Chardon church of Christ

How Much Are You Worth?

Mark 4

We’re going to be in Mark 4 this morning.
What I want you to keep in mind as we read Mark 4
is that Jesus is teaching a kingdom principle.
And the people he’s talking to on the shoreline –
a lot of them are farmers.
They will understand the parable of the Seed very quickly.

A old time minister made a trip to Israel a couple years ago,
and one of the places he visited was Jesus’ childhood hometown - Nazareth. On the outskirts of modern Nazareth
they found (and rebuilt) an ancient watch tower.
In addition they added a model of a traditional home of the era, plus a workshop and other buildings that would have existed in days of Jesus.
But what caught his attention was the remnants of some ancient farmland.

If you were fortunate enough back then to have inherited “bottom land” down in the valley
you might have become a wealthy man.
But this section of Nazareth was built into the hillside
and had “terraced” farms.
People in this area only had “farms that were little bigger than a good-sized garden.

This land had a mixture of shallow ground
where there was rock just about an inch under the soil,
as well as some sections where the ground was fertile
and would yield a good crop.
Seemingly everywhere there were a fair amount of weeds
and though you might pull a lot of them...
there’d still be a fair amount still growing alongside the crops.

In addition, the owner would access his particular plot by a path that ran between his land and his neighbor’s.
Now, with the right tools, you MIGHT be able to make ALL the ground useful. But Nazareth was a poor community with limited resources, so farmers did what they could with what they had.
As a result, the “farmers” threw their seed everywhere,
hoping some of it would grow.

Their land was precious (since there wasn’t much of it),
but the seed was comparatively cheap.
So as Jesus told the parable,
he described the four types of ground every farmer had to deal with. Only a ¼ of the ground was useful –
and it was apparently hard to tell which land would be fertile,
and which was not.
But the fertile land would give a high yield and was worth the trouble.

And when you think about the parable of the Seed,
when Jesus describes what happens to the Seed,
he’s describing what happens to it in real life.
Mark 4:Verse (3) Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
“Hearken” and “Behold” – he’s using two Words to communicate that whatever you are doing you need to stop right now and listen to what I’m about to say.
Pay attention.

Notice also that the sower “went out”.
This was a purposeful decision.
What is my point?
When it comes to sowing the Word,
it’s not something we do haphazardly.
We do it on purpose and WITH PURPOSE.

When you do something on purpose you make time for it.
It’s not a passing fancy.
You make time because you are doing it for a reason.

Verse (4) And it came to pass, as he sowed,
some fell by the way side,
and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

When a sower sows he reaches into his bag and flings out the Seed. He’s scattering the Seed.
He does not go back and plow the ground until later.

Verse (5) some fell on stony ground,
where it had not much earth;
and immediately it sprang up,
because it had no depth of earth:

(6) But when the sun was up,
it was scorched;
and because it had no root, it withered away.

(7) And some fell among thorns,
and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

(8) And other fell on good ground,
and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased;
and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty,
and some an hundred.

(9) And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear.

In the New Testament it says that
“I (Jesus) am come that they might have life
and have it more abundantly.”
And in Timothy it says
God wants all men to be saved
and come a knowledge of the truth.

Remember back in Mark 4:9 it says
“let them who have ears to hear, let them hear”?

Let them hear. EACH OF US has ears, right?
So, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US
are either making a decision to hear or not hear.
Why are their eyes seeing and their ears hearing?
It’s because they are letting them see and letting them hear.

So when we read these verses in Mark 4,
Jesus is not the one preventing them from seeing.
Jesus is not the one preventing them from hearing.
They are not seeing and they are not hearing
because of the hardness of their hearts.

Satan can steal the Word when we refuse to hear.
Do you see this?
What does Jesus say in verse 9?
“He that has ears to hear, let him hear.”
In other Words, let him hear and let him hold on to it.

So, if this is the criteria for hearing
then what we see here in verse 15
are those who have heard the Word but refused to hold on to it.

15 Some people are like seed along the path,
where the word is sown.
BUT… As soon as they hear it,
Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

(16) And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the Word,
immediately receive it with gladness;
(17) And have no root in themselves,
and so endure but for a time:
BUT afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth
for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended.

Again, these individuals did not trust the Seed.
One of our greatest problems as Christians
is that we read the Bible but we truly don’t believe what we read.
When we don’t believe what we read,
when persecution comes and people come against you
and disagree with what the Bible says,
you are not going to fight for what the Bible says.

The person who has not root in himself
has no scriptural foundation.
Why?
BECAUSE He has ears but is not hearing.

(18) And these are they which are sown among thorns;
such as hear the Word,
(19) And the cares of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches,
and the lusts of other things entering in,
choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Again, they did not trust the Seed.
They did not trust that the Word would do for them
what the Word says it will do.
And so the world came in and replaced the Word.

There are many of us in the Body of Christ today
where the world has replaced the Word.
We may not know it because we still go to church every Sunday. We give our offerings and participate in the worship.
And so we think everything is okay.

BUT verse (23) tells us
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

Remember that one of the reasons that the Word did not produce was because there was NO ROOT in the person.
There was nothing that allowed the Word,
the Seed, to take root.
The more that you spend time in the Word,
confessing the Word, and worshiping,
you’re starting to build a place in you
where the Word can take root and then sprout out of you.
Several years ago this advertisement was placed in a New England area newspaper:
"Unknown item for sale.
We know it's valuable; we just don't know what it is.
If you can identify it, we'll sell it for $250.”

Sometimes it’s hard to decide what something is worth.
I have been told that when you’re selling something
you can ask whatever you like.
But something is only worth
what someone else is willing to pay you for it.

ILLUS: Years ago,
a man was browsing at Music City Thrift Shop Nashville.
He found an old yellowed rolled-up document that had the Declaration of Independence written on it.
It was priced at $2.48, so he bought it.
But he was curious about it because it looked so old,
and so he did some online research
and then sent it to someone he trusted to evaluate it.

It turned out to be one of the 200 “official copies”
of the Declaration that had been commissioned
by John Quincy Adams in 1820.
The firm that examined it
determined he could sell it for about $250,000

The man ended up selling it to an investment firm
for almost ½ a million dollars.
So, how much was that old yellowed scroll worth?
Well... it was worth whatever someone was willing to pay for it.

Now, here’s a question: What are YOU worth?
Jesus compared your worth to a lost sheep,
a lost coin
and a lost Son.
The Bible says you were worth so much
that God gave His only begotten Son
that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.
That’s how much you are worth to God.
But not everybody agrees.
Sigmund Freud (the founder of psychoanalysis) once said:
“In the depths of my heart
I can’t help being convinced that ALL my dear fellow-men,
with a few exceptions, are worthless.”

And in the days of Jesus,
the Pharisees would have agreed with Freud.
They often condemned Jesus for hanging out with the losers in society saying: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” Mark 2:16

And even today, there are way too many congregations
that will allow only certain kinds of folks
to come to their church buildings and sit in their pews.

So, the question today is this:
Do we agree with God (as to value of men and women)
or with Sigmund Freud?
And how do you know if you agree with God or Freud?

Well you can tell by understanding how much the lost and the struggling are worth to you.
What does this parable tell us?
Well, first – it’s telling us that the sower is doing his job.
He’s throwing the seed EVERYWHERE
and he’s doing what he’s expected to do.
He’s not wasting his time
and he’s not wasting the seed.
He’s doing his JOB!

But who’s the sower?
Who is this person in the parable
who’s throwing all that seed around?
Well, we’re not told, but I’ve got a pretty good idea.
I think it’s YOU... and it’s ME.
It’s the Preachers, the Elders, the Teachers,
and everyone else who makes up the church.
Anybody who LOVES Jesus is the sower of the seed.
So, it’s YOUR job.
And it’s MY job to sow the seed.

Some may ask: what exactly is that seed?
Well, Jesus said: “The sower sows the word.”
Verse 14 of the text.

So the seed is THE WORD. But what “word exactly?”
In Verse 17 (shortly after Jesus had been tempted in the desert by Satan) we’re told
“From that time on Jesus began to preach,
‘REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’”

Later, when Scribes and Pharisees complained about Jesus eating with tax collectors,
Luke 5:32 tells us that Jesus said
“I have not come to call the righteous
but sinners to REPENTANCE.”

And when Jesus rose from the dead
he talked with a couple of men on the Road to Emmaus
and we’re told: “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written,
that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that REPENTANCE and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Luke 24:45-47

And then, when Peter preached his powerful sermon at Pentecost and 1000s of people were baptized into Christ,
we are told that Peter’s sermon was so powerful that the crowd asked him what they needed to do to obtain God’s forgiveness.
And do you remember what he told them?
That’s right: “REPENT and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38

So, what’s the WORD? The word was REPENT!!!!
Change! Turn toward God!
Quit trying to pretend you can do your life without God!
The seed we have been asked to sow ... is REPENT!

If we don’t sow THAT seed,
if we don’t call people to repent of their sins,
then we’re not going to have the harvest Jesus called us to have.

ILLUS: There’s a magic team called Penn & Teller.
Penn Jillette is the BIG guy. He’s also an atheist.
Some time back he said this:
“I don't respect people who don't evangelize.
I don't respect that at all.
If you believe that there's a heaven and hell
and people could be going to hell
or not getting eternal life or whatever,
and you think that it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward....
How much do you have to hate somebody
to believe that everlasting life is possible
and not tell them that?”

Why did Penn say that?
Because, after a show somebody offered him a Bible
and told him about Jesus.
Penn didn’t convert to Christ at that moment
(he’s still an atheist last I knew),
but he was very gracious with that man...
because he RESPECTED a Christian
who cared that much about him
to tell him about Jesus.
He understood that if heaven and hell were real
you really had to hate someone
if you weren’t willing to tell them about Christ.

ILLUS: If you are a faithful sower of the seed –
just like the guy in Jesus’ parable –
you’re gonna be scattering the seed EVERYWHERE.

Folks, we ought to be using social media to talk about Jesus every chance we get.
We ought to be sharing videos and articles and pictures about what Jesus means to us and how important it is to place our faith in God.
It’s free, it’s easy
and it’s one of the most significant ways we can use
to “cast the seed” into the world around us.

But too often Christians don’t do stuff like that.
Too often, they’re like a farmer that walks into the field and throws a couple handfuls of seed out on the ground
and he just walks away because he thinks he’s done his job.

But you know he hasn’t.
Frankly - you haven’t done your job until you are committed to throwing as much seed on as much ground as you possibly can.
You are part of a team.
And if you don’t do your part, the team suffers;
the seed doesn’t get spread to every place it could bring a harvest;
and people that didn’t have to go to hell... go to hell.

So how much is the salvation of those around you...
worth to you?
And how determined are you to tell the lost about your Jesus?

CLOSE: I want to close with the true story of a Christian who was his honeymoon in the Bahamas.
He said a man walked up to him and said,
"Would you like to buy some cocaine?
You can tell everyone how much you really enjoyed the Bahamas."
He replied with a curt "No!"
But then he began to think about how Jesus would have responded if someone came up to him selling drugs.
Later that day, someone else came up to him selling drugs and that gave him a chance to share Jesus with them in a most creative way.

After the drug dealer told him that he had the "good-stuff,"
the Christian asked him, "What have you got?"
Once he said "Cocaine!" the Christian man said the following:
"Is that all you have?
I'm disappointed!
I was hoping you would have something better than that.

You see, I've got the real thing!
What I have is all natural, pure and very powerful.
And it makes me feel great all day and all night.
And get this, it may be illegal in some countries,
but not in this one, so you can't get arrested for having it!"

By this time the drug dealer was very curious and asked this guy... “what is this incredible "stuff" you’re was talking about?”
The Christian replied,
"I'm talking about having Jesus in your heart!
It's awesome what he will do for you
when you get him inside of you!
No drug in all the world is as good as having Jesus in you."

The man STOPPED SMILING and got this real serious look on his face and said, "I want what you have. How do I get it?"
Would you know what to tell him?
Here’s the deal.
Too often people immerse themselves in all kinds of things they consider important.
Their jobs, the political affiliations,
various forms of entertainment
or even drugs and alcohol.
But somewhere in the backs of their minds is often a feeling that this can’t be all there is to life.
Somehow what they’ve made the focus of their lives isn’t quite as satisfying as they once thought it would be.
If you listen to them closely you can hear their dissatisfaction.
It’s at times like these that you have the opportunity to talk to them about that which can really satisfy.
It’s at times like these that you can make them hunger and thirst for Jesus.
Times when you can convince them Jesus is better than anything they’ve ever had.
Those are the times to cast the seed.

INVITATION

On This New Year’s Eve

Philippians 3:13-14

INTRO: Good morning church. I hope everyone had a wonderful time this holiday. I thought I’d start this morning with a story about a Sunday school teacher in a community church who had been telling her class about the Birth of Jesus. The teacher then asked, "Who do you think the most important woman in the Bible is?” Little Johnny raised his hand and said, “Eve.”
Surprised the teacher asked him why he thought Eve was the most important woman in the Bible. Johnny replied, “Well, they named two days of the year after Eve. You know, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.”

Turn in your Bibles with me this morning to the book of Philippians. What do you think about when you think of New Year’s Eve? That is, what does New Year’s Eve mean to you? Well today is New Year's Eve, and I invite you to open your bibles to Philippians 3:13-14 as we contemplate New Year's Eve.

The Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Philippi, and he's writing about his own past. Paul writes, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

As we know, the Apostle Paul had a past that was dismal in comparison to a lot of the pasts that we who are here this morning have. In fact, I would dare say that most of us have a relatively timid and tame past compared to the Apostle Paul.

Paul was one of the men at the stoning of Stephen, and they laid their garments at his feet, then picked up rocks and killed Stephen as he was preaching about Jesus Christ. In 1st Timothy 1:13 Paul in describing his own behavior, said, “… I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man;…” Then he says, “but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”

Paul also writes in 1st Corinthians 15:9 – “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

And in Galatians 1:13 Paul writes, “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.”

We hear about people today who do some horrible things to churches, and we just shake our heads in disbelief that someone would do that. Yet, here is Paul, openly confessing that at one point in his life that was exactly who he was, a man who tried to destroy the church.

It would have been very easy for Paul to wallow in self-pity and to think about how terrible his life had been and how awful he was to people who he now called brothers and sisters. No doubt that plagued his mind at times and he did write about it on occasion, but Jesus helped him to overcome all these things of his past.

He became a very powerful gospel preacher, and wrote numerous letters to congregations. We now have those letters as several books in the New Testament. We can turn to those for solace and comfort in times of difficulty and trouble, precisely because the Apostle Paul had those experiences.

When Paul wrote those words in Philippians 3:13-14, I strongly suspect he was thinking about all the things that had happened in his past. Paul says, “… forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Those words should be a wonderful encouragement to everyone. Let them be the guide for our thoughts on this New Year's Eve morning.

Looking at Paul’s words, I find three things I would like us to consider. First, I'm going to forget the things that are behind me. Second, I'm going to reach forward to the things that are ahead. Third, I am going to press toward the goal. Let’s take these one at a time and think about how we can accomplish them.

I. First, on New Year's Eve, I will forget the things which are behind me.

A. When Paul said forget, he didn't mean to forget everything. Obviously, he didn't forget everything literally. We in fact don't forget the negative events in our life. They continue to haunt us from time to time.

1. David certainly did not forget his sin with Bathsheba. He wrote about his repentance in Psalm 51.
2. Moses didn't forget the sins of the people wandering in the wilderness. He wrote about that in Psalm 90.
3. We use these past experiences to learn so that we can grow.

B. When Paul says forgetting about the things which are behind, what does he mean by that? I suggest He means that I forget, in the sense that I stop letting those things affect my identity. That is, I'm not going to let my past define me. That's not going to be who I am.
C. Instead, I am going to be defined in the present, and in the future, with the identity of Jesus Christ.

1. Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” That's my identity as a Christian.
2. I could point to numerous things within my own past and say; look at this horrible thing that I did. Look at this terrible deed I had committed. Look at all these horrible things that I said… and all of that could be brought against me.

a. I have no doubt Satan wants me to bring up those things and wants to bring them against me. He is the great accuser, after all.
b. Jesus Christ does not want me to identify with those things because He knows that I am something greater than the past sins that I have committed.
c. In fact, I am a person made in the image of God and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. That is what defines me today.

3. That is why the apostle Paul writes and understood very well what he was writing because of his own past, when he said in 2nd Corinthians 5:16-17, “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

a. How fantastic it is to understand that I am a new creation in Christ and that my old sins do not identify me, but rather that Christ is my identity, forgetting the things which are behind.
b. When we are forgiven, God forgets those past things. We don't. We tend to hang on to them. Occasionally we'll slip into a pity party and moan and groan about our past. God doesn't do that. He forgets the things that are forgiven. In Psalm 103:12, the Bible says, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
c. In Jeremiah 31:34, it says, “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,'' says the Lord. "For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.''” God forgets the forgiven past.
d. “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19.
4. God does not hold those things against the forgiven Christian, though we often hold them against ourselves.

D. On this New Year’s Eve, let us resolve to leave the past in the past and forget the things which are behind by not letting those things create our identity. Let us do as Paul says, and as we forget the things that are behind, we also should look forward to what is ahead of us.

II. Second, on New Year’s Eve – I will reach forward to the things that are ahead.

A. Forgiveness enables us to go forward. If we didn't have forgiveness, we would be weighed down by our sins, and there wouldn't be anything that we could do about that. There would never be any hope for us… if we did not have forgiveness.

1. As Christians we do have forgiveness, and because we have forgiveness our identity isn't tied to our past. We can look forward to the things that are ahead. With forgiveness, we have a clean slate.
2. I’m sure when you were in school you would have had a chalkboard or a whiteboard. We would take chalk, and write on the chalkboard, or would take a marker and write on the whiteboard. After a while, and all that writing, the whiteboard would get kind of dark. The blackboard or chalkboard would look a little gray.
3. You could tell that it had been used repeatedly because of the tint of the board. Then we would have to clean those boards. They would get so dirty. We would take a sponge and clean water to wash the chalkboard or a special cleaning fluid to clean the whiteboard and then wipe it down. I remember the whiteboards would look brand new after cleaning and you couldn't tell that anything had ever been written on it.
4. At that point, it was a clean slate, as we like to say, perfectly clean, like new. Maybe some of teachers have come back from summer break and seen how clean and spotless the blackboards or whiteboards are. If they could only stay that way.

B. With God, we can stay that way. With forgiveness, we have a clean slate, and it stays clean. It's like that clean water or special cleaning fluid I talked about, metaphorically speaking. It's the blood of Christ, non-metaphorically speaking, that cleanses our sins and wipes them away completely and entirely so that we have a fresh, clean, new start.

1. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” Psalm 32:1-2.
2. Romans 4:7-8 says it this way “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” … Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin. What does this mean?

C. It means we can start fresh without the guilt of our sin holding us back. We can reach forward to engage in the mission that Christ has called us to—to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10.

1. Jesus wants us to focus on that mission; “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”. Matthew 28:18-20
2. But how can I do that when I have such a horrible past? How can I do that when I've committed so many sins? You can do it because God says you're forgiven and we can go forward.
3. Oh, but they'll think I'm a hypocrite. Folks, it doesn't matter what they think. God says you're forgiven. That means we can engage in the work that God has called us to do without reservation. It doesn't matter what other people think. It only matters what God thinks.
4. God wants us to engage in the work to fulfill the mission, to make disciples of all nations, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15-16.

D. We reach forward in the fellowship and the unity that we have together with one another in the body of Christ, which is the church of Jesus Christ.

1. Why do we engage in the mission of evangelism? To bring others into the body of Christ so that they may have the wonderful blessings we experience as well. The fellowship that we have with God, with Christ, and with one another.
2. This is the Paul's point in Ephesians 2:11f when he says, “11. Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands 12. that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ.” We've been brought near, to fellowship with God's people, for He is our peace.
3. Verse 14f, “14. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, 15. having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,” What is Paul saying here? He's saying at one time God only worked with the nation of Israel and that was His primary focus.
4. He had a covenant relationship with that nation, but He didn't have such a relationship with all the other nations. Then in Christ, all the other nations, the Gentile nations have been brought near to the covenant relationship that God had with Israel through Abraham.
5. It's no longer the case that physical Israel is God's chosen special people, but anyone who through faith and obedience, would come to Christ, accept the purchase of their souls by the blood of Christ, be baptized into Him, identify with Him… they can come near as well. They can be reconciled. He's made peace, you see, with all of these.

E. God wants everyone to have peace with Him. He wants everyone to be part of the body of Christ, so that we would no longer be strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
F. What then is our task as we reach forward?

1. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians wrote, 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 – “6. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.”
2. They were one in mutual love and respect for each other, one in purpose, one in status as God's servants, and one in their reliance upon the Lord who would reward both.
3. Between us we have the work of visiting, giving, preaching, encouraging, uplifting , helping each other grow in knowledge and understanding, and countless other jobs to make sure the church and its work is successful. For that to happen we first must all work together and each do what we can to help.

G. On this New Year’s Eve, let us resolve to reach forward to the things that are ahead, engaging in the mission that Christ has brought for us to do and engaging in the fellowship that He wants us to participate in. As we are busy doing God’s will, what He has for us to do, we also should look forward to what is ahead.

III. Third, on New Year’s Eve – I will press toward the goal.

A. We all have a common destiny. In 1st Peter 1:3-5 Peter talks about this destiny. He says, “3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5. who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

1. What is that common destiny? It's this inheritance, this incorruptible inheritance. It's this place that does not fade away.
2. It's this hope of being in heaven together forever with God and Christ and all the saints.

B. Paul writes about this destination in 1st Thessalonians 4:13f, “13. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  We have a great destiny awaiting us, and we press toward the goal of that wonderful destiny.

1. This common destiny encourages us to keep going forward toward that goal, and it should motivate us to encourage others as well.
2. Look at 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18 for example and think about the great encouragement that we have here. “16. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
3. “the inward man is renewed day by day …” A Christian is not overly disturbed by the erosion and decay of physical life, because their soul is feasting upon that Bread which came down from heaven, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Our inner spiritual life, which is the glory of the "new creature" in Christ, does not diminish or fade. For those who are without this treasure, the decay of the outward is the decay of everything.
4. When Paul writes “our light affliction” this cannot mean, literally, that they are in any sense "light"; except IN COMPARISON with the ultimate glory of Christians, they are light.
5. We have working for us a far more enduring weight of glory, and that's what we're waiting for. That's what we're anticipating, that's what we're hoping for. That's what encourages us to continue to move forward.

C. The apostle Paul, after talking about the resurrection in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 talks about the wonderful spiritual body that we're going to have when Christ comes back again. He talks of the fact that Christ was raised from the dead and is the first fruits of our expectation of being raised from the dead as well. He ends that chapter talking about how Christ has overcome death with victory, and that we have that victory.

1. Then he says this, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain...” 1st Corinthians 15:58. We press toward the goal because we anticipate the second coming of Jesus.
2. I notice in 1st Thessalonians 5:4f “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” He continues, “6. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10. who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

D. We anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ. We look for it. We expect it. In it we have placed all of our hope. On this New Year’s Eve, let each of us resolve to press on toward the goal.

CONCLUSION:
The Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 3:13-14 are so full of meaning. Precisely because Paul had a past, a very serious past, and because he had been forgiven of his sins, he could press forward to those things that are ahead, he could press toward the goal.

Brethren, he says, “I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to the things that are ahead, I press toward the goal of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Let's resolve to do that very thing on this New Year's Eve.

Forget the things that are behind. Do not let those things identify you.
Reach forward to the things that are ahead, focusing on the mission that Christ has called us to, focusing on the fellowship that He wants us to engage in and pressing toward the goal, letting the hope of heaven and the resurrection inspire and motivate us to move forward into this New Year, unabated by the cares and difficulties of the past, with confidence… and joy… and peace… and love for one another.

Do you need the forgiveness that only Christ can give?

Do you need the hope of a wonderful future unburdened by the sins of your past?

Then why not identify with Christ today?

Become His by hearing His word and believing it, repenting of your sins, confessing Him as Lord and being baptized to identify with Him and have your sins forgiven.

Having done that, you too can reach forward as you go into this New Year.

I couldn't think of a better way for someone to put behind the old year and to start the New Year than by identifying with Christ Jesus in baptism.
If you need to do that, we stand ready to help you.

If you need the prayers of the church to put aside those old past sins and to reach forward toward that which is new, then now is a good time to ask for those prayers as well.

We will pray with you and for you that the old things can be put away, because Christ makes all things new. Why not give your life to him today while we stand and while we sing?
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Reference Sermon by: Kevin Cauley

The Sacrifices We Make

THE SACRIFICES WE MAKE
Matthew 2:13 – 15

There was a Christmas play where a little boy desperately wanted to be Joseph. But when the parts were handed out,
his biggest rival was given that part,
and he was assigned to be the inn keeper instead.
He was really bitter about this.
So, during all the rehearsals
he kept plotting in his mind what he might do to get even with his rival who was Joseph. Finally, the night of the performance,
Mary and Joseph walked across the stage.
They knocked on the door of the inn,
and the inn-keeper opened the door and asked them what they wanted. Joseph answered,
“We’d like to have a room for the night.”
Suddenly the inn-keeper threw the door open wide and said, “Great, come on in and I’ll give you the best room in the house.”
WHAT!!! THAT WASN’T IN THE SCRIPT
For a few long seconds poor little Joseph didn’t know what to do. Then finally, an idea occurred to him.
He pretended to look inside “the inn” and then –
turning to Mary he said:
“No wife of mine is going to stay in dump like this.
Come on, Mary, let’s go to the barn.”
Now, did Joseph ever say anything like that in the Gospels? NO! In fact I’ve done a study on the nativity stories in Matthew and Luke, and I found that Joseph never said anything, anywhere in the Gospels. Not a single word.
In Matthew 1:18-24 we’re told:
“Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,
but before they came together,
she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man
and did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
he may have had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this,
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,
because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.

All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—
which means, ‘God with us.'
When Joseph woke up,
he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1:24

JOSEPH NEVER SAID A WORD.
He simply obeyed God and took Mary to be his wife.
In Matthew 2:13-15 we’re told that “When (the Wisemen) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
"Get up," he said,
"take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.
Stay there until I tell you,
for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
So, he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.” Matthew 2:15
AGAIN, JOSEPH NEVER SAYS A WORD.
He simply obeyed God and went to Egypt.

Then, in Matthew 2:22 we read
“When he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there,
and being warned in a dream
he withdrew to the district of Galilee.” Matthew 2:22
AGAIN, JOSEPH NEVER SAYS A WORD.
He simply obeyed God and went to Nazareth.

Joseph was kind of like the “silent partner” in the story.
He never speaks up, never complains.
He just does what he’s told.
And you gotta believe that couldn’t have been easy.

One preacher put it this way:
Joseph didn’t expect to raise a boy that he actually wasn’t the father of. He didn’t expect to be traipsing around countryside on the run from Herod’s soldiers.
He didn’t expect to live in Egypt.
And he didn’t expect to be responsible for the training and protection of Son of God.

I mean, before Mary got pregnant, his future was predictable.
He was a skilled craftsman…
known for his honesty & righteousness.
He knew what to do and when to do it.
His life was comfortable.
He did not have the typical 9 to 5 workday, but his town and his family would support him as he did what husbands and fathers were supposed to do.

He was just an ordinary guy, from an ordinary family,
living in an ordinary town, with an ordinary job.
BUT THEN JESUS CAME ALONG
and life got complicated real quick.
For the next 5 years his family was constantly on the move.

In Bethlehem they ended up staying in seclusion;
then they probably lived with relatives for a couple years.
Then Joseph had to take his family into a foreign country for about 2 years.
And if Herod ever found them… well,
that would not have been a good thing!
When Joseph proposed to Mary…
that wasn’t what he signed up for.
But because of Jesus,
Joseph’s life became unpredictable and confusing.
He literally SACRIFICED his future for Jesus!

The question is: was it worth it for Joseph to do that?
Was it worth it for him to sacrifice his future for Jesus?
Well… yeah! First, God knew Joseph by name.
Joseph may not have said much
but God mentioned Joseph’s name about 15xs in the Gospels.

And every time the story of Jesus’ birth is told… there’s Joseph; And God tells us “Joseph (Mary’s) husband was a righteous man…” (Matthew 1:19).

Not many men are called righteous men in Scripture:
in a brief search I only found 3 men who were called
“righteous men”: Abel, Noah, Abraham… that’s about it.

Joseph was one of a very select group of men that God wanted you and I to know about… because they were righteous.
God was saying – “Try to be like these guys
because those men are the kind who impresses Me!”;

so Joseph was a “righteous man” - and that’s probably why God chose him to be the earthly step-father for Jesus.
God knew Joseph could be trusted to do what God wanted done. God spoke, and Joseph obeyed;
and lastly, God supplied for Joseph’s needs.

When Joseph and Mary had to go down into Egypt…
a journey of about 430 miles.
And God supplied financial help they needed to survive –
the Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

As Psalm 34:19 says “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”

So, it WAS worth it for Joseph to go through all he did to be used by God. But – make no mistake –
Joseph sacrificed because Jesus was in his life.
AND let’s face it, everybody that Jesus touches…
is called to sacrifice.

Jesus said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

If Jesus is IN our lives, we are called to a life of sacrifice –
to DENY ourselves; to PICK UP OUR CROSS every day;
and to FOLLOW JESUS!
In fact, Jesus said
“Whoever does NOT take his cross and follow me
is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:38-39

WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Jesus calls me to “a life of sacrifice” for Him? What’s that all about?
Well it’s ALL about the difference between worldly thinking…and Jesus thinking!
ILLUS: Someone once noted that there used to be bumper stickers with the words:
‘Drive carefully – the life you save may be your own.’
And that is the wisdom of men in a nutshell.

By contrast God says, ‘The life you save is the life you lose.’
The life you clutch, hoard, guard, and play safe with
is in the end a life worth very little to anybody,
including yourself;
and only a life given away for love’s sake is a life worth living.”

Sigmund Freud once said “In the depths of my heart I can’t help being convinced that my dear fellow-men,
with a few exceptions, are worthless.”
And what Jesus is saying is:
“I’m calling you to be one of those ‘exceptions.’
I’m calling you (Jesus says) NOT to be worthless,
but to be FILLED WITH WORTH!

Now, here’s the deal – you and I - our lives have a plan!
When you became a Christian,
you signed on to being used by God.
So now you and I have a purpose in our lives.
Our lives have meaning and value…
because God has given us purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 “We are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.”

When you first became a Christian,
God started working on you (we’re His workmanship).
God created you in Christ Jesus to do good works that He had prepared beforehand JUST FOR YOU to walk in them.
That means we’ve got a reason to get up in the morning.
We have something important to do for God.
We are valuable to God.

Earlier in the sermon I listed some of the important sacrifices that Joseph made when Jesus came into his life.
But what’s interesting about Joseph’s story is…
he never complained!
God spoke, Joseph listened… and then Joseph obeyed.

His whole life was turned upside down,
but he simply trusted and obeyed.

The Wisemen left their homes and families and traveled several hundred miles to a foreign country.
It would have been so much easier for them to send a letter of congratulations;
The shepherds left their flocks and traveled several miles on foot to find Jesus.
And yet, none of these folks ever complained. Why not?

ILLUS: Have you ever seen a man and woman who are in love with each other?
They sacrifice all kinds of time just to be with the one they love. They’ll sacrifice all kinds of money to buy things for that person. If they can make something with their hands…
they spend hours creating something special just for that person.

And yet, if you were to ask them about their SACRIFICES
they’d be shocked!
They didn’t view the time and the money and effort as being a sacrifice - they saw them as gifts of love.

But on the other hand –
if they DIDN’T SACRIFICE that time, money,
or effort for that “special someone” –
if they viewed their efforts as a burden or an obligation –
you might get the impression that they didn’t actually love that person.

Do you remember after Jesus rose from the dead
he sat down to eat with His disciples?
John 21:15-17
Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John,
do you love me …?’
And Peter said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’
And Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’’

Jesus said to him a second time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Peter said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."
And Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep."

Jesus said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Peter replied: "Lord, you know everything;
you know that I love you."
And Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.”

Feed my sheep!
Take care of my sheep!
And that’s exactly what Peter did.
From that day on, Peter was on-fire for Jesus,
and he sacrificed the rest of his life to serving Jesus and taking care of His sheep.

But I doubt he’d have seen his efforts as being a sacrifice,
an obligation, or a burden.
Peter did what he did because…he loved Jesus.

DO YOU LOVE ME? Jesus had asked.

CLOSE: We may often ask ourselves…
What have I sacrificed for Jesus?

But this morning I’m going to ask you to imagine Jesus asking you: Do you love Me?
And if you say yes, imagine Jesus saying:
If you love me feed my lambs;
tend to my sheep;
feed my sheep.
If you love me, do whatever you’ve gotta do to take care of my church - my people… IF you love me.

LLUS: The story is told that, during World War II,
a building in Strasbourg France was destroyed by bombings.
After the attack, the members of that town took stock of the damage.
One of the great sources of pride for that area had been a statue of Christ which had been sculpted by a great artist centuries before.
It was a beautiful work of art.
It showed Jesus standing in front of you with his hands stretched out. And the statue was still intact… except for one thing.
When the bombs fell, a beam from the ceiling fell and sheared off Jesus’ hands.

There was another sculptor in Strasbourg who heard of that damage and said he could repair the broken hands as a gift to the village.
The area leaders met to consider the offer and decided…
not to accept.
They felt the statue without its hands would remind them that EACH ONE of them INDIVIDUALLY were hands of Christ,
and that Jesus expected His work to be done through them –
His people.

INVITATION

Sermon Contributor: Jeff Strite

Signs From God

TEXT: Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23, 2:1-15; Luke 2:8-20

This time of year brings the question : WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR?
We ask children, grandchildren, spouses, and friends to give us a list of items they might like for Christmas.
I would like to start my lesson this morning by asking you ….
if you could ask for just one thing this year …
no matter the cost…
what would it be?

I decided to look on the internet for some “EXPENSIVE” gift ideas
and this is some of the things I came up with…

• Your Own Private Islands
• A Luxurious London Mansion
• A Trip To Near Space
• A NEW CAR of your choice
• 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO
• All Expense Paid Vacation All Around the World
• Neiman Marcus Limited Edition Motorcycle
• Viktor&Rolf Perfume
• Lange 1 Tourbillon 25th Anniversary Watch
• The World’s Most Expensive Bottle Of Wine
• ETC

I WILL GIVE YOU MY ANSWER AT THE CONCLUSION OF TODAY’s LESSON 😊

I’m sure that as you look around this week
you will see more & more signs of Christmas rapidly approaching.
And what I want us to consider this morning is–
“Signs sent by God.”

The Bible contains numerous passages that are signs from God. These signs can take various forms and are often seen as a means through which God communicates with humanity.
Here are some examples:

1. Natural Phenomena: The Bible describes instances where God uses natural events to convey messages.
For example, the parting of the Red Sea during the exodus of the Israelites is seen as a miraculous sign
(Exodus 14:21-22).
2. Dreams and Visions: God communicates with individuals through dreams and visions.
In the Old Testament, Joseph and Daniel are known for interpreting dreams,
and in the New Testament, Joseph (the husband of Mary) receives messages from God in dreams.
3. Miracles: Miracles, such as the healing of the sick,
raising the dead, and turning water into wine,
are often considered signs of God's intervention
and there were miracles performed by Jesus in the New
Testament).
4. Prophecy: The fulfillment of prophecies is often seen as a sign of God's guidance and involvement.
The Old Testament contains numerous prophecies that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.
5. Symbolic Acts: God sometimes instructs individuals to perform symbolic acts to communicate a message.
For example, the prophet Hosea marrying a prostitute is considered a symbolic act representing God's relationship with an unfaithful Israel (Hosea 1:2-3).
6. Burning Bush: In the book of Exodus, God appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush, which is not consumed by the fire. This is considered a significant sign, and God speaks to Moses from the bush (Exodus 3:1-4).
7. Pillar of Cloud and Fire: During the exodus, God led the Israelites with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, symbolizing His presence and guidance (Exodus 13:21-22).

God was in the business of providing signs from the very beginning.
After the flood, when the rainbow appeared,
God told Noah it was a sign that He would not flood the entire earth like that again.
So, whenever we see a rainbow, that sign reminds us of His promise.
Through Moses & Aaron
God gave very dramatic signs to Pharaoh to force him to set the Israelites free.
And in the wilderness during the next 40 years God provided multiple signs of His power
and His guidance
& of His love for His people.

I. PROPHECY
A. He gave the Prophets (& later the Apostles) the ability to perform signs & wonders.
Since God is in the business of giving people signs,
it makes sense that he would give a sign when it came to the most important birth in human history.

Isaiah 7:14 says, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child & will give birth to a son, & will call him Immanuel."

A prophecy is a foretelling of a future event.
The Prophet was given insight regarding something previously unknown.
The fulfillment of prophecy would be proof & a sign that God could be believed & trusted.
Sometimes a prophecy was fulfilled soon after it was made.

Sometimes the fulfillment was hundreds of years later,
like this one. This prophecy was written 700 years before it was fulfilled.

B. We are familiar with the angel telling Mary what was going to happen, & her response.
But when Joseph found out Mary was pregnant,
he thought she had been unfaithful to him.
Then an angel appeared to him, assuring him that Mary had done no wrong.

Matt. 1:21-23 tells us the angel told Joseph, "She will give birth to a son, & you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child & will give birth to a son, & they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us”.

So, both Mary & Joseph received signs that confirmed what they were told.
There are other prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus.
When the Magi came to King Herod,
they told him they were there to worship the newborn king.
This disturbed Herod, so he asked the chief priests & teachers of the law where the Christ was to be born.
Matt. 2:5-6, “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied,
“for this is what the prophet has written:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”
This prophecy is from Micah 5:2.

Interestingly, there's an added line at the end of this verse in Micah that reads, "whose origins are from old, from ancient times."
Some translations have, 'from eternity' or 'from everlasting' which raises the question,
“How could there be someone coming in the future who has ancient origins?”

But it makes sense when you're talking about Jesus.
His birth was not his beginning.
It was his beginning in human form,
but Jesus existed long prior - from the very beginning.

It set out the odds of any one man in history fulfilling even 8 of the 60 major prophecies fulfilled by the life of Jesus.
The probability that Jesus could have fulfilled even 8 such prophecies would be 1 in 100 quadrillions (100,000,000,000,000,000).
That's 1 with 17 zeros after it.
It has been estimated that if you had that many silver dollars it would be enough to cover the face of the entire state of Texas two feet deep.

A mathematician satated, "I've been to Texas. Who in his right mind would suppose that a blindfolded man, heading out of Dallas by foot in any direction, would be able,
on his very first attempt, to pick up one specifically marked silver dollar out of that many?"

So, I think that would confirm it. The signs are there to provide the evidence that Jesus is the only one who could be the fulfillment of prophecy.

II. THE BABY IN THE MANGER
Luke 2:8-20 says, "There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
& the glory of the Lord shone around them,
& they were terrified.

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.
I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
he is Christ the Lord.
“This will be a sign to you:
You will find a baby wrapped in cloths & lying in a manger” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God & saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
& on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

“When the angels had left them & gone into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
“Let’s go to Bethlehem & see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off & found Mary & Joseph, & the baby,
who was lying in the manger.
“When they had seen him,
they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, & all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
But Mary treasured up all these things & pondered them in her heart.

“The shepherds returned, glorifying & praising God for all the things they had heard & seen, which were just as they had been told."

A. We see their first reaction was fear. Not fear over the announcement but fear over the angels appearing.
In fact, it says the shepherds were terrified. The way the Greek reads it signifies being seized with a mixture of reverent fear & awe.
And who wouldn't be?
it's not like angelic appearances were commonplace.
In fact, God had pretty much been silent for the previous 400 years, so I'm sure this came as quite a shock to them.

Not only because of what they were seeing but also because it was happening to them.
Shepherds were certainly not considered to be in the upper echelon of society.
An angelic appearance would've been expected to happen to the religious leaders but not to a bunch of shepherds.
This was the greatest announcement in the history of mankind, & it was given to those least likely to receive it.

The angel calms them down & tells them not to be afraid.
He gives them the good news.
"A Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

That's the good news that will turn our fear - fear of trouble,
fear of the unknown, fear of death into joy –
joy of salvation, joy of the presence & power of the Lord,
joy of a future inheritance in heaven.

B. Then we see that the angels gave the shepherds a sign.
They would find a baby wrapped in cloths & lying in a manger. That would be a distinct sign.
You wouldn't normally find a newborn in a smelly stable.
So this sign would be unmistakable.

God is in the business of providing unmistakable signs. Unfortunately, some people pass God's signs off as just some weird coincidence.
But the shepherds didn't do that.
They believed & were excited.
"Let's go to Bethlehem & see this thing that has happened ".

Notice they didn't say, 'let's go see if it's true'.
They said, 'this thing that has happened'.
They didn't need the sign to believe.
The sign was a confirmation.
You'll see this principle in other places.
When the disciples asked Jesus for a sign,
it was to understand something,
or to know what to look for regarding what they would experience.

The religious leaders asked for signs out of skepticism & unbelief. Asking for a sign when we need clarification is one thing,
but demanding a sign in order for God to prove Himself is not good.
There are many examples of religious leaders who asked for signs out of skepticism and unbelief,
but here are some of the most prominent ones:

• Pharisees and Sadducees: These were two rival sects of Judaism in the first century AD.
They often challenged Jesus with questions that tested his authority and knowledge of God’s will.
For example, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven, to interpret the law, to predict the future, and to reveal his relationship with God .
They did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah or the Son of God,
but rather as a clever teacher or a false prophet.

• Satan: He is the enemy of God and his people, and he tries to deceive them with lies and temptations.
  He is also called the accuser, the deceiver, the dragon, and the devil.
  He asked Jesus for a sign when he tempted him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).

• Judas Iscariot: He was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, but he betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver.
He was motivated by greed and hypocrisy, rather than by love or faith.
He asked Jesus for a sign when he agreed to hand him over to the Jewish authorities (Matthew 26:14-16).
He did not care about Jesus’ mission or message, but only about his own gain.

These are just some examples of biblical religious leaders who asked for signs out of skepticism and unbelief.

They all faced different consequences for their actions:
some were rebuked by Jesus (Matthew 16:6),
Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

some were rejected by God (Matthew 26:24),
The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

and some were destroyed by Satan (Revelation 12:10).
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

We can learn from their mistakes and avoid falling into their traps.
We can trust in Jesus’ words and deeds as sufficient signs of his identity and authority.
We can also examine our own hearts and motives when we ask for signs or doubt God’s promises.
Do we seek God out of love or fear?
Do we believe in Jesus as the Son of God?
Do we follow him with faithfulness or disobedience?

The shepherds believed the angel,
followed the sign & saw the evidence.
Because they did this,
they experienced a joyous event
that undoubtedly changed their lives forever.
Those who ignore the signs miss out on the joy that would change their lives forever too.

ILL. Someone once said, “Although there is truly nothing more desirable than knowing Christ, many people just can’t see it. Their eyes haven’t been opened.
They look into the manger, & they don’t see a king.
They don’t see the Savior of the World.
They don’t see “the Mighty God,
the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace”.

All they can see is a baby, an ordinary human being.
And so, they pass by the child in the manger
& instead seek after the presents.

Going back to the question asked in the beginning of the lesson today…
What one gift would ask from GOD?

INVITATION: Which do you value more,
the toys & trinkets of this life
that will eventually crumble into dust,
or a relationship with Jesus Christ that will last forever?
Do you want to find what you're looking for?
Follow the signs to Jesus.

God’s Grace

The Transformative Power of Gratitude

Luke 17:11–19

It was the usual schedule: up at 4:30 a.m., out the door by 5:00 a.m. to take my son to ice hockey practice, pickup another hockey team mate on the way to the rink, dash home, get ready for work and head out the door again. On this morning though, I realized I had not done the grocery shopping. At this point, I knew the grocery list by heart. So as I drove the boys to hockey practice I realized I’d be very close to a grocery store that was open 24 hours a day. So I made a mental shopping list and headed straight to the grocery store from the ice rink.

There were only a few shoppers in the store, but the aisles were full of staff stocking the shelves for the rush of grocery purchases. I zipped along. The last aisle was the frozen food section. As I stood in front of the glass door contemplating the frozen vegetables, I noticed my reflection in the frame of the freezer door. I WAS IN MY PAJAMAS!! I laughed out loud!

As I drove home with my groceries I realized that in my hurried, helter-skelter life I was not living graciously. I was like the plate spinner at the circus. Recognizing that something needs to change and actually doing it can be a true challenge. I realized that I needed to make a change in my daily prayer practice. Instead of listing all of the day’s activities and then asking for help to accomplish them, I took a different approach. I began my prayer with gratitude that God was an ever-present, all power of good; I listened more. This change wasn’t just for a day or a week, it became my regular daily prayer routine. And life became less chaotic and more joyful.

There are researchers who have been focusing on the beneficial effects of gratitude. One study (sited in a Harvard Health News Letter) found that, “gratitude…helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals.” Another effect was, “fewer visits to physicians.”

September 1923 - a devastating earthquake rocked the islands of Japan. And just in the city of Tokyo it destroyed nearly 75% of the buildings. The New York Tribune called the earthquake “Undoubtedly the greatest disaster in recorded time.” It was estimated that nearly 300,000 people died, and 2.5 million were left homeless. Japan was so devastated by disease and despair that it seemed that they’d never recover.

THEN HELP CAME!
Help from United States for helpless Japan. Food, clothing, medical supplies & volunteers came by the shipload. The American Red Cross collected $10 million dollars from the citizens of the United States to help Japan. And the Japanese people were grateful. They even put their gratitude into writing. Their very words were, “Japan will never forget!”

BUT … JAPAN DID FORGET.
Less than 19 years later, the AMERICAN ships of mercy were forgotten and - on December 7th 1941 - Japanese planes were sent to Pearl Harbor to wreak death & destruction. (Baptist Bread 2/9/09 Craig Burcham)

How could they forget???

In our Text today we read of 10 lepers that Jesus healed. He sent them to see the priests, and as they were on their way, they were cleansed. Now, undoubtably these men were grateful because Jesus had delivered them from a terrible fate. According to the Old Testament Law, lepers were required to live outside of the city. They were literally quarantined - required to keep a “safe” distance from others so that they wouldn’t touch anyone and make them unclean. Lepers were unclean - both physically & spiritually. A leper was required to keep a distance of six feet between others… including their family members.

Leviticus chapter 13 says: “The person with such an infectious disease (like leprosy) must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.”

In a small village nestled between rolling hills and meandering streams, there were ten individuals whose lives were intertwined by a common affliction—they were lepers. Banished to the outskirts of the village, they formed a close-knit community, finding solace in each other's company.

One day, as they sat together on the outskirts of the village, they heard whispers of a healer passing through. Rumors of a man named Jesus, who had performed miraculous acts of compassion and healing, reached their ears. Though society had rejected them, a glimmer of hope ignited in their hearts.

Determined to find this healer, the ten lepers set out on a journey. Their tattered clothes clung to their frail bodies, and their faces bore the scars of their illness. Guided by the stories they had heard, they traveled until they reached a dusty road where a crowd had gathered.

Suddenly, through the murmurs of the people, they heard the name Jesus. Hope surged within them, and with feeble yet determined steps, they approached the crowd. "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" they cried out in unison, their voices echoing with desperation.

Hearing their plea, Jesus turned his gaze toward them. "Go, show yourselves to the priests," he instructed. As they followed his command, a miraculous transformation began. The leprosy that had marred their bodies disappeared, leaving behind skin as smooth as a newborn's.

Overwhelmed with joy, the ten lepers marveled at their newfound health. Yet, among them, one man felt a deeper stirring within his soul—an overwhelming gratitude that surpassed the joy of physical healing. Unable to contain his emotions, he turned back, falling at Jesus' feet.

With tears streaming down his face, he exclaimed, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you for restoring my health and granting me a new chance at life!" Jesus smiled warmly at the grateful man and said, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

As the man rejoined his fellow lepers, he couldn't help but share the good news of his gratitude. The other nine, however, continued on their way, perhaps too caught up in the thrill of their healing to realize the source of their restoration.
Jesus, watching the departing crowd, sighed with a mixture of compassion and sadness. The physical healing was evident, but the deeper healing—the gratitude that transformed the soul—was a gift received by the one who returned to say, "Thank you."

And so, the village echoed with the story of ten lepers healed, but only one made whole—his body and soul forever touched by the grace of gratitude.

Lepers were outcastes! Totally ostracized from society. It was a devastating and a very lonely life. And then they met Jesus. All 10 of these men came to Jesus because they believed He could heal them. And He did… He healed them. And I suspect they were all kind-of grateful… but ONLY ONE of them came back to thank Jesus personally. The other nine didn’t show up. They didn’t come back. They seemed to have forgotten all about Jesus.

How could they forget?

Well… maybe they didn’t forget. Maybe they just thought they’d have gotten well anyway.

Maybe Jesus just showed up at the right time. I mean (after all) Jesus didn’t really do anything TO them when they stood before Him. Someone once suggested that: One of the lepers might have been waiting to see if the cure was real; Another believed he’d go back and see Jesus later (he just never got around to it): Still another decided that he had never really had leprosy to begin with; And another said he would have gotten well anyway; One might have given the glory for his healing to the priests; Another might have said, “Any rabbi could have healed me”; And still another might have thought: “I was already much improved.”

Now those are all interesting suggestions, but I really think the issue here goes deeper than that. I think the real reason they didn’t go back to Jesus was that they were afraid. They were afraid Jesus would ask them for a commitment. Maybe He would ask them to follow Him. Jesus did that alot.

In Matthew 8 we read that someone suggested they wanted a closer relationship “Lord, let me first go and bury my father." And Jesus said to him, “FOLLOW ME and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:21-22) Later, in Matthew 9:9 we read that Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “FOLLOW ME.” And then in Matthew 10:32-39 Jesus told His 12 disciples “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and FOLLOW ME is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

FOLLOW ME… FOLLOW ME… FOLLOW ME! Jesus was constantly calling people to commit to Him, to surrender to Him, to take up their cross and follow Him. And essentially, that what the 10th leper was declaring. When he returned to Jesus… the 10th leper fell face-down before Jesus THAT was the posture of surrender.

But where were the other NINE???

ILLUS: Just a thought: At this congregation we have many people we help every month. We help with: A Food pantry; $20 or $30 worth of gas so people can take their kids to the hospital or to get to their job; Or we’ll pay for a night or 2 at a local hotel because these folks no place to sleep; Or we help pay utility bills -which always seem to come due TOMORROW (If the bill isn’t paid by 9 am tomorrow… the gas/ electric WILL BE shut off)!

And these folks will often say: “I’m really planning to come to church”. But (of course) they never do. They never show up. And there’s been times when I’ve gotten a little cynical about that. I’ve even said “They want our money… but not our Jesus.” They’re just like the 9 that Jesus healed but who never came back. And so I have to admit, there’s been times I’ve asked myself – why bother? They just want our money… they don’t want our Jesus, so why keep on helping these folks?

So why SHOULD we bother? Why bother helping people who really don’t want Jesus? Well, because Jesus did! Do you think Jesus knew the 9 lepers wouldn’t come back? Of course He did - but He healed them anyway. SO… why did He do it? Perhaps because others were watching and needed to see what He did. Perhaps because the lepers would remember what Jesus did that day and make a decision to come back to Him later.

Every time Jesus healed somebody it was a declaration of WHO He was and a declaration of WHAT He’d come to do! He didn’t come just to heal people’s bodies… He came to heal their minds and hearts and souls. And every time WE help somebody in need it’s a declaration of WHO we serve (JESUS) and of WHAT He wants to do in the lives we touch. We serve a Jesus who cares for these people… but He wants to do more than pay their bills and rent them a room for the night. JESUS wants them to SEE WHO He is!!! And the only way He’s going to get that done - is we are His hands and feet to a lost world.

That’s why Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) The GOOD that we do should point to Jesus, and to His love for the lost.
Of the 10 lepers that were healed… one of them really was lost. Luke 17:16 tells us “he was a Samaritan.” Samaritans were the lowest of the low - despised & rejected. In the eyes of the Jews they were “sinners” and “outcastes”, unworthy of God’s love or mercy. And yet, this was the man who returned to thank Jesus. Even Jesus said “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Luke 17:18

We’re told that “when (the Samaritan) saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks.” This guy this man wasn’t just thankful… he was shouting his thanks! He didn’t send a nice little thank you note… he personally came and fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and praised Him. This man was thankful… with a capital “T”!

But why would he do that? I mean... granted he was truly thankful, but there’s more to it than that going on here. You see – he was a Samaritan. He KNEW he didn’t deserve to be healed. Someone once observed: “You can’t be grateful for something you feel entitled to.” (Steven Furtick) You can’t be grateful for something you feel you deserve. And this man was truly grateful because he KNEW he hadn’t deserved to be healed. He’d been an outcast – despised and rejected and unworthy of God’s love.

Now, this is my final point. Of all the people on the face of the earth we should be the most thankful because we’ve received something that we did not deserve. And Ephesians 2:3-5 says “we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by GRACE you have been saved.”

We didn’t deserve for Jesus to come and die for our sins. We were “children of wrath”; We were “dead in our trespasses”; We were outcasts – unworthy of God’s love. BUT HE LOVED YOU AND ME ANYWAY.
(PAUSE) It’s virtually impossible to be grateful for something you feel entitled to, but you and I were NOT ENTITLED to be saved. We hadn’t done anything that earned God’s love and forgiveness. That’s why it says “by grace you have been saved.” Someone once explained that “Grace is undeserved favor.” And Romans 6:23 tells us “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And that’s why we take Communion every week. We eat and drink of the Lord’s Supper to remember we did not deserve God’s love. We drink from the cup which says – Jesus shed His blood for us, and we eat of the bread which says – Jesus’ body was broken for us. At this table we declare we WERE sinners, but now we’re saved by GRACE. Every week, you and I gather here to declare: WE DIDN’T DESERVE THIS!! At the communion table we come before Jesus… and fall on our face and we say “thank You Jesus!”

CLOSE: We’re not told… but I’m convinced that everywhere that 10th leper went he told people about what Jesus had done for him. He told everyone ABOUT Jesus. A veteran missionary once told this story to a preacher named Roland Allen. He said that he’d been a medical missionary for years in India and had served in a region where people were often born with healthy vision, but (over time) many of them began to lose their sight.” Many became blind. Well this missionary had discovered a process that stopped progressive blindness. And when people came to him and he performed his operation, and they would leave realizing that they would have become blind, but now they were going to be able to see for the rest of their lives.

The missionary said they couldn’t say, “Thank you,” because that phrase was not in their dialect. Instead, they spoke a word that meant, “I will tell your name” And everywhere they went, they told the name of that missionary… because they were so grateful!

The question this morning is this? Are you truly thankful to Jesus for what He has done for you? And if you are… DO YOU TELL HIS NAME to others?

INVITATION

Miracles For Moses

Exodus 4:1–9

“I believe for every drop of rain that falls,
a flower grows.
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night,
a candle glows.
I believe for everyone who goes astray,
someone will come to show the way.

I believe, I believe.
I believe above the storm the smallest pray'r
will still be heard.
I believe that someone in the great somewhere
hears every word.
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,
or touch a leaf
or see the sky,
then I know why I believe!”

I have always liked that song. It’s been sung by Frankie Vale, Frank Sinatra, The Lettermen, and many others.
And what appeals to me (and the millions that have loved it also) is that it declares that there is hope in this world.
And the reason there’s hope is because we believe in a God ... who does mighty things. In fact, as Christians, that’s the power of what we believe: we believe in a God who does stuff. A God who does mighty stuff.

And, that brings me to our story this morning.
Moses has been commissioned by God who tells him
"Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10)

The problem is, Moses doesn’t want to go,
and he’s been trying one excuse after another to get out of it.
But I believe today’s text from Exodus 4:1–9 gets to the heart of why Moses doesn’t really want to go.
I don’t think Moses believes... anymore.
He might have believed once.
He might have felt he was ordained by God to save the people of Israel. I mean, that’s probably why he struck and killed the Egyptian who’d been beating an Israelite.

But God hadn’t rewarded him for stepping up and defending His people. And so Moses had become a fugitive from justice and an exile for the last 40 years.
Now God has come to Moses and asks Moses to believe in Him. And Moses is saying “Thanks... but no thanks.”

Moses says in verse 1 "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ”
They WILL NOT BELIEVE!

And under his breath I can sense Moses saying: “I don’t either. I don’t believe... either.”
Moses is struggling with unbelief, and so I think these 3 miracles are as much for Moses’ benefit as they would have been for the Israelites he was being sent to.
The miracles are there to give Moses confidence. I
t’s something he desperately needs.

Now, before we get to these 3 miracles, we need to understand the nature of miracles.
1st - when God does something miraculous ...
He always has a reason.
In the Bible (for example) there were 5 seasons of miracles where God used numerous miracles to establish something He wanted done.

At the CREATION He did miracle after miracle.
He spoke and the Sun appeared.
He spoke and the dry ground appeared.
He spoke and there were Fish and Birds and numerous Animals.

Then, when God FLOODED THE EARTH there was miracle upon miracle –
God brought the animals to Noah and He flooded the earth.

When MOSES LED ISRAEL out of slavery until they settled. There were the 10 plagues God brought upon Egypt;
the parting of the Red Sea,
the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai,
the miraculous giving of water and Manna in the wilderness.

When God used PROPHETS LIKE ELIJAH AND ELISHA
He again used numerous miracles to try to draw His people back from paganism.

And, of course, during JESUS’ MINISTRY up thru the establishment of the church there were numerous healings,
raising people from the dead and the casting out of demons.

It has been noted that “If these miracles were happening every day,
they wouldn't be called miracles, they'd be called regulars.”

But when God did miraculous things...
there was always a reason.
A 2ND thing to remember about miracles is that God does them when HE’S ready.
If God does something spectacular in your life
it will be on HIS timetable... not yours.
And that can be frustrating.

ILLUS: There was once an old time minister who was known for his great faith. But one day a friend of his saw him pacing the floor obviously agitated.
His friend asked him “What’s the problem?”
The Preacher replied, “The problem is – I’m in a hurry... but God isn’t.”
God’s not always in a hurry to do things on OUR timetable.

That’s why the Bible repeatedly tells us – WAIT!
Psalms 37:7
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...!”

Psalms 27:14 “Wait for the LORD; be strong,
and let your heart take courage...!”

Isaiah 40:31
“They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”

The key thing for us to remember
is that God commands us to WAIT!
God will do mighty things when He sees the need
and when He’s ready to do them,
but not until then.

Now, I believe in a mighty God who does mighty things.
Don’t you?
Great.
I am sure you wouldn’t want me up in this pulpit if I didn’t believe that GOD is powerful and is capable of MIGHTY THINGS.

In Matthew 13:58 we’re told that
“(Jesus) did NOT do many mighty works (in His hometown), because of their unbelief.”
Their lack of faith robbed them of God’s power in their lives.

HOWEVER, there was one instance in Jesus’ ministry where that wasn’t completely true.

In Mark 9:17-24
"17Then one of the crowd answered and said,
“Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
18And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.
So, I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out,
but they could not.”
19He answered him and said,
“O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?
How long shall I bear with you?
Bring him to Me.”
20Then they brought him to Him.
And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him,
and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21So Jesus asked his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood.
22And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23Jesus said to him, “If you can believe,
all things are possible to him who believes.”
24Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; HELP MY UNBELIEF!”

And Jesus healed the boy!!!
For me, that’s one of the most comforting verses in scripture.
The very idea that I could say to God
“HELP MY UNBELIEF!!!” and He’d have mercy on me (as He did for that father) is mindboggling.

And I think that’s kinda where Moses is at right now.
I think Moses WANTS to believe,
but it’s been a long time since he thought God even cared about him or even gave him a 2nd thought.
And so (in his unbelief) God has mercy on him,
and shows Moses his power! God does the Miraculous in Moses’ life because that’s what Moses needed at that time.
Now, what I find interesting about these 3 miracles God allows Moses to do is that they’re all kind of... parlor tricks.
You know what a parlor trick is, don’t you?
It’s a minor magic trick that it’s simply meant to entertain you, but isn’t all that impressive.

But this is Moses!
This is the man that God used to bring the plagues down upon Egypt; to part the Red Sea;
to bring water from a rock when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness;
and to feed those same Israelites with Manna every day.

By comparison, these 3 miracles aren’t really... all that impressive.
So, I got to thinking that maybe there might be more to these 3 miracles than first meets the eye.
I believe there’s something about these miracles that teach us something special about our God.

Let’s take them one at a time.
What is the first miracle Moses is told to do?
(His staff turned into a snake)
“The LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’
He said, ‘A staff.’ And God said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’

So, he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.
But the LORD said to Moses, ‘Put out your hand and catch it by the tail’ —
so he put out his hand and caught it,
and it became a staff in his hand. (Exodus 4:2-4)

ILLUS: A preacher once noted:
Why would God turn that rod into a snake in the 1st place? Couldn’t He have made it a mouse, or a dog or cat,
or some less frightening animal?
I think God turned that rod into a snake because the serpent was the symbol of power that was worn on the crown of Pharaoh.
It was as if God was saying to Moses,
“I created the power and glory that Pharaoh claims as his own... and I can... take that power from him at will”

So, this preacher felt the serpent represented Pharaoh,
and God turning Moses’ staff into a snake –
was God’s way of declaring that He had power over Pharaoh.
And that got me to thinking...
who else is symbolized by a serpent?
SATAN!

That’s what Revelation 12:9 says
“And the great dragon was thrown down,
that ancient SERPENT,
who is called the devil and Satan,
the deceiver of the whole world—
he was thrown down to the earth,
and his angels were thrown down with him.”

In Scripture we’re told God has power over Satan.
You don’t have to be afraid of him because when God takes hold of your life Satan can’t harm you.

In 1 John 5:18 we read
“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin;
the one who was born of God keeps him safe,
and the evil one cannot harm him.”

Now, there is a caveat there.
If you continue to sin,
if you allow bitterness or lust or greed
(or some other sin) to rule your life,
you might be giving Satan an opening.
You’ll be giving him an opportunity to harm you and set up camp in your life.
You CERTAINLY don’t want that.

But if you give that sin to God (like Moses gave his staff to God) God can use your repentance as a way to destroy Satan’s power. And that was the first miracle – God showing His power over Satan.

Now, what was the 2nd miracle Moses was asked to do?
(Put his hand in his cloak/leprous)
“Again, the LORD said to him, ‘Put your hand inside your cloak.’ And he put his hand inside his cloak,
and when he took it out,
behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
Then God said, ‘Put your hand back inside your cloak.’
So, he put his hand back inside his cloak,
and when he took it out,
behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.” (Exodus 4:7-8)

ILLUS: One scholar noted that leprosy was the scourge of the ancient world.
Nothing evoked more fear, dread, and revulsion
than the sight of the walking dead.
The smell of decaying flesh would announce their coming long before you could hear their rasping cry of "Unclean! Unclean!"

The disease slowly destroyed their bodies,
and made them untouchable to society.
Most scholars explain that leprosy was a vivid and graphic picture of the spiritual defilement of sin.

Like leprosy… sin is an ugly, loathsome, incurable
and contaminating disease and it separates us from God
and makes us outcasts.

Leprosy was a horrible picture of what sin does to us.
And so, as the serpent represented God’s power over Satan,
the miracle of the leprous hand represented God’s power over sin.
Moses was being sent into Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery.
And in the same way Jesus was sent to free us from the leprous slavery of sin.

In Romans 7, Paul goes to great lengths to describe the power that sin can have over us and then he says
“Wretched man that I am!
Who will deliver me from this BODY OF DEATH?
(Just as leprosy made its victims be the walking dead, so also sin made us the walking dead).

"Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!...
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Romans 7:24 - 8:2

We are freed from the power of sin by the blood of Jesus.
We’re no longer the walking dead.
The leprosy-like destructiveness of sin has been washed away. Now there is no more shame and no more guilt.
We are free because of God’s power over sin.
That was the 2nd miracle.

Now, what was the last miracle that Moses was to perform?
“God said ‘You shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.’” Exodus 4:9

The Nile brought LIFE to Egypt.
It was literally - the lifeblood of Egypt because without the Nile, Egypt would die.
Thus, as the serpent represented God’s power over Satan,
and leprosy represented God’s power over Sin,
so also the water of the Nile represented God’s power over life and death.

ILLUS: The Bible tells us about a man named Jairus –
the leader of the synagogue where Jesus was at.
Jairus came to Jesus because his 12 year daughter was terribly sick and he wanted Jesus to come to his home and heal her.
But as Jesus and the father were walking to their home,
they’re about ½ way there when a servant comes and tells Jairus “Don’t bother the teacher anymore... your little girl is dead.”

The first time I ever heard this biblical account in the life of Jesus I was in shock!
We had to feel that this isn’t the way the story is supposed to turn out.
If Jesus had been there in time...
that little girl wouldn’t have died!
And death seemed so final!
This part of the story disturbed me.

Jesus told Jairus it would be alright,
and then went on to the home.
When he entered the room where the child lay dead,
Jesus took her hand in his and say “Child arise!”
And the girl came back to life.

Many are asked if they feared death... and most did.
That’s not surprising - the Bible tells us everybody fears death, but that’s why Jesus came.

Hebrews 2:14-15 “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things,
that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
and deliver all those who through FEAR OF DEATH were subject to lifelong slavery.”

You see, when we belong to Jesus,
we don’t have to be afraid of death.
Jesus conquered death in order to give us life and the promise of eternal life.

ILLUS: One day in a Sunday school call a 10 year old girl asked the minister if death would be a time of eternal blackness.
She was serious, and it deeply bothered her.
The minister smiled and said “Oh no.
When we become Christians, death has no power over us.
That’s the imagery God uses in baptism.
When Jesus died for us He was buried in a tomb...
but He didn’t stay there. He ROSE from the dead!

In baptism, the Bible says WE “DIE” to our sins.
And what do you do with dead people?
You BURY them.
That’s why baptism is a burial in water...
you’re being buried with Christ.

But you don’t stay buried.
Just as Jesus didn’t stay in the tomb...
you don’t stay in the water.
You literally rise from the dead to walk in newness of life

That’s why Romans 6:2-4 tells us:
“How can we WHO DIED to sin still live in it?
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him by baptism into death,
in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
we too might WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.”

INVITATION

Sermon Contributor: Jeff Strite

Jesus Worked and Taught His Followers to Work

Acts 1:1-3

INTRO: Good morning church. Turn in your Bibles with me this morning to Acts 1:1-3. “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach until the day in which He was taken up, after He, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
As Luke began the Book of Acts, he referred to what he had written earlier. He was referring of course to the Gospel of Luke. In his Gospel Luke wrote about all that Jesus began both to do and teach. I emphasize that particular statement because that's the proper order. Jesus began both to do and teach. As we have studied the Bible we observe that when our Lord gives us a commandment, He sets the proper example.

Luke in his gospel told of Jesus giving commandments to the apostles. He showed how Jesus spoke to the apostles of the things about the Kingdom of God. And how after Jesus was resurrected, He taught His apostles on some very important matters.

Sometimes people try to make a distinction between what Jesus said during His ministry and what the inspired writers recorded in the New Testament. We need to remember it is the inspired writers of the New Testament who recorded the Lord's teaching and we make a mistake when we try to make a distinction. We find that even unbelievers will quote Jesus’ words, such as “Judge not” or, “Love one another.” They treat these words as if they are some sort of trump card against what the rest of the Bible teaches about sin and the need to live righteously.

Every passage of Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments is inspired by God. This means that all Scripture is equally backed by the authority of God and comes from Him. It is true that the New Testament is the word of the Lord. Hebrews 9:15 says He is the mediator of the New Covenant. The prophet Jeremiah in chapter 31 of his book indicated that at a later time, God would establish a new covenant with His people and that it would be far greater than the one that He gave through Moses. Under this new covenant, their sins and iniquities “I will remember no more”.

The Hebrew writer quotes the prophet Jeremiah in Hebrews 8 to show that God had foretold the abrogation of the old covenant and that God had, from the first, intended to abolish it. In Hebrews 10 the writer dwells upon the fact that true and total forgiveness was likewise a foreordained purpose of the new institution.

Luke, in His Gospel, wrote about all that Jesus began both to do and teach. We study the Scriptures to know the will of the Lord. We certainly want to know His will, and that knowledge comes through a careful study of the Bible. As we study, we need to pay careful attention to what Jesus did, that is, His example. We also need to pay careful attention to the instructions that He gave to the apostles that they revealed through their teaching and their writing.

I. Let's first look at the Scriptures telling us of how Jesus worked.

A. Jesus showed dedication to God’s affairs from a very early age. Look at Luke 2:41-52. We won't read the entire account. Here Luke wrote about the time when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went to Jerusalem to observe the Passover feast, a very important feast for the Jewish people.

1. We learn from verse 42 that Jesus was twelve years old at the time. You all know what took place. After the feast had concluded, Joseph and Mary were on their way home and quite often, it's my understanding, that groups would travel together for companionship as well as protection. They were on their way home and they assumed that Jesus was in the group. He wasn't.
2. Let’s read Luke 2:44-47 – “but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and then sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.”
There are four things we notice about the way Jesus related to these teachers.

1) He sought out teachers and sat in their midst;
2) He listened;
3) He asked questions; and
4) He gave answers.

3. I can picture that his parents must have been frantic to find Him. They find Him and we read in verse 48 “So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.''” Keeping in mind Jesus is twelve years old, what was His response? Verse 49 “And He said to them, "Why is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?''”[NKJV]. Some translations say “I had to be in My Father’s house?” Jesus indicated His strong interest in God’s work when He was just twelve years old.

B. When Jesus was about 30 years of age, He began His ministry and He indicated that He was sustained by doing the will of the Father and finishing the Father's work. Let's turn to John 4:34, “Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” Jesus says that He is fed by doing God’s will and finishing His work.

1. Luke said that he wrote in his Gospel about all that Jesus began both to do and teach. We're looking at the Lord's example He set concerning work. Jesus said that doing the work the Father gave Him to do actually sustained Him.

C. Jesus was dedicated to the work He had been given. In John chapter 9 we read how the Lord gave sight to a man born blind. In John 9:4 Jesus says, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” Jesus said this knowing what would come next. We are told in John 9:14, “ Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.”

1. Of course, the Pharisees objected to this healing on the Sabbath. Again it is revealed to us the incredible damage of mingling human traditions with God’s word. All of those rules and regulations that they had added to God’s commandments are not harmless little embellishments of sacred law, but flagrant violations of it.
2. Considering their own legislation as part of God’s law blinded their eyes to when the “Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”[Malachi 4:2]
3. When Jesus made that statement in John 9:4, He indicated that He had a strong sense of urgency about His work. What we have seen so far should help us to appreciate the Lord's work.
He was dedicated to doing the Father's will.
He set a great example before us.
Jesus did indeed have a sense of urgency about His work.
4. We sing a hymn, number 116, that references John 9:4, “Work For The Night Is Coming”.

D. As we examine the Lord's ministry, we see that He worked diligently, and His purpose was to fulfill His mission. Let's look at a few verses in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew gives us some, what we might call, summary statements concerning the Lord's work. As we look at them, we see that the Lord's work consisted primarily of teaching, preaching, and healing various sickness and disease.

1. Matthew 4:23 says, “Now Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.”
2. Matthew 9:35 is similar, “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
3. Jesus worked diligently to do the work the Father gave Him to do. He traveled from place to place, and as He did so, He was teaching, preaching and healing people.

E. A preacher told of the first time he visited a friend in the VA hospital in Memphis. He said he could not believe the huge number of men and women who were there to be treated. Some of them had some serious problems, and when he saw that crowd of people, (this is a big hospital) he just wanted to sit down and cry. He said it led him to imagine what it was like when Jesus traveled from place to place and people would gather to our Lord to be healed. No wonder the people were amazed at what He was able to do, realizing that He truly is the Son of God.

1. Looking at Mark 7:37 we read; “And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.''” Jesus had just healed a man “who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech”[verse 32], and I notice that the people when they saw the cure, did not say merely that "he has healed this man," but that "he has done all things well," showing that they recognized in this one example the mightiness of the power that could do "all things."
2. When Jesus did something, He did it well. I've always been impressed with that statement. The Lord never put forth a half-hearted effort to do anything. That tells us about the quality of the Lord's work.

F. Jesus prayed just before He was arrested, and His prayer is recorded in John chapter 17. He prayed first for Himself, then He prayed for His apostles, and then He prayed on behalf of all of His followers.

1. As He was praying for Himself, we notice something He said concerning His work. John 17:4 – “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” According to this verse, Jesus completed His work.
2. Our Lord's ministry lasted for approximately three years. We might wonder what our Lord accomplished during that short period. John’s Gospel concludes with these words; “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” Jesus completed His work, and when He was on the cross, He said, it is finished.

G. These verses tell us some things about the Lord's work.

He had a strong work ethic from a very early age.
He was sustained by doing the work that the Father gave Him to do.
Jesus had a great sense of urgency about His work.
He worked diligently to fulfill His mission.
He did all things well, and we know that He completed His work.

II. Now we turn our attention to Scriptures which teach us that Jesus taught His followers to work. Let’s look at Acts 1:1-3 again, “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach until the day in which He was taken up, after He, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Luke said, that he had previously written about the things that Jesus began both to do and to teach. Jesus gave commandments to the apostles and He spoke to them about things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

A. It's important that we keep that in mind because when Jesus gave the great commission in Matthew's account, He told the apostles to teach disciples everything that He taught them.

1. In Matthew 28:19-20 He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
2. Just before He ascended to be at the Father's right hand in heaven, He told the apostles what He wanted them to do; to teach the Gospel, to baptize people, and then teach those new disciples everything that He had taught them.
3. The apostles had to go forth teaching everything that Jesus taught them. They did not have the Bible as we do… and the apostles would need some help. The Lord took care of that. John 14:25-26, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
4. This verse has been misapplied many, many times. We see that Jesus was speaking to the apostles, and He says; the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, shall teach you all things, and notice this, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.
5. Jesus spoke to the apostles, gave them commandments, and told them about things pertaining to God's kingdom. Then He said, I want you to teach all these things to people who become Christians.
6. Jesus told them that the Holy Spirit would assist in various ways. One way was by bringing to their memory everything that Jesus had taught them. The Spirit would also guide the apostles as they went forth teaching and as they went forth writing down the Lord's commands.

B. We need to keep that in mind as we search the Scriptures to know the Lord's will concerning our responsibility to work. We look at the Lord's teaching He gave to the apostles and in doing so, we can know what He requires of all of His followers. I’d like to look at some passages that have to do with Christian work.

1. Let’s start with Matthew 5:14f, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Jesus tells His followers that they would have a positive influence on other people by doing good works. That's the way that we allow our lights to shine.

a. An example of this is found in Acts 9:36f, where we read about Dorcas. She was full of good works and almsdeeds, but this lady passed away and Peter was asked to come. All the widows present were weeping, and they showed Peter the various garments and coats that Dorcas had made for them.
b. What did Dorcas illustrate? She illustrated what Jesus said in Matthew 5 about doing good works and allowing your light to shine. She had a tremendous impact on a number of people. By doing good works, we're able to have an opportunity to influence others for good.

2. Let's look at Galatians 6:9-10, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” This reminds us that when we do good works, in due season we will reap the reward. That being the case, we must not become weary.

a. Doing good works may not always achieve the results that we would like to see. If we become too focused on those results, we can become discouraged and want to give up.
b. The Bible teaches us there will be a great reward to those who are steadfast. Therefore, as we have opportunities placed before us, we need to take advantage of them and be of assistance to all, especially our brethren.

3. Consider Ephesians 2:8-10. In verses 8 & 9, Paul showed how we're saved by grace through faith. Notice what's mentioned in verse 10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We've been created in the Lord for doing good works. We're God's workmanship.
4. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he tells of his prayer, his desire for them, and in Colossians 1:10 he says, “that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” The Lord teaches us about the importance of bearing fruit.

a. In John 15:8 Jesus says “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” Does that mean that every child of God has to be capable of doing the very same things? No, it doesn't mean that at all.
b. God, in His infinite wisdom, composed the church in such a way that is made up of people with various talents and abilities. There are certain things that you can do that I cannot. There might be something that I can do that you can't do.
c. Remember the parable of the talents? There was a person given 5 talents, a person given 2 talents, and a person given 1 talent. There are no “zero” talent people in that parable. Why? I suggest that is because the Lord sees to it that we receive blessings. We need to be able to recognize them and use what we are blessed with for God's glory. He will bless us even more in return, and we're to strive to be fruitful in every good work.

5. Let's look at 2nd Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable (Now notice the four areas in which the Scriptures are profitable) for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Scriptures will equip us with what we need to do the work of God.

a. James said it like this in James 1:25, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” Once again the perfect law of liberty provides that which we need to furnish us unto all good works.
b. That's why we need to be careful students of the Word of God. As we study the Scriptures, we learn information that will help us to do what God wants us to do.

6. Now let's turn to Titus 2:11-14. We should remember that Titus was an evangelist serving on the island of Crete. Paul wrote this letter to teach him about his conduct as well as what he was to teach the people. In the first chapter, Paul outlined the qualifications of the elders whom Titus was to appoint, referred to the character of the false teachers operating there, and warned Titus concerning the unsavory reputation of the Cretan population.

a. There were people on Crete who believed and became Christians, and becoming Christians meant their lives were to change. Titus was there to teach them how to live as Christians. “11. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12. teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13. looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14. who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
b. These Christians were changed people, and they were to be zealous for good works.
c. Look at Titus 3:8, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”
d. Then look on to Titus 3:14, “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” Do you notice in this one short letter, that Christians doing good works is emphasized?

C. All through these scriptures we find instructions having to do with doing good works.

CONCLUSION:

We've seen from the Scriptures both that Jesus worked and that He taught His followers to work.
Are we saved by good works? No, we're saved by God's grace through faith. Yet, the Bible tells us many times that what we do while we are here is important to our salvation.

Galatians 6:7-8 tells us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

Jesus said in John 6:27 – “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” He said to labor. You can not labor without working.

We know that no matter what good we may do in life, our works neither promote nor compel God to offer us salvation. Then why is it so important that we work, so important—that
He taught His followers to work? Because work is a part of faith. If we truly have faith, love Jesus, love God, and love our neighbor, we will work to please God, follow Christ, care for our neighbor, and teach the lost.

The lesson is yours.

______________________________________________________________________________

We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

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Reference Sermon by: Raymond Sieg

It’s Time To Wake Up

Luke 22: 31 – 62

A rooster and a fox lived in a forest. The rooster was very intelligent and clever. One day a fox was hungry and spotted a rooster sitting on a tree branch. On seeing the rooster, the fox thought of capturing it, but for that, he would have to call the rooster down.

The fox thought that he could fool the rooster into climbing down. He asked the rooster to come down as he no longer needed to be afraid of other animals. He said that the king had passed an order and no animal could harm any other animal. The fox said that they could together go to the king and clarify this with him.

The rooster smelled something fishy and said let’s go to the king and take some of our friends with us as well. The fox told the rooster that to go to the king, he needed to come down first.

The rooster was listening to the fox and knew the fox was trying to fool him. The rooster thought quickly and said that some hounds were coming their way, and they could take them along to the king.

Hearing this, the fox panicked and ran away, saying that the news had not yet reached the hounds. The fox immediately fled from there, and in this way, the rooster saved his life.

Moral Of The Story
The moral of this story is “CLEVERNESS always saves you from danger.” The clever and intelligent rooster outwitted the cunning fox and escaped from danger.
1 Corinthians 3:19 tells us "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”;

How many of us have ever fallen asleep in Church? Statistics show that most people have – at least once.
In the days of the Pilgrims, churches had a person they called a “tything man”. His job was to keep people awake during the sermons, which usually lasted 2 to 3 hours in length, by using a long pole.

The following are just a few reasons individuals have given for falling asleep in church...
• They got up too early
• Or they’ve been up too late the night before
• Or the sermon’s boring....
WHICH I’M SURE DOESN’T APPLY TO ANYONE OF YOU HERE IN CHARDON
• Or because they’ve worked hard all week and they just can’t help themselves

BUT then there are other times, when people fall asleep but have their eyes “wide Open”...
Years ago (when I was younger) I remember being in love with a special girl. She often occupied my thoughts - even when I was at church. One day, at church, during the sermon… I began thinking about her. And, during this daydreaming I reached over and squeezed her knee (right there in church).
Only problem was, she wasn’t seated beside me at the time. I was sitting next to my sister.

It took a long time to explain to my sister why I had done what I’d done.
Literally, I was asleep in church even while I was awake.
My mind was on other things. And I needed to be woke up
Even the Apostle Peter fell asleep “in church” a couple of times.
In Luke 9, we’re told that Jesus took Peter, James and John up on the Mountain of Transfiguration. While Jesus was praying Moses and Elijah appeared with Him... but verse 32 tells us…
“...Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep” Peter was falling asleep!

Then in Luke 22:45 we’re told that Peter fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus “...rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep.”
And this happened, not once, not twice, but three times!

Peter did worse than fall asleep in church. He fell asleep on Jesus.
But even worse than that, Peter was often asleep “in church” even when his eyes wide open. He was there with Jesus – he was listening to the preacher – but his mind was on other things. And he needed to be woken up.

In Matthew 16, for example, Jesus was teaching Peter and the other Apostles about His death, burial, and resurrection.
But somewhere along the line Peter fell asleep to what Jesus was saying: verse 22 Peter says "Never, Lord!"… "This shall never happen to you!"

His mind was elsewhere He was asleep to what Jesus was saying
And so Jesus WOKE him up: Jesus turned and said to Peter in verse 23, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Now in our text this morning, we find that Peter has done it again. His eyes are open but he’s asleep ”in church”. He’s gone to sleep and Jesus wants to wake him up
How do I know that Jesus wanted to wake Peter up?

Well, last night I knew I needed to wake up this morning… So, what do you think I did to make sure I did that? I set my alarm. I needed something to wake me up.

In the same way Peter needed to have something wake him up. So Jesus used a rooster. For centuries roosters have served to wake people up. And that’s what Jesus used this rooster for.

This bird was the tool God used to wake up Peter to some basic truths. What was it that Jesus wanted Peter to wake up to?

1st – Peter needed to wake up to the fact that he wasn’t strong enough to handle everything on his own. Peter was a “man’s man” He was a powerful, towering giant. Peter was a force to be reckoned with.

Peter might not have been the type to start fights... but he could finish them. One of Peter’s basic problems was that he always thought he could handle anything.
• When Jesus said He was going to be betrayed... Peter said “Others might... but not ME! I’ll follow you to prison or even to death! Nothing can stop me from protecting you.”
• And when Jesus was arrested, Peter pulled his sword and whacked off the ear of one of the men. No one dared to touch Jesus with him around. He could handle anything or anyone. He was sure of himself. Sure of his strength.

He believed there was nothing he would face, that he couldn’t handle. But he was wrong. Peter couldn’t handle everything.
Luke 22 verse 31: “Peter” (Jesus said) "Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.”
Peter – there’s someone you can’t beat
Peter - there’s someone you can’t handle
Peter - there’s someone who’s bigger, smarter and more powerful than you are... and his name is Satan.

Peter’s not the only person who’s ever had this problem.
1 Corinthians 10:12 warns us: “... let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
That’s a wakeup call to ALL believers: you’re not as big and smart and powerful as you might think you are. You can’t handle everything on your own. Don’t be so foolish as to think you can do much of anything without talking to God about it.

Too many Christians fall into the SUNDAY ONLY mindset. They put in their hour in worship… and then they leave God back at the church building. They make decisions without Him. They face their challenges and difficulties without Him.

They may not deliberately do this with forethought... but they do it. And they do it because they don’t want to bother God. They’re big boys and girls now. They don’t need Him to involve Himself in their daily lives.

I admit to you… that I don’t always ask God’s guidance about things when I should. I don’t always pray as often as I might. I wonder if it is something that has happened to all of us at some time.

We need to wake up to the fact that – without Him we’re not going to be able to handle the difficulties of this life.And that was what Jesus was telling Peter – WAKE UP!

WAKE UP and realize you aren’t as big and as bad and as brainy as you think you are. Because there is someone out there just waiting to take you down.

Former heavyweight boxer James “Quick” Tillis recalled his 1st day in Chicago after his arrival from Tulsa.
"I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under my arms and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, ’I’m going to conquer Chicago.’ And when he looked down, the suitcases were gone.

He was a heavyweight boxer. He was a big, bad, rather scary kind of man. AND he was going to conquer Chicago. But somebody took all that he owned away from him.

“Wake up” Says Jesus– take heed lest you fall. Know that there are forces in this world that you can’t take on ... BY YOURSELF.
That was the first thing Jesus wanted Peter to wake up to: You CAN’T do this on our own...

So… the 2nd thing Jesus wanted him to wake up to was… he didn’t have to do everything on his own. Jesus was still in control.

Luke 22:59-61 it tells us that “About an hour later another said,
"Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean."
Peter replied, "Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!"
Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed.
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.
IT IS Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him:
"Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times."

How did Jesus know Peter would deny Him 3 times?
How did Jesus know that rooster was going to crow when it did?
Because Jesus is God.
He created the rooster. He created Peter.

In Isaiah 46:9-11 God declared:
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

Jesus knew the temptation Satan had planned for Peter. And He knew how Peter would respond to that temptation. And Jesus wanted to wake Peter up to the fact that He knew that and that HE was in control.

When OUR life turns sour.
When WE ARE in over OUR heads.
When everything you THOUGHT you had under control suddenly collapses.

REMEMBER THIS
Jesus is still in control. Now that’s hard for Peter to believe. Jesus has just been betrayed by a friend. He’s been arrested. He’s been put through an illegal and humiliating trial. And that’s going to be just the beginning. Jesus is going to be beaten and He’s going to be whipped.

He’s going to be taunted and spit on by some of the very people who praised him just days before. He’s going to be forced to drag His cross down the streets of Jerusalem. And He’s going to be nailed to that cross, and lifted on that cross as it’s put in position and dropped into place. And then He’ll die the slow agonizing death of those who are crucified. And when He dies, they’re going to bury His body in a borrowed grave.

And, as far as Peter can see,... that is where Jesus will stay.
WAS Jesus in control? Absolutely, EVEN THOUGH Peter couldn’t see that!
And, SO MANY times in our lives we have DOUBTS… BUT GOD is STILL IN CONTROL!

Jesus was still in control.
Now, one last observation:
Why do Roosters crow?
Roosters crow for one basic reason: The Sun has risen... and there’s a new day coming.

The OLD Peter needed to wake up the fact that he couldn’t do it all on his own.
But then he didn’t have to because Jesus was God in the flesh – Jesus was God come down in human form. And Jesus had come to change Peter’s OLD life forever.

A new day was coming. It would be a day when the OLD Peter’s life would be buried and all forgotten.

As God tells us in Romans 6:2-7
“We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
If we have been united with him like this in his death,
we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

When we’re buried in the waters of baptism our “OLD MAN” dies.
Our OLD LIFE is buried.
And we rise up to a NEWNESS of life.
Ephesians 5:14 says to you
"Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

INVITATION.

Contributing Sermon By Jeff Strite

Trapped by Temptation

JAMES 1: 13 – 15

Back in the 14th century, in the region we now call Belgium, there was a duke by the name of Raynald III. Raynald had a nickname – Crassus.
Crassus means fat, and he was fat because he really liked to eat.
He liked to EAT ... a lot!
In the course of time, he had a violent quarrel with his younger brother Edward which resulted in Edward leading a revolt against him. Edward took Raynald prisoner and took him back to Nieuwkerk Castle where he had a special room built around him.
He promised his brother he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room.

Now, for NORMAL SIZE people, that wouldn’t have been a problem. There were several windows and a door of normal size, and none of them were locked or barred. The problem for Raynald was his size. In order to leave the room he had to lose some weight.
But Edward knew his brother’s weakness and he made sure trays of delicious food were delivered to his room each day.  Thus, instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter.

When Edward was accused of cruelty, he readily replied: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave ... when he so wills.”
Being delivered from evil depends on not being led into temptation. No trial or temptation is neutral. They are ordeals that either strengthen or weaken, depending on how they're handled.

Christ teaches us to pray to be delivered from not only evil, but also from what carries us there.
James 1: 13 – 15 says "13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."

Temptation isn't sin, but sin can't thrive without temptation. Or in Raynald's case, his fight wasn't in how to get through the door, but in how to get around the food.
Raynald stayed in that room for 10 years and wasn’t released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined that he died within a year. He died a prisoner to his own appetite.

As I read this tragic story, I was struck by several truths:
FIRST: Satan takes us prisoner by capitalizing on our desires, weaknesses and tastes. He doesn’t need to create those things in us, he just takes advantage of our appetites. And then he sets out to do his best to see to it that we stay sated with the pleasures of sin.

SECOND: Raynald had a choice – he could only eat as much as was truly necessary, he could have exercised in his cell, and he could have walked through the cell door after losing enough weight.

But Raynald was too fond of his sweets and tasty delights – thereby becoming his own warden, held in a prison only by his own weaknesses.

The same is true for us – Satan can’t keep us in the prison. It is our choice – to continue to smother ourselves and indulge in our passions and sin, or to leave the prison behind.

THIRD: We think that the things we long for in our human nature are what will make us happy – that if we have enough of something, then we will be free at long last, not realizing (or at least not admitting to ourselves) that we are only perpetuating our imprisonment. Freedom awaits us outside the imprisonment of our desires. What would you rather have: freedom or another piece of cheesecake?

Jesus tells us: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross.
This morning we read a warning from Paul specifically to new Christians in Ephesus where he urged them: Don’t die a prisoner to your appetites.

Ephesians 4:17-20  "17So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20But you did not learn Christ in this way,"

Now, that’s not the way they “learned Christ” BUT that’s how they grew up. They once walked as the Gentiles did because they were Gentiles, and they lived in Ephesus.

Ephesus was a thriving seaport, proudly referred to as the “Treasure House of Asia.” And it was highly prized by the Romans. They had invested a huge amount of money in building the city up so much that it was the center of the area. Because of that, the Roman Governor would often go there to hold legal proceedings.

But it wasn’t a very nice city. It was home to the Temple of Diana/Artemis – the goddess of fertility. Her temple was a huge structure… that could accommodate over 24,000 people… and is thought of as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

But because Artemis was the goddess of fertility, the worship there included the burning of incense and the playing of flute music and the whole atmosphere which was designed to arouse the worshipers into an emotional frenzy and engage in shameless sexual behavior (we’ll leave it at that).

Ephesus was also a city of criminals. The tradition in Ephesus, was that if any criminal reached the Temple of Diana they were granted asylum for their crimes. They couldn’t be punished, so that’s where criminals ended up living.

Because of that, Ephesus was an extremely popular city, but also an extremely im-moral city. And that’s where these Ephesian Christians grew up and that’s where they lived.

As you might imagine...
it would be a very difficult to live a Christian life there. The temptation to do evil things existed on every street corner, and the Ephesians lived RIGHT THERE in the midst of some pretty nasty stuff.

The question arose, how could Christians avoid getting dragged back into their old lifestyles? How could Christians avoid becoming imprisoned in their appetites?

These are the same questions we face in our present world.
Well, one way would be to get bad folks to stop doing their bad stuff. I mean; if we could just convince people to stop:
listening to vile lyrics in their music,
or stop going to inappropriate movies;
or convince them to stop sleeping with their friends,
or committing adultery/
treating women like sex objects;
or if we could convince them to stop cursing,
and saying (or writing) mean or hateful things...
I mean, if we could just DO THAT.

Then being a Christian would be so much easier, don’t you think?  But Paul tells us that’s not going to be real successful.

Going back to verses 18 and 19 of Ephesians 4 tells us “(The Gentiles) are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”

These folks have lived like this for so long That if you’d asked them to stop, they’re gonna be like... WHY? They’re alienated from God. There’s a hardness and callousness in them. They’re so imprisoned by their lifestyles that Paul says they’ve “given themselves up to sensuality etc.”

They’ve gotten to the point where they ask – What’s the point? It’s so hard to stop doing it... why bother?

Someone once stated that The Seven Deadly Sins (pride… lust… greed…, etc) are not evil acts, but rather universal human compulsions that can be troubling BUT highly enjoyable.”

In other words, many have accepted their PRISON of “compulsions” and accepted the idea that “I’M NOT GETTING OUT OF HERE!”

By contrast, the reason that WE (Christians) don’t buy into that is that is Jesus has promised to FREE us from the things (like this) that have made us ashamed. The pagan world isn’t gonna change just because we say they should.

Another way to escape the prison of sin would be to practice Social Distancing. Go live in a corner, lock yourself up in a monastery, or go and live in cave somewhere. That’s what people did back in the Middle Ages.

But Paul tells us... that’s just NOT practical.  In I Corinthians 5:9-10 he states "9I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or envious,"

There’s no avoiding the fact that we live in a fallen world, and that’s where we’re gonna stay until Jesus comes again.

So if I can’t convince the bad folk to change their bad ways, and if I can’t practice effective social distancing by living in a cave somewhere, how can I avoid being imprisoned by MY appetites, just like everybody else?

Well this what Paul says we should do – go back to Ephesians 4 and verse 22 " that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,"

In other words: determine not to live by your appetites. Decide YOU are not going to live like a pagan. That’s what repentance is all about. Repentance is the decision to turn around and leave the old lifestyle.

ILLUS: Let’s say you’ve been out in the garden, digging in the dirt, pulling weeds and sweating up a storm. You get all done, and you realize you that are supposed to go out to eat with friends that night. So, what do you do?

You go inside, take off your dirty clothes and take a shower. Once you towel off... are you ready to go out and eat??? I hope not. You’re naked!

They arrest people for going around in public that way. So, what do you have to do? Well, you have to PUT ON clean clothes. It’s not enough to take off your dirty clothes and take a bath. You have to put on clean garments!

And in the same way, it’s not enough to TAKE OFF the sins of the past, you have to replace those sinful behaviors with something else. You have to put on clean deeds and clean thoughts and clean words.
Let’s now read verse 24 of Ephesians 4
“PUT ON the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

And, just to help us out, Paul gives us some examples. In Ephesians 4:25, for example, he writes: Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”
for we are members of one another.

What am I taking off? “Lying!!!”
What am I putting on? “Truth Telling!”
Do you remember my telling you Ephesus was a home for criminals? There were probably a good number of ex-thieves in the church there, and I suspect they were tempted to go back to their life of crime.
And what Paul telling them to take off – stealing!
And what are these thieves supposed to put on? Get a job!

Now, this is interesting –
Paul doesn’t stop by telling them to get a job. He tells them WHY they should get a job. They should get a job so they have something to share with others.
This goes to the heart of changing a thief’s motivation – he used to steal because “what’s yours is mine, and I can take it.”
But now, he is to think of his money (which he earns in a job) as something to give to others. His money is now the money he can give away.

And lastly –
Ephesians 4:29-32 " 29Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

What am I supposed to TAKE OFF?
Corrupt talk!
Vulgar words!
Curse words!
Profanity!

And what am I supposed to PUT ON in their place?
Words that build others up and make people feel good.
But that’s not all.
Profane language isn’t all about using curse words. You can have corrupt language that doesn’t have a single curse word in it. You can have unwholesome talk that isn’t filled with profanity. In fact, there’s a CORRUPT talk that grieves God’s Spirit which is inside of you!!!

These are words filled with bitterness, hatred, and slander of other people. And God says... get rid of that!!! Do not tear others down by what you say. God despises that kind of language!!!!

But why? Why would God hate that of language? Well, because God knows you and I... and He knows enough about us that He could say all kinds of nasty things about us. He knows things He could say about you that YOU don’t want others to find out about.

But He doesn’t. He won’t repeat those words about your past because, in Christ HE forgave you and me! IN CHRIST... all our shameful behavior been erased.

Since that is true, it’s inappropriate for us to gratefully accept HIM forgiving us...and then us turning around and NOT forgiving others of their behavior.

CLOSE: Now in the midst of the conversation about TAKING OFF sinful deeds and PUTTING ON good deeds, we must not lose sight of the fact that we’re NOT doing all this because we’re nice people.

We may think we are... but that’s not possible. Isaiah 64:6 tells us “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before God."

In other words, we won’t be able to stand before God at the judgement and say “Hey, look at how nice I’ve dressed myself! Aren’t I pretty?” Oh no! This isn’t about dressing up in OUR righteous deeds. It’s about dressing up Christ’s righteousness.

In Revelation 3:18 Jesus said "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."

It’s Jesus who clothes in pure garments. It’s HIS blood and His forgiveness that covers the nakedness of our sins. In fact, that’s how we come to salvation.
When we’re baptized in Christ, Paul says “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have PUT ON Christ.” Galatians 3:27

Sermon Contributor: Jeff Strite