Preconceived Notions - sermon notes

                                                    Mark 6:1-13

Intro: Earlier this year people all over the country were rooting for a race horse that seemed to come out of nowhere. “I’ll Have Another” was a small-time horse, from a small time breeder, who only paid $11,000 for him; small change by race horse standards. He went on to win over $2 million, and sold for an undisclosed amount of millions.

      We all like to root for the underdog, for the one who seems to have no chance of winning, for the one who is just an ordinary guy, and yet manages to do extraordinary things. In many ways Jesus was such a person. Small town, ordinary parents, nothing special. And yet…

      But today’s Gospel reading is about a significant bump in the road in Jesus’ ministry. Here is a place when he didn’t do or say very much that was extraordinary. Yet the Gospel of Mark records it because, apparently, there is some important message for us here.

Three groups that Mark focuses on:

      1) Hometown people – They went to hear Jesus at the Synagogue and were initially impressed “astounded” at his wisdom and teaching. The more they thought about it, the less impressed they became. Vs 3 they begin to list all that was against Jesus – his common upbringing, his illegitimate birth, insulting his mother. So they “took offense” at him. Greek is skandalon, to stumble, from which we get “scandal”.

      They had become so familiar with Jesus that they took him for granted. Do we do the same? Do we stop and consider the marvelous grace and mercy of God or do we take it for granted, an everyday thing?

      2) Jesus – What was his reaction to all this? How did he respond? First, he quoted them a proverb, that a prophet is without honor in his home town. It’s hard for folks to see past a person’s past. They know all the stupid stunts and bad choices they made as kids. How could they be great now?

      Illus: One of the people I most respect as a pastor is Marcus Sheffield. Not only has he endured as a pastor at FBC for two decades, he did it in his home town, where people know him, they know his faults, they know what he did when he was a kid, and still, they respect him as a pastor and teacher. Shows he is a man of integrity.

      Mark also says that Jesus “could do no deed of power there,” except to lay hands on a few people and heal a few minor illnesses. Why do you think that is? Do you think Jesus was unable because of the people’s lack of faith? I doubt it. First, Jesus did many miracles when people lacked faith; he healed the sick, raised the dead, stilled the storm, and provided food for thousands of people when no one believed he could. That’s not it. Jesus was Almighty God in human flesh, a little unbelief would not have disabled his power.

      I think Jesus did no miracles for two reasons; First, since the people refused to believe, any miracle he did would be misconstrued or dismissed. They did not believe God could work through ordinary means. Like people who go to hospitals; they expect cures, but they also pray. Who provides the cure? God or the doctors? Second, it may be that since they did not believe, no one brought the sick to him to be healed. Maybe no one came except a few who were so desperate they would try anything. Let’s be clear: Jesus was not prevented from healing because of the people’s lack of faith. It’s not that he could not heal, but that he would not. He did not heal people against their will.

      Jesus also “marveled at their lack of faith.” He was astounded that anyone could purposefully reject what was right before them. Did you know that Jesus marveled at faith one other time? In MT 8:10, Jesus marveled at the faith of a centurion. – Tell the story. But here Jesus marvels at unbelief. How sad.

      3) The disciples – They were charged with going out into the surrounding towns and villages to spread the good news about God.

      After seeing how Jesus was treated, the went out anyway. He told them that if they were not accepted, they were to shake the dust from their feet. This was an ancient Jewish practice when they travelled so that they would not share in the judgment that would befall a pagan land.

      They were successful; they preached repentance and healed the sick. They continued the ministry of Jesus.

What about us? Which group will we be most like? Townspeople who refused to see God in ordinary things? Or disciples, who took Jesus at his word and went out to do his work?

Rejoicing in Suffering - sermon notes

“Not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings…”  Rom 5:3

Intro: Last week I watched a documentary about the 10 best UFO sightings. These are the most accurate, clearly documented cases on record. Still, most people find UFOs unbelievable. They just can’t be true.

        Maybe you feel the same way about today’s Scripture. Rejoice in suffering? How can that be? It’s just not possible. Yet, like the UFOs, there is evidence to support the outrageous claim.

        Paul begins verse 3 with the phrase, “Not only that…” Not only what? He has just finished saying that “we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” We talked quite a bit about that last week, what it means to boast or rejoice in hope. Today, Paul says, we boast about something else, something quite unexpected. We Boast in our Suffering.

1. The Problem of Suffering

One of the most difficult issues for people struggling to believe in God.

Theodicy – If God is good, and all powerful, why do people suffer? Tragedy like 9/11 or car accident that takes a loved one; natural disaster like Joplin tornado, or Pacific tsunami that killed 250,000 people. Where was God?

2. The Purpose of Suffering

-Suffering can be a corrective. Sometimes God uses suffering to get us back on to the path of righteousness when we have strayed from it. Like a parent that punishes a child, not out of joy, but to discipline. We even do it to ourselves like athletes who train. They suffer but it is for a purpose. “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:5-6).

-Suffering can be to Glorify God. That seems harsh. How can that be?
Think of the story in John 9, where a man was healed who had been blind from birth. This man was sitting at one of the gates of the temple when Jesus and his disciples passed by. The disciples assumed that he was suffering so that God could correct some sin in his life. They asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3). Jesus said that the reason for the man’s blindness was so that God could be glorified in this man’s life.

-Suffering can be the result of Spiritual warfare. Think of the story of Job. He was happy and blessed until Satan accused God of favoritism. God said Job would be faithful no matter what, so Satan set out to find out. He brought all manner of suffering on Job, just to see if he would turn his back on God. He did not. God was right. Go figure.

        You could also include in this, the idea of the consequences of our actions. If I make bad choices, bad things will likely ensue. If I drink and drive, I might have a wreck; if I don’t take care of my body, I might get all manner of diseases; if I walk down a dark alley at night, I might get mugged. Suffering is sometimes our own fault when it comes as a consequence of our own actions.

        Sometimes we suffer as a consequence of someone else’s action. What if I am the one hit by a drunk driver, or mugged while minding my own business? What if something happens to me or my family through no fault of mine? That, too, is the result of spiritual warfare because it demonstrates the presence of evil in the world. Evil comes as a result of sin. Sometimes it is our sin, and sometimes it is someone else’s.

-Suffering helps us grow. This is where Paul comes down in Romans 5:3-5; that God uses our troubles, trials, and tribulations to form Christian character. That’s kind of what happened to Joseph. He suffered slavery, prison, loneliness and betrayal, yet he tells his brothers, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” G50:20. Our faith in the sovereignty of God reminds us that God can use even suffering, for our good, which is not the same thing as saying suffering is good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Rom 8:28.

3. The Benefits of Suffering. How can suffering ever be a good thing? It is not good, in and of itself, but good can come from it.

- Suffering produces endurance. “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance” (5:3). The Greek word for “endurance” is a combination of words that mean “beneath” and “live or abide”. So the word as a whole means to “live under” something. If we take this word together with the word for “suffering,” we get the full idea, which is to live under difficult circumstances without trying to wriggle out from under them. 

   I have already mentioned the image of the athlete, who works hard, who even suffers by running wind sprints, and lifting weights, in order to build up his or her endurance. It is all this difficult training that will allow them to finish the game or the race strongly.

   The same is true for us. There are many times when we wish life were not so tough, but it’s that tough life that allows us to go on and to finish our race strongly. Then we can stand victoriously before God.

-Suffering produces character. Paul says in verse 4a, “and endurance produces character.” The word “character” means something “tested” or “approved.” Illus: Hebrew National hot dog commercial.

-Suffering produces hope. Paul says in verse 4b, “and character produces hope.” Here we have come full circle. We started with hope in verse 2. We saw it as a certainty of what will one day be ours, though we do not possess it yet. The future-tense of faith.

     Then we looked at our suffering. We saw why we can rejoice in them. It is because they lead to endurance, endurance to an approved character, and character to an even more steadfast certainty. And all this is our possession in Christ.

Conclusion:
It is important that we remember, when we face times of trial and suffering, and we surely will, that suffering may be painful, but it is ultimately not harmful. On the contrary it is beneficial.

In 1950 when missionaries were kicked out of China, there were less than 1 million Christians. Today, after almost 60 years of Communist rule and much suffering, it is estimated that there are as many as 100 million Christians.

Someone once asked, “If God loves the Chinese church so much, why has God allowed so much suffering to come upon it?”

But a better question is, “If God loves the American church so much, why has God not allowed suffering to come upon it?” The answer to that question remains to be seen.

Rejoicing in Hope - sermon notes

Romans 5:1-5 “we rejoice (boast) in the hope of the glory of God.” 5:2b
    Here in the beginning of June, MLB is just getting started. Imagine if a pitcher claimed, at this point in the season, that their team would win the World Series. He would be laughed at, thought a hopeless braggart. That’s what happened to Dizzy Dean in 1934, when he bragged that he and his brother would win 45 games and the pennant. People thought he was just bragging, but he famously said, “It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” And he did. The two of them won 49 games, and Dizzy Dean’s record season of 30-7 still stands today.
     As human beings we are inclined to brag, we are inclined to boast. What kinds of things are you proud of, what do you like to boast about? Kids? Accomplishments? Awards? Golf score? The word Paul uses in vs 2 that is sometimes translated “rejoice” can also mean “boast” or “glory in.” What kinds of things should we be boasting about as Christians?
     Over the next two Sundays I am going to look at two of them. Today, “we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” Our Position in Christ (vs. 1) “We are justified by faith” It’s our starting point, the beginning of all that comes after. All the rest we have because of this. Our Possessions in Christ (vs. 1) “We have” that is, “we possess.” What is it? What do we have?
     1. Peace with God. “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Previously we were at war with God, at odds with God. Now we have peace. - Peace with God is not the same as the peace of God. Peace with God is a permanent change of relationship with God. It is objective and never changes. The peace of God is subjective and variable, depending upon how we react to certain situations.
     2. Standing in Grace. “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” (vs. 2) Faith is the vehicle by which we obtain this standing in grace. Paul says that our right standing with God is because of what God has done for us in his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus lived and died. He paid the penalty for all our sin, and we receive his righteousness by faith. All of this is a gift of God’s amazing grace. And that is what enables us to stand before God.
     3. Rejoicing (boasting) in Hope. “we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” Our main theme for today. What should Christians boast in? The hope of glory. Let’s look at the phrase: a. boasting. Mentioned before; strong word, “exult” b. glory. In Greek is doxa, “beauty, power, honor”. Where we get our word, doxlology, which means a “word of praise.” In the OT God’s glory was seen in his visible presence in the temple and tabernacle. Moses and the pillar of cloud and fire. In the NT God's glory is seen in the person of Jesus Christ. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” Jn 1:14 c. hope. We mostly think of it as a weak word, like a wish. “Hoping for the best” usually means we don’t really expect it.
     In the Bible it is much stronger. Hope is “a joyful & confident expectation” of what God is doing and will do on our behalf. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit,” Rom 15:13. It is the “future tense” of faith.
 - Hope is never alone. It is one of a triad of Christian virtues. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love,” 1Cor 13. What does hope do for us?
 - Hope stabilizes the spirit of the believer. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure,” Heb 6:18-19.
 - Hope motivates godly living. “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure,” 1 John 3:3.
 - Hope inspires joyful confidence in God. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose,” Rom 8:28.
 - Hope is associated with victory, not defeat.
 - Hope is the expectation of the best God has in store for us. - “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” Col 1:27

Confessions of an Early Gardener

It's that time of year again; time to plant. But if I'm honest, this year I'm not really into it, which is strange, because most of the time I can't wait. I look through seed catalogues, wander through nurseries full of bedding plants thinking and dreaming of all that this year's garden could be. That's how it is most years, but for some reason this year is different. Maybe its because I made the mistake of putting out rye grass last fall to perk up my parched lawn, and after a few rains, I am now faced with mowing the yard in January! It kind of takes the stuffing out, if you know what I mean. This year, for some reason, it just seems like a lot of work, which I wonder if I really need.

But that put me in mind of one of Paul's gardening metaphors from I Corinthians. In chapter 3, he speaks to those who would split the church by following him, or Apollos, or someone else, thinking they are the superior teachers. What Paul says is this, "What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." (I Cor 3:5-7)

I guess the point I am after here is that even though I work the soil, even though I plant the seeds, even though I water and weed and till and toil, I really don't have the hard job. God is the one who makes things grow. As much as I may want to cause growth, and take the credit, I can only encourage growth. God makes it happen.

This is also true in the spiritual life, or the life of faith. Sometimes we think that we are responsible for our own growth, that we make it happen by reading, praying, singing or whatever. But we don't. Just like in the church, we can only encourage growth, God makes it happen. I think that can be a very freeing thought. Sure, I am still responsible to feed my soul with prayer, worship and the Word, but I can't cause the growth, I can only nurture it. It's not up to me: it's up to God. No doubt some of the greatest mistakes in the Christian life are made when we try to do God's job.

This year, I believe I'll let God do his job, and I'll do mine. Maybe I will plant a few early greens - after all, God has the hard job, I just stick them in the ground.

Making Disciples

I have been doing a lot of thinking this week about mission and discipleship. As we begin a new year, lots of people and churches are thinking about mission: mission trips, mission budgets, mission conferences, and it is a good thing. We should be thinking about mission. The problem is that mission means different things to different people. For some folks, it means going across the sea to Third World countries, to others it means application of the social gospel, whether at home or abroad, making sure people have basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter and health needs. For others, mission is more evangelical; they are more concerned that the gospel be proclaimed. And for centuries, mission has bounced between these two poles.

For many churches and individuals, mission means activity; it means doing something, whether social or evangelical. It means getting out there and making something happen. I have been wondering lately whether we are spending too much time trying to do something, and we miss the importance of trying to be something. For lots of churches, if you ask them how their mission is going, they will point to all the activity at food pantries and work sites. But I worry that we are getting the cart before the horse. How can we DO mission until we ARE mission?

When Jesus gave the disciples their "marching orders" before he ascended into heaven, he told them what they should be doing while they waited for his return. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." The charge is to make disciples, and the promise is that Jesus would be with us.

It is my contention that we should be most concerned about making disciples and that the mission will take care of itself. If we will draw near to God, God will send us out into the world to administer his love and compassion in its social forms, like the Good Samaritan. If we draw near to God, God will inspire us to tell others about the love of Jesus and the salvation he offers, like Phillip in Acts 8. I believe making disciples is the most important work of the church, and one of the reasons the church is struggling is that we have been lax in that responsibility. We tell people what to do (missions) but we don't adequately explain why we do it (discipleship).

Don't get me wrong; I think the church SHOULD be involved in mission, and that we SHOULD send folks out in Jesus' name to do both social and evangelical mission, but I think we need to be more "pro-active" about why we engage in those ministries. Social mission is not just about humanitarian concerns, although that is part of it. We help people because God calls us to do so, and ministering to them is like an offering to Christ himself (MT 25:35ff). I believe that being a true disciple of Christ is the best reason to engage in social mission.

Christmas through another's eyes

This Christmas, I had an unusual experience. I saw my own religious actions and convictions through the eyes of someone else. This is neither an easy thing to accomplish nor an easy thing to understand, and I am not certain that I have done so fully, but I am still working through the experience.

What happened was this: my son brought a friend home from college for the holiday. She was raised in a strict Muslim household, and went to a Muslim school in Dallas, so she had little understanding about Christmas beyond the mish-mash of media which includes Santa Claus, Charlie Brown, and the Grinch as well as Jesus Christ.

When she asked, "Why do you do this," and "Why do you do that," it caused me to take stock about my own answers. Why DID I do those things? Was it just habit, or was there a deeper meaning for me, and for my own faith? Her questions held no animosity, just curiosity and a desire to understand this holiday that is so prevalent around her in Western American culture, which is connected to but separate from her own experience.

I found that I explained more carefully the meaning of the Advent candles to the children in church, rather than merely going through the motions with a cursory reading and prayer. I found that I was more thoughtful about my own prayers, both at home and at church, knowing that someone from a different faith tradition was listening and trying to understand. You would think that I would be that thoughtful all the time, but I'm usually not. I guess we all get lazy sometimes.

For me, this was a good lesson. It was a lesson in how I OUGHT to celebrate; thoughtfully and meaningfully. And it was a lesson in how interfaith relations can be a blessing and actually help us as we think more carefully about our own traditions and the ways in which we celebrate our Holy days.

Here is wishing you all a safe and blessed Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Religious Affections

This morning I have been reading a little of Jonathan Edwards' Engagement of the Heart, and I am struck once again at how contemporary are the words of this Early American theologian, pastor and educator. Although he lived in the early 18th Century, even before the Revolutionary War, when the mission field was the Native Americans of upper New York, yet so much of what he said and wrote resonates with where we are today.

To wit: (sorry, couldn't resist)he says that so many of us have a kind of half-hearted faith; we mean well, and we claim to love God, but though our hearts appear to be in it, our wills are not. Perhaps this is what the Bible means by loving God with our "strength", as opposed to our "heart and mind". Edwards says, "If we are not earnest in our religion, and if our wills and inclinations are not strongly exercised, we are nothing." Strong words. And yet, I see his point.

As we enter the holiday season with all its feasting and parties, it is so easy to pack on those unwanted pounds. Some of us already had unwanted pounds before the holiday season even began! On the one hand, it is so simple, really, to lose those pounds; all that must be done is to eat less and exercise more. It's a piece of cake (dang, I wish I hadn't said that!). So, why do so many of us have those unwanted pounds that affect our life and health? Because to get rid of them requires a strong and consistent act of the will.

Perhaps the same is true in our spiritual lives. If we are genuine in our "religious affections", that is, if we truly believe what we say we believe, that we love God and desire to serve him, then why don't we? Why do we put it off, or allow other things to get in the way? Why are we so reluctant to live out our faith in the myriad ways we know it should be lived? Perhaps, like our extra holiday pounds, it's not a matter of desire (we want to look and feel better) it's a matter of the will.

In Romans chapter 7 there is a passage that confuses many theologians, or, rather, there is no consistent agreement on its meaning. From about verse 14 to the end, Paul describes the experience of a person (and it is written in first person, so it could be Paul himself) who continually struggles with sin, and has the desire to do good, but does not have the will to do it, like an addict who wants to quit, but just cannot bring herself to do so. So often we feel this way in regard to sin and spirituality (at least, I do). I want to pray more, I want to study more, I want to be more faithful in 1,000 different ways, but there seems to be something pulling me back, and I say with Paul, "What a wretched man I am!" That's why it is so wonderful that Paul concludes with verse 25, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Then he launches in to Romans 8, which has so many wonderful verses about life in the Spirit.

So, where is all this going? I don't really know; that's why this blog is called "Random Thoughts." What I do know is that sometimes our will doesn't keep up with our desire to do good. Lord help me to strengthen my will to follow you in your way.