Chardon church of Christ

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

 

Continuing Education

Continuing Education

Mark 10:35-45

 

INTRO: Good morning church. We have reached the end of John chapter 4 in our lessons and before we start chapter 5, I thought we would take a break. As we study the Lord’s word and continue to grow, we will find we are in good company. Even the apostles had much to learn. Today we will read a bit of their continuing education.

Open your Bibles to the 10^th chapter of the gospel of Mark. From our text this morning I’m going to read a few verses at a time for context and then make some observations and comments. In this lesson I will occasionally refer to some scriptures without reading them.

We will start with Mark 10:35-37 – “And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”” [ESV]

Then skipping down to Mark 10:41 – “And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.” [NKJV]

Human ambition is a fact. Perhaps not all of us possess ambition to the same degree, but it does seem that in all of us, to some extent, is a desire for advancement, the desire for recognition. Add to that the fact that the desire for “more” is something that is characteristic from the lowliest to the greatest. When ambition exists in any sort of “closed system”, it can become a divisive thing. This can be seen in job situations. It can be seen in sports teams as Mark can probably tell you. It can be seen in club settings, and, yes, it can even be found within the Lord’s church.

Our text for this morning presents us with a situation fraught with peril for the apostles. Ambition has reared its head and has been discovered by those who are being, “left out”, of the request that is made. Before I am misunderstood, I want to stress that being ambitious in and of itself is not wrong or sinful. I’m not saying that, but ambition must always be tempered by other qualities.

 

When I was working as a manager if I had an employee whose ambition was to do the best possible job in all cases, I considered that person valuable. On the other hand someone whose ambition was to find a job that allowed them to warm a chair all day listening to their favorite music, not so much. Unfortunately for the person with little ambition they probably would not even get in the door.

 

I have heard it said that ambition in life usually progresses through the following stages: to be like Dad... to be famous... to be a millionaire... to make enough to pay the bills... to hang on long enough to retire.

 

Our situation here today involves a request that is made by two brothers, James and John.

 

I.     THE REQUEST OF JAMES AND JOHN - Mark 10:37 clearly sets out their request - “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”[ESV]

A.   Let’s start with what these two men must have believed. They have referred here to - “your glory”. Matthew, in his account of this request says the request was made by the mother of James and John. In Matthew 20:21 we read “your Kingdom”. Mark is more direct and shorter then Matthew in descriptions, so for me if the request came directly from the Apostles or via their mother it is not an issue. It is still a request to secure for these two Apostles a ranking place in the Kingdom that is to come.

1.    What is it that these brothers are asking? Although we do not think in terms of kingdoms and such things these days, what these brothers are requesting is that they be given the greatest places within the kingdom of God.

2.    This tells us one shining thing about them—bewildered as they might be, they still believed in Jesus. It is amazing that they could still connect glory with a Galilean carpenter who had incurred enmity and the bitter opposition of the orthodox religious leaders. There is amazing confidence and loyalty there. Misguided James and John might be, but their hearts were in the right place. They never doubted Jesus' ultimate triumph.

3.    It is equally evident that they are still concluding that Jesus is soon going to ascend an earthly throne. They think in terms of an earthly kingdom like those with which they were familiar.

4.    In Luke 18:34, not in a parallel passage, but in a passage closely akin to what we’re reading here. Jesus is teaching them about what will happen in Jerusalem and at verse 34 the writer observes, “But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them… ” It was not hidden in that Jesus did not want them to understand. It was hidden because they lacked the understanding to accept it.

B.   They are asking a favor as the result of a relationship.

1.    They do not grasp currently all the things that are going on and they really do not understand the ramifications of what they are requesting, but they make the request nevertheless because of a close relationship they have with Jesus.

2.    We know that James and John were part of a kind of inner circle among the apostles. In Matthew 17:1 we see that along with Peter, James and John went with Jesus into the mount of transfiguration. In Matthew 26:37 we find the same three went with Jesus further into the garden in the hour of prayer.

3.    Beyond that, there is every indication in scripture that James and John are the cousins of Jesus. Matthew 27:56 indicates that their mother is one of the women who is at the cross. She is there with Mary.

4.    They see themselves as having a very favored relationship, and out of this relationship comes this request.

5.    It’s almost as if they are a little bit shy as they ask this, because in verse 35 they’re saying; “We just want You to agree to do something and then we will tell you what it is.” Of course, Jesus doesn’t do that, does He? He wants to know; “What is it that you request of me?”

C.   I mentioned this earlier and it is interesting. Was it their mother, or was it they who made the request?

1.    In Matthew’s gospel it seems that it is the mother who makes the request. Mathew 20:20.

2.    I suspect it was likely that their mother is the one who makes the actual request. The request is made at the behest of her sons, James and John, who, in typical human fashion, may believe that Jesus will give greater weight to their request if it comes from their mother. This same logic is used today by some religious people to suggest that prayer to others can intercede for us. That is not what is taught in the Bible. Jesus is our intercessor. Hebrews 7:25 – “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” Romans 8:34 – “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

3.    I want to be sure that I commend again the confidence and the loyalty of James and John.

D.   Let’s think about that for a moment.

1.    Their loyalty was well placed. They may have misunderstood about the kingdom, but I commend them for their loyalty to the Lord.

2.    That brings us to what I call a draught line: their need for more knowledge.

II.    THE IGNORANCE OF JAMES AND JOHN

A.   We go on and read in Mark10:38 – “Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?””

1.    They asked for this favor in ignorance of the nature of His kingdom. That is very evident.

2.    Furthermore, they were ignorant of the events that were going to transpire which would be cataclysmic, overwhelming events.

3.    Jesus refers to the cup and the baptism. These are descriptive words for experiences one is going to have which are serious, heavy and overwhelming.

4.    I’d like you to turn in your bibles to Matthew 26:37-39. In verse 37 we see that Peter, James and John went with Jesus further into the garden of Gethsemane “And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.”

5.    Listen as we read of the weight, the seriousness, the heaviness of this cup that Jesus is about to drink, this baptism with which He is about to be baptized. “Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.””

6.    Descriptive words. Of course, we know that in the texts of the New Testament baptism usually means an immersion in water, but baptism has a more general meaning than that, it something that overwhelms. Thayer’s first definition is: Baptism is used topically of calamities and afflictions with which one is quite overwhelmed: Mark 10:38; Matthew 20:22f; Luke 12:50. Indeed, in water when one is immersed the water overwhelms. Here Jesus refers to something that is going to overwhelm.

7.    It’s true that they do not understand in their ignorance what they ask. Jesus says, “Can you drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” “And they said to Him, "We can.''”

8.    They don’t really realize, YET, what has happened and what is going to happen.

B.   Jesus acknowledged that they would experience the “cup” and “baptism”. “And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized,”

1.    We see what happens to James in Acts 12:1-2 – “About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword,” James was killed by Herod. I’m not sure how much time passed after Jesus told them that they would drink the cup and be baptized with the baptism with which He was baptized, but this event takes place, and James was killed for his faith.

2.    In Revelation 1:9 we discover that John, who apparently died a natural death was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, as he says, for the Word of God. He is in exile. He is drinking the cup. He is being baptized with the baptism, which is an overwhelming experience because of his faith, for the testimony which he held.

3.    At the time of their request these two men, coming to Jesus as they did, had no concept, no idea of the cup of which they would later be drinking. We’re confident that we can drink the cup. We can experience the overwhelming experience that you’re going to experience.

4.    They didn’t understand what they were saying. That was out there in the future.

C.   We come in Mark’s gospel to Mark 10:40 and read this: “but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

1.    There is similar language to this in Matthew 20:23 – “He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.””. In other words, what Jesus said is that privilege in the kingdom of God is not based on favor and friendship.

2.    James and John see things from a worldly point of view. They see things like political appointments to be made, favors that are handed out by those in power to those who are their friends and relatives. Don’t we see a lot of that in our world today?

3.    Jesus said that’s not the way it is in the kingdom of God. Our future blessing in the kingdom of God rests upon His grace and our obedience to the Lord.

III.  NIPPING THE PROBLEM IN THE BUD

A.   Here’s the problem—human ambition—and Jesus must nip this problem in the bud. Let’s come back to verse 41 in Mark 10: when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. The ambition of James & John threatened apostolic unity.

1.    The feelings of the ten apostles isn’t all that unnatural! A request has been made of Jesus. I have a strong suspicion that the request was made in private, but somehow it becomes known to the other ten.

2.    Perhaps there’s a lesson in that. The lesson is this: It doesn’t matter how secret you believe the confidence you have shared may be, they have a way of being known, a way of getting out and becoming hurtful to people. In this situation that’s what happened. The ten apostles who are not part of this request are hurt.

3.    They’re upset, and I think we can understand why. Among the apostles neither explicitly nor implicitly was there a difference in rank. Never was it mentioned anywhere, as far as ranking was concerned. Did they have different responsibilities and roles? Yes, that happened, but as far as rank none of them was more important than the other.

4.    James and John, though they may have been the physical kin of Jesus, were not more important than Peter and Andrew and Phillip and the others. The situation is a threat to apostolic unity and Jesus must do something about it.

B.   Jesus took immediate, and appropriate action to defuse the situation.

1.    I’d like you to notice Mark 10:42 – “And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.” He begins to solve the problem by describing the situation in the world. You know what goes on in the world He says. People who are considered great have power and authority, and they exercise that power and authority over others.

2.    Then He says in Mark 10:43-44 – “But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” The world has a standard, but Jesus lays down the standard for greatness in the kingdom.

i.      He says here it is: Those who are great are those who become servants of all—willing servants.

ii.    Those who are going to be considered chiefest (interesting word) are those who serve others. There is no place in His kingdom for power, position and pride!

C.   Jesus makes one final argument nipping this problem in the bud. Mark 10:45 –

1.    “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Not only is the world view not to be the view in the kingdom, there’s not to be in the kingdom a desire for position and power growing out of pride. Not only that, He says, even I the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Savior, I did not come to be served. I came to minister to others.

2.    Even the Son of God. In John 13:13-15 are verses that so clearly illustrate this lesson. At the washing of the apostles’ feet, Jesus says: “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

3.    It’s difficult for our modern, western minds to comprehend the significance of this. In that time when a person came into a house, servants would come and wash that person’s feet. He was walking in some serious dust and his feet were dirty. It was one of the marks of hospitality for him to have his feet washed by one of the servants in the house.

4.    On this occasion the Bible says that Jesus took off His outer robes, girded Himself with a towel, and begins to wash the feet of the apostles. In other words: I, your Lord and Master did not come to be served. I came to serve. I came to minister. I may be Lord and Master, yet I will kneel to the most menial task, the washing of the feet of my disciples.

5.    He adds in this final argument that He came to give His life a ransom for many. There is in that statement without doubt His reference to His own death. His substitutionary death.

6.    In your Bibles you might want to turn to a very familiar passage in First Peter. 1^st Peter 2:24 – Peter writes this of Jesus; “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” Then in 1^st Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”. He came to give His life a ransom for many.

 

CONCLUSION:

Human nature can at times become a problem even within the Lord’s church. Human ambition has no place among the saints of God. Zeal for the kingdom however does have a place. Repeatedly, Jesus teaches what’s real, great and good—to please and serve others. That’s the nature of life within the kingdom.

 

God wants us, his people, to grow in knowledge of the scriptures, both for our own understanding and so that we might accurately encourage others. Discipleship includes lifelong learning to better know God, i.e. rightly dividing the word of truth, applying His word, growing in character and serving others effectively. Let us not forget that not only are we to be learners, but we are also to be instructors and that is part of serving others. This admonition is repeated throughout the scriptures.

 

• 2 Peter 3:18: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ".
• 2 Peter 1:5: "Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge".
• Proverbs 10:14: "Wise people store up knowledge".
• 2 Timothy 2:15: "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth". 

 

 

We’re going to sing the song which was announced a while ago and as we sing if there are those present needing to take this opportunity to publically make known needs in their lives, you may step into the aisle and make your way to the front and let us know that need.

 

If you need the prayers of brothers and sisters, we would be glad to pray with you.

If you’ve never been baptized into Christ, your life in the kingdom has not yet begun and you need to do that.

Come believing, penitent, confessing the name of Christ, submitting yourself in loving obedience to the commandment of Jesus Christ and be baptized for the forgiveness of sin. You can do that today.

Whatever the need, we invite you to come.

 

 

# ???

Reference sermon, Cecil A. Hutson, 06 April 2008

 

Encounter with the Wee Little Man

ENCOUNTER with The WEE LITTLE MAN

Luke 19:1-10

 

A man went for physical checkup and the nurse asked him how much he weighed. He held his stomach in and replied, "160 lbs." She got him on the scales, weighed him and said: "No, your weight is 176 lbs.

The nurse then asked him how tall he was. Standing very straight he answered, "5 feet 10 inches." The nurse measured him and said, no - he was only 5’8".

 

Then the nurse asked him what his normal blood pressure was. After looking at her for a moment he said, "How can you expect my blood pressure to be normal???

I came in here a tall, slender man and you have already made me short and fat."

 

Our text is found in (Luke 19:1–10)

He entered Jericho and was passing through. 

² And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus.

He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 

³ And he was seeking to see who Jesus was,

but on account of the crowd he could not,

because he was small in stature. 

⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree

to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 

⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up

and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down,

for I must stay at your house today.” 

⁶ So Zacchaeus hurried and came down

and received him joyfully. ⁷ And when they saw it,

they all grumbled, “HE has gone in

to be the guest of a man who is A SINNER.” 

⁸ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord,

“Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.

And if I have defrauded anyone of anything,

I restore it fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, 

 

“Today salvation has come to this house,

since he also is a son of Abraham. 

¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

 

Introduction:

Jericho was bustling that day—crowds pressing in, voices rising, dust swirling. And in the middle of it all was a man who had everything money could buy and nothing his soul truly needed.

Zacchaeus wasn’t just short in stature; he was short on friends, short on integrity, short on hope. Yet something in him longed to see Jesus.

This is a story about a man who climbed a tree to see Jesus—and discovered that Jesus had already been looking for him.

 

Zacchaeus was A Man Defined by His Past

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector.

Not just a tax collector—but he was the chief tax collector.

He was wealthy, but his wealth came from exploiting his own people.

 

And, Because of that

• He was socially rejected
• He was Spiritually isolated
• He was Morally compromised
• And Zacchaeus was Personally empty

 

The People of that time saw the negative label placed on Zacchaeus.

Jesus saw his longing to belong and fit in.

Every congregation has people like Zacchaeus—

some hiding in plain sight,

some hiding behind success,

some hiding behind shame.

And many of them are quietly climbing trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of grace.

 

When Zacchaeus Climbs the Sycamore Tree

He is displaying A Picture of Spiritual Hunger

Despite his reputation, Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree.

Running was undignified. Climbing was childish.

But desperation often looks foolish to the world.

But in the actions displayed by Zacchaeus I believe he teaches us something essential:

Spiritual hunger is the first step toward spiritual healing.

 

He didn’t know what he was looking for.

But he knew what he had wasn’t enough.

 

Then we see Jesus Stop, Look Up, and Call His Name

This is the turning point.

Jesus stops under the tree.

He looks up. He calls Zacchaeus by name.

He invites Himself to Zacchaeus’s house.

This is grace in motion.

 

Jesus doesn’t say: “Clean up your life, then I’ll come.”

He says: “I’m coming in—and that will clean your life.”

Grace always precedes transformation.

And notice: Zacchaeus climbed the tree to see Jesus.

But Jesus came to seek Zacchaeus.

 

I was very surprised by the reaction of the crowd that was present.

The Crowd Grumbles: It seems that Grace for some reason…

Offends the Self‑Righteous

 

When Jesus chooses Zacchaeus, the crowd mutters: “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

They weren’t wrong.

They were just blind to their own need.

The gospel appears to look scandalous to those who think they don’t need it.

 

But Zacchaeus Responds with Radical Repentance

Zacchaeus stands and declares:

• “Half my possessions I give to the poor.”
• “If I have cheated anyone, I will repay fourfold.”

This is not guilt. This is not religious pressure.

This is joy‑filled repentance.

 

Grace doesn’t just forgive sin—it breaks its power.

Zacchaeus didn’t change to earn Jesus’ love.

He changed because he had already received it.

 

And then comes the declaration that

“Today salvation has come to this house.”

Not someday. Not after a probation period.

Not once Zacchaeus proved himself.

Today, right now…. Salvation has come.

salvation is not a reward for good behavior.

It is the presence of Jesus entering a life.

 

The Mission of Jesus is summed up in One Sentence

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

This is the heartbeat of the gospel.

This is the mission of the church.

This is the hope of every Zacchaeus in every generation.

Jesus seeks.

Jesus saves.

Jesus restores.

 

Where Are We in the Story?

Every person is somewhere in this narrative:

• Some are found In the crowd, curious but distant
• Some have climbed the tree, longing but unsure
• Some are sitting with Jesus In the house,

receiving grace

• Some are In the middle of the transformation,

living out repentance

• And then there are those who make up the crowd Grumbling, blaming others for their problems forgetting their own need for mercy

 

As I prepared this sermon a song from years back came to mind:

It was sung by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel

" I've built walls

A fortress deep and mighty

That none may penetrate

I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain

It's laughter and it's loving I disdain

I am a rock, I am an island

 

I have my books

And my poetry to protect me

I am shielded in my armor

Hiding in my room, safe within my womb,

I touch no one and no one touches me.

I am a rock, I am… an island

("I Am A Rock")

 

That’s how I picture Zacchaeus –

a lonely, isolated man who has everything...

except what he really wants.

And then Jesus comes to town.

 

Now, the real question is…

What does the story of Zacchaeus tell us?

 

It tells us there are people in this world that are hurting.

And they are often men and women that behave in ways that aren’t particularly endearing.

They’re often not cute puppy dog types with big soft eyes that say -"won’t you take me home?"

 

They are rough people. Hard edged and rude.

 

And they’ll try to swindle you in a business deal or rip you off when you’re not looking.

Inside, they are little people who’ve built walls around themselves.

Walls laced with barbed wire.

They’re often NOT nice people.

 

AND even though they know that being like this isn’t right…

They believe that’s what life has to offer…

And If they let down the walls, if they are nice to someone for even a moment –

they’ll get hurt and lose the protection that has for so long comforted them.

Their walls are up and they know of nothing better for their lives…

That is, until Jesus comes.

 

That’s what Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit

the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:

Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters

nor adulterers nor male prostitutes

nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy

nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers

will inherit the kingdom of God.

And that is what some of you were.

But you were washed, you were sanctified,

you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

and by the Spirit of our God."

 

And, One last thing I want us to notice –

Jesus came looking for Zacchaeus.

He knew where he lived.

He knew the turmoil in Zacchaeus’ heart.

 

He came to make a difference in the life a man who was small, petty and bitter.

If Jesus would go to all that trouble for a man like Zacchaeus, wouldn’t he do the same for your life?

 

I will close today’s lesson with a story about a man named Big Jim. Big Jim was the head of an orphanage, & he had a great ability to make people feel good about themselves.

If there was a little kid with unruly hair, he had the ability to make that child believe that everybody wanted unruly hair.

If a kid had big feet, why he made him think that everybody envied him, that it was the "in" thing to have big feet.
He just had the ability to make everybody feel good about themselves, regardless of their physical appearance.

Well, one day when Big Jim was out buying groceries, the social worker brought a new boy to be cared for in the orphanage, a little boy about 9 years old who had an ugly birthmark on the side of his face.

 

The kid had been abused, nobody seemed to love or accept him, & he was filled with hostility.
Well, when she left him, the boy began cursing her & everybody around him.

Then he went over to the corner, sat down & sulked.

He wouldn’t talk to anybody, not even the other kids.

The kids wondered what Big Jim would do when he came back. Finally, they heard his old station wagon pull up, & they all rushed to the door, greeting him & hugging him as they always did.

Big Jim walked into the room & there was this little boy crouched in the corner, with the ugly birthmark on his face.

Big Jim said, "Well, what do we have here?"

Someone replied, "The social worker just dropped him off.”

"Well, well," said Big Jim.

He walked over to that little boy & knelt down beside him.

Then he swooped him up in his arms & kissed him right on that birthmark.
All the kids started clapping, because they knew that if Big Jim kissed the birthmark it was all right. It made it beautiful, just because Big Jim said it was.

People, that is what God has done.

His love has covered us completely so that He doesn’t see the ugly parts of us any more.

We are beautiful in God’s sight.

He has made us beautiful.
If you’re here & are experiencing the loneliness of rejection, then I want you to know

that God looks beyond all those things that people might consider ugly & unattractive.

 

He looks at your heart.

He looks for love. He looks for repentance.

And He looks for commitment.

If you have those things, you’re beautiful in God’s sight.

If you don’t have them, God wants to take you in His arms, the same way that Big Jim took the little boy in his, & make you all new again.

 

The good news is this:

Jesus is still stopping under trees.

He is Still calling names.

He is Still entering homes.

He is Still saving the lost.

And He still delights in turning sinners into sons, outcasts into disciples, and broken stories into testimonies of grace.

We extend the Lord’s invitation.

We invite you to come as we stand & sing.

 

The Problem of Unbelief

The Problem of Unbelief

John 4:43-54

 

INTRO:

The problem of belief and unbelief has really been a theme that John has been carrying in his gospel.

 

Part of the problem is that we often define unbelief as the total rejection of God.

That's why if you take a general poll about if people believe in God, you get an extraordinarily high rating. Also if you ask people if they believe in Jesus, you get yet another extraordinarily high rating.

 

John, in a sense, is dealing with that and trying to show us what true belief really looks like, and in the process, exposes unbelief.

 

What is true belief? Who will believe in Jesus? Nicodemus came to Jesus with belief: “We know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus shows him that he has insufficient belief. Nicodemus must experience the new birth, total regeneration of the heart, to have saving faith. That same problem was illustrated in John 2:23-25. Many believed in His name when they saw the signs, but Jesus did not entrust Himself to them because He knew their hearts. Jesus is dealing with what true belief looks like and John is showing it to us. Many seem to have faith and belief in Jesus, but it is insufficient, shallow faith. John returns to this problem of unbelief in the final paragraph of chapter 4.

 

I. Unbelief Described – Verse 43, “After the two days he departed for Galilee.” Jesus has been in Samaria and He stayed there two days. Many in Samaria believed because of the words He was teaching. They no longer believed because of the woman’s testimony, but their faith had deepened to belief in Jesus because they heard Him for themselves. They confess Jesus to be the Savior of the world.

A. Then Jesus leaves and continues to Galilee. Remember in John 4:3 that Jesus left Judea and was going to Galilee. The reason why is because the Pharisees' attention has turned away from John the Baptist and is now turning toward Jesus, recognizing that He needs to be the point of their opposition.

1. Jesus continues His journey to Galilee and a curious statement is made in verse 44. “(For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.)” John tells us Jesus is going to Galilee (which was his own country) and then inserts this parenthetical comment that He had testified a prophet has no honor in his own country. Then John writes in verse 45 “So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.”

2. That does not seem to make any sense. He is going to Galilee, where He is not going to receive any honor, yet the Galileans welcome Him. What are you telling us John? I think the things John wants us to observe are still about what belief and what unbelief really looks like.

B. The first is simply this, there is a contrast being drawn to the reaction of the Samaritans and the reaction of the Galileans.

1. In Samaria Jesus has enjoyed unqualified, unopposed, and open-hearted success. When the woman returned to the town, she told them of her experience and says, you need to come and see. Is this perhaps the Messiah? All the town comes to see Jesus, and we’re told there that they then believe on Him.

2. Next Jesus returns to His own people, the Jews, and the response is not going to be the same. Notice it is very carefully worded there in verse 45. The reason why the Galileans welcome Him is because of all the signs that He's done in Jerusalem. They are not welcoming Jesus based upon a true belief in Him.

3. Jesus finds acceptance with the Samaritans but rejection with His own people. The Samaritans believed because of what Jesus said (John 4:42). This belief has led to their salvation because they recognize Jesus to be the Savior of the world. They are experiencing the life changing faith that Jesus calls for. However, this is not true with his own people.

4. They are looking for the wow factor, to see something special occur. They saw all that He had done in Jerusalem at the feast, and they welcomed Him because of the signs. However, Jesus does not want “wow” belief but new birth. Jesus is not trying to generate in people’s hearts; a “wow, that was neat” belief. Jesus is trying to generate life-change, new birth, and fully transforming faith.

C. We see this several times in John's Gospel. We will see it again in John 7:2f, “2. Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. 3. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5. For not even his brothers believed in him.” We're told Jesus' brothers do not believe, but what do they want Him to do? Go to Jerusalem and show who you are. Put on a big display. Show them a sign you are who you say you are. They don't truly believe, but they're saying He can do signs.

1. It is the same here. They welcome Jesus, but it is a very shallow welcoming. They only want to see some miracles. They want to see Him do something neat.

2. The despised Samaritans turn to Christ in faith and declare “You are the savior of the world”, while the historical covenant community of God either oppose Jesus or cannot progress beyond a fascination for miracles. This goes back to the point John made at the beginning of this gospel: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11).

3. It has been a couple months but remember we read in John 2:23, “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” Jesus is not being honored for who He is but what He did.

D. Do you think that this same false belief exists today? Are there those who believe in Jesus based on some shallow, physical benefit that can be derived from Him? Is there still the problem of people who are interested in Jesus and an association with Him, not to honor Him for who He is but for what they can get out of it?

1. I strongly suspect it is still very much an issue. That shallow belief, will leave them condemned. The pursuit of Jesus is often about, what does it mean for me? What am I going to get out of this? It’s not about, I'm going to follow you because I know who you are and I know how great you are and you are worthy of honor and praise.

2. It's about—I like this place because they've got good youth groups. They've got camps. They've got good music. They've got things that I really enjoy, good get-togethers, the church is nice, there's some kind of financial gain, the people take care of me. It is entertaining.

3. When we turn worship into what we get out of it or what we like, then we do not have the life transforming faith that Jesus expects. Bob Spence used to tell me that you only get out of it what you put in it. John tells us the people believe in Jesus because of what they can get from Him, and that happens today as well. People often think rather than Jesus being the treasure, the treasure is what we can get out of Jesus.

4. People are not coming to Jesus for mercy and salvation. They are coming to Him to divide inheritances, to tell others what to do, to justify their own lifestyle and decisions, and to gain something now.

E. Jesus is not a hobby. Jesus is not an idol to be put on the shelf with all the other things we put up and take down at will. Jesus demands life change. Jesus calls for new birth. “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

1. John is writing this gospel so that we will truly believe in Jesus. What John tells us should be causing us to ask the question: Why do we follow Jesus? Nearly everyone welcomes Jesus, but why do we welcome Jesus? Why do you follow Him? Why do you obey Him? What are you seeking with Jesus? Is it recognition of who Jesus is? Is He the treasure?

2. Or is it simply self-serving? What I get out of it, and the moment I don't receive the things that I think I ought to receive, I will no longer obey. I will no longer follow. I will no longer listen.

3. Often, that's what people want to do with God, isn’t it? We want Him just to be there in times of difficulty, in times of inconvenience, in times of suffering. I'll pull my Jesus idol down and He'll take care of me. God will not accept that. Jesus is looking for a life change. He's calling for new birth.

II. Shallow Faith, Greater Grace – Watch how that moves into the story of the official’s son. John 4:46-47, “So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.” An official has an ill son in Capernaum. When he hears that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he goes to Cana (about 15 miles away) and asks Jesus to come with him to heal his son.

A. Listen to the words of Jesus in verse 48, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” [ESV] We need to know that the word “you” is a plural “you.” Jesus is addressing the people, not simply this official. That is why several translations insert the word “people” into the text to help identify that the Greek indicates Jesus is not speaking to the official only.

1. Jesus did say it to this official, and Jesus is lumping him in with the rest of the Jews who are welcoming Him only because of the signs He performs.

2. The official persists in verse 49, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” The nobleman did not pretend to a faith he did not have but only poured out the agony of a broken heart before the only one who he knew could help. Such an outpouring of human sorrow was not lost upon "the Man of Sorrows."

3. Jesus then responds in a way that I find fascinating, compassionate and loving. “Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.” Little faith had suddenly grown strong. In Jesus' presence, under the impact of His imperative word, and in the light of all he remembered from Jerusalem, the man believed the word of Jesus. Having believed, he obeyed at once, returning to Capernaum.

4. Rather than responding with the same words of how these people lack faith, reject him or ignore him, Jesus works on this official’s heart. Now the official goes down the journey of faith like we see the Samaritans doing earlier in this chapter. His faith is not complete, as we will see in a moment, but it is forming. The man does not disbelieve. He leaves Jesus and is going back home.

B. John 4:51, “As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering.” The reward of the nobleman's faith did not wait for his complete return but was brought by his servants who set out with the good news.

1. His servants meet him on the road and tell him that his son was getting better. Continuing, “So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live…”” Now listen to the end of verse 53, “… And he himself believed, and all his household.”

2. Had he not already believed back in verse 50? What John is showing us is the movement of belief. It all began with signs and wonders, then he believes in Jesus when He says, “Go; your son will live.”

3. His faith is forming. Then when he hears from his servant that the fever left his son at the same hour when Jesus said those words, it says he believed. Coming to full belief, resulting in the transformation that John has been proclaiming in these four chapters. The official’s faith has been growing and leads to the full transformation that Jesus is looking for.

4. Do we see that this is the same pattern as the Samaritans? The Samaritans first believe because they heard the testimony of the woman. Then they fully believe because they met Jesus and heard His teachings.

C. John is showing us something through the actions and teaching of Jesus. Faith starts shallow. I submit to you that perhaps for most of us, if not all of us, we typically start with that very baseline belief. We didn't like the idea of eternal punishment. That was our primary motivator. That's not our motivation anymore. We may have started out of fear, and while that's a very real scare, it's moving to a love of Christ. We want to obey, not out of I don't want to go there, but out of I want to be with Him.

1. The problem is not that we start at the beginning point of belief. The problem is that so many remain there and never go any deeper to true, saving, life changing faith. We enter the first stage of belief and think it is enough. We declare that we believe in Jesus.

2. We believe He came to this world and died for our sins, but for some belief never expands beyond that. Think about how James identified this same problem, James 2:19, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”. The demons believe, but it is not a saving faith. They have the starting point of faith just like many others.

3. True belief is one that brings about radical life transformation in obedience to Jesus. This is exactly what James teaches in the rest of that paragraph. James 2:20-21, “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?”

4. Abraham’s faith was so deep that he was willing to offer his only son Isaac to God because God commanded it! That is true belief — radically transformed faith. True belief obeys God regardless of the cost. It is important to see what John is showing us so that we understand where the people we meet might be on their journey. We need to be able to relate so that we, in love, can encourage them.

D. True belief does not leave God because of inconvenience and difficulty. True belief does not come to Jesus at night. True belief loves Jesus and seeks Him, not because of what He does for us, but because of who He is, how great He is, and how I owe Him everything. We encourage those we meet to not remain with basic, shallow belief that does not lead to life change. Take the road of faith. Let your faith grow. Grow deeper with your Savior.

III. The Sign – In verse 54 John writes, “This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” John calls this a sign so we need to pay attention to the meaning of the sign. John has a purpose in picking out the seven signs. There is a deeper meaning behind these than simply, He does miracles. John is driving at something.

A. Jesus has come to Cana in Galilee, the location of His first miracle where He turned the water into wine.

1. Recall in John 2 that with this turning of the water to wine, Jesus was showing that what He brought were blessings of God which were greater, superior, and more abundant than the blessings which were found through the Law of Moses.

2. Jesus is shown as being superior to the things of the Old Testament, making Himself equal to God. He is God because He does what was done in the past. He does the very works of God. We saw that with the very first verse in the first chapter of John. “In the beginning was the Word.” Here is this equation made right out of the gate. Using the creation story, Jesus is God because He does what God does.

B. Jesus returns to Cana and John tells us that this is the second sign he recorded there. I wondered why John included this sign? I suspect John did so to show that the physical presence of the Lord was not required in the performance of His signs, but that His Holy Will was effective from any distance whatsoever.

1. In 1^st Kings 17 we see the widow’s son had become ill and there was not breath left in him. Elijah took the boy, and prayed to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again.” And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.”

2. Then in 1^st Kings 17:23 we read, “And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.””

3. Elijah was there and prayed to the Lord but in John 4:50 “Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.”” With Jesus the spoken word was enough. Jesus is greater than Elijah. Jesus does what only God can do.

 

CONCLUSION:

Jesus has the power to give life, and He can give it through His very words. This is what leads to our deeper level of belief. Jesus gives life. Notice the greatness of Jesus in the story. It is by His very words that this son lived. Jesus said simple words, “Your son will live” and the son lived. What power! When He tells you that you will live, then you will live! Listen to Jesus’ words: “… I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” [ESV] (John 11:25–26)

 

When you have experienced life transformation… when you go past the surface of superficial belief, come to know who Jesus is, and you love Him… here's what's going to happen. You will live. You have life. He has the power to declare it. He has promised that He will give it to all who believe in Him. This is what John is trying to get us to understand. The hanging question is, “Do you believe this?”

Whoever believes in Jesus, though we die, will have life! Jesus has showed us that He has power over physical life. He therefore has power over spiritual life. Whoever believes in Jesus shall never die (i.e. be separated from God).

 

John said, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Life is not anywhere else. Follow Him because He is the Lord. He is worthy of our honor, worthy of our praise and worthy of us giving Him everything because He came and died for us.

 

Faith begins when we recognize Jesus as the son of God and recognize our need for forgiveness of sins. It is a belief that recognizes I need to escape eternal punishment because that is what I deserve because of my actions. Then it progresses, it presses on. It doesn't stay there.

 

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

What Value Do You Place in a Year?

What Value Do You Place In A Year?

Philippians 3:12-14

 

There is an old story about a happy little boy who went out into the field wearing a baseball cap. In one hand he carried a baseball, & in the other a baseball bat. His face bore a look of tremendous confidence.

Cocking his bat, he tossed the ball into the air, saying, "I’m the greatest batter in the world!" Then he swung & missed. "Strike one," he said.

He picked up the ball, examined it, & then threw it into the air again. As he swung, he repeated, "I’m the greatest batter in the world." Once again he missed. "Strike two," he said.

This time, he stopped to examine his bat to make sure there wasn’t a hole in it. Then he picked up the ball, adjusted his cap, & tossed the ball into the air for the 3rd time.

He repeated again, "I’m the greatest batter in the world," & swung with all his might & missed for the 3rd straight time. "Wow" he cried, "What a pitcher. I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!"

As we start to prepare for a new year, & as we look back over the last 12 months, I’m not sure whether most of us would be considered pitchers or batters. One thing for sure, at times we have all struck out.

What do you anticipate for this upcoming year? Are you full of enthusiasm, looking forward eagerly to what each day will bring? Or are you filled with a sense of dread, worried that this year will be worse than last year was for you?

Like the little boy with the bat, may I suggest that your attitude, your frame of mind, your reaction to its events will largely determine whether this year is a year of victory or a year of defeat.

The turning of a year brings a mix of relief, hope, and uncertainty.

Whether you enter this time of year with joy, weariness, or cautious expectation, today is an invitation to pause, remember God’s faithfulness, and step forward with renewed purpose.

Remember the ways God has led you; God makes all things new and calls us to walk forward in faith.

Memory shapes our faith. Remembering God’s past faithfulness grounds our hope for the future.

Faith without action remains idle. God’s grace calls for a response—small, steady steps of obedience that shape a life.

A single seed planted consistently yields a harvest; so one faithful choice repeated becomes character.

The Apostle Paul was never one to let circumstances conquer him. Rather, with the help of God, he was determined to win the victor’s crown. Listen as his attitude, dedication, determination shine through in these words found in Philippians 3:12-14.

"I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

With Paul’s words fresh in our minds, here are some suggestions to help us be all that we can be this year.

First of all, recognize the value of time.

How do we value ONE YEAR?

To a parent, it’s watching a child grow in ways they never imagined.

To a married couple of 50 years, it’s another chapter in a long story of faithfulness.

To someone who is ill, it’s hope — the chance for recovery, treatment, or simply more time with loved ones.

To someone who wasted a year, it’s a reminder that time is a gift not to be taken lightly.

 

How do we value ONE MONTH? Ask a Mother whose baby arrived prematurely.

To a new parent, one month is the difference between a newborn who can barely focus and a baby who recognizes their voice.

To someone waiting for medical results, a month is a long stretch of prayer and uncertainty.

To someone rebuilding their life, it’s proof that change is possible in small, faithful increments.

 

How do we value ONE WEEK?

To someone struggling, a week is proof that they made it through seven more days.

To someone beginning a new habit, a week is the first sign that change is possible.

 

 

How do we value ONE HOUR? Ask someone who lies terminally ill waiting for a loved one who is late.

To someone waiting for news, an hour is an eternity.

To someone in prison, an hour is a chance to think, pray, or regret.

To someone grieving, an hour can bring a wave of sorrow or a moment of peace.

To someone you encourage in your letters, an hour might be the difference between despair and hope.

And then I found this quote: A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life!

Any ideas on where I found this quote?

How do we value ONE MINUTE? Ask someone who missed a plane, a train, a very important engagement that would never be rescheduled.

To someone receiving CPR, one minute is the difference between life and death.

To someone waiting for a loved one to call, a minute is a small ache of hope.

To someone in prison, a minute can be a moment of temptation or a moment of clarity.

To someone grieving, a minute can bring a memory that breaks them or comforts them.

To a married couple, a minute can be a kiss, a kind word, or a small act of grace.

To someone you write to, a minute might be the moment they decide to keep going.

How do we value ONE SECOND? Ask an Olympic Medalist, or someone who just missed having an accident, or someone saying “goodbye” to a loved one they will never see again.

To a driver at an intersection, one second is the difference between safety and tragedy.

To someone saying goodbye, a second is one more heartbeat together.

To someone grieving, a second can bring a memory that softens or shatters.

To someone you encourage, a second might be the instant they decide not to give up.

The Bible says, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, & a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8) God deals with eternity, & therefore time is not an important factor with Him.

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…” — God can transform everything.

But time is important to us because we live in a limited time frame. We begin with initial stages, then go on to adolescence, adulthood, middle age, old age, & to everything that follows. We measure life in segments of time.

Now, what makes something valuable? Oftentimes it is scarcity. If there is a scarcity, then that product quickly escalates in value.

So, if something is rare, it is usually valuable. But if we have a lot of it, it loses its value. Now, the same is true with time.

So those of us over 60 tend to look at those under 20 & say, "Don’t squander time, because it’s valuable." They reply, "No, it’s not. We have lots of time. So we can waste it any way we want."

The Bible often speaks of the brevity of life.

No wonder the Psalmist asks God, "What is man that you are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:4)

Statisticians tell us that the average life span is now around 76 years. If you’re under 30 then you think that is a long time. But if you’re nearing that age, you’re beginning to realize that’s not really very long at all.

I ran across some interesting statistics a few years ago. Someone went to the trouble to research what people do with their time, & came up with these results:

If we live to be 75, most of us will have spent 3 solid years, 24 hours a day, acquiring an education grade school, high school & college.

We’ll have spent 7 years eating, 24 hours a day, some less, & some more, obviously. We’ll have spent 14 years, day & night, working. We’ll have spent 5 years riding in automobiles or airplanes.

We’ll have spent 5 years talking with each other…again some more & some less. We’ll have spent 1 year sick or recovering from sickness. And get this, we’ll have spent 24 years of our life sleeping!

We’ll have spent 3 years reading books, magazines & newspapers. And 12 years amusing ourselves watching TV, going to the movies, fishing, etc.

That totals up to 75 years & that is what the researchers say, on average, most of us will have done with our lives.

As I looked at these statistics I began thinking. Let’s suppose that you spent every Sunday of your life, for 75 years through infancy, childhood, adulthood, old age in God’s house worshiping during the Church Service.

Now if you did that, how much time would you have spent worshiping God? For those of you who did the math… yes the answer is less than 5 1/2 months.

But let’s double that, because you’ve always attended Bible Study. You’ve never missed Bible Study in all your life. That makes it 11 months.

Think about those 5 years in an automobile & just 11 months in Church & Bible Study! Twelve years amusing ourselves in front of a TV, & just 11 months in Church & Bible Study And that is just if you always attended Bible Study & Church, & never missed!

That tells us a little bit about the brevity of time, & it also tells us something about our priorities in life.

The Bible also teaches us that life is uncertain. Time is like a valuable commodity in a very precious & delicate vessel. It might break at any moment & we might lose it all. So we have this moment. We don’t know anything about the future, but we have this moment & that is all that we really have.

Because of the uncertainty of life, the Bible says, "Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Hebrews 3:15 says, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Because life is uncertain, we must take advantage of the time that we have.

Secondly, don’t be in bondage to the past.

We are special beings in that God has given us the ability to remember. Your memory may be your friend or your enemy. When you remember, hopefully you’ll remember some very pleasant things about this past year, but chances are that you’ll also remember some negative things.

Those negative things can cripple us & hold us in bondage to the past. That is why Paul said, "Forgetting what is behind..." Paul had a lot to forget. Paul had a very shaky past.

He persecuted the church. He used his authority to kill Christians. By his own admission he said, "I am the chief of sinners." (1 Timothy 1:15)

He could have walked around all his life with this tremendous burden of guilt crippling him & he would never have become the great apostle we know & love today.

But Paul said, "Forgetting what is behind..." In other words, "God, I commit it to you. I seek your forgiveness for all the sins of the past, & I look forward to what lies ahead. And right now I’m going to live today the best I can."

I believe that is good advice for us as well.

Finally, I think that we need to establish a priority in our lives.

Paul says it this way, "This one thing I do." Now Paul obviously did more than one thing. He made tents. He preached sermons & established churches. He healed the sick. He wrote books. He did a lot of different things.

But he said, "The top priority in my life is to ‘press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’ “

A while back an expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business students.

After speaking to them for a while, he said, “Okay, it’s time for a quiz.” He set a one-gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks & carefully placed them, one at a time, inside the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top & no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”

“Really?” he said. Then he reached under the table & pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel into the jar & shook it, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he smiled & asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them said.

“Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table & brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in & it filled all the spaces between the rocks & the gravel.

Once more he asked, “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted. Again he said, “Good!” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water & began to pour in the water until the jar was filled to the brim.

Then he looked back at the class & asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” One eager beaver raised his hand & said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit something more into it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

What are the big rocks of your life? - They should include these: Each day drawing nearer to God, spending time with Him in prayer, & seeking His guidance for your life through reading His Word. Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all.

It was Jesus who said, "Seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

An old beggar woman ran out of money. She couldn’t pay her rent. She couldn’t pay any of her bills. The landlord had threatened to throw her out if she didn’t soon pay her rent.

She had only a candle to keep her warm, & on Christmas Day she warmed her hands over the candle. There was a knocking at her door & she was afraid to answer for fear that it was the landlord coming to kick her out.

She blew out her candle & sat quietly in the dark & waited for the intruder to leave. Two weeks later she found out that the knocking on her door was the knock of a friend who had come to bring her enough money to pay her rent & pay her debts.

I wonder how many have from time to time heard the gentle knock of the Savior who wants so much to come in & free them from the burdens of their sin? But they have ignored His knocking.

DEAR LORD of yesterday and tomorrow,

we bring our memories and our hopes.

Forgive what we have done that separates us from you.

Renew our hearts where they are weary.

Give us courage to live faithfully in both

the large and small choices of each day.

Make us instruments of your peace,

and guide our feet into paths of justice and mercy.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

 

This morning God’s invitation is offered to any & all who would accept Him and be baptized for the remission of their sins. He came as a baby in the manger. But He also came as the Redeemer, & this morning He patiently waits for you. Whatever your need may be; whether to be baptized or to ask for the prayers of the congregation, will you come as we stand & as we sing?