The story is told about this little boy who wanted to go to a picnic. However, he had not obeyed his parents, so his mother told him that he couldn't go. After some time, though, the mother relented and said, "I'm going to go ahead and let you go to the picnic this time." The little boy looked at her and sighed and said, "It's too late. I've already prayed for rain."
Oh, to have the faith of a child, especially the faith of a child in the power of God to work through prayer. As a pastor and as a Christian, I dutifully pray, with the emphasis, I'm afraid, on "dutifully." It's expected. When someone finds out you're a pastor and you visit them in the hospital, you are expected to pray. When you visit someone's home, you are expected to pray. When you are in the middle of a worship service, you are expected to pray. And, so you pray.
But, a lot of the times, it seems that even the prayers of a pastor refuse to go past the ceiling. When you have prayed for years with no visible results, you tend to get somewhat cynical in your heart. You pray because that is what you are supposed to do. It's what God's word tells you to do. It is what is expected. But, after time, there is a tendency to pray with double-mindedness, to pray with half a heart. You pray, but you don't really mean it. You don't really expect an answer. You pray, because you think, "Who knows, God might work," but you're not surprised when He doesn't. Oh, the lament of the powerless prayer.
But, then, there are those times when the prayers seem to lift, when your heart is filled with the Spirit and your prayers are carried up into the heavens and you feel that something different is going to happen. Who knows what makes the difference -- God's Spirit leading you to pray differently? God speaking to your heart and giving you the words to pray? A moment of clarity of faith and belief in the midst of a cynical life? Regardless, you pray and you know that something is different. You know that something will happen. You know that God heard and is moving in response to your pleas.
Something like that happened to me this week. A family related to our church had a major crisis. "T" has cystic fibrosis, and over the last few weeks, pneumonia set in and compounded the problem and led to an emergency hospitalization in Intensive Care. He was given days to live. The doctors had no hope. Most of the family had no hope. And, honestly, after I visited, I had no hope. But his wife did. And her church did. And, so they prayed.
I joined in their prayers half-heartedly that day. But, later, in my quiet time, my spirit soared into the heavens and I felt God's presence in a real and tangible way. And I prayed again, with my prayers rising to the very throne of God, living on true faith, joining those of "T"'s wife and his church. I felt God had heard. I felt something was going to happen, but I didn't know what. Perhaps God would take "T" and give him the ultimate healing by carrying him to heaven. Perhaps, maybe, by some miracle, God would make it so that "T" would get better physically.
Church and work obligations prevented me from going back to the hospital for several days. I knew that the doctors had decided Wednesday was the day. The family was going to have to make the decision whether to remove the ventilator and to take "T" off of life support. I knew that the situation was dire. And so, with trepidation, I approached the desk to find out if "T" was still in ICU. Honestly, I was expecting to be told that he had passed away and was not still there.
And, just as I expected, he was not in ICU. But, he had not passed away. He had, in a miracle of all miracles, been healed, not of cystic fibrosis but of the pneumonia and the immediate life-threatening conditions. He had been moved out of ICU and put into a private room and was expected to leave the hospital and return to normal life in a few days. I joined his family and his church family in his room, surrounding his bed as they prayed and thanked God for His healing. One man there summed it up for me in his prayer, "We will never be the same again."
"We will never be the same again." As I left the hospital, rejoicing at the healing of "T" and at the goodness of God, those words ran through my mind. "We" -- "I" will never be the same again. My faith was restored. My hope had returned. I remembered that God was bigger than our storms, that He was bigger than our doubts and our fears, that He was bigger than all the giants that threaten us. And, as I was rejoicing in my heart and thanking God for his healing, not only of "T" but of me as well, a sudden downpour surrounded my car. In the midst of sunny day, it rained. And, as I turned towards home, there in front of me was the most beautiful sight -- a rainbow in all its glory. A sign of God's promise. A sign of God's faithfulness. A sign of God's love and mercy and grace.
You know, some say that at the end of the rainbow there is a treasure of gold. I don't know about that. But I do know that the rainbow I saw rested on me. The end literally rested on the hood of my car. And, I knew, in that moment, that there was indeed treasure at the end of the rainbow. Because God was there, and He was good, and He had used "T" and the faithfulness of his family's prayers to change the heart of a sometimes cynical preacher.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
SERMON: DIRTY FEET
DIRTY FEET
24 May 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 13
-- while you're doing that, I wanted to share something with you
-- I don't know if you've noticed it lately, but there are a lot of people walking around today with dirty feet -- every where I go, I see people with dirty feet -- I'm kind of like the little boy in that Bruce Willis movie, "The Sixth Sense," that says that he sees dead people every where he looks -- except I don't see dead people -- I see people with dirty feet
-- have you noticed that or is that just me? -- I was out at the mall the other day and there was this well-dressed man -- he was wearing a suit and tie and just really well put together but I looked down and his feet were as dirty as all get out
-- and then I went over to another store and saw the same thing -- every where I looked, I saw people walking around with dirty feet -- a lot of them were completely dirty -- from their head down to their feet -- but you would be surprised at the number of people there who had taken the time to clean and wash their body but were walking around with dirty feet
-- have you noticed that? -- maybe it's just me -- I've always been a detailed-oriented person -- or, as Kim puts it, I'm obsessed with details -- and maybe that's why I notice all these dirty feet
-- could be also that I've been trained to do so -- I was told early on in my career that if I want to know about an animal, I need to examine their mouth and their feet -- because that would tell me what they were and how they lived -- so, so maybe I've just applied that teaching to people, too
-- regardless, I just see lots and lots of people with dirty feet -- and it bothers me -- and I felt like I needed to say something about it this morning
II. Dirty Feet (John 13:1-11)
-- you know, Jesus was bothered by dirty feet, too -- you can see that right here in this passage -- let's take a look at it and see what we can learn this morning
-- if you would, look with me at John 13:1
1. It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
-- John opens up this chapter by giving us the context and letting us know what is going on -- this passage takes place on Maundy Thursday -- on the Thursday night before Easter when Jesus is celebrating the Last Supper with His disciples in the Upper Room
-- Jesus was the Master of the group -- He was their Rabbi -- their Teacher -- and, as such, He was the Lord of the Feast -- He was the host of the meal they were having there -- to put it another way, Jesus was having a party -- He was giving a meal for His friends there in the upper room that last night He would be with them
-- Jesus knew that He was about to leave -- He knew that He was about to be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests and that He was going to die -- but instead of rushing around and trying to heal as many people as He could -- instead of running from place to place preaching and teaching and shouting, "The end is near" -- Jesus spent these last few hours with His disciples -- with His friends -- because He loved them
-- and now, John says, He was going to show them the full extent of His love -- you know, when we usually read those words, we tend to jump ahead to the crucifixion -- we tend to jump ahead to Easter -- we immediately our salvation and the forgiveness of sins to this verse -- but that's not the context of this passage
-- John says here that Jesus was "now" going to show them the full extent of His love -- not tomorrow on the cross -- not Sunday at the resurrection -- but "Now" -- right now, at this moment, in the upper room, Jesus was going to do something that was going to show His disciples the "full" extent of His love -- He was going to show them just how much He loved them
-- verse 2
2. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.
3. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
4. so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
5. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
-- I'm sure most everyone in here has heard someone preach or teach on this passage in the past -- you probably all are well aware that in first century Jerusalem, people's feet got dirty -- they didn't have a lot of paved roads -- they had a few, but not a lot, and even those stayed dirty and muddy -- and because they tended to walk from place to place, over the course of a day, their feet got dirty
-- now when the first century Jews gathered to eat, they didn't gather around a table -- this meal that John is telling us about wasn't like the painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci -- they didn't have tables -- or at least they didn't have tall tables that you would sit at and put your feet under
-- they would set the food on the floor and then would sit on cushions around the food -- lounging around and leaning on each other as they ate -- and, in that context, you really didn't want dirty feet -- so it was the custom in that area for people to wash their feet when they first entered a house or a tent, especially if they were going in to eat a meal
-- the host would provide the water and if it was a poor household, then the guests would wash their own feet -- if it was a rich household, the host would usually have a slave wash the feet of his guests -- this was the custom -- this is what normal people did
-- and that's what makes this passage so interesting to me -- we read in these verses that Jesus got up, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around Himself -- and took a basin of water and went around the room, washing the feet of His disciples
-- this is clearly the act that John was referring to when he said that Jesus was going to show His disciples the full extent of His love now
-- but why was this act of Jesus so extraordinary? -- this was normal -- this was the custom -- making sure the feet of His guests were washed would have been Jesus' responsibility as the host of the meal -- if any thing, the only thing really remarkable was that Jesus did it, but was that enough for John to have said that in doing so Jesus was showing the full extent of His love?
-- I mean, this is Jesus -- you know Jesus was constantly doing things for His disciples -- I bet when they were sitting around the campfire, Jesus was the one who got up and got water for everyone to drink -- I bet when they were sharing a meal, Jesus was the one who made sure that everyone had food -- it was His nature -- He came to serve -- and I bet that He served His disciples in hundreds of different little ways every day -- so, why did this -- this normal act -- this normal custom -- stand out so in the mind of John?
-- I've heard better preachers and teachers than me say that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples to show them humility -- to take away their pride -- to remind them that they were to be servants just like Him
-- we all know that the disciples sometimes didn't get along -- they were constantly bickering and complaining and jockeying for position -- every one of them wanted to be Jesus' second-in-command -- every one of them wanted to be His right-hand-man -- Peter certainly did -- and James and John had their mother go to Jesus and ask Him to give them the highest position
-- so, a lot of teachers tell you that Jesus did this to show them what it meant to be a servant -- but, I think there's more going on here than just that
-- as I said, it was custom for Jews to wash their feet when they entered a home, especially when they came for a meal -- it was expected -- it was what nice, polite people did -- and I would be highly surprised if these men hadn't already done that before they sat down to eat -- the disciples weren't rich men -- they weren't used to having slaves wash their feet for them -- and I really don't agree with the teachers who tell you that the disciples had gotten so prideful that they just sat there with dirty feet around that table waiting for someone else to wash their feet -- I just don't buy that -- it doesn't sound right
-- if I had to guess, based on what I know of Jewish culture and customs at that time and because the Bible doesn't tell us here -- I would guess that when the disciples went up to that Upper Room to have this meal with Jesus, every one of them stopped and washed their feet before they ate -- just as a habit -- just as something they were used to doing -- just like we wash our hands before we eat as a habit, they did the same with washing their feet
-- so, if that's right, then they were sitting there at the meal with Jesus with clean feet -- the meal had already begun -- but John said that Jesus got up and got a towel and a basin of water and started washing their feet again
-- you see, I think Jesus looked around that table at His disciples and He saw dirty feet -- not physically dirty -- spiritually dirty -- and because He loved them so much, He couldn't let them go on living with dirty feet -- and so He got up and washed them Himself
-- verse 6
6. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7. Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8. "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9. "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
10. Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
11. For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
-- when Jesus got to Peter, Peter, of course, was aghast at the idea that Jesus would wash His feet -- in verse 6 Peter asked, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" and Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
-- I think Jesus' words here give us an indication that something more is going on than Him just washing their feet to show them they should serve others in the same way -- this was a pretty good object lesson -- I think even the most dense of the disciples would have understood Jesus' point in assuming the role of a slave here and washing their feet -- I think they realized the obvious lesson that He was teaching here
-- Jesus had rebuked them time and time again and told them to stop seeking the higher place -- that if they wanted to be exalted in His kingdom, then they had to serve their brothers -- so, I think they would gotten the message pretty quick -- but Jesus says here, "You don't really understand what's going on here, but later you will -- once you've had some time to think about it, you'll understand" -- that's why I think there's something more going on
-- well, Peter, of course, goes from one extreme to the other -- when Jesus went to wash his feet, Peter said, "No way -- I'm not letting you do that for me" -- but when Jesus said, "If I don't wash your feet, you can have no part with me" -- Peter exclaims, "Then not just my feet, but my hands and my head, as well" -- once again, Peter goes overboard -- he goes all out
-- but, here's what I want you see -- look at Jesus' response in verse 10
10. Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
-- "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean" -- now it's obvious that Jesus is talking about more than just physical cleanliness here -- it's painfully obvious -- and that's why this passage is about more than just demonstrating a servant attitude to His disciples
-- this response by Jesus points to the reason that He came in the first place -- Jesus came for two purposes
-- first, He came to give us a bath -- He came to cleanse us of our unrighteousness -- of our accumulated sins -- that's why He went to the cross -- that's why He shed His blood for us -- so that if we believed in Him and put our trust and faith in Him, we would be forgiven of all our sins -- we have had a bath and have been washed clean when we are justified through the death of Christ on the cross
-- most of the disciples believed and trusted in Him -- and so Jesus calls them "clean" in this passage -- but, still, He washed their feet -- which brings us to the second reason Jesus came
-- Jesus came not only to justify us and forgive us from our sins, but to sanctify us and make us holy -- He came so that we might have life and have it to the full -- to put it another way, Jesus didn't come just to make provision to cover our sins when we fail and fall -- He came to make it so that we wouldn't fail and fall anymore -- He came to sanctify us -- to make us more like Him -- to help us walk in holiness and righteousness and obedience rather than in the way we used to walk
-- Jesus' death on the cross affected our capacity to sin -- it delivered us from the power of sin in our lives -- it broke the chains of sin and made it possible for us to live holy lives as His people
-- this is what Jesus is trying to show Peter and the others by washing their feet -- Jesus said, "You don't need another bath -- you're already clean -- your sins are gone because you believed in faith in Me -- but, your feet are still getting dirty because you're still walking through this world -- and that's why I'm having to wash them for you"
III. Closing
-- Jesus is still washing our feet today -- that's why He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us and to fill our hearts -- He knew that even Christians -- even people who have had a bath -- were going to get dirty feet -- and, so, He washes our feet every day
-- we call this act of washing our feet, "Sanctification" -- we call it "becoming holy" -- it is the power of Christ in our lives, changing us and transforming us from the inside out
-- but, as I pointed out in my introduction, I look around and I see people with dirty feet everywhere -- even in the church -- especially in the church -- we expect the world to have dirty feet because their whole body is dirty -- but not Christians -- they're clean -- they've been washed in the blood of the Lamb and their sins are forgiven -- but there's a lot of dirty feet tucked under church pews every Sunday morning
-- that's one reason why so many people complain about hypocrites in our churches -- that's one reason why our church really doesn't look that different from the world in behavior or attitude -- we've got dirty feet -- and we need to do something about them
-- we are going to be starting our summer sermon series next week on pursuing holiness in our lives -- at this point, I don't know how long the series will last -- there may be a few interruptions -- but I'm worried about our dirty feet -- I'm worried about my dirty feet -- and I'm worried about your dirty feet -- I'm worried about the church's dirty feet -- and, so, I want us to spend some time with Jesus over the next little while learning what it means to have Him wash our feet so we might live holy and obedient lives and might become the people He has called us to be
-- now, as we start this series, let me warn you that there is a prerequisite -- when I was in college and wanted to take a certain class, they wouldn't let me -- they said that there was a prerequisite -- there was another class I had to take first in order to be ready to take this new class
-- well, in the same way, there is a prerequisite to holiness -- Jesus said here that you first have to take a bath before you need to start worrying about dirty feet -- in other words, you first have to be washed clean in the blood of Jesus -- you have to be justified through His death on the cross -- this means that you believe in your heart that Jesus was God and that He died for you on the cross -- that He took your place and died for your sins so that you didn't have to pay that price -- and this means that you trust and believe, through faith, that your sin debt has been paid and God is willing to call you clean, all because of Jesus -- this means that you have asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to be your Lord and Savior
-- if you haven't done that yet, then I would invite you to do so this morning -- this is a prerequisite to holiness -- it is a prerequisite to eternal life -- and, it's free -- all you have to do is ask
-- so, as we close in prayer, if you can't honestly say to yourself that you remember a time when you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life, then I want to invite you to do just that -- and, as the last hymn is played, I want to invite you to come forward and pray with me and let's accept that offer together
-- let us pray
24 May 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 13
-- while you're doing that, I wanted to share something with you
-- I don't know if you've noticed it lately, but there are a lot of people walking around today with dirty feet -- every where I go, I see people with dirty feet -- I'm kind of like the little boy in that Bruce Willis movie, "The Sixth Sense," that says that he sees dead people every where he looks -- except I don't see dead people -- I see people with dirty feet
-- have you noticed that or is that just me? -- I was out at the mall the other day and there was this well-dressed man -- he was wearing a suit and tie and just really well put together but I looked down and his feet were as dirty as all get out
-- and then I went over to another store and saw the same thing -- every where I looked, I saw people walking around with dirty feet -- a lot of them were completely dirty -- from their head down to their feet -- but you would be surprised at the number of people there who had taken the time to clean and wash their body but were walking around with dirty feet
-- have you noticed that? -- maybe it's just me -- I've always been a detailed-oriented person -- or, as Kim puts it, I'm obsessed with details -- and maybe that's why I notice all these dirty feet
-- could be also that I've been trained to do so -- I was told early on in my career that if I want to know about an animal, I need to examine their mouth and their feet -- because that would tell me what they were and how they lived -- so, so maybe I've just applied that teaching to people, too
-- regardless, I just see lots and lots of people with dirty feet -- and it bothers me -- and I felt like I needed to say something about it this morning
II. Dirty Feet (John 13:1-11)
-- you know, Jesus was bothered by dirty feet, too -- you can see that right here in this passage -- let's take a look at it and see what we can learn this morning
-- if you would, look with me at John 13:1
1. It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
-- John opens up this chapter by giving us the context and letting us know what is going on -- this passage takes place on Maundy Thursday -- on the Thursday night before Easter when Jesus is celebrating the Last Supper with His disciples in the Upper Room
-- Jesus was the Master of the group -- He was their Rabbi -- their Teacher -- and, as such, He was the Lord of the Feast -- He was the host of the meal they were having there -- to put it another way, Jesus was having a party -- He was giving a meal for His friends there in the upper room that last night He would be with them
-- Jesus knew that He was about to leave -- He knew that He was about to be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests and that He was going to die -- but instead of rushing around and trying to heal as many people as He could -- instead of running from place to place preaching and teaching and shouting, "The end is near" -- Jesus spent these last few hours with His disciples -- with His friends -- because He loved them
-- and now, John says, He was going to show them the full extent of His love -- you know, when we usually read those words, we tend to jump ahead to the crucifixion -- we tend to jump ahead to Easter -- we immediately our salvation and the forgiveness of sins to this verse -- but that's not the context of this passage
-- John says here that Jesus was "now" going to show them the full extent of His love -- not tomorrow on the cross -- not Sunday at the resurrection -- but "Now" -- right now, at this moment, in the upper room, Jesus was going to do something that was going to show His disciples the "full" extent of His love -- He was going to show them just how much He loved them
-- verse 2
2. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.
3. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
4. so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
5. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
-- I'm sure most everyone in here has heard someone preach or teach on this passage in the past -- you probably all are well aware that in first century Jerusalem, people's feet got dirty -- they didn't have a lot of paved roads -- they had a few, but not a lot, and even those stayed dirty and muddy -- and because they tended to walk from place to place, over the course of a day, their feet got dirty
-- now when the first century Jews gathered to eat, they didn't gather around a table -- this meal that John is telling us about wasn't like the painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci -- they didn't have tables -- or at least they didn't have tall tables that you would sit at and put your feet under
-- they would set the food on the floor and then would sit on cushions around the food -- lounging around and leaning on each other as they ate -- and, in that context, you really didn't want dirty feet -- so it was the custom in that area for people to wash their feet when they first entered a house or a tent, especially if they were going in to eat a meal
-- the host would provide the water and if it was a poor household, then the guests would wash their own feet -- if it was a rich household, the host would usually have a slave wash the feet of his guests -- this was the custom -- this is what normal people did
-- and that's what makes this passage so interesting to me -- we read in these verses that Jesus got up, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around Himself -- and took a basin of water and went around the room, washing the feet of His disciples
-- this is clearly the act that John was referring to when he said that Jesus was going to show His disciples the full extent of His love now
-- but why was this act of Jesus so extraordinary? -- this was normal -- this was the custom -- making sure the feet of His guests were washed would have been Jesus' responsibility as the host of the meal -- if any thing, the only thing really remarkable was that Jesus did it, but was that enough for John to have said that in doing so Jesus was showing the full extent of His love?
-- I mean, this is Jesus -- you know Jesus was constantly doing things for His disciples -- I bet when they were sitting around the campfire, Jesus was the one who got up and got water for everyone to drink -- I bet when they were sharing a meal, Jesus was the one who made sure that everyone had food -- it was His nature -- He came to serve -- and I bet that He served His disciples in hundreds of different little ways every day -- so, why did this -- this normal act -- this normal custom -- stand out so in the mind of John?
-- I've heard better preachers and teachers than me say that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples to show them humility -- to take away their pride -- to remind them that they were to be servants just like Him
-- we all know that the disciples sometimes didn't get along -- they were constantly bickering and complaining and jockeying for position -- every one of them wanted to be Jesus' second-in-command -- every one of them wanted to be His right-hand-man -- Peter certainly did -- and James and John had their mother go to Jesus and ask Him to give them the highest position
-- so, a lot of teachers tell you that Jesus did this to show them what it meant to be a servant -- but, I think there's more going on here than just that
-- as I said, it was custom for Jews to wash their feet when they entered a home, especially when they came for a meal -- it was expected -- it was what nice, polite people did -- and I would be highly surprised if these men hadn't already done that before they sat down to eat -- the disciples weren't rich men -- they weren't used to having slaves wash their feet for them -- and I really don't agree with the teachers who tell you that the disciples had gotten so prideful that they just sat there with dirty feet around that table waiting for someone else to wash their feet -- I just don't buy that -- it doesn't sound right
-- if I had to guess, based on what I know of Jewish culture and customs at that time and because the Bible doesn't tell us here -- I would guess that when the disciples went up to that Upper Room to have this meal with Jesus, every one of them stopped and washed their feet before they ate -- just as a habit -- just as something they were used to doing -- just like we wash our hands before we eat as a habit, they did the same with washing their feet
-- so, if that's right, then they were sitting there at the meal with Jesus with clean feet -- the meal had already begun -- but John said that Jesus got up and got a towel and a basin of water and started washing their feet again
-- you see, I think Jesus looked around that table at His disciples and He saw dirty feet -- not physically dirty -- spiritually dirty -- and because He loved them so much, He couldn't let them go on living with dirty feet -- and so He got up and washed them Himself
-- verse 6
6. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7. Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8. "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9. "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
10. Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
11. For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
-- when Jesus got to Peter, Peter, of course, was aghast at the idea that Jesus would wash His feet -- in verse 6 Peter asked, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" and Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
-- I think Jesus' words here give us an indication that something more is going on than Him just washing their feet to show them they should serve others in the same way -- this was a pretty good object lesson -- I think even the most dense of the disciples would have understood Jesus' point in assuming the role of a slave here and washing their feet -- I think they realized the obvious lesson that He was teaching here
-- Jesus had rebuked them time and time again and told them to stop seeking the higher place -- that if they wanted to be exalted in His kingdom, then they had to serve their brothers -- so, I think they would gotten the message pretty quick -- but Jesus says here, "You don't really understand what's going on here, but later you will -- once you've had some time to think about it, you'll understand" -- that's why I think there's something more going on
-- well, Peter, of course, goes from one extreme to the other -- when Jesus went to wash his feet, Peter said, "No way -- I'm not letting you do that for me" -- but when Jesus said, "If I don't wash your feet, you can have no part with me" -- Peter exclaims, "Then not just my feet, but my hands and my head, as well" -- once again, Peter goes overboard -- he goes all out
-- but, here's what I want you see -- look at Jesus' response in verse 10
10. Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
-- "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean" -- now it's obvious that Jesus is talking about more than just physical cleanliness here -- it's painfully obvious -- and that's why this passage is about more than just demonstrating a servant attitude to His disciples
-- this response by Jesus points to the reason that He came in the first place -- Jesus came for two purposes
-- first, He came to give us a bath -- He came to cleanse us of our unrighteousness -- of our accumulated sins -- that's why He went to the cross -- that's why He shed His blood for us -- so that if we believed in Him and put our trust and faith in Him, we would be forgiven of all our sins -- we have had a bath and have been washed clean when we are justified through the death of Christ on the cross
-- most of the disciples believed and trusted in Him -- and so Jesus calls them "clean" in this passage -- but, still, He washed their feet -- which brings us to the second reason Jesus came
-- Jesus came not only to justify us and forgive us from our sins, but to sanctify us and make us holy -- He came so that we might have life and have it to the full -- to put it another way, Jesus didn't come just to make provision to cover our sins when we fail and fall -- He came to make it so that we wouldn't fail and fall anymore -- He came to sanctify us -- to make us more like Him -- to help us walk in holiness and righteousness and obedience rather than in the way we used to walk
-- Jesus' death on the cross affected our capacity to sin -- it delivered us from the power of sin in our lives -- it broke the chains of sin and made it possible for us to live holy lives as His people
-- this is what Jesus is trying to show Peter and the others by washing their feet -- Jesus said, "You don't need another bath -- you're already clean -- your sins are gone because you believed in faith in Me -- but, your feet are still getting dirty because you're still walking through this world -- and that's why I'm having to wash them for you"
III. Closing
-- Jesus is still washing our feet today -- that's why He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us and to fill our hearts -- He knew that even Christians -- even people who have had a bath -- were going to get dirty feet -- and, so, He washes our feet every day
-- we call this act of washing our feet, "Sanctification" -- we call it "becoming holy" -- it is the power of Christ in our lives, changing us and transforming us from the inside out
-- but, as I pointed out in my introduction, I look around and I see people with dirty feet everywhere -- even in the church -- especially in the church -- we expect the world to have dirty feet because their whole body is dirty -- but not Christians -- they're clean -- they've been washed in the blood of the Lamb and their sins are forgiven -- but there's a lot of dirty feet tucked under church pews every Sunday morning
-- that's one reason why so many people complain about hypocrites in our churches -- that's one reason why our church really doesn't look that different from the world in behavior or attitude -- we've got dirty feet -- and we need to do something about them
-- we are going to be starting our summer sermon series next week on pursuing holiness in our lives -- at this point, I don't know how long the series will last -- there may be a few interruptions -- but I'm worried about our dirty feet -- I'm worried about my dirty feet -- and I'm worried about your dirty feet -- I'm worried about the church's dirty feet -- and, so, I want us to spend some time with Jesus over the next little while learning what it means to have Him wash our feet so we might live holy and obedient lives and might become the people He has called us to be
-- now, as we start this series, let me warn you that there is a prerequisite -- when I was in college and wanted to take a certain class, they wouldn't let me -- they said that there was a prerequisite -- there was another class I had to take first in order to be ready to take this new class
-- well, in the same way, there is a prerequisite to holiness -- Jesus said here that you first have to take a bath before you need to start worrying about dirty feet -- in other words, you first have to be washed clean in the blood of Jesus -- you have to be justified through His death on the cross -- this means that you believe in your heart that Jesus was God and that He died for you on the cross -- that He took your place and died for your sins so that you didn't have to pay that price -- and this means that you trust and believe, through faith, that your sin debt has been paid and God is willing to call you clean, all because of Jesus -- this means that you have asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to be your Lord and Savior
-- if you haven't done that yet, then I would invite you to do so this morning -- this is a prerequisite to holiness -- it is a prerequisite to eternal life -- and, it's free -- all you have to do is ask
-- so, as we close in prayer, if you can't honestly say to yourself that you remember a time when you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life, then I want to invite you to do just that -- and, as the last hymn is played, I want to invite you to come forward and pray with me and let's accept that offer together
-- let us pray
SERMON: IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
17 May 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Samuel 17:1-11
1. Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.
2. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.
3. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.
4. A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall.
5. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels ;
6. on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.
7. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
8. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.
9. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us."
10. Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other."
11. On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
-- have you ever been afraid of giants? -- I certainly have, and I imagine most of you have, too -- growing up, one of my favorite fairy tales was "Jack and the Beanstalk" -- I actually had a record of the story, and I would put it on the record player and I'd lay back on my bed and close my eyes and try to imagine the story of Jack and the magic beans and his adventures with the giant as the narrator told the story
-- I remember how terrified I was at the sound of the giant, as the narrator's voice would get very deep and very loud and he'd cry out, "Fee-fi-fo-fum! -- I smell the blood of an Englishman. -- be he 'live, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread. "
-- if you think about it, that's pretty scary stuff for a little kid -- here's this giant who knows that you're hiding in his house, and he's threatening to find you and kill you and grind you up
-- I would always close my eyes tight at that point and just hang on, because I knew that Jack would get away and that he'd chop down the beanstalk and that the giant would fall to his death and everything would be o.k. again
-- when I got older, I outgrew my fear of fairytale giants -- I came to realize that they just weren't real -- that there weren't magical lands with giant castles and evil giants lurking in them
-- but, at the same time I outgrew my fear of fairytale giants, I came to realize that there were real giants stalking our land every day -- threatening our peace and security -- threatening life as we know it
-- in recent years, we've been attacked by the giant of terrorism, as we've watched terrorists fly planes into our buildings and kill people just like you and me
-- we've had the giant of natural disasters, as we've struggled through hurricanes and tsunamis and earthquakes
-- we've had the giant of economic disaster, as we've watched our country suffer through recession and flirt with depression -- as we've watched inflation grow and the stock market tumble and people lose financial security overnight
-- we've even had the giant of famine and disease -- with the current fears of a worldwide flu pandemic and other exotic diseases popping up throughout the world and many people going hungry
-- giants are all around us -- and maybe they're not as big as terrorism or hurricanes or economic disaster -- maybe they're as mundane as a child who has strayed from the faith -- or a spouse who says they just don't love us anymore -- or a month that's bigger than our checkbook -- or a boss that says, "I have to let you go -- or a doctor that says, "we need more tests"
-- giants come in many different forms and in many different ways and with many different names -- but they all have one characteristic in common -- they all appear invincible -- they all appear bigger and stronger and greater than us -- and they all tell us that we can't win -- that we can't defeat them -- that we have no hope
-- that was certainly the case with the Israelites in this passage -- as this chapter in 1 Samuel opens up, Saul has been made king of Israel, and he has started to make some real progress in their struggles with the Philistines
-- battle after battle, Saul and his army had won the day against the Philistines -- but then something happened -- Saul disobeyed God -- he took glory for himself -- and the hand of God turned against him -- now, all of sudden, battles that looked certain turned into bitter defeat for the Israelites -- and the army started to lose hope
-- the Philistines sensed their advantage and drew up battle lines against the Israelites in Judah at a place called the Valley of Elah -- this battle was to be the deciding factor in the war -- this battle would settle who was in charge of the Promised Land
-- the Israelites were facing a giant in their life -- both literally and figuratively -- they not only faced the giant of battle with the Philistines and the threat of destruction of their people -- but they faced the Philistine hero, Goliath -- a giant of the race of Anak
-- Samuel tells us here that Goliath stood nine feet tall -- his armor was made of bronze and weighed about 125 pounds -- and just the tip of his spear weighed more than the armor of the Israelites
-- every day, the giant Goliath would stride into the middle of the valley and shout out to the Israelites, threatening them with his presence -- trying to goad one of them to take him on in a fight -- and his presence accomplished what he hoped
-- look back at verse 11
11. On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
-- this is what giants always do -- it doesn't matter what type of giant it is -- it doesn't matter what problem it is -- anytime you are facing adversity in your life -- anytime you are walking in the valley of Elah -- you can become dismayed and terrified -- you can lose hope -- and you can begin to believe that nothing will defeat this enemy that you face
-- but that is the message of the world -- not the message of the Bible
-- I once read about this man who faced terrible giants in his life -- when he was 22 years old, he failed at business and was bankrupt and destitute -- when he was 23, he ran for the legislature in his home state, and lost -- when he was 26, his sweetheart died -- and then he had a nervous breakdown and suffered clinical depression
-- over the next 20 years, he ran for political office eight times -- seven times he failed -- seven times he was rejected by the people around him -- he finally got elected to congress for one term, and was promptly defeated at the next election
-- his whole life was a failure -- he faced more defeats than he did victory -- he walked through the valley of Elah -- but even though the giants called out to him, "Give up -- you have lost -- you have no hope" -- he refused to give up and persevered -- learning from each failure -- growing from each loss
-- finally, at the age of 51, Abraham Lincoln succeeded and was elected President of the United States
-- there's a principle in the life of President Lincoln that we should learn -- problems often provide us with greater opportunities for success -- because he learned to ignore the voice of the giant and to never give up hope in the midst of adversity -- because he refused to give up and learned from his mistakes and failures, Abraham Lincoln was the right man to lead this country during the dark days of the Civil War -- and, for this, he is generally regarded as the best President that our country has ever had
-- we see this same principle carried out here in the life of a shepherd boy named David -- if you would, skip down to verse 26
26. David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
27. They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."
-- three of David's brothers had gone to war with Saul -- so, David's father sent him to carry them food and supplies on the front line -- about the time he got there and found his brothers, Goliath walked out into the middle of the valley and called out his daily challenge to the Israelites
-- David looked at the giant and didn't despair -- where the others were dismayed and terrified by the giant's presence, David looked for opportunity -- just like Abraham Lincoln, he knew that problems often lead to greater opportunities in life
-- and so he didn't look at the giant as something that was impossible to defeat -- he looked at him and said, "When I defeat him, what do I get?"
-- when problems come up in our lives, we need to do the same thing -- rather than expecting defeat, we need to ask ourselves, "What am I going to get when I overcome this giant?"
-- skip down to verse 31
31. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.
32. David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
33. Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
34. But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,
35. I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
36. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
37. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
-- here's the second principle we should learn about giant problems in our lives -- problems can promote our spiritual maturity -- problems lead us to depend on God and help us grow in our faith
-- David volunteered to go and fight Goliath on behalf of the Israelites -- not because he was a mighty man of valor and knew he could stand his own against Goliath -- not because he was trained in the art of war -- but because he depended on God
-- when Saul questioned David and told him that he couldn't fight because he was just a boy -- David responded by saying, "It won't be me that will be fighting him -- it will be God fighting through me -- just as God delivered me from the bear and the lion -- He will deliver me from this giant"
-- David had learned to trust in God in all the problems of his life -- and now, he was trusting in God in the biggest battle that he would ever face
-- verse 38
38. Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.
39. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off.
40. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
-- when Saul finally agreed to let David go down and fight Goliath, he had David dress in Saul's own armor -- but it just didn't fit -- it wasn't who David was
-- this is the third principle we should learn about problems in our lives -- problems prove our integrity -- problems prove who we really are -- if we are to succeed in battle against the giants in our lives, then we have to fight them as God instructs -- we have to remain true to ourself
-- a lot of times, when we face problems and giants in our lives, we are tempted to compromise our beliefs and our principles -- when we're faced with financial difficulties, we might be tempted to not speak up if the cashier gives us back too much change -- or we might not share with those around us but hoard our food and money for ourselves -- but to be victorious, you must remain true to yourself -- you must remain true to God and to who He called you to be
-- if you lose your integrity, you have lost everything -- that's why David couldn't fight the battle Saul's way -- he could only fight the battle God's way -- the same way God had defeated the lion and the bear -- with nothing more than a staff and a sling and the power of the living God
-- verse 41
41. Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
42. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him.
43. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"
45. David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
47. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
-- the fourth principle that we should learn about problems is that they produce a sense of dependence in our lives -- when you are standing in that valley and staring up into the eyes of an angry giant, you quickly realize that you have no power of your own -- if you are going to win this fight, you must stand in the power of God -- you must depend on Him for your strength and your victory
-- in these verses we see David's complete and total dependence on God -- when Goliath laughs at David for being a mere boy, David responds by saying, "I may be a boy, but I come against you in the name of the Lord God Almighty -- the Lord will hand you over to me -- the Lord will save -- this is the Lord's battle, not mine"
-- when we are faced with problems in our lives, we need to remember that the battle is the Lord's and not ours -- we need to trust and depend on Him and look to Him for deliverance -- it is through His power that we will overcome, not through our own
-- verse 48
48. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
49. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
51. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
-- so, David ran to meet the giant with nothing more than a sling and five stones and defeated him there in the valley of Elah -- the stone struck Goliath in the forehead and he fell down, face first, into the dirt -- David ran over, grabbed Goliath's sword, and cut his head off -- and when the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran and were quickly overcome by the Israelites
-- despite overwhelming odds -- despite the fact that he went against a giant who was a trained fighting man -- David, the shepherd boy from Bethlehem, prevailed and won the day -- proving that giants can be defeated if we but trust in God and His providence
-- by the way, did you notice in verse 40 that it says that David took up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his pouch? -- why did he do that when he only needed one to take down Goliath?
-- well, according to the Scriptures, Goliath had four brothers -- and David thought he might have to fight them as well -- so, he prepared himself for what was to come
-- there's the last principle about problems that we need to remember -- problems are always going to come -- giants are always going to stand in the valley and threaten us -- we need to remember that and we need to be prepared to stand against them
-- the time to get ready to face a giant is not after the giant starts the battle -- the time to get ready is before he comes -- and we do that by preparing our hearts -- by learning to trust in God and growing in grace more and more every day
-- we do that by spending time with God and watching as He fights the little battles in our lives -- and by knowing that He will fight the big battles, too
-- we do that by putting on the armor of God and taking up His sword daily -- the word of God -- that means you have to be in the Word -- you have to be reading it on a regular basis -- you have to be talking with God on a regular basis -- so that when the giants come, you will be ready for them
-- so, what's the take-home message for you today? -- it's simply this -- it doesn't matter how big the giants are in your life -- it doesn't matter what problems you may be facing -- our God is bigger still -- God's grace is sufficient for us -- and if we trust in Him -- if we depend on Him -- then we will always win the day
-- let me close by restating the five principles of problems that we went over today:
1. Problems often provide us with greater opportunities for success
2. Problems can promote our spiritual maturity
3. Problems prove our integrity
4. Problems produce a sense of dependence in our lives
5. Problems are always going to come, so we need to be prepared for them
-- I don't know what giants you may be facing today -- I don't know what valleys you might be in -- what problems are plaguing you -- but I do know this -- God is bigger than all your problems -- and if you trust in Him, He will fight your battles for you
-- as we close in prayer today, I want to invite you to turn your problems over to Him -- to ask Him to fight your giants for you -- as always, the altar is open for any who wish to come, and I'd be happy to pray with you if you want
-- let us pray
17 May 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Samuel 17:1-11
1. Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.
2. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.
3. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.
4. A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall.
5. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels ;
6. on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.
7. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
8. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.
9. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us."
10. Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other."
11. On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
-- have you ever been afraid of giants? -- I certainly have, and I imagine most of you have, too -- growing up, one of my favorite fairy tales was "Jack and the Beanstalk" -- I actually had a record of the story, and I would put it on the record player and I'd lay back on my bed and close my eyes and try to imagine the story of Jack and the magic beans and his adventures with the giant as the narrator told the story
-- I remember how terrified I was at the sound of the giant, as the narrator's voice would get very deep and very loud and he'd cry out, "Fee-fi-fo-fum! -- I smell the blood of an Englishman. -- be he 'live, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread. "
-- if you think about it, that's pretty scary stuff for a little kid -- here's this giant who knows that you're hiding in his house, and he's threatening to find you and kill you and grind you up
-- I would always close my eyes tight at that point and just hang on, because I knew that Jack would get away and that he'd chop down the beanstalk and that the giant would fall to his death and everything would be o.k. again
-- when I got older, I outgrew my fear of fairytale giants -- I came to realize that they just weren't real -- that there weren't magical lands with giant castles and evil giants lurking in them
-- but, at the same time I outgrew my fear of fairytale giants, I came to realize that there were real giants stalking our land every day -- threatening our peace and security -- threatening life as we know it
-- in recent years, we've been attacked by the giant of terrorism, as we've watched terrorists fly planes into our buildings and kill people just like you and me
-- we've had the giant of natural disasters, as we've struggled through hurricanes and tsunamis and earthquakes
-- we've had the giant of economic disaster, as we've watched our country suffer through recession and flirt with depression -- as we've watched inflation grow and the stock market tumble and people lose financial security overnight
-- we've even had the giant of famine and disease -- with the current fears of a worldwide flu pandemic and other exotic diseases popping up throughout the world and many people going hungry
-- giants are all around us -- and maybe they're not as big as terrorism or hurricanes or economic disaster -- maybe they're as mundane as a child who has strayed from the faith -- or a spouse who says they just don't love us anymore -- or a month that's bigger than our checkbook -- or a boss that says, "I have to let you go -- or a doctor that says, "we need more tests"
-- giants come in many different forms and in many different ways and with many different names -- but they all have one characteristic in common -- they all appear invincible -- they all appear bigger and stronger and greater than us -- and they all tell us that we can't win -- that we can't defeat them -- that we have no hope
-- that was certainly the case with the Israelites in this passage -- as this chapter in 1 Samuel opens up, Saul has been made king of Israel, and he has started to make some real progress in their struggles with the Philistines
-- battle after battle, Saul and his army had won the day against the Philistines -- but then something happened -- Saul disobeyed God -- he took glory for himself -- and the hand of God turned against him -- now, all of sudden, battles that looked certain turned into bitter defeat for the Israelites -- and the army started to lose hope
-- the Philistines sensed their advantage and drew up battle lines against the Israelites in Judah at a place called the Valley of Elah -- this battle was to be the deciding factor in the war -- this battle would settle who was in charge of the Promised Land
-- the Israelites were facing a giant in their life -- both literally and figuratively -- they not only faced the giant of battle with the Philistines and the threat of destruction of their people -- but they faced the Philistine hero, Goliath -- a giant of the race of Anak
-- Samuel tells us here that Goliath stood nine feet tall -- his armor was made of bronze and weighed about 125 pounds -- and just the tip of his spear weighed more than the armor of the Israelites
-- every day, the giant Goliath would stride into the middle of the valley and shout out to the Israelites, threatening them with his presence -- trying to goad one of them to take him on in a fight -- and his presence accomplished what he hoped
-- look back at verse 11
11. On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
-- this is what giants always do -- it doesn't matter what type of giant it is -- it doesn't matter what problem it is -- anytime you are facing adversity in your life -- anytime you are walking in the valley of Elah -- you can become dismayed and terrified -- you can lose hope -- and you can begin to believe that nothing will defeat this enemy that you face
-- but that is the message of the world -- not the message of the Bible
-- I once read about this man who faced terrible giants in his life -- when he was 22 years old, he failed at business and was bankrupt and destitute -- when he was 23, he ran for the legislature in his home state, and lost -- when he was 26, his sweetheart died -- and then he had a nervous breakdown and suffered clinical depression
-- over the next 20 years, he ran for political office eight times -- seven times he failed -- seven times he was rejected by the people around him -- he finally got elected to congress for one term, and was promptly defeated at the next election
-- his whole life was a failure -- he faced more defeats than he did victory -- he walked through the valley of Elah -- but even though the giants called out to him, "Give up -- you have lost -- you have no hope" -- he refused to give up and persevered -- learning from each failure -- growing from each loss
-- finally, at the age of 51, Abraham Lincoln succeeded and was elected President of the United States
-- there's a principle in the life of President Lincoln that we should learn -- problems often provide us with greater opportunities for success -- because he learned to ignore the voice of the giant and to never give up hope in the midst of adversity -- because he refused to give up and learned from his mistakes and failures, Abraham Lincoln was the right man to lead this country during the dark days of the Civil War -- and, for this, he is generally regarded as the best President that our country has ever had
-- we see this same principle carried out here in the life of a shepherd boy named David -- if you would, skip down to verse 26
26. David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
27. They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."
-- three of David's brothers had gone to war with Saul -- so, David's father sent him to carry them food and supplies on the front line -- about the time he got there and found his brothers, Goliath walked out into the middle of the valley and called out his daily challenge to the Israelites
-- David looked at the giant and didn't despair -- where the others were dismayed and terrified by the giant's presence, David looked for opportunity -- just like Abraham Lincoln, he knew that problems often lead to greater opportunities in life
-- and so he didn't look at the giant as something that was impossible to defeat -- he looked at him and said, "When I defeat him, what do I get?"
-- when problems come up in our lives, we need to do the same thing -- rather than expecting defeat, we need to ask ourselves, "What am I going to get when I overcome this giant?"
-- skip down to verse 31
31. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.
32. David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
33. Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
34. But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,
35. I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
36. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
37. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
-- here's the second principle we should learn about giant problems in our lives -- problems can promote our spiritual maturity -- problems lead us to depend on God and help us grow in our faith
-- David volunteered to go and fight Goliath on behalf of the Israelites -- not because he was a mighty man of valor and knew he could stand his own against Goliath -- not because he was trained in the art of war -- but because he depended on God
-- when Saul questioned David and told him that he couldn't fight because he was just a boy -- David responded by saying, "It won't be me that will be fighting him -- it will be God fighting through me -- just as God delivered me from the bear and the lion -- He will deliver me from this giant"
-- David had learned to trust in God in all the problems of his life -- and now, he was trusting in God in the biggest battle that he would ever face
-- verse 38
38. Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.
39. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off.
40. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
-- when Saul finally agreed to let David go down and fight Goliath, he had David dress in Saul's own armor -- but it just didn't fit -- it wasn't who David was
-- this is the third principle we should learn about problems in our lives -- problems prove our integrity -- problems prove who we really are -- if we are to succeed in battle against the giants in our lives, then we have to fight them as God instructs -- we have to remain true to ourself
-- a lot of times, when we face problems and giants in our lives, we are tempted to compromise our beliefs and our principles -- when we're faced with financial difficulties, we might be tempted to not speak up if the cashier gives us back too much change -- or we might not share with those around us but hoard our food and money for ourselves -- but to be victorious, you must remain true to yourself -- you must remain true to God and to who He called you to be
-- if you lose your integrity, you have lost everything -- that's why David couldn't fight the battle Saul's way -- he could only fight the battle God's way -- the same way God had defeated the lion and the bear -- with nothing more than a staff and a sling and the power of the living God
-- verse 41
41. Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
42. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him.
43. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"
45. David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
47. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
-- the fourth principle that we should learn about problems is that they produce a sense of dependence in our lives -- when you are standing in that valley and staring up into the eyes of an angry giant, you quickly realize that you have no power of your own -- if you are going to win this fight, you must stand in the power of God -- you must depend on Him for your strength and your victory
-- in these verses we see David's complete and total dependence on God -- when Goliath laughs at David for being a mere boy, David responds by saying, "I may be a boy, but I come against you in the name of the Lord God Almighty -- the Lord will hand you over to me -- the Lord will save -- this is the Lord's battle, not mine"
-- when we are faced with problems in our lives, we need to remember that the battle is the Lord's and not ours -- we need to trust and depend on Him and look to Him for deliverance -- it is through His power that we will overcome, not through our own
-- verse 48
48. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
49. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
51. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
-- so, David ran to meet the giant with nothing more than a sling and five stones and defeated him there in the valley of Elah -- the stone struck Goliath in the forehead and he fell down, face first, into the dirt -- David ran over, grabbed Goliath's sword, and cut his head off -- and when the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran and were quickly overcome by the Israelites
-- despite overwhelming odds -- despite the fact that he went against a giant who was a trained fighting man -- David, the shepherd boy from Bethlehem, prevailed and won the day -- proving that giants can be defeated if we but trust in God and His providence
-- by the way, did you notice in verse 40 that it says that David took up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his pouch? -- why did he do that when he only needed one to take down Goliath?
-- well, according to the Scriptures, Goliath had four brothers -- and David thought he might have to fight them as well -- so, he prepared himself for what was to come
-- there's the last principle about problems that we need to remember -- problems are always going to come -- giants are always going to stand in the valley and threaten us -- we need to remember that and we need to be prepared to stand against them
-- the time to get ready to face a giant is not after the giant starts the battle -- the time to get ready is before he comes -- and we do that by preparing our hearts -- by learning to trust in God and growing in grace more and more every day
-- we do that by spending time with God and watching as He fights the little battles in our lives -- and by knowing that He will fight the big battles, too
-- we do that by putting on the armor of God and taking up His sword daily -- the word of God -- that means you have to be in the Word -- you have to be reading it on a regular basis -- you have to be talking with God on a regular basis -- so that when the giants come, you will be ready for them
-- so, what's the take-home message for you today? -- it's simply this -- it doesn't matter how big the giants are in your life -- it doesn't matter what problems you may be facing -- our God is bigger still -- God's grace is sufficient for us -- and if we trust in Him -- if we depend on Him -- then we will always win the day
-- let me close by restating the five principles of problems that we went over today:
1. Problems often provide us with greater opportunities for success
2. Problems can promote our spiritual maturity
3. Problems prove our integrity
4. Problems produce a sense of dependence in our lives
5. Problems are always going to come, so we need to be prepared for them
-- I don't know what giants you may be facing today -- I don't know what valleys you might be in -- what problems are plaguing you -- but I do know this -- God is bigger than all your problems -- and if you trust in Him, He will fight your battles for you
-- as we close in prayer today, I want to invite you to turn your problems over to Him -- to ask Him to fight your giants for you -- as always, the altar is open for any who wish to come, and I'd be happy to pray with you if you want
-- let us pray
SERMON: THE POWER OF A MOTHER
THE POWER OF A MOTHER
10 May 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ruth 1:1-18
1. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
2. The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3. Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,
5. both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
6. When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.
7. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8. Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me.
9. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them and they wept aloud
10. and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people."
11. But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?
12. Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me--even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons--
13. would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has gone out against me!"
14. At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.
15. "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."
16. But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
17. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
18. When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
-- in the movie, "Spiderman," there is a great quote that bears repeating -- "with great power comes great responsibility" -- the character in the movie used this quote to shape his life -- to give his new-found superpowers direction so that all his actions were for truth and justice and righteousness -- for good instead of evil
-- sometimes, I think that we tend to overlook the power that we all have in our lives and the great responsibility that goes with that power -- we look at our jobs -- our positions -- our family -- we look at where we live and who we are and we think to ourselves that we don't have any great power -- any great influence -- over another
-- but, truth be told, most of us have greater powers than we could ever imagine -- and we have a responsibility to use that power wisely -- in fact, one of the greatest powers in the world is the power that a mother has to shape the life of her children
-- the first person that any child ever knows is their mother -- and from that point on, their mother becomes a special person -- more than anyone else, it is their mother who begins the process of shaping them and molding them -- from their earliest days, it is their mother who influences them -- who leads them -- who teaches them how to live and how to love
-- the power of a mother is without measure -- we can tell you from our own lives just how important and how powerful a mother is in the life of her children -- if a mother is not there from the beginning -- if she misses the first few months of her child's life -- there is a great likelihood that child will grow up unable to give or receive love -- unable to know right from wrong -- unable to make wise decisions -- the absence of a mother reflects in that child for the rest of their life
-- conversely, the presence of a mother is the determining factor in the ultimate success of a person -- you've all heard the statement, "behind every great man, there is a great woman" -- truth be told, that great woman that shapes the life of every great man is always his mother -- and the same holds true for great women as well -- why do you think Mother's Day is the biggest card-giving day in America? -- why do you think pro football players only hold up signs that say, "Hi, Mom!" instead of "Hi, Dad?"
-- it's because we all know that more than presidents or politicians -- more than actors or singers or American idols -- mothers are the most powerful human force in existence today -- and who we are today is, in large part, a reflection of them
-- just consider the story of basketball great Richard Jefferson, who has played most of his career with the New York Nets
-- when Jefferson was born, his mother, Wanda Johnson, was a single mother with two other kids living in Los Angeles -- a high-school drop-out, she didn't have a job and survived on welfare -- and in that neighborhood, with its high crime rate and rampant joblessness, Wanda knew that she was going to have to do something, or her kids would have no hope or future other than what they had known all their life
-- so, when Jefferson was six years old, Wanda moved her family from Los Angeles to Phoenix because of its lower cost of living and lower incidence of crime and violence -- already a Christian, Wanda became heavily involved in a charismatic church in the area, and began to turn her life around
-- rather than accepting her condition and allowing her kids to follow her path into poverty, Wanda started turning her life around -- she began trusting that God would provide -- that God wanted more for her and her kids than what they currently had
-- she got a job and got off welfare -- she remarried -- and went back to school, earning her GED and then going to college -- eventually completing her PhD in English and serving as a member of the teaching faculty at a community college in Phoenix
-- but, that's not all she did -- at the same time she was clawing her way out of welfare and poverty, she did all she could to serve God -- going on mission trips to Kenya and other countries and becoming a leader in her Phoenix church along with her husband
-- today, Wanda Johnson is a changed person -- a far cry from the single mother of three on welfare living in the slums in Los Angeles
-- but, the most remarkable part of her story is the impact that it had on her children -- the power of a mother's life can result in significant changes in the life of their children -- and as Richard Jefferson watched his mother change her situation -- as he watched her start to believe in herself -- he began to believe in himself, too
-- he quit making excuses -- he started working hard -- and he became one of the best players in high school and college and eventually began playing professional basketball -- if you ask him today, Richard Jefferson is quick to give the credit to his mother's influence in his life -- if not for her, he would not be who he is today -- if not for the power of his mother, he might be just another statistic
-- but because of her example -- because of the power she invested into his life -- he is highly successful and well-respected by all who know him, not only for his playing ability, but also for his behavior and his Godly lifestyle -- and he owes it all to Wanda Johnson
-- that's the thing about a mother's power -- it has the ability to affect lives forever -- even if the mother is doing nothing more than just living her life, her example will influence the next generation
-- we see a clear example of that power here in this passage reflected in the lives of Naomi and Ruth -- let's look at it again in more detail
II. Scripture Lesson (Ruth 1:1-18)
-- verse 1
1. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
2. The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
-- here we are introduced to the family of Elimelech and Naomi -- they lived in Bethlehem in Judah during the time of the judges -- this was the time the Bible describes as wicked -- when everyone did as he saw fit -- when obedience to God or living a Godly lifestyle was rare
-- evidently, God had allowed a famine to come into the midst of the Israelites in this time -- perhaps as a judgment against the people -- perhaps just as a way to bring hard times into their lives so they would turn back to Him -- but the famine was affecting the day-to-day life of the people -- there wasn't enough food to go around -- so Elimelech moved his family east to the land of Moab where the famine hadn't reached
-- Elimelech's name literally means, "My God is King" -- and Naomi's means, "pleasant" -- these names indicate that both Elimelech and Naomi were true followers of God -- they lived out their faith in their lives -- this might be another reason why it was so easy for them to leave Israel and go to another land -- they might have been wanting to get away from the wickedness and the idol worship that so permeated the Promised Land
-- verse 3
3. Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,
5. both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
-- shortly after the family arrived in Moab, Elimelech died -- leaving Naomi a widow with two sons to raise -- this was probably harder for Naomi than you might realize -- her son's names indicate that they were sick and weak -- Mahlon means "unhealthy" -- and Kilion means "weak" or "puny" -- in all likelihood, they were unable to work and to help provide for their family as they should
-- this is probably one reason why Naomi arranged marriages for them with Orpah and Ruth, both Moabite women -- it would have been a way to secure wealth for the family through the marriage dowry and position in the Moabite society through their union with Moabite families
-- but, just 10 years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died, leaving Naomi completely alone except for her two widowed daughters-in-law
-- verse 6
6. When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.
7. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8. Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me.
9. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them and they wept aloud
10. and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people."
11. But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?
12. Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me--even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons--
13. would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has gone out against me!"
14. At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.
-- when Naomi got word that the famine was over and that Israel once again had food, she made plans to go back to the land of her birth -- Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth got everything ready and started on the road to Israel, but before they got very far, Naomi stopped and told Orpah and Ruth to go back
-- by law and by custom, Orpah and Ruth were bound to Naomi's family, even though their husbands were dead -- in fact, according to the Mosaic law, when a man died, the nearest of his kin was to marry the widow so that any children they produced would be the heirs of her first husband -- it was a way of continuing the family line through what the Bible calls a "kinsman redeemer"
-- as they headed towards Israel, Naomi realized that she had no kin who could redeem her son's lines -- traditionally, the kinsman redeemer would be a brother to the deceased -- but Naomi knew that she was too old to have any other children and that Orpah and Ruth were too old to wait for children to grow up to be adults
-- also, because they were Moabites -- because they were foreigners -- no close kin left in Israel would be willing to marry them -- so, their journey to Israel would be the end of the line -- they would be returning as widows without hope for the future
-- because of this, Naomi urged Orpah and Ruth to go home -- to go back to Moab where they would have a chance to remarry and have a better life
-- Orpah understood and went back to Moab -- but Ruth refused to go
-- verse 15
15. "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."
16. But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
17. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
18. When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
-- here we see, in Ruth's words, one of the great promises in Scripture -- we see Ruth making several statements of faith and promise as a covenant to Naomi -- that she would never leave her but would go with her to the land of Israel, come what may
-- Why would she do that? -- knowing that she had little to no chance of being married again -- knowing that she probably faced a lifetime of poverty and discrimination in a foreign land -- why would she agree to do this?
-- it all comes back to what I talked about a few minutes before -- it all comes down to the power of a mother's love -- even though Naomi was not her mother but was her mother-in-law, Naomi's love and power had affected Ruth's life -- she had seen the faith and attitude of Naomi and had been changed -- her promises reflect repentance -- a change of heart -- they reflect a turning from her people and her ways and her god to Naomi's people, Naomi's ways, Naomi's God
-- Ruth had been born a pagan -- someone outside the faith of the one true God -- she had been born worshiping the gods of Moab -- living in the culture of that land -- but now, through the example of Naomi, she had changed
-- Ruth refuses to go back to Moab because her heart is just not there any longer -- and she binds herself to Naomi with these words:
-- "Where you go, I will go -- Where you stay, I will stay" -- in other words, Ruth was going to identify herself with Naomi -- she was going to live with her no matter what her condition -- in sickness and in health -- in poverty and in wealth -- she wasn't just using Naomi as a passport to the Promised Land, but was pledging to stay with her and support her and live with her forever
-- "Your people will be my people" -- Ruth was saying that she was forsaking her people, their customs and their ways -- she was going to become an Israelite and live as them -- she was going to follow Naomi's example and live like Naomi -- Ruth wasn't going to be like someone who comes to a place and spends all their time telling you how they used to do it at home -- she's going to be part of the family
"Your God will be my God" -- with that promise, Ruth rejected her people's false God -- she proclaimed her faith and trust in the one true God of Israel -- where did she hear about Him? -- from Naomi -- Naomi and her family may have left Israel and gone into the far country of Moab, but they didn't leave God behind
-- Naomi lived out her faith in the land -- even through the death of her husband -- even through the death of her sons -- and her example changed Ruth's life forever -- for Naomi and her family, God was not just something you do for an hour on Sunday -- God was real and part of their lives day in and day out
-- "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried -- nothing but death will separate you from me" -- with these words, Ruth promised to stay with Naomi forever -- this wasn't a passing fad -- this wasn't just something Ruth was doing for now -- this was for ever -- Ruth was going to stay with Naomi and be part of her family for eternity -- she would live in the land and die in the land -- she would be buried there and would look for her salvation and resurrection through the God of Israel
III. Closing
-- so, what is the lesson of Ruth and Naomi for us today as we celebrate Mother's Day? -- it is simply this -- a mother -- or even a mother-in-law -- has the power to change lives forever through her example of Godliness, faithfulness, and righteousness
-- Naomi changed Ruth's life without even trying -- just by being herself and by demonstrating what a Godly woman looked like on a daily basis, Ruth turned from her people and their ways and their false gods and became a woman of faith -- a woman who believed in the one true God of Israel -- a woman who was blessed of God and chosen to be a part of Jesus' family tree
-- I want to leave you with an excerpt from a poem by Mary Rita Schilke Korzan that speaks to the power of a mother in the life of her children -- and I hope it reminds you of your own mother -- and of the power you mothers and mother-in-laws have in the life of those around you
-- it's called, "When You Thought I Wasn't Looking"
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You hung my first painting on the refrigerator and I wanted to paint another one.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You fed a stray cat, And I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You baked a birthday cake just for me, And I knew that little things were special things.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You said a prayer, And I believed there is a God I could always talk to.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You kissed me good-night And I felt loved.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, And I learned that sometimes things hurt-- But it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking, You smiled And it made me want to look that pretty too.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You cared, And I wanted to be everything I could be.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked... And I wanted to say thanks" For all those things you did When you thought I wasn't looking.
-- mothers, who is looking at you today? -- who's lives are you influencing just be being you? -- Naomi changed Ruth's life forever even though she didn't know Ruth was looking -- and you are changing someone else's life even though you might not know they are looking
-- as we close now, let me remind you of the power you have to change lives for better or worse -- and let me encourage you to always consider what your actions and your words can do to those around you
-- may God bless you today and keep you in His grace as you seek to live out His example for others
-- let us pray
1 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/06/sports/pro-basketball-nets-jefferson-follows-mother-s-example-succeeds-through-positive.html?pagewanted=1
10 May 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ruth 1:1-18
1. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
2. The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3. Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,
5. both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
6. When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.
7. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8. Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me.
9. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them and they wept aloud
10. and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people."
11. But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?
12. Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me--even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons--
13. would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has gone out against me!"
14. At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.
15. "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."
16. But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
17. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
18. When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
-- in the movie, "Spiderman," there is a great quote that bears repeating -- "with great power comes great responsibility" -- the character in the movie used this quote to shape his life -- to give his new-found superpowers direction so that all his actions were for truth and justice and righteousness -- for good instead of evil
-- sometimes, I think that we tend to overlook the power that we all have in our lives and the great responsibility that goes with that power -- we look at our jobs -- our positions -- our family -- we look at where we live and who we are and we think to ourselves that we don't have any great power -- any great influence -- over another
-- but, truth be told, most of us have greater powers than we could ever imagine -- and we have a responsibility to use that power wisely -- in fact, one of the greatest powers in the world is the power that a mother has to shape the life of her children
-- the first person that any child ever knows is their mother -- and from that point on, their mother becomes a special person -- more than anyone else, it is their mother who begins the process of shaping them and molding them -- from their earliest days, it is their mother who influences them -- who leads them -- who teaches them how to live and how to love
-- the power of a mother is without measure -- we can tell you from our own lives just how important and how powerful a mother is in the life of her children -- if a mother is not there from the beginning -- if she misses the first few months of her child's life -- there is a great likelihood that child will grow up unable to give or receive love -- unable to know right from wrong -- unable to make wise decisions -- the absence of a mother reflects in that child for the rest of their life
-- conversely, the presence of a mother is the determining factor in the ultimate success of a person -- you've all heard the statement, "behind every great man, there is a great woman" -- truth be told, that great woman that shapes the life of every great man is always his mother -- and the same holds true for great women as well -- why do you think Mother's Day is the biggest card-giving day in America? -- why do you think pro football players only hold up signs that say, "Hi, Mom!" instead of "Hi, Dad?"
-- it's because we all know that more than presidents or politicians -- more than actors or singers or American idols -- mothers are the most powerful human force in existence today -- and who we are today is, in large part, a reflection of them
-- just consider the story of basketball great Richard Jefferson, who has played most of his career with the New York Nets
-- when Jefferson was born, his mother, Wanda Johnson, was a single mother with two other kids living in Los Angeles -- a high-school drop-out, she didn't have a job and survived on welfare -- and in that neighborhood, with its high crime rate and rampant joblessness, Wanda knew that she was going to have to do something, or her kids would have no hope or future other than what they had known all their life
-- so, when Jefferson was six years old, Wanda moved her family from Los Angeles to Phoenix because of its lower cost of living and lower incidence of crime and violence -- already a Christian, Wanda became heavily involved in a charismatic church in the area, and began to turn her life around
-- rather than accepting her condition and allowing her kids to follow her path into poverty, Wanda started turning her life around -- she began trusting that God would provide -- that God wanted more for her and her kids than what they currently had
-- she got a job and got off welfare -- she remarried -- and went back to school, earning her GED and then going to college -- eventually completing her PhD in English and serving as a member of the teaching faculty at a community college in Phoenix
-- but, that's not all she did -- at the same time she was clawing her way out of welfare and poverty, she did all she could to serve God -- going on mission trips to Kenya and other countries and becoming a leader in her Phoenix church along with her husband
-- today, Wanda Johnson is a changed person -- a far cry from the single mother of three on welfare living in the slums in Los Angeles
-- but, the most remarkable part of her story is the impact that it had on her children -- the power of a mother's life can result in significant changes in the life of their children -- and as Richard Jefferson watched his mother change her situation -- as he watched her start to believe in herself -- he began to believe in himself, too
-- he quit making excuses -- he started working hard -- and he became one of the best players in high school and college and eventually began playing professional basketball -- if you ask him today, Richard Jefferson is quick to give the credit to his mother's influence in his life -- if not for her, he would not be who he is today -- if not for the power of his mother, he might be just another statistic
-- but because of her example -- because of the power she invested into his life -- he is highly successful and well-respected by all who know him, not only for his playing ability, but also for his behavior and his Godly lifestyle -- and he owes it all to Wanda Johnson
-- that's the thing about a mother's power -- it has the ability to affect lives forever -- even if the mother is doing nothing more than just living her life, her example will influence the next generation
-- we see a clear example of that power here in this passage reflected in the lives of Naomi and Ruth -- let's look at it again in more detail
II. Scripture Lesson (Ruth 1:1-18)
-- verse 1
1. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.
2. The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
-- here we are introduced to the family of Elimelech and Naomi -- they lived in Bethlehem in Judah during the time of the judges -- this was the time the Bible describes as wicked -- when everyone did as he saw fit -- when obedience to God or living a Godly lifestyle was rare
-- evidently, God had allowed a famine to come into the midst of the Israelites in this time -- perhaps as a judgment against the people -- perhaps just as a way to bring hard times into their lives so they would turn back to Him -- but the famine was affecting the day-to-day life of the people -- there wasn't enough food to go around -- so Elimelech moved his family east to the land of Moab where the famine hadn't reached
-- Elimelech's name literally means, "My God is King" -- and Naomi's means, "pleasant" -- these names indicate that both Elimelech and Naomi were true followers of God -- they lived out their faith in their lives -- this might be another reason why it was so easy for them to leave Israel and go to another land -- they might have been wanting to get away from the wickedness and the idol worship that so permeated the Promised Land
-- verse 3
3. Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,
5. both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
-- shortly after the family arrived in Moab, Elimelech died -- leaving Naomi a widow with two sons to raise -- this was probably harder for Naomi than you might realize -- her son's names indicate that they were sick and weak -- Mahlon means "unhealthy" -- and Kilion means "weak" or "puny" -- in all likelihood, they were unable to work and to help provide for their family as they should
-- this is probably one reason why Naomi arranged marriages for them with Orpah and Ruth, both Moabite women -- it would have been a way to secure wealth for the family through the marriage dowry and position in the Moabite society through their union with Moabite families
-- but, just 10 years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died, leaving Naomi completely alone except for her two widowed daughters-in-law
-- verse 6
6. When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.
7. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8. Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me.
9. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them and they wept aloud
10. and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people."
11. But Naomi said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?
12. Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me--even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons--
13. would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has gone out against me!"
14. At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her.
-- when Naomi got word that the famine was over and that Israel once again had food, she made plans to go back to the land of her birth -- Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth got everything ready and started on the road to Israel, but before they got very far, Naomi stopped and told Orpah and Ruth to go back
-- by law and by custom, Orpah and Ruth were bound to Naomi's family, even though their husbands were dead -- in fact, according to the Mosaic law, when a man died, the nearest of his kin was to marry the widow so that any children they produced would be the heirs of her first husband -- it was a way of continuing the family line through what the Bible calls a "kinsman redeemer"
-- as they headed towards Israel, Naomi realized that she had no kin who could redeem her son's lines -- traditionally, the kinsman redeemer would be a brother to the deceased -- but Naomi knew that she was too old to have any other children and that Orpah and Ruth were too old to wait for children to grow up to be adults
-- also, because they were Moabites -- because they were foreigners -- no close kin left in Israel would be willing to marry them -- so, their journey to Israel would be the end of the line -- they would be returning as widows without hope for the future
-- because of this, Naomi urged Orpah and Ruth to go home -- to go back to Moab where they would have a chance to remarry and have a better life
-- Orpah understood and went back to Moab -- but Ruth refused to go
-- verse 15
15. "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."
16. But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
17. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
18. When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
-- here we see, in Ruth's words, one of the great promises in Scripture -- we see Ruth making several statements of faith and promise as a covenant to Naomi -- that she would never leave her but would go with her to the land of Israel, come what may
-- Why would she do that? -- knowing that she had little to no chance of being married again -- knowing that she probably faced a lifetime of poverty and discrimination in a foreign land -- why would she agree to do this?
-- it all comes back to what I talked about a few minutes before -- it all comes down to the power of a mother's love -- even though Naomi was not her mother but was her mother-in-law, Naomi's love and power had affected Ruth's life -- she had seen the faith and attitude of Naomi and had been changed -- her promises reflect repentance -- a change of heart -- they reflect a turning from her people and her ways and her god to Naomi's people, Naomi's ways, Naomi's God
-- Ruth had been born a pagan -- someone outside the faith of the one true God -- she had been born worshiping the gods of Moab -- living in the culture of that land -- but now, through the example of Naomi, she had changed
-- Ruth refuses to go back to Moab because her heart is just not there any longer -- and she binds herself to Naomi with these words:
-- "Where you go, I will go -- Where you stay, I will stay" -- in other words, Ruth was going to identify herself with Naomi -- she was going to live with her no matter what her condition -- in sickness and in health -- in poverty and in wealth -- she wasn't just using Naomi as a passport to the Promised Land, but was pledging to stay with her and support her and live with her forever
-- "Your people will be my people" -- Ruth was saying that she was forsaking her people, their customs and their ways -- she was going to become an Israelite and live as them -- she was going to follow Naomi's example and live like Naomi -- Ruth wasn't going to be like someone who comes to a place and spends all their time telling you how they used to do it at home -- she's going to be part of the family
"Your God will be my God" -- with that promise, Ruth rejected her people's false God -- she proclaimed her faith and trust in the one true God of Israel -- where did she hear about Him? -- from Naomi -- Naomi and her family may have left Israel and gone into the far country of Moab, but they didn't leave God behind
-- Naomi lived out her faith in the land -- even through the death of her husband -- even through the death of her sons -- and her example changed Ruth's life forever -- for Naomi and her family, God was not just something you do for an hour on Sunday -- God was real and part of their lives day in and day out
-- "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried -- nothing but death will separate you from me" -- with these words, Ruth promised to stay with Naomi forever -- this wasn't a passing fad -- this wasn't just something Ruth was doing for now -- this was for ever -- Ruth was going to stay with Naomi and be part of her family for eternity -- she would live in the land and die in the land -- she would be buried there and would look for her salvation and resurrection through the God of Israel
III. Closing
-- so, what is the lesson of Ruth and Naomi for us today as we celebrate Mother's Day? -- it is simply this -- a mother -- or even a mother-in-law -- has the power to change lives forever through her example of Godliness, faithfulness, and righteousness
-- Naomi changed Ruth's life without even trying -- just by being herself and by demonstrating what a Godly woman looked like on a daily basis, Ruth turned from her people and their ways and their false gods and became a woman of faith -- a woman who believed in the one true God of Israel -- a woman who was blessed of God and chosen to be a part of Jesus' family tree
-- I want to leave you with an excerpt from a poem by Mary Rita Schilke Korzan that speaks to the power of a mother in the life of her children -- and I hope it reminds you of your own mother -- and of the power you mothers and mother-in-laws have in the life of those around you
-- it's called, "When You Thought I Wasn't Looking"
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You hung my first painting on the refrigerator and I wanted to paint another one.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You fed a stray cat, And I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You baked a birthday cake just for me, And I knew that little things were special things.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You said a prayer, And I believed there is a God I could always talk to.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You kissed me good-night And I felt loved.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, And I learned that sometimes things hurt-- But it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking, You smiled And it made me want to look that pretty too.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, You cared, And I wanted to be everything I could be.
-- When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked... And I wanted to say thanks" For all those things you did When you thought I wasn't looking.
-- mothers, who is looking at you today? -- who's lives are you influencing just be being you? -- Naomi changed Ruth's life forever even though she didn't know Ruth was looking -- and you are changing someone else's life even though you might not know they are looking
-- as we close now, let me remind you of the power you have to change lives for better or worse -- and let me encourage you to always consider what your actions and your words can do to those around you
-- may God bless you today and keep you in His grace as you seek to live out His example for others
-- let us pray
1 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/06/sports/pro-basketball-nets-jefferson-follows-mother-s-example-succeeds-through-positive.html?pagewanted=1
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
CALLING DADDY
On December 5, 2007, Jenna Bush, the daughter of President George Bush, was a guest on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show. She had gone on the show to promote her new book. After they had spent some time talking about Jenna's book, Ellen brought out a phone and urged Jenna to call her father while they were on the air.
Jenna was a little hesitant, but she agreed to do it. As she dialed the number, she said, "They're going to kill me. They may have wanted some warning." Laura, Jenna's mother and the first lady, answered the phone and the audience could hear Mrs. Bush say, "I'm sitting here with Daddy." Then the President got on the line and asked, "How's my little girl?"
Ellen spoke up and told Mr. Bush, "She's scared she's going to get in trouble because I just said, 'Is it easy to just pick up the phone and call your dad anytime?'" President Bush said that he wasn't mad at all, and then he said, "I want to tell my little girl I love her."
Jenna Bush made a phone call that none of us could complete because of her relationship to the President. His position at that time made him the most powerful man alive and one of the most inaccessible men in the world. Yet, all his daughter had to do was to pick up the phone and dial, and, not only was he was immediately available for her, but he was glad to hear from her. [Houston Chronicle, 12/6/7, p.A2]
What's even more incredible than this story of Jenna being able to just call up and speak to the President of the United States just because he is her father is the fact that we can do the same. No, we can't call up the President for a chat. But we can call up someone much more important -- our Father who is in Heaven. All we have to do is call, and not only is He immediately available for us, but He's glad to hear from us. At the mere mention of His name, He gives us all His attention because we are His children and because He likes us and loves us and wants us to know it.
Maybe we should spend some more time today calling "Daddy -- Abba -- Father." He wants to hear from you. He's waiting
Jenna was a little hesitant, but she agreed to do it. As she dialed the number, she said, "They're going to kill me. They may have wanted some warning." Laura, Jenna's mother and the first lady, answered the phone and the audience could hear Mrs. Bush say, "I'm sitting here with Daddy." Then the President got on the line and asked, "How's my little girl?"
Ellen spoke up and told Mr. Bush, "She's scared she's going to get in trouble because I just said, 'Is it easy to just pick up the phone and call your dad anytime?'" President Bush said that he wasn't mad at all, and then he said, "I want to tell my little girl I love her."
Jenna Bush made a phone call that none of us could complete because of her relationship to the President. His position at that time made him the most powerful man alive and one of the most inaccessible men in the world. Yet, all his daughter had to do was to pick up the phone and dial, and, not only was he was immediately available for her, but he was glad to hear from her. [Houston Chronicle, 12/6/7, p.A2]
What's even more incredible than this story of Jenna being able to just call up and speak to the President of the United States just because he is her father is the fact that we can do the same. No, we can't call up the President for a chat. But we can call up someone much more important -- our Father who is in Heaven. All we have to do is call, and not only is He immediately available for us, but He's glad to hear from us. At the mere mention of His name, He gives us all His attention because we are His children and because He likes us and loves us and wants us to know it.
Maybe we should spend some more time today calling "Daddy -- Abba -- Father." He wants to hear from you. He's waiting
Friday, May 15, 2009
TOP WAYS TO CURB THE ANNOYING PROBLEM OF CHURCH GROWTH
Begin your message with the phrase, "You know what's wrong with you people..."
Move business meetings to Sunday morning and open up the floor by asking, "So does anybody have a beef?"
Begin that year-long sermon series on the 40 weeks of Daniel.
Place a polygraph machine on the front pew to be used during invitation time.
Keep the Christmas pageant livestock in the church choir room year 'round.
If your auditorium slopes downward to the platform, give every kid under 12 a handful of marbles before the service.
Give deacons the ability to "gong" anyone singing special music.
Place the outdoor welcome center tent a few feet from the septic tank.
Put a blank for "weight" on the membership information forms.
In order to feel relevant, say "You know" or "Dude" 15 times from the pulpit each Sunday.
Have the organist play hockey cheers at pivotal moments of the sermon.
Before the offertory hymn, have the worship leader scream, "Show me the money!"
And the number 1 way to avoid the anoying problem of church growth....
Charge tolls for the use of restrooms.
===
by Matt Tullosas seen in The Good Stuff Newsletter. To subscribe or send a blank email here with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line:
mailto:Mark@TheGoodStuffNewsletter.com
Move business meetings to Sunday morning and open up the floor by asking, "So does anybody have a beef?"
Begin that year-long sermon series on the 40 weeks of Daniel.
Place a polygraph machine on the front pew to be used during invitation time.
Keep the Christmas pageant livestock in the church choir room year 'round.
If your auditorium slopes downward to the platform, give every kid under 12 a handful of marbles before the service.
Give deacons the ability to "gong" anyone singing special music.
Place the outdoor welcome center tent a few feet from the septic tank.
Put a blank for "weight" on the membership information forms.
In order to feel relevant, say "You know" or "Dude" 15 times from the pulpit each Sunday.
Have the organist play hockey cheers at pivotal moments of the sermon.
Before the offertory hymn, have the worship leader scream, "Show me the money!"
And the number 1 way to avoid the anoying problem of church growth....
Charge tolls for the use of restrooms.
===
by Matt Tullosas seen in The Good Stuff Newsletter. To subscribe or send a blank email here with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line:
mailto:Mark@TheGoodStuffNewsletter.com
HEAVEN
Some years ago radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller announced that he would speak the following Sunday on “Heaven”. It was to be broadcast on radio. During that week he received a letter from an old man who was very ill. Here is part of that letter:
“Next Sunday you are to talk about “Heaven”. I am interested in that land because I have held a clear title to a bit of property there for over 55 years. I did not buy it. It was given to me without money and without price. But the donor purchased it for me at a tremendous sacrifice. I am not holding it for speculation since the title is nontransferable. It is not a vacant lot.
“For more than a half-century I have been sending material out of which the greatest architect and builder of the universe has been building a home for me, which will never need to be repaired because it will suit me perfectly, individually, and will never grow old.
“Termites can never undermine its foundation for it rests upon the Rock of Ages. Fire cannot destroy it. Floods cannot wash it away. No locks or bolts will ever be placed upon its doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that land where my dwelling stands, now almost completed and ready for me to enter it and abide in peace eternally without fear of being ejected.
“There is a valley of deep shadow between the place where I live in California and that to which I shall journey in a very short time. I cannot reach my home in the City of God without passing through the dark valley of shadows. But I am not afraid, because the best friend that I have ever had went through the same valley alone, a long, long, time ago and drove away all the gloom. He has stuck by me through thick and thin since we first met and became acquainted 55 years ago, and I hold His promise in printed form, never to forsake nor to leave me alone. He will be with me as I walk through the valley of shadows, and I shall not lose my way when He is with me.
“I hope to hear your sermon on “Heaven” next Sunday from my home, but I have no assurance that I shall be able to do so. My ticket to heaven has no date marked for the journey...no return coupon...and no permit for baggage. Yes, I am ready to go and may not be here while you are talking next Sunday, but I shall meet you there some day.”
“Next Sunday you are to talk about “Heaven”. I am interested in that land because I have held a clear title to a bit of property there for over 55 years. I did not buy it. It was given to me without money and without price. But the donor purchased it for me at a tremendous sacrifice. I am not holding it for speculation since the title is nontransferable. It is not a vacant lot.
“For more than a half-century I have been sending material out of which the greatest architect and builder of the universe has been building a home for me, which will never need to be repaired because it will suit me perfectly, individually, and will never grow old.
“Termites can never undermine its foundation for it rests upon the Rock of Ages. Fire cannot destroy it. Floods cannot wash it away. No locks or bolts will ever be placed upon its doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that land where my dwelling stands, now almost completed and ready for me to enter it and abide in peace eternally without fear of being ejected.
“There is a valley of deep shadow between the place where I live in California and that to which I shall journey in a very short time. I cannot reach my home in the City of God without passing through the dark valley of shadows. But I am not afraid, because the best friend that I have ever had went through the same valley alone, a long, long, time ago and drove away all the gloom. He has stuck by me through thick and thin since we first met and became acquainted 55 years ago, and I hold His promise in printed form, never to forsake nor to leave me alone. He will be with me as I walk through the valley of shadows, and I shall not lose my way when He is with me.
“I hope to hear your sermon on “Heaven” next Sunday from my home, but I have no assurance that I shall be able to do so. My ticket to heaven has no date marked for the journey...no return coupon...and no permit for baggage. Yes, I am ready to go and may not be here while you are talking next Sunday, but I shall meet you there some day.”
HOW TO INSTALL A HOME SECURITY SYSTEM
1. Go to a second-hand store and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots.
2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo Magazine.
3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.
4. Leave a note on your door that reads:
"Hey Bubba,
Me, Big Jim, Duke and Slim went for more ammunition. Back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls, they attacked the mailman this morning and messed him up real bad. I don't think Killer took part in it but it was hard to tell from all the blood. Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside.
Cooter"
2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo Magazine.
3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.
4. Leave a note on your door that reads:
"Hey Bubba,
Me, Big Jim, Duke and Slim went for more ammunition. Back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls, they attacked the mailman this morning and messed him up real bad. I don't think Killer took part in it but it was hard to tell from all the blood. Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside.
Cooter"
Saturday, May 09, 2009
THE FACES WITHIN THE POLICIES
Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to watch the movie, "The Visitor." The movie is about a college professor from Connecticut who recently lost his wife and his reason for living. He is going through the routines of life without really living. When he is forced by the college to go to New York for a conference, his world is rocked and his life is never the same again when he finds an unmarried couple living in his apartment in the city. As the movie progresses, we find out that the couple are actually illegal immigrants who had fled to America to escape oppressive situations and are trying to make a better life here.
This movie really puts a face on the issue of illegal immigration. Here in our area of south Georgia, illegal immigration is a hot topic. We have lots of immigrants from Mexico and Central America who come into our area to work on local farms. While the majority of these are legal immigrants who are in the country on a temporary work visa, quite a few are illegal immigrants drawn to this country by the hopes of making a better life here.
Many people in our community are strongly opposed to the presence of illegal immigrants and those who, often unknowingly, hire them. And, even if employers know they are illegal, a lot of times federal policy does not allow them to fire them. For instance, on my father's farm, he hires immigrants and turns in social security wages to the government as required by law. When social security numbers are reported back as incorrect or invalid, he knows that this individual worker is illegal, but the law says he cannot fire them based on an incorrect or invalid social security number. Some in our community, even in our churches, would like to prosecute my father for hiring illegals even though he is in the position of not being able to fire them once he knows they are illegal.
That is the problem with a lot of policies that originate at the federal level and those that generate such national attention. It may sound good in Washington. It may make a great sound-bite for candidates seeking political office. But once a face is put to the issue, things change and aren't as clear-cut as some would have us believe.
In a church that I used to belong to we had a family of Mexicans, a husband and wife and their three children. They were some of our most dependable church members, hard-working and polite and respectable. They always showed up for service. Their kids were just as polite and would come work at the church after school. They helped take care of elderly home-bound people and mowed the grass and trimmed the bushes and just ministered in that church as one of us. But, they were illegal. They didn't take money from the government, but worked for what they had. But, if they had been found out, they would have been deported. All three of their kids were born in the U.S., but still were not considered U.S. citizens. It's easy to stand up against illegal immigrants and to rail against them as a policy, but it's another thing to look someone in the face, a brother or sister in your church family, and tell them they have to go back to where ever they came from because they are not wanted here.
That is the premise of the movie, "The Visitor." Walter, the professor, befriends the couple and steps in to help when Tariq is arrested as an illegal immigrant. Despite the fact that his father had been imprisoned in Syria for speaking out against the government and his own life and freedom would be suspect if he was sent back, Tariq is deported to Syria despite Walter's efforts. Walter rails at officers at the Detention Center, "This isn't right. He's a good man. He wasn't hurting anyone. He's a good man." For Walter, the anonymity of policy met the face of an individual who happened to be illegal.
This was a good, thought-provoking movie that anyone who is concerned about illegal immigration, on either side, should view. It is a movie that begs the question, "What should be our role as Christians concerning illegal immigration?" Should we advocate immigrant rights to fulfill Christ's call to take care of the alien in our midst, or should we advocate deportation of all illegal immigrants to protect our country? This issue is one which deserves greater attention in the Christian community, and brings us face-to-face with the issue of God's kingdom and being members of God's kingdom versus nationalism masquerading as Christianity.
This movie really puts a face on the issue of illegal immigration. Here in our area of south Georgia, illegal immigration is a hot topic. We have lots of immigrants from Mexico and Central America who come into our area to work on local farms. While the majority of these are legal immigrants who are in the country on a temporary work visa, quite a few are illegal immigrants drawn to this country by the hopes of making a better life here.
Many people in our community are strongly opposed to the presence of illegal immigrants and those who, often unknowingly, hire them. And, even if employers know they are illegal, a lot of times federal policy does not allow them to fire them. For instance, on my father's farm, he hires immigrants and turns in social security wages to the government as required by law. When social security numbers are reported back as incorrect or invalid, he knows that this individual worker is illegal, but the law says he cannot fire them based on an incorrect or invalid social security number. Some in our community, even in our churches, would like to prosecute my father for hiring illegals even though he is in the position of not being able to fire them once he knows they are illegal.
That is the problem with a lot of policies that originate at the federal level and those that generate such national attention. It may sound good in Washington. It may make a great sound-bite for candidates seeking political office. But once a face is put to the issue, things change and aren't as clear-cut as some would have us believe.
In a church that I used to belong to we had a family of Mexicans, a husband and wife and their three children. They were some of our most dependable church members, hard-working and polite and respectable. They always showed up for service. Their kids were just as polite and would come work at the church after school. They helped take care of elderly home-bound people and mowed the grass and trimmed the bushes and just ministered in that church as one of us. But, they were illegal. They didn't take money from the government, but worked for what they had. But, if they had been found out, they would have been deported. All three of their kids were born in the U.S., but still were not considered U.S. citizens. It's easy to stand up against illegal immigrants and to rail against them as a policy, but it's another thing to look someone in the face, a brother or sister in your church family, and tell them they have to go back to where ever they came from because they are not wanted here.
That is the premise of the movie, "The Visitor." Walter, the professor, befriends the couple and steps in to help when Tariq is arrested as an illegal immigrant. Despite the fact that his father had been imprisoned in Syria for speaking out against the government and his own life and freedom would be suspect if he was sent back, Tariq is deported to Syria despite Walter's efforts. Walter rails at officers at the Detention Center, "This isn't right. He's a good man. He wasn't hurting anyone. He's a good man." For Walter, the anonymity of policy met the face of an individual who happened to be illegal.
This was a good, thought-provoking movie that anyone who is concerned about illegal immigration, on either side, should view. It is a movie that begs the question, "What should be our role as Christians concerning illegal immigration?" Should we advocate immigrant rights to fulfill Christ's call to take care of the alien in our midst, or should we advocate deportation of all illegal immigrants to protect our country? This issue is one which deserves greater attention in the Christian community, and brings us face-to-face with the issue of God's kingdom and being members of God's kingdom versus nationalism masquerading as Christianity.
SERMON: Shibboleth
SHIBBOLETH
3 May 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Judges 12
1. The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head."
2. Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn't save me out of their hands.
3. When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"
4. Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh."
5. The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he replied, "No,"
6. they said, "All right, say `Shibboleth.'" If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.
-- several years ago, one of the most popular t.v. shows in America was the West Wing -- it was the show that starred Martin Sheen as the President of the United States and it portrayed how the President and his staff dealt with the daily politics and crises that would arise in that position
-- one of the most memorable shows from that series was called, "Shibboleth" -- the episode opens on the coast of California as a boatload of native Chinese people land on the shores of California seeking entry into the United States and are promptly detained by US agents -- they claim they are seeking asylum because, as evangelical Christians, they have been persecuted by the government of China and face harassment, imprisonment, or worse if they return
-- their arrival immediately sets of a political storm -- China claims that these people are political dissidents and should be returned to face punishment while American Chinese religious groups petition the White House to grant them asylum1
-- it all comes down to this one issue -- are they, as they claim, Christians or are they merely claiming the name of Christ in order to receive political asylum?
-- which begs the question -- when you call yourself a Christian, how can you prove that you truly are a follower of Jesus?
-- in this passage from the Old Testament, we read of a similar situation in which people had to prove who they were -- this story takes place in the time of the judges -- as you know, after the death of Moses and Joshua, the nation of Israel turned away from the worship of God and started worshiping the false idols of the people who were already there in the Promised Land when they arrived
-- the consequence of this sin was that Israel no longer had the favor of God, and they were given over to the Canaanites and the Philistines and the Ammorites -- and for many years, these nations ruled over and oppressed the Israelites
-- from time to time, God would raise up a judge from among Israel -- a person who would lead the Israelites back to God and stand up against their foreign oppressors -- someone who stood as the political and religious leader for a period of time
-- in this passage, we read of one such judge -- Jephthah -- who is listed in the Book of Hebrew in the roll call of men and women of faith
-- Jephthah was from the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River, and was a member of the tribe of Manasseh -- at the time he was called to lead Israel, the Israelites were being oppressed by the nation of Ammon, who also lived east of the Jordan River
-- as this chapter opens, Jephthah and his men have defeated the Ammonites and have returned home with the spoils of war -- and, although their struggle with outside oppressors is over for a time, there is still internal strife among the various tribes of the Israelites
-- let's look at this together -- look at verse 1 again
1. The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head."
2. Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn't save me out of their hands.
3. When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"
4. Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh."
-- when Jephthah and his army returned home to celebrate their great victory over the Ammonites, they were met by their brothers -- men from the tribe of Ephraim
-- the tribe of Ephraim lived on the west side of the Jordan River in a mountainous but fertile region -- by the time Jephthah was called to be judge, the tribe of Ephraim was beginning to be one of the largest and most influential of all the tribes -- they were prosperous -- they were rich -- and they became one of the early centers of religious worship in Israel
-- when the struggles against Ammon began, Jephthah issued a call for help to the tribe of Ephraim -- but the tribe refused to help -- divisions were already developing between the Israelites on each side of the Jordan River, and the Ephraimites refused to cross over and help their brothers in the fight against Ammon -- they were already rich and secure in their stronghold -- protected by mountains on one side and the Jordan River on the other -- why should they risk themselves for the men of Gilead?
-- but then, when Jephthah emerged from the struggle victorious and returned home with his arms laden with the plunder from the Ammonites, the Ephraimites became jealous -- they felt like they had deserved a share of the plunder -- and so they gathered up an army to fight against Jephthah and take the plunder for themselves
-- but the Jephthah and his Gileadites were victorious and routed the Ephraimites -- God was with them, even in the fight against their brothers -- the remaining Ephraimites fled from Jephthah's army and tried to make their way back across the Jordan River to their home, but the Gileadites had already seized the only crossing place at the fords of the Jordan River
-- here's where the test comes in -- verse 5
5. The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he replied, "No,"
6. they said, "All right, say `Shibboleth.'" If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.
-- the tribes of Israel on each side of the Jordan River had been separated so long they had developed different accents and ways of speaking -- just like here in the United States, people from the south pronounce words differently from the way people from the north pronounce them
-- the Gileadites used this difference to determine who was of their tribe and who was an Ephraimite trying to sneak back across the Jordan River
-- everyone who tried to cross the fords was asked to say the word, "Shibboleth" -- the Ephraimites could not make the "Sh" sound and instead pronounced it with a hard "S" -- as "Sibboleth" instead of "Shibboleth" -- and when they were found out, they were killed
-- now I know this sounds harsh, but keep in mind that the real issue here was not who belonged to each tribe but who belonged to God -- who followed God and obeyed His commands
-- the implication in this passage is that if the Ephraimites were truly followers of God, they would have responded to the call of His judge, Jephthah, and would have fought against the nation of Ammon
-- so God was using that word "Shibboleth" as a means of determining who were true followers and who were not -- just because everyone called themselves followers of God did not mean that they truly were -- in fact, years later, the tribe of Ephraim would split from the nation of Israel and establish idol worship in their capitol of Samaria -- this passage is an early indication of the hearts of those people in regards to following God and His commands
-- the term "Shibboleth" has become part of our English language -- it refers to a custom or phrase or use of language that identifies a group of people -- originally, it was used to determine who was in the faith -- who were true followers of God -- but the concept has been used throughout history to determine who belongs to a specific group
-- for instance, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, American soldiers use the knowledge of baseball to determine if those around them were really Americans or if they were German infiltrators in American uniform -- the Germans didn't know about baseball and didn't follow the game, and so the Americans could quickly find spies by asking baseball questions as Shibboleths
-- in the episode of the West Wing that I talked about, President Bartlett used Shibboleths as the way of determining if the Chinese who had landed in California were really Christians or not -- "he met with a dignitary of the Chinese refugees who convinced him of their need for asylum by answering obscure Bible trivia questions"1 that only a true believer would know
-- so, getting back to our original question-- let's say that someone wants to know whether you are a Christian or not -- just saying you are is not enough -- we all know people who call themselves "Christian" who obviously aren't -- so, what is our Shibboleth as Christians? -- what is the proof that we are truly followers of Christ?
-- it's kind of like that old question that went around a few years ago -- if Christianity was suddenly outlawed, would there be enough evidence against you for a conviction?
-- our word is not enough -- there has to be more -- in John 2:24-25, it says, "But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. -- He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man." -- the issue is not our testimony -- it is not who we say we are -- the issue is who God says we are and our Shibboleth is the demonstration of that truth
-- people should be able to know we are Christians without us ever saying a word -- they should know we are Christians by our lives and by our love
-- let's turn over to 1 Peter 2 and we'll wrap up there -- 1 Peter 2, verse 9
9. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
-- in this verse, we the Shibboleth of faith -- the test of Christianity -- so, what is a Christian?
-- first and foremost, they are chosen -- they are part of a chosen people or a chosen generation -- chosen by God to be His own
-- in Jeremiah 1:5, God says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
-- in other words, God chose us -- before we were created -- before we were formed in our mother's womb -- even before time began, the Bible tells us that God chose us and loved us and called us into His kingdom2
-- 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says that God wants all of us to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth that is in Christ -- in other words, God chose all of us for salvation -- it was not His will that any should be lost
-- so, to be a Christian is to know through faith that God has already chosen us and called us to be His own -- to live in that knowledge and to trust in Him for our salvation
-- it's not enough to believe with your head the truth that God chose us for salvation -- you have to receive and accept that truth in your heart and show it in your life
-- a good analogy is in adoption -- when an infant is adopted into a family, that infant has been chosen to be part of that family -- that is the truth and the reality of that situation -- but, at some point, the infant has to receive that truth and live it out in their lives -- they have to decide whether they will accept the choice that has been made for them and remain part of that family for life or whether they will reject the choice and go off on their own2
-- to be a Christian is to know that you are chosen of God and to proclaim that you have decided to honor that choice by living as part of His family
-- secondly, this verse tells us that a Christian is also part of a royal priesthood -- a representative of Christ Jesus Himself
-- the words "Christ" or "Messiah" both mean the same thing -- they mean, "the anointed one" -- they refer back to the practice of God anointing and calling His people for service and for roles of leadership in the world -- in the Old Testament, when a person was called to be a priest, a prophet, or a king, they would be anointed with oil to symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives
-- that is one reason why we use oil in the church today to anoint people who are baptized or who are being sent forth in ministry -- it is a recognition that all Christians are called to the three-fold ministry of Jesus and empowered by His Spirit to serve as priests, prophets, and kings -- this is what Peter is referring to here when he says that we are a "royal priesthood"
-- to serve as royal priests means that we witness to the calling of God on those around us -- we proclaim His word and tell those around us that they, too, have been chosen and are loved of God -- we intercede on their behalf -- lifting them up to the throne of grace and asking God to touch their lives and to help them receive the knowledge of the truth that is in Christ -- and we offer sacrifices on their part
-- now this doesn't mean that we offer up burnt offerings or anything like that -- but it means that we offer up ourselves, as holy and living sacrifices, in service to God and to them -- this is where our Shibboleth becomes visible -- where our faith becomes sight for others
-- when Mother Teresa ministered to the outcasts in India, she was serving as a royal priest -- even if she had not worn her habit -- even if she had not claimed the name of Christ with her words -- those around her would have known through her acts of sacrifice and service that she was chosen of God and was living for Him
-- in the same way, those who name the name of Christ -- those who call themselves Christian -- who have received the saving grace of God -- are called to serve God by serving others -- to be for Christ His hands and feet and voice in this world -- it means that you know that you are chosen by God to serve Him and that you are actively engaged in ministry -- both within the walls of this church and outside in the dark world, bringing the light of Christ with you to all you meet
-- the question you need to ask yourself if you call yourself a Christian is, "What have I done for God lately? -- What have I done for others lately?" -- the answer to these questions is part of the visible Shibboleth of being a Christian
-- finally, we read here that we are a holy nation -- this is the final part of the visible Shibboleth -- the final part of the internal test to demonstrate to yourself whether you are a Christian or not
-- to be holy means to be set apart -- to be taken out of the world and placed in God's kingdom -- to be different from those around us -- in nature -- in position -- in behavior -- and in character
-- being chosen of God makes us holy in nature and position -- we are no longer subjects of God's wrath -- we are no longer enemies of God -- but are now part of His kingdom -- adopted into His family through the righteousness of Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places
-- being royal priests makes us holy in behavior as we serve God by serving others -- as we intercede on their behalf and proclaim the truth of God to those around us -- striving to meet their physical and spiritual needs through the power of the Spirit and pointing them to the cross of salvation
-- finally, we are identified as a holy nation through our character, which is the most telling evidence as to whether we are a Christian or not
-- externalities can be faked -- in other words, you can fool people into believing you are a Christian by doing good things -- by serving others -- by talking a lot about Jesus and God
-- but character -- integrity -- is who you are when the lights go out -- it is who you are when you are alone -- it is who you are in your heart of hearts -- this is where holiness is determined
-- the Pharisees were good at externalities -- they were good at looking holy -- at looking religious -- at looking Godly -- but Jesus said they were like white-washed tombs -- He said they were doing nothing more than cleaning the outside -- looking good on the outside -- while leaving the inside a place of dirtiness and death and uncleanness
-- holiness is having your heart cleaned -- holiness is being transformed from the inside out through the power of the Holy Spirit -- holiness is reflecting the goodness and purity and love of God Himself
-- holiness says, "It is not enough to come to church -- it is not enough to come to Bible study -- it is not enough to give your full tithe and to serve others -- if you are not clean on the inside -- if you are not truly living with Christ inside you"
-- this is where the claim of hypocrisy within the church gets thrown about so often -- when people's lives and their character and their integrity don't match the words that they are saying
-- God tells us here that to be a Christian is to be holy -- to reflect His word and His commands inside and out -- as Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:15, "just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do"
-- a true Christian is holy -- set apart and different from the world -- different in attitude -- different in behavior -- different in character
-- this doesn't mean that we are perfect in all our ways -- but it means that we are striving towards perfection -- that we recognize our sinfulness -- that we recognize the ways we fall short -- that we recognize our need for the grace of God -- and we are moving forward towards perfection by striving to be more like Jesus today than we were yesterday
-- ask yourself, "are you more like Jesus today than you were a year ago -- two years ago -- ten years ago?"
-- as part of our Shibboleth of faith, we should be able to look at our lives and see a difference in our character and integrity when compared to the world and to where we were before we came to know Christ
-- so, getting back to our original question -- when you call yourself a Christian, how can you prove that you truly are a follower of Jesus? -- what is the Shibboleth that you use to demonstrate that we are Christians?
-- the true Shibboleth of a Christian is faith
-- believing in faith that we have been chosen of God for salvation -- knowing that our sins have been forgiven and receiving and living in that knowledge
-- living in faith through our service as kings and priests and prophets of God -- ministering to others in His name -- being His hands and feet and voice in this world
-- and being transformed in faith from enemies of God in mind and spirit to people who are holy in all that we do -- who reflect God's holiness in our behavior and our character and our integrity
-- being and showing we are Christians when we say nothing at all, but let our lives speak for themselves -- that is our true Shibboleth -- the Shibboleth of faith -- and that is why we are here today
-- as we close today -- as the last hymn is played -- I want to encourage you to take a look at your life -- apply that Shibboleth of faith to yourself -- can you truly say you are a Christian? -- does your life reflect Christ and His holiness? -- not just on the outside -- not just through coming to church -- but on the inside as well
-- do you know that you are chosen and have you received God's offer of salvation? -- are you living a life of holiness in service to God and others? -- are you holy on the inside, in your character and your integrity?
-- I suspect that if we honestly applied this test of faith in our life, we'd find out that all of us have a long way to go -- that all of us can do better in living a life of faith -- both externally and internally -- that all of us have a ways to go before we can say we are truly holy in all our ways as God is holy
-- so, whatever it is that God has shown you today -- whatever it is that God is calling you to do or to change -- I want to encourage you to do so before you leave today -- to respond to His word and His call -- so that you might say "Shibboleth" in the right way when you try to cross the Jordan River at the end of your days
-- let us pray
1 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth_(The_West_Wing)]
2 Willimon, William. Remember Who You Are. The Upper Room, 1980.
SERMON: Weeds or Flowers
WEEDS OR FLOWERS
26 April 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 9
35. Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
36. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
38. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
-- I have a confession to make this morning -- I just don't like to mow the grass -- well, that's not totally true -- it's not that I really dislike it -- it's that I just don't like the time it takes -- it's like getting my haircut -- I know it's something that I need to do from time to time, but I just hate stopping what I'm doing and taking time out of my day to get it done -- I just feel like there's more important things I could be doing
-- but everyone doesn't share my thoughts on this -- when we lived in Tennessee, those folks up there were serious about their yard work -- they were constantly out on their riding mowers, mowing the grass -- at least once a week -- usually on Saturday morning -- it seemed like everyone in town would get out and mow their grass
-- well, I didn't follow their pattern -- for one thing, I didn't think grass needed to be mowed that often -- and, for another, I just didn't want to do it -- and so I just kept putting off mowing the grass
-- now our house in Tennessee was built on the side of a hill -- and we had a deck that came off the back of the house that actually was about 20 feet up above the back yard -- and one day I got up early on a Saturday morning and walked out there just to take a look around and I saw the most beautiful thing in the world -- my back yard was literally covered in yellow flowers -- they were beautiful -- the dew was glistening on them and with the rising sun, the back yard just looked like it glowed -- it just radiated beauty
-- and I stood there and I thought to myself, "See, this is why we shouldn't mow our yards -- if everyone didn't mow their yards so much, every back yard in our town could be filled with flowers"
-- after a little while, I went back in the house and, sure enough, it wasn't long until I heard the sound of lawnmowers cranking up outside the house -- I was watching tv or something and I got to listening and I thought, "You know, that lawnmower sure is loud this morning -- it sounds like it's real close to the house"
-- and so I walked back out on my deck -- and you know what I saw? -- my neighbor was cutting my grass -- all of those beautiful flowers were being chopped down -- he didn't even ask -- he just went out and started cutting my grass in my backyard
-- so I flew the stairs and stopped him and asked him what he was doing -- he said, "I'm cutting your yard since you obviously won't do it -- you can't just have weeds growing up in your backyard -- did you know that your yard was full of dandelions? -- do you know what they would do to our yards if you didn't cut them down?"
-- I just stood there, dumbfounded -- where I saw flowers, he saw weeds -- but, since public opinion was against me, I joined with him and grabbed my mower and helped him finish my yard
-- isn't it amazing how people can look at the same thing and see something entirely different? -- I've always been fascinated by that -- when me and Kim go out on a drive somewhere, she's calling out every dog that we see and I'm pointing out every bird -- she never sees the birds and I never see the dogs -- we are traveling on the same road -- looking at the same thing out our windows -- but seeing something entirely different
-- that's what this passage in Matthew is all about -- nestled in between a series of stories about the conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees and the sending out of the twelve disciples is this little nugget of wisdom -- just four verses, but four verses that really portray what Jesus was all about
-- so, if you would, let's spend a few moments thinking about this passage this morning and let's see if we can learn anything new about weeds and flowers
II. Scripture Lesson
-- before we turn back to the scriptures again, let me flesh out the context for you a little better -- in Matthew Chapters 8 and 9, Jesus is doing a lot of miracles -- these are the chapters where we read of Jesus healing the lepers -- calming the storm -- casting the demons into the herd of pigs at Gadarenes
-- this is where we read of Jesus healing the paralyzed man who was dropped through the roof into the meeting hall -- of Jesus healing the woman with the issue of blood -- and raising a little girl from the dead
-- but, at the end of each of those accounts, we see conflicts start to rise between Jesus and the Pharisees -- they watch what He's doing, and they start to murmur and grumble to themselves and to Him -- when Jesus told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven and to rise and take his mat and go home, the Pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy -- when He healed the blind and the mute, they claimed Jesus was healing through the power of the prince of demons -- and they questioned Jesus and His disciples on their religious practices -- why they weren't acting and behaving like the Pharisees thought they should
-- and then, right before Jesus sends out His disciples to minister in His name in the countryside, we find these four verses -- let's look at them again in a little more detail
-- look back at verse 35
35. Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
-- now, why is that in there? -- why did Matthew choose to include that sentence in his gospel? -- isn't it really obvious? -- isn't it a little redundant? -- can't we just read Chapters 8 and 9 and see for ourselves that this is what Jesus did? -- why put that in there again?
-- maybe it's because what Jesus was doing was something different -- something out of the ordinary -- something that made Him stand out from the other religious people in His day
-- notice that Matthew says that Jesus went through ALL the towns and villages -- now that was something different -- they didn't have missionaries in Jesus' day -- they didn't have people going around from town to town -- from village to village -- evangelizing and spreading the word
-- the people knew where to go to worship -- they knew they were supposed to go to the temple to make their sacrifices and to attend synagogue every Sabbath to attend to the public reading and interpretation of God's word -- the religious people knew that they were the only game in town -- "if these people want to see God, then they're going to have to come to us" -- and so the Rabbis and the Pharisees hung out at the temple and the synagogue and waited for the people to come
-- but not Jesus -- Matthew says that He went to ALL the towns and villages -- every single one -- He didn't miss a single town or village, but He went to every one of them and He taught in their synagogues -- He preached the good news -- and He healed EVERY disease and sickness
-- it's almost like Jesus saw a need in every town and village that wasn't being met by the churches and the religious people who lived there
-- verse 36
36. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
-- isn't that curious? -- when Jesus looked out on the crowds, He saw something entirely different than the rest of the people with Him -- where the Pharisees saw weeds, Jesus saw flowers
-- boy, we saw a good example of that over the past couple of weeks, didn't we? -- how many of you heard the story of Susan Boyle in the news recently? -- her story has been played on Fox News and CNN and it's gone around the world on You Tube and by e-mail millions of times
-- just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, Susan Boyle was a contestant on Britain's talent show, "Britain's Got Talent," the show that Simon Cowell of American Idol fame created and judges
-- well, Susan shows up to sing before the crowd and she doesn't look like a singer -- honestly, the only way I can describe her is "frumpy" -- she's only 47 years old, but she looked 20 years older -- she was very matronly -- her hair was unkempt -- her dress nothing to speak of
-- when they asked her what her talent was and why she was there, she said that she was going to sing and wanted to be a professional singer -- the people in the audience chuckled -- Simon rolled his eyes -- everyone knew that this was going to be horrible -- there's no way that this person was going to have any value at all
-- we've all seen these shows -- you know, just like I do, that a lot of times they put people on that are simply horrendous -- just to let them make a fool of themselves and to give us something to laugh at -- and it was obvious that Susan Boyle was going to be one of those -- honestly, in the garden of life, she was a weed -- and everyone knew it
-- but then, she started to sing -- and as the first notes of "Cry Me a River" came out, the audience quieted and then erupted in admiration -- her voice was like that of an angel -- and as the people listened to her audition, we watched as a weed became a flower on the spot
-- now there's a couple things about Susan's performance and our reaction to it that are interesting -- first, it took her amazing voice lifted in song before we realized that this frumpy, matronly woman standing before us was actually someone of value -- before we realized that she wasn't really a weed but a glorious flower after all
-- but, secondly, that's not why the clip of her audition has been viewed over 100 million times on You Tube -- that's not why this clip has made the rounds on the national news or is being forwarded over and over again on e-mail -- it's because we want to be Susan Boyle
-- in our heart of hearts, we are all searching for validation -- we all just want someone to look at us and say, "You're not a weed -- you're a flower"
-- I don't know how many of you read that book that I gave you for Christmas by Donald Miller -- "Searching for God Knows What" -- I knew when I gave it to you that it was going to be challenging to a lot of you -- it's not your normal Christian fare -- you typically don't find Christian books with chapter titles like "Santa Takes a Leak" -- but, if you did wade into the book and make it past the first couple of chapters, Miller makes some profound points in there about life and about weeds and about flowers
-- he talks in there about the fact that Jesus liked everybody -- Jesus didn't discriminate -- Jesus wasn't prejudiced -- He looked at the people in the Bible -- He looked out at the crowds -- and He saw them for more than what they were -- where the world saw weeds, Jesus saw flowers -- where the world saw no value at all, Jesus brought value
-- Miller sums this up quite nicely with this quote -- listen to this -- "I kept wondering about the people who met Christ who were losers in the lifeboat -- the crippled and the blind -- the woman at the well -- Mary Magdalene and Zaccheus -- Entire communities had shunned them and told them they were no good -- but God, the King of the universe, comes walking down the street and looks them in their eyes -- holds their hands -- embraces them -- eats at their tables, in their homes, for all the town to see -- That must have been the greatest moment of their lives...to have somebody [especially Jesus] look you in the eye and say you are worth something"
-- look back at verse 36
36. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
-- Jesus saw the crowds and saw something different -- He saw their bruised spirits -- He saw their wounded hearts -- He saw their needs and their longing for value -- He saw that they were harassed and helpless and hopeless -- and He took compassion on them
-- a lot of times, we misuse that word "compassion" -- we use it interchangeably with "empathy" -- but they're not the same
-- empathy is the capacity to share feelings -- to understand another's emotions and feelings -- to sympathize with them and to share in their hurt and their pain
-- but compassion is a desire to act in response to a person's pain -- it is a human emotion that drives us to reach out and to do something for someone else who is hurting -- if you have true compassion for someone else, then you not only understand the pain and the hurt another person is feeling, but you actively work to remove that pain and to help that person as much as you can
-- Jesus looked at the crowds and knew they were weeds -- He knew that was how the world saw them -- He knew that was how they saw themselves -- and He had compassion on them -- He wanted to help them -- He wanted to validate them -- let them know that they weren't weeds, after all -- He wanted to tell them that they were o.k. -- that God not only loved them, but that He liked them -- He liked who they were and He really liked who they could be once they received the love that He had for them
-- and that's why Jesus went to EVERY town and village to heal the sick -- to teach in their synagogues -- to preach the good news that God was here and that God loved them and liked them
-- where others looked out and saw a field of weeds -- where others said, "It's not worth our time -- they're not worth our time -- to go out and speak to them about God" -- where other said, "they are nothing but sinners and tax collectors -- why bother?" -- Jesus said, "Look at the flowers God has planted"
-- verse 37
37. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
38. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
-- I don't know if Jesus had any regrets or not about His time here on earth, but I think He probably did -- if I had to guess -- based on the Scriptures -- I would say that Jesus probably got frustrated a lot -- you see, Jesus looked out on the crowds and saw flowers ready to be gathered -- He saw people who needed a word -- a touch -- an encouraging thought -- a healing of body, mind, and spirit -- and even though Jesus went to every town and village -- He couldn't get to everybody
-- never forget, Jesus was a man -- as the incarnate deity -- as God clothed in flesh, Jesus was limited in what He could do -- as a man, Jesus couldn't be everywhere at the same time -- He couldn't do everything -- touch everybody -- heal every heart -- He couldn't meet every need
-- oh, He tried -- He about wore Himself out trying to touch hearts and change lives -- the Scriptures tell us that He would come into a town or a village and be surrounded by people needing Him -- and that He would heal them and talk with them and love them until early in the morning -- until all had been seen -- but then He would have to go away to the mountains or to the garden to rest and be recharged and reenergized before He could start again
-- and I think it probably frustrated Him -- I think that's the point of this passage -- I think that's why Chapter 10 opens with the sending forth of the 12 apostles to minister -- I think that's why Jesus says here that the "harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few"
-- Jesus looked out on the crowds and saw them for what they really were -- He saw flowers that needed gathering -- and He knew that He couldn't do it alone
-- that's why He had the apostles -- that's why He has us -- Jesus needs workers to go into the fields and minister to flowers who think they are weeds
-- notice verse 38 -- Jesus doesn't tell the disciples to just go on out into the field and get started -- but to pray and ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His field
-- why is that? -- why would He direct the disciples to pray rather than to go? -- well, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense
-- you see, when we look at the field with our human eyes, we see weeds -- when we see others -- when we meet others -- immediately, we judge them -- we place a value on them based on something that we deem of worth -- their looks -- their intelligence -- their wealth -- their fame -- their job -- their position -- their talent -- something
-- and, if they are equal to us or better, then they have value -- they're a flower
-- but, if they don't meet our standards -- if we don't deem them attractive enough -- or smart enough -- or wealthy enough -- if they don't have talent or fame or an important job -- then immediately we dismiss them -- they're nothing more than a weed
-- and don't try to say that you don't do this -- you do -- and I do -- and so does everybody else -- everybody, that is, but Jesus
-- and that's why He says to pray to the Lord of the harvest first -- so that we will see with God's eyes rather than our own -- so we will hear with God's ears rather than our own -- so we will love with God's heart rather than our own
-- Jesus says to pray to God first so that we can see the flowers instead of the weeds -- and then He bids us to "Go," and to be His hands and feet and to share His message and His love with the world
III. Closing
-- since 1940s, the Ad Council has been the leading producer of public service announcements here in America -- they have produced thousands of ads -- but the "Don't Almost Give" campaign was probably the most powerful ads they ever produced
-- one ad shows a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of concrete stairs -- the narrator says, "This is a man who almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who almost gave money" -- after a brief pause, the announcer continues -- "Almost gave -- how good is almost giving? -- about as good as almost walking."
-- another ad shows a homeless man curled up in a ball on a pile of rags -- one ratty bed sheet shields him from the cold -- the narrator says, "This is Jack Thomas -- today, someone almost brought Jack something to eat -- someone almost brought him to a shelter -- and someone else almost brought him a warm blanket -- after a brief pause, the narrator concluded, "And Jack Thomas? -- Well, he almost made it through the night"
-- another ad shows an older woman sitting alone in a room, staring out a window -- the narrator says, "This is Sarah Watkins -- a lot of people almost helped her -- one almost cooked for her -- another almost drove her to the doctor -- still another almost dropped by to say hello -- they almost helped -- they almost gave of themselves -- but almost giving is the same as not giving at all"
-- each ad ends with this simple, direct message -- "Don't almost give -- Give"
-- Jesus would have put it a little differently -- He would have said, "You see that person over there you think is a weed? -- that man who can't walk -- that homeless man who needs a meal -- that older woman who needs a friend
-- they're not weeds -- they're flowers -- they are beautiful and valuable in My eyes -- now go and tell them that and give them My love"
-- our challenge this morning is to see with new eyes -- to see with eyes of faith -- to look out on the crowds -- on the sick and the homeless and the lonely -- on the Susan Boyle's of this world -- and to love them with the love of Christ -- to tell them that they're not weeds but that they're flowers, and that God not only loves them, but He likes them, too -- to tell them that they are wanted -- that they are needed -- that they are welcome in God's house with God's people
-- what flowers have you overlooked this week? -- what flowers have you cut down because you thought they were weeds? -- as we close, I want to invite you to ask God to give you His eyes this week -- to give you His heart this week -- so that you can see the shining splendor in the grass -- the flowers of God's kingdom -- and I want you to talk to them about the God who loves them just as they are
-- let's pray
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