Chardon church of Christ

Zeal for Your House

 

John 2:12-17

 

INTRO: Good morning church. Last week Mark began teaching on the section of scripture we call the beatitudes where Jesus sat down, His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them. Today we will look at Jesus teaching them in a different way.

 

Our text is John 2:12-17. The Apostle John begins this section, that we often describe as the cleansing of the temple, by calling it the Passover of the Jews. He concludes the section in verse 23 by again noting that it's the Passover feast of the Jews. I suspect that John noting this is the Passover twice indicates there's something important we should look for. There is some critical symbolism here in this observation that it is the time of the Passover.

It is important to keep in mind that John's gospel is not in chronological sequence. That is not his purpose. This gospel is in theological sequence, in that John is choosing signs and events to argue a particular theological point. His focus is that all would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He's not just telling us about the life of Jesus, and not just recording various events. He's selecting events and selecting signs that will validate his point in this theology of who Jesus is as the Son of God.

 

That is important for a number of reasons. First of all, it is sometimes argued based upon John's gospel, that Jesus cleansed the temple twice. It has been suggested that what we see here in John 2 is an early cleansing, and then in Matthew 21, Mark 11, and Luke 19, we read about a cleansing that occurs near the end of His life. I am not sure about that. Instead I suspect what has occurred is that John has moved this event into the front of his gospel for some reason.

 

One reason for my thinking this is that none of the gospels record two of these events. If there had been two, the other gospels would probably have recorded them. We would expect to find two events in the gospels that describe a more chronological sequencing of Jesus' life. I note though, the other gospels only record a cleansing once.

 

I suspect John is pulling it forward and sticking it after the wedding at Cana and before the discussion with Nicodemus for some reason. Let’s start thinking about what John is doing here. What is his purpose? Keep that in mind.

 

We also note that the Gospel of John is probably the Gospel that was written last. The contents and the structure of this Gospel presuppose the reader's familiarity with the three synoptic gospels. According to tradition this Gospel was written at the end of the first century AD. Therefore John has no reason to recap and rehearse what are in the other gospels. He has a purpose. He has a point.

 

John does not have to write this gospel like a newspaper reporter recording all the facts in some particular sequence. He's already told us he has a purpose. John isn't marking Passover so that we would have time markers and know that three years went by.

 

When John mentions a Passover, I suspect he's got some kind of Passover symbolism that he's inserting with this sign or event.

 

With that in mind, let's read the whole story.

I.        Temple Court Scene – John 2:13-17, “13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.””

A.     It is the Passover time that tells us every male Jew from all over the land is coming. This is one of the three appointed times when male Jews had to come for their offering and sacrifices. It would have been a very busy scene.

1.      Verse 14 records that in the temple complex are found those selling animals and birds, and those changing money. These animals and birds were required offerings in the Jewish sacrifices; however, can you imagine a Jew who lived in Rome ensuring that his animal made the trip all the way to Jerusalem without any blemish? It became an element of convenience to purchase the offering when you arrived. I have also read at some point the worshipers were required to purchase them from the temple functionaries and were not allowed to bring their own.

2.      On top of that, the money changers are there because the scriptures describe what would be called a temple tax in first century times. Each person was to give what would be a half shekel as part of their census. You can find that described in Exodus 30:12-14.

3.      Also the only money allowed be used in such purchases or tax was the coinage controlled by the temple. The denarius and other coins were prohibited, probably due to the image on the coin. Thus, with the temple concessionaires having the only supply of animals and a supply of money by which they could have been purchased, there was ample opportunity for graft.

II.      Jesus’ Response - Jesus does not simply scold them and say, you shouldn't be doing this; it is not an appropriate thing to do. This is a pretty ferocious act we see as He takes some cords, binds them together and drives them all out of the temple. Not only that, but He poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

A.     This is quite a disturbance, quite a scene that is taking place in these temple courts. I suspect getting the attention of all the Jews coming there. They are looking to purchase these animals and pay their tax, and Jesus comes in like a tornado, completely obliterates the tables and runs the animals off.

1.      What are you doing Jesus? What is going on here? Aren’t they just providing a service of convenience to these people as they try to worship God? I think the description that Jesus gives in verse 16 is important to be able to understand what He is driving at.

2.      Notice in verse 16 He says, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” This is what John records, now let’s compare it with the other gospel accounts. In Matthew 21:13 “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” In Mark 11:17 “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Luke 19:46, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” It appears in the other gospel accounts; the problem emphasized is they are cheating the people.

3.      Apparently in the exchange rate of the coins and the purchasing of the animals they are making unfair profit. In the synoptic accounts it sound like they are taking advantage of this process. We notice that's not the point Jesus makes here as John highlights.

B.     John does not emphasize Jesus’ point that the merchants have made this a den of robbers. Nor is Jesus criticizing not bringing their offerings from home. The issue is clear that the problem is business was being done in the temple courts! That's what He identifies. Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade. You've turned this into a marketplace.

1.      That's the idea Jesus drives at as John points out. What is at stake here is people are no longer focused on worshipping God in this complex. What should have been a place of reverence, a place of prayer, a place of praising God, has now turned into a supermarket.

2.      We can imagine all the hubbub that is going on with this trading. That is Jesus’ point. I think this offers us a reminder about the nature of our worship. I first want to make a caveat that it is important to recognize that the temple, or the church building, is not the point. The point is NOT to say, within these walls God lives and that’s why this merchandising shouldn't be happening. No, that is not the case.

3.      In fact even regarding the temple itself, God didn’t actually live there. Stephen said in Acts 7:48 – “Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?”” Stephen referred to the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 66:1f. Even Solomon understood that for all the glory of what he built, God doesn’t actually live there.

4.      The parallel for us is not to suggest that God lives here. The parallel is that this is supposed to be a place of worship. The purpose wasn't for them to set up tables, make money, turn it into a marketplace, rip people off, if that's what they're doing. That's not what is supposed to be going on. This is supposed to be a place of devotion to God; of worship, of prayer, of encouragement, of fellowship, and of learning. It is where hearts are supposed to be turned to God in a focus that is strictly on God!

C.    This is an important message in our day and time especially. In a time where churches are increasingly engaging in selling branded items like apparel, accessories, and study materials, driven by a desire to foster a sense of belonging, promote their activities, and _ generate _ revenue. I'm not kidding. Some are suggesting that selling merchandise can be a way to generate income to support their ministries and operations.

1.      This is a tremendous reminder that our purpose is not to come here and find a way to be comfortable, a way of convenience. That is not why we are here. Our purpose here is not to make money. Our purpose here is not to take your money. It's not about buying or selling. May we never do so.

2.      That's what these Jews had done to the temple courts. It had turned into a kind of marketplace and lost the singular focus of coming to worship God. That's what it should all be about. I believe that worship to God should be in our minds as the clear purpose of why we do the things that we do.

3.      Our singular focus should be worshiping God, and I believe that is what we learn from what John says. It's not about all the peripherals. When we come together, it should be coming to glorify God.

D.    When we come together, let's and avoid focus on anything else. This is what Jesus is criticizing them about. What a massive distraction is going on in these temple courts. Here you are, you have come to worship together and you have this hubbub, this marketplace of buying and selling, vendors calling, animals and birds making racket, this massive distraction from worship.

1.      It is a reminder to us to put aside distractions and come to the fountain of living water. That is what we're supposed to be doing. It is so easy for us to get sidetracked and become distracted with so many other things.

2.      We can do it mentally as well, because we are so concerned about the things of the world and the cares of the world and the schedule of the day or of the week or our phones.

3.      Consider how often and how easy it is to turn the worship of the true and living God into a consumer-driven experience. A funny YouTube video that I've seen is a thing that is called “What if the church was run like Starbucks?” I don't know if you've ever seen it or not. It's quite funny when you start trying to turn church into a business and you recognize the foolishness of what occurs.

4.      This is not about a consumer experience. In fact, coming here is not about our comforts. It's not about our convenience, and it's certainly not about our desires. We come here because we are keenly aware that we want to serve and worship God, and that is our primary focus.

5.      Jesus is indicating that the distractions these Jews were bringing about was an enormous problem because it was turning the hearts of the people and turning their focus away from the worship that should have been going on. We need to take great care that what we are doing is not causing people to no longer be able to worship God in a focused way.

E.     This cleansing of the temple is showing Jesus as the loyal son who has come to set right the worship that has gone wrong, to cleanse it of impure activity, to get people focused on the right thing. He does this in such an interesting way because what He does has messianic implications, though not directly stated. Yet, in the words “… My Father’s house…” we see the indication of the unique sonship of Jesus, and a focus on the messianic import of this event of cleansing. As A. M. Hunter noted, "The cleansing is far more than a Jewish reformer's act; it is a sign of the advent of the Messiah."

1.      Nowhere will we find in the Old Testament the direct statement saying when the Messiah comes, He will cleanse the temple. There are allusions to that idea however. Like In Zachariah 14 where he is talking of “The Coming Day of the Lord” and then in the very last line of Zechariah he says “And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.” Here's Zechariah making a curious prophecy of the wiping out of that kind of activity.

2.      Malachi begins Malachi 3 by speaking of the Lord coming to His temple and they will then begin to offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. What happened is they had allowed chaos to rule here rather than it being the place of coming to worship God.

3.      The church in Corinth was also admonished for letting chaos rule in 1^st Corinthians 14 which concludes “… all things should be done decently and in order.” What Jesus is doing is removing the barriers that are interfering with true worship of the living God.

4.      If we are properly putting our hearts on God and worshiping Him the way that we should, then we can't help but come away encouraged and lifted up. They didn't understand that. They had put the cart before the horse.

III.    The Disciples’ Reaction – John 2:17 - The disciples reaction is interesting. Look at what John says about this in verse 17. “His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”” The reason why I find this fascinating in light of what Jesus does, is they do not remember a scripture about God’s wrath. I find it interesting that it is not wrath that the disciples think of.

A.     It's zeal that comes to their minds. I think that is important for us to observe, because too often this text has been used to suggest that Jesus is in a fit of fury. He went all Clint Eastwood on them… Not from the perspective of His disciples.

1.      They do not perceive what Jesus is doing as wrath, but rather a calculated approach on Jesus part of telling them, look, this isn't the way it ought to be. He is zealous for that. He is concerned about what is going on in the house of worship.

2.      The scripture the disciples remember is in Psalm 69. In Psalm 69:7-12 we see the cause of David’s suffering. King Saul had classified David as an outlaw and is seeking him. In Psalm 69:9 David says, “For zeal for your house has consumed me…” How had it consumed him, eaten him up? It had precipitated the murder of the high priest and his entire family (close friends of David), and it had launched Saul's army in their ruthless hunt to seek out and kill David.

3.      David in a statement of sadness is calling out to God for salvation. He is overwhelmed and this is a psalm of despair. Notice it in Psalm 69:7, “For it is for your sake (speaking of God) For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons.” Why has this happened? Why are you enduring this hostility David? Why are you dealing with all of these reproaches and difficulties? Verse nine is the answer. “For zeal for your house has consumed me…”

4.      David is not saying he has an overwhelming emotion of zeal. That's not the point. David is enduring hostility because of the zeal he has for the Lord's house. The reference here is to the tabernacle of course. Had David been zealous for that? Certainly! Where did he take the sword of Goliath following his God-given victory over the Giant? He took it to the Lord's house, the tabernacle. That action, along with the sackcloth, the fasting, and the other acts of devotion adequately establish the truth that David did indeed exhibit a genuine "zeal for God's house."

5.      That's the point that's being described here by David. He wants others to understand that his zeal for the Lord's house has led to this intense hostility. This is the reason why he feels like he is suffering. This is the reason why he is sinking and has floodwaters overwhelming him. Others don’t seem to understand his commitment to the Lord. They don't understand his zeal and love for God. Because of that love for God, he is being eaten up and consumed by the hostility coming at him. They are trying to destroy him. They are trying to kill David.

B.     That's the backdrop of Psalm 69 brought forward to Jesus and to what John tells us. Jesus in this temple cleansing, is putting things right with God. He is calling for a cleansing of heart and showing a concern for the true worship of God and calling for people to have a right relationship with God.

1.      Because of His zeal and His concern for this right relationship and the calling for the people to have a right heart, He's going to endure hostility. He is going to be consumed. That's the picture that is being offered here. That's what the disciples are thinking. It is going to bring about hostility.

2.      I suspect the hostility is already starting, and that’s one of John’s intentions in pulling this forward. It is for us to see the start of hostility that Jesus is going to receive because of His zeal and His love for the father. It was precisely this manifestation of the Savior’s zeal that set in motion the murderous animosity of the religious apparatus in Jerusalem, which never relented. It is only going to grow and intensify.

3.      Here in John's account the words of Psalm 69:9 are prophetic. Zeal for your house, it's going to consume me. It is looking forward and saying this is what is going to happen. John is putting it together now in this scene. Look at the His love for God; look at His zeal for right and true worship. It will consume Him.

C.    The rest of Psalm 69 is also interesting. I intentionally cut that off the last part of Isaiah 69:9 which says in full, “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” God, I know I'm dealing with the hostility toward you because of my love for you, and my devotion for you. Their hatred for you now turns and comes upon me. Thus David expresses this in his love for God. He is enduring suffering and Jesus in His love for God will be enduring suffering as well.

D.    This passage is quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:1-4. “1. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

 

CONCLUSION:

There are two fallouts that will occur because of our zeal and our love for God. The first is; if we truly love the Father, then we are going to deal with one another appropriately, graciously and kindly. That's how Paul begins in Romans 15:1-2.

 

Jesus did not please himself. Because of that, we know we are not in the business of pleasing ourselves. We're in the business of watching out for one another. In the process, there will be issues. We will be in second place. We will be concerned about what our actions and what our words mean for other people.

 

My love for God, my zeal for him, will bring that about. We certainly see that in the life of Jesus. We absolutely observe this as we begin to go through the pages of John. We're going to read about His love for the Father that shows the kind of compassion He has for the people, how He could look at people who were going to be His enemies and crucify Him and still be moved with compassion for them and the desire for them to be saved. The reason why, is because of His great devotion to the Father.

 

The other side of that coin is that in our zeal for the Father and our love for the Father, there is an expectation of hostility. There is an expectation of resistance from those who do not understand. The disciples experienced it. Jesus experienced it.

 

That is exactly what the apostle Paul is teaching in Romans 15. When we display that same fervency and devotion to our Lord and in our worship to Him, then just like David, just like our Lord's disciples, and just like our Lord Jesus Christ, we are going to suffer for the cause. We will endure reproach; we will bear with suffering what will come upon us, in our zeal for the things of God.

 

It already occurs in many ways. How often people think you're strange because you came back here because of your zeal for God. They say, well, you know, that's kind of kooky. You just need to go every once in a while, right? You know what? You guys are just kind of over the top. It happens from very subtle levels to very extreme levels where you will stand face to face against someone who's an enemy of the cross.

 

You'll be called upon to stand in your faith and say, I confess Jesus and I love Him with all of my heart. I will not deny Him and I will not cower and I will not hide my faith and love for Him. There is a need for a reminder that when we do that, there is always a strong reaction to it. The world today continues to have a strong reaction to those who profess their faith openly and declare their love and devotion for Jesus. We should not be surprised by this, it was predicted. This is exactly what the prophet is saying. Zeal for our Lord will bring about these kinds of difficulties. I pray that as we wrap up, we all have zeal so that it will bring about right action, and right words with one another.

 

Second, it will firm your foundation to deal with those who will oppose you as you try to do what is right, holy, and good for the sake of Jesus Christ. Lord willing, next Sunday, we'll get to look at the rest of this section where Jesus is talking about the destruction of the temple.

 

The message is yours. The invitation is there for any who have a need to be baptized into Christ, or those Christians who need prayers of faithful people, to come forward while we stand and sing.

 

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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville

 

 

Words To Live By

MATTHEW 5:1-6

"Daddy, how much do you make an hour?" With a timid voice and idolizing eyes, the little boy greeted his father as he returned from work.

Greatly surprised, but giving his boy a glaring look, the father said: "Look, sonny, not even your mother knows that. Don't bother me now, I'm tired."

"But Daddy, just tell me please! How much do you make an hour," the boy insisted.

The father, finally giving up, replied: "Twenty dollars per hour."

"Okay, Daddy. Could you loan me ten dollars?" the boy asked.

Showing his restlessness and positively disturbed, the father yelled: "So that was the reason you asked how much I earn, right? Go to sleep and don't bother me anymore!"

It was already dark and the father was meditating on what he said and was feeling guilty. Maybe he thought , his son wanted to buy something.

Finally, trying to ease his mind, the father went to his son's room.

"Are you asleep, son?" asked the father.

"No, Daddy. Why?" replied the boy, partially asleep.

"Here's the money asked for earlier, " the father said.

"Thanks, Daddy!" rejoiced the son, while putting his hand under his pillow and extracting some money. "Now I have enough! Now I have twenty dollars!" the boy said to his father, who was gazing at his son, confused at what his son had just said.

"Daddy, could you spend with me one hour of your time?"

Time is too precious to spend it all on work! Appreciate your loved ones. Don't take them for granted

Several years ago there was a cartoon depicting a preacher standing at the back door of the worship auditorium shaking hands with people at the conclusion of the worship service. One man is shaking the preacher’s hand and looking very intently into the preacher’s eyes. As he does so, he says, “Powerful sermons, sir. Thoughtful, well-researched. I can always see myself in them ... and I want you to STOP using ME as an EXAMPLE!”

Jesus preached those kinds of sermons
His messages always hit home and people either loved Him or hated Him because of it.
This morning, we start a study of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in Matthew 5-7.
--I’m calling it, “Words of Wisdom for Heavenly Living”

Toward the beginning of His ministry, Jesus took His disciples to a mountain retreat and drilled them in the fundamentals of following Him.

Matthew. 4:23-26 gives us a summary of Jesus’ ministry leading up to this point: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”

Matthew 5:1-2 – “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying...”

Jesus grabs a teachable moment with His disciples
--There’s one theme that runs consistently through this entire teaching segment:
Christ-followers are to think and act differently than the world around them.
We’re not supposed to be thermometers adjusting to the moral climate of our environment.
--We’re to be thermostats setting the standard for the culture.
Jesus is calling those who claim to follow Him to be an authentic counter-culture (one that is the opposite of) the culture of the world
He is asking us to live distinctive lives
--showing others the joys of being part of the “royal family”
We are to be a viable alternative to worldly living
--So much so that we make goodness and integrity attractive

The Sermon on the Mount is not a complete theology.
--It is, however, practical theology. The message of the Sermon on the Mount is relevant for everyday living as a follower of Christ.
It is not a system of laws for the Christian.
--It’s about submission and obedience to the will of God.

The Sermon on the Mount is not the requirements to enter the Kingdom.
It’s not the plan of salvation
But it is the guidelines to follow once you’re in the Kingdom
The Sermon on the Mount is Christianity 101 for every believer

The Bible reminds us that we’re in a battle between kingdoms: the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God
--We’re told which kingdom ultimately wins the battle.
The important thing is who you chose to serve.

I want this church here in Chardon to not just grow in number but to grow in integrity and character
I want us to grow in maturity and become more like Christ
I want us to be people who, in such a positive way, live differently from the
world that people are drawn to Christ like a magnet

The Sermon on the Mount is actually comprised of several sections
This first section talks about seeking God’s blessing.
It’s made up of short sayings called The Beatitudes
It means to be content, to have an inner joy
The Beatitudes are the right attitudes to have
--They define the right mind set for the believer

The Beatitudes are eight essential virtues to receive God’s blessing.
These virtues should build on each other and become increasingly evident as
we mature in the faith.
They are a series of progressive steps
The first four deal with our relationship with God and the last four with our
relationship to others.
--We’re going to look at the first four this morning

--Mt. 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the poor.”
Jesus loved the poor such as the widow who only had two mites and Lazarus, the beggar who ate crumbs from the rich man’s table.

But God doesn’t automatically favor the homeless or the bankrupt.
--The book of Proverbs teaches that poverty is sometimes the result of laziness, drunkenness, gluttony, or indulgence in pleasure.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
Blessed are those who recognize that they are spiritually impoverished.
--This is an honest evaluation of ourselves realizing we’re not able to do much on our own.

 

There’s something worse than being broke and that is not knowing you’re broke. People who have no money and keep buying on credit are in deeper trouble than those who have no money and admit it.

The very first step in coming to God is recognizing that you are spiritually broke. You have no resources of value to offer God.
The Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags before God.

Remember the parable of the Pharisee who worshipped next to a tax collector in the temple? The Pharisee boasted of his spiritual riches: “I fast, I tithe, I keep the law. I’m good! I’m better than that tax collector,” he said.

The tax collector just humbly prayed, ”God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Jesus said the tax collector went away justified; the Pharisee did not.
As long as we’re proud of our goodness and feel self-sufficient we’re out of God’s favor. When we see ourselves as spiritually bankrupt we’re ready to turn to God for His help and receive His riches.

Without a doubt, one of the most popular hymns in America is Amazing Grace. I know that you know the first stanza: Amazing grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.

One day a minister was addressing a group of men, he took a large piece of paper and made a black dot in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held the paper up before the group and asked them what they saw. One person quickly replied, "I see a black mark." "Right," the preacher replied. "What else do you see?" Complete silence prevailed. "Don't you see anything other than the dot?" he asked. A chorus of no’s came from the audience. "I'm really surprised," the speaker commented. "You have completely overlooked the most important thing of all ... the sheet of paper as a whole."
Then he made the application. He said that in life we are often distracted by small, dot-like disappointments or painful experiences, and we are prone to forget the innumerable blessings we receive from the hand of the Lord. But like the sheet of paper, the good things are far more important than the adversities that monopolize our attention.
Someone has written: "As you travel down life's pathway, may this ever be your goal: Keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole!"
Yes, rather than concentrating on the trials of life, we should fix our attention upon the blessings being offered. Let us say with the psalmist, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits" (Psalm 68:19)

If you fail to understand the poverty of your spirit, you cannot come to Christ for blessing.
But what blessing we receive when we admit our poverty and depend on Christ’s provision.
When you quit relying on your own goodness and turn to God, He forgives, He saves, He puts His righteousness in you.
Then, and only then are you promised the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
What type of mourning and grieving is Jesus referring to?
Is he talking about acceptable mourning over the loss of a loved one?
Grieving over opportunities that we failed to take advantage of?
Agonizing about things that didn’t go our way?

No. Jesus is talking about mourning and grieving over our sin.
One of the problems of our day is that we have failed to comprehend the
seriousness of sin.
Oh, there are people who strongly speak up against certain behaviors but they fail to examine their own lives.
They’re quick to point to the sins of others but they are spiritually blinded to their own wickedness.
They’re full of the deadly sins of pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, and a judgmental spirit.

The word translated as “mourn” is a word that points to the heart-rending, soul-wracking , eyes- overflowing-with tears kind of mourning.
It’s the strongest of all the words in the original language that refer to grief and sorrow.
It recognizes the loss of something important.
--It understands that there is a hole in the heart that needs to be repaired.
We need to despise sin... so it follows that
--We should especially despise our own sins.
We’re told over and over in Scripture to repent of sin—to recognize how much it offends the heart of God and then grieve over it.

James 4:8-10 – “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up”

Does it break your heart when you sin against God?
Or do you superficially and nonchalantly say, “Yeah, I sinned. So what?”

Do you experience a godly sorrow that leads to repentance?
2 Cor. 7:10 – “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

Repentance has become a neglected word in the church.
We sit in our pews Sunday after Sunday, thinking that God ought to be glad that we have agreed to bless Him with our presence.

One of the central events in our worship service is the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The Bible tells us that when we do that, we proclaim the death of Christ.
Why did He have to die?
It’s because we are SINNERS!
We aren’t good. We aren’t nice. There’s nothing about us that is lovely or attractive in the spiritual sense.
Rom. 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.”

It has been said: “Repentance precedes the blessing of God. A lack of repentance shuts off the power of God. There will be no revival or renewal without repentance. And there will be no repentance without godly sorrow. Until we come to the place where we truly mourn over our sin,
we will never see the hand of God revealed.”

The great thing is that when we show that godly sorrow and repent, God comforts us.
Oh, what joy to know our sins are forgiven.
We’ve come humbly before God in a godly sorrow that produces repentance.

We want to change our life and God blesses our efforts.
Not because of who we are, but because of what He has done!
Not because of what we’ve done, but because of Who He is!

God is a perfect, compassionate Father.
He is sympathetic toward those who mourn for their sin.
Charles Swindoll: “God loves the broken heart, the bent knee, and the wet eye.”

AN ATTITUDE OF MEEKNESS
Mt. 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
The world encourages aggressiveness

They want to see someone fight for what they get
They teach a culture of “Go for all the gusto you can” and worship the self-made person

Atheist Friedrich Nietzsche said, "Assert yourself. Care for nothing except for yourself. The only vice is weakness, and the only virtue is strength. Be strong, be a superman. The world is yours if you can get it."
What do you think of when you think of a meek person?
You probably wouldn’t consider it a compliment if someone said, “You are the meekest person I know.”
You probably think of someone who is insecure, unassertive, or timid

That’s not what the Bible means by meekness.
Meekness is not timidity or indecisiveness.
The Biblical word ‘meekness’ means “strength under control.”
It was a word used to describe a horse that had been taught how to respond well to the bridle and bit.
When a powerful horse is under control of its rider, it’s a meek horse.
It’s under the authority of the one who guides it.

The meek animal surrenders himself and allows the rider to control him.
Meekness is an inner attitude that results in controlled reactions.
Consider these people whom the Bible describes as being meek:
Abraham
Moses
David
Jesus
They all did brave and courageous things

When Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek,” He was commending those who had surrendered their strong, self-will to the authority of God in their daily lives.
The meek surrender to God’s will.
They respond to the slightest tug of His rein, no matter how strong or powerful they may be.
Someone: “Meekness is allowing the One who is meek and lowly at heart to rule our lives, our emotions, our behavior.”
Jesus promised the meek would “inherit the earth.”
Jesus was saying that the meek will share with Him as heirs of the Kingdom of God.

We think the assertive – the self-promoting – are the ones who will get ahead.
But Jesus promised that in His kingdom, those who are submissive to Him will inherit the leadership of the earth.

A HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Mt. 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Most of us in the United States have no real concept of real hunger or real thirst.
God has blessed us with an ample supply of food and abundant water supplies.

Is. 55:2 – “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what is does not satisfy?”
What are you hungry for?
What do you crave every day?
If I could read your mind what thoughts would you be most focused on?

Are you hungry for wealth, popularity, status, sex, pleasure, golf, fishing, shopping?
What are you passionate about?
Jesus said that we’re blessed when we hunger and thirst for righteousness. We receive God’s favor if we hunger and thirst to be close to Him and live like Him

When you’re a spiritual child you don’t have much of an appetite for spiritually healthy food.
You want junk food.
You pig out on emotion and excitement.
But when you mature spiritually, you hunger for the worship of God, the fellowship with Christian people, and the study of God’s Word.

1 Pet. 2:2-3 says that we ought to “crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Ps. 42:1-2 – “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
The Christian is hungry and thirsty to be close to the heart of God.

Jn. 6:35 – “Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’”

When Prodigal Son was hungry he turned to the husks that he was feeding the pigs. When he was starving he turned to his father.
Even though Moses had a close relationship to God,
he asks God in Ex. 33:13 – “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”

David in Ps. 63:1 – “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Moses, David and Paul already knew God in a very deep sense
But what they meant was that they wanted to know Him more intimately, personally, and powerfully.
They had a hunger and thirst for God.
They had a passion for Him.

CONCLUSION: A. Do you see how different the Christian is in attitude and spirit?
The world says, “Blessed are the rich, the proud, the self confident, they will get ahead.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The world says, “Blessed are the funny, the light-hearted, the positive thinkers, they will be popular.”
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are genuinely sorry for their sins; I will comfort them with grace and forgiveness.”

The world says, “Blessed are the independent thinkers, the assertive. They will gain respect from people and be powerful.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek who humbly submit their strengths to my authority; they will inherit the earth.”
The world says, “Blessed are those who are hungry for success, the ‘Type A’
personalities who are ambitious enough to make their mark in the world.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are hungry for a relationship with me; they will be filled.”
Everything the world has to offer you will leave you empty, guilty, but only Jesus forgives, saves, and satisfies.
Ps. 34:8 – “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

Water To Wine

 

John 2:1-11

 

INTRO: Good morning church. Little Johnny was watching his father, a preacher, write a sermon. “How do you know what to say?” asked Johnny. “Why, God tells me”, his father replied. “Oh,” said Johnny, “then why do you keep crossing things out?”

 

I feel a bit like Johnny’s father when preparing a lesson from the Gospel of John. It is not that the Lord did not provide valuable information through His apostle nor that it is hard to understand. It’s more like there is so much information in so few words that I struggle at times to express it clearly.

 

Our text for today is John 2:1-11. Keep in mind that John uses the word sign over and over again, and this is going to be the first of the signs that John will give us. As we mentioned at the beginning of this study, John’s Gospel is highly symbolic and highly spiritual. John’s purpose for this gospel is stated toward the end of his writing in John 20:30-31 – “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”[ESV]

 

John does not describe what Jesus does as miracles but as signs, and we mentioned that a sign is something that has a message that goes beyond what we see at first glance. Jesus, in this book, is continually showing us that He is fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament. He wants us to understand John 1:1, “in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, and the same was in the beginning with God, and all things were created by him.”

 

I’m thinking now of Genesis 1:1, “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Our creator has come to the earth, and these signs are uniquely designed to picture for us God having come down in the flesh to show His glory to man and bring salvation. All of those things then are exciting, and the signs, looking at it that way, are very unique.

 

John chapters 2 through 4 are a introductory section of this gospel because it is a picture of the old passing away and something new that has come. By the way, God is always about a new creation. He created all of us, we sin and when we turn to Christ He makes us… what does Paul says in 2^nd Corinthians 5:17?… a new creation.

 

He's always recreating what we foul up and bringing it to completion and bringing it to where it ought to be. We see this here. There's new wine in chapter 2. There's a new temple that is given later in chapter 2. In chapter 3, there's a new birth, and in chapter 4, there's a new worship.

 

What we will find is something new has come with Jesus that outweighs and outshines anything that we saw in the Old Testament. I hope that makes sense.

 

I.        The Context - We will begin at the end of the text, John 2:11 – John records, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

A.     This is the first of Jesus signs. No other gospel writer mentions this miracle. It is the first, and that is significant or else John would not have noted it. Something that is the first is often introductory; it sets the tone for what else is to come. We will need to discover why this was the first sign.

1.      Since John included only a few signs in this effort “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”, I suggest each is very significant and we need to put effort into understanding each of them. John only chooses a few and the changing of water to wine is unique among all the other accounts. We don't learn about this miracle elsewhere, even though it's the first.

2.      I believe John is using this as a message that's going to tell us something deeper about Jesus and His kingdom. Rather than doing, as I have done, and maybe you have as well, reading this quickly and say yeah, Jesus turned water to wine, this is a wedding feast, ok, and then continue reading. Let's realize the significance of this particular sign.

B.     You will notice in verse 11 that the sign “manifested His glory”. Remember, if you want to keep that in context… back at John 1:14, “and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as the only son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” That is thematic for the book of John. John is constantly talking about Jesus showing His glory.

1.      Well what does that mean? It's Jesus showing us the true attributes of God and who He is. Why would that be important? Again, in context refer back to John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” He has made Him known. Jesus makes God known through His identity as the Son of God and the incarnation of God in human form, revealing God's character, nature, and ways, to humanity.

2.      Philip later in John 14:8 will say to Jesus, “show us the Father, and it will be sufficient for us.” Jesus looks at him puzzled, as you can imagine, and says, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” He's showing God. When He shows His glory, He's showing something about Him that is God-like, that only God can do, that cannot happen any other way but God. With that understanding let us look for the meaning of this sign.

C.    Oh, one other thing in verse 11 that's important. The scripture says “the disciples believed in him.” As we read about this sign in a moment, note that not everybody at the wedding feast knew that Jesus had changed water to wine. This is secretive, if you will, this is a secretive miracle. Mary knew about it certainly as did His disciples. The governor or master of the feast perhaps knew about it. The servants who brought the water changed to wine to the master of the feast certainly knew about it. But that's it from what we read.

1.      This is early in His ministry and I suspect He did it just for the disciples. Few others really knew, and we'll see why that takes place in just a moment, but it was important that Jesus do it this way. He's preparing His disciples.

2.      He is not ready to show himself to the world, and He makes that fairly clear to His mother when she told Him about the wine running out. That is the introductory context. Now let's look at the scripture.

II.      The Story - John 2:1-4, “1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”” Cana of Galilee is not far from Nazareth. It's just a little village, and you might imagine that since it is not far away the people who are getting married are known to Jesus, to Mary and the family. We are not told the details but in verse 2 we are told they are invited.

A.     That is interesting to me. With all the things that Jesus has to do with His purpose to go into the world and to show Himself and to try to get the people to recognize Him, yet He takes the time to go to a wedding feast.

B.     These wedding feasts are tremendous occasions. They're quite different from ours. They go far beyond what we do.

1.      All of us here, I'm sure, enjoy weddings. We love the celebration. We love the people there, and we want to see them happy, it's fun, there's a lot of talking, and just great little celebration for, what? Two or three hours? This celebration, this feast lasts for a week.

2.      These people are in a society in which they work hard for everything they have, and they do not have much from our view point. When some couple you know is getting married, and they invite you to their wedding feast it is a big deal. We might think this Saturday night we're going to go to a wedding. No. For them, it’s we're going to spend a week at a wedding. It's a great celebration. It's just the best of the best. It is such an honor to be a part of a wedding, and the feast that's provided there.

3.      Jesus makes reference to weddings several times in the parables. These were significant events, and it was one of the great enjoyments of that age. Jesus took a week out of His life, His short life, His short ministry, to attend a social function. He never forgot His purpose, and the social function lent itself to the purpose that He had.

C.    Place yourself at that wedding now and imagine the beauty of the scene. -- Then suddenly we read these words in verse 3, “… the wine ran out…”. Again that's not like one of our weddings, hey, we're out of punch, somebody run down to 7-Eleven. Nope. This is a one-week feast. A lot of people have come, and wine is a key beverage in the Eastern culture. It was not viewed as we view it today. I have been told that it was common to mix water with wine, typically three parts water to one part wine as mentioned in Talmudic sources.

1.      Not much reading is needed before you discover wine is a big thing in the Bible. After the flood, Noah is described as planting a vineyard. Vineyards feature in parables, stories, history, prophecy, and poetry throughout scripture. That's the picture that we have here. It was an important part of what they did.

2.      The wine ran out, and what's the next thing we know? Mary takes it upon herself to correct the situation. This always brings questions to our minds. She may have been a responsible person at the feast or just a take-charge lady, but she intends to do something about it… Regardless, Mary takes charge immediately, and she goes to Jesus, and says, the wine's run out. The implication I think, is “You need to do something”.

III.    The Discussion (2:4-5) - Jesus' reply is in verse 4 – “…“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.””[ESV] Here we see the discussion between Mary and Jesus. In reading this I would not be surprised if you were not as perplexed as me about what is said.

A.     Mary says, “they have no wine” and you listen to Jesus words, “woman. What does that have to do with me? My hour's not yet come.” Then Mary's fascinating response to this, she turns to the servants and says, “do whatever he wants”. You feel like you've really missed a whole conversation here. Jesus sounds like I'm not doing anything. What do I care? Mary turns around and says he's about to do something.

1.      I suspect we see the key in verse 5 where we have a positive response from Mary. Whatever Jesus said to her, Mary understands it in a positive way.

2.      She tells the servants whatever he says to do, you do. I think that should color how we interpret what is going on in this dialogue. Let's look at what Jesus says now piece by piece.

B.     The use of this word “woman” to address His mother seems a little harsh to us in English, but in the language of the time it was not so. Vine’s puts it this way; “… used in addressing a “woman”, it is not of reproof or severity, but of endearment or respect.” We should note that when Jesus is speaking to His mother from the cross in John 19:26 He uses the same word.

C.    As to the rest of His question Jesus gives an idiom, making translation into English a bit difficult. Literally, the phrase is: “Woman, what to me and to you?” Well, what does that mean? The idiomatic expression asks rhetorically what the two parties in question have in common in the situation, and has the effect of distancing them. I suspect it has to do with Jesus’ action being according to God’s will, His plan.

1.      The rest of this verse has been viewed in various ways such as; "they are not yet completely out of wine," or "it is not time for me to step in yet," or "it is not yet time for me to show my glory," or as Barnes put it, "the proper time for his interposing there had not arrived,". This is all speculation of course, since we are not told.

2.      I submit to you based upon the context that Jesus is distancing Himself from Mary with this problem. Why the formalism of man to his mother, except he is distancing Himself from the request that's being made? Then to say this idiomatic phrase, what to me and to you in Jesus’ response is in effect to say, we don't have a joint effort in this matter.

3.      Next this phrase, “My hour has not yet come” occurs frequently in John’s gospel. Ten times Jesus speaks about “His hour” in this gospel. God works to His own plan.

4.      It seems to me that this sign is limited in who knows it occurred. I note that what Jesus did here is not widely declared. His mother, His disciples and the servants who brought the wine know. Beyond that we do not see it acknowledged. Jesus is operating on God’s timetable.

5.      We note that Mary doesn't argue with Him about it. Verse 5 – “His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”” She just turns to the servants and says, “Whatever He says to do, do it.” Whatever that is, it is in His hands and do whatever He tells you to do. It sounds to me that she knows Jesus is going to handle this in His way. Now let's go on and take a look at the greater story here. Start looking at the significance.

IV.   The Sign (2:6-10) – “6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.””[ESV] Now we can get to the issue, the sign itself. Verse 6 is a critical part that we need to start with.

A.     There are six stone water jars (or water pots in some translations) for the Jewish rights of purification, each holding 20 or 30 gallons. I notice how John clearly explains this detail so it will not be missed. These are not drinking jars, they are not wine jars. They are for ritual and ceremonial cleansing. They are stone jars so that there will not be any defilement.

1.      In the Old Testament, Leviticus 11:29-38 talks about clean and unclean things. In verse 33 you find that if an earthenware vessel (i.e. pottery) becomes unclean it is to be broken. The Jews held that the stone jars used for ritual purification were not susceptible to contamination or defilement in the same way that pottery or other materials were.

2.      These ritual washings were not only the washing of hands and things like that, but also the washing of pitchers and bowls and utensils. That's the setup John records for the sign that Jesus is going to give us.

B.     Okay, with that in mind, there are many observations to make about this sign so let's look at them and then we'll make the appropriate application. First observation we make, the wine has run out and yes, this is a big deal for the wedding, but it’s a way bigger deal than that. It is not the purpose of Jesus to keep people from having social difficulties. That's not the point.

1.      Wine constantly throughout the Old Testament was a symbol of joy and was a symbol of the blessings of God. You can find that all over the place, for example... Psalm 104:14-15 – “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart.” Or Proverbs 3:9-10 – “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” If we have wine, then we have God's blessings and He is with us.

2.      Here we have this very fascinating picture being given to us of these first century Jews being out of wine. When you are out of favor with God, you are no longer receiving the blessings of God. It’s all been taken away—the blessings of God have dried up. Jeremiah 38:33 talks about the judgment on Moab – “Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses;” I suggest there is an important symbolism in the very simple statement, “the wine has run out”. It is the end of the line for the Jewish nation.

3.      No more is God pouring out His blessings upon the people. Consider what the Old Testament prophets indicated when they were looking forward to a time when the wine would be restored as symbolism of the blessings of God, the restoration of God's covenant to the people. Isaiah 25:6 – “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.” The picture here is of a great blessing that is being given. When God returns and pours out His blessings this is often described as feasts and banquets and pouring of wine.

4.      In his prophecy of a future blessing on Judah Joel 3:17-18 writes, ““So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim.” When God is in Zion, God restores the people and restores their relationship, what is going to happen? The wine is going to flow off the mountaintops. We have this imagery of flowing wine as a picture of the coming of the messianic age.

5.      Amos prophesying of the restoration of Israel writes in Amos 9:13-14, “13. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. 14. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. 15. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.” In this restoration imagery is a picture of restoring of fortunes, restoring of blessings.

6.      When the wine runs out, God's blessings have dried up. You're out of favor with God. When the wine is flowing, God's blessings are flowing and you are in favor with Him and you are in a relationship with Him. I suggest this symbolism is here, in this very subtle statement, “the wine has run out”.

C.    Second, Jesus uses the purification jars and thereby removes them from currently being used in ceremonial washing. That is very important to this issue as well. If you would touch something unclean, you became defiled. You then would need to do this cleansing to become clean. Not only yourself but other things that became unclean, dishes, cups and so on. Jesus goes out of His way to use these jars and involve the servants in full view of His disciples.

1.      He could have made wine out of nothing. He could have used common drinking elements or the existing wine containers and kept the wine from running out. No, He intentionally uses these and there is a point to that.

2.      There is no longer a need for this ritual cleansing, Jesus has set that aside. He has eliminated it because He is bringing the true cleansing, true purification. He brings the true cleansing, purification and washing that the people really need. That is the second picture we see in this sign.

D.    Third, the wine runs out, but Jesus brings the wine. I think that is critical to what is going on here. The wine has run out, but Jesus is bringing the blessings of God. We already talked about when the wine runs out as symbolic of being: no longer in favor with God, no longer in relationship with God, no longer receiving the blessings of God.

1.      What does Jesus bring? Jesus brings the relationship with God. Jesus restores the blessings. Jesus is the way to be able to have relationship with God. Here you have a continuation of that imagery.

2.      The wine itself is not the point. This is about the restoration of blessings. God's blessings are found in Jesus, not in the old system, not in the ritual cleansings. He is the one who brings purification. He is the one who brings restoration. Restoration of God’s blessings cannot be found anywhere else.

E.     Fourth, Jesus brings wine that is better. Did you catch that? The statement made by the master of ceremonies here is very important to the story. There in John 2:9-10, “When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first,…”” Look at the last part of verse 10, “… But you have kept the good wine until now”

1.      What is implied here is the wine now being served is better then the wine that was previously served. You have kept the good wine until now. You brought something better.

2.      Here is another forceful illustration by Jesus. The blessings that Jesus brings are better than anything the people had experienced before. They are greater and better.

3.      Anything that the Law of Moses offered is diminished in light of what Jesus brings. His covenant, His blessings, His promises, His restoration is better than anything from the Law of Moses. Better than anything the people had ever experienced up to that point.

4.      The relationship that people can have with the Father through Christ is superior in every way to what existed in the time before Christ. The wine is described as better. Better blessings, better covenant, better promises, a better relationship with our God.

F.     Fifth, Then we notice something else as well, this is something all the commentators go crazy about. When you go back to verse 6, how much wine did He make? Each jar holds twenty to thirty gallons and there are six of these. That is somewhere between 120 and 180 gallons of wine. In verse 7 we read, “Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.” The jars were full, no room for anything more. That is a lot of wine!

1.      Jesus offers an abundance of blessings and grace. He brings more. Remember that goes exactly to what John has done at the very beginning of this gospel. How did he begin this great gospel? That in Christ “from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace”.

2.      This is overflowing grace. You received grace and mercy in the Law of Moses, but now Christ has come and you are receiving grace on top of grace. Or as the NIV says, grace in the place of grace already given.

3.      Here is the imagery of abundance. It is the overflowing grace of the kingdom now available to all people.

 

CONCLUSION: John was an eyewitness of the reported occurrences, as he himself writes. As such he was able to give clear particulars as "about the tenth hour" (John 1:39), "six water pots of stone" (John 2:6) and "153 great fishes" (John 21:11).

 

We mentioned before John’s Gospel is highly symbolic and highly spiritual. Consider the points that come from this gospel. First, all of the old ways are being challenged by Jesus, everything about the old covenant, its ritual system, its cleansing system, its tabernacle system, and its temple system. Jesus did not come to tidy up the old system, to get the Law of Moses back on track, to fix it or put a band aid on it. He came to fulfill the old. He came bringing a better covenant with better promises, with better blessings, with an overflowing of grace.

 

Second, Jesus provides new wine that surpasses anything that existed before. He gives things that are better and it makes everything else obsolete. That is what is so fantastic about how John records the story. Purification will not be found through the Law of Moses. Purification will not be found through these externals or through the ritual washings.

Purification is now found through Christ and He surpasses anything that Judaism could have had or could have understood, all of it being made obsolete.

 

Third, the Messiah, the greatest blessing that God has poured out, has arrived. Why is this the first sign, the beginning? Because this shows the arrival of the Messiah and the blessings that are tied to His kingship and His Kingdom.

 

He has arrived with His kingdom and Jesus came with a new way and a new system calling for people to change. It is a call for radical restoration to God, to turn away from the old way, to turn away from the Law of Moses, a call to receive the abundant grace that is only found in Jesus and can't be found anywhere else. What a way for John to kick off the gospel. After laying this foundation; here is the Lamb of God, here is the Son of God, the Son of Man, the King of Israel, and here is the Word of God, the one and only God who brings grace upon grace.

 

In God’s plan 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 this, 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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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville

 

Letting Go

Matthew 16:24-26

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

I heard a story about a group that went white water rafting on a particularly dangerous stretch of river.
The raft came to a spot known as “the hole,” where a powerful whirlpool threatened to spin and then spill the raft.
Sure enough the raft overturned and everyone inside was sucked down by the current.
One woman clung tightly to the raft, frantically trying to keep her head above water.
What she did not realize was that by doing so she was also in danger of being dragged underneath the raft by the current and smothered by the very thing she was attempting to use to save her life.

Her friends, who had let go of the raft made their way to the security of a nearby rock, they pleaded with her to let go of the raft and let the current and her life jacket do the work.
At first she was unwilling to do so.
Finally, she decided to let go, she released her grip and disappeared under the water.
A few moments later she popped up further down the river and was pulled to safety.

Letting go can be a very difficult thing.
When we let go we become vulnerable.
Many people refuse to let go of things in their life because they are afraid of doing so.
Whether it is a sin, some negative trait, bitterness, pride or worry we are often reluctant to simply let go.

Sometimes we feel much safer holding on, but we do not realize, like the woman holding onto the raft that the thing we are holding onto is a great danger to us.

I am reminded of the story of when the disciples were out at sea and a great storm came.
The Bible tells us that the disciples were afraid, they feared for their lives.
At that moment they became even more afraid because they saw what looked to them like a ghost walking out on the water towards them.
As the figure drew closer they saw that it was not a ghost, but it was in fact Jesus.

Then Peter asked the Lord to allow him to come to Him on the water.
Peter climbed out of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus.
Peter is often criticized for his over-zealous moments, but Peter had the faith to let go of the comfort of the boat and come to Jesus.

We all have our boats.  We have those things we are clinging to and refuse to let go of, however before we can get to Jesus we must let go.

What is it today that is holding you back from letting go?
Is it fear of the unknown?
Is it a fear of what others may think of you?
Perhaps some never change because they don’t want others to think less of them.
Is it an unwillingness to change?
Is it your pride?
Jesus taught that anyone who wants to save his life must first lose it.
Before we can find true life, we must deny ourselves.

What Does It Mean to Let Go Of Self?
An old farmer frequently described his Christian experience by saying, “Well, I’m not making much progress, but I am established.”
One spring while he was hauling some logs his wagon wheels stuck down to the axles in mud.
Try as he would he could not get the wheels out of the mud.
Defeated he sat a top of the logs viewing the dismal situation.

Not long afterwards a neighbor happened to pass by and said to the farmer, “Well, I see you aren’t making much progress, but you must be content because you sure are established.”

Letting go of self is more than just being well established.
There may be some of us who are very well established, but who are not growing.
There are some of us who may refuse to let go of self and take up our cross.

Jesus taught that we cannot serve two masters.
A ship cannot fly the flag of 2 different countries.
When we deny ourselves and take up our cross we are allowing Jesus to take over as Lord of our lives.
When Jesus is Lord it means he sets the rules.
It means that we are willing to submit ourselves under his authority.

Jesus taught in Matthew 7 , 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
When Jesus becomes Lord it means we concede control of our lives over to Him.

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

As Christians we do not gratify our sinful desires any longer.
In other words as a Christian there are still things that are sinful that I would LIKE to do.
I am still TEMPTED to do wrong things, however, I REFUSE to do them because I am not going to gratify those desires any longer because I am not living to myself.
I am not living my life seeking to make myself feel good.
As Christians this dying to self ought to be marked by a distinct change in character.

Colossians 3:5-10
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

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

Ephesians 4:22-24
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

We No Longer Live To Ourselves
Galatians 2:20
"20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
We need to understand that we no longer live to ourselves.
We have died.
Let us remember that dying to self means that WE no longer live, but it is CHRIST living in us.

Why Is Letting Go Of Self So Difficult?
Mark 10:17-22
17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’
‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’
‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’
‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The idea of Heaven and eternity with God sounds great and perhaps many would volunteer to receive that, however the idea of signing your life away doesn’t sound too appealing, does it?
We love those feel good verses of Scripture, but we begin to squirm a little when we read of the cost of following Jesus.

We love to be in control.
We get a little uncomfortable when we read of denying ourselves and taking up our cross.
That doesn’t sound too appealing.
However, the invitation to be a Christian is totally free, but the call us for us to remove ourselves from the controls.

II Timothy 3:2
William Ernest Henley in his famous poem entitled “Invictus” said, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”
Many of us have bought into this philosophy that we are the master of our lives.
We like to be in control.
I would much rather be in control of a situation than have someone else in control of the situation.

I am one of those people that would rather do it myself than entrust it to someone else.
That is not a good attribute.
We need to learn to allow Jesus to be the master of our fate and the captain of my soul.

Perhaps some feel like it is a violation of their freedoms to lay aside themselves and let Jesus take control.
Perhaps they feel that is the sign of somebody that is weak and vulnerable.
Jesus taught that we must lose our lives to really find it.
By that he means that we give up the project of making OURSELVES the ultimate reference point in our world.
We are not number one.
The universe does not revolve around us.

We think we know what is best.
A pirate was returning home from a long journey, he had spent many years lying, stealing, and cheating in a far away land. He has accumulated a great chest full of treasure.
The pirate held on tightly to that chest because he saw in it, something of much more value than just jewels and gold, rather he saw in that chest the fulfillment of his dreams, hopes and aspirations.

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

It did not take long for the storm to overtake the ship and eventually break the ship into pieces.
Eventually, the pirate and his treasure plunged into the sea. He began to sink holding tightly to his treasure.
As he was sinking all that went through his mind was how he could get his treasure safely to shore.

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

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

Sometimes we think we know what is best for our lives. Sometimes we think that we do not need someone else to control us because we are capable of making those good decisions on our own.

However, I do not think we always know what is best. I believe our idea of good has been tainted by sin.
Jeremiah says, “The heart is exceeding deceitful above all things.”

I believe it is that deception that allows us to think we on our own can know what is best for our lives.
We need to learn plainly that the power of a good and godly life is not in us alone, but it comes from Christ.
We need to trust that Jesus knows what is best for us even better than we do.

We live in a very selfish society. The idea of sacrificing and giving up something doesn’t sound appealing to many people.
We are a people that want to know the price of everything and the cost of nothing.
We want to get as much as we can while doing little to get it.

The idea of delaying gratification seems ridiculous to many.
We live by the philosophy, “if it feels good it must be right.”
We do not like to deny ourselves any pleasure or anything in the world.
We think the more we have and the more we indulge in… the more successful we are.

In Genesis 25 we read a story about two brothers
Jacob and Esau.
The Bible tells us that Esau was a rugged man who loved the outdoors. He was a Daddy’s boy.
Jacob on the other hand was a momma’s boy.
One day Esau came home from hunting and was starving.
Jacob just happened to be cooking up some stew.
He offered Esau some stew under one condition.
Jacob would give Esau a bowl of stew if Esau sold him his birthright. Esau agreed.

Now, the birthright would have been a big deal.
It would have meant an extra portion of inheritance.
Esau could not deny himself anything but could only live for the now.

Many of us are like that today.
Jesus came on the scene and called us to be willing to sacrifice, deny ourselves and give up our fleshly desires.

There is a quote that says “The WISE gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”.

What Must We do to Let go of Self?
We must step down.
Perhaps we need to have the mentality that John the Baptist had when he said I must decrease and Christ must increase.
We must be willing to step aside and let Him have the glory and honor of all that we do or accomplish.

We must step down from our position of authority over our lives and give him the reins.
There are many tools we can use such as prayer, Bible study, service, worship, and fellowship, but the reality is we must train ourselves to be godly.

We must understand the reward.
Let us understand that the life of denying self and taking up your cross is the good life.
It is a better life to live.

Philippians 3:7-9
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Paul was able to say looking back on his life that dying to self was the best decision he ever made.
Did he make sacrifices? Certainly!
Did it cost him? Greatly!

However… it was worth it.
He no longer was living based on his righteousness.
When we die to self we lose the righteousness of our own, but we gain the righteousness of Christ.
It is worth the sacrifice because Jesus is Lord no matter what. The reward is great for those who die to self.

Philippians 3:18-20
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

There was a psychology professor who walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students.
As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question.
Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.
She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter.
It all depends on how long I hold it.
If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light.
If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little.
If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor.
In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As the class shook their heads in agreement, she continued,
“Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water.
Think about them for a while and nothing happens.
Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed — incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

INVITATION

Every Person

Luke 10:25-37

Good morning. I hope your week went well. My brother, Mom, and I are going to Chicago in a few weeks' time. My brother and I are going to go check out the Comic-Con they have up there. There's cool stuff you can see and do, so we like to go to those. We've gone to one in Pittsburgh and one in Cleveland. We thought we might as well go to Chicago. Mom and Dad are tagging along. They'll be checking out the city while we're there.

One thing I always notice, and I think most people notice when you're in big cities like that, is there's a lot of homelessness. There's a lot of poverty. In a place like that, there are a lot of people. You see people living in the tallest buildings you may ever see. Rich, poor, people just making it, people doing well, everyone alike. You pass by a lot of people every day who, honestly, I'm not sure will make it to the end of that day.

That somewhat brings me to today's lesson. We will be in Luke 10:25-37 for this lesson. If you recognize that, it is the parable of the Good Samaritan. I will start with verses 25 through 27. “On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the law, he replied. How do you read it, he answered. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. And with all your strength and with all your mind.
And love your neighbor as yourself.”

The lawyer here is referencing Moses' words in Deuteronomy 6:5-6. These are the Lord's commandments to us not just to love our God, but to love our neighbors as well. These are the cornerstones of being saved and the essence of being a follower of Christ. To love your neighbor as you love yourself.

What does this look like? There are plenty of examples in the Bible. Many times Jesus attended to the poor and the weak. In Mark 12:28-31 it says, “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer. He asked of all the commandments, which is the most important? The most important one, answered Jesus, is this, hear O Israel. The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. And with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this love your neighbor as yourself. There is no command greater than these two.”

These commands are repeated many times throughout the Bible. Constantly, you hear them throughout the entire thing because they are important. That is because we need to understand them, and we need to know them. To make sure that we hear this, and we notice, it's repeated.

Moving on through verses 28 through 29, it says, “You have answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor? The lawyer asked, Who is my neighbor?”

A reasonable question, but one he surely knows the answer to. It is my belief that he just does not want to admit that his neighbor is everyone. He wants it to be only the people he believes it should be. Really, he is asking, who must I treat neighborly? Am I allowed to choose? Can I pick and choose the people I treat like neighbors? Or must I treat everyone like a neighbor even if he does not want to?

In Romans 12.20, we are told, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

In other words, we are meant to treat our enemy like a neighbor because that sounds neighborly, right? Feed him, give him something to drink. If we are to treat our enemies neighborly, then as Christians, we ought to treat everybody as neighbors? If we are supposed to treat the people who are against us, then we should treat everyone that way.

In verses 30-32, it says, “A priest happened to be going down the same road. And when he saw the man, he passed by the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”

Notice who passed over the man here. Notice who they were. It was a priest and a Levite—the spiritual leaders of the day, the people who had authority and power. These are people who were respected. Notice, they just walked by. They saw the man and did nothing. They were not without reason, of course. They could have assumed that it was a ploy. It was a robber trying to get them in close to take their things, or that there were other people waiting for someone to just come by and help and lead people into a trap. That’s not a bad assumption, but as leaders of their people, as spiritual leaders and representatives of God, They should have known, and done better.

As the lawyer earlier mentioned, you must love your neighbor as yourself. The men here did not even have the decency to ask the man if he was okay, nor to show him the love and compassion of actually taking care of him. It seems like, they didn't even spare him a second glance.

In 1 John 4:20, it says, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen.”
Christ is calling these people out here, not only for not being neighborly, but for not loving God himself. If you truly loved your brother or neighbor, then you would help them in their time of need. Here though, they just pass on. They do nothing. These religious leaders, according to Christ, and what we are told, they do not know God. If they did love their neighbor, they would know God. Here, they clearly do not.

Continuing verses 33-35, it says, “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was. And when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him into an inn, and took care of them. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”

This Samaritan showed this man kindness. It is interesting that Jesus chose to use a Samaritan as the person to show the man kindness. As many know, Samaritans were not looked at kindly at this time. They were a lower class citizen. They were seen as inferior. They were racially mixed people and were looked down upon because of this by society at the time. Jesus uses one here to emphasize that everyone is our neighbor.
Because if a Samaritan man is showing kindness to the man, then so should the Jews of the time as well. If the Samaritan can know God, then so can everyone else. Christ seems to like to use Samaritans in the Bible.

We have him using one in His experience with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. It makes sense though they were looked down on, as I said, during that time. Christ would go out of his way to show that his gift is meant for everyone. You do not need to be of this heritage or this people to be saved or to have salvation. Only you must go through Him. It is a gift anyone can accept, and I think that's why he used the Samaritan man here to emphasize that, and to show that anyone can know God, not just this person or that person.

In Galatians 3:13-14, it says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Christ's gift is for all, for everyone who surrenders themselves unto him. Not just for the Jews, not just for this people, not just for the people living in this nation or that nation or by these parents or that parent, but by everyone who comes to him.

In verses 36-37, it says, “which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? The expert in the law replied, the one who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, go ahead and do likewise.”

Notice how the lawyer didn't say the Samaritan. He actively goes out of his way to not mention his heritage and instead calls him the one who had mercy. This goes to show the prejudice towards the Samaritans at the time. Even with Jesus in front of him giving him examples of a man acting neighborly. He refused to even call him a Samaritan as he was, as Jesus called him. This could be a stretch, but I think this just shows the own arrogance and ignorance in the lawyer himself.

I ask you when you go out into the world do not be like the priest or the Levite. Be like the Samaritan. Be a neighbor to all. Feed the hungry and take care of the sick. First, if we love God, we must love our neighbors as well.

In Mark 12:30-31, it says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your soul. Second is this, love your neighbor as yourself.  There are no commandments greater than these.”
Christ loved us more than we can ever imagine. It is our job as Christians to replicate that love. I'm not saying when you go to Cleveland or Chicago to grab every homeless person off the street and build a house for them, but if you see a person, who for some reason got stabbed or shot, take care of them. Call 911. Get the paramedics, and until you are sure they are safe and in better hands than yours, stay with them. If you have a dollar to spare for someone who looks like they might need food, spare them a dollar. If someone looks like they need someone to talk to for a second, maybe sit down and talk. Act neighborly with the people you see. Act neighborly with those around you, not just in the big cities, not just in the extreme circumstances, but every day.

I'll never forget, there was one day I was working at Giorgio's. I was delivering food. It was the last delivery of the night. It was like 10:30. And this man opens the door. I slightly see in his apartment, and it's just a mess in there. The guy was probably a hoarder. It was in the small apartment complex. He just starts talking, and he's talking and talking. Mom's back at the shop. I'm thinking Mom's probably fine. I'll just let this guy talk because it seemed like he hadn't talked to anyone in a while. I leave there 30 minutes later after he was done talking about race cars and this and that. That's acting neighborly. The man wanted someone to talk to. He was obviously lonely.

You can find these situations anywhere. I ask you, if you wish to serve the Lord, act neighborly as the Samaritan man did. Treat not only your physical neighbors, but everyone you come across on as a neighbor. Christ loved all of us more than we could ever imagine, and it is our duty as Christians to try and replicate that love.

If you've not come to Him, if you have not been baptized for the remission of your sins, if you have not confessed to the world that you believe Christ is the Lord and Savior, I ask, be baptized and repent.

Thank you. Please stand up and sing number 596.

A Lesson From A Fearful Heroine

Esther 4: 1–17

As you’re turning to Esther 4 this morning, I want to give you a little background to the story we’ll be reading.
Nearly 500 years before Christ, and about 50 years after Ezra had led the Jews back to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon (they’d been sent into captivity due their sinful and unrepentant hearts) many of the Jewish people still live the land of Persia under the reign of a King named Xerxes.

Now, Xerxes was a pagan who was known to be a cruel and unpredictable man. We’re introduced to him at the beginning of the book of Esther where he has staged a grand festival designed to exhibit the power and wealth of his Kingdom that lasted for over 6 months. And at the end of that festival he held a 7 day feast filled with food and drink.

In his drunkenness he called for his beautiful queen, Queen Vashti, to come and parade before guests.
She is offended by his request and promptly refuses. This in turn enrages the King… and he deposes her.

After he has had time to reconsider his anger he seeks to find a replacement for Vashti. His counselors advised him to hold a beauty contest and from amongst the most beautiful women of the land, to choose a new queen. And that’s how Esther became the Queen of Persia.

Shortly thereafter, we’re introduced to the villain of the story. He’s an ambitious and arrogant noble by the name of Haman. Haman was a favorite of the King and he has apparently done something that has allowed him to be placed in a position of high honor.

The King passes a decree that commands all his officials must bow down and honor Haman whenever he passes by.
But there was one man in the city that refused to do this.
Esther had an uncle named Mordecai who was a righteous man, and he wasn’t going to bow to anyone other than God.

Esther 3:5-6 says that “When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.”

Haman schemed about how to carry out this plan, and finally he spoke to the King and told him "There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business." Esther 3:8-9

Because the King trusted Haman’s judgment, the King decreed that all the Jews should indeed be eliminated.
With that much of the story now in our minds, let’s turn to Esther 4:1-17.

OPEN: During the height of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln found refuge going to church services there in Washington, D.C.. He would go with an aide, sit quietly with his stovepipe hat in his lap. He would listen intently as the minister would open the Scriptures and teach God’s Word and lead the congregation in worship.

The war was tearing the nation apart and it tore at his soul as well. He’d just lost his own son, and now Lincoln was grieving, and needing comfort and nourishment for his soul.

The preacher finished his message and the people began to leave.
The president quietly stood up, straightened his coat, took his hat in hand and began to leave.
His aide stopped him and said, "What did you think of the sermon, Mr. President?"
Lincoln answered, "I thought the sermon was carefully thought through, eloquently delivered."
The aide said, "You thought it was a great sermon?"

Lincoln replied, "No I thought he failed… he did not ask anything of us."
The preacher hadn’t asked his congregation to do something great.
He hadn’t challenged the people, or the President of the United States, to do more with their lives. And that disturbed the President, because Lincoln saw his nation in turmoil and saw himself struggling with a deep pain and loss.

Abraham Lincoln understood one central truth out of the Bible… and that was:
• when life is difficult
• and the world is filled with struggles and hardship and pain
…that’s when God calls upon His people… to DO something

It’s a repeated theme throughout Scripture that when God comes into contact with people …
they are MOVED to do things.

Sometimes they’re moved to do great things
• Like Noah building an ark
• Moses leading the people out of the slavery of Egypt
• Joshua taking down Jericho
• Or David taking out a giant

Other times, when people come in contact with God … they do little things that make a big difference because of God’s power.
• A little boy shares his meager lunch with Jesus, and as a result over 5000 people are fed.
• Then there’s the woman who met Jesus at the well and then went back to her village and told them who she’d met… and the whole community came out to see Him and their lives are changed.

Again and again, throughout Scripture, we see people rise up to do great things, or small things. And they all make a difference… because God made a difference in their lives.
Thus, when the occasion arises – and we don’t – something is wrong.

That brings us to our story this morning
Mordecai is frantic.
He has obeyed God.
He has refused to bow in worship of another man.
He has done the right thing.
And his obedience has brought about the threat of annihilation to his people.

They will soon be destroyed… and it is his fault.
So, He tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, throws ashes on his head and makes his way to the walls of the palace where he cries out in bitter tears.

But he’s not allowed into the palace, because no-one in sackcloth is allowed inside.
Now, Esther hasn’t heard about the edict of the King yet and she has no idea what danger her people are in.
But there’s no ignoring the loud cries of her uncle outside her home. So she sends one of her attendants out to find out what is wrong.
Mordecai sends the attendant back - with the news of Haman’s plans along with a copy of the King’s edict.
Mordecai’s is very clear on what he wants:
He expects Esther to DO something about this impending disaster.
He expects her to go and talk to the King.
Because he realizes that she’s the ONLY one who can anything about the problem.

But Esther doesn’t want to.
She doesn’t want to get involved.
She explains that this is NOT a good time to be approaching the King.
In fact, there’s NEVER a good time to approach the King because he’s a dangerous man… and she might be putting her own life in danger if she tried.

Now, why doesn’t Esther want to intercede for her people?
Why doesn’t she want to approach the King?
What emotion is behind her refusal?
She’s afraid

One of the major reasons why YOU and I might not DO something, why we would not want to obey God is because we’re afraid.
Fear comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

A psychologist at Yale once compiled a list of some of peoples’ most prominent fears
Fear of failure...
Fear of commitment...
Fear of trusting others...
Fear of thinking or speaking publicly...
Fear of being alone.
And he could have gone on and on with that list.
Fear is a very real emotion in people’s lives.
It controls us, it limits us, it enslaves us.

And God doesn’t want that.
He doesn’t want fear to rule our lives
And so, repeatedly throughout Scripture,
He tells us “Fear Not”

Someone once noted that this command occurred repeatedly throughout Scripture, and so they did a search of all the places where “Do not be afraid”, “Fear Not” or a similar command appeared in the Bible. What they found surprised them.
They found that the command is found 365 times in the Bible. One for every day of the year.
I don’t believe anything happens in Scripture by chance.
I believe the reason this command occurs 365 times in the Bible is because God doesn’t want a single day of our lives to be dominated by fear.

So… how can I overcome fear?
Well, you and can overcome your fears the same way Esther overcame hers.

The first lie of fear
if you ignore a problem it will go away.
If God brings a problem to YOUR attention…
He probably wants YOU to do something about it.
And that’s what Mordecai was trying to tell his niece

Esther 4:14 states: “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

This verse emphasizes the importance of purpose and courage. Mordecai urges Queen Esther to recognize her unique position and the potential impact of her actions, suggesting that her role may be part of a larger divine plan. It challenges readers to reflect on their own responsibilities and the significance of taking action when faced with difficult decisions.
Mordecai overcame his fear by doing what he could.
And that is what he was telling Esther as well.
So, the first key to overcoming fear is to realize:
If it is to be, it may depend on thee.

The 2nd Key to overcoming fear is knowing that:
If you don’t go… trouble will grow.

If you see a problem and you could have done something about it but you didn’t (you left it to someone else to do) the problem won’t go away.
It might be fixed for a little while, but it will come back.

That’s what Mordecai is telling Esther in verses 13 and 14 when he says:
“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish…” Esther 4:13-14

If God believes something is important enough to bring it to YOUR attention
(and you don’t do something about it) He’s not going to be happy with you.
And you don’t want God unhappy with you.

Isaiah put it this way:
“Do not… fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread” Isaiah 8:12-13

And that’s pretty much what Mordecai is telling Esther:
Don’t make God mad... you won’t like Him when He’s mad.
Oddly enough… it’s fear of God that helps us deal with all our other fears.
Psalms 34 puts it this way:
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them… Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.” Psalms 34:7&9

Now, somehow that seems counterintuitive.
How could adding one more fear to my life help me control other fears I might have?

ILLUS: As I thought about that, I came across this story.
A family had a dog named Lady.
She was collie and was the friendliest and gentlest dog you could have.
Now, dad was a no-nonsense farmer who believed that a dog’s place was outside the home.
The only concession he made was that Lady could be out of the weather if she stayed down in the basement. If Lady ever dared to venture past the basement door into the kitchen, she was promptly punished.
One night there was a terrible storm.
Lightening and thunder filled sky and Lady was terrified.
She ran up out of the basement seeking protection.
But Lady didn’t come to either of the kid’s beds.
She didn’t even seek out the comfort from the mother of the family.
Right in the middle of the night, Lady bounded up the stairs, into the parent’s bedroom and went right up beside the dad.
In her mind, there was only one place that was safe from the dangers of the night… in the arms of the one she feared.

She figured if he was powerful enough to rule the home, he was powerful enough to protect her in her danger.
God’s recipe for conquering our fears is to realize
He is the only one we need to fear.
If we fear Him - if we place His desires above everything else - He has the power and the desire to protect us from anything we might fear.
Esther faced a problem she didn’t know how to handle and so she decided to get serious about her prayers.
She told Mordecai:
"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do.
When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.
And if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:16

She was saying: I fear the King of Persia… but I fear the God of Israel more.
And so, I will obey God. But first I’m going to get spiritually prepared for the challenge.
Now, I’m not going to tell you the rest of the story.

It is Suffice to say – Esther wins, Haman loses (big time).
But realize that Esther won ONLY because she overcame her fear. And she overcame her fear by realizing
1. It was up to her to deal with the problem.
2. If she shirked her duty, the problem would not go away
3. That in order to meet the challenge, she had to some serious fasting and prayer.

She overcame because she made a choice.
Her choice was between fearing God more… or fearing the unknown

CLOSE: A long, long time ago, in a war that took place in the Middle East, a spy was captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army.
The general was an unusual man and he had adopted a strange and unusual custom in such cases.
He permitted the condemned person to make a choice.
The prisoner could either face the firing squad or pass through… the Black Door.
As the moment of the execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him and was asked: "What shall it be - the firing squad or the Black Door?"

This was not an easy decision and the prisoner hesitated but ultimately chose the firing squad - preferring it to the unknown horrors that might wait for him behind the ominous and mysterious door.

Not much later, gunshots filled the air, and the spy lay dead on the ground.
The general, staring at his boots, turned to his aide and said
"You see how it is with men; they will always prefer the known way to the unknown.
It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined.
Yet I gave him his choice."

The aide was curious and asked:
"What lies beyond the Black Door?".
The general smiled grimly and replied,
"Freedom… and I’ve known only a few brave enough to take it."

The one thing that we fear most in our lives is the unknown.
The unforeseen.
The uncontrolled.
This fear has the ability to immobilize us and haunt our dreams. It is when we’re faced with such fear that we most need to make a choice:
Will we trust God, or give in to our fears.
For it is only in trusting God that we can find freedom in our lives.

A Sermon on the Life of Gideon

Text: Judges 6 & 7

While sports fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist capsized his boat. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft. Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted, “Are there any gators around here?”
“Naw,” the man hollered back, “they ain’t been around for years!”

“Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. About halfway there he asked the guy, “How did you get rid of the gators?”
“We didn’t do nothin’,” the beachcomber said. “The sharks got ’em.”

I would like to try something new this morning… for part of my sermon I would like to take on the role of Gideon,
Therefore … I will be speaking in first person as if I am Gideon…the son of Joash, of the family of the Abiezites, the tribe of Manasseh and the nation of Israel. There are those who say that I am a great warrior. And it is true that i have always fought against the enemies of Israel. But there was a time that I was little more than a flea on the back of a dog.

Let’s imagine the dust of the threshing floor clinging to our sandals, the faint whisper of fear in the air, and a simple farmer—Gideon—hiding his grain from raiders. In that moment, God breaks in and calls me “mighty warrior.” How often does God see more in us than we see in ourselves?

• My family was poor, afraid, even worshipping idols.
• Yet in (Judges 6:12), while Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
• NOTE: God’s vision for us isn’t limited by our history or mistakes. He invites us into who we can become.

I find it interesting that God called me …Gideon “MIGHTY WARRIOR” while I was hiding from the enemy! 😊

Ask yourself: What label is God giving you today?
How different is how God sees you from how you see yourself?

The Midianites had been raiding our land for several years now. They took what they WANTED and killed who they would. My one consolation was that I was able to pay them back AT LEAST in part… for the pain they had caused our nation.

But they were a powerful and malicious people and many of our people fled to hide in the mountains and the hills and even holes in the ground. When the angel of the Lord found me, I was ALSO hiding.

I was in my father winepress threshing wheat, hoping that the Midianites would not find me and take away what little food I could supply for my family.

It was there that the angel of the Lord found me. And he said to me: “The Lord is with you Gideon. You have been chosen by God to deliver Israel from their enemies. God will be with you and together you will crush the might of Midian in a single night.”

Have you ever seen an angel?

Neither had I. I had no idea who this man was. But what he said, and the way in which he said it spoke to my heart.

God still cared for us even though He had turned His face from us. He had lifted His hand of protection FROM over us and delivered us into the hands of our enemies because of the sinfulness of my people. We had worshipped other gods and offered sacrifices and prayers in their names. And God was furious.

It’s not that we intended to anger God. We still offered prayers and sacrifices to Him. But we figured – if one God is good (shrug) THEN many are better. And so, all across the land there were altars and idols and there were prayers and sacrifices made in the names of pagan gods. And God was not pleased.

NOTE:WE SHOULD NOT TRY TO CHANGE GOD’s LAWS into what WE WANT oR THINK they SHOULD BE!

Deut. 4:2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

Rev. 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Even in my father’s field there was an altar that the villagers frequently offered their sacrifices at. An altar to Baal. And around the altar there were Asherah poles, placed there in honor of the goddess of fertility.

And God said to me “TEAR DOWN THAT ALTAR AND BUILD FOR ME A PROPER ALTAR IN IT’S PLACE! Go into your father’s herd and take the 2nd bull and slaughter and offer it as a sacrifice on my altar. Then cut down the Asherah poles and use them for wood to burn the sacrifice.”

And that just what I did… at night… while everyone in the village was asleep. I didn't want anyone to know that I had destroyed the altar and cut down the Asherah poles, because I knew they would seek to kill me if they did.

It wasn't long after that that the Midianites returned to our land to ravage our crops and steal from our homes. They came with their allies the Amalekites, and with people from other eastern tribes, and settled in the Valley of Jezreel.

Those who dared to look down into their camp said that the Midianite forces were as numerous as a hoard of locusts and that their camels were as could no more be counted than you could count the sand on the seashore. Those who tried to count their number seemed to agree that there were at least 120,000 armed men in their camp.

It was then God said to me: “Gideon, the time has come to raise an army to drive out the enemies of Israel.” And so I went to the city square and found the horn that we used to call people to war.

People came running in from the fields and out of their houses.

And when they came into the village square I told them what God had said to me. That it was time for us to rise and throw off the shackles of the Midianites and go to war.

We sent out messengers to the far reaches of the tribe of Manasseh, and also the tribes of Asher, Naphtali and Zebulun. And within a few short days men began to arrive at our village.

Ultimately 32,000 men encamped around my home.

Thirty-two thousand men had come to be led into battle with me as their leader.

Thirty-two thousand men!!!

How many men did the Midianites have again? 120,000?

And we had 32,000?

120,000… against 32,000?

And I looked up to God and I said:

“We need to talk.

If You truly want to send me into battle with our enemies outnumbering us about 4 to 1, I need a sign to prove that it is truly your will.”

And I had decided on just the test that could prove it was indeed His will. When I was younger I noticed that when I entered in my father’s winepress in the morning, the floor glistened with the dew of the night.

• in (Judges 6:36–40) Gideon tests God with a fleece

And so I said to God, please do not be angry, but if it your will to send us into battle with this size of a force, allow me to put a fleece from the flocks of my father on the floor of his winepress. If it is Your will, make it so that the floor is dry, and the fleece is wet.

And so I placed the fleece on the floor, and went to bed.

When I got up the next morning, what do you think I found?

That’s right.

The floor was completely dry, but the fleece was completely soaked.

God had spoken.

He was calling me to go to war.

But still… I only had 32,000 men.

That’s hardly an army that would overwhelm the Midianites.

What if I misunderstood God in this test?

And so I said to God, please don’t be angry, but just to make sure I haven’t misunderstood Your will, allow me to do just one more test. Allow me to place the fleece on the floor of the winepress one more time. And in the morning, if the fleece is dry and the floor is wet THEN I’ll know it was your will.

And that is what I did. And then I went to bed.

The next morning I got up, and guess what I saw?

That’s right, the fleece was dry, and the floor glistened with the dew of the night.

And then I knew this was God’s will.

And 32,000 men – with such an awesome God at our back – it could be done.

It was a respectable force in the hands of a mighty God.

Yes! I could do this. I could lead these men to victory over the Midianites. They only outnumbered us 4 to 1! It could be done! We were men of Israel. We were bold and courageous and able to stand against the pagans and defeat them.

But then God said (pause)“Gideon… you have too many men.”

WAIT! WHAT? SERIOUSLY? We only have 32,000!

But God said, tell the men that whoever is afraid may go home to their tribes.

Well, that’s not so bad. These were brave men of the nation of Israel. These were men of courage and strength and their anger with Midian would overcome any supposed fear. I would hardly miss the ones who would leave.

And so I mockingly addressed the men. If any of them were afraid, they were welcome to leave and return to their homes.

And 22,000 men folded their tents and left!

I only had 10,000 soldiers remaining.

But still, it was more men than I’d ever led into a battle before.

It could still be done.

I might yet be victorious in a battle against our nation’s enemies even with just 10,000 men.

But then God spoke to me again.

“Gideon, you still have TOO MANY men. If you were to win with such a force, Israel might be tempted to believe they had won against Midian by the force of their own arms, rather than by the power of My arm.” And he told me take the army down to the banks of the river and observe them as they drank from its streams.

• God whittles Gideon’s army from 32,000 down to 300 (Judges 7:2–7). And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.

7And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”

• The point: the victory is God’s, not ours. When we rely on OUR strength, we take the credit. When we rely on GOD and HIS STRENGTH, HE gets the glory.

OUR Takeaway should be:

When life’s battles feel overwhelming, remember:
God doesn’t need our vast resources—
He needs our available heart.

Now, according to Judges 7:16 – 23

I divided our men into 3 companies and gave each man a trumpet and empty jar to cover their torches. Then I explained to them where they should position their men around the camp of our enemies and sent them to their places. When it seemed that our men were properly positioned I blew my horn, and – as one man – our army broke their jars to reveal their torches and blew their trumpets.

The night was lit up with the blaze of our torches and our trumpets spoke with the judgment of God upon the camp of Midian. And all of our men shouted “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon.” It was such an overwhelming sight and such a thunderous sound that the camp of the Midianites erupted in fear as each man ran from their tents and grabbed for their swords. In their confusion, they believed that we were in the midst of their camp and they began to turning their swords on one another.

And the slaughter that night… was terrible.

Those who survived cried as they fled from the valley and we chased them all the way out of our land.

And the Midianites never returned to bother us again.

• Note: A few faithful, obedient hearts can turn the tide of an entire nation.

Challenge: Who is in your “300”?
Whose faithfulness encourages you to step out in obedience?

That night changed me.
It was on that night that I realized all that God had meant to teach me.
I had learned that I was being called by a God who wanted my total allegiance. He was a God who would not tolerate any other god, or any other treasure to stand between myself and Him. If I was to be used by God, I needed to destroy and remove from my life anything that would compete for my affections.

Matthew 22:36 – 37 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

AND, Revelation 3:16 – 17 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

I also learned that the God I came to serve was a powerful God. He was a God who could protect me from the anger of my neighbors. A God who could speak to me by my own personal fleeces and by the dreams of my enemies. And He was a God who could destroy a mighty army with a force of only 300 men.

THAT is the God that I serve!

A God who would stand beside me and protect me in times of trouble.

A God who could bring strength to my life and peace to my heart.

Conclusion & Invitation

Gideon’s life reminds us that God:
Sees our potential … far beyond our self-image.

Gideon’s life reminds us that God:
Wins His greatest victories through our humble surrender.

Gideon’s life reminds us that God:
Uses small bands of faithful hearts to accomplish His purposes.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Calls us to keep Him at the center, lest victory turn to vanity.

What fears do we need to lay before GOD this morning?
Let’s step out, trusting that the same Spirit who empowered Gideon is at work in us.
God’s not finished with you yet—your “mighty warrior” identity awaits.

Do you know the power of God in your life that can give you courage and strength?
Do you have the kind of peace that only God can give?
If you don’t, we offer a time of invitation for you to make that decision for Him this morning.

Jesus Begins His Public Ministry

Mark 1:14-15

INTRO:
Good morning church. Little Jenny was standing on a stool in the kitchen and she was helping her mother by drying dishes.   She was looking at her mother and she noticed that in that beautiful auburn hair that her mother had, there were some gray hairs. So she looked at her mother and she said, Mom, why are there gray hairs in your hair?  Her mother said, Well, Jenny, whenever you misbehave, whenever you do something to cause me trouble, worry and aggravation, one of my hairs turns gray.
Oh, Jenny said.  She thought a minute.  And she said, Why does grandma have all gray hair?

I invite you to open your Bibles to the gospel of Mark 1:14-15 and read what happens after John the Baptist is delivered up; Mark 1:14-15 – “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.””[ESV]

If you compare the gospel of John with the synoptic gospels, you will discover that Jesus did not go immediately from His baptism and wilderness temptations into His great Galilean teaching ministry. What you will discover if you compare the feasts that are mentioned which Jesus attended with the timing of these events, is that about a years time separates His baptism from the beginning of His ministry in Galilee. One writer has called this year of time “a year of obscurity”.

The style of Mark’s Gospel is quick-moving and dramatic. His gospel being one of swift and vigorous action, and one of his favorite expressions being straightway. What Mark does is move immediately from the temptations into the Galilean ministry. Mark does not mention anything about this year of time. Mark simply dates the beginning of the Galilean ministry at about the same time John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod. I want to consider this before we continue our look at John’s Gospel.

I. BUT WE SHOULD AT LEAST MENTION THE “UNMENTIONED” PERIOD. I think it is important for us to at least make mention of that period of time.

A. We might ask ourselves the question, and I do ask myself, why was this one year of time omitted from Matthew, Mark and Luke? Yet, prominently mentioned in the Gospel of John?

1. The answer has to be speculation for we simply are not told why that year is omitted in the synoptic gospels. I can speculate, and I will, that very simply it was not the time for His teaching ministry to begin.
2. But keep in mind that the gospel of John has a different purpose from the synoptic gospels. The purpose of John’s gospel is to confirm that Jesus is the Son of God. The events of that one year of time are very significant to this purpose of John’s gospel.

B. I want to mention a few of the events in that year of obscurity.

1. Let’s look at John chapter 1 again. At the start of the chapter we find these familiar words; “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then at verse 14 “the Word was made flesh”.
2. The gospel of John begins in chapter 1 with the affirmation that Jesus Christ IS deity. As we continue in chapter 1, we discover where John the Baptist gives his testimony that Jesus is not only the Son of God, not only deity, Jesus is “the lamb of God which will take away the sins of the world” in Verse 29
3. In chapter 2 of John’s gospel there is the first recorded miracle at Cana of Galilee. John tells us in verse 11; “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”
4. In chapter 3 there is this very important interview that Jesus has with a man whose name is Nicodemus. Here we have the information “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. Questions are asked about what that means.
5. Then in chapter 4, which I find a very interesting chapter in John’s gospel, is the interview He has with the Samaritan woman at Jacobs well. What an incredible interview that is, and continues with His going into the city and there teaching for a period of time and many of the people of Samaria, not the Jews, many of the people of Samaria believed that He was the Messiah.
6. A little later in John’s gospel in chapter 4 at verse 46 there is the healing of the nobleman’s son. One of the interesting things about this account is that it is presented in such a way as to show that this miracle is indeed a miracle. This was not just an ordinary getting over a disease situation. The timeline shows the miracle.
7. Then in chapter 5, we have the healing of the infirm man at Bethesda. Shortly there after, there is the beginning of the Galilean ministry which is where we are in the gospel of Mark.

II. JESUS PREACHED “THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD”. Mark tells us that Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom.

A. The Jews for so long looked for news of the kingdom.

1. Since the Babylonian captivity, there had not been a legitimate king in the nation of Israel.
2. Indeed since the Babylonian captivity, for almost the entire period to the present time Israel had been a vassal or tribute state. Always under the thumb of some conquering nation.
3. In scripture there is so much prophecy about the kingdom. For example in the 9th chapter of the book of Isaiah. There at verses 6 and 7 is this prophecy; Isaiah 9:6-7 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,” ah,… that is what these people knew. That is what these people remembered. They were anticipating this ruler and his kingdom. They were looking for news of this coming! ”and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
4. Or in Daniel’s prophecy in the second chapter at verse 44; Daniel 2:44 – “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, remember that this prophecy comes out of the period of the Babylonian captivity, In the days of these kings, here we find the explanation being made to Nebuchadnezzar, God shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” No wonder the Jewish people were anticipating, and seeking news of the coming kingdom.

B. Jesus came preaching of the kingdom of God.

1. The kingdom of God is frequently mentioned in the teaching of Jesus.
2. You remember in Matthews’s gospel, chapter 6 verse 10, in what has been called the model prayer. We find these words; Matthew 6:10 – “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” So at the very beginning of His public ministry Jesus is declaring the coming of the Kingdom.
3. Interestingly, what should have been wonderful news for Jewish audiences, turned “sour” when His enemies started to use His kingdom claims to accuse Him. The coming of the Kingdom was good news! The gospel, good news, glad tidings. The very thing that should have been such wonderful news was used to accuse Jesus and ultimately send Him to the cross.

III. SOME OF THE “SPECIFICS” OF HIS MESSAGE

A. “Jesus came...preaching...and saying... We begin to look at the sermon outline if you will, of what Jesus preached. We discover that…

1. He did not come to compel anyone to do anything they did not want to do. He came preaching and saying.
2. He came with a message ... and it was up to each individual as to how they would respond to that message.
3. Turn if you would to a beautiful text which is well known to us; Matthew 11:28-29 – Jesus says; “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”[ESV] We can accept what Jesus came to offer, or we can reject what He came to offer... but it is our choice, the decision is ours to make. Remember Mark says, Jesus came preaching and saying.

B. The first point of His sermon outline was this;… its time. “The time is fulfilled...” it says in Marks gospel. Let us turn back there for just a minute.

1. When He says in verse 15 “the time is fulfilled” in the original language Mark used the word for “time” that refers to a “set, or proper time”. He does not use the word used for chronology, chronological time, or elapsed time. He used a word for which we might use the word “appointment”. This is the time that God has appointed, this is the set time, and it is the proper time. The time is fulfilled.
2. In Galatians 4:4-5 – Listen; “But when the fullness of time had come, (there is that expression, the fullness of time) God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” “...when the fullness of time had come...”
3. That word fulfilled, is descriptive of the fact that all of the Old Testament had been looking forward to this time. This appointment which God had established, as we understand, before time began. It is the time the Jews were looking forward to. What we need to remember about this expression is that all of the things that are going to transpire now are not accidental; it was not a “happening”. This is the time God had established for His purpose.

C. Mark continues with the outline point; “and the kingdom of God is at hand...”

1. Now remember, the Jews have been looking forward to this kingdom for many, many years. Jesus says the kingdom is at hand. They might ask; “how ‘at hand’ is it?”
2. Jesus answered that question in Mark 9:1 where He says, “And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”” This is different from the prophecy of Isaiah and the prophecy of Daniel. This is not a “dim future hope” any longer. “…there are some standing here”. Imagine that. Some of those very people who were hearing Jesus say those very words… would actually see the Kingdom of God come. Heightened anticipation, for the coming of the kingdom.
3. When it came (on the day of Pentecost following Jesus’ resurrection), it was not the kind of kingdom that people had expected ... but it did come.

D. The third point in His sermon outline was “Repent...” He came preaching, repent.

1. Jesus, just as did John the Baptist, stressed the message of repentance.
2. As time would ultimately prove, many of the Jewish people, particularly their religious leaders were so entrenched in their traditions that their view of God was warped, twisted, and distorted. Remember what Jesus told the religious leaders in; Matthew 15:1-3 – “Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?”
3. How could they believe in the gospel message if they could not see beyond the traditions which governed the religious life of the Jews, see past the corruptions of the Mosaic faith that they had created? How could they see past that and accept the gospel of the kingdom? No wonder Jesus taught them to repent.
4. Keep in mind; it was a tradition-bound religion which sent Jesus Christ to the cross at Calvary.

E. There was a fourth point to His sermon outline. “… and believe in the gospel” Repent toward God, and believe in the gospel.

1. Looking at Luke’s gospel; Luke 2:10-11 – “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” In verse 10 we see the words good tidings or glad tidings. Those two words are translated from the same word that we usually translate the word “gospel”. What the angels are saying is; we bring you a gospel to share, because a gospel is good news. Then they go on to say what the good news is – it is of the birth of Christ the Lord.
2. When Jesus came preaching, “Believe the gospel”, that is tantamount to His saying; believe… in… me. - Believe in Jesus. In John’s gospel, the eighth chapter, John 8:24 Jesus says, “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”[ESV]
3. He preached the gospel and He said believe it, believe in Me. Something else about this word gospel, I’ll read now from 1^st Corinthians 15:1-4 where Paul is reminding them of the good news, the glad tidings, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, here Paul gives an admonishment, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

a. Paul explains to them one more time, it is by the Gospel he had preached to them that they had been saved, and by that Gospel, if they continued to believe it, they would ultimately receive their heavenly reward.
b. Paul continues; “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” That’s gospel, that is good news.
c. Jesus said “believe the gospel”. Believe in me. These horrible events, from our perspective perhaps, begin to take place. He is killed, He is buried and then the wonderful event of the first day of the week, He is raised from the dead. Folks, in those things are our great hope! The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is “gospel”!

F. Having read that, let’s turn back to 1^st Corinthians 1:22-23 – “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, To whom did Jesus come preaching; “The time is fulfilled”, “The Kingdom is at hand”, “Repent”, “Believe the gospel”? To whom did He come with that great message? To the Jews… a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,” We should remember that the Jews to whom Jesus came preaching were steeped in years of human tradition which had warped and twisted not only their understanding of the word of God but their understanding of God Himself.

1. No wonder that it was necessary for the Jewish people to repent toward God, before they could accept the gospel message. They had to repent toward God before they could ever possibly believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.
2. I need to say this; the repentance that Jesus preached to the Jews is not the same repentance to which the apostle Peter gives attention in Acts 2:38. In Acts, these are people who are believers, are commanded to repent and to be baptized. That repentance comes following a person’s belief that Jesus is the Son of God, and are prompted by that belief to be sorrowful for their sins and to turn away from them. Turning toward God in obedience to the gospel.
3. The Jews needed to repent toward God for their years of warped thinking about God and His word. They needed to believe the gospel. Recall how often the Jews demanded Jesus to perform a sign for them while He was on the earth.

a. For example Matthew 12:38-39 – “38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
b. Also Matthew 16:1 – “And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.” Why was Jesus condemning them for doing this?

4. They were holding on to their faulty thinking and traditions. Their request was putting themselves in the driver’s seat. Perform a sign so that we can evaluate you and test your claims. We will decide if you are who you say you are. Such people set themselves up as God, sets themselves up as judge, rather than recognizing that Jesus is God and Jesus is the judge.
5. Jesus was not going to yield to their requests which would have in effect turned Jesus into nothing more than a performer on demand. This also represents humans today who reject God because they demand God to do something for them as a condition to follow him.
6. The Greeks did not create conditions that God was to meet. Rather they create structures of thought so as to maintain their delusion to be able to explain life and the universe. These people think they are academic, scientific, powerful, and philosophical. God, if He exists, must fit into their philosophical worldview and thinking if He is going to be acceptable to them. That leads me to think of that line from Hamlet “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.

G. You will notice that with each of these groups there is the basis of self-centeredness. In both cases the individual says that I have the right to approve God. I will determine if God is right for me and if He fits my view of life and my expectations.

CONCLUSION: Paul continues in 1^st Corinthians 1:24-25 and tells us that “to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

We find that Christ is the answer to both groups. The Jews desire a sign and the sign they were given was Jesus and the resurrection. The power of God was on full display through the cross of Jesus our Lord. Also, the Greeks desire wisdom and they were given Christ who is the wisdom of God on full display. The cross of Jesus is the most breathtaking display of God’s wisdom. The world’s rebellious self-centeredness is what ensures that it cannot understand the cross. So what the world dismisses as foolishness God proves to be greater than human wisdom. What the world writes off as hopeless weakness, God proves is stronger than any human strength.

Mark takes Jesus immediately in his gospel from the temptation scenes, to which Mark gives only a little space, and moves the narrative hurriedly in to the activities of the Galilean ministry. In this brief statement made in Mark’s gospel chapter 1 that we read here, I would suggest to you that we have the outline for all that Jesus taught in the days that were to come.

If the Lord is willing we will continue next time in John’s Gospel chapter 2 where we encounter the Wedding Feast in Cana and the conversion of water to wine.

In God’s plan 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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Reference Sermon Cecil A. Hutson 19 March 2006

Fathers

By Jerad Allen

Good morning. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in here. I'm pretty sure there's quite a few of you. I hope everybody's week went well and it wasn't too much hassle.

The other day I was going through YouTube and I saw a channel with things that fathers typically teach children—how to tie a tie, how to change a tire, things like that. The whole purpose of this channel was to teach children without fathers what he wished his father would have taught him if he had a father in his life.

In 2022 estimates were roughly 18.3 million children were growing up in the United States without a father. That is almost one in every four children. It's been three years, but I have a feeling those numbers are still roughly the same. A lot of things can happen without a father in the household. Poverty rates go up, crime rates go up. Life, by all means, gets harder.

That's because the father is an instrumental part of the family. They have a great deal of responsibility and take care of a great deal of things. They are an essential part in growing up. Today we will be going over some lessons and some things the Bible has to say about fatherhood. About what it is and what it should look like.

To start off, if you would turn to Genesis 22, we will go quickly through verses 1-18. You might recognize this if you were here during Bible study because Mark went over it a little bit.

I will read verses 1-3. “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.”

We are told to do as the Lord commands. We are told to do what He tells us. Abraham was very much willing to do this. He trusted the Lord.
He trusted His ways. When the Lord told him to sacrifice his son, he did not blink. He rose up, and he went.

In Philippians 2:8 it says, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

This is obviously talking about Jesus. A lot of the time, I see being a Christian and being a follower as trying to imitate the Lord, and trying to act as Christ-like as possible. If Christ himself was obedient to the point of death, then so must we.

We must be willing to put our bodies, our children perhaps, on the line. As fathers, sometimes you must put yourself and your family in harm's way if that's what the Lord commands. That is what Abraham is thinking he is doing here.

Moving on to verses 4-8, it says, “Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

Both of them went together. Of course, Abraham knew there wasn't a lamb. He was under the full assumption that he was going to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Though there is another lesson here, I think, in looking at what the Lord will provide us with.

The Lord will provide for us if we are hungry. If we need food, he will make sure we have it. If we are thirsty, he will give us drink. He will give us what we need. He will never put a challenge ahead of us too great for us to handle.

In 1st Corinthians 10:13, it says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

In Matthew 6:33-34, it says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

How does this relate to Father's Day? As it is the Holy Father's duty to provide for his children, to make sure we have food and water when we need it, to make sure we are not tempted beyond our own capabilities, it is the earthly fathers’ to provide for his family and his children and their needs.

In 1st Timothy 5:8 it says, “but if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

It is the duty of the father and the household to provide for his family, to make sure they are fed, to make sure they have what they need to go on, to make sure that they have the capabilities and ability to walk this world and to walk through life.

Moving on to verses 9-10, it says, “And they came to the place which God had told him of, and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.”

As Christians, we must be willing to put our bodies on the line when serving the Lord. When Jesus and his disciples were traveling, they were often worried that those who they were going to come against, many times Jews were going to bring harm upon them, or crucify them. That eventually did happen. If the Son of God and those who traveled with him were able to put their lives on the line, and put their bodies through physical torment, then we should be able to do the same.

In Romans 12:1- 3 it says, “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

In these verses, our bodies are described as living sacrifices. Not as Abraham is about to do to Isaac here and kill his son as a sacrifice to the Lord, but we are to put our bodies as living sacrifices on the line. To follow the Lord's will, to put His will above ours, to cast out these earthly pleasures and sins that we take forth, and to not indulge in them. To sometimes put ourselves in harm's way to complete His will. It is the duty of Christians to do such.

Moving on to verses 11-13 it says, “And an angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. And he said, Lay not thine hand on the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know that thou fearest God. Seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his thorns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.”

This was, at the end of the day, a test. It was a test on Abraham's willingness to do what the Lord asked him—a test on his faith in the Lord. A test if he truly believed. He believed that the Lord was righteous and His one true God. Even with something as outlandish as asking him to kill his son, Abraham was positive that there was a reason behind it. That whatever the reason may be, it was holy. It was glorious, and that it would please the Lord. He passed this test because he was willing to do that.

Verses 14-16 say, “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh (I can't really pronounce that) As it said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. The angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of the heaven the second time. And said, By myself I have sworn, saith the Lord. For because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.”

(Pay attention to the wording here.) Hast not withheld thy son, thine only son. This sounds familiar, right? It's kind of how the Lord sent down his only son to be sacrificed for the remission of our sins. It sounds exactly like that, right? The Lord was not asking him to do something that the Lord himself would not do here. He is asking him to do something he hasn't done yet.

The Lord will send down his son to be a sacrifice that will save us. The ram is a burnt offering, but it is still an animal. Christ's sacrifice gave us something more. It gave us salvation.
In John 3:16 it said, “God so loved the world that he gave his only son. That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

He loves us so much that he would give His only son. It is the duty of fathers everywhere to love Him so much that if the day asks, they will put Him above anyone else.

I think here we can see that yes, while fathers have a duty to their families, to their children. First and foremost, your duty is to the Lord as it is for all of us. He takes priority. He takes all because he is greater than the rest of us.

Verses 17-18 say, “that in blessing I will bless thee. And in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven. And as the sand which is upon the sea shore. And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

Later in Galatians 3:16 it says, “now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say and to offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one and to your offspring who is Christ.”

We can all receive this blessing by following in Abraham's footsteps, by obeying the Lord. We can receive the grace God has given us by following his commandments and obeying him, by confessing that Jesus, the seed of Abraham, is the Son of God and our Savior.

By looking Ephesians 6:1-4. We can see how fathers are supposed to nurture their children.

These verses say, “children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise. That it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonishment of the Lord.”

Children at the end of the day are the next of kin. They are the ones who will take your place, who will continue your work. We have a duty to the Lord and that means that we need to make sure things are in place for when we are gone as well. That it is good if we ourselves are obedient and spread the word of God, but we are only here temporary. Fathers must bring up their children, must bring up the next generation, to continue the work when they are gone.

In Proverbs 2, it says, "train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it."

A father has a big responsibility here to train their children to do right by the Lord, to train and educate their children on what is right and what is holy. No wonder crime and poverty rise when fathers are out of the picture. No wonder children are lost and confused ever more so when fathers are out of the picture because it is a father's duty to help them learn these things, to help them find their way, to train and nurture them.

Moving on to Joshua 24:15, It says, “and if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve. Whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. It is the duty of the father to choose the direction in which their house will go. Will they live in sin? Will they choose earth? Will they choose worldly pleasures? Or will they follow the path of God? It is the father's responsibility to steer this ship. It is the father's responsibility to make sure and correct it if it sways, if it varies, if it moves. This is one of the roles of the father.

In Colossians 3:19-21, it says, “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. It can be a little tough for fathers, right? They control the ship, but they can very easily make it sway as well. If the father is not kind, if the father angers their children, they may be discouraged, and they may lose their path. The father has a vital role. Their presence can very much aid in this. At the same time, if a father fails, that could be worse. That could sway those children into a life of sin.

Moving on to Luke 15:20-22, it says, “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.”

This is the parable of the prodigal son. In here, we are shown a father whose son had lost their way, who had sinned against them, but cursed their name and left. And when he returns, this father did not shoo him away. He did not yell at him. He welcomed him back with open arms to his family. No hesitation. No matter how much he wronged him, it is the father's duty to welcome back his children. This is because the Heavenly Father does the same with us.

In Romans 10:9 it says, “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Despite our sins, despite our failures, fathers, mothers, children, everyone's, despite all of these things, despite everything we have done, there is still a way we can be saved. If we turn to the Lord, follow in the steps Jesus has laid out for us, and follow in his path, the Lord will welcome us back like the father in this parable—with open arms, with joy, with thunderous screams of happiness.

That should be the same for fathers. As the Lord does, so should we. If He is willing to welcome us back, then we should be able to do the same with our family members, with our children, with our mothers and fathers. No matter how much they have wronged us, when they return, we should open our arms.

To close this out, I just want to repeat this. Romans 10:9. “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you have not done that, I just must ask, why? Why wait? Death's knocking at any given moment. It will not wait for you. So why wait? Confess, repent, be baptized for the remissions of your sins, and walk with the Lord as commander.

Happy Father's Day, and thank you.

Lazarus of Bethany

By Jerad Allen

Good morning. I hope everyone's week went well. We have another one coming up and it just feels like we're always going through another week.

I was born in 2004. The pop culture I have been raised in has had a lot to do with Marvel movies. You might have heard of them. These are comic book inspired movies that are sometimes taken right from the comics they're based off of. Because comics are a medium that is never supposed to end, they're supposed to keep going through the years. I think the first Superman comic was back in the 30s and they're still publishing them today.

As a result, whenever they write a character off or kill them off, eventually down the line some writer is going to want to use that character again so they resurrect them. Sometimes to explain these resurrections they put years of explanations into these stories.

Resurrection, the raising of the dead, seems impossible to us. Today's story that we will be going over is in John chapter 11 verses 1 through 44. This is the death and resurrection of Lazarus where Jesus took a man who had fallen to illness and raised him in front of his sisters.

Starting at verse 1; “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair.) The sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. When he heard this, Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.”[NIV]

Here we're just given some context. We are told who Mary is. We are told who Martha is. We are told that Mary was the one who poured perfume on Jesus and cleaned his feet. We are also told about glory and how this death will result in glory to God.

What does that mean? What does God's glory mean? In 1 Corinthians 10:31 it says, “so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

We are told that every action we take should be to glorify the Lord, to put Him up, to put up His power, show His glory. Here we are told it is a way to honor God, a way to show respect, a way to glorify Him and give Him credit.

In Romans 3:23 it says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

This tells us that the glory is something we don't necessarily have. This isn't something we have attained. This isn't something that we possess. This is something we fall short of and can only try to recognize and try to see.

To try and answer what glory means I think would probably take a whole sermon to itself. These are just some quick intercessions on these first couple verses.

Moving on, verses 5 through 8 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. And then he said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea. But Rabbi, they said, a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you and yet you are going back?”

Jesus was well aware of the danger that awaited him there. He was very aware that there was a threat on his life and that it might be ended if he returns.

In 2 Timothy 3:12 it says, “Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Jesus' actions here tell us that this persecution should not get in the way of our job, of what we are here to do. I think it's interesting who Jesus is afraid of as well. These aren't the Gentiles. These aren't the sinners. It's the religious leaders of the day. It is the people who are leading the church, who are leading the temple. These are the scholars that are after Jesus.

This tells me is that not only should we be worried about persecution from those who have gone against God and outwardly rebelled. It is those who say they are with him. It is those who say they are Christians. It is those who say they are religious. It is those who pretend to have faith to further their goals, to justify their actions.

Slave owners in the 1800s and 1700s were famous for reciting scripture as they whipped their prisoners. As we go on, we will undoubtedly see and face Christians, Jews, Muslims, and other people who claim to follow God. They will come at you.

They will come to persecute you for telling the truth, for calling them on their lies. They very well may be more dangerous than the Gentiles or sinners that have outwardly rejected the truth.

Moving on, verses 9 through 10 say, “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” It's hard to see in the dark, right? Imagine the sun was out. Imagine there are no lights in this room. You really wouldn't be able to see me, would you? Especially with this black shirt on, it doesn't help.

You'd probably trip over something. You can't easily get where you want to go without being able to see the path. This is what it is like to walk through the world in a spiritual sense without Christ.

In John, verses 8-12, it says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have light of life.”

Even though the sun is shining, if the lights are on, and physically we can see, without Jesus we might as well be walking in the dark, because we will just continue to stumble and fall and trip because spiritually we are lost. Spiritually we have no idea where we are. We can't make out our surroundings. We will continue to trip and fall.

Verses 11-16 say, “After he had said this, he went on to tell them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up. His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he went to natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” But let us go to him. Then Thomas, (also known as Didymus), said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”” The Lord is showing his own power here. He knows Lazarus has passed.

He knows he is not here anymore. He knows he is gone without being there. He tells the disciples, Be glad that this is the case, so you may see my power, so you may see my strength. I find this a little crazy at this point. They have seen Him walk on water. They have seen Him calm storms. They have seen Him do this and that. He still thinks they need more to see. I think that tells me that even if Jesus was right in front of us, even if he was staring at us in the face and did things, you could not imagine proving who He is. Many, most, still would not recognize Him as God, as the Son of the Father, as holy. This also shows the disciples' own thoughts on what was about to happen.

Thomas said that we may die with Him. They had no intention on coming back from this. They thought fully that the Jews were going to capture and kill them all. They were ready to die, which I think shows their courage and their strength and their faith in the Lord.

While He still wanted to show them more, they obviously still had some pretty strong faith to be able to trust in Him so much that even though they believed they were going to die, they knew they were going to die with the Lord.

In verses 17 through 22 it says, “On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him. But Mary stayed at home. Lord, Martha said to Jesus, If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Martha's words here are quite reasonable. She knows who Jesus is. She recognizes His power, His holiness, and His grace. She's well aware of the fact that if he was there, her brother would have been fine.

There are two ways you can take her words here. You can take it as an accusation on why didn't You save my brother? Why did he die? Or just regret that He wasn't there at the right time—He arrived late. He just wasn't there when Lazarus fell sick. I think it's probably more on that explanation. Martha is just sad that things played out the way they did.

I also think that those last words in verse 22, “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask is exactly that, an ask.” An ask to bring her brother back because again, she's aware. She has faith in the Lord.

Moving on to verses 23 and 24. “Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Martha answered I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Martha has heard Jesus talk about rising in the Lord, about being saved and having eternal life through Him. Earlier in John 3:16, John talks about this being the case. Martha is aware of this, and her reaction to Jesus saying your brother will rise again is with this context. He will rise in a spiritual sense with the Lord in heaven and live eternally.

It seems like she's a little disappointed in that because she won't get to see her brother again in this life. She understands her brother will live eternally in heaven, but is saddened that he is not here anymore. Obviously, later on in the next few verses we realize he means in a physical sense, and not so much in the spiritual.

Moving on to verses 25 through 28. “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live. Even though they die. And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord”, she replied. “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who is to come into the world”. After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The teacher is here, she said and is asking for you.””

Jesus is asking if she has faith. Does she have faith in Him? In His power? Does she have faith that He is who He says He is? She replies, yes.

Jesus also talks about himself in the “I am” sense. I am the resurrection and the life. Jesus does this a lot. He talks about Himself in these “I am” statements. We have another example in John 8:12, and in John 10:11 “He says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” In Revelations He says, “I am the alpha, the omega. The beginning and end. Who is and who is to come, the almighty”.

Jesus uses these “I am” statements not to say I am like a sheep, but to say I am the power. I am glory. I am God. He is all. He is in all of us. He is here with all of us. As God sees all, knows all, and is all. He is talking about His power. He is referring to his strength. He is referring to Himself in these ways. Because of who He is.

It's a little hard to comprehend. Honestly I still don't think I fully understand it. That might be something else I want to look into a bit more for a sermon.

Jesus is talking about Himself in these “I am” statements because these are the things He can do. He was at the beginning.

Moving on to verses 29-31. I says, “When Mary heard this she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village. But was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went, they followed her supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.”

Notice how the verse specifies her haste. It specifies how quickly she got up and went to Him. Originally she stayed back wishing to mourn, wishing to continue to think about her brother and the loss. As soon as she heard that Jesus had called on her specifically, she wasted no time. She was ready to go. She was up and at it. She was going to Him. She was not going to waste another second mourning in her house while the Lord had asked for her. This is the sort of haste we should all have when called by the Lord—when the Lord calls upon us. When we are called to do something even if it's as simple as walking two miles to where He is.

Moving on to verses 32-35 it says, “When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Where have you laid him? He asked. Come and see, Lord. They replied. Jesus wept.”

Mary immediately after seeing Jesus had a similar response as her sister, Martha. She had regret that Jesus was not there, that he just sadly was not there when her brother was sick because she knows, as her sister does, that he could have saved him. I don't think that she is blaming Him here. It is simply just mournful regret.

She is saddened that things transpired the way they did, knowing that under different circumstances it could have been different. Something bad happens and you think, man, if only this happened or this happened or this person was here and this person didn't do this and this and this and this.

We see how Jesus is moved by her and the others that are grieved. We see that He is saddened. Why is this the case? He knows exactly what he's about to do. He knows he's about to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knows those tears are going to vanish and be replaced with joy. Why is He sad? It's because He's empathetic. He understands us.

He's human just as much as He is God. When you see people sad, when you see people mourning, it should move you. It should make you sad. Others' tears, tears are in a way contagious. Their sadness moved Him despite Him knowing that He was going to raise him. That Lazarus was going to be raised from the dead. They were sad.

In Hebrews 4:15 it says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin.”

When picking leaders and picking people to represent us in Congress, the presidency, or this or that, we want them to be able to relate to us. We want them to be able to understand our position, to understand where we're coming from, to understand our thought process and view on things. It is the same way with Jesus. Jesus came to earth, and we can be reassured that we do not have a God who does not understand us, that does not understand our plight and our struggle with sin.

He is very much aware of it. He lived it. He was tempted in the same way we are tempted, in every way that we are tempted. Yet, unlike us, he did not fall short. Unlike us, he did not give in to the temptation. He kept his glory. He stayed strong, and he never sinned. He never fell like we have, like all of us have, like Adam and Eve did, like David did. Unlike every other human, he alone did not sin. Yet, he understands us because he was tempted.

We do not have a God who does not understand us. We have a God who has lived with us, who has lived for us, and we can be reassured that he understands us better than we understand ourselves.

In verses 36 through 37, it says, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”  Some of the Jews understood what was going on, but others showed their arrogance and ego. They questioned the Lord and cast doubts on Him.

When I read this, I think about the lawyer who was questioning Jesus in Luke 10:25 through 37. When he talks about the Good Samaritan, Jews were prideful and spiteful toward Jesus. It is no shock that when given the chance, some of them fully blamed Jesus for this man's death, instead of just being sad that things transpired as they did.

In verses 38 through 40, it says, ““Take away the stone”, he said. “But Lord”, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for four days””.

Jesus asks them to have faith and to trust in what he is doing. Oftentimes, He asks people if they believe Him, and He tells them all they need is faith.

Let's look at Matthew 14:30 through 31. It says, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me. Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said. Why did you doubt me?”

This was when Peter was walking out to the water, walking out to Jesus on the water, but fell when he became distracted by the storm around him. Jesus chastised his lack of faith and asked him why he doubts Him.

This parallels our life. Our lives are that storm on that sea. The storm is all around us. There is war, conflict, and destruction everywhere. There are so many things that can distract us from the Lord. If we keep our eyes on Him, we can continue to walk on the water and walk towards Him and continue to walk straight if we have faith. If we look at the storm around us, if we get caught up in its destruction, we will lose focus. We might let our faith waver. Jesus tells us to walk to him, to walk on that water. We must have faith and not let the storm distract us.

When Martha asked why they would open it, even though it would smell really bad, He asked them to have faith, to trust Him, to not let the odor distract them from Him.

In verses 41 through 42, it says, “So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.””

When going over these verses, one thing I saw, one from, I can't think of the name commentator, but they were saying that all the miracles Jesus performed asked for the message that he was sending or the idea that he was trying to convey at the time to show the power of the Lord and that Jesus is the son of God. He was not always granted what he has asked.

In Matthew 26:39, it says, “Going a little forward, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me, yet not as I will, but as you will.”

When Jesus performs a miracle, when Jesus does anything, it is to further the Lord's will. It is to further God's will as we should do. He knows that even if it will not benefit him, even if it will cause him pain and suffering it still needs to be done. When he calls upon God here, He is making sure that the people understand that he has approval, that God is with Him, that God is behind him and that He is the Lord, that He is the son of God.

“When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “take off the grave clothes and let him go””. Here this man is risen from the dead.

Many times Jesus had performed miracles. Many times he continued to perform miracles. Until His own resurrection, until he was raised from the dead, none were as great as this. He raised a man from the dead, shown all those there that not even death, something so infinite, something so definitive to where in a comic book, a fictional thing we make up, sometimes people put years of work into explaining resurrecting a character that doesn't exist. Even this cannot hold Him back. He has dominion even over death.

To follow him, we can expect that the Lord, that death will never truly hold us. While we may not be jumping out of our graves, we will be born anew and find life in God.

In John 14:6, it says, “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”

In Him we can find everlasting life, not in this physical world, not with this grass, not with these houses, not with this wood, not with this, but with the Lord, with Him, with God, in heaven for eternity.

With that in mind, I ask if you have not been baptized for the remission of your sins, if you have not repented and turned back to God and followed him and been faithful, why wait? Death is waiting around the corner at any time. Jesus may be a four days travel away and He may not resurrect you. Death can come at any point. Do not wait for it.

Thank you.