SERMON: THE MEASURE OF A CHRISTIAN: THOSE WHO MOURN

THE MEASURE OF A CHRISTIAN: THOSE WHO MOURN
(The Beatitude Series)
5 June 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 5
-- this morning, we are going to be continuing in our sermon series on the Beatitudes that I have titled, “The Measure of a Christian” -- as we said last time, the Beatitudes are a list of eight things that Jesus gave us in this passage in Matthew that we consider the measure of a Christian -- the character standards that all Christians should be striving for and that mark our progress and growth in the Kingdom of God
-- I’m going to go ahead and read the entire passage from verses 1 through 12 so that we have the verses in context, but our focus this morning is on the second Beatitude that we find in verse 4 -- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
-- so, if you would, follow along as I read Matthew 5:1-12

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


-- every so often I have to travel with my job -- and so, over the last few years, I have found myself flying a great deal more than I should -- and I guess because I don’t fly a whole lot, when the flight attendants come out and start giving their safety presentation as the plane is taxiing to the runway, I always try to pay attention -- I know for a lot of people this is old hat and they’ve heard it hundreds of times -- but, for me, I want to know what I should do in case of an emergency
-- and if you’ve flown, you’ve heard this before -- the attendant tells you how to buckle your seatbelt -- how to find the exits -- and how to use your seat cushion as a flotation device -- and then they always end with this one safety instruction that always seems to me to be the most important
-- they point to a compartment over your head and say, "If the cabin loses air pressure, an oxygen mask will drop from the compartment over your head -- if you are seated next to a child or someone who is having trouble putting on their mask, put yours on first, and then help them put on their mask”
-- in my mind, this just goes against all common sense and wisdom -- if you’re like most people in an emergency situation where there are children present, your first thought is going to be to take care of the children first -- isn’t that the way we’ve always been taught? -- to take care of the most vulnerable first?
-- think about the Titanic and when it started to sink -- what was it they said about the life rafts -- let the women and children go first -- take care of those who are most vulnerable first before you take care of yourself
-- so, the instructions of the flight attendant seem to go against the norm -- take care of yourself first, and then help someone else -- this isn’t the way we would normally do things -- this isn’t what common sense would dictate
-- but, it makes sense if you sit down and think about it -- hypoxia -- the lack of oxygen -- can affect your ability to react and to think -- and that’s the last thing you want going on in an emergency situation -- if you’re going to help someone, you need to be thinking and reacting normally -- so, the attendant tells us to put our own masks on first so that we will not be impaired and so that we can help those around us better

II. Blessed are those who mourn
-- that’s the same reasoning that Jesus uses here in this second Beatitude -- you can’t help someone else with their sin, until you first face your own sins -- when it comes to sin, you have to take care of yourself before you can begin to take care of others -- and we do this through holy mourning
-- let’s look Beatitude a little closer and I’ll show you what I mean
-- here in verse 4, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn”

-- there’s that word again that we find in all the Beatitudes -- “blessed” -- if you remember, we said that to be blessed was to be favored by God -- to be experiencing His presence and His power and His grace in our lives
-- when we use the word, “blessed,” we are saying that we have had a supernatural, spiritual encounter with the living God -- as the familiar Gaither hymn puts it, “He touched me”
-- and, as we can see from the context of this verse, to be blessed doesn’t mean that the things around us are necessarily going good -- it doesn’t mean that our finances and our homes and our relationship are all perfect -- it doesn’t mean that we’re not suffering -- in this verse, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn,” -- and mourning usually doesn’t indicate something good has happened but that we are walking through something that has profoundly impacted our lives
-- when Jesus tells us in this context that we are blessed, it means that God is with us and that He has touched our lives and that we are aware of His sustaining presence in whatever it is we are going through -- that’s what it means to be blessed

-- “Blessed are those who mourn” -- think for a moment about what causes you to mourn -- we mourn when we have lost someone -- we mourn when someone we love has passed away -- we mourn because there has been a death
-- I hear this verse recited a lot at funerals, because of the promise from Christ in the second part of this Beatitude that those who mourn will be comforted -- and while this is true, this is not the type of mourning that Jesus has in mind here
-- remember the context of the Beatitudes -- Jesus is teaching about spiritual things -- He is speaking about spiritual character and spiritual growth -- not about being comforted because of a worldly loss
-- so, what is it that causes us to mourn spiritually? -- what death or what loss are we grieved about?
-- we mourn because we have become aware of the spiritual death that follows a sinful life -- we mourn for our sins -- we grieve for what we have done to God -- as David says in Psalm 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned” as he points out that all our sins are sins against God

-- the group Thunder and Lightning has a new song out called, “You Love Me Anyway,” which speaks to the fact that we have sinned against God and done wrong against Him
-- the chorus of the song says, “I am the thorn in your crown -- I am the sweat from your brow -- I am the nail in your wrist -- I am Judas’ kiss -- but You love me anyway
-- “I am the man who yelled out from the crowd, for your blood to be spilled on this earth-shaking ground -- then I turned away with a smile on my face -- with this sin in my heart I tried to bury your grace -- and then alone in the night, I still call out for You -- so ashamed of my life -- my life --- my life -- but you love me anyway”

-- when Jesus speaks of the mourners in this passage, He is referring to those who have become aware of the depth of their sin -- who know that their sin is not just a temporal thing -- but that their sin was against the very throne of heaven and cast darkness against the light and purity and holiness of God
-- this Beatitude is for Christians -- for people who have already taken their first step towards spiritual holiness by accepting the first Beatitude -- who have come to Jesus poor in spirit, recognizing their need for a Savior, and receiving salvation at the cross
-- this second Beatitude speaks of a deepening realization of just what Christ has done -- of just what Christ has suffered -- for us
-- as we come face-to-face with the true reality and impact of our sin to God -- as we realize the price that Jesus paid to forgive us -- we begin to mourn and grieve for our part of the cross -- for the thorns in the crown -- for the sweat from His brow -- for the nails in His wrist -- for the blood that He shed for us
-- it is at this point that true repentance begins -- it is relatively easy to come to Christ at first -- to believe that He died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day -- to put our faith and trust in His atonement for our sins
-- but, it is another step altogether to truly understand what that means -- that is what the second Beatitude is all about -- it is about truly acknowledging and repenting of our sins so that we might walk with Christ
-- this is what Jesus means when He says elsewhere in the Bible that we have to pick up our cross and follow Him -- we have to acknowledge our sin and put it to death through repentance so that we might rise with Christ to new life

III. For they shall be comforted
-- this leads us to the second part of this Beatitude -- to the promise of Christ
-- Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted
-- one thing that I learned early on in ministry is the value of a comforting spirit -- there were many times when I sat with a friend at the hospital as someone they loved passed away -- and there were no words that could be said -- there was nothing I could do but sit there and hold them and be with them -- but, that was enough
-- when Jesus tells us here that those who mourn will be comforted, this is a promise of presence -- this is a promise that He will be there to sit there and to hold us and to be with us as we grieve over what we have done and as we mourn the depths of our sin
-- the presence of Jesus is the promise of a new day -- it is like the sun breaking over the horizon after a really bad storm has passed -- it is like a light shining in the darkness when you are lost and all hope is gone
-- Jesus says that after we mourn, He will comfort us -- there are three ways that the comfort of God comes to us in the midst of our grief

-- first, we are comforted through His word -- through the Scriptures -- as we read of the promises that He has given us -- we stand on these promises -- we believe in what He has said -- and we know that they will all come to pass
-- Jesus promised us forgiveness from our sins -- He promised us eternal life with Him -- He promised to never leave us or forsake us -- He promised to always be with us and that He would make a place for us
-- when we are gripped in the depths of mourning over our sins, these promises are the light that lead us forth into new life with Him

-- secondly, we are comforted through His church -- through the presence of other believers -- I had a conversation this week with someone about the church and what the church really was -- the church is not a building -- it’s not a name on a sign -- the church is a community of faith -- a gathering of believers who come together in grief and in mourning over sin and in celebration of the risen Christ to hold each other up -- to keep each other accountable -- and to encourage each other to continue on in their faith
-- who better to comfort those who mourn than someone who has already mourned -- who better to walk with down unknown paths than someone who knows the way
-- the Bible tells us that we need each other to live out this Christian life -- it speaks of the church -- and through the church, the presence of God comforts our souls as we grow in grace and truly mourn and repent of our sins and pick up our cross and follow Christ

-- the third way we are comforted is through His presence -- through the Holy Spirit who lives in us and through us
-- the Bible tells us in Romans 8:26-27 that the Spirit helps us in our weakness -- when we don’t know what to pray -- when we don’t know how to pray -- the Spirit prays for us -- He intercedes on our behalf -- He comforts our souls and He carries our needs to the Father
-- there is a reason that one name for the Holy Spirit is Comforter -- just as this verse says, when we mourn, we are comforted -- when we mourn, we are blessed by the very presence of God falling upon us and taking away our pain and our grief so that we might rise up and carry on to new life

IV. Closing
-- holy mourning over sin is a good thing -- it may not be pleasant -- it is not something that we like to go through -- but it is necessary -- it is a vital part of the Christian life -- it is something that we have to do if we are truly become holy in our lives
-- the mourning that Jesus is talking about in this Beatitude comes about when we honestly recognize the sin in our life and decide to do something about it -- it leads to true repentance -- not just to the initial stages of faith and belief at the cross -- but to a deepening faith and love that grows from a realization of just what Christ has done
-- mourning and repentance proceeds to comfort as we begin to experience the new life that Jesus promised -- a life characterized by holiness and obedience to God’s word instead of a life bound up by sin or the consequences of sin

-- I once read a story about Robert Murray McCheyne, a pastor in Dundee, Scotland -- even though he had died at the young age of 30, his life and his ministry had a profound impact on the people in that community -- many, many people had come to Christ because of his influence -- many, many people had changed their lives because of his presence in their pulpit
-- the impact that McCheyne had did not go unnoticed outside of Dundee -- one day, a young pastor who had just graduated from seminary and who was beginning his first pastorate visited McCheyne’s former church to see what he could learn about ministry from those McCheyne had touched
-- he went to the old sexton of McCheyne’s church and asked him what McCheyne’s secret was -- the sexton led the pastor into McCheyne’s study and showed him a table with some of McCheyne’s books on it sitting next to a chair -- he told him, "Sit down and put your elbows on the table." The visitor obeyed. "Now put your head in your hands." He complied. "Now let the tears flow; that's what McCheyne did."
-- Next he led the pastor into the church and said, "Put your elbows on the pulpit." The visitor did. "Now put your face in your hands." He obeyed. "Now let the tears flow; that's what McCheyne used to do."
-- the sexton’s point was clear -- Robert Murray McCheyne cried freely over his sins and over those of his people -- and his holy mourning led to repentance and to transformed lives and the comfort of Christ
-- we need to be more sensitive to the convicting voice of God's Spirit and more determined to live a separated and holy life.
-- We may rejoice in God's forgiveness, but we should never be afraid to mourn for our sins, because Jesus tells us that those who mourn will be comforted and blessed (modified from D. C. Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

-- as we close in prayer now, let me remind you of one of the wonderful promises that we find in God’s word -- in 1 John 1:8-9 we read, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. -- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
-- as we pray, let us confess and mourn over our sins -- that we might be comforted and that we might be purified from all unrighteousness and leave here transformed again by the very presence of God in our midst
-- let us pray

SERMON: THE MEASURE OF A CHRISTIAN: POOR IN SPIRIT

THE MEASURE OF A CHRISTIAN: POOR IN SPIRIT
(THE BEATITUDE SERIES)
15 May 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 5:1-12

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


-- Several years ago, Popular Mechanics published an article entitled, “25 Skills Every Man Should Know”1 -- it was a list of things that Popular Mechanics felt defined a real man -- a man who was stepping up and fulfilling their roles and responsibilities in this world today -- this was the standard that all men should strive for in their lives
-- the list was quite interesting, and I’m not going to say how many of these I can or can’t do -- but let me read a few of the items on the list this morning so that the men here might see how they measure up against this standard that Popular Mechanics put forth

1. Patch a Radiator Hose
2. Rescue a Boater Who has Capsized
3. Frame a Wall
4. Back up a Trailer
5. Fix a Dead Outlet
6. Build a Campfire
7. Get a Car Unstuck
8. Paint a Room

-- this is just a partial list of the skills that Popular Mechanics said were the measure of a man -- a real man, they said, should be able to do all of these things
-- well, interestingly, Jesus also gave us a list of eight things in this passage in Matthew that He said are the measure of a Christian -- not skills, per se, but character standards that all Christians should be striving for -- that all Christians can use to measure their progress and growth in the Kingdom of God
-- we call this list of eight things that Jesus gave us here the Beatitudes -- and we’re going to be starting a sermon series now on these eight Beatitudes because these are foundational and are things that we need to know if we are going to be the men and women of faith that Christ has called us to be -- if we are truly going to be His church in this world today

II. The Beatitudes
-- so, before we look at the first Beatitude in detail, let’s spend a few moments talking about the Beatitudes in general
-- now, the word “Beatitude” is not in the Bible --it is derived from a Latin word “Beatus” which means “happy” or “blessed” because each of these eight standards that Jesus gave us begins with the words, “Blessed are”
-- let me list those for you again:
-- Blessed are the poor in Spirit
-- Blessed are those who mourn
-- Blessed are the meek
-- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
-- Blessed are the merciful
-- Blessed are the pure in heart
-- Blessed are the peacemakers
-- Blessed are those who are persecuted

-- some Bibles translate the word “Blessed” as “Happy” -- so you might see these in your Bible as “Happy are the poor in Spirit” or “Happy are those who mourn”
-- I am not a big fan of this rendering of the Beatitudes because I don’t believe the word, “Happy,” really catches the true meaning of what Jesus is trying to get across in this passage and I don’t believe it fits with the original manuscripts -- I think it changes the focus and intent of what Jesus is saying
-- let me explain what I’m talking about -- the focus of the word “happy” is self -- happiness is an emotion -- it is what gives you pleasure -- people in this world today run around seeking this elusive happiness so that they will have pleasure in their own personal lives -- the focus is on themselves and their feelings and their emotions -- and when their conditions change, their happiness flees
-- on the other hand, the focus of the word “blessed” is God-oriented -- the word literally means, “favored by God” or “experiencing spiritual prosperity” -- it is more closely related to the biblical concept of “joy” which is not an emotion, but the sense of fulfillment and peace that comes from being in complete and total fellowship with God -- you can be going through the worst trials in the world, and still be joyful and still consider yourself blessed because of the presence of God with you
-- that’s why the rendering, “Happy are those who mourn,” makes no sense -- because there is no happiness in mourning -- by definition, you are grieving a loss -- your happiness is gone -- but, yet, we see all the time those men and women who, in times of mourning, still exhibit the character of joy and blessedness in their lives because they know that God is with them even in the midst of their sorrow and grief
-- so, I think we need to stick with the term “blessed” in the Beatitudes rather than the term “happy” -- if you want to say “joyful,” I’m good with that -- but let’s move past “happy”

-- now, as I have said, the Beatitudes are our standard of conduct -- our standard of living -- in the Kingdom of God -- one writer has said that these are the attitudes that Christians should be striving for in our daily lives -- so, when you’re faced with issues in your life and don’t know how to respond, you look to the Beatitudes to see what your attitude should be
-- one way to think of the Beatitudes is a ladder, leading to our ultimate goal of purity in heart -- each Beatitude builds on the one before it -- and you must pass through each one on your way to spiritual maturity and perfection
-- we start with poverty of spirit -- with humility and humbleness of heart -- next, we mourn for our sins and for the sins of others and the corruption of this world -- we strive to become meek, refusing to exalt ourselves or compare ourselves with others
-- “we hunger and thirst for righteousness as if it were bread and water, the righteousness of Christ that justifies us so that we may act justly in the world.”
-- “We extend mercy to everyone for everything, not judging anyone for anything and in so doing we feed the hungry and visit the prisoner and give to the poor.”
-- “We extend mercy and hospitality to whoever is put before us at any moment.” And as we follow these steps, we learn to overcome conflict and persecution -- to be peacemakers and peacebringers -- who usher in the Kingdom of God and the presence of Christ wherever we may be 2

III. Poor in Spirit
-- so, let’s look at the first Beatitude -- if you would, look back at verse 1 and let’s start there

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

-- at this time, Jesus’ ministry is growing -- He has called His 12 disciples, and has been traveling throughout Judea and Galilee, ministering to the people -- healing and preaching and teaching
-- Matthew tells us that one day Jesus is being followed by large crowds of people -- and He goes up on a mountainside and sits down facing them so that His voice would carry throughout the crowd and begins to give them the message that we call, “The Sermon on the Mount”
-- the Sermon on the Mount covers three chapters here in Matthew -- and parts of it are recorded in each of the other three gospels -- as Jesus begins this lengthy message, He begins with these eight Beatitudes that we have been discussing because, as we have said, these are the steps to maturity in Christ
-- “Blessed are the poor in spirit”

-- well, the first thing that we see here in this Beatitude is the phrase, “blessed” -- now, we talked about that some earlier, but the important thing to note here is that the use of this word implies the action of God in our lives -- the Bible tells us that apart from God, we can do nothing -- and by using the word “Blessed” here, Jesus is telling us that apart from God, we cannot take up these Beatitudes and make them a part of us
-- this is an act of God in our lives -- an act of grace -- God’s free gift that is given to us and that draws us to Him and makes us into His likeness and image

-- Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” -- Luke just renders this in his gospel as, “Blessed are the poor”
-- which obviously begs the question, “what does Jesus mean by ‘poor?’”
-- in Luke 18, we read the story of the time a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him what he must do to gain eternal life -- after discussing what it meant to follow God and to live for Him, Jesus told the young man "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
-- when Jesus tells us here in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” is He telling us to do the same thing that He told the rich young ruler? -- is He calling on us to give away all that we have and to live lives of poverty in this world?”
-- no, here in the Beatitudes, Jesus is focused on the virtues of the heart -- on the character of a person -- the measure of who they are spiritually
-- Jesus is calling for us to be poor -- not in worldly terms -- not in financial terms -- but in spiritual terms -- poor in spirit
-- in this Beatitude, Jesus is calling for us to acknowledge our spiritual condition before God and turn to Him and Him alone for salvation
-- before we can begin our journey with God -- before we can start climbing the ladder to spiritual maturity and purity of heart -- we first have to put our foot on the rung of spiritual poverty
-- we have to admit before God who we are in our hearts -- who we are in our spirits -- and turn to Him and Him alone for provision -- for salvation -- for justification

-- the Bible describes for us what we were like before Christ -- in Romans 3:10-12 we read, “"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
-- and over in Romans 3:23 it says, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”
-- the problem continues to be that we fool ourselves and we don’t admit our true nature to ourselves or to God -- we go through life thinking that we can get to heaven because we are good ole’ boys or good ‘ole girls
-- we are not aware of who we are -- that is, we are not aware of who we are until the prevenient grace of God puts a mirror before our spirit -- until God speaks to our hearts and convicts of our sin and shows us our true nature
-- to be poor in spirit is to know who we are in the depths of our heart -- to know our true state before a holy God -- to stand before God and cry out as Isaiah did as he stood before God’s throne, “Woe unto me, I am ruined”
-- to be poor in spirit is to come before God with nothing --with empty hands -- not depending on works -- not depending on tradition or heritage or anything else -- but coming as we are and trusting Him to make us rich in Christ
-- Jesus says that the poor in spirit are blessed, because they have recognized their spiritual state and have come to the only source that can bring restoration and healing and value to their lives
-- they are also blessed because of what they receive -- “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” -- in other words, once you are poor in spirit and turn to God for salvation, you enter into the kingdom of heaven and receive eternal life with the Father
-- to be poor in spirit, then, means that you have acknowledged your sin -- that you have confessed to God who you are -- and that you have asked Him to forgive you of all that you have done
-- it means that you have repented of your sins -- you’ve done a u-turn and are now following God rather than the path you used to be on -- and that you are now living in faith in the kingdom of heaven -- trusting and believing in the atoning death of Jesus Christ for your salvation
-- blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God

IV. Closing
-- let me close today by leaving you with a story that really demonstrates the poverty of spirit that Jesus is calling us to in this first Beatitude

Jenny was 13 and wild.  Eveyone agreed that she got wilder with each passing month.  Taller and more physically mature than many of her friends, Jenny found it was easy to attract older guys by merely tossing back her long, strawberry blonde hair and giving a faint smile.  Before she was 14 years old, she was experienced in all the vices the world could dangle before her.  Jenny got caught up in an endless cycle of sex, drugs, and alcohol abuse, and appeared to be heading down a long, dark road with no way out.

-- 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.  Maybe that's why she agreed to go with a friend to an event put on by a local church.  Even though Jenny didn't return in the following weeks, something in the youth pastor's short message found its way into her heart.  He told a story about a prostitute, so sorry about the way she was living that she cried at the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet dry with her hair.

            -- Several years passed, and Jenny grew more out of control, "raging" night after night.  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 Jenny.  Suddenly, the guilt, self-loathing, and despair that had been pressed down and covered up with sex, drugs, and alcohol for so long, exploded in her mind.  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 wanted to be clean and to feel love, true love.

            -- Remembering the youth pastor's message from so long ago, Jenny thought, "Maybe God can help," and tried to find a church.  Leaving her friends in the streets, Jenny made her way to the nearest church.  She opened the gate to the garden leading to the back of the church, and then 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 went 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 heard so many years ago, Jenny's tears fell on the feet of the statue of Jesus and she dried the feet of the statue with her hair.  While Jenny was there at the feet of the statue, the grace of the living God poured out on her, wiping away all the years of sex and drugs and alcohol and gently removing the obstacles that had been built up between Jenny and the one person who could truly love her and fulfill the longings in her soul, Jesus.

1 25 Skills Every Man Should Know, Popular Mechanics, http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/skills/4223337?page=1&all
2 The Pure in Heart Shall See God, Eric Simpson, Associate Editor, "In Communion: The Journal of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-simpson/the-pure-in-heart-shall-s_b_854738.html

SERMON: THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

29 May 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Revelation 2:8-11

8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.


-- "Is this the day I die?" -- this is the first thought that crosses the mind of Li Wan, a Chinese Christian, every morning when he wakes up -- “Is this the day I die?
-- and although Li Wan is a fictional character in the book, “Safely Home,” by Randy Alcorn -- these words, or words very similar to them, cross the minds of real-life Christians when they wake up every morning in countries like China, Sudan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and other nations where Christians are persecuted for their faith

-- it is sometimes hard for us as American Christians to realize the extent of persecution that is going on in this world -- every Sunday, we gather together for worship -- we get up and drive to our places of worship -- we join with other believers and gather in public places to praise and worship our Lord
-- but, for millions of other Christians throughout the world, this is a dream -- when they worship, they have to come together in secret -- in small numbers -- to avoid the spying eyes of the Government -- they have to gather together in hidden places because they face the constant threat of arrest and persecution for their faith
-- for example, just last Sunday, 25 members of an underground church in China were arrested by the Government -- their crime? -- they came together just like this for a worship service
-- the American church tends to become too wrapped up in its own affairs and the politics of our country to recognize the plight of our brothers and sisters in restricted nations -- while we are quick to cry “Persecution” when the federal district courts rule the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional or when local governments refuse to rezone an area to allow a church to expand, we don’t know what true persecution is
-- just last year, 100 million Christians faced some form of discrimination or persecution because of their faith -- and a 2010 Catholic report stated that 75% of all religious persecution in the world today is directed towards Christians -- more Christians are being martyred and persecuted for their faith right now than at any time in the history of the world
-- in this year alone, we have witnessed increased hostility in China towards the underground church as pastors and members have been arrested and tortured for their faith -- we have read about Christians in Iran who were arrested and accused of “activities against the government” -- we have seen riots in places like Indonesia and Nigeria -- and we have seen the direct killing of Christians in the Sudan and Egypt and other countries
-- as Mark Seddon -- a journalist for Britain's Independent newspaper stated -- "We may be witnessing a new age of Christian persecution"

II. The Persecuted Church
-- this morning, I want us to spend some time thinking about the persecuted church -- about our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in constant threat for their faith
-- persecution is nothing new in the Christian church -- we read about it first in the Book of Acts, as the Jews persecuted the followers of Jesus and forced them to relocate from Jerusalem to Antioch
-- we read about it in the letters of Paul and John and Peter -- and we read about it here in Revelation in Christ’s letter to the church at Smyrna
-- before we look at this letter, let me give you a little background on the city of Smyrna - Smyrna was known as the crown of Asia -- commercial center of Asia Minor -- major stop on trade route between Persia and India and Rome
-- it was a very wealthy city that knew its place in the world -- it knew its importance relied on trade with Rome and, as a result, it was heavily involved in emperor worship -- in other words, most of the people in the city viewed the Roman emperor as a god, and worshiped him in addition to a myriad of other gods
-- at the time this letter was written, the Christians in Smyrna were starting to suffer from external persecution -- both from the pagans who worshiped the Roman emperors and from Jews who were opposed to the Christian sect
-- many scholars believe that the church in Smyrna was symbolic of the early period of persecution in the Christian church from about 100 AD through 312 AD -- in other words, even though this letter was given to the Christians at Smyrna in the time of John, the words of this letter were for the persecuted church as a whole

-- let's look now at this short letter from Christ to the church at Smyrna
-- verse 8

8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.

-- Jesus knew what was going on in the town of Smyrna -- He knew of the persecution they were suffering -- He knew that they lived in constant fear of death -- so He begins His letter to them by reminding them of who He was
-- He tells them here in verse 8, “I am the First and the Last -- I am the one who died and came to life again."
-- these words were given to reassure them in their faith -- He was reminding them that the persecutions they were going through were only a moment in their life -- that even though some of them would face death, He had already overcome death -- and that death would not be the end of their life but the entry into a new life with Him
-- the words of Christ remind us of the message that God gave the church at Corinth through the Apostle Paul -- listen as I read 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[a]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[b]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.


-- that is what Christ was telling the church at Smyrna here in verse 8 -- “stand firm -- let nothing move you -- not even the threat of death -- because I have overcome death and I stand with you”

-- verse 9

9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!

-- the persecutions that the church in Smyrna faced affected the life and the livelihood of its members -- because of their faith, this church had little wealth or resources --they were poor by earthly standards
-- as the trade center of Asia, Smyrna had a workman's guild that monitored the activity of all the craftsman and tradesman in the city -- when someone stood up and opposed the status quo -- when they opposed worshiping the emperor as god -- then they were boycotted or shut out of opportunities for work
-- and, because the Christians in that time were bold for their faith, they were being forced out of the workplace and weren't able to make a living
-- so how could Christ say they were rich in the midst of their poverty? -- because they were storing up treasures in Heaven and not on earth -- in Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus tells us, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
-- every time the church stood up for Christ against emperor worship -- every time the church suffered trials and persecutions because of their faith -- they were storing up treasure in heaven
-- their wealth -- their riches -- their focus -- was not on this world but on the world beyond -- and their faith was considered rich by Jesus

-- look back at the second part of verse 9

9b. I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

-- people who say they are Jews but are really a synagogue of Satan -- while we are not entirely sure of what was going on in the church at Smyrna, we can make a guess as to what Jesus is referring to here in this second part of verse 9 based on what we see today in the persecuted church

-- first, He could be referring to the ongoing persecution of Christians by the Jews -- at this time, Christianity was evolving into its own religion, but in a lot of places it was still considered a sect of Judaism -- in fact, in the eyes of the Romans, Jews and Christians were lumped together and seen as one and the same
-- based on the words of Christ, we have to assume that the Jews in the synagogue were spreading lies about the Christians to the government officials and to the people of the city -- not unlike the lies that caused the Christians to be blamed for burning Rome under the Emperor Nero
-- these lies -- this slander -- resulted in greater pressure against the Christians and caused the government to increase their hostility towards these believers
-- we’ve seen the same thing recently in Pakistan -- when a bookstore owned by a Christian started growing and affecting his business, another bookseller falsely accused the Christian of burning the Koran -- this lie and accusation of blasphemy against Islam inflamed the local Muslims -- they formed a mob and burned down the Christian’s store and chased the man and his son home in fear for their lives while the local police stood by and did nothing
-- these types of lies and slander is common in the persecuted church today

-- secondly, Jesus could be referring to the false Christians who had infiltrated the church -- now, we’re all familiar with the fact that some people who attend church are not really Christians -- they may sing the same songs and pray the same prayers and listen to the same sermons but in their heart, they have never accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior -- many times, these people come to church only to be seen or to make connections for business or political reasons -- this is not what I’m talking about when I’m talking about false Christians in the church
-- a common problem in the persecuted church is the presence of spies -- of people who profess to be Christians in order to join a church but who, in reality, are working for the government and gathering information to assist in the persecution of the church
-- we see this quite often in places like China, where the underground church is firmly established and the government is taking drastic steps to remove it -- in China, the government will send in people disguised as Christians -- Judas Christians -- to find out what they can about the church -- who its pastor is and who its members are and when it meets -- so that they can provide this information to the government
-- this could be what Jesus is talking about in this verse -- but, regardless, it was obvious that the church at Smyrna was undergoing intense persecution and affliction and that its members were struggling to survive

-- verse 10

10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.



-- Jesus tells this church, "I know what is going on -- I know what you are going through -- I know that there are more persecutions to come -- but...don't be afraid -- don't be afraid -- I am with you -- and if you are faithful -- even to the point of death as I was -- I will give you the crown of life"
-- Christ was telling this church to hold on -- that more persecutions were on the way -- but that He would be there with them through it all
-- persecution was one of Satan's first tactics in his war against the church -- the Apostolic church was wreaking havoc on Satan's worldwide dominion -- people were getting saved and turning to Christ in record numbers -- so Satan knew something had to be done -- and he thought that he could just stamp out Christianity through persecutions -- both from evil world rulers and from the established religion of the day
-- but, it didn't work -- the more the church was persecuted -- the more it grew

-- Watchman Nee, one of the great Chinese pastors of the 20th century, ministered to a growing church in China during a period of persecution just like this -- the communist government would send spies to his church to make sure that he wasn't preaching anything against the government -- and in their eyes, preaching Christ as Lord and Ruler of everything was treason against the government
-- so one Sunday, Watchman Nee didn't say a word -- he just grabbed a glass of water off the table and looked like he was trying to crush it with his hands -- he started shaking it and shaking it and all the water spilled out -- finally, he threw it on the ground and it shattered -- and then he took his heel and ground it against the glass -- breaking it up into smaller and smaller parts -- and then he ended the service and sent everyone home
-- the government spies didn't have a clue what had just happened -- but the true believers did -- the government of China was trying to stamp out Christianity -- but every time they tried to destroy a church by crushing it with their heel -- it didn't go away -- it just spread into more and more pieces and it grew and grew and grew -- just like the glass in Watchman Nee's sermon delivered without words
-- this is exactly what happened with the persecuted church represented by the church at Smyrna -- the more Satan tried to persecute them and wipe them off the face of the earth, the stronger they became and the more the message spread

-- one thing that is really interesting here is Jesus’ statement that the church would suffer 10 days of persecution -- obviously, the word “day” here is meant symbolically -- this is not 10 literal days but 10 periods of history
-- in fact, if you read church history, you will find out that the early church went through10 major periods of persecution, just as Christ said -- and, during each of those periods of persecution, the church actually grew larger and stronger

-- verse 11

11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

-- he who overcomes -- he who persists under persecution -- he who holds strong to the word of God -- never breaking and never failing to give God glory and honor -- he will not be hurt by the second death
-- here's an important spiritual truth -- how many times should a person be born? -- twice -- once through natural birth -- the second time through supernatural birth -- we call this being born again
-- now, how many times should a person die? -- the answer here is once -- we all die a natural death -- unless the Lord comes for us first, every person in this room will one day die and leave our earthly body behind -- but only the unbelievers -- only the non-Christians will suffer the second death
-- flip over to Revelation 20

6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

-- the second death is eternal separation from God -- the second death is eternity in Hell -- and it is suffered only by those who don't believe in Jesus
-- so, Jesus tells the believers at Smyrna -- "don't be afraid -- the world may persecute you -- they may take away all your worldly wealth and all your material possessions -- they may say all kinds of evil about you -- they may take away your very life -- but if you remain faithful -- if you stand fast to the word and the promise I have given you, you will be overcomers and you will not suffer the second death"

III. Closing
-- now, the thing I really want you to get out of today’s message is that the experience of the church at Smyrna is being experienced by hundreds and thousands of other churches throughout the world today
-- right now, our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing afflictions and persecutions just as the Christians in Smyrna did 2000 years ago -- they are losing their jobs and their homes and their businesses -- they are being ridiculed and mocked -- they are being arrested and beaten and tortured -- and many are losing their lives
-- persecution takes many forms -- but it is a fact that should propel the church in America to action

-- so, what can we do to help our brothers and sisters who suffer daily under the afflictions and trials of persecution?

-- first, we educate ourselves -- that is the whole purpose of Secret Church -- to give us a feel for what it might be like to be in a church where you have to sneak in to worship Christ -- to be in a church where you are constantly looking over your shoulder for the police to come in -- where you are never sure if the person who is next to you is a fellow believer or a spy who will be betray you to the authorities
-- there are many organizations that are dedicated to getting the word out about the persecuted church -- Voice of the Martyrs -- Open Door -- Jihad Watch -- Christian Freedom International


-- go to their sites -- read their information -- learn about the true extent of persecution that you will never hear about in the media

-- second, we give -- we give our resources in support of the persecuted church -- those organizations that I just mentioned are active in restricted nations around the world reaching out to those who are imprisoned and are being unjustly persecuted
-- they can use your money -- they can use your time -- they can use you -- to help take care of men and women just like us who are being persecuted for their faith
-- third, we get active -- we write and call our elected officials -- we ask that our government get involved in human rights issues in places like China and Pakistan and Indonesia -- we ask our government to take a stand on behalf of religious persecution of any kind -- and we support the leaders who do so
-- another way to get active is to write letters to persecuted Christians -- if you go to the Voice of the Martyrs site, they have prisoner awareness sheets with information on Christians that you can write letters of support to and who you can add to your daily prayers -- it was because of a letter writing campaign to three Christian prisoners in Iran that led to their release just this week
-- you put your letter together online -- and the computer will translate it so that you can print it out and mail it to bring encouragement to a Christian suffering in a prison in a restricted country
-- think about the encouragement that John’s letter of Revelation brought to the church at Smyrna -- you can bring that same encouragement to another person by just letting them know that you cared enough to write them

-- and, finally, we pray -- while we may never see the face of any of these men and women who are being persecuted for their faith, God does -- He sees them and He hears their cries and He moves on their behalf
-- in Ephesians 6:18, Paul tells us to keep on praying for all the saints
-- through our prayers, we touch the throne of Heaven and put a hedge of spiritual protection around these faithful churches -- pray that the eyes of their enemies might be blinded to their presence -- pray that the hearts of the leaders in their countries might be changed -- pray that the faith of these men and women would be made stronger and would not falter -- pray that they would stand firm and overcome all the trials and afflictions that might come their way
-- if you do nothing else, pray -- for prayer changes everything

-- we’re going to close in prayer right now -- and I ask you to join me in prayer for the persecuted church and for the blindness of America Christians to the plight of the underground church
-- God is calling us to make a difference in the lives of these people -- and we must begin today
-- let us pray

SERMON: THE END IS NEAR?

22 May 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 24:3-8


3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.


-- I heard about these two men who were standing on the side of a road not far from here holding up a sign that said, “The end is near” --as they were standing there, a car came flying down the road -- the two men waved at the driver and raised their sign up and down to make sure he saw it
-- when the driver saw them, he honked his horn and put his fist in the air and yelled out to them, “You crazy religious nuts! Get out of here -- no one wants to hear your stupid stuff!” -- and he sped up and kept going down the road
-- All of a sudden, the men heard tires squealing and the sound of a large splash -- they looked at each other and one of the men said, “I told you we should have just written ‘Stop! The Bridge is Out!’”

-- as I’m sure everyone in here is aware, Harold Camping, a Christian radio host from California, predicted that the rapture would occur on March 21st, 2011 and that the end of the world would follow five months later -- with the world ending on October 21st, 2011
-- Camping based his assertion on a mathematical formula using numerology and the repetition of numbers in the Bible to come up with his prediction that the world would come to an end 7,000 years after the flood of Noah, which he dated at 4,990 B.C.
-- and while most Christian groups did not agree with Camping or his prediction of May 21st as the day of the Rapture, the media and the world took a profound interest in his assertion and waited to see if this latest prediction of the end of the world would come to pass -- in fact, earlier this week, Google reported that searches related to Camping’s prediction took up four of their top 10 search positions for the week
-- now that May 21st has come and gone, we can be sure that Christians are going to be faced with ridicule and mocking because of Camping’s failed prediction -- even though most Christian groups did not agree with Camping, the odds are that we will get lumped in with the “religious nuts” and you’ll see news story after news story and jokes from late night entertainers about Christians and the end of the world
-- and, more than likely, your friends and family who know you are a Christian may come up to you and ask you about Camping and his prediction and what the truth really is -- so I wanted to spend some time this morning discussing eschatology -- the fancy word for the study of the end of the world or end times theology
-- now, as we go through this today, I want you to keep in mind that there is probably no greater division or difference of opinion in the church than on end times theology -- understandings and beliefs about the end times vary greatly depending on the church and the denomination and the individual
-- some people regard the end times prophecies in the Bible as merely symbolic and do not believe that the world will come to a cataclysmic end with Christ’s return -- others believe in the return of Christ but not in the descriptions of tribulation that follow -- while others believe in a literal understanding of all of these prophecies, including those found in the Book of Revelation
-- so, keep in mind that in the Christian church, there are vast differences in beliefs and understandings about the end times -- you really need to read the scriptures on your own and look up what the various scholars have said about the end times and come to your own understanding of what you think the Bible is saying
-- the thing to remember is that eschatology is not a criteria for salvation -- it is one of those things that we can agree to disagree about in the church -- believing in the imminent return of Christ will not save you any more than believing that the prophecies are merely symbolic will save you -- salvation comes through putting your faith in the atoning death of Jesus on the cross and believing in the resurrection and the promise of eternal life that Jesus offers
-- let me go ahead and tell you up front which camp I belong to -- I tend to take a literal understanding of the Scriptures unless the meaning is clearly symbolic -- in school, I learned the principle of Occam’s Razor, which basically states, “the simplest explanation is most likely the correct one” -- and this is what I apply to Scripture
-- so, I believe in a literal understanding of end times theology -- including the rapture, the Tribulation Period, the second coming of Christ followed by the millennial kingdom when Christ rules for 1,000 years, and then the final judgment and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth -- this would be considered a very conservative view and very similar to the teachings of Tim LaHaye, one of the authors of the Left Behind series
-- so let’s look back at this passage in Matthew and see what we can learn about the end times from Jesus

II. Olivet Discourse
-- before we begin, let me give you a little background on this passage -- Matthew Chapter 24 is called “The Olivet Discourse” -- which is just a fancy way of saying that Jesus gave this message on the Mount of Olives -- “Olivet” -- to His disciples
-- The Olivet Discourse is Jesus’ message about the end times -- both the end of the nation of Israel and the end of the world in general -- it is found in all three synoptic gospels -- Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- but Matthew has the greatest amount of material on this discourse

-- look at verse 3


3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”


-- this message by Jesus comes in response to the same questions that drove Harold Camping to make his prediction -- when will the world end? -- when will Jesus come back?
-- right now, the world seems to be focused on these types of issues -- with the tremendous natural disasters that we have seen over the last decade -- tsunamis -- earthquakes -- floods -- hurricanes -- famine -- wildfires -- volcanoes -- the list goes on and on -- people are looking at all of this and saying, “Surely the world can’t survive” -- when will the end come? -- how will the end come?
-- and, so, right now, everyone is interested in end times -- we’ve seen Harold Camping’s prediction of the rapture and the end of the world this year -- the Mayan calendar prediction of the end of the world on December 21st, 2012 -- and, just yesterday, I was watching a program about the Georgia Guidestones near Elberton, which also warn of the end of the world based on ancient prophecies
-- Jesus’ disciples weren’t immune to this wondering -- so they came up to Jesus and asked Him, “When is this going to happen? -- when is the world going to end?”
-- let’s look at Jesus’ response

-- verse 4

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

-- basically, what Jesus is telling His disciples here is “Don’t worry” -- He is saying, “Don’t get all caught up in worrying about when the end is going to come or how it’s going to happen” -- don’t think that just because you see natural disasters or wars or famines that it means that the end has come
-- all of these things have happened throughout human history -- we’ve always had wars and rumors of wars -- we’ve always had earthquakes and natural disasters -- we’ve always had false messiahs and false religions -- Jesus says, “This is not cause for concern for those who know Me -- these things will always happen -- it’s not a reason to panic”
-- but, He tells us in verse 8, that these things are the beginning of the birth pains -- or, as the KJV puts it, the beginning of sorrows
-- I think it’s interesting that the NIV uses the term “birth pains” -- because this leads to an interesting analogy -- first, when you have a birth, that means a child is coming -- so, in this case, who is it that is coming? -- we would have to say that Jesus was talking about Himself and His second coming
-- secondly, what happens when a woman goes into labor? -- she begins by having contractions and pain that comes minutes or hours apart -- and then, as the time grows near, these contractions get closer and closer together until finally she gives birth
-- assuming that Jesus is making this same point about the false messiahs and wars and natural disasters, we can say that as the end of the age draws near, that we should see these things occurring more and more often and closer together than ever before

-- skip down to verse 32

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[a] is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

-- now, contrary to what Harold Camping believes, we don’t know the exact day or hour when Jesus will come back -- we don’t know when the rapture will occur or when the end of the age will come -- but, according to Jesus, we can know when it is close at hand
-- Jesus uses the example of the fig tree to make the point that His followers should know when the times are getting close -- think about it -- we can tell when it’s about to be spring and summer, can’t we? -- we start seeing the trees get their leaves -- we start seeing the birds migrate back through -- the temperatures start rising -- we know when the season is near at hand
-- Jesus says we’ll know the same thing about the end of the age -- when we start to see all of these things that He has been talking about coming to pass more and more often we should recognize that the season of the end of the age is near -- that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen today or tomorrow -- it could -- but it could also happen 100 or 500 years from now -- near doesn’t mean immediate -- it means close
-- one other thing about Jesus’ use of the fig tree in His example -- in the Bible, the fig tree sometimes represents the nation of Israel -- so, Jesus could be saying here that when we see the nation of Israel restored -- when we see the Jews come back into their homeland again -- that it means that the end is near
-- 40 years after Jesus was crucified, in 70 AD, the nation of Israel was totally destroyed and the temple was torn down -- for 2000 years, there was no nation of Israel and the Jews were dispersed throughout the world, living in other countries -- but, on May 14th, 1948, the Jews came home and the modern nation of Israel was recognized -- is this what Jesus is talking about in His example of the fig tree? -- that’s quite likely -- and this may be yet another sign that the end of the age is near
-- one thing that we need to keep in mind that Harold Camping forgot was verse 36 -- "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” -- we can’t predict the day or the hour that Jesus will come back -- it’s not for us to do that -- only the Father knows the exact time that this will happen
-- we can know the season -- we can recognize the signs of the birth pains -- but the actual date and hour is not ours to know

-- verse 37

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.

-- Jesus it makes clear here -- when the end of the world does come -- when Jesus does return -- the world is not going to be expecting Him -- it won’t be like this weekend when all of the media’s attention was on the prediction by Harold Camping that the world was coming to an end on Saturday
-- Jesus’ followers will know the time is at hand just as Noah knew the flood was coming -- Noah didn’t know the exact day or hour when the rain would start falling and we don’t know the exact day or hour when Jesus will come -- but we’ll know it’s soon -- however, the rest of the world will be clueless because they have chosen to turn away from the knowledge of the truth
-- and, so, Jesus tells us that when He does come back, one will be taken and the other left -- one will go to heaven to be with Jesus and the other left behind
-- the important thing to note here is that Jesus is definitely coming back -- Even though Camping got the date wrong, it doesn’t change the fact that Jesus is still coming back -- He tells us so right here in verse 42 and again in verse 44 -- that is a promise from God -- and we have to believe and trust in it and expect it to come to pass just as He said

III. Closing -- What Now?
-- so, what now? -- on the heels of the failed prediction by Harold Camping, what should we do as Christians and believers in the second coming of Christ? -- Jesus tells us right here in this passage
-- Jesus gives us the command to keep watch and be ready -- to watch and be ready means several different things
-- this means that we truly become disciples of Christ in our daily lives -- we live for Jesus everyday and not just on Sundays -- when we sin, we confess our sins and thank God for His forgiveness -- we maintain our relationship with Him by reading our Bibles and praying and worshiping Him every day
-- this also means that we are ready to share with others the hope that we have in Jesus and in His death and resurrection -- one good thing about Camping’s prediction is that people are talking about Jesus in the media and at the water cooler and in school -- we have an open door to share with people about Jesus and about our faith
-- we should use this opportunity to share with them the good news of salvation and let them know that they won’t have to worry about the end of the world if they would turn to Jesus in faith for the forgiveness of their sins -- it gives us the opportunity to let them know that through Jesus they would come to know a peace and a joy that surpasses all understanding and that removes all fear from their lives -- even the fear of the world coming to an end

-- Jesus goes on in this passage to talk about the faithful and wise servant who does what his Master has told him to do -- it is our calling as Christians to go and make disciples of the whole world, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit -- and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded
-- this is what a faithful and wise servant does -- and this is how we should occupy our time and bring glory out of this failed prediction by Harold Camping

-- so, let’s sum this up -- the message of this entire Olivet Discourse from Jesus is that, yes, the end of the age is coming -- it is ever closer -- and we will know the time when it is near
-- but, our focus shouldn’t be on the end -- our focus should be on our mission and our lives as Christ-followers -- we should concentrate our efforts on being ready -- both personally -- living lives of holiness and righteousness every day -- and missionally -- sharing the gospel of Christ with those around us so that they, too, might come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ

-- as we close in prayer today, I want to encourage you to take a moment and consider where you are with Jesus and make whatever changes you need to in order to restore and continue your relationship with Him -- and I want to encourage you to commit to sharing the good news of Jesus with those around you -- so that it won’t be your friends and your family who get left behind when the end does come
-- let us pray

SERMON: YOKED TO THE MASTER

1 May 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

-- in Brennan Manning’s devotional, “Souvenirs of Solitude,” he tells the story of Peter Saraceno and how Peter’s fiance literally brought him back from the dead
-- Peter had been out with a friend and was driving home when he was involved in a horrific traffic accident -- when they finally pulled his body from the wreckage and got him to the hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival -- but the doctor did one final check before calling his death and found a weak and faint pulse and began doing what they could to save Peter’s life
-- several times that night they came out and told his family to prepare for his death -- that Peter only had hours to live -- but, remarkably, Peter survived, but just barely -- he lapsed into a coma, and the doctors warned the family that he probably never would come out of it -- and if he did, he would probably never move again -- at best, he might be able to move just a finger or a toe -- but his life was functionally over and he would never really recover

-- but Linda, Peter’s fiance, never gave up hope -- she stayed by his side throughout the days he was in a coma -- “talking to him just as if it were any other night -- just as if nothing had happened”
-- for three and a half months, she never left his side even though Peter never moved or responded or even flickered an eyelash -- but one day, Peter’s eyes opened -- and he watched Linda wherever she went in the room
-- Linda continued to act as if nothing was wrong and to prepare for Peter’s full recovery -- she decorated his room for Halloween and then Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years -- and, to the amazement of the doctors, Peter started to recover
-- he began to be able to move again --first a finger -- then an arm -- and then a leg -- he tried to talk, and even though his words could not be understood by anyone in the room, Linda knew what he meant and told the others what he needed
-- after a year of Linda’s patient nursing, Peter gained the ability to talk again -- and one day he asked the question that he’d been waiting so long to ask, “Mr. Fraschalla, I’d like permission to marry your daughter”
-- Linda’s father replied, “Peter, when you can walk down the aisle, she’s all yours”
-- “Peter couldn’t walk then -- He had to be carried -- but slowly, cautiously, with the help of a walker, he began to walk again -- and then one day, he walked down the aisle with Linda” and made her his wife

-- this true story illustrates so well the call and the promise of God that we see in this passage in Matthew -- when we are burdened down with life to the point that we just can’t move -- that we just can’t take another step -- we look beside us and we find Jesus there -- caring for us and carrying our burdens -- meeting our needs -- until finally we find rest in His arms
-- this passage is a wonderful promise to reflect on as we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus -- it’s a reminder that cross was not the end of the story -- that because of the empty tomb, we can know that Jesus is always with us -- that He will never leave us or forsake us -- and that He came to bring us life and love and to give us the strength and power we need to move forward with Him
-- let’s look again at these verses and see what we might learn from this passage

II. Scripture Lesson (Matthew 11:28-30)

A. Invitation
-- verse 28

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

-- the first thing we see here is the invitation of Christ -- this is the same invitation that Jesus had been giving out to people from the very moment that He rose from the waters of the Jordan River after His baptism -- “Come and follow Me”
-- it didn’t matter who Jesus was talking to -- whether it was a rich young ruler or a poor fisherman on the banks of the Sea of Galilee -- it didn’t matter how many people Jesus was talking to -- a crowd of 5,000 on a hillside or just one lonely Pharisee who came at night -- His message was the same -- and, as Matthew points out here, His message was for all -- “Come, follow Me -- all of you -- and I will give you rest”
-- with these few words Jesus said so much -- with these words Jesus said, “I have the answers that you have been looking for -- I can meet the needs that no one else can -- I can give you the life that you dream of -- but you must come and follow Me”
-- this invitation of Jesus that we find here in Matthew 11 comes in the middle of His ministry -- Jesus has been preaching and teaching throughout Judea and Galilee for some time, pleading with people to come and follow -- He has just sent out His disciples to carry the good news to others in the region and to issue the same invitation
-- in the church we call this prevenient grace -- the grace that comes before the cross -- the grace that reaches out to all those who are weary and heavy ladened -- who have struggled long in their own strength -- who are suffering in a life filled with sin with no hope on the horizon -- to all of these Jesus cries out, “Come and follow Me and I will give you rest”
-- but, still, many don’t respond -- many don’t come -- and Jesus’ heart breaks here for those who have heard the call -- who have seen the miracles and signs -- but who choose to continue to do life on their own
-- Rob Bell’s new book, “Love Wins,” has brought into the forefront of our culture the question that a lot of people have asked me from time to time -- how can a loving God send someone to Hell?
-- we find the answer here in this verse -- God doesn’t send anyone to Hell -- Hell is a choice that we make when we refuse to respond to Jesus’ call to come -- I tell people that there is no one in Hell who didn’t choose to be there
-- the simple fact is that despite the persecution -- despite the rejection and the mocking and the jeers of the people in His day, Jesus continued to go throughout Israel calling people to come and follow Him because He wanted them to have life and to have it to the full
-- as it says in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, “God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth”

B. Expectation
-- verse 29

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart

-- the next thing we see in this passage is the expectation of Christ -- after we respond to Christ’s invitation to come and follow Him -- we are told to take His yoke upon us and to learn from Him
-- in our modern day of tractors and mechanized agricultural, a lot of people don’t really understand what Jesus is telling us to do here in this verse
-- what is a yoke -- what does it mean to take Jesus’ yoke upon us?
-- a yoke was a wooden beam that fit over the neck of two farm animals -- usually oxen but occasionally horses -- that joined them together and that harnessed their strength to pull farm implements
-- and it’s important for us to know that in order to understand what Jesus is asking us to do here in this passage

-- first, by taking up Jesus’ yoke, we are told to submit ourselves to Him -- when an animal was yoked to another animal by the farmer, it had to submit its strength and its will to the farmer -- no longer could it go off on its own direction and do what it wanted -- it was under the control and direction of the farmer -- the farmer guided it and controlled where the team of oxen went
-- it’s the same way with Jesus -- when we take His yoke upon us, we are submitting to the command of Jesus -- we willingly sacrifice our wants and our wishes and our desires and follow Jesus and let Him direct our paths and guide us where we need to go

-- secondly, by taking up Jesus’ yoke, we are joining ourselves to Him -- when animals are yoked together, one animal is not in front and the other in the back -- they are side by side and they walk and work together
-- that’s why when farmers had to train a new animal to plow, they would often yoke it to an older, stronger, more experienced animal who would bear the burden and guide the young animal through his learning.
-- it’s the same way with Jesus -- when Jesus calls us to come and follow Him, He doesn’t mean to just walk in His path in our own strength and try to live a Christian life in our own power -- no, He means to be yoked to Him and to let Him carry the burden -- to let Him lead us as we go -- to let Him lend us His power and strength to do what we could not do alone

-- and, finally, by taking up Jesus’ yoke we are taking up His very nature -- Jesus tells us here that He is gentle and lowly of heart -- this is an expression of Jesus’ servant nature -- and a call to us to do the same
-- just as Jesus offers to bear our burdens and to lessen our load -- we are called to be servants of those around us -- that is exactly what Linda did for her fiance when he was in a unable to walk or talk or move on his own -- she served him by bearing his burdens and she lessened his load by being there for him
-- remember what Jesus said when his disciples argued over who was the greatest in the Kingdom of God? -- Jesus said that if you wanted to be first, you had to be last -- that the greatest in the kingdom had to be the slave of all
-- when we take up Jesus’ yoke, we take up His nature and serve those around us

C. Affirmation
-- look at the end of verse 29

29b “and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

-- the last thing we see in this passage is the affirmation of Christ -- the promise that He gives to those who come and follow Him and who take their yoke upon them
-- Jesus says that we will find rest for our souls -- that word “rest” that is used here in this passage has a double meaning -- it can “rest” in the traditional sense -- in the sense of a time of relaxation -- of recreation -- after a long time of labor
-- this is the essence of the Sabbath -- this is why God gave us one day a week to pause from our labors -- to rest after the work of a week
-- and, certainly, when we follow Jesus and take His yoke upon us, we find rest in this sense -- but, there is another meaning, as well -- in the Book of Hebrews we read of the “rest of God,” which is another way of referring to heaven -- that is why Jesus speaks here of “rest for our souls”
-- God promises us that if we follow Him and believe in faith for our salvation, that we will enter His rest at the end of our life -- we will go the place that we read about in the Book of Revelation -- a place flowing with milk and honey -- a place with no sin where all our tears are wiped away and we live with God forever

-- if you look back at verse 30, you see that Jesus’ yoke is easy -- the word, “easy,” here means that it “fits well” -- William Barclay said that when a farmer was preparing a yoke for an animal, he would carry it to the carpenter and have it made to the animal’s own specifications -- it was made to fit that that animal alone -- it was crafted to fit just right -- otherwise, the yoke would chafe and cause discomfort
-- that’s what Jesus is saying here -- the yoke that He puts on us has been designed for us -- it fits us perfectly -- it is easy to carry -- and it is easy to wear
-- this saying here is a reminder that the call of Jesus and His offer of grace is not just for the world in general, but for each one of us individually -- the promises that He offers are for us -- He promises to meet our needs -- to satisfy our heart’s desire -- and to bear the burdens that we carry

-- finally, Jesus tells us that His burden is light -- the Bible says that we are all slaves -- we are all yoked -- either we are slaves to sin or we are slaves to righteousness -- either we bear the burden for what we have done -- or we let Jesus bear it for us
-- the Israelites in Jesus’ day were slaves to the law and to the yoke of the Pharisees and -- they were burdened beyond belief with no way out and no hope for salvation -- the same is true for all of the other religions in the world today
-- we had a discussion at work not long ago about religion -- one girl said that she thought all religions were the same -- but I told her later that she was wrong -- I said the difference between Christianity and all the other religions could be summed up in one word -- “grace”
-- all other religions put burdens on their people -- they put them under the yoke of legalism -- in order to be saved you have to live a perfect life -- you have to follow certain laws -- you have to do certain rituals -- you have to fulfill certain requirements -- and, even then, you never know if you have done enough
-- all other religions say “do” -- Christianity says “done”
-- Jesus’ burden is light because He bore the weight of our sins and our wickedness and our unrighteousness on the cross of Calvary -- He took upon Himself the yoke of legalism and became the servant of sin so that we might not have to bear that burden any longer
-- and then, after suffering in our place -- after going to hell for us -- He rose on the third day in victory -- having broken the shackles and destroying the yoke of sin

III. Closing
-- now, I know Christmas is past us, but I want to leave you with just one more illustration that I think really underlines the words of Jesus in this passage
-- I read about a woman was doing her last-minute Christmas shopping at a crowded mall -- She was tired of fighting the crowds -- She was tired of standing in lines -- She was tired of fighting her way down long aisles looking for a gift that had sold out days before.
-- finally, she was ready to go home and made her way to the elevator with her arms filled with packages -- when the doors opened, the elevator was completely full -- but the people moved closer to make room for her
-- As the doors closed, she blurted out, "Whoever is responsible for this whole Christmas thing ought to be arrested, strung up, and shot!" -- A few others nodded their heads or grunted in agreement.
-- Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator, came a single voice that said: "Don't worry. They already crucified him."

-- the message of this passage is very simple -- we can continue to go through life burdened down by the weight of this world -- we can continue to do life in our own strength -- in our own way -- in our own power -- we can continue to be frustrated and irritated and grumble our way through life
-- or, we can respond to the invitation -- the expectation -- and the affirmation of Christ that we find in this passage

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

-- Jesus already paid the price for the burdens of this world -- He broke the yoke of sin and He shattered the shackles of legalism -- and He offers us a different way -- a better way -- He offers us life with Him
-- the question, then, is what are you going to do about it?
-- let us pray

SERMON: THE MISSING PIECE

24 April 2011 (Easter Sunday)

I. Introduction
-- turn in your Bibles to Genesis 6:9-22

9 This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.[b] 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit[c] high all around.[d] Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.


-- I know that today is Easter Sunday, but when I was praying about what I might bring to you this Sunday, I kept thinking of this picture of Noah and the Ark
-- this is a puzzle that Kim put together several years ago -- it took her quite a while because there is a lot of detail in the puzzle -- but once she got it done, we glued it together and then put it in this frame and it’s been hanging on the wall ever since
-- I really like this picture because it reminds me of God’s grace and the salvation that He has given us through Jesus

-- I don’t know if you’ve ever considered that or not
-- I imagine that everyone here grew up knowing the story of Noah and the Ark -- as you remember, Noah lived in a very wicked and corrupt society -- not that different from what our society is like today
-- in Genesis 6:5 we read about Noah’s day -- it says in this verse that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time -- man was rotten to the core and not getting any better
-- and when God looked down on all of the sin and wickedness and evil that was going on, He was grieved in His heart and decided to cleanse the world from all that wickedness
-- but there was one man who was different -- one man who lived differently from everyone else -- and that was Noah
-- look back at verse 9 with me

9 This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

-- while the rest of the world was filled with wickedness and evil, Noah walked with God -- He was a righteous man and blameless in all that he did -- and so God decided that He would deliver Noah and his family from the judgment to come

-- so, God comes to Noah and tells Noah what He is planning to do -- skip down to verse 17

17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

-- God told Noah that a great flood was coming to cleanse the world of sin and evil -- but that He was going to protect him and his family and the animals that God would send to him
-- He told Noah to build an ark -- a great boat -- and He gave very specific details on how the ark was to be built -- He told Noah exactly how long and how high and how wide it was to built -- He told him what type of wood to use and how the ark was to be coated with pitch, inside and out, to keep the water from getting in
-- God told Noah to make three levels in the ark -- with one door in the side and a roof to keep the rain out
-- and He told him to get started, because the flood was coming -- and so Noah started work
-- it took him about 100 years to build the ark -- and all that time, the people watched -- they watched as the animals came to Noah and as Noah loaded them on the ark -- and they watched as Noah finally entered the ark with his family and the door was shut
-- seven days later, the rain started to fall -- and kept falling for 40 days and 40 nights -- the waters rose until they covered the highest points on earth and everything and everyone who was not in the ark perished
-- but Noah and his family and the animals inside were saved

-- however, the flood didn’t solve the original problem -- even though God had sent the flood to cleanse the world of wickedness and sin, when Noah and his family came out of the ark, sin came out with them and entered the world once again
-- and this is the reason that I really like this puzzle that Kim did -- look at it again -- look real close at it -- do notice anything about this picture? -- there’s a piece missing -- it’s not complete -- but that’s such a perfect picture of what is going on in the story of sin and mankind

-- Noah’s salvation wasn’t complete -- it was missing a piece
-- the ark saved Noah and his family from the immediate danger of the flood, but it didn’t finish the job -- it couldn’t finish the job -- of saving Noah from his own sins and his own sin nature
-- you see, from the moment that Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world and turned them and all of their descendants into sinners
-- we aren’t sinners because we sin -- we sin because we are sinners -- it’s who we are -- it’s part of our nature -- and because we are sinners, we sin -- we disobey God -- we do things and think things that are wrong and don’t do the good things that we should do
-- sin made a hole in our heart -- and because of sin, all of us have a piece missing in our lives

-- if you think about it, a lot of what we do is nothing more than trying to find that missing piece
-- that’s why some people spend all their time chasing material things and wealth and looks and power and prestige -- they’re doing everything they can to fill that hole in their heart -- to find that missing piece -- and they think that if they’re rich enough or they have enough stuff or if they’re attractive enough or powerful enough -- that they will be satisfied -- but they never are
-- I remember reading a story one time about Howard Hughes -- he tried it all in his life -- he was an aviator -- an engineer -- an industrialist -- he produced and directed films -- he was a philanthropist -- at one time, he was the richest man in the world -- but he never was satisfied
-- someone once asked him just how much he needed in order to be happy -- he said, “Just a little more -- just a little more”
-- that’s the problem with trying to fill that hole in our heart with things or with power or pleasure -- it just won’t work -- nothing will fit -- and we’ll always find ourselves needing just a little bit more to make us happy

-- other people try to find that missing piece through religion -- through doing good works or by going to church
-- if you think about it, religion is really nothing more than man’s attempt to make his own way to heaven -- but that won’t work, because there’s nothing that we can do in our own power that will fill that missing piece and save us from the judgment to come
-- the Bible says that all our good works are like filthy rags compared to God’s goodness -- and that we can do nothing of any lasting value apart from Him

-- I know what it feels like to run through life trying to find that missing piece because I’ve been there and I’ve done that -- when I was younger, I thought I had it all figured out -- I thought I knew how to make things right with God
-- I grew up in church -- we weren't real regular church goers, but I grew up going to Sunday School -- worship service -- I knew who God was and who Jesus was -- and when I was 12 years old I marched down the aisle to get baptized and join the church -- not because of any spiritual decision I had made -- not because I had accepted God's offer of a relationship with Him through Jesus -- but simply because it was time -- everyone in our church got baptized and joined the church when they were around 12 years old -- it's what you did -- it was expected of you
-- but, you know, nothing really changed in my life -- I stayed right there in my comfort zone at my church and nothing changed -- I still sat in the same pew -- I still sang the same songs -- the only thing that was different was that my name was now on the church roll

-- on the surface, I looked like a Christian -- it looked like I had it all together with God -- I was doing all the right things and saying all the right words -- part of the problem was that my faith had never really been tested -- I was getting by just going to church because at that time in my life, I had never really needed God -- I never had gone through any real crises -- anything that came up, I was able to handle on my own -- and if I couldn't do it, then my family and my friends stepped up
-- but then something happened -- when I graduated from ABAC, I transferred to the University of Florida and moved to Gainesville -- and for the first time in my life, I was put out of my comfort zone
-- I was alone in a big city --- in a big school -- working full-time and trying to go to a college I was unprepared for -- I had moved away from my family and my friends -- and for the first time in my life, I didn't have any real friends -- I felt alone -- I felt empty -- I felt kind of like something was missing -- like I had a big hole in my heart that needed to be filled
-- so, I tried to fill that hole with other things -- growing up, I didn't drink -- I never drank a drop until after I graduated from high school -- but when I got to Gainesville, I started drinking just to fit in with everyone else
-- I desperately wanted friends -- I needed company -- and so I started hanging out with guys after work, drinking in the parking lot and going to bars with them to chase women -- I started hitting all the frat parties and doing everything I could to fill that hole -- to stop feeling so alone and unloved -- but the drinking and the partying didn't work
-- so, I moved on to other things -- when I wasn't working, I was in the woods -- I spent all my time hunting and fishing -- even though I had moved down to Gainesville to go to school, I would skip school and go hunting -- I was majoring in wildlife biology -- in my mind, I thought I was just working on my degree -- made sense to me -- but when I got my grades that semester, I found out my professors didn't agree
-- you see, I thought if I was busy enough -- if I drank enough -- if I partied enough -- if I had enough hobbies -- that that empty feeling would go away -- but it didn't work -- nothing worked -- I might be happy for a while -- I might have fun for a while -- but in the middle of the night, after the party ended -- after I came home from a day of hunting and fishing -- I still felt empty -- I still felt alone -- I still felt like something was missing

-- I needed a change -- I needed to find my missing part -- so, I came home and went back to ABAC and got a degree in wildlife technology and took a job on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Savannah -- I thought it was just the place for me -- if I couldn’t find that missing piece, then I would go to a place where I could hide and just get away from the world and not worry about it anymore -- but God knew where I was and He knew what I needed, so He met me there

-- One day -- just right out of the blue -- a coworker there on that island asked me a question that changed my life -- he said, "Do you know God?" -- I told him "Yeah, I go to church" -- I was lying and he knew it -- I was living out there on that island that didn't have a church -- he knew better -- he knew I wasn't going to church -- but he didn't say anything about that
-- instead he said, "I didn't ask you if you went to church -- I asked you if you knew God -- Have you asked Jesus to forgive your sins? -- have you accepted God's offer of love? -- are you in a personal relationship with Him?"
-- I didn't know what to say -- No one had ever asked me that before -- not my family -- not my friends -- not even the people in the church I grew up in
-- I thought I was a Christian simply because I had gone to church my whole life -- I thought I was a Christian because I had marched down that aisle and got baptized and joined the church when I was 12 years old -- it didn't matter that I wasn't going to church right then -- my parents were still going -- and I had to gone to church in the past and my name was on the roll and that made me a Christian

-- and at that moment, I realized what had been missing in my life -- I knew why that hole was there -- I knew why I had been feeling so lost and so empty and so alone -- I knew why all of the partying and hunting and working and everything else didn’t work to fill that hole
-- it’s because I had been looking for the wrong thing -- and all of a sudden I knew what was missing in my life
-- Jesus was what was missing -- Jesus was the missing piece

-- if you would, please turn over to Ephesians 2 and let’s finish up there
-- look down at verse 1

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

-- dead in our transgressions and sins -- separated from God and bound up in wickedness and sin in our inner parts -- all of us -- every single one of us
-- that’s why it says in Romans 3:23 it says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God -- that’s who we were -- that’s how we lived
-- just like the people in Noah’s day before the flood came -- just going through life following our own desires and the cravings of our own sinful hearts -- knowing that something wasn’t right and chasing after whatever we thought might fill that missing piece in our heart

-- verse 4

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

-- just like God provided the ark to deliver Noah and his family from the flood, God’s grace sent Jesus to deliver us from our sins
-- the Bible tells us in John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life
-- God sent Jesus to earth to die on the cross in our place -- to pay the price for our sins -- and to fill that hole that sin had created in our hearts and in our spirits
-- and just like there was only one ark and only one door in that ark and you had to enter in through that door to be saved, there is only one Jesus -- only one Son of God -- and only one way to be forgiven of your sins
-- in John 14:6 Jesus said, “I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life -- No one comes to the Father apart from Me”
-- Jesus is THE way -- and everyone who enters in must come through Jesus -- His promise is that everyone who believes in Him will be delivered from their sin and receive eternal life -- but you have to come through Jesus because He is the missing piece in your life

-- verse 6

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

-- after Jesus died on the cross in our place, He rose from the dead on the third day -- on Easter morning -- to prove His victory over sin and death
-- and when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we rise with Him to new life -- we are a new creation and receive a new heart with no missing pieces

-- you can sum it all up there with verses 8 and 9 -- it is by grace you have been saved -- through faith -- and this not of yourself
-- it is a gift of God -- it’s not something that we can earn -- it’s not something that we get because we go to church or because our parents are Christians or because we live in America -- it’s not something that we deserve -- it’s not something that we can obtain through our works or by doing good things
-- it is a gift -- freely given by the Father to us -- that’s why we call it grace
-- and once you believe -- once you repent your sins and trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection -- then that hole is filled -- the missing piece is put in place -- and your life begins anew
-- and that is what makes today so special -- that is why we have gathered together today -- we are here to celebrate the risen Savior -- the God who has conquered sin and death -- who has filled that hole in our hearts -- and given us new life with Him

-- so, as we close in prayer, let us join together in praise and in thankfulness that we have found the missing piece and that the salvation that began with Noah is finally complete

-- [give altar call]
-- let us pray

PETRA AND THE PHARISEES

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." Matthew 23:13

Last night we drove down to Jacksonville to see the Petra Reunion concert. For those who have never heard of Petra, they were one of the first, if not the first, contemporary Christian rock bands, coming out in 1972 and staying together until 2005. Not having a contemporary Christian station in our area, I first heard of Petra when I was in college, but they were a little too hard rock for my taste.

However, since we have become acquainted with a member of the band and since my wife is a long-time Petra fan, we made the drive down with some friends last night to see the concert at a church there in the area. We arrived at the same time as the band, and stood there with them as they unloaded their van and brought their instruments and other equipment into the church.

While we were standing there at the door, a young boy walked up to us and said, "You can't come in. The doors open at 6:00 pm." When our friend said, "We're with the band," he shrugged and walked back to the adults sitting at the ticket table.

After the band got their stuff into the church and began setting up, we all followed them in, where we were promptly stopped by the ticket lady. "You can't come in," she said. Our friend said that we were with her, and the ticket lady asked, "Is their name on the comp list?" "No, they're going to pay for their own tickets." "Then they can't come in." This went on for a while until tempers began to flare and our friend from the band had to come out and speak to the ticket lady.

We finally got permission to enter into the lobby and wait until the doors opened (which was a relief since the temperature outside had reached 100 degrees!). As we were standing there, a lot of people wandered by our group of 9 standing there in the lobby, presumably from the church. No one greeted us and no one spoke, so I wandered over and spoke to an elderly man who was guarding the door to the sanctuary. I asked him about the church, how many people went there, and their services. As he was telling me about this expansive sanctuary they had just built three years earlier, he said, "We've got to be pretty careful to keep this place looking nice. The members do a good job of not bringing in food and drink into the sanctuary. Our problem is visitors. They keep wanting to bring coffee from the lobby into the sanctuary, so we have to stop them."

Based on my experience at the concert last night, I was reminded of Matthew 23:13. In this verse, Jesus takes the Pharisees to task because they had put so many burdens and so many laws on the people, that they were actually keeping people from coming to God. And, to make things worse, not only were they keeping people from God, but they weren't entering the kingdom of God either.

I don't know anything about this church that we visited except for what we experienced last night. They may be a loving church. They may really be doing great things for God. They are very large (3,500 members), and are evidently growing, so I assume that the people are getting fed and are growing in grace, but I got the distinct impression that visitors were not really welcome, and that they were doing everything they could to keep others from entering. I just didn't experience the love of Christ from the host church last night, but thankfully, I did feel the grace of God through the concert and the message of Petra.

Other than the blessing we received from Petra, I left the concert last night with a warning ringing in my ears, "Don't be like the Pharisees! The Kingdom of God is for all, and you should always err on the side of grace instead of the law. So what if coffee spills on the carpet? So what is your church isn't a showroom? What is the purpose of the church anyway? To look pretty for a world going to hell or to invite those who are perishing to come to Christ?" I pray that our little church never reaches the point where the building becomes more important than the people or where rules take precedence over grace.