Pastor Mike Johnson's Faith Journey Adventure Week

"The Numbers of Hope," John 3:16

2010-02-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, January 31, 2010. This message on the Gospel of John is from the series, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.”

“The Numbers of Hope”

Turn your Bible to John 3.

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:[note: I shared some of these, but provide the whole list of responses for your reading pleasure.]

• 'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8
• 'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4
• 'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5
• 'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6
• 'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4
• 'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7
• 'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8
• 'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
• 'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
• 'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7
• 'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6
• 'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8
• 'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6
• 'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine-age 5
• 'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7
• 'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - age 4
• 'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4
• 'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image) Karen - age 7
• 'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8

And the final one

• The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

This morning our main, overriding theme is love; specifically the love of God for mankind.

And now our text this morning, in John 3. The most important conversation ever in the history of the world takes place right before our passage for today. Jesus and Nicodemus talk about what it means to be born again, which is followed by these incredible words in verse 16:

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 morning’s message is titled, “The Numbers of Hope.” I’ve taken this title from Max Lucado’s book, “3:16: The Numbers of Hope,” which is a compilation of messages on this key passage of Scripture. In fact, the hope that we see in John 3:16 truly reminds us that it is the number of hope. Lucado describes this verse this way:

“The words are to Scripture what the Mississippi River is to America – an entry into the heartland. Believe or dismiss them, embrace or reject them, any serious consideration of Christ must include them.”
Max Lucado, “3:16: The Numbers of Hope,” p.8

The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ runs from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible is the cohesive story of God’s redemption story. However it is all encapsulated in one 26 word passage here in John 3:16.

So this morning I would like for us to look at this passage together in a bit of a different light. I’d like for us to look together at:

• The great depth of God’s love for everyone – and the mystery of it.
• The unbelievable access we have to God.
• The awesome privilege of eternity with God.

Our first look this morning is,

I. God’s Love for the World is Beyond Comprehension.

We are currently at war. The enemies of the United States have vowed to kill every American that they can. They don’t like our culture or our faith in Christ. Regardless of where we live, to hear a terrorist make threats against the whole our country is a bit disconcerting and galvanizes our resolve – and perhaps our pity or even hate for our enemies.
Now think for a moment if the threat was a little closer to home. We hear everyday in the news of someone, sometimes even here in Central Oregon, who kills a family member or close friend. How would you feel about that family member or friend that is a bodily threat to you. You know that they are going to kill you.
Or how about knowing someone who is systematically murdering your friends, one by one. How do you feel about that? What do you do with that? We know how our heroes in the media would handle it.

• Rambo would “dispatch” the enemy.
• John Wayne and Clint Eastwood would end their movie with the demise of the bad guy.
• Superman would drop the enemy off at prison.
• Spiderman would wrap the enemy up in a web for law enforcement to pick up – and then fly away.
• The heroes on Call to Duty and every other video game of that ilk, take no prisoners.
• If we are honest, many of us walk away and have nothing to do with those who have spoken against us or done anything to us or our family.

But you see, the previous two scenarios that I shared about happened to Jesus.

A. The enemies of Jesus and His response to them help us understand on a small level the immensity of the love of God. Consider Judas. Judas was a friend of our Lord, one of His disciples whom He had poured His life into. Judas betrayed Jesus to the high priest. Let me help you see this situation in a little different light. Jesus said,

John 15:14-15 - 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ESV

When Jesus was being betrayed by Judas, we see the betrayer coming on the scene in Matthew 26:

Matthew 26:49-50 - 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. ESV

The term that Jesus uses of Judas in Matthew 26 describes a companion. It was not sarcasm. The term used in John is that of someone who is loved or dearly loved. Yes, they are different words for friend, but the fact that Jesus used them says something about the character of Jesus toward the person who would betray Him.

Jesus knew that something terrible was coming. He had foreseen it. How must that have felt to know that it was coming from someone whom He had poured His life into the three previous years?
How would you have felt, knowing that a friend was purposefully leading you to your demise? What would you have done with that? Called them “friend” in a non-sarcastic tone?
The love of God, the love of Jesus is deeper than what we can fathom. Yes, we can come up with all kinds of stories, illustrations and analogies of what this mystery is concerning the love of God, but it pales in comparison to think that Jesus not only loved us so much to die for us, but that Jesus also died for every one of our enemies.

• Osama Bin Laden.
• Hitler, and all of his henchmen.
• Jeffrey Dahmer.
• BTK Killer.
• Green River Killer.
• For all of our politicians.
• For everyone that voted for measure 66 and 67. For everyone who voted against measure 66 and 67.

I think you get it now.
Consider Saul as an enemy of God. As we arrive at Acts 9, Saul, a Pharisee was actively involved in the extermination of Christians. Here is where we pick up this amazing story:

Acts 9:1-5 - But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" 5 And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ESV

You know the story. Saul’s name is changed to Paul and he becomes the writer of half of the New Testament.

During the Civil War, a woman who was a staunch supporter of the Union once chided Abraham Lincoln for speaking too kindly about the southern states. The woman said that he should focus on destroying his enemies instead of being nice. Lincoln responded, “Why madam, do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” (Today in the Word, May 2007)

Judas was His friend. When Judas betrayed Him, he was still loved by Jesus. Jesus died for people like Judas to have hope.

Saul was not a Christian, and actually an anti-Christian. He wanted people like you and I, dead. Jesus comes to him, confronts him and turns him.

We’ve looked outward for a bit, so let’s take a few moments to look inward. Have you ever felt like your behavior, whether you were a Christian or not, completely separated you from God? It is true – sin does separate us from God. But the power, depth and mystery of the love of God – the love of Christ can perform miracles and reconcile us to Himself.
It does not matter what we’ve done but what Christ has done on our behalf, and the choice we make about appropriating what He’s done for us.

B. The ultimate demonstration of love, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross help us understand on a small level the immensity of the love of God. Yes, we sin. We feel bad about it. We may even feel guilty – because we are. We can even think to ourselves that we will never measure up. Or there is even the other side of the coin where we are so new to what it means to know God that perhaps in this moment we are coming to grip with what it means to enter into a relationship with a holy God. It means in order to move ahead in your desire to know God, you’ve got to do something about the things in your life that create separation.

Jesus prepared the way for you and I. Because of God’s great love, Jesus paid the ultimate price. This price was alliterated throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled permanently in the New. It is the sacrifice of innocent blood, a perfect sacrifice to cover our sin.

Regardless of what you think you’ve done and wondering whether or not you can ever be forgiven, I have great news for you in regard to the greatness and depth of the love we’re speaking of this morning:

Here’s a quote from my library that is a well-known saying:

“God grades on the cross, not the curve.”

Our second “look” this morning is that,

II. Our Access to God is Amazing.

My wife used to work for U.S. Bank for a number of years. She held a variety of positions within the bank, including vault teller. A bank vault is an amazing thing. I’ve been inside one several times as years ago we had a safe deposit box. Bank vaults are where money and important papers are kept. That vault is opened by knowing the combination. Only a small group of people have access to the combination, that opens the door to large sums of money.
If access to God and the riches of heaven is within this vault, believing on Jesus, placing your confidence and trust in Him is the combination.

At some time or another we’ve all tried turning the dial on that combination ourselves, over and over again. We’ve tried to live this way, say the right things and be in the right clubs, but it still won’t open the door. There have been many great men and women who’ve walked this planet. You can see some of your real-life heroes in your mind’s eye right now. But without placing their confidence and trust in Jesus Christ, all of the great things they did in the eyes of mankind will not open that combination.

To believe on Jesus is to intellectually and emotionally place your trust and confidence in Him that by His work on the cross, bridging the chasm between God and man, has not only the combination to heaven, but the keys to death and the grave. He is the One with all the power. That is the truth of the gospel – that we are powerless on our own to gain heaven. But only through the person of Jesus Christ can that be made possible.

Friends, that’s the power of the gospel – the power of John 3:16 because it acknowledges the power of Jesus Christ to change a life.

In his book Defining Moments, Rick Ezell writes, "A church ordered new stained glass windows for its sanctuary. All the windows arrived except for the largest panel at the front of the church. The congregation anxiously waited for this panel's delivery. When the large piece arrived, they found the glass had been broken in transit. The people were dismayed. But then a skilled artist in the church asked if he could take the pieces and try to make a suitable replacement window. In a short while the artist unveiled the window he had fashioned. The entire congregation felt that the artist's masterpiece was more beautiful than the original. What was broken was remade into something spectacular.
"God's grace sometimes comes in ways we would never expect. Grace is the glue that takes the pieces of our broken lives and binds them into something new and beautiful."

Friend, that is what Jesus wants to do in your life, make something new and beautiful. If you have not believed on Jesus Christ, today is your day to do so. If you have already, but are struggling in your walk with Jesus, the great news is that His love is still extended to you and He is still in the business of remaking you. Pursue Him.

The last “look” this morning is,

III. “Forever” with God is a Remarkable Outcome.

There are two promises of John 3:16. The first is that,

A. We will not perish.

“Perish” is a term that is the opposite of salvation. “Perish” refers to sheep that are lost or a son who has wandered away from home, never to return. It is to be cut off from God and excluded from His presence. It is something that we do, and not something that God does. Remember, even as we walk away from God, He still loves us and still would have sent His Son to die for us.

To “perish” in this instance does not mean that a person dies – just that in everything that matters in regard to future human existence that you are on the outside looking in.

Those who put their faith and confidence in Christ are “imperishable.” What an amazing word. It makes some of us think of all those things in our lives that will never deteriorate. You know, like Tupperware, plastic toothbrushes and Corelle plates and dishes.

I love the history channel. Lately they’ve been showing a series of programming of what would happen to the earth over a long period of time if humans were suddenly removed. Food supplies going bad, vegetation taking over our great cities, buildings collapsing and on and on. It’s pretty interesting stuff to see what scientist think would happen. Imperishable means, “forever.”

This leads us to the concept of,

B. Everlasting life.

Scholars like this concept. It speaks to us of the fullest position of blessing that can be bestowed on us. The vault is of heaven and all of its riches are wide open to us in our future because we’ve placed our confidence and faith in Jesus Christ.

The Scripture says that we’ll have “heavenly bodies,” which is significantly better than the current “beach bodies,” or “beached bodies” that we currently have. Yes, that was a bit of sarcasm.

As we conclude:
As I think about John 3:16, I’m reminded of this season of fasting and prayer that we’ve been in. The Word of God is leaping off the pages at me. Everything else that I’m reading as well has become more beneficial to my soul.
I read a book the other day about a fellow who has had face-to-face encounters with Jesus. Yes, I believe that he is having these encounters with Jesus. Yes, I was a little jealous and a bit terrified at the same time! But what came out through this reading and this fasting season for me is the personal nature of Jesus that knowing Him makes us available to. Yes, I would like for all of us to have many encounters with Jesus. But I think the big issue for all of us is to know that this same Jesus who loved us so much that He spread His arms and died for us, did so that we could pursue relationship with Him. I mean “relationship.”
Whether or not you see Him in this life with your own eyes isn’t as important as knowing Him without having seen Him. Yes, the Bible opens up to us who He is. But let us understand that Jesus is a person. Along with all the attributes of being God, He has emotions and feelings. It is up to us to please Him in our relationship with Him.

Pursue Jesus. Talk with Him. Listen to Him, through the Scripture and through your time talking and listening. Do it consistently.
What Now?

• Believe on Jesus Christ and you will be saved from perishing.
• Embrace the love of God and Christ for your whole life.
• Pursue spiritual intimacy with the person of Christ.

John Bevere in his book, “Extraordinary” writes about the time a few years ago when he gathered all four of his sons together and he and his wife told them that they loved them unconditionally and that nothing they could ever do would change that.
But then they told them something that caught them off guard, “However boys, you are in charge of how pleased your mom and I are with you.”

How pleased is Jesus with you and I?

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

2010-01-25T19:26:00.001-08:00

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, January 24, 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.

Bubba tried a new shampoo for the first time and was so pleased with it that he mailed off an enthusiastic letter of approval to the manufacturer.

Several weeks later, he came home from work and discovered a large carton had come in the mail. Inside were free samples of the many products the same company produced: soaps, detergents, tooth paste, and more, along with a thank-you note from the manufacturer.

"Well, what do you think?" asked his smiling wife.

Bubba replied, "I think that next time, I'm writing to Toyota."

I thought you would like that!

From my quote library; speaking of the power of the Holy Spirit:

“Don’t just get the power to the people, but get the power through the people.”

I’m here today to share with you about the power of Jesus Christ to change a life.

Isaiah McGarry is coming to read for us today. Let’s welcome him as he comes. Our text is John 3:1-21. However for brevity this morning I would like to only look at our focus today which are verses 1-15.

To help us have context, Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a member of the conservative branch of the Jewish religious council have come to Jesus to ask Him some questions about the things that He has been teaching.

John 3:1-15 - 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 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. ESV

From our text this morning, there are three perspectives that Jesus discusses with Nicodemus about being “born again” in the Spirit.

· That we are born from “above.”
· That we are born of water and Spirit.
· That the power of God and Christ’s obedience changed everything for all who would believe.

This morning’s focus is on the subject of how we become followers of Jesus Christ. When we grab hold of these truths, it will mold the way that we look at our salvation, our re-birth in Christ. It will also impact our witness of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as well. The first perspective is,

I. A Follower of Christ is Born Again or “Born From Above.”

3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

The term, “Born Again” hasn’t seen very many good days in recent years. It’s been used by sneering secularists against God for several decades now, especially after Charles Colson’s book by the same title came out. The title itself demands change in the life of a human being.

Being born again is the doorway to the Kingdom of God and the power of the Spirit flowing through our lives.

The phrase, “born again,” “born anew” or “born from above” runs throughout the New Testament.

1 Peter1:3; 22-23

James 1:18
Titus 3:5
Romans 6:1-11
1 Corinthians 3:1-2
2 Corinthians 5:17
Galatians 6:15
Ephesians 4:22-24
Hebrews 5:12-14

Nicodemus and those who served along side him in the Jewish religious ruling council, the Sanhedrin, thought of their devotion to God in light of all the external things that they did. It was all about how they looked in front of the people; the things that they said and did in order to keep the Law of Moses to the ‘nth’ degree. As we mentioned nearly two months ago, I shared with you about the Meshnah, a code of conduct for following the Law of Moses.

Jesus is communicating to Nicodemus that in order to inherit the Kingdom of God, it is more than mere external behaviors or legalism. It requires an inner change. This change is only possible when one is “born again. While a bit confusing to Nicodemus in that moment, to be born again means to come into a new world and to conform to that new environment. Scripture tells us that we see with new eyes and a new heart as we enter into a new family.

When one of our children is born into this world, everything is brand new and it is a whole new world for them. In order for them to survive, they need to conform to breathing air and eating food. The same is true of coming to know Christ as Savior. I’m reminded of the chorus we sing with the line, “This is the air I breathe,” going on to sing about our being desperate for Jesus and His presence. It’s theologically correct. When we are born again we must conform to our life in the Spirit.

I’m reminded again and again of the lives who many of our people who’ve come to know Christ in recent years here at Faith. Some had led lives that they were not proud of, even outside of relationship with Jesus. But when Jesus entered their lives, everything changed; lifestyle choices, business dealings, drunkenness was no longer an issue, families no longer being abused – the list goes on and on. Husbands and wives received transformed versions of their former spouse; children receive transformed parents, and so on and so on.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church,

Philippians 3:10 - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, ESV

Let’s talk about what happened that day.

Jesus died on the cross. We know that this is true, not only because He was literally beaten to a bloody pulp by the Romans, but because John 19:34 tells us that while He hung on the cross, a soldier pierced His side with a spear and out flowed blood and water – a scientific fact that denotes that death had already occurred.

He died on the cross.

But three days later He rose again from the dead. How did that happen? Was He just laying around in the tomb? Did an angel come and ask Him to get up?

In John 11 we see the incredible scene of a friend of our Lord’s named Lazarus who died and was put in a tomb. Jesus told those in attendance to roll the stone away and called Lazarus to come forth. He did – he rose from the dead. How did that happen? Through the power of the Spirit. It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

Romans 8:9-11 - 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. ESV

When we come to know Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us. The same power raised Lazarus, that raised Jesus dwells within us. But not only that we are born of the Spirit, born from above.

We are speaking of what changed our lives – it is the power of the Holy Spirit, by way of the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.

Sociologists tell us that our community, the American community is very “spiritual.” That does not make one Christian. People are looking for what is real and so they will combine theories, teaching and philosophies to make something that they think will satisfy. This is what is at issue.

When one is in places like Africa where there a great need is to address the issues in their lives surrounding evil spirits and the need to miracles and healings to take place, it helps to know the Savior who within Himself is ultimate power. Powerlessness in the Christian life is in reality, an oxymoron.

Being born from above is to be born of the Spirit. That power, flowing through Jesus, and us. In Ephesians 1:19 the Apostle Paul describes that power of the Spirit within us as being, “immeasurably great.”

The passage goes on in verse 20, describing that power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Jesus at the right hand of God in the heavenly places. And one day, because we were born again by the power of the Spirit, the Scriptures say that we will rule and reign with Jesus.

This discussion about the power of the Spirit changing our lives leads us to our second perspective this morning,

II. A Follower of Christ is ‘Born Again’ of Water and Spirit.

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.

There has been some confusion about this issue of being “born of water.” Some believe that you must be baptized in water to enter the Kingdom of God. The thief who died on the cross next to Jesus who came to Christ had not been baptized. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that it is not be works we are saved, but by grace through faith.

The text tells us that Nicodemus was known as a great teacher and yet he is having difficulty understanding this concept of being ‘born again.’ And so Jesus puts it into terms that he can understand. Nicodemus understood what John the Baptist was doing in the wilderness, baptizing people as a symbolic cleansing of their sins.

Nicodemus understood who the Essenes were. Many of you have heard me speak of them before. The Essenes were a group of Jews who very strictly followed baptismal rituals that were symbolic of the cleansing away of sin. It was the same ritual used in the pools around the Temple that people would go through to symbolically cleanse themselves prior to going into the courts of that spiritual edifice. The Essenes took it several steps further in being much more frequent in these baptisms, even several days from the Temple In the Essene compound discovered at Qumran, which is near Herod’s infamous fortress at Masada, they found these pools that this group would use.

John the Baptist was a member of this group. What John was doing in the wilderness was merely a step further for this group and under orders of the Holy Spirit to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. The people came from every where into the wilderness to be baptized by John for the remission of their sins. They could have merely come to the Temple and walked through the ritual pools.

But they went the distance because of what John was preaching. He will telling them about something more than just getting dunked, going through water; he was telling them about a rebirth of the soul, where there was repentance from sin and about the coming messenger who would endow them with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-33).

To be born of water and the Spirit means that the spiritual rebirth is conditional; confession of sin and repentance of sin by an individual is part of this transformation.

It is likely that a breeze was blowing that evening as they discussed the Spirit in our text. Jesus used the wind to describe the movement of the Holy Spirit, that the Spirit moves where He wants and not where we try to make Him move by our outward activities. In other words, Jesus wanted Nicodemus to know that the Pharisees didn’t control the movement of the Holy Spirit.

When the Spirit comes on and in a person, it is a radical experience. The Spirit blows in, filling the sails of our soul, thereby providing spiritual power.

Neither do we control the movement of the Holy Spirit. But we come with our hat in our hand and say, “Lord, I am a sinner. Thank you for Your incredible work on the cross and the power to save me from hell. I’m sorry for my sin. Save me from my sin. Help me Jesus.” Right now Jesus is drawing you, wooing you by way of the Holy Spirit. There is a tugging at your heart right now if you are outside of relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, right now we are going to pray for anyone that would like to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. This is your day and time.

----- PRAYER TO RECEIVE/RE-COMMIT TO CHRIST -----

III. A Follower of Christ Becomes a ‘Follower of Christ’ Because the Son of Man Was Lifted Up.

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.

In Numbers 21, the children of Israel had sinned and so God sent what were described as a bunch of fiery serpents into their midst. Many were bitten and died. So the people began to repent. The Lord told Moses to build a pole and put a bronze serpent on it so that everyone who was bitten would look on it and live.

This is where we get the medical symbol today, from this event that took place in the Bible.

Jesus Christ did the same for us. He was lifted up like that serpent so many centuries ago, so that whoever looked upon Him and His ultimate sacrifice would be healed spiritually.

In June of 2008, a Romanian hiker who lost his life high on Mount Rainier lay down in the snow and used his body's warmth to save his wife and a friend from the 70-mph winds of a freak June blizzard, national park officials say. The story was reported on June 13 by Associated Press.

When it became obvious the trio of friends could not find their way back to base camp in whiteout conditions, they dug a snow trench with their hands. Then 31-year-old Eduard Burceag lay down on the snow and his wife and a friend lay on top of him. Later, when they begged him to switch places, Burceag refused, saying he was OK.

"In doing so, he probably saved their lives," park spokesman Kevin Bacher said Thursday. Mariana Burceag, also 31, survived the storm, as did the couple's good friend, Daniel Vlad, 34. All three of the hikers were from Romania.

It was a selfless act, giving his life so that those whom he loved could live.

Jesus committed His selfless act to save those whom He loved by going to the cross and pay the ultimate sacrifice for us to be received into heaven.

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

ü      Receive Jesus Christ as Savior.
ü      Remember the power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells within us.
ü      Appropriate the power of the Spirit in our own lives by praying for others, and sharing this power with others. Don’t just get the power to you, but through you!

Jesus was inviting Nicodemus to move outside of his theological box. Jesus was calling this learned man who had devoted his life to the Scripture and the Mishnah to experience the very things that he had learned. When you live a powerless life for so long, the things one knows about the Scripture may be truth, but it is not lived out supernaturally.

The founding of the modern Pentecostal movement is an excellent example. At the turn of the last century at a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas, Charles Parham led his students to study the Scripture about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and then to come back together and seek the experience of it.

Nicodemus was being challenged by Jesus to experience the new birth of His salvation. Something happens there by way of the Spirit. We must never take the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives for granted, regardless of whatever spiritual gift that we possess.

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

2010-01-25T19:06:00.001-08:00

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, January 17, 2010 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.

Bubba tried a new shampoo for the first time and was so pleased with it that he mailed off an enthusiastic letter of approval to the manufacturer.

"Well, what do you think?" asked his smiling wife.

Bubba replied, "I think that next time, I'm writing to Toyota."

From my quote library; speaking of the power of the Holy Spirit:

“Don’t just get the power to the people, but get the power through the people.”

I’m here today to share with you about the power of Jesus Christ to change a life.

John 3:1-15 - 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. ESV

From our text this morning, there are three perspectives that Jesus discusses with Nicodemus about being “born again” in the Spirit.

· That we are born from “above.”

· That we are born of water and Spirit.

· That the power of God and Christ’s obedience changed everything for all who would believe.

I. A Follower of Christ is Born Again or “Born From Above.”

3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Being born again is the doorway to the Kingdom of God and the power of the Spirit flowing through our lives.

The phrase, “born again,” “born anew” or “born from above” runs throughout the New Testament.

1 Peter1:3; 22-23
James 1:18
Titus 3:5
Romans 6:1-11
1 Corinthians 3:1-2
2 Corinthians 5:17
Galatians 6:15
Ephesians 4:22-24
Hebrews 5:12-14

Jesus is trying to communicate to Nicodemus that in order to inherit the Kingdom of God, it is more than mere external behaviors or legalism. It requires an inner change. This change is only possible when one is “born again. While a bit confusing to Nicodemus in that moment, to be born again means to come into a new world and to conform to that new environment. Scripture tells us that we see with new eyes and a new heart as we enter into a new family.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church,

Philippians 3:10 - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, ESV

Let’s talk about what happened that day.

He died on the cross.

But three days later He rose again from the dead. How did that happen? Was He just laying around in the tomb? Did an angel come and ask Him to get up?

Romans 8:9-11 - 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. ESV

When we come to know Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us. The same power raised Lazarus, that raised Jesus dwells within us. But not only that we are born of the Spirit, born from above.

We are speaking of what changed our lives – it is the power of the Holy Spirit, by way of the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.

Being born from above is to be born of the Spirit. That power, flowing through Jesus, and us. In Ephesians 1:19 the Apostle Paul describes that power of the Spirit within us as being:

Ephesians 1:19a - “immeasurably great.”

This discussion about the power of the Spirit changing our lives leads us to our second perspective this morning,

II. A Follower of Christ is ‘Born Again’ of Water and Spirit.

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.

Nicodemus understood what John the Baptist was doing in the wilderness, baptizing people as a symbolic cleansing of their sins. Nicodemus understood who the Essenes were. Many of you have heard me speak of them before. The Essenes were a group of Jews who very strictly followed baptismal rituals that were symbolic of the cleansing away of sin. It was the same ritual used in the pools around the Temple that people would go through to symbolically cleanse themselves prior to going into the courts of that spiritual edifice. The Essenes took it several steps further in being much more frequent in these baptisms, even several days from the Temple cleansing pools.

In the Essene compound discovered at Qumran, which is near Herod’s infamous fortress at Masada, they found these pools that this group would use.

John the Baptist and his family were members of this group. What John was doing in the wilderness was merely a step further for this group and under orders of the Holy Spirit to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. The people came from everywhere into the wilderness to be baptized by John for the remission of their sins. They could have merely come to the Temple and walked through the ritual pools. But they went the distance because of what John was preaching. He was telling them about something more than just getting dunked, going through water; he was telling them about a rebirth of the soul, where there was repentance from sin and about the coming messenger who would endow them with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-33).

To be born of water and the Spirit means that the spiritual rebirth is conditional; confession of sin and repentance of sin by an individual is part of this transformation.

People who converted to Judaism would be physically washed and given new clothing. This gave them the right to walk around and be received into the community. However, those who had born a Jew were known as the children of God. But Jesus tells Nicodemus that this is not enough. It is likely that a breeze was blowing that evening as they discussed the Spirit in our text. Jesus used the wind to describe the movement of the Holy Spirit, that the Spirit moves where He wants and not where we try to make Him move by our outward activities. In other words, Jesus wanted Nicodemus to know that the Pharisees didn’t control the movement of the Holy Spirit.

When the Spirit comes on and in a person, it is a radical experience. The Spirit blows in, filling the sails of our soul, thereby providing spiritual power. Neither do we control the movement of the Holy Spirit. But we come with our hat in our hand and say, “Lord, I am a sinner. Thank you for Your incredible work on the cross and the power to save me from hell. I’m sorry for my sin. Save me from my sin. Help me Jesus.”

Right now Jesus is drawing you, wooing you by way of the Holy Spirit. There is a tugging at your heart right now if you are outside of relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, right now we are going to pray for anyone that would like to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. This is your day and time. I'm going to pray right now for everyone in my earshot this morning to have the opportunity to know Jesus Christ as Savior, starting now.

----- PRAYER TO RECEIVE CHRIST -----

III. A Follower of Christ Becomes a ‘Follower of Christ’ Because the Son of Man Was Lifted Up.

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.

This is where we get the medical symbol today, from this event that took place in the Bible.

Jesus Christ did the same for us. He was lifted up like that serpent so many centuries ago, so that whoever looked upon Him and His ultimate sacrifice would be healed spiritually.

Romania

It was a selfless act, giving his life so that those whom he loved could live.

Jesus committed His selfless act to save those whom He loved by going to the cross and pay the ultimate sacrifice for us to be received into heaven.

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

ü                      Receive Jesus Christ as Savior.

ü                      Remember the power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells within us.

ü                      Appropriate the power of the Spirit in our own lives by praying for others, and sharing this power with others. Don’t just get the power to you, but through you!

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

2009-12-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

"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?

"The Lamb of God," John 1:29-42

2009-10-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, October 11, 2009 in the morning service. It is the fifth message in the sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” It is a study on the Gospel of John.

“The Lamb of God”
John 1:29-42

Turn your Bible to John 1.

I have a pet peeve that is common to nearly all of us in this room. It relates to my freedom, my ability to work and play and to function. It relates to all the projects that I have going on. It relates to being with people and toward enhancing my overall enjoyment in life. My pet peeve is losing my car keys!

Doesn’t that just drive you nuts? Some even think or say, “Where are those stupid car keys?” like they just got up and walked away on their own.

So the search begins. We look everywhere. Usually the search begins when you have to leave to be somewhere on time. That means that the “seeking part” becomes quite frantic in a hurry. And when we find the keys, the euphoria of relief overwhelms our senses in that moment as we move with great haste out the door to our innocently waiting car.

We return to our series this morning, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World,” An Exposition of the Gospel of John. The title of this morning’s message is, “The Lamb of God.”

As we move into our message this morning, we recognize that people all over the world are in search of something that they find elusive. The “it” is something that relates to everything that is important to them. They are looking for reason and purpose of everything. They are all seeking a Savior whether they realize it or not. They try all kinds of self-help books, new age thinking and the like, moving from one thing to the next, only to find that these things only satisfy for a season.

What if mankind was always able to find their keys…or The Key?

This morning we’re going to look at three sweeping subjects from our passage.

• The first is that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God – the Key to everything.

• Secondly we’ll look briefly at the powerful component of the Holy Spirit in our lives

• and then thirdly, the Key, the Messiah who invites us all to ‘come and see.’

Let’s look at our text this morning:

John 1:29-42 - 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." 32 And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter). ESV

Let’s move together into our first sweeping subject this morning:

I. Jesus, the Lamb of God, Who Takes Away the Sins of the World.

A. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice to cover the sins of the world.

John the Baptist calls out in the earshot of his disciples and all who would hear, “There He is, the Lamb of God.” What is it that he is saying? There are four possibilities:

In chapter 2 of John we see the nearness of the celebration of Passover. This goes back to the time in Exodus 12 where Moses instructed the people to sacrifice a lamb without blemish, preparing it in a specific way for the specific purpose of putting it’s blood over the doorposts of the home and having the death angel of the Lord Passover them. And so, the term. The blood saved the people from death. All who did not have this designation had the first-born of the home die.

John’s recognition of this event about to be celebrated no doubt registered in the hearts and minds of his hearers – that Jesus is the same as the lamb that was slain – to cover the sins of man. In this case as John states, not only for the sins of the Jews, but for the sins of the world, that Jesus is the one true Lamb and sacrifice that can save you from death.

Secondly, John the Baptist’s dad was a priest. Priests knew lambs – and so did their sons. Every morning and evening a sacrifice would be made on behalf of the people to cover their sins. Even during difficult times of famine these sacrifices would take place everyday.

That Jesus was the “Lamb of God” would not lost on a culture that understood this. But the difference is that these lambs “covered” the sins of the people; in Jesus, mankind was delivered from sin. The price would be paid once and for all.

The third option is that several Old Testament prophets spoke of the Messiah who would come and be the Lamb of God. Isaiah 53, perhaps the most well-known collection of prophecies about the Messiah says,

Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth. ESV

Verse 12 says,

Isaiah 53:12 - Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors. ESV

We see in the New Testament the nature of Jesus being the Lamb of God:

1 Peter 2:24 - He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ESV

And then this in 1 John:

1 John 3:5 - You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ESV

Lastly, here is another concept that the Jews understood that we don’t in our culture. Between the Testaments was a period of time where something called, “The Maccabean Revolt” took place.

Basically, Jews under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus revolted against the Seleucids, descendants of one of Alexander the Great’s generals who enjoyed one fourth of the partition of Alexander’s territory after the leader’s death in Babylon at the age of 33. This revolt of the Jews in Judea rose up after the position of High Priest was sold off in a bribe by Seleucid leader Antiochus Epiphanies VII. The Jews would not stand for this and subsequently won their freedom, only to lose it later to Rome.

Judas Maccabeus was known by the symbol of a horned ram, not a symbol of being gentle, meek and mild, but as a conquering hero of majesty and power for God. The Baptist is exclaiming that Jesus is God’s great champion. What an incredible word picture!

Regardless of which perspective John the Baptist was coming from, Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. This truth is the key to everything.

More Scripture: This term “Lamb of God” is used in this verse, verse 36, Acts 8:32; and in 1 Peter 1:19, with the latter being a reference to Isaiah 53:7. In fact all of the New Testament references of Isaiah 53 are applied to Jesus: Matthew 8:17; Luke 22:37; John 12:38; Acts 8:32-35; 1 Peter 2:22-24

B. Jesus is the power to take away the sins of the world.

Jesus bore, not only our individual sins, but the sins of the world.

Let’s talk about sin. Sin is the product of our fleshly, sinful nature. And yet as we think about our own sin, we seldom grasp – or care to consider the enormity of this problem of mankind’s. It is THE common malady of people around this world that leads to death. Let’s look at what the Scripture says about the power of the Lamb:

The power of the purity of Christ.

1 Peter 1:19 - but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ESV

The power of love.

John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. ESV

The power to allow us to overcome.

Galatians 1:4-5 - 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ESV

I was being introduced yesterday to someone in the community. When they found out I was the Pastor here at Faith, they made the comment, “That’s kind of a ‘Rockin’ place’ isn’t it?” It was not a reference to the music per say, but of what was happening in here. I was so excited to hear about our reputation that I almost hugged the guy.

Oh that people would drive past our church or know us individually when we passed by in such a way as to exclaim, “Something is up there – there is power in that place; there is power in that person.” Or from our own nomenclature, “They know the Lamb of God and the power of the His Spirit.”

More Scripture: Genesis 4:4; 8:20; 22:2-8; Leviticus 14:10-25; Of Jesus is relates to His atoning work, which is significantly picked up in the Revelation of John (5:6-13; 6:1-3, 5, 7,; 7:9-10, 14,17; 13:8; 14:1, 4, 9-10; 15:2-3; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22-23; 22:1,3). Theology of Atonement: 1 John 1:7; 2:2; 4:9-14

C. The unknown made known.

People everywhere are looking for signs. Even the Nobel Peace Prize Committee gave a peace prize to our President, voted on after he had been in office for only two weeks. He made a couple of speeches on open a dialogue with the enemies of our country at the time. But even the White House thought at first it was a joke when it was announced to them. People are looking for hope.

The Baptist was on a mission and was waiting for something to happen to make the unknown, known. More about signs in a minute.

John the Baptist certainly knew some basic things about his cousin Jesus. However, travel in those times was a major issue. Perhaps John would have seen Jesus during feast seasons in Jerusalem. But we don’t really know.

What the text does suggest is that they weren’t close, that’s for sure. We also know that until Jesus showed up to be baptized, John didn’t know who the Messiah would be – only that He was coming. John knew “who” Jesus was, just not “what” Jesus was.

What we do know is this; John the Baptist is a herald of the Messiah. His pronouncement of “here He is,” is severely profound. John the Baptist’s purpose was to point people to Christ. So is ours.

Secondly,

II. Jesus, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, Who Empowers Us for Living.

A. The sign of the Holy Spirit to John the Baptist was a dove.

We’ve already seen that the Baptist knew that the coming Messiah would Baptize in the Holy Spirit. John was looking for a sign of this. John the Baptist saw the sign of the dove descend on Jesus making it clear that the Holy Spirit was upon Him. This was a confirmation of what John was called forth to do in the wilderness.

• It is why his disciples turned and followed Jesus.

• It is why his ministry changed after this.

• It is why he decreased and the Christ increased.

In Palestine a dove was a sacred bird. It could not be hunted and could not be eaten. That's why what John saw was so significant. What appeared to come upon Jesus "like a dove" remained on Him. As John the Baptist is talking, we must conclude that he is speaking from a Jewish mindset. The Hebrew term for “Spirit” means “wind.” This gives fresh meaning to the day of Pentecost when what seemed like a mighty wind blew through the upper room and the 120 gathered there were Baptized in the Holy Spirit, speaking with tongues of fire. For the Jews there were three basic ideas about what Spirit meant. It meant power, life and God.

B. The power of the Holy Spirit is available to all who believe.

It is a flooding, a saturating of the human soul with the presence of heaven. But more than that it is an enduement of power from on high. This baptism is different from the infilling of the Spirit at salvation. It is a filling for the primary purpose of power for witnessing. It is this power that has driven the greatest missionary movement of the 20th and 21st centuries. And it is available to every believer, just as it was received on the Day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago in the upper room by the 120.

We believe in the power of the Spirit to change lives and empower us in our witness of Christ. Part of this passionate pursuit of Jesus is that we are in constant contact with Him. This conversation is called prayer. This morning I have some simple books on prayer published by the Church of God denomination. They are easy reads. We have 50 copies available this morning and invite you to take one. They are $3 each. Yes you can pay us later if you’ll take one now and use it. If you are a person who can’t afford $3, following the Biblical truths in this book will actually help you be able to afford it, so please take one. Oh yes, one per family please.

We are believing God for an open heaven for the miraculous to take place in our city and for a sovereign move of God, Holy Spirit sponsored revival. Let’s press in and move ahead!

C. John the Baptist’s witness of Christ…and ours.

And what of our witness of the Christ?

Thirdly,

III. Jesus, the Messiah, Who Invites Us to Come and See.

A. They were seeking Jesus.

When John the Baptist said who Jesus was, his disciples who were with him turned and followed the Promised One. John the Baptist was the manager of the “farm team.” Jesus is the manager of the ultimate parent team.

People sought Jesus during those times. Great crowds gathered to be near Him. We see this over and over in the Scripture:

Luke 4:42-44 - 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose." ESV

John 6:22-24 - 22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. ESV

John 12:21 - So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." ESV

Let’s remember and understand that this is three days after John’s disciples had heard the priests question John the Baptist about what he was doing. This no doubt had significant impact on them that something was about to happen. They trusted John and had followed him and his ministry. Now they are seeing the One whom he was preparing the way for.

So, what were these disciples of John looking for? The same thing as everyone else – even going back to the key illustration at the beginning of our time this morning.

People are looking for security in this life. They want to be on a ship that can navigate the storms of life. For the disciples of John, they understood that the Messiah would change everything. So they followed Jesus.

Tied to security, some are looking for a career. Position, prestige and acknowledgement becomes the consuming goal as we think that this is the end all. But this kind of pursuit is always limited by the reality that there is only so much time and so much one can do under the ceiling of position. Besides, someone always seems to be “doing it” better than we are anyway.

Still others are looking for peace. Peace in one’s heart is elusive unless we know the Prince of Peace.

B. We invite others to come and see.

Jesus invited John’s disciples to “come and see.” Jesus is saying, “Come and see the solution to your problem.”

Now, in the original language it means that Andrew believes that he has found the one. It is not definitive but a step of faith here. However, it was strong enough that Simon Peter came to check Jesus out. The point is, the Jews during the first half of the first century were looking for the coming Messiah with great expectation.

Andrew is literally the first evangelist of Jesus Christ that we see in Scripture. He went and told his brother Simon. Andrew was also the one who brought the boy to Jesus with the fish and loaves. Jesus used it to feed 5,000 with it (John 6:9). The point taken is that Andrew was an introducer of others to Jesus. So can we be also.

C. A new name, a new citizenship, a new identity.

Jesus meets Simon which means, “reed” and renames him “rock.” This was not only his name but a literally translation of his personality. That’s why Simon gets a new name – something much better to live up to. Be careful what you name your kids – they might turn out that way!

As we conclude, let’s look together at Hebrews 9:28:

Hebrews 9:28 - so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. ESV

So, what now? How do I respond to this message?

• Grasp the importance of Jesus being the Lamb of God – that sin has been dealt with once and for all. Share this good news with everyone, everywhere.

• The same power that rested on Christ is available to the believer. Pursue the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

• Be an introducer of Jesus Christ to others.

Conclusion

"Illumination of the Soul," Part 2; John 1:9-18

2009-10-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday, October 4, 2009 in the morning service. It is the fourth message in the sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” It is a study on the Gospel of John.

“Illumination for the Soul,” Part 2
John 1:9-18

Turn your Bible to John 1.

I love the historic event found in 1 Samuel 14 of Jonathan, son of King Saul and the young man who was his armor-bearer, going over to the Philistine camp on an unauthorized “field trip.” Here’s the passage:

1 Samuel 14:6 - Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." NIV

And yes, God did act on their behalf and they killed 20 men. Not only that, confusion then ran through the encamped army of the Philistines as God intervened, and that army melted away.

The reason why I like this episode in history so much is because it reminds me that nothing is too hard for God, whether it be two or twenty-thousand. One plus God is a majority. That is why the prayers of the righteous avail much.

As we look at our text this morning we are reminded that if we can grab hold of the reality of the person of Jesus Christ, we can possess an even greater sense that God can and will act on our behalf.

Let’s look at our text this morning:

John 1:9-18 - 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. ESV

We continue this morning in our series on the Gospel of John called “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” We get that name from the fact that the Gospel actually specifically covers 20 days in the life of Christ. This morning’s message is titled, “Illuminating the Soul,” Part 2.

As we saw last week, Jesus is the True Light of the world. We also celebrated that fact by rejoicing together in the Lord’s Supper – Communion.

As we continue with part two of last week’s message, we once again will focus on the issue and importance of being able to actually know the Christ, the Son of God.
When we come a Biblical understanding of the importance and fact of being able to actually know Jesus, the Son of God, our faith in Him increases exponentially.
All things become possible when we come to a firm realization that the Creator of the Universe is knowable and we can know Him.

This message has four points that speak to us of this powerful True Light and personal God that came into this world. Last week we looked at the first point. Let’s briefly look at that in review:

I. Jesus is the Light of the World.

A. Jesus is the True Light who illuminates everyone. John 1:9a; Isaiah 49:6; Genesis 1:26; Other Scripture: 1 John 2:8; Revelation 21:23; 22:5; Isaiah 60:19-20; John 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36, 46; 3:19-21; 11:9-10

B. While the light of Christ illuminates everyone in some way or another, not everyone received the Person of The Light when He came. John 1:10-11; John 16:3; 5:43; 1 John 3:1

C. Receiving the ‘Light.’ John 1:12-13; 1 John 5:13; Other Scripture: 1 John 5:1; 3:1; Galatians 3:26; John 11:52; James 1:18; John 3:3-4; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Peter 1:23-24; John 3:6

And now this morning we pick up in this subject matter of illumination of the soul. Our second of our points is,

II. Jesus Came to this Earth in a Manner that We Could Understand.

A. Jesus walked among us.

William Barclay’s translation of verse 14 goes like this:

“So the Word of God became a person [flesh], and took up his abode in our being, full of grace and truth; and we looked with our own eyes upon his glory, glory like the glory which an only son received from a father.” (Barclay)

This is much more than a rehashing of verses 1 and 2 of John’s Gospel. It is defining love, the love of Christ toward mankind. The Light that shines so brightly, expressing love by coming to this world. It is also John’s reason for writing this gospel, to put forward the person of Jesus Christ as being God – the One who created and brings order to the universe, and is knowable.

John says that he and others “saw” Jesus with their own eyes. This is not some spiritual or soulish application here. They actually saw Jesus and the glory of the Father in Him.

At issue is that Jesus became “flesh.” The Greek term used here is “sarx,” the same term that the Apostle Paul used time and again to discuss the fleshly nature of man. It is a rough, crude term that John specifically used to drive home the nature of the concept of Jesus having come in the flesh. That John would use the same term as Paul in regard to human flesh was astounding to the Greek. You see the Greeks had great issue with the ability of God to be able to be among men in the flesh. So much so that even a number within the church itself took up issue. This is where we get the sect called “Docetists,” who believed that Jesus was purely spirit, or a phantom, that His body actually wasn’t that at all – it just seemed that way. This is why John’s teaching is so radical, and why it needed to be said. The Docetists rose up after John’s gospel went forth and became the forbearers of the Gnostic religion. These Docetists even thought that Jesus never actually hungered or grew weary, that when He was on the cross that He actually didn’t die or feel pain because He couldn’t.

John dealt with these folks in his first epistle in 1 John 4:2-3. This epistle was written to confront the Gnostics, of which Docetists are part of. Here’s what it says:

1 John 4:2-3 - 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ESV

It is as if John is putting up their picture on the wall, writing “Wanted” over the top and calling them out. Friends, Jesus came in the flesh!

In Matthew 25:35, Jesus uses Himself in a parable of being physically hungry and thirsty. We also know of a number of occasions in the gospels where Jesus grew weary and went away to quiet places in order to be refreshed. Here are some other Scriptures speaking of Jesus coming in the flesh:

Romans 1:3 - concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ESV

Romans 8:3 - For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ESV

Jesus came in the flesh.

Philippians 2:7-8 - 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ESV

Jesus could die.

Colossians 1:22 - he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ESV

Of Jesus, Hebrews 2 says,

Hebrews 2:14 - Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ESV

The flesh of Jesus sacrificed for mankind has reconciled mankind to God.

Here is the struggle. The Greeks, like the Docetists, struggled with the thought of God being in a body because the body is corruptible. Why does this matter? Why does it matter that Jesus came in the flesh and dwelt among us? Because that fact makes God knowable. You and I can know God, the Creator of the universe.

The term, “dwelt” means “to tent”. He resided among us.

We’re reminded of the Apostle Paul meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, after His death and resurrection. Acts 9 tells the incredible encounter.

Acts 9:1-9 - But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" 5 And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. ESV

Saul is on his way to Damascus with legal documents to bring back Christians who have dispersed up there, to bring them to justice for pursuing the Christ. Remember that it was Saul in Acts 7 who was holding the coats of those stoning Stephen for preaching Christ.

There is a bright light and Jesus says to Saul, “What are you doing?” Can you imagine that moment with me? Think about all those times you’ve been caught by a parent or a spouse doing something that you knew you weren’t supposed to be doing…the moment you got caught. You don’t say anything, but your life passes before you mind’s eye and you realize, “Uh oh.”

In that moment, Paul knew that whatever he was off doing, someone greater than himself was not happy with it.

He asked, “Who are you Lord?” And Jesus answered him; in that moment, Saul’s life is about to get tossed upside-down.

Saul becomes the Apostle Paul, and decades later in his letter to the Philippian church he writes,

Philippians 3:7-11 - 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ESV

Paul has already met Jesus on the road to Damascus. But here he reiterates that his entire life is now tied to not only that encounter, but to know Jesus more and to bless Him with his life and humility, thereby being found worthy in Christ to be part of the coming resurrection of the dead in Christ who will one day rise.

You and I can know the risen Christ, the person of Jesus; the Creator of the universe is knowable. And when we know Him, all of the riches of heaven are ours. All of the answers to prayer that have yet to be prayed are ours.

• Will we dare to grab hold of the privileges of our citizenship in Christ?

• Will we appropriate His power in our own lives?

• Will we believe Him for more than we ever have before?

• Will we walk with a confidence of faith in Him because we’ve come to understand that the One who set the worlds into order has walked among us?

Other Scripture: John 1:1-2; Romans 1:8-9; Galatians 4:4; 1 Timothy 3:16; Revelation 7:15; 21:3; 1 John 4:14

B. The glory of Christ can be known.

and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ESV (14b)

God the Father and the Son’s reflection of glory is a sight to behold. When we think of God’s glory, our mind’s eye moves quickly to an understanding of the presence of God hovering over the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, or the Temple in Jerusalem during Old Testament times.

In the weeks ahead we are going to look at the glory of God unfolding in the study of this gospel. Every miracle, every healing demonstrates the glory of God.
Further, the glory of the Father and the Son is full of grace and truth. This grace speaks to us of receiving unmerited favor from the Supreme Being. However, it also speaks to us of the beauty of the Savior. Not that Jesus was a cover boy for Gentleman’s Quarterly or a male model of some kind. But instead of the wondrous beauty of the Savior of the universe walking among us. In Jesus we see how God would have lived if He had been a man.

In verse 15 John the Baptist reiterates the greatness of Christ in comparison to himself.

Other Scripture: John 1:27; 30; Matthew 3:11

Thirdly,

III. The Fullness of Christ is Extended to All Who Believe.

16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ESV

We also see in Ephesians 1, Paul speaking of Christ’s relationship to the Church…
Ephesians 1:23 - which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. ESV
And then a few chapters later we see:

Ephesians 3:19 - and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ESV

And then a chapter later:

Ephesians 4:13 - until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ESV

A. The fullness of Christ is a reference to His being the sum total of all that is God.

So, we understand Colossians when it says,

Colossians 2:9-10 - 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ESV

It means that all the wisdom, strength and power of God dwelt within Him. It means that Jesus Himself is inexhaustible. But that’s not all. Let’s look at the rest of this passage:

Colossians 2:9-10 - 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ESV

B. The fullness of Christ is available to all who believe.

We have access to His presence. Jesus came and dwelt among us and today He spiritually indwells all who believe. How do we appropriate this truth, how do we take advantage of this fullness extended to us?

Many of you are aware that I’ve lost a bunch of weight over the last year. Having lost 120 pounds, I’ve gained back 30 and am watching my weight and beginning a new exercise program as of tomorrow. I don’t go into candy stores. I know what they have in there, and it’s all bad! I’ve noticed that there are a good number of “retro candies” that are now available in these places, all of the candy bars and other delights that I grew up with. Those items are contraband!

Suppose Jesus is a candy store. All of the wonderful blessings of His presence are available to us. And yet we treat the fullness of Christ like we’re on some sort of fasting diet – never enjoying all that He offers you and I. Why is this? Fear and control are the biggest culprits. The more of Christ we have, the more control He has over our lives, and the more we might do something that in the natural world that we would deem as weird.

A parent asked me last Friday night at the football game if some of the dads shouldn’t start showing up without shirts on with painted bodies to cheer on the team. I joked around with him about doing it. I was glad when the conversation ended though because it was getting uncomfortable when it got to the place of committing. I don’t want to take my shirt of for a number of reasons at a football game.

• But we know that the prophet Isaiah was led of God to walk naked for a long season among the people.

• We know that Hosea was directed by the Lord to marry a prostitute who kept going back to her former way of life.

• We know that John the Baptist’s attire – sackcloth would not go well with the fashion of our day.

I’m not doing those things. That’s fear. Now friends, I don’t believe for a moment that God is calling anyone here to do those things. However, there are gifts to walk in, ministries to pursue, signs and wonders to experience, and stands that are uncomfortable and messy in our neatly organized form of American Christianity. We say, “Oh Lord, love the candy store, but I’m on a diet.”

Oh friends, for more fullness in our lives! When we recognize that we can know a personal God, the fullness of God becomes possible. When we embrace more of Christ, the impossible becomes possible.

Lastly,

IV. Jesus is the Light…and Lord!

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. ESV (v.18)

The Greeks of the day who were receiving this Gospel of John’s completely understood this – that no one had ever seen God. Remember that they believed that God was not knowable. Even Moses who saw God’s backside in Exodus could not see His face and live (Exodus 33:20)

No one in the Old Testament thought they could see God. But the scenario here is different.

The passage goes,

No one has ever seen God;

We get that.

the only God, who is at the Father’s side…

That’s Jesus. The term that is used for “only God” is also translated, “only begotten of God.” But of greater importance it means “unique” or “specially beloved” (Barclay). No one else is on par with Christ and He alone is unique or special to be able to bridge men to God the Father. Jesus is God.

And then we see,

…he has made him known.

It’s hunting season. Many of our people will be hunting deer and elk in the days ahead. If you’re not a hunter, you can read books about it. But nothing suffices like going out with someone who has great experience in hunting, and teaching you the ropes over several trips.

I’m reminded that pastors all across our city and around the world are doing their best this morning to talk about Jesus. But Jesus came to “show us” who God is.

Other Scripture: John 5:37; 6:46; Exodus 33:20; 1 Timothy 6:16; 1 John 4:12; 20

Writing to confront the Gnostics and Docetists about the personal way that God came in the flesh, John wrote in his epistle,

1 John 4:2 - By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ESV

What does your spirit confess about Jesus?

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

Think about your life and the difference it makes to realize that God loved you so much to come to this earth and create a way to have fellowship with Him. Jesus Christ died once and for all that the price would be paid for our sin, bridging the chasm between God and man.

Think about the importance of a “knowable God” and how that deepens our faith in Christ so that ALL THINGS are possible in Him.

Don’t be on a diet with Jesus; don’t allow this world’s thinking or your own thinking to get in the way of experiencing all He has for you and I in this life.

Remember that Jesus is the True Light of the world and can shine through your life; take steps to allow that to happen. Ask Jesus to cause the presence of His Spirit to increase in you.

“Illumination for the Soul,” Part 1 - John 1:9-18

2009-09-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center, Sunday morning September 27th, 2009 by Pastor Mike Johnson. It is from is from the Sermon Series: “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World”: An Exposition of the Gospel of John

“Illumination for the Soul,” Part 1
John 1:9-18

Turn your Bible to John 1.

I remember being in the ninth grade, when an astounding lightening storm moved through our city. The bolts hit in rapid succession the power lines that were located three blocks south of our home where my parents still live. We tried looking out the large glass window in our recreation room, but as the concussion of the thunderous blasts would come, the whole house shook time and again and we watched the window flex so much that it was shocking that it did not break.
Before the storm arrived in our neighborhood the power to our homes had long been knocked out. It was completely dark that night. There was no moonlight as the thunderheads had completely blotted them out. We could see the flashes coming from a distance; as they drew closer, everything would be illuminated with a light so severe that is difficult to fathom. We’re not talking about daylight. We’re talking about something brighter in a moment than the gentile rays of the sun on a warm day. The light was bright and shocking, striking fear and awe in my being at the same time. Obviously I will never forget it.

This morning we’re going to look at “The Light.” Even as that storm captured the awe and fear in my being, The Light spoken of here is a noun – the person of Jesus Christ. This light is even greater than that which I’ve just spoken of. What is more, this great Light illuminates the soul of mankind.

Let’s look at our passage this morning as our newest member of our ministry staff, Aaron Zellweger comes to read for us today from the English Standard Version:

John 1:9-18 - 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. ESV

We are in our series on the Gospel of John called “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” We get that name from the fact that the Gospel actually specifically covers 20 days in the life of Christ. This morning’s message is titled, “Illuminating the Soul,” Part 1.

This morning we’re looking at the subject of Jesus being the True Light of the world. I know that doesn’t sound too exciting to most of us this morning. It doesn’t fall into the ear tickling categories of, “How to read the Bible and make more money,” or, “How to have…everything.” But if we can each come to a Biblical understanding of what Jesus being the Light of the World means, our confidence in our faith in Him will severely elevate to a place where you’ll find that all things are possible with God.

This message has four points that speak to us of this powerful True Light that came into this world. I’ve divided this message in half and so we'll be looking at the first point only this morning.

I. Jesus is the Light of the World.

A. Jesus is the True Light who illuminates everyone.

John 1:9a - The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. (ESV)

John the Baptist came to not only announce the coming Christ, but to serve as a contrast to the “transcendent luster of the true light.” (Alexander MacLeran)

This “true light” is not a facsimile or some sort of secondary feature. This light that we are speaking of is not “backlight” on a stage. It is not the beam of a spotlight either. If I were to carry a lamp into this place, the lamp would not be Jesus, but the light inside of it. No lamp can contain this light. Instead it is the light of such an awesome source that it illuminates everything. It is pure spiritual and physical illumination, genuine, true, real and present.

Of the Messiah, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah,

Isaiah 49:6 - 6 he says:
"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." ESV

One of the Jewish names for the Messiah is “Light.” The “Light” is linked to the salvation of the soul. Jesus was there at the creation of the world. He was there when we see the statement, “Let there be light.” And then Jesus came into this world to illuminate sin so we could know what we’re doing that separates us from a holy God.

The Scripture tells us that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). The Light of God is in all of us to some degree or another because of this. I am not saying that we are God or even “god” with a little “g.” But I am saying that there is God “stuff” within each of us, whether we are Christian or not. This God-stuff gives us the opportunity and ability to know Christ. We were created to be indwelt by God’s Spirit. This indwelling begins when we invite Jesus Christ into our lives. But the “True Light” touches all of mankind in someway or another.

Pastor Roger L. Fredrickson tells the story of something powerful that occurred at his son’s wedding. He writes:

“Laurie is a friendly, twenty-four-year-old young lady who had been asked to serve as a ring bearer at the wedding of our son, Joel, and Jeanne Anne. She sat in the front pew with Jeanne Anne’s folks during the early part of the ceremony until I mentioned that a very special friend of Jeanne Anne’s would step forward with the rings. As this point she clapped joyously and with a broad grin gingerly moved forward with the rings.
“Our son, Randy, the best man, stepped down to meet her. Then, proud as a peacock, she presented the rings for that part of the service. According to the script, she was then to go back down. But she was enjoying herself too much to leave now, standing there between the groom and the best man. So Randy gently and quite naturally put his arm over her shoulder and every once in a while she would gently tap Joel and grin as if to say, ‘Don’t forget me. I’m still here.’ Laurie brought an unexpected tenderness, a gift of grace, to the rest of the service, which most people now followed through tear-filled eyes.
“Humanly speaking, Laurie is a badly retarded young lady, abused much of her early life. She is not just a precious student of Jeanne Anne’s. Jeanne Anne lovingly teaches retarded adults. And having no one in the world to claim her, Laurie has spent much time at Jeanne Anne’s home. Can any one of us measure the gift of God-given light in Laurie that blessed us all that day?”

Jesus, Immanuel, “God with us,” is the True Light who shines through, illuminating mankind.

Laurie is a real person. Jesus is a real person. For the Greek or even the pagan at the time this was written, for them God was someone that could not be truly known or explained. Often they portrayed God as one who hung out in the shadows or mists, or even in a light that could not be penetrated. John’s terminology here is not only a theology about the greatness and illumination of Christ, but also about the opportunity and ability to know the essence of The Light. They were able to see and know Jesus. You and I are real people and Jesus is a real person. People spoke to Him face to face. We do the same in the Spirit. The precious Light of the world allows us to know God personally.

Further, consider a world without hope where darkness means death. This was the outlook of the world that John was writing this gospel in. If you pause and consider the question, we’re living in that world today. Even some Christians as they approach death don’t appropriate the life and light of Christ.

I need to pause for a moment and speak true words about those of you whom I’ve been with in the hospital in the midst of a life threatening condition. I have learned to expect the very best from the people here at Faith. Like the name on the outside of the church, I’ve seen our people time and again arise in their faith in Christ, that regardless what the outcome is from their disease, illness or physical affliction, they still believe in the Light of the world. They recognize that whether God heals them in this life or heals them in the next, they are still healed and that’s what’s so awesome about God. I’m terribly proud of the working of God in your life that produces that kind of faith in you.

When we appropriate the fact of the Light of Christ extended to us, our "knowing" actions in this life change because we see them playing a role in the bigger picture of world events and fulfilling God’s purposes.

Other Scripture: 1 John 2:8; Revelation 21:23; 22:5; Isaiah 60:19-20; John 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36, 46; 3:19-21; 11:9-10

B. While the light of Christ illuminates everyone in some way or another, not everyone received the Person of The Light when He came.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ESV

The Jews, who should have been looking for Him failed to recognize the Messiah when He came. About six weeks ago I shared with you the timeline for the arrival of the Messiah from the Book of Daniel. Among the Jewish religious leaders, no one appears to have been paying attention. It is true that there were several before and after the first coming of Jesus who declared themselves to be the Christ.

Of these false Christ’s William Barclay says,

“Some were flickers of truth; some were faint glimpses of reality; some were will o’ the wisps which men followed and which led them out into the dark and left them there. It is still the case. There are still the partial lights; and there are still the false lights; and men still follow them. Jesus is the only genuine light, the real light to guide men on their way.”
William Barclay
DSBS, The Gospel of John, Vol 1, p.54

So as these false Christ’s came along, the religious leaders dealt with them, often harshly, to bring people back into line with their leadership. Unfortunately the religious leaders were so looking to keep their position among the people as their pious leaders, not wanting to lose their power under the auspices of Roman occupation. So they missed the timeline and the coming of Jesus as the Christ. The context here is not that they looked for someone coming in royal robes, but the connotation of rebellion among these leaders and others.

• They refused to understand Him.
• Being suspicious, they rejected Him.
• In blind anger they accused Him of being a child of the devil.
• Amplifying the anger within their soul, they killed Him.

Further, it is not inconsistent with this passage that even something much more difficult and perhaps sinister is going on.

Fredrickson puts it this way,

“This rebellion does not consist of isolated acts of ignorance and unbelief here and there, but an organized, cosmic unwillingness to recognize the Light.”
Roger L. Fredrickson
Communicators Commentary, John, p.40.

Today, this start-up confirmation and fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture called Jesus Christ and Christianity is alive and well.

A couple of weeks ago we talked about the “Logos” or “the Word,” or how the Greeks understood, “the reason of God,” being pre-existent. It means that Jesus was there at Creation, is God and became flesh and dwelt among us. We noted then that the Greeks understood the Logos to have always been in existence, to have been recognized in the universe. If only they had been looking. And yet the terminology that John uses here is not lost on this audience. He is imploring this culture to embrace the One, the True Light that was missed by so many.

There are people today who do not recognize Him, even in our own culture as being the Son of God. For many His Name is merely a swear word and something to be despised and disdained.

Jesus said,

John 16:3 - And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. ESV

And,

John 5:43 - I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. ESV

John wrote in his pastoral epistle:

1 John 3:1 - See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ESV

The great news is that He did not leave this world. He came into the world and His Light remained with us. That “He came into His own” reminds us that He belonged here. He still does.

C. Receiving the ‘Light.’

Some did receive Him.

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ESV

1. The early disciples.
2. Nicodemus who stood before the Sanhedrin.
3. The paralytic who refused to sit still.
4. The blind man who couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
5. Those in the upper room.
6. The thousands who came to hear Him preach.
7. The 120 who were gathered in the upper room.
8. The thousands of men, women and children who responded to Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost.
9. People living in the provinces of Asia Minor amidst persecution.
10. Those who sat under the teaching of the early church fathers.
11. And then we leap forward to today –
• in massive revivals,
• crusades
• and awakenings,
• in churches,
• on the jobsite
• and in our homes,
o to all who receive the Light,
o believing on His Name for salvation,
o the illumination of the soul,
o born of God,

are given the right to become and be called the children of God.

They believed in His Name. This is not some casual agreement but a form of adoption within a family name. Let’s look back at verse 12 and gain a perspective on this:

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ESV

That word, “right” means “authority.” Our children while living in our homes function under the authority of our name and household. There is an allegiance there. When they do good, they enhance the authority and meaning of the name. When they don’t do well, they diminish the name. The reason why the extension of the right to become children of God is that God knows us and our imperfections. This right, this authority comes to us courtesy of God’s grace which was wrought and paid for on the cross 2,000 years ago, was given by Jesus Christ.

Barclay tells an incredible story of two sons. One son grows up and takes advantage of the father in every way on this journey of life. The father invests in him and as soon as he comes of age takes his inheritance, leaves home and never makes contact with the father again. Sure he has his father’s name, but it matters not to him.
The brother enjoys the advantages of growing up in a home where the father invests his time, energy and resources into him. Like his brother he takes advantage of the situation to move himself ahead. The only difference is that when it is time for him to leave home, he remains tied to the father and there is an investment that moves back and forth between the father and son. The father helps the son move along in business while the son eventually takes care of the father in his old age. He is always near; always present to take care of life’s struggles for the older relative.
Two kinds of sons, two kinds of ‘sonship,’ with two completely different relationships.

What kind of son or daughter are you and I of God?

John wrote in his epistle,

1 John 5:13 - I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. ESV

Other Scripture: 1 John 5:1; 3:1; Galatians 3:26; John 11:52; James 1:18; John 3:3-4; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Peter 1:23-24; John 3:6

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

 Check your spiritual heart. Ask the Holy Spirit about how the Light shines through your life. Expect to get an answer. You may be pleasantly surprised!
 Determine whom you are really following. Many who call themselves “Christian” do so because they are in church on Sunday, but embrace all kinds of new age teaching and attempt to mix it, knowingly or unknowingly with the teaching of the Bible.

Friends, Oprah and her cadre of teachers, gurus and feel-good message makers are not going to save your soul. They are mere matches in comparison to the radiance and power of the sun.

If you’re following Christ AND some other new age teacher, you are out of step with God. Come back.

 Think about how the True Light can shine through your life and take steps to allow that to happen. Ask Jesus to cause the presence of His Spirit to increase in you.

Conclusion

Even 2,000 years ago there were those who posed themselves to be a light. That hasn’t changed. There are still teachers, many in the media and many you’ve never heard of who proclaim themselves to be the latest and greatest thing to revolutionize your life. Only Jesus Christ is The Light.

Whom are you going to follow? A dim bulb or the Light of the world?

Which son or daughter are you? The prodigal or the one who remained close and continued to invest and be invested in?

I have great news! In Luke 15 we’re reminded that the prodigal can come home.

Friend, it's time to come home!

"Forerunner," John 1:6-8; 19-28

2009-09-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday morning, September 20, 2009. It is the second message in a sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World." The text was John 1:6-8; 19-28.

We’re back in the gospel of John this morning in our series, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” This morning’s message is titled “Forerunner.”

Turn your Bible to John 1.

I am pleased to introduce Aaron Zellweger to you who will be joining us here at Faith as part of our ministry staff. We’re looking forward to working with he and his lovely wife Bethany as they pursue future full time ministry. Aaron is coming now to read our Scripture for us, looking together at John 1:6-8 and 19-28:

John 1:6-8; 19-28 - 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. ESV

I’m going to do a play on words this morning. Here is a picture (above) of the new Toyota 4Runner. This is an excellent vehicle that according to J.D. Power and Associates is extremely reliable. It is also has an excellent resale value and is very popular.

The name is a play on words from the carmaker to denote a SUV with four-wheel drive. It has been a good seller and strong runner for Toyota. And yet as a pastor the term “4Runner” has a different connotation for me. In fact, this is true of a very large group in the world as the vehicle is referred to by the spelling, “FORERUNNER” on the Internet. When I hear the term used of a vehicle it makes me think that there is something better that is following. Sure enough, the 4Runner sells for $29,000 and the Toyota Land Cruiser, the top-of-the-line Toyota SUV sells for $65,000 (photo above). The Land Cruiser like its “forerunner” is also extremely reliable and hold their value. I must say, a Land Cruiser is an awesome vehicle and extremely desirable.
But here is what www.dictionary.com/ says about forerunner:

fore-run-ner
1. predecessor; ancestor; forebear; precursor.
2. an omen, sign, or indication of something to follow; portent: The warn evenings were a forerunner of summer.
3. a person who goes or is sent in advance to announce the coming of someone or something that follows; herald; harbinger.
4. the Forerunner, John the Baptist.

Do you see that? One of the main definitions of “forerunner” is the person of John the Baptist.

Just as a Toyota 4Runner is extremely reliable and desirable, and opens a window on the much more valuable Land Cruiser, John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was great; but he was the forerunner of someone much greater to come. But who was this guy and what was he doing baptizing people out in the wilderness? Why were people flocking there? How on earth did he end up being there?

Friends, we too are forerunners of Jesus Christ. John was living in a pre-Christian culture. We’re living in a post-Christian culture. Spiritually it is exactly the same. God is still calling men and women to point a fallen world to Christ.

We are witnesses of the One who came and is coming again.

God will use us to lay the ground work for people to come to know His Son Jesus.

Our changed lives reveal the greatness of the One who is to come.

Let’s have a look at the Scripture and what it says about John the Baptist and what his life says about us:

I. God Sends His Servants Where He Needs Them.

A. John plainly states that John the Baptist was a man sent from God.

The Apostle plainly states this truth. He was positioned by who he was and where he was by the Creator of the universe. However, we must understand that there is a focus here that the writer of the gospel is making the Baptist subordinate to the Christ. We see verification of this in John 3:22-30. Remember, John the Baptist is the Forerunner. He is great. In fact he is so great that many scholars believe in the possibility that there continued to be a group of disciples of John who are mentioned in the Book of Acts. It is possible that there were some among John the Baptist’s disciples who either had not heard of the finished work of Jesus or had not shifted their loyalties over to Christ (Acts 18:24-25; 19:1-7). We need to remember that John had been a disciple of John the Baptist and knew him, before leaving to follow Jesus. He knew why the Baptist was out in the middle of nowhere baptizing people for the remission of their sins. Very simply put, John the Baptist was not only there because God had sent Him, not only there to prepare the way for the coming Christ, but to give people hope.

What was John the Baptist doing out there? Why baptism? He and his family were members of an orthodox group of Jews called the Essenes. Think of them as a conservative denomination within Judaism. They embraced the holiness code of the Law found in the first five books of the Bible, observing all the eating and clothing regulations. They lived communally, with no one person owning land. When they travelled they stayed in the home of other Essenes while on the road. That way they always travelled light. They meticulously observed the Sabbath. Among their consistent rituals was to be completely immersed in water as a symbol of the washing away of their sins. They are the group who copied the famous Dead Sea Scrolls containing the earliest known set of Old Testament books and other important writings in the Judean wilderness near Jericho. At the site several baptismal pools have been found for this very purpose.

What was John doing out in the wilderness? It was where he lived. What was he doing baptizing people? He was doing what he had always done.

B. We are a people sent from God.

Like John the Baptist, God knows where we are.

This is a picture (above) of Art and Joyce Stoneking, the missionaries we work with in Tijuana, Mexico. They met in Bible College, got married, completely backslid in their relationships with Christ, nearly got divorced, made piles of money only to lose it all twice, re-committed their lives to Christ when they had nothing, went back into the ministry and now are missionaries in Baja California.

Everything good and bad that has happened in their lives thus far, God has used to bring glory to His Name. They sent out an e-mail yesterday that they were headed south on the Baja peninsula to help a number of churches and communities to recover from Hurricane Jimena.

What in the world are they doing there? Their kids and grandkids live in Pennsylvania. They are extremely gifted at making money and now their focus is praying money in and giving it away. What’s up with that? In that e-mail they noted that they were able to make the repairs necessary on their present orphanage to keep it open, while the government had been closing down orphanages all over that city of three million. They also have final approval to construct a new orphanage, of which we are fundraising in the foyer to buy 9,000 blocks for a dollar a block. Today there are already graduates of their orphanage who have young families and are productive for the community and the kingdom of God. God has them exactly where they are needed.

Our closest family is six hours away. I do regret not living closer so that my kids can know their family better. But I also know that God has us here because this is where He needs us. Besides, we’re too afraid to move because we might miss what we believe He is about to do here!

Many of us live away from our families and we’re left wondering what we’re doing here. Friends, it’s not an accident; we’re all here because God has placed us here. To stay intact we’ve all created “family” here. God is great and we are a people sent by God to this city and this place to ‘do the things that we do’ for such a time as this!

Secondly,

II. He Came as a Witness of the One Who Was to Come.

A. John the Baptist’s purpose was to point mankind to the coming Messiah.

The term “witness” is only used here in this gospel. It is where we get our understanding of the term, “to witness” or “witnessing for Christ.” It is a distinct word of John the disciple.

It is incredibly important to this gospel as John is making his case for the claims of Christ – he was there with Jesus; he saw it all.

B. The Baptist believed in the soon-coming Messiah, “The Light,” Who would change the world.

We too are witnesses of the One who is to return for all who believe. Do we live like we believe that Jesus, “the Light,” is still coming, is still changing the world? More about this next week.

Thirdly,

III. He Testified About Laying the Ground Work for the Coming of the Messiah.

Knife River and Hooker Creek are the two biggest companies that build highways here in Central Oregon. On Thursday I drove with a friend to Burns. On the way we were stopped twice by road construction. While as a general rule very few of us like to wait for a flagger to turn a sign from “Stop” to “Slow”, it was wonderful to see the new road that had already been completed. I think that driving on new asphalt is a wonderful, smooth-driving experience.

This is what John the Baptist was doing. Clearly annoying to some, John the Baptist was a clarion voice crying out in the wilderness for the redemption of the soul and the promise of the coming Christ. And large crowds were flocking out to hear him. He was a voice of hope for the weary and hopeless. He was preparing the road for the Messiah to come.

Because such crowds were gathering, the ruling religious leadership sent some priests and Levites out to investigate what he was doing. The priests were there representing these higher-ups and the Levites were there as onlookers of whether or not there was a violation pertaining to the ritual and service of the Temple.

John the Baptist didn’t fit either category represented by the priests and Levites. Instead, what he was doing demanded an explanation.

A. He was questioned by the priests, “Who are you?” The priests were there to make a report to the Pharisees who had sent them.

John said he was not the Christ. “Christ” is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew for “Messiah.” Messiah means, “Anointed One.” This was the title of the expected deliverer of the Jews whom they believed would redeem them both spiritually and politically (John 4:25).

John said he was not Elijah. Elijah never died. The Jews believe that he will return one day to usher in the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6). We believe that this is true as it pertains to the Second Coming of Christ – the “Parousia,” that Elijah and another prophet will return and prophecy in the streets of Jerusalem. The priests and Levites who came out to seen John no doubt noticed his attire and demeanor. They could easily be led to believe that John was of the same personality type as Elijah – noting the acts of the prophet, and could have thought Elijah had come back from the dead.

John said he was not a prophet. Actually, this was a reference to Moses so a better reading for us is that John said he wasn't "the" prophet. We see this perspective of being Moses from Deuteronomy 18:

Deuteronomy 18:15 - "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— ESV

John the Baptist was a prophet, just not the one that the people thought he might be. The same correlation was even said of Jesus. We see this in John 7:

John 7:40 - When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This really is the Prophet." ESV

There was a belief that Moses would return and lead the people on a new Exodus to overcome the present tyranny of Rome.

B. John declared himself as a voice crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” as prophesied by Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:3 - A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ESV

John the Baptist knew who he was. He knew what kind of builder he was. He understood his purpose. John’s purpose is the same as each of us – to point people to Jesus. He did it by preaching, wearing sackcloth and by dunking people in a river. How we do it is dependant on how God has formed us by His hand for such a time as this.

Lastly,

V. A Question About Baptism Reveals the Greatness of the Coming Messiah.

A. They asked him why he was baptizing, since he was neither the Christ, Elijah or a prophet.

What caused John to stand up in the wilderness? What in the world was he thinking, baptizing people? He was preparing them for the coming of Jesus.

There is a righteousness that overcomes adversaries and the adversary. I’ve already told you about the ritual baptisms of the Essenes, a sect within Judaism. In Jerusalem there were ritual cleansing baths as well that you would go through if you were deemed spiritually “unclean” by the Law, which would cleanse you so you could enter the Temple to worship. For example if you entered the home of a Gentile you were deemed unclean. If you were a woman who had gone through her time of the month, you were deemed unclean. So you had to go through the pool and this baptism. This is why it was such a big deal when Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood as she was unable to enter the Temple courts for ten years because of her problem.

Why did they do this? Because they needed a way to get clean. What John was doing and where he was doing it was a spiritual oasis for the masses, a spiritual watering hole.

B. John the Baptist helped all those who were listening to know that the One who was coming was so great that he himself was not worth to tie His sandals.

The Messiah was presently walking among men, but the religious leaders did not know Him. The Messiah was so holy that John was not worthy to tie his sandals. He was, as simply as we can say, preparing the way for the Lord, declaring that the one Who was coming would be the promised Messiah.

We prepare the way for the coming Messiah by being a people changed by the power of His presence within us. Though we are not worthy to tie His sandals, we are the people of His presence, our bodies the Temple of His Spirit. We prepare the way by living for the King of kings and Lord of lords.

So, what now? What is my next action on my Faith Journey Adventure?

• Recognize that just like John the Baptist was a forerunner of Christ, SO ARE WE!! God has us right where He needs us to fulfill His purposes in declaring Jesus. Lift up your head – God has a purpose for you. Pursue that purpose by being in His Word and talking to Him daily. Be alert to your surroundings as He reveals Himself and His will for your life as you walk with Him. He will speak to you; be willing to listen.

• We are witnesses of the One who is to come. Testify of Christ, bearing witness to his power. You and I are part of an unbroken chain.

• God will use us to lay the ground work for people to come to know His Son Jesus. See yourself as God’s hand extended into the lives of toehrs. Be loving and gentile at all times.

• Our changed lives reveal the greatness of the One who is to come. Live like we belong to Jesus – because we do!

You can access the notes for further study of this message by clicking here or by accessing the "Daily" link in the right column. Be sure to match up the reference with the message/date.

"Back to the Beginning," John 1:1-5

2009-09-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on Sunday morning, September 13, 2009. It is the first message in a new sermon series titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World." The text was John 1:1-5.

The following is used with permission: We’ve been having trouble with our children’s cell phones. Basically, they wear them out texting too much. So my oldest son Zach took his sister Lauren’s phone to the store phone to get her address book changed over into a new phone. While he had it, he went through his sister’s address book and sent a text to every guy on her list that said,

“Don’t text me, don’t talk to me.”

First, he shouldn't have done it. It is an invasion of privacy. But secondly, I’m soooo proud…

I know my son. On one level he was having some fun, but on another he IS THE PROTECTIVE BROTHER. Funny, so is his other one. And Lauren understands that...and loves it.

Apparently it took some time for his sister to clear up the words that were on that text message that went out from her phone.

Words are a powerful thing and texting is all about words. We have words that we love like,

• Victory
• Success
• Celebration
• We did it!
• I do
• Hallelujah!
• Praise the Lord!

...and so many others.

Words are powerful. It was said of the key influence on the founding of the Presbyterian Church, John Knox that his words put more courage in the hearts of Scotsmen than 10,000 trumpets loudly shouting in their ears. Think of the words of Winston Churchill and their effect in the midst of WWII in Great Britain. Think of the words on September 12th 2001 of President George W. Bush and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani that galvanized our nation in the aftermath of 9/11. Words have tremendous power. The Old Testament is full of words like these.

And yet this morning as we have gathered, we’re going to look at our text from the first few verses of the Gospel of John and see a different kind of “Word” that is spoken of here – One that is imminently more powerful. Let’s look at it together:

John 1:1-5 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ESV

The “Word” that John is speaking of is the person of Jesus Christ. Where you see the reference to “him” it refers to Jesus. The second time you see the word “life” it refers to Jesus as being “the life”. He is also “the light.”

Wow. There is a great deal of language here – words – that remind us that the “Word” Himself is awesome, is God, is the life and light of mankind.

This morning we are beginning a new series, walking through the Book of John titled, “The Jesus Story: 20 Days that Changed the World.” Certainly among the whole of Scripture, in modern times the Gospel according to John has been a favorite in moving new Christians ahead in their walk with Jesus. As we begin we look at the issue of “who was Jesus?” As we will see, John immediately addresses this issue in the opening passage of this book.

Introduction to the Gospel of John
The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle himself. He called himself, “The disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). Each of the gospels was written toward a grouping of people. John was written for Greeks, for Gentiles – non-Jews. It does not include the birth of Christ or His youth as the others do, nor a compilation of everything that Jesus did while on the earth. Instead the book actually covers 20 specific days of His life.

And yet even while covering these few episodes, we see from them some of the most incredible teaching, miracles and proof of the person of Christ being the Son of God, being deity and being preexistent. There are several key themes of the book; among them are “love” and “belief.” So let’s jump into today’s message titled, “Back to the Beginning.”

There are three statements that John makes here about the person of Jesus. We’re going to look at each one as a main point. The first is,

I. In the Beginning was the Word – Jesus!

A. Jesus is the “Word,” the “Logos.”

He is not only the key character of the Gospel of John, but the disciple spends a great deal of time focusing on His being deity throughout the book. The Greeks, the main audience for this writing understood what “the Word” was. It not only meant “logos” to them, but “reason.” You see for them, God was the person who brought the universe into order. This was the meaning of “logos” to them – reasoned order.

In 560 BC the Ephesian philosopher Heraclitus had an analogy of a world in flux that every Greek was taught and understood. It was about stepping into a river twice. You step in, you step out; but when you step back in again, it’s not the same river. So therefore, everything is in flux, nothing should be constant. But the problem is, it is. The question to answer was, “Why?” The answer that Heraclitus gave and every Greek knew was that the reason why there wasn’t chaos was because of the logos, the word – the reason of God – which gave order to the universe.

That Jesus was the “Word,” the “logos” was not lost on them.

Heraclitus took it a step further. He taught that the reason why man could know right from wrong was because the reason of God could dwell within a man. They believed that, “The Logos was nothing less than the mind of God controlling the world and every man in it.” (William Barclay, The Gospel of John, Vol. 1, p.35.)

The Stoics, key philosophers of that time said that “The Logos pervaded all things.” Now you see how these pieces of the Gospel of John being understandable to the Greeks. Jesus is “The Logos.” And so what John is saying to the Greeks is that “The Mind of God became a person.” (Barclay, p.36.)

The Greeks believed in two worlds – the one we all see which they believed was shadowy and pale in comparison to the other world, the one were there was a pantheon of gods. Time and again in the original language John alludes to Jesus being the “reality.” For example, in John 1:9 Jesus is the “real light;” in 6:32 Jesus is the “real bread;” in 8:16 Jesus is the “real judgment;” and in 15:1 Jesus is the “real vine.”

As the “Word,” the Greeks understood Jesus to be deity – to be God. Whereas the other three gospels often speak of the compassion of Christ in a certain situation, John will talk about the same circumstance from the perspective of the “glory of Christ.” That’s what and who the Word is to the Greeks.

B. “In the beginning…” we see these same words at the beginning of Genesis, but in a different light.

Where with begin with Genesis, everything trickles down from that point. John on the other hand begins his gospel having us look back…and up! This is where it all begins. The Apostle Paul wrote,

Colossians 1:17 - And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ESV

John writes in his first epistle,

1 John 1:1a - That [Jesus] which was from the beginning, ESV

And then we see of Jesus written by John of his Revelation of future events:

Revelation 1:4 - John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him [Jesus] who is and who was and who is to come, ESV

Revelation 1:8 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." ESV

Revelation 1:17-18 - 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. ESV

(See also 1 John 2:22-23)

Not only is Jesus pre-existent, only deity can be this and only deity can have the keys of Death and Hades like this.

Let’s talk briefly about this issue of not only Jesus being pre-existent but of the godhead being the same. When I was about nine years old I used to think about things like, “What was it like before there was God?” Of course if you think it through, if there is a God – and there is, then God is eternal – He’s always “been.” We don’t get this world without God. But I used to think of questions like that. I thought about things like, “If there was no God, was everything white? Was everything black? But then again, white and black hadn’t been invented yet.” I know, it makes your head hurt as it did mine. The good news is you don’t have to struggle with those questions like I did. Logically, God is eternal – preexistent. He just didn't show up somewhere along the way after Creation took place. While not believing in a personal, knowable God, even Albert Einstein came to that conclusion that God brought the world into order.

“I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know his thoughts. The rest are details.” (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, 2000 p.202)

The second of three key statements about Jesus we see is,

II. The Word was with God.

A. Jesus was with God the Father during the creation process; face to face with God.

The Greek term “pros” relays this inflection, this understanding in a strong manner. It denotes “equality” and “distinction” of identity. It implies a separate personality and yet coexistence with God the Father. This is a great text for the concept of the Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here are a few Scriptures describing the godhead and the person of Christ Jesus in the creative process.

Genesis 1:22 - Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. ESV

1 John 1:2 - 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—ESV

John 1:10 - He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ESV

B. The Word being “with” God combated a troubling philosophy called “Gnosticism.”

There is another reason why John uses the term “Word” or “logos” to describe Jesus. When John was writing this gospel, Gnosticism was invading the church in a number of locales. Here’s a definition:

Gnosticism: “The blending of redemption through Jesus Christ with a conglomeration of humanistic, philosophical and multi-religious thought.”

The main sources for it seem to be Platonism, Persian religion and Buddhism of India.

Why I bring this up is for two reasons: the first is because this is what was going on 2,000 years ago and secondly, it’s still going on today. What Gnosticism did was to bring confusion to many in the church about the truth of who Jesus was.

Among the many false beliefs of the Gnostics was that those who adhered to this heresy believed that Jesus wasn’t really God, but instead a demigod. They believed that since God could only be Spirit that the deity of Christ was impossible. The Gospel of John, which made complete sense to the best thinkers of the day – the Greeks, was a counter thesis to the Gnostics, with special knowledge and all, being exposed as having their philosophy of Christianity put completely to question as being illogical by their own Hellenistic culture. Further, some of them believed that God wasn’t eternal – which intellectually doesn’t work if you believe in God at all. They also believed that they had “special knowledge;” only those ‘in the know’ could understand about the things of God. They liked it that way because it gave these teachers power. Further they taught that instead of being saved by faith as Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by knowledge.

John specifically wrote his first epistle, 1 John to combat the false teaching of the Cerinthians, a group of Gnostics who followed the teaching of Cerinthus. Paul also wrote against Gnosticism in Colossians, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Further, many of the early church fathers wrote against these guys. The Gospel of John very much was put out there to clear up a misconception that this group of false teachers had put forth in their disruption of the church.

Jesus being the Word not only lines up with Old & New Testament Scripture on the subject, but also refutes the concept of the “special knowledge” of these heretical teachers. You see, if the presence of Christ dwells within us, we can know the truth of Scripture, the truth of the presence of Christ. This truth took away the power of the Gnostic teachers. Further, the eternal, pre-existent Christ trumps their teaching as well.

Lastly,

III. The Word was God.

A. This statement is just as clear that Jesus was God as the previous two.

At Christmas we here this one a lot. Isaiah 7:14; 8:8 are the Old Testament prophecies that the Christ would be called “Immanuel” which means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 is the affirmation of this in Joseph’s dream before Jesus was born. The angel in that dream told Joseph what Immanuel would do – which Jesus fulfilled perfectly. Let’s look at some other Scripture regarding the fact that Jesus was God:

John 3:13 - No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ESV

(We need to remember that Enoch and Elijah did ascend into heaven but did not return as a human like Jesus did. Further, Jesus began in heaven, came to earth and returned to heaven.)

1 Corinthians 15:47-49 - The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. ESV

B. Jesus is life.

John and his cohorts were speaking to a church in turmoil over false teachers wrote:

1 John 1:1-4 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. ESV

The “Life,” – Jesus, pervades all who will allow Him. Is His “Life” manifest in our lives? Here are a couple of other passages that go along with this line of thinking:

John 5:25-26 - 25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ESV

Jesus was speaking to Martha about her brother Lazarus who had died. Before Jesus brought his friend Lazarus back to life, he said this to Martha:

John 11:25-27 - 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." ESV

C. The life of Jesus is the light of all mankind.

Jesus is the light of the world. Mankind needs absolute truth in our lives to light our pathway. Jesus is the One who provides that for all mankind.

D. This light shines in the darkness with such a brightness that is overwhelms darkness.

A chaplain stood before a group of soldiers who were returning from the battlefront. They were visibly exhausted and spent, literally dragging themselves to an imaginary chapel in the middle of a field to hear the Word of God preached by the Chaplain. It was raining, a drizzle that seemed to never cease. The Chaplain said, “My text is, ‘What do you think of Christ?’” He paused for a moment and went on. “My sermon is, ‘What do you think of Christ?’” Then he paused for effect and shouted, “Company dismissed!”

You see, his short sermon struck home in the hearts of these men who had so recently faced death. All kinds of people argue over Christ’s deity and His pre-existence. But those who are confronted by the harshness of life’s circumstances know better. They don’t argue – they believe. (Taken from “The Life Worth Living” by G. Raymond Carlson, pp. 8-9)

When the light comes on in the midst of darkness, it is clearly seen by all.

So, why does this issue of the pre-existence of Christ matter?

In researching a number of sources about the pre-existence of Christ I came across a quote in Fritz Ridenour’s, “Tell It Like It Is” by Richard Halverson, the late former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. Please understand that this quote was broken up by Ridenour in bite-size chunks. Because I couldn’t find a copy of the original by Halverson, here it is from Ridenour’s perspective:

• “Jesus Christ is the final – absolute – incontrovertible ground for Christian faith…
• “If he can be discredited – Christianity is discredited…
• “If He is wrong – Christianity is wrong…
• “If He can fail – Christianity will fail!
• “Christian faith rises and falls with Jesus Christ!
• “Not our doctrine about Him – but Jesus Christ Himself.
• “Our doctrine is fallible – He is not.
• “Put all the theology together – every thought man has ever formulated about Jesus Christ – He is greater by infinity than the sum total of all dogma conceived by the mind of man.
• “You cannot escape Jesus Christ as a fact of history…
• “He was actually born in a certain place at a certain time under certain conditions…
• “He lived a certain kind of life – taught many things – did many things…
• “And finally died as a common criminal in the method most accepted in that day for capital punishment.
• “History is divided by Him. In the words of Charles Malik of Lebanon, ‘Jesus Christ is the hinge of history.’
• “The fact of Jesus Christ’s existence is indisputable…
• “But the minute you accept Him as a fact of history – you cannot explain Him on any other grounds than that He was God in the flesh!
• “He was unique in His birth…
• “He was unique in His life…
• “He was unique in His death…
• “He was unique in His victory over death – the resurrection.”

(Dr. Richard C. Halverson, Perspective, Volume 19, No. 13, April 12, 1967
as quoted by Fritz Ridenour, “Tell It Like It Is,” Regal Books, Glendale, California; 1968. p.12.)

This truth is the engine behind the need for the cross, the need for a Savior and the existence of the Church today.

Why we exist…

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 - 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. ESV

Jesus is God. He is the reason why we exist.

So, what now? How do I respond to this message?

1. Think about the fact that since God exists, He therefore is pre-existent. Consider what that does for your faith in God.

2. Focus on the difference it makes in your walk with Christ that He is eternal so therefore the “logos,” the ‘reason of God’ resides within you.

3. Grasp the confidence that comes from walking with the Creator of the universe.

Conclusion.

God in the Old Testament is often viewed as the cosmic killjoy. It seems like He is squishing or squashing everything. Certainly at times it appears that there is blood “all over the place.”

When Jesus came, we saw a completely different look, a different side of God – love and compassion.

Jesus loved you so much that He came and died on the cross… (The gospel/response time).

You can access the notes for further study of this message by clicking here or by accessing the "Daily" link in the right column. Be sure to match up the reference with the message/date.

"The Faith Journey Adventure - Remix," Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

2009-01-29T06:24:00.000-08:00

This message is part of the series, "A Room With a Better View" on the Book of Ecclesiastes. This message was shared at Faith Christian Center on January 25, 2009 during the Sunday morning service.

Turn your Bible to Ecclesiastes 11.

I came across this quote the other day. As we move into our subject today, I believe that it speaks to our lives in a practical yet challenging way.

"The Christian life is best lived dangerously. Playing it safe won't yield much fruit. People who risk friendships or jobs or, even worse, their own lives for the sake of the Gospel will get the most results. Living the faith well -- or "fighting the good fight" -- requires strict discipline, self-denial, and a willingness to expose oneself to danger. This is where trust comes in. God may not deliver you from suffering right away, but he will sustain you and ultimately reward you. And the knowledge that you have risked all for his sake -- that will exhilarate you." Brad Locke

Introduction
We are approaching the end of our journey through the unique Old Testament book, Ecclesiastes. In it we have seen the author, King Solomon of Israel come to near the end of his life, with a horrendous state of mind. Instead of pursuing the most high God, he has dabbled in the religions of the false gods of a number of his hundreds of wives. Once the wisest man on the planet now has been reduced to a life without joy, a life out of step with God. As a result he has become so self-absorbed that he misses that one thing that we all need during difficult times – hope. For him, all of life is vanity, or futility.

With this series we’ve been talking about the view from the room between Solomon’s ears, and how we can have a room with a better view. This morning’s view is from Ecclesiastes 11, that features one of the few passages that is pretty well known from this often neglected but helpful book.

So here we are this morning in our second to last message in our series. As we’ve been jumping through the hoops of Solomon’s tragic outlook on life, we understand that several things are certain.

• We don’t know the detail of God’s plan.

• There is nothing in this world that can truly satisfy or bring meaning to life outside of God.

• And yet we are to follow God and fulfill His purposes with our lives by functioning where He has us, and moving where He wants for us to move and enjoying life – daily.

So, how do we please God when we understand so little about this life and His bigger picture? This is Solomon’s point today – that we know so little about God. His cup is half-empty instead of half-full. Is ours? Let’s look together at Ecclesiastes 11:

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 - Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. ESV

There are three truths from our text this morning that are valuable to our lives, especially considering the times we are in right now with the economy. The first is,

I. Be Wise in Troubling Times. (1-4)

Living, truly living is about risk; we need to step out and take risks, but let us be wise about it. Verse one says,

“Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.”

There is a word picture here about flatbread that was common in those days and still to this day in the Middle East. Yes, it does float. It can go out and if not consumed by fish, will come back in with the tide.

There are three views of verses 1-2. The first is that of giving to charity, or alms giving and receiving a blessing in return. This is very much what we are doing with our “Faith Cares” ministry, that gives food to people who attend Faith that are needing help during these times. There is Biblical principle for this in other places, so this kind of blessing and investment is valid. And if you bring food in or a financial gift to help others, God will bless you for that. That bread that you’ve cast out on the water will come back to you multiplied in others ways.

However, another view is likely better and it is tied to verse four which basically speaks to us of the axiom, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” In other words there is great evidence here and in Isaiah 18:2 that points to this passage referring to investing in doing business as a merchant over the water, but being wise in that you don’t have all your eggs in one basket. That’s what we see in verse 2 that says,

“Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.”

Oh yes, Solomon is right, you don’t know what trouble can come. But notice again that his cup is half-empty instead of half-full. The view from the room between his ears is pretty lousy.

During Solomon’s day, much of his wealth came from the fact that he was the ruler of a great portal for trade. While risky, Solomon is suggesting that one would invest in such a calculated risk, that there would be good return in it.

The last look at this passage is that casting bread on the water is completely risky in that it may dissolve or be eaten by the fish before coming back in.

If one is not reckless, taking a prayerfully calculated risk to see what might happen is worth while. Solomon is right - we don’t know or understand everything. And yet we need to step out in faith at times and look for the surprises of heaven.

Verse three reminds us that we don’t know the future.

“If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.”

Even our modern weather forecasts can be wrong. Growing up in the Seattle area I came to learn that if there was a 10% chance of rain that sometime during the day it would be 10% “chancing” wherever I was. Think about it, 10% chance of rain here means it not going to happen, but the weather man is just covering for themselves!

Further, we don’t know the direction that a tree will fall on its own. We can guess, but surprises happen. We can even, with safety, take what is written here about the tree as something evil that might befall our lives. Many of us know exactly what I’m getting at here. Life is full of surprises and you and I have been living them, especially during these challenging times. Some have been living with financial difficulties for some time and now we’re in a recession? Work is difficult to come by. Several of us are currently living with life controlling sickness in our homes. None of us asked for that. But we serve a great big God. Regardless of what happens, of the surprises that come our way, God is bigger and more creative than anything that can bring us down in this world.

Verse four helps us remember that ‘movement’ matters.

“He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”

Verse four is so true. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” is a great truth. In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the foolish servant buried his one measure of money given him by his master in the ground so he wouldn’t lose it. In the end he lost even that one talent for sinful inactivity.

You know in the midst of this awful recession, right now there is tremendous opportunity for people who will realize that there are industries that do well in this kind of economy and run with them. Now is the time for research and care to take advantage of what is going on. Last September I shared about God’s economy, and if we’d been following that economy for a long season that we would be in position to take advantage of the circumstances that have since presented themselves. If you have cash reserves, now is the time to buy cars and homes for pennies on the dollar. There are a few of you here who did just that during the last recession in the early 80’s and you were blessed to own that real estate and then to sell it later at a higher cost.

And now a word for those who are struggling financially. As I said last week, stay with your job unless you have a better one secured. If you don’t have a job, get prayed for before you leave every Sunday. Seek God’s face. But look around for opportunities to invest in ventures that will work in this economy. Be wise about it. Pray. Seek counsel. Pray some more. And whether you have money or not, diversify - don’t put everything you have into one thing!

Secondly,

II. Life is a Mystery, but God is Great! (5)

Verse five says,

“As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.”

• Modern technology has helped us with the flow of wind, but we certainly can’t control it.

• We have some ideas as to how a baby is formed in the womb, but parts of it are still a mystery.

• Nearly everyone you know that is a parent didn’t study the nuance of the development of a pre-born baby before having one.

And so it is also true that we can’t know every aspect of the work of God, much less the Creator of the Universe in an intensely personal way. But what we do know about Him is not only awesome, but mind boggling! So let’s have a look at what we know about God through just a sampling of some of His attributes and Names:

His Attributes:

Omnipotent = All Powerful
Omnipresent = All Everywhere
Omniscient = All Knowing

His Names: [There are many names for God; among them are]

Elohim = Magnitude, multiplicity and dignity
Adonai = Lord
Rock = Absolute strength
Kadhosh = Holy One
Shaddai = Almighty
Yahweh/Jehovah = God is God
[Subdivisions:]
Jehovah-‎jireh ‎- "The-LORD-Will-Provide"
Jehovah-‎nissi ‎- "The LORD is my banner”
Jehovah-‎shalom ‎- "The-LORD-Is-Peace"
Jehovah-‎shammah ‎- "The-LORD-Is-There"
Jehovah-‎tsebaoth ‎- "The-LORD-of-hosts"

Thirdly,

III. Risk Begins the Moment We Roll Out of Bed. (6)

Solomon uses the practical example of sowing seed in our lives in verse six.

“In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.”

A. Life is full of risk.

Driving a car is risky, and watching your child drive off by themselves the first time is completely unnerving. Playing in the street is wrought with peril. Living in a home with trees around it is risky. Fires. Several years ago a family who had left our church had a tree crash through their bedroom as they slept, killing both of them. Starting a business is full of risk. If we did not take risks, we could never get out of bed.

B. Some ventures succeed and others fail – accept it.

Don’t be timid. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Be wise.

C. Be found with your hands at work.

There is a consistent principle that speaks to our lives that the industrious make it. Last week I shared an observation that if you spend 10,000 hours doing something it will make you an expert. And 10,000 hours doing nothing makes you an expert at that as well.

Solomon speaks of sowing in the morning and in the evening here. He’s speaking to us of continuously being diligent. You know, sometimes our success doesn’t depend as much on human ingenuity as much as it does on diligence and seeking God for wisdom and opportunity. Proverbs 10 says,

Proverbs 10:22 - The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. ESV

We do live in uncertain times. Our new president has been saying for weeks that things will get worse before they get better, basically covering his backside for the first two years of his term. I was listening to an economist who was fielding questions about the job market. He said, “Even though the economy is bad, it WILL get better.”

For Solomon, the glass is half-empty; for the economist, the glass is half-full. How is it for you?

What risks are you taking today? Are you praying through these issues? Are you diversified? Do you trust the God who is over all and owns it all? Are your hands at work – whether you are working or not?