2018-10-03 – Acts 13:42-52 – The Sting of Jealousy – First Baptist Church Orion

2020-03-22 - Mark 10.32-45 – Suffering Servant Status Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. We are all going through some pretty tough times right now. There have been so many drastic changes to our work and home life due to this Coronavirus, and I am confident that this will not be just a short duration event. So buckle-up and stand firm in your faith knowing that God is in control. This is one of those times that we will mark in the history-books of our lives, as a most significant event indeed. However the Bible reassures us over and over again, as Christians we have an everlasting hope to cling to, in that of Jesus Christ, and heaven is our ultimate reward. Having said that, the best response to these dynamics we can offer is a stable and content persona, that might cause others to consider the hope of Gospel for which we endeavor to be living out. So today’s message is not one of fear or panic, but instead we will continue on in scripture, going through this book of Mark to see and learn more about Jesus who is our Rock and our Redeemer. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 10.32 of God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word. But let us first start with Prayer. Last week we read about the Rich Young Ruler and how he aspired to acquire salvation. But when Jesus suggested that for him it would be necessary to give up his fortune, he sadly instead just walked away. Afterwards the disciples asked Jesus about this, as they too were counting the cost of salvation. Verse 26 says: 26 They were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.” Jesus told them that they should expect to be persecuted but they will have “eternal life in the age to come”. Then verse 31 concluded with Jesus again saying 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” He said this because, I would argue, He knew that their pride was again going to be something they would continue to wrestle with. And that is what we are dealing with in or scripture message today, that thing called pride. You have heard before the quote “Pride goeth before the fall”. That is actually from Proverbs 16:18 where King Solomon wrote, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”. Something we all should learn to heed indeed. Our verses today continue at Mark 10:32: 32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him. 33 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 and they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him, and he will rise after three days.” Because Jesus had just spoken to them about facing persecution, the disciples were anxious and astonished as they thought about what awaited them ahead in Jerusalem. The fear of the unknown, many would argue, is the worst kind of fear. It is something we can’t well control. Most people seem to exarate the negative possibilities in their mind, and it causes them much stress. That certainly applied to the disciples then, and I would bet it also applies to many people here today. But Jesus’s death and resurrection should have come as no surprise to the disciples. Here He clearly explained to them what was going happen to Him. Unfortunately, I believe they didn’t really hear what he was saying. Jesus said He was the Messiah, but they thought the Messiah would be conquering king. He spoke to them of resurrection, but they heard only his words about death. But the Gospels include many predictions of Jesus’s death and resurrection to show that these events were really God’s plan from the beginning. God is in control… Verse 35 continues: 35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.”36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them. 37 They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” This request of James and John are also mentioned in Matthew 20. However Matthew also mentions that their mother Salome requested this of Jesus. She wanted her sons to be important in God’s kingdom to come, just like most any parent would want success for their children. I love though how they first ask this of Jesus, much like children might ask their parents for something they know they normally wouldn’t grant. I remember my children asking in this exact same fashion. “Dad we want you to do what we ask, okay?” Sometimes out of fun I would say Okay, but then have to take it back because it was really not prudent. Have you ever been there? I am sure you have. Do you think the disciples actually would have expected a yes from Jesus? I doubt it. Although in Mathew 7:7 Jesus did say, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”. But Jesus also said if you ask in my name (or according to God’s will), then it will be granted. However, we will see that was not the case with the disciple’s request here. They asked if they could sit at Jesus’s right and His left in heaven. In other words they wanted the positions of highest prominence and honor beside the throne of Jesus for all eternity. That was a monumental request indeed. Verse 39 continues: 39 “We are able,” they told him.   Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. 40 But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” The cup and the baptism Jesus is referring to here infers the burden and the persecution that Jesus was about to undertake. It is true the disciples did in fact take on the huge responsibility of leading the church after Jesus ascended into Heaven. They also took on the leadership of the church and they were all severely persecuted later for doing so. But although Christ is the Blessing Giver, not necessarily by way of favor to any one who asks, but according to the eternal and unalterable principles laid down by the Father. Jesus shows them and us that it isn’t prudent to always gratify all our every desires, especially the ones that are rooted in sin like pride and greed. Jesus knows that some of our requests would actually ruin us if granted. He loves us, and like any good parent, He will give His children what is good for them according to His will. And He desires for us to be satisfied with what He gives. 41 When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The title of this message today is Suffering Servant Status. The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, who was born of man as a baby, did not come to be served. Jesus was a supreme example of what is called Servant Leadership. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords relinquished His privilege and gave His life as a selfless sacrifice in serving others. And the “ransom” mentioned in this last verse, was the price Jesus paid to Father God to satisfy His justice and holy wrath against our sin. In paying it, according to 1 Peter 2:24, Jesus “bore our sins in His body on the cross.” Jesus alone had achieved that Suffering Servant Status, and for that we have much to be thankful for. As Christ followers now, we should all aspire to be more and more like him. We should want to be a Servant Leader like he so well demonstrated. A servant leader seeks to invest themselves in the lives of others so that, as a whole, the church community is challenged to grow themselves to be more Christ like in character. This is demonstrated in the leader’s willingness to give of themselves to meet the needs, but not necessarily all the wants, of the people. According to Paul as written in Ephesians 4:12, the focal point of Christian servant leadership within the church is “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”. So just as Jesus asked the disciples, “Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” The question for us to answer is: Will you choose this day to stand-up and become a Christian Servant Leader? In this challenging time we face ahead dear church, we must prudently step out of our comfort zones while we obey the guidelines of our leaders and make a difference in the lives of those God puts in our paths. Are you willing to do that? Are you with me on this? Would you please stand and pray with me now. Father, this is why we’re here to worship today, because of the glory of Your precious Gospel. Confirm it to our hearts Lord, as we pray this in Jesus Christ’s Holy name, amen.    [SLIDES]

2020-03-15 - Mark 10.17-31 - The Poor Rich Man  (National Day of Prayer) Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. There are many people in the world today that are seeking fulfillment, purpose, happiness, meaning, and love for sure, but sadly they not necessarily seeking God. The world is full of people who want a more satisfying life, a more fulfilling life, and if you throw in heaven all the better, however they feel the solution for their desires must come on their own terms. There are lots of truly selfish seekers in our world, and we are going to discover that same dynamic in our bibles today. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 10.17, pew Bibles pg. 897 of God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word. But let us first start with Prayer. This account we are going to read this morning of Jesus’ meeting with a young man is so significant that each of the Gospel writers of Matthew, Mark and Luke records their version of history for this same encounter entitled The Rich Young Ruler. By the world’s standards, most all of us here are considered wealthy. And with that blessing comes much responsibility, and Jesus warns us not to allow our good fortune to become our stumbling stone. Verse 17 reads: 17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.” 20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.”21 Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. Now you should know that this is an actual encounter between this Rich young ruler and Jesus. This is not a parable or a story that Jesus invented. This is a real encounter that deals with such an absolutely critical issue for us to understand. That superficial interest in eternal life must be confronted if we are to have any positive Christian impact on our world. We should not accommodate or entertain selfish seekers. After all, their eternal security is in balance? Here we learn how to deal with a selfish, shallow seeker who in this case is apparently even claiming to be extremely religious. The central point of this encounter is that proud, selfish people - no matter how much they may say they want eternal life - may not really be prepared to receive it. This young man failed the greatest test of his life. He was offered a choice between his greed and God, between fulfillment in the here and now and fulfillment in the life to come. The bottom line is he wanted eternal life but not enough to give up his pride and his possessions. Notice he never questioned the truthfulness of what Jesus said. He didn’t debate, he didn’t argue, he just walked away. This rich young ruler realized that whatever Jesus was offering was going to cost him his pride and it was going to cost him his possessions, and the price was too high, even though it regarded his eternal life. I propose that he truly wanted eternal life but only as an add-on to what he already possessed. He loved his mortal comfort and his wealth more than he loved God. The issue here is really about salvation. You see eternal life equals salvation. He asks the question (“what must I do to inherit eternal life?”) and Jesus stopped him dead in his tracks. Much of the work that we do in sharing the Gospel and carrying out the Great Commission is considered evangelism. In that effort, sometimes we have to convince people that there is such a thing as eternal life. The seed of knowledge of eternal life is kind of planted into us being human. But sometimes we first have remind them that there is an eternal life in heaven and an eternal death in hell. But not this man in our verses here, he already knew about heaven and hell, and he knew he wanted heaven instead of its alternative. Some would say this man was the ideal seeker, he was ready to talk to Jesus about his eternity with God. One might think that all Jesus needed to do is reel him in, but that is not what Jesus did. The man left out the same way he came in, a sinner not yet willing to do what was necessary for him to receive Christ. I’m pretty sure he would have prayed a prayer if Jesus had given him one to pray. I’m sure he would have made a decision if Jesus had given him a simple decision to make. But Jesus never gave him a prayer, never asked him to make a decision, never called for a commitment, not at all. He stopped him dead in his tracks. Did Jesus fail in this regard? Did Jesus miss the opportunity that was right there in front of Him? I really don’t think so, so let’s look at the story again. First see that the man ran up to Jesus and kneel before Him. Now this is very unusual, that’s why Matthew in his account of this says, “Behold,” like “Wow,” you don’t expect this. We also know from Matthew and Luke’s account that he was a young ruler, probably the ruler of a synagogue. He probably wouldn’t be a scribe or a Pharisee, but a very wealthy layman, who had ascended to be a leader in a synagogue, which was usually reserved for an older man, somebody wiser, somebody who had lived longer. We know he’s rich because the other gospels tell us, and he probably felt his life is exactly where he wanted it to be at this time. He’s beaten the odds. He’s young and he’s wealthy, he owns a lot of property, and he has achieved spiritual respect and status by being made the chief of a synagogue. We can assume that he’s a moral and respectable man, and yet there is in his heart a deep fear that he does not possess what he needs most and that is salvation, eternal life, the hope of heaven. Now let’s look at what he says? “Good teacher.” He acknowledges Jesus as not only a legitimate teacher, but as a good teacher. The word he used is agathos which means good internally, virtuous, or good to the core, a deep kind of inherent goodness. “Good teacher, what shall I do?” In Matthew 19:20, it says that he asked “What am I lacking?” Which is if to say, “I’ve climbed the religious ladder to the top rung. What did I leave out?” He is afraid and realized that he doesn’t have a relationship with God that could be defined as an eternal life. So he comes and presents his request to Jesus, but then in verse 17 it says he uses the adjective of “good” and that’s when things start to go awry. You know, if there’s any word that the world doesn’t really understand from a biblical stance, it’s that word, Good. Just stop most anybody on the street and say, “Are you a good person?” What are they going to say? “Of course, I’m a good person.” The man uses the word “good” really loosely, and it immediately gets Jesus’s attention. He doesn’t know that Jesus is God, he just knows He’s a teacher, and by virtue of what He has taught and what He has done and the reputation of Jesus, he’s convinced like everybody else was that Jesus was a teacher sent from God and, therefore, “good” obviously must apply to him. Also remember, he thought of himself as being good as well, and probably that the people he associated with good. So he’s just a little loose with that word, and he thinks he’s commending Jesus by using that word for Him as well, and that’s the problem. Before we look at Jesus’s answer, let me ask, how would you answer the question? If somebody came up to you running, slid, knelt, and said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” If you were on the top of your game, you probably would jump straight to the gospel and say something like “believe in Jesus.” Isn’t that the way you would normally answer the question? And in that you would be correct. All throughout the New Testament we see that if you “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” as your Savior and Lord then you will have eternal life. Well, Jesus didn’t just say that in this case though did He. He didn’t say that because He knew that there was something else that had to be confronted here first. The man’s faith and repentance. In last weeks message we talked about how Jesus smartly and frequently answered a question with a question. Again he employs that tactic here. Jesus asks him, “Why do you call me good?” Why are you throwing that word around? You don’t know me. I am a total stranger. “No one is good except God alone.” The issue here is to challenge the sinner’s sense of goodness. Before we can talk about the gospel, before we can talk about salvation and eternal life, people must understand clearly that they are truly not good. Being that he was a Jewish religious leader, he should have known that that the Psalms say “There is none righteous, no not one.” That idea is also conveyed later by Paul in Romans 3, where he adds, “therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin”. The purpose of the law is to crush our prideful self, and to show how perfectly good God is and how utterly evil man is in comparison, so therefore we might recognize our desperate need for a Savior. Effectively Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone”. I’ll give you a test. You say you know the commandments, and keep the commandments.” And Jesus gives him some examples. “Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and mother.” By the way, all of those except one is taken from Exodus chapter 20, the Ten Commandments. And in his response “He said to Him, ‘Teacher, I’ve kept all these things from my youth.’” Wow, I

2020-03-08 - Mark 10.1-16 - Law vs Love Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. (Pregnancy Resources visit) Today we are going to talk about a couple topics that are somewhat sensitive in nature. As you probably know, the sermons you hear from me are based exclusively upon scripture, and in that we have been going through the book of Mark in a very methodical way verse by verse. The technical term for this is Expository and Exegetical preaching. Expository is a form of preaching that details the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. It explains what the Bible means by what it says. Exegetical or Exegesis means to careful draw out the exact meaning of a passage in its original context. In laymen’s terms, I am explaining the bible using the bible in the bible’s context. The goal here is that you learn to know and love God’s words and not mine. To clearly understand what you are reading, so the next time you hear it or read it on your own, it will be kind of like you are coming home. Again the topics we have today are somewhat sensitive as it involves marriage and divorce and children. But before we get started I want to take a quick-poll. Who here will admit to being both a Christian and a sinner? Okay, then maybe I am in good company. In Romans 3:23 Paul wrote “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” And that is why we all need a Savior, Amen? Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 10.1, pew Bibles pg. 897 of God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word. But let us first start with Prayer. I will remind you that at this point in our study of Mark, Jesus and the Disciples had been in the northern area of the Sea of Galilee for quite some time now. The disciples now clearly recognized Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Savior. Over the next few weeks we are going to see Jesus starting to move His ministry back towards Jerusalem, which will lead Him to the cross. The timing of this study through Mark is pretty cool in that in a few weeks we will be studying the Palm Sunday account on our Palm Sunday. Again our first verses today starts at chapter 10 verse 1 and it is entitled in our pew bibles as “The Question of Divorce”. 10 He set out from there and went to the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Then crowds converged on him again, and as was his custom he taught them again. 2 Some Pharisees came to test him, asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He replied to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses permitted us to write divorce papers and send her away.” First we should notice that in verse 2 it says that the Pharisees “came to test” Jesus. They were testing Him with a controversial question with the intent to do evil. The motive of the Pharisees was to set Jesus up for a fall. Depending on His answer they figured that He would either sin against God or give His enemies a reason for putting Him to death. It was a probe of many prongs so to speak. By posing this question about divorce, they are attempting to force Jesus into a corner where He has to either alienate some of His followers or He will contradict the law of Moses. But Jesus is so wise, and He turns the question back at them to answer. That “tactic”, of answering a question with a question is something we all might consider employing when faced with an evil adversary. When they ask a difficult or impossible question, just reply to them with another question, and in doing that, you will put them on the defensive and it will give you time to think. Regarding this question of divorce, there is probably no adult here that has not been negatively impacted by divorce. For many of you who have walked through a divorce and are now single or remarried, or whose parents, siblings or children were divorced, the mere mention of the word carries a huge weight of emotions, sorrow and loss, tragedy and disappointment, anger and regret or guilt. In life, few things are more painful than divorce. It cuts to the depths of our personhood unlike any other relational gash. It can be more emotionally heart-wrenching than even a death of a spouse because of the ugliness of the sin and moral outrage associated with it. In our text here the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him if it was lawful to get a divorce. Sadly in our world today, every adult knows that it’s not only lawful but easy and cheap to do so. Just Google the word “divorce” and see what you get (“Easy Online Divorce”, or “No Fault Divorce, $28.95”). Let me cautiously but seriously suggest, that those who build their livelihood around making things like divorce and abortions cheap and easy, need to repent and seek God’s forgiveness because according to His word, it is truly an abomination Him. Sadly our society today is much like the Pharisees in Jesus’s day, for which He called them “an adulterous generation”. In these first verses, Jesus leads them to recall what Moses wrote about Divorce. [SLIDE] In Deuteronomy 24:1 Moses wrote:  “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord.” Keep in mind this was written when women had almost no rights in their religious and civil systems. Now see Jesus’s response starting at Verse 5: 5 But Jesus told them, “[Moses] wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts. 6 But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother 8 and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” I feel compelled to make sure you understand what marriage is. Remember God presented Eve to Adam and thus formed the first marriage. They were brought together to be helpers for each other and for companionship and so they could multiply. But marriage is a human earthly institution. It is not something we will take into heaven. In Mark 12, the Sadducees asked Jesus about marriage. They said a lady married a guy with six brothers. Her husband died and each one of the brothers married her in succession until eventually they all died. They asked Jesus “At the resurrection whose wife will she be” Jesus replied, “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven”. There are some religions that promote an eternal bonding, but you should know that is not at all biblical. Marriage is just a taste of the type of relationships we will have in heaven. It is a beautiful and holy institution by God while we are on this earth. And God clearly wants you to honor it. In these verses Jesus said to them about divorce, “Because of your hard hearts Moses wrote you this commandment.” Divorce is not God’s will or design. But because of their sin and their pleading to God it was permitted and regulated. God’s permission doesn’t at all mean He felt it was an ideal “solution” for His people. That was true for the Israelites and that is true for us here today as well. You have heard the statement, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”. This isn’t just a popular expression, it comes from the Bible, Matthew 19:6: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” The intent here is what results in God’s Holy math, that 1 + 1 = 1, and only in that holy bond is where His beautiful design flourishes when they later multiply. This deliberation in our verses continues at verse 10: 10 When they were in the house again, the disciples questioned him about this matter. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 Also, if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” Again, aside from accepting Christ as our Savior, marriage is the most serious step we can take in our lives. It is not something to be taken casually and it is not for the timid either. Marriage is designed by God to be a beautiful and holy union of a man and a wife until death. In Malachi 2:16 God said He “Hates divorce”. The pain, confusion and frustration most people experience after a divorce is surely part of the reason. No loving God or parent would want that for their children. However, in Matthew 19:9 Jesus also said, "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." Adultery is the sixth of the Ten Commandments, and a very serious sin. Jesus even doubled down on that when He said that if you even look at another person with lust you have committed adultery in their heart. God want’s us to cherish our spouse, just like Jesus loves and cherishes His bride the Church. Jesus never forsakes her. He never abandons her. He never abuses her. He always loves her. He is always patient with her. He always cares for her and provides for her and protects her and delights in her. Sacrificial love He gave; and that is what He wants us to do likewise. So weather you are married once, married five times, or married never, if you choose to receive Jesus Christ as a Savior then you are considered part of His bride the church. In Acts 10:43, the apostle Paul wrote “Everyone who believes in him, receives forgiveness of sins through his name”. In Him alone I have my confidence, and in that alone I have my peace. God’s grace and

2020-03-01 - Mark 9.33-50 - Welcome Me or Fall Away Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. Today we are going to talk about a Christian dynamic that you don’t hear much about anymore, Backsliding. Backsliding, which is otherwise called falling away, is a term used to describe a process by which an individual who has converted to Christianity reverts to pre-conversion habits and falls back into sin. When a person turns from God to pursue their own desire. We will see this “falling away” dynamic played out in our Gospel book of Mark, Such an amazing journey through scripture we are on, and I hope you are blessed by it. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 9.33, pew Bibles pg. 896 of God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word. But let us first start with Prayer. Last week we read where Jesus had healed a deaf and mute boy who suffered from an evil spirit that caused him to have horrible seizures. The boy’s father was beside himself feeling hopeless and desperate for help. He asked Jesus “have compassion on us and help us”, for which He did, immediately the boy was healed. At the end of the verses we read, Jesus told the disciples again about His upcoming demise, and that He was going to be resurrected from the grave three-days after He would be buried. He was preparing the disciples for what He knew was shortly going to happen. The disciples were starting to accept that Jesus was the true Messiah. They understood He was going to be persecuted, and they also realized that His reign was going to continue on in Heaven and that they would be joining Him there. Like us now, they surely had a lot to contemplate as to what it will be like in heaven with Jesus. In verse 33 of Mark 9 it says: 33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.” 36 He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.” This story is also written about in Matthew 18 and Luke 9. Right off the bat Jesus asked them a question that is met with kind of an embarrassing silence. I can just imagine them looking at each other after Jesus confronts them. We, like the disciples, sometimes forget that God walking along with us in our daily lives. How many times have you said or conducted yourself in a way that later you were embarrassed at realizing that God is with us in all that we do. Jesus knew what the disciples were thinking, but with this question, He is having them realize where they were at and what they were doing. All throughout scripture we see this dynamic of God. Even way back to the beginning with Adam and Eve, after they sinned and they saw God coming near them, they hid behind the bushes. As written in Genesis 3:9 “the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” to which Adam replied, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” I believe again that God knew where Adam was for He knows everything. But He wanted Adam to realize for himself where he was at. Adam was embarrassed at realizing God knew his sin; the disciples were embarrassed at recognizing that Jesus knew their sin; and we too should be embarrassed when we recognize God knows our sin as well. Then notice the compassion of Christ here, He didn’t yell at them, but He used it as a teaching moment. There is nothing better than when a teacher or mentor uses real life situations to teach their disciples. Effectively Jesus is saying here, that being His disciples we need to endeavor to choose to make our self last not first. This is so contrary of our culture today where being first is cool. Where being king of the hill is the ultimate goal. In Matthew’s version of this incident Jesus adds “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. So you might be asking yourself, how do we become “like little children”? First you should understand that in Jesus’s day, children were considered insignificant, they had almost no value at all. So Jesus was basically taking their prideful arguments and humbling them instead to set aside their “worldly greatness” so they might later enter the kingdom of heaven. In Philippians 3:7, the apostle Paul wrote about this dynamic. He said, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ”. He said “I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ..” Recall Jesus took the very prideful man Saul, and made him into a very humble servant called Paul who wrote 1/3 of the New Testament. God constantly chooses to use humble men and women for His amazing works. We see that dynamic throughout scripture. I personally love the quote from John 3:30 where John the Baptist says, “He must become greater and greater; I must become less and less.” Isn’t that beautiful. Are you willing to put yourself aside and surrender “your greatness” for the cause of Christ? 38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”    39 “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. 40 For whoever is not against us is for us. 41 And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ —truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward. Now this is the apostle John saying this, who is part of Jesus’s inner-circle along with Peter and James. Several times in Jesus’s ministry He took those three aside and showed them very privileged displays of His power and character. Now John is showing again his pride and envy by calling-out this other person who is getting some attention. John was hoping I believe for Jesus to shut this other person down, however Jesus again corrects John’s misunderstanding. This situation reminds me of all the different divisions we see today in the various religions, but more specifically the protestant or Non-Catholic Christian denominations. Even here in Orion we are blessed to have several different kinds of churches. Each of them are different in how they present the Bible and teach the Gospel. I think Jesus is showing us here that we should be careful on how we view or scrutinize other Christian institutions. We shouldn’t waist our time being so cynical or insulting the other churches around us. Brother’s and sisters, there is so much work to be done in reaching out and representing Jesus to our community. We need to be thinking more about loving our neighbors then cutting down others who may be doing things a little different than we are. We should instead be showing God’s love by celebrating the areas that we are like-minded. For example, if another church is putting on a play or musical based upon Christ’s life, or if they are endeavor to share meals or love on thy neighbor in some way, then we should consider sharing in their effort for God’s glory and purpose. John in these verses here I would guess is trying to prove himself, as he was being very judgmental, and Jesus quickly put him in his place. There is no room for pride, envy or arrogance in Christ’s ministry. I love what the Apostle Paul wrote about this dynamic while he was in prison. In Philippians 1:12 [SLIDE] he said, “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.. It is true that some are preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice”.  So Paul, as he was chained and in prison, was rejoicing because the Gospel was being preached by others. That is the attitude that we need to maintain brothers and sisters. Are you with me? In verse 42 Jesus though gives us a warning statement to consider. He said: 42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away —it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.  Ouch! Sometimes Jesus can be harsh can’t He. I think you would agree that there are a lot of non-Christian and even evil influences in our arena today. Back when our church first started here in Orion (1843), there was very few challenges to our faith. Sadly today, even in our little town here you can find strong Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan, atheist and agnostic influences that are negatively influencing the “little-ones” being our children or young believers. However this warning applies even within the church. We need to be actively looking after the “these little ones” brothers and sisters to keep them from falling away, this is serious business. Jesus said as written in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. And anyone that promotes anything contrary to that understand will be punished greatly for all of eternity. Next we will see Jesus turn directions in the conversation with His disciples to address some personal sins. Remember the apostles were pridefully or sinfully discussing who was the greatest amongst them. They were in effect backsliding. Their fleshly desires were getting the best

2020-02-23 - Mark 9.14-32 – Desperate Faith Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. According to the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, as Christians, we walk by faith and not by sight. He also wrote in Galatians in chapter 2, “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me..” In Hebrews 11 it says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God, and faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So we believe and we live by faith, thus as Christians, we put our trust entirely in what we cannot see. We trust in a God we have not seen. We trust in a Christ we have not seen. We trust in a Holy Spirit we have not seen. We embrace a death and hope in an eternal heaven, which we have not seen. It is all about faith, however it is not blind faith, it is faith based on the amazing evidence found in God’s Holy Word, Amen? We are going through this book of Mark, and for two years plus, the disciples had lived by sight. They had walked with Jesus 24/7. They had heard everything He taught right out of His own mouth. They had seen every miracle that He had performed. Every time He cast out demons, they were there. When He raised the dead, they were there. Up to this point they were first-person witnesses to everything Jesus did, but soon they would have to continue on and live by faith. And that is what our message today is all about. Faith, even Desperate Faith. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 9.14, pew Bibles pg. 896 of God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word. But let us first start with Prayer. Last week we read where Jesus had taken His closest disciples up to a mountain, and right before their eyes they saw Jesus transfigured into a glorious figure of light. On that mountaintop He met with the Old Testament profits Elijah and Moses and they conversed about His upcoming crucificition. What a privilege it must have been for the disciples to witness Jesus in His true glory revealed. Now they are heading down the mountain and that is where our scripture today starts. Verse 14 reads: 14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?” 17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.” This same account in Matthew 17 adds that the man was falling on his knees, and he called Him, “Lord.” So this man obviously has some faith in Christ, in His person as well as His power. He comes to Jesus in a very reverent and humble manner, although Matthew also says that he shouted. There is a large crowd there and they were arguing so I would guess it was noisy. Based upon the man’s testimony, the boy was having uncontrolled seizures and his father was seeking help. The other disciples were trying to heal him from a demon while Jesus was up on the mountain, but they weren’t successful. I have known people who were plagued with regular seizures and it is a very difficult challenge both physically and emotionally. You feel helpless when this happens, mostly all you can do is to try to keep them from hurting themselves from the fall or from other objects until the ambulance arrives. Again, this man attributed the seizures to being demon possessed, and later we see Jesus affirms that. We also find out later in the story that he was deaf. The boy could not hear and the boy could not speak. It is no wonder that the boy’s father was very emotional and desired his son to be healed, to be rid of this demon possession. Doctor Luke’s account of this incident says the father begged the disciples, but they still couldn’t heal the boy. That’s very strange because back in chapter 6, Jesus “gave them authority over the unclean spirits.” And it says, “they were casting out many demons.” We see in verse 19 Jesus’s harsh response: 19 He replied to them, “You unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father. “From childhood,” he said. 22 “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” I find it interesting that Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening to him?” One might wonder why would He ask that question? Jesus know everything doesn’t He? I believe Jesus asked this because He wanted to hear the father’s pain. He wanted the father to tell Him his story. You see the boy wasn’t the only casualty here. We can all attest that when one of our loved ones is inflicted with pain and suffering, those around them also are impacted. Here, the father was not coming to just a person with healing powers, he was appealing to the compassionate person of Jesus Christ. And if there’s anything demonstrated in the healing ministry of Jesus, it is that He cares greatly. He wants to hear about your pain, your toil, and your sufferings. Jesus cares about the struggle you have with your children. He cares about the things that break your heart and He wants to hear your story. Isn’t that an amazingly beautiful truth to realize? The man said “have compassion on us and help us.” And that is exactly what Jesus did for him, and what He will do us as well. Then the boy started convulsing, but notice that Jesus stayed calm. So many times we hear of people overreacting in bad situations and they loose their cool and do something they later regret. We should all take example of what Jesus so well demonstrates here. Remember the old saying, “What Would Jesus Do” or WWJD. That is the first thing that Christians should be asking themselves in times of stress or trouble. What Would Jesus Do. [Everyone: “What Would Jesus Do”] First He would stay calm; Then He would properly assess the situation, as we see so well demonstrated in these verses; Then He would take appropriate action. I love how Jesus then responds to the man when he said “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  In verse 23: 23 Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’? Everything is possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” Let me ask you a question, is there anything that God cannot do? He is the Author and Creator of all things. He created us and this world we live in, He put the Sun, Moon and stars in the sky and set them all to motion. God can do anything. And Jesus ‘the Christ’ is God incarnate or God in the flesh. There is nothing He cannot do. But then notice how Jesus turned the table on the man, He said “Everything is possible for the one who believes’. So let me ask you now, Do you believe? I sure hope so. But maybe sometimes you feel like this man, who cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” I am not too proud to tell you that sometimes I am like that man, especially when my faith is weak. But take heart dear brothers and sisters, because Jesus said that even with the faith as small as a mustard seed, we can tap into the power of God and He can move mountains. Our Lord doesn’t expect perfect faith. Although He is certainly worthy of it. However He knows us, and He understands our limited abilities in this fallen world, that even the most dedicated Christian believes with a measure of doubt mixed in. And just like Jesus demonstrated His compassion on that man, we can be assured that He has compassion for us as well. This man was desperate for a miracle. Thus the title of our message today, Desperate Faith. Sometimes it is only when we come to a point of desperation that we are truly ready for God to show up. Verse 25 continues: 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. Jesus commanded the spirit, and the spirit or demon immediately responded. Notice Jesus called him though a “mute and deaf spirit”. There was no record of anyone telling Jesus that, but He knew. I would argue that we really don’t know what kind of spiritual influences we are up against. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground”. Put your trust in the Lord brothers and sisters, let Him fight this fight with you, Amen? And I love what Jesus did after the demon left the boy, again verse 27 says, “Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up”. Such a beautiful picture. Luke adds, that “Jesus gave him back to his father.” The tenderness of that - what a magnificent scene. I love Jesus’s consistent care and compassion. Verse 28 continues, 28 After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.” Earlier in His ministry, as recorded in Matthew 10, “Jesus gave them authority over uncle

2020-02-16 - Mark 9.1-13 - The Transfiguration Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. The title of our message is The Transfiguration. “Transfigured” is literally the word “metamorphosis,” which speaks of a cataclysmic change.  A great example of this is when a caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly. And I love butterflies  :) QC Botanical Garden - BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS, 3.1.20 SUNDAY, ​​1 PM - 3 PM The Butterfly’s lifecycle is quite interesting as it really has four stages of development. First, an egg hatches and a Caterpillar is born. The main purpose of the caterpillar stage is feeding to support the next pupa stage, where it then grows the wings, legs and antennae that make up the butterfly. Finally, during the beautiful butterfly stage they reproduce and lay the eggs that start the process over again. We are going to see today a different kind of metamorphosis, in that of where Jesus Himself Transfigures or Transforms into His Glorious form. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 9.1, pew Bibles pg. 895 of God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word. But let us first start with Prayer. Last week if you recall, we saw in scripture Jesus asking His disciples, “Who do the people say that I am?” They answered him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.” But then Jesus asked Peter “Who do you say that that I am, Peter answered “You are the Messiah” or the Christ. Well today we are going to see in the next verses, Jesus showing His glory in an amazing way. [SLIDE Transfiguration by Raphael (1520)] Standing with Jesus in person are Elijah and Moses, two of the greatest profits that ever lived. Peter, John and James are below. We ended last week with the first verse of chapter 9, and starting this message today, I felt it appropriate to read again that same first verse: 9 Then he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come in power.” I believe this verse has a lot to do with what is called The Transfiguration that we will witness next in scripture. Just six days after Jesus said this, He takes only the closest of his inner circle disciple friends up to the mountain top. There we will see, they are privileged to witness the glory of the transfigured Christ. Verse 2 reads: 2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transfigured in front of them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling—extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them. 4 Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke also refer to this blessed transfiguration event. Luke’s Gospel has a few more details that I thought it would be helpful to read this morning. Luke 9:29 says: “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem”. I imagine that this had to be an amazing and blessed event to witness. In fact both Peter and John later write about what they had experienced first hand. In 2 Peter 1:16, Peter wrote, “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain”. And then John wrote in the first chapter of his Gospel at verse 14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” And what is the glory that they see? They see the glory of Christ’s sinlessness. Mark chooses his words carefully when he wrote, “his clothes became dazzling—extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them”. I would argue that what was dazzling or shining on the outside was only a dim reflection of what was on the inside. Jesus was and is sinless, white as snow. In contrast the profit Isaiah voices the comparison for every other member of the human race in his woeful words, “… all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” and that is so true. There’s nothing we have done or can do that can compare with His righteousness. Mark wrote, “His garments became dazzling [or radiant]” In Greek, stilbō is the word used. It means to glitter like flashing facets reflecting back the blazing sun at high noon on a diamond. Luke says it was white and gleaming, like lightning even. Have you ever witnessed such powerful lightning that causes you to blink and look away? This is blazing white, glittering white, like the sun’s white brightness even. Christ and Christ alone has that level of absolute purity. So much so that He is even able to take upon Himself the sins of the world on at the cross at Calvary. Thank you Jesus Christ.. In Mark 9:5 he continues, 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good for us to be here. Let us set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what to say, since they were terrified. Peter, John and James had a case of Holy fear mixed with stunning, exhilarating wonder at the most divine and incomprehensible experience of their lives. They didn’t know how to process what they were witnessing. Jesus, before their eyes is actually talking with Elijah and Moses. Then Peter interrupted their conversation, for he felt woefully inadequate and just wanted to do something for them. Have you ever been awestruck before? Maybe you meet for the first time the love of your life, or maybe some famous person, and then you find yourself just befumbled or tongue tied all of a sudden in your speech; or you do something totally just stupid that you later regret? If that’s you, don’t feel bad, that’s just what happens sometimes when we get nervous. So embarrassing though isn’t it? That’s kind of what Peter was experiencing that day. Poor Peter is known for doing and saying some pretty embarrassing things while he was with Jesus. But it is that same human-like character that causes me to love Peter as well. Then our verse 7 says, 7 A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. Again God said, ““This is my beloved Son; listen to him!” or other translations say “Hear Him”.  The fact that you are here today shows that you are willing or desire to “Hear Him”, and to that I say praise the Lord. However, sometimes I just want to shout from the rooftops something like “This is God’s beloved Son, Hear Him!” Sadly, so many people have turned their back from God, and that hurts my heart, and I am sure it hurts God’s heart as well. We need to be praying for those folks. In these verses, Father God is speaking out loud to Jesus, Elijah and Moses; but also to Peter, John and James. This event also reminds me of when Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan. As written in Matthew 3 16 “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” God spoke to them directly from heaven. God can do anything He wants to do, and I know that He speaks to us in many ways. Some have even been blessed to hear His voice, and to that all I can say is praise the Lord! And God didn’t just happen to look down at the right moment by accident to then show up and give His blessings. There are many people in this world that think our God is a dispassionate and disconnected God. They think that okay maybe He created the world and us but then He disconnected because maybe He has more important things to do. These verses show instead that God is watching over us brothers and sisters, with Godly parental eyes that are caring and loving, Amen? But then verse 8 says right after that they all just disappeared, Jesus was then suddenly standing all alone again. It is almost like they showed up to give a final pep-talk to Jesus. For shortly after this, He and He alone will walk the path of suffering to the cross at Calvary for our redemption. Verse 9 continues: 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept this word to themselves, questioning what “rising from the dead” meant. Peter, James and John are witness to something that was truly amazing and precious. Then Jesus commands them to “tell no one the things they had seen”. My guess is they probably wouldn’t know what to tell people anyway. Knowing that many would probably pronounce them crazy or persecute them if they did. Verse 11 says, 11 Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”   12 “Elijah does come first and restores all things,” he replied.  “Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did whatever they pleased to him, just as it is written about him.” I suggest that based upon the Old Testament, the Jews and the apostles were looking for Elijah to come back. You can tell they clearly recognized now Jesus as being their Messiah. And they are contemplating again everything they had seen and were taught by Jesus. They were attempting to

2020-02-09 - Mark 8.22-9:1 - Physical and Spiritual Blindness Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. Have you ever heard the term “the blind leading the blind”? Generally this term is used when somebody provides advice to people that have no idea that the one that is giving advice really has no idea of what they are talking about either. Kind of reminds me of when I was a young sergeant leading some soldiers in the forest. They were all looking to me for direction, so I gave them.. a direction. Unfortunately I really had no idea which way we should have gone and it became quite apparent after a couple hours of walking and finally ending up where we started. I was the blind sergeant leading the blind soldiers. I never really lived that one down J  Today in scripture we are going to witness two different kinds of blindness. The physically blind and the spiritually blind. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 8.22, pew Bibles pg. 895 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. At this point in scripture Jesus was starting to prepare himself and the disciples for His eventual crucifixion and death. He had been ministering for a little more than two years now, and He had performed many miracles and had a huge following of people. People were starting to call Jesus their Savior-Messiah, but at the same time He had gained the attention of Jewish leaders, and they were now sending Pharisees and Scribes as spies to try to trip Him up and look for reasons to have Jesus killed. Last week we read how Jesus fed 4,000 Gentiles in the wilderness, then He explained to his Disciples that just like when He previously fed the 5,000 Jews, they always ended up with more food then from which they started. Jesus also wanted them to clearly understand that their ministry would be for all people including Gentiles, and that they can have confidence that God will provide. They, and we, have nothing to worry about. Like the Disciples, we can trust the Lord in all things, for He is good, and loves us so much. That takes us to today’s verses, starting at verse 22, Mark wrote: 22 They came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him and begged him[Jesus]  to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people—they look like trees walking.” 25 Again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes. The man looked intently and his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” Similarly, if you recall our message from two weeks ago, Jesus healed a deaf & mute man by putting his fingers in the deaf mans ears. These hands-on healings were probably mind blowing to the Jewish believers there, as it wasn’t acceptable that Jews even conversed with the unclean Gentiles let alone touching their ears or their eyes. For a Jew, that would immediately make you unclean for doing such a radical thing. Jesus did all kinds of things that was considered radical in His ministry. He was knocking down all kinds of self imposed standards and norms. At this point in His ministry, Jesus had healed many, many people, including some that were blind. But never before was it recorded though that Jesus spit on a persons to heal them. You could just imagine the disciples were aghast again as a result. So much so, that Mark, who probably was told about this incident by Peter, decided to record it in this Gospel that we are now reading. Mark wanted people to read and understand that Jesus was truly a different type of Messiah-Savior than what anyone had imagined. Jesus had already gained a reputation as being an amazing healer, but could you imagine going to the eye-doctor’s office and as part of his prescription he would spit in your eye. I think Jesus was showing the Disciples the importance of getting intimate and personal with the people. He didn’t want them to be hands-off kind of ministers. Sometimes it is required that we touch others, with wisdom and scrutiny of course. But the appropriate touch of another soul is very important in ministry. Holding a hand of a dying friend, giving an appropriate hug, washing feet or even a fist-bump are important methods to better convey healing love and compassion. Jesus even touched the lepers that nobody else would dare to even come close to. After reading this account though, one might ask why didn’t Jesus’s miracle, work fully the first time He did it? And to be honest I am not really sure. This is the one and only two-stage miracle recorded in scripture. Coincidently it is the only miracle recorded that Jesus asked a follow-up question to the one being healed. I would argue that there was a meaning, otherwise why would Jesus even ask. I don’t think it was a coincidence, and maybe it was just to show the Disciples and us that we shouldn’t give up when the results don’t turn out as miraculous as we might like the first time.  Verse 27 continues: 27 Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They answered him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he strictly warned them to tell no one about him. So Jesus asks this question, which I believed is stated in a very intentional way. He said first “Who do people say that “I AM”?” and then He asks “Who do you say that “I AM”?” Notice Jesus didn’t ask “who do they and you think “I Am”, which is what most people would probably say. But when you say something, you are acknowledging out loud to others. Recall that Jesus said earlier, that anyone who denies Him before man He will deny to Father God. Also notice here that Jesus uses intentionally the wonderful term “I Am” in these questions. Jesus is the Great I Am. He says it Himself many times in the New Testament. Just like Father God had originally said to Moses to go tell the Israelites that He was going to take them out of slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. And He told Moses, when they ask you “who sent you” tell them the Great “I Am” sent you. So when Jesus uses this same “I Am” term so many times in His ministry, the Jews knew that Jesus was again proclaiming that He and God were one and the same “I Am”. Jesus said, “But who do you say that I am?” Which is the most important question that any of us will ever answer. Who is Jesus Christ? Everybody on this planet is accountable to God eternally for the answer to that question. Wrong answer means hell. Right answer means heaven. Pastor John McArthur wrote, “Common people have answers to that; philosophers have answers; pseudo scholars have answers; liberal theologians have answers; Muslims have answers to that; Jews have answers to that; secularists, atheists, humanists, religionists. Answers, however, that condemn them”. Wrong answers that are not of the Bible. It’s truly not hard for us to find and know Jesus if we just read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. I haven’t found it difficult at all. I love reading all about the life of Jesus. In fact John says the gospels were written in the first place to prove who Jesus is. John 20:31 says, “These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Again, Jesus said, “But who do you say that I am?” Are you prepared to answer that question? Peter’s answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter confesses exactly what the gospels are demonstrating. He doesn’t just have the gospels; he’s there in person with Jesus; Peter is living and ministering right there with Him. So, he comes to the conclusion that any good, faithful Gospel reader has to come to at some point. And when Peter answers, “You are the Christ.” That is only the second time the word “Christ” has been used in this Gospel of Mark. The first time is in Mark 1:1. So we haven’t heard that word in eight chapters. Christos is the Hebrew equivalent for anointed. Christos is not a name; Jesus is His name. Remember the angel said to Mary, “You shall call His name Jesus.” And His second name “Christ” for anointed defines His work and purpose. He is God’s promised King, Jesus the Christ, Jesus the anointed Prophet and Priest, amen? 31 Then he [Jesus] began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.” They had followed Him for over two years. These men including the 12 apostles and others called disciples. And all along, they had hoped in their hearts that He would prove Himself to be the Messiah they had been waiting for. Here they finally affirm they know it. However, fast on the heels of that most glorious of all revelations, comes the incomprehensible bad news that their Messiah is going to be killed. Shocking news. So shocking that Peter goes from being a hero in one minute to being an anti-hero in the next. So shocking that he goes from being a spokesman for God to being a spokesman for Satan. Peter has two colliding revelations. He realizes that Jesus is the Messiah, the One whose life will bring salvation and blessing to Israel and the world. Yet He will be killed shortly by the people of Israel and the world. Peter didn’t want any part of that. Can you believe that He actually took Jesus aside and rebuked Him, lik

2020-02-02 - Mark 8.1-21 - More Bread Multiplied Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. Besides today being what we refer to as “the Lord’s Day” or what some might refer as the Sabbath, it is also a day where friends and families huddle up together to watch this thing called a Superbowl. Well fortune is on your doorsteps ladies and gentlemen, because I thought we could all instead meet here at 5pm and start an in-depth exegetical study on the different views of Revelation. Isn’t that be a great idea?! I’m just kidding. The bible tells us that we should take time to enjoy each others company. It says “Rejoice with those that Rejoice” and I hope you are able to do so this evening. Who here are for the Kansas City Chiefs? How about the San Francisco 49’ers? It should be a good game indeed. We have been studying the wonderful Gospel book of Mark, verse by verse. This book is so precious in my heart and I hope it is for you as well. In that regard, I recently read about account in France some years ago, where there lived a poor, blind girl. Somehow she had obtained the gospel of Mark in Braille, and it was all she had. She read it with the tips of her fingers, and she read it, and read it until her fingers became callused, and her sense of touch diminished so that she could no longer distinguish the characters. In an ill-conceived effort to resensitize her fingers, she even cut them at the ends, which only made them less sensitive. And sadly the writer says, “She felt that she must now give up her beloved book of Mark. And weeping, she pressed it to her lips, saying, ‘Farewell, farewell sweet Word of my Savior.’ To her surprise, her lips, more delicate than her fingers, discerned the form of the letters. All night she perused with her lips the book of Mark and overflowed with joy at this new acquisition.” Isn’t that amazing! I pray you learn to appreciate and love this book of Mark as well. The more hours I spend in this book the more precious it has become to me. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 8.1, pew Bibles pg. 894 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. Last week we finished up chapter 7 and we read about some Extraordinary or Extra-ordinary miracles. Jesus demonstrated His amazing compassion and His miraculous powers to meet the needs of the people. Additionally, He provided some experiential training for the apostles and us, so like Him, we should be loving on those God puts in our paths as well. Who has God put in your path? We continue now in chapter 8, starting at verse 1:  81 In those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He called the disciples and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance.” Looking at verse 2, Jesus speaking says, “I feel compassion” - I feel compassion; that is a very interesting statement because that is the only place in the four gospels where Jesus ever says “I feel compassion” in first person singular. There are many references to His compassion but they are not stated directly by Jesus. I would easily argue that being compassionate is His very nature. And Father God was compassionate toward us in sending Jesus to us in the first place. Psalm 111:4 it says, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate.” Lamentations 3:22 says, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease; His compassions are new ever morning; great is Your faithfulness.” In Micah 7:19, the prophet says, “He will again have compassion on us.” And the Apostle Paul wrote of Jesus in Romans 9:15, “He will have compassion on whom He will have compassion.” This brings me much hope, and I hope it brings you much hope too. The people have been with Jesus for three days. They were captivated by all the healings and teachings He provided. They didn’t want to miss out on hearing His wisdom and the excitement of seeing so many people healed, so they just didn’t want to leave. Again Jesus suggests to the disciples that they should get something for the crowds of people to eat. We see their response here starting at verse 4: 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread here in this desolate place to feed these people?”   [show slide] 5 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked them. “Seven,” they said. 6 He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people.  So they served them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish, and after he had blessed them, he said these were to be served as well. 8 They ate and were satisfied. Then they collected seven large baskets of leftover pieces. 9 About four thousand were there. He dismissed them. 10 And he immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. So this is the second time Jesus feeds the masses as recorded in scripter. First Jesus feeds the 5,000 (or up to 25,000 if you count women and children) near Capernaum, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. And now Jesus feeds 4,000 more men here in the Gerasenes, in the region around the Decapolis. This is important to realize because of three factors, Location, location, location… The first group of 5,000 were mostly Jewish people as they were fed in Jewish territory. Since the disciples and Jesus were all Jewish, the feeding the 5,000 Jews was considered admirable. Whereas, this group of 4,000 were mostly Gentiles, and the feeding of 4,000 Gentiles would have been considered a scandalous thing to do. Jesus was showing the Disciples again that their role in His ministry would require them to knock down their prejudicial walls for good. They would have to show compassion for all the people. Jesus again was demonstrating that in order to be a true Disciple of Christ, you have to live out the understanding of what Jesus said earlier as written Matthew 20:16 “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen”. Jesus showed His compassion for “the least of these” Gentiles that day in a big way. So Jesus has everyone sit down, He blesses the food, then He takes bread and somehow multiplies it to feed thousands. Then He takes the fish, and He starts creating more fish from the fish. Fish I would guess that never lived and never died, they were just created on the spot somehow edible. And again, they had enough food that everyone was satisfied in a big way. This isn’t a fairy tale, this was truly a miracle brothers and sisters. And these accounts were recorded while many of those who were there that day could have refuted it, but they didn’t. Jesus showed His compassion in a miraculous way, and to that I Praise the Lord. Afterwards Jesus and the disciples went away to another location, and there He ran-up against the Jewish Pharisees again.  Verse 11 reads: 11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, demanding of him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 Sighing deeply in his spirit, he said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side. These Pharisees were contentious and antagonistic to say the least. The book of Matthew also has this account and it reveals a few more details. Matthew 16:1 says, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away”. Up to this point, Jesus had performed many, many miracles or signs. These Pharisees here were sent for the purpose of making a mockery of Jesus, and perhaps setting Him up for a fall. They were hard-hearted and evil to Jesus. They not only didn’t have the capacity to understand Christ, but they also were blinded by darkness. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him;” and John 3:19 says “Men love the darkness rather than Light because their deeds are evil.” And according to 2 Corinthians 4:4, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. So they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News..” Understand there is a profound blindness that engulfs the souls of all human beings, that is until God comes into their heart and heals their spiritual blindness. God opens the eyes of their heart so they can see Him. So Jesus refused to fall into the Pharisees trap. He refused to give them “a sign” that day. That is until like Jonah, He later rises from the belly of the whale and defeats death by His resurrection. This is a great lesson for us today as well. We shouldn’t waist time argueing with bullies of our faith whereby putting “pearls on a swine”. 14 The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then he gave them strict orders: “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They were discussing among themselves that they did not have any bread. 17 Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts? 18 Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the fiv

2020-01-26 - Mark 7.24-37 – Extraordinary Miracles Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. Can you believe we are already near the end of January. I gotta ask, how are those New Years Resolutions coming along? Are things going the way you had hoped and planned? If your like me, many times we put together plans to accomplish a task or achieve a goal, but then once you get started, nothing goes exactly the way that you had supposed it should have gone? Ever hear the phrase “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. That is what we are going to see today in scripture. Things don’t go the way we think they might, but that sets the stage for some Extraordinary Miracles which is the title of our message. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 7.24, pew Bibles pg. 894 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. Jesus is in the midst of His ministry, and He has been going about healing many, many people, and He was also teaching thousands of followers. The crowds around Him were somewhat like groupies, not really true disciples but just people excited to see what Jesus was going to do next. [MAP] The scene opens up today with Jesus traveling now from the town of Gennesaret near the Sea of Galilee to an area which is now known as the country of Lebanon. Up to this point Jesus was primarily endeavoring to present Himself as the Savior/Messiah that the Jews were waiting for. Now He chooses to get away from the crowds and give some experiential training to the Disciples. Starting at Verse 24 Mark writes: 24 He got up and departed from there to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not escape notice. It is believed that Jesus perhaps desired a time-out from the crowds, to rest and recharge and spend some quality time with His disciples. But the word got out.. It is amazing how fast the word gets out when you don’t want the world to get out.  25 Instead, immediately after hearing about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” We don’t know much about this lady, other than she was a Gentile. She didn’t have any credentials, but she approaches Jesus with bold humility. The term used here suggests she was begging and she keeps on begging; not for herself but for her daughter. She obviously heard about all the miracles that Jesus had performed, so she decided to go against the cultural norms and take a risk for her daughter. The reply here by Jesus is very direct and it is not what we normally think He would have said. It is harsh to read these words, because it doesn’t seem to fit the narrative we have about Jesus’s character in our minds. Keep in mind, they had just walked 30 miles and they were probably very tired and hungry. Jesus was rightfully concerned for his disciple’s welfare. Understanding also, we are reading a translation from the original languages, but still Jesus’s response seems a little harsh doesn’t it. This reminds me of another situation when Jesus performed His first miracle of changing water into wine. Jesus was approached at the wedding feast by His mother Mary. Recall what it says in John 2, that when the wine ran out, Jesus’s mother told him, “They don’t have any wine.” To which Jesus said, “What does that have to do with you and me woman?” “My hour has not yet come.” Again, this seems very harsh, but we got to keep in mind that what was considered normal for that arena. I saw the same dynamics in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.  Jesus was a man in what was known largely as a “Man’s world”. What was not  normal though was that a women would confront a man so boldly in public. Again, this is God’s holy world and we should dig deep into it to understand the dynamics and the character of Jesus. In our text here I would suggest that the lady knew who she was, she knew her standing in their cultural class system, she didn’t argue with Jesus over what and how He said what He said, however notice she didn’t back down either as what would have probably been expected. She was so driven by even the possibility that Jesus the healer and miracle worker might help her in this situation, as she only wanted to save her daughter and nothing else really mattered. She was a hero in my eyes. At what length would you be willing to go for your child’s life? Let us see now her reply. Verse 28 says, 28 But she replied to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone. I am telling you, this lady was humble but very bold and brave. Although Jesus does in fact perform an extraordinary miracle in this situation, I would argue what is even more extra-ordinary here is this lady and her actions. Instead of loosing her composure, she responds smartly and still in such a humble way. She put it all on the line, and appealed to both the intellect and the heart of Jesus. When is the last time you had a situation where you felt you needed to humbly appeal to the heart of Christ? Jesus listens to the appeals of His flock. This story reminds me of the parable about the Unrighteous Judge in Luke 18. Jesus said, “There was a judge in a certain city, who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” Then Jesus said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly!” Both these ladies demonstrated that they didn’t give up. They had abundant tenacity and they had abundant faith! We should endeavor to be more like them. This mother in our story today left for home believing that her daughter was saved. And as we see she was right to presume that her daughter was in fact freed from the demon by Jesus. We should have such faith, Amen? Now we will shift gears a little and move to another great example of an Extraordinary Miracle. Verse 31 reads: 31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. 33 So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. 36 He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it. 37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Again, just like the first Extraordinary Miracle, we see here some very strange happenings. How would you have liked to witness this miracle. What a bizarre way to heal somebody. I wonder if Jesus did it in this way for the purposes of the method or for the purposes of just blowing the Disciples minds. Lol. (I think we should give it a try, come on up here Jeremy, Pretend to be a deaf mute).               I am betting the Disciples were just scratching their heads. Isaiah 35 says about the Messiah, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy”. And that is exactly what Jesus did over and over again. In Matthew’s version of this event, it says “Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel”. Again, these were not Jews, they were Gentile pagans. They were people of the Decapolis, meaning the ten regions that were under the influence and control of Rome. They were so amazed at what Jesus was doing they now were praising the God of Israel as a result. The Disciples were probably aghast as they watched Jesus touch all the unclean or dirty Gentiles. I believe Jesus healed this man by touching him in such a strange way to overemphasize that the Gentiles were part of His ministry too. And He was also giving the disciples an example for their ministry going forward. Again, let us look at what transpired here. This man was deaf, he couldn’t hear, Jesus put his fingers in his ears to let him to know that this was going to be a miracle that would restore his hearing. Jesus touched His tongue I believe to give the deaf man a gesture that He was going to give him the power to speak again, then Jesus looked up to heaven to indicate to the deaf man that the power from this isn’t coming from a demon or a magic trick, this was a miracle that comes from God. Lastly Jesus sighed, showing the deaf man that Jesus cared and felt his physical challenges. Jesus clearly demonstrated to the deaf man His compassion, and immediately the man was healed. He didn’t hav

2020-01-19 - Mark 7.1-23 - 'Free at Last' Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. We have been going through the New Testament Gospel book of Mark, who was a young associate of the Apostle Peter. We are so fortunate now to enjoy Mark’s Gospel for which we can now study and know the life of Jesus through. The word Gospel, you should know, is a very precious term for us Christians. The word Gospel literally means “good news” and occurs 93 times in the New Testament. The Gospel or good news is that God loves us so much that He gave up His one and only Son Jesus to die for our sin on the cross. (John 3:16). The gospel is good news because our salvation and eternal life and home in heaven are now secured and guaranteed through Christ (John 14:1–4). The good news is that “[God] has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” (1 Peter 1:3–4). So in short, the Gospel is the “Good News” that through Jesus Christ we can be saved. Never forget this ladies and gentlemen. It is the key purpose for which we now come together here in this church. Praise the Lord. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 7.1, pew Bibles pg. 893 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. Today we are going to see in scripture how the traditions of our faith, sometimes get more attention by the members then even God’s holy word. We should look upon this message today as a wise warning to all of us as we endeavor to live out our Christ centered lives together, in what we refer now as this church family of believers. Our church here is over 175 years old, in that there are a number of traditions and things that we hold onto to dearly. It is a delicate balance though to rightly honor the past and traditions, and that of fulfilling our call to be salt and light evangelists to the world at large while we carry out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. We want to be relevant to the community for which we have been ordained by God to be planted in. But at the same time, hold on tight to all that is good and true in scripture so that we don’t appear to be just a wavering symbol in the choir of what is referred to as “religion”. So let us now read and learn together from God’s word and Jesus’s example that we have here today. Starting at verse 1 of chapter 7, Mark wrote: 71 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him. 2 They observed that some of his disciples were eating bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, keeping the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they have washed. And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches.) 5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean hands?” Now these Pharisees and scribes came all the way from Jerusalem to the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee near the town of Gennesaret Mark says, where Jesus was at that time and they gathered around Jesus. Now they didn’t gather round him to learn or be blessed, but to look for problems, to look for issues that they could raise as stink about. Kind of like an advanced party of Jews to audit of this new miracle worker Jesus that they had heard about. What they did here in this verse is they chose one of many different issues and then they started to dissect it in front of Jesus and His followers, trying to make a mockery of Him. This is something akin to the way that political advisories today will dissect a speech or interview and then pull out a line or phrase out of context to blow it up and create problems for the person. We seem to have a lot of that going on these days don’t we. The problem here that the Pharisees and scribes identified was that some of Jesus disciples were eating with hands that were unwashed. The underlying principle was that in the course of the day, a person who was ceremonially clean might have come into contact with a gentile, who by the very definition of the term was considered unclean. It is possible that you could have touched or been touched by someone who was unclean, and now without a proper washing, you would be defiled too. Funny thing is, you won’t find this “specific instruction” anywhere in the Old Testament. This idea of ceremonial washing of the hands before eating, did not originate in a command from God for His people. Instead it was just something the Jewish leaders thought would be a good thing to do that complimented God’s will. In this, it is very hard to fault them, because we do the same thing ourselves in many different ways. For instance, No where does it say in the New Testament that we ought to worship specifically on Sundays. But yet we sometimes make it an issue if a “Good Christian” fails to meet on any given Sunday. Other examples might be that nowhere does it say we should be singing 16th century hymns; and no where does it say that should be sitting in pews either. In fact the earliest worship services were held primarily in people’s homes, where Jesus’ followers generally sat or leaned on floor-rugs. Again, traditions are fine, but that is until they become so important to us that they even trump God’s word and/or God’s will. When our religious traditions become more important to us than loving thy neighbor, and carrying out the Great Commission, then it becomes sin. 6 He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands. 8 Abandoning the command of God, you hold on to human tradition.” 9 He also said to them, “You have a fine way of invalidating God’s command in order to set up your tradition! 10 For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother; and Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death. 11 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is corban’” (that is, an offering devoted to God), 12 “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.” So again the problem Jesus identified that the traditions of the elders were elevated to being equal to or even greater than the commands of God. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad with having clean hands. As a matter of fact in Psalms 24:3 it says, “He that has clean hands, and a pure heart' will ascend into God's hill or stand in His holy place”. However, when we elevate our solutions to the problems of living faithfully in our culture to being divine mandates, then we create idols fashioned by our minds that glorify our own needs and wants. We let go of the things of God for mandates or idols of our own creation. And that’s when it becomes a sin. In this verse Jesus said that the Jewish synagogue leaders ignored the fact that people didn’t honor their mother and father as long as they gave their offerings. In fact they were somehow even supporting the disrespect of the parents which goes against God’s word and so Jesus called them hypocrites. Their traditions and hypocritical judgmental activities became more important than God’s will. When it came to washing hands their rules were so meticulous that they became too big of a burden for most anyone to follow. For example, before and after every meal they had to wash their hands with somebody else pouring the water. The water had to equal at least the amount of 1 1/2 egg shells, and it had to be poured onto both hands which were lifted up so that the water was dripping down upon the wrist, to make sure that the whole hands and fingers were washed. Furthermore if they came from the marketplace they had to wash their whole body, and this became a legal duty even, and neglecting to do so could be considered a crime unto death. Neglecting to wash after one has eaten was "as bad as a murderer" in some ways. There were also rules about washing the cups, pots, vessels, and even the tables. These traditions were taught as God's rules by the eminent teachers of Judaism. Volumes of traditions have all been neatly organized into what is called the Talmud which also says "my son, give more heed to the words of the rabbis then to the words of the Law." So these official religious Pharisees and scribes came to condemn Jesus, but it was Jesus who condemned them for their man-made rules and traditions. Jesus was so bold and He effectively was arguing that God was not happy with what they were doing, and according to the King James Version He finished by saying to everyone listening, "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear." (Mark 7:16). When we elevate and make man’s traditions the criteria for our faithfulness, then we effectively demean God’s word and His commands to us. We must be very careful about this brothers and sisters. Recall what Jesus said, as written in John 8, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”, and also, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”. Praise the Lord!  Verse 14 continues: 14 Summoning the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15 Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” 17 When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He s

2020-01-12 - Mark 6.45-56 - Sink or Swim (Business Meeting, Birthday Blessings) Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. The title of our message today is Sink or Swim. You may not know this but your pastor is a certified advanced scuba diver. I love water in general but the joy of exploring the open seas is amazing to me. Part of our scuba gear is this thing called a buoyancy control vest or BCV that has air pockets. When a diver wants to stay on top, they fill the BCV with air from the tank and you can float all day long. When you let the air out of the BCV, then you sink into the water. In scuba diving you get to choose when you want to Sink or Swim. But unfortunately in everyday life, we don’t have that choice many times. And that is what we are going to see play out today in scripture. We have been going through the book of Mark, who was a young associate of the Apostle Peter, who called Mark his spiritual son. From Peter, Mark received first-hand knowledge of the events and teachings of Jesus, and Mark preserved that information in this book we are now studying. Mark later joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey after Jesus had ascended into heaven. We are so fortunate to now enjoy Mark’s Gospel for which we can now know Jesus through. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 6.45, pew Bibles pg. 893 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. Right before the holidays we left off where Jesus had fed some 5,000 men or perhaps 20,000 people all-together while they were in the wilderness. “Everyone ate and was satisfied. And they picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish”. Then starting at verse 45, Mark wrote: 45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. Our text here in Mark doesn’t give a reason for why Jesus made the disciples leave so abruptly in the boat, However our parallel verses in John 6:15 further elaborates by saying “When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself”. So the people Jesus fed were overly ecstatic about having a miracle provider in their midst’s. And we know they were also anxiously expecting a Messiah & Savior that was prophesied about in the Old Testament. So they naturally wanted to make Jesus their new King. But that was not what Jesus came their to do. Being their “King of the Bread” wasn’t in His plan, therefore He sent the Disciples away and He withdrew again to the mountain by himself. Mark 6:47 continues: 47 Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and [Jesus] was alone on the land. 48 He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Again this Miracle is also listed in the Gospel books of Matthew and John, and it is good to sometimes piece together the written accounts of the stories they shared. The Disciples were hours out rowing the boats, the waves were high and the wind was pushing back against their efforts to get across the sea. It was now around six hours since they left and they were only about four miles out, and they were probably getting exhausted from all the rowing effort in the storm. Jesus saw them from afar, and I could argue that Jesus could see anyone at anytime if He so desired, and He was certainly concerned for their welfare.  Verse 48 continues: Very early in the morning he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. 49 When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened. In and itself, this story in the book of Mark, is a great message; Jesus walked upon the storming sea.. and He saved the twelve apostles. But wait, there is more.. For instance in Matthew's account it adds that while Jesus was still outside the boat, Peter asked Jesus if he could come walk to Him on the water. You probably know the story. When Peter came down out of the boat, he walked on the water, but then became afraid of the storm and he began to sink. He called out to Jesus “Lord save me!”, and Jesus caught him and rebuked him for his lack of faith, and led him back to the ship safely.  Jesus said to Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”.  [SLIDE] Someone might ask, why did all this happen in the first place? Didn’t Jesus know that the weather was turning bad?  To that I would suggest, of course He did,  Jesus knows everything. However, I would propose that even after showing all the people the miracle of creating SO MUCH FOOD, Jesus knew that some still lacked faith in Him. So now perhaps Jesus wanted to provide a special additional learning experience for His twelve Disciples. Those strong (mostly fishermen) needed a wakeup call. One that would really “rock their boats” so to speak J I am betting that Jesus might have even called upon that storm in the first place. The twelve Apostles were shown these special miracles, which perhaps were custom designed for them at that particular time. This event also gave Jesus the opportunity to render His great comfort, as He showed them His divine powers of walking on the water and calming the seas. And John’s account of this event says that after they got Jesus into the boat, “immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading”. I love that word immediately here. Jesus immediately transported them to the shore where they were trying to go. You might know that there are several other times where this “immediate” transportation miracle occurs in scripture. Recall as written in Acts 8:39 Phillip, after he presented the Gospel and baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch, the Bible says “when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more.. but Philip then found himself at the city of Azotus”. I would argue that Philip was instantly transported, just like I believe the apostles were transported in our verses today via the JC Transporter. Isn’t that just so cool..  And there are others too. Ezekiel, Enoch, Elijah and even the apostle Paul talks about a miraculous transportation event, and I believe it.. You might think the concept of super-sonic flight is cool, but that ain’t nothing compared to the JC Transporter, lol. God can do anything He wants, Amen? My prayer is that one day, hopefully soon, we will all be boarding that miraculous train to heaven, Praise the Lord! Verse 53 continues: 53 When they had crossed over, they came to shore at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized him. 55 They hurried throughout that region and began to carry the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch just the end of his robe. And everyone who touched it was healed. Jesus is such an amazing God-man Savior and Lord. How blessed are we to be part of His flock now, and even part of His family. These last verses here show how impactful and compassionate Jesus was to the people of that region. Jesus was making His mark in a big way. There were so many in need of healing that they even laid them out in the streets, so Jesus might just walk by them and they could just touch His robe to be healed. According to this text, Jesus went to many villages and towns teaching and healing the folks. This wasn’t an isolated incident. We don’t know just how many were healed but it was obviously many, many people. What an amazing ministry, what an amazing Savior indeed. Every time I read this piece of Bible His-story, I sort of see myself like one of the Disciples. I see myself maybe like Peter trying to follow Jesus and maybe walk on water figuratively in some way by His power. Sometimes my faith is strong and I think I can perhaps move a mountain with God on my side; but other times, like Peter, when I step out in faith, I quickly realize that I still am lacking in some regard. Where would I be without my Jesus! This Gospel testimony we have here is so precious in my sight. How blessed I am. Throughout the New Testament we witness how Peter showed his weaknesses and his sins in many different ways, but later God still allowed Him to lead the new and growing Christian church. Peter knew his faults and weaknesses, just like we all should know our faults and weaknesses. Because it enabled Peter to become a very humble yet powerful servant leader. And those are the best kinds of leaders in my opinion. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in Romans 12:2, he said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you”.. In this story Jesus showed us His authority over even the elements of the water and the storm. You might recall Jesus calmed the storms a couple of times during His three and a half year ministry. Jesus showed us His grace and mercy in feeding the people and saving the disciples and Peter, and then healing so many other people too. It is time for us to really consider Jesus Christ’s Majesty don’t you think? And truly regard Him as our Lord and

2020-01-05 – 2 Corinthians 5.16-21 – A New Beginning, pg 1025 (New Years Eve Lock-In; New lights in Kitchen; Basement Storage Room cleaned up; Received Wyman R Coulter Trust monies for the reflooring of our basement) Happy New Year and good morning everyone. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. I pray your New Years is starting out well. Last week we shared a reflection of the past year and the message was entitled Finishing Well. Finishing our year well, but more specifically as Christ followers we should also be striving towards finishing well our earthly lives too. Now today we are going to continue the theme here, but since we crossed now into the New Year of 2020, our sermon is entitled A New Beginning. Please turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 5:16, pg 1025 in the Inspired, Infallible and Living Word of God, but let us first start with prayer. A world record swimmer by the name of Kim Linehan once was being interviewed about how she prepared for her competitions. She said she commits herself to endless exercise and she swims 7 to 12 miles everyday. When asked what was the hardest part of her exercise regimen? she answered "Getting in the water”. The same dynamic can be applied to our Christian walk. When we accept our calling to become Christians, it is A New Beginning for us and we really become a new creation in Christ. And then just like the swimmer, at some point we need to get wet. We need to fully put on Jesus Christ and become the true ambassador and disciple that God desires for each of us to be. This morning I am first going to read the relevant Bible verses in its entirety. Then afterwards we will pull it apart a little and further discuss. Starting at verses 16, the Apostle Paul wrote: 16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Again, I feel compelled to pull apart and decipher these verses as we go through them this morning, for there is a lot of our Christianeeze vocabulary that might be unknown to some folks. So starting back at the first verses, Paul wrote: 16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. When we become a Christian, this means we are starting anew. It’s kind of like a Reboot. On my computer, I may have been doing many different things, like writing a paper, cruising the internet or playing games. But when I reboot, all those previous actions and work are gone, and I am now starting anew with a fresh environment. The same goes for our relationships and history after we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When we reboot our own internal computer, we start looking at the world and our relationships with a fresh perspective. It’s like we have a new pair of glasses with new lenses that we now look upon the world with. Our relationship with Jesus has become anew, and we will now look at Him as not just a man or profit, but as Lord, Savior and King. Everything will start making more sense now in your faith walk too. Doctor Luke wrote in Luke 8:17 “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light”. Our Jesus is the true light of the world, and He has blessed us with His Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us. We should now expect to see a radical change in our character and our relationships over time as He guides us and lightens our paths. People ask me all the time, “how will I know if I am a Christian?” to which I reply, look at your life, have you seen the change? 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!  The term New Creation Paul wrote about here, goes along with what Jesus told the Jewish ruler Nicodemus about being “born again”. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”. The terms “new creation” and "born again" literally mean "born from above." John 1:12 states that “all who receive Jesus, he gave the right to become children of God”. So we are effectively adopted by the father. And our old self and our old lifestyle has no longer a bearing on our future with God in heaven. Everything old has passed away and we become new in Christ. Verse 18 continues: 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. To be “reconciled” is to be restored to friendship or in harmony with one another. When friends resolve their differences and restore their relationships, reconciliation has occurred. When Jesus died on the cross, He satisfied God’s judgment for our sins. Jesus paid our penalty and made it possible for us, to find peace with God again. And “Not counting their trespasses” means not judging their sins. Not counting their wrong-doings against them. Instead God now counts our trespasses, our sins against Jesus Himself, ironically the only person in the world that was without sin. He took our sin and gave us His righteousness. This is called “imputed” righteousness. To impute something is to ascribe or attribute something to someone. When we place our faith in Christ, God ascribes the perfect righteousness of Christ to our account so that we become perfect in His sight. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says “For our sake he made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” Praise the Lord 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.”  You probably know that Ambassadors are official representatives. Shirley Temple was a U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. When she represented the United States, she spoke with Presidential authority. Likewise Christians are Ambassadors for Christ now to the world. God chooses to appeal through us to the lost people of this world. To carry the Good News Gospel message to people so they too can choose to follow Him too. What a wonderful privilege it is to represent Jesus. We shouldn’t ever take this charge lightly, as it has eternal implications. So just as we have now been reconciled to God, Jesus desires for us to be leading others to “Be reconciled to God” as well. If we truly recognize the price He paid for our freedom, then we should gladly want to be His Ambassador. 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Again Jesus Christ, the only sinless person who ever lived. He took upon Himself all the past, present and future sin of man while He was on the cross at Calvary. He became sin and paid our penalty so that we could be reconciled with God and go to Heaven. That sin was so burdensome that Jesus even sweat blood as He was preparing to die our Bibles say. It also says that because of our sin that He was baring that day, Jesus even lost fellowship with His Father God as He was hanging on the cross. He yelled out, “My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?” It truly hurts my heart to even think of what He went through on my behalf. Such amazing grace. And such a wonderful Savior we have, Amen? The main point for this New Year’s message today is that God’s promise to us is true: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a New Creation; the old is gone, and the new has come!” The Reverend Billy Graham suggests that there are seven gifts God gives us when we commit our lives to Jesus Christ. [SLIDE] The first thing that happens is that God gives us a New Relationship. Once we were separated from God because of our sins − and not just separated, but alienated from Him. The Bible Says we were “excluded, without hope and without God in the world”; Ephesians 2:13 says “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.” The second thing God gives you when you commit your life to Christ is a New Citizenship. Of course you are still a citizen of our great United States of America, but now you are also now a blessed citizen of the kingdom of God. My son Stephen was born while I was stationed in Germany. Because we were American citizens, Stephen was considered an American citizen. However, because He was born in a German hospital, he was also considered a German citizen. He had dual citizenship until he turned 18 and then he chose to drop his German citizenship. Now that we are Born again Christians, as long as we are on this earth, we also kind of possess dual citizenship. On one hand we owe allegiance to our nation, and are instructed by God to be good citizens. But we are also citizens of the kingdom of God where Christ is King. Our supreme loyalty is first to Him, as someday, the Bible tells us in Revelation 11:15, this world’s kingdoms will pass away and become “the kingdom of our Lord and of Christ, and He will

2017-12-31 – 2 Timothy 4:1-8 – Finishing Well (Amazing Holiday weather outside;  Church Lock-In) Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. I pray you all had a wonderful Christmas experience, I know I sure did J Christmas reminds me how much I am blessed with family, friends and this church especially. However, at this point some of you may be experiencing what is sometimes referred to as the Christmas let down – disappointed that the Christmas magic is over, and I understand that, but in reflection of the Christmas story, think about what the shepherds must have felt. They saw the angels with their own eyes, and even spent some time with baby Jesus Himself. However at some point they had to leave that manger scene, the Holy birthday party was over. Scripture tells us though that “the shepherds returned praising God for all they had seen”. Perhaps we can learn something from those shepherds. Even though Christmas is over, we should endeavor to continue thinking about the positive things of Christmas, continue thanking God for Jesus in the days ahead, and continue proclaiming His Joy to the World as we move forward in faith. Okay? Last week we declared that Christmas time is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. We saw in scripture how God perfectly orchestrated the perfect solution at the perfect time to demonstrate His perfect Grace in the birth of Jesus Christ. Then on Christmas-Eve we read through the Christmas story as depicted in the Gospel books of Luke and Matthew, and we sang those beautiful and cherished Christmas Carols. What a joy it was to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus. Thank you to all who attended and contributed to those blessed festivities. Now today’s message is a tribute to the closing of this year 2019, as New Years day will be celebrated this coming Wednesday already. This message is entitled Finishing Well. Finishing our year well, but more specifically as Christ followers we should also be striving towards finishing our earthly lives well too. Please turn to 2 Timothy 4, in pew Bibles pg. 1052 of the Inspired, Infallible and Living Word of God, but let us first start with prayer.. What we are going to read now in scripture is actually the closing thoughts of a letter from the Apostle Paul, who wrote almost a third of the New Testament. Paul wrote these last words to his understudy Timothy while he was being held in prison, and right before he was sadly beheaded as traditions tells us. We know that Paul was in a cold prison cell and he was downtrodden, however as these verses convey, Paul was still enduring his suffering, and carrying out his ministry fully as he wrote this impassioned letter. Starting at verse one, He wrote: 1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom: 2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. So Paul instructs Timothy then, and effectively us today, to preach, proclaim and encourage the Gospel message to the world. And also to convince, rebuke and encourage each other as we are going about doing it. Paul warned them and us about a time in the future when people will not put up with sound doctrine anymore. When people will be wandering away to just about any other thing except the Bible for inspiration and instruction. Kind of sounds like that today doesn’t it? Sadly, not only do many people not trust the Bible today, but they go to far lengths attempting to make a mockery of it even. Interestingly though, you might notice that critics hardly ever attempt to make fun of any other religious book except the Bible, perhaps because they might be in fear of their lives for doing so. But our Christian Bible is open to all for ridicule for many reasons; and the main reason, I would argue, is because it is true. There is so much evidence that supports God’s word, much more than any other book written about human behavior and history, let alone the proven geological or the spiritual positions it poses. People attack the Bible because it also calls out the people’s sins, and it brings light onto their dark folly. The Bible is also a target due to God’s righteousness that shines brightly against the backdrop of dark human sin. Sadly indelibly people become pawns for Satan as he urges people to mistrust the Bible’s instruction, just like he urged Eve to mistrust God’s word back in the Garden of Eden. Fact is, there is nothing new with Satan’s schemes, and God’s holy word is always true and trustworthy. This Bible is simply an amazing gift from God. I frequently refer to it as the Inspired, Infallible, and living Word of God, because it is the Inspired, Infallible and living Word of God. If you ever find anything in this Bible that you think might be contradictory to those terms, please let me know. I have been reading and studying it for years and not only do I find it meeting that mark, but it amazes me as there is something in it for everyone at all stages in life. The Bible is actually a library of 66 books, originally penned in 3 languages from 3 different continents, written by 44 authors over a period of about 1500 years. The 39 books of the Old Testament were composed between 1400 and 400 B.C. And the 27 books of the New Testament were written between 50 and 100 A.D. But the most amazing thing is that the Bible is really one complete story. One story that shows above all else, God’s enduring and insufferable love for us. Paul calls this Bible sound doctrine and the truth, and says that we should not only pay attention to it, but we should endeavor to preach it, teach it, and proclaim it to the community, and to the nations. Are ya with me on this? Paul continues here in verse 6 of 2nd Timothy 4: 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing. Again, this is kind of a farewell letter from Paul to his apprentice Timothy. It is sad when we think of our loved ones that are preparing to die or have already passed on. At this stage in my life, I have been blessed with many friends, mentors and relatives that have sadly passed away and I miss them dearly. But as Christians, we can also celebrate their lives as we remember them, especially knowing that we will see them again in heaven. Paul, in this letter, is attempting here to be an encourager and a good example of a solid sold-out Christian leader to his protégé Timothy. And as we see in these verses, there is something special about people’s last words. At this point Paul knew that he didn’t have long for the world. People in that position have no reason to boast, brag or lie. Some of the most truthful and trusted words a person speaks are in their final days, as they have nothing to gain or lose by giving them. Paul considered Timothy to be like his own son. Paul knew that Timothy’s learning would be a big part of his legacy and the lasting fruit of his ministry. Like Paul, we all should be endeavoring to mentor somebody. Jesus also is a great example for us today in this. In John 15:16, Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will remain”. That is God’s will for each of us. He wants each of us to leave a Christian legacy. Question: Who is your protégé? What is the fruit of your ministry that you would like to remain after you’re gone? Something worthy to ponder indeed. In Paul’s last verses here, we should also notice that although he was dire straits, he also has a tone of victory in his writing. He said, “I have fought a good fight”, “I have finished the race”, and “I have kept the faith”. I will talk briefly about each of these. “I have fought a good fight”:  As Christians, you might realize our fight is both outside of us and inside of us. We know that Paul was chained-up in a cold place and he was in prison, that is the outside the body situation. Not to mention the fact that he also wrote about the times he was beaten, shipwrecked, left for dead, and a number of other external life challenges. Paul had truly fought a “good fight” externally, but also internally as well. In 1 Corinthians 9 he also wrote: “I discipline my body and I keep it under control, lest I be disqualified” He also said that he had to tell himself over and over again, “no”. Paul is admitting that there is a battle that raged inside him, and each one of us should admit we have that same internal struggle. On top of all that, Satan and the world at large, also tries to manipulate us all the time, which adds to the stress we feel. I’m here to tell ya folks, this is a spiritual battle we face in the world today. And that is why Paul wrote earlier in Ephesians 6, that we should “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”. That is also another reason why Jesus gave us the Church and He sent the Holy Spirit into o

2019-12-22 – Galatians 3.19-4.7 – The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Christmas Caroling tonight at 5pm, Youth Lock-in on New Years Eve at 9pm) Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. I just love singing Christmas carols together as the season is upon us now in full swing. Question: Who’s got their tree up? Who doesn’t? Who isn’t putting one up? Interesting historical fact is that Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition back in the 16th century. In fact, it’s believed that Martin Luther was the first person who had a lighted tree. The story goes that as he was walking home one winter’s night seeing the stars twinkling amidst the evergreen trees and was reminded of the verse from the sermon he was preparing - Isaiah 60:13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet”. So to recapture that image he decided to set up a tree in the main room of his house with candles on it. I’m sure it was a beautiful sight, but it sounds extremely hazardous doesn’t it! Anybody going with the historical candle option this year on your tree? I think not, Lol. We got our tree up last week, and now it’s beautiful at night to see the room lit up just by the glow of the Christmas tree. I guess that is one reason why they say Christmas is The Most Wonderful Time of the year, which is also the title of our message today. Please turn in your Bibles to Galatians 3.19; pew Bibles pg. 1033 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. Have you heard that song played yet? Andy Williams classic: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Now I understand that it’s just a song, but I can imagine that it might cause some folks to question why Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, especially while they are in the throws of making it all happen. For that answer I thought it would be good for us to open our Bibles and look at this letter-book of Galatians written by saint Paul. Verse 19 starts out by giving us The Purpose of the Law. That may seem confusing or unrelated but I promise you will see its relevance as this message unfolds: 19 Why then was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not just for one person alone, but God is one. 21 Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if the law had been granted with the ability to give life, then righteousness would certainly be on the basis of the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe. 23 Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. 24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. 25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. So in a nutshell, Before Christ came Moses laws, not just the 10 commandments, but all 613 of them were considered our Guardian. They were designed to keep order, to differentiate for us between what was right and what was wrong. But even more than that, they were designed to convince us that nobody could keep and maintain all their requirements. Effectively we were prisoners of the Law, held accountable under them, convicted of them, realizing that it was hopeless, we could never be good-enough to get into heaven, at least not on our own accord. But then at the right time, God sent Himself, in the form of His Son Jesus, to satisfy all the Law, and become the perfect sacrificial Lamb, paying for our sins, so that we might be Saved. Verse 27 continues: 27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise. Chapter 4 continues this thought but now talking about all of the Jewish nation: 41 Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. 2 Instead, he is under guardians and trustees [the Laws] until the time set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world. 4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir. Now Galatians might not be the first book of Scripture you think of when it comes to our Christmas season. Most likely you think of Luke talking about the angels and shepherds or Matthew talking about the wise men, or even the prophecies of Jesus’ birth from Isaiah. However Galatians addresses this question of timing, and that’s what I want us to look at in these verses this morning. Galatians 4:4 says “When the time came to completion”, this refers to the moment in human history that was fixed and appointed by God when the time was just right for sending His Son into the world. This time we call Christmas, December 25th, is the day we set aside to remember Christ’s birth, because that one event changed everything in the most wonderful way imaginable. Again the key verse is found in Galatians 3:23-24 Paul wrote “Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith”. In fact, that verse is saying the law was like a prison, or that the law was like a jailer keeping us captive and behind bars until the coming faith was revealed in Jesus. If you walked out the door of our church after service today and asked the first person you meet how they can go to heaven when they die, what are they most likely going to say? Probably something like – “live as good of a life as you can, or do lots of good deeds for people, or try your best to be a decent person”. Those are the typical things you’d hear. It’s that man-made system of works that’s trying to answer the impossible question, what must I do? Even religious folks might ponder things like: “How often do I need to go to church? How much money should I give to charity? How kind do I have to be to others? How many times should I forgive others? What happens when I give in to temptation? How many sins are too many, and when do I cross the line?” These questions are what most people struggle with today, and I would argue that these questions are what the law of the Old Testament or even the general moral law of humanity causes people to wrestle with, wondering how good is good enough for God. It is a sad struggle indeed, but I will suggest to you today, that the reason Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year because that’s when it all changed. Christmas communicates now a radically different message, a freeing message, because Christmas says that the time has come for Christ to arrive who fulfills the law for us as we turn to Him in faith. Christmas says to the Christian that we no longer need to be slaves to the Law. We no longer fret the works-based mental struggle, hoping we’ve been good enough, that instead we can become adopted sons and daughters of God now, airs of the throne, heaven bound, because Jesus Christ was the Perfect Savior and He paid the fine of sin on our behalf. Now look at Philippians 2:5-7. It says “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness”. So The Son of God was made like us. He was born of a woman, by a mom, just like you and I were. The Son of God entered our human existence, breathed our air, walked our ground, ate our food, cried our tears. He came here to live and to experience life just like we do. When Christ entered the world, He came to a place that had some of the smelliest, filthiest and most uncomfortable conditions imaginable. And that is part of the wonder of His divine grace isn’t it? Jesus set His majesty aside for a time and completely humbled Himself on our behalf. And because of that, Jesus was obligated like everyone else back then to keep the Old Testament covenant Law. He wasn’t exempt from it or somehow given privileged “platinum status” because He was the Son of God. Instead He perfectly kept the law, He did everything right. He always obeyed; He was always honest, He always loved others. Look at what it says in 1 Peter 2:22, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls”. Or perhaps you can consider Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin”.  Every temptation you’ve

2019-12-15 – Mark 6.30-44 – Feast in the Desert (Holiday Cheer – Be the blessing, Caroling, Youth Lock-in) Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. We have been going through the book of Mark, and last week we talked bout how John the Baptist was persecuted. We also talked about the missionaries around the world that are persecuted for the cause of Christ. We should all continue to lift them up in prayer and support, and I appreciate your offerings last week in that regard. Today we are going to read about a Feast in the Desert. How Jesus provided for the people under His care, and He still provides for us even today. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 6.30, pew Bibles pg. 893 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. Have you ever been so captivated with what was going on, so much to the point that you forgot even to provide for yourself or your family with food and drink? Then you find yourself all of a sudden wondering how and where you will get satisfied in that regard? Not a good position to be in for sure. Today in America we are so blessed that we have food and provisions available at most stops along the highway even. Not so in many places around the world, and that can be a highly stressful situation as you can imagine indeed. That what we are going to see unfold today in scripture. The title of today’s message is Feast in the Desert. I remember being in the desert while serving in the military around the world, and there just wasn’t a 7/11 or Dollar General anywhere in sight. What a scary proposition, indeed, LoL. Read with me now, starting at verse 30, Mark wrote: 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, 33 but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things. 35 When it grew late, his disciples approached him and said, “This place is deserted, and it is already late. 36 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.” 37 “You give them something to eat,” he responded. They said to him, “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?” 38 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he instructed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 Everyone ate and was satisfied. 43 They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. 44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men. All four of the Gospels describe this miraculous event. It is believed that Mark’s Gospel version was used as a starter for Matthew and Luke’s Gospel books, but John’s rendition of this event has several other details and I would like to use that rendition as the main text of our lesson today. So now please turn with me to John chapter 6, page 946 in the pew bibles, starting at verse 1. 1After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. I wonder what would it have been like to be there with Jesus that day? It must have been amazing to see Jesus do the many miracles that He did at the start of His ministry. Our verses this morning refers to there being a “Large crowd” and later tells us there were 5,000 men. So let’s do some estimating.. With 5,000 men, we could suppose that maybe there was and additional one women and perhaps one or two children per couple. That would equate to being between 15,000 to 20,000 people around Jesus and the disciples that day. That is a very large crowd I would argue. According to the latest census, that’s about half the size of the city of Moline. More than two-times what could fit in the I-Wireless center. That’s a lot of people that Jesus gathered that day. How would you like to be greeted by a crowd like that? According of Marks gospel, He paints the initial intent surrounding this event that Jesus and His disciples were trying to get away for a while to get some rest and peace. But found themselves in even more of a congested circumstance than even what they started with in the first place. Although not the main point today, Jesus demonstrates that it is important for us sometimes to seek that quiet place where we can find some rest and regain our peace and sanity. 23rd Psalm says He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. We all need to get away sometimes, AMEN?  Verse 5 continues: 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little. Again, Jesus was looking at the 20,000 or so people and He had compassion for them. He saw that they were getting hungry. I don’t know about you, but even after I miss one meal, my stomach starts singing to me.. I imagine with that many hungry bellies, by this time they might be singing in harmony like a choir J The Apostles Philip, Andrew and Peter were all originally from the village of Bethsaida, which is on the shores of the north end of the Sea of Galilee, and not too far from where this feeding miracle occurred. Jesus asks Philip a simple question, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” I find it interesting that many times in the Bible, Father God or Jesus asks questions that they already know the answers for. Here Jesus asked Philip, who had been with Him from the start; who saw Jesus perform many miracles by now.. Philip, who probably knew many of the people in the crowd.. Jesus asked Philip.. so Philip would have the opportunity to exercise his faith and perhaps become stronger as a result. Sometimes, as our loving Father, God allows us to go through situations so that we will have the opportunity to exercise our faith as well. And in doing so, we might also become stronger in our faith as a result, and thus be better prepared for what yet lies ahead. Question: How is God stretching you?.. so like Phillip, you too might have the opportunity to exercise your faith as well?, hmmm ”8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. It didn’t add up for the Apostles, did it.. Jesus was about to show again that He can do anything.. Jesus’ math is not our math. How might Five barley loaves and Two fish.. feed 15,000-20,000 people..    SHOW THE BREAD... SMELL How much food did Jesus actually create, you might ask?    Short answer:  An amazing amount.  Let’s do some estimating focusing only on the bread: If each person eats about 1/3 of a loaf of bread. 15,000 people X 1/3 loaf per person = 5,000 loaves. That is a lot of bread.  Could you imagine 5,000 loaves of bread? I did some research and found it would fill up about 1.2 big semi-truck trailers. And that just the bread. All together we are talking about 2-3 Semi-Truck trailers of food. This is an amazing feet indeed. Truly Jesus is JEHOVAH JIREH, which means Provider. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.  So before He distributed the food, before they ate the food.. Jesus gave Thanks.. He gave a public thanksgiving prayer to Father God for the food, revealing the importance to the people that day, and now to us, of acknowledging God who provides everything, and from whom all blessing come. Make no mistake, Thanksgiving is a primary ingredient in receiving blessings from God, and it is something we should all humbly exercise I would argue, whether in private or in public, just as Jesus modeled for us in these verses. Do you Give thanks for your meals? Do you take time to recognize Father God as Jesus aptly demonstrated for us in these verses? We shouldn’t be ashamed to pray, especially in public. Matthew 10:32 says, “everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven”. We should all take the time to honor God in prayer, Amen? It is noteworthy that Jesus, as written in (Mark 6:41) “gave it first to his disciples to distribute to the people”. In this way, the disciples also demonstrated their dependence upon the Lord for their supply. God still uses people and the church the same way today. God Provides us with His blessings and we are to subsequently distribute the blessings and share with others. It is called Benevolence: an act of kindness or a generous gift. I feel this is instrumental to o

2019-12-08 – Mark 6.14-29 – Voice of the Martyrs (Christmas Decorations, Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Caroling, Youth Lock-in) Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. As we have introduced our International Missions this morning, I am curious to ask you this morning, have you ever met in person a real life missionary? Somebody that puts their life on the line for the purposes of the Gospel. Maybe traveling with their family to the far reaches of the world in order to make an impact for Christ. I have had the privilege of knowing and working alongside many missionaries around the world and I am here to tell you they are some amazing and dedicated servants. My heart yearns for them, and I pray yours does to. Today we are going to see in scripture, the challenges and toils that some faced as they endeavored to declare Jesus as Lord. Going out and spreading the Gospel to the world at large can be an exciting and rewarding endeavor for sure, but it can also be riddled with risk, persecution and challenge. I think today God wants us to become more aware and more sensitive to some of the challenges that being an evangelical disciple and/or missionary might entail. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 6.14, pew Bibles pg. 892 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. Last we deliberated in this book of Mark, we saw how Jesus had sent out His Apostles two-by-two into the city to proclaim the Gospel Good News of Christ’s salvation offered. They went out, six-pairs of poor, ordinary, untrained, most unlikely spokesmen, and what God was doing through them rose to the attention of the highest officials in their land. Through their small and simple ministry, Jesus’s name became known in that city and beyond. 14 King Herod heard about it [it being the disciple missionaries and the Gospel], because Jesus’s name had become well known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He’s Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet, like one of the prophets from long ago.” To give you a little back story here, John the Baptist and Jesus were second cousins. Mary and Elizabeth, according to scripture were first cousins. John and Jesus were the same age and probably looked a little alike I would imagine. John was considered by many to be a prophet who was living in the spirit of Elijah. John and Elijah had many similarities in their character. They both were known as being rough looking characters, wearing Camel hair clothing and eating honey and locusts. The prophet Elijah was one of only two people in the Bible that we know of that was physically taken up to heaven while being still alive. Then, according to the Old Testament prophesy in Malachi 3&4, Elijah was supposed to come back and prepare the way for the Lord, just like we know John the Baptist did. Therefore, many people, when they saw John the Baptist and Jesus, and all they were doing, tried to figure them out. Were they Elijah or the Messiah Savior or somebody else? That issue is what King Herod was chewing on in these verses. 16 When Herod heard of it, he said, “John, the one I beheaded, has been raised!” 17 For Herod himself had given orders to arrest John and to chain him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife because he had married her. 18 John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias held a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing he was a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard him he would be very perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him. We don’t know exactly how long John the Baptist was held in prison, however Herod kept John for a while it seems and he was entertained by John’s conversations. But John boldly told the King the error of his ways. In this case King Herod was living with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, and John the Baptist let him know that by doing so he was living in sin. King’s are not normally called out by others, and Herod’s wife was furious with John and was looking for a way to rid the kingdom of him and his influence. 21 An opportune time came on his birthday, when Herod gave a banquet for his nobles, military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.22 When Herodias’s own daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 He promised her with an oath: “Whatever you ask me I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” “John the Baptist’s head,” she said. 25 At once she hurried to the king and said, “I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head on a latter immediately.” 26 Although the king was deeply distressed, because of his oaths and the guests he did not want to refuse her.  27 The king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring John’s head. So he went and beheaded him in prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When John’s disciples heard about it, they came and removed his corpse and placed it in a tomb. Although this ends the account of John’s death in this book of Mark, the book of Matthew has a few extra details about what happened afterwards. Matthew 14:12 Continues:  12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. 13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Such a sad ending to a wonderful Martyr of our faith. The title of this message today is Voice of the Martyrs. The word Martyr, according to Merriam Webster means “a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce a religion” or “a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle”. And that is exactly what John the Baptist did for Christ and us. He gave his life for the cause of Christ. John was blessed to be the one who prepared the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. People would come from far away, out to the wilderness where he lived to hear his teaching and get baptized. Jesus Himself was baptized by John the Baptist. John is known to be a very direct and “in your face” kind of prophet. And as we see now his demise, that confronting mode of his eventually lead to his death. In our New Testament scripture is written just a few accounts of John the Baptist. So in his honor I thought it would be good to read a couple of those accounts. Turn if you will with me now to Matthew 3, and read with along: (Matthew 3) 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” 4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Later in scripture, John the Baptist is also mentioned in Matthew 11. As written, verse 2 starts: 2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

Visiting Minister Adam Johnson

2019-11-24 – Mark 6.1-13 – You Are Welcome Here Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. Story: When I was yet a young private in the Army stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, I was blessed to be partnered up in the barracks at with a fellow named Tim Hatampa who was a Christian. At some point we decided to go to church together, but since neither of us knew the area, we just picked a church out from the Yellow Pages that was close to us. We got to the church a little early and was sitting in the parking lot listening to music on our car radio. As people started arriving, we noticed one fellow as he started walking towards our car. It was warm outside and we had our windows rolled down as we were listening to music. The guy came up, reached through our car window and turned off our radio. He pointed his finger and told us to never play music in their parking lot again, then walked away. Welcome to church we did not feel, sad to say. We still attended but never returned. In contrast, I am happy and blessed to say that we have a very welcoming church here in Orion, and it is largely because of you all. Thanks for showing your love to me and my family, and also everyone that enters into that door. Our message today is entitled: You are Welcome Here. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 6.1, pew Bibles pg. 892 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. Setting: Jesus had just left the area of Galilee in the northern part of Israel where He had setup His home away from home, and where He had been effectively introducing Himself and His ministry to the Jews and Gentiles of that area. Last week we saw how Jesus healed a lady on the street, when she just touched the fringe of his robe as He was passing by. Jesus told her “Daughter your faith has saved you”. Then He subsequently went to the synagogue leader’s house and raised his twelve year-old daughter from the dead. Jesus showed so much compassion and love to the people He never even met before. And that takes us to our first scripture verses today, Mark 6:1, subtitled “Rejection at Nazareth”: 61 He left there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things?” they said. “What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives and in his household.” 5 He was not able to do a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. He was going around the villages teaching. So this is a record of Jesus’s second visit to His hometown of Nazareth [MAP]. This is not to be confused with His first visit which was shortly after His baptism. In His first visit, recorded in Luke's gospel, He went to the synagogue and stood up to read the scriptures from Isaiah 61, saying “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” He then sat down and declared, " Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your eyes." He then began to teach them, and they marveled at His gracious words and asked, "Is this not Joseph's Son?" But then it says as He continued to teach, they became angered and they took Him to the cliff outside of Nazareth and were going to throw Him over the cliff, but He passed right through their midst and escaped. Again, this is now the second time He returned to Nazareth, and in the mean time He had been doing exactly what Isaiah had prophesied, He had been preaching the gospel to the poor, and healing the broken hearted. He had been preaching deliverance to the captives and had healed the blind and all manner of sickness. Mark tells us that again they were astonished at His teaching and wondered how He ever learned all this mighty wisdom. They recognized that there was something extraordinary about Him, yet they still would not believe. Here in Jesus’s own home town their seemed to be such apathy toward Him, it caused Jesus to even marvel at their unbelief. I would argue that they knew him, but they didn’t know Him. Jesus’s Mother, brothers and sisters were still living in that town. His step-father Joseph is not mentioned, leaving us to surmise that He had already died somehow. Jesus was the eldest son of Mary and was probably the bread-winner for the family at some point. But sadly no hometown greeting for Jesus. I am sure He knew this would happen but it still pains me a little knowing that they rejected Jesus my Savior. He was not welcomed in His own hometown. Why such unbelief? They obviously knew a few facts about Him. When Jesus was born, the fact that Mary had Jesus out of wedlock. And they probably knew Him when He was younger, growing up in Nazareth as the carpenter’s son. They had probably brought their horse and buggies to Him and His father to be repaired, or maybe they ordered their plows from His shop. Perhaps they had a table or chairs made or repaired by Jesus or Joseph, but it is obvious there was much about Him they did not know as well. Their unbelief was based upon insufficient knowledge of Him. There are many people today as well that are in unbelief because they think they know Jesus. They have formed their opinions upon the remarks or statements of others. However they have never searched for Jesus themselves. In Matthew 7, Jesus said “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”. Jesus also said, "Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned." The claims of Jesus are so radical, and the consequences of not believing are so great, that you would be wise to examine all the evidence personally before forming an opinion. What do you know about Jesus? Where did you learn it? Have you ever read the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, and asked the Lord that if He were real that He would reveal Himself to you as you read it? Do you know Jesus Christ? Our verses today say “He was not able to do a miracle there”. Does this mean that their unbelief restricted His power to do miracles? I hardly think so. Does it then mean that He just decided to reject them because they had rejected Him? I don't believe that either. I do believe that sadly their unbelief kept people from coming to Him. Think of all the benefits they could have received if they had only come to Him. Their lame citizens could be walking, their blind would be able to see. Those who were possessed with evil spirits could have been delivered. They could have known the love, joy, and peace of the kingdom of God. So sad indeed. This next selection of verses is subtitled: Commissioning the Twelve. 7 He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff—no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts, 9 but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt.10 He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. 11 If any place does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. There is a lot for us to learn from or to heed from these verses. Jesus sent them out to proclaim the Good News Gospel to the people of the town. We should be doing likewise. Jesus had them go out in pairs for their protection and not to take any valuables that thieves would be inclined to steal. Jesus also inferred that we need to be smart, shrewd and cunning as we approach the world. And if anyone doesn’t receive you then don’t let it get you down. Just dust yourself off and keep going. Let me tell you, just like these apostles, as you choose to take that risk and put yourself out there for the purposes of Christ, He will watch over you. Sometimes you will be rejected, but don’t let it get you down. You are not alone. In our verses here, Jesus also counted on that the people they would be visiting, most of them Jewish, would know that God demanded care and compassion for strangers. In Leviticus 19 Moses wrote, “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself”. That law given in Leviticus still stands today for us. We are to be welcoming ambassadors for Christ. We should be willing to open up our homes even to strangers in need. We should also endeavor to be a welcoming church body here as well, especially to strangers or sojourners. I often think about what our church gives as a first impression to visitors. Do we present ourselves as a welcoming church? Hebrews 13:1 says, “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it”. We all know that Christ’s redeeming sacrifice saves us, but it does even more than this, it is intended to create communities of believers. Miraculously forming redeemed people into churches who now live as family with one another. In Romans 15:7, the apostle Paul identifies the goal of a true Christian community, he sa

2019-11-17 – Mark 5.21-43 – Kumbaya Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. We have been going through the Gospel book of Mark in the New Testament. Jesus has been demonstrating His power and authority to the disciples. He had been healing many people and last week we read how Jesus removed a legion of demons from a man that everyone thought was a lunatic. Jesus put the demons into a herd of pigs that subsequently did a “swine-dive” off a cliff to their demise. The pig herders then requested that Jesus leave, for which He complied. Jesus is shaking up the world with His power and authority. But even more so with His love for mankind as we will see in todays verses and message. Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 5.21, pew Bibles pg. 891 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. The title for our message today is Kumbaya. I chose that title because as we will see Jesus Himself uses that first word Kum in our verses today. Most of us have heard and perhaps even sang the song Kumbaya at some point in our lives. At camp we sung this song with the children around the campfire. It is a beautiful song that somehow radiates in our souls as we sing it, but most people aren’t aware of the origin of the song or the meaning of the words. Did you know that that (Kum-ba-yah) is actually a Hebrew sentence? According to history, the song was first recorded in the early 1920s. However, it is believed to have originated with Southern Slaves in the Gullah language. Gullah is a language that was spoken by slaves that inhabited North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. If we break down the phrase Kum-ba-yah and what it means in Hebrew: Kum: Stand up or arise Ba: is believed to be an abbreviation for Abba, which means “father” Yah: is short for Yahweh and is translated as LORD in scripture when referring to the God of Israel. Kum-ba-yah, So loosely translated, the lyrics seem to mean “arise father God” or “stand up father God”. Again that first starting word Kum or koum, is used by Jesus in our scripture verses today untranslated, and again it means Stand up or arise. Let us read together now Mark 5:21 A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed 21 When Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the sea. 22 One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she can get well and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against him. Jesus had only been gone a day. The people He was previously teaching by the sea shore must have known that He was coming back so they stuck around for His return. Jairus was one of the rulers of the synagogue. The synagogue was the local center of worship. Jairus was a layperson elected as one of the rulers, and he would be generally responsible for supervising worship services. He would also care for the scrolls, the Old Testament Scriptures, and he would have charge of running the weekly schools. He would have the responsibility of keeping the congregation faithful to the law, and he would help in the distributing of money to the needy. Jairus, being a synagogue ruler also meant he had close ties to the Pharisees and he probably had been pressured not to support the ministry of Jesus. But I will suggest that neither pressure nor position could stop Jairus from coming to the one who might help his sick daughter who was facing imminent death. What would you be willing to do for your child who was about to take their last breath? Jairus heard about all that Jesus had done, and the miracles He had performed in the previous days. If there was any hope for his daughter, Jairus was going to pursue it. According to this verse, immediately “he fell at his feet and begged him earnestly”. I am sure this was a shock to many of the people who witnessed it. But you can just feel his hurting heart in what happened here, and Jesus was so inclined to oblige his request. As you will see in our next verses here in Mark, it gives us not just one, but two miracles in this one short story. What we will see next is another side-miracle that happened as Jesus was just attempting to walk to Jairus’s house. The dynamics of this next short narrative I find amazing as it reveals Christ’s amazing healing powers like no other occurrence I know of in scripture. It shows both the disparity of suffering and the amazing sensitivity of Jesus as He was both 100% man and 100% God at the same time. 25 Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years 26 had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.”29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 At once Jesus realized in himself that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.” So again, as Jesus was walking toward Jairus’s house to heal his daughter, this poor lady sees him and takes advantage of the situation. You can’t help but to have compassion on this lady who had been afflicted for so long. The dynamics of this situation is far more dire than what we might even imagine. In the Jewish law, a woman is considered impure for seven days from the beginning of her menstrual period (Lev. 12:2; 15:19). Anyone who even touches a woman during these times becomes unclean until evening (Lev. 15:19). Even new mothers, because of the blood, have to go through an ordeal of cleansing and hibernation before they are allowed to join the public. This lady was in constant turmoil with her situation. She was considered unclean by everyone and ostracized by the public for twelve years, so sad indeed. This story here in Mark is so well elaborated on that you can almost see her in your mind on the ground reaching out for Jesus’s robe as He passed by. It says her efforts were immediately successful, but Jesus felt that power leave His body as she touched him. That shows how in control Jesus was about His situation and His powers. He asked for the women, but I would argue that He knew who it was but He wanted to talk to her. And even though there was crowds pressing in all around Him, He found the lady and she fell down before Him. Jesus showed her such amazing compassion, even called her Daughter. And in that instant, Jesus knew her and He showed her His amazing love. What a wonderful testimony Mark shares with us here. And just like Jesus shows compassion and love for this stranger lady, He also offers to each one of us His compassion as well. Even though Jesus was on a mission to do something totally different, He still took a few moments to acknowledge this lady and love on her. That is my Jesus, that is my Savior, and that is my role model for this Christian life. Jesus is never too busy, He is always available for you and for me. Praise the Lord. Notice He says to her “your faith has saved you”. He says that at almost all his healings, “your faith has healed you” or “your faith has saved you”. Our faith is so important to realizing God’s blessings for us even today. According to Hebrews 11 “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”. Jairus had faith, that lady had faith, and we all should have such saving faith, Amen?. Now in the next verses we have the conclusion of the synagogue leader Jairus’s daughter situation. 35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher any more?” 36 When Jesus overheard what was said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” Because Jesus was delayed by the lady, He wasn’t able to make it to Jairus’s house in time, or so they thought anyway. This story is very similar to when Jesus raised his dear friend Lazarus from the grave. If you recall, Lazarus’s sisters ridiculed Jesus for coming late. They all loved Jesus, they were the closest of friends, but Martha came to Jesus crying saying it’s too late and why have you waited so long to come. The shortest verse in the bible in John 4 follows where it simply says then “Jesus wept”. Jairus too, I would bet was feeling his heart break at this announcement. Who wouldn’t feel that way learning that their child has just died. Again, there was an aggressive crowd all around them, but even still Jesus again shows compassion and sympathy for the synagogue leader, and tells him “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” What a powerful reassuring statement. I think this is a phrase we could even put above our alter here at church, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” Amen? So many things happen in life that we need to be reminded of this blessed phrase, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe. 37 He did not let anyone accompany him except Peter, James, and John, James’s brother. 38 They came to the leader’s house, and he saw a commotion—people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 They laughed at him, but he put them all outside. He took the child’s fathe

2019-11-10 – Mark 5.1-20 – “Send Us To The Pigs” Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today. Thank you all again for those that contributed to the Business Meeting and luncheon last week. It was a joy to experience fellowship with you all and consider with you the quarter year past and what’s ahead for our church. Before we get started today, I want to recognize the fact that tomorrow is Veterans Day, where we recognize our past and present military. I hope you have the opportunity to get out and consider the freedoms we enjoy as a result the efforts and sacrifices of our military citizens of this great nation. In that regard, if you have served in military service or as an emergency responder, would you please rise. [applause] And if you are or were a family member of one of those, we applaud you as well. We also have a few current military members to recognize, Dan Mitchell, Stephen Higdon, Quentin Manual. Are there any others? Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 5.1, pew Bibles pg. 891 in God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word, but let us first start with Prayer. To give you a little background to what we are going to discuss today, you should know that Jesus was in the first year of His three year ministry. He had been performing many miracles, He chose His twelve apostles, and as we learned last week in this book of Mark, He was showing them and us effectively, that He really is the Christ, the Messiah Savior that the Jews were waiting for. Last week we went over how after Jesus was teaching from the boat to the masses of people on the Sea of Galilee. Afterwards they went to cross over to the other side of the sea when they were caught up in a huge storm. Jesus then calmed the seas and the apostles conveyed their fear not of the sea, but now of Jesus Himself, saying “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” They realized that this man Jesus, was not only fully man, but also fully God at the same time. He was and is still in control of even creation itself. That is a thought and reality that all of us should come to in our faith walk. Jesus wasn’t just a good man. Jesus wasn’t just a most excellent prophet. Jesus was and is God in the flesh. That takes us to chapter 5 now of this great Gospel book of Mark. Mark 5 Demons Driven Out by Jesus 5 They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. 3 He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain— 4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 “What is your name?” he asked him. “My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region. 11 A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there. This small piece of His-Story is so much more significant than even what it initially conveys to the everyday casual Bible reader. It seems like it is just a brief instance that Jesus has the ability to exercise and demonstrate His amazing powers, even over that of the demon possessed. But just like so many other incidents in our Bible, especially those related to Jesus Christ, there are so many other deeper implications of these scripture verses. I have the privilege, in preparing theses sermon messages to dig a little deeper than the casual readers, and to that I am most blessed in doing so. I can start you out with a few questions that you might even ask yourself about this event. Why did Jesus go there in the first place? Who are these demons? Why would the demons ask to be sent into the pigs? Why did the pigs kill themselves? What does this have to do with me? We will go through these questions one at a time then summarize. So why did Jesus go to this place? As I read in the introduction, Jesus was making Himself known throughout the area of Galilee. So many people came to see and learn from Him that He chose to teach from a boat while the crowd was on shore so He could be most effective at reaching the masses. He gave the effort all He had until it was getting dark and then Jesus told the disciples to finally go over to the other side of the sea. While they were sailing, they ran into a horrible storm that we talked about last Sunday, while Jesus was fast asleep. That is until the disciples woke Him up in fear of their lives. Jesus calmed the storm and they subsequently landed the boat on this region of the Gerasenes. I will argue though that they didn’t just accidently land on this spot where the crazy demon possessed man was living. Instead I will suggest it was a divine purpose that took Jesus to that area. 1) to heal the man and show Jesus’s divinity and power, but also 2) to spread the Gospel through the healed man’s testimony. We will talk about that more later. The man that met them was possessed by a “legion” of demons. A legion is a military term meaning thousands. So thousands of demons had possessed this man for quite some time. If you read also the other accounts of this event as written in Matthew 8:28 and Luke 8:26, you will see this man was such a problem that they tried to chain him up, but he broke out of those chains and was running round naked amongst the tombs of the dead. He was also cutting himself with sharp rocks and howling uncontrollably. The towns’ folk were rightfully afraid of him and they avoided that area as much as possible. He was truly a crazed demon possessed lunatic and a menace to society. The legion of demons inside the man immediately recognized Jesus from afar and they had the man run and kneel down before him. Verse seven says “he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”” Demons, as you should know are fallen angels. There are a couple events in the Bible that talk about demons or fallen angels. One from before creation when Satan tried to take God’s thrown. God threw Satan out of heaven with one-third of the angels. Some of those fallen-angels (Jude 1:6) are locked “in darkness, bound with everlasting chains” for their sin. Others I believe, are free to roam and still follow Satan as their leader and do battle with the holy angels in an attempt to thwart God’s plan and hinder God’s people (Daniel 10:13). I will never claim that I have it all figured out, but I know demons do exist and they have influence on our world. But God is in control. As we see in our verses today, demons have the ability to take possession of a physical body, but take comfort dear Christian, knowing that this cannot happen to a child of God, since the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of the believer (1Jon4) This event here today you should know is very significant in that although Jesus and the Apostles run into demons on several different occurrences, there is no place else recorded in scripture where so many demons are engaged other than before creation and in Revelation. Jesus was showing the apostles His authority and His power in a big way. First, as we discussed last week, Jesus commanded even the storm and the sea, and now He is exorcizing a legion of demons. If there was any doubt in the minds of the apostles before, you would think these two events should have dispelled them. Jesus was and is truly God in the flesh. So why would these demons ask to be sent into the pigs? And Why did the pigs kill themselves? First you should know that this is a Gentile area outside of the strong influence of the Jewish religious authority. Another way you know this is that they were raising pigs, and Jews don’t eat pig. These thousands of demons, knew their time was short, they recognized Jesus right away and threw themselves prostrate, through the man at Jesus’s feet. I have know idea what Jesus might have otherwise done with these demons, but I can guess based upon their request that going into pigs was better for them than the alternative. Maybe they thought they could still exist and negatively influence the world through the pigs. Maybe make people feel guilty by eating them, lol. I have seen rabid animals before and it is ugly-scary for sure, and I would bet a demon possessed swine would be ugly-scary as well and perhaps even deadly too. I have no doubt that Jesus could have bound and destroyed all these demons in a moment if He wanted to. We know this because that is exactly what is laid out for us in the book of Revelation. Satan and all the demons are chained and bound for a thousand years it says. If he can do it in the future, then He could do it during this event as well. But God has a purpose for even these demons. If it were not for the demons and their negative influence, then we might never want to choose to believe in a Savior Messiah. Some things we will never fully understand this side of heaven, but I trust that God knows everything. So the demons ask, and Jesus gives them permission to enter the pigs. The pigs immediately rush down the hill and do a “Swine-dive” over the cliff into the water below. Scripture doesn’t tell us, but I would bet they had sa