11-27-16 Who is going fishing this Christmas?

Scripture   Philippians 2:6-11 

Who is going fishing this Christmas?

All my life I have seen pictures of fish shanties (1) on Lake Eire with people braving the cold stuck in a tiny shack on top of the ice hoping to catch some fish.  Nothing could be less appealing to me than trying to catch fish through a little hole in the ice while it is freezing outside. It’s bad enough going to the cold section of the store to pick up some already fileted fish.

HOWEVER,

Let me suggest that fishing at Christmas is one of the best times of the year to do so. People are more likely to accept an invitation to come to church at Christmas or Easter than at any other time of year. Even the most unchurched people have an idea that Christmas has something to do with the church.

In view of our theme, God sent His son out into the deep to let down his nets for a catch. Listen to this Christmas text and how it describes Jesus going into the deep to let down his nets for a catch – even in the midst of difficult uncomfortable cold ice fishing:

(2) Philippians 2:6-11  Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (How deep did he go from being God in heaven to being a human on earth 2000 years ago?) (Now, watch him go fishing and see the results) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Simply put, the entire Christmas event (Bethlehem, Shepherds, Angels, Herod, Wise Men, a stable and a manger) all of it was God the Father sending His son on the biggest fishing trip known to man. The goal was to go out into the deep, let down his nets to catch as many fish as possible to bring them back home with him. Here’s the thing; Jesus had to return home but the fishing trip still continues. He has asked us to keep fishing and keep filling the boat because he doesn’t want a single fish to flounder. 

At First: Gen 6:17-18  I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

And Then: Gen 9:11   I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

And Now: 2 Peter 3:9   The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

THEREFORE (another great Christmas verse) (3) John 3:16   "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Let’s look at those who serve as an example of sharing the good news that God has sent his son Jesus and does not want any life to go to waste, but all to receive eternal life. This is truly GOOD NEWS.

In the Christmas story who was first to announce the good news?

The Star = appeared before the birth of Christ which told the wise men a king was being born.

Then the angels = Luke 2:10-12 I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Then Mary and Joseph = (would have shared their story with the shepherds.

Then the Shepherds

Then Simeon and Anna

Then Herod’s priest’s and teachers of the law (The Christ is to be born in Bethlehem)

It seems that everyone in the Christmas story, everyone who encountered Jesus, shared this good news with others. In other words, they all became fishers of men. When I think about the shepherds, what did they do after their encounter with Jesus? They spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.

          They went back to work and to their homes. As they went, the shared the good news of Jesus. Jesus wants us to simply do the same – (4) 2 Cor 5:17-20   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors/fishermen, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Get into the net/Be reconciled to God.

          When we revisit our theme – “Go into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”, there is one problem: People are not sitting around waiting for us to tell them about Jesus or invite them to church. One reason we don’t fish is that we know people avoid the net at all costs. But that is how it has always been. As sweet as we make the Christmas story – (5) JESUS CAME UNINVITED INTO THE WORLD.

Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all, Christ has come uninvited. He cannot be at home in it, because He is out of place in it, and yet He must be in it, His place is with those for whom there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in the world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst…, for whom there is no room.

Sharing the good news of great joy is what God did…is what He wants us to do…what we must do. It is not welcome, which is exactly why we do it.

1974 Christmas was my favorite. 11-4-74 I was swimming and swam into His net and he brought me into the boat. That made that Christmas the most special for me…

11-20-16 Faith is NOT enough!

Scripture                                                     Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11-19

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him — and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"  19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

11-13-16 Riding the waves of Thankfulness!

Scripture  1 Thessalonians 5:18

1 Thessalonians 5

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. #blindside – people will be stunned at what is happening!

          But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

          12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

          16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

          19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.

          23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

          25 Brothers, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

          28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Are you dying toward the return of Christ or are you living toward the return of Christ?

Praise and Thanksgiving are not the same – 1^st cousins

Psalm 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 100:4 shows the distinction:

Thanksgiving – Thank God for things (Thank parents for a car – Praise parents for their generosity)

Praise – Praise for who God is

Every day this week write down four things: I thank God for (something I have) I thank God for (someone in my life) I thank God for (something He has done/is doing/will do) I praise God for (aspect of who He is). Bring that list to church next week

5 slides here:

       1) I thank God for SOMETHING I HAVE

       2) I thank God for SOMEONE IN MY LIFE

       3) I thank God for SOMETHING HE HAS DONE/IS DOING/WILL DO

       4) I praise God for A QUALITY OF GOD

        5) (list all four above on one slide)

Here is an example of a man who knew the secret of thanking God even through trials. When he was 7 years of age, his family was forced out of their home, and he went to work. When he was 9, his mother died. He lost his job as a store clerk when he was 20. He wanted to go to law school, but he didn't have the education. At age 23 he went into debt to be a partner in a small store. Three years later the business partner died, and the resulting debt took years to repay.

When he was 28, after courting a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him, and she turned him down. On his third try he was elected to Congress, at age 37, but then failed to be re-elected. His son died at 4 years of age. When this man was 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. At age 47 he ran for the vice-presidency and lost. But at age 51 he was elected president of the United States.

The man was Abraham Lincoln, a man who learned to face discouragement and move beyond it. Did you know that it was Abraham Lincoln who, in the midst of the Civil War, in 1863, established the annual celebration of Thanksgiving? Lincoln had learned how important it is to stop and thank God in the midst of great difficulties.

CONCLUSION

When you are going through trials you don’t need to be all spiritual and say, well I know this is good for me – in fact this is where people so often misinterpret Romans 8:28 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.

Romans 8:31-39

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 

          Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Example of praise and thanksgiving while in struggle but not related to the struggle.

Acts 16:22-32

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

          About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"

          The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

          They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household."

11-06-16 Martha…Martha…Maarrtha!

Scripture  Luke 10:38-42

Example: mint dill cumin – don’t neglect but pay attention to more important things [one is ‘gooder’]

Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

          41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Here’s the story, of a lovely lady,

who was busy making food for her Lord.

She made fish, bread and cheese, like her mother,

And poured some wine to drink.

Here’s the story, of her sister Mary,

who likes sitting and talking with her Lord.

Just the two of them conversing all day

She never felt alone.

Till the one day when Martha got upset

And she said “Jesus make her help me now!”

He said, Martha you are too distracted,

And Mary’s chosen what is right!

What is right

What is right

Mary’s chosen what is right!       

                                                            BY JEFF COOPER Nov. 4 2016

John 11:1-47

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."  (Lois Lane getting news to Clark Kent that Jimmy Olsen is hanging off the empire state building by his fingers which are about to come loose and Superman needs to come quick and save him)

          4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."  5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

          7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

          8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?"

          9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."

          11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."

          12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

          14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

          And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.

Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

          So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

John 12:1-11

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

          7 "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.