04-24-16 Jesus loves ME!

Scripture   Matt 22:37-40

SING:   JESUS LOVES ME!

Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong.

          Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!
          Yes, Jesus loves me!  The Bible tells me so!

Jesus loves me! He will stay, close beside me all the way;
Thou hast bled and died for me, I will henceforth live for Thee.

          Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!
          Yes, Jesus loves me!  The Bible tells me so!

Matt 22:37-40

          Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

                      

Love does not discriminate or require prerequisites.

          Jesus gravitated to the margins of society and spent significant time with those who were considered the fringe of culture. He did not center his attention on the most powerful, popular, or polished. Jesus did not place a standard on the kinds of people he would love and care for. In fact, if he did have bias, it was towards those who were ignored, discarded, or undervalued. How biased or selective is your love for your neighbor?

Care is not just talk. It must be tangible.

          Talk was cheap to Jesus. He did not spend his time talking about how compassionate he was. Jesus embodied love in this world in a way that always considered the physical and spiritual needs of people. While it may be nice to tell others about our hearts for compassion via social platforms like Twitter or Facebook, it’s ultimately our actions that provide care for people. What can you do today to bring tangible care to a neighbor?

Jesus loved each neighbor uniquely     (6 ways he loved his neighbors)

1        TIME                   (Mike Barnes - Wanda)

Levi & Zach Matthew 9:9-13 – eating with sinners

          As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

2        CONVERSATION     (Teddy – Ed)

Woman at the well – spoke to her.   Mary & Martha

3        FOOD        (Beverly – Barb G.)

5000 – hungry so he fed them. Sheep without a shepherd – led them to food and water.

         

4        FORGIVENESS

Woman caught in adultery – saved her and forgave her.

On the cross “Forgive them for they know no what they do.”

John 20:22-23 (Upper Room)  And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

5        TOUCH

Man with leprosy – Matthew 8:1-4 – Jesus touched him

Matthew 8:2-4

          A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Jesus said, "I am willing, be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."   Matthew 8:1  When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. Jesus did this publically as an example of how we should love our neighbor.

Mark 10:13-16

          People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Matthew 9:27-31

          As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"  When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  "Yes, Lord," they replied.  Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this."  But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

Mark 7:32-37

          There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.  He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" ("Be opened!").  At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.  Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

INTERNET QUOTE ABOUT PHYSICAL CONTACT:

          Physical contact distinguishes humans from other animals. From a warm handshake or sympathetic hug to a congratulatory pat on the back, we have developed complex languages, cultures, and emotional expression through physical contact. But in a tech-saturated world, non-sexual human touch is in danger of becoming obsolete.       Humans become nearly unrecogniz-able in the absence of touch. (You Tube Feral Children)

Scientific research now correlates physical touch with the following important areas:

1.    Decreased violence. Less touch as a child leads to greater violence. American developmental psychologist James W. Prescott proposed that the origins of violence in society were related to the lack of mother-child bonding. Child developmental research illustrates that the absence of physical bonding and healthy attachment between an adult and child may result in lifelong emotional disturbances.

2.    Greater trust between individuals. Touch helps to bond people together. Neuroscientist Edmund Ross, found that physical touch activates the brain's orbitofrontal cortex, linked to feelings of reward and compassion. "Studies show that a simple touch can trigger release of oxytocin, aka 'the love or compassion hormone.'"

3.    Decreased disease and stronger immune system.  Physical touch may also decrease disease. According to research conducted at the University of North Carolina, women who receive more hugs from their partners have lower heart rates and blood pressure: “Hugs strengthen the immune system...The gentle pressure on the sternum and the emotional charge this creates activates the Solar Plexus Chakra. This stimulates the thymus gland, which regulates and balances the body’s production of white blood cells, which keeps you healthy and disease free.” 

4.    Stronger team dynamics. Paul Zak, author of The Moral Molecule, argues, “We touch to initiate and sustain cooperation.” He conducted a “neuroeconomics” study from which he argues that hugs or handshakes are likely to cause the release of the neurochemical oxytocin, which increases the chances that a person will treat you “like family," even it you just met.

5.    Greater learning engagement. When teachers touch students platonically, it encourages their learning. French psychologist Nicolas Guéguen reports that when teachers pat students in a friendly way, those students are three times as likely to speak up in class.

6.    Overall well-being. Physical touch is the foundational element of human development and culture. The growing preoccupation with digital media versus personal physical contact, combined with the social and legal restrictions over physical contact in our schools and workplaces, may unintentionally affect our overall well-being negatively.

6        PEACE

Fisherman on a boat during a storm – he calms the sea Mt 8:23-27

          Luke 24:36  While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

          John 14:27   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

His love has an equality to it – Mt 20:1-16   RETELL: Workers in the vineyard

TODAY: He loves us where we are. We are so different. He loves us uniquely but loves us equally.  We must do the same!

SING:   JESUS LOVES ME!

Jesus loves them, this I know, they need time and food to grow;

Conversation, Forgiveness and touch; They need peace from you so much.

          Yes, Jesus loves them!  Yes, Jesus loves them!
          Yes, Jesus loves them!  The Bible tells me so!

Jesus loves them He will stay, close beside them all the way;
He wants us to do the same, To show them love in Jesus name.

          Yes, Jesus loves them!  Yes, Jesus loves them!
          Yes, Jesus loves them!  The Bible tells me so!

04-17-16 Don’t Worry; Be Happy!

Scripture     Matthew 6:25-34

Matt 6:25-34

          "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

          28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Familiar with Footprints by Mary Stevenson? I will share it at the end of the message – but another version was written – author unknown, but has a good sense of humor.

Butt Prints In The Sand

One night I had a wondrous dream, One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord, But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared, And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat, "But Lord they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones, "For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith, But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow, The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up, and there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time, when one must fight, and one must climb.
When one must rise and take a stand, or leave their butt prints in the sand."

WORRY QUOTES

          T.D. Jakes - I’ll give you some symptoms of a sign that your faith is deteriorating–whenever you face all of your problems and you trust only your plans to get you out–it is a sign that your faith is deteriorating.

          Max Lucado - No one can pray and worry at the same time.

          Josh McDowell - Knowing that God is faithful, it really helps me to not be captivated by worry. But knowing that He will do what He has said, He will cause it to happen, whatever He has promised, and then it causes me to be less involved in worrying about a situation.

          John MacArthur  - Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other.

          Corrie Ten Boom - Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.

THE GIDEON IN ALL OF US

     In facing problems there is a good deal of Gideon in all of us.  Judges chapter 6 has Gideon’s story. 

     He was an Israelite in the days before Israel had kings.  They were periodically oppressed by their enemies round about.  God from time to time would raise up a charismatic military leader to govern them and guide them in defeating their enemies.

     In Gideon’s day the Israelites had fallen into the trap of thinking that because the Midianites and Amelekites pillaged them at will, God was no longer with them.  But their enemies were not their problem.  Their real problem was they had turned away from trusting in the Lord. 

     In Gideon’s low, depressing times God broke through to him to show that He had not forgotten nor forsaken them.  This happened as Gideon was hiding his agricultural produce and himself at night in his father’s winepress to avoid the night raids of the Amalekites and Midianites.

     An angel, a messenger of the Lord came to this scared Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”  At first, these words appeared to be a great contradiction.

     But problem filled Gideon answered with near blasphemy, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?  And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about saying ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’  But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (Judges 6: 13).  Gideon, like most people had a wrong view of God’s blessings, equating them only with miracles.

     But the greatest miracle is what God has put within us.  So God answers Gideon in verse 14, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.” 

     Gideon quits criticizing God and starts making excuses when responsibility for solving the problem is placed on his shoulders.  At that time God gave Gideon a promise, “Surely I will be with you and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”  (Verse 16).

     The solution was within Gideon himself, as it is within us, and when he trusted God’s guidance and followed it an innate courage and ability rose up within him and he worked some miraculous defeats of the enemy by the grace of God.

     The Kingdom of God being within us means God has placed within us already all the spiritual power and resources we need to handle every moment and situation of life successfully well.  We must trust and obey.

          When Gideon doubted God assured him with a fleece then overhearing a conversation.

BATHE YOUR WORRIES, PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES IN SCRIPTURE

JESUS SAYS…

          Matthew 11:28-30  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

          Luke 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

          John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

PEACE

          Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

          2 Thessalonians 3:16  Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

          Psalm 55:22  Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

ANXIETY

          Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

          Philippians 4:6-7  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

          1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

DO NOT FEAR

          Psalm 23:4  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

          Isaiah 43:1-3  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob,  he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;  I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;  and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

          Hebrews 13:6 So we can confidently say,  “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

MORE WORRY

          Psalm 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God.

          Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

          Psalm 121:1-2  I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

          Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

          Romans 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

          Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Footprints

One night I had a dream--I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints, one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life, there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most, you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

...Mary Stevenson

            Jesus loves us by assuring us that even when we have a reason to worry – we don’t need to live like the world lives and we can boost up others in times of worry with the very power of God’s Holy Spirit.

04-10-16 HOWEVER!

Scripture    Matthew 4:12-17;  Mark 6:30-34

            When I became a Christian I quickly realized that learning to love like Jesus loved meant there was one person I had the responsibility of insuring knew Jesus primarily through the study of His word – the bible.  The person I was responsible to teach, was me. How could I do that? I was a new Christian – shouldn’t someone else be responsible for my spiritual understanding and growth? NO!  Someone else did not put their faith in Jesus for me, I did that – I was and am still responsible. HOWEVER, I couldn’t do that alone, I needed tools and help. So I got a bible that worked for me – I went to worship to hear good preaching – I went to Bible study at church and to Sunday school. I went to youth group where we had more study. I went to hear speakers at youth conventions and camps – with friends, we started bible studies in our homes and at our school. I became involved on a region/state level of leading peers in Bible study and shared the bible at the juvenile detention center once a month.  I began learning and sharing the Jesus of the Bible through drama’s and musicals and went witnessing at the local shopping mall.  I learned about the love of Jesus and began to share the love of Jesus and His word through involvement with my church and other Christian friends. That was my responsibility. HOWEVER, I needed the help and support of my church.

          I married a tremendous beautiful Christian woman who grew up in the church but had a very similar faith and experiences as I had had and we were involved in some of the same Christian growth experiences and leadership opportunities.  Then we had not one but two children; whose responsibility was it to teach them how Jesus loves them and eventually how to love like Jesus loves? Was it the responsibility of our children? NO! It was and is our responsibility. They were too young to have their own faith. They couldn’t read the bible, they couldn’t drive themselves to church in their stroller. It was up to us to read bible stories and sing Christian songs and take them to church EVERY SUNDAY and make sure the church provided quality teaching for them and if it didn’t to help make it happen for them and other children. But we could not do that alone, we needed the church’s we were a part of and the pastor and church leadership and Sunday school teachers and youth leaders. Eventually all of this became the responsibility of our children themselves once they came to their own faith in Jesus – HOWEVER, for us, our responsibility to ensure they know the love of Jesus and how to love like Jesus never stops – we become a part of their help and encouragement and support.

          (Example: My children learned from us that you go to a corporate worship/preaching event at least once a week, and if you can’t, you create your own. My children have rarely missed a Sunday of worship in their entire lives – not because they were required – but because it is a reminder that Jesus loves them and a way for them to show others how Jesus loves. Because of physical issues with our grandbaby, Gretchen and Gary have struggled with this for the past few weeks – esp. Palm Sunday being Gretchen’s favorite Sunday of the year. I was hoping all would be well and we would all go but realized quickly this would not be possible. The local church started at 10:30 and Kim was able to provide the support they needed for an hour without me and at 10:20 they are like – GO, you can make it on time. They wanted to be there but couldn’t but knew how important it is to me and I hustled to church and worshipped on behalf of my family and returned to them as soon as it was over. – I am still teaching – (some people would say – I think the preacher would be OK missing one Sunday going to church. HOWEVER, I would say, I am still responsible for my spiritual growth and that of my family and must provide an example in what I do, not just what I say.)

          I have pastored several tremendous churches. Youth pastor at three, associate pastor at one, Senior pastor at Owl Creek Baptist in Mt. Vernon, Ohio 2 ½ years, Senior Pastor at FBC Urbana, Ohio 11 years, Founding pastor at Living Water Community Church  New Albany, Ohio 3 years and merged with Southwest Licking Community Baptist church in Pataskala, Ohio for 3 years and FBC Twin Falls, Idaho for almost 9 years and will begin June 1 at Ashland Baptist Church in Oregon, Ohio (a suburb of Toledo).

          Who is responsible for the spiritual growth, understanding of the Bible and learning how to love like Jesus in each of those churches I just mentioned? Me? NO! Well yes and no. Just like I am responsible for Jeff Cooper so each person is responsible for themselves. HOWEVER, I am one part of a support system that Jesus set up over 2000 years ago called the church.  Me along with Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, choir directors, Deacons, children and youth leaders and every member of the congregation. I am no more important in that group of people than anyone else. We are all called to do our part and when someone does not fulfil their call to their part in the support system, someone is not being taught or led by example in what it means to be loved by Jesus and love like Jesus loved. What we do as people of God has eternal consequences and when we take that responsibility and privilege lightly we fail to do for others what those before…did for us.

          Preaching is my call and it may be so for a few people here but not the majority. But everyone is called to be a part of the ministry that is responsible for sharing and teaching the love of Jesus to sinner and saint alike. AND all parents are called equally to be responsible for their children and what I now know – though Gary and Gretchen are responsible for the spiritual upbringing of their son – and he is in capable godly hands – Kim and I are also responsible to do all we can to teach our grandson that they are loved by Jesus and eventually how to love like Jesus loves.

Matt 4:12-17

          When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."  17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

          Matthew tells us that Capernaum is, in the “territory of Zebulun and Naphtali”. Zebulun and Naphtali were the very first tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel deported by the Assyrians 700 years before Matthew wrote. It has been an extremely long time since that region was called the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. Matthew is trying to get us to think historically.  He then follows this up with Isaiah 9:1-2. His point?  That Jesus — the son of David — is beginning his restoration of the Davidic kingdom (and his transformation of that into the kingdom of heaven) at ground zero where God’s covenant judgment had fallen seven centuries before.

          The King is at ground zero preaching the good news of the kingdom HOWEVER, also that they are responsible to turn back toward God and He will teach them and set up a system of support for them to know and share the love of His kingdom on earth. His love is never meant to be kept to oneself – he meant for us to give it away.

>>>>>>>>> Mark 6:30-34

          The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. (that mean they were teaching others about Jesus love) Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." (While sharing with others we also need to make sure we take care of ourselves and get renewed) So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.      But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Jesus was always teaching and raising up his followers to teach and to love like he loved. This pastor will be leaving this place which only means you will be getting another teacher/preacher. You are still the one responsible for your spiritual growth. The great shepherd is still watching over you. Some of what I have taught you hopefully goes with you (sermons are like food – don’t remember the menu but need them to be well fed). Don’t take the easy path while the pastoral search process goes on – dig in HOWEVER you can so that you will fully know the love of Jesus and share love like Jesus shares it with you.

4-3-16 It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Scripture      Luke 10:25-37

DRAMATIZED STORY: Modern day version of “The Good Samaritan” Mormon & Christian

          Down center isle The road where I got beat up after going to the ATM. Pastor and Pillar of the church went by and didn’t help. A Mormon/Muslim came by called 911 went to the hosp w/ me and visited me every day, read the bible to me and prayed for me.

Luke 10:25-37

          On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27 He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

        It seems he doesn’t question his love for God – how can that be proven? But love of neighbor…He wanted the scope – next door neighbor? Just Jewish neighbors? Just my geographical neighbors? Just family? Who is my neighbor – certainly not sinners.

Here is a former pastor and theologian that can shed insight on who our neighbor is: PLAY VIDEO “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” song.  Not everyone according to apocryphal scripture:

Sirach, also known as “Ecclesiasticus” or the “Wisdom of Sirach,” is one of 12–15 books generally recognized as comprising the Apocrypha (hidden writings) written in the 400 years between the OT and NT not included in Jewish canon or ever quoted by Jesus – they are part of the Catholic Bible).

Sirach 12:1-4New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

“If you do good, know to whom you do it, and you will be thanked for your good deeds.  2 Do good to the devout, and you will be repaid—if not by them, certainly by the Most High.  3 No good comes to one who persists in evil or to one who does not give alms.  4 Give to the devout, but do not help the sinner.”

HOWEVER, Jesus had a reply to this: 30 "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

          Priest may have been on a donkey – the upper class of temple servants. May have just finished 2 weeks of service. Cannot get closer than 4 cubits (6 feet) of a dead body or will be defiled which means he cant get close enough to see if this non Jew is dead so he crosses to the other side of the road. It would cost a great deal of time and money if he became defiled form even being close to a dead body – he was ready to get back to see his family.

          Behind him comes a Levite who serve the priests and are financially a lower class –probably on foot and can see ahead on this long road that the priest passed by and figured he might as well do the same (we so often don’t consider what example we are leaving for others).

          And so the man lies there dying in desperate need of help or he will die and those who were required to help him did not but they also would have become defiled and it would have cost them a great sacrifice to show love to this man. Jesus continues the story:

33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

          He Samaritan is a half Jew like a mormon is a half Christian. They have aspects of the truth but miss critical realities for it to be the truth. Yet he doesn’t worry about what it will cost because he has compassion on the man – he can imagine himself lying there and needing help – or his own brother or child and what he would want others to do for him and he does not hesitate and spends 2 days wages and offers more if needed. He walks and puts the man on his donkey and leads him to a safe place to get help. He makes certain the man will be cared for. Then Jesus asks the lawyer…?

          36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Meaning: anyone in need is your neighbor – location, socio-economic status, religious affiliation, sinner or saint – MATTERS NOT AT ALL – need defines who your neighbor is. Just as we say we love God – we show it by loving our neighbor.

          When I moved here I often heard that Mormons have a reputation of being very friendly and helpful to others. No one has ever said to me – anywhere – Christians have a reputation for being very friendly and helpful to others. THIS MUST CHANGE – our church must be known as the most loving place in town. We must not gossip we must not tear others down, we must not let negative speech come our of our mouths – We must build one another up – work in our jobs as though working for the Lord, be a positive loving example for others, have compassion on those in need, so that this prayer is true about us and so that Jesus receives ALL THE GLORY:

Col 1:3-8

          We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

3-27-16 The Logos is Alive!

Scripture   John 1:1-5, 14; 8:32

John 1:1-5

          In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

John 1:14

          The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

           John 8:32   “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

God and the word are one and have been so from the beginning

In the beginning was the Word…

…and the Word was with God…

…and the Word was God.

          In the beginning was the Word…with God…who is God! Therefore the Word spoken of is not an impersonal entity like we think of when we talk about “words”  This Word is a personal living being. Next sentence starts with a personal pronoun: “He”…

2 He was with God in the beginning.

All we know at this point is that the He is a personal being and is referred to as the “Word”

A little study of the original language (Greek) shows that this (logos) Word who was in the beginning is eternal – “Beginning” is in the imperfect tense – meaning a time before creation with a continued timeless existence; so now we know this personal Word who was with and is God has an existence in eternity past.

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (Nothing was going to become something once the Word decided there should be something, then went ahead and made something out of nothing.) That just took us from God’s beginning which is eternity past to our beginning which is CREATION. Vs 1-2 are timelessness before creation – Vs 3 is the time of creation. Everything that came into existence did so at his command and in his presence (without him nothing was made that has been made, but THROUGH HIM all things were made). Great and creative things happen when the “Word” is present and working.

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

In the “Word” was Life (zwn) = the power to make something alive (Ezekiel / Valley of Dry Bones) – pointing to a particular part of the Word’s creation – mankind. And embedded in that life was light = the ability to recognize where the life has come from – ie. the Word = a personal GOD! That light never stops shining – even in the darkest darkness!

All that being true – is there a way to know the “Word”?...this always existing - creation making – life giving – light bearing - personal being?      Of course – if I didn’t know the answer, I wouldn’t have asked the question. Jump ahead to vs. 14.

          The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

          This always existing Word/God who created us has now himself become one of us. How do we know who he is?  John tells us by revealing the entire reason he wrote all this: John 20:30-31 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

          Therefore – the Word John referred to is none other than Jesus! Jesus is the personal Word who existed in eternity past, brought about creation, gave us life and light and became one of us so he could do what none of us are able to do without him – receive “Life” (that is life in eternity future) = eternal life!

          The synoptic gospel (Mt Mk Lk) see life and death, heaven and hell, temporal and eternal life in a vertical sense “This age and the age to come” relating more to time.  John, however sees those things in a horizontal sense: “This world and the world above” relating more to place. Both are correct – time and place and the reality of the Logos is where those two meet at the center of the cross!

          We are looking more at John’s perspective today. He sees the world we live in (earth) as evil whose ruler is the devil and the world above (heaven) as good whose ruler is God. He begins his gospel by clearly stating that the good God of Heaven has broken through time and place to enter our dark world with his in comprehensible light!

          What does this have to do with Easter? Nestorius (5^th c.) writes: “Is the Logos risen from the dead? And if the life-giver (Logos) died, who then could give life? The mystery of godliness must, however, be expressed in this manner: ‘One thing is the Logos who dwelt in the temple formed by the Holy ghost, and another is the temple itself, different from the God who dwells within it.’ This acknowledges the unity of the combination [trinity], but the duality [triality] of the natures and substances.”

          Maximus (7^th c.) writes: “All visible realities need the cross, that is, the state in which they are cut off from the things acting upon them through the senses. All intelligible realities need burial, that is, the total quiescence of the things which act upon them through the intellect. When all relationship with such things is severed, and their natural activity is cut off, then the logos, who exists alone in himself, appears as if risen from the dead. He encompasses all that comes from Him, but nothing enjoys kinship with Him by virtue of natural relationship. For salvation of the saved is by grace and not by nature.”

          Luke 15:31-32  "My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

          Once the Word became flesh – EVERYTHING changed! For thousand’s of years the Jews had been waiting for the Word to become flesh. Creation was groaning for the creator to physically walk on that which He created. God was no longer just Spirit and Voice but had become flesh and blood with all the possible frailties of every human – including death.  One might have imagined that when the messiah were to come, it would not be possible for him to die or be killed. Jesus blew up everyone’s theory of how God would act in history and how people could know God and be granted life eternal with Him in heaven.

          If that wasn’t enough to caused a severe migraine to comprehend, then he did in fact die – was murdered by the Roman government at the urging of the Jewish religious leaders – as if the whole world were against Him.           …But wait it gets better…

          Acts 2:22-24    "Men of Israel, listen to this: God raised Jesus of Nazareth from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Acts 2:32-36   God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '  "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."                                                       CONCLUSION

          I believe that this Jesus is the always existing - creation making – life giving – light bearing - personal being who alone can forgive us of our sins and grant us eternal life!  ALL glory be to the WORD – the risen living Logos – to Jesus…Jesus…Jesus!

O GLORIOUS DAY

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed
        Living, He loved me
        Dying, He saved me
        Buried, He carried my sins far away
        Rising, He justified freely forever
        One day He's coming
        Oh glorious day, oh glorious day
John 8:32  “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

                One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
                One day the stone rolled away from the door
                Then He arose, over death He had conquered
                Now He's ascended, my Lord evermore
                Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
                From rising again.  O GLORIOUS DAY!

3-6-16 “I came to be served!”

Scripture   Mark 10:41-45

Mark 10:33-34

          Jesus said, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

Mark 10:35-40

          Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want me to do for you?" "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." "You don't know what you are asking, can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" "We can!" "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."

          Those who want to get to the top at all cost – no matter who’s shoulders they step on – often do get to the top – but it is short lived.

Eugene O’Neill in The Emperor Jones says “For de little stealin’ dey gets you in jail soon or late. For de big stealin’ de makes you emperor and puts you in the Hall o’ fame when you croaks. If dey’s one thing I learns in ten years on de Pullman cars listenin’ to de white quality talk, it’s dat same fact.”

Mark 10:41-45

          When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Demosthenes cites the law that the one who was ransomed became the property of the one who freed him. Paul assumes this principle in his admonition to the Corinthians: 1 Cor 6:19b-20a You are not your own; you were bought at a price.

Mark 10:46-52

          Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go, your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

          Asking a blind man what he wants Jesus to do for him night seem stupid – however consider when others were asked: The Pharisees wanted to outsmart and trap him, the rich man wanted eternal security at minimal cost, James and John wanted to be top dogs in the new kingdom – A blind beggar may want money – but Batimaeus just wants to see again.

          God asks us this important question all the time and we usually answer poorly. Biblical examples: Herod asks his step daughter what she wants for dancing for him? She says the head of JTB on a platter. Pilate asks the crowd: Barrabas or Jesus – they say Barrabas – Crucify Jesus!

          When you ask for the right things look what good can happen: Batimaeus was sitting on the road side begging – until Jesus gave him sight – then he got up and followed Jesus – follow doesn’t mean just walk behind him – it means to walk like him or to love like him which means to serve like him!  Has your blindness been healed? Here is the test – are you following Jesus or sitting on the roadside? Are you serving in ministry for the sake of His Kingdom?

Far too many of us believe we don’t have the qualifications to serve in and through the church.

Martin Luther King Jr. said: “You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know Plato and Aristotle. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” “LOVE LIKE JESUS!

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