Chardon church of Christ

The Tough Choices in Life

The Tough Choices in Life  
1 Corinthians 3: 11 – 14

I remember the time I put a password on my system to keep out a colleague who was a practical jokester. He said sorry and vowed to be good and asked for the password. I was a little upset and busy and replied don't open it. The whole day he tried a number of times with various combinations and finally gave up. Later, he really needed to use my system and begged me for the password. I replied "Dontopenit, is the password, without space." Oh the look on his face!

INTRODUCTION: A. Several years ago, there was a news story about a man named Don Wyman. He was muscular and worked for a mining company.
One day about 4:00 p.m. he was alone in a forest cutting down a tree when the tree snapped back in his direction and knocked him to the ground.
The massive oak landed on his left shin – shattering his bone and ripping his flesh.
He tried to free himself, using his chainsaw to no avail. He did everything he could think of, but still he couldn’t get free.
He realized that unless he got help soon he was going to bleed to death. He knew it would be hours before someone might figure something had gone wrong and come looking for him. So he made a courageous decision.

Pulling the starter cord from his chain saw he tied a tourniquet to his leg, shutting off the blood flow to his shin. Then somehow, with his pocket-knife, he proceeded to amputate his lower leg, just below the knee.
Now, on one leg, he had to find help. He crawled 135 feet uphill to his bulldozer, climbed in, started it up and drove that extremely slow machine 1/4 mile to his pickup truck.
The truck was a stick shift and he had to use a metal rod to depress the clutch when he shifted. He drove a mile and a half and came upon a dairy farm where someone called an ambulance.

1. Don Wyman survived the ordeal.
--But only because he realized that being pinned like that under that oak tree, to keep his leg might cost him his life.
2. So he had a decision to make.
--And he chose to live.

throughout the entire Bible –there is an invitation to choose to be wise or to choose to be foolish
a. The book of Proverbs is almost entirely devoted to the comparison between the wise person and the foolish person
b. Moses – Dt. 30:19-20a – “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.”

c. Joshua – Josh. 24:14-15 – “’Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.’”

d. Jeremiah – “"Furthermore, tell the people, ’This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.”
--God was saying, “You get to choose which way you will go.”
3. Everyday we’re faced with decisions --Will we be wise or will we be foolish?

4. Jesus gives us three important questions to ask ourselves to ensure that we are following the way of the wise and not the way of the fool
I. WHICH PATH ARE YOU TRAVELING ON?
--Mt. 7:13-14 – “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
A. The foolish person says, “There are no boundaries.”
1. The world thinks total freedom with no restrictions is the goal.

2. Prov. 14:12 – “There is a way that seems right to man but in the end it leads to death .”
B. The wise person says, “The Road is narrow.”

1. Prov. 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
2. There’s a reason Jesus says, “Narrow is the path.” --He knows this route provides the most fulfillment.

C. Comparing the two ways:
1. The broad way
a. The broad way is kind of like an Interstate highway
1). It’s easy to get on
2). You can travel very fast
3). You can be enticed by the many billboards along the way
4). You can quickly exit the highway, partake in whatever pleasure without accountability, and get right back on again.

b. The narrow road is more like a winding rural road
1). It’s not easy to find and therefore not easy to get on
2). You have to be careful how you travel
3). It is very restrictive
4). The word translated “narrow” is from the Greek word for “tribulation” which usually means persecution
5). You have to leave your baggage behind
D. The wise person realizes that the way to life is very narrow as taught in the Bible:
1. Jn 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

2. 1 Tim. 2:5 – “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..”

E. Pursuing the narrow path is an ongoing decision.
1. There is the one time we decide to follow Christ, but we must continue daily to make wise decisions in order to stay on that road.
2. To head on the pathway to hell requires that you do absolutely nothing: simply follow the crowd.

II. WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
--Mt. 7:15-22 – “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

1 Thess. 5:21-22 – “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”
B. The wise person says, “There’s a difference between truth and falsehood.”
2. Jesus is condemning more than just false teaching; He is discouraging false behavior, impure motives, and inconsistent actions.

C. Jesus points to “fruit” as the essential method for discerning what is false and what is true.
1. In Israel the buckthorn plant produced little, black berries that could, initially be mistaken for grapes. There was also a thistle that produced a flower similar to the fig. --So the idea of carefully examining the fruit of a plant was a familiar one to Jesus’ listeners.

2. So, how do we tell between a false teacher and a true one?
a. We should pay attention to the manner of living a teacher shows.
--Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live?

b. We should pay attention to the content of their teaching.
--Is it true fruit from God’s Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?

c. We should pay attention to the effect of their teaching.
--Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?

D. Along with false teachers, there are false disciples

“Counterfeit Christians, like counterfeit twenty-dollar bills, are not easily detected. It takes a trained, discerning eye.”
--Sadly, the difference between genuine and counterfeit is always subtle, never obvious.

2. Let’s say I went to a local store with a twenty-dollar bill that was printed on yellow paper, had my wife’s picture on it, and was shaped in a funny way. Would they take it?
However, if a gave them a crisp, perfectly shaped, green piece of paper with what looked like the right ink and right background, and had a very distinguished picture of Andrew Jackson on it, I would have a much better chance at deceiving the clerk.

3. In comparison to money, counterfeit believers are a lot harder to spot.
a. They can mouth the right words or even do the right things but that’s religion
b. Jesus calls us to a consistent path, walked daily and regularly, marked by a radical change --That’s relationship

III. WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING ON?
--Mt. 7:24-27 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

A. The foolish person says, “I plan for the temporary.”
1. Christ continues throughout the Sermon on the Mount to get people to think long term.
2. As Paul put it, Gal. 6:7-8 – “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

B. The wise person says, “I plan for eternity.”
1. Who is the individual who plans for eternity?
-- There is a qualifier, Jesus says: “The one who puts these words of mine into practice.”

2. James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
C. Notice the similarities between the builders:
1. Both are builders
2. Both are building houses
3. Both have similar life situations – they both go through storms
--It’s THE STORM that proves the difference

a. We have to understand that we’re all building something.
b. And what we build will be tested.
--1 Cor. 3:11-14 – “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.

It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
D. The important thing is the differences between the two builders
1. Two different kinds of people --they build on two different kinds of foundations
a. The first hears the Word and then builds upon it
b. The second hears the Word but chooses to ignore it

2. Two different outcomes
a. One house stands firm
b. The other is completely destroyed.

3. This parable is the inspiration for that great old gospel song:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

E. Two different underlying principles
1. If you’re only hearing and reading the truth, you’re not prepared for life’s storms
2. If your foundation is sure, no storm will cause your life to collapse.
3. Jesus didn’t preach this message so it would sound nice or so that we could sit around and discuss it.He preached it so that we could act on it.
--He emphasized obedience

CONCLUSION:
Anything that is extremely valuable will be counterfeited. Fake gems have been around for thousands of years, but as the technology for making them has advanced, fakes are now harder to detect with the naked eye.
Gem buyers today must be aware of three types of gems that are made to look more valuable than they are.
1 – Synthetic gems are lab-grown stones that closely duplicate a natural gem’s physical and chemical properties.
2 – Simulated gems are also manmade. The color of a simulated stone may be similar to that of a natural gem, but it is very different physically and chemically. Cubic zirconia is a well-known diamond simulation.
3 – Enhanced gems are natural gems altered in some way to improve their look. Color can be enhanced through heat, radiation, oils and chemicals. Other methods used to imitate or enhance the value of stones are dyeing, waxing or smoking poor quality stones to make them look richer.
Experts advise buyers to verify a stone’s value with gem-testing labs, such as the Gemological Institute of America, before any sales are final. When paying big money for jewels, you want to be very careful about getting the genuine article.
It is the same with truth. We must ensure we are not falling for heresy.

--On that day you will stand alone before God
B. Every day you are building a foundation, based on which path you travel and to whom you listen.
2. The question is: Will you do it?

C. It’s time for you to make your choice:
1. Have I chosen the right gate?
2. Am I traveling the right road?
3. Does my tree bear the right fruit?
4. Am I following those who teach the truth?
5. Is my faith being demonstrated in what I do?
6. Do I truly know God and am I following the teachings of the New Testament.

The Man Who Only Had Two Things - Everything & Nothing

The Man Who Only Had Two Things: Everything & Nothing  
Mark 10:17-31

Have you ever left home and had a funny feeling you have forgotten something? You don’t know what it was, but you just had this nagging feeling. A man said every time his family drove off for a vacation, his mom would say, “Honey, we’ve got to go back home, I think I left the iron turned on. I don’t want the house to burn down.” His dad would turn around and they would go back and check and the iron would be turned off. This continued for several trips. Finally on one trip, when she told her husband to turn around and go check, he didn’t say a word. He pulled the car over to the shoulder, got out and opened the trunk and handed her the iron.
Our passage today introduces us to a young man searching for something. He’s often called the Rich Young Ruler. Matthew tells us he was a young man; Luke describes him as a ruler, or what we would call an aristocrat. And Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us he was rich. He was a man who had two things, EVERYTHING AND NOTHING. He was wealthy and successful, but he turned away from Jesus with nothing. He was searching for something more in life.
Millions of people are searching for something they really can’t even put their finger on what it is they’re searching for. In 1987 Bono and the Irish rock group U2 recorded a song about this universal search. Bono sang: “I have run; I have crawled; I have scaled these city walls; Only to be with you. But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” He even ends the song referring to Jesus. “You broke the bonds; And you loosed the chains; Carried the cross of my shame; Oh my shame, you know I believe it. But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”
Two thousand years ago, there was a young, wealthy, successful leader who came to Jesus looking for something.
Mark 10:17-31. As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
We don’t know this young man’s name, but since we’re going to be talking about him, let’s give him the name Ben. Ben did so many things right. He came at the right time. He was young.
He came to the right person, Jesus. He came with the right energy—he was running. He came with the right attitude, he knelt before Jesus.
He came with the right question: How can I have eternal life? What a contrast! Ben came running, smiling, full of hope, but he walked away full of sorrow, dragging his feet with his only hope in his wealth. As we examine this amazing encounter, let’s look at five episodes and five life lessons.
1. A STRANGE CONVERSATION: “Keep the commandments!”
So, what’s wrong with this picture? Why would Jesus tell someone to keep the commandments to find eternal life? We all know that nobody will ever make it into God’s Kingdom by obeying rules and regulations. What was Jesus doing?
Every Jew knew the Ten Commandments by heart. They knew them as well as any of us could count from one to ten. The Ten Commandments were divided into two sections, or two tables. The first four commandments have to do with a relationship with God.
We should have no other Gods,
we shouldn’t make and worship idols,
we should never take God’s name in vain,
and we should remember the Sabbath Day.
The second table contained six commandments about how we relate to one another. This is the table that Jesus quoted.
But he intentionally omitted one of the Ten Commandments. You might not have caught it, because you may not have them all memorized. What if I said I am going to count to ten and I say, “One, two, four, five, six...?” You’re going to say, “Hey, you skipped the number three.”
Jesus left out one; did anyone catch which one He omitted? Let’s go through them. He didn’t give them in order, but let’s check them off. He said, “Do not murder.” Check.
“Don’t commit adultery.” Check. “Don’t steal.” Check.
“Don’t bear false witness or defraud” Check.
“Honor your Father and your Mother.” Check. Which one did Jesus leave off intentionally? “Do not covet.”
That means a desire to have more and more stuff. Jesus knew this was Ben’s problem. Ben smiled and said, “I have kept all these since I was a boy!” Jesus said, “There’s one thing you lack.” You see, this Ben already had a “god” in his life. His god was gold and his creed was greed. And there is only room for one God on the throne of your life.
LIFE LESSON: Jesus will probe your heart to expose any competing gods
Jesus wanted to point out that Ben had a problem with greed and covetousness, but He didn’t just come out and say it. He kept probing until Ben saw the problem himself.
I have a friend who recently went to the doctor not knowing he had appendicitis. He complained of hurting all over his torso. The doctor had him lie down and started probing. When he gently touched the area of the appendix, my friend said he almost flew off the table. That’s what Jesus does for us. He keeps probing to show us where we have other gods in our lives.
The Holy Spirit is working on you right now, gently probing. What is that thing, or that person, or that activity that has become more important to you than the true and living God?
2. SHOCKING ADVICE: “Sell all you have and give it to the poor, and follow me”
Jesus said there was only one thing Ben was lacking. This one verse has caused more confusion and dismay that perhaps any verse in the Bible.
Multitudes read it and thought, “I want to obey God. So, should I go and sell everything I have, give it to the poor, and a vow of poverty, and follow Jesus?”
Here’s the short answer. You don’t need to sell all your riches unless your riches have become the god of your life. Ben is the only person to whom Jesus ever spoke those words. Nicodmeus was wealthy. Joseph of Arimathea was wealthy, but Jesus never told them to sell all their possessions because Jesus knew their possessions didn’t possess them.
LIFE LESSON: Jesus provides a personal solution to remove any competing gods
Jesus looked into Ben’s heart and saw that money was his god. And Ben wanted more and more; that’s what it means to covet. So, Jesus was simply giving Ben a solution to get rid of that false God.
And notice Jesus said, “You aren’t losing your treasure, by giving it to the poor, you are laying up treasures in heaven. You’re just transferring your wealth.”
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warned there is only room for one God in our lives. He said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24)
Jesus designs a different solution for each person. In Luke 10 a lawyer came to Jesus asking the same thing, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus didn’t say, “Sell all you have and give to the poor,” because He knew this man’s problem was pride.
Jesus asked him what the greatest commandments were. The lawyer said, “Love the Lord your God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said, “That’s correct.” The lawyer was looking for a loophole. He said, “But who is my neighbor?”
He wanted Jesus to say, “All your Jewish brothers and sisters.” But instead Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan,a half-breed. Jesus saw this man’s god was pride, so he said, “Love your neighbor, even your Gentile neighbors.”
In John 4 Jesus was talking to a Samaritan woman at a well. She asked for some living water. Jesus didn’t say, “Go sell all you have and give to the poor.” He didn’t say, “Love your neighbor.” That was her problem, she was loving too many of her neighbors!
He said, “Go call your husband.” She said, “Well, I don’t have a husband.” Jesus said, “That is correct. You’ve had five husbands and the one you’re living with now isn’t your husband.” Jesus was pointing out that she already had a god in her life, lust, and the unhealthy desire for acceptance by a man.
If you have a competing god ruling your life, Jesus will give you a unique word to replace that god with the true and Living God.
3. THE PERSONAL CHOICE: “The young rich ruler went away sad, because he had great wealth”
Mark is the only one who gives us the tiny detail that Jesus looked at the young man and loved him. We know that God loves the world. We know that Jesus loves everyone. But don’t forget that Jesus loves individuals. He looks at you and loves you. He looks at me and loves me. Jesus really did want Ben to make the right choice.
There’s a painting by the German artist Heinrich Hoffman. In this frozen scene, Hoffman captured the divine drama of the moment. The Rich Young Ruler is seen wearing his fancy clothes and hat. Jesus is inviting him to give his money to the poor people in the background and then to follow Him. The Rich Young Ruler looks down as he ponders the most important decision he would ever make.
Give away all his money and follow Jesus? But he has so much! And in that moment he sadly shakes his head and says, “No.
The price is too high.” And he walked away.
Not all stories end, “and they lived happily ever after.” He was a man with only two things: EVERYTHING & NOTHING.
LIFE LESSON: Jesus offers eternal life, but He won’t force you to follow Him
Someone wrote, “The saddest words of tongue or pen, are these four words, ‘What might have been.’”
God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful. But there is one area of the universe where He has voluntarily restricted His omnipotence; it’s in the area of your will. God won’t FORCE you to accept his gift of eternal life.
4. THE CAMEL JOKE: “A camel could squeeze through a needle’s eye easier than a rich person could get into heaven”
Have you heard the one about the camel? Stop me if you’ve heard it. Jesus employed overemphasis and humor to teach a powerful point. Jewish humor was based upon impossible, ridiculous images. Jesus used the largest animal in Israel, a camel, and the smallest manmade opening and talked about the impossibility of trying to get a camel through that.
Jesus was partial to camel jokes. In Matthew 23 He used a pun to describe the Pharisees. He said, “You guys strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.”
It’s like the cross-eyed schoolteacher who got fired because she couldn’t keep her pupils straight.
So what was the point of the camel joke? Jesus was pointing out that it is impossible for wealthy people to enter God’s kingdom. One of the reasons is because people with wealth tend to trust their own wealth.
The point Jesus is making is that it is impossible for anyone to gain salvation through his or her own merit. Ben trusted his wealth. What are you trusting today? Is there a competing God in your life?
We all must come to Jesus the same way. Bill Gates needs to come to Jesus the same way a dirty homeless man would come to Jesus. He would have to acknowledge his complete and utter need and come as a guilty sinner and receive the gift of life from Jesus. It doesn’t matter who you are. You can be a rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief; doctor, lawyer, Native American tribal leader. There’s only one way—and that’s Jesus. That leads to our final observation:
5. THE GOOD NEWS: “All things are possible with God”
The disciples were under the impression that rich people were blessed by God, so after they heard the camel joke they turned to Jesus in amazement. They asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered with a profound truth: With men it is impossible [salvation]; but all things are possible with God.”
God specializes in miracles. When Moses had the RED SEA in front of him and an army chasing him, he faced an impossible situation, but God specializes in the impossible—and He made a twelve-lane expressway in the middle of the SEA.
When little David faced a nine-foot monster with only a slingshot, victory was impossible by human standards. But the God of the impossible directed the stone to strike Goliath right between the eyes, then David used Goliath’s own sword to decapitate his fallen foe. He showed everyone there he was someone who knew how to get ahead!
When Gabriel visited a teenager named Mary he announced she would give birth to a son who would be the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Mary said, “How can this be, since I’m a virgin?” Gabriel said, “Nothing is impossible for God.” (Luke 1:37)
It’s impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, but it’s a miracle when God takes a person through the door of salvation.
LIFE LESSON: Eternal life can’t be earned or bought; it’s a gift from God
Ben walked away singing that U2 chorus, “But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” Have you found life?
The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life IN Christ Jesus our Lord.”
CONCLUSION
Someone was once asked “Have you ever asked God for forgiveness?”
That individual relied, “I’m not sure I have. I just go on and try do a better job the next time. If I do something wrong, I just try to make it right. I don’t bring God into the picture.”
It’s not about bringing God into the picture; He is the picture. He’s the artist of the picture that is life and the universe. And there is only one way you can approach God and that is with humility and the admission that you are lost without His forgiveness.
Theoretically, there are three ways to get to heaven.
Notice I said, “Theoretically.” Number 1, you can die before you reach the age of accountability.
Two, you can live a perfect life: Never once commit a sin of thought, attitude, or action. Anybody qualify?
Or Third, you can fall on your knees and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to make you a new person.
Ben had so much, but he ended up with nothing but the god of wealth in his life. There may be someone here today who as a competing god ruling your life.
You may think you have everything you want or need. But if you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have anything. Jesus is looking at you today and He loves you.
He looks into your heart and says, “Get rid of all those idols, and follow me. I can give you a life that is really worth living.” Will you trust Him?

 

Sermon Contributor : David Dykes

Truth Be Told

Truth Be Told  
1 John 2:5

A wealthy businessman lay on his deathbed. His preacher came to visit and talked about God’s healing power and prayed for his parishioner. When the preacher was done, the businessman said, “Preacher, if God heals me, I’ll give the church a million dollars.” Miraculously, the businessman got better and within a few short weeks was out of the hospital.

Several months later, the preacher bumped into this businessman on the sidewalk and said, “You know, when you were in the hospital dying, you promised to give them church a million dollars if you got well. We haven’t received it as of yet.”
The businessman replied, “Did I say that? I guess that goes to show how sick I really was!”

1 John 2:5 But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
A few years back two guys interviewed thousands of people, and they published their findings in a book called The Day America Told the Truth. Of those surveyed,
91% said that they lie on a regular basis.
86% said they lie to their parents regularly,
75% said they lie to their friends,
68% said they lie to their spouses.
50% said they regularly called in to work sick when they weren’t
Doug Sherman and William Hendricks, compared the ethics of Christian and non-Christian adults. They found that almost as many Christians steal from work as non-Christians,
almost as many Christians use company phones for personal long distance ...as non-Christians.
And they found that Christians are just as likely to falsify our income taxes, and commit plagiarism, and give bribes to obtain a building permit, and ignore construction specs, and illegally copy computer programs, and steal time from work, and exaggerate our products, and selectively obey the law.
Matthew 5:33-37 – “33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

--This passage reveals some important reasons why we must live truthfully: First, dishonesty undermines our relationships
When we lie and don’t keep our promises it destroys trust and trust is what healthy relationships are built upon
Honesty helps us grow in our relationships with Christ and with others
--Eph. 4:15 – Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Second, dishonesty is contrary to the character of God
God is a commitment-keeper
--Num. 23:19 – God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Satan, however, is the father of lies

--John. 8:44b – He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
There is a saying you may have heard... “Don’t fudge now.”
The slang term “fudge” in reference to stretching the truth comes from a sea captain named Fudge He became notorious for telling all kinds of lies, tall tales and exaggerations about his improbable adventures at sea.

It was said of this Captain Fudge that he “always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies.”
By the mid-1800’s the expression “no fudging” was being used in America by children to discourage friends from cheating at marbles.
--For anyone who grew up playing marbles ... I guess that’s where one would have learned the phrase.
One thing that both of my parents stressed when I was growing up: Always tell the truth
--If I did something wrong and then lied about it, I was in “double trouble” but if I told the truth, the discipline wasn’t as bad as when I ‘fessed up to what I’d done.
Being a follower of Christ means a commitment to truth
--We need to be people of our word
You want to be known as someone who keeps your promises no matter what
However, there are some common justifications that most of us give for breaking promises
I didn’t think it was all that important
I thought I might be able to keep the promise
It seemed the right thing to do at the time
I want to challenge you in three areas this evening:
1st ) KEEP YOUR PROMISES...EVEN WHEN THEY SEEM INSIGNIFICANT

When you start to justify a little dishonesty because it seems insignificant, be careful because you’re one step closer to doing what you never thought you would do
The little areas test our integrity
God takes stretching the truth very seriously
Every time a casual commitment is broken, an incremental amount of damage is done
How many of you are familiar with these common “lies”?
Honest, I only need 5 minutes of your time
Your table will be ready in just a few minutes
The check is in the mail
I will get to that 1st thing in the morning ...
If elected, I promise...
-- A busload of politicians were headed to a convention but because of highway construction, they had to take a detour down a rural road. The driver was having problems with this windy,
country lane and lost control of the bus. It ran off the road and crashed into a tree in an old farmer’s field.

The old farmer was driving to town when he noticed that that there was a gaping hole in his fence. He went to investigate and saw what had happened. He went back to his truck, got a
shovel, and buried all the politicians.
Since the politicians never arrived at their destination, a state trooper was dispatched to locate them. He backtracked their route, followed the country road, saw the wrecked bus in the field, and looked up the old farmer that owned the property. The trooper asked the farmer where the politicians had gone. The farmer informed the trooper that he’d buried all of them.

The trooper said, “Didn’t you call the coroner? After all, not all of them might have been dead.” The old farmer replied, “Well, some of them kept sayin’ they weren’t but you know how them politicians lie!”
We might be very familiar with those lies but there are other lies that destroy our integrity:
There are several ways we can be careless with the truth on a daily basis because we don’t see it as a big deal
We lie to cover up our mistakes
We exaggerate
We mislead
We give false flattery
We deceive or cheat
Rodney Buchanan, a preacher in Mt. Vernon, OH: “Who has not been startled to hear yourself say something that is an exaggeration without even thinking about it. It is not that you began the conversation with the intention of saying something that was not quite true, but before you knew it you found yourself embellishing a story.
Are you honest about your age?
Have you been thoroughly honest with your taxes?
Have you ever been dishonest about the time you claimed you worked,
or not given an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage?
Have you ever cheated on a test?
Have you ever lied to get out of trouble?
Have you ever complimented someone when you didn’t mean it?
Have you ever kept silent when you should have told the truth?
Made yourself appear better than you are?
Lied to gain an advantage or get your way?
Misled someone to save face?”
Eph. 4:25 – Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor...
2nd ) KEEP YOUR PROMISES...EVEN WHEN YOU REGRET MAKING THEM
Maybe you regret making a promise because things didn’t turn out the way you had hoped
Maybe when you made the promise, you’d hoped that you would have:
More time
More money
More knowledge
More energy
More whatever (you fill in the blank)
Maybe you made a promise to do something because you thought you’d get something in return:
money, favors, popularity, position
--Now it looks like you’re going to have to do what you promised and not get anything.
Some people think that if they don’t commit to anything, it’s easier to get out of the obligations and responsibilities implied
However, there are times when we have to make commitments
We have to promise to do certain things whether we like it or not
It’s our commitments that define who we are
We can make promises that we don’t like but fulfill them in ways that show integrity and fortify our witness for Christ
-- Once there were two brothers who were very rich and very wicked. Both of them lived lives of sinfulness and corruption and used their wealth to cover up a lot of their wickedness. Both were
members of a local church and used their money to be in positions of influence.

The old preacher at this church had retired and a new preacher had been hired. This preacher was a man who preached the gospel with zeal and courage and lived an exemplary life. The
congregation began to grow at such a rapid rate that they needed to build a new church building.

At this same time, one of the brothers got sick and died. The new preacher was asked to do the funeral. The day before the funeral service, the surviving brother pulled the preacher aside and
handed him an envelope. He said, “There’s a check in this envelope that is large enough to pay off the new building. All I want you to do is tell all the people at the funeral tomorrow that my brother was a saint. Do you think you can handle that?” The preacher shook the brother’s hand and said, “I will do precisely what you have asked.”
The preacher immediately took the check to the bank and
deposited it to the church’s account.
The next day, the preacher stood in front of the large group of people who had come to the funeral and said, “This man in the coffin was an ungodly sinner and wicked to the core. He was
unfaithful to his wife and abusive to his children.
He was ruthless in business and a hypocrite in
the church. But compared to his brother, he was a saint!”
C. Maybe you regret making a promise because keeping your word ends up costing you more than you expected

Ps. 15:4 describes a righteous person as one “who keeps his oath even when it hurts.”
--Maybe things have not turned out the way you had hoped, but you keep your commitment anyway
There is a story told of a young minister and the suffering he endured because he kept a promise he had made to a buddy during World War I.

This friend was worried about the care of his wife and small daughter if he should be killed in battle, so the minister assured him that if that were to happen he would look after them.
As the war dragged on, the man was killed. True to his word, the minister took care of his friend’s family.
Yet no matter how helpful he tried to be, the woman was ungrateful, rude, arrogant, and domineering. Through it all, the minister kept forgiving her. He refused to let her actions become an excuse to renege on his promise.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus follows His section on divorce with the challenge to keep your promises
--We seem to have a problem with that in our nation
We promise to love, honor, and cherish in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, until death do us part
Yet, almost 50% of all marriages in the United States end in divorce

For some reason, we have trouble keeping those wedding vows
-- Sometimes promises are tough to keep but we need to keep them to the best of our ability.
Another problem is that we have trouble keeping our promises to Jesus
a. We stand in front of a group of people and proclaim: “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The civic club meetings become more important than fellowship with the Body of Christ
Watching TV or going to sporting events becomes more important than studying the word of God
Talking to friends or business colleagues becomes more important than spending time in prayer
Our business becomes more important than God’s business
Dr. Seuss, in Horton Hatches an Egg, tells the story of an elephant, named Horton, who promises to sit on an egg and hatch it for it’s mother, lazy Miss Mayzie. As the days and weeks go by, Horton just keeps sitting there on that nest up in a tree. All his friends encourage him to forget his promise and play with them.
Do you remember his response? “I meant what I said, I said what I meant. An elephant is faithful, 100%.”
What could God do with a congregation that had that commitment?
3rd) KEEP YOUR PROMISES...EVEN WHEN YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS
When you can keep a promise to yourself, you will tell the truth to others
Promises to ourselves are sometimes the hardest ones to keep
There is no accountability and seemingly no consequences
Once you start breaking promises to yourself, it becomes much easier to break a promise to others
Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 5 that whenever we make a promise we do so in the presence of God

When we break a promise, we’re not just lying to others or ourselves
--We’re also lying to God
Back in Jesus’ day, the Pharisees had developed elaborate rules governing when a man was bound by his word and when he was not.
If I swear by Jerusalem, I am bound by my words. If I swear towards Jerusalem I’m not bound.
Any promise I make using God’s name binds me, but if I can avoid using God’s name when I
make a promise, maybe I don’t have to keep my word, they thought.
--So they began to swear by anything that sounded like it might mean something
c. In fact a whole book of their law-code dealt with making vows and promises – which ones you had to keep, and which ones you didn’t.
We have similar oaths to swear we’re telling the truth:
Cross my heart and hope to die (stick a needle in my eye)
--Oops, sorry. I had my fingers crossed
I swear on a stack of Bibles
If I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’!
May lightening strike me if I’m not telling the truth
I swear by my mother’s grave....
With God as my witness...
Some people try to reason by saying , “If you know you’re lying, and the Lord knows you’re lying, it’s the same as telling the truth.”
Jesus said in Matthew 5: 34-35 – “But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.”
What Jesus is wanting is truthfulness. all the way around
If you’re one of God’s people, then whatever you do reflects on God
Someone once said: “However hard you try, Jesus said, you cannot avoid some reference to God, for the whole world is God’s world and you cannot eliminate him from
any of it.”
God takes lying very seriously
Prov. 12:22 – The Lord hates liars, but is pleased with those who keep their word.

Rev. 21:8 – But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
C. How do I get better at keeping my promises?
1. Admit your struggle
--At one time or another, we’ve all struggled with the truth. Sometimes it’s just easier to fib
The down side is that our culture despises dishonesty coming from people who claim to be
Christians
--We can do some terrible damage to our witness and even the cause of Christ when we’re not
people of our word.
People are looking for authenticity wherever they can find it.
Admit that truthfulness can be a struggle
--But recognize that Jesus says, “No matter what, tell the truth!”
Monitor your promises
Reliability builds credibility
--Can other people count on you to follow through and do what you say you will do?
Do you ever say, “I’ll pray for you,” just because it sound like the right thing to say?
--Do you ever actually pray for that person?
What about in business?
--Is what you advertise what you deliver?
The Message paraphrase of our text is don’t say anything you don’t mean.
This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of moral talk, saying, ’I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ’God be with you,’ and not meaning it.
You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious
lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true.
Just say ’yes’ and ’no.’
When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.”
Just say, “yes” and “no.”
It sounds simple enough. And yet we know speaking the truth is anything but simple.
Examine your motives
--Why am I making this promise? What do I really want?
Do I want success at the cost of relationships?
Do I want acceptance, even if it means being less than truthful?
“The test of character comes when being truthful endangers what you want.”
Living an honest life, keeping our promises can be difficult
Did you know that several of the Bible’s greatest “heroes of the faith” were liars?
Abraham lied to the Egyptian Pharaoh saying that his wife Sarah was actually his sister.

Jacob lied to his father Isaac saying that he was actually his brother Esau, so he could receive the blessing meant for the eldest son.

Peter lied to the servants and soldiers surrounding the fire outside the trial room where Jesus-Peter’s friend, teacher and Lord-was being tried, convicted and sentenced to the cross, saying, “I tell you I never knew the man!”
However, the Holy Spirit can work miracles and change a liar into a person of integrity

Abraham came to a point and place in his life when he was able to trust God for everything, even the life of his beloved son Isaac.
Jacob, after a night of wrestling with God, was able to trust God with everything he had, and so he returned to face his brother Esau whom he had cheated and betrayed.

Peter was able to trust God before the same crowd that had called for Jesus’ crucifixion when he stood up at Pentecost to proclaim the same name he had denied a mere 50 days before.
Jesus faced the gut-wrenching choice of keeping a costly promise.
God had been promising for thousands of years to send His Son to save the world through His death and resurrection.

But when the moment of truth came in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus felt the weight of the difficulty of keeping this promise.
In fact, He asked His Father, “If there is any other way, please let this cup pass from me.”
--Jesus knows what it’s like to face a promise you don’t want to keep
But in that moment of truth, when He realized there was no other way to save us, Jesus became the ultimate promise-keeper.

--Jesus kept His word to die in our place, to absorb all of our sin,
so that we could live and be forgiven and be reconciled to the Father.

Showing Your Better Side

Showing Your Better Side  

Luke 6:31  and  Matthew 7:12

 INTRODUCTION: A truck driver is sitting in a crowded roadside diner ready to eat his lunch. It’s not just ANY diner and ANY lunch.
It’s his FAVORITE diner on the road and his FAVORITE lunch.
Just as the waitress brings the truck driver’s meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans to his table, a motorcycle gang swaggers in the door.
Most of them seat themselves at the table next to the truck driver but there’s not room at that table for all of them. The gang members left standing turn to the truck driver and bark, “Move! We want that table!”
The truck driver calmly says, “I haven’t finished my meal.”
One of the motorcycle toughs takes his dirty finger, swipes it through the mashed potatoes and gravy, sticks his finger in his mouth and says, “Hey, not bad grub.” Another gang member takes the trucker’s cup of coffee and slowly pours it over the remaining food on the plate and snarls, “You’re finished now!”
The trucker stands, takes his napkin, wipes his mouth, walks to the cash register,
pays for his meal, and silently walks out the door. All the bikers are laughing now.
One of them says, “Ain’t much of a man, is he?”
The waitress says, “And he’s not much of a truck driver, either. He just backed his rig over your motorcycles.”
How do you react to people who make life difficult for you?
We all encounter people who are hard to live with.
--How do you treat the “jerks” in your life?
We have some direct instruction on this particular issue
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus raised the bar for those who followed Him.
a. Don’t resist an evil person.
b. Don’t try to get even.
c. Turn the other cheek.
Jesus taught His followers that they should respond differently than the world and counter to their own carnal instincts.
--You have to admit the teachings of Jesus in this section are very tough to keep
unless we are energized by the power of the Holy Spirit within.
Preachers have stated that Jesus’ words recorded in
Matt. 5:38-48, are in contrast to how his audience lived their lives and certainly what they expected to hear.
Nevertheless, His words are wise and His way is right. If we will only give them a chance, we will discover how true and – yes, once again – how simple His advice really is.”
The key to understanding this section of the Sermon on the Mount is that Jesus’ words have to be interpreted in light of other Scripture.

--God’s Word does not contradict itself. Rather, it is the best interpreter of itself.
With this principle in mind, let’s look at this section that talks about how we treat people who are difficult to live with.
--Mt. 5:38-39 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

“An eye for an eye” was the Old Testament system of justice.
--It was the principle of exact retribution – mentioned in Deuteronomy 19:21.
It was meant to prevent crime, establish justice, and avoid overreaction.
prevent crime – by providing the knowledge of punishment before the crime occurs
establish justice – the prescription given was not for personal retribution but was designed to be administered by legal authorities such as judges and other governmental leaders
avoid overreaction – provided fair and reasonable punishment
By Jesus’ time it had been replaced by monetary penalties.
But Jesus raised the bar.
--He said, “I tell you, don’t resist an evil person.”
This needs to be taken in light of other scriptures
We’re admonished to resist evil in our society and to resist the devil

This command doesn’t apply to self-defense
Some groups use this particular scripture to say we should be pacifists and never fight back
However, the striking on the right cheek Jesus talks about is actually an insult

--Most people are right handed and you cannot strike someone on the right cheek with your right hand except with a backhand slap

I like the story of an Irishman who was a boxer but left the ring to become a preacher. He was setting up his tent in one particular town. Some of the local toughs began to jeer and sneer as the preacher set about his business.
Eventually, one of them came over and physically challenged the preacher to a fight. The preacher said, “So, you’d like to take a swing at me, would ya?” The local tough guy just sneered. So the preacher stuck out his jaw on the right side and said, “All right then, have at it.”

At that the local tough took a swing, connected his fist with the preacher’s jaw, and the preacher went down to a knee. The preacher stood up, shook his head to clear the cobwebs,
and turned his left jaw to his opponent and asked,
“Would ya like to try it again?”
The local tough takes another swing,
connects with the preacher’s jaw, and the preacher went down on his other knee.
Then the preacher stood up, took of his suit coat, rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, and said, “The Lord has not given me any more instruction.” As the local tough guy took his next swing, the preacher taught him a little bit about boxing and the nuances of endeavor he just encountered.
I’m not exactly sure that’s what Jesus was talking about
--I am sure that He meant that we would be more Christ-like if we absorb insults rather than always retaliating.
If all we ever did was to continually seek retribution from those who injure us with insults, we’d all be walking around blind and toothless
--Mt. 5:40 – 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
In Jesus’ day, there was a difference between the tunic and the cloak.

The tunic was the garment worn closest to the skin
The cloak was the outer garment that doubled at night as a blanket.
Exodus 22 teaches that every person had an absolute right to his cloak, since it was vital to existence.
It was not permissible to sue for another’s cloak and even if you did, the Mosaic Law required you to give it back before nightfall.
Jesus said if some adversary wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
If he’s that desperate, give up your basic rights.
Don’t demand your rights all the time.
That kind of thinking goes absolutely contrary to our gut instinct.
It’s inborn to protect yourself.
--Get even. Don’t let him get by with it.
Jesus is talking about civil matters.
He’s not saying that Christians should refuse to participate in the criminal justice system.
What Jesus is saying is don’t always insist on your rights
--There are four “rights” mentioned in commentary on this passage:
1). My “right” to dignity ... to be treated without insult
2). My “right” to comfort ... to cling to what pleases me
3). My “right” to privacy ... to do only what I prefer
4). My “right” to possessions ... to keep all I wish.
Jesus says that as His followers, we shouldn’t focus so much on our rights as our responsibilities as His subjects in the kingdom of God

Someone has paraphrased this passage to say: “If someone sues for the shirt off your back, gift-wrap your best coat and make a present of it.”
I read a story about a traveler, who between flights at an airport, bought a small package of cookies. She then sat down in the busy snack shop to glance over the newspaper. As she read she became increasingly aware of a rustling noise. Peeking over her newspaper, she was shocked to see a well-dressed gentleman sitting across from her, helping himself to her cookies. Half-angry and half-embarrassed, she reached over and gently slid the package closer to her as she took one out and began to munch on it.

A minute or so passed before she heard more rustling. The man had gotten another cookie! By now there was only one left in the package. Though beside herself, she didn’t want to make a scene so she said nothing.
Finally, as if to add insult to injury, the man broke the remaining cookie into two pieces,
pushed one piece across the table to her with a frown, gulped down his half and left without even saying thank you. She sat there dumbfounded. “Of all the nerve!”
Some time later when her flight was announced, the woman opened her handbag to get her ticket. To her shock, there in her purse was her package of unopened cookies. And somewhere in that airport was another traveler still trying to figure out how that strange woman could have been so forward and insensitive!
--But he didn’t insist on his right to eat the cookies he bought. He shared with someone who demanded that she eat them.
--Mt. 5:41 – 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
The word “forces” is a word that means, “press into service.”
There was a Roman law that gave their soldiers the right to force civilians into service for a period.
--You couldn’t refuse or you would be severely punished
But there were limitations.
--For example, a Roman soldier had a right to make you carry his pack for one mile, but not any further.
Jesus said, “If a soldier demands you carry his equipment for a mile go with him two miles.”
We all have people who have authority over us.
If they are infatuated with their power they can make life miserable.
The natural instinct is to find some way to resist.
But Jesus raised the standard, don’t just go a mile, go two miles.
It’s amazing how much better we feel about ourselves when we go the extra mile.
It’s amazing how quickly most relationships are smoothed over when we do more than expected.
What a testimony to the work of Christ in our life when we perform the extra-mile service with a smile instead of grumbling and complaining the whole time and stop at the exact mile marker.

You have several exemptions as a Christian.
1. First you are not to do anything unethical or illegal.
2. You have a right to confront and not just be run over

--Acts 22:25-29 – As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.” The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered. Then the commander said, “I had to pay a big price for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
--Mt. 5:42 – “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
We’re quick to point out that there’s a difference between Jesus’ day and ours.
In Jesus’ time people begged on the streets as their only means of survival.
But Jesus said, Give to those who ask, don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
--If we work hard to find a reason not to give, it’s probably because we want to follow our natural instincts rather than walking by the Spirit
There are some qualifiers to this command however.
You don’t give children everything they ask for.
We are not to loan to people at an excessive interest.
--If you know they can’t repay it, give them a gift with no expectation of repayment.
We are instructed not to give to a person who can work but refuses to work.

--2 Thess. 3:10 – For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
We shouldn’t give money to a person we’re sure will spend it on something destructive. (However, we can still help them)
-- example of man, wife and kids that came to the church building asking for money ... but when we offered to go with them to buy food for the kids they declined ... they were really only interested in money ... not feeding the kids!
Matthew 5:43-48 – 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Even the best of Christians are going to have some enemies.
Jesus said, “Beware when all men speak well of you.”
Gal. 5:11 says that the gospel is going to offend some people.
But not all of our enemies are because of the gospel
Rom. 12:18 – If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Some people are just mean, nasty, and hateful
--Not much you can do about it but be a good servant of Christ and to pray for them
Jesus said, treat your enemies with compassion.
Your instinct tells you to lash out and do to others before they do it to you.
On the contrary
--Rom. 12:20-21: “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.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
a). If an enemy refuses to speak to you, smile and speak anyway.
b). If an enemy cuts at you behind your back, you be positive in return.
c). If someone tries to hurt your reputation, you respond with kindness.
d). If an enemy tries to undermine your business, you find some way to help him.
Hate is such powerful thing.
--It destroys your life both inside and out.
Hate should not be a common thing in your life.
--We should hate evil. We should hate sin.
Loving an enemy means choosing to let our love OVERRIDE our feelings of disgust.
Granted we do not love our enemy the same way we love God, our spouse, our children, our fellow church members, or our friends, but we must love them..
When you show mercy and grace, you’ll remind people of your Father in heaven.
-- I came across a story about a burly platoon sergeant who had at one time lived a life of drinking, cursing, swearing, and sexual immorality. He could be arrogant and rude to his soldiers.
However, he had become Christian and turned his life around.
When asked about what made the difference, he told about a private in his platoon that was courageously Christian in his outlook and behavior.

This private was frequently harassed by other but was faithful to Christ.
One night the private came into the barracks quite late. It was a very rainy night. Before getting into his bunk, he knelt, as was his custom, to pray.
The sergeant in a foul mood picked up one of his own boots, which was heavy with wet mud, threw it across the room and hit the private in the side of the head. The private said nothing. He wiped the mud from his face and crawled into bed.

The next morning, however, when the sergeant woke up, he found his muddy boots cleaned and polished by his bedside.
The Sargent then stated : “It broke my heart.”
Jesus requires us to pray for those who behave like enemies toward us
Lk. 6:28 – “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Pray for you enemies.”
It has been said that: “Prayer is the forerunner of mercy. ”
We’re also told to forgive one another
--Eph. 4:31-5:2 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

CONCLUSION: Jesus Himself is the perfect example for us to follow.
1. He was arrested, roughed up, insulted by the police.
2. The authorities spat on Him, blindfolded Him, and slapped Him in the face.
3. Then the Roman soldiers mocked Him by crowning Him with thorns and putting a
purple robe on Him, and a weak reed in His hand as a make-believe scepter.
--They jeered at Him, “Hail King of the Jews!” Then they scourged Him.
Jesus had the power to strike them blind, to paralyze their hand, to choke them on their own spit, to condemn them to hell, but, with the divine dignity, He held His peace.

1 Pet. 2:23 – When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he
suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly”
Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them.”
--He didn’t return evil for evil, but He silently turned the other cheek. He did all that for you;
And, he asks you to follow in His steps.

Too Close For Comfort

Too Close For Comfort  
Genesis 19: 1 – 29

OPEN: Just like today, back in the 1690s Jamaica was an island paradise. Palm trees in the sand, tropical breezes, beautiful beaches. People of wealth sought it out then just like they do now. And many of them built huge mansions at a town called Port Royal.
Now, Port Royal wasn’t a “tourist trap.” It was a Pirate city - hailed as the “17th Century Sodom.” And those who lived back then knew it as one of the wickedest and most depraved cities on earth.
If you could think of something evil people would do... they did it. But then - in 1692 – God came down and brought judgement on Port Royal. In the space of less than 10 minutes, the thriving
sea port was shaken by 3 earthquakes (one of which at about 7.6 on the Richter scale) which was followed by a tsunami. Port Royal literally sank into the Caribbean, never to rise again.
An eyewitness described the scene: "The earth heaved and swelled like the rolling billows, and in many places the earth crack'd open, open'd and shut, with a motion quick and fast.
And in some of these places people were swallowed up, in others they were caught by the middle, and pressed to death. The entire event was filled with the noise of falling mountains at a distance, while the sky was turned dull and reddish, like a glowing oven"
Of the city’s population of approximately 6,500 people about 2,000 died in earthquakes and tsunami. Afterwards, lacking of shelter and clean water, nearly 3,000 more died of disease. The people of Jamaica were so shaken by what took place, and they were so convinced that it was God who’d destroyed the city that a religious revival swept through the island and they promptly outlawed piracy. To this day, many Jamaicans believe that Port Royal's destruction was the price exacted by an angry God for its sins.
They called it the 17th Century Sodom. Someone else referred to it as the Sodom of the West. Now, why would they do that? Why would they refer to this city as... Sodom?
Well they did that, because Port Royal’s sinfulness and destruction sounded a lot like the story of Sodom in the Bible. In the Bible, Sodom is synonymous with wickedness... and judgment.
The Prophet Isaiah wrote: “Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.” Isaiah 13:19
Jude 7 declared that: “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”
Peter agreed – in 2 Peter 2:6 we’re told “by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes (God) condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly”
And Jesus said that His coming would be like "the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” Luke 17:28-29
Sodom is mentioned 26 times outside of Genesis in Scripture. And it’s spoken of as a place that had existed and stood for God’s judgment.
But, did Sodom and Gomorrah actually exist? And were they actually destroyed as Genesis describes? For a long time skeptics would scoff and say “Nahhh, I don’t think so.”
But they don’t say that anymore. In late 1960s archaeologists found the ruins of a major city in the area called “Ebla.” Over 4,000 years ago, this city Ebla was a major merchant center
with a population of more than 250,000 people. And there, archaeologists found tablets written about 800 yrs. before Moses... written in a language very much like ancient Hebrew. And on these tablets were the names of various cities throughout Palestine. Places like Joppa, Damascus, Gaza... and Sodom and Gomorrah.
Nowadays NOBODY questions whether these cities existed. They’ve discovered that these cities lay along a major merchant route of the day (the King’s Highway). Up until a few years ago, many scholars thought these cities lay underneath the Dead Sea, but more recently, they believe they’ve found their remains to the West and South of the Dead Sea.
You can read about certain archaeologists who have found strong evidence about these cities and how they were destroyed. They stated that the evidence from radiocarbon dating... indicates that a group of civilizations flourished in the area for over two millennia, until approximately 1700 BC, when the mud-brick walls of the buildings in the region simultaneously disappeared and only the stone foundations remained.
At the same time, the pottery in the settlements was heated into glass in the space of milliseconds, according to the results of an analysis of the Zircon crystals formed in the process, indicating that they were briefly exposed to temperatures of approximately 4,000 to 12,000 degrees Celsius, comparable to the temperature of the surface of the sun.
Evidence seems to indicate that approximately 40,000 to 60,000 people living in the region were killed, and a 500-square kilometer area was rendered uninhabitable for about 600 to 700 years. They believe that the area was stripped of its topsoil, and that salts from the nearby Dead Sea were spread over the land, destroying its fertility.
“The Bible records the Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with “fire and brimstone.” Brimstone is Sulphur.
Throughout Sodom and Gomorrah... brimstone is found embedded in the ground. It is highly flammable and when ignited it produces a toxic gas, Sulphur Dioxide (SO2). There is only one area on earth where Sulphur “stones” are found... Sodom and Gomorrah. Sulphur found elsewhere on earth rarely exceeds 40% purity. The Sulphur at Sodom and Gomorrah is approximately 96% pure.”
So, Sodom and Gomorrah DID exist, and they WERE destroyed by God. But now the question is... what can we learn from that? The most obvious lesson is this: You REALLLLLY don’t want to tick God off. There is a point where God won’t look the other way any longer.
Now, there are many people who talk about God being a God of love who wouldn't do something like this. And to some extent they're right - God is a loving God. John 3:16 says “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...”
He loved us so much He was willing to offer a precious sacrifice so that our lives could be changed. But God is also a God who despises evil, and when push comes to shove He HAS and He WILL destroy those who go too far.
***So, the first lesson is this: you REALLY don’t want to tick God off. But for most people that’s not an issue. Most people don’t wake up in the morning and say: “Hey, I want to make God angry today.” Instead, most people kind of “back into” sin. They don’t start out being evil. They just start hanging around evil people... and that changes them.
For example, do you know how Lot ended up in Sodom? I mean, he had to know it was a wicked city. In fact, when the angels came to town, Lot insisted they stay at his house that night because HE KNEW the evil the sodomites would do to them if they were caught on the streets by themselves. So how did Lot end up in the city to begin with?
Well in Genesis 13, Lot and his uncle Abraham were tending their flocks not too far away from that city,
and their herdsmen weren’t getting along real well. So, Abraham looked the situation over and he said to Lot “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left." Genesis 13:8-9
The next few verses say “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) ... Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.” Genesis 13:10 &12
So, we’re told Lot moved his tent as far as Sodom. Another version says he moved NEAR Sodom. He wasn’t IN the city... but he was close. But why? Why did he move near this evil city? Well... because it looked pretty good... it was like the garden of Eden.
But in the next chapter we read that Lot has moved. It says “(Lot) was dwelling IN Sodom.” (Genesis 14:12) So, he had been living NEAR the city of Sodom. Now, he’s living IN the city of Sodom. But wait... . In Genesis 19:1 we’re told that “(When) the two angels came to Sodom in the evening... Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom...”
Lot was “sitting in the gate”? What was Lot doing at the gate? Well, in ancient cities, there was no “courthouse” in town. If you had a dispute with your neighbor, you took your case to the wise men at the GATE of the city, and that’s where Lot was. He was an honored member of the community. People respected his judgment.
So, Lot starts living OUTSIDE of Sodom. Then we find that he’s living INSIDE Sodom.
And then we find that Lot is a leading citizen (at the GATE) in one of the most evil and wicked cities on earth. Why would he do that????
Well I believe his thinking can be summed in 4 words: “I CAN HANDLE IT!” He believed Sodom wouldn’t affect him... he was too righteous to be changed by the evils of the city.
But... could he? Could Lot handle Sodom? Well, let’s think about that. When the Sodomites come to his door demanding to sleep with his visitors Lot said: “Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” Genesis 19:8
Hmmm. Did I hear that right? Lot offered to give his DAUGHTERS to these evil men... That’s what it says.
Would you do that? I’d hope not. It doesn’t sound right to me, but it apparently sounded right to Lot! But why would he do that? Because he lived in Sodom and that’s the kind of thing that Sodomites would do. Lot thought he could handle it! But he couldn’t. Sodom changed him. God tells us “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33
So, Lot couldn’t handle it. How about his family? The text tells us that the angels are rushing them out of the city and they’re told NOT to look back. But Lot’s wife looks back... and she never left town.
And then there’s Lot’s daughters. “Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, 14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” Genesis 19:14
What happened to those sons-in-law? Well, they died! Why didn’t the angels try to convince these young men to leave town?
Well, because they were as wicked as everyone else in Sodom. Lot was allowing his daughters to marry wicked men.
APPLY: Many Christians will say “I CAN HANDLE IT.” I can handle the alcohol/drugs, I can handle the negative peer pressure from friends, being surrounded by cursing and foul mouths. I can handle ... you name it. They know that what they’re doing is probably something they wouldn’t want Jesus catching them doing... but they think it won’t affect THEM.
And maybe they’re right. But what about their kids/grandkids/nephews/nieces? YOU might start out pure as the driven snow and just get a “little dirty.” You might say “I’ll only go THIS far... and no farther.” But the young ones who look up to you will use that “little farther” as their base line. That’s where they’ll START - where you stopped - because you accepted it as normal.
One of the lessons of Sodom is – hanging around sinful atmospheres does bother you, whether you realize it or not.
One last thought. What do you do if someone you love is in Sodom? What do you do if they’ve allowed themselves to live too long in an evil world. You know they’re hurting themselves, you know they’re headed for destruction. And you just feel SO helpless! Is there anything you can do?
Well, there’s one more part of this story. Before God sent his angels to destroy the city of Sodom, He paid Abraham a visit. And God told Abraham what He had in mind. Do you remember what Abraham did? He bargained with God.
23And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Genesis 18:23-24
Yes, God said... He’d spare the city if there were 50 righteous within the city.
Now, why would Abraham ask that? Why ask if God would spare the city if he found only 50 righteous people? Because he knew LOT was in that town and he wanted to save him.
But he also knew Sodom was a wicked city... so he bargained some more. "Suppose 40 are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." He said, "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it."
Of course, God knew there weren’t even 10 righteous people in the city. But you know what... God knew what was important to Abraham. And for the sake of Abraham... and his prayer, God did what He could to save Lot and his family.
Now, one observation – who did God send to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family? Angels! The Bible teaches that when we pray God sends angels to work on our prayers (Daniel 9:23 and 10:12).
Hebrews says they are “ministering spirits ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” Hebrews 1:14. When we pray, we unleash the very powers of heaven.
Be aware, no matter what we pray, God will not ignore the freewill of those we pray for. If they chose to ignore God, our loved ones do so at their own risk (as Lot’s wife experienced). However, our prayers are mighty and make it so that even the most difficult of our loved ones will feel their impact. Prayer our most powerful tool. Thus, we should always pray to God for Him to save your loved ones and work in their lives. As Jesus taught us, we should ought to always pray.... And NEVER GIVE UP!
INVITATION

Based on a sermon by Jeff Strite

He Is Alive!

HE’S ALIVE!!!
Mark 16: 1 – 20

There’s a story about a wealthy man who was terminally ill. The doctor said, "There’s only “one thing” that will save you. “A brain transplant.” - It’s an experimental operation. And it’s very expensive." The wealthy guy said, - "Money is no object. Can you get me a brain?"
The doctor said, - "We have three available right now. The first one was from a college professor. But it’ll cost you $10,000." The guy said, "Don’t worry. I can pay; it will make me much wiser.
What about the second brain?" The doctor said, "It was from a rocket scientist. It’ll cost you $100,000." The man said, "I have the money. And I’d be a lot smarter too. But tell me about the third brain."
The doctor said, "The third brain is from a Politician. But it would set you back a million dollars." The man said, "A million dollars? Why so much for his brain?" The doctor said, "It’s never been used."
· We too have unused power in us, above us, around us,
it is called The GOSPEL!
My wife keeps telling me I’m losing my hearing. Some husbands call it “selective hearing.” An older couple was sitting outside in their rocking chairs one afternoon. She looked at her husband of 60 years and said, “I’m proud of you.” He turned to her and said, “I’m tired of you, too.” She said, “Thanks!” She looked around at the trees moving and said, “It’s windy today.” He said, “No it’s not. It’s Thursday.” She said, “Me too, I’ll go get us some lemonade!”
Hopefully we won’t be hard of hearing when it comes to listening to God’s Word.
It has been said that:
'atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light'."
The resurrection story of Jesus:
• Is either the biggest fairy story ever invented;
• Or the greatest miracle and the most significant event in human history!
I believe it is the greatest miracle that the world has or will ever see!
• I don’t know if you have noticed this observation.
• But in the Old Testament when talking about the power of God;
• The writers always refer to creation.
• The miracle of God creating the world out of nothing.
• In the New Testament when talking about the power of God;
• The writers always refer to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!
• Because there is nothing greater that you can compare with it!
Now one word you have to associate with Jesus Christ is ‘miracle’.
• He entered our world in a miraculous way;
• Conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
• During his three years of ministry, the four gospels record 37 miracles of Jesus.
• Most scholars tend to agree with this number.
• John the apostle tells us (John chapter 21 verse 25);
• Jesus performed many other miracles to these 37 that were not recorded.
• So Jesus entered our world in a miraculous way;
• He lived a miraculous life;
• And even in death, he has that word ‘miracle’ attributed to him!
Peter Larson writes:
• "Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes.
• The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin's womb and an empty tomb.
• Jesus entered our world through a door marked 'No Entrance';
• And left through a door marked 'No Exit’”
Our text this morning is found in Mark 16:1-20.
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going [a]before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
8 So they went out [b]quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
9 [c]Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who [d]believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they[e] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.
Because the empty tomb was discovered on a Sunday morning, every Sunday should be a resurrection celebration. The title of this message is “He’s Alive! Do you Believe Him?” At first I was going to ask, “Do you believe IT?” But the resurrection is more than just an historical event that you believe IN. Jesus is a risen Savior, and salvation comes by believing in Him and being obedient to his will.
In this message we’re going to hear the announcement of the angel, consider the unbelief of the disciples, and hear Jesus give us our marching orders.
I. THE ANGEL ANNOUNCED, “HE’S ALIVE!”
Once again we must admire the women who followed Jesus. They were there at the cross. They were the last ones in the garden when Joseph and Nicodemus placed Jesus’ body in the tomb. And early on Sunday morning, they were the first ones heading back to the tomb. They were carrying additional spices to anoint the corpse of Christ. They’re biggest concern was how they were going to roll the huge stone away from the opening of the tomb.
But they were totally surprised to arrive and find the stone was already rolled away. These brave women went into the tomb. Jesus wasn’t there, but they saw a young man dressed in white. This is a description the Bible often uses for angels. Of course, the women were confused and terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus. He isn’t here. He has risen! Then the angel gave them two sets of instructions. These are the same instructions we should follow today.
A. He said, “Come see!”
He invited them to examine the tomb and look for the evidence. The tomb was empty, but it was full of significance. In John’s account, we’re told the strips of cloth that had covered the body of Jesus were stacked up along with the sheet covering His body. These women had to be wondering if this was a dream. They had seen the torture and crucifixion of Jesus. They watched as His body was removed from the cross and placed in the tomb. They knew He was dead. But they were confronted with an empty tomb.
In Acts 1:3 the Bible says Jesus offered the disciples many more “convincing proofs” that He was alive. If you are going to examine the evidence of the resurrection, you have to start with the empty tomb. Even the enemies of Jesus admitted the tomb was empty. Then you are confronted with only three possibilities. First, Jesus really didn’t die; that’s the swoon theory. Second, His body was stolen, either by his enemies or by his disciples. Or third, God raised Jesus from the dead. Come see.
Decide for yourself. But as I said earlier, it’s not about believing IT; it’s about believing Him.
B. He said, “Go tell!”
The angel told the women to go tell the disciples that Jesus was alive and He would meet them in Galilee. However, notice their reaction in verse eight. It says trembling and bewildered they fled: They didn’t tell anyone because they were afraid. I can’t really blame them. They were in shock. A little while later Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and she delivered the message.
We’ve been given the same command to “go tell” the world that Jesus is alive. How often have we been guilty of the initial behavior of the women? Like them, we are too often too afraid to share the Good News.
The best tool to use is your personal faith story. Just tell people naturally what the risen Lord has done in your life.
II. THE DISCIPLES DOUBTED THE REPORTS
Meanwhile the eleven disciples (twelve minus Judas), were hiding behind closed doors weeping and mourning. Mary and the women come running in, “Jesus is alive.” The Bible says they didn’t believe her.
Mark mentions that later two other people show up claiming they had seen Jesus alive. In Luke 24 we read the story of Jesus appearing to two disciples who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a distance of about eleven miles. They didn’t recognize Jesus. I would have loved to have been on that original walk to Emmaus, because the Bible says Jesus started with Moses (that’s Genesis) and took them all the way through the Old Testament telling how all the scriptures predicted the Messiah would suffer and die. When they finally arrived at their house, they invited their companion to join them for dinner. Jesus, who was the guest, became the host, because the Bible says when He broke the bread, their eyes were opened
and they recognized it was Jesus. Then He, poof!, just disappeared. They were so excited they turned around and traveled eleven miles back to tell the disciples. I imagine they ran this time. Out of breath, I can hear one of them telling Peter, “We saw the Lord! He’s alive!” Mary probably chimed in, “See I told you!” But it says the disciples still didn’t believe.
Of course, Jesus is aware of all of this, so He appeared in the room and rebuked the disciples. He said, “Where’s your faith, guys? I told you I would come back from the grave, and then these witnesses told you. But you guys are stubborn as a mule. Here I am. Now do you believe?” I’m sure they backtracked and said, “Sorry, Lord. Yes, now we believe!”
I think we learn an important lesson from this episode. The best proof of the resurrection isn’t an empty tomb. The best proof of the resurrection is when you meet Jesus.
I know Jesus is alive not because of any of the arguments about the historical resurrection. I know He’s alive because He’s my best friend. He lives inside of me and I talk to Him all the time.
When Saul was persecuting the church, he heard all their claims that Jesus was alive, but he didn’t believe any of them. In fact, he approved of Stephen’s death, and was active in arresting Christians. But one day on the road to Damascus he suddenly believed in the resurrection, because he had a close encounter of the Jesus kind. Later he wrote about the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. “He presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me.” (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)
Paul had heard all the arguments, but he didn’t believe it. But when he met Jesus, he believed Him.
It’s great if you ever get a chance to visit the empty tomb in Jerusalem, but you don’t need to see that. You just need to know Him. Salvation isn’t knowing about Jesus; it is knowing Jesus.
III. JESUS GAVE US A JOB TO DO
In these final words of Mark’s writing, he packs the great commission, God’s promise of protection and the ascension together. Jesus has given us three tasks to do.
A. “Tell everyone the good news about Me!”
Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) There are 2.3 billion Christians, twice as many as the number of Muslims. Christianity is the fastest growing faith in the world. There are over 400,000 missionaries taking the gospel to every people group on the planet.
B. “I will equip and empower you!”
Jesus said, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) It’s a dangerous plan to start driving your car across a desert with your gas tank on empty. You won’t make it. And it’s frustrating to try to serve the Lord without the power of the Holy Spirit. If the disciples had immediately gone out and started sharing, they would have failed. But they prayed for ten days after Jesus ascended and they were filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and they were empowered and equipped. Thousands were saved and added to the church. We’re the same way. We must always pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit. “It’s not by your might, or by your power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.”
C. “I will protect you until you finish your assignment!”
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God.” (Isaiah 43:1-3)
Did you catch what Jesus said about poisonous snakes and drinking poison? Obviously, there are some churches that have taken those words so literally that they have services where they take poisonous snakes out of boxes and handle them to show their faith. How many of you have heard of snake-handling churches? These tend to be small Pentecostal churches in the Appalachian region. Snake handling is outlawed in every state except West Virginia.
Wendy Bagwell was a Southern Gospel singer and comedian. He tells the story about his group being in a little church to sing and they started bringing out the rattlesnakes to handle. Wendy asked the pastor, “Where is your back door? We’re leaving.” The Pastor said, “We don’t have a back door.” Wendy asked him, “Well, where do you want one?”
Someone once asked me what I thought about snake handling and I said, “I think a lot of them are dead.” And indeed dozens of them have died. I suppose because their faith wasn’t strong enough. I don’t want to make fun of any group, because these folks are sincere. I just think they’re sincerely wrong. So what was Jesus talking about? I think the perfect fulfillment of his promise can be found in Acts 28. The Apostle Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. They were building a fire on the beach. A viper came out of the woods and bit Paul on the hand. He just shook it off into the fire. All the natives expect him to swell up and die. But when he didn’t, they thought he was a god, so they took him to the main official on the island.
These words shouldn’t be a license to tempt God.
But it’s Jesus’ promise that He will protect you while you are on mission for Him. You wonder, “I am sure some missionaries have died in service for the Lord.” The Bible says our days are numbered and it is appointed once for a person to die. Sometimes God gets more glory in the death of a servant than in their living.
He’s alive! Do you believe Him? Do you know Him? Will you follow Him?

Pray For Our Leaders

Pray For Our Leaders  

I Timothy 2:1-2

 

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

 

Good evening. Our text for the lesson tonight is from 1 Timothy 2:1-2. I would like for us to take some time and reflect on the instruction given in these verses.  

 

In our recent trip to Virginia we passed by Washington DC and took note of the vast increase in the activity around that city since we had last visited many years ago. Every country of the world has its seat of power, its capital. London for the UK, Paris for France, Berlin for Germany, Rome for Italy, Vienna for Austria, Moscow for Russia, and Washington DC for the United States Republic.

 

The people who live in Washington DC see more of the government officials of this nation than those who live anywhere else between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. If a Senator or Member of the House of Representatives or Supreme Court Justice or Secretary of the Cabinet or representative of foreign nation enters a public assembly in any other city, their arrival and departure are noted in the media and great attention is paid to them. In DC there are so many political chieftains in the churches, the streets, the shops, that their coming and going raises no interest. Just as the Swiss seldom look up to the Matterhorn, the Jungfrau, or Mt. Blanc, because those people are used to the Alps, they live with them – so those in our capital are accustomed to walk among mountains of official and political eminence and do not see them as a great novelty.

 

Morning, noon, and night those in DC meet the giants, but there is no place on earth where the importance of Paul’s injunction to pray for those in high office ought to be better appreciated.  At this time, when our public men have before them the rescue of our national treasury from appalling deficits, and the immigration question and the global warming question, and there are so many opposing thoughts and ideals, I would like to quote our text with a heavy emphasis—words written by the scarred missionary to the young theologian, Timothy: “I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority.”   Paul starts “I exhort therefore ...” This form has the meaning of "I command." Paul is not revealing what would please him, but that which is the will of God. “First of all ...” Indicates the primary importance.   “Supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings ...” The general meaning of this is "all kinds of prayers". “for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority...” These are to be given for all men including bad rulers as well as for good ones.   This includes all who are in authority regardless of rank, taking in the administrative assistants in government as well as heads of state.

 

In reading this I am reminded of Paul’s writing in Romans 13:1-2 – “ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”

 

I suggest to you four or five reasons why the people of the United States should be making earnest and continuous prayer for those in eminent places.  

1. First, we should pray for those in authority because that prayer will put us in the proper attitude toward the authoritative people of the nation.  After you have prayed for a person you will do them justice. There is a bad streak in human nature that impels us to assail those that are more powerful than ourselves.  This is not just here either; the Australians call it “the tall poppy syndrome”, and they define it as “We take delight in unfairly knocking down those who are in positions of leadership in our country”.
   1. We seldom fully like those who in any department have risen to greater heights of authority. You will hear things like, “They are a political accident” or “They bought their way there” or “those who elected that person are blind” and there is an impatient waiting for the person in power to come down more rapidly than they went up.
      1. The best cure for such cynicism is prayer. After we have risen from our knees, we will be wishing the official good instead of evil. We will be hoping for them benediction rather than a curse. If they make a mistake, we will call it a mistake, instead of malfeasance in office.  How much happier we will be; for wishing one evil is diabolic, but wishing one good is saintly, it is Godlike.
      2. After all, did not our Lord say in Matthew 5:44 – “… love your enemies, … and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”? Does not the apostle enjoin us in Romans 12:14 – “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”? If we are to pray for our enemies--should we not also pray for those who have been appointed by God?
   2. There are investigating committees set up to be watch dogs, keeping watch for misdeeds and misbehavior. Sometimes these are set up with the one hope of finding something wrong.  We see this in the denominations, the general assemblies of the Presbyterian Church, in conferences of the Methodist Church, in conventions of the Episcopal Church, and we find it also in the House of Representatives, and in the Senate. There are always men glad to be appointed to serve on the “Committee of Misconduct”.
      1. After you have prayed, as in the words of the text – for all that are in authority, you will be moved to say, “Gentlemen, Mr. Chairman, excuse me from serving on the “Committee of Misconduct”.   Last night, just before I prayed for those in authority, I read that chapter in Corinthians about charity which ‘hopeth all things’ and ‘thinketh no evil.’“ “The Committee of Misconduct” may be an important committee, but I declare that we are incompetent for its work when we have prayed for those in high position.
      2. I cannot help it, but I would rather be a St. Bernard than a bloodhound, rather be a hummingbird among honeysuckles than a crow swooping down upon a field of carcasses.
   3. Second, we should pray for those in authority because they labor under so many perplexities. D.C. holds thousands of people who expect preferential treatment, and communications are full of applications and lobbying efforts. Officials are at their wits’ end to know what to do, when for some openings there are ten applicants and for others a hundred! Then there are the lobbyists each shouting for their own agenda, some even with differing propositions for the same objective.   And there are the constituents, not only the ones of the official but those of their colleagues with a seeming endless stream of requests and demands to justice for real or imagined hurts.
      1. Perplexities arise when people want a position for which they have no qualification, as we hear people sing, “I want to be a worker,” when they offer the poorest material possible for that position.
         1. There are the foolish waiting to be sent to foreign nations as ambassadors and men without any business qualifications wanting to be installed as consuls, and the unlettered, capable in one communication of wrecking all the laws of language, desiring to be put into positions where most of the work is done by correspondence.
         2. If divine help is needed in any place in the world it is in those places where patronage is distributed. In years gone by awful mistakes have been made. Only God, who made the world out of chaos, could, out of the crowded pigeon-holes of public men, develop symmetrical results. For this reason – pray to Almighty God for all those in authority.
      2. Then there are the vaster perplexities of our relations with foreign governments. For directions in such affairs the God of Nations should be implored. The demand of the people is sometimes so heated, so unwise, that it must not be hearkened to.
      3. There will never be a year when those who are in authority will not need the guidance of the Almighty. Only God can tell the right time for a nation to do the right thing. To do the right thing at the wrong time is as bad as to do the wrong thing at any time.  
         1. Look at it this way; in all national affairs there is a clock. The hands of that clock are not always seen by human eyes, but God sees them, not only the hour hand, but the minute hand, and when the hands announce that the right hour has come the clock will strike, and we ought to be in a listening attitude.
         2. In retrospect we can not know for a certainty what may or may not have happened in any instance but imagine what may have occurred if the Cuban missile crisis had come at a time when other chiefs were in charge, when measures and counter measures had not reached the stage they were at.
      4. You see, there are always in places of authority, impetuous people who want war, because they do not realize what war is, or there are designing people, who want war for the potential of making profit.
         1. They are somewhat like the child who foolishly says, “Let’s throw some cats in the pond” and then watches as his friends are clawed by the panicked animals.   He receives no wounds yet will be quick to point out that his friends should have done thus or so differently.
         2. War is an expensive proposition both in lives and material. Those who beat the drums for war never themselves get hurt. They make the speeches.  
         3. Then there are those who instigate for war because of some great injustice and in the resulting conflict all those who instigated never as a consequence get so much as a splinter under the thumbnail, and they all die peacefully in their beds.

• Third - Prayer to God for those in authority is our only way of being of any practical service to them. Our personal advice would be to them, for the most part, impertinence. They have all the facts as we cannot have them, and they see the subject in all its bearings, and we can be of no help to them except through the supplication that our text advises. In that way we may be of infinite reinforcement. The mightiest thing you can do for someone is to pray for them.
  1. God hears our prayers and God answers prayer. In Psalm 91:15 – “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.” And in Psalm 145:18 – “the Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” Then in 1 John 5:14 – “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
     1. Every genuine prayer is a child’s letter to their Heavenly Father, and He will answer it; and as we may receive a plea from our child for something not in their best interest and instead give them something of greater worth -- so God does not in all cases answer in the way those who send the prayer hope for, but He in all cases gives what is asked for or something better when asked “according to His will”.
     2. At the time of our Civil War, prayers went up from the North and the South and they were answered by the ending of that war. You cannot make me believe that God answered only the Northern prayers, for there were just as devout prayers south of the Mason-Dixon Line as north of it.   God gave what was asked for, peace. I suspect there is not a good and intelligent person in this country who does not believe that God did the best thing possible when He restored to this nation in 1865 to a glorious unity.
     3. Think of the predicament of the Israelites on the banks of the Red Sea, the rattling shields and the clattering hoofs of an overwhelming host close behind them. Trapped between the waters and the advancing army -- they crossed the waters.
        1. How was the crossing affected? By prayer. Exodus 14:15-16 - “And the Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. "But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” That is, “Time to stop praying and take the answer.”
        2. Then the water began to be agitated, rose into walls of sapphire. It was obliged to stand still, and there, right before the Israelites, was a road, with the emerald gates swung wide open. They passed dry-shod on the bottom of the sea as hard as the pavement of Pennsylvania Avenue.
     4. One might say Oh! What a God they had!  I say: “What a God we have!” What power we see shown in Joshua 10:12 when he prayed to the Lord that the “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of ” Read Joshua 10:13 – “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped… the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.” The Omnipotent does as He will with the great orbs of worlds, with wheeling constellations and circling galaxies, swinging easily star around star, star tossed after star, or sun and moon held out at arm’s length, and perfectly still as in answer to Joshua’s prayer. To God the largest world is a pebble. God is the creator of all things He can do all things.
  2. Fourth - There is another reason why we should obey the Pauline injunction of the text and pray for all that are in authority. That is so very much of our own prosperity and happiness are involved in their doings. A selfish reason, you say. Yes; but a righteous selfishness like that which leads you to take care of your own health, and preserve your own life.
     1. A prosperous government means a prosperous people. Damaged government means a damaged people. We all go up together or we all go down together. When we pray for our rulers, we pray for ourselves, for our homes, for the easier gaining of a livelihood, and for better prospects for our children.
     2. Do not look at anything that pertains to public interest as having no relation to you. We are touched by all the events in our national history, by the signing of the compact in the cabin of the Mayflower, by the small ship, the Half-Moon, sailing up the Hudson, and by the events that have happened in our own lifetimes.
     3. If touched by all the events of past America, then certainly by all the events of the present day. Every prayer you make for our rulers, if the prayer be of the right stamp and worth anything, has a rebound of benediction for your own body, mind, and soul.
  3. Fifth - Another reason for obedience to our text is that the prosperity of this country is great, and we want a hand in helping its continuation; at any rate I do. It is a matter of honest satisfaction to a soldier, after some great battle has been fought, and some great victory won, to be able to say: “Yes! I was there. I was in the brigade that stormed those heights. I was in that charge that put the enemy into flight!”
     1. If this nation stands aright with God, the day will come when all the financial, political, and moral foes of this Republic will be driven back. By our prayers we may stand on the mountain top and beckon our leaders on and ask God show them a better way. Yea, in answer to our prayers the Lord God of Hosts may from the heavens command them forward swifter than troops ever took the field.
     2. American citizens! Our best hold is on God. We have all seen families in prayer, and churches in prayer. What we want yet to see is this whole nation on its knees.
     3. We have as a nation received so much from God. Do we not owe new consecration? Are we not ready to become a better churchgoing, peace-loving, virtue-honoring, God-worshiping nation? Why not now let it take place? Let us pray that the God of Nations, who has dealt with us as with no other people, by the square and the level and the plumb of the Everlasting Right adjust the cornerstone of our future. Inside that cornerstone a scroll containing the names of all the men and women who have fought and prayed and toiled for the good of this nation, from the first martyr of the American Revolution down to the last one who bound up a soldier’s wounds. Pray that cornerstone to be struck with the Gospel hammer, in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Then pray that this nation rise in Godly fear and that if it be the will of God we live in a divinely founded, divinely constructed, and divinely protected Republic.   “To God be rendered and ascribed, as is most due, all praise, might, majesty and dominion, both now and forever. Amen.”

 

CONCLUSION:

Certainly, in reading our text it seems that Paul is being a bit unrealistic when he calls us to pray for all those in authority; not just those whose policies we like, but all those who rule our nation. When politicians are more concerned in tearing each other to bits than in the welfare of the nation, who feels like praying for them? Who feels like praying for those whose particular kind of politics we dislike; those whom we believe to be dishonest and abuse their position; those whom we think aren’t doing their job.

 

We can be very cynical about our politicians, those in authority. We hear; “Oh those guys need more than our prayers!” “If he isn’t a crook before he’s elected, he will be soon after!” “Politicians are just a bunch of thieves and crooks!”   Our distrust of politicians has so hindered us that we don’t even want to pray for them. Yet we are to pray for them all, those in the party we support and those whose politics we don’t like. They are all involved in the government. They are all people whom Paul says “are ordained by God”.

 

It would have been much easier if Paul had said that we should pray for most people, or for those in authority whom we believe to be doing the right thing. Instead he says that “petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men: for kings and all who are in high places”.

 

Being a person in authority is never an easy position. A leader makes decisions and it doesn’t matter what course of action is decided upon, there will always be those who will disagree and criticize loudly that the politician is incompetent. Then there are the constant pressures of public office and there are also the temptations. Great responsibility rests on their shoulders – how will they respond?   If force is indicated, what kind of force will be used, what countries will oppose any such attempt, what measures need to be taken to ensure that this will not lead to additional conflict? Should we commit our military forces to help, and if so in what way are we jeopardizing peace on this earth and on and on. Certainly on any single point we may feel we have the right answer but I don’t think that there is anyone in this assembly who should want to be in the position of those in authority.

 

No wonder Paul encourages us to “pray for those in high places”. Don’t sit back and criticize them. Don’t rubbish their policies or decisions. Pray for them. We may not always agree with them, but we can still take them to God in our prayers. We can go to

God and ask him to give our leaders wisdom and understanding to act in a way that will bring peace and keep peace. We can ask God to guide them, strengthen them, and give them the resolve to do what is best for this country and for the world.

 

As Christians, God’s children, even though we may disapprove of the decisions people in high office are making, nevertheless our love for them causes us to pray for them. Just as Jesus loves each one of us and intercedes for us at the throne of God even though we don’t deserve it, so too we will pray for those who have taken up the burden of high office and take their needs before His throne.

 

Because the love of Jesus permeates you and me and because our eyes have been opened to the needs of our neighbor in every corner of our community; the need for education, social welfare, crime prevention and detection, export and import, the need to respond to the terrorism, the struggles of immigration and climate change, -- then politics is laid on our consciences.  Politicians need our support and the guidance of the Lord as they seek to find the right path of action.

 

As God’s people in a world where there is so much violence, suffering, and pain, God grant that we may see the unique role He has given us. May we take all those who carry a heavy load of responsibility to almighty God in prayer.

 

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

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

 

Invitation song

 Reference sermons by: DeWitt Talmadge and Vince Gerhardy

The History of "Babeling"

The History of “Babeling” 
Genesis 11: 1 – 9

How many times have you heard someone say ... “I wish you would stop babbling?”
Parents frequently make the mistake of thinking they speak the same language as their children. We see this kind of misunderstanding all the time. Here are a few examples.
I can't finish my dessert." Meaning: Your child is defiantly sick and should be taken to the doctor ASAP.
"I didn't do it." Translation: It hasn't been conclusively proven that I did it.
"Frankie Smith is such a no-good rotten liar!" Meaning:
Expect a call from Frankie's parents.
"Mom said it was okay." Translation: I'm going to ask Mom as soon as you say "yes."
Several years ago, there was a tiny village in Scotland called “Lost.” It’s such a quaint name for a quaint little village... but they had a problem. Lost kept losing their sign. A local official explained, "For many years now, the sign has continually been taken because all it says on it is 'Lost.'" He said, “Many people want to have their photograph taken by it looking bewildered (because the sign said “lost”) and every so often it gets taken.”
Now that created two problems: 1st – it got expensive. The signs cost about $400 a piece. And 2nd - deliveries were often lost because some delivery drivers had no idea where "Lost" was. Eventually they renamed the city “Lost Farm” and apparently haven’t had a problem since.
Down thru history towns and cities have been named for all kinds of unusual reasons including the city we’re talking about today... the city of Babel. Why was it called “Babel?” Genesis 11:9 explains: “... its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”
Now the story in Genesis only takes 9 verses to tell, and is never referred to again in Scripture. But, its impact on mankind has been really long-lasting. From that day to this... the world has been divided by about 5000 languages. And that diversity of languages has created misunderstandings, tensions, conflicts... even wars.
But it wasn’t always that way. Before Babel “... the whole earth had one language and the same words.” Genesis 11:1
When going over this sermon, it occurred to me that one of the first questions people might ask is this: “Is this a TRUE story?” Was there really a city called Babel
with a tower reaching to the heavens, and do all languages really come from one original language?
Those who reject Scripture mock this story. They’ll say it was “an origin myth meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages.” And they dismiss it as a “made-up” story created by an ignorant culture.
So, was it made up? Is it a myth? Of course not. The fact that it’s in the Bible is really all I need to convince me – that it really happened. But there are outside sources to verify that this is indeed a true story.
ILLUS: For example, the ancient culture of the Chaldeans (from about 1500 BC) retold the story this way: “The building of this temple offended the gods. In a night they threw down what had been built. They scattered them abroad, and made strange their speech. The progress they impeded”
Another ancient culture of about that time period, spoke of a golden age when all mankind spoke the same language. Speech was then confused by the lord of wisdom.
Fast forward to about 600 B.C.. Babylon had a King named Nabopolassar who was something of an ancient archaeologist. He apparently would find old temples and other ancient buildings and rebuild them. He claimed that he had found the remains of the Tower of Babel and wrote: "At that time, I was commanded to build the Tower of Babel which had become weakened by time and fallen into disrepair..."
And, from what we can tell, Nabopolassar didn’t finish the tower. That task fell to his son, a King we all know as Nebuchadnezzar. Recently, a chiseled stone came to light which is called the “Tower of Babel Stele” which has a large engraved picture of Nebuchadnezzar looking toward the tower he built.
That tower appears to have stood for another 300 years until destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.
So, this was a true story. And given the Bible’s consistent accuracy on other historical events that’s good enough for me. But what about the language thing? I mean... we have about 5000 languages now, can we seriously believe that all those languages started with ONE language?
Well, yeah... that’s what the Bible says. But, don’t take my word for it.
ILLUS: Back in 1990 - U.S. News And World Report had this on their cover of their magazine: "The Roots of Language - How Modern Speech Evolved From A Single, Ancient Source." In the article, they wrote about modern linguists who were “reconstructing the pathways by which the world's roughly 5,000 languages arose from a handful of ancient 'mother' tongues. A few radical linguists have gone even further, claiming they have reconstructed pieces of the mother of them all:
the original language spoken at the dawn of the human species.” (Nov. 5, 1990 issue of US News and World Report magazine)
The TV program Nova had a special program where they examined the phenomenal discoveries of linguists in Russia and America who had shown that all languages could have come from a single, ancient source.
So, it’s a true story. But what difference does it make? Why should I care? So what if this was an actual event that occurred in the distant past? Well Romans 15:4 explains why we should care: “... 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.”
You see, there’s something in this story that God wanted us to see. Something that would instruct and encourage us. But what did God want us to see?
Well 1st, it seems, He wants us to see why He did what He did. And there seems to be at least TWO reasons why He did what He did.
And the first reason that catches my attention is found in Genesis 11:6 “And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”
What’s God talking about here? Well, He’s talking about the people of Babel becoming like the people who lived Before The Flood. In Genesis 6 we read “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Genesis 6:5-6
Before the flood, there was one language. And in the days before the flood, people abandoned God and embraced evil.
It says every intention of their hearts was evil. It’s like they stayed up nights thinking of ways to do bad stuff. Evil had become an easy thing... and nothing was impossible for them.
Apparently, that’s exactly what was beginning to happen in Babel. And God said, “we’re not doing this again” and He decided to fix the problem BEFORE it became a problem.
Now, what was it that these folks were doing that made it so obvious to God that they were going to do evil? The answer to that question can be found in why these people were building the city to begin with. In Genesis 9:1 we read “God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and FILL THE EARTH.’”
But just a few years later, in Genesis 11:4, we read “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.’”
God said: FILL THE EARTH and the people of Babel said “I don’t think so. We like it right here... and we’re not going anywhere.”
Now WHY would they do that? Why would they deliberately disobey God? (PAUSE) Because they were afraid. They were afraid that they’d be forgotten so they wanted to “make a name for themselves.” And they were afraid of the unknown. If they were dispersed over the face of the earth they’d be vulnerable... and they didn’t like that idea.
Their fear was based on the belief that they could NOT trust God. God (if there was a god) would forget them, and He definitely wasn’t going to protect or supply for them.
When people don’t believe they have God to supply for them, they tend to engage in the worst kinds of evil. We’ve seen proof of that in our own recent history. Just think of nations who embraced communism – Russia, China, North Korea and so on. What stands out about these countries?
First (because they were Communist) they rejected God. And second (because they rejected God) they were known for tyranny and oppression. They allowed no freedom for their people, because they feared that free people would overthrow them, and they eliminated huge portions of their population because of any perceived threat to their authority. They were afraid and so they embraced evil.
This type of thing can even happen to Christians. If we live our lives like God isn’t there for us, we can engage in evil as well. James says in James 4:2 “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”) WHO did these Christians NOT ask for help from? God. And because they lived like God had no influence on their lives, they fought and quarreled... and worse.
That’s what happens when you live your lives under a bad theology. When folks leave God out of the picture they can become afraid. I’ve always been amused by this “Charlie Brown” cartoon where Lucy and Linus and looking out of a window at the falling rain. Lucy says: “Boy, look at it rain.... What if it floods the whole world?” To which Linus replies
“It will never do that... In the ninth chapter of Genesis God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow.” The next frame has Lucy saying “You’ve taken a great load off my mind...” and Linus replies “Sound theology has a way of doing that!”
ILLUS: Sound theology deals with fear, because sound theology makes us focus on a God who has the power to deal with the evils of this world. By contrast, bad theology breeds fear. As I was reading the story of the tower of Babel in preparation for this morning’s sermon, an example of modern-day bad theology came to mind.
How many of you have ever heard of the conspiracy theory that there will one day be a “One World Government”.
Don’t listen to these guys, they’re crazy. It’s not going to happen. Do you know WHY?
I know this isn’t going to happen? Because Genesis 11 is God’s guarantee it won’t happen. He won’t let it happen! The people who sell this idea are really selling FEAR. They’re selling the idea that God can’t help you – and if God can’t help you, you should be afraid! Very afraid. But that’s just bad theology. It’s false thinking. It’s heresy. You need not fear. If God really wanted a One World Government... you couldn’t stop it anyway and God would still be in control.
The whole point of Genesis 11 is that God is in control. In fact, God was not just in control of Babel... He used what happened in Babel to lay the groundwork for something even greater.
Just think about this: at Babel God saw sin and turned one language into many languages. God showed His power by making it so that no one could understand what anyone else said. But about 4000 years later, God used His power to give a message to all people in the midst of their confusion.
In Acts 2 we’re told “there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.” (Acts 2:5)
It was the day of Pentecost, in Jerusalem there were a multitude of people “Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians” Acts 2:9-11
There was a multitude of people in Jerusalem with a multitude of languages. It was the day of Pentecost... the day God had chosen to begin His church. Ten days earlier, Jesus had ascended into heaven, but now (at Pentecost)
He was sending down His Holy Spirit upon mankind as He had prophesied ages before. We’re told the Apostles “... were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4
And this huge crowd of Jews from all those different lands and different languages could hear what these Apostles were saying as they glorified God. And the crowd marveled at what they heard because: “... how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?” Acts 2:8
At Babel, God divided the people because of their sin. Now, at Pentecost, God united all those who would be healed of their sins. God was not limited by the confusion of languages because He had come with a message that would – forever afterward – speak with one language.
I came across a website that spoke of “sacred languages” that different religions have. They said that for the Jews, that sacred language is Hebrew; for the Muslims, it’s Arabic; for many Buddhists, it’s a language called Pali; and for Hindus, it’s Sanskrit. But, as Christians, we don’t need a sacred language. We have “ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism.
ONE God and Father of all.” And we have ONE message (the life and death of Jesus.) Christians meet, in every nation of the world and they speak in many languages we may not understand, but Christians partake of this “bread & Cup” which represent Jesus’ body and blood, shed for our sins and everyone knows what it means.
And, in every nation around the world, the message of baptism speaks of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and of our accepting His forgiveness in our lives.
We have no need of ONE sacred language because we have a message that speaks to all nations and all languages of the love of God for mankind. That’s why so many believers are dedicated to translating the Bible into as many languages as possible, so that God’s love can be read by as many people as possible.
As Revelation 5 declares “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.’” Revelation 5:9
INVITATION

Sermon Contributor: Jeff Strite

Choosing

Choosing 
Joshua 24:15

Many years ago, if you wanted a pair of shoes, you couldn’t go down to “Payless Shoes” or “Shoe Carnival”.
You couldn’t even go down to Sears or J.C. Penney to pick a pair of ready made shoes to wear. There was a time when – if you wanted shoes or boots – you had to go someone called a “Shoe Cobbler.”

When Ronald Reagan was a young man, an aunt had taken him to a cobbler to have a pair of shoes made for him. The shoemaker asked the young Reagan “do you want a square toe or a round toe?”

Reagan hemmed and hawed. So the cobbler said, “Come back in a day or two and let me know what you want.”
A few days later the shoemaker saw Reagan on the street and asked what he had decided about the shoes. “I still have not made up my mind,” the boy answered. “Very well,” said the cobbler.

When Reagan received the shoes, he was shocked to see that one shoe had a square toe and the other had a round toe.
Years later Reagan commented: “Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson. If you do not make your own decisions, somebody else will make them for you!”

APPLY: God created us to be a people capable of making choices. And God has always given His people the power of choice
In the Old Testament, Joshua told the Israelites

“... CHOOSE for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.
But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
God calls upon us to make a choice: to choose Him.
Some choices are hard to make. But sometimes hard choices have to be made.
The 1989 movie Indian Jones and the Last Crusade has a classic scene near the end. The Last Crusade is the final episode of three Steven Spielberg and George Lucas sagas about a globe-trotting archaeologist who battles the Nazis for possession of the world’s great treasures. Harrison Ford played the title role.
In The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and his father seek the one great relic they have been looking for their entire lives—the Holy Grail, the chalice from Jesus’ Last Supper.
The Nazis are also looking for it because they believe the legend that its owner would possess supernatural power to control the world. When the bad guys take Indiana’s dad captive, the hero eventually tracks them to a secret temple deep in the desert mountains south of the Dead Sea.

Once inside the temple, the son rescues the father. Indiana also discovers the hiding place of the Holy Grail. In the final scenes, just as Indiana reaches the sacred altar where the Holy Grail is kept, an earthquake shakes the mountain. Rocks fall. The temple walls move and then begin to tumble. The floor of the temple parts into a great crevasse right in front of the altar.
Indiana watches in horror as the Holy Grail, the object of his life long quest, begins to quiver and then tilt. It falls over, rolls across the altar, and tumbles toward the gaping hole in the earth. Indiana leaps for it. He grabs it just before it falls into the darkness.

Just when he thinks he has saved it, the earth shakes again. He loses his footing and slides into the crevasse himself. In desperation, he grabs for anything to hold on to. His fingers find a rock outcropping a few inches below the edge of the crevasse. The chalice falls from his hands. He is clinging by his finger tips, certain death below him. Rocks are falling everywhere. The earth continues to quake. He can barely hold on.

Just then, out of nowhere, his father peers over the edge. “Take my hand,” the elder Jones cries out to his son. Indiana is about to reach for his father and safety when he spots the Holy Grail resting on a narrow ledge just inches away. If he stretches he can probably reach it. But does he risk it?
How can he forget the Grail? His whole life has been about finding it. He can choose rescue. Or he can risk his life in the hope he can reach the chalice and still grab his father’s outstretched hand. He knows what’s at stake, but he can’t take his eyes off the Grail.
Finally the pleading voice of his father breaks the spell. “Let it go. Indiana, let it go.”
He looks up at his father’s hand and away from the treasure. He lunges for the hand. His dad grabs him and pulls him to safety. They run for their lives as the temple collapses in ruins behind them.

Some choices are hard to make. Sometimes we make them harder than need be. I am reminded of that old sketch Jack Benny used to do. For those of you too young to remember,
Jack Benny was viewed as one of the great comedians of his time. Many of his jokes played off his reputation as a cheapskate. In this scene, Benny is walking down a dark street when a thug jumps out of the shadows and points a gun at him. “Give me your money, mister!” Benny doesn’t move. “I mean business. Your money or your life!” the thief repeats pointing the gun straight at Benny. Jack still doesn’t respond. Finally, the man insists, “You heard me. Your money or your life, which will it be?” Benny hesitates and then responds with that unmistakable slow, deliberate pattern, “I’m thinking. I’m thinking!”

Abraham had a choice to make!
Notice how the story begins, “Sometime later God tested Abraham.” The King James Version creates a problem here when it uses the word “tempt” where our version (NIV) uses “test.” To tempt means to entice someone to do evil. That’s not what the Hebrew word used here means.
The same word is used in Deuteronomy 13:3. “The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

The proverb says, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart” (Proverbs 17:3).

Abraham had been tested before. The Lord had called him to leave his homeland and family and travel to an undisclosed promised land. Later God promised Abraham, that he would be the father of many nations. Then the Lord tested him by waiting. Years passed and no child was born.

What a test this was! How can any parent be expected to sacrifice a child? Obviously there are evil parents and some who have lost their grip on reality who commit unspeakable crimes against their young. Some religions, past and present, practice human sacrifice. Child sacrifice was common among the pagan nations that surrounded ancient Israel. The Law of Moses condemned it.
Deuteronomy 12:31 says, “You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.” Here God demands that very act of Abraham.

Note how the Lord words his command. “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love.” This was Isaac, the child of promise! Abraham actually had another son. Ishmael was born of Hagar the servant when Abraham and his wife Sarah had lost faith in God’s promise of a child. But God kept his promise. Abraham regained his faith.
The boy’s name, Isaac or “laughter,” carried a double meaning. It reminded Abraham and Sarah how they had doubted, even laughed at God, when first told the promise. The name no doubt reflected the long delayed joy that the boy brought into his aged parents’ lives.
Any couple who has had a child or adopted after years of waiting knows what that joy is like. The text doesn’t tell us how old Isaac was when all of this happened. Most Bible scholars estimate his age at maybe fifteen or perhaps even twenty.
Mom and Dad had watched their pride and joy grow up. He was almost a man. Oh, how they loved him! And now God says give him back!

Undoubtedly, the death of Isaac would have broken Abraham’s heart. It would have also broken the inheritance that God had promised. No Isaac; no grandchildren. No grandchildren; no descendents to inherit the promise of God. There was more than a stack of wood riding on Isaac’s back as father and son climbed the slopes of Mt. Moriah that day.

Did you hear what Abraham told his servant when he and Isaac headed up the mountain? “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” We! We will worship! We will come back!
The New Testament cites this event and says, “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” (Heb 11:17-19).

Who can read the words of young Isaac and not feel the drama. “Father, here is the wood and the knife. Where is the lamb for the offering?” His Father’s answer, “God will provide.”
The two walked on in silence. Father Abraham piled up stones for an altar of stones, laid down the wood for the fire, and then bound his son and laid him on the altar. He raised the knife, prepared to do the unspeakable.
Those moments must have seemed like an eternity. Like Indiana Jones at the edge of the crevasse he must have looked down at his son and then toward the Heavenly Father. First down at the treasure that his whole life had been about then toward the Father. It was as if the pleading voice of the Father was saying, Abraham, let him go. Let him go.” That was Abraham’s test.

This whole episode was about the first two of the Ten Commandments. Ultimately everything is. Commandment One: You shall have no other gods before me.
Commandment Two: You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (Ex 20:3-5).
Translation—Nothing—not the creation of his hands, not the creation of our hands, not his gifts to us nor our gifts to him—must be more important to us than God himself. Idolatry is choosing anything other than God.

Another subplot flows just beneath the surface of this story. Those not familiar with the rest of the Bible seldom see it. But it is there. The clues are everywhere.
When God first called Abraham, he made a point to tell him that what was happening was not just for him. It was for the whole world. God chose and blessed Abraham to start a family (Isaac) through whom would come a blessing that everyone needed.
This was a long range plan. For the next two thousand years others would point back to Abraham as the beginning.
The place where all of this happened was also a part of the plan. Abraham lived in Beersheba a small oasis in the middle of the southern desert.
God told him to travel three days north to make his sacrifice and his choice. He was to go to a place called Moriah. That name may not mean much to you. But according to 2 Chronicles 3:1, a thousand years later it was there that King David bought a piece of ground from Araunah the Jebusite to build an altar upon which to worship God.
That would become the property on which Solomon, David’s son, would build his temple for God in Jerusalem. A thousand years later still, Jesus came to that same place, cleansed the temple of the money changers, and taught people the way to God.
To this day you can see this piece of real estate on the nightly news. Jews, Muslims, and Christians refer to this very site as the holiest place on earth. It was where Abraham built the altar for his son.

It was in the shadows of Moriah that another “father” gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. The place of Abraham’s ultimate choice became the place God’s ultimate grace

Here’s the big clue. Jesus said that no one could understand him until they recognize that he came to seek and save the lost and to lay his life down as a ransom for men’s sin. He didn’t come to be just a teacher, though he was. He didn’t come to perform miracles, though he did. He didn’t come to be king. That comes next time. He was a savior! “Behold the lamb of God,” John had said.

How could God command Abraham to sacrifice his only son? While I can’t explain all the issues that surround that question,
BUT this I know. God never tells anyone to do something that he isn’t willing to do himself. Isaac’s story is Jesus story. The same place, the same devotion, the same act. God provided for Abraham at Moriah. God provided for us at Calvary. Do you see how much trouble God went to for your salvation?
He offered Jesus as the sacrifice for our sin. He also prepared and planned and pointed to that sacrifice for thousands of years in advance.

God chose Abraham. And then God asked Abraham to choose him. What would he do? Choose God or the one thing that meant more to him than anything else in the world? Which would it be? God knew the answer. Maybe Abraham didn’t.

What if the decision to go to heaven wasn’t a matter of praying, acknowledging Christ, and obeying the Gospel in baptism? What if it was like this? God tells you to prepare for a long trip. You pack all your most important possessions. Since this a dream even your most important relationships, your ambitions, your likes and dislikes, all go in your suitcases.

You arrive at the airport. There is no baggage check. You drag everything all the way to the plane. There’s the plane—Heaven Bound! But there’s no gangway, not even stairs.

Instead the Lord himself is standing at the door of the plane with a hand outstretched to personally pull you on board. What a welcome sight!

One problem! Your hands are full. You lift one of your bags toward the door expecting the Lord to set it inside. He doesn’t take it. He just shakes his head.
For a moment you are puzzled. Then you understand. You must choose!
You look up into the Father’s face as he pleads, “Let it go! Let it go!”
And that is the ultimate choice!

Who Is The Strongest Man?

Who Is the Strongest Man?
Mark 3: 20-30

Macho men always want to brag about how strong they are. Some boys on a school playground were bragging. Johnny said, “My dad has a list of all the men he can beat up—and all your dads are on his list!” Later that afternoon a knock came on Johnny’s house and his dad answered the door. A big angry man said, “Are you Johnny’s dad?” He said, “I am.” “Well Johnny told my son said you have a list of men you think you can beat up, and my name is on it.” Johnny’s dad said, “That’s right.” The big guy started rolling up his sleeves and said, “Well, I don’t think you can beat me up. What are you going to do about it?” Johnny’s dad said, “I’ll mark you off my list.”
Guys are always bragging about who’s the strongest. Since 1977 there has been a televised event called “The World’s Strongest Man.” Most of the winners have come from Finland, Iceland, and Eastern Europe. These guys are required to perform amazing feats of strength like pulling a Boeing 747 with their teeth. These aren’t body-builders; they are bulked up dudes. One of the competitors from Iceland, who is nicknamed Thor, stands 6’9” and weighs 435 pounds.
So who do you think was the strongest man in the Bible? Are you thinking of the book of Judges and the guy with long hair who could kill a lion with his bare hands? Samson was pretty strong, but after he got a haircut in the devil’s barbershop, he lost his strength.
In our passage today, Jesus is going to talk about a strong man; then He’s going to mention a stronger man. Hopefully, by the time we finish you’ll know the identity of the “The World’s Strongest Man.”
Mark 3:20-30. 20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”
23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.
27 No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.
28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;
29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—
30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
On June 16, 1858 more than 1,000 delegates met in the Springfield, Illinois, for the Republican State Convention, and they chose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for the U.S. Senate, running against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. That evening Lincoln delivered this address to his Republican colleagues and the main focus of his remarks were on the issue of slavery:
“Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention. If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.
We are now far into the fifth year, since a policy was initiated, with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only, NOT ceased, but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed. A house divided against itself cannot stand."
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." That's a powerful sentence! Did Abraham Lincoln come up with that phrase all by himself? No. Well, where did he get it? That’s right ... he was quoting Jesus.
Whose kingdom is Jesus talking about here? Who’s the “strong man” that must first be bound? Who’s kingdom is about to come to an end?
The main reason for Jesus’ coming was to bind Satan, to divide and destroy his kingdom.
Now, hold that thought for a moment.
Did you ever look up verses in the Bible that have the words “division” or “divide” or something similar in them?
I found that division is not always a negative thing in Scripture. In fact, sometimes God CAUSED division to take place.
For example, in Genesis - when God created the world – we’re told that: “God saw the light, that it was good: and GOD DIVIDED the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:4
Was that good? God said it was good!
A few verses later we’re told “God made the firmament, and DIVIDED THE WATERS which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. Genesis 1:7
Again, this was a pretty good thing... because God said it was good too.
And then in Deuteronomy we read “... when you see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven... which the LORD your GOD HAS DIVIDED unto all nations under the whole heaven.” Deuteronomy 4:19
God divided the stars unto all nations? Did you know that if you were in the southern hemisphere you see an entirely different set of stars than WE see in the northern hemisphere. God has divided all the stars unto all the nations under heaven. And that’s kind of a cool thing
So when GOD divides things... that’s a GOOD thing. I mean just by definition - if God does something it’s got to be good --- doesn’t it???
So THEN I read this verse in the New Testament: (Jesus said) Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:51-53)
Jesus came to bring division?? Well, that’s what He said!!! But if (by definition) if God does something it’s got to be good how can Jesus causing division in a family be a good thing?
Well, here’s the deal: People live in one of two realms.They either belong to Jesus or they belong to Satan And when you think about this you begin to realize that entire families belong to Satan. Entire families are outside of Christ.
Now sometimes an entire family will come to Christ. We’ve seen it here. And other times we’ve seen ONLY 2 or 3 members of any family come to church. Maybe the wife. Maybe a teen.
Maybe grandparents. And that reality can create division in the family because some members of the family decide to belong to Christ and others don’t.
By default – if these people don’t belong to Jesus they belong to Satan.
You see --- belonging to Satan is not all that hard. You don’t have to DO anything to Satan. You don’t have to BELIEVE anything to go to hell. In fact, not believing in God - not belonging to Christ - is all it takes. And people who do not make up their minds to God in their lives... belong to Satan! Satan’s kingdom is made up of all kinds of people who simply have not decided they want God to run their lives.
Is that God’s fault? Of course it’s not! But it would be God’s fault if He was satisfied with leaving things that way. Thus, because God’s intention is divide the Kingdom of Satan. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. And God’s focus is on bringing Satan’s kingdom to its knees. His intention is to bind the strong man and to peel off people who once belonged to the devil and give them life and hope and peace.
Now, the problem becomes that Satan has no intention of letting that happen. Satan intends to hang on to every last one of those that he has. And one of the tools Satan will use... is family.
That may end up being true. OR your decision might just make all the difference in the lives of your family. They might just come to Christ because you made that choice first. By standing off to one side and simply being God’s child you may begin to make your family jealous of your faith in Christ. And if that happens, you may be able to help divide up Satan’s kingdom that much more and change the eternal fate of those that you love.
Jesus faced continued bitter criticism from these religious leaders throughout His ministry. That lets us know that if you’re serving God, you can be assured that you’ll face criticism.
When Jesus faced false accusations and criticism, He never tried to defend Himself. He usually asked His critics some questions, and answered with a parable. He turned their rants into teachable moments. In this case He asked, “How can Satan drive out Satan?” And then Jesus, the Master Teacher shared one of his shortest, and most enigmatic parables.
Let me read it to you from Mark 3:27: 27 But no one can enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
Let’s examine the parable Jesus spoke, and then we’ll talk about the warning Jesus gave.
I. THE PARABLE: Jesus came to reverse the work of Satan
The Pharisees were insulting Jesus when they claimed that He was possessed by Beelzebub. The name “Beelzebub” literally means “Lord of the flies.” (The same name of a novel and a 1960s movie.) Beelzebub was a pagan deity of the ancient Phoe-ni-ci-ans. He was a god of death, filth, and feces.
In Jewish literature, Beelzebub was a chief demon, and sometimes even identified as Lucifer himself. So now you realize the depth of the insult they leveled against Jesus. But He used it as an opportunity to give a short but powerful parable. What is the spiritual meaning of this short parable of the world’s strongest man?
A. Satan is strong, but Jesus is the strongest!
Jesus announced to the world that He came to drive out Satan, the prince of this world. He said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” (John 12:31)
I could have said Jesus is stronger, but He’s the strongest. Satan is real, and he is strong. But sometimes we make the mistake of give him qualities that only belong to God.
God is omnipresent—He is everywhere all the time.
God is omnipotent—He is all-powerful.
God is omniscient—He knows everything.
Satan, which means adversary, is Lucifer, a fallen angel. He isn’t omnipresent, but he’s fast and has an army of demons.
Lucifer isn’t all-powerful, but he is like a roaring lion roaming about seeking whom he may devour.
Lucifer isn’t omniscient, he can’t read your thoughts. But, like a snake, he is shrewd and crafty.
So the strong man in this parable is the devil, but Jesus is stronger. His house is this world. Satan is called the prince of this world but this isn’t the only world there is. Jesus is the one who came into the world and He has bound Satan and then stolen his possessions. But Jesus wasn’t really stealing anything from Satan. He was only reclaiming what Satan stole in the first place. Jesus isn’t a thief sneaking in and ripping off someone. He’s like a policeman going into a robber’s house and handcuffing him to retrieve stolen property that the devil took.
Jesus called Satan a thief. He said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.”
B. Satan’s “possessions” are people without Christ
The Bible describes people without Christ this way: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2)
The Bible says Satan (who is a spirit, like all angelic and demonic beings) is at work in the lives of people who don’t know Christ. Now if you told an unbeliever they were under the control of Satan, they would laugh at you. They would probably say, “Are you crazy? I don’t even believe in Satan!”
But the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.” Even for people who don’t believe God exists or the devil exists, Satan is actively keeping their minds shut to the truth about Jesus. They are slaves to Satan without even knowing it.
There is a species of ant in the Amazon area of South America called the Slave-making ant. Hundreds of these ants periodically swarm out of their nest and attack colonies of weaker ants. After destroying the living ants, they carry back the larvae of un-hatched ants. When these young ants are hatched, they are forced to be slave ants. These worker ants are born thinking they belong to the colony never realizing they were forced to be slaves from the time they are born. That’s a picture of humanity. We all need a Savior to come and rescue and reclaim us from the strong man. That’s what the strongest man, Jesus came to do!
C. Jesus bound and robbed Satan on the cross
The very act where the strongest man, Jesus robbed the devil was at the crucifixion. The Bible says, “Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:14-15)
The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8) “By his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)
So what does this mean to us? The devil is a defeated foe. He is still active, but he was rendered powerless on the cross.
He knows his doom is sealed. He’s smart enough to read Revelation 20:10 that says, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
You may be thinking, “OK if the devil is a defeated foe, he sure is causing me a lot of misery.” He’s like a wounded animal. He’s going to fight to the end, although his defeat is sure. It’s like when the Nazis realized the war was lost, Hitler issued the Nero Decree. He told his retreating armies to destroy everything of value. Satan is doing the same thing. He continues to steal, kill, and destroy. But he no longer has any authority over you. He will try to kill your joy, steal your peace, and destroy your testimony, but his power is broken. You can say to him, “Get away from me, Satan, because greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world!” You’re strong, but I have the strongest man living in me!
So that’s the parable. But because these religious leaders accused Jesus of being in union with Satan, Jesus responded with a stern warning about their spiritual blindness.
II. THE WARNING: Jesus will forgive every sin except persistent rejection of the Holy Spirit’s conviction
Jesus said: “When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8) Before you can ever be saved, you must experience a sense of guilt over your sinful condition. Jesus said this is the role of the Holy Spirit. It’s not my job to make you feel guilty, that’s the job of the Holy Spirit. Scary stories may bring fears and sad stories may bring tears, but only the Spirit of God can bring true conviction of sin.
The word blasphemy means to “speak against.” So blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is when a person says, “No” to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In that moment they are “speaking against” the Holy Spirit.
I like the paraphrase from the Message: Jesus said in Mark 3:28-29, 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
“The unpardonable sin involves the total and irrevocable rejection of Jesus Christ. It is rejecting, completely and finally, the witness of the Holy Spirit, which declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who alone can save us from our sins.
So, the only sin God won’t forgive is terminal unbelief. And the reason God won’t forgive that sin is because the person who commits it will never ask God to forgive them. If you are someone who considers yourself to be an unbeliever, I appeal to you to trust Jesus today. Every time you say, “No” makes it easier to say, “No” the next time. There is more to life than this life. And the moment after you die, you will realize this. One day we will face eternity.
CONCLUSION
On the evening of June 18, 1850, a man stood in the bell tower of London’s Winchester Cathedral staring anxiously out to sea. All of England was waiting for a report of the Battle at Waterloo between British general, the Duke of Wellington, and the French dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte. The torch signals from a ship in the English Channel were sent by code. The message read: “Wellington defeated...” At that moment a thick fog rolled in. The man in the tower signaled the news across the city and there was great gloom and sadness because that meant Napoleon would next invade England. But hours later the fog lifted and the rest of the message could be read: “Wellington defeated the enemy.” Sadness and despair was replaced with joy and celebration.
When Jesus died on the cross, it would seem as if He had been defeated. But when Jesus rose from the dead the rest of the message was received. Jesus defeated the enemy!
And we can rejoice today. The World’s Strongest Man has defeated our enemy!