Chardon church of Christ

Evidence That Demands A Verdict

Luke 24:1-35

I have always been intrigued by how investigators look for all evidence at a crime scene to prove who is guilty. This morning I would like to ask each of us to consider being a crime scene investigator.

The following story is true. And while it is somewhat morbid it serves to illustrate what I want to say this morning.
Several years ago there was an TV news account of the arrest and trial of a man who had been accused of murdering his family with a knife. Neighbors had heard screaming on the night of the murders, but they had not given it much thought until two weeks later, when it was reported that the bodies of the victims had been found in shallow graves in a field outside of town.

After hearing these reports the neighbors called the police.
When the police entered the home of the victims,
bear in mind that 2 or 3 weeks had already gone by.
They found it to be immaculate. The carpets had been shampooed. the curtains and drapes washed and ironed, the woodwork polished. Every window had been cleaned; every piece of furniture polished; even the bedrooms and hallways had been repainted.

The police found no fingerprints, no blood stains, no shredded clothing, and no signs of a struggle anywhere.
This alone would have made the husband a prime suspect. No man by himself would have had a such an immaculately taken care of home. The defendant’s story was that he and his wife HAD had an argument a month earlier, and she had taken the kids and left him. He said he had no idea of where they were until he’d been told their bodies had been found.
Understandably, the police doubted the man’s story. So they brought in a forensics team that sprayed the man’s bedroom, bathroom, hallway walls, and floors with a chemical known as Luminal.
Luminal is a compound that’s designed to interact with blood, and when it comes in contact with blood, it gives off a florescent color - even under paint. The police sprayed the Luminal, waited a few moments, and then - sure enough - the patterns of blood appeared throughout the house. Neither the soap, the polish, nor the fresh paint had prevented the police from seeing the blood, even though the blood had been covered and hidden from their view.
APPLY: When CSI Investigators examine a crime scene they often are looking for evidence that isn’t readily seen. Evidence they can use in a court of law. Evidence that will demand a verdict.
This morning we’re examining a crime scene: the cross of Christ. And while some of the evidence there IS obvious other things seem to be hidden from view.
The Bible portrays the death of Jesus as a crime of passion:
it was our crime of sin…
and God’s passion for our souls
But as we listen to the conversation between Jesus and the men on the road to Emmaus (found in Lk 24 which is our TEXT for today’s lesson) we find that these two men have heard the evidence of the cross. In fact, they tell Jesus all about it. And they’ve heard the evidence of risen Christ…
Luke 24:22-23 “…some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.”
They’ve heard all this… but they don’t believe it! It’s as if there is certain evidence that has remained hidden from their sight, and this missing evidence has totally destroyed the hope these men should have had when they heard Jesus had risen from the dead.
Because these men have not understood this missing information they have come to believe that Jesus’ death was an accident. A great tragedy.
LOOK WITH ME AGAIN at Luke 24:17-21
He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces DOWNCAST.
One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
"What things?" he asked.
"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but WE HAD HOPED that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
Notice… in vs. 21 they say “WE HAD HOPED” that Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel.
… but He’d been executed
… He’d been murdered
… He was dead
And this belief so demoralized them that Luke tells us their faces were “downcast” (Luke 24:17)
(pause…) Jesus lets them tell their story… and then He rebukes them. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” Luke 24:25
It’s then that Jesus does the most unusual thing…
Luke tells us that Jesus deliberately hid who He was from them. Luke 24:16 says “…they were kept from recognizing him.”
Instead of doing what I’d have done, Luke tells us that “… beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:27
Jesus went back into the Old Testament and He began with the book of Genesis and He worked His way all the way up through the prophets like Daniel and Isaiah to help these men see that God had planned this all out long before they had ever been born.
As Peter said when He told the crowd who heard his sermon on the day of Pentecost: Acts 2:23 “(Jesus was) was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge…”
What prophecies would Jesus have shared with these men? I’m not sure. There are at least 48 major prophecies dealing with the coming Messiah in the Old Testament and He may have covered every one of them that afternoon… but as I only preach for about a half an hour every Sunday morning, I’m going to give you the Reader’s Digest version of what I think He might have shared with them that day.

1. I believe Jesus probably started out telling these men the story of Adam and Eve
He would have told them about how Adam and Eve had been created by God, had enjoyed the blessings of God, and walked closely beside Him every day.
But then one day… all that changed. Adam and Eve had allowed themselves to be tempted by Satan to sin and disobey.
As a result Adam and Eve lost practically everything. They became separated from God. They died spiritually and began to die physically.
But in the midst of all this tragedy, God pronounced a curse upon Satan that goes this way:
…I will put enmity (hatred) between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he (the offspring of a woman) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15
NOTICE, the prophecy was that it would be the male offspring of a woman (not a MAN and a woman) who would destroy the power of Satan.

2. THEN I believe Jesus could have turned them to Deuteronomy 18:15 where Moses declared:
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”
Now there are many great prophets listed throughout the Old Testament. Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others. Many of them gave powerful prophecies and performed magnificent miracles. And yet, none of them quite measured up to what Moses did in his lifetime.

1. Moses came for the specific purpose of freeing his people from slavery

2. And Moses was sent by God to give His people a new and special covenant that would set them apart to be His Holy people.
No other prophet in the Old Testament accomplished anything like that. No matter how powerful their miracles and prophecies may have been, none had freed their people from slavery or introduced a new relationship with God to their nation. In fact no one ever did… until Jesus came.

BUT WHEN Jesus CAME
1. He freed His people from the slavery of sin
2. And He gave His people a new covenant… and set them apart to be God’s Holy people
3. Then I believe Jesus could have reminded the men on the road to Emmaus of a powerful prophecy out of Daniel 9
An angel told Daniel that “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness …. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’” Daniel 9:24-25
Most Bible scholars will tell you that these “70” sevens represent years… 490 years to be precise. Daniel also tells us that the prophecy was set in motion with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. When the edict to rebuild Jerusalem – the clock started ticking.
And according to the timetable set forth in Daniel 9 the Messiah was to be revealed around… 30 A.D.. Tell me, when did Jesus begin His ministry???
30 A.D.
4. Lastly, I think Jesus would have taken them to the last few chapters of Isaiah.
Now, until Jesus came, there were Jews who believed these chapters spoke of a coming messiah.

In Isaiah 52:13-14 God tells us
“See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness”
Then Isaiah goes on tell us more about this “messiah”/ servant – sent by God.
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5

Isaiah explicitly describes the Messiah as being wounded and pierced… sent for the specific purpose of taking on the sins of mankind.
In the next few verses Isaiah speaks of messiah dying. Being cut off from the land of the living.
Isaiah 53:12 “…he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
So, in other words… throughout the whole Old Testament we’re repeatedly told that a Messiah was coming.

1. And He would “arrive” at approximately the year 30 A.D.
2. He would be the offspring of a woman (not a MAN and a woman)
3. He would be like Moses – freeing His people from slavery and creating for them a new relationship with God.
4. He would suffer wounds and piercings
5. And would die for the sins of mankind.

ILLUS: Someone has gone to the trouble of counting up all the prophecies in the Old Testament that told about this coming Messiah. They discovered at least 333 details concerning the person and career of the Messiah. These details described
· Where He’d be born
· What He’d look like
· And how He’d die

One person noted that there are 48 Major prophecies that predicted details of the Messiah’s life, and that the odds of one person fulfilling those 48 major prophecies would be astronomical.
The odds of one person fulfilling all those Biblical predictions in their life would be akin to trying to find a diamond ring SOMEWHERE in the world’s oceans that someone had dropped overboard during a storm. We’re not told which body of water it fell into we just are informed that we are to search all 197,000 square miles of the world’s oceans until we find it.
The odds of your finding that ring, are like the odds of anyone ACCIDENTALLY fulfilling the 48 major prophecies about the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament.
But Jesus did it… and it WASN’T an accident.

A minister was once asked what the major difference was between Christianity and the other world’s religions. Now, many great scholars have given valuable answers to that question. But as he pondered on this question… something occurred to him.

About 500 years before Jesus was born, a man popped up in history who we know as Buddha. Buddha developed a powerful teaching that changed his life, and the lives of others. A lot of people gathered around this man and they liked what he taught. As a result, a major religion developed around this man and his teachings.

About 500 years after the birth of Christ, another man came along named Mohammed. Mohammed developed a powerful teaching that changed his life and the lives of others. A lot of people gathered around this man and they liked what he taught. As a result, a major religion developed around this man and his teachings.

And yet… nobody predicted that a man like Buddha was going to come along and live like he lived, and teach like he taught and die like he died.
And nobody predicted that a man like Mohammed was going to come along and live like he lived, and teach like he taught and die like he died.
But 1000s of years before Jesus was born, the major theme of the Old Testament was…
Somebody’s coming
Somebody’s coming
… and when He comes… this is what He’ll do, and this is how He’ll teach and this is how He’ll die.

This was the evidence that the men on the road to Emmaus had failed to understand. It was evidence that demanded a verdict. A verdict that Jesus’ death on the cross was the deliberate plan of God and that He had come to “redeem Israel” - and everyone else who would come to Him - from their sins.
But knowing the evidence was not enough. They needed to believe it, to accept it… and to build their lives around it.

CLOSE: A great artist by the name of Steinberg had taken in a beautiful gypsy girl to pose for his paintings. At the time he was working on his masterpiece "Christ on the Cross." The girl used to watch him work on this painting.
One day she said to him "He must have been a very wicked man to be nailed to the cross like that."
"No," he replied, "on the contrary, he was a very good man, perhaps the best man that ever lived. He died for others."
The girl looked up at him and asked. "Did he die for you?"
Steinberg was not a Christian at the time, but the gypsy girl’s question touched his heart and awakened his conscience and he became a believer in Jesus.
This morning, each of us is asked to ponder ALL the EVIDENCE we are given from God’s Word and then CHOOSE for OURSELVES whom we will SERVE….
Knowing the fact that Jesus was promised to come, he lived His life as a pattern for each of us to follow, and that he willingly died on the cross for each and every one of us!
The choice is yours as we stand and sing….

 

 

Sermon Contributor: Jeff Strite

The Faith of Noah

The Faith of Noah
Hebrews 11:7

INTRO: Good morning church. As we studied the Book of Hebrews in class we have found much to think about, and it has led us to some very fruitful discussions where we gained greater understanding of the Lord’s word. I would like to continue a bit in that book this morning and discuss some things about the faith shown by Noah.

Please turn to Hebrews 11:7 and I will read from the NKJV – “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

The event of the flood, Noah and the ark, is one of the great miracles that people often ridicule and mock. They have trouble wrapping their heads around this event and all that took place, so they want to dismiss it. Jesus, when talking about the coming of the ‘son of man’, said in Matthew 24:37-39 – “37. "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38. "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39. "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Jesus referred to Noah and the flood. If our Lord believed it, that ought to settle it.

Let’s look at our text from Hebrews in detail. As we do, we will see that Hebrews 11:7 can be divided into 5 statements related to Noah’s faith.

I. The first statement and this is the first point we want to make, the first lesson we want to learn. “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen”

A. To fully appreciate and understand that statement we need to consider a few verses in Genesis 6. I wondered what exactly is involved in this statement Noah was warned of God of things not seen yet.

1. We see in Genesis 6:5 that in Noah's time people had become very wicked. “… the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

a. God did not make man in a corrupt state. They were created in a state of innocence. They decided (made the decision) to transgress the will of God.
b. We were told what happened, Adam was instructed – “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” If they transgressed the will of God, they would die. You know how the serpent came along and tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. She gave in to the temptation and ate of the fruit, giving it to Adam and he ate it as well. At that point, sin and death entered the world and things changed.
c. By the time Noah came on the scene several generations have passed. The population on the Earth had grown since the days of Adam and Eve. Genesis 6:5 sums up just how wicked man had become.
d. We notice that God did not make people in that state. People got into that state because they wanted to. They made the decision to transgress the will of God.

2. Man's wickedness affected God to the point that God decided to destroy mankind as well as the creatures He had created. Genesis 6:6-7 – “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.''” What we see here is the total corruption of humanity. The very citadel of human life, the heart, which in Hebrew thought meant the mind, was devoted exclusively to the contemplation of evil.

a. It would be difficult to devise a sentence that would more effectively portray the corruption of humanity than does Genesis 6:5.
b. This is the result of the judicial hardening of humanity prophesied by Genesis 6:3 where is foretold the withdrawal of the Spirit of God from "striving with" mankind. The entire Bible deals with the phenomenon of Judicial Hardening—disobedience.

3. We need to appreciate the very next verse, verse 8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” We know how wicked man had become and how God felt about it. Yet, there was one righteous man on the face of the Earth – Noah.

a. Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord? Verse 9 “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” This explains to us why Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
b. Consequently, God decided to spare Noah from the destruction that He was going to bring upon the earth.

4. Remember, we're looking at these verses for the purpose of helping us understand that Noah was warned of God, of things not seen yet. Look at verse 13 “And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” This verse shows us that God informed Noah He was going to destroy the Earth.
5. To see how, we look next at verse 17 “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.”. God decided to destroy the Earth with a flood of waters.

B. That was something new—no one had ever seen a flood like that. Note we're illustrating from the book of Genesis what the writer of Hebrews was teaching when he said that Noah was warned of God of things not seen yet. No one, including Noah, had ever seen so great a flood. How did Noah react?
C. Through his faith, Noah believed what God had said. Noah did not stand there and argue with God and say, I don't believe that I've never seen a flood like that. God said it. Noah believed it. That settled it. Through his faith, Noah believed what God had said. Reminds us of Hebrews 11:1, doesn’t it? – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
D. What exactly caused Noah to listen when God warned him about something that had never been seen before? That brings us to the second statement that we want to consider.

II. In Hebrews 11:7 – “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear…” I’ll stop right there. Noah was moved with fear. I don't know about you, but when I hear the word fear, I think about being afraid of something. That's the way we use the word.

A. The Bible uses the word fear in that sense as well, but often the Bible uses the word fear to refer to reverence or respect for God. In the Bible, fear and obeying God are often joined together.
B. For example, in Ecclesiastes 12:13, Solomon said this is the conclusion of the whole matter—“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
C. Noah's fear moved him or motivated him to do something.
D. What did Noah's fear move him to do? That brings us to the third statement that we want to look at.

III. In Hebrews 11:7 again, Noah “…prepared an ark for the saving of his household…” Noah was warned of God, of things not seen yet. Noah was moved with fear. What did his fear move him to do? He prepared that ark.

A. As we examine what's written in the book of Genesis, we see that God gave specific instructions for building the ark and placing the animals inside. God even specified the type of wood that was to be used. He specified gopher wood. Today we do not know exactly what this wood was. We do know some things from the text though…it was available in sufficient quantities for the work, and the important thing is, Noah understood.
B. God not only specified the kind of wood that was to be used, He gave specific dimensions for building the ark.

1. If God had just said, Noah, I want you to build this great big ark and left it at that, Noah would have been free to make some decisions about the kind of wood he would use, the dimensions and so on, but when God specified what He wanted, that eliminated everything else.
2. God also didn't have to go down a list and say, Noah; I don't want you to use this kind of wood or that kind of wood. When He specified gopher wood that eliminated everything else.

a. A lot of people don't understand this principle when it comes to studying the Bible. When God specifies in His word what He wants, that eliminates everything else.
b. Some people take the approach: if God hasn't specifically condemned something, then we're free to do it. That's not the case, is it?
c. The Bible teaches us whatever we “…do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” [para], Colossians 3:17. That means we're to do those things that the Lord has authorized us to do in His Word. When He authorizes a particular matter… that eliminates everything else.

3. I think I've used this illustration many times, but it makes the point. Years and years and years ago, before Johnny was old enough to drive, he went everywhere on his bicycle. In the neighborhood where Johnny lived there was a mom-and-pop store that sold groceries. Sometimes Johnny’s mother would need a few things that were available at that store. She would say, “Johnny, I want you to get on your bicycle and go to the store and buy”… whatever it was a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, or a dozen eggs, whatever.

a. When his mother specified, get on his bicycle that meant, don't walk. He was certainly not old enough to take the car and he didn’t have a driver's license. She didn't have to go through all that. When she said, get on your bicycle that specified what she wanted Johnny to do.
b. Johnny did have a choice to make though. Would he do what she wanted him to do or not? Johnny was pretty sharp, and he learned early on, years before, that when Mama said something, you do what she says, or there were consequences.
c. When she told him exactly what to go buy, she didn't have to go down a list and say, now Johnny, don't buy a Snickers candy bar. He may have loved them, but she did not have to tell him not to buy one. She didn't have to say, now, Johnny, don't buy one of those Pepsi flavored ices that you love. She didn't have to go down the list and tell him what not to get. When she told him what to get, that eliminated everything else.
d. Besides that, she gave him the exact amount of money to buy what she wanted, so there was no extra anyway. Mothers are smart like that, and she removed the temptation for him to try to go beyond what she said.

4. When God specified to Noah how to build the ark, He did not have to go down the list and tell Noah what not to do, because when He told Noah what to do, that eliminated everything else. Noah understood that. You would think that people living today ought to be able to understand the same thing.

C. God gave specific instructions for building the ark and placing the animals inside. We notice in Genesis 6 that Noah did exactly what God told him to do. Genesis 6:22 says, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” Next look at chapter 7 in verse 5. “And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.” The verses are very explicit, aren't they? Noah did exactly what God told him to do.
D. At this point I would like us to tie in a statement in James 2:18 concerning faith. James says, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Let's apply that to Noah. By obeying God's instructions, Noah was showing, demonstrating his faith.
E. Do you recall the miracle of Jesus when He healed the paralyzed man? Jesus was teaching in a home, and it was packed with people. Some men had a friend who couldn't walk, and they wanted to bring him to the Lord so that the Lord would heal him. But when they got to the place where Jesus was, they could not go inside because there were so many people. I love how industrious these men were. They went up on the roof of the house, took back some of the roofing and let the man down. Look at what Jesus says. First Matthew’s account in Matthew 9:2 – “… And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”” Next Mark 2:5 – “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”” Finally Luke 5:20 – “So when He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.””

1. Is faith something that you can put in a container and see? No, but it is active. When Jesus saw the actions of these men who brought their friend to be healed, He observed their faith.
2. I think we can say that about Noah. Noah did what God told him to do. Consequently, he demonstrated his faith. That brings us to the fourth statement made about Noah and his faith.

IV. In Hebrews 11:7 again – “…by which he condemned the world…” We need to be sure that we understand what that means.

A. Did Noah condemn the world in the sense that he destroyed it? No. That was beyond his power. God is the one who destroyed the earth in the flood.

1. Yet, Noah did condemn the world. How did he do that? Noah condemned the world by refusing to be like the world. We are told how wicked men had become. Noah did not go along with everyone else.
2. There's an interesting statement found in 2 Peter 2:4-5 – “… God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;” Noah was a preacher of righteousness. The implication is clear that Noah attempted to persuade his contemporaries to renounce their evil ways and turn to God. There were eight souls saved in the ark—Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.
3. Noah didn't build that ark in a day or two. It took him a long time. I'm assuming, from what the Bible says, that while he was building the ark, he was trying to get people to repent, but no one other then his family listened.

B. Noah refused to be condemned with the rest of the world. He knew that he had to obey God, even if no one else in the whole world did. We would do well to keep that in mind today. We must be faithful to God and His Word, even if no one else is. There is always pressure on people to compromise with the world, and when we do that, we transgress the will of God. Noah understood that he had to obey God, even if no one else on the face of the earth did. Yes, Noah refused to be condemned with the rest of the world, and in that sense, he did condemn the world. That brings us to the fifth statement that we want to point out concerning Noah and his faith.

V. From Hebrews 11:7 – “… became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Noah received the reward that God had reserved for him.

A. This means that even godly Noah was not saved by his own works or merit. His faithful obedience pleased God who made him an heir of the righteousness yet to be revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ who, in the fullness of time, would appear and fulfill all righteousness. Noah was the very first man in the Bible to be designated "righteous"; and even then, it was not righteousness from within but from above.
B. Westcott put it this way. “The righteousness was something which came to him as having its source without, and yet according to a certain law. It was his by an unquestionable right: it corresponded with the position of a son; and this position Noah showed by his conduct to be his.”

 

CONCLUSION:
Let's make a few points of application. We certainly need to correctly understand what the Bible has to say concerning Noah's faith. Then we need to make proper application. There are so many things we could talk about concerning Noah and the ark. However, I suggest that we apply what we've just talked about in reference to Noah's faith.

God warned Noah about things that have never been seen. God has done the same thing for us. Let's look at a few scriptures. 2 Peter 3:10-12 - “10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12. looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?”

Peter is very explicit in showing us that when Jesus comes back, everything will be burned up. It can't be made any clearer than what Peter made it. Have you ever seen any destruction like that? We're familiar with forest fires and the damage they can cause. I think about what happened on 9-11 and there's an image that's burned into my mind. I can't get rid of it. I see the smoke rising over New York City and it seemed to just burn for days and days.

Think about everything, the earth, the elements, everything in the universe being burned up. Have we ever seen anything like that? We haven't. Do we believe that that's going to happen? I do. Why? Because God said so.

Just as God warned Noah about coming destruction, things that had never been seen, He's also warned us of things that have never been seen. I've never seen that type of destruction, but I believe it's going to occur because God has said so.

Let's consider another warning. Those who do not obey the Gospel will be punished. I’m in Second Thessalonians 1 starting in verse 7. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 – “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” I've never seen everlasting destruction, have you? The Bible says it's going to occur. How do we know that these things are going to occur? By the same way Noah knew that the earth would be destroyed by a flood, faith.

We have read what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” That is what Rahab did, remember? That's also what Noah did. He set a wonderful example before us. Noah was warned about things that had never been seen, and he acted on God's warnings.

The Bible gives us some warnings about things that have never been seen and we ought to follow Noah's example and be prepared. Just as fear moved Noah to obey God, fear ought to motivate us to do what God wants us to do.

What does God want us to do to be prepared for that coming destruction? Let’s let Peter tell us about this in 1 Peter 3:20-21 “20. who formerly were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21. There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”

When the Lord gave the great commission, He told His apostles to preach the gospel to every creature. He then said, he who believes and is baptize shall be saved. That's what Peter's writing about here, and he's using an illustration from what happened to Noah and his family. There were eight souls prepared for that coming flood. They were in the ark, and they were spared.

To be prepared, we need to follow the Lord's instructions. Noah refused to be like the rest of the world. We emphasized this earlier, and in that sense, he condemned the world. The Bible teaches us that we must not be conformed to the world.

Let's look at Romans 12:1-2 This is the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome. “1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Noah refused to be like the rest of the world. The Bible teaches us that we also are not to be conformed to the world, but we are to be transformed. Then if we remain faithful unto God, we will receive a very special reward. That's the way that Hebrews 11:7 concludes. “Noah received what he was promised as a reward.” Revelation 2:10 says, “… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Now let's look at Hebrews 12:1. Throughout Hebrews 11 we read about the faith that was demonstrated by the great men and women of the Old Testament. Noah was just one of them. When we think about Noah's example and the example set by these other great Bible people, we ought to be encouraged to do what this next verse tells us. You see all the information in chapter eleven is leading up to this concluding statement in verse one of chapter twelve which starts with the word “therefore”.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Noah’s faith ought to encourage us to do what this verse teaches us to do, run with patience the race that is set before us.

These witnesses we have read about interpret to us the meaning of our struggle, and they bear testimony to the certainty of our success if we are faithful to the end of the race.
The weight we carry in our race is anything that slows us down. It is any hindrance which can get in the way, or impede the Christian’s progress. Just as the runner in a race travels as lightly as possible, the Christian must avoid being weighted down with all kinds of worldly duties and commitments. Many of them no doubt worthy – yet one fact is certain, no one can do all that the world wants and be a good Christian too. Far too many children of the King allow their time, talent, and money to be consumed by secondary things. Those things are called "weights," when we understand the effect they have on our dedication to Christ and His cause on earth. This is also true of congregations who let worldly activities take up their resources.

The sin that ensnares us, to halt our running of the race, refers to conduct inherently unrighteous, which is always a mortal enemy of faith.
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We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must 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 you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. 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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Taken from a sermon by: Raymond Sieg

Thanking Your Way To A Strong Family

Thanking Your Way To A Strong Family
Text Colossians 3:12 – 17

OPEN: Back in the 70’s, a woman wrote an article I found interesting. She said that her cousin had invited them to “Come for a thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, March 20th.”
She stated that: “She was not celebrating an early Thanksgiving. She was saying that all was well with her husband, who had finished a battery of hospital tests.
“In our family,” she said “we sometimes have as many as ten thanksgivings in one year.
Each Thanksgiving marks a happy event such as:
a job promotion,
a graduate degree,
a good medical report.
Sometimes we celebrate with a dinner party,
sometimes with a picnic or outing,
but always with as many members of our clan as we can round up.”
10 Thanksgivings a year… can you imagine what that would do to your diet???
And yet here in Colossians 3:17 we’re told that 10 Thanksgivings a year would NOT be enough for a Christian that tried to follow Paul’s advice: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
In WHATEVER we do… every day of every year… we should be giving thanks. We should be known as a “thankful people”.
In fact, Colossians 2:7 declares “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, OVERFLOWING with thanksgiving.”
And in Ephesians 5:20 we’re told that we should be “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,.”

I. We - as Christians - should be known as a thankful and grateful people.
And that should be true of us in EVERY aspect of our lives. Especially – it should be true in our homes and in how we deal with our families.

ILLUS:A few years ago Dr. Nick Stinnett of the Univ. of Nebraska conducted a series of studies in an attempt to discover what characteristics were common in strong families. He and his researchers discovered SIX qualities.
And the first quality and one of the most important to be found in strong families was that of appreciation. They concluded that families which were strong…
were strong because family members expressed appreciation for what each member DID and for who they WERE.
In a similar study another researcher looked into the effect of praise in the workplace.
His study showed that the ratio of praise to criticism in the workplace needed to be 4 to 1 before employees felt that there is a balance…
that there had be 4 times as much praise as there was criticism before those employees felt good about their work and about the environment they worked in.
This tells us that people need appreciation. They need praise. And they need these things 4 times as often as they receive criticism to have a healthy environment at work or home.
Many families just don’t understand this basic reality

ILLUS: A few years back I read about a man who always teased his wife about her lack of interest in household chores. One day he came home with a gag gift – a refrigerator magnet that read: “Martha Stewart doesn’t live here.”
The next day he came home to find the magnet holding up a slip of paper. The note read: “Neither does Bob Vila.”
Now that was meant as good-humored fun, but there are homes where those kind of comments are not meant to be funny.
They are intended to be offensive.
They are meant to hurt… to cause pain.
Even in the best of homes, there are harsh words and occasional hard feelings.
(pause…) WHY does that happen?
Well, there are a number of reasons why it might… but one of the most basic reasons there are harsh words and hard feelings in a home is when there is a lack of thankfulness. When parents or children forget the blessing that their wife/ husband/ child/ parent actually is to them.

ILLUS: Sometimes it’s only a matter of perspective. One young college woman supposedly wrote home to her mother:
“Dear Mom:
Sorry I haven’t written sooner.
My arm really has been broken.
I broke it,
and my left leg,
when I jumped from the second floor of my dormitory...
when we had the fire. We were lucky.
A young service station attendant saw the blaze and called the Fire Department. They were there in minutes. I was in the hospital for a few days.
Paul, the service station attendant, came to see me every day. And because it was taking so long to get our dormitory livable again, I moved in with him.
He has been so nice. I must admit that I am pregnant.
Paul and I plan to get married just as soon as he breaks up with his current fiancée.
I hope things are fine at home. I’m doing fine, and will write more when I get the chance.
Love, Your daughter, Susie
P.S. None of the above is true.
But I did get a “C” in Sociology and flunked Chemistry.
I just wanted you to receive this news in its “Proper Perspective!”

ILLUS: I personally received a lesson in this from my wife.
Back when our grandson Dillon was about 10 years old, we had a dark blue Dodge Caravan. I was proud of it.
But then, one day Dillon wanted to help with the grocery shopping and as we were leaving the store he lost control of the shopping cart and rammed into the right side of the car leaving an inch long scar in the paint.
I was very upset and started yelling at him for the damage he’d done.
Debbie stopped me with these words: “Which is more valuable? Dillon or this van?”
(long pause…) I had to think about that for awhile… but she was right.
You see… thankfulness for my family is often a matter of having the right perspective as to what or who is most important

III. But too often we’re not thankful

ILLUS: Not long ago I overheard a woman telling a friend about her husband - and that wife was not happy.
According to her, her husband was hard to get along with.
He was unreasonable.
He was irresponsible.
From her description it appeared that he was somewhere between being Hagar the Horrible and Dennis the Menace.
It was fairly obvious, from hearing her talk, that she was not thankful for her husband.
Now, I know this woman, and I’m convinced that in her home - for every good comment she made about her husband there would be at least 4 criticisms. She is not a thankful kind of woman.
Why are people so negative?
1st, negative comments are often the way people try to modify someone else’s behavior.
Parents put down their kids
Wives insult their husbands
Husbands criticize their wives…
because they believe that this is the best way to make their displeasure known
and to change the behavior of those they are upset from

And when we “complain” to others –
that is simply our way of trying to enlist support.
It’s our way of trying to get other people onto our bandwagon so that we have extra help in bringing about the change we desire.
2ndly, most of us are just naturally critical by nature. In fact, James comments in chapter 3 verses 9 and 10
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”
In other words, God knows we have unconsciously make critical comments. He knows we tend to have a critical spirit… and so God commands us:
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17)
God knows that we tend to be UNCONSCIOUSLY critical of those around us…
and so He commands us to be consciously thankful for ALL THINGS
This is especially important in our homes… BECAUSE , AS WE STATED EARLIER … a healthy home has an atmosphere where we compliment 4 times more than we criticize

IV. So how do I do develop a thankful spirit in my home?
I mean… what if they don’t deserve my being grateful for them? What if my husband/ wife/ child aren’t as perfect as I’d like them to be?

ILLUS: a man by the name of Frank Fried had an excellent piece of advise:
“Folks, the grass is not greener on that side of the fence.
And the grass is not greener on this side of the fence.
The grass is greener where you water it.”
The way to grow a thankful heart is to turn my heart into a garden of thanksgiving. My heart needs to be a place where I plant the seeds of thankfulness and fertilize and water that garden with constant tending.
In short… you and I need to practice thankfulness. And God says: the best place to start practicing thanksgiving is in His presence.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks TO GOD the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)
We need to pray to God and focus on the things we are thankful for about our spouse/ child. So, let’s do that right now. I want all of you to bow and focus on the most difficult person you can think of in your home. And I want you to start today to find something about that individual that you can be thankful for. (PRAY)

V. Now… if I do that on a regular basis… what will change?
Will it change the behavior of my spouse?
Will it change the behavior of my child?
Etc.
I don’t know… but, I do know that using criticism is not the best way to modify people’s behavior.
It is a truism in our society that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. You can change things in this world by being critical and “in your face.” However, if you do that often enough, people begin to find ways of avoiding you. The critical people in this world aren’t much fun to be around.

ILLUS: One pharmacy posted this sign by their service bell:
“Ring once for service,
ring twice for poor service,
ring 3 times for no service at all.”
It is just a truth of life that if I want to want someone to respond kindly to me it helps to express an attitude of gratitude.

ILLUS: I remember one preacher of telling of encountering a woman who worked at the post office who was hard to get along with. She was bossy and somewhat rude and even if he was nice to her, she was still short with him.
At first he was tempted to complain about her treatment of him – both to her and to her superiors but he realized he was God’s servant and that might not come across very well. And so he made up his mind to do a full court press to win her with his charm.
From that day forward, he repeatedly complimented her and thanked her for anything he could think of… and after a few weeks – sure enough - she began to change. She’d smile. She’d find ways of helping him to get around some of the more obscure rules in her department.
His attitude of gratitude changed her heart… and changed her behavior.
But what if that other person doesn’t change? What if they still behave badly and irritate you? Do you get a pass on God’s command to be thankful?
Nope.
It doesn’t matter what the results may be in the lives of those around you. God still commands that you and I be people of thanksgiving.
It’s worth noting that even if we can’t alter the behavior of others by our gratitude… this attitude can still have a powerful benefit in our lives. That benefit? While it may not change other around us… it will change us.

ILLUS: Missionary Benjamin Weir was held hostage in Lebanon and imprisoned under miserable conditions for 16 months. In his first interview after his release,
he was asked how he spent his time and how he dealt with the boredom and despair. His answer stunned the reporters. He simply said, “Counting my blessings.”
“Blessings?” they responded.
“Yes,” he explained. “Some days I got to take a shower. Sometimes there were some vegetables in my food. And I could always be thankful for the love of my family.”
Benjamin Weir discovered the power to overcome his circumstances by learning thankfulness
He was physically in bondage… but spiritually and mentally he was free. Why? Because he had learned to “give thanks to the Father” even in the harshest of circumstances.

CLOSE: The point is this:
We need to be a people who are known for our thankfulness…
· especially in our homes
especially with our wives/ husbands/ children/ parents
Partly because of the change it can bring about in our families, but more importantly because of the change it can bring to our own lives and hearts.

Stand Firm

STAND FIRM
2Thessalonians 2:15 – 17

OPEN: The story is told of a man who was on his way to a costume ball on a Sunday evening. He’d rented a fairly realistic Satan Costume. It was a red suit with a tail and a skintight mask with horns. It was a quality outfit, and … he kind of looked like Satan.
In order to get to the party, he had to walk a fair distance, and was caught in a sudden rainstorm, so he sought shelter in a church building where the service was just ending. Just as he ran into the building, there was a loud clap of thunder, and as the crowd turned to look, a flash of lightening lit up the doorframe.
It was so sudden, and so shocking that the people thought THIS was really Satan, and they panicked and rushed for the exits. But the intruder didn’t realize what was frightening them and thought that maybe the church had been struck with lightning and was on fire… so he raced after them.
Everybody got out… except for one elderly lady. Turning in fear, she stretched out her hands, “Oh devil, please don’t hurt me. I know I’ve been a member of this church for 30 years, but I’ve really been on your side all the time!”
Now… what was that lady saying? She was saying: I surrender, I give up - You WIN! She was afraid that he would hurt her, so she abandoned her faith… and yielded to the enemy.
Now, maybe that’s meant to be a humorous story – it never happened. But too often, there are Christians who literally surrender to Satan. They give up and refuse to stand firm in their faith.
That’s why the Bible repeatedly tells us to stand firm.

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”;
1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong”;
Ephesians 6:13 “Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

And, of course our text today says: “Stand firm and hold to the traditions (the teachings) that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15
The Bible is very clear on this - God calls us to stand firm. What’s interesting is that God repeatedly tells us stories of men and women who stood firm.

Moses STOOD before Pharaoh and ultimately led the people of God out of slavery.
The people of Israel STOOD before the walls of Jericho… and the walls fell down.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego STOOD before Nebuchadnezzar’s idol and refused to bow and God delivered them from the fire.

Esther STOOD before the throne of Xerxes and saved the Jews from destruction.
Now, what’s interesting about all those stories is that… that's about all these folks did - they STOOD! Their victory didn’t come by their force of arms (swords/spears, etc.);
Their triumph wasn’t accomplished because of their personal power;
They didn’t win the day because they were influential people. They overcame evil because they trusted in God and they STOOD FIRM.

Edmund Burke said “The only thing necessary for triumph of evil - is for good men to do nothing.” But when Godly people stand firm in the face of evil, evil is frustrated, and evil is defeated.
And so God tells us to stand - stand firm. YOU may be the only person who is able to stand up FOR God in the face of a bad situation so… stand firm.
And oft times – people who stand for God have to stand ALONE. Many of the great heroes and heroines of Scripture faced danger all by themselves.  But it was their courage - in those times of danger - that turned the tide.

ILLUS: I’ve read that in WWII, the Germans nearly won the Battle Of The Bulge. All they needed was just enough time to reach their objectives… but they never got to their destinations quickly enough. The Germans didn’t lose Battle of the Bulge because they faced a huge Allied army. No!
They lost because they kept running into small groups of soldiers who refused to yield. Small companies of men who stood firm because they knew that they were the only ones who could stand against the might of the German war machine. They STOOD FIRM and they STOOD ALONE, and they turned the tide of the battle.
That is what God calls you and I to be willing to do. God calls us to STAND FIRM, even if you have to stand alone. Because everything may depend upon you.

ILLUS: In the book of Esther, an evil man named Haman who hated the Jews so much that he talked the King into passing a Law calling for them to be destroyed.
Esther was approached by her uncle Mordecai to appeal to the King to save her people… but she was afraid.
And Mordecai rebukes her with these words: “If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.” Esther 4:14
Esther listened to her uncle, and she stood firm before the King and saved her people from destruction.
Many ask the question, “why would a Christian NOT stand firm?”  Why would they back down in the face of opposition?

One reason is that a lot of folks are afraid of standing alone. In fact, there’s actually a name for that kind of fear: Band wagon effect. In sports, the Bandwagon effect describes “fair weather fans”.
Those folks only get on the “bandwagon” and support the team when they are winning.
But amongst psychologists, the Bandwagon effect is described as: “The tendency for people in social and sometimes political situations to align themselves with the majority opinion and do or believe things because many other people appear to be doing or believing the same. I am sure we have ALL heard the phrase: “If EVERYONE else JUMPED off the bridge… would YOU JUMP ALSO?”
Hubie Brown, at a basketball clinic I attended many years ago, gave this advice to all the coaches in attendance that day:
Believe in yourselves and your coaching program and always remember this one thing …
“The dogs may bark, BUT the caravan moves on.” (EXPLAIN)

ILLUS: Abraham Lincoln “Be sure you put your feet in the right place. Then stand firm.”
Back in the day when I would travel with the 8th grade students from Perry Middle School to Washington D.C. we would often play “King Of The POOL!” at our hotel.
One person would stand at the edge of the pool and another kid would try to push them in without falling into the water themselves.
I had learned that – when I placed my feet just so, nobody could push me off the edge w/o going in with me. I put my feet in the right place… and I stood firm.
But (as a Christian) how do I do that? How do I make sure my feet are in the right place so that I can stand firm for God?
Well… our text today says We do that by “holding to the traditions that (we) were taught... in Scripture." 2 Thessalonians 2:15

You see, the Bible is the foundation of our faith. It’s in the Bible that we discover what is right, and what is wrong. God’s not interested in my opinion or yours.
He’s not influenced by churches who ignore sin. He’s not interested in the editorials of a newspaper or in a government law that tries to legalize immorality.
HE IS NOT A GOD WHO CHANGES WITH THE TIMES! You either line up with Scripture… or you’re wrong.  Whatever the Bible says - that’s where we put our feet.

Peter and John were once commanded not to preach in the name of Jesus and do you know what they said? “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20
They refused to back down. They made sure their feet were in the right place and they STOOD FIRM. But notice - Peter and John were respectful.
They didn’t insult the Sanhedrin; They didn’t mobilize a protest. They just said this is where we stand, and we’re not backing down.

Jesus drew a line on where to stand in Matthew 8:3-11
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

This brings us to the final way Christians should STAND FIRM. Earlier in the sermon I quoted I Corinthians 16:13 that said: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
But I didn’t include the next verse which says: “Let all that you do be done in love.” I Corinthians 16:14
When I was younger I was frustrated that there didn’t seem to be any action shows in Movies or on TV that showed Christians beating up on criminals.
In the movies, Steven Seagal played a Buddhist who would literally destroyed gangs of bad guys by himself.
But I don’t remember ONE single CHRISTIAN doing stuff like that. I mean, if we Christians are all about righteousness, you’d think we’d get a TV hero who’d punch somebody in the nose once in a while. But that just didn’t seem to happen!
(PAUSE) And there’s a reason for that. Christianity wasn’t built on violence. There was no school of marital arts ever created by Christians because Jesus didn’t teach us to behave that way.

Now, I’m not trying to say a Christian shouldn’t defend their family, their country, or even themselves. But, by our very nature we should not be violent, cruel or nasty folk. Jesus said: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) And here in I Corinthians Paul reminds Christians to stand firm - but do it in love. Be respectful. Set your feet and don’t move but don’t even get into arguments

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

The fact of the matter is… God has called us to STAND. To not back off our faith for anyone or anything. To do this gently… but without apologizing for what we believe in.
The world will fight you and evil will oppose you. But when the dust clears you’ll know it was worth the cost.
I want to close with this observation by a writer from America’s Revolutionary times ---Thomas Paine

“The harder the conflict,
the more glorious the triumph.
What we obtain too cheap,
we esteem too lightly;

it is dearness only
that gives everything its value.
I love the man that can smile in trouble,
that can gather strength from distress
and grow brave by reflection.

‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink;
but he whose heart is firm,
and whose conscience approves his conduct,
will pursue his principles unto death.”

CLOSE: So the question you need to think about this morning is this: DO YOU STAND WITH JESUS?
INVITATION

The Faith of Caleb

The Faith of Caleb
Joshua 14:6-15

INTRO: Good morning church.
In our Bible class we have been studying from the book of Hebrews and lately from chapter 11, the great chapter on faith. One of the things we notice about that chapter is the frequent reference to the Old Testament for examples.

We understand that we don't live under the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, but we read the Old Testament because it's really impossible to fully understand the New unless you are familiar with the Old. There are many wonderful lessons that we can glean from the Old Testament and from the men and women who we read about.

What I want us to look at today is a little bit about Caleb and the faithful service that he rendered to the Lord. We will start with the statement that Caleb makes in Joshua, chapter 14, where he says, “give me this mountain”. I invite you to read with me Joshua 14:6-15 – “6. Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh (jef-foon-neh) the Kenizzite (ken-niz-zite) said to him: "You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. 7. "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. 8. "Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9. "So Moses swore on that day, saying, `Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.' 10. "And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11. "As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. 12. "Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.'' 13. And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh (jef-foon-neh) as an inheritance. 14. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh (jef-foon-neh) the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. 15. And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba, for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. Then the land had rest from war.” [NKJV]

There are several things we see in this passage and in the life of Caleb in general. First and foremost is that God never forgets the work that we do for him, the faithfulness that we show to him.
Next, we see in Caleb a wonderful example of faithfulness to the Lord. Then I want to ask a question, what mountains do we face today and in what way does the Lord help us in our efforts to do His will?

I. First, let us think about God never forgetting the service that we render to him. When the children of Israel came up out of Egypt, God commanded that spies be sent into the Promised Land to spy it out and bring back word of what they found there.

A. Caleb was one of the ones chosen. In Numbers 13:1-2 it says, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.''”

1. If we drop down to verse six, you'll see that Caleb was chosen from the tribe of Judah as one of the spies.
2. We recall that when the spies come back from observing the land and its inhabitants, ten of those spies brought a very negative report. As Caleb said in the passage we just read, they caused the heart of the people to melt.

B. We read about that starting at Numbers 13:31 – “31. But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.'' 32. And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33. "There we saw the giants, (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.'”
C. In chapter 14 we continue at verse 2. “2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3. "Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?'' 4. So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.''”

1. That was the report that was brought back by the ten spies. Notice their fear, their lack of faith, their cowardice if you will. It was contagious and their fear caused the people to fear. When we fear, we don't always think correctly.
2. The Children of Israel forgot that God had already brought them out of Egypt, and that Egypt was the strongest nation on earth at the time. They forgot the miracles God had performed in Egypt, that they had plundered Egypt when they left, and God had destroyed the armies of Egypt in the Red Sea. They forgot because they listened to the report of these ten spies.

D. Joshua and Caleb brought back a different report. As we continue in Numbers 14:6-10 we read, “6. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh (jef-foon-neh), who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7. and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8. "If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, `a land which flows with milk and honey.' 9. "Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.'' 10. And all the congregation (this is amazing) said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.”

1. Notice that the congregation was not willing to listen, and they were getting ready to stone Joshua and Caleb. God intervenes at this point and Joshua and Caleb are spared.
2. Joshua and Caleb not only contradicted the ten spies, but they were standing up to the whole nation of Israel at this point. They were on the verge of being stoned because they believed in God, and they believed that God would keep His promise.

II. God does not forget such acts of loyalty. When I say that, I don't mean to suggest that it's impossible for us to lose our salvation if we become unfaithful. An act of loyalty in the past does not guarantee our future salvation. As long as we continue to live faithfully, God will not forget the good that we've done, and God will not fail to reward us for the good that we've done for Him.

A. In Hebrews 6:10 the Hebrew writer says, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” The Hebrew writer is writing to Hebrew Christians, Christians who were of Jewish lineage.

1. As we studied the book of Hebrews, we found that these Christians were in danger of becoming unfaithful and were trying to go back under the Law of Moses. The writer is reminding them that God will not forget their work, their labor of love, and that they have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
2. We read this elsewhere in scripture, God knows those who are His. In the book of Nahum 1:7 we read, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” God knows.

B. Think about the Book of Revelation and the letters to the seven churches of Asia. In every single one of those letters the congregations are reminded that God knows, and God is aware of both the good that they have done and of things done that were bad. He is aware of that. He is aware of their works.

1. Quickly we can look at Revelation 2:2. To the Church of Ephesus, he says, “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;” He says, I know. I know your labors. I know your works. He went on to say to them that He also knew they had forgotten their first love. They were not perfect, but He was aware of the good that they had done, and He did not forget that.
2. The Church at Smyrna, Revelation 2:9 – “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” He knows of their works, their tribulation, their poverty, physical poverty, but they were rich in a spiritual sense.
3. To the church of Pergamos in Revelation 2:13 – “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” God knew the name of the faithful servant whose life had been taken for his service to God.
4. To church of Thyatira. “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.” He was aware of their works, and He knew that as a congregation their works were increasing instead of on the decrease.
5. Revelation 3:1 - To the church at Sardis. “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead”. This statement by the Lord is: I'm aware, I know that you have a name that is alive, but you are dead. The congregation in Sardis was not faithful to the Lord. They wore the name, but they weren't living the life that a Christian ought to live.
6. In Revelation 3:8 to the church at Philadelphia – “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
7. Finally, the church of Laodicea, in 3:15 – “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.” Those seven churches are literal churches, but they also are very representative of all churches, all congregations, and the different problems and issues that we face as congregations of the Lord's Church.

C. In each one of those, Jesus says, I know. Just as He was aware of their works, He was aware of Caleb and the good that Caleb had done, and that Joshua had done.

1. We are promised as well that He knows our works and that He will reward us for the good that we've done. Going on a few more chapters in the Book of Revelation 14:13 John says – “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: `Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' '' "Yes,'' says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
2. First Corinthians 15:58 Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” God is aware and will reward them for all the good that they do. We are also told God never forgets the promises that He makes.

D. God initially made the promise that Caleb would receive an inheritance and then 45 years passed before it would be fulfilled. God did not forget. In Deuteronomy 1:35-36 God said, “`Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, `except Caleb the son of Jephunneh (jef-foon-neh); he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.'”

1. 45 years later Caleb is about to collect on that promise God had made. We see there's no doubt in Caleb's heart that God will keep His promise.
2. If you recall from our lessons on faith, part of faith is trusting God to keep His promises. Hebrews 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hopefully we're people who diligently seek God, and we can look forward to the promises God has made to us.
3. In Caleb we see a wonderful example of faithfulness. As one commentator put it, “The account of Caleb's courageous stand would serve to remind God's people of how the Promised Land had to be won”.

III. Think though about some of the things that might suggest that Caleb might not be up to conquering this mountain that he requests.

A. First I think of his age. He was 85 years old now. I think it's interesting that he says I'm as strong today as I was 45 years ago when Moses told me to go spy out the land. Huh, from my viewpoint I might doubt that was a valid statement. Maybe he thought it was true, but I doubt anybody is as strong at the age of 85 as they were at 40. Nevertheless, he didn't allow his age to be a detriment or to cause him to feel that he could not do what God wanted him to do.
B. Not only was his age a problem or could be a problem, but also the enemy. These Anakim that are described as residing on this mountain in Hebron, were described as giants. Yet, in Joshua 14:12 we find Caleb saying, “Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said” I do not believe Caleb is bragging here, I think he is just saying I’m ready to do my part in conquering the land.
C. Then think about his “army” if you will. These are the decedents of those Israelite slaves that came up out of Egypt. Here is Caleb then, with his army, the descendants of those slaves, and he is going to take them and attack this mountain that is manned by giants in fortified cities.
D. By human terms, there are things which would lead us to think perhaps Caleb should have chosen a softer target, something that was a little bit easier for them to obtain. Caleb obeyed God’s command to take the land and he did not pick an easy target—he picked the mountain of Hebron.

1. I believe that is because he knew that with God all things are indeed possible. He says, “It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said”. Notice then that he says, it may be. In other words, if the Lord wills, he believed that he would be able to succeed. His statement implies that this was going to be God's victory and not his. He was placing his trust in God, not in himself, or in his strength, or in his army. He says, If God wills, we'll take this mountain. He was a man who fully trusted in God.
2. That wasn't a new quality in his life. He demonstrated it 45 years earlier when they had gone to spy out the land. Everybody else was fearful, but he and Joshua trusted. They knew that since God was with them, they could take that land.

IV. We know that Caleb got his mountain as an inheritance. In Joshua 15:13-14 – “13. Now to Caleb the son of Jephunneh (jef-foon-neh) he gave a portion among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). 14. Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai (shesh-shi), Ahiman (Ah-he-mon), and Talmai (Tal-mi), the children of Anak.”

A. He got that inheritance. He did not limit God. He was not fearful, he did not think it was impossible, he trusted in God. I'm reminded of Ephesians 3:20 when Paul and talking about our Heavenly Father and he says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”
B. I fear people are often guilty of limiting God. They don't trust him enough. They feel that things are just simply too difficult or too hard and that they won't be able to accomplish them. With God, certainly all things are possible.

V. That leads me back to a question I mentioned earlier, and this is in a very broad and general sense - what mountains do we face? What are some of the problems, some of the obstacles, some of the tasks that are set before us that often seem just too difficult for us to achieve?

A. Let’s think about ourselves both as a congregation and as individuals. What about the works that are placed before us? For example, in terms of doing good and helping those who are in need? In Galatians 6:10 – “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Hebrews 13:2 – “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” Hebrews 13:16 – “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” We are commanded and encouraged by example, to do good unto all men.

1. We are to render aid, hospitality, and assistance to those who need it. There are so many in the world that need help. We are tempted sometimes to think, what could I possibly do?
2. We have used this story before and perhaps you recall it. A person was walking on the beach after a storm and there were starfish stranded there. He began bending down and picking up starfish and throwing them back into the water. An individual stopped by and said, what are you doing? You're never going to make a difference. Look at all the starfish that are here. It will take you forever to throw all these back in. The man looked at the starfish that he was about to throw in and he said, well, it makes a difference to this one, and he threw it back in the water.
3. Certainly, there is more need in this world than maybe we as an individual or as a congregation could ever meet, but God is able to work through us. We can make a difference and we can help more people than we believe we can. God will use us to do that.

B. All too often, though, we're tempted to look at the problem and think of reasons that we can't fulfill our obligation. I have noticed as I get older and tire more easily, I often get discouraged and reasons not to try jump forward. Caleb and Joshua didn't do that, and I, we, shouldn't do it either. We should put our trust in God.
C. Think about the command to edify and strengthen one another. We're commanded to build one another up. Romans 15:2 – “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.”

1. Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
2. We are commanded to bear one another's burdens, Galatians 6:1-2 – “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

D. What the Bible tells us to do is the job, the task, that belongs to each one of us. Sometimes we may fall into the trap of thinking, then that's the preacher's job, that's the congregation’s job, that's the officer's job, and it is, but it's also all our jobs. Think of the good that we could accomplish in terms of building one another up if each of us took that responsibility as seriously as we should.
E. Then there is evangelism, the work of all the called out, the church. We know that the command is to “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you.”

1. In the last part of this statement Jesus made this wonderful promise. “Lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age.” Yes, this is a tall task that I'm giving you. I'm going to be with you. I'm not going to abandon you. I'm not going to leave you on your own. I'm going to aid you. I'm going to help you.
2. Put your trust in me. Do what you can and trust in me to help you in that work that is placed before you. In faith we do not limit God in the works that are placed before us, both as a congregation and as individuals.

F. It is true that the devil is our adversary, he is powerful, dangerous and he wants to destroy us. What does in mean for the devil to destroy us? If he can cause us to be unfaithful to God, to remain unfaithful to God, he's destroyed us in every way that matters.

1. Peter as you all know in First Peter 5:8 describes the devil as a lion, a roaring lion, walking around seeking whom he may devour. What are we to do? We have this very powerful being out there who's seeking to destroy us, take us down as individuals, and keep us from being children of God.
2. What are we to do? In the next verses First Peter 5:9-10 – “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” [ESV]
3. We are to resist the Devil; we must resist him in the faith. I'm not stronger than the Devil and you're not stronger than the Devil, but the one whom we serve is. If we resist him in the faith, we can resist him. James tells us if we resist the Devil, he'll flee from us because the one whom we serve is greater than he is. With God's help, we can take this mountain. We can defeat the Devil, that enemy that is stronger than we are, because the God whom we serve is stronger than he is.

G. Scripture tells us we will face trials, the troubles of life. Many of those trials, like with Job, are brought on by the Devil to try to discourage us, to try to get us to turn our backs on God. Paul reminds us, these things are common to man. But God is faithful, and no matter what this world may throw at us in terms of trials, whether we're talking about physical trials, health problems, diseases, death, whether we're talking about financial problems, whether we're talking about social problems, problems with friends, or problems with families, whatever it might be, through all these things that the Devil throws at us, God is with us to help us bear it.

CONCLUSION:
God is faithful and He is aware of the good that we have done, the good that we are doing, and He has promised to reward us. Colossians 3:24-25 – “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” That reward that is waiting far exceeds that which we experience in this life and is so much better than what we deserve.

We need to be like Caleb. The work that God has set for us to do, we need to believe that we can do it—not because we are so mighty or so powerful or so wonderful, but the God whom we serve is, and He can accomplish great things through us.

We can know that, by reading the Scriptures and looking at what He has done through the folks we read about in the Bible. No matter what obstacle or what trials or what tasks are set before us, they can be accomplished through God. Caleb is a wonderful example of the type of faithfulness that all of us need to have.

If there are any here today who have not obeyed the gospel, you're not yet a Christian.
If you believe in Jesus, we offer the invitation to you to act on that belief by obeying His commands, specifically His commands regarding salvation. Repent or turn from your sins, confess your belief that Jesus is the Son of God, and be baptized for the remission of your sins. Those things, Jesus says, are part of our salvation and what is required of us.
If you're a Christian who's become unfaithful, you can come back to the Lord and we hope that you will through repentance and prayer.
If you would like to do that in a public way and seek the prayers of the Church, we'd be glad to help you in any way that we can.
As we offer the invitation, if there's any way we can help, please come as we stand and sing.
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Reference sermon by: Ralph Price

Tradition

Tradition
Mark 7:1-13

INTRO: Good morning church.
I would like you to open your bibles to the seventh chapter of the gospel of Mark. Our lesson text for this morning is going to be a consideration of verses 1-13. I’m not going to read through these verses at the start because I would like to read it as we go through our lesson today. I consider this section of scripture to be a very important and even a crucial section of teaching from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I would like to begin by affirming that tradition is not an ugly word. That is the title I have given this lesson. Customs and traditions, from a religious perspective, can indeed be helpful and useful, but tradition must always be tested by the word of God. If the tradition is found to be a violation of God’s word, then it must be put aside.

There is an interesting phenomenon that occurs in the religious world today. The word of God seems to be tested by tradition. Just the opposite of what needs to happen. It then becomes our task to ask ourselves, “What is tradition, and what is Biblical?” “What must be retained and what must be cast aside?”

In the text before us this morning there is an incident, a situation, which brings tradition versus the word of God into view. One of the interesting things about this particular text, this incident is, it is an encounter with the Pharisees and scribes who were not focusing on the word of God but instead on the tradition of the elders. What we have before us then is the Scribes and Pharisees coming to Jesus to make a complaint.

I. THE COMPLAINT OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES – Let’s start with their complaint.

A. The first thing we learn in verse one is that these scribes & Pharisees were from Jerusalem – Mark 7:1 - “Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.”

1. If we look at another place in Mark’s gospel, we find this language. 3:22 - “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub,'' and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.''” The accusation that is brought to Jesus on that occasion is from scribes that come from Jerusalem. The same place as in Mark chapter 7.
2. That leads me to conclude that apparently, the “opposition” has become centered in Jerusalem.

B. The next thing we learn about them is in verse 2, let me read that – Mark 7:2 – “Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.” The second thing I want us to observe is, these are fault finders. You know folks, that is one thing it is so easy for us to do, become fault finders. It is so easy to find fault, … with others that is. It is a negative and sometimes hurtful disposition. This is one of the unpleasant aspects described about these particular people, they are fault finders.

1. The issue here by the way isn’t a matter of personal hygiene. They were not concerned about the issue of germs on the hands; they were concerned with ritual or ceremony.
2. In the rabbinic tradition there were rules given about the washing of hands, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with personal hygiene. Remember these are not regulations set down in the Law of Moses. Keep that in mind. We are not talking about God’s revealed word. We are talking about rabbinic tradition.

C. In verses 3 and 4 Mark gives his readers an explanation - 7:3,4 – “3. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.”

1. Some have said that Mark was writing with Roman readers in mind. If that is the case, it is a possible reason why he stops here and explains what is going on. Why are these people complaining that the disciples are eating with unwashed hands? He goes on to explain, it was a “holding to the tradition of the elders”
2. The belief was that things bought or touched in the markets might have come in contact with “unclean” people, and therefore were considered to be unclean. You may be familiar with that concept. They may have been touched by a person that was unclean ... Gentiles, for example. A Gentile may have picked up these items and laid them back down making them unclean. The belief involved them not knowing what was clean and what was unclean, ceremonially speaking. The idea they developed, was when you got through at the market you went home and you went through these ritual washings. Not to take care of germs, although that would be a good reason, but so that you and the items were ceremonially clean. To remove ceremonial defilement because some Gentile may have touched it.

D. The Pharisees & scribes arrive and make their complaint to Jesus, criticizing, finding fault.

1. Interestingly, they are not directly finding fault with Jesus on this occasion. The fault they find is with His disciples, yet we can understand that this is just an oblique way of criticizing Jesus. Your disciples, look, they are not observing the tradition of the elders! What is the matter with your teaching? That of course is the implication.
2. You will notice that there is not a single suggestion that there is a violation of the revealed word of God. Their complaint had nothing to do with a violation of the Law of Moses. Not a thing!
3. But it had everything to do, with “the tradition of the elders”. These oral traditions had been passed down for centuries, and make up what is now considered to be the Talmud. Filled with opinions and traditions of rabbis of hundreds of years past. What happens with these traditions is that they are laying aside the word of God in favor of tradition.

II. HOW JESUS RESPONDED – How does Jesus respond?

A. First, Jesus quoted Isaiah. Jesus says in Mark 7:6 - “He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: `This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Now that is a part of Isaiah 29:13. Let’s look and keep your finger at Mark chapter 7 while you turn with me to Isaiah 29:13 - “Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,”

1. What is the situation? What is the problem that Isaiah is addressing? I want to note a couple of things here.
2. Isaiah is addressing people who are ostensibly religious people. He is also addressing people whose religion consists of ritual and precepts that are of human origin. He is not addressing people who are honoring God honestly with their hearts and their lives. They are honoring God with their lips, but their hearts are far from God and their hearts are given to this man-made religion for they are “taught by the commandment of men”. Where does that leave them? They are the adherents of a spurious faith.
3. Folks, listen, this is exactly the situation of the scribes and the Pharisees in Jesus day. They are religious, no one denies that. But their religion consisted of rituals and beliefs rooted in the traditions which had been passed down through the generations... not rooted in the law of God. So here Jesus makes an application of the passage in Isaiah.

B. Read with me in Mark 7:7 – “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'” These people had the same problem as the people of Isaiah’s day. I wonder, does that still happen today?

1. Jesus takes a passage from Isaiah and because of who Jesus is, He applies that passage to the situation that exists in His time. Jesus says that the religion that is being taught by the scribes and Pharisees is “vain” religion. It is empty and it is meaningless.
2. When tradition is elevated to the position of law, when precepts of human origin, become the basis for religion, the religion is vain.
3. One can be honest and sincere in the pursuit of religion ... and be as wrong as were the scribes and Pharisees.

C. Let us look now at Mark 7:8-9 - “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do. And He said to them, All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.”

1. Look at the words “For laying aside the commandment of God … All too well you reject the commandment of God”. Wait a minute. These are religious people. They have made their religion their life’s work. Yes, they are and yes, they have. As do many, many people in the world today. They have a religious language, they look religious, and they go through religious activities and rituals.
2. Most of them would probably declare “we have not laid aside the commandments of God”. Certainly the Pharisees and scribes would!
3. The denial of the laying aside of the commandments of God, however, cannot change the facts. When we wander away from, when we alter, when we minimize in any way God’s revealed word… we are laying it aside. In the religious activities of our world today, though people are religious, and very likely sincere, and faithful, they can be just as wrong as the scribes and Pharisees. You can find in the literature of these religious groups all sorts of things written about regulation and traditions and practices and beliefs, and you might even find some scripture references, but that does not make them right when they have abandoned the scripture in favor of these other things.

D. Next Jesus carefully gives them a contemporary illustration of their error in Mark 7:10-13 – He starts out and reminds them what the Law of Moses says. “"For Moses said, `Honor your father and your mother'; and, `He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' "But you say, `If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban (that is, dedicated to the temple)''; "and you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.''”

1. Jesus first cites the law of Moses in part at - Exodus 20:12 & at Leviticus 20:9
2. The very people to whom He quoted these things could well have said, should have said, “Amen”
3. But you see, rabbinic tradition had given them a “loophole” in the Law of Moses. Now I need to say this, the loophole is not there as far as scripture is concerned. You can’t find it there, but if you elevate tradition to the level of law, then you can use it for your loophole.
4. The loophole is in the word “Corban”. The word means, generally speaking, a gift devoted to God ... but still in one’s possession ... still under one’s control and use, until it is actually placed into the “collection plate” so to speak. Further, I can say it is given, it is Corban, a gift to God and I can keep it and use it until I die.
5. Here then is the situation. I have needy parents, they are not able to take care of themselves and they come to me and say, “Son, we need your help, we need for you to pay our rent.” I reply, “Oh, well the money I would use to pay your rent I have called Corban, I have devoted it to God you see, and because I have devoted it to God I can’t give it to you.”
6. This is what they were doing to be free of parental obligations! I’m remembering I Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” That is the law of God!
7. Look though at this tradition of the rabbis, this well-known practice among the religious Jewish leaders. It was how they got around keeping the law of God. “By our traditions, because our traditions are law.” Their traditions have made the “word of God of none effect”
8. Jesus made it clear that this “tradition” violated the word of God. And He declares that this tradition was only one of “many such things”.

E. Clearly, there is a warning here for all time, and I believe it is a crucial lesson for our time and place.

1. We have in our community and in our country; numerous religious groups of people whom I believe are very sincere.
2. They are governed in their religion by documents of human origin which teach and illustrate both beliefs and practices which are not authorized in God’s word. Yet the words in these documents are sincere.
3. In many church buildings we see so many beautiful things. Wonderful artwork. Objects that are so majestic and awe inspiring. We see people going into those buildings, sitting with heads bowed and praying. We realize that these are sincere people. Those folks have given much of their lives, and dedicated their time, and a portion of their wealth, be it great or meager. I would never question their sincerity for a moment. But you see, sincerity isn’t enough before God.
4. When by our traditions we have laid aside the word of God, our religion, no matter how sincere, has become vain. It has become empty. Such religion is vain because it rests on the traditions and the commandments of men, and not in God’s Word.
5. That said, my real concern today is not with those folks, but with you and me. That we, you and I, always honor the word of God, carefully. Obeying it in love, and with all joy, because it is the word of God, the word of our Father.

III. THEIR TEACHING – What did these religious leaders expect?

A. Let me ask this question. How did the religious leaders expect the disciples to know to wash their hands? Because that washing was what was taught. What is the Biblical word to describe teaching, or that which is taught? Doctrine.

1. The Jewish doctrine, or what was taught, included their traditions.
2. How do we teach? Well, we teach by holding classes, by preaching, by writing articles and tracts, and by our actions, the things that we do. Let me illustrate, how do very young children learn? One way is by observation. The way we behave in front of those youngsters teaches them things. We show them our doctrine.
3. I’m quite certain that by using the term “doctrine” I have made somebody a bit uncomfortable. The word “doctrine” has become an unpleasant word even among some Christians. Today the word is defined as a specific or particular principle or policy purported or advocated by a particular government or religion. In the times of the New Testament, the word had a much more generic sense, and its meaning is simple to understand, it is instruction, teaching, or that which is taught. We teach all the time by words and actions.

B. Another question; What do we teach? The religious leaders included in their teaching things which had developed as tradition. These things came from the mind of man, not from God. Their error was they taught the commandments of men.

1. Does that mean tradition is bad or wrong? Not at all, as long as it is not in conflict with the Word of God.

a. Let me give you an example. We have for many years when conducting communion, had some of the men pass the bread and the fruit of the vine to the congregation in serving plates. That was our tradition and it is the same in many congregations.
b. Along came COVID and we desired to limit close contact between the members to decrease the likelihood of disease spread. We switched to prepackaged bread and grape juice which people individually picked up before service.
c. Did that new tradition conflict with the word of God? No. We still provide the emblems for each person who wishes to partake. Scripture does not specify how they are provided only that we are to partake.

2. We made the necessary change in how we do things as an expediency to be able to continue to do what scripture tells us. What if there were supply issues and grape juice became impossible to find around here so we deided to provide apple juice as an alternative? Would that violate God’s word? Yes. Because the Bible specifically says to use the fruit of the vine.
3. Traditions are really quite useful. They help us remember what needs to be done. They also provide a framework to help us do things decently and in order.

CONCLUSION:
I am concerned, and we all should be, that we do not do anything to establish traditions which we then elevate to the position of law. That we would not do anything, which by the doing would violate the word of God. Do I think we have done that in this congregation? Generally speaking, I do not believe we have. Yet on the other hand if you talk to people individually and you listen to the expressions of their deep seated opinions, you wonder.

To these things that Jesus has said here you might say, “You know, great. Wonderful history lesson, Jewish history, we are glad we talked about that this morning, what is next?” Folks, listen, what Jesus said here has a great application for our present time and place. For what we see, even within the Lord’s Church, is a gradual abandoning of the clearly defined word of God in favor of feelings and opinions. No matter how well meaning or well sounding those feelings and opinions may be, if they are contrary to God’s word, they will result in a religion that is vain.

In congregations of the churches of Christ we are to teach the Bible and not a “church of Christ doctrine”. Yet things creep in and we need to be on guard, study the word and be prepared, perhaps even against resistance and hard feelings, to root out error. Any teaching which is more important than the unity of the body and promotes division, is nothing less then a doctrine of men rather than the gospel. It is a tradition of men that is loved and preferred more than a loving relationship with one another. Too often what we have become comfortable with becomes our doctrine, rather than “thus saith the Lord.”

I suggest that this is one of the critically important lessons of Jesus for our time and place. The drift away from what scripture authorizes in favor of feelings and opinions, no matter how well meaning, is a very present reality. What we may find written in the revealed word may not be what we find practiced out in the religious world. What we find written in the Bible, is the word of God and we must never be found laying it aside in favor of some tradition.
_____________________________________________________________________________

We learn from God’s word in the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must 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 you have faith like Rahab we urge you to step out, come forward and be baptized. If anyone that need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ???
Reference Sermon by: Cecil A. Hutson

New Year - A Time For Change

New Years - A Change For the Better
Philippians 3:10-14

Years ago, a man hired an experienced guide to lead him on a hike into the Swiss Alps. After some hours of climbing they came to a high mountain pass. To the man’s dismay, he saw the path had almost been washed away.
What could he do? On the left was a sheer rock cliff, to his right, a precipice that dropped nearly 1000 feet. Looking down, he felt his head growing faint & his knees beginning to buckle.
At that moment his guide shouted, "Don’t look down or you’re a dead man. Keep your eyes on me. And where I put my feet, put yours there as well." The man did as he was told & soon passed out of danger to safety.
That is good advice for the beginning of a new year. No one knows what lies ahead for any of us. We all have plans & dreams but the times & seasons of our life are in God’s hands.
A little boy and his mother were crossing a river…
Mother: Please hold my hand
Boy: No mom, you hold my hand.
Mother: What’s the difference?
Boy: If I hold your hand and something happens to me ….
Chances are that I will let your hand go, BUT
If you hold my hand … I KNOW FOR SURE, YOU
Will NEVER let MY hand go!

Sooner or later we will find ourselves in a place where the way ahead will seem almost impossible. When that happens, we can panic & fall,
OR we can fix our eyes on Jesus & mark carefully his steps before us. If we will follow him, we’ll find at the end of this year that we have been kept safe by His amazing grace.
Someone once wrote:
I wish that there were some wonderful place called the land of Beginning Again,
Where all our mistakes,
& all our heartaches,
& all of our poor selfish grief
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door,
& never be put on again.

Sometimes I feel that way about New Year's resolutions.
I tell myself, "This year I'm going to exercise regularly & lose weight.
I'm going to do all kinds of things to improve myself physically & spiritually."
But then SOMEHOW I forget. 😊

Maybe you have that problem, too. 😊

So I have a suggestion for a New Year's resolution that we ought to be able to remember.
It is kind of broad & very general, but here it is …
LET'S PROMISE OURSELVES & GOD
THAT WE WILL MAKE A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

In 2023 … as God's people … let's make this one simple resolution we're going to make a change for the better.
And to help us do that, let me suggest some ways in which we can make a change for the better.
FIRST OF ALL, each of us can make a change for the better by developing a better attitude toward life.

Ask yourself each morning whether the way you plan to spend your day is how you would spend it if this was the last day of your life.

I'm told that there was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, & noticed she had only three hairs left on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I’ll braid my hair today." So she did, & she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror & saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "H-m-m, " she said, "I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today." So she did, & she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror & noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "today I’m going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did, & she had a fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror & noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head. "YEA" she exclaimed, "I don’t have to fix my hair today"

That story may sound ridiculous, but how do you feel about your life? Is it worthwhile?
Or, let's change the question. What would it take for you to feel that your life is worthwhile? What would it take for you to feel better about your life?

That is the reason I have selected Philippians 3:12-14 as our text this morning. But before I read it to you, you need to realize that Paul is in prison, chained to a Roman guard, and living under horrible conditions.

Yet despite that, he writes these words, “I do not consider myself to have ”arrived” spiritually, nor do I consider myself already perfect. But I keep going on, grasping ever more firmly that purpose for which Christ Jesus grasped me.
“My brothers, I do not consider myself to have fully grasped it even now. But I do concentrate on this: I leave the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead I go straight for the goal…”

Now ask yourself, "What is Paul’s goal?" He answered that in vs’s 10-11, “Now I long to know Christ and the power shown by His resurrection: now I long to share His sufferings, even to die as He died, so that I may perhaps attain as He did, the resurrection from the dead.”
What is Paul’s goal? His goal is "the resurrection from the dead." His goal is eternal life with Jesus. That is what he is striving for every day. His goal is heaven.
Now here is the point. If our goal in life is heaven, then all these setbacks are but stepping stones getting us closer to the time when we will be with Him.

Philippians 4:8and 9
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

There will be trials & disappointments, but every day that passes is one day closer to when we will be with Jesus. If that is our goal, then Romans 8:28 is true.
"All things" do "work together for good to those who love God & are called according to his purpose."

The world says that the way to feel good about yourself is by climbing the ladder of success by making a lot of money by having influential friends by belonging to the right circles. Those are the things that we are told make you feel good about yourself. But the Bible teaches that we should feel good about ourselves because God loves us. You are such a treasured person in God's sight that He gave His only Begotten Son for you. That makes you valuable, & you can feel good about yourself.

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

THEN IN Romans 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,

SECONDLY, we are to be a fruitful part of the family of God, His church.
Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:15, 15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and [a]ground of the truth."

And again, he says to the Christians in Ephesus in Ephesians 2:19, 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

The Bible does not speak of Christians isolated from other believers. In God's family we are connected to every other believer. Romans 12:5 says, "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

As Christians, the Bible says that we are “put together, joined together, built together, heirs together, fitted together, held together" & also that we "will be caught up together in the air."
The Bible calls the church "The body of Christ," & to Paul, being a "member" of the church meant being a part, a vital organ of a living body, the Body of Christ.

Romans 12:4-5 tells us, 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

"Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people.
"Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of His body.

If an organ is severed from its body, it will shrivel & die. Cut off & disconnected from the life of Christ’s church, our spiritual life will wither & eventually cease to exist.

That is why the first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services, bible studies & other gatherings of believers. Whenever we become careless about fellowship, everything else spiritual begins to slide, too.

It is written that: "A Christian without a church home is like an heart without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state."
Membership in the family of God is neither unimportant nor something to be casually ignored. Jesus said, "I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." Matthew 16:18
The person who says, "I don't need the church," is either arrogant or ignorant. The church itself is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it. In fact, Ephesians 5:25 says, "Christ loved the church and gave His life for it.”

So do you want to have a better life in 2023? Then become more active in the church - which Jesus loved & for which He gave His life.
Realize too, that as Christians, it is not good enough for us just to lift our voices in praise & prayer to God above.

And that brings us to OUR THIRD POINT:
we must take advantage of the time that we have.

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

Because of the uncertainty of life, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, "Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation."
and Hebrews 3:15 tells us, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Because life is uncertain, we must take advantage of the time that we have.

CONCLSION. Maybe more than any other new year’s resolution we may make is the commitment that this year
1) "I'm going to develop a better attitude toward life.
2) I'll be a more fruitful part of the family of God - His church.
3) And I'll take full advantage of the time I have."

May I remind you that we are a year closer to heaven than we were this time last year? Everything is on course, folks. We need to trust the Lord & love Him to place our lives in His hands & allow Him to use us to His glory.
Happy New Year to you and your family…
Our hope he is not in the new year
but in the ONE who makes all things new!
Whatever your need is this morning we ask that you respond by coming forward as we stand & sing the song of invitation.
INVITATION:

 

Sermon Contributor: Melvin Newland

Wonderful Counselor

Isaiah 8:11 – 9:7

The year was 1809.

The world was in an upheaval. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria and soldiers from many countries were dying on the battlefield. The fate of entire kingdoms and nations hung in the balance and the world seemed on the very edge of collapse

It was 1809...

And in that same year several significant people were born.
In Britain, there was William Gladstone - destined to become one of England’s finest statesmen. And Alfred Lord Tennyson, one of the great authors of his day, was born to an obscure preacher and wife.
In the US - Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Not far away in Boston, Edgar Allen Poe began his eventful, albeit tragic, life.
It was also in that same year the wife of a physician named Darwin gave birth to their child and named him Charles Robert.
And that same year produced the cries of a newborn infant in a rugged cabin in Kentucky. The baby’s name? Abraham Lincoln.
If there had been a news broadcast at that back in 1809 these words would have been heard: “The destiny of the world is being shaped on an Austrian battlefield today.”
But history was actually being shaped in the cradles of England and America.

Every age has its dangers.
Eventually every nation faces difficulties.
Even today in the US - one of the greatest nations that has ever existed on the face of the earth - even in the US, we’re concerned with financial troubles, international terrorism, and political uncertainty.

Every nation, sooner or later, will face threats and perils that will make them believe that the destiny of the world is being shaped by that day’s events. And they will see their future as bleak, dark, and hopeless.

And yet, in every age, the birth of a child can make a significant impact on their destiny.
Back in the days of Isaiah, the world looked dark, and bleak, and hopeless. The nation of Israel had turned their back on God and God, in His turn, had turned His back on them.
To punish them, God was bringing a nation from the north (named Assyria) and that nation was going to sweep down upon them like a flood tide and they wash over them in vengeance.
Isaiah said that God told Him (and any other person who will listen)

11 For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12“Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Isaiah 8:11-14

It was going to be a time of darkness. A time of hopelessness.
But… just a few verses later, God said there will be a time of hope and light - hope and light brought by the birth of a child.

Look at Isaiah 9:2
2c The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
Yes, Israel, you have walked in darkness.
Yes, Israel you have been living in the land of the shadow of death.
But there will be hope.

And then in verse 6 He tells them why.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

A counselor is someone you listen to.
Someone who gives you guidance or advice on things you think are important, that person is your “counselor”.

People will listen to the advice of all kinds of counselors.
Some listen to talk show hosts: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Oprah Winfrey, or Dan Rather. Folks will listen to political analysts, religious leaders, comedians, actors, singers, and the list goes on and on.
If those people (whom they listen to) say it - it’s got to be true. These individuals are so influential that many will form their opinions based upon what these so-called "counselors" say.
Whoever you listen to is your counselor.

Newspaper columnist and counselor George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. "I not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me." Dr. Crane thought about that for a couple of moments and then suggested an ingenious plan.
"Go home and act as if you really loved your husband,” He told her. “Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind and considerate and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him… then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him."
With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, "Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!"
And she did it with enthusiasm. For two months she acted "as if," she loved him. She was kind to him, she listened to him. She was constantly giving, reinforcing, sharing.
Two months went by… and she didn’t return to her counselor, so Crane called her. "Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?" "Divorce?" she exclaimed. "Never! I discovered I really do love him."

A counselor is someone you listen to.
Someone you accept advice from.
The problem for Israel is that they had gotten into the habit of listening to the wrong counselors.

Look with me to Isaiah 9:19
19Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares his brother.

There were men in Israel who were giving the people bad advice.
These men were advising Israelites to listen to someone other than God – mediums and spiritists and folks that said they talked to the dead. Apparently these men were trusted enough by the people to be taken seriously.
And because Israel listened to these counselors, their nation was going to suffer terribly.
And so, God was telling His people:
You’re walking in darkness, in the shadow of death, because you’ve listened to the wrong counselors.
BUT REJOICE because unto you a child is born, unto you a son is given and He’s going to be a wonderful counselor. He’s going to be someone you can listen to and know His advice is right. You’ll be able to stake your life on what He tells you.
No mortal man or woman is going to be able to be capable of giving you advice that will be anywhere as good as His.
Now, I don’t want you to get the impression that I’m saying we are not to take advice.
Proverbs 15:22 tells me 2Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
A wise person is someone who listens to many counselors.
A wise person heeds the advice of people he can trust.
A wise Christian seeks the advice of his elders.
A wise child looks to his parents for advice.
A wise husband talks things over with his wife
And a wise women listens to the counsel of her husband.
There are many skilled and trained counselors that can help you with your finances, marriage, guilt, etc.. No matter what issue you need help with there are people out there who are trained to help you. Counselors who sincerely want to help you.
But no matter how good the advice these folks might give you they are still only mortals.
Their counsel can only accomplish so much.
A rehabilitation counselor took an early retirement to spend the rest of his life preaching. One day, while addressing an audience, he told of how - early in his career - he found a young boy with several birth defects.
He arranged financial and medical help.
Skilled surgeons restored the child’s facial appearance.
Trained therapists taught him to speak and walk.
By his teens, the boy was able to take part in all the activities of other young people.
Addressing his crowd the retired counselor asked: “What do you think has become of this young man?”
One guessed that since this young man had overcome such physical deformities, he may have dedicated himself to becoming a great athlete. Someone else thought that – since his life had been changed by medical doctors that he had become a skilled surgeon.
“No, none of these,” the retired counselor said sadly. “The young man is a prisoner, serving a life sentence for murder. We were able to restore his physical features and his ability to walk and act but we failed to teach him where to walk and how to act.
I was successful in helping the boy physically, but I failed to help him spiritually. From that day on, I have determined to use the rest of my life to help people direct their steps and actions toward glorifying God.”
You see there are many “Good” counselors in this world.
But none can compare with the “Wonderful counselor.
That’s because - when Jesus came - He came fully understanding the basic problem we face.
Matthew 1:21 says “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."
One of the repeated pieces of advice Jesus gave people during his ministry was this:
“Go and sin no more” (John 5:14; 8:11)
Don’t make excuses for it.
Don’t try to ignore it or explain it away.
Sin isn’t going to go away on its own.
We must deal with it.
We must confront it.
And the only way we can deal effectively with sin is to realize that only the Wonderful counselor can help us remove sin’s power and guilt.
Paul said it this way: “we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." -- 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
Jesus is the wonderful counselor because He IS the power and the wisdom of God.
Jesus is the one who can give us the power to help us overcome sin… and the wisdom to know how to deal with our sins when we fall prey to them.
The counselors of this world CAN help you with your problems.
But they can only help you so much.
By contrast, Jesus (the Wonderful Counselor) has the ability to help us deal with the root cause of our problems. As Hebrews tells us:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet was without sin.” Hebrews 4:15
You see: Jesus understands our problems. He’s sympathetic to our failure.
But He’s too good a counselor to just let us do what we want and ignore the consequences.
He knows our problems and He has counsel to help us deal with our sins.
The key of course is this: listen to… and follow His advice.
So, have you done that?
Have you let Jesus be your counselor?
Have you asked for His guidance and His advice in your problems?

Consider this test that a very wise preacher once gave his congregation:
SELF-EVALUATION: I listen to and follow the counsel and advice of Jesus Christ as I make the daily decisions in the affairs of my life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
If you don’t listen hardly at all to Jesus’ advice, then mentally circle 1, 2, or 3
If you listen “sometimes” circle one of the numbers between 4 and 7.
If you listen “most of the time” or “all the time” circle 8, 9 or 10.
CLOSE:
We have a counselor who is able to deal gently with us.
One who is sympathetic to our weaknesses.
But we need to first listen to His advice.
As Christians we need to listen to Him everyday. But if you’re not a Christian today then you need to hear what He advises you in Mark 16:16. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Have you made that decision yet?
INVITATION

The Faith of Rahab

Hebrews 11:31

INTRO: Good morning church.
In Bible class we have been studying the book of Hebrews and recently chapter 11. In this chapter the writer uses examples of faithful people to help his readers understand faith. Two women are mentioned by name in the list of the faithful. The ladies class is studying the Women of the Bible and there are many more then two. I wondered how these two happened to be selected by the Hebrews writer.

The first one that's mentioned, in Hebrews 11:11, is Sarah, the wife of Abraham. She was the wife of the one who is many times called the father of the faithful, and she was with him throughout his journeys and throughout his events of faith. She received the fulfillment of God’s promise that she would bear a son. There's a sense in which when we think about faith, we would expect that Sarah would be included. “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”

The other woman that's named in Hebrews chapter 11 may come as a bit of a surprise. If we compared her to Sarah we would see some differences. Hebrews 11:31 – “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.”

Some people in the Bible are mentioned in connection with their occupation: Abel was a shepherd; Matthew was a tax-collector; Peter was a fisherman; Saul was a tentmaker. What was Rahab? Five times in the scriptures we are told that Rahab was a harlot, or prostitute. When we meet her, from our point of view it seems like Rahab’s character is the polar opposite of Sarah.

What I want to do today is take a look at Rahab and her faith. It is true that there's not a lot about Rahab in the Old Testament. We meet her in Joshua 2, we leave her in Joshua 6. Except for some references to her in the New Testament, like the one we find in Hebrews, we don't know a lot about her later life.

I. Rahab’s Story: I am sure you all recall the fall of the city of Jericho. Israel’s first conquest upon entering the land of Canaan was God’s work, not theirs. The fall of Jericho came about through faith when Israel closely followed God’s unusual instructions. Israel’s faith was not the only faith that God honored in the fall of this city. It is here that we meet Rahab.

A. Rahab was not an Israelite. She is an outsider in heritage and certainly character, or at least her morality is not what we would expect in someone mentioned in the book of Hebrews. The fact that this woman Rahab is included in this list, I believe is significant. It's significant to our understanding not only of her and the character of her faith, but I believe we also learn some things about God. Let's take a look at Rahab and consider her story.
B. We start reading in Joshua 2:1-3 – “Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho.'' So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.'' So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.''”. We see the situation quickly outlined here with the introduction to Rahab, the spies sent by Joshua, and the danger to them.
C. When we looked at the individuals in Hebrews chapter eleven, there has been clear indication that they had faith. Not only that, but in the context of explaining their faith, we have seen how their faith was tested. They exercised their faith in a practical, outward way so that not only do we recognize their faith, but that faith produced obedience. That's also what we find here in terms of the faith of Rahab. We quickly see that Rahab was put on the spot by the King of Jericho to make known those who had come to her house.

1. I wondered how these men ended up in Rahab's house. Why were the spies, who were sent by Joshua, at the house of a prostitute? The Bible doesn't tell us how they got there or why they were there. Scholars have expounded on this question and one of the most common ideas is that Rahab ran something akin to an Inn, or house of convenience, which provided accommodations.
2. God knew her heart and her budding faith. There was, in the confines of the city of Jericho, living on the walls of the city, a woman who could be touched by the knowledge of God and by the proclamation of what God was going to do to that city. Her faith would be tested.
3. We notice that Rahab is the only person who is named in all the city of Jericho. When God gives us the account of the fall of this great fortified city, it mentions the king, but doesn't tell us who he was. There are no statesmen, no warriors, nobody else in the city of Jericho that God sees fit to name except, Rahab.
4. What would possibly entice this Canaanite woman to help these enemy spies who were in the very process of spying out the land? I believe there's only one answer to that…the biblical answer. The biblical answer is faith. That's what we've seen about all of these people in Hebrews chapter eleven. Why they did what they did, was because of faith.

II. The response of her faith: She answered the request of the king. We are now at Joshua 2:4-6 – “Then the woman took the two men and hid them; and she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. "And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.'' (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.)”

A. She answered the request of the King and said, yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from, and as the gate was being shut at dark they left, I don’t know where they went. Then she suggests perhaps the spies could be overtaken if the king’s men went after them right away.

1. Interestingly the king's representatives were very easily deceived by Rahab, perhaps indicating that the king himself considered her to be dependable. We recognize immediately that Rahab lied when she said she didn't know where the men were. After all she hid them.
2. Of course, that immediately raises the question, does God condone her lie? Does the situation justify what she did? Is that what's being taught? Is it okay to lie as long as there is a greater good that will come as a result of it? Does God not care that she lied because she was able to save the spies? An interesting question… but for now remember that Rahab is commended in the Word of God, not for her immorality, (harlotry and falsehood), but for her FAITH.

B. Her faith is what we will focus on this morning. What prompted her to take the position of being on the side of Israel rather than on the side of her countrymen? She expressed her faith in the words of verses 4-6 by her willingness to be on God's side.

1. She was taking enormous risk standing up to the King and the militia and lying to them about where these men were. If she were found out, if those men were discovered where she had put them, she would have been in grave peril.

C. After the men of Jericho had left, Rahab goes to the roof and speaks to the spies. Joshua 2:9-13 “9. … and said to the men: "I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10. "For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11. "And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12. "Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token, 13. "and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.''”

1. Rahab is not only concerned for the strangers but for herself and her family as well. Her words help us understand the development of her faith.
2. She, as well as others, had heard how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt and how He had miraculously sustained them in victory over the Amorites. She is convinced that the God of Israel, is about to conquer her city. She wants to enter into an agreement with these spies and their God. She believes that God can save her and her family and is willing to beg for His mercy.

III. The Nature of her faith: In the text of Hebrews 11 Rahab is contrasted with those who “did not believe” implying that others may have had the opportunity to respond as she did, but were not convinced. She received these spies as the representatives of the God she now believed in, but how difficult was it for Rahab to become a believer?

A. She lived in a great walled city that had stood for hundreds of years. They had an ancient culture and worshipped many gods. How could all this end in just a matter of days? Yet, she did believe that God would prevail.
B. Rahab didn’t just believe in the existence of God, she literally believed what God revealed. That is, she believed it was He who was bringing Israel into the Promised Land. Risking her very life, she had no more evidence to go on than the reports from others, and thus was walking by faith, not sight. John 20:29 – “…Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
C. Notice what she says in verse 9 “I know that the Lord has given you the land”. How does she know that? She didn't see the armies nor had opportunity to assess the military prowess of Israel first hand.

1. She says, I know that the Lord has given you the land, not that you're going to take it by your power, but she says; I know that the Lord of Israel, the God of Israel has given you the land.
2. Then she goes on in verse 10, and tells that they had heard how God brought Israel out of Egypt and had given them victory over the two kings of the Amorites. She says, “When we heard these things, our hearts melted.” “For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” Then Rahab asks that they spare her and her family and deliver their lives from death since she protected them.

D. Rahab, as well as others had heard about Israel and what God has done for them. She is absolutely convinced that the God of Israel, can conquer cities, can tear down walls, and can reach the enemy. She's willing to say to these folks, I know that your Lord has already given you this city.

1. That's interesting language because that's precisely what God had told Israel, I've already given you the city. The city of Jericho was a gift to them and though they were going to have to do something, it would be appropriate as a gift to faith.
2. This is the very way that this Canaanite prostitute, a citizen of Jericho, not Israel, expresses her faith in God. When the spies go back to give a report to Joshua they used Rahab’s words to express it. Verse 24 “And they said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.''”

E. Here in Joshua we see it is Rahab who really understands what God is doing. Hebrews 11:31 says, “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.” It says that she received the spies with peace, not as enemies. This tells us about the nature of her faith. How difficult was it for Rahab to become a believer in God on this occasion? She lived in a great walled city that stood for 400 years. Could she possibly believe that all that was going to be dissolved? That's a test of faith isn't?
F. We are encompassed by and in the world and when we consider where we live, what we have, and who we are, do we truly understand all this will come to an end? Do we believe it is really all going to vanish away through the power of a God that we cannot see with our physical eyes? Peter says “… scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” 2 Peter 3:3-4. It's only the true believer who believes that no matter how secure things seem now, God can bring it all down.

1. Rahab believed that God could bring it all down. She believed that the God of the Israelites would prevail. She believed that God was going to bring Israel into the land by His own hand.
2. Risking her life, she was willing to step out on that, on nothing other than what she had heard from other folks. Think about that, she had not witnessed the crossing of the Red Sea or the destruction of the Amorite’s cities. She had not physically been there and seen it with her own eyes.
3. The nature of her faith was that she believed the testimony of others. She believed what others had said about what God, not only had done, but would do in the future.
4. That's precisely the nature of our faith. We were not there, yet we believe. We haven't seen with our eyes, yet we believe the testimony of others. Our faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Our faith, as strong as it may be, is continually tested on the basis of that testimony, of what God has revealed through other individuals. In John chapter 20, after Thomas requested to see the actual physical evidence of the resurrection of Jesus, Jesus said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

G. Look at the marvelous confession that Rahab makes in verse 11. “… for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” She had replaced what ever she had believed in before; with a true faith, however weak it was it was a true faith that God, the God of Israel, was the true God.
H. In James 2 at the close of the chapter, Rahab is mentioned as an example of faith as a result of what she did. “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

1. This passage characterizes her faith in terms of her actions. James' point is not just that she had faith, but that she evidenced that faith. In discussing the nature of true faith as being that which obeys God, James brings up Rahab as one who showed the nature of her faith not by what she said, but by what she actually did. She risked her life and she was justified by what she did.
2. This characterizes Rahab’s faith and ours as well, recognizing that faith must be evidenced in what we do, not just in what we say or not just in what we believe or hold as conviction. It’s evidenced on whether or not we're willing to step out on that faith and obey God, to take God at His word and trust God enough to do what He says.

IV. I see something else here. Not only did Rahab need to believe that God existed, but she needed to believe that God was the type of God who would show kindness to someone who was a foreigner based upon her kindness to His servants that were there.

A. How could she know? How could she trust that the God of Israel would react that way?

1. We're used to believing in the God revealed in scripture and we know who the true God is. There are those who worship other gods, and many folks still do that today, all of those gods are not kind, loving, forgiving gods, like the true God is. Many of them are vindictive. Many of them have no compassion for human beings and are selfish. I suspect many of the Canaanite gods had that nature.
2. Yet, she had to believe that the God of the Israelites was not only a powerful God capable of the breaking down of walls, but that He was a kind and merciful God and would respond to her kindness with kindness. She pled for that.
3. She also had to recognize that it was all or nothing. She had to completely rely upon the God of Israel and the Israelites following their God for her to be saved. She could not save herself. She truly believed that God could destroy the city and she completely relied upon Him to save her.

B. That's the element of faith. That's the nature of faith as we see it in ourselves. It's not that we do a little and God does the rest. It's that God does it all. We must completely put our trust in God and rely upon Him for everything physically and spiritually that we have.

V. Rahab’s Deliverance: Read with me starting at Joshua 2:14. It says, “14. So the men answered her, "Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.'' 15. Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. 16. And she said to them, "Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.'' 17. Then the men said to her: "We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, 18. "unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father's household to your own home. 19. "So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20. "And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.'' 21. Then she said, "According to your words, so be it.'' And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.”

A. They made a covenant with her for her family’s deliverance. This also helps us to understand the nature of faith. In the context there were things that she had to do to respond, out of faith, in order to receive deliverance. She was now one who had faith in God and she is included in the list in Hebrews 11 because she met those conditions.

1. She, and her family, had to tell no one of the spies’ activities or plans. She had to convince her family to come to her home and remain there throughout the invasion.
2. She had to leave that scarlet cord in her window until it was all over. If she failed to do all of these things, would she have been saved? What does that tell us about faith & obedience?... Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” – That is the voice of faith. That's what people say to God when they recognize they must rely upon Him and they truly believe in Him. Whatever you say, God, so be it. Doesn’t matter what it is I’ll do it. I have faith in you. I trust in you.

B. Turn with me now to Joshua chapter 6. Can you imagine Rahab’s thoughts as she saw the Israelites circling around the city for the six days? She never took down the cord. She never went back on the agreement. She alone understood what was going on outside her city walls, who was really orchestrating this and what was going to happen in the days to come. That's the nature of faith.
C. We live in a world of people that don't understand what's going on. They don't know why they're here, what they're doing, or how it's all going to end. People of faith watch God working every day and realize what's really happening. They never quit trusting God even though others ridicule their faith, and how they live. They are called silly, and naïve. People of faith recognize it's all going to turn out the way God said it's going to turn out.
D. I’m now at Joshua 6:22 - “But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, "Go into the harlot's house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.'' And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.”
E. Think how happy she was when she saw them at the door and it turned out just the way they said it would. Think how happy we will be when this world is tumbling down and we see Jesus and He says, come, you're coming with me. The reason that will happen is because of our faith.
F. It says in verse 25 “And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” I suspect that tells us that she was not an outsider anymore. She was one in the family of God as much as if she had been born an Israelite… because of her faith.

CONCLUSION:
One thing that stands out to me is that Rahab was saved by grace, through faith. Things that made this outsider an insider had no claim in what she was before, not what she did for an occupation or where she lived or her heritage. Rather it had to do with whether or not she truly believed God at the point of her obedience. The exercise of God's grace was in response to her faith. She was saved just like you and I are saved spiritually today by God's mercy, through our faith.

We mentioned that she lied in the process, and God does not condone lies. She was also a prostitute at the time. I would suggest that she could not have remained a prostitute and remained a faithful member of God's family. In order to be included in the list in Hebrews 11, something had to change.

God did not condone her immorality or her dishonesty, but He did reward and respond to her faith. This also tells me that God is able to look inward, see faith wherever it can be found, and challenge it on levels that you and I do not.

Who was Rahab? Was what we find here in Joshua chapters 2 and 6 just a side note to the whole history of Israel? No, it's more than that. At one time, she was an obscure prostitute in a doomed city. In the end, after God's deliverance, she became more. Joshua six tells us that she would continue to live in Israel. We find she's mentioned again in Matthew 1:5 - “Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,”. Both Rahab and Ruth were Gentiles and both are mentioned through inspiration in writings of Matthew of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

The story of Rahab is the story of hope. It's the story of someone on the outside who expresses faith and comes inside through the power and the grace of God. It doesn't matter where you're from, it doesn't matter what you've done, or how you're living your life, God can deliver you.
Do we have and exhibit the faith of Rahab? There are a lot of folks who would never sell their bodies for money or involve themselves in such immorality, and yet they do not have the faith of this woman. They're not willing to risk anything based upon faith.

God does not disappoint those who express their faith in obedience to Him. Rahab’s story is really a story of hope. Jesus said, he that believes and is baptized will be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned. Our obedience to God and the practical aspect of our lives comes as a result of our faith and our confidence that we place within it. It begins in faith. It begins in that confidence. Sadly the person that does not believe has no other destiny than to be condemned by God and to face His judgment.
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We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must 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 you have faith like Rahab we urge you to step out, come forward and be baptized. If anyone that 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: David Schmidt

Am I One of These

"Am I One Of These?”
Amos 5:21-24, Mark 4:15-19

There is a story told about a mother who was sick in bed with the flu. Her little daughter wanted so badly to be a good nurse to her. She fluffed the pillows & brought a magazine for her to read. Then she even surprised her mother with a cup of tea.
"You're such a sweetheart," the mother said as she drank the tea. "I didn't even know you knew how to make tea." "Oh, yes," the little girl replied. "I learned by watching you. I put the tea leaves in the pot. Then I put in the water & boiled it, & then strained it into a cup. But I couldn't find a strainer, so I used the flyswatter instead."
"You what?" the mother screamed. The little girl said, "Oh, don't worry, Mama, I didn't use the new flyswatter. I used the old one."
Now I felt a little hesitant about telling you that story. But when kids try so hard to do something, & yet get it wrong in spite of themselves, what's a parent to do? You've got to love them for trying, at least!
Some years ago Pres. Kennedy spoke at an awards banquet of the National Football Foundation. In his speech he said:
"It looks as if our great national sport is no longer playing, but watching. We are becoming less & less a nation of athletes, & more & more a nation of spectators.”
What Pres. Kennedy was concerned about for our nation, many of us are concerned about for the church.
There is an interesting passage in the Book of Amos where God is speaking to the Jewish nation, to His people, & He is not speaking very kindly to them.
He had done so much for them. He had freed them from slavery in Egypt. He had delivered the Promised Land into their hands. He had blessed King David & King Solomon & made their reigns the golden age of Jewish history.
But now all that was past, & in Amos 5:21-23 God said to them, "“I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

What happened? Why was God so angry with them? The next verse (vs. 24) makes it plain. God says, "But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.
Evidently, the people in Amos' day were faithful in going through all the rituals. They attended the services. They kept the holy feasts. They gave generously of burnt offerings & grain offerings.

They sang their songs of praise to God, & played their harps. But God rejected their worship. Why? Because their lives didn't measure up to what they professed.
They gave lip service to God, but there was no justice or righteousness in their lives. They didn't even try to live the way God wanted them to live.
And that was true in Jesus' day, too. For we hear Him saying in Matt. 23:23, "“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

They went through all the right forms, attended all the services, were very careful to give every bit of their tithes & offerings. But Jesus still cried out to them, "Woe to you!"
My concern this morning is about the possibility that Jesus could say the same thing today. Is there any way in which we might find ourselves in the same condition as the people in Amos' day, or in Jesus' day? I'm afraid so. It appears that there are at least 3 different types of people, or attitudes that are present.

The 1st of these are the "Performers," people who are putting on an act, whose lives just don't match up with what they are trying to get people to believe about them.
Sometimes these people are in positions of leadership & prominence. They are in the limelight, busy, active, there for all the people to see.

A while back a major TV channel featured a story about a preacher accused of trying to kill his wife so that he could marry the woman with whom he was having an affair. They spent almost an hour going over the whole sordid story.

News stories in the past few years exposing the private lives of some religious celebrities have made us sadly aware that they must have been merely performing. Their lives do not seem even to come close to matching up with what they professed.

It's bad enough that they made shipwreck of their own lives, but they also brought disillusionment & dismay into the lives of many who trusted & followed them.
Meanwhile, many in the world clap their hands, convinced more than ever that there is no reason to listen to the message of Jesus.
Why did it happen?
How did it happen?
Were they "performers" from the very beginning?
Have they always just been putting on an act? Well, I doubt it.
Do you remember the parable of the sower? Jesus tells us that the sower went forth to sow. As he cast the seed some fell on the hard-packed path, some among the rocks, some fell among the thorns, & some fell on good ground.

Well, in Mark 4:18-19 Jesus explains about the seed that fell among the thorns. He said, "“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Is that what happened to these celebrities? Did they start off full of enthusiasm, but then other things entered in? Did they come to the place where they accepted & desired all the praise they were getting?

Did they see all the riches the world can give, & begin to covet that, too? Did they begin to see their ministry as their empire to control & manipulate? The Apostle John warned about a man named Diotrephes in (3 John vs. 9), "9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.

But "performers" are not found only among religious celebrities. It is just as possible for those who are sitting in the pews, who are not in the limelight, to be "performing" too.
You can participate in every part of the service sing & pray & partake of communion. But if there is no noticeable change for good in your life, the world will see the way you live, & come to the conclusion that you're putting on an act, & call you a "hypocrite."

Matthew 7:21 says 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
The father & mother who are merely "performing" soon disillusion their children, their relatives, & many precious souls are lost for all eternity.

But thank God, it is a two way street. Just as one can start out in eager dedication, & end up a "performer", so those who have been "performing" can switch their lives around and turned back to Jesus.

There is a saying that "expressions create impressions." Even as we are "performing," there is a chance that our lives will be touched, that something will sink in, & once again we’ll be what God wants us to be.

Some songs we sing affect me greatly. Whenever we sing "Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee; How Great Thou Art, how great Thou art!" I want to proclaim that He is my Lord & my God, also.

And how about "It Is Well With My Soul?" "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.'" I love to sing that song, too!

Maybe it will be a sermon you hear, verses in Gods Word you read and discuss in Bible Study. or seeing the lives of others being changed. Maybe you'll catch the vision again, repent of your sins, no longer "performing," but now rededicating yourself to God.

Another group to be found in almost every congregation are the “Spectators." They are present, but they are not really participating.
Some of these could be called "Attenders." They may be present for any number of reasons. Maybe they're there because of social contacts their friends come, so they come too. Their family goes to church, so they go, too.

Maybe the "attenders" are present because they feel it is expected of them they ought to be in church "after all, it's the right thing to do." Whatever the reason, the "attenders" are usually uninterested in what is going on, & unconcerned about others around them.
So the "attender" gets involved in various diversions and the terrible thing is that usually the people around them become painfully aware of these diversions. As a result, their meditation & prayers are disturbed. Their train of thought is broken.
The heart that is being touched by the invitation of Jesus Christ is rudely yanked back to a world of carelessness & callousness.

A minister tells of one of the saddest moments in his life happened one Sunday years ago when 6 teenagers, 5 of them church members, were sitting all together on a pew.
The one who wasn't a Christian was a friend of one of the others on that row. He had been attending church services for several weeks, & was now seriously considering the most important decision of his life, the decision of being baptized for the remission of his sins.
The invitation hymn was being sung. He was at the end of the pew right at the aisle, leaning forward, listening intently & seemingly almost ready to step out to make his decision for Jesus.
When suddenly, one of the kids whispered a joke, & 2 or 3 of them laughed. The young man's concentration was broken.

I saw him turn toward them with an irritated look on his face, & then, when the service was over, he walked out of the church building not to return again for nearly 3 years. Three years! It might have been for all eternity. A soul that was lost!

I want to look again at the parable of the sower. Jesus said, "Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes & takes away the word that was sown in them" (Mark 4:15)

I am so thankful that one of those teenagers realized what had happened, & tried to do something about it. But it took 3 years to undo the harm that was done in just a few moments. It took 3 years to convince that young man once again that Jesus Christ was really worthy of his serious consideration.  But not all "spectators" are uninterested in what is going on, wrapped up in their own little world.

Some are present as "Searchers," hoping to find something that is worthwhile.
They may just be curious, or confused, looking for something that will meet a need in their lives. So they're watching, listening, observing. They look at the people around them, noticing how they treat each other, how they act, & the looks on their faces. Do the people really care about each other? Or about Jesus?

These "searchers" are oftentimes a bit ill at ease. They're unfamiliar with the church service & self conscious about it. They may not know anybody else there, & may feel that people are looking & wondering about them.
"Searchers" are usually very sensitive about what is going on around them &, depending on where they are sitting,

They may be unlucky enough to sit near "attenders" engaged in their own little diversion. And the "searcher" is wondering where on earth his search has led him.
But what an opportunity the "searcher" presents. Not only is their soul precious to God, loved by Jesus, but Paul says in Hebrews 13:2, " Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

If you are a "searcher" here with us today, please realize that we're all sinners, and that we all fall short of what we ought to be. But thanks to Jesus, we can have the forgiveness of our sins.
As the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 40:2, "He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
God does love us!

This morning we have mentioned "Performers" & "Spectators" but there is one more very important group to consider – the “Worshipers.”
Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:23, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

Why are we here today? I trust that you're here to worship to show your love for God, for Jesus Christ to be a living witness to others of what Jesus means to you to encourage others by your presence to share what God has given you to be challenged to refuel to arm yourself for the battles of life.
Maybe you're here, too, like the old man who said, "I go to church to let everybody know which side I'm on."
But may I suggest some ways to make the church service really a time of worship for you & for others?

You can worship by putting a smile on your face & in your heart as you make the stranger welcome. You can worship by putting the activities & cares of the day out of your mind, focusing your thoughts on Jesus, especially as you partake of Communion with Him.
You can worship by listening to the preaching of God's Word, despite the limitations of the preacher, knowing that there is power in the Word to change lives, to point us in the right direction, & to make us effective in whatever we seek to do for Him.
You can worship by silently praying for the lost, for those who have decisions to make for Jesus, as we stand and sing the song of invitation.

 

 

Sermon Contributor: Melvin Newland