The Ears of Christ

Lenten Devotional Message

March 22, 2006

† In the Name of Christ †

2 Thessalonians 1:2 (NLT) ² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Will God Hear?

I have heard a question asked, many times in my ministry. It is a question that is as hard to ask, as it is to answer. Simply stated, the question is,

Will God hear me?

It is a question that every person asks in their life, and I think, if we are honest, a question we are not sure of the answer of, especially when we, or someone we care about, is suffering. Or when our prayers seemingly go unanswered, because we fail to see the result that we desire. Example – we have prayed our house in Yucca would sell, and we have prayed for Darrel’s getting the HUD voucher, or Pr. Knotek’s wife memory improving, – those answers seem non-existent, in light of other prayer requests.

Often times, we come across as being trite, because we say God can also answer, NO, or Wait. Sure he can, but that doesn’t end the dilemma, it doesn’t bring much comfort to Pr. Knotek and Ruth, it doesn’t help move Darrel to the apartment in Escondido.

Wrong Question?

Did we hear Him promise to Hear?

Example – the friends bringing the deaf/lame guy

Israel’s crying for freedom, their cry for food, their cry for water

Their cry for forgiveness

The teaching of the Lord’s Prayer

I think we might be asking the wrong question, in asking if or will God will hear our prayers. I think we need to hear something, that rather leaves us in doubt, leaves our faith strengthened. Will God answer our prayer, leaves one in doubt, for it leaves to many other questions unanswered. But do we ask, did we hear that God asked us to place all burdens on Him? Do we know the promises that nothing can separate us from His love? That He will be with us, until the end of time?

Did we see the gospel story tonight, where Jesus heard the pleas of the friends, and the man heard and talked miraculously? Did God hear Israel in Egypt, or when they hungered and asked food, or water? Did He not hear? Of course He did!

He heard, and He promises to hear our cries.

Remember the words from Luke’s gospel, that follow Jesus teaching the apostles ot pray,

¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹² or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:11-13 (ESV)

God gives us himself, the Holy Spirit, to lead us, to guide us, to save us, to bring us comfort and peace. Even in the midst of the worst problems, the Holy Spirit is there with us, providing us the peace and comfort, that will allow us to act - in faith.

Even in the situations, where we walk in valleys unknown, we know that God has promised to be with us, to be the Shepherd who guides us with both staff, and rod.

Have we heard what God promises we can lay before Him, and know – He has heard?

Things like dealing with Temptation, and the devil

Things like forgiving those who have sinned against us.

Things like receiving the forgiveness of our sins.

Things like the necessities for daily survival.

Things like God ruling in this world, ensuring the outcome for His people.

All those things, Jesus has promised that we can pray to the Father about – and that the Father will hear.

Because Jesus is the response, the cross the tool, that ensures God willl listen, and forgive, and make right.

His death ensures, we can pray to our Father.

So tonight, we shall have a workout prior to dinner – an exercise of faith.

Our prayer tonight. a test in faith…

We, not I shall pray. I shall lead off, and as we pray, lay your burdens before God. Someone remember to pray for our church – that we shall deliver the gospel to people here, and through our missionaries – to the world.

Someone just ask God to bless our community.

This is not in detail – just ask God to bless those you are concerned about a few quick words – example – Lord – help the pastor’s house to sell, or God – take care of Darrel’s living situation. After a while, I will end as the bulletin says…

Let’s exercise our faith in God, not only for salvation, but in His promise – that He will here.

And having laid those burdens down, may the peace of God which passes understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

AMEN?

Zealously CLeansing Temples

(note - this came out far more polished than this)

Zealously Cleansing Temples

John 2:13-22

3/19

† In the name of Jesus, the Christ †

Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

In your notes this morning, there is a map of the temple area. It will become important to understand what happens in the gospel reading today. It occurs in that section labeled the Court of the Gentiles, and there is a lot to see in this story where Jesus gets mad. Let’s go into that courtyard, just as Jesus did, and see what is going on….

It is the week of Passover, the highest feast of the Jewish Calendar. Literally, over a million people will come into Jerusalem that week, and not only come to Jerusalem, but also to to this magnificent Temple, originally dedicated for one purpose, to gather God’s people into His presence. But in this courtyard, it resembles a swap meet far more than a church. Money changers and brokers have set up their booths, knowing that this day, they will become rich. With a million people in town, the crates of pigeons are stacked as high as possible, and the strings of sheep and oxen cover so much of this courtyard.

Imagine all the noise, as people attempt to haggle with the brokers, but really can not. Add to this the noise of hundreds of sheep, and pigeons, and the horrible aroma that would arise from those animals and the pigeons that by the thousand, were kept in cages. These were the animals Israel was required to sacrifice. In the name of convenience, certain merchants were given the rights to sell the animals, while others sold the special coin required to play the temple tax. On these hot days prior surrounding the Passover Feast, one could feel incredibly overwhelmed. The last thing on their minds, would be the grace of God. It gets to the point where they just want to meet their obligation, and leave this… mess.

Because of the chaos, the last thing desired, is be to spend time in celebration and adoration of the Lord who delivered his people from so much since that first Passover. The incredible time that He delivered them from the angel of death, and slavery in Egypt.

But that was why Jesus had come that day to Jerusalem. It was the reason people were gathered there, by the incredible love of God, to receive the assurance that they were His people, that their sins were forgiven, that He would receive their adoration and worship, and hear their prayers. But because of convenience, because of profit, this was stolen from them. As Satan, and the world, try to steal our celebration of the grace God has given to us.

No wonder, Jesus, the Son of God, got a bit over-heated, and proceeded to make a mess, out of what man had made of the Holy Place of God. No wonder He was so zealous about cleansing that temple. No wonder He is so desirous of cleansing ours.

Zealous about Cleansing

Why it needed to be cleaned

What needed to be cleaned out

Why was He so zealous? 1 King 8

A little bit of background is necessary, to understand Jesus’ attitude – His frustration, His anger at turning the Holy Place into a mega-mall.

Back to picturing the court of the Temple, the place also known as the court of the Gentiles. As we look around, as we hear the noise of voices, and coins and animals, as our senses are assaulted by the smells, we notice something else going on, missed by all those engaged in business.

A few people are over there in the corner, kneeling on the ground; attempting to pray - despite the chaos. A few more are over there, sitting on the steps, trying to listen to words of the rabbis teaching at Solomon’s porch. Others, trying to ignore the distractions of business, as they attempt to praise God, as they realize He desire to forgive their sins as well as those of Israel. For it was written of them in the prophet Isaiah,

⁶ "And the gentiles who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— ⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." ⁸ The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, "I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered." Isaiah 56:6-8 (ESV)

You see, God was calling these Gentiles, who could go no closer than this court, this market, to the temple, He called them to be there, as surely as He has called you and I to be here today. In the midst of this Holy place, mankind had set up shop. In the name of providing convenience, in the pursuit of incredible profit, the priests and merchants stole from them the chance to receive God’s blessing in peace, to pray without distraction, to hear the words of God, clearly. Remember – this is the place of which, at its dedication, Solomon was inspired by God to say,

²⁷ "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! ²⁸ Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, ²⁹ that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there,' that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. ³⁰ And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. 1 Kings 8:27-30 (ESV)

Yet, in the name of profit and convenience, the prayers were made in the midst of chaos, the worship done amidst the noise and confusion of a mall at Christmastime.

Something had to be done! Yet no one was willing to forego the convenience, or the profit. And so, people were denied the ability to pray, to learn, to worship in a peaceful setting. This is more than just a shame, it is sinful. And it will invoke the wrath of a God, who told us long ago, that He is a jealous God.

Jesus that day, cleansed the temple, with a cleanser more powerful than anything every seen before. With both the wrath, and the love of God.

He once again, made it a Holy Place! As He can with our lives.

Our Temples too, need cleansing

Oblivious to distractions

Poured out

Turned over

As I kept re-writing this section, trying to find the correct words, it hit me – our faith is like two different snow storms. The first is the kind like the temple prior to Jesus cleaning. A nice light inch or two of snow – enough to make the mountains take on the appearance of Colorado, but not enough to stop our usual agenda.

The second is like the snow storm we received last week – where it just dumps all over us, burying us in the clean white stuff – so clean and white, it can blind our eyes. That kind of faith struggles with the changes it makes in our lives. We can’t just go on the way we usually do, though we might try, by first trying to dig out the shovels, or putting chains on our 4x4’s. And we miss the blessings that kids see, the joy of sledding down the hill, or the quiet solitude of cross country skiing. Or just relaxing with family and a friend or two, in front of a warm fire.

Paul describes our lives as temples of the Holy Spirit, and sometimes we let them get into what I call obligation mode. How much do I have to do, in order not to spend eternity in hell. Can I buy my sacrifice, rather than give up I care for? WE don’t even care if that convenience results in others not being able to receive the blessings God would pour out on us all! We just settle for the appearance of Godliness.

We need out temples clean, the booths and tables turned over, the false sacrifices driven out, the coins spilled out. We need Jesus to come in and do a thorough cleansing of our lives.

The Cleansing Agent

Resurrecting this Temple of His Body

That is our hope in all of this, the same hope that those gathered in the courtyard of the Gentiles found that day. You see, Jesus is great at cleaning temples. He has a remarkable combination of cleansing agents, that He applies to us, driving away all that is corrupted, all that is distracting.

It is the cleansing agents He pointed to, in answering the cry for a sign of His authority. Destroy his Body, He challenged them, and in three days, that temple would arise from the dead. In that death and burial and resurrection, we find the most incredible cleansing agents possible – the water of Baptism, where we are united with His death, and the Body and Blood, given to us in the Lord’s Supper.

Applied to our lives, they pour out the incredible grace of God, which cleanses us from all sin, that leaves us, not full of distractions, but awe at the incredible zeal that God has for His swelling place among us.

For you see, it wasn’t about the building, but it was about what it has always been about. God, living in the midst of His people, and His people, recognizing that God is in their midst, and rejoicing in His love, while adoring and worshipping Him.

Living in the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, by which Christ zealously guards our hearts and our minds.

AMEN.

The Wilderness

Mark 1:12-15
3/5 First Sunday in Lent

† In the name of Jesus †

Grace and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Our sermon today, is about 40 days in the life of Jesus. 40 days that were not, among the most notable. No Pharisees were chewed out, no miracles were done, no sermons were preached, no one was healed.. There were a few conversations with Satan, but those were not a blessing, but some of the more stressful days that Jesus would see, as he walked this planet. 40 days, that is a long time to be in a wilderness, a long time to be isolated from others, a long time to think and dream, both great dreams, and dreams that can only be classed as nightmares.

We live in a society that abhors being isolated, whether in the wilderness of the Anza Borrego desert, or in the wilderness of Los Angeles’. Think, when was the last time you spent 30 minutes, alone, and quiet? How about 60 minutes? I love all my gadgets, that allow me to play music, or games, or do my work without silence. Even in silence, I have my library to keep me company, to give me worlds to escape into, avoiding the isolation of being in the wilderness. It is one of the reasons you will always find a book near me, in my cars, in my living room, even in my bathroom! There are times I will do anything to avoid that wilderness, because of my fear of it, and frustrations I have had, in my past, in dealing with the wilderness. Yet, I believe firmly, that the wilderness is more of a blessing, than we can ever realize.

As we have entered Lent, it is right that we consider the wilderness experience. Where we see what Jesus went through. More than that, it is a time to realize why he went through these things, so that while we are in the wilderness, we would find comfort and peace in him. As well, we shall learn a bit, about helping others, as they go through those wilderness times.

His Wilderness Journey
Loneliness
Temptation
Result

We begin this journey of Lent, observing Jesus being driven into the wilderness. The first verse of our passage states what happens next, the Spirit drives Jesus out into the wilderness. I like that word, drives, it shows the force that is there in the verb in Greek. Think of a group of ranch hands, driving the cattle, or Tiger Woods, calmly driving the golf ball some three hundreds yards. This 40 days that Jesus will spend out there, has a reason, as he prepares for 3 years of ministry, with a cold, hard splintered cross at the end. Just as there is a reason, when we are in the wilderness!

The Spirit drives him out into the wilderness, the place of hermits, and hermitages. Places of desolation, of quietness, places that would have names like the badlands. The kind of place where you are alone with yourself, where you have time to think. There Jesus was driven, to confront the very problems that haunt mankind. The problems of loneliness, and the challenge of dealing with temptation.

I love Mark’s way of dealing with the temptation of Jesus. Where Matthew and Luke get into the actual temptations, Mark just mentions that it happened. What was important was that Jesus did face temptation, temptation of every kind. I think it beneficial for us, to define temptation. It is the attempt to pierce our defenses, to find those spots that are weak, so that our enemy, the devil, can attack us there, and see us fall. For some of us, some temptations are easily defended against, yet are devastating to others. Our weakness are such, that others may not understand how we fall so easily. Satan wants to know, how can he trap us into sin? The sin the Bible pictures as ensnaring us so easily. He will try to get us to doubt, to question, to not trust in God.

Yet Jesus did not sin, despite every temptation, and combination of temptations. Hebrews tells us, that this is a blessing, for us!

Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV) 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus, at the end of the 40 days, at the end of the time of isolation, goes out, and proclaims, the Kingdom of God is Here! Repent and Trust in Me! You can approach the throne, and receive the mercy and grace!

What a great thing to hear, when you are alone, a virtual hermit in the wilderness.

Our Wilderness Journeys
Temptation & Loneliness
Will we allow ourselves to be served?
By His “angels”

I tried to come up with a “wilderness” story, for the sermon, and there are many. We see Israel sent into the wilderness, as they are rescued from Eqypt. That wilderness journey lasted forty years, and included lots of temptations, some of which pierced through and caused them to sin. But that journey, is perhaps too far removed for this sermon. We each have our journeys in the wilderness, some lasting longer than others.

The best short version I could come up with, was one night, when I was around fourteen. I don’t remember if it was a field trip, or perhaps a cross country or winter track meet. I remember the bus pulling up to the school, around sunset. Most of my friends had their rides waiting from them, or were picked up quickly. Slowly, it became apparent that I would be the last one there. I could read whatever book I had, sitting against one of the may light standards. That may have lasted for a while, but soon, the deserted campus seemed to grow larger, and more scary, more wild. As I shrunk, and instead of the strong tall 14 year old, felt like I was about four. After an hour or two, my mind began to play games, as our minds do. Had there been an accident? Was my family ok? Worried, I then wondered if I had just been abandoned, if my family had forgotten about me. What did I do wrong that caused them to abandon me? What sin did I commit, that this was the consequence of? Worry turned to anger, anger into resentment. Finally, my dad pulled up, in our long sleek, navy blue monte carlo. Relief melted in, as I knew I was no longer alone, I was safe, though a bit ticked off at my family.

Our wilderness experiences can be like that, as we have to deal with being, alone. Not a pleasant feeling at all. There may be times, where we get angry, and are pierced by Satan’s temptation, and sin, as we try to rescue ourselves. We may get depressed, or angry, and blame others for the wilderness we find ourselves in. We don’t often do well with isolation, and wildernesses, we are made to face the fact that we aren’t as big and brave, and strong.

As I finished this sermon, I was listening to one of my favorite musicians, and a song, appropriately titled, the wilderness. It talks about Israel being sent out into the wilderness, and it has some incredible lines. One of them is “He gives grace sufficient to survive any test, and that’s the painful purpose of the wilderness”. That is the incredible message of today’s gospel – that because Jesus had his own wilderness experience – He knows what we are going through. He provides the grace, the grace that is sufficient, in any circumstance, in any wilderness. You see, even as Satan’s temptations pierce us, and we are snared by sin, Christ was pierced, not by temptation, but by the nails that bound his hands to the cross. There, He ensured that we would be forgiven, that we would never be alone in the wilderness again, but that we could know, that the Holy Spirit is with us, guiding us, even as God has always guided His people, from the wilderness to His presence. It is that time which Christ so richly proclaimed as He returns from the wilderness. As the Ephesians says,

Ephesians 1:7-10 (MSG) 7 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! 8 He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, 9 letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, 10 a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
You see, we are not really alone in those times of wilderness. Of course Christ is there, but even as Christ was ministered too by angels, so are we. Some of those angels are present, sitting perhaps in front of you, or to your left or right, or a couple of rows back.

Their Wilderness Journeys
Temptations & loneliness
Will we be the ministering angels?
Sent by HIM!

That brings us to our last section, about the fact that we really don’t go on wilderness experiences all by ourselves. Most of the people around you, are on their own journeys in the wilderness. They face temptations as well, and sometimes defend themselves, and sometimes fall into sin, even as we do. The same Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who faced temptation, and intercedes for us, desired to do so for them as well.

In the gospel, there is the great note, that Jesus, having conquered Satan’s temptation, angels are sent, to minister, to serve him. Angels are, simply, whether heavenly beings or men, messengers of God, sent to bring His gospel, His message of peace, to those stuck in the wilderness. After all, the best time to be found, is when you are lost!

There are times in life, where we need to let those people God has sent to us, serve us. Where we need to let them be the angels that are sent to serve. For ministry is simply that, serving people, giving them what they need, even when it is not what they want. There are other times, where we are the messengers of God’s love, as we love because He loved us. Here is how it is put in Hebrews,

Hebrews 10:21-25 (ESV) 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

As we wander this wilderness, we wander it together, as the church, the people of God, for whom He died. We serve each other, we become, angels of God’s mercy, for each other. This is done out of love for God, reminding them of the forgiveness of Christ, assuring them of His love, and peace and grace, assuring them that He is there, for them. Sometimes we are the one served, sometimes, we are the ones to serve.

But like my dad, and I, once picked up, we are in this together, led by the only one, who survived the wilderness, by His own strength.
AMEN.

His Feet

A sermon for Ash Wednesday


The feet were about 33 years old. The had stood in the temple, when teachers questioned him. They had endured 40 rough days, as Jesus was tempted in the desert. They had cold water pass over them, as John baptized Jesus, for our righteousness’ sake. They also had walked over the top of Lake Galilee. They had walked upon the side of small mountains, in order that people could hear Him, and walked up another mountain, so that Peter James and John could hear the Father. They walked the length and breadth of the land of Israel, through tiny villages, and in the cities. They brought the incredible message of life, to people who knew only suffering.

They were the feet prophesied about in the Old Testament,

Isaiah 52:7 (NKJV) 7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

In today’s gospel lesson, one lady found those feet beautiful, so beautiful that she could not but show her love, her adoration, her care, for those feet, and the message they brought her.

Up to that day, she lived a life, that ignored the fact that God reigns. Everyone knew she was a sinner, matter of fact, people like her were often used as an example of walking in sin, ignoring the commandments of God. For her, to receive the message that her sins were forgiven, that she could live in God’s kingdom forever, brought her to her knees.
The complete joy of knowing she was free from condemnation changed her. The incredibly expensive perfume that regularly was part of her life attracting men, was now poured out on his feet – for those feet brought the message of salvation. She knew that she had been rescued, that she had been delivered. Her response was one of awe, and of inexpressible joy, joy that poured itself out in the tears that washed his feet. She worshipped the God, whose life reigned over hers.

Her example is shown today, and lifted up over that of the Pharisee who invited Jesus to dinner. Not because she did something extraordinary, or sacrificial. It is why she did it- she knew – she believed, she had faith, she trusted in the incredible message that she heard because those feet brought him close to her. Feet that would ensure her salvation, as they are pierced to a cross, where Jesus would die. For her, for us.

TO bring us into the incredible Kingdom of God!

AMEN!

What does this mean?

Mark 9:2-9
The Transfiguration

† In the name of Jesus †

Grace and peace from God our Father and our risen Lord Jesus Christ!
What caused them to ask what does this mean?

If we numbered the incredible things that happened while Jesus walked the earth, the Day of the transfiguration has to be in the top six. The days of His birth, His death, His resurrection, and the day of His ascension to Heaven are the four most obvious ones, but this day, and the day of His baptism come close behind. For it is on these two days, when He was baptized, and when the apostles saw Him in His full glory, that the Father spoke, audibly, about His Son.

In the passage, the apostles ask a intriguing question. It is a question often repeated in catechism class. What does this mean? As they travel back down the mountain, they discuss that question among themselves. What does this mean? What does this mean? In a way, they remind me of some of the people we met on our vacation.

One of the days of our trip, we went out to see the Hoover Dam. On the way back, we stopped at this place where we could get a view of Lake Mead. We had just visited this incredible dam, which on one side is the incredible lake, the other side, nothing for a long way down. Incredible views, of which I have at least 30 pictures. The cars, parked beside the buildings at the base, look about 1/10th the side of a matchbox car. At the overlook, you could see 20 plus miles across a beautiful lake, and incredible mountains and rock formations. What seemed off to me, was the people enjoying the incredible views. What gathered their attention, were about 15 little squirrels/kangaroo rats, which gathered just on the other side of the wall. With all the magnificent scenery, the little varmints were talked about more than the lake!

Peter, James and John seem to me to be like that. You see, they had just seen Moses and Elijah, talking to a Jesus, whom for the first time, they showed in ALL of His glory. O what a sight that must have been, to seem Him shining, fully transformed, the son of God. And then, just as incredible, a cloud covers the mountain, it overshadows them, and they HEAR the voice of the Father, proclaiming His love for Jesus the Son, and commanding them to listen.

Yet, as the three apostles walk back down the hill, they don’t discuss these things, they questions about what this means, is about something Jesus said, as they were leaving. It wasn’t about the Moses and Elijah and the transformation, it wasn’t about the Father’s voice. No what they needed to know about, what they asked it each other about; was “what this rising from the dead might mean”. When I first saw that, it seemed to me like the people getting excited about the varmints, while incredible vistas were all around them. Yet, the more I struggled with it during the week, the more I realize that they stumbled on the key to the passage, and why the transfiguration is so incredible.

All of what happened that day, balances on the question, what this rising from the dead might mean. Without it, the Transfiguration, and the Father’s call to hear Jesus, doesn’t really matter.

Rising from the Dead
§ Mark 8:31 & John 2:19
§ Is it the more… personal miracle.

This talk of Christ’s death is not something new to the three apostles. In the previous chapter of Mark, they heard it as well.

Mark 8:31 (ESV) 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

In John 2, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, a similar comment was made. In those days, perhaps the apostles could overlook such comments, as they became enamored with following around, the one who could really be the Messiah. But now, a few months away from the cross, this question of Christ rising from the dead, takes on a more personal meaning.
Their rabbi, their teacher, whom they have traveled with for three years, their friend, in order to rise from the dead, must die. Jesus had to die. Had to die.

Though we see the Old Testament as clearly talking about the death of Christ for us, the apostles haven’t put it together yet. Here the prophet Isaiah’s words, 700 years before Christ’s death,

Isaiah 53:5-8 (ESV) 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 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. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

Jesus had to die, and rise again, so that our sins, could be forgiven. Until that time, until we trust in that death for us, the Transfiguration, and the command to hear Jesus, doesn’t make sense.

… Hearing Jesus, doesn’t make sense without the resurrection either
§ HE is more than just a Rabbi
§ The Ten Commandments parallel

The term in greek for hearing is the source of the word acoustic. As we talked with the man who is building our pipe organ, I began to understand why the ceiling stucco is called an acoustic ceiling. It is because it absorbs the sound, and internalizes it. Not something positive for hearing hi quality music, but it presents a great picture for hearing. Hearing is not just interpreting the sound waves into words, but it is internalizing what is said, the words are absorbed into our being.

When we in trust in Christ, for the forgiveness of our sins, the gospel has stuck to us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we have absorbed that message, and come to a life in faith. Until then, the words have no great meaning, we don’t realize their significance. He came, to bring to us the Kingdom of God, for us to live in the presence of God, as forgiven children of God. That sin, which stopped us from hearing the word of God, from being able to hear, and understand, is no longer holding us in bondage.
We hear, we believe, we trust, in the grace of God, which brings us to life in Christ.

Because He rose from the dead. That is what this rising from the dead means, for us.

… Transformation doesn’t make sense without the resurrection
§ His, or ours
§ 1 Cor 3/Romans 12

There is so much to preach on in this message, the ties into the old testament are incredible, but perhaps more so, is the idea of Transformation, that our epistle adds some insight into. You see, the term for Jesus’ transformation is used only two other times in the New Testament, one of those times we see in our Epistle reading.

Jesus is transformed before the apostles, instantly returning to the view that we shall someday witness. In all of His glory, as He is pictured in the Book of Revelation. Such an incredible view! Jesus , in all of his majesty and wonder, God visible in all his glory, to mortal men.

Yet, our reading from 2 Corinthians talks of us reflecting that image, being transformed into that image. Moses only reflected that glory, when he came down from the mountain. 2 Corinthians talks about the on-going work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, transforming us, as we behold the glory of God. Romans 12:2 -10 talks of this as well, as we are transformed by the re-newing of our minds. Such incredible things are done to us, as we take on the righteousness of Christ, credited to us in our baptism.

Do you realize that transformation is occurring even now, within us, as we see the forgiveness of God, given to us in the death and resurrection of Jesus? That is what this rising from the dead means as well. It is our salvation, our being found righteous, and it results in our sanctification as well, as we are being transformed into the image of Christ.

That is why, in Romas 12, goes on from our transformation to talk of our using our gifts in ministering to each other, and 2 Corinthians talks of us having the incredible treasure of God contained in our lives, a treasure, not to be horded, but to be shared. Here is how it is put there,

2 Corinthians 4:13-15 (ESV) 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

What does this rising from the dead stuff mean? Incredible things. It means that we can, in a moment, share the body and blood of Christ, in through and under the bread and wine. It means, doing that, we know we are forgiven. It means we can boldly proclaim with the apostles, that He is Risen!
That means something…..

That the peace of God is ours, a peace that passes all understanding, given to us in Christ, and it shall keeps our minds and hearts, His. AMEN

Aint’ seen nothin yet!
Mark 2:1-12
Feb. 19

† In Jesus Name †

2 Corinthians 1:2-4 (ESV) 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I say those words, from 2 Corinthians, or the like words from Galatians, or Ephesians, or Philemon, every week. They are a standard blessing that Paul uses, hoping that the letter that follows does that very thing. That blessing brings to Paul’s reader, to those listening to these words of mine, the incredible grace and peace of God – the very things we are given, through the incredible Words of the gospel, and the incredible grace poured out for us, in the waters of baptism, and the blood/win accompanying the bread/body of our Lord’s Supper

In 2nd Corinthians, the thought continues.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

That day, at Peter’s house, where Jesus lived, when “not on the road” there were people in need of comfort, in need of relief from affliction. Of all the people there that day, we shall hear specifically of one found more than just relief from an affliction, he found comfort, comfort beyond belief.

The reaction of his friends, who desperately trying to help their friend, was the same as the scribes, the local men whose profession it was to teach God’s word, and guard the people of Israel from false teachers who spoke well, and fraudulently performed “miracles. The reaction to Jesus’ helping this one man, was the same from every person there.

They were all amazed
From talking to themselves
To being unable to think

Stunned, Astonished, rubbing their eyes in disbelief, unable to put words to the incredible thing they had just witnessed. ALL were amazed, and the reaction to this amazement, was praise. I not talking about a rehearsed, well known hymn or praise song being sung by those gathered together by God that day. I am talking about pure, unadulterated, and un-restrained praise as they gave to God the glory for what they had seen.

Earlier, they had questioned themselves, especially the scribes, as they tried to understand the teaching that threw them off balance. They had an interest, after all, as they needed to protect their people from the fake messiahs, and those who peddled miracles and the latest teaching, trying to deceive their friends, and neighbors.

At the end of the day, the skeptics were amazed, they worshipped, they gave to God the praise, and glory and honor due Him, for the incredible miracles they witnessed. No more denial, just adoration.
What did they see that caused such a change, such a transformation?

What they saw
The desperation to see their friend helped
The Man walked away – he just got up and left!
How many of us, let people go without help?

Some of you, have been in the situation of the four friends, desperate to find help for someone you know, who is so afflicted, so hurting, so in need of help, or at least hope. By the end of today, it is my prayer that our eyes will be opened, and we shall realize, that we all know people in situations similar to that paralytic.

These men were desperate to not only find the help – but to see that their friend received the help. Desperate enough to destroy Simon Peter’s roof. I don’t know what it would take to break through a foot of plaster and wood, but these guys did it. With one goal in mind, to bring there friend to Jesus, the only hope that they had, to see their friend given a chance to live.

When I was a child, I was diagnosed with Marfans Syndrome, a pretty rare genetic problem. My folks were told that few people survived 30 with this disorder, as it affects the heart, causing valves to dislocate. This was back in the day, before surgeons could replace heart valves, before technology allowed them to implant defibrillators. Now, with artificial heart valves, marfans holds little threat over me. Back then, there was no medical hope, none of the things we now take for granted.

With little hope, I remember my parents having people all over the place praying for me. I remember getting up early one morning, like at 3 am, and get on a bus with my mom, as we went several hundred miles to a healing service led by Kathryn Kuhlman. My folks would have done anything, to see me healed of Marfans. That is the kind of desperation these men had. Parents with kids that are challenged with health issues know that kind of desperation.

I don’t know if the friends were family, or guys that had grown up alongside the paralyzed man. But they had enough desperation that they were willing to rip up a roof. (Look up)

Their friend, lowered through the roof paralyzed, walked away. Perhaps the only man that was not left there, mouth hanging open. He was healed, but more than that, he was made whole.

What they didn’t see
How sin could be forgiven
How could a man have the authority

It is one thing to see the man walking out of the house, whole, able to jump for joy, able to run home to his wife, and show her what Jesus had done for him. It is one thing for a man to be healed, but how Jesus did it, was what the scribes could not see. Look at verse 6,

6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Jesus, in this case, saw a direct connection between this man’s sin, and the paralysis that he was dealing with. Not always can physical ailments be traced to sin, and the guilt and shame that result from that sin, but in this case, it could. Sin does paralyze us all, though the paralysis could be spiritual, emotionally or in our relationships. It restricts how we act, it drives us to hide from life. It drive wedges in families, as people hide what they don’t want others to know. In doing so, we shut ourselves off to them in many ways.

The scribes don’t see this though. They see one problem – as they see it, only God has the right, the authority to forgive sins. That sin can reflect itself physically? No problem there. But that a man, a teacher of scripture, could forgive sins? No, that is what our gospel says they questioned in their hearts. Literally, within their hearts, they “dialogued”. Ever argue with yourself? Wonder if what you just saw or heard, could “really” be what you saw, and heard?

I can see them thinking, if he really said that, he is blaspheming, and we should stone him. How can a man forgive sin? How can he even claim to? Only God has that authority, if I read the Old Testament the way they do.

So Jesus answers, and proves to them, that He is God. He heals, and forgives. He is God. He gives us, the people He still gathers together, His church, the authority to do that on his behalf, in Matthew 16, and in John 20. Complete forgiveness, is available to all, freeing them from the paralysis and giving them comfort and peace.

What we have seen
We are forgiven
Word and Sacraments

Every week, that forgiveness is poured out on us, through God’s word and sacraments. His word promises our salvation, our deliverance from Satan, the freedom to live life now, and the promise of it lasting forever. Our baptism combined with trusting Christ to fulfill what He promised, gives us that forgiveness, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Think of the words that Jesus said, in blessing the bread and wine, they are his body and blood, given for you, for the payment for our sins.

You should know, without any doubt, your sins are forgiven. Because of what the scribes never saw coming, otherwise they would be still stunned and shocked. For Jesus, the son of God, paid for them fully. Completely, on the cross. Nothing left over, no work to be done to guarantee us a place. No time share presentation to listen to, no deposit that will be returned to us later.

Just His grace, pure peace, and comfort, for just like every person in that house in Nazareth, our sins, like theirs, like those of the paralyzed men, are forgiven in Christ!

What we haven’t seen
The Lady from Yugoslavia
The dudes at Tumbleweed

When I started this sermon, I quoted the beginning of Paul’s 2nd letter to the church in Corinth. Listen to the end of it, again,

4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

The scribes in Jesus day, didn’t see the depth of His love, His passion for His people. I think we, in this church, know that love and passion well. But I think we are like the scribes, and less like the friends of the man who had been paralyzed. We don’t have that desperation to see our friends, our families comforted with the very comfort that brings us to trust in Jesus.

I am not sure if it is that we do not see them caught up in their pain, their paralysis, or perhaps we are not so sure that if they do not know Christ, if they do not receive His forgiveness, that eternity for them will not be in God’s presence, but in Hell. Or perhaps we think that there will be time in the future, that right now, their lives are too busy to deal with Jesus, to come to church, to hear about His love.

I am as guilty of this, as anyone. This week, while riding the bus in Las Vegas, I saw people I know need Christ’s comfort, His peace, His grace. The first was a lady, who survived the communist regime in Yugoslavia, only to see her country torn apart by war, when communism failed. She has become a refugee, having escaped to Germany, and finding safety in the USA. Even so, her pain, as she told me of her homeland, show me she needed something that only Jesus could manage. True peace. As I talked to people there, I heard lots of pain, even in the singer whose show came with our “Free” trip. I even think of my friends at Tumbleweed, for whom the stakes are high, yet sometimes I am more interested in toppling their latest argument, than in seeing them relieved, by knowing the treasure of peace that comes in Christ Jesus

But we are blind to them, let me rephrase, we were blind to them, or to their fate without Christ.

How can we see this?
In Christ
In prayer – Luther quote

Luther said, about our gospel reading today,

For the Word of God is powerful enough, when uttered, to change even a godless heart, which is no less unresponsive and helpless than any infant. So through the prayer of the believing church which presents it, a prayer to which all things are possible [Mark 9:23], the infant is changed, cleansed, and renewed by inpoured faith. Nor should I doubt that even a godless adult could be changed, in any of the sacraments, if the same church prayed for and presented him, as we read of the paralytic in the Gospel, who was healed through the faith of others [Mark 2:3–12]. I should be ready to admit that in this sense the sacraments of the New Law are efficacious in conferring grace, not only to those who do not, but even to those who do most obstinately present an obstacle.130 What obstacle cannot be removed by the faith of the church and the prayer of faith? Do we not believe that Stephen converted Paul the Apostle by this power? [Acts 7:58–8:1]. But then the sacraments do what they do not by their own power, but by the power of faith, without which they do nothing at all, as I have said.131[1]
I am going to challenge you to do some “prayer-work” this week. If you are not using the sermon notes, get out that sheet of paper. 8 blanks sit at the top of the form. On the top two, write two question marks. We don’t know who these people are yet, but I think God will show you them this week.

The second set, I want you to write in the first names of two people you think might be interested in hearing the gospel. Not people who attend another church – I want us to pray, as the speaker at the conference said yesterday, to grow heaven’s population, not just the churches. So write two names, of people that you know, who are hurting, and may be ready to hear the gospel. The third set of two, are people that you think may need the gospel, but are seemingly against the idea of church. You know they need to know about Jesus, but they associate church with behaviour modification, or living under the law.

The last two – are the people who you would be stunned to see in church. I got my two. Don and Sam. People it would take a miracle to see come to church.
In our prayer time, we are going to pray for them, so you might as well write in the names now. During the week, I want you to pray for them as well.
Here is the prayer. Lord, bring to Don, Sam, Ilene, Steve, Jackie, and Gary, and the two people you will show me, the comfort you have given to me in Christ Jesus, in the love that took him to the cross. Bring them that comfort, and that peace, that comes through your Word and sacrament.

I am not asking you to talk to them – just to pray.

Be prepared to be stunned.

Knowing the comfort you have been given, the peace of God, which passes all understanding.
AMEN
130 Cf. p. 65.
131 Cf. pp. 66–67.
[1]Luther, M. Luther's Works, Vol. 36 : Word and Sacrament II. Ed. J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann. Luther's Works. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1999, c1959.

Having Authority

Epiphany 4 – January 29
Mark 1:21-28

† In the Name of Jesus †

Grace and Peace to you, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Demonstrated Authority

A College professor has it, as he grades the projects of his students. So does the police officer, as you hand him your license and registration through your opened window. The Marine Corps drill instructor knows he has it as well, as will his new recruits, freshly arrived from civilian life. The judge, sitting in his robes, in his courtroom has it as well.
In each of these cases, someone with little common sense, may challenge whether the professor, the police officer, the D.I. or the judge really has authority. The challenger will soon learn, that true authority is not simple demanded, nor is it simply assumed. Rather it is entrusted, and it is given for a reason.

On this day, we as a congregation entrust an amount of authority in our elders, and to our Church Council. It is fitting then, that our sermon text shows the perfect example of authority, and a perfect use of that authority. While it is a lesson for us, who have been entrusted with a level of authority, it is even more inspiring. For in using His authority, Jesus accomplishes a miracle, a miracle that holds incredible promises for you, and for me.

There is another thing about authority – at least legitimate authority. Those who are subject to it recognize it in those who hold it. In our gospel reading today, those who witnessed it, who felt its impact, note Jesus’ authority. It was different from those who claimed to be the authorities, those who were described as teachers of the Law. The people noticed this, as did the demons, whose submission to Jesus’ authority was not willing, but was recognized anyway.

We will see that authority, as Jesus teaches the people of Israel, and as He delivers a man from being mastered by demons. As we look at this, we are going to learn a few things about authority, and most importantly, we shall realize the blessing of Jesus’ authority being used, on our behalf.

Jesus had authority in His teaching
He had the Right
As Moses Prophesied!
It’s not just
As we look at the gospel lesson closely, we see Jesus joining the gathering of God’s people in a small community, called Capernaum. Both in Matthew and Mark’s gospel, we find this is a common behavior for Jesus, and one which was accepted by the leaders of these communities, where people gathered to hear, and to study God’s word.

Jesus, is distinguished here, in comparison to men called scribes, those that studied the Mosaic Law, to the point of emphasizing word choice and grammar. These were men whose lives were dedicated to studying and teaching the scriptures. In modern Jewish terminology, they are the rabbi’s, akin to preachers and professors of the Bible. There men were looked up to for their knowledge, they were respected by people. However, Jesus taught differently.
Perhaps the difference is found in understanding the word “teach” in Greek. It is not to lecture, or to instruct, to share one’s extensive knowledge. The word means, “to cause to learn.” It requires that the “teacher” be more than a student themselves, to have done more than read the material, and found a way to present it. They must live the information, used it in life. That is how one becomes an authority.

Let me give you an example, using the concept of determining a percentage. For a math student, they might get the idea of how to establish what 10 percent or 15 percent is. They could tell you the process of how you determine the percentage. However, ask someone who has been a waitress or waiter for a dozen years. They don’t have to compute the percentages, and they can usually tell you who will tip 10, and who will tip 15 percent!

Or the master carpenter, who can look at a plan for a project, and know, almost instinctively, how many two by fours, how many sheets of plywood, and how many boxes of nails will be needed to complete the project. Whereas I would just stand there… and not even know where to look.

They are experts, they are authorities, they know what they are doing. It is more than mere speculation. When Jesus would take up a scroll, and explains it in the synagogue, His words were different than the professional student/teachers. He didn’t talk about holiness that God expected from man as a philosophy – he knew it, because he lived it. He didn’t speculate when the Kingdom of God would appear, He knew it was now, because His words brought it into existence, in their presence!

He was everything Moses promised He would be, in our Old Testament reading today!

18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

Jesus words were the very words of God – the very words of God that the people of God need to hear. They were not theories about when God would come, nor how one might avoid displeasing God, because you came to close to breaking a commandment. Jesus words were true, they detailed what it meant to follow God’s commands, but also gave assurance of God’s love and forgiveness, the forgiveness He would personally guarantee, as He died to pay for that forgiveness on the cross.

By the way, the only authority we have, in the church, is the authority that comes from being in conformity with the very words of God. That is where out authority comes from, not from a degree that says I mastered theology, nor even in the fact that you entrust the preaching in this church to me. It comes when my words, are in concert with the words of Jesus! If my words don’t match, don’t follow them, or even bother to listen. Matter of fact, challenge me on them, for my sake, and for the sake of the church.

Jesus had the authority to ensure that message was accurate, and people knew.

Jesus had authority over all – even demons
The nature of Rebuke!
You know – even Demons know

The authority of Jesus was also shown, not just by His word, but by His deeds. A man shows up, in the gathering of the people of God, who was dominated by an unclean spirit, a demon. It is as if, the very authoritative teaching of Jesus, causes the demon to revealed. Perhaps the man for years had been tormented and controlled by this demon, we do not know – we do know that the demon makes itself, and its control over the man, clear, in view of Christ.

It acknowledges Him clearly – He is the Christ, the Holy One of God. As with most of the power encounters between God and mankind, the demon acknowledges what Jesus can do, and will ultimately do, completely destroy all that opposes the Father’s will. The book of James in the Bible describes this scene clearly – when James indicates that knowledge of God is insufficient, for even the demons know that Jesus is the Messiah, and they tremble at the thought.

I love the pictures that are inherent in the Greek language. Inside the term “said sternly” is the word often translated as rebuke. It is a compound word indicates that Jesus imposes on the demon respect towards Him. Think of the Marine Corps drill instructor, who is obeyed, because his very presence demands respect, because of the authority, and the power behind it. Jesus commands – be quiet, but in the force of a royal command. Come out - Go out from here. The power of the command is such that the demon, despite struggling, ends up doing that. The process is so powerful, that Mark uses a medical term – that phrase shook violently, or convulsed, is the term used for the kind of illness that twists one’s stomach. But the demon, recognizes the authority of Christ, and leaves the man, who is given peace and comfort, finally, at last.

Against one who has been given authority, there is nothing one can do…
So what is the deal about this authority – and Jesus.
His authoritative teaching – is for you!
What did He teach?
God’s Reign is Here
It is the power of God – to save!
His power, is sufficient to save
It makes mincemeat of demons!
It delivers you!

One of the professors at Concordia, in fact, its president, has a great question to ask to those who study the Bible like the scribes, and can note every doctrine, and every little cross t and dotted I. His question – “so what” What does it matter that Jesus had the authority to teach in a way that people actually learnt what the Old Testament meant for them back then, or hat does it matter that 2000years ago , a man commanded a demon to leave another man? Does it make a difference for you and I today?

Yes, it does!

In three ways,
One, His words are still authoritative to us today. We have them in the scriptures, and yes, like the scribes, we are to read and study these words. WE should hear them as the people did, realizing the incredible authority that sits behind the phrases. But that authority speaks of the fact that those words are there, for more than just study. They are there to assure us of Christ’s work, of His love, and of how He would have us live, as He has freed us from those things that dominate us!

Secondly, Jesus actions are still based in His authority. His ability to deliver people form sin, and the power of Satan, has not diminished, at all. He is the Lord, who saves His people.

And lastly, prior to Jesus ascension to heaven, He himself mentions His authority, and that He delegates part of that authority to us. Here those words,

18 When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. “And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.”

So while we are about our lives, making disciples of all the folk here in Anza and Aguanga, remember, He has the authority, and He will be with you always…

And His peace, the peace of God which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, our Lord!

Responding to the Call

Responding to the Call
Epiphany 3 – January 22
Mark 1:14-20

† In the Name of Jesus †

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Call of Bishop Cowther

That day, as the slaves were packed into the Portuguese slave ship, they probably did not know that they would be free within a few hours. Even as they were freed by the captain of the British frigate, I don’t think anyone knew the incredible long range results. One of the slaves freed that day, would have an incredible journey in that freedom. He would go to school in Sierra Leone, where a lady would teach him to read and to write, despite his being outside the normal age for the school. He did well, very well, and eventually began to teach in school there. He would, in that school, become a believer. He then moved on from being a teacher to assist a pastor, and later become a pastor himself. Not just any pastor – but a missionary called to bring the gospel back to His people.

This young man, enslaved at 21, illiterate at the age of 22, had a future of serving God. Despite those things that held him back in his early life, he would earn a Doctor of Divinity from Oxford University in England. Prior to that, he had preached Christ throughout West Africa and baptize thousands. Such results, that the Queen of England would play a major role in his becoming the first African Bishop in the Church of England.

At Samuel Cowther’s installation as a bishop in the ancient cathedral at Canterbury, sat the captain who freed him, and the teacher who taught him to read were able to be present, to witness the incredible thing that God does, through those He called. How they must have worshipped that day, as they were able to see God’s handiwork so present in their lives.

In our gospel today, we see 4 men, respond to a call from a radical young itinerant prophet, who people claimed was the Messiah. They were, of course, correct. The same man that Cowther, 1800 years later, would be called to serve. 150 years later, we too proclaim that same Messiah, and trust in His work, for us. The four men would journey as well; a journey that was as fascinating as Cowthers, as these men would travel the world, speaking of Christ, telling people about the love of Jesus, and His death on the cross for them – the same message that Bishop Cowther declared.

You and I probably will never preach to thousands, we may not ever see thousands standing in line to be baptized. Yet, in this reading about the call of Peter and Andrew, James and John, we see the incredible blessing that comes, as we realize the gospel of Jesus Christ, and its call on our lives. A call to each of us, to be part of His Kingdom, a call to follow Christ, to be, as scripture describes, to be made to become….

1. The Kingdom Calls
a. It approaches
Imagine being in the hold of a slave ship, with barely enough room to sit against the bulkhead wall if your lucky. If not, you sat back to back with another slave, with barely room to stretch out your legs. If the captain was in a good mood that day, loaves of bread and cups of water would be passed down the seemingly endless rows, barely enough that you could get a few bites, and maybe a sip or two. Back then, a ship where 50% of the “cargo” made it to their destination was considered a good trip. Just a few hours into the sailing trip, you hear the crew act worried, the small cannons creek across the deck above you, as you hear swords and guns are readied. Then a man appears, and orders your chains released, food and water to be broken out in abundance, and announces to you, that you are free, liberated by the King of England.

Can you imagine the feeling, the relief, the peace that you would know?

The illustration suits us well today, for though Peter and his fellow fisherman were not slaves to their fathers, they were slaves to sin. Just as we were. Two months before, in the Jordan river valley, they had heard John the Baptist proclaim that this Jesus was the Son of God, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

Undoubtedly, the fisherman had heard that John is now imprisoned in Herod’s jail, and that the message that he had preached about the kingdom of God being near, is replaced by Jesus message, that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Or as another translation phrases it, it has approached. Like the stately British frigate coming upon the slave ship, the Kingdom of God has come to the world, to free those enslaved by sin, the sin that so easily ensnared us! WE are free, freed not by the King of England, but by the King of Kings.

Now, Jesus approaches Peter and Andrew, as they work at their careers, unaware of the great thing that is soon to happen. He will then approach James and John, and make them an offer that they could not refuse.

2. Jesus call them to come, to follow
a. to become part of the unit
b. to follow his lead

Come with me, Jesus calls to Peter and Andrew – follow my path, and I will make you become fishers of men. I will show you, using your talents, how to live in my Kingdom, and do my work. James and John’s invitation is similar, it is the invitation to journey along with Jesus, following His lead, letting Him guide us, as the Good Shepherd does.

When I was a kid, I used to go fishing with my dad and my gramps, one of the rewards we got for getting good grades. Usually, this was at a small lake, with an un-pronouncable Indian name, at the school he worked at. Carrying our fishing gear, we would hike in to the woods behind the school, and follow the lake shore very rough trail to that very special place. Gramps knew the way well, and would point out – that this place was slippery, or those rocks where loose. He would show us how to fish, and how to avoid the sticky spines on this one kind of catfish called a hornpout. Following them along the trail, there was an element of safety.

That is the kind of thing I picture, as the four fishermen leave their safety, they abandon their careers, and head off down the road, unsure of what happens next. There is a level of trust, trust in Christ’s leadership, trust in His knowing the way, trust in His protecting us, and ensuring our safe arrival, despite the dangers. They have realized, that if Christ can save them from themselves, from their sin, and the judgment it brings, they can trust Him in guiding their lives.

3. The Call – “to be made to become”
a. Fisherman
b. Throwing the net
c. Mending the Net


In Mark’s gospel, there is an interesting way that Jesus phrases the call to Peter and Andrew. “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men”. The other version of this call, found in Matthew, doesn’t have that word become, but the phrase would not indicate it is out of place. It describes a process, a change, in Greek, literally a process of generation. It is the call of Christ, and His work, that puts us in the places we are, with the gifts we have been given.

Paul tells the Ephesians, that those saved by God’s gift of faith, that they become the resulting work of Christ’s craftsmanship. The kind of work, that can take fishermen, and turn them into the men who would speak, and thousands would come to realize that Jesus died for them. The kind of work that takes an illiterate slave, and turns him into a pastor of pastors.

It does not necessarily happen overnight though, and we may not even see it occurring as it does. For God uses us, as He has prepared us, as He has equipped us, in our callings, in the gifts He has given us in life. He is the one, who guides our way, as we follow His lead. Things of our lives, that we think have no value, all of a sudden, become tools for His use.
Consider the English frigate’s captain, who did God’s work in freeing the slave who would preach God’s word. Or the teacher, who struggled to teach this young man to read, and write, enabling him to eventually translate the Word into the language he grew up speaking. It was God’s work, using them, in their normal lives, to assist in saving this young man. To save him from slavery, to save Him from His slavery to sin, and to save him to the ministry that God prepared for Him.
To me, their work is as incredible of a ministry, as incredible of a testimony to God’s work, as is the Bishop’s! What things do you have, that God will use, to minister to those around you? As the children of our congregation grow older, what gifts do you have, that will equip them, to serve our incredible King. How will you be their ship’s captain or teacher? If they are a mechanic, or work in the church, if they fly a plane, or coach soccer, or if they take God’s word to some remote tribe in Papua New Guinea or just a pastor, how will you have served them, and assisted them.

You see, going back to the fisherman, there are lessons in the very work they did there.
John and James, we saw, were working on mending the net, repairing the tears, adding strength were work had caused bits of the net to unravel. If I can, for a moment, compare the net to the church, this is part of the ministry of the apostles, and of our church today. To strengthen, using God’s words, and the promises delivered in the sacraments, the faith of God’s people. To restore to wholeness, the entire net, that we might work as a unit.

Peter and Andrew, were learning the other half of the ministry, as they cast the net into the lake of Galilee. They would toss it out, as it spread over the water, and caught those passing by. So to is the word of God spread through out our community, as you, having heard it, go into our community, and bring those who Christ approaches, through His people. Just as that captain was in the right place, that day to free the future bishop, you may come across someone in your week, who needs to be freed, a person that God has cross your path, as you follow Christ.

May you share with them, what you have been given, the faith in Christ, who was crucified and died, who descended into Hell, and rose on the 3rd day, for you.
And may God’s peace, which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus!
AMEN!

How did Nathan Know?

How Did Nathan Know?
Epiphany 2 - January 15th
John 1:43-51


† IN His Name! †

Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord, Jesus Christ!
A great Confession, often overlooked!
Matt 16:16
But how did he know?

In the gospels, there are a number of confessions about who Jesus was. The best known probably, is when Peter confesses in Matthew 16, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Also well known, is the great scene in the upper room, where Jesus asks Thomas to put his hand in His side, his fingers in the His wounds, and Thomas replies, My Lord, and my God!.

There is one confession that often goes overlooked, the one in today’s Gospel reading. Perhaps it is overlooked because it is not Peter who utters the words, or one of the inner circle of apostles. It definitely does not have the dramatic power of Thomas’ confession in the Upper room, or Peter’s confession.

Yet here it is, at the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus, an apostle, declaring Jesus to be the Son of God. Declaring Him to be the King of Israel. Acknowledging Jesus as his Master.

Every time I come across this passage, I wonder about how Nathaniel knew that Jesus was the Messiah, how he could make that decision, after hearing Jesus speak only 24 words. Peter had several years of observing Jesus, and according to Jesus, the Father revealed it to Him, even then. Thomas had a crucified Jesus, standing, alive, yet with all the wounds easily visible, easily touchable.

So how did Nathaniel know? How did he, after spending just a few minutes with Jesus, know He was the one whom would save the world from sin?
1. Jesus decided to go
a. With a goal in mind…
b. To call those who would follow

I think we have to start that morning, as Jesus, our lesson tells us, gets up, and heads to the Galilee. I would draw out for you, form the text, two verbs. The first , found in verse 43, is that Jesus decides to go to Galilee. That verb desire is one which notes a specific outcome. We see the past tense of the verb in Hebrews 2:4
4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:4 (ESV)

That phrase, “according to his will” is the same word as the word translated here as decision, except that on is in past tense. But it shows the point that I am making, that in “deciding”to go to Galilee, Jesus had something in mind for the day. We see the word again used in 1 Cor 12:18,

18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 1 Corinthians 12:18 (ESV)

You see the concept there again, in the word “chose”. God planned how the church would work together, as they chose. In the same way, Jesus, in calling His apostles, planned out who he would call, and how they would work together. He set out that morning, to add Phillip and Nathaniel to his group of men, who would fish for men.

Their hearts were ready, made ready by the Holy Spirit, though we shall see, that they may not have realized, how God had already moved in their lives, getting them ready to meet their Lord, the Messiah.

Who? found who?

So Jesus goes out, and finds Phillip. He asks him to “follow me”. When Jesus asks this, there is a commitment implied. You see, he’s not asking him to follow him over to Outpost for lunch, or down to Starbucks for a triple espresso latte cappuccino with cream and three cherries. He asking Phillip to become a disciple, more like what we would call an apprentice these days.

Phillip goes out, and finds his friend Nathan, and tells him, “we’ve found him, the one whom Moses in the Law and the prophets tell us about!” The way this is phrased, is important. Phillip uses the plural – first person form of the verb. He is telling Nathaniel that Nathaniel and he have found the One whom they have looked. The Messiah, the one that Israel had waited centuries for, the one whom that it was promised would restore Israel, would forgive sins, would reign in peace.

A couple of years ago, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 87 years. It was funny listening to all the stories the next day on Sports Talk radio stations, as they had people from all around the country, telling of how long they, and their parents and grandparents had waited for that day. It didn’t matter if you were 95, like one caller, or 12, like another. The Red Sox fans had waited so long for that victory. It was overwhelming to them. One news report showed a cemetery, that had Red Sox t-shirts placed over about 1/3 of the headstones!
Yet the Messiah coming was so much more, not just one century, since the occupations that Jeremiah and Isaiah witnessed, Israel had longed for its freedom; since Solomon’s sons split the kingdom they had waited for such a king; and the kingdom he would bring. Since the time of the judges, they had waited for someone who would bring justice to the people. Since Aaron, they had waited for the ultimate high priest, whose offering for the forgiveness of sins, would be acceptable, and never had to be repeated. Since the days of Moses, they waited for such a prophet, who would speak for mankind, and bring the new covenant.

Phillip says – Nate – the Messiah is here, the one you and I have been waiting for! As Nathan gets excited about this, Phillip identifies Jesus, as being from Nazareth. Nathaniel throws on the breaks, and asks, you gotta be kidding me, can anything good come from Nazareth? That little place? That slum? His reaction is honest, and instantaneous, and probably is why Jesus will say he is a man who is not deceitful. Biased perhaps, but he doesn’t pretend he thinks other than he does. He states it out clearly.

Imagine if I told you the next president of the United States was coming from Borrego Springs, or even from Anza. What would your reaction be?

Phillip gives one of the best answers possible. He doesn’t debate Nathaniel, he does judge him or get defensive, but he does the one thing that cannot be countered. He says, come and see. In Phillip, we see one of the great simple outlines for evangelism, one of the great ways to invite people to know Jesus.

Tell the person that we have found what we need,
And invite them, to come and see.

Then let God take care of the rest. He will move in their hearts, he will prepare them to hear His call.

Nathan’s call
Not sure of details, but there is some loaded meaning there
i. Moral character?

So Nathan starts on the way. Probably still shaking his head a bit, asking himself, Nazareth? Nazareth? Nah… Nazareth?

We see the rest of the story there, in the gospel, as Jesus notes that Nathaniel is a man of his word, even if his word is, different. He shoots straight-forward, even if it means offending this Messiah. Nazareth?

I love the realism in this story. Nathaniel is not dragged kicking and screaming to Jesus, but he goes with a lot of doubt. Nazareth? He might even be one of the apostles, who when the resurrected Jesus, gives the great commission, is noted as still doubting…

Yet he meets Jesus, and very few words are exchanged, as Jesus notes that He saw Nathan sitting under a tree. And then it comes, the good confession,

"Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

What was happening, while Nathaniel was under that tree, pastors love to speculate about, was he praying? Was he meditating on the Law? Was he sleeping and having a vision?

Don’t know – wish I did. But Nathaniel did, and he proclaims,

"Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Nathan’s Confession
Master –
Son of God
King of Israel

In one feel swoop, Nathaniel’s doubt change to instant faith. His doubt of the origin from Nazareth, is replaced by the undeniable proclamation, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the King of Israel, so long awaited for. The one of whom the prophets promised,

Zephaniah 3:15 (ESV) 15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.

In acknowledging that Jesus was the Messiah, the King of Israel, he realizes that Jesus is the one who will remove all condemnation from us, thought Nathaniel doesn’t yet realize this will be by suffering on the cross. In acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God, no enemy can ever prosper against what Jesus does for Nathaniel, and those like him. Not satan, nor sin, not even death can move against him. Again, he while acknowledging this, I do not think, that he realizes this victory we be won at the cross.

You know, I asked a question to start this sermon – how did Nathaniel know? How could he have known that Jesus is the one whom He described? After all, he doubted.

In Peter’s confession, that is so similar, Jesus indicates that it is God the Father who reveals such. That the Holy Spirit prepares the heart, and that the Word of God gives us the grace we need, to believe, to have faith to trust. The Holy Spirit even sends people like Phillip, to guide us Nathaniel’s to Him. Where then, we too can share with others the invitation to come, and see.

While it is not obvious how this happened to Nathaniel- we see that he did know. He did come to believe, he became a man of faith.

So may each of us, and many more, who we invite to simply, come and see…..