Sermons From My Heart

The passage from John 11:30-47 shows Jesus at some of the highest and lowest points in his ministry. Jesus was told a few days earlier that his friend Lazarus was sick, but he waited for two days before he and the disciples went to the home of Mary and Martha, who were Lazarus’ sisters. By the time he arrived, Lazarus had been dead for several days, so it’s not surprising that Mary and Martha were disappointed with Jesus.

Sometimes Jesus disappoints us as well. We’ve prayed, but no answers have come. We’ve pleaded, but God has delayed. We’ve waited, but he hasn’t arrived. Why has Jesus waited? Possibly it is because our faith and hope in Jesus have to be proved and/or tested. Our faith depends on the faith that comes from experiencing God’s power in our lives. That faith needs to be as deep as Martha’s was when she said that God could do for Jesus whatever he asked. She had a faith experience because she had seen him work miracles throughout his ministry and she knew what he was capable of.

When he saw the mourners and their raw grief, Jesus wept. Why did he weep? There are several possible reasons. Jesus could have been genuinely moved by his grief and that of the other mourners. After all, Jesus was both fully God and fully human, and as a human he experienced human emotions. Jesus was also in awe of the power of God that was about to flow through him to triumph over death. Jesus’ tears could also have been caused by grief for a fallen world that is caught up in sorrow and death caused by sin.

Jesus could have also been grieving because the people could not see that the Messiah had come and therefore they could not see what God would do through him. This is a good lesson for the church to learn. The church can be unbelieving, unconcerned and indifferent toward Jesus and God. Regardless of the reason for his weeping, the knowledge that resurrection and joy would follow were the underlying points of his grief.

It might be hard for us to believe that Jesus could cry. After all, we’ve been told for years that only babies cry, but as Dr. Phil said in an episode of the Dr. Phil Show a few years ago, “Big boys don’t cry, but real men do”. I’ve even cried. I cried during my mother’s knee replacement operation a few years ago. Jesus wept because he was sad and hurt, and his tears provided relief. Jesus was sad over Lazarus’ death. He could have spared everyone grief by coming sooner, but he didn’t because it benefitted them in the end to witness his power over death. His actions proclaimed his power and glory.

Jesus’ prayer to God shows the intimacy of their union and the gratitude that God heard and answered Jesus prayer. Jesus always did what his father asked him to do, so all he does is in reality a prayer to God. Jesus hoped that everyone who heard him pray to God would know that he was the long-promised Messiah.

Our suffering and grief matter to Jesus, and he wept in empathy many times. When we get to heaven, there will be no more sorrow, pain or tears. We will experience love like we have never experienced it before. This miracle set the stage for Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was his last miracle. Some of the people who witnessed the miracle reported it to the Pharisees, and that led to Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection. If Jesus can raise Lazarus from the dead, and if Jesus can rise from the dead, he can bring new life to us as well if we are willing to profess our faith in him.

Jesus asked the people to unbind Lazarus and let him go. He could have done it himself, but when human beings are capable of doing something themselves, God will not intervene. Jesus calls us to unbind people as well-people who are bound up in prejudices, bad habits or other problems. They’ve heard the saving word of Christ, but they still need to be delivered from the bondage of sin. That is the ministry we care called to. When we unbind people, we show God’s love.

There is a lot of emotion in this story-grief/sorrow, sympathetic neighbours who shared the grief of Mary and Martha, Jesus weeping. In the midst of these emotions, there is an abundance of faith-faith in the words of Mary and Martha and faith in Jesus’ prayer to God. The most important feature in this story is the love of Jesus, especially as shown in his weeping. His love shows us God’s mind and nature, especially his compassion and sympathy.

The people were sad because they were stifled. Their lives were constricted. They could only see the darkness and finality of death. They knew that when Jesus’ hour came, he had to meet it and that there was no way out, and they also knew that the same thing would be true for them. They could not see the sunlight and eternity of life with Jesus in heaven until he died and rose again. Only then did they realize that Jesus made it through the valley of the shadow of death and came out on the other side. The other side was filled with light and glory.

Lazarus heard the voice of Jesus and answered the call. The voice of God reassures us and calls us from the past into the present. The voice of God keeps our faith alive. Jesus always seeks people out. He comes to us wherever we are. He calls us whoever we are. He can use us whatever we are.

When Jesus called to Lazarus, he brought Lazarus from death this time. Lazarus eventually died again. There will be a time when Jesus will call our names and bring us out of death into everlasting life. Jesus’ raising of Lazarus sent the people running for cover, and it should also send us running for cover too. We and they finally see that Jesus is Lord and liberator of all the people of God. Those who are oppressed in any way by society will be convinced that his power came from on high and could not be defeated by the evil forces of the world. Evil plotted to silence Jesus by crucifying him, but Jesus has silenced evil through the hope that his resurrection offers each and every one of us.

Bibliography

• ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible Software package.

• Frederickson, R.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 27: John (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985)

• “Bottle of Tears”. Retrieved from keys@lists.cbhministries.org

• Stanley C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2009)

• MacArthur, J.F. Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)

1. 1. Joni Eareckson Tada, “God Weeping”. Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org

• Harvey Stob, “He Will Call Our Name”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net

• The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “Who Gets the Last Word?” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

• Dr. Mickey Anders, “Waiting and Weeping”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

• The Rev. John Bedingfield, “Deconstruction”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

• Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “The Raising of Lazarus”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

• Dr. Keith Wagner, “A Voice You Can Be Sure Of”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

• Maxie Dunnam, “The Ministry of the Unbinding”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

1. Eric S. Ritz, “Called by Life”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
2. James W. Robinson, “A Cup Running Over”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
3. Thomas Peterson, “Come Out!” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
4. Carlyle Fielding Stewart III, “Take Off the Grave Clothes”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

Have you ever had problems or trials in your lives? We often have times of trial and difficulty in life. Sometimes they are the result of things we have done, and other times they are caused by God. All of us know what it is like to be hurt. It is part of all cultures, and it can only be cured by a powerful potion. In the case of believers, that potion is faith. Christian hope is grounded on the reality of Christ and his resurrection. Christ will protect us from persecution. He will protect our souls while allowing our trials to strengthen our faith. Trials humble us and prove the genuineness of our faith, but we can rejoice in suffering because of our faith.

All of our trials are temporary, because our life on earth is like a snap of our fingers-over in a flash. Our sufferings pale in comparison to the glory we will receive in heaven. We do not have to wait to catch a glimpse of God, because Jesus has told us about God. If we have faith in Jesus, we have faith in God. Faith makes us certain of the realities we can’t see, including God. When all seems hopeless, faith gives us the strength we need to keep going. Faith gives us hope.

God tests our faith so that we can experience his love. God will be with us as we face life’s challenges. We must not let our trials take away our joy. In fact, a good sense of humour can help us cope with life’s challenges. We can receive joy in the midst of our trials because God is with us. The power of God keeps us strong through faith and will continue to do so until the Second Coming. Our faith might be weak, but God is strong. This joy is unspeakable and full of glory because it comes from the Holy Spirit within us. This knowledge comforts us along with the knowledge that our trials are temporary. Our hope is in Christ alone. Hardships can strengthen our faith, and suffering can strengthen our character. Suffering can make us more sensitive to others. All of these refinements cause us to be more like Christ.

No matter how bad things get, we are to keep trusting in God, because God keeps his promises. He promised to be with us always, and he is with us always. We who trust Christ must praise God for keeping his promise of salvation. We must also live out that salvation in our daily lives. Salvation is a gift from God, and he gives believers this gift because of his mercy, grace and sovereignty. The world puts its hope in things that decay but Peter reminds us that our sure, secure hope is in Jesus. This hope allows us to face life’s challenges. Having hope does not mean that we won’t have problems, but it does mean that our sorrow will not last and that joy is central to our hope. Suffering leads to praise, honour and glory.

Peter wrote his first letter at a time when early Christians were being persecuted. The early Jews gave a living testimony to Jesus as the long-promised Messiah. Thousands came to Christ, but the early Jews were under a lot of heat. Christians are still being persecuted today, especially in the developing world. Like the early Jews, they can take hope in the knowledge of Christ’s resurrection. When we are asked why we have hope, we can say that it is because of Christ’s resurrection experience in our lives as we are born again in the Spirit. The rebirth gives us a heavenly inheritance that will never perish, will never be polluted and will always be bright. That living hope is also our shield against the perils of our sin-filled world.

When we face trials, it’s only natural for us to grieve, but we have the best comforter of all-Jesus. He has promised to be our Comforter and Encourager. He will be there so that our faith may be proved genuine. He will be with us so that we can gain praise, honour and glory at the Revelation of Christ. When we turn to Christ, especially in times of trial, we get to know God, we get a new life in Christ and we get a future in heaven.

Bibliography

• Rebecca Barlow Jordan, “Refiner.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

1. Bayless Conley, “Keep Laughing.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
2. Bayless Conley, “Keep Trusting.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
3. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.
4. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)
5. Cedar, P.A. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 34: James/1&2 Peter/Jude (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984)
6. Bayless Conley, “For Just a Little While.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
7. Joni Eareckson Tada, “Reasons!” Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org
8. Pastor Rick Warren, “Anybody Needs a Fresh Start.” Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com
9. Dr. Keith Wagner, “A Living Hope.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
10. Swindoll, Charles R.: Swindoll’s New Testament Insights on James, 1&2 Peter (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; 2010)  

How do you deal with distress, sickness or trouble? Sometimes we offer suffering or sick friends our own remedies as though we are the experts. Even Christians can deal with sickness and distress poorly. They ignore the reality of their troubled fellow Christians by saying, “God will heal-just pray.” They reduce trouble to only the physical when problems might be emotional, mental, relational or a combination thereof. The only solution is to turn to God for help, like David did in Psalm 34:1-8.

The background for this psalm is found in 1 Samuel 21-22. In jealousy, King Saul pursued David and threatened his life, forcing David to live on the run. In one of the loneliest times of his life, David sought refuge with the Philistines. When they realized who he was, he feigned insanity to protect himself.

David was physically weak and didn’t have any allies to help him. He was weak spiritually and aware of his sin. In spite of his weakness, he sought the Lord and the Lord heard him and delivered him from all his fears. Only through prayer can fear be overcome by faith. Like David, when we gather for worship every week, we come seeking the Lord’s guidance, direction, healing and hope.

The psalm begins with a call to worship. It’s an invitation for us to identify with David. The praise of the Lord is always in David’s mouth. David’s invitation is a call to continual worship that lifts the hearts of others, drawing them into a chorus of delighting in His name. The invitation is followed by comfort. We will only have happiness when we surrender our lives to God. When we do, God will provide for our needs. He will protect us from the devil’s attacks.

The psalm is a realistic view of the plight of worshippers who love the Lord. There is no prosperity gospel in it. It speaks of the righteous person’s many troubles. Those troubles come in the form of fears. The psalmist refers to such troubles by referring to the need for angels to surround the righteous.

How good it is for us to remember that we have a song of praise that we can sing to our Creator. There are lots of times when our mouths fall short of the glory of God or the words that come out of our mouths shock other people. When that happens, God wants us to chew on some compassion, mercy, grace and forgiveness. We will “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

The phrase, “to bless the Lord at all times” comes easily when times are prosperous. But David sang his song during tough times. When God’s people are afraid, they should worship. When they are filled with panic, it’s time to sing praises to God. When worry overwhelms us, the time for worship has arrived. Can you remember a time when you were in a time of trial? What did your heart and soul cry out? Did they cry out to God? When you have the opportunity, do what David did-praise God. Tell someone else what you learned.

When we are at a loss as to how to respond, it’s good to know that we can depend on God to bring order out of chaos. As we lean into Him, He will lead the way for us and for others. God calls each one of us to come to Him and develop a firsthand understanding of His love and kindness. No one else can do this for us. We must personally experience His presence and learn what it means to delight in Him.

Stepping out in faith means that we don’t know all that is going to happen but we are putting our trust in someone who does. Putting our trust in Jesus is not always the comfortable way to go. The risk we take is that God knows what He is doing better than we know what we are doing. History and common sense tell us to put our faith in the infinite Creator and Saviour of the universe rather than our unstable selves. Are we ready to take another step in the direction of faith? Then we have to accept God’s challenge to “taste and see.”

The phrase “the angel of the Lord” appears only three times in the Book of Psalms. Jesus appeared several times in the Old Testament as the angel of the Lord. Not only has God promised to deliver His people, He has promised to give them the deliverer! Jesus himself draws near to believers in their fear.

Praise is accepting from God all that comes our way, both the good and the bad. Praise takes our minds off our situation and focuses them on God. Praise acknowledges that God has a plan for our lives. We praise God for our current situation. Praise releases God’s power.

In a scene from the classical musical Oliver!, Oliver has just come to the orphanage. It’s dinnertime, and he’s been served very little to eat, and he’s hungry. He eats what he’s been given, gets up and walks down the dining hall toward Mr. Bumble. Oliver lifts his bowl and asks, “Please, sir, I want some more.” Shock and disapproval followed that request.

In contrast, God generously invites us to taste and see that He is good. We have a God who, when we come and say, “Please, sir, I want some more,” smiles and generously gives us more. More of Himself and His goodness. More of His kindness, His mercy, His graciousness.

How do we magnify the Lord? By sharing our stories of how He has worked in our lives. Our lives aren’t perfect. When we show our imperfections we shine the spotlight on Jesus, the One who has healed our wounds. He takes our failures and mistakes and uses them for our good and His glory. He has led the way for us even in the darkest times in our lives, so we can confidently follow Him into the future, regardless of the trials we face.

Our testimonies are not boring because they involve the action of God, the one whose ears are tuned to us, the one who has delivered our forefathers, and the one who is ready to deliver us if we are bold enough to ask. We are reminded that when God does deliver us, we are to share that story so that our individual praise can become a communal praise.

We also make Him bigger by fixing our eyes on Him and not on our circumstances, lack, fear, insecurity, doubt or conflict. When we do that, when we shift our perspective to focus on God, faith will rise in our hearts and we will live knowing the truth that we serve a big God who can do big things.

How often do we focus on the small things in life instead of the big God that we serve? We can have twenty great things happening in our lives, but when one thing doesn’t go right, we lose sight of the twenty and focus on the one little problem. That is why we must always decide to make God bigger than anything else in our lives. The more we focus on Him, the smaller the problems in our lives will become.

There are times in our lives when we need fresh eyes. We have to stop and get a new perspective. God often makes us stop what we are doing because He knows we need to see things and Him differently.

Praise opens our eyes and ears to God. When we focus on God in praise, we’re much more likely to hear God’s Word. Praise isn’t easy for us because it demands that we make changes in our lives. Most of us don’t like change.

So how do we delight in the Lord? It begins with a mindset. It starts first thing each day. We have to make a conscious effort, even before we get up in the morning, to place the day in God’s capable hands. Look for the good. Begin with gratitude. When we start the day by praising God, it keeps a song in our hearts throughout the day. When we offer our praise and worship to the Lord, He can dry our tears and banish our fears. His praise will be continually on our lips.

Also, God wants His Word to be an oasis for our souls. His word is filled with comfort and promises to give rest and peace. Read it. It is satisfying food for a sagging spirit. Finally, meditate. Let the healing balm reach into your mind and soul. Taking refuge in God-that is, being protected, warm, and loved-can result in a deep, inner sense of contentment, a feeling in the very depth of your being that all is well. Those who allow themselves to be wrapped in the arms of God will find true peace, love and contentment.

Glorifying God isn’t limited to worshipping in church. In fact, praise should permeate our lives. One way that we can praise God is with our voice. We can either speak or sing our worship. True worship flows from the mouths of believers who are focused on God’s attributes. They want to honour Him because of who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised for the future.

God is praised when we serve Him. People are created for the purpose of bringing glory and honour to His name, therefore, nothing should limit our willingness to work for the King, particularly when we have a chance to share Him with others. Christ is honoured when we speak boldly about His grace and His work. Believers’ testimonies are an amazing form of praise that magnifies God’s name.

What people think about God will strongly be influenced by what they see in us. We have been baptized into His name. With His eyes wide open, God chose to align His reputation with ours. What is the best way for us to glorify God? As we penetrate a dark world with the light of the Gospel, what is the best way for us to build God’s reputation? What will people see in our example and hear in our testimony that will cause them to admire God even more? How will their experience with us in congregations and communities cause them to admire God even more?

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p.728)
2. Williams, D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 13: Psalms 1-72 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1986; pp. 270-274)
3. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 727-728)
4. John A. Nelson, “Praise Always.” Retrieved from dailydevotional@ucc.org
5. Joe Natwick, “Psalm 34:1-8.” Retrieved from communic@luthersem.edu
6. Amy Carroll, “Finding the Happy Ending to Our Sad Story.” Retrieved from www.proverbs31.org
7. Elizabeth Cole, “Please Sir, I Want Some More.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
8. Dena Johnson, “The Marks of a Life Transformed.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
9. “When All That’s Left is Good.” Retrieved from www.leadlikejesus.org
10. Jim Burns, “Taste and See.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
11. Judy Fussell, “The Real Thing.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
12. Pastor James MacDonald, “Time to Pull Over?” Retrieved from Christinaity.com@crosswalkmail.com
13. Rick Ezell, “Expressing Genuine Praise.” Retrieved from rickezell@greerfbc.org
14. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Charged by Praise.” Retrieved from mydevotional@leadingtheway.org
15. Pastor Bobby Schuller, “Help Through Hope and Healing…”Retrieved from hourofpower@hourofppower.org
16. Dr. David Jeremiah, “Praise Him in the Morning.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org
17. Dr. Charles Stanley, “Expressions of Praise.” Retrieved from www.intouch.org
18. “When We Don’t Know.” Retrieved from www.leadllikejesus.com
19. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Taste and See..” Retrieved from mydevotional@ltw.org
20. Christine Caine, “Shift Your Focus.” Retrieved from no-reply@christinecaine.com

1. Christine Caine, “Make God Bigger.” Retrieved from no-reply@chrstinecaine.com
2. Eric Mathis, “Commentary on Psalm 34:15-22.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2615
3. Eric Mathis, “Commentary on Psalm 34:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2613

How many of you have to take pills every day? I’m certainly no exception. I have to take 4 medications and an iron supplement every day because of health conditions. If I don’t take my pills, my health will eventually get worse. In the same way, if we don’t read our Bible and pray every day, our spiritual health will get worse. In fact, the apostle Paul talks about spiritual health in the passage we heard from Romans.

Paul describes the gospel not as a message or a set of doctrines, but as “the power of God” effecting salvation. This salvation has universal reach, in that it extends to both Jews and Gentiles. The good news of salvation reveals “the righteousness of God,” which is expressed through God’s faithfulness toward humanity, a faithfulness that enables humanity to express faith through God’s faithfulness toward humanity, a faithfulness that itself enables humanity to express faith in Christ.

All that Paul has said to this point in the Letter to the Romans is painfully true: man has earned the condemnation of God. Paul’s first words in verses 21-22 signal the beginning of a new section of his letter-and a new day in the world of faith: before Jesus Christ, the Jews were self-righteous and the Gentiles were unrighteous. Now the righteousness of God is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe.

Sin is an overstepping of the divine boundary between good and evil, a failure to meet the divine standard, the intrusion of self-will into the place of divine authority, spiritual anarchy and an insult to the divine veracity. God has installed a warning system called guilt into our souls. We experience it when we do something wrong. Just as pain tells us there is a physical problem that must be dealt with or the body will suffer, guilt tells us something is wrong spiritually and needs to be confronted and cleansed. Guilt is the symptom of the real problem of sin.

In New Testament times, a slave market was a common sight. Slaves were displayed before potential buyers who would examine them and would buy the slave. Those days are long gone, but we are living in a time where similar tactics are used for a variety of reasons. We are familiar with hijackings, kidnappings and hostage-takings, which are often resolved only when innocent people pay huge ransoms to free other innocent people. Paul sees humanity as being in a similar situation. Christ is portrayed as the one who, when He came into the place of our bondage and seeing that we were hostages to sin, freely paid our ransom.

The subjects of redemption are sold under sin but are under sentence of death. The purchase price is the blood of Christ who died in their place. The redeemed are never again exposed to sale. Christ paid the price, the Holy Spirit makes deliverance actual in experience. Christ endured the righteous sentence God imposed on humanity. His righteousness is His consistency with His own law and holiness in freely justifying a sinner who believes in Christ.

There’s no question about human sin, guilt, divine judgment and condemnation. There is also evidence of God’s love for sinners and His commitment to their redemption. People who want to be reconciled to God have two choices: live a life that will be so pleasing to God that they will be rewarded by reconciliation, or trust God to give them a chance, even though it is neither earned nor deserved.

Salvation by grace through faith doesn’t mean that the Law is useless. On the contrary, it is still important. Salvation by grace underscores the true importance of the Law:

1. By providing a payment for the penalty of death, which the Law required for failing to keep it.
2. By fulfilling the Law’s original purpose, which is to teach us that we can’t obey God’s righteous demands and to drive people to Christ.
3. By giving believers the capacity to obey the Law.

The righteousness of God is neither an attribute of God, nor the change of character of the believer, but Christ Himself, who fully met every demand of the Law, and who is righteous. No one is outside the scope of God’s righteousness; there is also no distinction among those who are saved-or among those who are lost: all fall short. Divine righteousness excludes all boasting. It eliminates all human pride, prejudice and presumption.

Grace is one of God’s expressions of love for us. It is the gift unsought, unmerited, unlimited that overrules whatever a person has done, no matter the depth of transgression or the darkness of heart. He has made His righteousness available to us, and we don’t even have to obey the Law perfectly to receive it. He has shown this to be the case in His dealings with His people through the Law and the prophets.

It’s because of God’s grace that there is a gospel to proclaim and a Saviour to praise. He doesn’t get tired of us. Instead, He chooses to deal graciously with us. When we understand grace, we no longer resist and resent God. We long to draw near to Him.

 We won’t find God’s grace until we acknowledge that what we bring to the table is only our sin and guilt. We need God’s grace. What God brings to the table is everything. Our welcome into God’s family is zero because of what we’ve done and 100% because of what God has done for us in Jesus’ death on the cross.

 Because many years passed during which God continued to atone “temporarily” by covering over sin, it might have appeared that God did not take sin seriously. The cross of Christ removed all doubt: The cross is the public declaration that God is righteous in the way He has handled human sin. It is no longer merely covered, but removed!

How do we deal with sin? Some of us deny it, but a better way is through faith in Jesus. He shows us that God loves all of us, regardless of our sins. Christ came to pay the price for our sins. He covers our sins. He is the sunglasses that we wear so that we can see other people through God’s eyes.

How do we show our faith in Jesus? Some people think that going to church once a week is enough to keep sin away and show our faith, but it isn’t. In addition to a weekly dose of Bible study and prayer, we need a daily dose too. We need to read our Bible and pray each day to keep sin away, just like many of us have to take pills every day to keep illness away.

Bibliography

1. 1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p. 1548)

• The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testament. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

• Briscoe, D.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 85-94)

• MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

• Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)

• Pastor Greg Laurie, “The Good in Guilt.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

• Pastor Ken Klaus, “What You’ve Got.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org

• Dr. Charles Stanley, “Justice and Mercy.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

• “A Shot in the Arm.” Retrieved from www.Sermons4KIds.com

• Pastor Ed Markquart, “Me and My Shadow.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com

• Matt Skinner, “Commentary on Romans 1:16-17; 3:22-28(29-31).” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

This coming Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, many Protestant churches will celebrate the re-birth of the church, also known as the start of the Protestant Reformation. Sure, the church was actually born on the Day of Pentecost, but over time the church strayed away from its original purpose. It went from a God-made institution with the Ten Commandments, the Two Great Commandments and an emphasis on God’s love to a man-made institution with its emphasis on man-made rules and rituals.

There was a time when the church pictured God as an angry God who was watching over us and anxiously waiting for us to make a mistake so that he could punish us with eternal suffering in hell. The church taught people to fear God in the worst sense of the word, and the church used that fear to control the people, to get them to submit to church leaders and obey all of the teachings and rules of the church. The church used that fear to obtain wealth and power for the Pope in Rome and for the Roman Catholic Church. For example, by the 16^th century the Roman Catholic Church became wealthy from the indulgences or fees that worshippers had to pay to free the souls of their loved ones who were in purgatory, which was the place between heaven and hell where the faithful were being cleaned up for heaven. There were at least seven sacraments that were prescribed by man.

By the time of the Protestant Reformation, the church was similar to the Pharisees of Jesus’ time-very authoritarian. The word of the pastor or church elders was law, and no one in the congregation could question it. Part of the reason was because the language of worship services at that time was Latin. There were very few Bibles available because they were copied by hand, and the few Bibles that were available were also in Latin. Since very few people other than the wealthy and the educated could read or speak Latin, they had to trust that what the minister said was the word of God.

The situation in the church was similar to the Parable of the Wicked Tenants in Matthew 21:33-42. Reformers agreed with the parable’s idea that because the Israelites had abused their tenancy as God’s people, God would lease his church to another people-the (new) Christian church. They also argued that because the (new) Christian church had abused its tenancy, God would replace it with the Reformed Church.

Over many years the church and its practices were reformed, but the process was not easy. One key event that helped the process was the invention of the printing press. That made the publication and distribution of Bibles easier. The Reformation was also helped by efforts to translate the Bible from Latin into the languages of the common people in Europe, specifically the efforts of John Wycliffe and William Tyndale to translate the Bible into English, and Martin Luther to translate the Bible into German. That made it possible for more people to read the Bible and discover the truth of God’s word for themselves.

Luther also believed that church music was for everyone to sing. He wrote, “The devil who is the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless trouble, flees before the sound of God’s music almost as much before the Word of God”. That belief inspired him to compose the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, and it is a bold affirmation of the love and power of our heavenly Father.

The end result was the idea that ordinary Christians could and should read the Bible for themselves in their own everyday language and draw their own conclusions from it. They did not have to accept the words of centralized religious authorities at face value. They did not have to accept traditions at face value unless they were prescribed by the Scriptures. Naturally this undermined the authority of the established church, which is why the church prohibited translation of the Bible into the language of the people, and publicly burned such Bibles as they could find.

Even today, the Roman Catholic Church is largely authoritarian in nature even though changes were made in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council-changes that included allowing services to be conducted in the language of the common people. In addition, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormon Church and other fundamentalist denominations such as the Salvation Army, the Pentecostal Church and some Baptist churches are still thriving today, and individual preachers can be authoritarian (If you don’t believe me, just listen to Pastor Perry F. Rockwood!!!!!!!!!!).

Luther and other reformers understood that Biblical theology can only be done on the basis of a detailed and comprehensive study of all the relevant material, and not by blindly accepting a minister’s word as law. They struggled to accept the church’s teachings. In fact, it is largely due to Luther’s struggle to reconcile his faith with church doctrine that the Protestant Reformation was successful. Luther and other Reformers such as John Knox discovered that the only sacraments that were necessary were those that were explicitly mentioned in the Scriptures; namely, baptism and Holy Communion. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther had had enough of the corruption and false teachings that were coming out of Rome. He nailed his 95 theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany-thereby opening the floodgates to the Reformation.

There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God personally. Luther and the Reformers discovered this and so did the common people. The Reformation changed the church’s emphasis from the suffering Christ on the Cross to the Risen Christ and an empty cross. It’s not the “what” of our faith that saves us, but the “whom”. In his sacrifice for our sins, Christ truly sets us free from our sinful nature. Christ was most concerned about freeing us from our bondage. He came to free us from the bondage of sin, just like the Reformers freed people from unnecessary rules and rituals made by man and replaced them with those that were prescribed in the Scriptures.

Grace is the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ which is freely given without set and described patterns. It is the same point that Paul tried to make in Ephesians 2:8 when he wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, but the gift of God”. It was hard for both Paul’s readers and Martin Luther to understand and accept this concept because they came from religious backgrounds which underlined the importance of keeping the law to earn the love of God. What made it even harder for Martin Luther to understand this concept was the fact that his church told him that he could become justified before God and cleansed of guilt by doing certain things to make himself more pleasing to God-things such as becoming a monk, praying more, fasting longer, or by going on a pilgrimage. He did all of those things, but he still didn’t feel that he had done enough. It was only by carefully reading the Book of Romans, specifically Romans 8:19-28, that he discovered the reality of grace. Only then did he find peace with God and a sense of assurance and rest for his troubled spirit. He expressed God’s grace in the second verse of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”:

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing

Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing

Dost ask who that might be? Christ Jesus it is He

Lord Sabaoth His name, From age to age the same

And He must win the battle

The sole aim of the Reformers was to invite Christians into a new vision of the possibility of a genuine relationship with God that was not governed by church officials, of the promise of forgiveness based not on what we have done, but by what Christ has done for us, and the guarantee of access to God’s grace and promise of eternal life that was not mediated by man-made rules. In other words, the Reformers invited Christians to freedom.

The truth of what we believe is set in the truth of Jesus. When Jesus talks about abiding in his word, he is talking about obeying his teachings and building a life based on Jesus himself-a life of faith-a strong life. Christianity is about spiritual growth. It is about the hard work of sanctification, which requires both the Spirit of God and the disciplined and repeated use of the means of grace. A genuine believer holds fast, obeys and practices God’s teachings.

Grace can be abused, and in fact sometimes it is abused. Limitations are appropriate and necessary. God does give us commands. They are not meant to stifle us, but to allow us to grow in faith. Freedom in the biblical sense never means just doing what we want to do. It is the power to do what we ought to do. It is the freedom we need to be Jesus’ disciples. In serving God and serving others, we are free thanks to Jesus.

In the words of Martin Luther, we are justified according to the Scriptures alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The work of genuine reformation is never finished. The church has always adapted to reflect changes in society while remaining true to the Scriptures.

Reformation can continue here, today, with a commitment to continue in the word of Jesus-not as a hobby, but as the core and source of our daily lives. Grace is focused in Jesus Christ, but it is also all around us. God wants us to learn, God calls us to love with our minds, because the search for truth leads to God. If we look for it and listen for it, when we least expect it, a voice will say, “You are loved, you are affirmed, you are set free”. If we accept it, embrace it, trust in it, and let it penetrate every fibre of our being, it will make a difference in every aspect of our lives. It truly will set us free.

Bibliography

1. 1. “Translator William Tyndale Strangled and Burned”. Retrieved from www.christianity.com/ChurchHistory/11629961/print
   2. The Rev. Dr. Douglas Oldenburg, PCUSA, “Grace”. Retrieved from www.day1.org/876-grace.print
   3. The Rev. Dr. Brett Younger, “Loving God with All Your Mind”. Retrieved from www.day1.org/3241-loving_god_with_all_your_mind.print
   4. Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2009)
   5. Erdman’s Handbook to The History of Christianity (Berkhamstead, Herts, England: Lion Publishing, 1977, pgs. 345-432)
   6. Pastor Allen Schoonover, “The Truth Will Set You Free”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
   7. Pastor Dean Haferman, “Knowing God Personally”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
   8. Pastor Dean Haferman, “Reformation Day”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
   9. Pastor Thomas Kadel, “Quo Vadis Domine?” Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
   10. Pastor Joseph Robb, “Reformation: Major Transformation”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
   11. Pastor Dan Sello, “Life-Changing Discoveries”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
   12. Richard Neil Donovan, “The Truth Will Set You Free”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
   13. Greg Laurie, “Satan, Society or Savior?” Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
   14. R.C. Sproul, “Climbing Out of the Mire”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
   15. Macarthur, John: MacArthur Study Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006; 2008)
   16. Charles F. Stanley, “The truth That Sets Us Free”. Retrieved from www.intouch,org
   17. Charles F. Stanley, “True Freedom”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
   18. F.B. Meyer, “Our Daily Homily”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

• Dr. Tony Evans, “The Authority of Stewardship”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

1. Charles R. Swindoll, “Grace and Freedom”. Retrieved from www.insight.org
2. Biography of Martin Luther. Written by R.W. Heinze, PhD, Lecturer in Church History at Oak Hill College in London, England. Part of Libronix Digital Library System computer software package.
3. Biography of John Wycliffe. Written by R.G. Clouse, PhD, Professor of History, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana. . Part of Libronix Digital Library System computer software package.
4. Biography of John Knox. Written by H. Griffith, M.Div., Associate Pastor, Stony Point Reformed Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Virginia. Part of Libronix Digital Library System computer software package.
5. Ben Witherington, “Man of the Bible”. Retrieved from www.stlibrary,com/print.html?id=84376
6. David Lose, “Commentary on John 8:31-36”. Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching_print.aspx?commentary_id=827
7. Daniel Clendenin, Ph.D., “A Remarkable Exercise in Honest Thinking”. Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net/Essays/20091026JJ.shtml?view=print
8. Daniel Clendenin, Ph.D., “Correcting the Correction”. Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus,net/Essays/20051024JJ.shtml?view=print
9. The Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson, “god’s Presence, Freedom and Truth”. Retrieved from http://dimlamp.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/reformation-sunday-yr-c/
10. The Rev. Walter W. Harms, “Sermon on John 8:31-36”. Retrieved from www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/predigt.php?id=529&kennung=20071028en
11. Lucy Neely Adams, “Reformation Day: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. Retrieved from www.christianity.com/Home/Christian%20Living%Features/121523552/print/

In 1927, the silent film “Wings,” a World War I film about two American aviators, won the first Academy Award for Best Picture. When it was being filmed, production stopped for several days. Frustrated producers asked the director why. He replied, “All we have is blue sky. The conflict in the air will not be as visible without clouds. Clouds bring perspective.” The director was right. Only by seeing aerial combat with clouds as a backdrop could the viewer see what was really going on.

We see a good example of a similar situation in Job 42:1-6,10-17. At the beginning of his suffering in Job 3:3-5, Job complained that “May the day perish on which I was born…May a cloud settle on it.” Job continued to suffer until God spoke. Then Job exclaimed in Job 42:5, “I have heard of you…but now my eye sees you.” Job had an encounter with God, and that changed his view of God’s purposes.

There are times in our own lives when we wish for blue skies instead of storm clouds, but cloudy skies often reveal God’s faithfulness. When we look back on the clouds in our lives, we gain new insights on how God has been faithful in our trials.

The Book of Job deals with the universal problem of human suffering. More importantly, it deals with the vindication of a good God in the face of evil and suffering. Nowhere is this more evident that the reading we heard from the Book of Job. God did in Job’s life what he did in the life of the nation of Israel. The way God led Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt didn’t make sense, and what he allowed in Job’s life didn’t make sense either. The Israelites suffered and complained, and so did Job. Both the Israelites and Job learned that God is sovereign and good. The only difference is that Job always remembered what he learned. The Israelites didn’t.

Job’s response to God is one of complete submission to God’s sovereignty. Job affirms that God is free-he can do anything-and he does what is good and right. Job was right where God wanted him to be-humbly bowing before God in worship and repentance. Job went from silence to submission.

Job did not confess to any of the sins he was accused of, nor did he say what he was told to say. Job was innocent of these accusations. Job’s fault was that in making judgments about matters, he did not understand, especially when he argued with God about his justice. God did not condemn Job for any sins or foolishness. He did chastise Job for saying that he could better explain what was happening in the world and better order and control its affairs. Job was wrong on both counts, so he repented.

The final picture of Job mirrors the opening picture of him in Job 1. God restored Job not because of Job’s sacrifice but as a gift. God restored Job’s family and fortune to a level surpassing that at the start of his suffering. God gave Job back twice as much as he lost, including another ten children. These children did not replace the first ten children, but were added to them. Between heaven and earth, Job had twenty children. The names Job gave to his daughters were Peace, Forgiveness and Beauty. The book of Job ends with a positive picture of Job and focuses on his character. Job acknowledged all of his children as equals in the inheritance he left them. That was a rarity in ancient times because of the society’s attitude toward women. Job probably lived to the age of 210, which was a typical lifespan in Job’s time. The term “Old and full of days” meant that Job lived a rich, full life until the day he died. Job stayed faithful to God during his suffering, so God wisely rewarded him.

Job is a good example of the fact that God allows suffering so that he can test us or teach us something. My own life is a good example. God used my father’s suffering and death to bring me back to the church and in to lay ministry. Consequently, my ministry has been blessed by God and used to bless others. God allowed Job to come to a point where he humbled himself before God and finally found peace. In the same way God let me come to a point where I humbly submitted to his will.

Job was at a point where he had to confess that he was weak, unwise, wordy and unworthy. All of us have had times in our lives where we had to make some type of confession, and Job was no exception. Even if we have never sinned, our pride can get the best of us by ruling our lives. Job was relying on his own strength instead of relying on God. How many times have we made the same mistake? How many times has God had to make us suffer and realize that we need him? When we are at the lowest points in our lives and turn to God in repentance, we find out the truth behind the old saying that “What does not kill you makes you stronger.” God’s redeeming grace can take us from tragedy to triumph and from disbelief to a strong faith.

Worldliness can distort our view of God. Once we confess our ignorance and keep our mouths shut, we can see God clearly. We get to know him for ourselves. We don’t have to depend on human reasoning to define God. We don’t have to be afraid of God’s power because we have seen God’s grace. We don’t need an explanation for everything because we’ve placed our trust in God.

Sometimes when we suffer, we wonder where God is. We are not alone in asking this question. In his book, “Where is God When it Hurts?” author Philip Yancey answered this question. Here is his answer, and it is the same answer for each of us:

He has been there from the beginning…

He has watched us reflect His image…

He has used pain, even in its grossest forms, to teach us…

He has let us cry out and echo Job…

He has allied Himself with the poor and suffering…

He has promised supernatural strength to nourish our spirit…

He has joined us…hurt and bled and cried and suffered

He has dignified for all time those who suffer…

He is with us now…

He is waiting…

Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?

Instead of asking why God hasn’t kept his promises, we need to ask ourselves if there is anything we are doing that is keeping God from fulfilling his promises.

When God condemned Job’s friends, Job interceded for them. This was part of Job’s repentance, and because he showed grace to his friends, enemies and family, God gave Job grace. Job prayed for his friends, and that was evidence that Job’s heart was no longer filled with resentment or bitterness toward them. Job forgave them and experienced God’s forgiveness for himself.

When we pray for others, our own lives will change. The more we appreciate God, the more we will depreciate or humble ourselves. When the thought of God rises higher and higher, our pride will sink lower and lower.

There are things in life that we can’t understand on earth, but we will understand them completely when we get to heaven. One of these things is God’s grace. Grace can’t be earned. It is the gift of God’s unconditional love. Job’s intercession was a prophetic image for Christ’s intercession for his enemies when he was dying on the cross. Grace holds no grudges, and neither did Christ or Job. They accepted those who abandoned them just like God still loves us even when we abandon him.

Satan is always looking for ways to attack God’s children, and when he does attack, God is still in control. Even when Satan does his worst like he did when he made Job suffer, God does his best for us. When the devil attacks, we must continue to surrender our lives to God’s will, because God will always defeat the devil.

Bibliography

• Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

• ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

• McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 12; Job (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1986)

• Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles, 2005)

• MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

• “Perspective from the Clouds.” Retrieved from noreply@rbc.org

1. Steve Arterburn, “Nothing to Prove.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@croswalkmail.com

Hello boys and girls!

How many of you have a little brother or a little sister? How about a puppy or a kitten?

How do they get attention when they want something? They whine or cry when they are hungry, thirsty tired or wet. For example, babies don’t care if they are home or in a restaurant or even here in church.

What do you do if you want to get someone’s attention? As we get older, we learn to be more reserved about making our wants and wishes known. Or do we? Today we will hear the story about a man who was not at all bashful about letting Jesus know that he needed something.

Jesus and his disciples had spent some time in the city of Jericho. As they were leaving town, a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road. When he heard the people saying that Jesus was approaching, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

His crying out disturbed the people around him. “Be quiet!” they yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard Bartimaeus crying out, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come to me.”

They called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, Jesus is calling you to come to him.” Bartimaeus jumped up, threw aside his coat, and went to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“I want to see,” Bartimaeus answered.

“Go,” Jesus said. “Your faith has healed you.” Instantly Bartimaeus could see and he followed Jesus down the road.

Can you imagine a mother hearing her baby cry and just ignoring it? No way! A mother will do whatever she can to find out what her baby wants or needs and tend to that need. Can you imagine God knowing that we have a need and ignoring it? Not a chance! God loves his children and wants what is best for them. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

When you have a need in your life, don’t be shy. Speak up! Remember what Jesus said in John 14:13. “I will do whatever you ask in my name.”

Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dear God, we know that you love your children and want what is best for them. Help us to remember that we need not worry about anything. All we need to do is to ask in Jesus’ name. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bibliography

1. “Speak Up!” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com

Back in 1971, Gavin Bryars, one of England’s leading musicians and composers, agreed to help his friend Alan Powers with the sound on a film that Powers was making about street people. He was filming in an area around London’s Waterloo Station. He filmed various people living on the streets. He caught their daily rituals, trials and joys on film. Some of the homeless people were obviously drunk, some were mentally disturbed, some were very articulate, and some were incomprehensible.

Back in the studio, Gavin Bryars went through editing the audio and video footage. That’s when he became aware of a constant undercurrent, a repeating sound that was always there on the audio tape whenever one older man appeared on camera. But he couldn’t tell what the sound was. At first it sounded like muttered gibberish. So Bryars removed the background street noise and cleaned up the audio tape. Then he discovered that the old homeless man was singing.

Ironically, the footage of this old man and his muttered song didn’t make the film maker’s cut. But the film maker’s loss was Gavin Bryars’ gain. He took the rejected audio tape with him and could not escape the haunting sounds of this homeless, nameless man. He did some research on his own into who this homeless man might be.

From the film crew, Bryars learned that this street beggar didn’t drink. But neither did he engage others in conversation. His speech was almost impossible to understand, but his demeanor was cheerful. He was old and alone and filthy and homeless, but he had a kind of playfulness about him. He would tease the film crew by swapping hats with them.

What distinguished this old man from other street people was his song. The song he sang under his breath was a simple, repetitive Sunday-school tune. He would sit and quietly sing it, hour after hour after hour. He would sing:

Jesus’ blood never failed me yet, Never failed me yet
Jesus’ blood never failed me yet,
There’s one thing I know, For he loves me so…

It was like an endless loop. The song’s final line fed into its first line, starting the tune over and over again without ceasing. The man’s weak, old, untrained voice never wavered from pitch, never went flat, never changed key. The simple intervals of the tune were perfectly maintained for however long he sang.

 Gavin Bryars was stunned. Although not a believer himself, Bryars could not help but be confronted by the mysterious spiritual power of this unadorned voice. Sitting in the midst of an urban wilderness, this voice touched a lonely, aching place that lurks in the human heart, offering an unexpected message of faith and hope in the midst of the darkest, most blighted night. This nameless old man brought a message from God in his simple song.

It took England’s leading contemporary composer until 1993 to create and produce what he felt was a proper accompaniment to this homeless person’s song of trust and obedience. He did this in partnership with one of America’s leading composers, Philip Glass. The result is a CD entitled “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.”

In Old Testament times, the role of the high priest was important. He was the titular head of the Jewish people even thought they had a king. The high priest had important administrative and religious duties. In fact, the Roman governors often consulted with the high priests.

The Israelites could never be sure that the high priest would succeed when he went before God to make atonement for their sins. The Israelites’ high priests were sinners who had to constantly make sacrifices for themselves. The most famous high priests who were sinners were Caiaphas and Ananias. They were the high priests who played a key role in the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus.

Sacrificial animals had to be perfect in the eyes of the temple priests. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for us because he was perfect and sinless. He is a complete Saviour. Christ united the offices of high priest and king. He is unique in holiness, innocence and purity because of his exalted position in heaven because of his death, resurrection and ascension.

On the other hand, Jesus always represents us before the throne of God. Jesus intercedes for us like a lawyer intercedes on behalf of the client. We can hold to the truth that Jesus died for us. Through his death he intercedes for us by providing the one ultimate sacrifice needed for the atonement for our sins. He has not abandoned us. In fact, he constantly intercedes for us and pleads our case before God the Almighty Judge.

Jesus never fails as our high priest. He knows how to minister to us in the way that benefits us the most and matures our faith in him. Christ did not have to atone for his sins because he never sinned. He only needed to atone for us once. He saves us once and for all.

In the time period and culture of Mark’s Gospel and the Letter to the Hebrews, the best chance a blind person had to support himself was to sit in the path of pedestrians. After all, the passers-by might be moved with mercy and toss some spare change when the blind person called out to them. Jesus was moved with mercy when Bartimaeus called out to him. His mercy led to the saving of both Bartimaeus’ sight and his soul.

The attention that Jesus paid to the poor tells us that what is important to him needs to be important to us as Christians. The poor and the outcasts of society need to be paid attention to. It doesn’t matter if they are across the street or around the world. Distance and other circumstances might keep us separate from them and out of hearing, but we can pay attention to those who do speak for them-relief agencies, journals, newsletters, web pages, religious communities, etc. If Jesus could be interrupted on the way to the cross to answer the urgent, faith-filed cries of Bartimaeus, he will also stop and listen when we call out to him. He is never too busy governing the universe to hear the cries of help from his beloved children.

Crying out is an act of faith. Job cried out, and God confirmed that his cry was an expression of faith. Sometimes we are too proud to ask for help and that is totally understandable. After all, it’s part of human nature to be independent and to want to do things for ourselves. We have to remember that we can’t do everything by ourselves. We need help from time to time, especially when it comes to our salvation, and our eternal life. We need to cry out to God in faith for help when we need it. Each and every one of us has sinned, and that can keep us from heaven unless we acknowledge that we need Jesus in our lives.

When we come to Jesus, we have to get rid of our garments of self-sufficiency, just like Bartimaeus got rid of his cloak. We have to let go of our desire to control things and let God take control of our lives. God always calls someone to him through different, often difficult circumstances.

Bartimaeus gained both physical sight and spiritual sight. Unfortunately, the disciples were still spiritually blind. You see, the story of Bartimaeus occurs while Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, where he will be crucified. On the way, Jesus told his disciples several times what would happen to him in Jerusalem, but the disciples did not get it. They did not understand him, nor did they understand the cost of following him. In fact, the final mistake they made was to argue in Mark 10:32-45 about who would have precedence in God’s Kingdom!

Jesus gives us spiritual sight. His call to discipleship comes through healing so that others can be given sight of their own weakness as the place where the call to discipleship leads. Only when we can see and accept our weaknesses can we allow Christ to come and serve us. The new covenant that Jesus has with us is for everyone who accepts the free gift of salvation by placing their faith in Jesus. In return, he prays for all of us so that we receive God’s kindness instead of God’s wrath.

Bartimaeus has a lot to teach us about persistence, faith and gratitude. Jesus’ ears hear the cries of the marginalized people in society. When God calls us, or when we call out to God, we must not give up in our attempts to get to him. We must not let obstacles stop us. We need to pay attention to what God is doing in and around us so that we don’t miss what he has in store for us. We need to let Jesus lead the way. Bartimaeus’ outward healing reflected the inner wellness of his salvation. His desire to see represents our desire to be freed from the cultural blinders that have held us captive since the beginning of time.

We are all like Bartimaeus. We are often blind to what goes on around us. We are often blind to God’s love and his desire to have a loving relationship with us. He is waiting for us to come to him. He is standing at the door. He is waiting for us to open the door so that he can enter into our lives.

Jesus can save us because he did not save himself from death on the cross. He can save us because he took our guilt and endured the punishment that we justly deserved. Salvation can’t be separated from divine justice. God hates sin, and he demands punishment for sins. Either the sinner must die, or else someone must die for him. That someone was Jesus. He can save us because if we come to God by him, then he died for us. We need to experience God’s forgiveness, cleansing power and freedom. This comes through God’s mercy, and because of his faithfulness and his love for us, his mercy is new every morning.

So how can we be cured of our spiritual blindness? First, we have to seize the moment and recognize when God gives us an opportunity. Second, we have to reach out in faith and move against our fears of rejection or ridicule. Third, we announce our faith and the changes we want to make in our lives. Only then will we receive God’s grace.

Our faith in Jesus will keep us on the right path when we are in danger of losing our way. Our faith in Jesus will keep us clear and certain when things seem cloudy and confused. It will keep us strong and victorious when we feel weak and defeated. Because we believe that God is sovereign, and because we believe that the risen Christ is living and that the power of the Holy Spirit continues to make all things new, we can affirm that we are being healed again and again. We can see things in fresh, new ways. We can see that we are being called to jump up, throw off the comfortable cloaks of our blind past and follow Jesus into the unknown dangers and the unimaginable opportunities that are to come.

 Bibliography

• Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc. ;20090

• Dr. Mickey Anders, “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

1. Patrick Rooney, “Interceding for Us Now”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
2. Pastor Greg Laurie, “Because We’re Drowning”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
3. MacArthur, J. : The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers: 2006; 2008)
4. Evans, L.H. & Ogilvie, L.J., The Preacher’s Commentary Series Volume 33: Hebrews (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985)
5. Dale Vander Veen, “All-Sufficient Saviour”. Retrieved from today@thisistoday.net
6. Bayless Conley, “For All People”. Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalksmail.com
7. Cecil Murphy, “The Intercessor”. Retrieved from www.christianity.com/devotionals/invading-the-privacy-of-god-cecil-murphy
8. John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, 21^st Sunday after Pentecost, Oct. 25, 2009. Retrieved from www.lectionary/seemslikegod.org
9. John North, “Time with God: Hebrews 7:25”. Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalksmail.com
10. Matthew Henry Concise Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible software package.
11. Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible software package.
12. ESV Study Bible. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible software package.
13. C.H. Spurgeon, “Spurgeon at the New Park Street Chapel: Hebrews 7:25”. Retrieved from Biblegateway@lists.biblegateway.com
14. Os Hillman, “Motivations to Call”. Retrieved from Today-God-is-First@crosswalkmail.com
15. Mark D. Roberts, “The Jesus Prayer”. Retrieved from Newsletter@TheHighCalling.org
16. Pastor Bob Coy “Trails of Faith, Parts 1 & 2”. Retrieved from www.activeword.org
17. Dr. Charles F. Stanley, “A Passing Opportunity”. Retrieved from www.intouch.org
18. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
19. Dr. Charles F. Stanley, “God Has Time for You”. Retrieved from www.intouch.org
20. Dermot Martin, O.P., “Take Heart, He is Calling you”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org
21. Exegesis for Mark 10:46-52. Retrieved from ww.sermonwriter.com
22. Pastor Rick Warren, “What Mistakes, Regrets Do You Need to Hand Over to God?” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
23. The Rev. Dr. Susan Andrews, “How Eager Are You?” Retrieved from www.day1.org
24. Erskine White, “Blind Beggars All”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
25. King Duncan, “Lesson from a Blind Man”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com
26. Roland McGregor, “Cry Out!” Retrieved from mcgregorpage@mcgregorpage.org
27. John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, Year B, Season after Pentecost-Proper25 Ordinary 30. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod,org/archives/rear-b-season-after-pentecost-proper-25-ordinary-30.html

Each and every one of us can be a priest!

Does that statement make sense to you? After all, when we hear the word “priest” we often think of the ordained clergy who preside at weddings, funerals, baptisms or weekly worship services. The truth is, we are all priests. Let me explain by talking about the role of a priest as outlined in Hebrews 5:1-10.

In Genesis 14:18-21, Abraham gave a tithe of the spoils of war to Melchizedek. He was the king of Salem, which was the ancient name for Jerusalem, and he was a priest of the true God. He lived many centuries before Aaron and is described in Hebrews 7:3 as “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God.” In other words, his ancestry is unknown.

Jesus is also a priest in the order of Melchizedek. Jesus was morally perfect, but he was further perfected by the discipline of suffering, where he completed his qualification course foe becoming the eternal High Priest. Jesus did what no Old Testament priest could do-not even Melchizedek. The Old Testament priests had to atone for the sins of the people and their own sins as well. Jesus provided eternal salvation by being the sinless author of salvation.

Jesus was a high priest for everyone. He reconciled us to God, thereby healing any and all divisions. In return, we are to be ministers to everyone in that we are to show God’s love to everyone, regardless of race, colour, creed or ethnicity.

Jesus was never shielded from suffering. His sufferings were real and intense and included every human woe. That’s the difference between innocence and virtue. Innocence is life untested, virtue is innocence tested and triumphant. Jesus was tested and triumphant, and in the testing he learned obedience. Jesus took on human flesh and came to earth to die for our sins and to identify with every area of our lives except for sin but including suffering. Jesus suffered pain on the cross so we can have eternal life.

The community of the baptized, the church and its members, is supposed to follow Jesus’ example. We are supposed to show up when people need us. We are to share others’ suffering, pain and joy, even when we are suffering. Even when our pain is not by our own choice, God can use our pain for good if we let him. For example, Jesus ministered to the repentant thief on the cross even while he (that is, Jesus) was in agony on the cross. Christians find in suffering an opportunity to learn discipline, obedience, grace and faith, just like Jesus did.

When we suffer, we must not complain, especially if our suffering is caused by something we can’t control-for example, the harsh conditions we have experienced this winter. Accepting the things that we can’t change when we suffer is the first step toward overcoming them in a Christian way. Times of suffering aren’t times for us to withdraw and engage in self-pity. They are precisely the times when we need to offer ourselves to others, because they are the second step toward overcoming life’s trials and hardships.

Christ and Aaron were divinely called to serve as High Priests. High priests do not grasp at this position for its honour and glory. Those who seize the office in arrogance are disqualified. Aaron and those who followed him as high priest came to their position because God called and appointed them. The High Priest must be able to deal with the ignorant and the errant because he is beset by human weakness.

Christ was mentioned as both God’s Son and as a priest of the order of Melchizedek. His calling as a priest was natural given that as God’s son he sits and rules at God’s right hand. Jesus was faithful to God, even to the point of death on the cross. Jesus aligned his will with God’s plan for his life. As Christians we are called on to make sure that our lives are in line with God’s plans for our lives. In other words, our plans for our lives must be the same as God’s plans for our lives. We are to place our lives in God’s hands.

As our High Priest, Jesus stands between us and God. Consequently, we have the right to approach the throne of God. Jesus has experienced all of our human weaknesses and identifies with them because he was tempted like all of us. He isn’t scared of our sin. He has felt all of our human emotions. The only difference between Jesus and us is that Jesus is without sin. We don’t have to ask twice for forgiveness. We don’t have to be afraid of approaching God’s throne.

God’s love outlines boundaries. Without these boundaries we would be easy targets for every kind of harmful influence. Our obedience to God’s will ushers in God’s protection and blessings. Obedience comes from our relationship with God. That relationship is built not by our own efforts, but by grace through faith.

As part of being a High Priest, Jesus made prayer and supplication part of his daily life. He was wholly dependent on his Father and obeyed him even when he wrestled with temptation. In his humanity, Jesus served with a broken heart. He was heartbroken over the condition of the people. His ministry was a tearful ministry. In Hebrews 5:7 we are told that “while Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with loud cries and tears, to the one who could deliver him.” Jesus learned obedience when he suffered. Jesus’ passionate prayers must be our guide to prayer. Our prayers must be as passionate as his were.

In his humanity, Christ struggled with the assignment God gave him: death on the cross. Even though God heard his cries, the plan was not changed. Jesus walked through all of it in complete submission, just like he had done with every assignment God gave him throughout his earthly life. When we suffer in faith, when we suffer for being God’s love in the world, when we move through an unbelieving world and pay the price for our faith, we show God’s values. These values reflect Jesus and result in a way and a model for salvation.

As we travel life’s road, we are constantly tempted to sin just like Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. If we sin, we are lost. The only hope we have is to throw ourselves on Christ’s mercy and ask for his help. He can meet our needs. He is willing to represent us before God because he has gone before us as the perfect Son of God.

When we become Christians, God enrolls us in the same school of “hard knocks” that Jesus was enrolled in. The problem is that we have to choose between our earthly lives and our heavenly lives. We have to choose which one we want to live in, because we can’t live in both. God helps us to make that choice by getting our minds off of the things of this world and teaching us obedience in preparation for life in the next world.

When we pray to God, we must be obedient to God. Obedience is necessary for our salvation. We can’t earn our salvation by good deeds. The only deeds that can save us are those by which we receive God’s unmerited gift of salvation. Our zeal for completing the mission God gives each and every one of us to do involves moving our lives and the life of the church toward a model of priesthood according to the order of both Melchizedek and Jesus. It also involves caring for the deep physical and spiritual needs that we have in our daily lives.

So how are we like priests? We are appointed by God. We sacrifice ourselves and our desires to God. We continually pray to God about the human condition. We offer prayers and supplication with genuine care and concern. Finally, we ask other to join with us to do God’s work in our world-just like any priest would do.

Bibliography

• Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

• Joni Eareckson Tada, “The School of Obedience.” Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org

• Ron Moore, “Source of Eternal Salvation.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

• Dr. Charles Stanley, “Learning Obedience through Suffering.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

• Rick Ezell, “Let Your Heart Be Broken.” Retrieved from www.greerfbc.org

• The Rev. Dr. James D. Kegel, “Christ the Center.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org.

• Mark J. Moldrem, “Prayer Clothes.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

• Erskine White, “How to Deal with Suffering.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

• The Rev. Eugenia Gamble, “Suffering for Faith.” Retrieved from www.day1.org

• Thomas G. Long, “What God Wants.” Retrieved from www.religion-online.org./showarticle.asp?title=3336

• Stephen Paul Bouman, “Parking Lot Palms.” Retrieved from www.religion-online.org./showarticle.asp?title=2913

• Bryan J. Whitefield, “Commentary on Hebrews 5:1-10.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=423   

In Mark 10:35-45, Jesus once again told his disciples everything that would happen to him in Jerusalem-his trial, death, resurrection and ascension. James and John seized this opportunity to ask for the highest positions of honour in his kingdom-at the right and left hands of Jesus. They forgot that God controls the final destiny of each and every one of us. They expected a moment of glory, and they wanted to enjoy it. No wonder Peter and the rest of the disciples were upset. Jesus saw that a power struggle was developing, and he had to do something about it.

The disciples would have been wise to remember the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for.” Jesus warned them that they would suffer like he would suffer. He told them that they would be martyred for their faith, and in fact they were martyred for their faith. James was the first of the disciples to die for Christ. John was the last. He died in exile as an old man on the Greek island of Patmos.

Sometimes we have the idea that if we follow Jesus we are guaranteed to receive a reward. When that happens we forget that Jesus’ ministry was one of serving others. He gave himself for the sake of others, including suffering for their salvation. Christians today should be just as willing to suffer with Christ as they are to reign with him. Nowhere is this more evident than in countries where being a Christian could lead to jail, physical harm and even death. In our part of the world we may never have to suffer the same consequences for following Christ, but there will be times where we will have to endure our own brand of trials because of our faith. We must remember that if we suffer here on earth for our faith, we will be greatly rewarded in heaven.

Power as the standard of greatness corrupts people. You only have to look at some politicians to see that this is the case. People who are corrupted by power fail to realize that there is only a limited amount of power to go around. They want to protect their position, while people who don’t have power want it. If power is a standard of greatness in any organization, including the church, ambition will rule and jealousy will reign.

Pride wants strokes, and lots of them. Pride loves to get the credit, to be mentioned, to receive glory. For example, those of you who are in the workplace have likely been in situations where your bosses should have given you the credit you deserved, but for whatever reason they didn’t. When that happened, your pride had to be kept in check.

Jesus had the right to be mad at the disciples, but he realized that they were slowly beginning to understand what ministry would involve. He chose to teach them the meaning of true greatness by comparing human standards of greatness with God’s standard of servanthood. In Jesus’ vision, greatness is equal to servanthood. Jesus redefined the true nature of greatness. To be great does not mean to lord it over someone. It means to willingly serve under someone. By giving his own life as a ransom, Jesus-the Suffering Servant mentioned in Isaiah 53:10-12-would soon show his followers ultimate humility.

When we care about the things that hurt others, our hearts will be opened to their pain, and that openness will lead to its own suffering. We need to see other people and realize their importance to God. True humility and love for others flows from the infinite love God has for his people. Christ gave his life to God the Father as a ransom to pay for the sins of the people. The cup Jesus was to drink from was God’s wrath. Jesus bore God’s wrath in the place of sinful mankind. The cup the disciples would drink from would purify them and give God glory.

When we follow God, we lay the foundation for God’s kingdom here on earth. We have been saved by the greatness of Jesus, and in return we are to serve Jesus by serving others. Someone led us to Christ, so we must lead others to Christ. Someone helped us to grow spiritually, so in return we must help others grow spiritually. Someone was kind to us, and in return we are to be kind to others.

This can be hard to remember in our fast-paced world. It can be easy to lose sight of what it means to be great in God’s eyes, but if we slow down and open our eyes we will see that opportunities to serve are all around us. It’s easy to find them when we are at home. For example, we can do someone else’s chores or prepare a special meal. We can also serve outside of our homes as well. We can hold the door for a mom pushing a stroller or for someone who is carrying something in their arms. Regardless of what we do, we must serve gladly, because the person we are serving could be an angel in disguise. When we serve others as Jesus served us, we will know the true meaning of greatness. Being called by God is not an invitation of ease and special treatment, but is an invitation to abundant life.

Bibliography

• Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

• ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

• McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 25: Mark (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)

• MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

• Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 29^th Sunday (B).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

• Wendy Pope, “Serving Others.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

• Charles R. Swindoll, “To Serve and to Give.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ca

• Charles R. Swindoll, “A Servant, Not a Celebrity.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ca

• Pastor Dave Risendal, “You’re Gonna Have to Serve Somebody.” Retrieved from donotreply@wordpress.com