles to our house to pick me up, I would tell him that I didn’t want to go. He did this countless times, because he was persistent even in rejection I stand before you today as a pastor. If you want your children to follow God, talk to them; if you don’t want them to grow up godly, don’t talk with them.

5. Allow him to believe that manners make a good substitute for morals.

The world today expects manners without morals. They want us to act good and not be good. This is taught in the schools, in business, and sadly in the home. God tells us that our manners come from our morals. To act like we have manners and disregard the morals is to set ourselves up for failure when the times get tough where morals really count. We need to seek inward conformity to God’s Word which will produce actions that are godly.

6. Let him expect to be paid for every act of helpfulness he offers.

Far to often today, I see it in the school settings, children expect to be rewarded financially or materially for doing what is right. I have students who expect a “treat” every time they turn their homework in on time. Others won’t get good grades unless they are paid to get them.

7. Let him spend his church-time hours on the street or in bed instead of in church.

When we spend our time at home when we should be at church, our children learn this and model it as-well. If we truly want our children to be brought down in life, don’t let them go to church and don’t let them see you go to church.

8. Be careful never to let him hear you pray.

Sad truth these days, men think it is a sign of weakness to pray. Our greatest strength as fathers is our prayer life. Don’t neglect it.

The world tells us that the child should be allowed to choose freely what he or she will do and the parent should accept whatever they choose. There is an interesting verse in Proverbs that can be seen two totally different ways: Train up a child in the way he should go and when he gets older he will not depart from it. The normal way to look at this verse is to say that when we train a child in the ways of the Lord, when he gets older he will not leave it. For a moment he might depart from the path of the Lord but in the end, he will return to the training in the Lord that he received as a youth. The other way of looking at this verse is to say: If I train my child in the way that he wants to grow, when he gets older he will stay in that path. If I let the child do what he wants, when he wants, he will remain that way for the rest of his life. We need to train them in the ways of the Lord.

There is another myth out there that tells us we must control all that our children do. This might be true for those that are younger and can’t make wise choices. But at the age of accountability, around 12 in Jewish terms, they should be allowed to do things and have responsibilities. If we have trained them in the ways of the Lord, we can trust them with responsibility and the privileges that go with them. If they have studied and done homework, they should be allowed to have leisure time. If they have fulfilled their responsibilities, we need to allow them the privileges that go with it. As parents we have the responsibility to raise the children to make wise choices and not to control them into doing what we think is right or best.

Another way the world says you should raise your children is to work so hard that you neglect the spiritual and emotional and social development of your children. The logic behind this is natural. I need to make enough money to buy what my child needs to succeed. The problem is we don’t truly understand what a child needs or what we as fathers need. A recent study showed that professionals are saying that their lives are empty. 4,126 male business executives, in 1996, revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the corporate experience. Forty-eight percent of all middle managers said that despite years spent striving to achieve their professional goals, their lives seemed “empty and meaningless.” 68% of senior executives said that they had neglected their family lives to pursue professional goals, and half said they would spend less time working and more time with their wives and children if they could start over again. The question that men are asking today is: “What am I doing all this for?” The answer to that question is found in our family. Socrates once said: “Could I climb the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim: ‘Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth, and take so little care of your children, to whom one day you must relinquish it all?’” Most people find out to late that spending time with the family is what is needed the most in our lives. A few years ago Harry Chapin wrote a song called “Cats in the Cradle”. One of the points the song makes is the most important thing we can give our children, and ultimately ourselves, and that is our time. We are finding more and more that it isn’t mere “quality” time that is important it is also the quantity of time.

It is said of James Boswell, the famous writer, that he often referred to a special day in his childhood when his father took him fishing. The day was fixed in his adult mind, and he often reflected upon many of the things his father had taught him in the course of their fishing experience together. After having heard of that particular excursion so often, it occurred to someone much later to check the journal that Boswell’s father kept and determine what had been said about the fishing trip from the parental perspective. Turning to that date, the reader found only one sentence entered: “Gone fishing today with my son — a day wasted.”

Few have ever heard of Boswell’s father; many have heard of Boswell. But in spite of his relative obscurity, he must have managed to set a place in his son’s life which lasted for a lifetime and beyond. On one day alone he inlaid along the grain of his son’s life ideas that would mark him long into his adulthood. What he did, not only touched a boy’s life, but it set in motion certain benefits that would affect the world of classical literature. Too bad that Boswell’s father couldn’t appreciate the significance of a fishing trip and the pacesetting that was going on even while worms were being squeezed on to hooks.

I don’t know about you, but when Joshua is old enough to participate in sports and events at school and church, I will be there to embarrass him (that is a parent’s prerogative isn’t it?). I will be their to help him and teach him the things of life that we all so desperately need as children. We need to be actively involved in our children’s life. As fathers, we should never place money or career over the gift God has given us in our children.

About 15 years ago I was playing volleyball. One of the players whom I never had met before, started a conversation with me. After a few minutes it turned to her college major. She was in her fourth year as a child psychology major. She was a few months away from graduating. She started to ask my opinion on children and to formulate some ideas on children for her research. I started to talk with her. After four hours of talking she stopped and asked me where I received my degree. I told her that I hadn’t. She wondered where I learned so much about child psychology. We were discussing things that her teachers were just starting to discuss and this was her graduating year. I told her the only material I had ever read on child psychology was the Bible. That blew her mind. I hope it makes you think. You want to know how to raise a child and raise him/her well? Base it on this book. This is our third point.

3. You must follow His Word in Raising your children (acknowledge the Lord in all your ways)

With that in mind, here are ten truths to understand:

1. Acknowledge that your child is a gift from God (see Ps 127:3, GNB). Children are on loan to us by God and we need to take care of them.

2. Dedicate your child to the Lord to be used in his service (see 1 Sam. 1:11, RSV). Have a place for him at home and at church to serve God on a weekly, if not daily basis.

3. Make a personal commitment to God to grow as a Christian parent. The only imitate what we do.

4. Identify your values and convey these values consistently in your behavior. It isn’t words that will win an argument, it is a life that lives those words.

5. Express to your children love and acceptance. They need to know that you love them no matter what they do. If they don’t know this, they will never feel comfortable coming to you when they do something wrong.

6. View discipline as an ongoing process of helping your children ultimately to become self-controlled and self-disciplined. Discipline should be used to teach morality and safety. It should never be done merely to punish.

7. Pray daily for each member of your family. Pray with them, too.

8. Maintain family worship and Bible study in your home. A daily Bible study between you and your wife is important. A daily devotion and praise of God is important too. The dinner table is a good way to do this. Don’t eat until you have prayed and praised together.

9. Involve all family members in church activities. Have something for each person in the family to do at church, no matter how small or how big.

Sociologist and historian Carle Zimmerman, in his 1947 book Family and Civilization, tells of some interesting insights as he compared the disintegration of various cultures with the parallel decline of family life in those cultures. Eight specific patterns of domestic behavior typified the downward spiral of each culture Zimmerman studied.

∙ Marriage loses its sacredness; is frequently broken by divorce.

∙ Traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony is lost.

∙ Feminist movements abound.

∙ Increased public disrespect for parents and authority in general.

∙ Acceleration of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and rebellion.

∙ Refusal of people with traditional marriages to accept family responsibilities.

∙ Growing desire for and acceptance of adultery.

∙ Increasing interest in and spread of sexual perversions and sex- related crimes.

We have to keep the family involved in church and with each other.

10. Participate in events your church will offer to help you grow as a Christian parent. There are times we have Saturday or Sunday seminars on child rearing, attend these.

That same person who wrote an inventory of what can be done to ensure that your child will not grow up to be the person you want him/her to be, also wrote one on How to Bring Up a Son

1. Make home the brightest and most attractive place on earth. Your children need to see home as the best place they could possibly be.

2. Make him responsible for the performance of a limited number of daily duties. Have them develop character by taking out the trash, washing the dishes, vacuuming.

3. Never punish him in anger.

4. Do not ridicule his conceits, but rather talk frankly on matters in which he is interested.

5. Let him invite his friends to your home and table.

6. Be careful to impress upon his mind that making character is more important than making money.

7. Live uprightly before him at all times; then you will be able to talk to him with power.

8. Be much in prayer for his spiritual salvation and growth, pray with him daily as well as praying for him in private.

So, what does the Bible say about being a good father, about raising your children in His ways?

a. teach them Deuteronomy 6.1-9

A recent study of prison inmates in Southern Florida related these startling facts:

99% of prisoners are male.

86% claim to have had no relationship with their father.

Of the thousands studied only 7 of those men are Jewish. Why only seven? I think the answer lies in the traditional manner in which the father is involved with the children in the Jewish home. The more time spent with our children as fathers, the less likely they will stray from our values. This means our values and morals must be godly. You are to know that God is God and to have a passion for Him that will be evident to your children. In your everyday activities they should see that God is real to you and that He is an important part of your life. The English group learned about praising God last week in our service. Fathers, this is an important part of your life that your children need to experience with you, outside of church.

b. Greatest commandment (Mark 12.28-31).

You need to teach your children about caring for others as much as God cares for you. They need to know and see this in your life. They need to see this great example of God’s love for the people around you as it is manifested in your life. This is next week’s message for the English group.

c. Great commission (Matthew 28.19-20)

You need to show them how important God is to you by telling others about Jesus as-well. Your children’s faith and maturity will increase as you make the decision to show them that you are fulfilling God’s Word by telling others. This is an important part of your life that they need to see. This is what the English group will learn in a message in July.

d. Trust the Lord to lead them

After you have done all that you can, after you have accepted Christ as Saviour, after you have forsaken the world’s method of raising children, after you have shown them the importance of God’s Word in your life and for them; then you need to trust the Lord for the results.

I pray the verses we started with make more sense to you and provide you with insights on how to trust the Lord with your family:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

don’t depend on your own understanding.

Remember the Lord in all that you do

and He will give you success!

Trust the Lord with your family!

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.

Matthew, New Testament, Sermons

What Happens When Christians Pray?

Gallery June 28, 1998 David

What Happens When Christians Pray?
June 28, 1998	Sermon by DRW	Passage Matthew 6.9-13

I am pleased to see that this is a church that prays. We prayed before the service, we have prayed in the service, and there are prayer meetings during the week. It is pleasing because prayer is essential to our worship of and fellowship with God.

Today, my desire is for you to realize the importance and power of prayer in our daily lives. It is my desire for each one of us to understand five concepts of powerful, effective prayers. We need to realize that great things happen when Christians decide to pray. All that God does in this world is through the prayers of His children. People like us praying brings change into this world. Before we begin, let us pray: He is sovereign, He is in control of the meeting, He can fill our needs today, He can cleanse our sins, He is able to change us.

1. Prayer is Talking with God (Matthew 6.9)

∙ Prayer is not a natural activity.

1. It shows us we are not in control but God is.

2. It shows us we are not as independent as we would like to be.

2. Concepts of Prayer (Matthew 6.9-13)

a. Prayer includes worship (9)

1. It is telling God we recognize Him as holy, pure, and sovereign.

2. It is telling God we are thankful and grateful to Him for who He is and for what He has done.

3. It is telling God we appreciate the fact that we are His children.

a. Adoption

b. Chosen by Him to be loved by Him

4. We are asking our Father

b. It is a picture of a child seeking from the Father the good and best for self and others that the Father has for the life and mission in this world. Jesus shows us that a father would not give snakes to his child when he asks for food. We need to pray to our Heavenly Father and not be satisfied with the prayer until it has been answered. The answers of our Father are: Yes, No, Not now, you are not ready yet.

c. It is a picture of asking the Father based on relationship not some other basis.

1. It is not on the basis of a faith principle.

2. It is not on the basis of our taking authority.

3. It is not on the basis of our speaking to the spirit world.

4. It is our trusting and resting on God the Father and our relationship with Him as His children. It is resting in the knowledge that He will keep His promises.

b. Prayer includes submission (10)

1. It is telling God we acquiesce our will for His.

a. We are living in relationship with God (1 John 5.14)

b. We are living in a commitment to obedience (1 John 3.22)

c. We are living to please Him (1 John 3.22)

d. We are living to know Jesus and make Him known (1 John 3.23)

e. We are living in love with fellow believers (1 John 3.23)

2. It is telling God we want His kingdom established in our lives.

3. It is like when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and proclaimed, “Not My will, but Yours be done.”

4. Or, like John the Baptist who said he was unworthy to untie the sandal of Jesus.

c. Prayer includes requests (11)

1. Prayer is our Life (Philippians 4.6-7)

a) Prayer transcends our self (6)

i. Prayer takes our focus off ourselves and places it upon God.

ii. Peter as he was walking on the water.

b) Bringing God into our situations (7)

i. Prayer asks God into every situation in our lives.

ii. Prayer is trusting God to do what God said He already would do.

∙ Prayer is made in the knowledge of the will of God (as revealed in Scripture), or in the seeking of that will.

i) our daily needs

ii) the enjoyment of our work

iii) Jesus is our Saviour

iv) our purity

v) our ability to give sacrificially to His service

2. This doesn’t mean we merely have a shopping list.

3. It implies we come to Him on the basis of our fellowship with Him as His children, with requests.

a) With open hands

b) With honesty

c) Telling our Father to help us with the pains of life (“Father, I need You . . . “)

d) It is going back to points 1 and 2.

d. Prayer includes confession (12)

1. We can never come to God without first confessing to Him that He is holy, that He is sovereign, that He alone can meet my daily needs, and, when we sin, that He is right and we were wrong. This is confession of sin.

2. We need to learn to say to God and others, “I was wrong, I am sorry, please forgive me.”

e. Prayer includes humility (13)

1. We need to learn that we cannot live this Christian life on our own. We need God’s help in every corner of our life.

2. We need to acknowledge this to Him and before others.

3. Prayer is placing our confidence in God and nothing else.

∙ Pray as if you need God always for everything.

∙ Go from prayer as if you have God already for everything.

Conclusion: Pray this week not just for food or in front of people, but pray this week, privately and with intensity. Things happen when Christians truly pray. So, please pray. There is much that can happen when we do.

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

Galatians, Sermons

For Me to Live

Gallery June 28, 1996 David

For Me to Live
June 28, 1996	Sermon by DRW	Passage Galatians 2.20

Introduction

Most of us grew up looking forward to Saturdays. When I was a kid in the 70’s, we had the beginning of many Saturday type things. Things such as: Bay City Rollers and their S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night, Elton John with Saturday Night’s Alright, Michelob was made for weekends, and the infamous Saturday Night Live, to name a few. Saturday was the day for many people. Most of my friends enjoyed it as they looked forward to getting out of school on Friday to party and wake up late on Saturday just to party again. Sundays were made for recuperation and realizing that Monday was coming. For many people in the world, Saturday was the day to live for and in.

For Christians, spiritually speaking, Saturday is probably the worst day to live in and for. The question that I have for you through this message is: What day do you live your faith in?

Follow me as we consider the weekend of our faith.

1. I have been crucified with Christ

The disciples didn’t want this to happen [add Campolo’s Friday part]. There was no victory, no approval. There is guilt here and it will consume you if you live on this day. We don’t know if God accepts us when we have a Friday faith. We ask what must I add to be accepted (like JW).

I realize that Friday and Saturday are needed for a Sunday faith. And Monday is the beginning of the reflection of a Sunday faith.

Why would we want this faith? It lessens who Jesus is, giving us more control and power in our salvation.

Is your God still nailed?

A. Friday Faith

1. Nailed

2. Dead

a. no hope

b. no future

both as viewed from this side of heaven.

B. Friday Failure

1. Nailed

2. Dead

a. no hope if lived here

b. no future if lived here

Is Christianity more than sayings to know and a church to attend? Friday faith says no because we live as if Christ didn’t rise from the dead nor that He is God.

What a waste that a man so young died after doing so much for so little.

1 Corinthians 15.12-19

2. . . . most of us live here

Why would we want to live here? It provides us with an excuse for waffling in our faith, for not living the way we are called to live.

They hid, were afraid, living life like most of us do on a daily basis. They were fearful of being found as followers of Christ. Flopping from a desire to honour Jesus to a desire to be accepted by society (at least not rejected by it). Their’s was a life of mourning and grief.

A. Saturday (synonym for faith)

1. Buried

2. Misery

a. hopeless

b. helpless

B. Saturday (synonym for failure)

1. Buried

2. Misery

a. hopeless

b. helpless

3. Nevertheless, I live

It is only here we taste victory and freedom for the resurrection was God’s stamp of approval for Christ’s death and burial. We stand approved before God because we are in Christ.

Resurrection verses

1 Corinthians 15

Is your God free?

A. Sunday (synonym for faith)

1. Free Galatians 5.1

2. Alive John 8.31

a. hope

b. future

We must realize that Sunday was always Jesus goal.

Unless a grain fall to the ground . . . there will not be a greater yield. Dandelion blown creates hundreds more.

B. Sunday Success

1. Free

2. Alive

a. hope

b. future

Why we don’t want a Sunday faith. I must listen to Him; even worse, He must be out there somewhere, loose (and that’s dangerous). He then becomes a force to be reckoned with.

Beuchner on Easter: “we can never nail him down, not even if the nails we use are real and the thing we nail him to is a cross” (The Magnificent Defeat, p 76).

Where is your faith lived? If you want to live abundantly you must live on Sunday. How? By faith in the Son of God who . . . Beleive the great news of . . . (verses on victory through the resurrection).

End with Campolo’s Friday but Sunday’s A-comin (either all or just the Sunday portion)

Matthew, New Testament, Sermons

Why?

Gallery March 12, 1995 David

Why?
March 12, 1995	Sermon by DRW	Passage Matthew 28.18-20

We have all heard messages on missions. Every year at this time we hear the same type of message. A passage like ours, from Matthew 28.18-20, is chosen and we learn to go into the mission field or to support through prayers or finances a missionary. It really isn’t that complicated a thought: Jesus said “Go!” so we should go. Pastor Chen, Vincent, Yasa, and myself have all heard Jesus tell us to “Go!” and we have gone. Pastor Chen to overseas missions and as a pastor; Vincent, Yasa, and myself have gone into a ministry with EFCA. Most of us in this room have heard a similar call into the mission field. This call could either be to actually go, to help someone with finances and/or to pray for someone daily. All these are noble calls. None of them is more nobler than the other. If God calls you to pray, pray; to go, go; to give, give:

Romans 12.4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Whatever God has called you to do, do. This is common sense. However, I see too many of us not willing to do what God has called us to do. We feel that another more qualified will take care of it. We feel that God doesn’t want to use us. This is what we say. We feel that we don’t have to do it. We don’t see the need to go, to pray, to give. If we did the world would be a more Christian community or would reflect more of the values of Christ. The world doesn’t because we don’t go out. We don’t believe the message for us to go out is really for us or there isn’t that great a need to go out (after all someone else will do it). Have we too quickly forgotten:

Matthew 28.18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 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.”

Acts 1.8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

These verses are not talking to someone else, they are talking to me and you. This is God telling us to go, to pray, to give.

Allow me to digress. I have read stories in the newspaper that make me wonder what our world is coming to. Not too many years ago a women went for a drive with her kids. She, for some reason, decided to kill them and then commit suicide herself. Her plan was to drive her car into a lake, with the doors locked and drown with her kids. As she approached the lake she had second thoughts. But, instead of stopping the car, she drove the car into the lake and left her car. She didn’t take the kids with her. Her two kids drowned as she stayed in safety. Why? She was hopeless in her world. She felt she couldn’t carry on and didn’t want her kids to go through this torture. But she was also a coward and, after killing her children, she couldn’t kill herself. Bizarre? Not really. Strange? Not really. Rarity? Not really.

I can remember a businessman in Washington, after a hard day at work, coming home and eating dinner. After dinner, in a rather matter-of-fact manner, pulled a gun out and killed his entire family and then killed himself. Why? He was at his end, an end with no hope. He had nothing to help him make it through tomorrow. It was too much for him to bear.

I can remember a wealthy lawyer in Texas who wrote a note to his wife. He told her it was nothing personal but that he was tired and wanted to sleep. He then turned his car on and asphyxiated himself. Why? He couldn’t find rest, no peace; for him life was too busy and there was nothing for his soul.

I can remember a woman who had just gotten married, just purchased a new house, just received a promotion in the Army. Her newlywed husband came home one night to find his wife with a bullet in her head: she shot herself. Why? All her trials and pains of life weighed too heavily upon her. In order to be accepted by her peers she had to do things that made her feel bad. She didn’t feel accepted.

I can remember a man in Torrance that woke up one day just after a bitter divorce and decided that life was too hard for him. He, also, put a bullet through his head. His son found him. The note said: I can’t do it any more. Life is not worth it. Why? He didn’t believe in a loving Creator God but was an evolutionist. Life without God is worthless.

There are countless other stories like this and I would like to include one more. It is the story of two young school girls who gave a note to one of their mutual friends. They told her not to open the note until after school. After giving the girl the note the two left school and went to the desert and killed themselves. That afternoon their friend opened the letter that explained what they were to do but it was too late by then for they were already dead. Why? The note explained: We have given up hope and cannot go on living anymore.

This is why we need to go. There are people in the world without hope, without reason to live; without Jesus. This is why we need to go, give and pray. Jesus said the world is full of people like this:

John 4.31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

There is a need for us to give people a hope to live today. You see a Christian is not simply a person who gets forgiveness, who gets to go to heaven, who gets the Holy Spirit, who gets a new nature. A Christian, in terms of his deepest identity, is a saint, a child born of God, a divine masterpiece, a child of light, a citizen of heaven. Being a Christian is not just getting something; it is being someone. Being born is becoming someone who was not there before. What you have isn’t the point. It’s who you are. And who we are gives hope to a hopeless world. It gives people who are not accepted, acceptance. It gives people who are worthless, worth. We need to give people ourselves whether through going, giving, or praying for the mission field. We are not allowed not to participate in God’s work in this world. As His children we are called to do what He has called us to do. This is why we go, pray, and give.

I would like to challenge each one here to consider God’s work in this world. Is there a place you can minister in this world, a ministry you can pray for in this world, an organization you can give to in this world? If there is then go, give, pray. And people there are places we can go as missionaries whether short term or long term. There are ministries like World Vision we can give to. There are organizations and people in the mission field we can pray for. The question for us is: Will we? We know we should go and we know why we should go, but will we.

Matthew, New Testament, Sermons

The Majesty of Christ Series-Who Am I?-Part One

Gallery December 18, 1994 David

The Majesty of Christ Series-Who Am I?-Part One
December 18, 1994	Sermon by DRW	Passage Matthew 16.13-16

Introduction

Location of Caesarea Philippi.

1. The Need to Withdraw (13)

a. For Himself

i. get away from the crowds

(1) when John the Baptist was killed (Matthew 14.1-12) Jesus withdrew (14.13)

(2) at this point His followers were leaving Him (John 6). He saw the weeding out of followers and true disciples.

(3) circumstances caused Him to withdraw

(a) either King or nothing

(b) Jewish power in Jerusalem was becoming more consolidated in their attempts to kill Him (ie, Pharisees and Sadduccees were aligning themselves together)

ii. keen realization of who He was and His mission

(1) Jesus was not seeking popularity (and wasn’t getting it at this point anyway).

(2) Jesus didn’t want to establish an earthly kingdom

(3) He saw the cross before Him and set His face as stone to get to it (Luke 9.51 – this statement followed soon after this retreat).

(4) The Transfiguration occured within days of this retreat.

b. For those who followed Him

i. opinion polls were down

ii. some were leaving and some remained

2. The Need to Question (13)

Background

His name was not Jesus Christ. That was a title. His name was Jesus bar Joseph.

Others called Him Christ the most, then Lord, then last of all (once) Son of Man.

Jesus called Himself (83 times) the Son of Man.

In Matthew we have Son of Man and in Mark and Luke it is merely Who I am. The difference is in the audience, Jews versus Gentiles.

i. Son of Man is historically equal to Son of God

ii. Daniel 7.9

(1) inner court

(2) divine figure (Philippians 2)

(3) descending and ascending (comp Acts 1.9-11)

iii. Deific assertions

(1) Matthew 9.1-8, only God can forgive sins

(2) John 5.1-18, Matthew 12.1-14, Mark 2-God made the Sabbath

* Draw your own conclusions

iv. He is God

b. Who do people say He is?

i. John the Baptist or Elijah

(1) why John the Baptist? He had been executed days earlier and people saw them together.

(2) he was the forerunner of the Messiah. As was Elijah. They may have transferred the work of John as the messenger who announces the Christ (Malachi 3) to Jesus.

(3) People thought Elijah was to return from Heaven for he had never died (2 Kings 2). A few days later James, John, and Peter see Jesus with Elijah and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration.

ii. Jeremiah or a prophet

(1) announces the good news

(2) the prophet was thought by some to be the good one who overcomes politically the oppressing nations.

c. Who do you say He is?

i. John 6.66-70 the Holy One of God (=what the others thought of Him, good man)

ii. Matthew 16.16 the Anointed One, the Son of the living God

3. The Need to Respond to the Son of Man (13-16)

a. How do we respond to such an One?

i. John the Baptist Then He was merely a messenger of God bringing good news of a coming king, not much to worship.

ii. Jeremiah Then he was a good man who teaches good morals, not much to worship.

iii. God If He be God, and I believe Him to be, then He must be worshipped and obeyed. We will look into this aspect of Christ over the next few weeks.

b. In light of who Jesus is, what must we do?

i. draw closer through the disciplines

ii. thank Him

iii. tell others

c. Matthew 28.18-20 as benediction.

Scriptural Truths for Today's World