The Process of Spiritual Growth

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This sermon was given on April 17, 2016 at Wayside Community Church. It was on the subject of discipleship and it discusses some of the influences that help to shape a disciple of Jesus.

Written Excerpts:

Ephesians 4:13-15 (KJV) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Introduction:

Last Sunday we had a guest missionary speaker, but the few weeks prior to that I had been sharing the burden of my heart regarding the matter of Christian discipleship. We talked about the call that Christ gives for us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him. We also talked about what it means to be a disciple.

The last time I challenged us with the command or mandate that Jesus left with His disciples prior to His return to heaven… Go and teach all nations (make disciples of the peoples / ethnic groups)

I felt impressed to do one more message on this topic of discipleship for today – the subject of spiritual growth.

Growing is a vital part of everyday human development and many references in Scripture draw an analogy between growing spiritually and growing physically.

I had been reading over some materials that were written by Dr. Charles Lake, who is a pastor and author. He has written one of the many discipleship curricula that is available. Today I want to share some thoughts about the process of spiritual growth that I have adapted from Dr. Lake’s material.

As we talk to you about spiritual growth, I want to emphasize two basic points:

I.    Spiritual growth is normal for the Christian life.

II.  Spiritual growth results from several influences.

I.    Spiritual Growth Is Normal. (The absence of growth is abnormal.)

The Bible is very clear about the analogy between natural birth/growth and spiritual birth/growth.

First, there must be a birth.

John 1:12-13 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:7 “You must be born again.”

I’m convinced, based on years of ministry experience, that some people aren’t growing spiritually in Christ because they’ve never truly had a spiritual birth. They’ve never experienced a moment in their lives when they truly repented of sin and committed their lives to the power and authority of Christ.

They have probably just started trying to assimilate some of the normal practices that Christians do without really experiencing a transforming spiritual birth.

Second, there must be signs of normal growth and development.

We have recently rejoiced over the birth of little Oakley. After she was born, Kenton and Mandy didn’t bring Oakley home from the hospital and place her in a baby bed, then walk away saying, “Well, we got that all finished.” No! It isn’t finished. Their job and her growth is just getting started.

Every child desperately needs the nurture and help of his or her parents, but the parents are also are looking for the normal signs of development in their child. The same analogy applies to spiritual growth.

When we are spiritually born, we all need the nurture and guidance that older Christians can provide, but we also need to be showing signs that we are making progress and developing more and more in the knowledge and grace of Jesus.

The Apostle Paul expressed this point in different ways in regards to churches he helped get started and in individuals he led to Christ. For example, the believers in the Galatian church, who had reverted back to some legalistic errors of Judaism. He refers to them as “little children” probably because he felt the tenderness of being their spiritual father (i.e., the one who first led them to Christ). It may also appropriately describe the fact that they hadn’t developed into spiritually mature believers yet.

Galatians 4:19 (NKJV) My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,

(R. Alan Cole, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) “… with a typical mixture of metaphor, Paul says he is in labor all over again until Christ be formed in you... No-one doubts his meaning: it is the agony of the pastor, watching for signs of Christian growth in his flock…

Paul is agonizing over them until Christ takes shape in their lives and they more accurately demonstrate His character and grace.

Christian discipleship is about growing more and more in the knowledge of Christ as the knowledge works itself out in daily practice at home, at work, at church and in the community.

II.  Several Things Influence our Spiritual Growth.

Dr. Lake says, “Spiritual growth is a co-operative venture.  Christ and His Word at work in the heart of the believer, coupled with disciplined obedience on the part of the believer, coupled with effective discipling [results] in intentional, measurable growth.”

In this statement he identifies at least 4 influences that effect spiritual growth in the life of a believer: Christ, the Word, the aid of a discipler and the obedient cooperation of the disciple.

Actually, for our purposes today, we will combine the influence of Christ and the Word because both are active in us through the Holy Spirit.

Role of Christ and the Word

Philippians 1:1-6 (NKJV) Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Philippians 2:12-13 (NKJV) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

When we are born again and begin walking with the Lord we benefit from the very presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit, living inside of us and transforming us more and more into the image of Christ.

As we read, and study and memorize the Word it changes our patterns of thinking from a secular mindset or worldview into a biblical view of life and a new set of values.

Again, the Holy Spirit is at work in us through the living Word of God.

When Christ is living in us by His Spirit we begin to change. “Old things pass away and behold all things become new.” We’re truly a “new creation.” The same is true as the Word of God becomes more and more familiar to us because of reading and studying it.

The Role of the Discipler

In addition to the work that Christ and the Word is doing in the life of the new Christian, there is the additional influence of the “discipler” – the person who is teaching, encouraging, and modeling the Christian faith and life.

Listen to some of these statements by the Apostle Paul.

Colossians 1:28 (NKJV) Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 (NKJV) But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

Did this effort have any valuable and noticeable results?

1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 (NKJV) And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.

The Role of the Disciple

Finally, the role of the disciple is primarily the role of cooperation and obedience to Christ.

Philippians 2:12 (NKJV) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Does not mean – “figure it out for yourself; whatever you think salvation means for you.” Rather, it means – “Carefully (with fear and trembling) figure out how to let your salvation work itself out in your life.”

Dr. Lake – “We must work out what God in His grace has worked in us, applying to its fullest consequences what the Word of God teaches.”

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (KJV) But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB) But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Greek word for “exercise” (NASB “discipline”) is same word that our English word gymnasium comes from. “No pain, no gain.”

Conclusion:

There are a couple of other influences that definitely has an impact on every Christian’s spiritual growth, which we haven’t mentioned today because we’re focusing primarily on the subject of making disciples.

Those influences include: the corporate body of Christ (the church) and the ministry of prayer.

We don’t have time to deal with these topics today, but both prayer and the church have a great deal of influence on the growth of a disciple of Jesus.

As a discipler of the people everywhere he went, Paul not only sought to win people to Christ, but he earnestly worked to teach them, train them and grow them into mature Christians so that they would live and do just like he was and just like Jesus did.

Philippians 4:9 (NKJV) The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

As a pastor, my role and responsibility is to reproduce more and more people who follow Jesus as I follow Him. I recognize that God has called me to receive specialized theological education and pastoral training, and not everyone receives that calling. But He has called me and each one of us to not only follow Him ourselves, but we are to create followers (make disciples) who will follow Christ like we do.

When my time of service here as pastor has ended, I hope I will leave behind a host of people who love Jesus, and love people, and serve others, and lead people to know Christ, and teach them to carefully follow God’s Word and to become actively involved in carrying out Christ’s mission in our world.

The Command of Christ

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This is a sermon that was given April 3, 2016 at Wayside Community Church. It is based on verses found in Matthew 28; Mark 16 and Acts 1. Christ has given all disciples a command or mandate to go and make more disciples.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Introduction:

Clarence Jordan … founder of the interracial Koinonia farm in Americus, Georgia, was getting a red-carpet tour of another minister's church. With pride the minister pointed to the rich, imported pews and luxurious decoration. As they stepped outside, darkness was falling, and a spotlight shone on a huge cross atop the steeple. "That cross alone cost us ten thousand dollars," the minister said with a satisfied smile. "You got cheated," said Jordan. "Times were when Christians could get them for free."   (Michael Jinkins, http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/d/discipleship.htm)

A few weeks ago I began to talk to you about the idea of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I remember reading a quote to you from (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship) “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

We also talked about the fact that Jesus isn’t looking for people to be spectators who cheer for Him like the crowd in a sports arena.  

but looking for dedicated followers who will seriously seek to live like He lived and teach others to do the same, so that…

His Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

We have talked about the call of Jesus, which includes the call to discipleship; to be a follower rather than a fan.

We have talked about what it means to be a follower/disciple.

·     It involves denying self

·     It involves taking up the cross

·     It involves following

Those three things are meant to be a lifestyle; a lifetime of learning and putting into practice. They never are completed or finished until we cross over from earth to glory.

Today, I want to talk to you about the command of Christ. We will begin by referring to a few different passages of Scripture that speak about Christ’s commands.

Then we will look more closely at one specific command that further explains what Christ has in mind for every disciple.

I.    Obedience is expected of a disciple.

Luke 6:46 (NKJV) "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?

Matthew 7:21 (NKJV) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

A committed follower of Jesus Christ is someone who obeys the commands of the Master.

This is not a slavish, legalistic, commitment to a list of rules, but neither is it a half-hearted, non-interested, hit and miss treatment of the Lord’s deepest desires and intentions for His people.

John 14:21-24 (NKJV) ²¹ He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." ²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" ²³ Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

II.  Christ has given plenty of commands.

It truly takes a lifetime of learning and studying to understand all the commands (direct & implied) that God has given to His children and followers.

One Example: John 13:34 (NKJV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

As I said, there are many commands of Christ in the Bible that we should be learning and we should be trying our best to obey and follow.

There is one specific command that I want to zero in on for the rest of the message today.

III.   Make Disciples

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

“Go” – aorist participle; “having gone”

“Make disciples” (teach all nations) – (primary verb; imperative) teach people to become followers / students / imitators / disciples

“all nations” – ἔθνη; nations; peoples; Gentiles; a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus (Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the NT)

“Baptizing” – present participle;

“Teaching” – present participle; different & more common word than “make disciples”

Baptizing and teaching are never-ending, on-going facets of work while engaged in “making disciples.”

It is better to train ten people than to do the work of ten people. But it is harder.  (D.L. Moody, http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/d/discipleship.htm)

Command vs. Mandate

We’ve been referring to this verse in Matthew as a command of Jesus.

Last year when I attended the class called, Perspectives on World Christian Movement, at GCC, one of the lecturers shared this thought:

A command – given to a specific individual(s) and it can be completed/fulfilled individually.

A mandate – given generationally and it can only be completed/fulfilled corporately.

I think far too many people read this passage at the end of Matthew’s gospel and understand it as a command that was given specifically to the 12 disciples.

As such, they never conclude that we are expected to carry out the command as Christians in the 21^st century.

However, the command was not intended to be completed by the 12 disciples/apostles only. Yes, they were expected to start it and be engaged in it. But they weren’t expected to complete it.

Therefore, it is more than a command – it is a mandate. It is a commission for generation after generation of disciples to keep making more and more disciples until all the nations are reached; until there are dedicated followers of Jesus in every nation and group of people in the world.

Look at: Acts 14:21 (NKJV) And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

Jesus does expect us to preach the gospel.

Jesus does expect us to minister to the poor, the hungry, the sick, etc.

Jesus does expect us to resist evil and promote righteousness in the society.

But, we can do all those things without really obeying the mandate; without really completing the commission. We are all charged with the responsibility of becoming disciples of Jesus ourselves, and then teach others to become disciples.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV) Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.     (NIV) Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Conclusion

I have been in fulltime Christian ministry for about 37 years.

I have tried to Preach the gospel; Minister to the poor, the hungry and the sick; Stand up for righteousness in the culture, But… I don’t know that I have deliberately and successfully discipled one person. I’ve led many people to faith in Christ. But I haven’t intentionally trained any of them one-on-one, and nurtured them until they were steadfast in the faith and in the process of discipling other people to follow Christ.

If we are going to truly be disciples/followers of Jesus, we need to take seriously the mandate to “go and teach all people” i.e. teach them to be real disciples of Jesus.

If our church is going to be a positive force for the kingdom of God in the future, we need to take seriously the mandate to teach people to be real disciples of Jesus.

Otherwise, we’ll be what I described a couple of Sundays ago – a crowd (stadium) of people who are big fans of Jesus, and we come to church fairly regularly to cheer for Jesus, but…

We aren’t really interested in learning everything we can about Him and His will for our lives. We aren’t really interested in letting Him transform us and take complete control of us. aren’t really interested in investing our time and energy into the lives of others in order to help them to become committed followers of Jesus.

I want to be obedient to this mandate. I asking this morning for 2 or 3 men who are willing to meet with me on a weekly basis and work through a disciple-making curriculum with the intention of learning how you can duplicate the process with others in the future.

I am also interested in finding 2-3 other men or women who feel convicted as I do and you would like to get started in teaching one or two others how to become disciples of Jesus.

Born to Follow

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This is a sermon that was preached at Wayside Community Church on Palm Sunday, March 20, 2016. The theme of the message was discipleship and following Jesus.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 10:38 (NKJV) ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Introduction: Today is Palm Sunday and we’ve been singing songs and reading Scripture that speaks about praising God. On Palm Sunday over 20 centuries ago, people spontaneously began singing and shouting praise to the Lord as He rode toward Jerusalem. I want to use that thought to transition into the theme I planned to speak about last week.

As Jesus rode toward Jerusalem, I imagine it could be possible that Jesus thought, “How great it would be if all these people would not only praise me, but also become dedicated followers and disciples for the rest of their lives.”

I’m sure you’ve heard some parents or grandparents speaking about their little “Johnny” or “Mary” and they will say something like this, “He was just born to lead! (She was just born to lead!) Look at the way he/she gets all the other kids to do things.”

Sometimes we can just watch a child or a young person and we say, “He/she was just born to be a leader.” Sometimes we say that about someone that is an adult and has demonstrated unusual leadership skills.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone describe someone in a positive way by saying, “You know, I can just tell that he/she was just born to follow!” Usually if the matter of “following” is being discussed, we might hear someone say, “He better be very careful, because he’s a follower and always does what everyone else is doing, or goes where everyone else is going.”

A couple of weeks ago we talked about the call of Christ for people to respond to different aspects of His call. The call to listen and understand; the call to humility; the call for healing; the specific call to apostleship; and the general call to be His disciple or follower.

I want to take us a little deeper today into the discussion about following Jesus Christ as a true disciple.

Question: “Why did Jesus save you/me?”

Answer: Because He loves us and He wants to take us to heaven. - Yes, that is certainly true.

Because He wants to have a relationship with us. - True.

But also – To carry out His mission of expanding the Kingdom of God on earth.

Jesus is not merely interested in “handing out tickets to heaven.” He is seeking followers. He is seeking people who will not only believe in Him and trust Him for their salvation, but pledge to be a learner and follower. He is seeking people who will be the agents of transformation in the world so that His kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

God could miraculously save everyone in the whole world. He could forgive the sins of every person and say He’s just taking us all going to heaven. But, that isn’t good enough. There already was an event similar to that centuries ago – the Exodus. God miraculously delivered a couple of million people from Egypt. But, the problem that was quickly revealed was this: Egypt hadn’t been delivered out of the hearts of the people.

Proposition: I believe that God not only wants to save us and forgive our sins, but He wants to transform us and make us agents who will effectively transform our world by doing what He would do. That can only be accomplished if we become committed and dedicated followers of Him to the extent that we become like Him and then show others how to become like Him.

One of the verses we looked at briefly at the end of the sermon last week was…

Mark 8:34 (NKJV) When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me….”

Today, I want to talk to you about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

I. What is a disciple?

To discuss what it means to be a disciple, we first need to describe or define what a disciple is.

Dr. Richard Peace, professor of evangelism at Fuller Theological Seminary, wrote an article on discipleship in a book titled, The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity: An A-To-Z Guide To Following Christ in Every Aspect of Life.

He said, In the New Testament there is abundant discussion of what it means to be a disciple. This is not surprising since discipleship was a common phenomenon in the first-century world. Greek philosophers had disciples, as did the Pharisees (Matthew 22:15-16), not to mention John the Baptist (Mark 2:18; John 1:35). The Jews, on occasion, referred to themselves as disciples of Moses (John 9:27-28).

In these relationships, disciples were understood to be individuals committed to a particular person so as to learn that person’s teaching or way of life and then to follow a particular pattern of life, whether by living in a certain way, passing on the teaching to others or engaging in political or religious activities.

Jesus and his disciples shared this common understanding of the relationship between teacher and disciple. Thus to follow Jesus meant to do what Jesus did (to reproduce or replicate his ministry; for example, Mark 6:7-13, 30; Luke 10:1-20) and to believe what Jesus taught (obey his word; for example, John 8:31-32; John 17:6).

The same two characteristics hold true today for those of us who would be Jesus’ disciples.

First, to be a disciple of Jesus is to be involved in ministry [i.e. do what Jesus did].

[In other words, we follow Him by emulating Him.]

The nature and character of that ministry varies greatly: from voluntary ministry to tent-making ministry to ordained ministry. The important point is not what we do but that we understand our task in life to be one of ministry. This will mean that we engage in that task with a consciousness that we are called to it by God, that we seek to honor and serve God in this task and that we exhibit the characteristics of a disciple of Jesus while engaged in our task.

Being a disciple is much more than accepting and believing in a set of propositions about Jesus. It is much more than going to church to cheer for Jesus, or even “cheer” for those who are involved in various aspects of Kingdom work. A true disciple cannot sit on the sidelines and leave the work of the kingdom to others that we may think are more talented and gifted than us. Every true follower of Jesus is involved in some kind of ministry. And, while involved in that ministry, he/she strives to exhibit the same character that Jesus has.

(Dr. Peace goes on) Secondly, to be a disciple of Jesus is to engage in ongoing examination, analysis and application of Scripture.

[That is, to be a student / learner. There should be a desire in the heart of every true follower of Christ to keep learning more about Him and more about His will for us.]

I want to be a follower and learner of Jesus; not just because I am a pastor/preacher, but because He has forgiven me and changed my heart. I love Him and I am grateful for the salvation He has provided. He deserves my allegiance and service.

II. What is the cost of discipleship?

The second thing we need to talk about as we discuss the meaning of the word disciple is the cost of discipleship.

There are plenty of Scripture passages that describe what the cost of discipleship is, but Jesus summed it all up in…

Mark 8:34 (KJV) And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

“Whosoever will…” – Some of the more recent translations use the words “whoever desires,” but the inherent meaning of the word indicates the exercise of will or a volitional choice.

If you deliberately choose to be a disciple of Jesus there are 3 things required:

A. “deny himself” - (Lenski New Testament Commentary)    … to turn someone off, to refuse association and companionship with him, to disown. And the one to be disowned and denied is ἑαυτός, SELF, and that means self altogether, not merely some portion, some special habit or desire, some outward practice. … As Peter afterward denied Jesus by saying, "I know not the man!" so must you say to this your self: "I disown you completely!"

For example, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane – “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.”

Essentially, it is the same thing as “de-throning” self and “en-throning” Christ. (Quote from Tozer in last week’s bulletin. In every Christian's heart there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross; if he refuses the cross, he remains on the throne…. We want to be saved, but we insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of Man-soul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a Caesar; but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility. – A. W. Tozer )

B. “take up his cross” 

(Lenski New Testament Commentary) Jesus undoubtedly chose this figure because he himself was to be crucified. Although this was a Roman mode of execution it was known universally. Jesus will bear his cross, one which he alone can bear. Of his disciples he says that each is to bear his cross, i.e., the particular one allotted to him.

This word has grown too familiar by constant use. It is a mistake to call all our suffering a cross. [The Bible says that] the wicked have many sorrows (Ps. 32:10) but no crosses. The cross is that suffering alone which results from our faithful connection with Christ. And the [suggestion] is that each disciple will have his share of such suffering.

In reality, the cross was not only a symbol of suffering, but it ultimately was an instrument of death.

(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship) “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

(A.W. Tozer, The Divine Conquest) “The cross where Jesus died became also the cross where His apostle died. The loss, the rejection, the shame, belong both to Christ and to all who in very truth are His. The cross that saves them also slays them, and anything short of this is a pseudo-faith and not true faith at all.”

Dear friends, this matter of being a disciple is not a game. Jesus does not attempt to attract followers by telling us how fun it will be, or how easy it will be, or how popular it will be. No! He calls us to suffer for Him if necessary. He calls us to die to self and possibly even literally die for His cause.

He calls people to accept the cross; not avoid it.

C. “Follow Me” – present tense, i.e. continuously.

(R. Alan Cole, Tyndale Commentaries) The thought is plain to every child playing the game of ‘follow my leader’, in which there is only one rule, that no follower shirks going to any place where the leader has first gone.

Everywhere Jesus goes and everything Jesus does, His disciple goes and does also.

(Cole continues) Ultimately, to the Christian, this following of Jesus becomes the hope of heaven, since our leader has already gone there (Heb. 6:19-20): but first comes the cross. ‘No cross, no crown’ is a [concise] piece of theology which must have been ever-present in the minds of the early Christians at Rome and other centers of persecution.

Conclusion:

Let me emphasize once again, dear friends, Jesus calls all of us to be His disciples. Everyone one of us were BORN TO FOLLOW! Our earthly purpose is to follow Jesus Christ every step of our lives. That was never intended to be an easy road – a road that you can travel with very little effort and very little thought.

I recognize that my responsibility and role as Pastor and spiritual leader is to challenge you and motivate you and equip you to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

(Richard Rohr, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life) “Those who are not true leaders will just affirm people at their own immature level.”

It is not easy for me to “shake” people out of their comfort zone and positions of stagnation. But that happens to be my responsibility as a pastor and spiritual leader.

So I challenge you today. Don’t be satisfied to be an observer. Don’t be satisfied to just follow Jesus “at a distance.” Let’s make a decision today to go all out for Jesus!

An Easter Vision

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This is a sermon given on Easter Sunday at Wayside Community Church. It is based on statements surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection narratives that speak about things the witnesses saw.

Written Excerpts:

Luke 23:44 – 24:12

Introduction:

In our day-to-day conversation and language usage we have different ways to express the fact that sometimes it is possible to “look” at something without really “seeing” what is going on, or what it is all about. Sometimes we say, “They can’t see the forest for the trees.”

Sometimes we may hear someone ask, “Did you really see what was happening there?”

As we live our lives each day we witness many things, but often we don’t have the time, or don’t take the time, to stop and analyze what we have seen in order to truly understand what we saw. There is a difference between merely observing something and comprehending what we see.

In the passage of Scripture that was read earlier we have the account of the disciples and followers of Jesus as they discovered the empty tomb and the truth that Jesus had risen from the dead. In the previous chapter (Luke 23:44-56), we have several verses describing the crucifixion. th of these chapters there is repeated use of various words that all have to do with vision (words like: saw, sight, seeing, watching, observe, found, and behold).

For the next several minutes I want to focus your attention on some sights surrounding the crucifixion and the resurrection so we all can leave this service having a genuine Easter vision.

I.    Look at the blood to see God’s love for sinners.

The Bible plainly tells us that the blood was very special.

Lev. 17:11 “The life of the flesh is in the blood.”

Because of this principle, the Israelites were forbidden to eat the blood of any animal, because the blood represented the life of the animal.

Gen. 9:6 – “Whoever sheds man’s blood (i.e. destroys the life that God has created, and only God has the authority to take), by man shall his blood be shed” (i.e. by the authority placed in them by God Himself).

Whenever blood is shed that means a life has ended; a life was sacrificed. Many, many passages in the OT that condemns the leaders because of the innocent blood that was being shed in Israel.

Starting with the symbolism in the sacrifices of the Old Testament and continuing to the sacrifice of God’s Son on the cross, the shedding of blood was always equated with the pardoning of sin.

Matthew 26:28 (NKJV) For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Jesus was willing to literally give up his life and shed His own blood so we could be forgiven.

In the Scripture we referred to earlier, it says, “When the Centurion saw what happened, he glorified God saying, ‘Surely, this was a righteous man!’” (In Matthew’s Gospel, “Truly this was the Son of God.”) The Centurion not only saw a crucifixion, but he saw the shedding of blood. If you compare a couple of the passages, it is very likely that he witnessed the spear driven into the Savior’s side.

He obviously could see the blood from the wounds on His back, and the thorns on His head. He saw a life being sacrificed as His blood flowed, and he saw the willingness with which He died, demonstrating His love for sinners.

Look at the shed blood, and the sacrificed Son to see God’s love for sinners.

II.  Look at the cross to see God’s hatred for sin.

We understand that the cross is the place where the blood was shed, so there is a close connection between this thought and the previous one. However, I want to underscore the stigma, the scandal and the horror of the cross.

Paul states it plainly to the Corinthians, “For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18, 22-24)

I want to read for you a description of crucifixion that I came across in a Bible encyclopedia.

(The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

As an instrument of death the cross was detested by the Jews. "Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree" (Galatians 3:13; compare Deut. 21:23), hence, it became a stumbling-block to them, for how could one accursed of God be their Messiah?...
The usual mode of crucifixion was familiar to the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, Persians and Babylonians... The Roman citizen was exempt from this form of death, it being considered the death of a slave. The punishment was meted out for such crimes as treason, desertion in the face of the enemy, robbery, piracy, assassination, sedition, etc… The suffering of death by crucifixion was intense, especially in hot climates. Severe local inflammation, coupled with an insignificant bleeding of the jagged wounds, produced traumatic fever, which was aggravated by exposure to the heat of the sun, the strain of the body and insufferable thirst. The swelling around the rough nails and the torn lacerated tendons and nerves caused excruciating agony. The arteries of the head and stomach were surcharged with blood and a terrific throbbing headache ensued. The mind was confused and filled with anxiety and dread foreboding. The victim of crucifixion literally died a thousand deaths… The length of this agony was wholly determined by the constitution of the victim, but death rarely ensued before thirty-six hours had elapsed… Death was sometimes hastened by breaking the legs of the victims and by a hard blow delivered under the armpit before crucifixion… The sudden death of Christ evidently was a matter of astonishment (Mark 15:44). The peculiar symptoms mentioned by John (19:34, i.e. pierced side – “blood and water came out”) would seem to point to a rupture of the heart, of which the Savior died, independent of the cross itself, or perhaps hastened by its agony.

In addition to all the physical pain, there was the total abandonment and isolation Jesus felt as He cried, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” Never before nor since has the intimate fellowship in the Trinity been affected like it was in those moments on the cross.

Standing there and seeing the cross in all its cruelty, all its horror and the abandonment of the Father, we can’t help but get a vision of God’s hatred for sin. It is so strong, it requires the full force of His judgment against His own eternal Son.

Finally,

III. Look at the tomb to see God’s power over evil.

Several of the people mentioned in our Scripture reading today were witnesses to the empty tomb.

These people, and undoubtedly many others, saw the empty tomb.

Some skeptics have alleged that they all went to the wrong tomb! But, in saying this, they also allege that everyone else evidently went to the wrong tomb too, including all the authorities. Surely within the next several hours, or the next few days, someone could have figured that out and simply led everyone to the “correct place.” No, they didn’t go to the wrong tomb. The tomb was empty. The day before it had a corpse, but today it is empty.

The sight of an empty tomb represents VICTORY! This is a victory over death; a victory over Satan; and a victory over sin. More than that, it’s a victory over all evil that has permeated the world ever since the Garden of Eden.

This victory represents the “crushing of the serpent’s head” that was predicted by God Himself in the aftermath of Adam’s sin.

This victory is not just for Jesus, but it your victory too! It is my victory too!

Rom. 8:11 “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

If we have the living Christ dwelling within our hearts, there is no need for us to be defeated and constantly beat down by the Devil and enemy of our souls.

God has grace to provide victory for us through the same Spirit that raised the Son of God from the dead!

Conclusion:

The victory of the empty tomb provides the guarantee of an even greater victory at the end of this age. When I recognize and embrace the resurrection for what it truly is, I am instantly filled with hope and expectation for a victory that is yet to come, when all the forces of evil and darkness will be destroyed once-and-for-all.

Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will rule with holiness and righteousness. There will be an immediate end of all violence, deception, oppression, and every other manifestation of Satan’s schemes.

Because He Lives I can face tomorrow

     Because He lives all fear is gone
     Because I know He holds the future
    And life is worth the living because He lives!

The Call of Christ

(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player shown.)

This is a message based on several different passages of Scripture which speak about Jesus calling people for different reasons, ending with the call to discipleship.

Written Excerpts:

The Call of Christ

Mark 8:34 (NKJV) When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Introduction:

Will Rogers said, “We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/follower.htm)

Dr. S. I. McMillen, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower." (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/follower.htm)

The Lord knows that we need good leaders. But it may be just important to have good followers – that is, people who know who to follow, why they’re following, and then faithfully follow with diligence and passion.

Each day we are getting nearer to Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. We’re still traveling through the season of Lent and hopefully seeking personal revival and spiritual renewal as we meditate on the suffering that Jesus went through for our salvation. I hope that you are practicing some form of fasting or self-denial and praying for Christ to be more real and more personal to you than ever before.

All during the earthly ministry of Jesus He engaged people by calling them to Himself for all kinds of purposes. In the verses we read earlier in the responsive Scripture reading we heard about Jesus calling people for different reasons.

      To hear and understand His teaching (Matt 15:10);

      To stand as an example of simple humility (child) (Matt 18:2-3);

      To come and be healed of physical infirmity (Mk. 10:49; Lk. 13:11-12);

      To repent of sins (Matt. 9:13);

      To become one of the 12 Apostles (Lk. 6:12-13) and

      To follow Him and learn His ways (Mk. 8:34).

Every one of these calls from Christ were very special to each of the people that received them. My message today will briefly touch on the calls these various individuals received, then concentrate more time on the final call mentioned in the earlier Scripture reading– the call to follow Him.

1. The General Call to Listen and Learn.

Matthew 15:10 (NKJV) When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:

The context here is a scene in Galilee when a group of religious elders came from Jerusalem to apparently “evaluate” this popular rabbi and teacher. Their question related to the “tradition of the elders.” Jesus’ response takes them back to the commandments of Moses.

After showing their hypocrisy by putting tradition ahead of biblical commands, Jesus calls the people (multitude) to gather around Him and listen. He calls them to Himself in order to offer information that will benefit them spiritually.

Jesus calls all of us to listen and learn. He doesn’t expect blind followers – but He teaches truth for the searching heart.

2. The Call to Model Humility

Matthew 18:2-3 (NKJV) Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus literally called a child to come over to Him so He could teach a lesson using the child as an illustration.

I don’t think I am stretching the story out of context to say that Jesus’ call to that child and His following lesson is a call for everyone to be a model of humility.

3. The Call to Be Healed

The next two references we read had to do with people being healed of physical diseases or disabilities.

Mark 10:49 (NKJV) So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you."

Story of “Blind Bartimaeus.”

Luke 13:11-12 (NKJV) And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."

Jesus healed dozens and dozens of people during His earthly ministry.

I’m glad Jesus calls people for healing. These cases were for physical healing, but Jesus heals all kinds of illnesses. If you’ve ever experienced His healing, whether physical, emotional or mental, you know you’re never the same.

4. The Call to Repentance

Matthew 9:13 (NKJV) But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Jesus is quoting from Hosea 6:6.

The brief explanation of this passage: Jesus had been criticized by the Pharisees for eating and socializing with tax collectors and sinners. His mingling with them caused Him to be ceremonially unclean according to the rules of the rabbis.

(Tyndale Commentaries) The difference between Jesus and the Pharisees lies in their conception of priorities in the will of God: for the Pharisees the first priority is obedience to regulations, for Jesus a mission to people. A healer must get his hands dirty.

Jesus calls sinners to repentance; not the self-righteous. Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t require you to get your life all together before He called you?

He didn’t require me to get everything in order; everything clean and pure; everything true and right, everything under control… No, He called me when I was a sinner. He called me to repent and He gave me the grace to surrender to His loving grace and the power of forgiveness.

5. The Call to Apostleship

Luke 6:12-13 (NKJV) Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

This Scripture speaks about two “levels” of disciples – a larger group of followers, and the 12 Apostles.

(Tyndale Commentaries) This will be a group of people who had attached themselves loosely to him. A disciple was a learner, a student, but in the first century a student did not simply study a subject; he followed a teacher. There is an element of personal attachment in ‘disciple’ that is lacking in ‘student’.

God does specifically call some people to specific ministries and vocations and callings.

(Tyndale Commentaries) The preceding incidents have shown that his enemies were increasing. One day they would kill him. What was he to do? Characteristically Luke tells us that he prayed. Then he chose a little band of men who would carry on his work after him.

These twelve men represent the total of his administrative machinery. Some of them were clearly outstanding men, but on the whole they seem to have been no more than average. Most have left very little mark on church history. Jesus preferred to work, then as now, through perfectly ordinary people.

6. The Call to Discipleship

Mark 8:34-35 (NKJV) When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."

The final call we’re looking at today involves a general call that goes out to everyone – deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. This is what we usually refer to as a “Call to Discipleship”

The call to repentance is vitally important. Jesus preached repentance as the path to the Kingdom of God. Luke 13  ... except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

After repentance comes the new birth that Jesus described to Nicodemus.

But Jesus is not simply interested in “handing out tickets to heaven.” He is seeking followers. He is seeking people who will not only believe in Him and trust Him for their salvation, but they pledge to be a learner and follower.

In closing, let us stand and sing the hymn:

Wherever He Leads I’ll Go

First Things First

(To download an mp3 file of this sermon, click on the title above. To listen now online, click on the play button of the audio player shown.)

This is a sermon that was given on February 28, 2016. The theme of the message is priorities and it emphasizes the importance of ordering our lives in order to draw closer to Christ during this season of Lent.

Written Excerpts:

Haggai 1:3-4

Introduction:

The title of my message today is “First Things First.”

Haddon Robinson points out that one old recipe for [cooking] a rabbit started out with this injunction: "First catch the rabbit." Says Robinson: "The writer knew how to put first things first. That's what we do when we establish priorities -- we put the things that should be in first place in their proper order. (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/priorities.htm)

Whenever we set out to accomplish something important, we need to identify what needs to be done first. In other words, we need to prioritize our plans.

We are in the season of the year identified as Lent. This has traditionally been a period of 40 days leading up to Easter (not counting Sundays). It is a period when many people intentionally practice some form of self-denial, or sharpen other spiritual disciplines in order to improve their connection with Christ. As we consider the whole idea of self-denial, spiritual growth and spiritual renewal, I want to talk to you today about one area of common concern for all of us – the issue of “priorities.”

Every one of us is given the same number of hours in each day, the same number of days in each month and the same number of months in each year. The question is: “What are we doing with the time that we have been given?”

If you’re like me, part of the problem is procrastination…

(Frank & Ernest Comic, by Bob Thaves, 2/22/16) “There’s so many things I should be doing that when I procrastinate, I’m [actually] multitasking!”

No wonder procrastination is so tiring!!

Today, I hope God will inspire us to greater diligence and accountability as we purposely seek to draw closer to Him.

There are at least three different passages of Scripture that I want to use today as illustrations regarding the importance of setting proper priorities in our lives.

I.    Priorities are revealed by life decisions.

Haggai 1:3-4 (NKJV) ³ Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴ "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?"

After receiving orders from Cyrus, the king of Persia, a large group of Jews returned to Israel from Babylon. There was an immediate start to rebuild the temple of the Lord, but opposition from enemies nearby caused the work to stop.

(A letter from King Artaxerxes – Ezra 4:23-24 (NKJV) Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.)

The second year of Darius king of Persia = a total of 16 years since the work stopped. A lot of changes have taken place in the political world and in the country.

Haggai 1:2 (NKJV) "Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying: 'This people says, "The time has not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built." ' "

The prophet confronts their neglect of the temple and mimics their excuse. (One gets the impression by the prophet’s use of it that it had been offered over and over.) He immediately destroys their excuse by showing their hypocrisy – all the time they could not rebuild the temple for the worship of God, they had plenty of resources and initiative to build fancy houses for themselves. Their real priorities were revealed by the choices they made regarding their time and their work. Their excuse didn’t “hold water” when they conveniently had the time and the resources to build their houses.

The prophet shows by his question that they had succumbed to the circumstances rather than rising above them, and they had developed selfish desires for comfort rather than sacrifice for their God. Yes, 16 years earlier, there was an order to cease the building project, but the political landscape had changed and they didn’t bother to resume the project. They apparently just continued on with life as they had.

Do we realize how much our behaviors and our choices reveal about our priorities?

There are plenty of people today claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ who usually choose to satisfy physical desires and earthly/temporal goals over seeking God’s purpose and fulfilling His will.

Haggai explained to the people that their neglect of God and God’s house accounts for the “poor return” on their investments in planting crops and other endeavors (see 1:6)

There may be Christians who would deny that God purposely “punishes” people by causing their crops to fail, etc.

But God is explaining what many people have discovered down through the years – if your priorities aren’t right, you can spend all your wealth, time and energies to “get ahead” and it seems like you’re just “spinning your wheels.”

1 Samuel 2:30 (NKJV) Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: 'I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.' But now the LORD says: 'Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

People are pretty much the same today… Don’t have time or ability to come to church; get involved in helping the poor/sick; or use gifts and abilities in other ways for the Kingdom of God. But… their actions demonstrate that they do have time and resources/abilities to participate in activities that cater more to selfish interests.

John Lancaster Spalding - What we love to do we find time to do. (Draper's Book of Quotations)

Now, if you’re sitting here and saying to yourself, “Well, Pastor Les is telling us we need to spruce up our church building and invest time and money in making it a magnificent facility.” Then you would be wrong. The prophet Haggai was talking literally. They did need to construct the temple and re-engage in the worship of God as they were instructed by Moses. The emphasis today, as expressed in the NT, is not at all on physical structures, but on spiritual life and vitality, which still requires our priorities to be in proper order.

Not only do our actions and behaviors reveal our priorities, but…

II.  Priorities are revealed by financial decisions.

Malachi 3:7-10 (NKJV) ⁷ …from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," Says the LORD of hosts. "But you said, 'In what way shall we return?' ⁸ "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. ¹⁰ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Better than 70 years after Haggai’s prophecy, Malachi is confronting many of the same problems that still exist among the Jews. There are a number of issues addressed by the prophet, but one of them has to do with the fact that the people were not properly supporting the temple and its workers. There is no explanation or excuse offered for their neglect, but it is implied that they neglected because it just wasn’t important to them, and there were too many other things they wanted to do with the products that should have been given to the Lord.

(Tithes did not merely involve money/currency, but more likely involved crops and livestock.)

Jesus Himself taught that our hearts will be wherever our treasure is. In other words, the things we invest in the most will be the things we cherish the most. (Matt. 6:21)

Finally, I want to show that…

III. Priorities are revealed by our anxieties.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Context = Matthew 6:24-34 (Read)

Jesus has just described to these people how God watches over the birds and the flowers. Three times in these 11 verses Jesus says, “Do not worry.” In addition to that he also says, “Why do you worry?” and “What good will worry do?” (v.27)

The word “therefore” in v. 25 refers back to the principle in verse 24, “You cannot serve God and mammon (money/ material possessions).” It’s as if God is saying that it is only possible to be truly concerned about 1 thing at a time. If money and the things money can buy are occupying your worry/concern/anxiety, then you cannot concentrate on serving and pleasing God.

The things or issues that we are the most anxious about will be the things that consume our time, energies and resources.

So what’s the answer?

Jesus said it. “Seek first the kingdom and God… and all these [other] things will be added to you [as God sees fitting and appropriate for you].”

A. W. Tozer - Yet for all God's good will toward us he is unable to grant us our heart's desires till all our desires have been reduced to one. (Draper's Book of Quotations)

Jesus is not promising that God will give you everything you desire simply because you pay your tithe and go to church (or any other simplistic way people that people try to manipulate God). He is saying, “Give God and His Kingdom first priority and attention, and you will be free from anxiety because your focus will be centered on honoring and glorifying God not on your needs.”

Conclusion:

Is there some kingdom project or calling that God has spoken to you about, but you haven’t “had the time” to get it started (or finished)?

Has God spoken to you about the way you use your finances, because you rarely have much to give for His work or Kingdom, but you usually have enough to buy the latest electronic gadget or some other item that appeals to you personally?

What spiritual pursuit has God placed on your heart, but you’ve continued to neglect it and put it off; waiting for a more convenient time?

Modern Parable - A man rises to face his day like usual. This day, however, he has a doctor appointment. He’s had to work really hard to fit it into his busy schedule. He expected the dr. to be a long wait and to have to allow for that extra time. What he didn’t expect, though, was to hear that he might have a malignant tumor. What were the odds? The dr. couldn’t be sure. Tests were scheduled, a biopsy. It was going to be a couple weeks. Then, it would be another week before the results came back. Finally, the day came for the follow-up visit with the dr. No cancer! What a relief! No chemotherapy. No radiation. No surgery, even. So, does he go back to life just like before? No. He just had a brush with death. What used to look so important before doesn’t look as important now. Spending more time with the people he loves takes on a higher priority. He now has a tendency to change a conversation to something more important than the weather. He’s been given back his life when he feared it was over. He won’t go on living just like it never happened. Things have changed.  (http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-sherm-nichols-stories-29982.asp)

I trust that God will challenge every one of us to re-evaluate our lives and re-arrange our priorities in order to have a closer relationship with Christ than ever before.

Let us close the service by singing the hymn that is listed in the bulletin

Seeking Jesus

This is a sermon that was given on March 8, 2015 and is the first of four sermons during Lent taking us up to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

Psalm 107:9 (NKJV)
⁹  For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Introduction:

About 1 ½ weeks ago we entered into the season of Lent on the church calendar. Lent starts with Ash Wednesday and concludes on the day before Easter. It is a period of 40 days (not counting Sundays, because Sunday is always considered a celebration of the resurrection), and it was a period devoted to repentance, prayer and fasting. Some believe that 40 days was designated as the length of the Lenten season in order to correspond with the 40 days Jesus fasted in the wilderness before the beginning of his ministry.

You may or may not know this, but for three different Sundays I have attempted to preach a sermon titled, “Loving Jesus.” Obviously God had other plans. I was beginning to wonder if I should scrap that message! Instead of scrapping the sermon, I have decided to postpone it for another couple of weeks. (If we get a snow storm on that Sunday, then you know what’s going to happen to that sermon!)

I feel that the Lord gave me an idea for a short series of topical messages to use during the Lenten season leading up to Easter. The message I had planned to use before will now be a part of that series.

The series will begin today with the title “Seeking Jesus” and will also include messages on “Knowing Jesus;” “Loving Jesus;” and “Serving/Worshiping Jesus.” All of these messages will focus on the idea of taking time and putting forth the effort to draw closer to the Lord in this season leading up to the celebration of the resurrection.

There are three observations about seeking Jesus that I want to focus on today.

1. Spiritual thirst/hunger is the beginning of our search.

a. Man was created with a spiritual hunger.

Perhaps you have heard others make reference to the idea that we humans were created with a “God-shaped hole in our hearts” that cannot be adequately filled or satisfied with anything else but Him. I don’t know of any verse in the Bible that teaches that specific concept, but we do know from Scripture that every human being is created with a soul and a spirit.

Theologians believe that it is the spirit of man that enables him to have contact/communication with God, and distinguishes him from animals. On that basis, we would conclude that God created man with the capacity and the desire for a spiritual connection that is higher than himself.

b. Man was created with the gift of choice.

The story of creation includes the fact that God gave our very first parents the ability to choose whether they were going to obey Him or not. The privilege of choice is accompanied with great responsibility. Every one of us will be judged according to what we have done with our opportunities to choose God’s way or our own way. Every one of us will be accountable for our responses to each opportunity God has provided for us to satisfy our God-given spiritual hunger.

c. Man has a history of fighting against the created hunger.

Psalm 14:2-3 (NKJV) The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. ³  They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

In reference to these words of the Psalmist, the Apostle Paul concludes: Romans 3:11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.

Paul uses these convicting words to argue for the fact that every human being is guilty of sin and stands before God without excuse.

Dear friends, God created us with a spiritual hunger and that hunger must be nurtured in order to seek the Lord. Regardless of what your level of spiritual hunger and thirst may be at this time, it can get stronger and this season of Lent is a great time to stimulate that appetite and develop a greater hunger for God.

2. Intensity of search determines success.

The Bible is full of examples that demonstrate God’s activity in seeking fallen humanity. The whole story of redemption and the coming of Christ into our world is nothing more than God doing everything necessary to “seek and save that which was lost.” Yet, He gives us the responsibility to seek Him. And we have evidence in Scripture that it is only whole-hearted seeking that will be rewarded.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

When Jesus Himself was teaching and preaching during His earthly ministry, we are told that He often spoke in parables. Some of His parables were simple to understand and “get the point” while others were rather vague. In fact, when asked by some of the disciples why He spoke in parables, Jesus responded by saying,

Matthew 13:13-16 (NKJV) Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; ¹⁵  For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.' ¹⁶  "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

This answer seems to indicate that Jesus deliberately framed His messages at times to appeal more to the ones in the audience who possessed a strong enough desire to seek God and seek the truth that they would earnestly inquire to know more and understand more. But, to the people who were only half-hearted in their quest for spiritual truth, His messages seemed uninteresting or too deep and too confusing.

In my years of ministry I’ve met people who admit that their spiritual understanding was very limited and it was very hard for them to grasp biblical truths and concepts. There is nothing wrong with that and it is a fairly normal condition. The thing that often frustrated me and saddened me was the fact that many of those same people demonstrated little or no desire to get serious or diligent about trying to understand or trying to learn.

They seemed completely satisfied to shrug it off and go on their way, seeking satisfaction in everything else except the one Person who could satisfy their longing – Jesus Christ.

As we approach the time when we once again commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, let us all purpose to get serious about seeking Christ and all that He desires to bestow upon those who desire Him.

3. Satisfaction of desire is the result of diligent seeking.

I’m so happy I can proclaim on the authority of God’s Word that “…he that asks receives, and he that seeks finds and to him that knocks it shall be opened.”

Psalm 107:9 (NKJV) For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Jesus said, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.”

In our Scripture reading earlier in the service we heard,

Psalm 34:10 (NKJV) The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Luke 11:13 (KJV) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit [i.e. Jesus Himself] to them that ask him?

Hear it!

Believe it!

Live it!

Amen.

Let’s close the service by singing a hymn that is a prayer for God to fill us with His Holy Spirit.