SERMON: IN THOSE DAYS

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
2 December 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 2

1. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
2. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3. And everyone went to his own town to register.
4. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
5. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7. and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

-- several years ago, Kim and I invited a friend over for supper -- now this friend of ours was extremely busy, so we got with her way ahead of time and picked out a date and time that she was free so she would have time to sit and visit for a while after the meal
-- well on that day, we fixed a special meal -- we had everything ready by 5:00 pm -- we had the table set -- we had the food ready to serve -- the place settings ready -- we were looking forward to a wonderful evening -- all we needed was our guest
-- and so we sat there in the living room and waited for her -- and waited -- and waited -- and waited -- as the clock slowly moved from 5:00 to 5:30 and then from 5:30 to 6:00, we started to wonder if she had forgotten
-- by that time, we had already put the food in the oven to keep it warm -- and since Brooke was pretty small and was getting hungry, we made the decision to go ahead and start eating so we could put her to bed on time
-- which begs the question, what do you do when you are waiting for someone and it seems like they have forgotten to come?
-- as you know, today we are entering into the season of advent -- Advent marks the beginning of the church calendar -- the start of the Christian year
-- advent means "coming" or "arrival" -- and the advent season is a time of celebration of the first coming of Christ and a time of looking forward in eager anticipation for the return of Christ the King -- so, for the next four weeks, we will be preparing our hearts to celebrate the first coming of the Messiah, when God came to earth as a man, when Jesus was born in a manger on that first Christmas morning

-- now I know that we opened this morning with the traditional story of Jesus' birth from Luke Chapter 2, but I don't want us to follow the way of the world and rush into Christmas like they are doing -- I want us to slow down and savor the season -- to wait in anticipation once again for the coming of Christ, just like we used to wait in anticipation as kids for Christmas morning
-- in order to do so, we are going to have to return in our hearts and our spirits to the place the world was before Christ came the first time -- and we are going to have to remember in our hearts and spirits the place where we were before Christ came to us for the first time

II. In Those Days
-- so, if you would look back at Luke 2 with me, and let's begin our Advent season together
-- verse 1

1. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
2. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

-- when I was a kid, I used to enjoy reading fairy tales -- and it seemed like they all started the same way -- "a long, long time ago, in a land far, far away" -- and then the story would begin in earnest and a time of adventure and wonder would follow
-- Luke kind of starts his narration of the birth of Christ in a similar way, doesn't he? -- "in those days" -- but Luke doesn't mean this in the same sense as the old fairy tales did -- by using the phrase, "a long, long time ago, in a land far, far away," the writers of the fairy tales were trying to get you to believe -- at least for a moment -- that the story just might be true
-- but Luke goes on after his phrase, "in those days" to tell us that this was the time when Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the whole Roman world and when Quirinius was the governor of Syria
-- in other words, Luke is telling us that this is no fable or myth -- it did happen "in those days" -- but it was a real time -- it wasn't a make-believe time -- the dates of these events can be dated with certainty -- they happened when Augustus was Caesar in Rome and Quirinius was governor in Syria -- so that's how we know that Jesus was actually born around 6 B.C.
-- by giving us this amount of information, Luke was telling Theophilus, "This is when this story happened -- it is true and it happened just as I wrote -- if you have any questions about whether it's true or not, ask someone who was alive then and remembers these events" -- I'm not going to tell you who Theophilus is -- I'm going to let you find that out for yourself

-- so, if Luke doesn't mean for us to take his phrase, "in those days" as just a generic opening line for a tale that follows, then what does he mean? -- what are "those days" that Luke is referring to?
-- well, in order to find that out, we are going to have to go back to the start of time
-- everyone in here is familiar with the story of Adam and Eve -- God made Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden -- and then God made Eve from Adam's rib to be Adam's help-meet -- his mate -- flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone
-- they lived happily for a time, until the serpent came into the Garden and tempted Eve and caused her and Adam to sin against God -- when God came to the Garden some time later and discovered that sin had entered His Garden, God cast Adam and Eve from the Garden and cursed the ground and the serpent
-- but, He did more than that -- in cursing the serpent, God promised a time when the curse of sin and the curse on the earth would be lifted by a Messiah -- by One who would come and who would crush the head of the serpent and defeat him once and for all
-- this was the first promise of the Messiah -- and this promise burned itself into the hearts of Adam and Eve and all creation -- from that moment on, everyone and everything looked forward in anticipation for the coming of the Savior who would redeem them from the curse
-- eventually, God would call Abram to raise up a people -- the Israelites -- who would be the keepers of the promise -- the keepers of the covenant that He made with them to provide them with a Savior and to be their God
-- so the people got ready for Messiah -- in essence, they prepared a meal -- they set the table -- they had everything ready -- and then they waited -- and waited -- and waited some more
-- when they started to get too tired of waiting, God would speak to them through His prophets and remind them of His promise -- the Messiah was coming -- it just wasn't time yet
-- and so the people waited and waited and waited

-- what do you do when you are waiting for someone and it seems like they have forgotten to come?
-- there's an easy answer to that -- you go on with your life -- you quit waiting and believing and just start living -- just like Kim and I did when our friend didn't show up -- we went ahead and ate supper and put Brooke to bed and continued life as normal
-- that's exactly what the people of God did when it appeared like the Messiah wasn't going to show up -- I mean, you can't hardly blame them, can you? -- it was about 2000 years after God made the promise of a Messiah to Adam and Eve that He called Abram to become Abraham and become the father of the people of God
-- and, from that time until the start of the New Testament, another 2000 years had gone by -- 4,000 years of waiting, and the Messiah still hadn't shown up
-- so the people began to give up -- they had been waiting for a long, long time -- some people began to say that the Messiah would never come -- some were trying to explain it away -- "perhaps God meant the Messiah in a spiritual sense and not in a physical sense" -- some just plain gave up
-- for a long time, God would come in and speak to the people through His prophets and remind them of the Promise and let them know that He hadn't forgotten -- but once the prophet Malachi died, no more prophets were called -- and God was silent -- He hadn't spoken to the world or the people of God in over 400 years -- and so they got tired of waiting and tired of believing and just got on with their lives
-- this is the time that Luke calls, "in those days"

-- what was going on "in those days?"
-- in those days, the nation of Israel had ceased to be a sovereign nation -- Jerusalem and the holy land were under subjection to Rome -- the people were oppressed and lived under Rome's commands
-- in those days, people just made their way through life -- they grew up -- they got married -- they had kids -- and they made a living as best as they could
-- in those days, they lived under two laws -- the law of Rome and the law of religion -- they went to church -- they worshiped in the temple -- they followed the requirements to sacrifice and observed the holy feasts -- but not much else happened
-- in those days, life just went on -- most of the people still believed in the promise of the Messiah -- they longed for the coming of a Savior who would redeem them from the oppression and injustice of the Romans -- but the promise had become more like a myth than something that would actually happen -- if it happened, they would rejoice -- but, they really didn't expect it to occur -- they had been waiting for a long, long time and had just about given up hope
-- so, in those days, it was kind of like they slept-walked through life -- they went through the motions, but didn't really live in the hope and expectation of the Promise

-- in the song, "While You Were Sleeping," the group Casting Crowns has captured the essence of life lived by most people in those days
-- let me read to you part of this song:

"Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky.
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light.
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight.
Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping.
For God became a man,
And stepped into your world today.
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history,
As a city with no room for its King,
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping"

-- this is what Luke means by the phrase, "in those days" -- he is calling to mind the state of the world -- the state of the people of God -- the place where their hearts and their spirits and their beliefs were prior to the first coming of Christ
-- they were asleep -- not expecting anything to happen -- just going through the motions of life -- it seemed like just another normal day -- as Casting Crowns sang, "another silent night" -- another command from Caesar -- another census of the Roman world -- another opportunity to tax the already over-burdened people -- just another day in the life of a Jew in the first century of Palestine
-- but, it wasn't just a normal day -- Luke tells us that, "in those days," something did happen -- the Promise was fulfilled -- the Messiah came -- and nothing has ever been the same again

III. Closing
-- if you would, turn over to Matthew 24 and we'll close there
-- one day, when Jesus was on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him and asked Him when the last days would come and what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age
-- look down at verse 36 and let's read Jesus' reply in what is called the Olivet Discourse -- verse 36

36. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
37. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
39. and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
40. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.
41. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
43. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
44. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

-- just like Luke, Jesus tells us what it is going to be like "in those days" before His second coming
-- people will be eating and drinking -- marrying and giving in marriage -- going about their lives like normal
-- they'll be coming to church and worshiping the Lord and celebrating the special feast days -- they'll be having Thanksgiving dinner together with their friends and family -- they'll go out shopping after Thanksgiving to start getting ready for Christmas
-- they'll decorate their homes -- they'll have parades -- they'll go about life as normal
-- but few will look for the second coming of the Messiah -- few will look for Jesus to return -- and why should they? -- they'd been waiting a long, long time -- almost 2000 years have passed since Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead -- Jesus hasn't come yet -- so, why should they expect Him to come now?
-- just like the Israelites in those days that Luke wrote about, the people of our day are going through life as if they are sleep-walking -- most have quit believing -- most have quit hoping -- most have quit looking
-- but, that's not what Jesus tells us to do -- He tells us in verse 42 to "keep watch, because we do not know on what day our Lord will come" -- He tells us in verse 44 to "be ready, for the Son of man will come at an hour when we do not expect Him"
-- as I mentioned at the start of this message, today is the beginning of the Season of Advent -- this is the heart and essence of what the Advent Season is all about -- celebrating the first coming of Christ 2000 years ago when He was born in a manger on Christmas Day -- and waiting and hoping and longing and watching for Him to come again
-- Luke wrote about how things were "in those days" when Christ came the first time
-- let me ask you now -- how are you living "in these days" -- in this time before Christ comes again? Are you living with one eye on heaven -- eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus -- or are you just sleep-walking through life without expecting much to happen?
-- Bethlehem and Jerusalem slept through the coming of Jesus 2000 years ago -- will we sleep through His coming this time?
-- as I close in prayer, let me encourage you to try to capture the spirit of this Advent Season -- to approach it with prayer and with eager anticipation for the coming of the Messiah -- let's not just focus all our time and energy on what was -- but let's look forward to what will be as we celebrate together the birth of Christ this year
-- let us pray

SERMON: THE THANKFULNESS OF JOB

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
25 November 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Job 42
-- this morning, we are finishing up our series on the major themes of Job -- in doing so, we have barely touched this book, and I hope all of you took my challenge when we started this series to read again the Book of Job with fresh eyes as we move into this Christmas Season
-- if you remember, we started our study by looking at the theme of troubles in the life of God's people -- we looked at all the troubles in Job's life -- when the Book of Job starts out, we see Job as an extremely successful and spiritual man -- he was wealthy beyond belief -- had a large and loving family -- good friends -- and was a highly respected leader in his community -- we learn in the Book of Job that others looked up to him and would seek him out for spiritual advice when they had questions or problems
-- but, all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, Job lost everything -- he lost all of his possessions -- he lost his livelihood -- he lost his family -- and he even lost his health -- without warning, all of Job's hopes and dreams came crashing down
-- now, I know that most of us in here have never suffered the type of total loss that Job suffered, but we have learned in recent years that such losses do occur and can occur without a moment's notice -- think about the people who were directly affected by 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami of 2004
-- these are people who lost everything just like Job -- and the lesson of these events is that it can happen to us, too -- the question, then, is how to respond
-- we learned that lesson, too, from Job -- Job was a man of constant sorrows -- he had seen trouble in his life -- but he responded to his troubles with hope -- we read last time how Job cried out for a Savior -- for someone who could bridge the gap between an eternal, all-powerful and mighty Creator God and man -- between us creatures formed from dust, born of sin, and unable to reach God on our own
-- Job cried out in hope for the One who would come -- the One who would take God by the right hand and us by the left hand and join us together -- and we talked about how this cry for a Savior -- this cry for an intermediary -- was realized in Christ Jesus -- who bridged the gap between God and us with the cross and His own body and blood -- who paved the way for us to enter into the very presence of our Creator, despite our sinfulness and our lack of holiness

II. Praise and Thankfulness in the Book of Job
-- this morning, we are closing our study in Job by looking at the theme of praise and thanksgiving as expressed by Job and as should be expressed by us as the people of God
-- if you would, look with me now at Job 42:10

10. After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.
11. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
12. The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.
13. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.
14. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch.
15. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.
17. And so he died, old and full of years.

-- this is what we have all been waiting for -- this is the end of the story -- this is the good part -- as we said before, when the Book of Job opens, Job has lost everything -- and then he argues with his three friends about the cause of his loss and his desire to plead his case directly before God
-- and God granted his desire -- God came to Job and spoke to him in the midst of a storm -- and Job realizes that he is not as sinless as he supposed -- in the presence of a holy and sinless God, Job recognizes himself for who he was -- a sinner -- unrighteous and unpure in the eyes of God
-- so in verse 6 of this chapter, Job tells God that he despises himself and repents in dust and ashes for all the wrong that he has done in his life
-- and now God has blessed him -- giving Job back double everything that he had lost
-- in the beginning, Job had 7,000 sheep -- God gives him back 14,000 -- he had 3,000 camels -- God gave him back 6,000 camels -- he had 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys -- and God gave him back 1,000 of each
-- God even gave him back seven sons and three daughters -- now, you might be thinking, "God didn't double the amount of children" -- but He did -- there is a lesson here we need to catch -- just because your children are taken from you, doesn't mean they are not still your children -- Job's children had just gone ahead of him to heaven -- they were still his children -- and now God has given him more to replace them on earth -- so, instead of seven sons and three daughters, Job now has 14 sons and 6 daughters, with half of them in heaven and the other half on earth
-- now don't take this as a principle from God -- God is not always going to bless you as He blessed Job -- He is not always going to provide you with double for the troubles you have in life -- with the exception of the children, these were still only things -- Job still lost them in the end, because you aren't carrying anything to heaven with you when you die -- God is more concerned about your eternal life and the state of your soul than He is your financial status -- for His own reasons, God chose to bless Job in this way at this time
-- now, since our theme for today is praise and thanksgiving, here is where you would expect to find it, isn't it? -- I mean, when do we praise and thank God? -- when we are blessed -- when things go right -- when we are healed or protected or receive a financial blessing -- that's when we tend to thank God
-- think about the praises that were lifted up in our corporate prayer time today -- they were all praises for God's blessings in one way or the other -- so, if you were looking for an example of Job praising and thanking God, this is where you would expect it, isn't it?
-- but the author of this book doesn't mention that in this passage -- I think there's no doubt that Job praised and thanked God after this blessing, but that's not real note-worthy, is it? -- shouldn't we all do that?
-- but that's not what Job's known for -- Job is known for his patience and his trust and his faith in the midst of trials and troubles -- patience and trust and faith that was expressed in the form of praise and thanksgiving
-- if you would, turn back to Chapter 1:20

20. At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
21. and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

-- now flip over to Chapter 2:9

9. His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
10. He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.


-- this is an amazing example of praise and thanksgiving -- "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." -- this is the moment when Job has just been told that all of his possessions had been taken away -- that all of his servants but a handful killed -- and that his very own children -- all seven of his sons and all three of his daughters -- had been killed while they celebrated at the oldest brother's house
-- this is the moment when his health has been taken and Job is sitting in pain and agony in the midst of an ash heap, scraping himself with a broken piece of pottery for the slightest relief
-- and in the midst of total and complete chaos and loss, Job praised God -- in the midst of the trials -- in the midst of the troubles -- Job praised God
-- now, keep in mind that we know two things that Job and his wife didn't -- we know how the troubles began -- they all started when Satan asked for permission to afflict Job as a test of Job's faith in God -- Satan contended that Job would not praise God in the midst of trial and trouble, so God gave Satan permission to take all of Job's possessions and family and health
-- just as an aside, notice that Satan didn't take Job's wife and friends -- have you ever wondered why? -- if you've read the book, I think it's obvious -- Satan knew that Job's wife and friends would not help him and encourage him but would serve as a thorn in his side during this time of trial and testing
-- so, we know how the story started -- and we also know how it ends -- we know that Job suffers for a while and then is blessed doubly by God -- getting back all he had and more
-- but, at this point in his life, Job didn't know either of these two things -- all he knows is that he has been trying to live a good and godly life and now, for seemingly no reason at all, the bottom has dropped out and he has lost everything -- Job doesn't know how this is going to end -- it seems that he doesn't have much hope of things ever getting better -- but, despite all of this, Job does something that very few of us would do given similar situations -- Job praises God

-- how do you react when troubles come your way? -- what do you do when it seems as if all hope is lost? -- do you rant and rail against God? -- or do you bow down and say, "may the name of the Lord be praised?"
-- let me share with you the story of Sandra
-- when Sandra opened the door of the florist's shop that November, she was at the lowest point she had ever been in in her life -- things had been going good -- she lived a blessed life with her husband and their child -- and then she got pregnant for the second time -- four months into the pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy and she lost her baby -- this week, Thanksgiving week, was the time she would have delivered their infant son -- she grieved over her loss -- and felt even worse as troubles in her life multiplied -- her husband was having problems at work, and was being threatened that he would be transferred if he didn't take a lower paying position -- Her sister had called to say that she could not come for Thanksgiving -- and, to make thigns worse, Sandra's best friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. -- "She has no idea what I'm feeling," Sandra thought -- "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended my car? For an airbag that saved my life, but took my chiild's?"
-- when the florist greeted her, Sandra announced that she needed a Thanksgiving arrangement -- the florist asked, "do you want the beautiful but ordinary -- or would you like to challenge the day with a favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special -- are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this thanksgiving?"
-- "Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
-- the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, "Hi, Barbara... let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.
-- "Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said, as she gently tapped her chest.
-- Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with, uh.... she left with no flowers!" -- "That's right, said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."
-- "Oh, come on!" Sandra said. "You can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!"
-- "Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do, today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery."
-- "That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."
"So what did you do?" asked Sandra. -- "I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I NEVER questioned Him why those GOOD things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, "WHY? WHY Me?!" It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His
consolation we learn to comfort others."
-- Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about the thought that her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is, I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh."
-- "Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."
-- Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.
-- "Take them as a gift for you from me" -- The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first." -- It read:
My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns -- I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns -- Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns -- Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain -- Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

III. Closing
-- the familiar passage in James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
-- the story of Job reminds us that we are called to praise and thank God for both the flowers and the thorns -- for both the rain and the rainbow -- for both the valley and the mountain
-- it is not for the weak of heart or for the weak of faith -- it is for the man and woman of God -- growing in grace and maturity -- walking with Christ down all the paths of life -- called to look past the momentary trials of this life to the glorious future that exists because of the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ
-- into every life, a little rain must fall -- because it is in the rain that we find nourishment -- it is in the rain that we find faith -- it is in the rain that we learn to trust in God and God alone for salvation -- it is in the rain that we learn to appreciate the sunshine all the more
-- when all has been taken, on what will you stand? -- Job stood firmly on the promise of God -- and he trusted that, no matter what happened, God would stand with Him
-- in Job 13:15, Job exclaimed to his friends, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him"
-- Job praised God for both the flowers and the thorns -- and God wants us to do the same -- He wants us to praise and thank Him, not only for His blessings, but also for the trials that He allows to come into our lives to draw us close to Him and to shape us into the people that He has called us to be
-- as we leave here today and step back into the troubles and worries of life -- I want to encourage you to say a prayer of thanksgiving to God in the midst of whatever trials you may be going through -- thanks for loving you enough to let them come your way -- thanks for being there with you to lead you through them safely to the other side -- and thanks for the certainty of eternal life with Him
-- let us pray

WHERE IS THE HOPE?

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
17 November 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Job 17

10. "But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you.
11. My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart.
12. These men turn night into day; in the face of darkness they say, `Light is near.'
13. If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14. if I say to corruption, `You are my father,' and to the worm, `My mother' or `My sister,'
15. where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?
16. Will it go down to the gates of death ? Will we descend together into the dust?"

-- this morning, we are going to continue a study that we started a couple of weeks ago on the major themes of Job -- last time, we talked about the issue of theodicy, which is nothing more than a $10 word to explain our struggle with the question "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
-- if you remember, we began by looking at the story of Job -- the Bible tells us that Job was an upright and blameless man in God's eyes -- a man who had been blessed with a large, loving family -- good friends -- and wealth beyond belief
-- and then, seemingly without reason, everything was taken from Job -- all of his possessions -- all of his livelihood -- even his children and his health -- everything -- gone in the blink of an eye -- and we found Job sitting in an ash heap, surrounded by his "wise-in-their-own-eyes" friends, asking the question, "Why has this trouble come on me?"
-- as we explored that question in the Book of Job, we came up with three general answers -- first, trouble comes about because of sin -- either the consequences of your own sin or the consequences of another person's sin affecting you and introducing trouble into your life -- secondly, in the life of a Christian, trouble can come about as a form of discipline, when God allows the consequences of our sins to steer us back into fellowship with Him -- and, finally, God sometimes allows trouble to come into our lives to help develop our faith -- to prune us and mold us and shape us into the people He has called us to be -- as we look back on our lives, we soon realize that it was in these storms of life that we grew to resemble Christ the most
-- so last time, our study looked at the theme of troubles in the life of God's people

II. The Troubles of Job
-- now Job was a man experiencing trouble in his life -- troubles that most of us can only imagine -- very few of us here have had the total, extreme loss that Job experienced in his life
-- it would not surprise me to find out that Job was the inspiration for the Soggy Bottom Boys song "Man of Constant Sorrows" in the movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" -- the song opens up with this line "I am just a man of constant sorrows -- and I've seen trouble all my days" -- that describes Job to a "T"
-- Job was a man of constant sorrows and was in the midst of the worst trouble that anyone had ever seen -- and while God may use these times of sorrows and troubles to develop us as His people -- when we are in the midst of these troubles it sometimes feels like the sun is never going to shine again -- like our lives are over -- and nothing is ever going to get better again
-- when we find ourselves in the midst of times like these, we can find ourselves treading perilously close to the pit of despondency and the depths of despair -- it is at times like this that a lot of us feel like we're standing at the entrance to Hell in Dante's Divine Comedy, facing a sign that says, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here"
-- that's where Job was -- in verse 1 of Chapter 17, Job cried out "My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me." -- in other words, "I have nothing left to live for and the only thing ahead of me is death"

-- when we reach that point in our lives, we find ourselves looking for a lifeboat -- searching for a Savior -- desperately trying to find something on which we can cling to that will restore hope to our situations
-- Job is in a very bad place in this passage -- as we already mentioned, Job has been facing an extremely difficult time in his life -- and as he sat in the ash heap and scratched himself with a piece of broken pottery, he was joined by three of his closest friends -- as he looked around at his friends surrounding him, Job had hoped they would be his lifeboat -- he had hoped that they would be able to encourage him and offer him help in this crisis of life -- but, instead, they offered nothing more than catchy cliches, pithy platitudes, and indictments of his character and life
-- now in Chapter 17, we see a man broken and beginning to despair that help will ever come -- look back at verse 10 again

10. "But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you.
11. My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart.
12. These men turn night into day; in the face of darkness they say, `Light is near.'

-- Job's friends knew what had happened to Job -- the whole community knew -- and they had come together to offer their advice to him -- but what they said didn't help Job at all
-- "There's no use crying over spilled milk -- what's done is done -- and it's all your fault -- if you hadn't been such a horrible sinner, none of this would have happened -- not that God will change anything, but your only hope now is to repent of your sins and pray that God doesn't just destroy you where you sit."
-- after listening to this for a couple of days, they put Job on the defensive -- and he strikes back -- "Come on, surely you can do better than that -- you call yourself wise, but that's all you have to offer? -- look at my situation -- my life is over -- my plans are shattered -- and everything that I longed for and desired with my heart has turned to ashes
-- isn't there something else you can do? -- something else you can say? -- is all you can promise the peace of the grave? -- I thought you came to help -- if you can't help me, who can?"
-- look at verse 13

13. If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14. if I say to corruption, `You are my father,' and to the worm, `My mother' or `My sister,'
15. where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?
16. Will it go down to the gates of death ? Will we descend together into the dust?"

-- in other words, Job is saying, "I am about on the point of giving up -- I'm about ready to toss in the towel -- but I know that if I do that -- if I give in totally to the despair and the despondency and the blackness surrounding me -- then I have no hope left
-- "is this all we have to look forward to in our lives? -- if this is all you have to offer, then there is no hope for any of us, and we will all descend to dust and the gates of death together"

III. Searching for Hope
-- What does it take to restore hope? -- where do you turn when life gets too much -- when the darkness begins to close in on you and it looks like nothing is ever going to get better?
-- a lot of people are like Job -- they turn to others for their hope -- they reach out to their friends and their family with the hope that these people can pull them back from their pit of despair
-- but, as the Book of Job shows us and as our own experiences bear out, others can't really help us find hope in our lives -- truth be told, they're just as messed up as we are -- maybe they aren't suffering in the same way we are -- maybe they haven't lost everything like we have -- but they have their own problems -- their own sins -- and they're busy trying to find their own way out of their personal pit
-- when Job's friends approached and sat down beside him, he thought they would be the answer to all of his woes -- but he learned quickly, they didn't have the answers he needed -- they, too, were on a journey looking for hope -- and while our friends and family can pick us up and help carry us along on the road as we search for help, they can never be the source of hope that we so desperately need
-- a lot of people turn to the Government for help when their lives spiral out of control -- but the government can't offer true hope and help for someone -- like friends and family, the government can help prop us up and keep us moving on our journey, but it is not a source of hope -- it is not something to put our faith and trust in
-- regardless of how good a government might be, it is made up of people and people are eventually going to fail you -- Job was one of the leaders in his day -- in essence, he was a government official, highly respected and looked up to by those in his community -- but it didn't help him one bit when his life came crashing down
-- as the people who have suffered through Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters can attest, the Government can help -- but they can't offer the hope that they truly need
-- so if we can't depend on our friends and family and the government for help, where do we turn -- well, the obvious answer is, "God."
-- Job was a spiritual man -- but Job had a problem -- he didn't really know God
-- He believed in Him -- He knew God to be the King of the Universe -- the Mighty Creator -- high and lifted up on His throne -- the Book of Job is filled with marvelous testimony and songs of praise to God as the powerful and supreme deity -- but Job didn't know how to reach Him -- Job didn't know how to connect to God
-- In all reality, Job knew religion -- in Job Chapter 1, we read that Job offered burnt offerings to God on behalf of his family to atone for their sins -- he worshiped God by offering sacrifices and prayers -- he served as the priest for his family in this time of the patriarchs, in this time before Judaism was firmly established in the land -- but he only knew the practices of religion -- he didn't really know God -- he knew religion
-- when troubles come into our lives, a lot of people turn to religion for help -- they come to church -- they get involved -- they volunteer and get busy doing church-stuff -- but it doesn't help -- it can't help -- because it's not about church -- it's not about religion
-- I have people tell me all the time that they don't come to church because church has failed them -- they may not say it in those words, but that's what they mean -- they complain about too many hypocrites in the pews -- they say that when they were sick, no one in the church called -- when they were in need, no one in the church came by to help -- the church had failed them -- religion had failed them
-- and that's understandable -- the church is made up of people -- and people are going to fail you -- people are not going to be able to provide you with the sustenance of life -- people are not going to be able to provide you with the help and the hope that you need
-- Job was really beginning to realize this -- when things in his life began to spiral out of control, religion didn't help, because he was putting his faith and trust in the man-made trappings of religion rather than in a personal Savior
-- Job's religion had put God out of reach -- and Job was desperate to find Him

IV. Jesus is the Author of Hope
-- if you would, flip back to Chapter 9 in this book -- look at verse 32

32. "He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court.

-- you see? -- to Job, God was someone he couldn't reach -- someone he couldn't talk to as a friend -- someone who was more concerned about the affairs of the universe than about the trials in one man's life, even as severe as those trials were
-- "He's not a man -- He's not someone I can talk to -- He's not someone I can ask why this is happening -- He's not someone I can ask to help me"
-- but in the midst of his despair -- in the midst of his longing for help and hope -- Job stumbles onto the key of life
-- verse 33

33. If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both,
34. someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more.
35. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

-- do you see what Job is saying here? -- he is crying out for a Savior -- he is crying out for Jesus
-- "I can't reach God on my own -- as it stands now, the chasm is too great and there is no bridge -- there is no way for me to get to God -- there is no way for my cries of help to get to God -- if only there was someone who could come between us -- someone who could grab my hand and grab God's hand and draw us together, then -- then -- I would have hope -- then I would have salvation and restoration -- then I would know God"
-- despite getting bogged down in the trappings of the religion of his day -- despite his frustration at trying to find answers and help from his friends and family and the government -- Job tripped over the truth and found the answer to all his problems
-- this is why Jesus came to earth -- this is why God sent Jesus to be born in a manger on Christmas Day -- God became a man like us so that we would have a way to get to Him -- He became a man like us to die on the cross -- to atone for our sins -- and to offer us a never-ending hope through Jesus
-- where do we turn for hope when we're walking in the valley -- when we're facing the storms of life like Job? -- we turn to Jesus -- we turn to the only One who can give us eternal hope and who promises us eternal life with Him
-- nothing and no one on earth can save us -- nothing and no one on earth can give us hope -- at their best, our friends and family and churches can do nothing more than point us to the one source of hope that we have -- the mediator that Job cried out for -- Christ Jesus Himself

V. Closing
-- I want to close by sharing with you a true story of hope in the midst of pain -- this is the story about Jenny
-- Jenny had just turned 13, and she was totally out of control -- and she got worse with each passing day -- she was taller and more physically mature than most of her friends -- and she found it was easy to attract the older guys simply by tossing back her long, strawberry blonde hair and smiling at them
-- As a result, Jenny grew up fast -- and before she was 14 years old, she had experienced all the vices the world could dangle before her -- and before she could stop herself, she got caught up in an endless cycle of sex, drugs, and alcohol abuse -- Jenny was headed down a long, dark road with no way out -- she lived life in a pit of pain and despair
-- If you asked Jenny, she would tell you she was having a good time, but she was lying -- she knew her lifestyle wasn't right -- she knew she needed help -- she needed hope
-- her friends tried to help her, but she usually turned them away -- but one of them finally got her to go with them to an event put on by a youth group at a local church -- and even though Jenny didn't go back to church in the weeks after the event, something in the youth pastor's short message found its way into her heart -- he had told a story about a prostitute -- a woman who was caught in a pit of despair just like Jenny -- and who was so sorry about the way she was living that she turned to Jesus and cried at his feet and then wiped His feet dry with her hair
-- Several years passed, and Jenny grew more out of control -- she continued on her path to destruction -- caught up in a cycle with no way out -- but one night, as a very stoned Jenny and a group of her friends roamed around town after yet another party, God began to break through to her
-- for years she had tried to cover up her guilt and self-loathing and despair with sex and drugs and alcohol and partying -- but on this night, it all just bubbled right up to the surface and suddenly, Jenny realized that she was sick of her life, sick of her behavior, and sick of who she was. For the first time in her life, Jenny desperately longed for help -- she wanted to be clean and to be loved and to have hope in her life
-- she thought back to that youth pastor's message from so long ago -- and she thought to herself, "Maybe God can help -- no else has" -- she left her friends partying in the streets and, even though it was in the middle of the night, she made her way to the nearest church -- she walked up the steps to the sanctuary door and grabbed the handle and pulled -- but the door didn't open -- the church was locked
-- she broke out into tears -- could nothing help? -- she went around back and saw a gate that led to the back of the church -- she tried the gate, and it opened -- she walked through and found herself in the middle of a small courtyard -- and as she followed the trail towards the church building, all of sudden, she saw Him
-- It was Jesus. He was standing on top of a concrete pad in the middle of the garden. His arms were out-stretched like He was waiting for her -- Jenny ran to Him -- she dropped on her knees in front of this life-sized statue of Jesus and began to weep
-- and, just like the prostitute in the story that she had heard of so many years ago, Jenny's tears fell on the feet of Jesus and she wiped His feet dry with her own hair -- and while she wept, the grace of God poured out of her -- caressing her with love and life -- wiping away all the years of sex and drugs and alcohol -- and pulling her up from the pit of her despair and giving her a hope for the future
-- in his song, "Heaven in the Real World," Steven Curtis Chapman wrote, -- "Where is the hope, where is the peace? -- That will make this life complete -- what will it take to stand in the pouring rain and believe the sun will shine again -- how can we know that the grave is not the end"
-- and he concludes, "There is a hope -- there is a peace -- that will make this life complete -- For every man, woman, boy, and girl -- Looking for heaven in the real world"
-- Jenny and Job were both looking for heaven in the real world -- they were crying out for peace and hope -- just like you -- and just like me
-- and they found it -- not in the answers of their friends -- not in the caresses of their family -- not in the programs of the government or the trappings of religion -- but in the only mediator between God and man -- the source of life Himself -- Christ Jesus
-- you know, I don't where you are today -- I don't know where life has put you -- but I do know one thing -- no matter what you are going through -- no matter how bad your troubles are -- the answer lays in Jesus -- and He is here this morning, waiting for you to come
-- as the last song is played, I want to invite you to respond to God's word -- to come to Jesus today -- whether it's for first time or the fiftieth time -- if you've got a problem, He's waiting to help -- will you let Him?
-- let's pray

SERMON: EVERYBODY LOVES A WINNER

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
11 November 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 21

1. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
2. saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.
3. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
4. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5. "Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"
6. The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.
7. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
8. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
10. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
11. The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

-- it's a proven fact that everybody loves a winner -- just two weeks ago, my mighty Georgia Bulldogs went down to Jacksonville and whipped up on the Florida Gators football team -- winning by the score of 42-30
-- it was a great afternoon for fans of the Georgia Bulldogs and it's been a long time coming -- since 1990, the Florida Gators have owned this series -- winning 15 out of the last 18 games played
-- but now, all seems right with the world -- and the Bulldog Nation is celebrating -- gone are the critiques of Mark Richt and Mike Bobo for their coaching ability -- gone are the complaints that Matthew Stafford is just not shaping up as a quarterback for a major college football team -- gone are the concerns that the Georgia defense had gone soft
-- Georgia won and won in a decisive fashion -- and after the game, it seemed like the whole world had gone Georgia crazy -- everywhere I went the week after the game, it was like a sea of red and black -- everybody was wearing Georgia t-shirts -- I saw Georgia bumperstickers -- Georgia flags -- Georgia license plates -- even Georgia ties -- everybody wanted in on the action and everybody wanted to celebrate -- because....well, everybody loves a winner
-- but, you know, just a few weeks ago, no one was high on the Georgia Bulldogs -- Georgia had gone into Knoxville and gotten shellacked by the Tennessee Volunteers -- we lost that game 35 to 14 -- and you couldn't find anyone who supported Georgia -- there weren't any t-shirts -- no bumper stickers -- no license plates -- and certainly, no one was going around wearing a Georgia tie
-- everybody loves a winner, but no one likes a loser -- and if Georgia was to lose the rest of the games this season, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone supporting them around town

-- people are funny, aren't they? -- we all like to be on top -- we all love a winner and we rally around them when they're doing good -- think about the passage from Matthew that we opened with -- this passage about Palm Sunday has always fascinated me -- in these verses, we see Jesus making a very public and triumphant entrance into Jerusalem for the Passover Feast
-- as you probably remember, the Bible tells us that previously, when Jesus attended the Passover Feast in Jerusalem, He had entered in quietly and without fanfare -- He slipped in and mingled with the crowds and didn't draw attention to Himself -- in fact, the crowds were wondering to themselves if Jesus was even going to show up
-- but this time, Jesus enters town in a big way -- He sends His disciples to go get a donkey and her foal and to bring them to Him -- and He enters into Jerusalem riding on this donkey, fulfilling the words of the prophet that we see in verse 5, "Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"
-- and, boy, did the people come running -- the road coming in to Jerusalem filled with excited people -- they were dancing and singing and shouting for joy -- Matthew tells us in verse 9 that some of them went in front of Jesus and some followed Him, shouting "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna -- blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord -- Hosanna in the highest -- Hosanna to the Son of David"
-- and that's not all they did -- look back at verse 8

8. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

-- here is Jesus riding in on a donkey -- an excited crowd is filling the street -- singing and shouting -- and pressing in on Him -- and they are waving palm branches and laying the branches and their cloaks in the road in front of Him for Him to ride on
-- now, why did they do that? -- why did they lay palm branches and cloaks in Jesus' path? -- well, it's because they recognized the fulfillment of the prophecy
-- they knew this wasn't just another prophet coming to town -- they knew that this wasn't just a good teacher or a holy man entering their gates -- no, Jesus was coming into Jerusalem as King -- as the Son of David -- and they were laying out the red carpet for Him -- like I said, everybody loves a winner and everybody wanted to hook their wagon up to Jesus on that day
-- but the story doesn't end there, does it?

-- flip over to Matthew 27 -- as you're doing that, let me remind you of the context of this passage we're turning to -- Jesus has been arrested by the high priest and the Sanhedrin and put on trial -- and now He has been carried to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, for sentencing
-- Pilate has done everything he can to get out of having to condemn Jesus -- at first he refused to see Him, and tried to send Him back to the Jews -- but, that didn't work, so he sent Jesus to Herod and tried to pass off the judgement onto him -- but Herod refused to do anything and promptly returned Him to Pilate
-- so Pilate had Jesus flogged, and hoped that would be enough for the priests, but it wasn't -- now, he's brought Jesus before the crowd and he's trying his last effort to let Jesus go -- he's going to allow the crowd to decide whether they want him to release Jesus or to release the criminal Barabbas to them
-- look down at verse 15

15. Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd.
16. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.
17. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"
18. For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
19. While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."
20. But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
21. "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor. "Barabbas," they answered.
22. "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify him!"
23. "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
24. When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"
25. All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"

-- this is what amazes me so much about the crowd and about our fickleness as humans -- think back to the passage we opened with about Palm Sunday -- just four days prior to this scene in Herod's courtyard, this same crowd had surrounded Jesus and sang and danced and shouted for joy -- just four days earlier, this same crowd had laid their cloaks at His feet and waved palm branches to signify His victory and their coming salvation -- just four days ago, they celebrated at the sight of Jesus coming in to Jerusalem and proclaimed Him King
-- but now, they have turned on Him -- He's no longer a winner -- He's no longer on top of the world -- it no longer looks like He's going to take over Jerusalem and run the Romans out and set up a new Jewish Kingdom, so the crowd turns their back on Him
-- just like the fans of a sports team -- who can be ardent supporters one minute and their biggest critics the next -- and just like us

-- there's a reason that I felt led to preach on this passage this morning -- you know, it's a strange passage to study right before Thanksgiving and Christmas -- but, if you understand human nature -- if you can look past the excitement of the holidays to the truth of our lives, you can easily understand it's relevance
-- we're gearing up for the Holiday Season -- if you've been in the stores around town lately, you've probably noticed that their aisles are filled with Christmas decorations and they're already advertising their holiday specials -- I actually saw a Christmas tree lot being put up earlier this week
-- Christmas is right around the corner and everyone is starting to get excited at celebrating the birth of Christ -- because, you see, everybody loves a winner -- and everybody loves the baby Jesus
-- I remember in the movie "Talladega Nights" with Will Ferrell -- at one point in the movie, Will Ferrell's wife asks him to pray for their meal -- and he starts off his prayer by saying, "Dear little baby Jesus, laying in your manger," -- his wife interrupts him and tells him that Jesus grew up and he needed to be praying to the adult Jesus -- Will Ferrell responds, "I prefer the baby Jesus"
-- and I think that sums up most people's feelings -- we're fine with the baby Jesus -- with the Jesus born in the manger -- with the Jesus that the three wise men come and bring gifts to -- with the Jesus that the little drummer boy plays his drum for
-- everybody likes the baby Jesus -- because everybody likes a winner and because this Jesus doesn't demand anything of us
-- we can tell people about the Christmas star -- and the angels announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the fields at night -- we can tell people about the wise men and about the excitement because a Savior had been born -- we can put up nativity sets in our homes and in our stores and in our offices, and very few people get upset
-- but, when we start to tell them about the Jesus who said to the adulterous woman, "Go and sin no more" and who told the crowd on the side of a mountain in Judea, "if you even look at a woman with lust in your eyes, you have committed adultery" -- when we tell them about the Jesus who offended the upstanding church people of His day by calling them hypocrites to their faces, then they start to get upset
-- point someone to the passage in Matthew 7:21 where Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of Heaven" and they'll start a fight with you
-- people like the baby Jesus -- they even don't mind the Jesus that came out of the tomb at Easter -- they just don't like the Jesus that says, "What you are doing is wrong -- repent of your sins -- pick up your cross -- and follow Me!"
-- and so they turn on Him and deny Him with their words and with their actions and with their lives just as surely as the crowd on Palm Sunday turned on Him and denied Him just four days later as they stood before Pilate
-- but, before we judge the crowd in our day too harshly, perhaps we ought to look at ourselves and see how we, as people who claim the name of Christ -- as people who gather to worship Him on a regular basis -- perhaps we should see how we, too, turn from Jesus and deny Him ourselves

-- there are many ways to deny Christ -- the most obvious would be to deny Him with our mouths -- to cry out, like Peter in the courtyard of the high priest, "I don't know the Man" -- of course, I am sure that none of us in here would ever do that
-- but we do deny Him and turn from Him in other ways
-- for instance, we deny Jesus when we refuse to pray in His name in public -- when we refuse to stand up against the blasphemies of Christ in our movies and music and other media -- when we refuse to speak up for Him when critics say that He was just a good man -- a good teacher -- but not God
-- we deny Jesus when we refuse to side with the oppressed and the down-trodden and those whom society looks down on -- when we refuse to speak out against abortion and pornography and gay marriage and all of the other social ills of our culture that God calls an abomination
-- we deny Jesus when we stand there mutely and don't say a word as our friends tell us that there are many paths to heaven and that all religions worship the same God
-- we deny Jesus with our lives -- by professing to be a Christian but not living in obedience to Jesus and His word -- by being functioning hypocrites -- proclaiming one thing but living something entirely different -- by putting our trust and our hope in earthly things -- like money and a good job and material things -- rather than in trusting Jesus to provide
-- we deny Jesus by recreating Him in our own image -- by having a favorite Jesus, like Will Ferrell in "Talladega Nights" -- instead of accepting Him as He is, we pick and choose what Jesus we want -- which of His teachings and commandments we want -- just like we're going down some great big spiritual buffet line
-- "let's see -- I'll take some of the baby Jesus in the manger -- and the Jesus who healed the blind man -- but I don't want the Jesus who says that what I am doing is a sin -- I don't want the Jesus who says that I should love my enemies as much as I love my friends -- I don't want the Jesus who tells me to feed the poor and the widows and the orphans and the strangers at my door -- I don't want the Jesus who tells me that the homeless man down the street is just as valuable in His eyes as I am -- I think I'll just leave that part alone"
-- we like our Jesus to look like us and to talk like us and to have the same politics and same culture that we have, even if it doesn't line up with God's word
-- and, we deny Jesus by rejecting His authority and power in our lives -- we like Jesus the Savior -- we just don't like Jesus as Lord and King who tells us what we can and can't do

-- over two thousand years ago, a crowd of Jews applauded as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday -- and just four days later, they denied they ever knew Him as they shouted to Pilate, "Crucify, crucify"
-- and every Christmas, we do the same thing -- we applaud the Christmas season -- we celebrate the baby Jesus -- and the day after Christmas, we rush back into the culture of the world -- putting our focus and energy more on getting a good deal in the after-Christmas sales than on proclaiming the work of a Savior -- putting our focus and energy and time more on making a living than on living for the One who came to die for our sins
-- perhaps its time we considered how this feels to Jesus, and whether He hears the crowd cry "Crucify" everytime we deny Him in this way
-- I want to close by sharing with you a little story that someone once sent me

-- He had been looking forward to this moment all week long -- after six long days of labor, it had finally arrived -- visiting day!
-- the man with the keys had arrived to open the large, heavy doors -- the cold gray hall sprang to life in the warm glow of light -- He could hardly control His emotions
-- outside, He can hear cars carrying the families of visitors begin to arrive -- He peers from the corner of the room, longing for the first glimpse of His loved ones -- He lives for the weekends -- He lives for these visits
-- finally, the doors open, and His loved ones come in -- those special people for whom He would do anything -- they embrace, eat a light lunch, and reminisce about how things used to be -- and about what He has done for them
-- at one point, they break into singing, with interruptions of laughter and applause -- but all too soon it is over -- and a tear comes to His eyes as they gather up their things and begin to depart
-- as they leave, the man with the keys closes the heavy doors -- He hears the key turn in the lock, marking the end of a special day -- and there He stands, alone again
-- He knows most of His visitors will not contact Him again till next week -- and, as the last car pulls away from the parking lot, Jesus retreats into loneliness as He waits for next Sunday to roll around

-- as I close this morning, I want you to think about this little story -- Christ deserves more from us than a little attention on Christmas or Easter or Sunday morning -- He deserves all of our praise and worship and attention -- He should be our reason for living and the source of our life
-- this year, when the tinsel is put back in the boxes, the Christmas trees put out at the curb, and the Christmas season fades into memory, may we keep His presence in our hearts and minds -- and not deny Him or turn from Him any longer
-- let us pray

SERMON: GLOOM, DESPAIR, AND AGONY ON ME

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
4 November 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Book of Job -- this is the first of the poetic books in the Bible, so you can find it right in front of the Psalms -- I'm sure most of us have heard of Job before -- even if you haven't read this book, which some scholars say is the oldest book in the Bible, I'm sure you've heard of Job and his troubles
-- look down now with me in Chapter 1 at verse 13 and let me read the first part of Job's woes
13. One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
14. a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
15. and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
16. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
17. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
18. While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
19. when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

-- now that's just the first part -- flip over to Chapter 2 and let's look at the rest of Job's woes

7. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
8. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

II. The Parable of the Donkey
-- there once was this man who didn't have much, but he had a donkey that meant the world to him -- one day, the donkey fell into an old abandoned well on the farm -- the donkey, being a donkey -- kicked and kicked -- when that didn't seem to help, it brayed and brayed -- it made a terrible commotion, but no one came to help it
-- the donkey was exhausted and resting wearily by the side of the well, when its owner noticed it was missing -- the owner became concerned about his donkey and he searched everywhere he could think of -- he could not find his donkey -- he went to his neighbors and asked them to help -- they searched everywhere -- but no luck -- the donkey appeared to be missing for good
-- the neighbors gathered in the man's farmyard and tried to console him -- it was then that one of the men looked into the old abandoned well and saw the missing donkey -- the men spent the rest of the day and most of the night trying to get a rope around the donkey stuck at the bottom of the well -- they were unable to accomplish the feat -- they felt defeated -- the owner of the donkey felt terrible
-- they talked about it and the wisest among them suggested that they fill in the abandoned well -- it would bury the donkey, but it would prevent the same tragedy from befalling someone else -- perhaps a child -- so they agreed that this was what they would do
-- the men took turns throwing a shovel full of dirt into the hole
-- the owner felt terrible for the donkey -- he felt terrible for himself and his loss -- he didn't have much, but he always had a donkey -- now he wouldn't even have that
-- once the first shovel of dirt hit the donkey, the animal found renewed energy -- it brayed even louder than he had before -- the men turned their eyes from one another and pretended not to hear the donkey's pleadings -- as more and more dirt fell into the hole, the donkey began to understand the hopelessness of its situation -- it began to give up
-- then it happened -- the donkey realized that the dirt was a gift -- with each scoop of dirt that fell into the well, the donkey shook the dirt off it's back and took a step up onto the top of the pile of dirt forming at the bottom of the well -- more dirt, another shake, and then another step up
-- the men kept shoveling, certain that they were burying the donkey -- after much shoveling, the men were quite surprised to see the donkey at eye level -- it was standing on top of all that dirt that had been dropped on it -- it calmly shook itself clean and walked out of the filled-in well
-- how many of you have ever felt like a donkey in the bottom of a well? -- how many of you have ever felt like no one cared? -- that you were lost and alone and afraid and being covered with dirt? -- how many of you have ever felt like no one knew what you were going through and that no one could help?

-- I think we can all identify with the donkey in this story -- sometimes it seems like life just keeps throwing dirt on us and things just aren't going our way -- and sometimes, it seems like we're in the bottom of a well with no way out
-- sometimes our life reminds us of the old Buck Owens and Roy Clark song, "Gloom, despair and agony on me -- Deep dark depression -- excessive misery -- if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all -- gloom, despair, and agony on me."
-- we look at our lives and we feel like Job -- in one moment, Job lost his children, his home, his livelihood, his health, and all his wealth -- he was doing everything he could to live right and to do right but then one day he looked up and realized that he was sitting in the bottom of a well, alone and abandoned, and the world and his friends just kept throwing dirt on him
-- and what made it worse was that Job had absolutely no idea why these things had happened -- in fact, the whole Book of Job is nothing more than Job and his friends trying to explain why these calamities and troubles had come into Job's life

III. Answers to "Why?"
-- that question, "Why?" has been asked more throughout the history of this world than any other question -- "Why has this happened to me? -- What did I do to deserve this?"
-- so, this morning, I want to spend a few moments looking at the reasons why trials and troubles and calamities come into our lives so that we are better able to respond to them in a godly manner when they do come

A. Our Sin
-- so, what's the first way that trials and troubles come into our lives? -- that answer seems obvious -- it's because of sin -- disobedience to God
-- anytime we sin -- anytime we do something contrary to God's commands, we have to pay the consequences for it -- God's commands are given to us to protect us and to guard us and keep us safe in this life -- and if we choose to disobey God and do things our own way, then we have to pay the consequences for that sin
-- for instance, think back to when you were a child -- God's word tells us that we are to honor and respect our parents -- and if you chose not to do that -- if you were disrepectful or disobedient to your parents, then they probably did like mine did -- they probably warmed the seat of your britches -- getting spanked was a consequence of sin -- that trial and trouble was brought about in my life simply because I didn't follow God's word and I disobeyed my parents
-- that holds true for all of God's commands -- there are always consequences for your actions -- that's why God shows us the way to go and encourages us to follow Him in obedience rather than having to pay the price of consequence for our sins and disobedience
-- when trials or troubles come into your life, the first thing you need to ask yourself is "did I cause this because of my actions?"
-- if that's the case, then you should repent of your sins and ask God to forgive you, but understand that you may still have to pay the consequences for your actions -- in other words, you may still have to go through the trouble that you caused
-- if my driver's license is taken away by the state because I was caught speeding too many times, repenting of that sin isn't going to take that consequence away -- it will make me right with God -- but it won't get my license back
-- the best advice is don't sin so you don't have to pay the consequences of your sin
-- now keep in mind that not all troubles come about because of sin -- that's what Job's friends thought -- each of them said that Job's troubles came about because he was a sinner and that he needed to repent of his sins and ask God for forgiveness -- some of them were quite mean about it -- and that was not what was going on with Job
-- look back at Chapter 1, verse 1-5

1. In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
2. He had seven sons and three daughters,
3. and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
4. His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom.

-- Job is described here as blameless and upright -- a man who fears God -- a man who follows God and is obedient to Him -- God Himself recognized Job as being a righteous man -- Job's troubles were not the result of his sin
-- you know, a lot of times we have the tendency in the church to assume that if a person is having problems in their lives, it is because they are a sinner -- that they are being punished for their sins or paying the consequences of their sins
-- I once visited a friend who was on his deathbed in the hospital -- and as I was there, his mother-in-law proceeded to announce that the only reason he was sick was because he was a sinner -- that if he would repent of his sins that God would forgive him and heal him
-- that was a like a knife to my friend's heart because he was a godly man who always tried to do what was right -- sometimes troubles come about as a result of sin -- but sometimes they don't
-- despite what Joel Osteen and the other prosperity preachers teach, troubles come to people -- troubles come to Christians -- for a variety of reasons -- sin is only one way that we bring trouble on ourselves

B. Sins of Others
-- the second way that trials and troubles come into our lives is similar to the first -- it's because of sin -- but not our sin -- it's because of the sin of others
-- there's a lot of people in this world today who are hurting because of another person's sins -- growing up we were close friends with a family with an alcoholic father -- and I remember seeing the physical and emotional abuse that his sin of alcoholism spread throughout that family -- that family was hurting -- they had troubles beyond belief -- and it wasn't their fault -- it was only because of the sin of the father
-- sin causes nothing but pain and suffering -- often in the life of the sinner -- but just as often in the life of those around them
-- if this is the case in your life -- if you are suffering because of something someone else has done or is doing -- then the only thing you can do is to pray for the one causing the problems and forgive them for causing you these problems -- I would encourage you to point them to the cross and to Christ for forgiveness and repentence -- it may not take away the immediate consequences of their sins, but it will help keep them from sinning and perpetuating the cycle any longer

C. Discipline
-- the third way that trials and troubles come into our lives is by God disciplining us for our sins -- this is different than the earthly consequences of sins -- everyone on earth -- Christians and non-Christians -- have to face the earthly consequences of their sins
-- but in the life of a Christian, God will use these consequences -- these trials and troubles -- to discipline us and to lead us back to Him
-- Hebrews 12: 5-7 says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. -- Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"
-- the word "discipline" comes from the root word, "disciple," meaning someone who follows -- so the purpose of the discipline of God is to lead us back into fellowship with Him -- He allows trials and tribulations and troubles into our lives to steer us back onto His path

D. Sandpaper
-- the final reason that trials and troubles come into our lives is because God is allowing it to mold us and form us and shape us into the people that He has called us to be
-- as James tells us in his book, our faith needs testing to be proved -- without testing, our faith cannot be developed and we cannot mature as Christians
-- one of the common forestry practices down here is to thin a forest -- to take out 1/3 to ½ of the trees in the area to leave more room for the other trees to grow -- sometimes, after you thin a stand, you'll have a windstorm come through and you'll go back out and you'll find a lot of trees have been knocked down by the wind
-- you see, these trees have been growing up in a sheltered environment -- they have been protected from the ravages of wind storms -- they have been pampered in life and haven't faced many trials or troubles -- and the first time that they are faced with a trial, they fall over -- they haven't developed the ability to withstand the wind, so they easily topple at the first breeze
-- for that reason, God sometimes allows trials and troubles into our lives simply to help strengthen our faith -- these trials and troubles are like sandpaper that God is applying to help smooth off our rough edges and to make us stronger so we can serve Him better
-- that seems to be what was going on with Job -- Job's problems did not come about because of sin -- either his or someone else's -- they didn't come along because God was disciplining him for sin -- they came along because God was testing his faith -- strengthening his faith -- breaking and molding and pruning him so that he could be more mature in his relationship with God
-- we see the same thing in the New Testament -- in Luke 22:31, Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked to sift Peter as wheat -- in other words, to pour out afflictions and troubles on him just like he did on Job
-- and God allowed it so that Peter's faith might be strengthened -- sometimes, trials and troubles come on us for our own good

IV. Closing
-- so, in summary, it appears that troubles come into our lives through four major ways -- first, as a result of the consequences of our sins -- second, as a result of the consequences of the sins of others -- third, as God's way to discipline us for disobedience as a means to lead us back into fellowship -- and, fourth, as God's method to strengthen our faith and to turn us into the people He has called us to be
-- so on those days that you feel like a donkey in the bottom of a well -- when it feels like all of life's troubles and trials have been poured out on you -- what should you do?
-- first, you need to search your heart and your life and see if the cause of your trouble is your own sin -- ask God to show you any unconfessed sin in your life -- and then repent of your sin and ask God to forgive you
-- if your troubles are the result of sin, the Holy Spirit will convict you of that and will point you to repentence and restoration through Christ
-- secondly, look to see if the cause of the troubles is someone else -- if so, God may be calling for you to intercede on their behalf -- to pray for them to turn to God and seek forgiveness and renewal at the cross of Christ -- He may also be calling on you to witness to them through the depths of your pain so that they might see Christ in you
-- finally, if you can see no reason for your trials or troubles -- no sin in your life or the life of others around you causing it -- no reason for God to be disciplining you -- then it is likely that God is using these trials and troubles to prune you and shape you and strengthen your faith
-- if that is the case, give in to the troubles -- pray to God to do whatever it takes to strengthen you and to remove anything that is hindering your walk with Christ -- submit to Him and trust in His promise of Romans 8:28, " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
-- this morning, as I close, I want to invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- if you are struggling with trials or troubles in your life, talk to God about them -- I would be more than happy to pray with you or to meet you outside of church to pray and talk with you about them -- just let me know
-- let's pray

SERMON: BRANCHING OUT

(Source of Photo: http://www.colorado.edu/history/yonemoto/JakuchuBeanVines.jpg)

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
7 October 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 15
1. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
-- this morning, we are going to be ending our series on the "I Am" statements of Jesus -- there are a total of seven of these statements in the book of John -- as you probably know, the number seven represents completeness or wholeness or perfection -- so in these seven statements, we see the complete picture of Christ -- who He is -- why He has come -- and what He has done for us
-- I hope that as we have worked through these statements of Christ in the book of John that you have noticed how the titles that He has claimed for Himself mirror the complete work and plan of Christ in our lives
-- first, Jesus showed how God reaches out to us through His prevenient grace -- He told us "I am the bread of life" -- pointing out how He has blesses all of us -- the saved and the unsaved -- with our basic needs in life so that we might be aware of His presence -- as the Bible says, "the rain falls on the just and the unjust" -- in the same way, Gods prevenient grace reaches out to all of us
-- next, Jesus showed how the meeting of these basic needs causes us to look for Him as the Creator and Provider -- He told us "I am the light of the world" -- helping us see how the revelation of Christ comes about through His providence in our lives so that we might recognize Him and see Him as our God
-- Jesus told us, "I am the door" -- pointing out that God has made a way for us to come to Him through His justifying grace -- by pointing us to the door of salvation -- to the cross of Calvary where Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins and for our reconciliation with the Father
-- and then Jesus demonstrated that our spiritual lives don't end at the altar and the cross, but merely begin there as He begins to sanctify us and lead us into holiness and perfection in Him
-- Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd" to encourage us that as we walk in this newness of the Christian life that He has not left us alone -- that He will be with us to guard us and guide us and lead us on our journey
-- when we wondered where we were heading on our journey, Jesus told us "I am the resurrection," reminding us of our final goal and our hope for eternal life with Him
-- knowing that the path before us would be difficult to follow and that other paths would beckon to us from this world, Jesus told us "I am the way and the truth and the life" to keep us from straying down false paths that promised life but deliver destruction
-- and, finally, Jesus tells us in the passage we are going to be looking at this morning, "I am the true vine" -- pointing out to us both the source of our life and our purpose in Him -- so, as we close our study of the "I Am " statements, let's turn to John 15 and examine these two points from Christ

II. Scripture Lesson
-- before we look at these verses and consider their implication, let me share with you the context of this passage
-- these words were spoken by Jesus on the night that He was betrayed -- as you remember, Jesus has been sharing a meal with His chosen 12 disciples in the upper room -- He has washed their feet -- He has instituted the Lord's Supper as new sacrament -- and He has shared with them that He is about to be betrayed and be killed and leave them
-- Judas has left the room to go to the High Priest to betray Jesus -- and the remainder of the disciples are sitting there in shock over what He has told them
-- as Chapter 14 closes, Jesus says, "Come now, let us leave" -- and with that, Jesus and the 11 remaining disciples leave the upper room and make their way to the Garden of Gethsemene
-- as they walk along, Jesus continues to share with them His words and His heart, knowing that this is the last time He will see them until after the resurrection
-- as they walk along in the night towards Gethsemene, it is no great leap of imagination to picture them walking through vineyards planted on the hills outside of Jerusalem, because Jesus uses the image of a vine and its branches to make His next "I Am" statement to this small group of believers
-- look back at verse 1
1. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
-- "I am the true vine," Jesus says, "and My Father is the gardener" -- in other words, I am the source of life -- I am the root of Jessee that was promised -- there have been other vines that have claimed to be the Messiah -- there have been other religions that have claimed to show the way to Heaven -- but I am the true vine -- I am the only vine -- and I was planted here in this place by My Father
-- everything that has happened to me thus far has not been by chance -- and everything that will happen to me this night and in the future is planned and controlled -- I am in the hand of the gardener and His purposes and His will are being fulfilled
-- verse 2
2. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
-- Here Jesus speaks to the disciples hearts about two issues -- what about Judas, the one who is obviously betraying Jesus? -- "he has chosen to separate himself from me, so the Father is going to cut him off of the vine" -- and what about the remaining disciples? -- could they become like Judas? -- "No," Jesus tells them, "You will be pruned so you may be more fruitful, but you are clean because of the word I have spoken to you -- you may not understand it right now -- you may not understand why I have to go to the cross -- but in the future, the truth of my words will come to you and you will be fruitful witnesses of me to the whole world"
-- verse 4
4. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
-- here we come to the main part of Jesus' message to His disciples and to us -- in these verses, Jesus points out to us both the source of our life and our purpose in Him -- let's look at these separately

III. The Source of Life -- "In Christ"
-- the first thing He tells us in these verses is that He is the source of our life -- that to live -- to be spiritually alive -- we must remain in Him
-- "I am the vine," He says -- "and you are the branches" -- to live, you must remain in me -- to live, you must abide in me
-- now this is an illustration that I think most of us can relate to -- let me explain
-- the backyard at our house is fenced in to keep the dogs in -- and because our dogs are experts at escape and like to dig out and climb out, we have put an electric wire at the bottom and at the top of the fence
-- a few weeks ago, our dogs got out -- and when I went out to check, I found out that the electric wire wasn't working -- grapevines had grown through the fence and grounded out the wire -- so I spent an entire day walking along the fence line, cutting off all of these grapevines and tossing them away so the fence would be clear again
-- but, truth be told, I wasn't cutting grapevines -- I was cutting the branches that come off those grapevines -- you see, there is one main vine for the grapes -- and all of these branches that were growing through my fence were coming off of that one main vine -- it was the source of life for all of those branches
-- the branches were getting their food and their nourishment and their support from that vine -- and as long as they were connected to the vine, these branches were able to live -- but when I cut them off, they were killed and could be removed -- if I really wanted to keep the grape branches off my fence, I would have to cut the actual vine that was feeding the branches
-- Jesus is telling us that our spiritual lives work in much the same way -- we stay spiritually alive only if we are connected to Him -- only if we abide in Him
-- Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches" -- through the vine of Christ we receive our food and nourishment -- we receive the grace and mercy and peace of the Lord -- we receive His power and His presence
-- the Bible has another term for this relationship with Jesus -- it calls it being "in Christ" -- to be "in Christ" means that we are connected to Him -- that we remain in Him -- and that we are doing the things necessary to maintain this closeness and this oneness with Christ -- praying and studying His word and attending church and fellowshiping with other Christians -- it is through these means of grace that we stay connected to the vine -- that we remain "in Christ"
-- which brings us to Jesus' second point in this passage

IV. Bearing Fruit
-- let's read verses 4-5 again
4. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
-- we were created to be in fellowship with God -- to be in a relationship with Him -- to be "in Christ" and connected to the true vine so that we would be filled with His nourishment -- fed by the Word and by His Providence so that we might do a good work for Him
-- the focus of these verses is not just on being connected to the vine -- but on the results of being connected -- of being "in Christ" -- namely, we are called to bear fruit for Christ
-- when I was cutting those grapevines back the other day, it struck me just how much they had grown and spread in just a year -- I had cut them back before, but over the course of a year, they had grown and spread out and covered the entire fence
-- that's a great picture of what we should be doing as Christians and as the Church of Christ -- Jesus tells us here that we are called to bear fruit for Him -- to spread out and cover this land with the good news of the gospel of Christ -- and to bring others into His fold as we point them to salvation through Jesus
-- Christ does not intend for us to be confined to the four walls of our sanctuaries or to limit our Christianity to Sundays -- His intent is for us to bear fruit for Him -- to be faithful and productive members of His Church -- sharing with others the love of Christ
-- let's imagine for a moment that this church building is a vineyard -- and right in the middle of this room there is a large grapevine -- from this grapevine there are branches growing in all directions -- most of the branches are confined to this room -- they hit the walls and grow up along the walls -- they are growing along the floor and along the ceiling -- they are draped over the pews -- but they really aren't bearing any fruit because they aren't out in the sunshine where they can really flourish and grow
-- do you know what happens when you tell someone about Jesus? -- a branch goes out the door and spreads to that place -- do you know what happens when you share the love of Jesus by serving someone? -- a branch goes out a window and spreads to that place
-- and when these branches get outside the walls of the church, then they can really spread and grow and start to bear fruit for Christ
-- I imagine most of us have seen kudzu at some point -- or at least pictures of kudzu -- look at this picture -- these kudzu vines have literally covered this building -- they have overtaken it and are spreading out in all directions
-- this is a perfect picture of what we are supposed to do as the branches of Christ -- we are to take His message to the world -- we are to spread out and share the good news of Jesus and of the cross and of the resurrection with all that we meet -- spreading out and covering the entire world with the love of Christ
-- Jesus tells us here that if we remain in Him, we will bear much fruit -- what is going on with your branch? -- is it just resting on a pew -- or is it spreading and bearing fruit for Jesus?

V. Closing
-- "I am the true vine -- you are the branches -- if a man remains in me and I in him, He will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing"
-- as we close this morning, I want you to really take a look at the spiritual fruit in your life -- are you bearing fruit for Jesus or are you just taking up space on the pew?
-- Jesus tells us here that if we are in Him -- if we are connected to Him and drawing our source of life from Him -- that we will bear fruit -- He doesn't say that we can bear fruit if we feel like it -- He doesn't say that we might bear fruit if we decide to -- He says that we will bear fruit
-- if you look at your life and honestly can't see any fruit, then you have to question where you are in your relationship with Jesus -- this world has a good way of sapping our strength and our vitality -- and if we don't remain close to Jesus -- through prayer -- through worship -- through reading His word -- through knowing Him day in and day out -- we might find ourselves cut off from our source of life and nourishment
-- if you aren't bearing fruit in your life, then it's an indication that you are not where you should be in your relationship with Christ -- maybe you have never come to Him in faith before -- trusting in Him for your eternal life and for the forgiveness of sins -- if this is the case, then all you have to do is ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins -- to trust in Him and believe that He died on the cross for you and that He rose on the third day -- and you will be saved
-- maybe you do know Him -- but you have slidden back in your devotion to Him -- if that's the case, I want to encourage you this morning to recommit your life to Him -- to get reconnected to the vine -- so that you might enjoy the abundant, fruitful life that He promises
-- whatever you need to do, I invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- the altar is open as always for you to spend time with God -- and I'd be happy to pray with you if you would like
-- let us pray