Chardon church of Christ

Two of Life's Most Important Questions

Two Of Life’s Most Important Questions
Mark 15:1-20

 

This morning I would like to focus on the topic of questions.

Questions fill our lives on a daily basis.

Of course there are the meaningless questions:

• “If tomatoes are a fruit, does that make ketchup a smoothie?”
• “Why do we say ‘slept like a baby’ when babies wake up every two hours?”
• “Why is it called a building if it’s already built?”
• “If you’re waiting for the waiter… doesn’t that make you the waiter?”

• “If two mind readers read each other’s minds, whose mind are they reading?”
• “If Cinderella’s shoe fit perfectly, why did it fall off?”
• “If money doesn’t grow on trees, why do banks have branches?”

 

And, there are the questions that get you nowhere:

·         How old do you think I am?

·         Does this dress make me look fat?

·         I don’t know, what do you want to do?

 

If you have an iPhone you can ask Siri questions. She’s pretty smart at math. One day I asked Siri:

“What is zero divided by zero.” Her answer was,

“Imagine that you have zero cookies and you divide them between zero friends. See it makes no sense.

And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies, and you are sad because you have no friends.”

And, of course The Bible contains many questions.

In fact the first recorded word of Satan in Genesis 3 was a question to Eve about God’s character.

He asked, “Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the Garden?”

That wasn’t what God said at all, but the devil is still trying to get people to question God’s character.
In the same chapter, God’s first question in the Bible was when He asked Adam, “Where are you?” Of course, He knew where Adam was; He just wanted Adam to admit it. God said to man, “Where are you?”

 

And the first question of the New Testament is man asking where God is. In Matthew 2:2, the Magi asked Herod, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?”

There are many other important questions in the Bible.

Job asked, “If a man dies, shall he live again?”

Jesus asked, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

Paul asked, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

The writer of Hebrews asks, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation.”

But of all the questions in the Bible, I believe the most important question is the one we are going to hear Pontius Pilate ask. I believe this is Life’s Most Important Question.

In Matthew’s account, Pilate asks, “What then shall I do with Jesus?” (Matthew 27:22)

I have to answer that question. You have to answer that question.

In fact, that is a question that every person who has ever lived must answer.

 

Mark 15:1–20 describes Jesus before Pilate, the crowd choosing Barabbas, and the soldiers mocking Jesus. Several questions are asked in this passage, but one stands out as the most theologically significant: “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Mark 15:2)

This question matters most because:

• It goes straight to Jesus’ identity, which is the central theme of Mark’s Gospel.
• It forces the reader to confront the same issue:

Who is Jesus really?

• Pilate’s question becomes the pivot for the entire trial and crucifixion narrative.
• Jesus’ answer — “You say so” — is subtle but affirming, and it sets the stage for the charges against Him.

 

Pilate asks this question to the crowd standing before him: “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

“Crucify him!” they shouted.

“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

 

Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”

Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they finished mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

I’m going to have you each answer Pilate’s question: “What will I do with Jesus?” It’s a personal question; it’s not “What will WE do with Jesus?”

It’s a pressing question, because it’s one you must answer before you die and stand before God.
Life is full of choices. There have never been more choices.

 

When I grew up, we had NBC, CBS, and ABC, we had to move the antennae to pick up those different stations.

 

Today, with cable, satellite, and streaming services you have thousands of viewing choices.

We used to have vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream, and today there are thousands of different flavors including peanut butter ice cream, pickle ice cream, and bacon ice cream.

 

But those are relatively insignificant choices.

Life is full of important choices.

Will you get married? Who will you marry?

Where will you go to college?

What career will you choose?

Those are big decisions.

 

But the biggest choice you’ll ever make is,

“What will I do with Jesus?”

The good news is that God gives you a choice about what you will do with Jesus. God is too much of a gentleman to force anyone to accept His love.

 

 

In Deuteronomy 30 when Moses was poised with the second generation of Israelites ready to enter the Promised Land, he said, “God has placed before you life and death, blessings and curses, now CHOOSE LIFE!”

As Joshua faced the nation after they had taken much of the Promised Land he said, “Choose you this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” (Joshua 24:15).

 

When Elijah faced a nation devoted to Baal worship, He declared a God contest on Mt. Carmel. He said, “No more sitting on the fence. If Baal is God, then choose to worship him. If Yahweh is God,

choose to worship Him!”

In this message I want to present five different choices you can make about how you answer the question, “What Shall I do with Jesus?”

1. PILATE: You may choose to reject Him
After Pilate interviewed Jesus, the Bible says, “He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15)

 

Pilate was the ultimate Roman authority on this case.

He had the power to release Jesus or to have Him crucified.

Luke tells us Pilate went back to the Jewish leaders three times and said, “This man has done nothing wrong. He doesn’t deserve the death penalty.”

 

It seems clear that Pilate wanted to pardon Jesus and set Him free. But He gave into the mob mentality. In John’s account the Jewish leaders find Pilate’s soft spot. They said, “If you let Him go, you are no friend of Caesar. We heard Him claim to be a king and anyone who claims to be a king is no friend of Caesar.”

 

Pilate only had one boss, Caesar, and he didn’t want these pesky Jews to threaten his job. So, he gave into the political pressure and he chose his career over Christ.

There are people in our culture who seem interested in Jesus. They are fascinated by His claims. But it is not politically correct to say Jesus is the only way to heaven. And some people think if they followed Jesus, it would cost them their momentum on their career track. So like, Pilate, many people reject Jesus and choose their careers over Christ.

2. HEROD: You may choose to admire Him
When Pilate learned Jesus was from Galilee, he wanted to shift some of the responsibility, so he had Jesus sent to Herod Antipas, who was the governor of Galilee. This was the same Herod Antipas who beheaded John the Baptist. The Bible says in Luke 23:8, “When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort.” Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus just stood there silently. This frustrated Herod, so he started mocking Jesus and put an elegant robe on Him and sent Him back to Pilate.

Herod represents those people who simply admire Jesus as a great moral teacher, like Socrates or Confucius.

 

3. THE MOB: You may choose to replace Him
Pilate was still trying to figure out a way to release Jesus. Since there was a custom to pardon a prisoner at Passover, Pilate suggested they allow him to release Jesus. But the crowd would have none of it. The Bible says, “But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.” (Matthew 27:20)

We’re told in the text that Barabbas had committed murder. So, the crowd was faced with setting free a miracle worker, or a murderer. And they chose Barabbas. By this time, Jesus’ approval rating among the Jewish elite was so low, that they preferred a hardened criminal to a teacher who preached love and forgiveness.

Today, millions choose a replacement for Jesus. Even non-religious people have replaced Christ.

Many atheists have replaced Christ with human reason and worship at the altar of science. Many greedy American consumers have replaced Christ with their ongoing passion to have more and more

and the newest and the best.

 

If Jesus isn’t #1 on a list of 1 in your life, you have replaced Him with someone or something else.

4. THE SOLDIERS: You may choose to mock Him
The Bible says, “They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said. They spit on him and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.” (Matthew 27:28-30)

Christ and Christianity are being mocked today like never before. On one hand we are seeing some Christian movies like God’s Not Dead, War Room, Captive, and Risen.
But at the same time, we live in a culture that is becoming more and more hostile toward Jesus and Christians. There has been a rise in television shows that make a mockery of our faith. Not long ago Saturday Night Live presented a vulgar spoof of the movie, “God’s Not Dead.”

There are many people who will join the Roman soldiers and continue to make a mockery of Jesus and His followers. That’s their choice.

5. GOD: You may choose to crown Him as Lord
So the most important question you’ll ever answer in your life is this: What will I do with Jesus? You have to answer that question. If you say, “I just won’t answer it, I won’t do anything with Jesus.” That is doing something with Jesus.

Basically all of the responses fall into two categories: Rejecting Christ or Receiving Christ; Crucifying Jesus or Crowning Jesus as Lord. Turning your back on Him, or Trusting Him.

God gives us the only correct answer. The only choice that will lead to eternal life is to crown Him as Lord. Have you chosen to do that?

The Bible says in Ephesians 1 that “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world

to be holy and blameless in His sight.” (Ephesians 1:4)
God made a choice about what to do with His Son. And it’s the choice we should make. All around the world, there are people who are bowing down.

Some are bowing beside their beds looking to heaven.

Some are bowing down facing Mecca.

Some are bowing down and praying to a statue of Buddha.

But God makes it clear that one day every knee will bow to Jesus.
The Bible says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).

 

CONCLUSION:

There are some important questions that need answers, and God provides the answer.

 

Everybody wants to know, “How can I go to heaven?”

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.

The Bible says, “There is no other name except Jesus under heaven given among men whereby you must be saved.”

“For God so love the world that he gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Mark 16:15-16 “15 And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Acts 2:37-38 “37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

We need to realize that today, Satan is still trying to put question marks where God puts a period.

I believe there are many statements in the Bible that deserve the strong emotion of an exclamation point.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, I don’t think he said,

“Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

I believe he said, “Look! The Lamb of God

who takes away the sin of the world!”

John wrote, “Behold what manner of love the father has shown us that we should be called

children of God!” On that morning after Jesus appeared to Mary in the Garden she ran back to the disciples.

Do you think she said, “I have seen the Lord.”?

No, I believe she said, “I have seen the Lord!!!!!!!”

As Christians, we should be living in the exclamation points of the Bible.!”
One day, the question, “What DID I do with Jesus?” will have an eternal impact on our life.

 

Two Resurrections

Two Resurrections

John 5:25-29

 

INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. One of the big questions that life holds for us is what happens after all is said and done. What happens next? When our time on this earth is done, what happens then? Everybody wants to know the answer to that. The world is full of speculations and philosophies about it.

 

We're in a section of John’s Gospel where Jesus is proclaiming His deity, proclaiming that He is God. Jesus also is proclaiming two powers that He has, the power of life, we read that in verse 21, and the power of judgment, verse 22. Then in verse 24 He says “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

 

Next Jesus discusses a truth that there are two resurrections. One is a voluntary resurrection and the other is an involuntary resurrection. Let’s look at Jesus explanation of the two resurrections.

 

I.     Resurrection #1 – We will read John 5:25-27. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.”

A.   Jesus is saying this is an absolute certainty. “truly, truly”, indicates an absolute. Then He says “an hour is coming, and is now here” which is a phrase that Jesus used in John 4:23 where the Samaritan woman is asking about the place to worship. She wants to know if they should be worshipping on this mountain like her ancestors have taught, or whether they should be worshipping in Jerusalem at the temple as the Jews taught.

1.    Jesus' answer was there is an hour coming and now is, where worshippers are going to be worshipping in spirit and in truth. The idea of this time marker is that the time has come now, but it's going to be more obvious, clearer in the times to come. It would become clear, after Jesus' resurrection, and after the arrival of the kingdom as we read in Acts 2.

2.    Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that true worship is no longer restricted to a specific place (like Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim) but is now centered in "spirit and truth" through His presence.

3.    In the same way, I suspect this is the same time marker that Jesus is giving here. The time has already come in terms of the resurrection, and will become clearer. He says in verse 25, “… when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”

4.    It means the spiritually dead can immediately hear His voice and receive life, while also pointing to the future bodily resurrection. This suggests that the fulfillment of God’s promises was already occurring in Jesus ministry ("now is"), while the full, complete manifestation of that reality was still being realized ("coming").

B.   Verse 24 tells us the context (I paraphrase); those who hear My words and they believe in Him who sent Me—they're the ones receiving eternal life. They do not come into judgment, but they have passed from death to life. This is a picture of spiritual life. There's a time coming, in fact, the hour is now, where the dead are hearing the voice of the Son of God and those who hear that voice, are coming to life.

1.    Jesus and the Apostles are teaching and reminding people that they are dead. You are dead and now is the time for the dead to hear the voice of the Son of God and come into life.

2.    The time has come for them to hear the Word of God and to be moved from the realm of perishing in their sins and move into the new kingdom and new realm of life, of spiritual life, of eternal life. The hour is now, I am here, God has given Me the power of life.

3.    That reminds me of verse 21, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” Unfortunately, I think this reminder that we are dead was not received then, or even now.

4.    We like to look at ourselves and think we're alive. We have a life going on, we're going to do this and that and we've got our schedules and plans and visions of the future. Here's how life is going to go. We are unable so many times to see how devastatingly, spiritually dead we are, and the same was true then. We forget our spiritual condition, just look at life, think we're fine, and then go on our way.

C.   Do you recall Ezekiel 37? Ezekiel 37:1, “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.” Imagine you are in a valley and you are surrounded by bones. Starting in verse 2, “And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4. Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.””

D.   Ezekiel, here's what I want you to do. Speak the word of the Lord and when you do you are going to see these bones come to life. Then you're going to know that I'm God. At verse 7, “So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.” Can you imagine standing there watching that happen? Verse 8, “And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11. Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12. Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.””

E.   Jesus comes on the scene and says, the hour is coming, and now is here, where the dead are hearing the voice of God, and they are coming to life. What an amazing time! People are now able to receive life into their dead bones. God is picturing throughout time that we are dead in our sins. We are those dry, brittle bones. God says, I will speak my words, and when I speak those words, life is going to enter.

1.    Is it any wonder then that Jesus is saying at the time, let those who have ears to hear, let them hear? He is speaking the powerful words of life, listen to what He has to say. Verse 25 says, “the dead are going to hear the voice of the Son of God”, but see the next part, “And those who hear will live.”

2.    Are we listening to the life-giving voice of the Son of God?

Are we hearing what our Lord has to say?

Are we listening to the things that He is telling us to do?

It is the voice of the Son of God that gives life. There's no other place to find it. It is through His words that life is going to be found, that life is put back into these dead bones.

F.    John 5:26 – “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” That is almost a reiteration of verse 21. Jesus possesses life and He gives life to whom He wills, and He wills to give life to those who hear Him.

1.    When we stop listening, stop growing, we fall back to becoming dead, dry bones in the valley with no life at all. Oh, we think we are alive without Jesus when in fact we are as dead as we could be, unable to see our condition.

2.    “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14. This is the Voluntary Resurrection. The voice of the life-giving Son is speaking. Are you willing to listen so that you can arise from death to life?

G.   In verse 27 we read – “And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.” We saw that in verse 22, He is the giver of life, and He gives it to whoever hears Him. He has authority to execute judgment and that brings us to the second resurrection.

 

II.    Resurrection #2 – We can imagine the audience with their mouths open, hearing the news that they are dead and that Jesus is God, the giver of life to those who hear His voice. These people should have known they were dead, but Jesus is teaching them, as He must teach us, that we are dead in our sins and need the life that can only be found in Jesus.

A.   John 5:28-29 – “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming…” He says don’t be surprised that I have the power and authority. Notice this time He does not say “and is now”. This is something different. Jesus is looking forward to a coming hour. This is not an event that is already occurring… rather it is an event that will occur in the future. There is a time coming but it is not now, and He continues, “… when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, …”

1.    There is a time coming when everybody who is in the grave is going to hear the powerful voice of Jesus and they are going to come out. This is The Involuntary Resurrection. Think about what this looks like. Every single person who has ever lived, at the powerful word of Jesus, is going to come to life. Every person who has ever lived will hear the voice of Jesus when He returns and there will be resurrection.

2.    We are being told how powerful the words of Jesus are. The voice of Jesus is able to give life to our spiritually dead souls and is able to raise our bodies from the grave. Verse 27 performs a bridge to this thought. In verse 26 we are told that the Son has life in Himself. We see in verse 21 He gives life to whom He wills, and we have been told He gives life to those who hear His voice.

3.    We are spiritually dead but the words of Jesus will bring us life. Jesus also has the authority to execute judgment. The hour is coming when every person in the grave will hear the voice of the Lord and will come out to judgment. In this resurrection you are going to be called from your grave. Everyone who has ever died will be raised. All people who have ever lived are going to be raised from the dead.

B.   We see little glimpses of that in the Old Testament. We just read one in Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones, God gives life and everyone is going to stand before Him.

1.    We see in the New Testament, further along in John’s gospel, that Jesus is going to walk up to the tomb of one of His very good friends and He is going to say… “Lazarus, come out”. There is a day that is coming where we will all stand before God.

2.    We see this again in Matthew’s account of the crucifixion, at the death of Jesus “The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”

C.   Verse 29 continues, “… those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” No one is excluded and there are two outcomes… either to the resurrection of life or to the resurrection of judgment. Verse 29 tells us how this will be determined. We know how this is going to go for us. Jesus tells us it is based upon what we are doing right now.

1.    Jesus is very clear about whom He gives life to and how that resurrection sequence is going to go. Our good works function as evidence, that we have truly heard the voice of Jesus. If we have done what we have seen here in verses 25 and 26, if we have heard the powerful word of Jesus and it has taken our dead bones and caused them to move to life, we are no longer spiritually dead, but we have received eternal life.

2.    Here is Jesus making a promise. When I come back, the hour is coming that all the souls are going to hear My voice. Those who have heard My voice and believed have moved from death to life; they will be raised to be with God.

3.    Our good works, our actions, function as the proof, the evidence, that we have heard Him and have been raised to life. When we lack those things it is a reflection on us. It shows that we truly have not heard the voice of God and have not moved from death to life.

4.    Perhaps this is a challenge and a test to ourselves. How do I know what will happen when everything is said and done? What is going to happen to you and to me when our Lord returns?

D.   Perhaps use 1^st Thessalonians 4 where we read, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Ask ourselves, will I be going to the resurrection of life or will I be going to the resurrection of judgment?

1.    Here's how you know. Jesus says, I give life to whomever I will, and I give life to those who hear my voice. Those who hear My voice—do good works. There is a life transformation that occurs.

2.    This goes back to John chapter 3. In chapter 3, Jesus is teaching that we are all the condemned. Jesus came so that none would have to perish, but that all could be raised to life.

3.    We know what our outcome will be. There is no question. This teaching is not here so that people would walk away and say I don't know what's going to happen. We know exactly what's going to happen. It is based upon if we have heard the words of Jesus, believed in what He said, and have converted our lives and transformed our actions to follow Him. Based upon that, we will know if we are going to the resurrection of life or the resurrection of judgment.

4.    It is important for us then to look back on our lives, to look back at our actions, to look upon our words carefully and decide what does it look like for us? To which will we be raised? All of us are going to stand before God.

5.    True faith in our Lord will not leave us dead. It will lead to transformed living. It will cause us to have lives that are very different than what we've had before we came to Jesus.

 

CONCLUSION: I suggest that these verses are among the most instructive in the whole word of God. This is nothing less than the first resurrection, and the contrast of it with the final resurrection. The first is a spiritual rekindling of life, and the second a physical resurrection from the grave. Significantly, the Lord announced that the spiritual resurrection was already in progress, that the Son of God is the author of it, that His word is the means of it, that to receive His word was life, and to reject His word was death.

What a terrible warning to those foes who at that very moment were rejecting His word, not allowing even for a moment His true interpretation of God's sabbath law, but plotting to maintain their own interpretations. Further, by rejecting Jesus' word in such a subordinate area as the sabbath regulations, the priests were light years away from receiving the profound teachings recorded here. They would remain in a state of spiritual death, and the voice of the Lord of life would sound in vain upon their stopped ears. Jesus spoke calling men to spiritual resurrection and they would not hear; but He shall speak again at the final judgment, and then they will hear!

 

For our Involuntary Resurrection to be favorable and enjoyable and to be going to eternal life rather than eternal punishment, it is of the utmost importance that we experience the Voluntary Resurrection now.

 

I would like to look at something from Colossians. In Colossians 2, the Apostle Paul uses, as he does in many places, this idea of being dead and coming to life.

At Colossians 2:11, “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,”. There is a cutting that is going on, a cutting off of sins that Christ is accomplishing in our lives.

 

Next, “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

Our life is always connected to the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. If He was raised from the dead, then you're rising from the dead. Paul is not talking about the Involuntary Resurrection here. He means the voluntary one. Because He raised from the dead, you now can have life. In verse 13, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,” Paul says the same thing as Jesus. You're dead. You're dead in your sins. You are the dry, dead bones scattered in the valley. You have no hope unless you have the Lord. Only when the word of God is spoken over those dead bones can there be life. You were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. God made us alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of death that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.

 

If we want life, he says you need to be joined to Jesus. Life will come if we are joined to His death and His resurrection.

 

Paul does not leave it there. Colossians 3:1, “If then you have been raised with Christ,… ” He says if that's the case, if you've been raised with Him then here's what it's supposed to look like. “… seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

If you've received this life, if you are hearing the life-giving voice of Jesus, then what people will see in you and in me is not us, but Jesus. Our life is hidden in Him, you can't see us anymore, you just see Jesus.

Our life, because our mind is put on the things that are above, our actions are in seeking Him, a life that is changed to follow Him and pursue Him. That's how we know that we've passed from death to life. That is why John wrote his epistle of 1^st John, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

We can know, just look and see. Have I been joined with Jesus and is my life hidden with Him? If it is, there is reason for rejoicing because it doesn't matter what's going to happen to these physical bodies from here on. It doesn't matter what happens to us in this life. It doesn't matter how long it takes for the Lord to return.

The hope stands firm, one day we will be raised to a resurrection of life. One day the powerful voice of Jesus will be spoken, and we will go to be with our God.

 

If we have not put our life in Christ, if we have not been buried with Him in baptism, if we have not put our faith in the powerful working of God, then there is reason for great concern because Jesus says, you are still dead in your sins, and on the day that He returns, you will be raised to judgment. Don't let that be the result of your life.

 

The answer is clear. There is something that happens after death. There is something that awaits all of us. Every single human will stand before the judgment seat of God, giving an account for the things that are done in the body.

 

Choose today to have life. Choose today to have hope of resurrection to life rather than the depressing thought of resurrection to judgment.

Come to Jesus. Believe in Him with all your heart. Confess Him as the son of God and hear His powerful words and obey those words and follow Him and serve Him.

Won't you come while we stand and while we sing?

 

 

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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville

 

Should I Hang-On or Let-Go?

Should I Hang-On or Let-Go?
Matthew 16:24-26

 

Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ring-tailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple. They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and pull BUT as hard as he tries… he cannot free himself if he holds on to the seeds!

 

And there is the story of the PIRATE who obtained a great chest full of treasure. The pirate held on tightly to that chest because he saw in that chest the fulfillment of his dreams, hopes and aspirations.

 

He knew that the treasure was the key to his “good life”. Having already obtained a great fortune, the pirate decided to return home and after boarding the ship and having traveled a great distance from shore… a storm arose.

It did not take long for the storm to overtake the ship and eventually break the ship into pieces. Eventually, the pirate and his treasure plunged into the sea.

He began to sink holding tightly to his treasure. As he was sinking, all that went through his mind was how he could get his treasure safely to shore.

 

However, he began to realize that if he continued to hold onto that chest, he would not be able to make it to shore, and that same chest which he saw as his life... was now causing him to face death.

 

Reluctantly the pirate let go of that chest and began to swim towards shore.

We are a lot like that pirate. We hold on to our agenda and ego thinking that they are bringing us life, however, that is not the reality. They are really pulling us towards our death and at some point, we must let go.

 

Sometimes we think we know what is best for our lives. Sometimes we think that we do not need someone else to control us because we are capable of making those good decisions on our own. However, I do not think we always know what is best. I believe our idea of good has been tainted by sin.
Jeremiah says, “The heart is exceeding deceitful above all things.” I believe it is that deception that allows us to think we on our own can know what is best for our lives.

We need to learn plainly that the power of a good and godly life is not in us alone, but it comes from Christ. We need to trust that Jesus knows what is best for us

even better than we do.

 

Letting go can be a very difficult thing. When we let go we become vulnerable. Many people refuse to let go of things in their life because they are afraid of doing so.

Whether it be a sin, some negative trait, bitterness, pride or worry we are often reluctant to simply let go. We have those things we are clinging to and refuse to let go of, however before we can get to Jesus we must let go.

 

What is it today that is holding you back from letting go?

Is it fear of the unknown?

Is it a fear of what others may think of you?

Perhaps some never change because they don’t want others to think less of them. Is it unwillingness to change?

Is it your pride?

Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:24–26 are among the most challenging—and liberating—in all of Scripture.

 

They confront our instincts for comfort, control, and self-preservation, and they invite us into a life that is deeper, truer, and more eternal than anything we could build on our own.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

 

Jesus begins with a word that cuts against the grain of our culture: deny yourself.

This does not mean:

• Hating yourself
• Ignoring your needs
• Becoming passive or joyless

It means:

• Laying down the illusion that we are the center
• Surrendering our will to God’s will
• Letting Christ—not our desires—set the direction of our lives

Self-denial is not self-destruction; it is self-surrender.

It is saying, “Lord, You lead.

I trust You more than I trust myself.”

 

To Jesus’ first listeners, the cross was not a metaphor.

It was an instrument of death. So when Jesus said, “Take up your cross,” He meant:

• Be willing to die to the old life
• Let go of sin that clings
• Accept that following Him will cost something
• Embrace obedience even when it is uncomfortable

The cross is not a minor inconvenience. It is the place where our old self is crucified so a new life can rise.

 

Jesus does not say, “Go figure it out.” He says, “Follow Me.”

 

 

This means:

• Walking where He walks
• Loving as He loves
• Serving as He serves
• Trusting as He trusts
• Obeying even when we don’t understand

Christianity is not merely believing in Jesus; it is becoming like Jesus.

 

Jesus reveals a spiritual truth that seems upside-down:

• If you cling to your life—your plans, your comfort,

your control—you lose it.

• If you surrender your life to Christ,

you find the life you were created for.

 

The world says:

“Protect yourself. Promote yourself. Preserve yourself.”

Jesus says:

“Give yourself away, and you will discover who you truly are.”

The life Jesus offers is not smaller—it is fuller, freer, and eternal.

 

Jesus asks a question that echoes through every generation:

“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world BUT forfeits his soul?”

You MAY can gain:

• Wealth
• Success
• Influence
• Comfort
• Applause

But if your soul is empty, lost, or disconnected from God, you have gained nothing that lasts.

 

The world can fill your hands, but only Christ can fill your soul.

Jesus is not trying to take life from us—He is trying to give us real life.

 

Following Him means:

• Purpose instead of aimlessness
• Peace instead of anxiety
• Identity instead of insecurity
• Hope instead of despair
• Eternal life instead of temporary satisfaction

The cross leads to resurrection. Surrender leads to freedom. Losing your life leads to finding it.

Jesus taught that we cannot serve two masters.

A ship cannot fly two countries’ flags.

When we deny ourselves and take up our cross, we are allowing Jesus to take over as Lord of our lives.

When Jesus is Lord it means He sets the rules. It means that we are willing to submit ourselves under His authority.

Jesus taught in Matthew 7 , “Many will say to me on that day Lord, Lord, but not enter the kingdom of Heaven.”

When Jesus becomes Lord, it means we concede control of our lives over to Him.

 

Romans 6:6-7

⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin.
We learn that at our baptism we not only received the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, but we died. We died with Christ and our old self was crucified in Him.

As Christians we do not gratify our sinful desires any longer. In other words, as a Christian there are still things that are sinful that I would LIKE to do.

I am still TEMPTED to do wrong things; however, I REFUSE doing them because I am not going to gratify those desires any longer because I am not living to myself.

 

Colossians 3:5-10

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 

⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 

⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 

⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

If we have really died to self, then we will not give into those temptations and desires we have. The new self should be increasingly more God-like in its actions.

 

Ephesians 4:22-24

²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
We No Longer Live to Ourselves

 

Galatians 2:20

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
We need to understand that we no longer live to ourselves.

We have died.
Let us remember that dying to self means that WE no longer live, but it is CHRIST living in us.

 

Why Is Letting Go of Self So Difficult?

The idea of Heaven and eternity with God sounds great and perhaps many would volunteer to receive that, however the idea of signing your life away doesn’t sound too appealing, does it?

We love those feel-good verses of Scripture, but we begin to squirm a little when we read of the cost of following Jesus.

 

We love to be in control. We get a little uncomfortable when we read about denying ourselves and taking up our cross. That doesn’t sound too appealing.

William Ernest Henley in his famous poem entitled “Invictus” said, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

Many of us have bought into this philosophy that we are the master of our lives. We like to be in control. I would much rather be in control of a situation than have someone else in control of the situation.

 

I am one of those people that would rather do it myself than entrust it to someone else. That is not a good attribute.

We need to learn to allow Jesus to be the master of our fate and the captain of my soul. Perhaps some feel like it is a violation of their freedoms to lay aside themselves and let Jesus take control. Perhaps they feel that this is the sign of somebody being weak and vulnerable.

 

Jesus taught that we must lose our lives to really find it.

By that He means that we give up the project of making OURSELVES the ultimate reference point in our world. We are not number one. The universe does not revolve around us.

We live in a very selfish society. The idea of sacrificing and giving up something

doesn’t sound appealing to many people. We are people that want to know the price of everything and the cost of nothing. We want to get as much as we can while doing as little as possible to get it.

The idea of delaying gratification seems ridiculous to many. We live by the philosophy, “if it feels good it must be right.”

 

What Must We do to Let go of Self? We must step down.
Perhaps we need to have the mindset that John the Baptist had when he said I must decrease and Christ must increase.

 

We must be willing to step aside and let Him have the glory and honor of all that we do or accomplish.

We must step down from our position of authority over our lives and give Him the reins.

There are many tools we can use such as prayer, Bible study, service, worship, and fellowship, but the reality is we must train ourselves to be godly.

 

Jesus is calling you to deny yourself today!

What cross is He asking you to pick up?

What part of your life is He inviting you to surrender so He can give you something better?

The call of Jesus is costly—but the reward is eternal.

 

Jesus Is God

Jesus Is God

John 5:15-24

 

INTRO: Good morning church. In our study of John 5 we read about Jesus healing a disabled man on a Sabbath. This man had been in this condition for 38 years, equal to the time of the helplessness and hopelessness of the Israelites as they were punished for their sins in the wilderness during the days of Moses. We suggested this maybe the reason that Jesus selects this man over all the other people who are in this covered porch area. The man's inability to move contrasts with Jesus' command, showing that spiritual life comes through Christ's word (grace) rather than human effort or strict observance (law).

 

Verse 9 tells us that this was the Sabbath and problems are going to arise for Jesus from the Jewish leadership. The religious leaders, focused on Sabbath rules, were spiritually blind, and couldn't see the miracle. They question the healed man about whom it was that healed him, but he did not know who it was. Later, Jesus finds this healed man at the temple and tells him to sin no more so that no worse thing will happen to him.

 

John 5:15-16, “The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.” These verses tell us that the healed man, goes to the Jewish leaders and tells them that it was Jesus who had healed him. This ignites a persecution against Jesus because He was healing on the Sabbath. Jesus responds to this persecution by teaching that He is equal to God… because He is God. What we are about to read is Jesus’ own defense of His deity.

 

I. Jesus Is Equal with God in His Person (John 5:17-18) – Jesus’ answer is fascinating. The Jewish persecution is because they are charging Jesus with doing work on the Sabbath. Rather than teaching them that healing is not work and not a violation of the Sabbath, Jesus goes the other direction and argues that He is working on the Sabbath and why that is acceptable. This is not at all what we would expect to read, and I would imagine it took the Jewish leaders by surprise.

A. Listen to the statement Jesus makes in verse 17. “But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”[ESV] Jesus says, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” He is saying, “You’re right, I'm working.

1. Consider what Jesus is doing by saying those words and agreeing with them that He is working on the Sabbath. He is also making the observation that what He is doing is acceptable. It is right for Him to work on the Sabbath.

2. To understand that let’s consider Genesis 2:2-3. “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” It is not stated here that God rested from all activity, but that He rested from creation, "His work that He had done," an expression twice repeated in verse 2. In verse 3 here also, the specific thing from which it is stated that God rested is the work of creation.

3. Jewish sources acknowledge God's ongoing work (providence, sustaining life) but distinguish it from human general activity, i.e. creative, productive labor. Priests did not stop working when the Sabbath day came but were in the sanctuary working for the Lord (Matthew 12:5).

4. It was acceptable for God since He is the creator of all things, to then, “violate the Sabbath”, because He's over all things. I just think this is an interesting aside. I mean, if you must justify God for doing anything, you are probably working from a lousy position in the first place. Of course, God is working. He is sustaining all things.

5. Notice what Jesus does in verse 17. He places Himself in a unique relationship with the Father. He doesn't say our Father is working. He says, my Father is working. He excludes everybody else from this. The idea is of course; humans are under the requirements of the Sabbath Law… but God is not. Therefore, Jesus must be working. To put it another way, if you recognize that God the Father is working, then I must be working as well, because I'm God. That's exactly how the Jews understand it.

B. John 5:18, “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” It is not only the persecution of verse 16, now they want to kill Him. Jesus makes the claim that He is equal with God. This is the thrust of the argument Jesus is making. My Father is still working continually, and so am I.

1. An aside here. We're living in a time where some people say that in the scriptures Jesus never claimed to be God. We will see that He claims to be God five times in this text and the first is right here. God's working: therefore, I must be working. There's no option. I must work because I'm God. God works on the Sabbath, and so do I, because I'm God.

2. Jesus does not tell them that they misunderstood, instead He is going to offer four more proofs that He is God and is equal to God in every way.

II. Jesus Is Equal to God in His Works (John 5:19-20) – “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.”

A. Look at the two parts of this amazing answer that Jesus gives. First, the Son does not do things with His own initiative, but only what He sees the Father doing. Please underline the word “see.” Who can see what the Father is doing? Do you see what God the Father is doing right now?

1. No human can see what God is doing. In fact, John made that argument at the very beginning of this gospel. “No one has seen God at any time.” Here Jesus is making an extraordinary statement. I see what the Father is doing. I am able to observe His actions.

2. Humans cannot observe those actions. Humans cannot see God, nor see everything that He does. Jesus says, I see what the Father is doing. I'm not doing my own works. I'm doing everything I see God do.

3. Jesus is saying that His action has been in harmony with the will of God. That places Him in a very important state of privilege. That makes Him God, because He can see God and humans cannot see God.

4. Not only does He say that He sees God, but He says He does what the Father does. No human can do what God does. Can you be holy and pure and right so that every action you take is the same action as God in holiness and purity?

·         Can you do what God does?

·         Can you speak worlds into existence?

·         Can you say, let there be light and there is light?

·         Can you create anything? Humans do a great job at making all kinds of things, but we cannot create something out of nothing.

5. He says, I see what my Father does, and I do exactly what He does. Nobody else can do that.

B. Then Jesus adds in verse 20, “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.” Not only does Jesus see what the Father does, not only does He then do what the Father does, He goes further and says that the Father reveals to Jesus everything that He's doing, everything that is going on.

1. He has full knowledge of the Father in every aspect, in every category, full understanding, because the Father has revealed it to Him. Think back to John 1:1, it says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” That is very important to us, Jesus is the Word. He reveals the very message of God. Jesus reveals everything to us about the Father. He is the revealer of who God is.

2. The Son is obedient to the Father in every way and acts in such a way as to reveal who the Father is and does the Father's works and performs the Father's will. It is why Jesus later in this gospel says, if you've seen me, you've seen the father. Why? Because I do what He does.

3. He reveals everything to me; therefore, since I'm obedient to Him, everything that I do reflects the Father. Everything that I say reflects the very words of God himself. He is taking this to another level and is telling them, I'm not human. I'm God. That's why I'm working because God is working.

C. Notice how verse 20 tacks on the end of that—you're going to see greater works than these. I'm going to do greater things than this. Greater signs than healing this disabled man are going to come from the Father through the Son. Of course, His greatest sign will be when He is lifted up on the cross to His death only to rise from the dead three days later. That then is the second proof. He's equal to God because He does the works of God.

III. Jesus Is Equal to God in Power (John 5:21) – The third is verse 21 – “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.”

A. Jesus’ claim to be able to raise the dead and give life to whomever He wills, is startling. Raising the dead and giving life are the sole works… and choices, of God.

1. Carefully observe what Jesus is arguing. He's not just simply saying, “I can raise people from the dead.” If we look back to the Old Testament, we can see the dead raised and life given. Elijah prayed to God and raised the widow’s son from the dead. Here Jesus is not claiming to be God’s instrument through which resurrection and life come. Notice how that verse ended – “… the Son gives life to whom he will.”

2. Can Elijah say that? No. No one has that power. The prophets could not give life to whoever they wanted. They all relied upon the power of God to perform those miracles, but Jesus is not an instrument through which God was healing. Jesus is the healer.

B. Go back to John 1:4, “In him was life!” This is an important truth to the lesson Jesus is teaching, and the direction Jesus wants to lead His audience. Jesus gives life to whoever He wants. Jesus makes the choice. It is the prerogative of Jesus to make that determination.

IV. Jesus is Equal to God in Judgment (John 5:22) – “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, ”. Just like the power to raise from the dead and give life, so also is the assertion of judgment. Who alone can judge? Only God can judge. All judgment is given to the Son. Therefore, Jesus is God because He has the power to judge.

A. This is another important truth to the lesson Jesus is teaching. Jesus is the determiner of life and Jesus is the judge. Jesus deals with the two realities confessed in the Jewish faith. Only God gives life at the beginning and only God gives judgment at the end. Jesus has just laid claim to both of those prerogatives, claiming them for His own.

B. This then is the fourth – Jesus is the one who brings judgment. Paul in 2^nd Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day…”

V. Jesus Is Equal to God in Honor (John 5:23) – Why has all life-giving and judgment-related authority been given to the Son? Jesus explains in verse 23: “that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father…”

A. The reason Jesus has all life-giving authority, and the reason that He has the authority and the power to judge, is so that everybody on earth, all peoples, will honor the Son as He ought to be honored, just as they honor the Father.

1. Conversely, to not give Jesus equal honor is to not honor the Father. Anyone who fails to acknowledge the authority of the Son is rejecting the Sender, the Father. To say that Jesus is just a prophet, just a good guy, just somebody you should follow, an interesting figure in history, is to not honor the Father. Those who say Jesus is not the Christ, but a prophet is anti-Christ. 1^st John 2:22.

2. Jesus is saying, You must honor me on an equal level as God or you are not honoring the Father. You are not honoring the one who sent me. That is important today. Everybody is all “yea God”, but not everybody is “yea Jesus”. It’s just too polarizing to bring up Jesus they say, just say God.

3. You cannot honor the Father unless you honor the son. You cannot honor the Father unless you honor Jesus. It is not possible. Jesus makes that argument crystal clear right here. There is no way to honor Him unless you honor the One and only Son. You cannot leave Him out, and if you do so, that is an insult to the Father. To fail to acknowledge the authority of the Son is to reject the authority of the Father.

B. Therefore, in contrast with the Jewish leaders’ charge of blasphemy, Jesus is honoring the Father because He is doing the Father’s will. His acts honor the Father. However, by them dishonoring Jesus they are dishonoring the Father. In a great turn of events, it is they, not Him, who is dishonoring God.

VI. Concluding Call (John 5:24) – In verse 24, the fifth point, Jesus ties together who He is and what this means to these people and to the world. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” I suggest what Jesus just said is calling upon them to bow the knee, to submit and to serve and to worship Jesus as God. He says, “…hears my word and believes…”

A. We can take those two things as passive concepts. He is not being passive with His audience. When you say that your child never listens, what do you mean by that? That they are deaf and can't hear? No, you mean they are disobedient. They do not do as they are told.

1. Hearing and believing Christ's word is equivalent to believing God who sent Him. Believing Jesus is believing God!

2. Here is another skillful advocacy of His deity. This focuses upon the true mission of our Lord's coming into the world—to bring men eternal life. The Pharisees, had they been interested in such a blessing, might have been convinced by this promise; but they were too busy with their earthly concerns to pay any attention to the great hope shown in these words.

B. Jesus says, “…hears my word AND believes him who sent me…” Remember Nicodemus? Nicodemus comes to Jesus and says we know that you are from God.

1. Sounds like belief. Jesus says to him unless you are born again you will not see the kingdom of God. Then Jesus spends time trying to teach him about the need for life transformation. In John’s gospel we have been reading of people who have shallow, simple belief that has not led to life transformation. Jesus is working in each of those cases to try to get them to see that is not enough.

2. If we have experienced this life change, if we hear the words of Jesus and believe, submitting and doing what He says, believing in Him, we are experiencing that transformation from His words.

C. Jesus determines the destiny of every soul. Jesus determines the judgment of every person. Jesus decides to whom He will give life. Jesus calls for the ears of everyone to carefully hear as He says, “Truly, truly” to begin this glorious teaching. Listen carefully to the words of our Lord because they are true. Whoever hears the words of Jesus believes in Him and believes in the One who sent Him has eternal life.

1. The call is to bow the knee and worship Jesus as God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is divine and has come to this world with the power of life and the power of judgment. Listen to the words of Jesus, which does not mean to merely hear what He says but to do what He says. We are to listen to the words of Jesus and believe.

2. We saw in chapter 3, and we will continue to remind ourselves of this as we go through this gospel, that saving faith is not just acknowledgment, but to be born again. Hearing and believing is to obey the words of Jesus and experience radical life transformation from His word. Those are the people who have eternal life.

3. Listen to the wonderful words at the end of verse 24: “… He (the person who hears and believes) does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Life is defined as a person having crossed over from death to life. To pass from death to life is to be born from above. It implies a line of demarcation between those who have returned to God’s side and those who remain against Him.

 

CONCLUSION:

Please note that this is not in the future tense. Notice how John describes this as our current condition. Jesus is the judge because the Father has given all judgment into His hand. We do not come into judgment when we hear the words of Jesus and believe. In fact, we have passed from death to life already. To use the words of the apostle Paul, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness (death) and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (life) in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

 

You have life now when you come to Jesus. You will pass from death to life when you listen to Jesus and give your life to Him in submission.

 

Jesus gives life to whom He wills (John 5:21). Jesus gives life to those who hear Him and believe Him (John 5:24). All judgment has been given to Jesus (John 5:22). Whoever dishonors Jesus also dishonors the Father (John 5:23).

How do you honor the king? The only way to honor the king is to bow the knee and submit to His authority. We honor the king by worshiping the king. We honor the king by praising the king. We honor the king by doing what the king commands. Jesus is God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Submit to your king and your God.

If you have not accepted Jesus and believed in Him and submitted your life to Him, that is your starting point—believe that Jesus is the son of God who came to this world and died for your sins. Be immersed in water to have your sins washed away to enter a relationship with Him so that you can know that you have eternal life.

 

If you've already begun there, don't stop. Do not think you can put your life in neutral and you're good to go. Deepen the relationship. See Him as the treasure.

Recognize Him and honor Him for who He is. We invite you to come while we stand and while we sing.

 

 

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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville

Life's Trials - Sinking or Staying Afloat

LIFE’S TRIALS: SINKING or STAYING AFLOAT?
Matthew 14: 22–33

There are moments in every believer’s life when Jesus calls us out of what is familiar and safe.

Sometimes it’s a new ministry, a hard conversation, a step of repentance, or a season of suffering. And in those moments, we often feel like Peter—caught between faith and fear, between the comfort of the boat and the invitation of Christ.

 

Once there was a tourist who was taking a tour of biblical sites, when he came to a beach on the Sea of Galilee, he saw a boat and a sign advertising, “FREE BOAT RIDE TO THE EXACT PLACE WHERE JESUS AND PETER WALKED ON WATER!!!”

He boarded the boat and enjoyed the ride to the middle of the lake where the boat captain stopped the boat and announced that this was the spot where they had walked on the water.
After spending a few minutes at that spot, the tourist said to the boat captain, “Ok, I’ve seen enough, I’m ready to back to shore.”

 

The boat captain pointing to the sign, and said, “The boat ride to the exact place where Jesus and Peter walked on the water was free, but the ride back to shore is not free, it will cost you $50 for the ride back to shore.”
The tourist, shocked by the charge, exclaimed, “No wonder Peter got out and walked!”

 

Today we are going to examine this moment in Peter’s life when he walked on the water.
We all know that he didn’t walk on the water because the boat captain was going to charge him too much for the trip back to shore.
But why did Peter walk on the water?

And, how did Peter walk on the water?
And most importantly, what did Peter learn from the experience and what can we learn from it?

 

This story is not just about a man walking on water.

It’s about a Savior who meets us in the storm, calls us beyond our limits, and refuses to let us drown.

Please turn with me to our text for this morning’s lesson found in Matthew 14: 22–33

 

The 1^st thing I noticed is that Jesus Sends Them Into the Storm Matthew tells us that in verse 22, Jesus “made the disciples get into the boat”.

They didn’t drift into trouble. They were sent.

Note: Obedience does not prevent storms. Sometimes it leads us straight into them.

 

So, I ask the question:

Did the storm take the disciples by surprise?

Absolutely! (They didn’t have a weather app). Did the storm take Jesus by surprise? Absolutely Not.
So, why did Jesus tell them to get in a boat and cross the lake when He knew a storm was coming? Do you think there were some lessons they needed to learn that could only be learned in the midst of a storm?

Sometimes the storms we face are the result of our disobedience and God’s correction and discipline. Other times, the storms we face come not because we have been disobedient, but because we have been obedient and we are in God’s will.

Another thing to keep in mind about the storms we face have to do with God’s knowledge. While Jesus was in prayer on the mountain, do you think He was aware of what the disciples were experiencing in the storm?

I believe Jesus knew and could see exactly where they were and what they were going through. But, if Jesus knew, then why didn’t He come to their rescue sooner? I trust that Jesus came to their rescue at precisely the very best time and not a moment before.

Even though we can’t always see God in the midst of our storms, we can trust that God sees us and that God has a plan for our rescue.

 

Let’s turn our attention back to the story. Let’s see what happened when Jesus showed up.

The disciples were exactly where Jesus told them to be, doing exactly what He told them to do — and still the wind was against them. Many believers assume that hardship means they’ve done something wrong. But sometimes the storm is the classroom where Christ teaches us what calm seas never could.

 

The 2^nd thing I want to note is that Jesus Comes to Them in the Darkest Watch. It was the fourth watch of the night — between 3 and 6 a.m. The darkest, coldest, most exhausted moment. And that’s when Jesus came. Not early. Not when they still had strength. Not when the waves were manageable.

A Lesson to us is that: Jesus often shows Himself most clearly when our strength is gone. He walks on the very thing that threatens to destroy them. What terrifies them is under His feet.

 

The 3^rd thing to note is Peter’s Bold Request: “Lord, if it is You, command me…”

 

Peter gets criticized for sinking, but let’s be honest — he’s the only one who got out of the boat. He doesn’t move on impulse. He doesn’t test Jesus. He asks for a command.

Key lesson here is: Faith is not reckless. Faith responds to the voice of Jesus. Peter doesn’t walk on water. He walks on the word of Christ.

 

Peter Walks — Until He Looks Away. As long as his eyes are on Jesus, he does the impossible. But when he shifts his focus to the wind, fear floods in.

The main note for us is that: Fear grows when we meditate on the storm instead of the Savior.

The wind had been there the whole time. Nothing changed except Peter’s focus.

And yet — even in his failure — Peter does the most important thing he could do:

He cries out, “Lord, save me!”

 

Another thing to note is that: Jesus Immediately Reaches Out. Not eventually. Not after a lecture. Not after Peter proves himself. Immediately.

Jesus doesn’t let His children drown in their own weakness. He lifts Peter up and asks, “Why did you doubt?”

Not to shame him, but to teach him. May we realize that Jesus uses our sinking moments to deepen our faith, not to condemn us.

 

The wind doesn’t stop when Peter walks. It stops when Jesus steps into the boat. The presence of Christ brings peace that circumstances cannot. And the disciples respond the only way that makes sense: They worship Him.

 

 

 

Over the years, some people have criticized Peter and reacted negatively to what Peter did. Some have said that Peter was conceited and was trying to be a showoff – “Hey look at me, no hands!” But Peter asked for permission and then waited for permission to be granted.

 

If Jesus had said, “No,” then I’m sure Peter would have stayed in the boat.
But Jesus didn’t say, “No,” rather, Jesus said, “Come on.” At that moment, the smartest thing Peter could do was get out of the boat. Once Jesus commanded that Peter come, then he had better obey, and he did obey. And so, Peter got out of the boat – how can anyone criticize him for that?

In some respects, I wish the story ended right there... Peter walked on the water, period!
But the story doesn’t end there – we all know what happened next.
The Bible says in verse 30 of our text: But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

Peter was fully walking on the water... walking away from the boat...walking toward Jesus. Everything was going great, then came the “but” – “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid.” Everything went just fine until Peter took his focus off Jesus and began to focus on the storm.

How long did it take for Peter to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus? Only a second!
Keep in mind that the storm never stopped raging while Peter walked on the water. The wind was still blowing, and the waves were tossing the boat about and the rain was coming down in sheets.

 

Many old time ministers define faith as “concentration on Jesus.” That is a great definition – how easy is it for us to be distracted by life and the storms and challenges of life, and when we do our faith can waver.
But when, through faith, we concentrate on Jesus and focus on Him, then we can have peace and power, even when the storm rages around us. Just because we focus on Christ does not mean that the wind and waves are going to stop.

Peter began to sink into the water, but when it happened, he immediately cried out for Jesus to help him. Do you think Peter was a swimmer? I’m sure Peter was a pretty good swimmer, he had spent his life around or on the water but isn’t it interesting that he didn’t attempt to swim. His first thought wasn’t, “I can handle this, or do it on my own,” rather his first thought was to pray and ask for help.

 

Peter prayed one of the shortest prayers in the Bible, “Lord, save me.”
Sometimes there isn’t time for a long prayer – like when you are about to drown. Prayers don’t need to be long or detailed – they just need to be sincere and specific. No sooner than the words were spoken, Jesus’ help arrived.

Verses 31–33 of our text, ^“31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? ³² And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. ³³ Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”

Jesus didn’t rebuke Peter because he wanted to walk on the water, but He did rebuke him for his lack of faith. Peter had the faith to get out of the boat but then didn’t have the faith to sustain him. There’s a difference between short faith and long faith, or shallow faith and deep faith.
But in spite of Peter’s lack of faith, Jesus was willing to help him. While Jesus continued to stand on the water, He took hold of Peter and pulled him back up on top of the water and together they walked over and got into the boat.

Jesus used this teachable moment with Peter and the other disciples. And the moment they were back in the boat the wind and rain subsided and those in the boat worshiped Jesus.

What aspect of the Christian life have you lacked the faith to be able to step out of the boat and try? If we are never willing to take a chance and step out of the boat, then we will never walk on water and discover what living by faith is all about.

So, Let’s step out of the boat, obeying the command to walk by faith. Let’s not play it safe like the disciples who stayed in the boat, but let’s be like Peter who took a risk and walked on water and 2000 years later we are still talking about it.

 

But unlike Peter, we don’t have to sink, if we will keep walking by faith, keeping our eyes on the Lord.
I pray that we will be great risk-takers for the kingdom of God. I pray that God will help us shake ourselves loose from the security of staying in the boat.
And I pray that God will help us continue to walk on the waters of faith because we trust in God’s power and wisdom to uphold us.

 

Conclusion: What Is Jesus Calling You to Step Out Into?

Every believer has a “boat” — a place of comfort, predictability, and control. And every believer hears the voice of Jesus saying, “Come.”

• Maybe He’s calling you to forgive someone
• Maybe He’s calling you to trust Him in a diagnosis
• Maybe He’s calling you to serve in a new way
• Maybe He’s calling you to walk through grief with faith
• Maybe He’s calling you to surrender a fear

you’ve carried for years

 

The question is not whether the wind is strong. It always is. The question is: Will you keep your eyes on Jesus?

 

Today, if you feel the storm, if you feel the wind, if you feel like you’re sinking — cry out like Peter: “Lord, save me.” And the One who walks on waves will reach out His hand. Immediately. Faithfully. Powerfully.

 

The Lesson is yours as we stand and sing!

 

Suffering: Accept It or Avoid It

SUFFERING: ACCEPT IT OR AVOID IT?
James 1:3-11

Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming.

One second he was peacefully perched in his cage.

The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner.

She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up.

She had barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.

Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water.

Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . .

She reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

A few days after the trauma, the reporter who had initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
It’s hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . .

That’s enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
“Sucked in, washed up, and Blown over” that about sums up how many of us feel at times isn’t it?

It describes the certainty of trials and feelings of powerlessness that trials bring. An Army Chaplain had a sign on his door that said, “If you have troubles, come in and tell me all about them.

If you don’t have troubles, come in and tell me how you do it.”
James reminds us of the reality that even in the Christian life, there are trials and temptations.

However, the Christian does not have to be a victim of his circumstance but can have victory even in times of trials and testing.

 

James tells us No matter what the trials on the outside, we can experience victory through faith in Christ.

How do you respond when Life Deals You A Lemon?........

 

James doesn’t pretend suffering is imaginary or avoidable. Instead, he reframes it. He shows that suffering is not a sign of God’s absence but a space where something meaningful can grow.

James says that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

And perseverance leads to being mature and complete.

• Suffering isn’t pointless
• It shapes character
• It strengthens spiritual endurance
• It grows us into people who can stand firm

 

James is blunt: you cannot become spiritually mature without going through things that stretch you.

 

James connects trials with wisdom. Why?

Because suffering exposes our limits.

It forces us to ask questions we can’t answer alone.

James says God gives wisdom generously and without finding fault.

Suffering becomes the doorway to deeper dependence on God.

For Christians to turn ‘tears of despair into tears of joy’ there are three things we need to obey.

 

And the 1^st one is found in James 1:2

" Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds."

Now notice that James doesn't say "if" but "when".

In other words you can just count on it, Christians must expect trials.
Jesus Himself said in John 16:33,

“I have told you this so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but be courageous-I have overcome the world!"

 

Some trials come simply because we are human, and this would be things like sickness, accidents, disappointments, and death.

But other trials come because we are Christians.

Peter tells us in 1^st Peter 4:12

“Dear friends, do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

 

Paul also tells us in 2^nd Timothy 3:12

“Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
And so, because Satan fights us, and the world opposes us, we can expect trials.

 

But how are we to respond to these trials? James says, "Count it all joy!" Remember in Acts 5 when the apostles were pulled in to stand before the Council, after being flogged, the Bible says in Acts 5:41

“They left the Council, rejoicing to have been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name.”
Let me share a poem with you which I think will help us get the point.

 

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.

 

And, look what James says next in James 1:3

"For you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure."

James says if Christians have the right knowledge concerning the value of trials, it makes it possible to have a joyful attitude.

In other words, when we finally understand that trials test our faith, then we can know that the testing of our faith brings the best out in us.

 

A severe rash prompted a man from a rural area to come to town to be examined by a doctor. After the usual history-taking followed by a series of tests, the physician advised the patient that he would have to get rid of the dog that was obviously causing the allergic reaction.

As the man was preparing to leave the office, the doctor asked him out of curiosity if he planned to sell the animal or give it away. "Neither one," the patient replied.

"I’m going to get me one of them second opinions I been reading about.

It’s a lot easier to find a doctor than a good bird dog."
Doctors can give prescriptions and treatment plans, but it is up to the patient to take the prescription and carry out the treatment plan.

 

In 1^st Peter 1:7 we can read the following thought,

“So that the genuineness of your faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when it is tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Any athlete will tell you that you cannot expect to win anything if you don’t train, but the more you train the stronger you get.

 

The 2^nd point that James is telling us today is that we can have joy in our trials because we know that testing works for us, not against us.

When our faith is tested it produces patience.

Romans 5:3-4 “Not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope”.

 

In the Bible "Patience" is not a passive acceptance of circumstances.

The Greek word for patience means the ability to exhibit steadfastness and constancy in the face of the most daunting difficulty. In other words, Christians need courage and perseverance in the face of suffering. Christians need to keep on keeping on...  even when life if getting rough, even when our circumstances are difficult.

And make no mistake that kind of perseverance can come only through experiencing trials.

And when Christians finally accept and understand what trials can accomplish in our lives, it’s then we can have a joyful attitude toward our trials.

And please don’t think, ‘well that’s easy for James to say.’

 

We need to remember what James himself went through.

Before James was killed for being a Christian, he experienced sorrow.
Remember that James was one of the main leaders of the Christians in Jerusalem who continually faced persecution from those outside the Church.

James also learned that difficulties can produce patience.

He never tells us to pretend that a trial is nonexistent.

Instead, he wants us to recognize and rejoice that any problem can be an occasion for God to work in and through us in a way that He otherwise wouldn’t.

This is what the Bible calls a "testing of our faith"; it calls us to believe in the goodness of God, and to trust that He is not only willing but able to accomplish His purposes, no matter what befalls us. Any difficulty, whether great or small, is an occasion for joy, but only when we remind ourselves of the nature of the God who loves us.

 

But for us to really benefit from our trials, we need to understand James’ next point in James 1:4

"And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing."

To truly turn our tears of despair into tears of joy, we need to let "patience" do its work.

We often want to get our trials or difficulties over with quickly, don’t we?

But there are times when the best thing for us to do is to bear up under the trial patiently.

 

And so instead of grumbling and complaining, we should patiently endure the trial, doing good despite the trial.

Now remember that James is writing to a bunch of Christians who really need to grow up spiritually. And what he is saying here is that when patience has had an opportunity to work, it produces "maturity."
When James uses the word perfect, he doesn’t mean sinlessness, but "completeness, wholeness, maturity, and commitment."
Webster’s Dictionary tells me that - Commit means to entrust, to give charge, to perform, to pledge.

In my search for the definition of Commit I actually looked at one dictionary which did not even have the word commit in it.

I guess they were not committed to commitment.
And if we as Christians want to run the race well spiritually speaking, we need to develop patience and commitment. And that is only going to happen when we train spiritually. In other words we can only grow into spiritual maturity if we allow ourselves to face trails which test our faith.

And everyone here knows that letting patience have its perfect work is not easy.

If anything, it requires wisdom which enables us to see the value of our trials.

And, Our 3^rd point is found in James 1:5-8

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways."

 

James says if we lack wisdom; ask for it from God because He has promised to give it generously. And please don’t think that God is going to rebuke us for making such a request, even Solomon's request for wisdom was well-pleasing to God as you can read in 1^st Kings 3:7-12.

 

But what exactly is this "wisdom"?

Because we need to be careful to distinguish "wisdom" from "knowledge."

Knowledge involves information, facts, etc, whereas, wisdom is the ability or insight to properly use those facts quickly and in the right way. Knowledge comes only through His Word and we need to carefully study it if we want to know the Will of God.

However, the wisdom to properly use His Word can be received through prayer.

A proper prayer is a prayer asked in faith and with no doubt, otherwise, the prayer will not be answered by God.

And this, according to James is the way that we can turn ‘our tears of despair into tears of joy.’ It’s having the knowledge and viewpoint that difficulties can accomplish a lot of good for a Christian.

It’s being patient whilst enduring those difficulties to accomplish its work.

And as we go through difficult times, it’s using the wisdom God gives us in answer to prayer to help us put it all together.

And when we finally understand these things, it’s then that even trials can be seen as a source of joy for the Christian.

 

Solomon writes in Proverbs 30:7-9 “I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So, give me only as much food as I need. If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God”.

Solomon tells us that when we are poor we may be tempted to curse God.

Which is exactly what Job's wife wanted her husband to do, when they had lost everything Job 2:9 “His wife said to him, "You are still as faithful as ever, aren't you? Why don't you curse God and die?"

And the problem with being wealthy is that we may be tempted to forget God.

In Deuteronomy 8:10-14 before God gave the Israelites the Promised Land He warned Israel that they might forget God because of their wealth.

And what happened?

Hosea 13:5-6 “I took care of you in a dry, desert land. But when you entered the good land, you became full and satisfied, and then you grew proud and forgot me.”

 

So, here in James he’s going to share with us reasons to be joyous

whether we’re poor or rich.

James 1:9 “Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up”. James says if we are "poor", then we can rejoice that we have been "lifted up."

Then in James 2:5 he says “Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.”

And so what James is telling us here is that even if you are poor, you can still be "spiritually rich" and on an equal par with all other Christians.

Revelation 2:8-9 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: "This is the message from the one who is the first and the last, who died and lived again. I know your troubles; I know that you are poor---but really you are rich! I know the evil things said against you by those who claim to be Jews but are not; they are a group that belongs to Satan!” Now not only can the poor rejoice because God has lifted them up but if you are "rich", then you too can rejoice because you have been "humbled."

Now how does God humble the rich?

 

James 1:10-11 tells us, “And the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass awaylike the flower of a wild plant. The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed.

In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.”

In other words, the riches which the wealthy have are only temporary.

 

1^st Timothy 6:17 “Tell those who are rich in the present world not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

Now not only are riches temporary, but they are also unable to redeem our souls.

Psalm 49:6-9 “By evil people who trust in their riches and boast of their great wealth. We can never redeem ourselves; we cannot pay God the price for our lives, because the payment for a human life is too great. What we could pay would never be enough to keep us from the grave, to let us live forever.”

I don’t care how rich you are, you cannot buy your way into heaven.

May our God bless us all as we allow Him to turn ‘our tears of despair into tears of joy.’

Let me leave you with the inspired words of a man who knew exactly what we’re talking about today.

Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13

“I am not saying this because I am in any need, for I have learned to be content in whatever situation I am in. I know how to be humble, and I know how to prosper. In each and every situation I have learned the secret of being full and of going hungry, of having too much and of having too little. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, it was kind of you to share my troubles.”

 

 

INVITATION

 

The Need to Run the Race

The Need to Run the Race

Hebrews 12:1-3 and Psalms 5:1-12

“If you see me running, you better run too

because that would mean that something is chasing me.”

 

“I run every day for 30 minutes, if I miss a day

I add 30 minutes to the next day.

This has truly been a game changer,

tomorrow I’m supposed to run for 3 weeks.”

 

“If you’re on the treadmill next to me,

the answer is yes, we are racing.”

 

A few years ago, a young woman named Lois signed up for her first marathon. She trained hard, but halfway through the race, everything started to fall apart.

Her legs cramped. Her breathing tightened.

Her confidence evaporated. She slowed to a walk and eventually stopped altogether.

She stood on the side of the road, hands on her knees, ready to quit.

Then something unexpected happened.

From behind her came an older runner — gray hair, steady stride, clearly someone who had run many races before. He slowed down, looked at her, and said, “Don’t stop here.

You’ve come too far. Run with me.”

 

She tried to explain how tired she was, how much pain she felt, how she didn’t think she could finish.

The man just smiled and said, “Pain means you’re still in the race.

Keep your eyes on the finish line. I’ll stay with you.”

So, she started running again — slowly at first, then stronger. Every time she wanted to quit, the man reminded her, “Look ahead. Don’t stare at your feet.

Don’t stare at your pain. Look at where you’re going.”

When they finally crossed the finish line, Lois turned to thank him… but he was gone.

Lost in the crowd. She never saw him again.

But she never forgot what he said:

“Don’t stop here. Keep your eyes on the finish line.”

This Illustrates Hebrews 12:1–3

As some of you know, the apostle Paul often compared the Christian life to athletic events, and he is doing so in this passage.

 

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

• “We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.” Lois wasn’t running alone. Someone who had run the race before came alongside her. In the same way, the heroes of faith — and the faithful people in our own lives — cheer us on by their example.
• “Let us throw off everything that hinders.” Her pain, discouragement, and self‑doubt were the weights slowing her down. We carry our own: guilt, fear, distraction, sin.
• “Let us run with endurance.” Endurance isn’t glamorous. It’s choosing not to quit when quitting feels easier.
• “Fixing our eyes on Jesus.” Just as Lois had to lift her eyes from her pain to the finish line, we lift our eyes to Christ — the one who endured the cross and now stands at the finish, calling us forward.

 

I like to hear stories about people who won't give up.

 

Quitters aren't much of an inspiration, but people who stay with a commitment even though the going gets tough are a source of inspiration to us all.

 

Do you remember the man who came to Jesus and said, "I'll follow you wherever you go"? Jesus told him, "Before you make that kind of commitment, you need to realize that foxes have holes and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

"In other words, if you follow me, realize that there will be difficulties.

There will be times when you will not know where you'll sleep, or where your next meal is coming from. There will be difficult and discouraging times.

But after you realize that, and then put your hands to the plow," He said, "don't look back."

 

When people start the Christian life, and then quit when the going gets tough, they can become an object of ridicule to some, and a source of discouragement to others. That's the reason Hebrews 12:1-3 is so important.

In this passage Paul is not comparing the Christian life to a wind sprint, but to a marathon.

 

In a wind sprint you run as fast as you can for a short distance, and speed is the critical factor. But in a marathon, endurance is the critical factor, and the concern is that over the long run the runner will not “grow weary and lose heart.”

The Apostle Paul was faithful. In his last letter to Timothy, (2^nd Timothy 4:7-8), he wrote,

 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

 

Finishing the race is critically important to all of us who would be followers of Jesus.

And I believe that this morning’s text in Hebrews 12 contains at least 3 pieces of advice that will help each of us faithfully run the race that is before us.

 

The first piece of advice is to remember that you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and that you can be inspired by those who have gone before.

 

Notice that chapter 12 begins with the word "Therefore." That connects it with the previous chapter. And in chapter 11 the writer of Hebrews gives a long list of people who have been found faithful.

 

1.    For instance, in vs. 7 he mentions Noah. We can hear Noah whispering in our ear, "How long do you say you've been waiting? It took me 100 years to build the ark, and it was never easy. I tried to warn the people, but no one would listen. Yet I kept on building, and when the floods came the ark was the vehicle of our salvation. You need to keep on, keeping on, also."

 

2.    Next, in vs. 8, is Abraham. Abraham, called from his home in Ur to a place where God would lead him; Abraham, who in his old age was told that his wife, Sara, would bear a son; Abraham, who was told to take this precious son and offer him as a sacrifice. It wasn’t easy, but Abraham passed every test!

 

So, when you become discouraged, here is Abraham whispering in your ear. "Listen," "if you obey God, the world will think you’re crazy because God's ways are not their ways. But listen carefully and be true to His will."

 

3.    Then go to vs. 22 and the story of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. In Egypt he was accused of crimes he didn't commit and thrown into prison. He was about as low as a person can get. Yet he remained faithful to God. Then everything changes, and suddenly he is very powerful, Prime Minister of Egypt. He has control of money and grain and food and people. And yet, when he is at the top, he is still faithful to God.

 

So, listen to Joseph say, "Look, it doesn't take much to be faithful when things are going your way. But when you are at the bottom, and everything seems to be falling apart, make sure that you're still faithful."

 

4.    The list goes on. There's Moses and Samson and Samuel and David and more besides. There is a great cloud of witnesses to cheer us on. They whisper in our ear when we become discouraged, saying, "Don't lose heart! Don't give up. Don't quit, whatever you do."

 

Now when we get discouraged, we need to think of the great saints in Scripture, and of others who have inspired us.

 

WE sing Song #222, FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.

When we are discouraged, we hear their voices saying, "If we can do it, then you can do it too." Be inspired by those who have gone before and realize that at the same time there will be others watching you. You will be their inspiration, their example, and their guide.

 

The second piece of advice from Hebrews is to prepare for the struggles you will face.

“... let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

 

As I read the words, “…the sin that so easily entangles…” I think of the old Tarzan movies.

 

There was usually a scene where Tarzan, with his knife between his teeth, jumped into the water and swam to rescue Jane or boy or whoever was in the water. Then the music would intensify and you knew that at some point something bad was going to grab him.

Oftentimes it was an enormous octopus. At first you could just see its eye. Then a tentacle would suddenly reach out and wrap around his ankle. But that’s no problem. Tarzan can get loose from that. But then here comes a second tentacle. It would grab the other ankle. Then another tentacle and another one, and soon he is all entangled and can’t get loose. Is this the end of Tarzan?

 

Oh no. Remember that knife in his teeth. Somehow, he is able to grab it and start cutting off the tentacles, and soon an inky cloud comes out of the octopus. And Tarzan is free!

The writer of Hebrews says that sin is just like those tentacles, and that we must throw off “...the sin that so easily entangles, and …run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

 

Now I'm obviously not a marathon runner. But marathon runners tell us that there are two critical times in the race. The first one is at the beginning. When you begin to run you feel so good, and the temptation is to run too fast too soon, depending upon your own strength and skill to pull you through.

 

The second critical time in a marathon is at the halfway point.

 

You suddenly realize that you still have as far to go as what you've already run, and your strength is giving out. Runners call it "hitting the wall." You've come to the end of your endurance and you're not sure if you can put one foot in front of the other anymore.

 

To keep that from happening in your life remember this promise,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If you’ll trust Him, He will be the source of all you need to finish your race.

 

AND, the final piece of advice is this, Fix your eyes on Jesus.

Listen again to a part of vs’s 2 and 3, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith… Consider Him… so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

 

Jesus was opposed. Jesus was persecuted. And yet He stayed the course. He ran the race. He paid the price for our sins. Every Christian needs to hear this because it's so easy to quit. It's so easy to say, "I don't have to do this anymore."

 

But the writer of Hebrews says, “Fix your eyes on Jesus. He's the author and the perfecter of our faith,” and one day each one of us will stand before Him as our judge.

Romans 3:23 says, “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

If you ever take the tour in historic Williamsburg, VA they will explain to you why, even to this day, we hold up our hand and swear that we will “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God" whenever we give testimony in court.

 

The story they tell goes all the way back to medieval times. When someone was being tried for a crime and the evidence seemed overwhelmingly against him, there was a way out. He could stand up and say, "I plead the benefit of clergy."

Now when he pled "the benefit of clergy" everyone was shocked because that was the same as an admission of guilt. But it was the accused’s last hope, his last chance.

 

So, a clergyman would come in with a selected passage of Scripture, usually from Psalms 51, which tells of the confession of David for all the sins that he had committed.

He would hand it to the accused and say, "Here, read this." It was kind of a forerunner of the lie detector test.

 

The law said that if the accused could read it without stammering or stuttering, he would be set free even though the evidence against him was overwhelming.

But if he stumbled or stammered just one time, he was judged guilty.

Usually, a guilty person could not read that passage without stammering or stuttering. So, they were found guilty.

But when someone read it perfectly and was set free, they branded the palm of his hand with the brand of the cross.

You see, you could only claim the benefit of clergy one time.

So, whenever anyone testified in court he would have to hold up his hand so that all could see if the brand of the cross was there.

 

IN CONCLUSION: One day, folks, we're all going to stand before the judge of the universe, as guilty as we can be.

The evidence is overwhelmingly against us.

Satan, the accuser, will be there to accuse us of all the sins we have committed.

Our only hope is to claim the benefit of the cross.

 

THAT IS WHY the writer of Hebrews says, “Fix your eyes upon Jesus because the only hope we have is our hope in Him.”

So, run the race with patience. Don't lose heart. Don't become discouraged. Don't quit.

Keep on running the race that has been set before us.

 

This morning if you're not a Christian, we invite you to come to Jesus and accept His mercy, His love, His grace, and His sacrifice on the cross.

We offer you the opportunity to begin a whole new life in Him. Will you come as we stand and as we sing together?

 

Be Healed, Be Holy

Be Healed, Be Holy

John 5:1-14

 

Introduction: Good morning church. We have concluded our look at chapter four. Now we are continuing in the fifth chapter of John’s gospel which expresses proofs and evidence that Jesus is God. As you recall the purpose of John’s gospel was stated in John 20:31, “… That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name..”

 

Chapter 5 contains a concentrated effort of the Apostle John, going through a variety of proofs that Jesus is God. As we study through this chapter, we want to carefully analyze how John shows this to us. John sets things up with the first fourteen verses in the chapter.

 

The context of John 5:1-14 is the sign of the miraculous healing of a paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda. The Jews had a tradition that said an angel stirs the water at the pool, and the first person to enter the water after it's stirred, is healed.

 

I would like you to hold in mind this question and your response to it. What is the worst thing that can happen to you? I want you to just hold that in your mind as we move through this story. It's a point that Jesus is going to use with this man, and it is important for our consideration as we recognize who Jesus is.

 

I.     The Sign – Read with me starting in verse 1, “1, After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7. The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8. Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9. And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.” [ESV] (for verse 4 see other versions)

A.   The narrative begins with revealing that this is one of the three feasts of the Law of Moses which compel the people to come to Jerusalem. Jesus came to Jerusalem, and He decided to go to a place that He does not have to go. It is not required that you walk through this gate as you come into the city. The Sheep Gate was built by the high priest as mentioned in Nehemiah 3:1, “Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate…” It was through this gate that the sheep were brought to the Temple for sacrifice.

1.    John 5:2-3 tell us He enters an area where there are five roofed colonnades by a pool of water. We are presented with a sad scene in verse 3. Here are a multitude of invalids hoping for healing if they can get into the pool when the water is disturbed. Jesus is going out of His way to walk through this area where these disabled people are lying all around.

2.    It is interesting to me that in this atmosphere, among all of people that are there, Jesus selects one to talk to. As He passes through all the people lying there, we are told He speaks to one person. Verse 5, “One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.”

3.    I can picture clearly the helplessness of all these people, the multitude of disabled people lying there. There is nothing glorious about this place. You can imagine the kind of atmosphere that would exist here. Jesus comes to this man and asks a very simple, and perhaps in our minds, obvious question. Verse 6, “Do you want to be healed?”

B.   Years and years this man had been an invalid. Nothing has made him well and so hopelessness has set in. When Jesus asks him if he wants to be made well, listen to his answer: “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” These are words of hopelessness. Yes, he desired to be healed but he had desired this for so long that it seemed like there was no chance of it ever happening. To me it sounds like “of course, but it’s not going to happen”.

1.    That's what makes the next words so shocking and so powerful. Jesus says in verse 8, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” Then in verse 9, “And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.”

2.    What a picture is given here! There's no slow and painful physical therapy—no slow, and gradual improvement. Immediately he grabs his mat. This is a sign of victory. He's going to leave this area of all the paralyzed and the lame and the blind and the disabled. He is now able to grab his mat, carry it and walk through the city of Jerusalem.

3.    People would see him and some at least would recognize “there's somebody who has been lame and unable to walk for 38 years, yet he is walking.” It demonstrated his healing to all who saw him. The end of verse 9 records a forceful statement: It was the Sabbath!

II.    The Conflict - Verse 10 reveals a conflict. “So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”” The Jewish leaders see this man carrying his mat on this Sabbath day of rest and they reproach him. “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”

A.   I suspect this is one reason we are told in the first verse that this was a feast day. When you read the Law of Moses, you'll find that these feast days had inherent within them, holy days, Sabbath days, days of rest. In Leviticus 23 starting in verse 2 you find “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.” These feast days often prescribed various days as holy days, and hence were considered Sabbaths because of the holy day (cf. Leviticus 23). It’s a feast day and therefore it is a Sabbath rest and not necessarily the seventh day of the week.

1.    The healed man responds in verse 11, “But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’”” He says, I'm just doing what I was told to do. I've been healed and the one who healed me told me to do this.

2.    Listen to what happens next. “They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?””

3.    Think about this for a minute. Rather than rejoice with this man who has been disabled for 38 long years, they want to know who told him to break the Sabbath by carrying his bed! They do not see the sign that the great healer of the people has come. They only see their traditions being broken.

B.   Verse 13, “Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.” The healed man does not know who healed him. He did not know that the person he had been talking to was Jesus, and Jesus is not there at this moment. He has withdrawn and the crowds were forming around this man who had been healed.

C.   We are at verse 14. Jesus finds this healed man in the temple. There is the man, most likely in the temple glorifying God for the healing he has received and participating in the feast day that he had not been able to enjoy previously. “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”” The first thing that strikes me, is Jesus indicates in this shocking statement, that something worse can happen!

III.  Something worse can happen - Remember the question I asked you to hold in mind as we read? “What is the worst thing that could happen to you?” Stop for a moment and consider that. Picture the helplessness and hopelessness of this invalid. For 38 years he has been unable to walk and for a long time was left in this covered porch area in Jerusalem. Jesus says there is something worse that could happen to you.

A.   We have a cliché of sorts that we say to one another when we are suffering. These are probably the least comforting words you can say to somebody at that moment. It is not a cliché we really like to hear, but based on Jesus’ words, the cliché is quite true. “It could always be worse.” Something worse could happen to us. As terrible as our suffering can be and as difficult as it can be to deal with the challenges we have in life, there is something worse… and that is eternal punishment.

1.    For all that we may go through in this life, all the challenges that we face, all the suffering we may endure, and for all the times that we may question God and say I don't understand the injustice that I am dealing with or the great amount of pain I am enduring… there is the reminder that there is something far worse.

2.    No matter how difficult things are, no matter how fierce the suffering is, and no matter how challenging our trials are—it is worth remaining faithful to God through those difficulties because there is something worse. It is worth maintaining our integrity as Mark taught last week.

B.   It is worth maintaining our hope in God because if we do not, there is something far worse that awaits at the end, and that is the worst thing that can happen to us.

C.   When I say there is something worse, I don’t mean, yes, things in this life could be worse, like “I could get hit by a bus”, which is the way we often use this cliché. There are horrible things in this world. There are horrible things that we experience. Things that will break us, crush our spirit, and seem to destroy us. There is something far, far worse than anything we can possibly experience in our bodies on this earth… Eternal punishment.

IV.  Healed for holiness – I wondered, why the invalid was told to sin no more. He is to sin no more because he had been healed!

A.   Let us have a visit with Isaiah for a bit, Isaiah 6. In this chapter Isaiah has a vision. In this vision Isaiah is in the throne room of God and sees the Lord sitting upon a throne with seraphim round about. Isaiah says in verse 5, “… “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”” We see Isaiah expressing his feeling of total ruin, of being undone before the holiness of God. Then we see one of the spiritual beings, the seraphim, fly to Isaiah with a coal from the altar, touching his lips, making him clean.

1.    Next in verse 8 we see the Lord asking “Whom shall I send?” and that caused Isaiah, now healed from his sins, to volunteer for service. Immediately he says before God, “Here am I, send me”.

2.    When we have been cleansed of our sins, forgiven, and see the gracious God we serve, it should move our hearts and compel us to service. It compels us to want to look to God and ask what can I do?

B.   You have been healed for a purpose. You have not been healed to leave and go your own way. You have been healed to be holy. You have been healed to glorify God. You have been healed to go and sin no more. The life of holiness begins with seeing that we have been healed. This is the radical rebirth John has talked about.

C.   Jesus has come to the world of spiritually disabled people and has healed you from your sins. In Isaiah we see the holiness of the Lord from the perspective of Isaiah. The seraphim are crying out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory.” God’s holiness and our healing are to lead us to service. Today we add to that thought, our healing will also lead us to changed living. We will seek pure lives because of the healing we have experienced. His healing is the catalyst for our turning our lives to Jesus. “See, you are well! Sin no more.”

V.   The Meaning - Let’s step back as we conclude and consider why John chooses this miracle and what the sign is which we are supposed to learn. Why did Jesus pick this man among the multitude of disabled people? The text tells us that there was one man who had been in this condition for 38 years.

A.   In John 3, we spent some time in verse 16, with the famous words that we all know so well, that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Two verses before there was the connection that just as Moses put the bronze serpent on the pole, so also the son of man must be lifted up. John 3 paints with the wilderness wandering as a backdrop.

B.   Chapters 5-6 of John are set to that historical backdrop. Chapter 6 is about the bread from heaven that God gave in the wilderness. The time marker is the Passover, when God set the people free from Egyptian slavery and took them through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.

1.    Chapter 5 began by noting that this was a feast of the Jews. We do not know which one, but all of them centered upon being slaves in Egypt and the freedom God gave to them as they passed through the waters of the Red Sea and walked in the wilderness on the way.

2.    In chapter 3 Jesus likened Himself as the bronze serpent on the pole which was erected in the wilderness because of the people’s sins, that all who look to Him would be healed.

3.    Jesus selects a man who has been an invalid for 38 years. He is utterly helpless and utterly hopeless. Thirty-Eight does not sound significant but in terms of the wilderness wanderings, it is extraordinarily symbolic.

C.   Turn with me now to Deuteronomy 2:14-15. Here Moses is talking about their journey, “And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.” [ESV]

1.    You will remember the 12 that went out to reconnoiter the land. Ten of them reported “We can’t take the land”. The people of Israel listen to the 10. They rebel and try to stone Moses and Aaron. God intervenes and says, because you won't believe in Me and you will not trust Me, here's what's going to happen to you. You will all die in this wilderness.

2.    We often hear of the 40 year wandering, but the 38 years spotlight a specific sub-interval between two landmarks (Kadesh-barnea and crossing the Brook Zered), while the full 40 years speak of the entire span of wandering.

3.    The 38 years is the time frame of the death of the Israelite people, as God shows His displeasure with extremely wicked men by cutting their lives short. The hand of the Lord was against them for their sins. That is why they were in the wilderness. A journey that should have been relatively short turns into a 38 year death march because the people sinned. They are helpless and hopeless. There is no one who can help. There is no one to deliver these sinful people from their condition. They were completely lost because of their sins, their failure to obey God, and because of that they will not enter the Promised Land.

D.   You probably notice John keeps pointing out water in his gospel. Every time he points it out, he's showing how that has been ineffectual water compared to the living water that Jesus offers. We saw it with John's baptism. Jesus is greater than that and brings something greater.

1.    We saw it with the water turned to wine. Remember those Jewish ritual stone jars as Jesus takes that purification water and changes it. They're no longer going to be purifying themselves.

2.    We saw with Jacob's well, remember what the woman asked? Are you greater than our father, Jacob? The well provided water that filled a reoccurring need, but the living water Jesus offered filled an eternal need.

3.    Though this man wants to be healed, he simply cannot be healed. The pool water at Bethesda, like all the water seen in this gospel so far, is ineffectual, leaving the man paralyzed until Jesus comes to heal him. Jesus’ living waters of John 4 replace the water of John’s baptism (1:31-33), the ritual purifying waters (2:6), Jacob’s well (4:14), and now this popular healing pool.

E.   Here is our Lord saying, I'm greater than these things. This is who you are. You are helpless and you are hopeless before your Lord. You don't have any way out. This is your spiritual condition. The parallel to Exodus is so powerful because Moses leads the people to take them to the Promised Land. Moses failed. The people sin, Moses sins, Moses does not enter. That generation does not enter. There is failure.

1.    There is longing and looking for one who will not fail. Someone who will come and take the people who are helpless and hopeless and give them what they need. Here is Jesus coming and giving that hope. He can give that healing. He selects a person whose time there fits so well with the imagery of the nation itself.

2.    The people, ever since the very beginning, have been helpless and hopeless before God. Lost, in rebellion and in need of somebody to come and heal. The history of the Old Testament reveals that one never came. That's why the New Testament repeatedly points to the fact that the Law of Moses shows you your sins. It does not show you your way out. It only shows you your problem. It does not give you the solution. It only reveals your sin, and shows how when you stand before God, you will come up short.

3.    John tells us, God in the flesh has come. To use the words of John 1, God with us. God has now taken on flesh. God is now walking the streets of Jerusalem and He is going about bringing healing to the nation… healing to the people. He is the only one who can bring life to those in sin. Or to put it another way to what we saw in verse 14, He is the only one that can make sure that something worse does not happen to each of us. Hope and healing now walk into the scene and here is somebody who experiences it and is now called to live a life of holiness as he praises God in the flesh.

 

CONCLUSION: Where have you been turning for healing? We are in a world where people try to find hope and healing in all kinds of avenues and places... from books and television to vices and addictions, always trying to fill the void, always trying to find hope, always trying to deal with our need to be healed.

 

The Bible shows us that the yearning and waiting, the hopelessness and the helplessness, have all been pointing to one person. There is one person who can deal with all the hurt, with all the sins, and can give you what you are longing for. Jesus has come, and He is able to take away sins. He can say to you, go and sin no more so that nothing worse happens to you. He can remove the wrath. He can remove the punishment if you come to Him for healing.

 

If you will come and have your sins taken away… and then you follow Him and serve Him with all your heart, you will experience the radical life transformation that John has been painting in this gospel. You can be born again. You can be raised to new life, and there will be a whole new you in the kingdom of God. That is the calling that John wants us to hear and he wants us to see that the answer to that calling is only found in Jesus. Jesus is where our hope lies.

 

If you have not accepted Jesus and believed in Him and submitted your life to Him, that is your starting point—believe that Jesus is the son of God who came to this world and died for your sins. Be immersed in water to have your sins washed away to enter a relationship with Him so that you can know that you have eternal life.

 

If you've already begun there, don't stop. Do not think you can now put your life in neutral and you're good to go. Deepen the relationship. See Him as the treasure.

Recognize Him and honor Him for who He is. We invite you to come while we stand and while we sing.

 

 

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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville

 

NOTES:

Coffman’s commentary on verse 4: “Waiting for the moving of the water: for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water entered in was made whole, with whatsoever disease he was holden.

Upon what would appear to be sufficient critical grounds, these words have been removed from the English Revised Version (1885); but it is well that they have been retained in the margin, because they explain the common conviction regarding the pool which resulted in its popularity. It would be no great thing to stumble at if indeed it was part of John's Gospel. Whatever healing ever occurred there would thus have been attributed to the power of an angel of the Lord, and what would be so unreasonable about that? The healing qualities of the waters at Hot Springs, for example; are they any less of God and his angels, merely because our chemists have analyzed them? Is there not here a tracing back to their true source phenomena which men are so ready to ascribe to secondary sources? Is not all healing of God; and do not the Scriptures teach that God's angels are servants sent forth to do service for them that shall be the heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14).

The spurious nature of the words here cited, however, is not to be denied. They were probably added by some scribe at a very early date to explain what was meant by the cripple's having no one to help him get into the water at the propitious moment. If there had been any virtue in the waters of the pool, it seems highly incredible that they should have been efficacious only at indeterminate intervals, only for such a short while, and, even then, only for the person who got into them first. The cripple of this narrative had surely found them without any value to himself.

 

NOTE 2:

The Sheep Gate was a historic gate in Jerusalem's wall, crucial for bringing sacrificial sheep into the

city for the Temple, located near the Pool of Bethesda, and symbolized by its rebuilding first by priests

as a sign of spiritual restoration, foreshadowing Jesus as the ultimate Lamb of God and "the gate" for

salvation.

 

Historical & Geographical Significance

 

Location: In the northeast section of ancient Jerusalem, near the Temple Mount.

 

Function: It served as the entry point for sheep and other sacrificial animals, leading them to the

Temple for worship.

 

Nehemiah: The first gate rebuilt by the High Priest Eliashib and fellow priests during the wall

restoration, signifying spiritual priorities. It was consecrated by the high priest, symbolizing spiritual renewal and the reestablishment of proper worship after the Babylonian exile.

 

Pool of Bethesda: Near the Sheep Gate was the Pool of Bethesda, where the lame man was

healed by Jesus (John 5:2).

 

Symbolic & Theological Significance

 

Sacrifice: Represents the sacrificial system and the need for atonement.

 

Jesus: A powerful foreshadowing of Jesus, the "Lamb of God," who takes away the world's sin

(John 1:29).

 

Salvation: Jesus identified Himself as "the gate for the sheep," meaning He is the only way to

salvation and abundant life (John 10:7-9). The gate is symbolic of access to God, protection, and eternal life, with Jesus as the exclusive way to salvation and safety.

 

Restoration: Its rebuilding first signifies that spiritual renewal and focus on God must come before

other tasks, setting the tone for all restoration.

Living a Life of Integrity

Living A Life Of Integrity

Scripture: Romans 12:2

A lawyer is trying to call his clients. The phone rings and their little boy, in a whisper, says, "Hello."
Lawyer: "Is your mommy there?"
Boy: (whisper) "Yes."
Lawyer: "Can I speak with her?"
Boy: (whisper) "She's busy."
Lawyer: "Is your daddy there?"
Boy: (whisper) "Yes."
Lawyer: "Can I speak with him?"
Boy: (whisper) "He's busy."
Lawyer: "Is there anyone else there?"
Boy: (whisper) "The fire department."
Lawyer: "Can I talk to one of them?"
Boy: (whisper) "They're busy."
Lawyer: "Is there anybody ELSE there?"
Boy: (whisper) "The police department."
Lawyer: "Well, can I talk to one of THEM?"
Boy: (whisper) "They're busy."
Lawyer: "Let me get this straight, your mother, father, the fire department AND the police department are ALL in your house, and they're ALL busy. WHAT are they doing?"
Boy: (whisper) "They're looking for me."

Many in the world today think they are able to hide from God.

The ancient Chinese were So fearful of their enemies on the north that they built the Great Wall of China, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.

It was so high they knew no one could climb over it, and so thick that nothing could break it down.

Then they settled back to enjoy their security.

But during the first 100 years of the wall’s existence, China was invaded 3 times.

 

Not once did the enemy break down the wall or climb over its top. Each time they bribed a gatekeeper and THEN marched right through the gates.

According to the historians, the Chinese were so busy relying upon the walls of stone that they forgot to teach integrity to their children.

 

The editor of a popular magazine, has written rather despairingly: "What is going on in North America?. . .

We have no built-in beliefs, no ethical boundaries.

`Cheat on your taxes, just don’t get caught.

Cheat on your wife, just don’t get caught.’

Our high-tech society," he writes, "has given us everything - everything but a conscience," and integrity is a mangled casualty of our times.

 

Is this editor right?

Have we lost all sense of decency in our nation today?

Has our conscience been so damaged that we no longer recognize what is right and wrong?

Is integrity simply an old﷓fashioned and out﷓of﷓favor virtue?

 

By the way, what is integrity?

Simply put, integrity is more than just telling the truth.

Integrity is doing what you said you would do.

Integrity means keeping your promises.

Integrity means that your words and your actions are the same. In other words, you practice what you preach.

As someone has said, "Integrity is the foundation stone for eternal life."

 

So let’s look at ourselves this morning and ask the question, "Am I living a life of integrity?"

If not, then I had better scrap my present value system, determine what is important, and change my lifestyle because my salvation depends upon it.

 

 

Remember, it was Jesus who said in Matthew 16:26, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?"

 

So our first question is, "What is the source of my values?

I’m getting them from someplace.

Where am I getting them?"

Now that is a very important question, because where I get my values

determines how valuable they are.

As a nation, we’re largely being molded as to what morality is, what decency is, what integrity is by what we see on the TV set.

 

Listen to what it says in 1^st John 2:15&16.

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. 

If anyone loves the world,

the love of the Father is not in him. 

¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh

and the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[a]—

is not from the Father but is from the world.

 

It’s obvious, isn’t it, that the world’s value system has always remained the same.

This verse tells us that there are 3 basic world values that are constantly being conveyed to us.

 

The first one is pleasure.

John calls it "the lust for physical pleasure."

We are a culture majoring in pleasure.

Do you realize that the #1 industry in the U.S. is entertainment? We spend billions of dollars every year just trying to entertain ourselves.

 

LAST SUNDAY, on a cold snowy morning there were only a few of us that made it to the building for worship services while there was tens of thousands of people in Denver Colorado who paid 100’s of dollars each for the privilege of sitting on a snow covered seat and watching 22 guys beat each other up as they fight over an oblong ball on a frozen snow covered field.

And in the name of entertainment these spectators will be saying, "Boy, am I having fun. This is really great.

I’m freezing to death, but I’m having a wonderful time."

All in the name of entertainment!

 

Here’s the second world value – earthly possessions.

John calls it "the ambition to buy everything that appeals to you."

We are a culture obsessed with buying things, getting more and more things.

And we love to show off our possessions, our cars, our homes, our clothing, our jewelry.

We love to show those things off because We believe these things say that we are someone important.

 

AND, the third one is prestige.

John calls it "the pride that come from wealth and importance." We come up with little labels that brand us as successful people. "I’m a CEO," or "I’m an Executive Vice President.

I am someone who is really, really important."

 

That’s why Paul writes in Romans 12:2,

² Do not be conformed to this world, 

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

So we begin here. We choose for ourselves.

"Where am I going to get my values?"

I have only two basic choices.

I’m either going to get them from the Word of God or I’m going to get them from the world.

Those are the choices that I have.

 

 

Secondly, we need to determine what is important. 

Job 34:4 says, Let us choose what is right;
    let us know among ourselves what is good.

I want to give each of us a homework assignment.

When we go home, get out a piece of paper and pen, and write down the 10 most important things in our life.

Prioritize them. What’s the most important?

What’s the second most important?

The third most important, and so on.

Make a list of our values in life.

 

Now it is important for us to do that for a couple of reasons.

1.   Most of our values we didn’t choose.

You just assimilated them. You got them from your parents. You got them from what you read, or whatever.

So, it is important for you to firm them up.

"I’m going to determine now what’s really important for me. I’m not going to let someone else decide that, but I am going to decide what’s really important for me." AND,

2.   most of us never think about what’s important in life until it is too late. As long as we are just cruising through life and everything is falling into place, we never stop and ask the tough questions.

 

We never really ask ourselves, "What are my values?

What’s really important to me?" until we are bankrupt.

Or until we go through a divorce. Or until a loved one dies.

Then we stop and ask, "Am I living the way I ought to?

Are the really important things the things that I consider important in my life?"

 

It’s often not until tragedy comes that we begin to ask those kinds of questions. So what I’m encouraging you to do, is to do that before the pain, and save yourself some pain, because the pain will come but you will be better prepared for it if you have already determined what’s really important to you.

So make a list.

"Here are the things that are really important to me."

 

Now how are you going to decide what is really important and what is not? The key here is perspective.

Now by perspective I mean, look at it and ask, "How long is this going to last?"

If it is going to last for a long time, if it is going to last for eternity, then it is really important.

If it is going to last 30 years it is kind of important.

If it is going to last 10 years it’s kind of important, but not as important as 30 years.

And if it is only going to last for a short time, then it is not very important at all.

 

Now when you use that standard and compare it to what the world says are values, then notice what you come up with.

Here are the 3 valuable things according to the world:

The first is pleasure.

Listen to Hebrews 11:25. ²⁵ choosing rather

to be mistreated with the people of God

than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

Did you know sin was fun? I thought so.

Yes, sin is fun, and if it weren’t fun, no one would do it. Right?

 

1. The pleasures of sin are real. They’re described in Scripture.

But how long does it last?

A short time. Therefore it is not very valuable.

The pleasures of sin last a short time.

The pain of sin lasts a long, long time.

So when you consider the first worldly value, it doesn’t last very long.

 

2. What about possessions?

Paul writes in 1^st Timothy 6:7,

⁷ for we brought nothing into the world,

and^[a] we cannot take anything out of the world.

Have you ever seen a hearse pulling a U﷓Haul?

And when a millionaire dies and someone asks, "How much did he leave?"

The answer is always, "He left it all."

He didn’t take anything with him because what you accumulate in life is only going to be yours for the span of your lifetime.

You didn’t bring anything into this world.

You’re not going to take anything out of this world.

 

So how valuable are possessions?

Not very valuable, because they’re not going to last very long.

 

3. What about prestige?

In Mark 10:31, Jesus tells us that many people who seem to be important now will be the least important then. When? In eternity.

The King James version says, "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first."

In other words, there is going to be a reversal in order.

People who are in front of the line who really appear to be important now,

are not going to be very important at all in eternity.

 

And the people who don’t appear to be very important at all, are going to be extremely important in heaven.

So how important is power, position, and prestige in this life?

Not very important because they are not going to last very long. In fact, 1^st John 2:17 sums it up saying,

¹⁷ And the world is passing away

along with its desires,

but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

 

WITH THIS IN MIND

I’m going to look at the list of 10 things that I consider important and then ask myself, "Does my life match up?

Am I living in accordance with my God﷓given values?"

 

Now that is an extremely important question, and we need to be honest with ourselves here because the Gallup poll says,

"The #1 cause of stress in our lives today is not the lack of money, and it’s not the breaking down of relationships, it’s the inconsistencies in life.

It’s saying one thing and doing something else.

It’s constant conflict inside."

Ephesians 4:17 tells us that you must no longer walk

as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

That’s no life for you...Get rid of it.

Then take on an entirely new way of life – a God fashioned life renewed from the inside and working out into your conduct as God reproduces His character in you."

 

We’re talking about a new life here.

A life centered around Christ.

But many of us find it hard in our extremely busy lives to also have time for what God wants us to do.

 

So, Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13,

"I can do everything God asks me to do

with the help of Christ who gives me strength and power." With the strength and power of Jesus Christ, you can.

 

Paul writes to Timothy in 1^st Timothy 4:16 and tells him

to "keep a close watch on all that you do and think.

Stay true to what is right and God will bless you,

and He will use you to help other people."

 

I will close this morning with this story:

While on summer vacation at his grandparent’s farm, Sammy accidentally shoots his grandma’s pet duck with his slingshot. In a panic, he hid it behind a pile of wood. Unknown to him, his sister Marie saw the entire thing.

The next day, Grandma called on Marie to wash the dishes. However, instead of coming to help, Marie said, “Sammy said he wanted to help in the kitchen today, Grandma.” Sammy was surprised because he said no such thing.

Marie walked up to him and whispered, “Remember the duck?”

It was then that he realized Marie saw what had happened.

This went on for several days until one day, Sammy couldn’t take it anymore!

He went to Grandma and told her about everything that had happened.

Instead of scolding him, his Grandma hugged him and said, “I knew all along. I was waiting to see how long before you tell me so Marie will stop blackmailing you.”

 

The Moral:

Be honest about your mistakes.

There will be others who will have no qualms about using this information against you.

The more mistakes you make in secret, the heavier the burden on your conscience will be, and the easier it will for other people to take advantage of you. 

 

 

 

 

Praying

Praying

Philippians 1:1-11

This MORNING I would like for us to go back nearly 2,000 years to the city of Rome. We find ourselves in a small city which has a grassroots community center started by a former volunteer who is now imprisoned for nonviolent activism.

While the founder is behind bars, the center doesn’t close. Neighbors bring meals, a local church covers rent, and a group of young volunteers runs after‑school programs.

 

Every month the center posts a short video: the founder, through letters and recorded messages, thanks the supporters, celebrates small victories, and prays for the volunteers.

The supporters respond with more donations, prayer chains, and visits. Months later the center launches a new outreach program that reaches more families than before the founder’s arrest.

 

It is an exciting time to be in Rome, a metropolis of gladiators, chariots, and palaces. But we’re not going to stop at the coliseum or the emperor’s palace.
Instead, we’re going to look into a drab little room.

Inside we see a man seated on the floor. He’s an older fellow, shoulders stooped and his head balding. Chains are on his hands and feet that are also attached by a longer chain to a Roman guard.

It is the apostle Paul. The apostle who has traveled all over the world of his day. The apostle whose message has liberated people in almost every port.

The apostle who was bound only by the will of God is now bound by chains, restricted by walls, accused by enemies, and scheduled for trial in the court of the cruelest of emperors, Nero.

And Paul is writing a letter.

I am sure it has to be a complaint letter to God, a list of grievances. No doubt he is writing the New Testament version of the book of Lamentations.

You see, he has every reason to be bitter, to complain.

When we face situations of what we feel are wrong doings like this we often have the urge to WRITE A LETTER to EXPRESS our feelings of anger and how we were treated UNFAIRLY!!!

But PAUL doesn’t. Instead, he is writing a letter that now, 2,000 years later, is known as the “letter of joy.”

And that is the letter we are going to be looking at this morning.

Bobby Jones, a champion golfer, once said,

"Have you ever noticed how much golfers practice?

Smart businessmen have been quick to take advantage of that, developing public driving ranges where we can practice driving the ball, and putting greens where we can practice our putting."

"But why hasn’t someone developed public sand traps?

Sand traps are an inevitable part of the game of golf, and every golfer ought to practice ahead of time how to get out of trouble."
I think that’s good advice for all of us.

 

Because, as we talk about being thankful for the blessings that come our way, we must admit that problems and troubles also come our way.
It was Norman Vincent Peale who said, "Problems are a part of life.

All of us are going to have problems right up to the moment we die.

So it only makes sense, if we’re going to find ourselves in sand traps, that we learn how to get out of them.

And the letter to the Philippians, written by the apostle Paul, can help us do just that.

 

He writes this letter while imprisoned in Rome under what we would call "house arrest."

Today, courts enforce "house arrest" by attaching electronic monitors on the ankle of prisoners.

But back then, they simply chained the prisoner to Roman soldiers 24 hours a day.

Now that was usually better than being in a dungeon, but Roman soldiers could be cruel, and "house arrest" was not something to desire. Yet, Paul’s letter is filled with thanksgiving. And in it, Paul writes, “I always pray with joy..." (Philippians 1:3)

So let’s look at the first 11 verses of Philippians 1, and see what they teach us about praying with joy.
Paul begins by saying that prayer should be a first response rather than a last resort.

Listen to vs. 3, "I thank my God every time I remember you.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy..."

Then, in chapter 4, vs. 6, he says,

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God."

What is Paul saying?

He is saying that whenever anything happens to him, whether positive or negative, he prays.

That’s his first response.

 

He prays, "God, thank you for the blessings that you give me. God, I even thank you for the troubles that come my way.

Now teach me the lessons that I need to learn from them."

Paul always started with prayer.
But for many of us, we wait until we’re knee deep in the sand traps of life, and there seems to be no way out of our problems.

Then we call upon God and cry, "Help me. I’m in trouble."

We turn to prayer almost as a last resort.

Years ago a US AIR airplane crashed near Pittsburgh.

The cause of that crash was a mystery, because the plane just seemed to fall from the sky.

So it was with great interest that the investigators listened to the information recorded in the plane’s black box.
CNN played a portion of that recording on the air, revealing that there were just a few seconds from the time the pilot detected trouble until the plane crashed.

The black box revealed sounds from the cockpit:

First, there was an "Oh!" followed by some profanity and a string of curse words, then came the crash, and THEN SILENCE.

If you suddenly discovered that you had just a few seconds left to live how would you react?

Would you curse or would you pray?

I’ll can tell you what you would do.

You would respond instinctively.

 

You wouldn’t have time to think about it.

You would just respond in the way that is most natural for you to respond.
Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

 

So what kind of habits have you developed in your life?
A story is told of a soldier who was doing guard duty on the front line in WW1. After being relieved of duty, as a Christian, he wanted to pray, to thank God for protecting him, and to ask for His continued protection.

But the enemy lines were very close, and he couldn’t go far, so he just walked a little ways away from where he had been standing guard, knelt and began to pray aloud.

 

The sentry who replaced him heard his voice and thought he was speaking to someone in the enemy lines.

So, he reported him.

The officer in charge confronted him and told him, "You’ve been accused of revealing secrets to the enemy.

How do you respond?"
The soldier said, "It’s not true. I wasn’t doing that."

The officer replied, "Then what were you doing when you were out there near the enemy and talking?"

He soldier immediately responded, "I was praying."
"You were praying out loud?"
"Yes, I was."
The officer said, "Show me. Pray right now."
So the young man knelt and prayed.

And when he finished the officer dismissed the charges. "Because," he said, "nobody can pray like that unless he has been practicing."

So what do you do naturally when troubles come your way?

Paul says that prayer should be a first response and not a last resort.
Secondly, prayer should be offered in an attitude of gratitude rather than as a complaint.

Nothing inhibits prayer more than a grumbling, complaining spirit.
In vs. 3. Paul writes, "I thank my God every time I remember you."

Now that’s an amazing statement because if you go back and read in the Book of Acts about Paul’s first visit to Philippi you’ll find that some very bad things happened to him while he was there.

He could have said, "I remember Philippi and that demon possessed slave girl who followed us around and harassed us.

 

 

I remember how they arrested us, and beat us, and put us into chains, and then tossed us deep into that dark and dirty dungeon.

Oh yes, I remember the terrible experiences we had in Philippi."

"But no," he said, "I remember Lydia and how she and all her household became Christians.

I remember casting a demon out of a slave girl and seeing her set free.

I remember the Philippian jailer and his family, and all those other people who are now followers of Jesus.

And when I remember, I thank my God for you."

Like Paul, we have a choice.

BOTH Positive and negative things happen every day.

You can focus on the negative and become an unhappy grumbler if you want. But if you’ll focus on gratitude, wonderful things can happen in your life.

Now, Listen to vs. 6, "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

God has a plan for your life, and for mine.

There’s a task that He has called us to do, a place that He wants us to fill. And He’s not finished with us yet.

Paul had developed some deep relationships with the people in Philippi.

When we read his letter we sense that Paul really loves them.

In vs. 5 he thanks them for their "partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."

And in vs’s 7 and 8 he says,

"It is right for me to feel this way about all of you,

since I have you in my heart;

for whether I am in chains or

defending and confirming the gospel,

all of you share in God’s grace with me.
“God can testify how I long for all of you

with the affection of Christ Jesus."

 

In other words, "I love you as Jesus loves you."
When you’re in trouble it is important to have friends who will stand beside you, friends who will be there through thick and thin, that you can always count upon.

You know they’ll never leave you nor forsake you.
But if you’re always grumbling, self-centered and discontented, you may get attention, but it won’t last.

People soon get tired of listening to complaints.

Cleve McClary is an ex-marine who fought in Vietnam where he was badly wounded.

He lost one eye and all of his teeth.

He lost one arm and most of the fingers on his other hand.

He lost hearing in one of his ears.
When you look at him he’ll look back at you with that one eye and you know you have his undivided attention.

He has a personality that just draws people to him.

 

And he’ll reach out with what’s left of his one good hand and grip your hand tightly as he exchanges greetings with you.
Cleve McClary has an optimistic spirit, even though life has been tough for him.

He has a special license plate on his car with the word "FIDO" on it F I D O.

When asked what that means he says it means, "Forget it and drive on."

"Forget it and drive on."

There are times when we need to let go of our burdens and just drive on in life.

So, we need to pray with an attitude of gratitude rather than complaining.

 

And now we come to vs’s 9-11 where Paul says,

"This is my prayer:

that your love may abound more and more in knowledge

and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern

what is best and may be pure and blameless

until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness

that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God."

Linda Birtish literally gave herself away. Linda was an outstanding teacher who felt that someday, when she had the time, she would like to devote herself to painting and writing poetry.
When she was 28, however, she began to get severe headaches. Her doctors discovered that she had an enormous brain tumor. They told her that her chances of surviving an operation were about 2%. Therefore, rather than operate immediately, they decided to wait for at least 6 months.
She was convinced that her talent had been given for a reason.

 

So, during those 6 months she wrote and painted feverishly.

All of her poetry, except her last poem, were published in magazines. All of her paintings, except for her last one, were shown and sold at some of the leading art galleries.
At the end of 6 months, they scheduled the operation.

The night before the operation, she decided literally to give herself away.

In case of her death, she wrote a will in which she donated all of her usable body parts to those who needed them.

 

Unfortunately, Linda’s operation was not successful, and her will was carried out.

Her eyes went to an eye bank in Bethesda, MD, and from there to a recipient in So. Carolina.

As a result, a young man, age 28, went from darkness to sight.
That young man was so profoundly grateful that he wrote to the eye bank thanking them for existing.

 

 

It was only the second "thank you" letter that the eye bank had ever received after giving out more than 30,000 eyes!
Furthermore, he said he wanted to thank the parents of the donor.

They must indeed be magnificent folks to have a child who would give away her eyes.
He was given the name of the Birtish family and decided to fly up to see them.

He arrived unannounced and rang the doorbell.

After hearing who he was, Mrs. Birtish reached out and embraced him.

After visiting with him for a while she said, "Young man, if it’s possible, my husband and I would love for you to spend the weekend with us."

He stayed, and as he was looking around Linda’s room, he saw that she’d read Plato.

He’d read Plato in Braille.

She’d read Hegel. He’d read Hegel in Braille.
The next morning Mrs. Birtish said, "You know, I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere before, but I don’t know where." All of a sudden she remembered.

 

She ran upstairs and pulled out the last picture Linda had ever painted. It was a portrait of her ideal man.
The picture was virtually identical in appearance to this young man who had received Linda’s eyes.

Then her mother read the last poem Linda had written.
It said: "Two hearts passing in the night, falling in love, never able to gain each other’s sight."

We sing an old hymn that says, "What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry everything to Him in prayer.
Have you trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
You should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer."

CONCL. Is prayer a first response to you?

Or is it a last resort?

Do you pray in an attitude of gratitude?

Or are you always grumbling?

When you pray, do you make sure that God receives the glory, and not you?

If you’re here this morning outside of Jesus, you can change that.

You can be baptized this morning to wash away your sins and to walk in newness of life.

That’s why we extend an invitation.

We give you the opportunity to come forward and either be baptized

or to rededicate your life to the Lord.

If you have either need ....
Will you come as we stand and sing?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contributing Sermon
Melvin Newland