Easter Has Come!

There’s an old story about a Sunday school teacher who asked her students if they knew what happened on Easter.  One little girl raised her hand.  Easter is where the whole family gets together, eats turkey and pumpkin pie just like the pilgrims did.  No, said the teacher, that’s Thanksgiving.   A second student said, I know what Easter is.  Easter is where you get a tree and decorate it and give gifts to everyone and sing about the baby Jesus.  That’s Christmas said the teacher.  Finally a little boy in the back spoke up.  Easter is when Jesus was killed and put in the tomb and after three days he came out of the grave.  The teacher was like – finally!  Someone gets it!  But then the little boy added.  And if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter!

The other day my children asked me which holiday was my favorite.  Theirs is Christmas – naturally!  Because of the presents!  Followed by the candy of Halloween!  My favorite holiday is Easter.  Because Easter lies at the very heart of our faith as disciples of Jesus Christ!  For without the resurrection of Jesus Christ our faith is fragile and powerless.  The apostle Paul said it this way.  If Christ has not been raised, then our faith is in vain.  We are still in our sins.  And the dead in Christ are lost.  If Christ has not been raised, then we are to be pitied more than all men.    

But Christ has risen!  And today is Easter!  And because it is Easter those who are in Christ have a firm foundation and a supernatural power.  We are going to talk about this.  So please take your Bibles and turn with me to Mark chapter 16 – verses 1 – 9.

Now in our text today, we are going to find the names of three women.  The Gospels agree that the first witnesses of the empty tomb were women.  In first century Palestine women were not allowed to be witnesses in court – they were so devalued in that society.  And yet, God chose women to be the first to be evangelists of the good news of Christ’s resurrection.  Mark says their names were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome.  He is very specific.  Mark wants us to know the identity of the first to visit the tomb.  Why? 

Well, according to Mark chapter 15 these three women were also present at the crucifixion of Jesus and at the burial of Jesus.  And because they were at all three events they bear witness to the fact that the Jesus who was crucified and buried was the same Jesus who rose from the dead!  This is critical.  One without the other is pointless.  A dead savior that hasn’t risen is still dead and can’t save anyone.  And a risen savior who never died has no power over death.  Mark is making sure we know that the same Jesus who died is the same Jesus who rose again.  With this in mind let’s read our text together – Mark 16:1-9.

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ” 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Byron Pitts was a self-described goofy little kid with coke bottle glasses growing up in Baltimore, Maryland.  At the age of 12 he was diagnosed as functionally illiterate – one of 20 million in our country who cannot read.  On top of that he had a terrible stutter.  And yet today he is an Emmy award winning journalist and chief correspondent for CBS News.  You may have seen him on 60 Minutes to which he regularly contributes.  Byron says it was his hard work, the encouragement of the people around him and especially his faith that made the all the difference.

He has recently written a book which he entitled – Step Out on Nothing.  He got the name while sitting in church one Sunday morning.  He remembers not really wanting to be there.  And that he was having trouble connecting with the message.   But then the preacher began to talk about stepping out on nothing – referring to those difficult trials in life that we all inevitably face – when it feels like we are left with nothing to stand on.   And how crucial it is in those moments to be able to be sustained by faith!  Byron writes – It is our faith that allows us to feel God’s breath at our necks and His hands beneath our feet even in those places that seem completely empty! 

Have you ever had to step out on nothing?  Your test results came back, your company downsized, your child ran away, your partner abandoned you and you had to step out.  In those moments of stepping out on nothing there has to be a foundation that holds.  And that is what Easter is all about.  Because at Easter God backed up his word.

I borrowed that phrase from the great theologian Muhammad Ali!  He is considered perhaps the most recognized athlete of his generation.  He is known not only for his three heavy weight boxing titles but also for his bragging.  Float like a butterfly!  Sting like a bee!  You cannot hit what you cannot see!  It’s hard to be humble when you are as great as I am!  He even told Joe Frazier – if you so much as dream of beating me – you better wake up and apologize!  Muhammad Ali said some pretty ridiculous things.  But there was one thing he said that was especially pointed.  He said – it’s not bragging if you can back it up!

In Mark 10:33 Jesus said – “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law.  They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him.  Three days later he will rise.”

Mark 14:27 – Jesus is speaking to his disciples as they make their way across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives – “You will all fall away, Jesus told them, for it is written I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.  But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”  Mark 14:27

And this is what happened.  And this is what we celebrate at Easter.  In the resurrection Jesus backed up what he said. 

Now, the reason this is so important – the reason I want to highlight this is that when God kept his word, He provided us with a foundation that is far stronger and far more durable than just our own individual experience of God.  Certainly our faith is impacted by the things we see and experience.  But if we trust in God simply because we are able to see Him in our circumstances, our faith is shaky at best.  Sooner or later God isn’t going to do what we expect of him!  God is God and we are not.  And let’s face it, as we wish it wasn’t so, we are not always good at interpreting our circumstances.  At his last annual physical, our youngest child got two shots.  We had to hold him down.  As soon as he got a whiff of rubbing alcohol he began to cry.  And I don’t blame him.  Does anyone really enjoy having a long skinny shard of metal stuck in your leg?    If you were to ask him if getting those two shots was a good thing – I guarantee he would tell you – absolutely not.  But as his parent I know that those shots were absolutely good.  They protect his health.  But he can’t see it.  My point is that we aren’t always good at interpreting our circumstances. 

One of the reasons we aren’t so good at interpreting our circumstances is that we have a limited time frame.  Something happens on Monday and we pray about it on Tuesday, and if something isn’t happen by the weekend we say – okay God what’s going on?  I pulled the lever but things aren’t lining up.  But God doesn’t work on our time table.  A thousand years are but a day in thy sight the Bible says.  As someone once said – we look at the clock but God looks at the calendar.

One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of Joseph.  The Bible says that for 15 years God appeared to do nothing in Joseph’s life.  From the outside it’s clear that God is up to something.  But from Joseph’s perspective God wasn’t present.  Imagine if at any point in those 15 years Joseph had said – you know God isn’t in this.  I am going to give up on my faith.  But Joseph didn’t.  He had a faith that was founded on something greater than his circumstances.  He built his faith on God’s character.  And this is what Easter is all about – it’s about God’s character.  For at Easter God backed up his word!

Now the second reason we celebrate Easter is that because of Easter we can have a power that overcomes even the biggest boulders in our lives! 

It’s 6 am on Sunday morning.  And Mary and Mary and Salome are walking to the tomb.  And here is what they are worried about!  Here is what they want to know.   After all that has happened over the previous three years of following Jesus – here is their primary concern!  Who is going to roll away the stone!  Now remember Mary Magdalene had been healed of seven demons.  We don’t know what kind of demons.   What we do know is that Jesus had personally performed a miracle and delivered her.  She had experienced Jesus’ miraculous power first hand!  Mary the mother of James the younger was the mother of a disciple.  Salome was thought to be the mother of the Zebedee boys.  In other words, these women were tight with Jesus.  They were a part of the inner circle.  And yet what they want to know is who is going to roll away the stone.  They forgot what Jesus said.  They think he is still in the tomb sealed by a giant stone.  And so they look for Jesus in the wrong place!

I don’t know about you, but If I had been Mark, I would have taken a little editorial license.  I would have portrayed the disciples as having a much greater faith.  Something like – its Easter morning and they are gathered around the tomb of Jesus and they are waiting!  John has a guitar and Peter has started a little fire and Andrew leads them in a chorus of Kum By Yah.  And just as dawn begins to break the ground begins to rumble and they begin to count. 10. 9.  8!  7. 6.  5! 

If I were charged with telling the world the Good News of Jesus Christ I would said that the disciples knew Jesus’ resurrection was a sure thing all along.  Instead Mark shares that when the women made their way to the tomb they were concerned about the stone.  Why?

Well, because Mark wants us to know that God is able in spite of us.  God is powerful even when we are not!  God is able to roll away ANY stone!  No stone is too big for God!  And that IS good news!  Because we all have stones in our lives that need to be rolled away!  Stones of anger and bitterness and regret that seal us in tombs of the past!  Stones of discouragement and stones of despair and stones of defeat that block our exit from tombs of hurts and tombs of habits!  Stones of tragedy and stones of sin that prevent us from truly living! 

It’s not just an individual thing.  How about stones of hatred and stones of ignorance and stones of discrimination and stones of poverty and stones of war?  This week the media has been focused upon the death of Trayvon Martin.  No matter how you feel about the thing you have to agree that it’s tragic from every angle.  And it would be easy to wonder if we as human beings will ever get past such destruction and violence and anger.  Like Mary and Mary and Salome we find ourselves walking along in the darkness wondering – who will roll away the stone for us?

The good news of Easter is that there is a power available to us – a power that moves boulders.  Paul says that this power is same power that God used to raise Christ from the dead!

If I could only say one thing to you this morning!  If somehow I had to boil everything down to one sentence this Easter this is what I would want you to hear.  Our God is ABLE!  Our God is powerful!  We like to think about God as compassionate. We talk about how God is a God of peace.  We sing about His love!  We hang pictures of the sweet, smiling long haired Jesus petting a sheep!  Certainly Jesus was compassionate.  Certainly he was loving!  And Christ is all over peace.  But Christ is also incredibly POWERFUL!  I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One.  I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever.  And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelations 1:17-18

Easter is about God’s character!  He has kept His Word!  Easter is about God’s power.  The same power that raised Christ from the dead! 

One of the most interesting things about our text today is the way it ends.  In the earliest and most reliable manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel, the risen Jesus does not appear.  Instead, the women flee out of fear and tell no one what they had seen.  The end!

This is not at all the way our version of Easter Sunday goes.  In our version Jesus surprises Mary in the Garden and they have this wonderful moment of reunion.  She thinks he’s the gardener.  And he says don’t cling too tightly for I have not yet returned to the Father.  Did a page somehow get lost from Mark’s manuscript?  Did he die before he was able to finish his account?  Why does his gospel end on a note of silence and fear?

Remember that Mark’s audience already knows the end of the story.  Mark wrote his gospel some thirty years after Christ’s resurrection.  The early Christians reading his Gospel would know that the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples in Galilee.  His appearance became the foundation of their boldness in proclaiming the Gospel.   So why not include it? 

I believe Mark wants us to finish the story.  By ending it so abruptly he puts us in the picture.  What will we do with the Good News of God’s character and God’s power? 

This morning I invite you to respond to Christ’s resurrection by fixing your eyes upon Him!

The author of Hebrews says this – Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  Hebrews 12:2-3

If you have never had an intimate relationship with God you can begin one today – meaning that instead of relating to this force out there you come to know and love and interact with God Spirit’s on a daily basis.  God loves you and went to extreme lengths to let you know – through the life and death and resurrection of his son.  Here’s how you can come to know him and relate to him like a man speaks to his friend – face to face.  Admit you need him in your life.  In 12 step language – admit you are powerless to manage life on your own.  Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God who God raised from the dead.  And conform your life to his will which we find spelled out in his teachings in the Bible.

If you have had a personal relationship with God in the past but somewhere along the line you let it go.  Things came up and you encountered boulders along the way and suddenly it’s been awhile since you found yourself feeling close with God.  Here’s how you fix your eyes on Jesus.  Call upon him.  The Psalmist says God is forgiving and good and abounding in love to all who call upon him.   Remember – Easter says that God is able in spite of our short comings.  He is faithful even when we are not.

If you are already in a relationship with Christ as your Lord, celebrate this Easter by turning over yet another area of your life over to his care.  Maybe it’s a hurt or a hang-up that you have been clinging to for years.  Maybe it’s the drive to secure your future through finances or a successful career.  Maybe there is an opportunity God has placed in front of you but you have been hesitant to take it because of the disruption and the risk.  In recognition of his resurrection, fix your eyes upon Jesus.  The image that comes to mind is that of Peter stepping out of the boat as it’s tossed about on the stormy Sea of Galilee.  Remember how it was only after he took his eyes off Jesus and began to look at the waves that he began to sink?  As long as he fixed his gaze on Jesus he was able to overcome the impossible.  He literally had the power to walk on water as long as he kept his eyes on Christ.

Wherever we are on the journey of faith – let us fix our eyes upon its author.  For as we keep our eyes upon him the stones in our lives are turned into stepping stones!  For the disciples, it was the gift of God’s Spirit which turned their fear and their defeat into passion and joy and boldness as they proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ – even before those who had the authority to imprison them for such a message. 

For Byron Pitts it was the provision of teachers who mentored him in basic grammar and coaches who pushed him to never settle for less.   Today the stone of illiteracy has become a stepping stone to a national audience and a boldness in proclaiming God’s power!  He recently shared on national television that it was God that enabled him to overcome! 

God will do the same for you!  Because God keeps His Word!  And God is more powerful than any stone!  And I for one am thankful!  How about you?  How about you?

24 Hours that Changed the World – pt 4

Our family went to dinner the other night.  Before we left, Daddy made a unilateral decision – because after all it’s one of those privileges that comes with being older and bigger than anyone else in the house.  I decided that we were not going to bring electronics or toys to dinner.  Sometimes we sit down together at the table but between the cell phones, IPods, DS’s and Game Boys we might as well be sitting in different cities.  So – no toys and no electronics!  Immediately our son went and packed up his Lego’s.  He is in the have Lego’s will travel stage.  He can’t go anywhere without a good size box of Lego’s.  Knowing this I intercepted him at the door – no Lego’s allowed.  He threw a fit.  But I was firm – no Lego’s. 

Well, you can guess what followed.  He sulked on the car ride to the restaurant.  He pouted at the dinner table.  He moaned and he groaned and he whimpered and he whined.  He leaned listlessly upon Robyn.  And every 5 minutes he let me know that his dinner was ruined.  You know dad, he would say, this restaurant would be so much better if there were Lego’s!  And you know what my sweet wife did?  After about 30 minutes of this she gave me this look and said – you know he gets this from you!  He’s just like his father!

She does that.  Funny – whenever one of the kids misbehaves she points out that they are exactly like their father.  But when one the kids does something kind, loving, brilliant, or amazing – they just like their mother! 

Anyway, in this case, she was right.  Our son was being just like his father when he doesn’t get something he really wants.  And seeing it right in front of me was humbling.  There is something about seeing yourself in another that is very enlightening.

That’s why the prophet Nathan, when he came to condemn King David’s sin with Bathsheba told a story about a rich man who took the prize sheep of a poor neighbor.  When David recognized his own actions in the actions of the rich man in the story it cut him to the heart.  Jesus in talking to someone concerned with getting what was rightfully his told the story of the man who was so successful and had to build bigger barns to store everything but ultimately lost his life leaving it all behind.  And he goes on to point out the futility of being rich on earth but not rich towards God.  Recognizing ourselves in the behavior of others helps us to learn.

I mention this because we are going to see ourselves in our text this morning.  Specifically Mark intends for us to recognize ourselves in the actions of Pilate and Barabbas. 

Now as you know, we are in the fourth week of our sermon series.  During the season of Lent we are studying the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life.  Our goal is to gain a deeper understanding of what Jesus went through.  And in that way gain a deeper appreciation for his sacrificial love for us.  Last week we were with Jesus at the house of the high priest.  Today we find ourselves on trial before Pilate.  It is just after 7 Friday morning.  So, if you will take your Bibles and turn with me to our passage – Mark 15:1-20.

And as you are turning there, I want to reflect on the fact that each Sunday we end our service by affirming our faith together.  I believe in God the Father Almighty – maker of heaven and earth.  And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord!  Who was born of the virgin Mary, and suffered under Pontius Pilate. 

I wonder if in later life, Pilate remembered that morning with Jesus.  I doubt that he knew at the time that how pivotal that Friday morning would be to his career as Governor.  I am sure he would be flabbergasted to know that each Sunday millions upon millions of Christians recite his name and identify him as the one responsible for the suffering of Jesus. 

Here is his story as it’s told in the Gospel of Mark.  Let’s read together – Mark 15:1-20.

1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. 16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.  Mark 15:1-20

So the Sanhedrin has a problem.  The chief priests, the scribes and teachers of the law want to kill Jesus.  But they don’t have the authority.  Only Rome has the authority to take a man’s life.  So they need to convince Pilate that Jesus deserves death.  Pilate won’t care that Jesus claims to be God.  The Romans worship many gods.  But one claiming to be king – now that was a different matter.  Only Caesar was king.

And so it is that early Friday morning Jesus is brought before Pilate. Are you king of the Jews, asks Pilate?  And Jesus confirms that he is.  But he is unlike any king that Pilate has ever seen.  He is a king, not of force, but of love.  Rather than sword and might, armies and conquests, palaces and privileges, Jesus’ kingdom is a kingdom of humble love and self-denial – where the last shall be first and the lowly are exalted.  It is a kingdom that is ultimately powerful but

Frederick Buechner put it this way – Love is the most powerful and most powerless of things.  Love is most powerful because it alone can conquer the human heart.  Love is the most powerless because it can do nothing except by consent.

Jesus is a king.  But his kingdom is one of love and not of force.

In his book, 24 Hours that Changed the World, Adam Hamilton points out that a recent example from the 50’s and 60’s and our nation’s struggle over civil rights.  In particular, he points to the different approaches of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr to secure justice and equal rights for all – including people of color.  Malcolm X believed that injustice was so serious that sometimes it justified the use of violence to overcome it – particularly if non-violence was not achieving equal rights.  Dr. King on the other hand advocated non violent resistance and sacrificial love as the means to changing people’s hearts for equal rights and justice.  He said – our approach will be to shame you into giving us civil rights.  We are going to show you by our willingness to suffer a different way.  You can hurt us and hurt us and hurt us and we are still going to love you.  As you inflict suffering on us we will wear you down with our capacity to endure.

And we know from history that ultimately it was the nonviolent approach of sacrificial love that ultimately changed our country’s stance on civil rights.   Just as it was the way of sacrificial love that ultimately overcame Roman oppression.  Rome would be conquered through a cross and not by the sword.

In the end Pilate does not recognize Jesus for who he is.  He cannot grasp a king who wields love and not a sword.   And he turns him over to be crucified.

By the way, I believe this is why the crowd ultimately chose Barabbas over Jesus.  Have you ever wondered why the very same people, who waved palm branches and shouted Hosanna and heralded Jesus as the Messiah on Sunday, call for his crucifixion on Friday?  The Bible says that they were stirred up by the chief priests.  But does this really explain why they would choose one awaiting trial as a murderer over the one who had healed the sick and fed the hungry?  I think their choice had to do with the nature of Jesus’ kingship! 

To understand this you need to know that in early Greek copies of the Gospel of Matthew, Barabbas’ full name was recorded as Jesus Barabbas.  In Aramaic, Barabbas means – son of the father.  We have heard the word Abba used for Father before.  Bar means son of!  So Bar-Abbas would mean son of the Father.  And Jesus means savior.  So in Jesus Barabbas we have Savior – Son of the Father. 

Mark tells us that Jesus Barabbas was in prison because he was a part of the insurrectionists – those who were seeking to overthrow the Romans.  Insurrection was a common in first century Palestine.  Jewish historian Josephus tells us that there were a dozen or so messiahs that appeared within a hundred years before and after Jesus of Nazareth.  And we know that it was the appearance of another would be Messiah that led in 70 A.D. to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans.

So what we have in Pilate’s offer to release Jesus Barabbas or Jesus of Nazareth is a choice between to messianic figures.  In Jesus Barabbas you have one who is seeking the overthrow of the Romans by force – the restoration of their property, their tax money, their freedom and their national autonomy.  Jesus of Nazareth on the other hand has preached a message of servant hood – loving one’s enemies and willing doubling the service they demand of you.  So that as Adam Hamilton points out, for the crowd, the choice was easy!  They chose military might and lower taxes over the path of peace and sacrificial love.

Jesus is king!  But his kingdom is one of love and not of force.  The question is – is he our king?

This is the place where we find our story in the story – where we see ourselves in the behavior of others.  Specifically, we too must decide who Jesus is.  Like Pilate we must make a choice.  Is he king or isn’t he?

If he is king then we will adjust our behavior accordingly.  If he is king then we will follow his command.  If he is king then our allegiance is clear.  If he is king then it will show up in our daily lives.  And if he is King – then we will trust him.  We will recognize that not everything is as it appears – that much of what God does is hidden from us –that things may be different from what I can perceive with my senses and limited understanding.

My daughter has a crisis at school.  At least it is a crisis to her.  Someone has said something that is hurtful.  Another has snubbed her in gym class.  To my daughter, the world will never be the same.  Her relationships are beyond repair.  No one will like her ever again.  As the parent I have a different perspective.  I have a broader view.  I know that friends come and go and comments are forgiven or forgotten.  Hopefully I have a better understanding.

The same is true for us with our heavenly Father.  We do not have the same perspective, the same understanding, or the depth of wisdom that he does.  We will have to trust him.

But I can – because he is king.  Think about this – if Christ is king, then cancer is not king!  And if Christ is king, then the economy is not king.  And if Christ is king then death is not king.  I am not saying these things aren’t powerful. I am not saying that cancer and the economy and death are not powerful things.  I am just saying that they are secondary.  Because Jesus is king!  And that gives me peace.  Jesus said – these things I have spoken to you that you might have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world!

The first place we see ourselves in the text today is in Pilate’s decision.  The second place is in Barabbas’ release. 

I saw this the other day.  He never speaks a word in the gospel records.  Yet all four gospels mention him by name.  He story occupies at least 38 verses of the New Testament.  We don’t know anything about his family.  We don’t know if he was married or single.  We don’t know how old he was.  We can tell what we know in three short sentences: Barabbas was guilty.  Jesus was innocent.  Barabbas lived, Jesus died.  So what do I mean when I say that we are to see ourselves in Barabbas?  It has to do with our guilt and Jesus’ innocence – with our living because Jesus died.

You see, the Bible says that every one of us has sinned.  I have yet to meet a single person who claims they have never messed up, never done what is wrong, never hurt another person.  Every one of us has sinned.  And in our sin we have become separated from God.  God is without sin and has nothing to do with sin and so our sin brings separation between us and God.  That is why the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that the consequence of sin is death.  When we are separated from God we are separated from the source of our life.

Personally, I don’t think it is that God moves away from us.  I think that we move away from him.  C.S. Lewis writes that every decision we make moves us either one step closer to God and to the person God designed us to be or one step farther away from God and  the person God designed us to be.  So that in our pursuit of things that are at odds with God’s nature – things like pride and envy and self-centeredness and lying and self-righteousness – we step away from God. 

And yet God loves us and he does not want us to remain alienated from him.  The scriptures say that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  And Jesus said – I have come to give my life as a ransom for many.  As God in the flesh Jesus paid a price he did not owe so that we could receive the freedom we could not gain and be restored to Him.

It’s confusing.  And since we don’t sacrifice animals for sins as they did in Jesus’ day, it’s even harder to understand.  But as Adam Hamilton says – there are moments when Christ’s death for us comes into focus – moments when we have done something so shameful that we know we cannot save ourselves.  It’s in those moments that we look to the cross and begin to understand the price that has been paid for us.

The point I am trying to make is that in Barabbas we see ourselves walking away free even though we rightly deserve justice for our actions, because Jesus, who was innocent, paid the price for us.  

In 2004, Mel Gibson financed, directed and produced the movie – The Passion of the Christ – depicting the final 12 hours of Jesus’ life.  Now Gibson has done a lot wrong since making the movie.  But there was much about the movie that I think he got right.  Near the end of the movie there is this scene where Jesus is being nailed to the cross.  During the scene a hand appears and holds the nail above Jesus’ outstretched palm – helping the soldiers do their horrible work.  It’s Mel Gibson’s hand.  It’s his hand holding the nail.  Gibson wanted it known that it was his sin that nailed Jesus to the Cross. 

Galatians 4:4-5. When the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons.” In other words the redemption or the ransom frees us to be a part of God’s family. We had run away and sold ourselves into slavery. But God pays a ransom and redeems us out of slavery into the Father’s house.

VIDEO

24 Hours that Changed the World – part 3

How many of you remember the movie Back to the Future? Michael J. Fox plays Marty who is accidentally sent back in time to 1955. There he meets his future parents and inadvertently catches the romantic eye of his mother to be. This creates all kinds havoc in 1985 and so Marty has to go back and repair the damage by getting his future mother to fall in love with his future father. The movie was based upon the premise that the past shapes the future. Change one thing years ago and there is a whole new outcome today and tomorrow.

Now as Christians we know this to be true! We believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago has completely changed our lives – not just our lives today but our lives forever. No longer must we be slaves to sin and death. Because of God’s intentional act of humility and love we can be free!

This is why we are spending time this Lenten season to carefully study the events during the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life. Our goal is to gain a deeper understanding of what took place and from that a greater appreciation for what it means today. We are calling the series – 24 hours that changed the world. We began two weeks ago on Thursday evening at 7 pm and the Passover Seder. Last week we continued in the Garden of Gethsemane sometime after 11 pm. Today we find ourselves at the house of the High Priest. It’s early Friday morning – let’s say just after 1 a.m. That’s what this sundial says. Too many of you were marking the time while I preached last week so I thought I would bring a sundial today. So if you will take your Bibles and turn with me to our text – Mark 14:53-72.

And as you are turning there, I want to reference a verse out of the Old Testament – Deuteronomy 17:6 – which says – On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. Today we are going to read about Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin. And what we are going to see is that despite their best intentions to set Jesus up – none of the witnesses agree. Twice in our text this morning, Mark will tell us that the witnesses don’t agree. Why is that important? Well, because according to Mosaic Law, two witnesses were needed to be able to carry out a death penalty. On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. By repeating that the witnesses don’t agree Mark is highlighting the injustice of the trial and its outcome. With that in mind let’s read together – Mark 14:53-72

53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. 55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’ ” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him. 66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. 68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. 69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” 72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

If I had to pick one word to describe our text this morning, the word would be irony. According to Webster irony is the incongruence between the results of a sequence of events and the expected result. Or to put it another way – irony is the difference between the appearance of things and reality. Many of us who are in our early 30’s, remember the words of that great theologian Alanis Morissette! It’s a traffic jam when you’re already late. A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break. It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife. With apologies to Ms. Morissette, her song has it all wrong. Irony is the difference between the appearance of things and reality. Let me give you some examples.
Jesus is put on trial before the high priest, the chief priests, the elders and teachers of the Law. The trial is held late at night out of fear of the public’s response. Only 5 days before Jesus rode into town to the praises and hosannas of the people. And the Sanhedrin fears a public outcry. So they rig the trial from the start. But the witnesses can’t agree. Ultimately, it is the admission by Jesus that he is the Messiah that gives the high priest what he is seeking. According to the Mosaic Law, by claiming to be God, Jesus is guilty of sinning against God. Ironically, while Jesus’ profession of being God leads to his conviction – in reality it is the Sanhedrin that sins against God by bringing in false witnesses. Number eight of God’s big ten is that you shall not bear false witness.

Or how about this – the religious leaders perceive Jesus as a threat to their leadership, their way of worship and to the Temple. They charge him with saying that he will destroy the temple in three days. And with a conviction they think they have eliminated the threat. Ironically, Jesus is not the real threat to Temple worship. Jesus is a devout Jew who obeys the Law, honors the Jewish holy days and Worships at the Temple. It will be the Romans – who in thirty years will effectively end the Old Testament practice of the Jewish faith. In 70 A.D. Emperor Titus overcomes Jerusalem after a lengthy and bloody siege and lays waste to the Temple. It is never rebuilt. Priestly leadership and sacrificial worship for all practical purposes ends. And the Jews are forced to find a new way of living out their faith.

While the outcome of the trial is the passing of judgment on Jesus by the Sanhedrin, according to Mark, the reality is that Jesus is the one who will sit in Judgment of the Sanhedrin. This is the meaning in Jesus’ statement to the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. This is a reference to the Book of Daniel and the return of the Messiah who will sit in judgment of the world.

One more! After finding Jesus guilty of blasphemy, Mark says that the religious leaders all began to spit on him and strike him with their fists and demand that he prophesy. Ironically, in doing so they fulfill one of Jesus’ prophecies! In Mark 10:33 Jesus says – Behold we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit upon Him, and scourge Him and kill Him. As the Sanhedrin call for Jesus to prophecy they validate one of his prophecies.

So what does this mean? Why is this important? Well, I think Mark uses irony to highlight God’s intentional activity in the past. There is our understanding of history and then there is God’s action in history. Two thousand years ago, God intentionally and completely changed our future! Let me explain.

One of the things that really grabbed me about our text today is the impression that Jesus actively participated in his own execution. Mark says that there was no evidence to put him to death. It wasn’t until Jesus professed that he was the Messiah that he was found guilty. Why would he do that? To set us free! In Mark 10:45 Jesus said – for the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

In the Greek a ransom is a payment made to release someone from bondage. It could pertain to prisoners of war or those entrapped in slavery or even those in debt. In other words, Jesus sees his death as a payment given to release many from bondage. He is paying what they cannot pay so that they can go free. He is substituting himself for them.
This isn’t something he just happened to do. This isn’t something that came up later. Like he came to earth and got caught up in the death plot. He specifically says that he came not to be served but to give his life as a ransom for many. He chose to die. It wasn’t coerced from him. It wasn’t forced. He gave willingly. Jesus came to serve through his death. So that we too might be free – free from death. Free from guilt. In our case, this particularly applies to freedom from sin. In Romans, Paul says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And John 8:34 says – truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

This is why the cross matters. This is why we hold up Christ’s death as the very center of our understanding of God’s love – because through his death and resurrection we can find freedom from our sins. This is the good news – because of his death and resurrection, we no longer need to be enslaved by our hurts, habits, hang-ups and sins. If we confess our sins, he forgives us our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

This brings me to the second part of our text – the denial of Christ by Peter.

Now to fully grasp the weight of his denial we need to remember Peter was with Jesus from the very beginning. According to Mark, Peter and his brother Andrew were the first disciples to be called by Jesus. They were fishing one day when Jesus walked by. Come, said Jesus, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. At once, says Mark, they left their nets and followed him. In Mark’s Gospel the first person that Jesus healed was Peter’s mother in law. She was in bed with a fever and Jesus went and took her by the hand and helped her up and the fever left her. It was Peter out of all the twelve who stepped out of the boat and walked across the water to Jesus. As far as I know no one else has ever walked on water. Peter, along with James and John, was chosen by Jesus to witness his transfiguration. Up on the mountain, Jesus’ clothes become dazzling white – Mark says whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And Jesus is joined by Moses and Elijah. And a voice from heaven calls down and says – this is my Son, whom I love – listen to him. And all along Peter is right there in the front row.

In other words, Peter was not new to the discipleship thing. He was not a spiritual wimp. He was a spiritual giant. He left everything to follow Jesus. He personally witnessed countless miracles of Jesus. Peter has seen things and done things with Jesus that no one else has seen or done. And still, he denies even knowing Jesus.

Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I am not knocking Peter. I share these things because I think it is helpful to know that even though he was perhaps the greatest disciple that ever lived, Peter still stumbled. It helps me to know that even though Peter had a front row seat to the miracles of Jesus, he still denied him. Because I too stumble! I too deny Jesus. Even though I have experienced the abundant life of Christ – even though I have seen miraculous transformations in Christ, I still fail him. Like Peter I seek to follow Jesus – only at a distance. As long as it doesn’t cost me Jesus – I am your man. As long as it won’t hurt Jesus you can count on me as your disciple. As long as it doesn’t come to too much sacrifice then I am in. I want to follow you Jesus – just at a distance.

You see, I am Peter in the story. I am the disciple warming myself by the fire – taking care of my comfort while my Lord and Master sacrifices everything. I too wrestle with choosing my own self over him. And yet, what did Jesus say? If anyone wants to come after me they must deny themselves take up their cross and follow me. For whoever would save their life will lose it. And whoever loses their life for my sake and the sake of Gospel will find it. Being a disciple of Jesus involves the denial of self. And it is in this area that I like Peter, stumble and fail.

By the way, one of the remarkable things about this account of Peter’s denial is that it is in the Bible at all. It’s not really the kind of story you would want to share if you were trying to put your best foot forward. It’s a PR nightmare for a new movement. Can you just see the headlines on the cover of the Jerusalem Times – Disciple closest to Jesus denies him! And yet the story is in the Bible. Why? Well, some believe it is there because Peter put it there. Let me explain. Scholars believe that the Mark of the Gospel of Mark is John Mark. John Mark was closely linked to Paul. He accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey and eventually stayed with Paul during his imprisonment in Rome. John Mark was also closely associated with Peter. In fact, according to 1st Peter, John Mark was like a son to Peter. Peter was his mentor. And it is believed that Peter guided him as he wrote his gospel.

I like the idea that Peter intentionally included a frank account of his failure. I think he included it to encourage future disciples. Peter was eventually martyred for his faith – legend has it he was crucified upside down. He knew the persecution 1st century Christians were facing. He knew how difficult it is to remain faithful when your life is on the line. I think he wanted to encourage other Christians. Especially when you consider how the story ends!

John tells us that after Jesus had risen from the dead, he met the disciples on the shore of Galilee. Peter and several others had returned to fishing. One morning, after a long night without catching a fish, Jesus appeared on the shore. There is a miraculous catch and they share breakfast together. You can read about it in John chapter 21. After breakfast Jesus takes Peter aside and asks him – three times – Peter do you love me. Three times Peter affirms that he loves Jesus. Three times, Jesus tells Peter to be about the work of caring for Jesus’ followers. Three times he reinstates Peter – three times for three denials.

Take a look at this video – grace from the Skit Guys.

Maybe you too know what it is to turn away from Jesus. Maybe like me you have had every intention of following Jesus as your Lord, but when it came right down to it – you chose self over Christ. You wanted to follow Jesus but the cost seemed too great. And so you have followed Jesus – but you followed from a distance.

The good news is that Jesus reinstated Peter. He forgave Peter and he called Peter back into discipleship. And Jesus does the same for us. All we have to do is ask and believe. When we ask for his forgiveness and we believe that he removes our guilt through his death on the cross – we experience the grace of his restoration. And I for one and so thankful! How about you? How about you?

24 Hours that Changed the World – part 2

Over the last couple of years, a new phrase has been making its way around the internet.  Web sites have been developed around it.  Contests have been held to identify the best example of it.  I even found a pastor’s conference in Ohio named after it.  Has anyone heard the term – epic fail?  Anybody here actually used the term – epic fail?  An epic fail means that something or someone’s action is a total failure.  We are not talking about your average “oops” type of failure but a full stop, game over failure.   For example, the explosion of the Challenger shuttle was an epic fail.  The fire on BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig and the resulting oil spill was an epic fail.  Some would argue that the new formula for Coke was an epic fail.  An epic fail is a game over failure.

Now I mention this because today we are going to read a story about an epic fail. Or at least what could have been a full stop, game over failure – but for the grace of God.  It’s found in the Gospel of Mark chapter 14 – today we are going to read verses 27 to 42.  I invite you to take your Bibles and turn there with me now.

And as you are doing so, let me remind you that we are in the second week of our series called 24 Hours that changed the world.  Over the next month and a half we will be looking at the 24 hours before Christ’s death on the cross.  Our goal is to gain a deeper appreciation for the sacrifice of Christ and its significance in our lives.  We began last week with Jesus’ celebration of the Passover Feast – which we said occurred somewhere around 7 pm on Thursday night.  Today we pick up just after 11 pm that same evening.  That’s what this hour glass says – it says 5 past 11 pm. 

Now as we read our text this morning I encourage you to pay particular attention to the word – WATCH!  Mark says that on Tuesday of Holy Week Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives with his disciples when they began to ask him about the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the world.  And in Mark 13 what Jesus basically says is – only God knows when.  No one else knows when – not even the angels.  So be on your guard!  Lest you are caught unprepared!  Be sure to watch!

And now, just days later Jesus is returning to the Mount of Olives where he will once return to this theme of keeping watch.  Let’s see what he says as we read Mark 14:27-42. 

27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: ” ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” 30 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today–yes, tonight–before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” 31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same. 

32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba”, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

 Jesus is sitting at the table with his disciples celebrating the Passover Feast and he says – one of you will betray me.  And one by one the disciples say – surely it’s not me Lord!  And yet within 24 hours – every one of them will flee for their very lives.  One of them will be so frightened that when he is seized he will squirm out of his robe and run away naked.  Peter on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane protests – even if I have to die with you – I will never disown you.  And yet by the day’s end he will deny Christ not once, not twice but three times.  Jesus says to Peter, John and James – stay here and keep watch!  But they can’t keep their eyes open and fall asleep when their rabbi needs them most – twice.  So that Jesus pointedly addresses Peter by his previous name – Simon.  The disciples have followed Jesus for three years.  They have witnessed his miracles and sat at his feet while he taught them.  They have received the very bread that they ate from his hand.  And yet they fail him.  And if we didn’t already know the rest of the story we would say they failed him in an epic – full stop, game over sort of way.

 Now it would be easy to condemn the disciples – to point out their lack of courage and their lack of faith.  But the truth is it would be hypocritical for me to do so.  Because I too have failed Jesus!  I have asked him to be my Lord.  I have committed my life to him.  As his disciple I have left my former way of life – my former values, my former priorities and have engaged in a quest to become like him.  In the words of Paul I am seeking to be a living sacrifice.   And yet, I have denied him – maybe in the same way that Peter did – but denied him none the less – when I give into temptation or treat another poorly because of self-centeredness.  When I am less than loving, less than honest, less than a servant, I am denying the one who was called me to a life characterized by the very nature of Christ.

 It’s not that I want to fail him.  I would gladly be true to him all day long – I just don’t want to suffer.  As long as I don’t have to be uncomfortable!  As long as it won’t cost me anything!  As long as I can retain control – then I am right there for him!  He can count on me!

 But that’s not the way it works – is it?  That’s the second thing we find in our passage today.  Jesus suffers.  Being the Christ involves suffering.  It involves anguish and it involves distress.  Peter takes Jesus off to the side and rebukes him.  And Jesus says – get behind me Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men!  Remember the story?  How Peter took issue with Jesus’ plain talk about his upcoming suffering?  And how Jesus said – look Peter – this suffering – this is from God. 

Christ suffers because he loves.  Clovis Chappell writes a great sermon on this.  And he points out that when you love someone you suffer when they suffer.  As a parent, some of my most painful moments have to do with the suffering of my children.  When they struggle with a physical limitation or they are devastated by rejection or they are in pain over a failure – it hurts me.  Because I love them and long for them to be free of their suffering.  In the same way, Christ sees our brokenness and our sinfulness and our struggles with hurts and habits and hang-ups and it grieves him in his love for us.  And we see this clearly in Luke’s account of his weeping over the city of Jerusalem and its coming destruction.  When you are love incarnate in this world you will suffer.

And Christ suffers because the world does not understand him.  When Jesus walked this earth he washed feet and fed the hungry and healed the sick.  He modeled servant hood – all the way to the cross.  Paul says that he made himself nothing – taking the form of a servant – and humbled himself even to death on a cross.  And when he did, the world did not accept it.  They expected power. Christ brought humility.  They expected personal gain.  But Christ called for self-emptying.  And the world did not understand it.  And they lashed out at him. 

What this means is that as his disciples we too will suffer.  Jesus said – As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.  John 15:19

Christ suffered.  So as his disciples, we will suffer.  As we suffer we often fail him.  But here is the good news – he remains faithful.  That is the ultimate message of our text today – that Christ is faithful even when we fail him.  Jesus tells the disciples – after I have risen, – I will go on ahead of you to Galilee!  Even when they deny him, even when they desert him, even when they fail him – he remains faithful.  And he remains faithful with us too.  If you hear nothing else this morning – hear this – God remains faithful in his love for you – no matter what you have done – no matter where you have been – no matter what the circumstances surrounding your birth God is faithful in his love for you!  That is the real meaning of the cross!  That is the real story of Easter.  God is faithful in his love for us!

This week there was an article about some billboards that are being put up in New Jersey and in Brooklyn.  Evidently, the American Atheists Association has paid $12,000 a piece to run two billboards for a month – one in Arabic and one in Hebrew saying – you know it’s a myth – you have a choice.  Similar boards went up in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Ft Lauderdale this past Christmas featuring three wise men on their way to the nativity.  And underneath was the caption – this season celebrate reason.

The world does not understand him.  Nor will the world understand those seek to follow him.  For he has chosen us out of the world!  The question is – will we be faithful?  As we answer the call the deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him – will we be faithful?  The amazing thing is – even when we are not – he is faithful in his love for us.  And I for one am so glad.  How about you?  How about you?

 

24 Hours that changed the world – part 1!

The other night, I was flipping through the television channels and I came across this amazing report about our national security.  It was basically the story of a special ctu agent as he raced against time to save our country.  Most of what he did was so top secret that they couldn’t show the details.  And what was shocking to me is that evidently he has done this over and over again – week after week after week.  On this particular day that they were filming him – Jack’s wife and daughter were kidnapped – that’s the name of the agent – Jack.  Here’s his picture.  And Jack had to go in and rescue them guns blazing.  How many of you have seen the show – 24 – starring Kiefer Sutherland as agent Jack Bauer? 

Now if you have seen the show you know that one it’s unique aspects was that it was shot in real time narration with each of the season’s 24 episodes equal to one hour in a day of Jack Bauer’s life.  For example the first episode chronicled 12 to 1 a.m. on day of the California presidential primary. 

Now I share that with you because we are starting a new series today.  In the best Jack Bauer fashion, it’s called 24 hours that changed the world.  Over the next six weeks we will be looking at 24 hours leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Our goal will be to get a better understanding of the events that transpired and so gain a deeper insight into the significance of his suffering and death for our lives.  Today we begin with the Lord’s Supper.  So if you will take your Bibles and turn with me to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14 – verses 12 – 26.

And as you are turning there, let me mention that there is a bit of disagreement about the exact time of Jesus’ death.  Mark says that Jesus was crucified on Passover.  Whereas Jesus’ disciple John claims that Jesus was crucified on the day before Passover.  Both Gospel writers find special significance in Jesus’ death based upon their understanding of when it happened.  On top of that, Jews in first century Palestine marked the beginning of each day at sundown.  This means that Good Friday as we now call it, actually began on Thursday evening and ran until sundown Friday.  And this too will influence our understanding of the significance of these particular 24 hours.

Taking Mark’s time table and the understanding that Passover began with sundown on Thursday evening we begin our series somewhere around 7:30 Thursday night.  With that in mind let’s turn to our text – Mark 14:12 – 26.

2 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” 16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me–one who is eating with me.” 19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?” 20 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.” 26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Now as students of the Bible we know that after 400 years of slavery in Egypt, God sent Carleton Hesston to deliver the Israelites.  He demanded that Pharaoh release his people but Pharaoh refused.  God responded with a series of plagues – frogs, boils, blood, and hail.  But still Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go.  So finally, God struck down the first born of every house that was not marked with the blood of a lamb. 

That night, as they awaited their deliverance, the Israelites cooked and ate the lamb they had sacrificed to God.  And in the morning, when word came that Pharaoh had relented, they left so suddenly their bread didn’t have time to leaven and rise.  So the bread they packed was unleavened. 

Now you can read more about this in the Old Testament book of Exodus – and about the Israelite’s 40 year camping trip on the way to the Promised Land!  In particular I encourage you to look up Exodus chapter 12 in which God lays out specific instructions on how the Israelites were to hold an annual feast of roasted lamb and unleavened bread commemorating God delivering them from slavery to freedom.

And so we read today that Jesus sent his disciples to prepare for the coming Passover Seder or feast.  Mark goes into some detail about the preparations.  In the account of the man carrying water and a room already prepared, he makes it clear that God is ordering the events.  Even in the reporting of the disciples singing a hymn and going out to the Mount of Olives, Mark is letting his readers know that Jesus IS the Messiah.  According to Zechariah 14 – when the Lord comes again he will stand with his feet on the Mount of Olives. 

But the part that I want to focus on today is the meal that Jesus shared with his disciples.  We have it portrayed so beautifully in the back of the sanctuary.  In particular I would like to share three things that happen when we follow Christ’s example and participate in Holy Communion. 

First, in I Corinthians 11:26 it says that whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.  When we come forward and receive the bread and the cup we are literally making a statement about the Gospel – the Good News.  We are bearing witness to its truth.  We are saying through our actions that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God who died and rose again.  Now that might not be the first thing on our mind when we come forward.  We might not even be at a place where we can articulate that.  But if you think about it – our coming forward is an affirmation of faith.  I mean why come and participate in communion if Jesus was just another guy?  Why set aside time to gather around the communion table if Jesus is just another would be messiah who died and remained dead?  My point is that the first thing we do when we partake is that we make a statement about Jesus, his death and his resurrection.

Second, when we participate in Holy Communion we are remembering Christ.  It’s interesting that Christ’s well known phrase – do this in remembrance of me – is not in Mark’s account.  The idea that the Lord’s Supper is about remembering Christ is not a part of his focus.  But it is found in several other places in the scripture. 

When we come forward to receive the elements we remember.  We remember his betrayal.  We remember his suffering.  We remember his crucifixion.  As we eat the bread we remember that he willingly gave of his own body to be broken.  As we drink the cup we remember that he willingly shed his blood so that we might have life.   And as we return to our seats we remember his promise of a new kingdom.  As Jesus said – I will not drink the fruit of the vine until I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.

Remembering is so important – because we can get so caught up in our lives – so immersed in the busyness – so focused on the demands of the day that we simply crowd Christ out of our consciousness.  It’s not like we intentionally put him aside.  We don’t consciously set him down.  But it happens.  And so we intentionally set aside time to remember the one who gave his life to save us.  

I think I have told you that our family has a little meal time ritual.  On the nights that we sit down to eat together we go around and we ask everyone to share – what was the best part of their day.  What was the most challenging part of their day?  And what are we thankful for?  Sometimes we have to press a bit.  And sometimes we get tired of hearing – I am thankful for the wii.  Or I am thankful for everything except broccoli.  But we press on because we find it helps to remember how blessed we are.  In the same way, when we gather around the church family table and we read the ritual about God’s provision and his deliverance and we recite together, Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ will come again.  We recognized that indeed we are blessed.

The point I am trying to make is that remembering is so important because it brings the past into the present.  Like the pictures on the walls of our homes and the photo albums that line our book shelves, so to the ritual of communion helps bring the past into the present.

Holy Communion is a statement of faith.  It is an act of remembering.  And yet it is so much more.  Because beyond the things we bring to the table – beyond the remembering and believing – there is the whole matter of what GOD does at the communion table.  And as United Methodists we place a greater emphasis upon what God does at the communion table than what we bring to it. 

What we are talking about is grace!  The unmerited favor of God!  Or as some parts of the church define it – God’s strength!  When we participate in the Lord’s Supper we receive God’s grace.  John Wesley talked about Holy Communion as a means of grace.  He said that the bread and the cup are instruments of God’s favor.  They are vehicles that He uses to bestow his strength.  They are ordinary things that God uses to impart the divine. 

And so John Wesley took communion every day.  The early Methodists sought as many opportunities as they could to participate in it.  They would intentionally seek it out.  Because it is a known source of God’s grace.  The image that comes to my mind is that of the sun’s rays as a source of Vitamin D.  When I was young the sun was something you baked in.  To this day when I smell coconut I have flash backs Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil!  Now too much sun is now known to be hazardous to your skin.  And yet it is recommended that we spend a few minutes every day getting sunlight.  Our bodies take the sunlight and manufacture D which we need to combat a bunch of different diseases.  So we expose ourselves to the sun’s rays – in moderation of course – because it brings health. 

In the same way, as disciples of Jesus Christ we expose ourselves God’s grace through communion.  When we come forward and take that piece of bread and receive the cup we are placing ourselves in the stream of God’s favor.  Certainly you can go through the motions and still keep yourself closed off to receiving His grace.  There is free will.  And just because we go through the ritual does not mean that we control or direct or create His grace.  His grace is unmerited – it is unearned.  But we do have a way that Jesus practiced and directed his disciples to take.  And it results in grace.  

And the truth is – we need grace.  Because we struggle with sin and brokenness!  We battle hurts, habits and hang-ups.  For I do the very thing I do not want to do says Paul.  And the very thing I do want to do – I don’t.  What a wretched man am I!  Even as disciples of Jesus Christ, we stand in need of the deliverance that God provides.

Here is the Good News!  Through his death and resurrection Jesus has established a new relationship with us.  Mark says that when Jesus took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to his disciples he said – this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  In my Bible there is a little footnote that says some manuscripts include the word – new – as in this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.  It is a reference to a prophecy foretold by the prophet Jeremiah some 600 years before the birth of Christ.  Behold the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…I will put my law within them and I will write it on their hearts…I will be their God and I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.

Through the sacrifice of his son on the cross God has provided a way for our sins to be forgiven.  John says that if we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  This is what we remember in communion – through Christ – our sins can be forgiven!  This is what we profess in communion – through Christ our sins can be forgiven!  And this is what the grace of communion makes possible – through Christ our sins are forgiven!   Just as the Passover Seder is a feast of liberation commemorating God’s deliverance from slavery – so to the Lord’s Supper is celebration of freedom and God’s deliverance from slavery to sin.  In fact in the very order of communion it says – when the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples and said:  drink from this all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant – poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Here’s the second piece of Good News!  God’s kingdom is at hand!  When Jesus had finished drinking the cup he said – “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”

The day is coming when God’s reign will be established on earth as it is in heaven.  The day is coming when we will gather around the throne of Christ and we will be his people.  And we will live in his presence.  And there will be no more crying and no more pain and no more death.  For the old order of things will have passed away. 

If you have ever grieved over the loss of a loved one!  If you have ever had your heart broken by abandonment, abuse, or betrayal!  If you have ever found yourself locked in a battle for your life with cancer!  If you have ever been subjected to the evil of discrimination based on race, gender, age, economic status – then you have a sense – you have a vision of the goodness of the promise of life after life – eternal in the heavens – at the foot of the throne of God – in a house not made with hands!

By your Spirit says the communion ritual – make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Jesus took the Passover Seder – commemorating God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery – and he transformed it into a meal that proclaims Jesus as Lord and remembers his suffering and death and transforms us by his grace so that we no longer have to be slaves to sin.  And we no longer need fear death.  

After Jesus was baptized, he spent 40 days in the wilderness.  And immediately leaving the wilderness he returned to his home town where he attended synagogue on the Sabbath.  And while he was there he read from the Scriptures.  And this is what he read.  18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

And then Jesus rolled up the scroll.  He returned it and sat down.  And he said – today this has been fulfilled in your hearing.  In other words – this is why I came.  I have come to save!

Let me ask you this morning.  Do you carry wounds that others have inflicted upon you?  Do you wrestle with habits and hang-ups?  Do you do the very thing you do not want to do?  Are you battling sin?  Jesus came to release the oppressed.  He came to bring recovery of sight to the blind.  He has come and proclaimed freedom for prisoners – all the way to the cross and beyond.

And the truth is I am so thankful.  I am so grateful that he endured those 24 hours for me!  Because I need a savior!  How about you?  How about you?

Disciples are the salt of the earth!

If you have been following the news this week you know that family and friends gathered at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey yesterday for the “home-going” ceremony for Whitney Houston.  The 48 year old pop star was remembered by recording artists and movie stars like Kevin Costner and Stevie Wonder who praised Whitney for her talent and lamented her struggles with addiction and the dark side of fame.  According to reports, she will be buried today in a cemetery in New Jersey next to her father.

Now whether you believe that Whitney deserves all the media attention or not – and we have had a lot of debate in our house this week about it, you can certainly agree that her death reminds us of the temporary nature of our lives.  Sooner or later our time in this world comes to an end.  And it often comes before we expect it.

And this week in St Petersburg we have seen an extreme example of this – when the 20 year daughter of Pastor Tim Kelley of Grace Connection Church was tragically shot and killed in a freak accident at church. 

We don’t always know when our time in this world will come to an end.

Several years ago, Pastors Kerry and Chris Shook wrote a book entitled – one month to live – 30 days to a no regrets life.  In it they advise their readers to address the broken relationships, the missed opportunities, the haunting regrets and dormant dreams of our lives.  The only way to live, they say, is to put your faith and your relationships in order so that if life ended tomorrow you would have no regrets.

Well I share that with you because today we are going to read the words of a man who knows his time on earth is drawing to a close.  He does not long to live.  Time is of the essence.  And so he writes to the one who is like a son to him and says – come quickly.  Or as some translations put it – do your best to come before winter.  He knows it will take time for his letter to get there.  He knows that travel is restricted in winter.  And Paul understands that if Timothy doesn’t get started right away it might be too late.  

Now for the past 5 weeks we have been looking at just what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  We believe that our mission – our reason to be as a church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  Just before Jesus left this earth he turned to his disciples and said – go and make disciples of all nations – baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And so we believe that everything we do here – every ministry we offer, every worship service we gather for should help us make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Today we are going wrap up the series by at looking at the last chapter of 2 Timothy – 2 Timothy 4 – we will read verse 1 – 18. 

And as you are turning there, let me say a word about two of the names we are going to find in our text today.  The first is Luke.  In verse 11, Paul tells Timothy that only Luke is with him.  Luke is Dr. Luke, the physician who traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys.  It is the same Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke and its sequel the book of Acts.  The second name is Mark or John Mark, the young man who joined Paul on his first missionary journey only to desert the cause at Pamphylia and return to Jerusalem.   His departure caused no small rift between Paul and his missionary partner and John Mark’s cousin, Barnabas.  So that according to Acts 15 Barnabas and John Mark went one way and Paul and Silas went the other.  But now John Mark is back and restored and Paul is calling for him because according to Paul in verse 11, John Mark is helpful to him in his ministry.  What makes John Mark particularly interesting it is that he is better known as the author of the gospel of Mark!  So here you have Paul who wrote a large part of the New Testament with two of the four Gospel writers!  One commentator I read even goes so far as to speculate that maybe the parchments that Paul calls for are the actual gospels of Mark and Luke!  We don’t know if that is true or not.  But what we do know is that the words we read this morning carry a good bit of clout.  Not only are they last record words of a man who has run the race faithfully and knows he is soon to leave this world, but they are the last recorded words of one of the greatest influences on our Christian faith.  And they go like this.

1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Last month, a dozen of us from First Church ran in a 200 mile relay race from Miami to Key West.  It was a blast!  And we did very well – as a team we completed it in just about 30 hours.  But here is what you need to know.  This was not something that we decided to do last minute.  We didn’t get up one morning and say – you know I think I will jump in a van with 11 other crazy people and run to Key West!  No – we had months of planning and preparation.   We put in many hours of training – just as those of you who ran in the half marathon last weekend logged in many hours of training.  We secured travel and lodging arrangements.  We talked strategy.  We mapped out our attack.  We did all this with one goal in mind – to successfully complete the race.  This end goal influenced our behavior and impacted our resources and informed our relationships. 

Many of you here are businessmen and businesswomen.  I suspect that at the office you have some sort of strategy – some sort of game plan that you follow to deliver a desired product or service.  You don’t just walk in to work and out of the blue a desired service suddenly appears.  All of the necessary elements don’t just serendipitously combine and out pops this product!  You have to be intentional.  You have to know where you are going. You have to have the end in mind.  The end goal influences your behavior and impacts your resources and informs your relationships.

Maybe you like to cook.  I am not much of a cook.  But I can burn things with the best of them.  From time to time I like to tinker at a recipe.  I’m no expert but I know that if I want to create a certain dish I need to be very intentional.  I can’t just throw whatever sounds good into a pan.  And I can’t use any old amount that looks right.  And I can’t cook it for whatever time I feel like it.  Instead I have to keep the end in mind.  And I have to follow specific steps to reach that end.  I have to discipline myself and my behavior and allocate my resources in such a way as to reach that goal. 

Here is where I am going.  In 1989 Stephen Covey wrote his blockbuster book – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  In it he said that the second habit of success is to begin with the end in mind.  And we understand that.  We can see the wisdom in directing our behavior and allocating our resources in such a way as to reach that end – whether it comes to our business, our finances, our marriage, our children or our very lives.  The question is – do we practice it?

There’s an old story told about three guys who were discussing their obituaries.  The first guy says – At my funeral I want folks to talk about what a great husband and great father I was.  The second says – well at my funeral I want folks to say I was a great humanitarian who cared about his community.  With that they turn to the third guy who says – well at my funeral I want folks to say – look he’s moving!

Last time I checked the mortality rate for human beings was right around 100%.  And yet, 98% of what we talk about, think about, pray about has to do with the dash between the dates on the tombstone.  We don’t always like to but we need to keep the end in mind. 

And so it is that Paul begins the fourth chapter of his second letter to Timothy with the end in mind –  1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

In other words, the time is coming Timothy when God’s kingdom will be established on earth as it is in heaven and we will stand before Christ and give an accounting.  That’s the goal Timothy.  That’s where we are headed.   And with that end in mind, Timothy – knowing what is to come in the presence of God and his joy and his healing and his love, PREACH THE WORD OF GOD. 

Timothy – this might be my last opportunity to share with you. Timothy you know that I love you like you were my son.  And I want you to succeed.  And I want you to know God’s blessing in your life.  So Timothy – preach the word of God. 

And here is why Timothy – we have a tendency to hear what we want to hear.  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  It is part of our nature – twisted as it is by sin – to shy away from those things that challenge and correct and call to truth.  And that is why scripture and its study and meditation up on it and memorization of it are so important.  They help us avoid the trap of surrounding ourselves with those who simply parrot back what we want to hear.  II Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.    Or as we said last week – in the words of Warren Wiersbe – Scripture is God-breathed and useful for showing us what is right, showing us what is wrong, showing us how to get right (that’s correcting) and showing us how to stay right. 

And so my brothers and sisters – share the word of God!  Be prepared in season and out of season to correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.

Or as one of the commentaries I read put it – be on stand-by.  When you fly stand by you go when the opportunity arises.  If you hesitate you will have to wait for another flight  – or two! And so when that airline employee gets on the intercom and calls for you to report to the desk – you go.  You don’t say – Give me a minute.  You don’t sit back down and say – well it just didn’t feel right.  You don’t say – you know – I just don’t feel led to go.  You go – lest you never reach your destination.     

In the same way, as Christians, we are to be prepared to share God’s Word when the opportunity arises.  It’s not a matter of feeling just right.  It’s not about waiting to feel led.  It’s about living up to our calling – to be fisher’s of men and women.   

Mark says that one day as Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee he saw two men casting a net into the lake – for they were fishermen – Mark wants to make sure we get it.  And he said to Simon and Andrew – follow me. 

Now as disciples we know that are called to be followers of Jesus.  We are to leave our former values and leave our former priorities and leave our former behavior and leave our former allegiances – and follow him.  We understand intuitively that we can’t stay where we are and follow him.  Like Peter we can’t stay at our nets and follow Jesus at the same time.  Like Matthew we can’t sit at our tax booth and follow Jesus at the same time.  We need to leave where we are and follow him. 

But that is not all.  Jesus doesn’t stop there.  He says to his disciples – follow me AND I will make you fisher’s of men.  It’s not just about following.  It’s also about sharing and teaching and correcting.  It’s about preaching God’s Word.  It’s about bringing others into the life of God’s truth.  So preach the word of God. 

Not that it will be easy.  Not that folks will always appreciate it.  Not everyone, says Paul, will want to hear it.  In fact, he says – it will create hardship for you.  Last week we heard Paul say that everyone who wishes to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.  This morning he says it is going to be costly.  It will require sacrifice.  For I am already being poured out like a drink offering!  He understands that his life is a sacrifice.  I urge therefore brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices – holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

In other words – it is going to cost us.   But here is why we do it anyway – because it is part of the very nature of being a disciple.    

I mentioned the other week that I have been reading Dietrich Bonheoffer’s book – The Cost of Discipleship.  Bonheoffer was a Lutheran Pastor in Nazi Germany who was arrested and eventually martyred because of his work against the Nazi regime.  He understood what it meant when Paul said that anyone who sought to live a godly life in Christ Jesus would be persecuted.  Anyway, one of the chapters of his book focuses on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and in particular the way the Beatitudes describe what it is to be a disciple.  In that chapter Bonheoffer talks about Matthew 5:13 in which Jesus says to his disciples – you are the salt of the earth.  But if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. 

And what Bonheoffer does is focus on the fact that word ARE – you are the salt of the earth.  Jesus doesn’t say to his disciples – you ought to be the salt of the earth or you can be the salt of the earth or you will be the salt of the earth.  He says – you are the salt of the earth.   In other words, says Bonheoffer, the disciples are not given a choice.  They aren’t asked whether they want to be salt or not.  They simply are the salt of the earth.  It’s part and parcel of who they are.  They are the ones who enable and preserve and season life in the world. 

And then he goes on to point out that according to Jesus the special distinction of salt is that if it loses its saltiness, it really is no longer good for anything.  And it is thrown out.  Because it has lost its effectiveness – never to recover it again!  So that by its nature salt is either effective or it is hopelessly lost. 

As I read that I thought about churches and how some thrive and some decline.  And it struck me that if our church is to remain alive – if it is to live up to its purpose we will need to be the salt of the earth.  And that the moment we lose that – that purpose of enabling and preserving and seasoning life – not just our own – the life of the whole world – we will become useless and decline – eventually to be discarded.

And I thought of how the same is true for us as disciples.  We are called to share God’s word.  We are to be fisher’s of men and women.  As disciples we are designed to be the salt of the earth.  It’s part of our very nature. 

So I simply ask you – who has God brought into your life so that you can share His truth with them?  In whose life has he perfectly positioned you – through your shared experience of struggle of divorce or of cancer of grief – through your shared life stage whether it be with young children, or with teenagers, or as empty nesters – through shared hobbies, shared neighborhoods, shared work offices.  In whose life has God perfectly positioned you to share His word? 

You might be thinking – wait a minute David – that’s easy for you.  You have an advantage being a preacher.  To which I respond – I think you have an advantage not being a preacher.  Folks expect it of me.  And because they expect it of me they can hold me off at a distance and discard what they hear.  But you are the one who makes it real.  You are the one who makes it authentic to your neighbor, your friend, your colleague, your child.  They see you day in and day out and they see that God’s word in you and they see that it is truth in this world. 

So who are you on standby with?  Who are you ready to share the Good News of Jesus with – in season and out, whether it’s convenient or not, even if it brings hardship?  For day is coming – when the Kingdom of God will be established on earth as it is in heaven!  This life is not the end.  There is an eternity in the presence of God – who is the very essence of love – for those who are his disciples. 

And the truth is I don’t want to spend time around the throne of Christ regretting I hadn’t said something.  How about you?  How about you?

Take a look at this video.

 

Discipleship is not for the Faint of Heart!

Several weeks ago, a young man by the name of Jefferson Bethke made a video and posted it on the internet.  It immediately went viral – collecting over 18 million hits in a matter of weeks.  It was featured on a number of news sites and previewed on Nightline.  The name of the video is – why I hate religion, but love Jesus!  Bethke says he made the video to highlight the difference between Jesus’ gospel and self-righteousness.  In particular he says he wanted to the expose legalism and hypocrisy.  Take a look at the first two minutes of it.  VIDEO

As you can guess, the video has stirred a lot of debate.  Those who criticize the video point out that Jesus didn’t hate religion!  In fact, Jesus was incredibly religious.  He was a good Jew who observed the Torah and kept the Sabbath and observed the Jewish holy days.  He came to fulfill the law not abolish it.  He established the church, instituted a ritual meal and commanded his followers to baptize and teach obedience to everything he commanded them.

On the other hand, there is something to be said about the visible discrepancy between Jesus’ teachings and the actions of many who profess to follow him. The truth is, as disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to be different.  We are to stand out in the world as a source of Christ’s life.  As Bethke says – if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean. 

Now as you know for the past month we have been talking about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Before he ascended into heaven Jesus turned to his disciples and said – Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  Our mission at FUMC is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  It is the reason we exist.  It is our purpose.  Everything we do, every ministry we offer, every worship service we gather for is to help us fulfill our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. 

And just what is a disciple?  Well, three weeks ago we said a disciple of Jesus is one who is working to become like Christ – to have a life that is informed by, immersed in, and composed of Christ’s life, Christ’s love and Christ’s peace.  And we said that it is God who makes this possible.  From the moment we are conceived God is at work through the things we read and the people we meet and the experiences we have, through the scripture and through the church to bring us to an awareness that we are sinners and a conviction that we need God.  So that we turn away from our lives of brokenness and toward God – something the Bible talks about as repenting.  And when we do – God justifies us – he brings us into alignment with him through the work of his Son on the cross.  And he makes us new.  We are reborn.  And we begin to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  Not as a way to save ourselves but as a result of being saved.  Because of what God has done for us in love, we walk in the Spirit and immerse ourselves in Scripture and live out a life of service and join in community until by his grace we grow up into the full image of Christ and attain holiness.

Two weeks ago we said that not only has God called us to holiness, God has provided us with all that we need to attain it.  And that therefore we are to take God’s provision and fan into flame this gift within us.  Last week we added that to do this we will need to have single minded focus, discipline, and perseverance in our obedience to the Christ.  Today we continue on from where we left off and look at how disciples are called to be different.   

So if you turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter 3.  We are going to read the entire chapter.  And as you are turning there, let me just point out two names that we find in our text – Jannes and Jambres. According to Exodus chapter seven, when Moses went to Pharaoh and said – let my people go – Pharaoh demanded a miracle.  So Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and it became a snake.  And Pharaoh summoned his magicians and they did the same thing.  And Aaron’s staff turned snake swallowed up their staffs turned into snakes!  Remember the story?  Well according to Jewish tradition, the names of Pharaoh’s magicians were Jannes and Jambres.  They aren’t specifically named in the Exodus account.  Their names seemed to have been added at some point afterward – much like the names of the three wise men who visited at Jesus’ birth.  So why does Paul mention them by name?  Well, the point is that God will triumph over those opposed to God’s will.  Just as God used Moses and Aaron to triumph over Pharaoh’s magicians so God will enable Timothy to overcome those opposed to God’s truth.  Paul knows that Timothy needs this encouragement if he is to remain faithful in a hostile world.  With this in mind, let us go to our text for this morning – 2 Timothy 3.

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth–men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. 10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings–what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

One day Jesus was walking with his disciples and he turned to them and asked – who do people say that I am?  They replied – some say John the Baptist and some Elijah and still others – one of the prophets.  But what about you, asked Jesus?  Who do you say that I am?  And Peter says – you are the Christ.  You are the Son of God.  You are the long awaited Messiah.

And with that, Mark says that Jesus began to teach them that he must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  And then Jesus adds these words – they are found in Mark 8:34.  If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 

Now why would Jesus say that?  Why are self-denial and suffering a part of following him?  Well, it has to do with the nature of being a disciple.  In Jesus’ day a disciple was an apprentice who left home and family to follow their rabbi around – literally going everywhere he went – hanging on every word – all in their quest to become exactly like their rabbi.  In fact, there is an old rabbinic saying – may you be covered in the dust of your rabbi’s feet.  The idea is that as a disciple you would stick so close to your rabbi that the dust kicked up from his sandals would cover you.

That’s why we read that Peter and Andrew and James and John left their nets and with the other 8 followed Jesus for three years – eating with Jesus, witnessing his miracles, soaking up his teachings all in a quest to become like their rabbi.  Their goal was to become exactly like Jesus.  In our society today we tend to equate discipleship with gaining knowledge from a teacher.  But in Jesus’ day it was about more than that.  It was about literally becoming like the teacher.  This is why Paul says in Ephesians 4 – It was Christ who gave some to be apostles and pastors and teachers and prophets (remember this verse) to equip God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature – attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  And why Paul in Philippians 3 can say – I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings – becoming like him in his death.

As disciples we are striving to become just like Christ – that is our goal.  And since Christ had to suffer and be rejected and lose his life for others, so we too will suffer and will be rejected and lose our lives for the sake of the gospel.  For no servant is above his or master.

Dallas Willard is a professor of Philosophy at University of S. California and a well known Christian author.  In his book, The Great Omission, he points out that the word disciple occurs 269 times in the New Testament.  But the word Christian occurs only three times and refers specifically to the disciples of Jesus.  He further notes that the New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ.  And yet, he says, so far as the visible Christian institutions of our day are concerned – discipleship is clearly optional. 

In other words, according to Willard, the church has missed the point.   

In our text today Paul warns Timothy about those in the church who are lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, ungrateful, without love, unforgiving, without self-control, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.  Rather than seeking to deny themselves, they are centered on themselves and consequently though they have the form of godliness – that is though they go through all the right motions, they lack the power of godliness.  Paul says – steer clear of them.  They have missed the point.  In their self centeredness they are working against the truth.  And they will be a source of suffering for Timothy.  In fact, says Paul, everyone who wants to live a Godly life will be persecuted. 

Which leads me to the “what” of my message – as disciples of Jesus Christ – called to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him – we will be persecuted.  We will bear a cross tailored made for us. 

Now you might be thinking – wait a minute – that’s a little harsh!  I don’t remember signing up for that!  When I became a Christian I heard a lot about love and peace and abundant life and new birth.  I don’t remember anything about self-denial and crosses!  The truth is very few of us come to Christ so that we can lose our lives and suffer and endure persecution.  Most of us came to Christ because we needed help.  Our marriage was floundering.  Things were falling apart financially.  There was this issue of addiction.  Something was going on in our lives and there was this void.  Or we were very young and it was explained to us that when people die they either go to heaven or hell.  And if you are a Christian you go to heaven.  So it doesn’t take a whole lot of thought. 

The disciples themselves followed Christ for similar reasons.  Mark says that one day Jesus appeared out of the blue and called Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow him.  And they did.  But Luke tells a different story.  According to Luke, Jesus called the disciples to follow him AFTER their miraculous catch of fish.  Peter and his companions had been fishing all night but hadn’t caught a thing.  Jesus says to Peter – hey Peter put your nets down on the other side of the boat.  Right?  And Peter is going – oh so that’s the problem – I have been fishing on the wrong side of the boat!  But he does it.  And no sooner had he lowered the nets than they were filled with so many fish their nets began to break.  They had to get help hauling all the fish in.  And they were astonished!  And it’s at that point that Jesus said to Peter – from now on you will catch men.  And they left their nets and followed him – Luke 5:11. 

My point is – most of us come to Christ because we need something.  This is why in our early years as a Christian our prayers are filled with requests for ourselves.  God help me with this.  God help me with that.  God I need this.  God I want that.  And thankfully God is good and God is faithful.  He understands our motives.  But here is what we need to remember – he doesn’t intend for us to stay there.  Instead he makes us into something greater.  Follow me, says Jesus, and I will make you fishers of men – those who give away their lives for the sake of gospel. 

As disciples we are called to be different.  We are to be lovers of God not lovers of self or lovers of pleasure.  That’s the what.  And this means that if we are true to our calling we will be treated poorly for it.  We will be called upon to lose our lives for the sake of the gospel.  That’s the so what.  Therefore we need to ground ourselves in God’s Word.  That’s the application.  Study.  Meditate.  Memorize.  Talk about the scriptures when you sit down at the dinner table.  Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.  Put it on walls of your house.  Hide them in your heart that you might not sin against God.

Verse 14 – but as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of – the Holy Scriptures.  Why?  Verse 16 – 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  Or in the words of Warren Wiersbe – Scripture is God-breathed and useful for showing us what is right, showing us what is wrong, showing us how to get right (that’s correcting) and showing us how to stay right. 

Let me ask you this morning – do you meditate upon the scriptures as the Psalmist says?  Do you teach them to your children as Moses commanded?  Is scripture hidden in your heart that you might not sin against God?  Is it a lamp unto your feet?  If not – why not – it is the source of wisdom for salvation!

As disciples we will be persecuted.  Because we are striving to be like Jesus Christ who gave his life as a ransom for many!  Finally, the way we overcome persecution is by continuing in the scripture.

The story is told of a woman who was driving down the street one day when suddenly the car in front of her jammed on the brakes, just locked them up – rather than go through a yellow light at the intersection.   In order to avoid an accident, the woman stomped on her brakes and came to a screeching halt.  After the dust had settled and it had sunk in what had just happened, the woman decided to express in no uncertain terms just how she felt about the driver in front of her.  She was under a lot of stress, this woman and this was the last straw.  She laid on the horn, screamed at the top of her lungs and even let the other driver know he was number one in her book – or something like that.  Suddenly, while in mid rant she heard a tap on her window.  Startled she looked up into the face of a very serious police officer.

The officer ordered her from the car and had the woman put her hands behind her back.  Then he cuffed her and took her down to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, and placed in a holding cell.  Several hours later an officer came and escorted her to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal belongings.   He said I’m very sorry for this mistake.  You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you and cussing up a blue streak.   Then I noticed your “follow me to Sunday school” license plate holder, your “what would Jesus do” bumper sticker and the Christian fish emblem on the trunk.  Naturally, I assumed that the car was stolen!

In the words of rapidly famous poet Jefferson Bethke – I’m just saying quit putting on a fake look.  It’s a problem if people only know you are a Christian by your Face Book.

The truth is I want to be like Christ – even if means being different – even if it means denying myself and taking up my cross.  How about you?  How about you?