Scripture: Acts 10:34-48
Easter was never meant to be a one day holiday – it was given to us so that it could become a lifestyle. Think about it – the finality of death was overturned, and the resulting change was the beginning of an eternity of life. The end has become the beginning.
Let’s go back to that very first Easter. The disciples were beside themselves. Since Thursday evening, they had been in a constant state of panic. Some left town. Some went into hiding in the Upper Room. One actually would deny that he even knew Jesus. John would be the only one who would follow Jesus all the way to Calvary.
Wasn’t Jesus the long waited Christ? The Anointed One of God? How could He die? Who would lead them now? Would any of them live long enough to find a new rabbi? How could this wonderful experience go so horribly wrong?
[The Campville UMC has a signout front with sayings that change each week.] You may have been watching the sign out front this week, and wondering just what that message was all about. “Life is a ?” I suspect that many folks thought that it was a little odd, but the truth is that even in our best days, the next day, the next hour, the next minute is little better than a question mark! But if you noticed the message this morning, it now includes the punch line – “Easter is the !” Life will continue to be a question, until we discover that Jesus not only has the answers, but is the answer.
An anonymous writer once offered
“Christmas is the Promise, and Easter is the Proof.”
—Anonymous - (Homiletics OnLine.
It’s the same idea.
In our reading today, we find Peter speaking to Cornelius, the Roman centurion who, at an angel’s prodding, invites the disciple to his home. Peter had seen the vision of a sheet being raised and lowered from heaven, filled with both clean and unclean animals. He had gotten the message and now he is ready for this mission.
Read Acts 10:34-38
As Peter addresses Cornelius and his household, he begins by reminding them of everything that they already know about Jesus. It seems that this Roman officer already knew the God of Israel and His Son. He was devout and generous in a Christian way, and was already one of the faithful. But in his own mind, his life was still a question mark. He and his family knew the Lord, but what was to be done about their faith?
And in comes Peter – who, in the best Christian style, doesn’t give him an answer right off. He begins with telling this Roman that he, Peter, has now learned that God doesn’t play favorites (confession is always good for the soul!), and welcomes people from all nations and all walks of life to come to rejoice in Him.
At this point, we have to begin to wonder just who this visit was for – was it for Cornelius, or was it for Peter? Consider the old Peter – the impetuous, spontaneous, uncertain, crude man who had come to understand the truth of Christ – that there was nothing that He wouldn’t do for His faithful, that there was nothing that could stand in the way of His ministry, that His love for humanity was immeasurable. And here he is, standing with a Roman, leading him and his family into glory.
As Peter recalls all of Christ’s activity on earth – the baptism, His teaching, the healings from physical ailments as well as satanic ones, the power and Spirit that always filled Him - he continues to understand that all that Jesus said and did went far beyond the borders of Israel and Judaism. That this Jesus who he now served wholeheartedly was God for all, and not for a few! And so he witnesses to this Gentile family.
Read Acts 10:39-43
Peter continues to let Cornelius know that the things that he talks about weren’t just stories, that they were seen and experienced by not only him, but by many others. That this isn’t just some unbelievable story, some fairy tale that looks good on the surface, but falls apart the deeper you dig into it. It is the truth. It all really happened.
Then he gets to the resurrection – that it, too, wasn’t just a story, that Jesus didn’t just return to heaven, leaving his followers stumbling around in the dark! He stayed to eat and drink with them, continued to teach them and encourage them and call them into the ministry that He had begun, a ministry that extended to Gentiles and Jews alike. And that His story wasn’t just one that had been sprung on them, but that it was one that had been told for centuries by the prophets and other holy people.
And then the punch line – “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.” Sin had always been the very thing that held the indestructible wall in place between the people of earth and God. No one could gain access unless they were clean and prepared to meet the wrath of almighty Jehovah Himself! And now there was a way that was available for all – belief in Jesus Christ, Judge of the living and the dead, the one who knows all about us and who loves us anyway, the one who has already prepared the way for us to move beyond our sin.
And that’s the exclamation point for our life. The curtain has been torn in half, the wall of sin has been breached, death has been defeated, and life is, for all time, triumphant! Hallelujah
We now have a way to move beyond the confines of thi!s life. Praise the Lord!
Did you know that “After” is every Christian's middle name?
The Methodist missionary Earl Stanley Jones, in his autobiography A Song of Ascents (Nashville: Abingdon, 1968), tells of an African who changed his name to After immediately following his conversion. He reasoned that all things were new and different and important after he met Christ, so he was going to reflect that new reality in his name as well as in his thinking (16).
Easter is what makes us “After” Christians. After Easter, nothing in life is ever the same again.
- Anonymous - (Homiletics OnLine.
After our personal Easter morning, everything is made new.
Read Acts 10:44-48a
And now there is an exclamation for Peter’s companions. The Holy Spirit settles on the Roman and his family, and very possible, his servants. All who receive his message of salvation is touched and begins to speak in tongues. And Peter’s friends are amazed! They had never known of the Spirit’s blessing on anyone but a Jew, and now they, too, know that the full extent of the Father’s Blessing is for all who believe, not just for a select few. They had been baptized by the Holy Spirit, and now they would be baptized with water, and welcomed into the fullness of Christian faith and thought.
Christ’s Way would never be the same again. There would be no limits and no question as to who would be welcomed into the faith. Gentiles, even the hated Romans would be welcome. Women, for the first time in their life, and regardless of their personal history, would be welcomed. Social status would no longer create an obstacle – free, slave, servants, even criminals, - your past would be left in the past, because of course, in Christ, they would all become “After” Christians.
Any question that may revolve around Christmas is answered with the exclamation of Easter!
Any misunderstanding that may exist regarding the parables that Jesus taught are set right in the exclamation of Easter!
Any confusion that we may have over Christ’s death and resurrection are soundly answered in the exclamation of Easter!
Any fear in this life, any fear for the next life, is satisfied and settled in the exclamation of Easter!
Easter is, once and for all, the very answer that we all have been waiting for –
Jesus is Risen!
He is Alive!
His message is sure and forever!
And all who will believe in Him receives forgiveness for their sins, and will rejoice in life eternal through his holy name. Amen, and Amen!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
“Cleansing of the Heart”
Scripture: Mark 11:12-25
For the past 3 weeks, we’ve been taking a closer look at the issue of Salvation in Jesus Christ.
First, we considered the faith of the man who had been born blind, but who seemed to know Jesus far better than the Pharisees did.
Then we took a closer look at him after he had been ejected from the temple, and how he still had a wonderful and over powering faith.
Last week, we considered the renewing of the dry bones that Ezekiel witnessed in that huge valley, and what they had to say about our salvation.
And for those who were able to attend the evening Lenten service at Nichols last week, we considered the call to new life - the call to salvation - in the context of the raising of Lazarus.
Today, we consider the need for Jesus’ cleansing power in our lives, and how our claim on His saving Grace can only come from that - how our salvation must come from that.
We’re going to take our reading for today in a different order – but it will make more sense in a few minutes.
Read Mark 11:15-19
I have read this passage first because these verses are the basis for the others.
Jesus throws the money changers and the sellers of sacrificial animals out of the temple. Now many see this as the cleansing act, but actually, this commercial effort was a necessary part of temple worship. The coinage that was to be offered in temple must be Hebrew, and since many people came from other areas of the world to give their offerings, they needed to obtain the proper type of money. Each region had its own coinage, and the pagan money, which contained the images of pagan deity, was not an acceptable gift to God. As for the livestock, that too, would be offered as a sacrifice and for many, bringing their own birds or lambs from home was not a good option for them. So the marketing effort was a necessity for worship, and Jesus would have understood this.
But His indignation arises from the fact that the money changers were making an obscenely great profit from the exchange, and the livestock that was being sold were not only extremely expensive, but they were far from perfect – broken wings, sickly lambs – all were in the very condition that the Lord had cautioned the people against using as a gift to Him.
The second issue is revealed in verse 17, as He quotes Isaiah 56:6-7.
Key words and thoughts –
“foreigners”, or Gentiles,
who bind themselves to God,
who would worship Him,
who will not desecrate their worship
– these will be welcomed in the Lord’s place of prayer.
In our reading from Mark, Jesus is telling Israel that
this outer court, the place where the travesty of commercialism is occurring, this place that is known as the Court of the Gentiles, the place where any non-Jew could come to worship Jehovah God, is also His “house of worship and prayer”.
He is placing the same level of honor on the non Jews who will worship him, as he does the people of Israel who will give Him that honor, and their place of worship was being desecrated and demeaned.
Sacrilege is sacrilege, regardless of where it occurs and who commits it.
And the third point that we must consider in Mark is this – Jesus is claiming authority over all worship in the temple – not over just that from those who would claim that they are righteous, but from those who would seek His righteousness.
So, when we put these points all together, we discover that
Jesus, and Jesus alone, determines what is acceptable in His sight, and what is not.
Jesus, and Jesus alone, defines what is righteousness and what a righteous life is all about, and He alone defines what is not.
The people have no say in defining what is truly honoring to God, and what is not – we can only act in response to what Jesus has taught!
Read Mark 11:12-14
Was Jesus really angry at the tree for not producing fruit when He wanted it? That’s what some folks would take from this, but the truth is that it is a prophesy against the temple, and in our case, against the church.
The temple of the 1st century was not producing fruit, and the people were actually desecrating the place of worship by not taking the call to sacrifice seriously, by not taking their call to righteousness seriously, by deciding to make their own way in the world instead of following the Lord’s way.
And He proclaims that same judgment on the church of the 21st century. Are we being “fruitless” by allowing worldly interpretations of the scriptures into our worship and lives? By attempting to define our path to salvation in ways that please us, that simplify our expression of faith, that conform to secular ways, expectations and demands?
Jesus didn’t hate the tree – it was simply offered as a symbol of His disdain of the direction that the temple, and now the church, was headed in. Even though the tree was obviously living, it was fruitless.
The temple was still in existence, performing all of its ritual, but it was faithless and fruitless.
The church is still in existence, but we must also ask this question of ourselves –
is the Church Universal - is the United Methodist church - is our church, more actively involved in issues of faith, than it is in simply keeping the doors open? Is it faithful in worship – both in formal and informal ways and times – and is it producing spiritual fruit? Is it bringing souls to Christ, and not just through the doors and to the offering plate? Is it truly honoring our Lord Jesus Christ in ways that He has prescribed, and not simply in a worldly sense?
Read Mark 11:20-25
We are called to live a complete and Godly life, not one of our own making! The fig tree was cursed, and it withered. The temple life was cursed by its own hand, and it withered. And in the context of today, we can’t become so complacent in our Christian lives that we are cursed, too – we need to become fruitful once again – we need to allow Christ’s cleansing to rid us of the worldly influences that are always sneaking in and dragging us down.
So how do we do this?
First, Jesus tells us that we must have faith in God – not a superficial faith, not a shallow faith, not a limited faith, not a self defined faith –but one that is in and of Him. Are we being influenced and controlled
by the lies of society? By personal addictions? By worldly friends and family? By other faith practices? By false teachings? Has idol worship become a way of life for us – the idols of career, of having fun at the expense of faith, of secular pleasures, of putting family and friends ahead of God, of striving to accumulate more “stuff” - money, positions, and prestigious possessions – the “stuff” of earth? In our efforts to be welcoming of others, have we also become welcoming of the things they believe and the things they do? In our outreach to the unchurched, do we try to entice them with the “niceties” of the church, of the “fun” part of faith - the dinners, the fellowship, the warmth of the people?
or do we tell them about our missions and ministries and worship and
the opportunities that we all have for spiritual growth in our lives? And the most important issue that is before us is this – have we claimed the cleansing power and the saving grace of Jesus Christ?
Do we claim His crucifixion and resurrection, and the blood that He shed, as the only hope that we have for eternity? Have we made a personal and faithful commitment to claim Him as our salvation and eternal life? Do we claim His teaching as the one true means of worship?
Palm Sunday is a day of the Lord’s jubilant entry into the city of Jerusalem – the day when He began His arduous journey to Calvary and beyond, solely for our sake. And today is also the day when you have the opportunity to jubilantly welcome Jesus into your life and claim the salvation that He has already won for you, and at such a great a cost to Him.
As we sing our last hymn – “Where He leads Me, I Will Follow”, will you consider putting yourself fully in His hands and truly following Him? Will you come to Christ today, and give your all to Him?
For the past 3 weeks, we’ve been taking a closer look at the issue of Salvation in Jesus Christ.
First, we considered the faith of the man who had been born blind, but who seemed to know Jesus far better than the Pharisees did.
Then we took a closer look at him after he had been ejected from the temple, and how he still had a wonderful and over powering faith.
Last week, we considered the renewing of the dry bones that Ezekiel witnessed in that huge valley, and what they had to say about our salvation.
And for those who were able to attend the evening Lenten service at Nichols last week, we considered the call to new life - the call to salvation - in the context of the raising of Lazarus.
Today, we consider the need for Jesus’ cleansing power in our lives, and how our claim on His saving Grace can only come from that - how our salvation must come from that.
We’re going to take our reading for today in a different order – but it will make more sense in a few minutes.
Read Mark 11:15-19
I have read this passage first because these verses are the basis for the others.
Jesus throws the money changers and the sellers of sacrificial animals out of the temple. Now many see this as the cleansing act, but actually, this commercial effort was a necessary part of temple worship. The coinage that was to be offered in temple must be Hebrew, and since many people came from other areas of the world to give their offerings, they needed to obtain the proper type of money. Each region had its own coinage, and the pagan money, which contained the images of pagan deity, was not an acceptable gift to God. As for the livestock, that too, would be offered as a sacrifice and for many, bringing their own birds or lambs from home was not a good option for them. So the marketing effort was a necessity for worship, and Jesus would have understood this.
But His indignation arises from the fact that the money changers were making an obscenely great profit from the exchange, and the livestock that was being sold were not only extremely expensive, but they were far from perfect – broken wings, sickly lambs – all were in the very condition that the Lord had cautioned the people against using as a gift to Him.
The second issue is revealed in verse 17, as He quotes Isaiah 56:6-7.
Key words and thoughts –
“foreigners”, or Gentiles,
who bind themselves to God,
who would worship Him,
who will not desecrate their worship
– these will be welcomed in the Lord’s place of prayer.
In our reading from Mark, Jesus is telling Israel that
this outer court, the place where the travesty of commercialism is occurring, this place that is known as the Court of the Gentiles, the place where any non-Jew could come to worship Jehovah God, is also His “house of worship and prayer”.
He is placing the same level of honor on the non Jews who will worship him, as he does the people of Israel who will give Him that honor, and their place of worship was being desecrated and demeaned.
Sacrilege is sacrilege, regardless of where it occurs and who commits it.
And the third point that we must consider in Mark is this – Jesus is claiming authority over all worship in the temple – not over just that from those who would claim that they are righteous, but from those who would seek His righteousness.
So, when we put these points all together, we discover that
Jesus, and Jesus alone, determines what is acceptable in His sight, and what is not.
Jesus, and Jesus alone, defines what is righteousness and what a righteous life is all about, and He alone defines what is not.
The people have no say in defining what is truly honoring to God, and what is not – we can only act in response to what Jesus has taught!
Read Mark 11:12-14
Was Jesus really angry at the tree for not producing fruit when He wanted it? That’s what some folks would take from this, but the truth is that it is a prophesy against the temple, and in our case, against the church.
The temple of the 1st century was not producing fruit, and the people were actually desecrating the place of worship by not taking the call to sacrifice seriously, by not taking their call to righteousness seriously, by deciding to make their own way in the world instead of following the Lord’s way.
And He proclaims that same judgment on the church of the 21st century. Are we being “fruitless” by allowing worldly interpretations of the scriptures into our worship and lives? By attempting to define our path to salvation in ways that please us, that simplify our expression of faith, that conform to secular ways, expectations and demands?
Jesus didn’t hate the tree – it was simply offered as a symbol of His disdain of the direction that the temple, and now the church, was headed in. Even though the tree was obviously living, it was fruitless.
The temple was still in existence, performing all of its ritual, but it was faithless and fruitless.
The church is still in existence, but we must also ask this question of ourselves –
is the Church Universal - is the United Methodist church - is our church, more actively involved in issues of faith, than it is in simply keeping the doors open? Is it faithful in worship – both in formal and informal ways and times – and is it producing spiritual fruit? Is it bringing souls to Christ, and not just through the doors and to the offering plate? Is it truly honoring our Lord Jesus Christ in ways that He has prescribed, and not simply in a worldly sense?
Read Mark 11:20-25
We are called to live a complete and Godly life, not one of our own making! The fig tree was cursed, and it withered. The temple life was cursed by its own hand, and it withered. And in the context of today, we can’t become so complacent in our Christian lives that we are cursed, too – we need to become fruitful once again – we need to allow Christ’s cleansing to rid us of the worldly influences that are always sneaking in and dragging us down.
So how do we do this?
First, Jesus tells us that we must have faith in God – not a superficial faith, not a shallow faith, not a limited faith, not a self defined faith –but one that is in and of Him. Are we being influenced and controlled
by the lies of society? By personal addictions? By worldly friends and family? By other faith practices? By false teachings? Has idol worship become a way of life for us – the idols of career, of having fun at the expense of faith, of secular pleasures, of putting family and friends ahead of God, of striving to accumulate more “stuff” - money, positions, and prestigious possessions – the “stuff” of earth? In our efforts to be welcoming of others, have we also become welcoming of the things they believe and the things they do? In our outreach to the unchurched, do we try to entice them with the “niceties” of the church, of the “fun” part of faith - the dinners, the fellowship, the warmth of the people?
or do we tell them about our missions and ministries and worship and
the opportunities that we all have for spiritual growth in our lives? And the most important issue that is before us is this – have we claimed the cleansing power and the saving grace of Jesus Christ?
Do we claim His crucifixion and resurrection, and the blood that He shed, as the only hope that we have for eternity? Have we made a personal and faithful commitment to claim Him as our salvation and eternal life? Do we claim His teaching as the one true means of worship?
Palm Sunday is a day of the Lord’s jubilant entry into the city of Jerusalem – the day when He began His arduous journey to Calvary and beyond, solely for our sake. And today is also the day when you have the opportunity to jubilantly welcome Jesus into your life and claim the salvation that He has already won for you, and at such a great a cost to Him.
As we sing our last hymn – “Where He leads Me, I Will Follow”, will you consider putting yourself fully in His hands and truly following Him? Will you come to Christ today, and give your all to Him?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
“From the Word, New Life!”
Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14
It’s been said that there are four main groups of bones in every organization. The wish-bones: Wishing somebody would do something about the problem. The jaw-bones: Doing all the talking but very little else. The knuckle-bones: Those who knock everything. The back-bones: Those who carry the brunt of the load and do most of the work.
- Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, 16-17.
And the eternal question will always be “How do we get all of these bones to start working together?” Each of them could have a good purpose and could contribute in great ways toward strengthening the organization - the “wish-bones” could develop a vision and implementation plan for the future of the organization; the “jaw-bones” could promote the group and to be involved in outreach to others; the “knuckle-bones” could - well, I’m not use what they could do in a positive way, but I’m sure that there is something! And if all began to work together, every organization, from the local Fire Company, to Rotary and JC’s, to our jobs, to the church, would be far better off for it. And the “back-bones” wouldn’t get so tired out and burned out!
Don’t you just wish that all of our “bones” could get reconnected?
Read Ezekiel 37:1-3
Was this the remains of a great army from years gone by? Were they the bones of a civilization that had suddenly perished? A ravaged city? A burial place that had been uncovered by some natural disaster? No one knows, but there is was – a valley floor littered with countless bleached dry and decaying bones.
If the Lord had asked you that question – “Can these bones live?”, what would you have said? Smart money would have been on “Are you serious? They are deader than dead!” But a second question is also raised – “Can there ever be life beyond death?” And now, with this new question, we just might get a solid Christian answer – and hopefully it would be a resounding “Yes!” Yes, there is life beyond death, but only for those who are in Jesus Christ!
So, for just a minute, let’s think about this valley as representing a dying congregation. There’s no ministry or evangelism to speak of, no mission, no enthusiasm, no vision for the future. The laity’s idea of mission and outreach is that it’s the pastor’s job. They think that the pastor should be visiting every home in the area to bring fresh life into the congregation, but when the pastor suggests changes to the worship service to make it more alive, or to make drastic changes to the administrative organization, or in the role and involvement of the membership, a not-so-quiet revolution begins to develop, and a new pastor, one who won’t make so many waves, is soon brought in.
That type of church is just one generation away from extinction, and maybe not even that long.
Without revival, without a new spirit in each and every person, without a faith that goes beyond the “impending death”, the inevitable will happen.
But when the people put their hope in the Lord, when they begin to grow in faith, when they are willing to follow the leading of God’s Holy Spirit in all aspects of their lives, the “life” that is missing can and will return.
In Charles Sheldon’s book “In His Steps”, a congregation and its pastor are immersed in a slow spiral of death. There is no fire in the worship, no faith in the congregation, until one day, a homeless man who is out of a job enters their lives, and he shows up at worship that Sunday. And he rhetorically asks this question of no one in particular - “What did he [Jesus] mean when he said: 'Follow me?' The minister said" -- here the man turned about and looked up at the pulpit -- "that it is necessary for the disciple of Jesus to follow his steps, and he said the steps were obedience, faith, love and imitation. What do you Christians mean by following the steps of Jesus?”
This is the beginning of the restoration of “flesh” on the dry bones of this church. And the now-famous phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” would be born.
Read Ezekiel 37:4-8
Was this how the church in Sheldon’s novel began to grow – was this the beginning of love and victory and glory and unbridled happiness for all of the people? Not on your life! The homeless man continues “Of course, I understand you can't all go out of your way to hunt jobs for people like me. I'm not asking you to, but what I feel puzzled about is, what is meant by following Jesus? What do you mean when you sing 'I'll go with him, with him, all the way?'”
What does it mean to you when you sing “I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way”?
But back to the book. Later that week, a handful of the congregation meet to consider the man’s questions and the challenge that they bring to their lives. And the result is that they make a commitment to ask the question “What Would Jesus Do?” before making any decision, whether private, public, professional, personal, relational, major or minor – in all aspects of their lives, for 1 full year. And their lives begin to slowly change – in faith, for the better, but in the world, for the worse.
In Ezekiel’s case, it took the prophesying of a man, in the name of God, to bring new life to the dry bones. In the case of Charles Sheldon’s First Church, it took the prophesying of a homeless man, in the name of God, to inspire the renewing of the people.
Read Ezekiel 37: 9-14
Thomas Merton writes:
As long as we are on Earth, the love that unites us will bring us suffering by our very contact with one another, because this love is the resetting of a Body of broken bones. Even saints cannot live with saints on this earth without some anguish, without some pain at the differences that come between them.
-Thomas Merton, A Thomas Merton Reader, ed. Thomas P. McDonnell, (New York: Image Books, 1974), 320.
What is the cause of death in the church? Simply, it’s a lacking of the Spirit! Verse 14 begins with “I will put my spirit in you and you will live ..” Israel had forgotten what it was like to have the Lord’s Spirit within them, and if they would allow Him to replace it, they would live again! No church, no nation, no people will ever pass from this earth if the Spirit of God is alive in them and if they are willing to follow in Jesus’ steps!
But what does it mean for us to “follow in Jesus’ steps”? If you want to know the specifics for your own life, I can’t even begin to tell you. I know where it has taken me in my inadequate attempt to follow Him, but in general, it means that you have to put everything that involves “you” (“me!”) aside – our understanding of “service”, our ideas of “faith”, our perception and desire of what is “right and wrong”, our interpretation of what is involved in “Loving God” and “Loving neighbor”.
It can no longer be about who we are and what we do in church – it becomes a matter of who Jesus wants us to be, and whether we are willing to let Him remake us in that image.
And without that change in each of us, we will continue to be just another pile of dry, scorched, decaying bones that have no life whatsoever in them.
Verse 12 – “Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel; then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord’”
The Lord wants to open our graves, but we can’t keep shoveling the dirt back in if we want to live and walk with Jesus!! Prophesy to the glory of God, proclaim the open grave in your life, rejoice in the new tendons, the new muscle, the new flesh, the new skin, the new breath and life, all that comes from Jesus Christ. One word – one word is all it takes – and that word is “Glory to God”, and our dry bones, the bones of the church, the bones of the world, can live again!
It’s been said that there are four main groups of bones in every organization. The wish-bones: Wishing somebody would do something about the problem. The jaw-bones: Doing all the talking but very little else. The knuckle-bones: Those who knock everything. The back-bones: Those who carry the brunt of the load and do most of the work.
- Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, 16-17.
And the eternal question will always be “How do we get all of these bones to start working together?” Each of them could have a good purpose and could contribute in great ways toward strengthening the organization - the “wish-bones” could develop a vision and implementation plan for the future of the organization; the “jaw-bones” could promote the group and to be involved in outreach to others; the “knuckle-bones” could - well, I’m not use what they could do in a positive way, but I’m sure that there is something! And if all began to work together, every organization, from the local Fire Company, to Rotary and JC’s, to our jobs, to the church, would be far better off for it. And the “back-bones” wouldn’t get so tired out and burned out!
Don’t you just wish that all of our “bones” could get reconnected?
Read Ezekiel 37:1-3
Was this the remains of a great army from years gone by? Were they the bones of a civilization that had suddenly perished? A ravaged city? A burial place that had been uncovered by some natural disaster? No one knows, but there is was – a valley floor littered with countless bleached dry and decaying bones.
If the Lord had asked you that question – “Can these bones live?”, what would you have said? Smart money would have been on “Are you serious? They are deader than dead!” But a second question is also raised – “Can there ever be life beyond death?” And now, with this new question, we just might get a solid Christian answer – and hopefully it would be a resounding “Yes!” Yes, there is life beyond death, but only for those who are in Jesus Christ!
So, for just a minute, let’s think about this valley as representing a dying congregation. There’s no ministry or evangelism to speak of, no mission, no enthusiasm, no vision for the future. The laity’s idea of mission and outreach is that it’s the pastor’s job. They think that the pastor should be visiting every home in the area to bring fresh life into the congregation, but when the pastor suggests changes to the worship service to make it more alive, or to make drastic changes to the administrative organization, or in the role and involvement of the membership, a not-so-quiet revolution begins to develop, and a new pastor, one who won’t make so many waves, is soon brought in.
That type of church is just one generation away from extinction, and maybe not even that long.
Without revival, without a new spirit in each and every person, without a faith that goes beyond the “impending death”, the inevitable will happen.
But when the people put their hope in the Lord, when they begin to grow in faith, when they are willing to follow the leading of God’s Holy Spirit in all aspects of their lives, the “life” that is missing can and will return.
In Charles Sheldon’s book “In His Steps”, a congregation and its pastor are immersed in a slow spiral of death. There is no fire in the worship, no faith in the congregation, until one day, a homeless man who is out of a job enters their lives, and he shows up at worship that Sunday. And he rhetorically asks this question of no one in particular - “What did he [Jesus] mean when he said: 'Follow me?' The minister said" -- here the man turned about and looked up at the pulpit -- "that it is necessary for the disciple of Jesus to follow his steps, and he said the steps were obedience, faith, love and imitation. What do you Christians mean by following the steps of Jesus?”
This is the beginning of the restoration of “flesh” on the dry bones of this church. And the now-famous phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” would be born.
Read Ezekiel 37:4-8
Was this how the church in Sheldon’s novel began to grow – was this the beginning of love and victory and glory and unbridled happiness for all of the people? Not on your life! The homeless man continues “Of course, I understand you can't all go out of your way to hunt jobs for people like me. I'm not asking you to, but what I feel puzzled about is, what is meant by following Jesus? What do you mean when you sing 'I'll go with him, with him, all the way?'”
What does it mean to you when you sing “I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way”?
But back to the book. Later that week, a handful of the congregation meet to consider the man’s questions and the challenge that they bring to their lives. And the result is that they make a commitment to ask the question “What Would Jesus Do?” before making any decision, whether private, public, professional, personal, relational, major or minor – in all aspects of their lives, for 1 full year. And their lives begin to slowly change – in faith, for the better, but in the world, for the worse.
In Ezekiel’s case, it took the prophesying of a man, in the name of God, to bring new life to the dry bones. In the case of Charles Sheldon’s First Church, it took the prophesying of a homeless man, in the name of God, to inspire the renewing of the people.
Read Ezekiel 37: 9-14
Thomas Merton writes:
As long as we are on Earth, the love that unites us will bring us suffering by our very contact with one another, because this love is the resetting of a Body of broken bones. Even saints cannot live with saints on this earth without some anguish, without some pain at the differences that come between them.
-Thomas Merton, A Thomas Merton Reader, ed. Thomas P. McDonnell, (New York: Image Books, 1974), 320.
What is the cause of death in the church? Simply, it’s a lacking of the Spirit! Verse 14 begins with “I will put my spirit in you and you will live ..” Israel had forgotten what it was like to have the Lord’s Spirit within them, and if they would allow Him to replace it, they would live again! No church, no nation, no people will ever pass from this earth if the Spirit of God is alive in them and if they are willing to follow in Jesus’ steps!
But what does it mean for us to “follow in Jesus’ steps”? If you want to know the specifics for your own life, I can’t even begin to tell you. I know where it has taken me in my inadequate attempt to follow Him, but in general, it means that you have to put everything that involves “you” (“me!”) aside – our understanding of “service”, our ideas of “faith”, our perception and desire of what is “right and wrong”, our interpretation of what is involved in “Loving God” and “Loving neighbor”.
It can no longer be about who we are and what we do in church – it becomes a matter of who Jesus wants us to be, and whether we are willing to let Him remake us in that image.
And without that change in each of us, we will continue to be just another pile of dry, scorched, decaying bones that have no life whatsoever in them.
Verse 12 – “Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel; then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord’”
The Lord wants to open our graves, but we can’t keep shoveling the dirt back in if we want to live and walk with Jesus!! Prophesy to the glory of God, proclaim the open grave in your life, rejoice in the new tendons, the new muscle, the new flesh, the new skin, the new breath and life, all that comes from Jesus Christ. One word – one word is all it takes – and that word is “Glory to God”, and our dry bones, the bones of the church, the bones of the world, can live again!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
“Don’t Just Pretend!”
Scripture: John 9:35-41
Did you ever play “Blind Man’s Bluff” when you were a kid? The name is actually “Blind Man’s Buff” – buff means a small push, like a tag. The children’s game is believed to originated in China in the 6th century, and the object of the game wasn’t much different than it is today – the “blind” person tries to tag another child, and then that child become it. The Chinese name for the game literally means “to bid to take the place of”.
The one who is tagged takes the place of the blind one.
Has a rather Christian overtone, doesn’t it. We wander around in our “worldly blindness”, and when we finally put our hands on Christ, we discover that he has been waiting to take our place, and as we get closer and closer to him, we soon discover that he has already done that!
In the case of the blind man from the message last week, he touched Christ when he received the healing. When Jesus gave sight to the man, he took the role of “blindness” away, and the man then took Christ’s place in witnessing to the Pharisees.
Today, we see the man after he was thrown out of the temple. Jesus has heard about the incident (as if he actually had to hear!), and has found him.
Read John 9:35-38
“Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
He had new eyes, and they were working very well! Some would tell us that he only believed because Jesus healed him, and simply wanted to please the one who had accomplished the miracle. But when we read the earlier verses regarding the miracle itself, we discover that the man had never seen Jesus before this most recent encounter. He was still blind when he went to wash the mud off at the Pool of Siloam, and from there he went home, and then to the Pharisees! He had no idea as to who he was talking to! Jesus asks “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”, and the man replies “Tell me who He is so that I may believe in Him.” He proclaims his desire to believe before he even knows Jesus.
Remember last week, when we talked about having “Jesus Eyes”? This man did! He had newly restored physical eyes, made new by the Lord, and his spiritual eyes had become clearer than they have ever been before!
But how about the Pharisees? How was their vision?
Read John 9:39-41
The Pharisees were being more than just rhetorical! They were insulted! The insinuation that they may have been blind, whether actually or metaphorically, implied that they were sinners! How dare he! They? Sinners? Never! Why, they had the clearest spiritual vision of anyone in all of Israel! Blind? Just who did this Jesus think he was? The arrogance!
And so we come to the question for today – who had the true vision? The one who saw the truth of glory, or the ones who pretended to see it? The truth is that the Pharisees, the ones who had studied the scriptures over and over again, were only seeing what they thought was the truth, what they thought was important for their lives.
It was 17 December 1903. From Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur sent their sister a telegram. “Sustained flight for 59 seconds. Hope to be home for Christmas.” She found their successful flight extraordinary news, so she took the telegram to the local Dayton paper. The next day a small headline on a back page read: “Popular bicycle merchants to be home for Christmas.” Sometimes we miss the extraordinary because we are blinded by the ordinary.
—James R. Noland, “Up, up and away,” May 27, 2001, The Church of the Good Shepherd Web Site, goodshepherdva.com.
Seeing only what we want to see is no less debilitating than blindness itself. It keeps us from experiencing the richness of life, it keeps us living within the unexpected, it prevents us from being part of the truly amazing.
The blind man, even in his handicap, had clearer vision than the learned men of Israel. This man allowed Jesus to cover his eyes with mud, and then when he was told to go to Siloam and wash, he never questioned the order. He just did, with his new faith guiding him.
The Pharisees had seen, probably on a daily basis, far more of what Jesus was able to do and heard more of what he had been teaching than anyone else, but since it didn’t match up with what they wanted to believe, they could never see the truth of God in him. They could have been the ones who were the greatest disciples, sharing the glory of God with the masses, and through them, the word would have spread like wildfire. But instead, they chose to believe the lie that they themselves had fabricated, and in doing so, they missed out on the greatest experience of all time.
In a small college town, a tavern frequented by students ran the following ad in the campus paper during the days before Parents' Weekend: “Bring Your Parents in for Lunch Saturday. We'll Pretend We Don't Know You.”
The ad was soon challenged by the college chaplain, who posted a similar, but radically different version on the campus bulletin board. It read: “Bring Your Parents to Chapel Sunday. We'll Pretend We Know You Well.”
-Cited in C. Thomas Hilton, Be My Guest, Sermons On The Lord's Supper (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991), 89.
Now on a personal note, the college chaplain was just as much in the wrong as the bartender was. Obviously, we should never pretend that we don’t have a habit that we actually do have, But we also must never pretend that we have a faith that we don’t really live. The man who had been blind was probably at the lower end of the social scale and had never really been allowed to live a full life in faith. On the other hand, the Pharisees had every advantage that life could bring, and they, above all, had the opportunity to live out a true and overflowing faithfulness. And who was it that discovered the abundant richness of Christ? That’s right – the one who never ventured into a life of pretense, who saw no advantage in pretending to be righteous, the one who took the step in faith and not in sight, the one who believed with spiritual eyes before he was ever able to see with his earthly ones.
So where are we? The Pharisees were caught up in doing what they believed the law was telling them to do. They saw their “righteous works” as their means to salvation. And they were wrong. They needed to listen to the man who had been blind but who now could see, the one who was uneducated by worldly standards, but who had received the wisdom of the heavens.
Is this where you are, or are you walking on the same path as the man who was healed – the one that Jesus Christ has paved for us?
Are you making your faith in Christ your first priority, or are you still trying to prove to the Lord just how worthy you really are?
Are you studying his Word and praying for his guidance daily? And by the way, are you following that word and guidance?
Have you come to Jesus, right where you are, and told him “Lord, I believe!” Have you confessed your love to Christ for “bidding to take your place” on the cross, and have you “bid to take his place” in witnessing to the world?
Don’t just pretend that you love the Lord, don’t just pretend that you’re a Christian – actually become one, and live as one in faith.
Did you ever play “Blind Man’s Bluff” when you were a kid? The name is actually “Blind Man’s Buff” – buff means a small push, like a tag. The children’s game is believed to originated in China in the 6th century, and the object of the game wasn’t much different than it is today – the “blind” person tries to tag another child, and then that child become it. The Chinese name for the game literally means “to bid to take the place of”.
The one who is tagged takes the place of the blind one.
Has a rather Christian overtone, doesn’t it. We wander around in our “worldly blindness”, and when we finally put our hands on Christ, we discover that he has been waiting to take our place, and as we get closer and closer to him, we soon discover that he has already done that!
In the case of the blind man from the message last week, he touched Christ when he received the healing. When Jesus gave sight to the man, he took the role of “blindness” away, and the man then took Christ’s place in witnessing to the Pharisees.
Today, we see the man after he was thrown out of the temple. Jesus has heard about the incident (as if he actually had to hear!), and has found him.
Read John 9:35-38
“Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
He had new eyes, and they were working very well! Some would tell us that he only believed because Jesus healed him, and simply wanted to please the one who had accomplished the miracle. But when we read the earlier verses regarding the miracle itself, we discover that the man had never seen Jesus before this most recent encounter. He was still blind when he went to wash the mud off at the Pool of Siloam, and from there he went home, and then to the Pharisees! He had no idea as to who he was talking to! Jesus asks “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”, and the man replies “Tell me who He is so that I may believe in Him.” He proclaims his desire to believe before he even knows Jesus.
Remember last week, when we talked about having “Jesus Eyes”? This man did! He had newly restored physical eyes, made new by the Lord, and his spiritual eyes had become clearer than they have ever been before!
But how about the Pharisees? How was their vision?
Read John 9:39-41
The Pharisees were being more than just rhetorical! They were insulted! The insinuation that they may have been blind, whether actually or metaphorically, implied that they were sinners! How dare he! They? Sinners? Never! Why, they had the clearest spiritual vision of anyone in all of Israel! Blind? Just who did this Jesus think he was? The arrogance!
And so we come to the question for today – who had the true vision? The one who saw the truth of glory, or the ones who pretended to see it? The truth is that the Pharisees, the ones who had studied the scriptures over and over again, were only seeing what they thought was the truth, what they thought was important for their lives.
It was 17 December 1903. From Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur sent their sister a telegram. “Sustained flight for 59 seconds. Hope to be home for Christmas.” She found their successful flight extraordinary news, so she took the telegram to the local Dayton paper. The next day a small headline on a back page read: “Popular bicycle merchants to be home for Christmas.” Sometimes we miss the extraordinary because we are blinded by the ordinary.
—James R. Noland, “Up, up and away,” May 27, 2001, The Church of the Good Shepherd Web Site, goodshepherdva.com.
Seeing only what we want to see is no less debilitating than blindness itself. It keeps us from experiencing the richness of life, it keeps us living within the unexpected, it prevents us from being part of the truly amazing.
The blind man, even in his handicap, had clearer vision than the learned men of Israel. This man allowed Jesus to cover his eyes with mud, and then when he was told to go to Siloam and wash, he never questioned the order. He just did, with his new faith guiding him.
The Pharisees had seen, probably on a daily basis, far more of what Jesus was able to do and heard more of what he had been teaching than anyone else, but since it didn’t match up with what they wanted to believe, they could never see the truth of God in him. They could have been the ones who were the greatest disciples, sharing the glory of God with the masses, and through them, the word would have spread like wildfire. But instead, they chose to believe the lie that they themselves had fabricated, and in doing so, they missed out on the greatest experience of all time.
In a small college town, a tavern frequented by students ran the following ad in the campus paper during the days before Parents' Weekend: “Bring Your Parents in for Lunch Saturday. We'll Pretend We Don't Know You.”
The ad was soon challenged by the college chaplain, who posted a similar, but radically different version on the campus bulletin board. It read: “Bring Your Parents to Chapel Sunday. We'll Pretend We Know You Well.”
-Cited in C. Thomas Hilton, Be My Guest, Sermons On The Lord's Supper (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991), 89.
Now on a personal note, the college chaplain was just as much in the wrong as the bartender was. Obviously, we should never pretend that we don’t have a habit that we actually do have, But we also must never pretend that we have a faith that we don’t really live. The man who had been blind was probably at the lower end of the social scale and had never really been allowed to live a full life in faith. On the other hand, the Pharisees had every advantage that life could bring, and they, above all, had the opportunity to live out a true and overflowing faithfulness. And who was it that discovered the abundant richness of Christ? That’s right – the one who never ventured into a life of pretense, who saw no advantage in pretending to be righteous, the one who took the step in faith and not in sight, the one who believed with spiritual eyes before he was ever able to see with his earthly ones.
So where are we? The Pharisees were caught up in doing what they believed the law was telling them to do. They saw their “righteous works” as their means to salvation. And they were wrong. They needed to listen to the man who had been blind but who now could see, the one who was uneducated by worldly standards, but who had received the wisdom of the heavens.
Is this where you are, or are you walking on the same path as the man who was healed – the one that Jesus Christ has paved for us?
Are you making your faith in Christ your first priority, or are you still trying to prove to the Lord just how worthy you really are?
Are you studying his Word and praying for his guidance daily? And by the way, are you following that word and guidance?
Have you come to Jesus, right where you are, and told him “Lord, I believe!” Have you confessed your love to Christ for “bidding to take your place” on the cross, and have you “bid to take his place” in witnessing to the world?
Don’t just pretend that you love the Lord, don’t just pretend that you’re a Christian – actually become one, and live as one in faith.
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