10-23-22 “Mary was ALL IN as a mother, a friend, a disciple!”

Scripture   Ephesians 5:1-2
          Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

 

CHOICES:
1-    Mary mother of James and Joses and maybe the wife of Clopas present at the crucifixion and just after the resurrection
2-    Mary mother of John Mark – a well to do Jewish woman and a follower of Jesus – her house is where most Christian gatherings (maybe the last supper) took place
3-    Friend of Paul mentioned in letter to the Romans
 
4-    Mary of Nazareth – the mother of Jesus
5-    Mary of Bethany - a close friend of Jesus
6-    Mary of Magdala – a disciple of Jesus

Mary – mother of Jesus                                            mother (nurture your relationship with Jesus like a mother does – number one goal of a mother? Help her child grow healthy physically, mentally, spiritually, and relationally.)
Allow Jesus to treat you like a parent – caring, disciplining, feeding, taking on adventures, creating into a family with your brothers and sisters.
1. Lineage. like Joseph, was “of the house of David.
2. The betrothal. Mary was brought up in Nazareth, and prob. was still in her teens when she was betrothed. Betrothal was in Jewish custom almost tantamount to marriage. She could not be dismissed from the betrothal relationship except through a writing of divorce, and any sexual relationship during the betrothal period was treated as adultery.
3. The annunciation (Luke 1:26-38). During this period of betrothal the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, and greeted her with the words, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” Mary was puzzled by the greeting, and evidently frightened, for the angel continued, telling her not to be afraid, and that she would conceive and bear a son whom she would call Jesus. He would be called the Son of the Most High, and would reign over Israel forever. Mary made the natural inquiry, “How can this be, since I have no husband-not consummated?” Her reply does not indicate doubt or disbelief of the message, as Zechariah’s had done, but rather perplexity as to the method of fulfillment.  Gabriel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God,” thus confirming the virginal conception.
4. The visit to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56). Shortly after the angel’s departure, Mary went to visit the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Elizabeth pronounced a blessing on Mary who believed God’s message.  The song that follows is The Magnificat.  The theme in general is of God’s gracious dealing with the humble and poor, while He shows His strong power against the rich and the mighty.
5. The birth and infancy narratives.
Census in Bethlehem, Shepherds, Wise men, Angel of warning, flight to Egypt til Herod’s death.
6. Life in Nazareth.
Normal boy growing up. Age 12 stayed behind at the temple. Learned the trade of carpenter from his earthly father.
7. Incidents during Christ’s ministry. Mary was present at the marriage in Cana to which Jesus and His disciples were invited. Mary and children went looking for Jesus to save him from himself and Jesus said his real mother and brother and sisters were those who do God’s will.
8. At the cross. Only John states that Mary was present at the crucifixion, and that Jesus gave her into the care of the beloved disciple with the words, “Woman, behold your son!,” “Behold, your mother!” (John 19:26, 27).
9. After the resurrection. The only further mention of Mary is after the ascension, when Mary and Jesus’ brothers, now in Jerusalem, joined the eleven apostles in prayer while they waited for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).

Mary – sister of Martha and Lazarus             best friend (spend time together, enjoy their company, do things together, support each other)
Be like Mary, a best friend to Jesus. Spend time with him, consider him when making plans, go everywhere together.
 
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. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 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!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
 
John 11:1-46
          Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 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. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 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."  Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 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. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 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." His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 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."
          17 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.
          21 "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." 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."
          28 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. 35 Jesus wept. 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?"
          38 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.
 
John 12:1-6
          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.

Mary Magdalene – follower of Jesus             disciple (follow Jesus and learn from him. Also carry on his message to others.) Like Mary, we are disciples who learn from Jesus and share Jesus with others based on what he has done for us (drove 7 demons from her).
 
FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED & 7 DEMONS CAST OUT
Luke 8:1-3
          After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
 
AT THE CRUCIFIXION
Mark 15:40-41
          Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
John 19:25
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
 
AT HIS BURIAL
Matt 27:59-61
          Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
 
AT THE EMPTY TOMB
          Matt 28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.   Matt 28:5-7 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead.    Matt 28:8-10  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
MARY SAW THE RESURRECTED JESUS
John 20:10-18
          Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.
 
          Mary was a disciple in the truest sense of the word. Her life was changed by Jesus. She followed Jesus everywhere. She supported His ministry. She told others that he was risen from the dead.
 
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THESE THREE MARY’S?
God loves us like a mother loves her child
We can have a friend relationship with God through Jesus
We need to live as disciples, always learning more about God and always sharing Jesus with others.
 
          Being loved by God, being a friend with Jesus, and being a disciple by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit can be summed up in a story about a unique friendship:

          As a part of an assignment for a doctoral thesis, a college student spent a year with a group of Navajo Indians on a reservation in the Southwest. As he did his research, he lived with one family, sleeping in their hut, eating their food, working with them, and generally living the life of a twentieth-century Indian. The old grandmother of the family spoke no English at all, yet a very close friendship formed between the two. They spent a great deal of time sharing a friendship that was meaningful to each, yet unexplainable to anyone else. In spite of the language difference, they shared the common language of love and understood each other. Over the months he learned a few phrases of Navajo, and she picked up a little of the English language. When it was time for him to return to the campus and write his thesis, the tribe held a going away celebration. It was marked by sadness since the young man had become close to the whole village and all would miss him. As he prepared to get up into the pickup truck and leave, the old grandmother came to tell him goodbye. With tears streaming from her eyes, she placed her hands on either side of his face, looked directly into his eyes and said, "I like me best when I’m with you." Isn't that the way we feel in the presence of Jesus? He brings out the best in us. We learn to see ourselves as worthy and valuable when we are in His presence. The hurts, the cares, the disappointments of our lives are behind us when we look in His eyes and realize the depth of His love. Our self-esteem no longer depends on what we have done or failed to do; it depends only on the value that He places on us. To be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ is to generate in other people the Indian grandmother’s simple statement: "I like me best when I'm with you."
Ephesians 5:1-2
          Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
 
Philippians 1:6
          I’m confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

10-16-22 “Paul was ALL IN while struggling triumphantly”

Scripture  2 Corinthians 11:21-29 & 12:7-10
 
          Like last week learning how Peter was ALL IN while “failing forward”, today we learn from the master, the apostle Paul, what it means to triumph through struggles. No one faced more challenges and had to constantly figure out and adapt to his circumstances to spread the gospel and grow the church.
Philippians 3:7-11
          But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
 
Around the turn of the century, a young man named Ole took his girlfriend on a summer outing. They took a picnic lunch out to a picturesque island in the middle of a small lake. She wore a long dress with about a dozen petticoats. He was dressed in a suit with a high collar. Ole rowed them out to the island, dragged the boat onto shore, and spread their picnic supplies beneath a shade tree. So hypnotized was he by her beauty that he hardly noticed the hot sun and perspiration on his brow. Softly she whispered to him, "Ole, you forgot the ice cream."
Ole pulled the boat back to the water and rowed to shore. He found a grocery store nearby, bought the ice cream, and rowed back to the island. She batted long eyelashes over deep blue eyes and purred, "Ole, you forgot the chocolate syrup."
Love will make a person do strange things. Ole got back into that boat and returned to the store for syrup. As he rowed back toward the island, suddenly he stopped. He sat there in the boat the rest of the afternoon, fascinated by an idea. By the end of that afternoon, Ole Evinrude had invented the outboard motor. And by the way, Ole later married the girl who waited so long on the island.
Ole Evinrude illustrates a basic principle of Christian living: When life delivers a problem or pain, force it to pay dividends. If life gives you a thorn that you can't, and God won’t remove, make it produce a rose.
No one in scripture lives out this kind of life for Jesus more than the apostle Paul. For any unfamiliar with him let’s look at an overview of his life.

 

The Apostle Paul’s Birth & Education
C. A.D. 6 Born a Roman citizen to Jewish parents in Tarsus (in modern eastern Turkey)
c. 20–30 Studies Torah in Jerusalem with Gamaliel; becomes a Pharisee
c. 30–33 Persecutes followers of Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem and Judea
Conversion
c. 33–36 Converted on the way to Damascus; spends three years in Arabia; returns to Damascus to preach Jesus as Messiah
c. 36 Flees Damascus because of persecution; visits Jerusalem and meets with the apostles
36–44 Preaches in Tarsus and surrounding region
44–46 Invited by Barnabas to teach in Antioch
46 With Barnabas visits Jerusalem to bring a famine relief offering
Mission Trips
47–48 First missionary journey with Barnabas, to Cyprus and Galatia
49 At the Council of Jerusalem, Paul argues successfully that Gentile Christians need not follow Jewish law; returns to Antioch; confronts Peter over question of Jewish law
49–52 Second missionary journey with Silas, through Asia Minor and Greece; settles in Corinth; writes letters to Thessalonians
52 Visits Jerusalem and Antioch briefly; begins third missionary journey
52–55 Stays in Ephesus; writes the letters to Galatians and Corinthians
55–57 Travels through Greece and possibly Illyricum (modern Yugoslavia); writes a letter to Romans
Paul’s Arrest & Death
57–59 Returns to Jerusalem and arrested; imprisoned at Caesarea
59–60 Appears before Festus and appeals to Caesar; voyage to Rome
60–62 Under house arrest at Rome; writes letters to Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon
62–64 Released; journeys to Spain?; writes letters to Timothy and Titus
64 Returns to Rome; martyred
 
2 Cor 12:7-10
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
 

    What was this thorn? We don't know. It was some very painful, chronic affliction. Sometimes Paul was totally disabled by it. The best guesses are that the thorn was epilepsy or migraine headaches or a malarial fever common in the eastern Mediterranean area.
    Notice that Paul refers to the thorn as a "messenger of Satan." The Bible teaches that all diseases and death came into the world because of sin. God's perfect original creation did not include disease or death. People do not get sick and die because God wills it. People get sick and die because our world is flawed by sin.
    A thorn in the flesh in modern terminology might be called "a pain in the neck" or a pain in some other sensitive part of one's anatomy. A thorn is whatever causes you pain or frustration or sadness. Thorns come in all shapes and sizes: migraine headaches, bad backs, arthritis, depression, anxiety spells, shingles, an unhappy marriage, an impossible boss, a child on drugs, and on and on. Though thorns vary in length and severity, most of us have at least one at any given time. Do you know what your thorn is?
As you think about that let’s look at what Paul did about his thorn and how God responded: "Three Times I Besought The Lord About This." Paul prayed to God on three occasions, asking Him to remove the thorn. But God did not. Jesus prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane that he be spared the agony of the cross. But God's answer was no, and Jesus accepted it.
Country music often tells stories. Do you remember some time ago a Garth Brooks song which told about a young man who along with his wife returned to his high school for his 10th-year reunion? There he encountered his old high school flame. Right away he noticed that her current appearance did not compare well with his memories of her. The years had been tough on her. He sort of clutched his wife's hand a little tighter, so happy that he had ended up with her instead of the old flame. But he remembered many occasions ten years earlier when he had prayed fervently, "Lord, I ask only one thing of you...help me win the heart of this girl." Then comes the refrain of that country song: "Thank God for unanswered prayers."
Some prayers do not receive positive responses because God in his wisdom knows that something else is better for us.
But what about our prayers for sick people? We know that God desires healing instead of illness. Why do some prayers for healing seem to be answered positively while others are not?
I pray for the healing of sick people all the time. I believe that those prayers are always answered. God heals in three ways. The first and most common means of healing is through the regular medical channels that God has given us. Penicillin is a gift of God. So is bypass surgery. A second way God heals is beyond our understanding. Some healing is just beyond our understanding; we call these "miracles." They are rare and wonderful. Almost every veteran physician can point to a few of these he or she has witnessed. I pray for miracles frequently. A third way God heals will be experienced by all of us Christians. I refer to the healing that we will receive on the way to heaven. After all, most of us will die because of some illness. If we have claimed Jesus Christ by faith as Savior and Lord, he will heal us completely between earth and heaven.
Why does God heal one person through medical channels and another person by some miracle and still another on the way to heaven? We don't know.
Despite Paul's thorn in the flesh, he had a powerful ministry. He was the world's greatest missionary. He referred to himself and us as "more than conquerors." What was his secret? He tells us in verse 9. This is one of the greatest verses in all of scripture and I urge you to memorize it. It is a promise from God to Paul and to us: "My Grace Is Sufficient For You, or as it is rendered in the New English Bible: "My grace is all you need." In other words, God's power will be given to us in sufficient quantities to handle anything that we must face. That grace enables us not only to cope with a thorn but also to bring some good out of it.

Bill Bouknight, pastor of Christ Methodist in Memphis tells a story about this kind of grace: Years ago, he says, he visited a boy of about 12 in a facility for children with major medical problems. Tony was born with a spinal deformity; he was paralyzed from the waist down. Because of multiple surgeries, he had spent lots of time in a body cast. More of his young life had been spent in institutions than at home. Tony had a handsome face and a quick smile. On the day that he visited Tony had been watching his beloved Clemson Tigers on TV. He was able to see the TV by looking through a mirror. We had a friendly chat. His morale was amazing. Then I suggested that we have a prayer. And just before he uttered the first word of the prayer, Tony said in a soft and very sincere voice, "God sure has been good to me."

Bill responded to that in his own words: Well, I tell you, I had trouble speaking. Those words caught me completely off-guard. Something in me wanted to cry out, "Are you kidding me, Tony? God sure has been good to you? I can't see how. Look at what you have had to endure!" But Someone greater and wiser whispered to me this message: "Bill, don't be surprised at Tony's words. I have been here with him night and day. Remember, he belongs to me. I love him even more than his parents do. I have been "gracing" that boy."
There is one tragedy that Christians must never allow to happen--to have pain that causes no growth or a thorn that produces no rose. When life hurts you soul-deep, pull hard on the grace of God. Look life right in the eye and say, "You are hurting me badly but this pain, by God’s grace, will yield some good." Paul also wrote Rom 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.
I have known couples whose thorn was their inability to have children. Sometimes, despite much prayer, that condition does not change. Some of these couples have decided that with God's help they will force this thorn to bear dividends. Some have adopted children. In some cases, these have been so-called "hard to place" children. Others have become foster parents for children in crisis situations. These brave adults did not become bitter or bemoan their fate. Instead, they forced that thorn to produce a rose.

Morris F. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior and U.S. Senator lost an eye in an accident when he was six years old. Children would tease him cruelly about the eye. In self-defense, he started poking fun at himself. Eventually, that kind of humor became part of his personality. He learned early on to compensate for that lost eye by working harder than other kids. In his junior and senior years in high school, he was editor of the yearbook, quarterback of the football team, led the basketball team in scoring, had his own dance band, and wrote a political column for the weekly newspaper. Later he became a national leader. He traced part of his success back to that lost eye. That eye could have been his excuse for failure. Instead, he made it a challenge to excellence. His thorn produced a rose.
Those who experience life abundant are not people without thorns. They are persons of faith and courage who live by this code: If life delivers a thorn that God doesn’t, and I can't, remove, I will force it to pay dividends. I will make every thorn produce a rose! Amen.
          Just like Ole Evenrude, the apostle Paul was always having to find solutions to the greatest problem humanity has ever faced – the need for salvation. Paul’s struggles were way more than forgetting the ice cream and chocolate syrup and having to row back to get it…
2 Cor 11:21-29
What anyone else dares to boast about — I am speaking as a fool — I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.   Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? --- "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

    In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul also said, Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

10-09-22 “Peter was ALL IN while Failing Forward”

Scripture       John 21:15-19

          Quote from basketball great Michael Jordan: "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." 

Like Michael Jordan, the apostle Peter was ALL IN while learning to FAIL FORWARD!

          BEGIN with Peter facing Jesus for his failures.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,

"Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"

          "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

"Feed my lambs."

"Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"

          "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

"Take care of my sheep."

"Simon son of John, do you love me?" DON’T ANSWER THE 3^rd TIME – (come back to it at the end before he answers a 3^rd time and then realizes that Jesus was not asking because he didn’t trust him, but because he did trust him and wanted Peter to once again trust himself in kingdom work)

With these questions, the Lord was putting his finger on a very tender wound in Peter’s heart. Peter’s failure on the night of Jesus’ trial had been simply horrible. In the hour of his Lord’s greatest anguish, Peter had denied even knowing him. This sin shook Peter to the core of his being. That scene is always thought to take place because Peter denied Jesus 3 times – I suggest it is more because he FAILED Jesus 3 times and 3 times within each failure during those last hours before Jesus was crucified.

3x3 failures during Jesus last day

3 times he denied knowing Jesus and 3 times in a 24 hr period he had failed. 1) the time everyone remembers when people were sure they had seen peter with Jesus and he denied even knowing him 3 times. 2) the night before in the garden when Jesus said stay awake with me and pray – 3 times Peter fell asleep. 3) Earlier at the last supper, when Jesus was washing the disciple's feet Peter failed Jesus 3 times – He questioned Jesus’ action, he told Jesus that he couldn’t do it, he challenged Jesus to do even more.

Peter failed him 3 times in his last 24 hours and within each time he failed him 3 times. That is not to mention Peter’s additional failure that night when he cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant and Jesus healed the man, Peter not realizing he was interfering with God’s will.

          The scripture for #1 Matthew 26:63-75

The night before: Matt 26:33-35  Peter said, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."

          The next morning:

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" "He is worthy of death," they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?"

v69   Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said. But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

v71  Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"

v73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away." Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"

Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly. 

The scripture for #2 Mark 14:32-42

Mark 14:32-42

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them.

"Stay here and keep watch." Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

          Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

          Returning the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

 

The scripture for #3 John 13:5-10

John 13:5-10

Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

          "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

          "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean.”

When else did Peter fail Jesus? Just after he proclaimed Jesus as the Christ the son of the living God.

Matthew 16:15-23

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

          From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

          Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

FORGIVING & REINSTATING PETER

He had no idea how weak he really was. He had imagined himself boldly standing before the Sanhedrin side by side with Jesus, come what may. But that night, as Jesus was doing that very thing, Peter couldn’t even stand before a servant girl.

That night, Peter-The Rock had crumbled into a pile of useless stones. He was not who he thought he was. Peter had never been less confident in himself.

So when Jesus questioned Peter’s love for a third time that morning, Peter grieved that he might have lost the Savior’s trust. He had failed. But he did love him. All he could do was appeal to Jesus’ omniscience:

“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

And Jesus did. In fact, later Peter realized what Jesus had done in that painful conversation. He had not doubted Peter’s love at all. Rather, he had allowed Peter to confess his love for every wretched failure he had made on that dreadful night. Falling asleep, questioning the foot washing, and denying even knowing him. Amazing grace.

And the Lord had a word for Peter. In the future, there would be another opportunity to confess his love publicly in the face of great cost. And then he said, “Follow me.”

---

Shame over past failures and sins can haunt and inhibit us in many ways. And Satan seeks to steal and destroy our faith by shoving our failures in our face. But Jesus intends to redeem us completely.

When Jesus chose you to be his disciple, he foresaw your future failures as sure as he foresaw Peter’s. We may not want to believe that we could deny Jesus by engaging in a sin that contradicts everything we believe. But Jesus knows what is in us. John 2:25 So he exhorts us along with Peter to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” matt 26:41

And when we do fail, we must remember what Jesus said to Peter before his failure: “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”  Luke 22:32  Peter was going to sin — miserably. But Jesus had prayed for him. Jesus’ prayer was stronger than Peter’s sin, and it’s stronger than our sin too. “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”   Hebrews 7:25

Peter’s failure did not define him. And ours will not define us. They are horrible, humbling stumbles along the path of following Jesus, who paid for them all on the cross.

And Jesus specializes in transforming failures into rocks of strength for his church.

 

Peter’s failures and sin reveal Jesus Character… and thus God’s Character. And, therefore, how God relates to us in times of weakness, sin and failure. He is good and patient!

1.     Peter doesn’t understand the Parable of the 4 Soils but is confused. (Just like us) Jesus instructs him in the meaning of the parable without rejection Matt 15:16

2.     Peter and the other disciples misinterpret Jesus words about “Yeast of Pharisees and Sadducees” and think that Jesus is talking about “bread” (Just like us) Jesus repeats the phrase until they understand. Matt 16:1

3.     Peter & another other disciple try to keep the children and babies away from Jesus. Jesus is indignant, but instructs them with a little child in their midst Mark 10:13

4.     Peter fails to “continue” to walk on water. Jesus catches Peter and instructs him, maybe a little discipline but no rejection Matt 14:22

5.     Peter, filled with selfish ambition (outright sin), argues with the other disciples about “Which one of us is the Greatest!” Jesus instructs them all with a little child. Jesus doesn’t have a meltdown and get frustrated at them. There is no rejection. Jesus instructs them. – Mark 9:33, Mark 10:35, Luke 22:24

6.     Peter speaks up in a Holy moment on the Mount of Transfiguration when Moses and Elijah appear to talk to Jesus about His departure (or death). No one is talking to Peter. But he suggests it is good that he, James, and John are there so that they can build 3 shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah Matthew. It is absolutely ridiculous! There is no rejection, even from the very presence of the Father in the cloud. But there is instruction: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 17:4 & Mark 9:5

7.     Peter speaks for Jesus, without consulting Him, and commits Jesus to pay the 2 Drachma tax. When Jesus finds out… He doesn’t reject or even correct Peter, but He instructs him. Matthew 17:24

8.     Peter resists the single greatest reason Jesus became a human: to atone for the sin of the human race. Jesus severely rebukes Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” However, note, Jesus does NOT reject Peter and doesn’t even demote him from leading the church.

9.     Peter is completely overwhelmed by his sin, self-discovery of his own weakness and quits the Apostolic Team and goes back to the only work he feels he can do… fishing. John 21 (Until Jesus restores him)

10. Peter pulls back from the Gentiles & Paul in fear when some of the circumcision group arrive in Galatia – Galatians 2:11

John 21:15-19

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,

"Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"

          "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

"Feed my lambs."

"Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"

          "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

"Take care of my sheep."

"Simon son of John, do you love me?"

          Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said,

          "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

"Feed my sheep."

"I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

 

Let’s help each other with encouragement – not condemnation. (Susan Debolt’s prom dress)

 

Dorothy Law Nolte's, "Children Learn What They Live,"

·        If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.

·        If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight

·        If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.

·        If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.

·        If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive.

·        If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself.

·        If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilty.

But...

·        If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.

·        If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.

·        If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.

·        If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.

·        If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love.

·        If a child lives with friendship, he learns joy.

·        If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.

·        If a child lives with recognition, he learns to have goals.

·        If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.

·        If a child lives with honesty, he learns truth.

·        If a child lives with sincerity, he learns to have faith in himself and those around him.

·        If a child lives with love, he learns that the world is a wonderful place.

Invitation song: Oceans

10-02-22 “My memory is what it used to be!”

Scripture      1 Corinthians 11:23-26

 

          You have heard it said, “My memory isn’t what it used to be!” but I say unto you, “My memory is what it used to be!” BAD! Why do I preach? Not to tell you something new. Rather, to REMIND you of what you already know but have forgotten. Think carefully, how many of you sinned during this past week? Everyone. Apparently you forgot what I preached two weeks ago or what Aaron Osterbrock preached last week or you would not have sinned, but because you (And I) don’t remember very well, I will preach again this week, and next and next.

          Those who say I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian (true statement but biblically and theologically an incorrect way to live), are the people who have forgotten that they need to be reminded. Not going to church to worship and hear the word of God preached is like having an alarm clock and forgetting to set it to wake you up on time.
          In our relationship with Jesus and His word, we are all forgetful, not one of us has a good memory, we have all fallen short of what we knew before.
          It is not only being reminded but being reminded in a new, different, innovative and fresh way. What you knew before means something different at age 72 than it did at 22 or means something different when you were married than it does when you are widowed or divorced. The word you knew before has not changed, but you have and you need reminded of that word and will receive it in a whole new light.
          In every church people (including myself sometimes) want to do things the way we used too. By that, we really don’t mean just do that activity or say that prayer or sing that song, because any of us can do those things on our own if they are that important to us. What we mean is I want the experience of what it was like 30 years ago. The problem is, we are now 30 years older and not only perceive things differently, we experience them differently.  How many of you used to go to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wed night, as well as other times through the week? How many still do that today? One of the big things we used to do to experience church and fellowship were potlucks – we had them several times a year and most of us went to all of them. How many just came to the picnic potluck this past Sunday? If we don’t do all the same things the same way, it will never be the same, and even if we did the same things the same way (which would be tragic to not grow and develop new practices at all) it won’t be the same because we are no longer the same. Instead we have to be reminded of God’s goodness, faithfulness and love and have that reinterpreted for the life situation in which we now live.  The vital part is to allow ourselves to be reminded, that even though we have changed, even though the church has changed, that according to Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

          Is this just a preacher doing promotion to get people to come to worship and hear preaching more regularly? NO!!!  God calling us to remember is throughout the OT and the NT.

REMEMBER THE LAW
Genesis 3:8-11
          Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" In other words, I just told you not to eat of that tree or you will die. Do you not remember?
 
REMEMBER THE SABBATH
Exodus 20:8-11
          Through Moses, in the 10 commandments, God said; Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Remember the Law & the Sabbath.
REMEMBER THE EXODUS
Deuteronomy16:2-3
          Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name. Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste — so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. Remember the Law & the Sabbath & the Exodus.
REMEMBER THE BREAD
Matthew 16:8-10
          Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Remember the Law & the Sabbath & the Exodus & the Bread.
REMEMBER WHAT HE SAID
Luke 24:5-8
          "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"  8 Then they remembered his words. Remember the Law & the Sabbath & the Exodus & the Bread & what Jesus said.
 
REMEMBER WHAT JESUS DID & WHO HE IS
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
          For I (emphasis of Paul over the Corinthians) received (reinterpreted [new] tradition) from the Lord what I also passed (tradition unbroken from the last supper to now) on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed (the betrayal is still going on), took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my (Emphasis ‘Jesus’ body) body, which is for you (was given on your behalf and continues to be given); do this in remembrance (to call back again into memory a vivid experience) of me."  In the same way, after supper he took the cup (the final cup – the cup of blessing which was held up), saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood (Blood indicated a life given up in death which was the penalty for breaking the covenant with God); do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim (make a sincere announcement) the Lord's death until he comes (the second coming). Remember the Law & the Sabbath & the Exodus & the Bread & what Jesus said, what Jesus did & who Jesus is.
 

ILLUSTRATION OF JESUS AT THE CENTER OF COMMUNION
It was a cold Christmas Eve a few years ago.  Will Willimon, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, was rushing his family to get in the car.  They were running late for the communion service.  "Where are the sermon notes?  Where is the pulpit robe?  Don't forget to turn off the lights.  Everybody get in the car and be quiet!"
On the way to the church… rushing through the traffic, their 5-year-old- daughter, Harriet, got sick to her stomach and she up-chucked all over the car.  "Great!"  Will Willimon thought, "If people only knew what preachers go through."  He wheeled into the church parking lot and jumped out of the car, leaving his wife, Patsy, to clean up the car and get the kids into the church… and he thought, "If people only knew what preachers' spouses go through."
His wife, Patsy, led a still unsteady and pale Harriet into the church.  They sat on the back pew in the darkness…just in case Harriet got sick again.  Their son, William, age seven, ran down to the front of the church to sit with his grandparents.  Will Willimon threw on his robe, took a deep breath, and joined the choir for the processional.  He made it through the first part of the service… and the sermon.  Then came Holy Communion.  Will Willimon's wife, Patsy, came down to the altar to receive the sacrament, but she left 5 year old Harriet on the back pew.  Harriet was still so pale and so weak and so sick.  But then something beautiful happened.  Seven-year-old William got up and came back to the communion rail.  "What on earth is he doing?" wondered his parents.  "He's already received communion once.  What is he up to?"  They watched him race to the back of the church and scoot down the pew toward his sister.  He opened his hands… revealing a small piece of bread.  "Harriet," he said, "This is the body of Christ given for you."  Without hesitation, little Harriet picked the bread out of her brother's hands and plopped it into her mouth and said, "Amen."  And in that moment Holy Communion had never been more holy.  Then 7-year-old William patted his 5-year-old sister Harriet on the head.  He smiled.  She smiled.  And then he turned and ran back down to the front of the church to re-join his grandparents.  (The Christian Ministry, July-August 1989, p. 47)
Think of that. Her 7-year-old brother William thought to include her.  Either because she wasn't being included or he thought it might help her feel better he reached out to his sister with what really mattered—the body of Christ in the form of communion.  There's a name for that…it's called LOVE!  What a beautiful thing it is when our children rise to the occasion and teach us once again the power of love, the wonder of love, the miracle of love.
          My grandson, Gideon did the very same thing for his mom, my daughter Gretchen, when she wasn’t feeing well, he went and got communion elements and served them to his mother. It shows that children understand something that we sometimes forget – Jesus is at the center of this table. He invites us all to come to the table – the rich, the poor, the successful, those who often fail, the victor and the victim, the educated and uneducated, the old and young, the male and female. All are invited to his table and today – World Communion Sunday Jesus is at the center of the longest table in the world. (PIB boasts the longest bar in the world) Our God boasts of the longest table which is reaching around the entire world today and Jesus Jesus Jesus is at the center and we are invited to bring our sin, our struggles, our hopes and dreams to the table where we find forgiveness, restitution, renewal, and above all, love.

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