Celebrate Recovery Series: “Life’s Healing Choices,” Part 2

This is part 2 of a two part introduction to a small group series we're beginning at Faith in the middle of January.  Part 1 was shared by our associate pastor, Dick Stein, who also heads up our outstanding Celebrate Recovery ministry.  Based on the book, "Life's Healing Choices" by John Baker, the series features a Biblically based eight-step process of overcoming life's hurts, habits and hang ups (you know, SIN).  This message was shared Sunday, December 13, 2009 at Faith Christian Center in Bend, Oregon.


Good morning friends!  I received this from Kelley Atkinson. It is a poem that a friend of her husbands’ wrote:

Our Reason for Christmas

By Milt Dougherty

Twas a cold night in December, and all through the town
The inns were all full, not a room could be found
For the king had decreed that a census be taken
And the world would change before the day would awaken

Here in a Bethlehem barn, a woman and man
Playing their role in God’s master plan
Had come to the city and here on this night
Would give to the world God’s shining light

Both Mary and Joseph answered God’s call
With his plan to send Jesus to save man from the fall
Obedient they listened and did as were told
As predicted before in stories of old

In the form of a baby, of virgin birth born
God’s gift to his people on this Christmas morn
They named him Jesus, as the angel had said
And laid him in a manger to rest his sweet head

While in that crude manger lay baby and beast
There arose a bright star that shone in the east
It served as a guide to foreigners three
The wise men who traveled, the baby to see

They knew that this baby was no ordinary child
The power of God, and yet his spirit, so mild
Both human and God, part man, part divine
Sent to forgive both your sins and mine

As told in the scriptures from long, long ago
God living among us so we would all know
God’s bountiful love, no matter our case
Wrapped up in this child, God’s merciful grace

We may celebrate Christmas with family and toys
But those are small parts of real Christmas joys
There’s Santa, the tree and all the presents you get
It’s all good stuff, but let’s not forget

Two thousand years later, the story’s the same
Forgiveness to all who call on God’s name
The Christ-child in the manger, a beautiful site,
Our real reason for Christmas, so to all a good night.

May we all embrace in more refreshing ways, the reason for the excellent season we celebrate!

Turn your Bible to Matthew 5.

Prayer

Introduction
I’m glad you’re here on this special morning as we continue together in our annual theme, “Crossing Over the Crimson Bridge.” In essence, crossing over the crimson bridge speaks to us of coming to know Christ as Savior, but not allowing everything in our lives to come over the bridge of the cross. When we come to know Christ as Savior, our souls pass over from spiritual death to life. The problem comes when our fleshly nature takes back some area where we don’t want Christ to have control. It can be a whole variety of sin; among them could be

• chemical abuse

• or addiction to pornography,

• bitterness

• or gossip,

• backbiting

• or rebellion.

The enemy is creative and so are we when it comes to submitting ourselves to sin. Basically, each one of us can fill in our own blank.

Last week and this, we began an introduction to an incredibly liberating teaching that our Faith Journey Groups – our adult small groups – are going to go through in the first part of next year. It’s a series called, “Life’s Healing Choices.” The series works hand-in-hand with the focus of our Celebrate Recovery ministry here at Faith which is based on the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5. But it also works hand-in-hand with the Scripture in helping us overcome life’s hurts, habits and hang ups. I also want you to know that we are joining literally thousands of churches across the country who have or are going through this series since the beginning of September.

We have a sin problem, which created the environment for Jesus to come. The Bible says,

Romans 3:23 - 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ESV

We are all born into sin. And then we see this truth in 1 Peter 5:

1 Peter 5:8 - 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ESV

The devil will do whatever he can to cause us to fall. And let’s be blunt, we all have struggles, we all have hurts, habits and hang ups because there is a devil and we live in a fallen world.

There is a powerful word picture in Isaiah 57 of God redeeming and restoring the repentant heart. Here is what it says,

Isaiah 57:18-19 - 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
19 creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near," says the Lord,
"and I will heal him. ESV

There are five promises here by God that He will do on behalf of those who are willing to turn from their sin. These are amazing truths for us to embrace. Let’s look at them:

1. If you are hurt, God says, “I will heal you.”

2. If you’re confused, God says, “I will lead you.”

3. If you feel helpless, God says, “I will help you.”

4. If you feel alone, god says, “I will comfort you.”

5. If you feel anxious and afraid, God says, “I will offer peace to you.”

We need God’s help.

Hurts, habits, hang ups. We all have them. God is able to deal with them. But it’s up to us grab hold of them and cross them over the crimson bridge and give them to Jesus. “Life’s Healing Choices” is the process of this Faith Journey Adventure that we’re on to see both major and minor changes take place in our lives.

There are eight steps, areas and choices, eight Beatitudes for us to consider in regard to “Life’s Healing Choices.” Pastor Dick Stein shared the first four last week. Let’s review them together;

I. Admitting Need: The Reality Choice.

Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Principle:
“I realize I’m not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.”

It is to surrender control of our lives over to Christ.

Secondly,


II. Getting Help: The Hope Choice.

Matthew 5:4 - "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Principle:
“Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me.”

This choice means that after giving up control to Christ, we will trust Christ’s help for change to take place in our lives, regardless of the process.

Thirdly,


III. Letting Go: The Commitment Choice.

Matthew 5:5 - "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Principle:
“Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.”

This choice means that we act upon giving Christ first seat in our lives, allowing him control over everything to bring the change that He wants to make in our lives.

And fourthly,

IV. Coming Clean: The Housecleaning Choice.

Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Principle:
“I openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God and to someone I trust.”

This principle is the confession part of our Faith Journey Adventure – acknowledging our sin and crossing over the crimson bridge the areas of our lives that fall short of God’s purpose and plan for us.

And now our focus this morning begins at choice number five,

V. Making Changes: The Transformation Choice.

Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Principle:
“Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.”


Most of you are aware that I went on a diet during 2008. It resulted in my losing 120 pounds. From January 1 until now, I’ve gained back 35 pounds. I think about 30 of those pounds are now strategically located behind my belly button. But I digress…

Yes, I’m looking forward to losing about 20 of those regained pounds. The good news is that I didn’t do what over 80% of those who lose large amounts of weight – gain it all back and more over the next year. I am blessed.

If you look at my family tree you’ll see a lot of people who are pretty large folks. I’ve seen photos of my father’s, mother’s family, and I look a lot like them. So does my dad. The good news is that my kids don’t.
I was at a meeting yesterday on weight loss as I gear up for the continuation of my own journey in this area, and in becoming better equipped to help others on this path. One of the things that they talked about were the different kinds of eaters there are. The main ones they talked about were

social eaters,

emotional eaters

and stress eaters.

They also talked about making healthy choices along the way, literally re-programming one’s self in order to do well in regard to this life-controlling issue in the future. For example, my internal autopilot tells me that I love see-food. In other words, every time I see food I want to eat it. This requires reprogramming.

Our genes, environment and autopilot have a good deal of influence on our hurts, habits and hang ups. They create an environment where we will coddle our background, life and propensities in order to rationalize our character defects. This must not be so. This is not how we were meant to live.

We think that because we’ve been this way for so long that it has become our identity – one that will never change. We don’t like change because we’ve even been able to manage our defect, our sin in such a way that we use it to our advantage to take control over things. For example, in my case I got out of lots of activities because it was physically impossible to do them.

When we do this, we play into the hands of the enemy who doesn’t want us to change.

I managed with my defect of weight. I could do my job. But I’m not nearly as effective carrying the weight. I also did some tests that had my life expectancy around 70. I was literally killing myself, much less missing out on way too much. I guess I wanted to not only be used of the Lord in a greater way, but also to play with my grandkids like I wasn’t able to do with my own kids. That’s a regret, a consequence from my sin that I won’t get back – along with all that wasted opportunity and time.

The Transformation Choice is to voluntarily submit to every change that God wants to make in my life.

It means:

• Focusing on one defect at a time.

There is enough going on in our lives to focus on changing everything at once. Get one thing right and move ahead.

• Focusing on one victory one day at a time.

• Focusing on God’s power and not my own willpower.

• Focusing on the good things and not the bad.

• Focusing on doing good, not feeling good.

When I get on my diet after being off for a few days, I have to start all over on the fat-burning stage. Wow – it’s awful. I’m hungry for two to four days because my body is kicking into gear. I love food and don’t love that feeling. But it’s for my own good.

• Focusing on people who help, not hinder you.

• Focusing on progress, not perfection.

And now, the sixth choice:

VI. Repairing Relationships: The Relationship Choice.

Matthew 5:7 - "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

And,

Matthew 5:9 - "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Principle:
“Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.”

John Baker writes,

“I love collecting ‘church bloopers’ – funny mistakes made in the church bulletin or spoken during announcements from the pulpit. But sometimes the corrections are funnier than the original bloopers. One Sunday morning during announcements, the pastor said, ‘I need to make a correction to an announcement from last week’s bulletin. It read: The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment, and gracious hostility. It should have read: The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment, and gracious hospitality. Sorry, folks, we are a loving church, not a hostile on. We love hurting people.’ [Look at that phrase for a moment!]

“He then went on to say, ‘I just have one announcement for this morning. The peacekeepers meeting scheduled for this afternoon has been canceled due to a conflict.’”

John Baker

“Life’s Healing Choices,” p. 167

Friends, we’re all thinking right now of people who’ve offended us. But perhaps instead of doing that, we should think about those whom we’ve offended.

• Make a list of those whom you’ve offended.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you. Expect the answer to come, not necessarily in a moment, but over a season of seeking God.

• Think about how you would want someone to make amends with you.

• Go and do it.

• Refocus your life and conduct for the future.

There is much more going on with this step, but this is the basic overview. Do whatever you can to live in peace with everyone.

The seventh choice is,

VII. Maintaining Momentum: The Growth Choice.

Principle:
“Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.”

What we’re talking about here is defending against relapse into our same-old sin.

• We revert back to our own willpower.

• We ignore one of the choices that God used in our lives to overcome sin.

• We ignore the support systems around us.

• We become prideful, thinking we are God and can do it on our own.

D.L. Moody is quoted as saying,

“God has nothing to say to the self-righteous.”

D.L. Moody

Our primary focus on this choice is to make certain that we are making right choices that moved us out of our struggle and to daily evaluate and pursue those choices that keep us above our sinful fray.

We want a mighty move of God here in our church and city, but we must recognize that we need to win the battle for our own soul so we can win the battle for our city.

I’ve been reading lately about churches that are blowing apart by sin. This causes the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ to shrink back. Congregants suing other congregants and pastors because they are not getting their way. This must not be so.

What creates the change? What creates the difference? What keeps us on track? It’s being close to Jesus. It’s being a people of prayer. It’s being a people of the Word. It’s following its precepts and doing the things that God used in our lives in order to continue overcoming the sin that set us back.

When we believe that we’ve done it all ourselves, that’s the moment we lose momentum and God allows us to be left alone in our self-righteousness.

Lastly,


VIII. Recycling Pain: The Sharing Choice.

Matthew 5:10 - "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Principle:
“Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.”


John Baker writes,

“Your greatest contribution to this world – your greatest ministry – will not be found in your strength but in your weakness. The very thing you want least to talk about, the very thing you want to hide in the closet is the very thing God wants you to share. One of the great things about God is that He never wastes a hurt. And He doesn’t want to waste yours.”

John Baker

“Life’s Healing Choices,” p.241

Someone I love and respect recently adopted this quote into their life:

“What defines us is how well we rise after we fall.”

When God delivers us from our sin, that definition that we’ve talked about of our sin defining us is changed, and our lives effect change, and transforms those around us. Our example of Christ’s redeeming and life-changing power radically impacts those around us who know us and are watching us.

It’s really an enigma to people like me who love to study. But for the most part, folks aren’t looking for a theological argument when it comes to sharing your faith in Christ. They’re looking for, well, your faith. We need to tell them your story.

Here are some tips on sharing your story in Christ with others:

• Be humble.

• Be real.

• Don’t lecture.

It’s been said for a century, “The greatest evidence of Christ is a life that demands an explanation.”

Are you ready to move to the next level in your walk with Christ? Are you ready to move past that same old sin in your life that has held you back? Are you ready for the change that only Jesus Christ can bring?

Conclusion

1. [Faith Journey Groups/“Life’s Healing Choices”] I’m very excited about the coming study that will take place in our Faith Journey Groups. In this process, having the book is extremely helpful in that it contains not only the Biblical theology behind sin and change, but also explaining what to do next and testimonies of those who’ve made the changes. Everyone who takes this journey to heart will grow deeper in Christ and in their discipleship.

2. [Salvation] Some of us here today need to begin the Faith Journey Adventure by crossing over the crimson bridge for the first time. You can begin this adventure by giving accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

3. [Dealing with sin – personal and corporate] God is speaking to every listening heart in this room about our need to deal with sin in our lives. We want Jesus to move in power. Dealing with our sin is part of this process. I challenge each one of us today to be involved in this process so that we can move ahead as individuals, as families and as a congregation.

4. Altar.

December 13, 2009      Dr. Mike Johnson, Lead Pastor

Celebrate Recovery Series: “Life’s Healing Choices,” Part 2

Romans 3:23 - 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ESV

1 Peter 5:8 - 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ESV

Isaiah 57:18-19 - 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
19 creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near," says the Lord,
"and I will heal him. ESV

1. If you are hurt, God says, “I will _______________ you.”

2. If you’re confused, God says, “I will _______________ you.”

3. If you feel helpless, God says, “I will _______________ you.”

4. If you feel alone, god says, “I will _______________ you.”

5. If you feel anxious and afraid, God says, “I will offer _______________ to you.”

I. Admitting Need: The _______________ Choice.

Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Principle:
“I realize I’m not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.”


II. Getting Help: The _______________ Choice.

Matthew 5:4 - "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Principle:
“Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me.”


III. Letting Go: The _______________ Choice.

Matthew 5:5 - "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Principle:
“Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.”


IV. Coming Clean: The _______________ Choice.

Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Principle:
“I openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God and to someone I trust.”


V. Making Changes: The _______________ Choice.

Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Principle:
“Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my _______________ defects.”


VI. Repairing Relationships: The _______________ Choice.

Matthew 5:7 - "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Matthew 5:9 - "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Principle:
“Evaluate all my _______________. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.”



VII. Maintaining Momentum: The _______________ Choice.

Principle:
“Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the _______________ to follow His will.”


VIII. Recycling Pain: The _______________ Choice.

Matthew 5:10 - "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Principle:
“Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my _______________ and by my words.”


Conclusion/Action to Take





Answers: heal, lead, help, comfort, peace, Reality, Hope, Commitment, Housecleaning, Transformation, character, Relationship, relationships, Growth, power, Sharing, example

“In Everything You Do, Give Thanks,” Thanksgiving Message

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, November 22, 2009 in the morning service.

A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York a couple of days before Thanksgiving and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty five years of misery is enough.   

'Pop, what are you talking about?' the son screams.  

We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,' the father says.  'We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her.  

'Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.  'No way that’s going to happen on our watch!’ she shouts, ‘I'll take care of this.'

She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at her father, 'You are NOT getting divorced.  Don't do a single thing until I get there.  I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow.  Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?' and hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife.  'Okay honey,' he says, 'they're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way!’

Turn your Bible to 1 Chronicles 16.

There once was a disgruntled real estate agent.  Sales had been slow, and he was becoming more and more discontent with his own life.  One morning he got up, got into a foolish argument with his wife over nothing, yelled at the kids, kicked the dog, and complained about the crummy house that he was living in on his way out the door.

He arrived at work to find a young man in his early thirties waiting to see him.  The young man had a spark in his eye, because this was the day that he was going to pursue his dream home! 

The Realtor sat down with the young man and asked about the things that he was looking for in this home in which he wanted to live out his days on the earth.  He began to describe the home.  As fast as he described, the Realtor wrote, compiling a long list.  Finally, when both men were exhausted from all of this dreaming, The Realtor asked him, “What are you willing to pay for this place?”  The young man shared how he had done well in the stock market and in business in a few short years, and was now ready to reap some of the rewards.  The Realtor then asked the young man about his family, to which he shared about his wife, young children, and family dog. 

“Wow, what a great start you have in life,” said the agent.  With that the men parted ways, with the agent’s task clearly outlined on paper.  In a few short minutes, he was home for lunch.  His wife, remembering the fight they had experienced that morning, and it had been happening more frequently, hedged a question, “How has your morning gone.”  “You know honey,” said the agent, “A young man visited my office today and is in search of his dream house.  If I could just find this place for him and his family, it will make up for the slow spell I’ve been having lately.”

“Tell me about his dream house,” said his wife.  Halfway through the description, the Realtor stopped because he knew that it was his home that the man wanted.  His wife, knowing what was happening, inquired about the young man’s family.  The Realtor began to describe the young man’s family, and halfway through that description, he stopped because he realized that he was already living that young man’s dream.

He took the rest of the day off.  The next morning he made breakfast in bed for his wife, he hugged his kids and told them how much he loved them, and petted the dog on the way out of his beautiful house!

Be thankful for what you have.  You may already be living someone else’s dream.

This morning we’re breaking from our series in the Gospel of John to look at the subject of Thanksgiving this morning.  The title of this message is, “In Everything You Do, Give Thanks.”

As Christians, we are to be thankful for everything, because we know where these things come from, especially our salvation!

But we know that we’re living in some pretty special times right now, in the midst of a recession.  On an intellectual and perhaps a spiritual level, we know that God is good.  1 Chronicles 16:34 says,

1 Chronicles 16:34 - Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever! ESV

We love that Scripture; we say it out loud on Sundays and on other occasions when we are rejoicing.  We say, “God is good, all the time!”  God must love hearing it because we see these words over and over again in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms.

Just prior to this passage the Chronicler writes,

1 Chronicles 16:8-12 - 8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

9 Sing to him; sing praises to him;

tell of all his wondrous works!

10 Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

11 Seek the Lord and his strength;

seek his presence continually!

12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,

his miracles and the judgments he uttered, ESV

On Friday my best friend in high school called.  His name is Ed Holmes.  Ed was doing his best to be upbeat but got serious pretty quickly.  His wife Donna has been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.  He called me because I know someone who can help; His name is Jesus.

I told him about my niece’s situation.  A couple weeks ago, she was scheduled at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to have a softball-sized tumor removed from her pancreas – not a good scenario under any circumstance.  And then the incredible news that the tumor had shrunk and has subsequently continued to shrink.  The doctors are confounded. 

Oh friends, we don’t care a whole lot about how the doctors feel about such things.  We give thanks to the Lord because He is good!

When we remember the wondrous works and miracles of the Lord, everything changes.

No matter what confronts or confounds our lives, the impossible is made possible!  As we look at some more Scripture, I’m going to invite Aaron Zellweger to come and read for us.  Turn your Bible to Psalm 107.  Aaron is going to read this passage for us, beginning at verse 1.

Psalm 107:1-8 - Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

whom he has redeemed from trouble

3 and gathered in from the lands,

from the east and from the west,

from the north and from the south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastes,

finding no way to a city to dwell in;

5 hungry and thirsty,

their soul fainted within them.

6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way

till they reached a city to dwell in.

8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of men! ESV

Wow, that passage written thousands of years ago reads like today.

Let’s look together at what it says:

I.              We Give Thanks Because We are the Redeemed of the Lord Whom He has Delivered from Trouble.

A.          We give thanks to Jesus!  Where does that thanksgiving come from?  Thanksgiving comes out of obedience.  The Bible says that we are to give thanks to God, and to others.  Thanksgiving comes out of understanding.  When we understand what Jesus has done for us, we are eternally grateful.  Thanksgiving comes out of love.

Anna Warner, author of the hymn "Jesus Loves Me," constantly faced financial pressure. Her father had been a wealthy powerbroker in New York City, but the stock market crash of 1837 wiped out his finances. All her life, Anna faced overwhelming debt. But she learned to trust God with her needs.

A friend wrote this about her: "One day when sitting with Miss Anna in the old living room she took from one of the cases a (sea)shell so delicate that it looked like lace work and holding it in her hand, with eyes dimmed with tears, she said, 'There was a time when I was very perplexed, bills were unpaid, necessities must be had, and someone sent me this exquisite thing. As I held it, I realized that if God could make this beautiful home for a little creature, He would take care of me.'" (Turning Point Daily Devotional, 8-27-04)

About this issue of loving God my friend John Vawter told me a while ago,

“I was struck again in my preparation for this past Sunday's sermon on loving God that some theologian I read said that love for God is not a feeling or an impulse...but a response from our whole being to His love for us.”

B.          The redeemed give thanks because they are redeemed.  There is an amazing statement here that we might not grasp at first glance.  First it speaks of those who give thanks to God are those whom He has redeemed from trouble.  Of course those who are delivered from trouble give thanks.

Secondly, it also speaks to us of where we are right here and now, that whatever confronts our lives that one way or another the Lord will walk with us, allowing us to learn along the way and we’ll come out better on the other side.  As we look at this it very much is prophetic. 


The redeemed came from all different places, all different environs; even to the point of desert wanderings, being hungry and thirsty, having no city to dwell in.  In such conditions the passage says that their soul fainted within them – that they lost heart.

In the Old Testament,

C.          The soon-to-be-redeemed cried out to the Lord in their trouble; and God delivered them.   I believe that it is the same in the New Testament as well.  The great news is that you don’t have to wait until you’re in trouble to call out to Jesus!

D.          Not only were they delivered, thereby becoming the redeemed, but God showed them they way to go.

This reminds us of what the Psalmist wrote in 119:

Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ESV

E.           And so we give thanks to God for His steadfast love towards us.

We too are the Redeemed of the Lord.

Galatians 3:13-14 - 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. ESV

·        We are redeemed from sin.

·        We are redeemed from spiritual death.

·        We are redeemed from spiritual blindness.

·        We are redeemed from hopelessness.

·        We are redeemed from being hell-bound.

·        I am redeemed from _______________.

Yes, you fill in your own answer on the last one.  The redeemed of the Lord are delivered from trouble.  In that space you can put something or even some sin that you were redeemed from.  And you can also use that space to fill in something you’re going through right now – perhaps a time of trouble, that prophetically you are trusting the Lord to be delivered from.

Lift up your head and be thankful now for God’s redemption in your past and future!

Secondly,

II.        God’s Will is for Us to Give Thanks in Everything.

Turn your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22.:

The Apostle Paul is writing to the Church in Thessalonica who were so focused on the return of Christ that many had quit there jobs and were literally sitting around waiting for things to happen.  In the meantime they depended on others to take care of them.  This must not be so of us, that we are too heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good.  And so Paul wrote to them, setting them straight about the return of Christ and also of being responsible for themselves until then.  Here the letter concludes with some admonitions to follow:

1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 - 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. ESV

While on a short-term missions trip, Pastor Jack Hinton from New Bern, North Carolina, was leading worship at a leper colony on the island of Tobago.  There was time for one more song, so he asked if anyone had a request.  A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit turned around.

“It was the most hideous face I had ever seen,” Hinton said.  “The woman’s nose and ears were entirely gone.  The disease had destroyed her lips as well.  She lifted a fingerless hand in the air and asked, ‘Can we sing Count Your Many Blessings?’”

Overcome with emotion, Hinton left the service.  He was followed by a team member who said, “Jack, I guess you’ll never be able to sing that song again.”

“Yes I will,” he replied, “but I’ll never sing it the same way.”

(The Pastor’s Update, 5/96/Foreign Mission Board, SBC).

In his Monday Moments newsletter, Michael Halleen wrote: "I was on a flight from Minsk to Kiev during one of my early visits to that part of the world.  The plane, an older Russian twin-engine model, was boarded through a door in the aft part of the cabin and seated no more than 30 people.  When we touched down and rolled to a stop at Kiev's city airport, I stood and began to gather my stuff, just as I would have done on any American flight.

"A Russian friend traveling with me tugged gently on my sleeve and motioned for me to sit down. For a moment I resisted, until I noticed the other passengers had remained seated.  'It's our custom to wait for the pilot to leave first, and we thank him for the flight,' my friend whispered. We all sat quietly for several minutes until the cockpit door burst open and the two pilots strode up the aisle toward the door in the rear.  A number of people said spasibo (thank you) as the pilots walked by, a few nodded and smiled, and one even reached out to shake hands.  Only as they were stepping out onto the tarmac did we passengers stand and begin to file out.  'It's the Russian way,' my friend said.  'We must be thankful.’

It’s also the Christian way.

The late pastor and author Dr. Fulton Oursler used to tell of an old woman who took care of him when he was a child. Anna was a former slave who, after emancipation, was hired by the family for many years.

He remembered her sitting at the kitchen table, her hands folded and her eyes gazing upward as she prayed, "Much obliged, Lord, for my vittles." He asked her what vittles were and she replied that they were food and drink. He told her that she would get food and drink whether or not she gave thanks, and Anna said, "Yes, we'll get our vittles, but it makes 'em taste better when we're thankful."

She told him that an old preacher taught her, as a little girl, to always look for things to be grateful for.  So, as soon as she awoke each morning, she asked herself, "What is the first thing I can be grateful for today?" Sometimes the smell of early-morning coffee perking in the kitchen found its way to her room. One those mornings, the aroma prompted her to say, "Much obliged, Lord, for the coffee.  And much obliged, too, for the smell of it!"

Young Fulton grew up and left home. One day he received a message that Anna was dying. He returned home and found her in bed with her hands folded over her white sheets, just as he had seen them folded in prayer over her white apron at the kitchen table so many times before.

He wondered what she could give thanks for at a time like this. As if reading his mind, she opened her eyes and gazed at the loving faces around her bed. Then, shutting her eyes again, she said quietly, "Much obliged, Lord, for such fine friends."

Oursler was deeply influenced by Anna's uncanny ability to always find something to be thankful for. This wise woman taught him a vital secret that many people have never learned: she taught him how to be happy.

The struggle of the Thessalonian Church lent itself to Paul’s admonition.  Consider the attitude of those “waiting around” for the return of the Lord.  Thankful?  No.  Complaining?  Probably.  Consider other Christians who were working and being taken advantage of by those who were mooching off of them.  Thankful in everything?  Probably not.  Paul asks them to consider an attitude adjustment.

I want you to know that I struggle in this area.  I am thankful, thankful, thankful, unless I see a member of my family being wronged.  In recent times I have struggled and not set as good of an example as I’ve needed to for my family.  When adversity comes they need to see me as husband and father being thankful in everything.  I haven’t been and I’m terribly sorry for that, knowing that I need to change.  If I rise above these things, they will.

Why share that?  Because I want you to know that if you struggle in this area, you’re not alone.  And with God’s help, we’ll get better and do better.

Every single person and family in this room is confronted by some sort of disappointment during this amazing season of trouble that confronts our country, and in the little things that encompass our lives.  How are you going to handle it?  Will you look up and give thanks in the midst of it?  Of will you live in that moment and take up an offense?

Obviously we’ve moved away from our series this morning this morning.  I submit to you that we didn’t need a seasonal message today, but a transformational one.  These have been difficult times for so many.  I believe that the Lord would have us look at our lives in this area this week and in the weeks and months ahead of us, that we would discover again what it means to be truly thankful for what we do have in our friends and families and in Christ.  Hang onto to what is good.  The best things in life don’t have a sticker price on them, but instead were paid for with the ultimate sacrifice.

As we conclude, consider the words of a godly woman:

I AM THANKFUL

For the husband who complains when his dinner is not on time, because he is home with me, not with someone else.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because that means she is at home & not on the streets.

For the taxes that I pay, because it means that I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party, because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.

For the lady behind me in church that sings off key, because it means that I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that I am alive.

And finally.......for too much e-mail, because it means I have friends who are thinking of me.

“Born Again,” Part 2, John 3:1-21

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, November 15, 2009 in the morning service. It is the tenth message in the sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” It is a study on the Gospel of John.

In early 2007, some Boeing aircraft employees on the airfield decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home.

Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them.

It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator beacon that activated when the raft was inflated. They are no longer employed at Boeing.

Turn your Bible to John 3.

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

All but one. He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?" Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our Destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You and I are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

And that’s what we’re talking about today – our example of Christ in our lives. Imperfect vessels one and all and yet called to walk in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Introduction
This is actually our second week in John 3:1-21.  The title of our message this morning is, “Born Again,” Part 2. I mentioned last week that we’re going to spend considerable time going through the Scripture here. Last week we looked at the background of this passage, that we’ll review in a few moments. Let’s look today at the first eight verses and then focus specifically on the one that is our message this morning:

John 3:1-8 - Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." ESV

We need to look at this passage in context. A couple weeks ago when we were finishing up chapter 2 we saw that John the Apostle said this about Jesus, following his encounter with the moneychangers in the Temple during Passover. Jesus stayed after that and performed many miracles. Here’s what it says:

John 2:23-25 - 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. ESV

Let’s remember this morning that the chapter and verse subdivisions of the Bible were not added until the mid 1500’s in the format that we see now. So John’s discussion on a topic doesn’t end at one chapter and a new thought or concept picks up in the next.

When Jesus was in Jerusalem for Passover, He drove the moneychangers out of the Temple. In doing so he most likely hurt the Sadducees, the liberals side of Jewish religious leadership. On the conservative side would have been the Pharisees, who probably didn’t profit from the moneychangers and Temple market that Jesus objected to. So Jesus performed many miracles and people believed in Him – because of the miracles.

The key point is that Jesus knew the heart of people. And then we see this:

John 3:1 - Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ESV

John could have said, “A Pharisee named Nicodemus…” But that’s not what he wrote. In essence we see here an illustration of what John was speaking of at the end of the previous chapter. This section is a discussion on what is truly going on in the heart of man to be saved. It is more than believing in Jesus because of the “cool stuff” that He can do. In the end it is all about the love of God. In early 2010 we’ll be in the most well-known passage of Scripture of all, John 3:16 which says,

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ESV

This discussion begs the questions:

What is in the heart of the person who is outside of relationship with Christ?


What is in our hearts as Christians?

And then we see our specific passage of focus this morning, verse 2 which says,

John 3:2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." ESV

Last week we looked at the person of Nicodemus. We saw that:

• He was a Pharisee.

• He was part of the Sanhedrin – the council of 70 key religious leaders.

• He was a person of financial means.

• He may have come from a famous family.

Note that he came to Jesus at night. This does not mean that he was necessarily afraid to be seen with Jesus at this point. Later on this could have been the case, but not now.

Nicodemus is not flattering Jesus. It is a very genuine, matter-of-fact exchange here. Further, that Nicodemus came at night would not have been abnormal. Most of the Pharisees studied at night. Being with Jesus simply would have been part of that study time. Furthermore, it was the perfect time to be with Jesus as He would have been away from the crowds that would have been around Him in the daylight hours.

And so Nicodemus said,

"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."

That’s what Nicodemus and others noticed about Jesus. What do people notice about us?

What signs point to God and what difference does that make in the lives of people around us?


What do the “signs” in our lives say about us?


Most importantly, what does God say about us?

We have three brief perspectives this morning in regard to our example as believers. The first is,

I.  Signs Point to the Influence of the Almighty.

A.  Nicodemus pointed out to Jesus how “they” knew he was from God through the miracles He performed.

Notice that Nicodemus says, “we know that you are a teacher,” meaning that he is there representing others as well as himself.  Think about it for a moment. Jesus has made a mockery of the opposition party, the liberals within the Sanhedrin who were profiting from the moneychangers in the Temple. No doubt the others who are with Nicodemus in this situation are likely other Pharisees who enjoyed these moments. Jesus has done some pretty awesome things. They want to find out what’s going on.

B.  People are looking for hope – which IS God’s presence manifested.

Of course. It’s in our psyche today to want miracles to happen. They are celebrated in our media, the mention of them sells tabloid magazines and books on the subject go on and on and on. Why is this? People are looking for hope and need miracles to take place.

Authentic manifestation gifts of the Holy Spirit are also signs of God’s presence. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a sign of the Holy Spirit. Demonstrations of the love of God are signs of God’s presence.  As I share these areas, I’m aware of the Corinthian church that misused the gifts.  And yet I am encouraged by this thought that the greatest sign of God’s presence is a changed life, that begins at point A with an initial encounter with Jesus and moves toward maturity to points B, C, D and so on and so forth. That’s an amazing testimony of God’s influence and present.

C.  But be reminded that this part of the discussion by Nicodemus was not the gospel – or what Jesus was all about.

Secondly,

II.  What Do the Signs of Our Lives Say About Us?

A.  How do people know that we are from God?

Through miracles, manifestation gifts of the Spirit.  Also through the kind of like that we lead.  Signs and wonders following.  Fruit of the Spirit.  Godly living.  Living in such a way that you are clearly different.  Living in such a way that part of that difference is that you don’t beat others up with your godly lifestyle.

B.  What are the “life-signs” within our lives?

Consider these:

• Patient

• Light touch

• Unspiritual

• Kind

• Careful

• Scholar

• Ignorant

• Decisive

• Indecisive

• Merciful

• Unmerciful

• Godly

• Mean

• Accursed

• Fair

• Jerk

• Great leader

• Poor leader

• Honest

• Unfair

• Horrible

• Christian

• Pastor

These are all things that I’ve been called over the last 11 years here at Faith.

What’s on your list?

Obviously, I’ve put both the good and bad up here. I’m also hopeful that the bad ones on that list were by a very severe minority of people who took those positions about me. And yes, those are all comments from people who identified themselves as “Christians.”

What does your family say about you? What do your coworkers say about you? What do people who don’t know Christ say about you?

The Apostle Paul wrote the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 11:1 - Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. ESV

Here it is in the New International Version:

1 Corinthians 11:1 - Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. NIV

To the Philippians he wrote:

Philippians 3:17 - Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. ESV

And then to his protégé Timothy:

1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ESV

And his other charge, Titus he wrote:

Titus 2:7-8 - 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. ESV

Are you someone worthy to be an example to follow? Because whether you like it or not, there are likely more than a few that are watching you, and many are following you…


Sadly, there has recently been very public news of church troubles taking place in a very public manner across our country. Basically you have Christians who forget who they are and drag their immaturity through the local newspapers. As I've received these reports, they are a study of how not to behave and a constant reminder that the flesh is weak.

In one situation, a long-term pastor of a very well-known church had died, and his successor who followed was not cut from the same pattern. Few of us are. So the church of multiplied thousands has had a departure of 400 upset people, a fraction of whom are obviously quite loud. The news is all over the place in their community.

How tragic the oxymoron of a church names in times like these. I think of names like, “Grace Fellowship,” "Faith Hope and Love Center," "Joy Church," or "Agape Fellowship." You can fill in the blank and a church with that name has probably had troubles because it's filled with people like you and me. Yes I made those names up, so you can forget about “Googling” them to find problems...but you just might. It is a terrible and awesome reminder of whom we’re supposed to be – and also of the expectation of a world around us who knows nothing of Christ except by our example. It is why the Scripture admonishes us to not go to court with a brother, thereby dragging the garbage of the church out into public.

Lastly,

III.  What Does God Say About Us?

A.  We’re already aware that God says that He loves you and me because He sent Jesus. That’s not what we’re getting at here.


B.  You may be a great person.


C.  But being a great person is not what gets us into heaven.


D.  Jesus Christ came 2,000 years ago to solve the problem of sin, once and for all.  

He died on a cross becoming the perfect sacrifice in order for mankind to have access to God the Father and to eternal life in heaven.   But the incredible news is that Jesus not only died for us, but rose again from the dead.  We have sensed His presence in this place today!  By putting our trust in Him as Lord, Director of our lives, we have not only the gift of eternal life extended to us, but the opportunity to live the life that we were created for here on earth.


So, what do we do with what we've heard today?

• Make a list of what you believe are signs of the presence of God in your life and in others. Support these observations with Scripture.

• Strive for these signs in your own life.

• Make your own list of “life-signs.” Ask others in your life to be honest and do the same for you.

• Ask the Lord to help you with how you represent Him.

"Born Again," Part 1, John 3:1-21

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, November 8, 2009 in the morning service. It is the ninth message in the sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” It is a study on the Gospel of John.

WANTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER (the actual AP headline)
Linda Burnett, 23, a resident of San Diego, was visiting her in-laws, and while there went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some groceries.

Several people noticed her sitting in her car with the windows rolled up and with her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head.

One customer who had been at the store for a while became concerned and walked over to the car. He noticed that Linda's eyes were now open, and she looked very strange.
He asked her if she was okay, and Linda replied that she'd been shot in the back of the head, and had been holding her brains in for over an hour.

The man called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Linda refused to remove her hands from her head.

When they finally got in, they found that Linda had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head. When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains. She initially passed out, but quickly recovered and tried to hold her brains in for over an hour until someone noticed and came to her aid.

And the article I have noted the woman’s hair color…and I thought you’d arrive at a conclusion or a perception…

A guy took his girlfriend to her first football game. They had great seats right behind their team's bench. After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience.

"Oh, I really liked it," she replied, "especially all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents."

Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!' I'm like, "Helloooo? It's only 25 cents!"

That sounds funny but it’s a truthful perspective!

The late, great singer and actress Pearl Bailey said,

"Sometimes you think the whole world is falling, and it’s only yourself that’s leaning."

We’re in chapter 3 in our study on the Gospel of John. There is some important material here so we’ll be setting up camp here for a few weeks, talking about the subject of being “Born Again.” Today we’re going to look at the perspective of those who were looking at Jesus from the outside in. And friends, we’re reminded today that this is also the perspective that many in our own culture view Jesus from.

Turn your Bible to John 3:1-21. Let's look at our text:

John 3:1-21 - Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God." ESV

Nicodemus
One of the main characters here is Nicodemus. We know from Scripture that he was a Pharisee; a member of the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin and also came from a wealthy family.

Wealthy
In John 19:39, after Jesus died Nicodemus came with expensive spices for burial. Only a person of some substance could have done that. There is also a possibility that Nicodemus was in the direct lineage of a hero of the Jews during the battle for control over Palestine when the Romans came in to occupy.

Religious
There were two groups that made up the religious leadership of the Jewish people. They were the Pharisees and Sadducees. You could easily make a case that the Pharisees were conservative and the Sadducees were liberal. It is interesting that even in our own culture in both the political and religious spheres we have this same situation. There was a ruling council called the Sanhedrin, comprised of these two groups and of 70 members. Nicodemus was part of this group. He was like a Senator of sorts in that under Roman rule this was the only leadership council that the Jews were allowed to have.

Sadducees
The Sadducees were the more monied group of the two. At this time in history, they were literally sell-outs to Rome, making a living off of the Roman payroll. By this time they had given up on miracles and the supernatural. They didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead like the Pharisees did. They were theologically bankrupt and in essence, “cultural Jews” who were known as being traitors who exploited their own people for political and monetary gain. They were the ones who were profiting from the money changers and all of the apparatus of the sacrificial system in the Temple market place that they had created.

Think of them this way; a candidate who wants the Christian vote suddenly spouts a few Bible passages and they’re suddenly received by the religious right. But they are not Christian at all, but they are in name only so long as it helps them get more votes.

Pharisees
At any one time there were only 6,000 Pharisees in the world. These were people who in essence, gave over their entire lives to following the Law, the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. It was their job to study it, and memorize it. It was the most sacred thing in the world and their world.

What is interesting though, is how they followed the Law. In order to follow the Law of Moses in a more excellent way they had a whole series of intense and intricate guidelines on how to accomplish everything that the Law required of them. So along the way the scribes wrote the Mishnah. Think of the Mishnah this way; the laws of our own country are effectually based on the Ten Commandments found in the Law, the same Law of the Jews. But we have 10,000 laws in order to enforce the basic ten. That’s an example of what the Mishnah is – a book with chapter upon chapter upon chapter on regulations on how to keep the Law. A Pharisee might dedicate a couple years of his life in studying and memorizing one chapter in the Mishnah. But that’s not all. There was another book called the Talmud. The Talmud was a scholarly commentary on the Mishnah.

This all sounds pretty regimented for the Pharisees, and it was. What’s important about this is to gain a perspective of the culture and community that Jesus had come to.

Knots
Let’s talk about the activity of the Law and the Mishnah. In the Law is was sin to tie a knot on the Sabbath. And so a knot had to be defined. This was where the Mishnah came in. Basically you could tie no knot unless it was for the covering on a woman’s body, around her waist and around her chest area, as these knots on specific clothing items would aid in a woman’s modesty. However, if you needed to draw water from a well and needed to tie a knot on a rope to drop a bucket into a hole in the ground, a fellow could take the garments meant for a woman and tie them together with knots and then to the bucket and let it down into the well – that WAS permissible.

I know, wow.

Travel
Further, a person was not allowed to travel on the Sabbath, and the Mishnah established that you could travel only a thousand yards in any direction from your home. But if a rope were put at either end of your street, thereby symbolically blocking it off, the entire street was considered a home and you could move freely in that area. Or, a man could stockpile enough food at a specific location that he wanted to be at for the day, and that location would them be considered his home.

This went on and on and on.

The Pharisees whole life was dedicated to keeping these parameters in their own life and in that of the culture. Their very name, “Pharisee” meant, “Separated One.”

Jesus
Jesus came, not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. The Law is very important, but knowing how and why it works is even more so. This is what was lost in the Mishnah. But understand this; Jesus kept and obeyed the Law. He did not specifically keep and obey the Mishnah.

We are often fond of saying, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” The main thing is the Word and Jesus. Nothing else. Commentaries are helpful in understanding things like the background of a passage of Scripture. Much of this material I’m sharing today comes from three main commentaries that I consult, plus another source. But not one of those is authoritative like the Scripture. That’s the problem that Jesus was confronting in this culture – the Mishnah had superseded the authority of the life of the Scripture in many quarters.

Son of a carpenter
Let’s understand something here that many of us may not have understood before. We know Jesus as being the son of a carpenter. But that is really the only reference that we know of in regard to His training as such. I’m also the son of a carpenter and if you’d ask my wife she would tell you that I have way too many tools that I don’t know how to use.

But what we do know is that time and again Jesus is referred to as “Rabbi.” Friends, not only was He the Son of God and privy to the foundation and Creation of the universe, in His role as a man He was trained in the natural to know the things of the Law and the Mishnah. That is why he would have read the Isaiah scroll in the Synagogue in his hometown. That’s why the many places he went He was referred to as “Rabbi.” It most likely was not a friendly term that we used because He was a great teacher. It was very likely a role.

That’s why a guy like Nicodemus could come to see Jesus with a searching heart. He had seen Jesus perform miracles whose only origin could have been from heaven. That’s why this key leader among the Jews would have come to Him. That’s why He listened when Jesus spoke of such things.

In Bondage to a Perspective
Next week we are going to begin talking about the particulars of what was said here about being “born again.” But for right now I want for us to grab hold of the fact that most in this culture were looking at were in bondage to a perspective. In the weeks ahead we’ll see Jesus healing people on the Sabbath, doing things that the Mishnah denounces. All that the Pharisees and many of the people around them could see were violations.

People in our culture today see the very same things because the person of Jesus Christ and what He stands for is a violation of their lifestyle. And it makes people angry.

But let’s understand, these folks are so caught up in their structures that they miss the importance and reality of the Word of God and its power to change lives.

For example, the other day I was meeting with a cultural anthropologist from Africa. He told me the funny story of being in a city in an East African country being driven in a car by a Christian man. When they came to the river that ran near the boarder of the city, the fellow would honk his horn twice before crossing the bridge. Why? It was to ward off the evil spirits. The horn was in essence an offering to the spirits to give them safe crossing.

Understand, the driver was a Christian – and he’s worried about evil spirits? That’s culture.

A few years ago the popular movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was in theaters. It was the story about a woman, raised in a very Greek home, in the Greek Orthodox faith, whose announced purpose in life by her mother and father was to marry a Greek man and have Greek babies.
Obviously, the story doesn’t really go this way. But in the film, the woman did something very interested. They imitated that they were spitting over the shoulder of another when a certain act was done in order to ward of evil.

Isn’t that strange?

We certainly don’t to anything like that!

• We don’t cross our finger for luck or do so behind our back so we can get away with a lie.

• We don’t give the double whammy at a sporting event so our team will win and the other will lose.

• We don’t wear “lucky” clothing or position our hat in just the right way so we can get our way, do we?

Every Tuesday at Staff Meeting here at Faith we review the previous Sunday. We look for ways to move the service ahead with greater efficiency, discuss problems with schedule, and try new ideas – all of that happens. We also discuss the move of God’s presence in a service which is very subjective. One person in the room can be profoundly touched while the person next to them is thinking wicked thoughts, or even thoughts of how un-anointed the service is. Some of us believe:

• That we need tongues and interpretation for it to be a great service.

• That we need to hold our hands a certain way in worship for it to be a great service.

• That we need to have people down front worshipping to be a great service.

• That the pastor needs to yell to be a great service.

• That in order for you and I to hear from God we have to have one foot in the air with both hands, hopping around in the circle…

Friends, those are all interpretations of what a great service is. They are cultural; they are what we were doing when the power of God came at some point in our lives. But the point is we can make those things like the Mishnah.

A “thousand years ago and a million miles away” we had a church in our state that was having some problems. The denominational leadership met with the handful that were left to discuss their problems with their young senior pastor. The problem was apparent when the pianist said,

“Everyone knows you have to worship the Lord using country music because that’s the only music that allows His presence to come.”

We closed the church.

Friends, we want a move of God’s Spirit – and even that terminology is limiting. We want God to do what only He can do. What Mishnah-esque barriers are we putting up in the way to keep that from happening in our own lives?

Perspective plays a huge role in our lives. Let us find our focus in the Scripture and not in the presuppositions of our culture. We worship the Lord because we love Him and out of obedience. May we do so because our only desire is to please the audience of ONE.

"Life from the Inside Out," John 2:13-25

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, November 1, 2009 in the morning service. It is the eighth message in the sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” It is a study on the Gospel of John.

“Life from the Inside Out”
John 2:13-25

A prominent West Texas rancher-oil man had an unmarried daughter. In hopes of finding her an appropriate husband, he invited all of the eligible bachelors in the county to a barbecue at his ranch. As they gathered around the swimming pool for the festivities he made an announcement. He said, "This swimming pool is filled with man-eating sharks and anyone who will swim across it can have the hand of my daughter in marriage and one-half of my vast fortune, or they can have $1 million in cash."

He had hardly finished his announcement when there was a splash and one of the men went swimming across the pool, lickety-split. As he climbed out on the other side, the rancher rushed over, shook his hand, and said, "Son, congratulations! I suppose you would like to have the hand of my daughter in marriage and one-half of my vast fortune?"

He said, "No, I don't want that."

The rancher said, "Well, then I suppose you would like the $1 million in cash."

He said, "No, I don't want that."

"Then," asked the rancher, "what would you like?"

He said, "What I'd like is to get my hands on the fellow who pushed me."

This morning our subject is about the matters of our heart and our motives. Let’s look at our text this morning:

John 2:13-25 – 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade." 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."

18 So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. ESV

Jesus knows the heart of people. He knows us from the inside out. That is the title of this message this morning, “Life from the Inside Out.” This is the eighth message in our series, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.”

Inside Out
Jesus knows us from the inside out. He knows what your week has been like and every thought and motive of your heart during that time. He knows our struggle in regard to sin, not only as being God, but also having spent time on this earth as a man. The point of the second is not to prove anything about Himself, but so that we can identify with Christ and know that He is touchable, even in the midst of our own personal struggle with the flesh.

• There is nothing about us that is hidden from Jesus – including every sin.

• But the great news is that Jesus solved this problem on the cross.

• Regardless of these difficulties in our lives, Jesus is still, JESUS, doing only what He can do in and through our lives.

Let’s look together at three teachable focuses for our lives from our passage today:

I. Jesus Knows the Heart of Man.

Background
It’s Passover, and the Jewish festival season is underway. People are coming from all over the then-known world, making their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And so we see Jesus and His disciples have gone up to Jerusalem themselves.

One always goes up to Jerusalem as it is situated on a hill. Think to yourself that it is a fortress city from ancient times. It would be much easier to protect than a city that is placed in a valley with hills around it from which to fire down on. As I point this out this morning, it is interesting to note that the Bible says that one day Jerusalem will actually be the highest point on earth. This will happen during the millennial reign of Christ on earth, after the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ. The Bible says that there will be a renewing of the earth and that Jerusalem will be raised up as the highest of all mountains. How this happens I don’t know. The fact is that these facts are not our problem but God’s. The Bible says it and therefore it’s true.

Sample Scripture about the Millennium: Isaiah 2:2-3; Zechariah 14:8; Matthew 19:28; Isaiah 11:6-11

At Passover, each person coming to the Temple had to pay a Temple tax. This is where the moneychangers came in. These would be people vetted by the priests who would not only receive a kickback, but the Temple tax itself. Yes, that’s right; the moneychangers would extract a fee for changing the money into the exact amount and variety for the Temple tax to be paid. The required currency was half-shekels of the Sanctuary, or the ordinary currency of Galilee. So let’s understand that there were all kinds of currency used for trade in Palestine. There was

“…Palestinian silver, and especially copper coin, Persian, Tyrian, Syrian, Egyptian, Grecian and Roman money circulated in the country”
(Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, pp. 367-368).

So all kinds of currency would pass through the hands of the moneychangers. This would take place out in the provinces and towns on the journey to Jerusalem. But when the actual feast season began, these money-changers would be set up in the Temple courts themselves. This is where things become a little dicier. Depending on the kind of currency, someone coming in among the vast number from other countries could pay double the amount that was actually owed. Being in the proximity of the Temple and Passover itself created inflated fees. Furthermore, there were those among the wealthy and in-the-know who did not have to pay anything. Now you see that it was something of a racket. Understand as well that money for the Temple tax was not all that the moneychangers took care of, but all of the money that one would come to Jerusalem to spend for their meals, lodging, activities and things related to the purification process – including animals for the blood sacrifices. Fees would be collected for these monies as well.

So, picture this scenario in your mind’s eye; all kinds of paraphernalia to be purchased for their “must have” spiritual necessities, along with an abundance of moneychangers and lines of people desperate to work out their arrangements. What a sight this must have been.

We’re not talking about a cupcake sale for Women’s Ministries or selling blocks to raise money for an orphanage in Tijuana. We’re talking about people coming to the Temple to fulfill their requirements under the Law and a whole cadre of people there positioned to take woeful advantage of this process. There would be scales, bickering, arguing and bargaining over the exchange rate and the “gouge” for these services, all in the Temple courts. This kind of environment makes many of us living in Central Oregon pensive and anxious. Imagine this scene taking place every Sunday in churches across our city.

This activity brought in huge profits for the Temple treasury – over and above the tax, and for the moneychangers, turning the Temple into a marketplace full of traffic and traffickers.

Get this – even the sacrificial animals’ pricing was determined by a monthly set tariff. And so the gouge was on for those who purchased their sacrifice in the Temple courts. Furthermore, it is known that there were actually four such shops on the Mount of Olives that sold pigeons and other sacrifices. Because they were not purchased in the Temple courts, there would be someone there to examine the animal to make sure that it was worthy of being sacrificed. There would be a fee for this, and if the person was naïve enough, their sacrifice would be rejected and they would have to purchase another one in the Temple courts, or pay a bribe to the examiner to get their sacrifice passed. Yes, people were taken advantage of, over and over again. It is actually recorded that one time the price of a couple of pigeons was run up to a gold denar, when they were actually worth a very small fraction of that value.

• Think about holding back sacrificial animals to drive the price up.

• Think about extorting someone who is there from far away, not speaking the same language, being exercised for ten to a hundred times the amount actually needed to do their duty to God.

• Imagine, seeking men and women of God being deprived from doing so because their worship of God was tied to a price in the marketplace.

And so, the moneychangers were the defacto owners of the Temple marketplace, masquerading as the Temple court.

Are you getting a little elevated in your disgust? These moneychangers and the priests who profited were defilers of God’s holy Temple of the highest order.

And so Jesus shows up, calls them on it and does something about it. Why? Because He could see right through them, into the wickedness of their hearts. The Passover season at the Temple had become all about profit and not the transaction of obedience to the Law.

Yes the priests were angry with Jesus. Their windfall bonus check was about to be effected. You know friends, it is one thing to work for a paycheck; it is something else to get it through gross and unjust behavior. It’s kind of like me saying, “Buy my new book for three times the value and God will bless you with a new car…someday.”

How come we don’t read about someone trying to have Jesus arrested? It could have been because the Roman garrison command was watching for any display of rebellion by the Jewish populace. But if you think about it, this would not have been the reason. If anything they would have “handled Jesus” and kept Him from tipping over anymore tables after the first couple. Jesus wasn’t arrested because He was right. Jesus was saying, “You’re corrupt to the core of your being and everyone here can see it. I know it, you know it, everyone knows it AND MY FATHER KNOWS IT. NOW GET OUT!”

Our Lord’s use of a whip is a way of saying, “You’ll be leaving, NOW.”
Johnson Translation of Jesus driving out the moneychangers

Their motives and hearts were wrong. Their lives were revealed from the inside out.

A. We have a sin problem.

Our lives are revealed from the inside out. You hang out with someone long enough, you figure out exactly what they’re about. How is your life lived from the inside out?

We all have our moments don’t we? I know when mine are. My weakness in regard to sin in my heart and motives rears its ugly head when it comes to my perceived injustice toward my wife and kids. Wow that gets to me quick. I’m a very level, laid back person, but it’s amazing how worked up I get when I believe someone is willfully trying to hurt my loved ones without provocation on their part. But friends, that does not make my sin in my heart, my anger right. And let us not for a moment equate this sin and anger to what Jesus did in the Temple for one moment. Jesus was taking a stand, calling out sin and setting things right. He knew their hearts. We don’t specifically know the heart of another. And so we act out in ridiculous ways, or maybe we even keep it to ourselves, but we still sin all the same because our heart and motives can’t see past ourselves and our own feelings.
And if we do act out, in the words of the great theologian, Forrest Gump,

“Stupid is as stupid does.”
Forrest Gump

B. The battle for our heart and our motives.

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ESV

Isn’t that the truth? The greatest, most spiritually-minded, solid Christian in the world can stumble and fall because this is the truth. I’ve known great pastors who’ve taken up an offense; I’ve known great lay people to wreck a church because they didn’t get their way; history is replete with folks who have succumbed to this spiritual malady.

The motive in the Temple court was financial gain through graft and deceit. Our motives come in all shapes and sizes and can fall into the category of sin. So what do we do about this?

There is an answer in Deuteronomy 6. It is something that the Jewish community was to recite all those millennia ago and still to this day. It is called, “The Shema.” Let’s look at it together:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - 4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 I You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. ESV

God is saying, “Here is where to focus your heart and your motives. Not only that, teach your kids to do the same. Not only that, tie these truths to your being in such a way that you’ll remember to stay focused. Not only that, write these truths on the doorpost of your home.”

Wow. Here’s the truth: The more our focus is heavenward, the more we are likely to be of pure heart and motive. Life is truly lived from the inside out.

Friends, get used to being with Jesus and focusing on Him. It will change our outlook on everything.

The second teachable focus from our passage is:

II. Jesus Died and Rose Again to Redeem the Heart of Man.

The Jews asked Jesus for a sign as to why He was cleansing the Temple of what had been going on there for some time. Jesus told them to destroy this temple and He would raise it up again in three days. This statement was really quite remarkable because this was humanly impossible. But the Temple Jesus was talking about was his own body, describing His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection three days later.

Let’s understand this a little bit further in light of the context of driving out the moneychangers. Worship, whether it is in the Temple two thousand years ago or this morning at Faith is a holy and reverent experience; these moneychangers had ripped this away. Jesus giving a foreshadow of His death and resurrection reminds us of the passage found in Isaiah where God confronts His people about their sacrifices:

Isaiah 1:11-17 - 11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 "When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; I your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. ESV

Additional Scripture: Hosea 5:6-7; 8:13; Jeremiah 7:22; Psalm 51:16

Here’s the sign that Jesus is giving: the sacrifices of animals are hereto and forevermore irrelevant; all the paraphernalia surrounding it; Jesus is going to the cross to make the final sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Our focus today under the New Covenant is that Jesus paid the price, once and for all for our sin.

The third teachable focus from our passage is:

III. Jesus is Still Performing Signs and Wonders.

A. Mankind seeks a sign because they are looking for hope.

The reason this is true is because life is lived from the inside out.

When Jesus performed the miracles He did during this season and the years following this time, the term was “dunamis.” Dunamis is the Greek term that we get “dynamite” from. It simply means “power.” Understand that the term predates the invention of dynamite, and therefore the thought of dynamite is a poor example of the power of Christ. Think of it this way:

The Deschutes River flows through our city. It is a marvelous thing, full of life and beauty. It is also full of power as we use it to extract energy from. Think what it would look like without any water taken from it for irrigation or if all the dams were removed. It would have a course it would follow, and yet there would be a depth and respect for what it could do.

That is the nature of the power of Christ and the miracles He did. That a man who walked among us could function this way gave the people hope in the midst of their difficult lives.

B. Signs and wonders are visible demonstrations of the reality and power of Christ.

This is so true! And the great news is that Jesus is still performing miracles today! Power encounters take place everyday at different locales around the world, including here in the United States. How many want to see more? Me too!

C. Signs and wonders flowing through the life of a Christian are a powerful witnessing tool.

When the “Bible stuff” is happening, it attracts a crowd. We need to attract this kind of crowd – of people who are not acquainted with the Christ of the Scripture.

D. How do we get signs and wonders flowing through our lives?

1. Ask Jesus to clean up your spiritual house.

2. Clean up your physical house.

3. Ask Jesus for signs and wonders to follow your life.

4. Believe that signs and wonders will follow your life.

5. Go for it!

Now What? What do I do with this message?

Ask Jesus to clean up your mind and heart – your motives and thought life.

Take steps to eradicate your life from mind and heart “pollutants.”

Focus on Jesus rather than yourself.

Believe Jesus for more of the miraculous than you are presently experiencing.

Besides the Bible, an additional resource to encourage your faith: http://www.youtube.com type in “Bethel Church Redding, California” or “Bill Johnson.” You will see a number of amazing stories of healing and miracles that will build up your faith to believe that the impossible can happen through your own life.

"Miracle at the Party," John 2:1-12

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, October 25, 2009 in the morning service. It is the seventh message in the sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” It is a study on the Gospel of John.

An old fellow came into the hospital truly at death's door due to an infected gallbladder. The surgeon who removed the gallbladder was adamant that his patients be up and walking in the hall the day after surgery to help prevent blood clots forming in the leg veins. The nurses walked the patient in the hall as ordered, and after the third day the nurse told how he complained bitterly each time they did. The surgeon told them to keep walking him.

After a week, the patient was ready to go. His family came to pick him up and thanked the surgeon profusely for what he had done for their father. The surgeon was pleased and appreciated the thanks, but told them that it was really a simple operation and we had been lucky to get him in time.

"But doctor, you don't understand," they said, "Dad hasn't walked in over a year!" (Pastor Tim's CleanLaugh List)

This morning we are continuing our series on the Gospel of John titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” The title of this morning’s message is, “Miracle at the Party.”

I hope you enjoyed the funny story that we started the service out with. But more than that, this kind of story is possible with God. All things are possible with God!

A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her daughter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication for her daughter. When returning to her car she found that she had locked her keys in the car. She was in a hurry to get home to her sick daughter, she didn't know what to do, so she called her home and told the baby sitter what had happened and that she did not know to do.

The baby sitter told her that her daughter was getting worse. She said, "You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door." The woman looked around and found an old rusty coat hanger that had been thrown down on the ground possibly by someone else who at some time or other had locked their keys in their car. Then she looked at the hanger and said, "I don't know how to use this." So she bowed her head and asked God to send her some help.

Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up, with a dirty, greasy, bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, "Great God. This is what you sent to help me?" But, she was desperate, so she was also very thankful. The man got out of his car and asked her if he could help. She said, "Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car."

He said, "Sure". He walked over to the car, and in less than one minute the car was opened. She hugged the man and through her tears she said, "Thank You So Much! You are a very nice man."

The man replied, "Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out for about an hour."

The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud, "Oh, Thank You God! You even sent me a Professional!"

Funny, yes! But how many believe that God can do this?

We’re going to look at the first miracle of Christ this morning in the Scripture. It’s found in John 2. This one is no joke; it’s reality. Let’s look at it together:

John 2:1-12 - On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. ESV

Background
Cana was located north of Nazareth. In that culture, anytime there was a wedding it was a big deal. It wasn’t a 20 minute long service but something that generally started in the early evening with festivities that could last as long as a week in the extrapolated Jewish wedding procession.

If the bride was a virgin, the specific vows of the wedding were on Wednesday. If the bride was a widow, the wedding was on Thursday.

A procession would have taken place from the home of the bride to that of the bridegroom; there would have been an open house situation and entertainment that would go on for a week. In fact, during this week of open house, the newlywed couple would wear their wedding tunics and crowns and sit in their home and receive guests. They would be referred to as “King and Queen” for that time. For people living in poverty, this was a great and marvelous time in their lives.

When guests would come, often it was from a good distance, so therefore many meals must be served. To run out of refreshments of any kind would have been a social disgrace and would not have been soon forgotten by those attending the ceremony. In this case they were running out of wine. Wine was a common beverage that was drunk in that culture. However, being drunk was a disgrace. As a rule, people didn’t drink to get a buzz. In that culture fermented wine would have been diluted; three parts water to two parts wine or three parts water to one part wine (depending on which commentator you read). So Mary, the mother of Jesus is correct in the urgency of her tone. We don’t know how close Mary was to the family hosting the event. One source even says that the groom was her nephew, making Jesus a half-cousin. All we know is that she was “in the know,” and there was clearly an emergency.

So, we’re clear that at least Jesus knew at least one member of the wedding party, and note the possibility that His handful of disciples (at this point) knew the couple as well. At the very least, because they were with Jesus they were also invited – even if it was at the last minute. Note here that the day is Wednesday, and these men became disciples on Sunday.

And so, there was no more wine. Did the inclusion of Jesus’ handful of newly minted disciples cause this? They probably were not in the budget, having met Jesus on Sunday and this day was Wednesday. And yet of great humor, Jesus is the perfect person to be in attendance to rectify this situation. Imagine for a moment if they would have run out of food. We know from Scripture that this wouldn’t have been a problem either!

Jesus responds to his mother, but it is not as abrupt a greeting as it seems. Saying, “Woman” to your mother in that culture was a polite address and quite acceptable. We say the same terminology used by our Lord on the Cross where Jesus is turning His mother over to the care taking of John, the writer of this gospel:

John 19:26 - 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" 27 Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. ESV

“Woman, what does this have to do with me?” means, “Don’t worry, you don’t quite understand what is going on; leave things to me and I will settle them in my own way” (Barclay).

Did the inclusion of the new disciples at the party make Jesus feel responsible? Whether He did or not is immaterial. That He fixed the problem is what matters.

Further, Jesus’ response is another kind of transition. He is out from under the authority of the home that He grew up in. His mother does not have that position any longer of giving him an order or even direction. However, she knows there’s a problem; Joseph appears to not be around, perhaps deceased at this point and Jesus is the eldest son – the one to make things happen. And so Jesus points out that what He does is dependant on His own timing of things and not His mothers.

And so she took no authority over Jesus, but she understood this about Jesus – that He could do something about this problem. We don’t know if she had seen Jesus perform other miracles. In fact, the text says that this was the first such supernatural act of our Lord. What we do know is this; she understood from the virgin birth, from the things she had witnessed about this special son of hers was that things were about to unfold before her. That she turned to others and told them, “Do whatever He tells you,” is not only a yielding or “release” to her son, that he would dictate what would happen, but also an acknowledgement that something awesome and incredible could happen in a moment’s notice.

The containers were 20 to 30 gallons each and numbered six. They would have been used for the guests to wash their hands before eating and their feet before entering a home. To not wash their hands would have been a form of defilement of the Old Covenant. The water would have been drawn from a container with a pitcher. How incredible of a word picture this is, the New Covenant – Christ, turning the instruments of the Old Covenant into new wine. It reminds us of the example that Christ used that you can’t put new wine into old wineskins or else they will burst. Further, the number seven is the number of completion for the Jews; six in incomplete or imperfect. There is an understanding here that the representation of the six containers is that of the Old Covenant, and that Jesus had come to make the New Covenant perfect and lasting.

If you do the math, at a minimum there would have been 2,000 four ounce glasses of wine available.

The master of the feast would have been the person responsible for being the headwaiter of the party and not necessarily the host. They were in charge of the food and drink served at such an event. It was customary to serve the better wine first so that later the senses of the guests would have been dulled to inferior quality wine.

We’re reminded that with Jesus, the best is yet to come. The old is made new, the past chains of sin are broken and people are set free.

This is the only place in Scripture that this miracle is found. Why did John include this? Here is the purpose for the Gospel of John:

John 20:30-31 - 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. ESV

The picture of the Jewish wedding was not lost on the readers as it is rich with symbolism of the relationship between God and Israel portrayed through it. Further it is important to the Christian because of the coming marriage of the Lamb of God.

Revelation 19:7-8 - 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. ESV

Remember our discussion a few weeks back of the Docetists? They were the ones who believed and taught that Jesus only came in Spirit to the earth. Here we see Jesus doing ordinary things in an extraordinary fashion. The connotation is that a spirit would not have indulged in such a thing as frivolous as attending a wedding. “There are more important things to do.” No, this is not the case. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John’s story line is to be as real and transparent as possible.

Jesus IS…THE LIFE of any party He’s invited to.

Over the past two months we’ve looked at the basics of who the person of Christ is and that the Word of God is true. Jesus was pre-existent, there at the creation of the world. And yet we see Him here at a wedding. The majesty of the King of kings and Lord of lords gracing a wedding ceremony, not only with His presence, not only with His miracle working power, but with His love, His joy, His laughter and celebration.

Too many want to put Jesus in their self-perceived “holy” box, that every time He showed up somewhere that there was pious music playing in the background. In some ways it makes Jesus untouchable and unknowable, thereby depersonalizing the person of Christ. Here’s the thing – it makes him not dangerous. But a Jesus who is alive, who went to parties; oh my. You have to make a decision about that Jesus.

What this miracle does is to build the case for who Jesus is and forces a decision about whether you will embrace the miracle worker? And so we proceed this morning

• How do we move the hand of God?

• How do we follow the hand of God?

• Why is it important for there to be perfection in the hand of God?

LOOK

Let’s look at three perspectives about the Hand of God in miracles and healings:

I. Moving the Hand of God. (Vs. 1-4)

Jesus’ mother asked Him to do something. She believed in her heart that He would.

When Joseph Ton (pronounced Tson) was a pastor in Romania, he was arrested by the secret police for publishing a sermon calling for the churches to refuse to submit to the Communist government's demand for control over their ministries. When an official told him he must renounce his sermon, he replied, "No, sir! I won't do that!" The official, surprised that anyone would respond so forcefully to the secret police, said, "Aren't you aware that I can use force against you?"

"Sir, let me explain that to you," Ton said. "You see, your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying…You know that my sermons are spread all over the country on tapes. When you kill me, I only sprinkle them with my blood. They will speak 10 times louder after that, because everybody will say, 'That preacher meant it because he sealed it with his blood.' So go on, sir, kill me. When you kill me, I win the supreme victory." The secret police released him, knowing his martyrdom would be far more of a problem than his sermon. Skip Gray, "The Way of the Cross," Discipleship Journal
That’s faith! That is faith that believes! Few of us would do what this pastor is doing or saying. But he understands the real person of Jesus Christ as being great. He knows the Jesus who went to parties and is pre-existent. It matters that his Jesus is big because it creates an environment that all things are possible with God.

Jesus, fully man and fully God, went to parties, weddings and special events. He is also known as a man of sorrows. He knows our needs intimately.

It’s time to ask for His hand to move.

We can go through a whole list of provisos such as praying according to the will of God and others. But the fact remains that Jesus hears the prayer of the righteous and the seeking unrighteous. How else would we have opportunity to know Christ as Savior, the greatest miracle of all?

The issue is our “expector” switch. Is it turned on or is it broken? Do you believe in the Jesus who is pre-existent and loved the world so much that He came to a wedding 2,000 years ago so we could know of His love, and then proved it on the cross?

Just Ask!

Secondly,

II. Following the Hand of God. (Vs. 5-8)

Mary, the mother of Jesus told those who were attendants at the wedding to do whatever Jesus said. They did. The servants obeyed, and look what happened.

They filled the water to the brim. The miracle took place. It was not magic, nor was it some form or sorcery.

Let’s understand that the head waiter, the master of the feast was likely concerned about the situation with the wine. There was no fanfare. We don’t know when it became wine in this process, only that it was.

Here’s the thing. Let us come and ask Jesus with expectation that something is going to happen. But at the same time if we want the hand of God to move on our behalf, we need to also position ourselves to obey what Jesus says. If you are outside of relationship with Christ and have it in your mind that you’ll follow Jesus if He will heal you or give you a miracle, then and only then, I would suggest to you that you are too full of yourself to allow God’s move on your life. Following Jesus in everything is the key to everything.

Lastly,

III. The Perfection of the Hand of God. (Vs. 9-12)

The wine Jesus made was the best. From the original language it was “sweet wine” or “new wine,” most likely not fermented. It was the best. In that culture the best wine was served first so that when the good wine ran out, the senses of the guests would have been dulled and the inferior product would have been served. And yet what Jesus created was vastly superior. It would have been a big deal to have freshly made wine where the preserving process would not have begun.

Friday it was my privilege to be out on the golf course with Pastor Dick and my brother-in-law Tim McCreary. Tim is from Ephrata, Washington and has been playing golf for the past several years. He’s gotten quite good. I’ve played for 30 years and am quite pathetic at it. We were at the third hole at the Crooked River Ranch course. It is a par 4, 267 yard hole with two bunkers in the front, protecting the green. Tim got up with his driver and hit a beautiful shot, moving left to right. I was standing next to Pastor Dick where we, excuse me, I was saying despairing remarks about the beauty of the shot.

It hit the green and rolled into the hole – a hole in one.

I’ve never seen one in person before. Tim had never hit one before. Not only was it a thing of beauty, it was also a double eagle, which is even rarer than a hole-in-one.

It was perfection.

That’s what God does for His people. He shows up and brings His perfection into our lives from time to time to remind us that He is Lord and He loves giving great gifts, miracles and healings to His people.

The great news is that while a hole-in-one is completely rare and totally random, a miracle or healing is not. We should expect them to happen everyday.

Here’s a great example. Two Sunday’s ago we had a wonderful move of God’s presence in the service. This past week I received an e-mail from a family here at Faith who will remain nameless. I’ve asked permission to share this with you today without sharing their identity:

“Hi PM,

“Two weeks ago in church you said you knew that good/amazing things would be happening in our church families. I wanted to share with you specifically what has happened for us. A week ago our total monthly income (gross) was $345.00. That’s not a typo…I did type $345.00! And with no relief in sight, we were looking at the very real possibility of having to move to [another community to live with parent’s]. There was just no way around it…and that brought on some very hard decisions (taking the kids out of school…could we afford to commute to Bend for job searches, church, etc.).

“In ONE WEEK:

1. [One of us] got approved for unemployment (which was not likely to happen).
2. [One of us] got a job (you knew that).
3. We asked for a free month’s rent…well our landlord offered us $500 off TWO months of rent (that’s $25.00 more than we asked for).
4. [One of us has] a promising interview this Friday.

“[All of this to say] GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

“One week ago I could not have predicted that these things would take place. God has provided ABUNDANTLY more than we hoped for in a miraculous amount of time. I am so thankful. With almost no income for three + weeks and NO savings, we are right back where we started financially with NO late or missed payments. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???

“Blessings, [Name deleted]”

I came across a great quote this week by the great Baptist missionary to India, William Carey, also known as the “father of modern missions.”

“Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”
William Carey

Pastor Perry Noble writes,

“The problem with many Christians is that their expector has expired.”

Its past time to believe in the God of the impossible, making miracles happen, healings overflow and circumstances changed.

Bill Johnson is pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, known for the many documented miracles and healings that have taken place. Here is a YouTube.com clip where he is speaking at a conference in Abbotsford, British Columbia, relating a story of a grocery store power encounter of one of the youths in his church (we showed a video clip here. The address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnUm-AjKKb4)

God moves in the marketplace! And yet could it actually happen here? Bernie O’Byrne, an attendee here at Faith has seen customers who come through the business where he works receive healing because he prays for them and brings their requests to our intercessors. I can only imagine as word gets out that there could be a line up outside of that business in the near future of people needing a miracle! But shouldn’t it be that way wherever believers are?

John 2:11 says,

11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. ESV

Do you believe?

Our city needs to experience miracles and healings, and it begins with you and I. Will we believe like the disciples believed?

So what now? What do we do with what we’ve heard this morning?

• Believe God for more than you’ve ever seen or experienced before – and believe for miracles and healings in your own life.

• Ask Jesus to do what only He can do.

• Follow Jesus in everything. It will help you have capacity to receive and give away His miracle working power.

• Look consistently for the surprises of Jesus.

• Give God glory when a miracle or healing takes place in you or through you.

"The Magnificent Adventure Begins," John 1:43-51

"The Magnificent Adventure Begins"
John 1:43-51

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, October 18, 2009 in the morning service. It is the sixth message in the sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” It is a study on the Gospel of John.

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the minister decided to visit him — it was a chilly day. That evening, the minister found the man at home all alone sitting by a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his minister's visit, the man welcomed him, and led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The minister made himself at home but said nothing.

In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, he took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The minister glanced at his watch and chose this time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more, with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

With that, the minister smiled at his host, shook his hand, and let himself out.
from Mikey's Funnies

We need one another! The very creation of man was for us to have fellowship with the Creator. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says,

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. ESV

We recognize that one with God is a severe majority, but we need others around us in this life for encouragement, correction, guidance and perspective. Some get in there minds that it’s all about some romantic view of “me against the world, plus Jesus.” This just isn’t how we were designed. Look at one of my favorite passages that I’ve shared several times before with you about what Israel did during the feast season in their nation:

Psalm 133 - Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore. ESV

What follows is a series of Psalms emphasizing the laying down of offences and differences so that the people would go up to Jerusalem together for the feast season. They walk together because there is strength there. Without the perspective of another, we become quickly marginalized and unaccountable in this life. But isn’t that the way of this world – to be unaccountable? And that is also one of our greatest weaknesses.

Even as pastor here at Faith, I am under authority and accountability. It reminds us of the need for others in our life to help us on this Magnificent Faith Journey Adventure. That’s one of the reasons why we have Faith Journey Groups, in order to help mature us and grow us up as individual believers and as a corporate congregation of followers of Jesus Christ. Even for those who would consider themselves mature in Christ, part of your responsibility as a mature believer is to pour yourself into others.

This is the pattern of Jesus; to pour His life into another thereby raising up the next generation to be world-changers. Because this is Christ’s pattern, it is ours as well. If it were not for His pattern, we would not be here together this morning.

Pour into others and stand ready to be poured into yourself. No one is an island in Christ, but connected together as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12:12ff.
Pastor Rick Warren, author of the national bestseller, "The Purpose Driven Life" writes,

"Real fellowship is so much more than just showing up at services. It is experiencing life together. It includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting, and all the other 'one another' commands found in the New Testament."
Rick Warren
The Purpose Driven Life

This morning we are moving together in our journey through the Gospel of John titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” The title of this morning’s message is, “The Magnificent Adventure Begins.” It’s true, it begins with Jesus calling the first disciples to His side. Last week we looked briefly at the end of our time together of two disciples of John the Baptist coming to follow Christ; one of those, Andrew went and brought his brother Simon to meet the Messiah. Upon this encounter, Jesus told Simon that his name from now on would be Peter, going from the meanings of “reed” to “rock.” And this is where we pick up this morning:

John 1:43-51 - 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." ESV

This is the beginning of a magnificent adventure, the greatest the world has ever known.

• The teaching and giving of hope;
• the miracles and healings;
• the prophecy fulfilled and prophecy to come;
• and then the Passion of the Christ and the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes way the sins of the world.

And then

• the resurrection,
• the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
• and the promise of heaven.
• and now, the nearness of the presence of Christ.

Wow. Friends, this Christian life, this magnificent adventure continues today in us. How is it for you? Is it magnificent? Or are you stuck somewhere, allowing the things of this world to distract you from the One who created you and I for this magnificent adventure?

I have three introductions of Christ to this magnificent adventure to share with you today. The first is that,

Jesus calls you and I to follow Him.

The One who was there at the creation of the world is interested in you and I and wants us to follow Him.

Following Jesus means we are to ‘come and see.’

Last week when we were together we looked at this issue for the first disciples to come and see. This phrase is a commitment that you and I must make to experience this magnificent adventure. And then lastly,

Jesus gives us the promise of “greater things.”

This is what is amazing about following Christ. Not only do we have the opportunity and ability to experience the basic things of the power of God that we’ve seen in our own midst, but even greater things.

Let’s look together at our first introduction to this magnificent journey:

I. Jesus Asks Us to Follow Him.

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

A. Philip was chosen by Jesus to follow Him.

About eight years ago I was asked by a couple in the community to do a renewal of vows. Now fellows, women love this – and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s an excuse for them to have people over, get dressed up and have the husband ‘publicly and profoundly profess their unending love for the radiant princess’ they married so long ago. Guys, you like these events because your friends will be there (their wives have drug them there so that they’ll get the hint) and because there will be food – maybe even barbecue.

So, I asked the couple what kind of vows they wanted to say to one another. The fellow, classified in our culture as, “a man’s man,” gave the wrong answer, “You’re the preacher, you write ‘em.” I rescued his spouse by saying that, “I would fix this,” and then gave her a wink and a nod.

We got to the ceremony with this somewhat gruff “man’s, man” and his lovely wife. When it came time for the vows I had him go first and repeat these words:

George, join hands with your lovely wife Sylvia and repeat these words after me: “I George, love you Sylvia. I chose you so many years ago, and today I choose you again…”

It was here that the wife gasped and the husband went pale white and then beet red. But in that moment I could sense that there was a whole lot more going on here that was non-verbal. She thought he had called me and given this to me to say. He looked at me and I looked back at him. It was that look that guys give each other where one says, “I owe you,” and the other says, “I know.” Then the tears began to flow for both of them. And then he didn’t care anymore about who was watching…

Fellows, every woman needs a man who will choose them again and again.

Friends, we have a Savior who chooses us again and again. The great news is that He wrote the script, the vows that reconcile God to man. The great question is, do we respond to Him like a bride, or do we runaway?

Last week Andrew, John and Peter chose Jesus. This one gives us the awesome perspective that Jesus chooses us. We can get it into our heart that it’s all about what I we do in pursuing relationship with Christ. We think that all the pressure for relationship is on our shoulders. This is not the case. Jesus chooses us for relationship – it is a two-way street. What a relief. Too often we perceive the perspective of a works-based faith. Friends, that’s religion. What we’re talking about here is relationship.

B. Philip could not keep the good news of having found the Messiah to himself.

Two weeks ago we saw a video clip about how 82% of the people we ask to come to church will say “yes.” That is a marvelous statistic, so invite your friends! But that’s not what this part of the magnificent adventure is about. It’s about the truth that we’ve found the Messiah. The pre-existent One who is the Lamb of God and dealt with the sins of the world. That’s not just good news, but great news – magnificent news.

I recall that during the first few years of the Promise Keepers movement here in the United States that in their massive men’s gatherings in sport’s stadiums they did something that was incredibly impressive. As men came into the stadium for the evening meeting they were given a candle. Near the end of the night the lights were turned out and the stadium went dark. A single candle was lighted on the platform and it was used to light another, which lighted another… You get the picture. Soon the whole place is lighted up by one candle.

That’s an incredible picture of the opportunity that this magnificent adventure affords us – to be a candle in the darkness that can do nothing but spread the light of Jesus Christ.

Our city needs Jesus friends. Tell someone about Jesus. Invite people to church. Bring them to your Faith Journey Group. Have them over for dinner. You’ve got great news! Tell as many as you can that you’ve found the Messiah.

C. Friends, let us not lose sight that just as Jesus calls us to follow Him, that He wants our family, friends and others to follow Him as well.

Philip found Nathaniel, no doubt a friend from his hometown of Bethsaida.

This leads us to the second introduction to this magnificent adventure is,

II. Following Christ Means We Are to ‘Come and See.’

46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

Background on Nathaniel
Nathaniel is only mentioned in John by this name. He is no doubt the same person called Bartholomew in the other gospels. Understand that most Jews had two names so this would actually make sense. Further, the name Bartholomew is “patronymic.” That means it is not a formal first name but a derivative of his father’s name. For example, my name surname is Johnson. In Sweden where my family comes from it means, “Son of John,” or more precisely, son of “Johan.” The name McDonald identifies what clan you would be from in Scotland.

He is also one of seven disciples who saw the risen Christ on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Some even say that he was the bridegroom at the wedding in Cana, and one of those to whom Jesus appeared to on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection. But these facts are probably unlikely.

A. Look for the Surprises of Jesus.

Indeed, “what good can come out of Nazareth?” We do this a great deal ourselves. When we think of other cities around us we have a perception of them. I’ve told you many times that while living in Northeast Oregon over a decade ago, one city treated another like they were some kind of ugly step-sister, while the other did not want to shop in the other city for fear that they might prosper. Rivalries and perceptions, false or otherwise are prevalent.

But the surprises of Jesus can come from places we would least expect. Think about it for a moment; would you put the Messiah in a highly exposed place during His growing up years? Or would you put Him in a place to get ready for what was coming ahead?

God always has a plan.

Nazareth as a town was pretty undistinguished. Obviously Nathaniel had his own opinion about it.

B. Philip replies wisely.

Come and see means, “Come and see for yourself,” or, “Come and see what I’ve found, it’s incredible.” Notice this is not an argument. This is not a dissertation on doctrine. He simply says, “come and see what I’ve seen.” We would be wise to do the same ourselves when we share that we’ve found the Messiah with others.

You’ve heard it said many times,

“The greatest form of evangelism is a life that demands an explanation.”

May I suggest that we do what Philip did and point people to the greatest life of all, Jesus Christ? Engage others in the magnificent adventure by pointing toward the magnificent One Himself, Jesus Christ.

William Barclay relates the story about Huxley, the great agnostic, near the end of the nineteenth century. Huxley had joined with others at a weekend house party in the country. The story goes,

“Sunday came round, and most of the members prepared to go to church; but, very naturally, Huxley did not propose to go. Huxley approached a man known to have a simple and radiant Christian faith. He said to him: ‘Suppose you don’t go to church today. Suppose you stay at home and you tell me quite simply what your Christian faith means to you and why you are a Christian(?)’ ‘But,’ said the man, ‘you could demolish my arguments in an instant. I’m not clever enough to argue with you.’ Huxley said gently: ‘I don’t want to argue with you; I just want you to tell me simply what this Christ means to you.’ The man stayed at home and told Huxley most simply of his faith. When he had finished there were tears in the great agnostic’s eyes. ‘I would give my right hand,” he said, “if only I could believe that.’”

Barclay continues,

“It was not clever argument that touched Huxley’s heart. He could have dealt efficiently and devastatingly with any argument that that simple Christ was likely to have produced, but the simple presentation of Christ caught him by the heart.”

Friends, tell people to “come and see.” This is an amazing introduction to this magnificent adventure!

The third introduction to this magnificent adventure is,

III. Jesus Promised that We Would Do Even Greater Things.

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Yes, Nathaniel takes up Philip’s invitation to “come and see.” What brought him there? The potential of the promised Messiah? Skepticism? Curiosity? We don’t know. What we do know is that today there is the drawing of the Holy Spirit. All that matters is that we are on a magnificent adventure with Jesus, and we need to invite others to join us because it is awesome!

Nathaniel shows up. Among the things that follows is that Jesus tells him that he’s already seen him under a fig tree. What is not “caught” here is that this would be Nathaniel’s place of contemplation about the things of God. For those among the Jews who followed God, they would have such a place. It was a place of peace where in that culture they would be uninterrupted. Among their prayers under these trees of contemplation would be those for the coming of the Messiah. For example, this kind of prayer would be to passively pray for the same thing over and over again in such a way that you probably think in your heart that it is a long distance off. And yet here is another surprise of Jesus – to hear our prayer and answer them. Isn’t that amazing about God, that He hears us and answers us?

A. Jesus knows us from the inside out.

He knows where we’ve been. He knows where we’re going. Just as He knew Nathaniel through and through, He knows our character. Nothing is hidden from Him.

Psalm 32:2; Isaiah 53:9

B. Nathaniel has a revelation of the Christ.

This isn’t just an “ahah” moment. He realized who Jesus was because of the details he heard. He realized who Jesus was because He reached down into his heart. Think about it. A bigger Someone who knows my heart, my soul. Someone who by being with them adds incredible value to my life.

We need to realize who Jesus is because of what happened with Nathaniel – and what has happened to us. Talk about “greater things.”

C. There is more to this life in Christ than merely having words of knowledge.

This is likely what happened here in this passage. A word of knowledge is one of the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Jesus Himself possessed all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, because They are One. The gifts of the Spirit are available to us. The signs and wonders that follow a believer are available to us.

D. Heaven is open.

This truth is true in more ways than one. Jesus told Nathaniel that he himself would have the same vision that Jacob did centuries before of seeing angels coming and going up and down a ladder from heaven (Genesis 28:12). Nathaniel was promised to be able to see the gate of heaven. Every Christian in this room and in this world will see that too one day.

Heaven is open in another dimension as well for God’s Word and work to go forward. We all need the touch of Christ in our lives. We need to be people of His power, seeing and experiencing more than we already have.

If you have internet access I’d like for you to look up two key phrases on YouTube.com. The first is, “Faith Christian Center with one voice.” This is a clip of last Sunday’s service during the move of the Spirit we had. The reason for seeing it is simply because you can actually feel what God did in our midst last Sunday from a different perspective.

Secondly, I’d like for you to go to “Bethel Church Redding Miracles.” A whole series of clips will come up that talk about “greater things.”

What now, how do we respond to our passage today?

Choose this day whom you’re going to serve. But know this; Jesus chooses you!

Accept Jesus’ invitation to come and see.

Believe in the promise of Jesus to see and experience greater things, living a life where anything is possible with God.

Conclusion

Nathaniel does something interesting after his revelation that he was in the presence of the Christ. He calls Jesus, “Rabbi.” It means that he has not only found the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, but that he is also saying with that term that he is now a disciple, a follower.

Are you ready to make the same step, to make the same declaration of the Messiah and join Him on this Magnificent Adventure?