Today is Mother’s Day … and one thing I want to make clear is this: Being a mom is truly an adventure! And if you’re a mom who is present today, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. A story is told about one mom who had an incredible adventure one day, while she entertained guests in her home. She’d tried her best to teach her young son about the importance of prayer. When they all sat down to dinner, hoping to show off his newfound skills in prayer, she experienced this:

One blistering hot day when they had guests for dinner, the mom asked her 4-year old Johnny to return thanks. ‘But I don't know what to say!’ the boy complained. ‘Oh, just say what you hear me say’ his mother replied. Obediently the boy bowed his head and mumbled, ‘Oh Lord, why did I invite these people over on a hot day like this?’

It’s always an adventure, isn’t it moms? Being a mom is a real calling of God, too; did you know that? Not everyone is called to this very special task in life. And, truthfully, the only way one can truly fulfill this calling with any amount of success … is with God’s help. Scripture describes what it means to be ‘a truly good woman … or wife … or mother. Listen now as the writer of Proverbs (31:10-31, NLT) describes one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity…

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. ¹¹ Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. ¹² She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. ¹³ She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. ¹⁴ She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. ¹⁵ She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. ¹⁶ She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. ¹⁸ She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. ¹⁹ Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. ²⁰ She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. ²¹ She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes. ²² She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. ²³ Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders. ²⁴ She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants. ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. ²⁶ When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. ²⁷ She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. ²⁸ Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: ²⁹ “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. ³¹ Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise. – Proverbs 31:10-31 (NLT)

Folks, I’m thankful for our ‘truly good … mothers.’ We have been blessed indeed! And using this final section of Proverbs that describes the ‘ideal,’ I believe we can all see some of our own mothers in these verses…

But, before I go on, let me tell you a little about Mother’s Day in general; did you know…

• We owe—in part—the celebration of Mother’s Day to a mom by the name of Julia Ward Howe, who first publically called for a Mother’s Day celebration in 1872…

• It took until 1907 for Mother’s Day to be officially celebrated for the first time by Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Virginia, who really wanted to commemorate her mom’s death (2 years prior); she did this privately. Looking for a broader audience to help celebrate this special day, Jarvis organized a celebration the very next year (1908), involving 407 children with their mothers at the Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton (part of our tradition)…

• The first ‘official’ holiday was set by the State of West Virginia in 1910…

• A proclamation designating the 2^nd Sunday in May as Mother’s Day was then signed into action by President Woodrow Wilson on May 14, 1914 … and so the general recognition and appreciation for mothers began…

A couple of weeks ago now, we talked about entering into worship with thankful hearts—with attitudes of gratitude. This worship service is no different. Our focus on this Mother’s Day, however, is moms … and that’s what I come here most thankful for today. I encourage you to join me in that mindset as we explore the author of Proverbs’ description of a ‘truly good woman (or mother)’ today… So, using today’s scripture as our guide, we celebrate and are most thankful for…

MOTHERS WITH STRONG CHARACTER. Verses 11-12 say again, “Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. ¹² She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” TRUST … is one of those necessary things in any relationship; it has to do with a strong moral character … and how wonderful that is when brought into any relationship. We need to be able to TRUST those we’re in relationship with unquestionably, but there’s more to these verses … and to this idea of TRUST. Let me explain further…

The Hebrew word ‘batah’ used here in verse 11 really sets the theme. Unfortunately, most read these verses and think of the husband trusting his wife in terms of marital fidelity only; but that’s not all that it means. The husband’s deliberate and willful trust of the woman in his life (and his children’s lives) is one he can also count on for ‘economic security.’ The word ‘enrich’ used here in speaking of what this woman does for her husband’s life, can also refer to ‘profit.’ So, this woman greatly ‘profits’ the man’s life. In other words, his trust is not just for marital fidelity, but also for economic security … and it’s explained further in V. 13, which reads: “She finds wool and flax and busily spins it.” So, her work ethic was also a part of her strong character—the character we celebrate in moms today...

There’s an old Arabic proverb which says: “A clever woman is never without wool.” That’s part of the character of mother’s that we celebrate today—those whose character leads them to be resourceful for the ones they love! So, today we celebrate and are thankful for mothers with strong character! And we also celebrate:

MOTHERS WITH GREAT WISDOM. Verses 25-26 remind us of this: “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. ²⁶ When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.” John Wesley puts it this way in his Explanatory Notes: “She lives in constant tranquility of mind, from a just confidence in God's gracious providence.” In other words, here is a person who can laugh in the face of the future, because of her great confidence in the God of the future! So, we celebrate that confidence built on faith today—a confidence found in many of our mothers. And the next verse goes on to speak specifically of a mother’s wisdom, but what is that exactly?

Robert Fulghum, a writer for the KANSAS CITY TIMES, summed it up well when he said:  'Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school. These are the things I learned:

• Share everything…

• Play fair…

• Don't hit people…

• Put things back where you found them…

• Clean up your own mess…

• Don't take things that aren't yours…

• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody…

• [And] When you go out into the world: watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.'
  

And since I did not have the privilege of going to kindergarten, I learned these very same things from … my mom! So, what are the lessons you’ve learned from mom? What wisdom do we need to hang onto in order to inherit God’s kingdom [as little children]? According to today’s scripture, it’s the wisdom of our wives/moms…

As Tom Kraueter put it so eloquently last weekend: After being married to his wife, Barbara, for 30+ years, he now realizes that when she says ‘you need to read this’ or ‘you need to understand this,’ he now knows that he needs to listen to her—without question! Why? Because ‘when she speaks, her words are wise….’ We also celebrate today…

MOTHERS WITH MANY SKILLS. Verses 13-19 really lay this idea out for us:

“She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. ¹⁴ She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. ¹⁵ She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. ¹⁶ She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. ¹⁸ She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. ¹⁹ Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber.”

Our mother’s are ones whom God has gifted with the ability to ‘multi-task!’ If you’re anything like me, gentlemen, you will be thankful for this Gift from God! Moms are people who are endowed with a multitude of skills needed to love husbands … to raise families … and to prepare for the later years of life … like no one else! Am I the only one thankful for that today? We celebrate mothers with many skills—all God-given, acknowledging that without them, our world would not know the strength of families like it does today. And finally, we celebrate and are thankful for…

MOTHERS WITH GREAT COMPASSION. Verse 20 expounds on this in this way: “She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.” I can think of several moms who fit this description—those who constantly          are reaching out to those less fortunate than themselves, as well as caring for their own families!

And when I think back on my own mother today, and all that I learned from her, I can’t help but think that she took this idea of ‘great compassion’ one step further. My mother taught us to love those less fortunate than ourselves, but she also taught us that—as followers of Jesus Christ—we also needed to learn to reach out to and love ‘the unlovable!’

I remember my mother discovering and first reading a book by Joyce Landorf Heatherley, entitled ‘Irregular People.’ In it, the author shares these thoughts:

“Most everyone has at least one person in their life who truly makes living … one continuous pain in the derriere. What heightens the pain is that this person is not a mere acquaintance of ours. No, unfortunately it is more complicated than that; for we are related to them, either by birth or marriage.”

Can anyone say, ‘Family reunion?’ There’s the test of true compassion, folks. There’s the test of true love for others. Not with those we do not know personally, but with those that we know intimately … and I’m thankful for a mother today who was truly filled with great compassion … even for those who drove her crazy! Today, we celebrate mothers who have great compassion for ALL others … and teach us to do the same…

Folks, as we come to the end of Proverbs, we find this book of the OT ends just as it begins—with a statement of the importance of faith. Verses 30-31 conclude in this way: “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. ³¹ Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.” Folks, let’s celebrate those moms today, shall we?

Today’s scripture has given us a synopsis of ‘a truly good … mother.’ And that gift of motherhood is what I’m most thankful for today. Take just a moment, would you, and think about your own mother. I acknowledge that this may not apply to all, but I’m sure that many of us have heard our mothers described in this proverb today. Won’t you join me in thanking God … for the incredible Gift of Moms?

Attitude is everything! And it’s that ‘attitude of gratitude’ that God’s looking for in our relationship with him. Our scripture lesson for today lines up with that expectation perfectly, as we’re invited to enter joyfully into God's presence—with an ‘attitude of gratitude’… Listen carefully to the psalmist’s word to us: 

 

 

  

Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! ² Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. ³ Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. – Psalm 100:1-5 (NLT)

Reflecting on v. 3 to begin today, let me say this: God is our Creator; we did not create ourselves. Many people live as though they are the creator and center of their own little world. But, this mind-set leads to a greedy possessiveness and, if everything should be taken away, all hope is lost! But when we realize that God created us and gives us all we have, we’ll not only be thankful, but we’ll want to give to others just as God gave to us (2Corinthians 9:8). Then, if all is lost, we still have God and all that God gives us … including hope! It’s the attitude that comes out of a thankful heart that needs to accompany us to worship… BUT, just in case you didn’t come into this time of worship with an especially grateful attitude (which is what God is seeking from us), let me see if I can help you out just a bit…

Why should we be thankful and/or grateful? Here are a few reasons:

• If you own just one Bible, you are abundantly blessed one-third of the world does not have access to even one…

• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than a million who will not survive the week…

• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of five million people around the world…

• If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest or torture of death, you are more blessed that almost three billion people in the world…

• If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world…

• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy...

• If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God’s healing touch…

• If you prayed yesterday and today, you are in the minority because you believe in God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer…

• If you believe in Jesus as the Son of God, you are part of a very small minority in the world … and spiritually rich indeed…

Today, folks, we need to learn to enter into our time of worship with a heart full of thanksgiving & gratitude! From our scripture lesson today, we need to learn to:

WORSHIP IN GOD’S PRESENCE! We are to begin our time of worship—coming into God’s presence—deliberately and enthusiastically! Again verse 1 says: “Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!” Are you serious about being here … in this place? Do you come into this place with incredible enthusiasm? Are you ready to shout on behalf of your Lord and Savior for all that he has done in your life … and in giving you life?

John Wesley once said, “Catch on fire with enthusiasm [for Christ] and people will come for miles to watch you burn.” Can you imagine anyone sitting in the stands at a Badger football game, when the team runs out onto the field and they stay seated and respond with … “Oh, boy. Don’t those uniforms look marvelous….” That’s not going to happen, is it? Folks, you cannot even hear yourself think at a Badger football game when the team runs out onto the field! The fans are so enthusiastic for their team … that they just can’t help themselves and they are yelling and they are jumping up & down … and so forth. The Badgers have set themselves on fire—they’re fired up, in other words—and they are getting those in the stands fired up, too!

What if we did that when worship started in our church? Yeah, I know, the neighbors may think we’re crazy … but God would be thrilled! According to the psalmist, this is the first step of learning to worship in God’s presence—maybe not shouting to the top of your lungs … but deliberately and enthusiastically … because Jesus is the King of Kings on our team!

And, folks, GOD ALSO LOOKS UPON THE HEART (1 Sam. 16:7) during our times of worship! Did you know that? Did you know that God is peering inside of you right now?

Behind our worship must be a proper attitude! Verse 2 says, “Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.” So, are you happy to be here? For some of you, if you are, please let your face know, would you? And when you sing, are you overwhelmed with JOY in singing to the Lord? Our opening song of worship should always set the tone for our worship on that day… These are the things God expects as we gather together … and I do not want God to be disappointed around here. Finally,

Verse 3 gives us the answer to why this type of worship:

• There is no other God! Verse 3a says, “Acknowledge that the LORD is God!”

• God is our Creator! Verse 3b reminds us, “He made us, and we are his.”

• And … beyond creation stands redemption! Verse 3c makes this clear when we see what Jesus did for us: “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

So, we need to learn to worship in God’s presence … realizing that HE IS HERE with us! And then, according to the psalmist, we need to learn to…

WORSHIP IN GOD’S PALACE! Here, we are to have an attitude of gratitude! Verse 4a instructs us in this way: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.” This is one of those places in scripture where God’s word speaks for itself; there is no other attitude to come into worship with than an attitude of thanksgiving … where we not only believe it, but we show it! Here, God is enthroned as King … and we need to approach his throne with incredible respect…

Then, we are to boast and bless! Verse 4b says, “Give thanks to him and praise his name.” This is where gratitude … now turns to worship—the heart of what        we’re doing here. Folks, if you haven’t figured it out already, the attitude that we’re talking about here is totally an attitude of love … for God and for others … and IT’S GOOD FOR YOU!

Some years ago, Dr. Karl Menninger, noted doctor and psychologist, was seeking the cause of many of his patients' ills. One day he called in his clinical staff and proceeded to unfold a plan for developing, in his clinic, an atmosphere of creative love. All patients were to be given large quantities of love; no unloving attitudes were to be displayed in the presence of the patients, and all nurses and doctors were to go about their work in and out of the various rooms with a loving attitude. At the end of six months, the time spent by patients in the institution was cut in half…

People come to our place of worship with hurts and needs as well—some absolutely incredible! If we all came into worship—agreeing that we would only give to others large quantities of LOVE (no unloving attitudes allowed), what do you think that would do for our church? What do you think that would do for our community? For our area of the state? Yet this is the attitude that the psalmist is calling us to today: An attitude of love and gratitude. And all that we’d be doing is following the lead of the One we come to worship! Take a look at v. 5 with me for more reasons why we do this:

Verse 5 gives us the answer to why this type of worship:

• God is full of goodness—God’s moral character & benevolence…

• God is full of mercy—God’s covenant-love, a love that is signed and sealed … and will never run out—a promise fulfilled for us in Jesus…

• God is full of truth—God and his self-revelation [in Christ] can be counted on for all time—who God is to us … and who we are in Him!

The worship described in Psalm 100 is the worship that truly blesses God … and that’s what we want to be about here…

You probably remember the story in Luke 17 of the 10 lepers that came to Jesus to be healed … and only one returned to give thanks. That story of ungratefulness reminded me of another…

There’s a beautiful legend or story of two angels that were sent forth throughout the land, each given a basket, one to gather up requests and the other thanksgivings. The angel of requests came back with her basket running over full. The angel of thanksgivings came back with her basket practically empty…

So it is in life. It seems that all have requests to make, but few of us think to return and give thanks… Again, Psalm 100 teaches us to do exactly the opposite…

• This psalm calls us to praise God…

• He is our God; He is our Creator…

• He is our Shepherd-King…

• He is good … and keeps His covenant … because he is trustworthy…

In an attitude of gratitude, and in actions of shouting and singing, we are to come to Him… This is the worship that pleases God; this is the worship that blesses God! And don’t kid yourself into thinking you’d ever go home empty; for every time we bless God, as God has asked us to, we in turn are the ones who are blessed … and that’s the life that I deeply desire for all of us today… Are you with me?

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So, what have we learned about worship together in the past? Let me remind you. First, it’s not about us, is it… And, it seems like it’s something that doesn’t just happen … unless we’re deliberate about it. That’s God’s way; God still leaves it up to us … to respond to his love. And the primary way we love God today … is through worship—regular, deliberate worship. Listen now to how God’s people—back in Old Testament days—worshiped God … and what was involved then; here’s a taste of ancient worship…

The LORD said to Moses, ² “Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me; they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions. ³ “Say to the people: This is the special gift you must present to the LORD as your daily burnt offering. You must offer two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. ⁴ Sacrifice one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening. ⁵ With each lamb you must offer a grain offering of two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of pure oil of pressed olives. ⁶ This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. ⁷ Along with it you must present the proper liquid offering of one quart of alcoholic drink with each lamb, poured out in the Holy Place as an offering to the LORD. ⁸ Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and liquid offering. It, too, is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. – Number 28:1-8 (NLT)

So, how do you guys prepare for your days? We don’t just jump into our days without some forethought, do we? There’s not too many of us who don’t have some kind of a daily routine that helps our day get started…

For me, quite frankly, it’s coffee and quiet time … in that order. Then, it’s the newspaper and a little news. Then, I can start my day… (For those who are not coffee drinkers, some go for the Diet Dew … or something else to help them in the ‘wake up and get the day started’ process…)

But, the truth is, all of us have some kind of daily routine to help us get started. And that, folks, is called ‘preparation’ … and definitely makes our days go better!

I’ll never forget my college years … as long as I live; it was there I learned some life-long lessons about ‘preparation.’ We moved the family from Wisconsin down to Kentucky, so I could attend Asbury College. I got a full-time job to support the family and worked in Lexington, Kentucky, the years I was going to school there … and worked 40 hour weeks, while attending college classes full time…

I have to tell you this: There is no way that I could have made it through those years successfully … without knowing the importance of ‘preparation’ for everything I did. That was the key to success. As a Bible major, every week was about writing papers—many papers—and then taking exams toward the end of each semester…

Long story short, the day I walked across the stage—gold cord hanging from my neck—to receive my college diploma, I was thanking God for teaching me the importance of ‘preparation.’ There’s no way my college years would have been as enjoyable—or successful—as they were without being prepared! And, can I say this? My professors were so delighted—not only in my weekly class work, but on the day of my graduation they were rejoicing with me—all due to knowing how to prepare…

Here’s something I want you to know today, as we delve back into the topic of worship for the next couple of weeks…

WHEN WE PREPARE FOR WORSHIP … GOD IS DELIGHTED! If we take the time to prepare … it’s usually because what we’re preparing for has become a priority in our lives! And, if worship becomes a priority … that pleases God!

In the Old Testament, God took the people of Israel to be His people—a very special privilege indeed! And, in doing so, God gave the original generation of Israelites detailed instructions on observing annual feasts, weekly worship, etc. And now, in our scripture for today, we see God speaking to the new generation in the same way. (The original generation of God’s people were not allowed to enter the Promised Land due to their disobedience.) In other words, we see God underlining once more the foundations for Israel’s life with Him: “If you are my people,” God seems to say, “then this is how it must be with you. This is the priority, and this must be the basis and foundation of all your experience … with ME!”

Here, then, is a lesson at the outset: one generation had failed, and in taking up another, God was saying in effect … the only hope of averting failure (again) was the establishing of a true pattern of worship. And the significance of this is … at the heart of these instructions to the Israelites (God’s people) about worship … is the matter of a right relationship with God! Here’s how you continue to have a right relationship with God, with worship at the center! And when we make worship a priority, even today folks, GOD IS DELIGHTED…

Always remember: Worship is not primarily for US; it is for God! It is NOT for our benefit, though we do benefit from it… It is NOT for our enjoyment, though it does bring us joy… So, let me speak for a moment about how that works:

WHEN WE PREPARE FOR WORSHIP, IT MEANS SO MUCH MORE TO US! Again, worship is not for our benefit, not for our enjoyment … but we do benefit from it … and it does bring us joy!

I hear, from time to time, people saying things like: “I just don’t get anything out of worship! The messages just do not speak to me!” And, of course, the insinuation is … what’s wrong with the pastor? Why isn’t he/she benefiting me in the way that I think I should be benefited?

Man, if it was just that easy… Do you know that preparing for the experience of worship each week is all of our responsibility? Yes, I have a great responsibility, as the pastor, to make sure that my walk with God is where it needs to be each and every day … so that I’m prepared to speak on behalf of God each week—a word that will hopefully help God’s people to grow in their walk with Him…

But, I’ll guarantee you that if you’re not doing all that you need to do in preparation—making sure your walk with God is where it needs to be, having prepared your heart for worshiping the One who’s given you life—the worship service … including the message … will never speak to your heart! Are you ready to receive what God wants to give to you when you come into this place?

In other words, your part in preparation for worship matters! So, let me move to this: There are several ways (biblically) we can prepare for worship: First, I want to say that…

A FOCUS ON GOD WILL ALWAYS BENEFIT OUR LIVES! So … before and as we enter into worship we need to do these things:

• MAKE SURE YOU’RE RIGHT WITH GOD.
  

Matthew 5:8 tells us: ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Psalm 66:18 says,  ¹⁸If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 1John 1:9 reminds us, ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. While we are right with God because of Jesus' death on the cross, we still need to keep our lives free from sin and confess our sin when we do sin. Sin hinders our relationship with God; confession clears the air and keeps our relationship with God healthy. Then…

• QUIET YOUR HEART.

Luke 10:38-42 (I call it The Tale of Two Sisters) tells us, ³⁸As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" ⁴¹"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." As we enter into worship we need to leave the cares, worries, and demands upon our lives behind and place our focus upon the Lord…

• SURRENDER YOUR HEART TO GOD.

In Matthew 15:7-9, Jesus says: ⁷You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ⁸"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. ⁹They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." Our hearts need to be committed to God; we can go through the motions of worship but it will be meaningless unless are hearts are right with Him…

• COME WITH A HUMBLE HEART.

2Chronicles 7:14 shares those famous words of God: ¹⁴If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Come with a heart that has been humbled…

Preparation for worship is so important! You don’t start your day without a routine that works for you … and your day of worship should be no different…

My daughter, Rachel, has run the ‘half’ at the Music City Marathon for a few years now. For this year’s run, she began serious training a few months back … and keeps me up with her progress. She’s said things like, “‘Sure glad I started this [training] early, otherwise I’d never make it!”

Similarly, unless we actually take the time to prepare for this very important event, each and every week, it may not be one to remember fondly either… 

For many, they come to worship each week, wondering why others have such a powerful experience in worship, while they seem to get little out of it. What’s the difference? Preparation… 

So, today, remember that worship is not just an action, but an attitude… Have we taken the time to prepare our hearts for worship in these ways? 

• Are you right with God?

• Have you quieted your heart?

• Have you surrendered your heart to God (this week)?

• And do you come with a humble heart—a heart that knows that without God, life would not be worth living?

Preparation … is a responsibility of all who worship. Let’s make sure we’ve done our part in the days ahead!

'When I die, if my family wishes to inscribe anything on my gravestone, I would like it to be the promise of Jesus Christ in Hebrews 13:5, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."" For in due season the springtime will arrive...Then, when the resurrection sings itself in the robin's glad song, and bursting buds defy the death grip of winter, and you walk upon the yielding earth near my grave, remember that my soul is not there, but rather it is absent from the body, present with the Lord. And somewhere, the atoms that make up my brain, my heart, my body, will be sending out resurrection radiations of a frequency too high for any earthly Geiger counter to record. But if you place the meter of God's Word alongside that cemetery plot and adjust the settings to Hebrews 13:5, you will receive this reading: 'He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.""

That, folks, is the promise of Easter—that, as we put our faith in the Jesus who died on the cross, God will never leave us nor forsake us either!

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him.
² Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb.
³ They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"
⁴ Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in.
⁵ They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.
⁶ He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty.
⁷ Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."
⁸ They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone. – Mark 16:1-8 (MSG)

Folks, what’s going on here? We have been on a Journey to Jerusalem together during this season. But, have we strayed from our path? How can this be right? Is this really where our Journey has taken us? Think, for a moment if you would, of the darkness of that tomb that Jesus was laid to rest in … a stone covering the entrance … and it’s pitch black. Now, consider these verses from the Gospel of John, Chapter 1, verses 3-5 (MSG)

Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. ⁴ What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. ⁵ The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

In light of what happened on that first Easter morning, these verses should give us HOPE. But, where do you look for HOPE … in your life? In the cemetery? For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, the answer should be ‘yes!’ That’s what the women did (The two Marys & Salome), wasn’t it? And that folks is still where we find HOPE today…

For you see, Jesus came to save us from our sin—the sin nature that each and every one of us is born into (a part of ‘The Fall’)—and, in doing so, he conquered life’s last enemy—that is, DEATH! So, when God’s Word tells us (Hebrews 13:5b) “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” this is exactly what it is talking about; God, just as he proved to Jesus on that first Easter morning … will not leave us, nor forsake us either … even when it comes to our bodily death. What we can expect, if we put our faith in God’s Son, Jesus, is resurrection to eternal life—life forever with God! What incredible news that is! That, folks, is the GOOD NEWS of Easter…

Let me explain what was going on in this part of the Journey for you, if I may… Folks,

THE RESURRECTION WAS A GIFT TO JESUS… Folks, Jesus banked all on his Heavenly Father coming through with this ‘resurrection thing.’ As I’d said earlier in the season, I’m sure that when God raised Jesus from death in the darkness of that tomb … breathing life back into his body … Jesus probably went, “Whew!” This resurrection was HUGE; Jesus had talked about this; Jesus had banked his life on this … and God came through with ‘the gift of resurrection!’

However, folks, the Gospel of Mark is not really GOOD NEWS without the conclusive fact of the Resurrection; so we see the resurrection verified by these facts as told by ‘the women’ of Easter morning (A woman’s witness was not highly regarded in Jesus’ day, but no one could dispute the witness of 3):

• The physical facts…

The women approached the tomb, very dedicated to Jesus, and wanted to do one more act of kindness for him—anoint his head with spices, so as to counter the smell of physical decomposition… Here we see the women are ‘worriers,’ (v. 3) as they wonder all the way there who’s going to roll the stone away. It is clear that they did not expect a miracle on this Sunday morning! The physical proof of resurrection began to unfold before their eyes when they realized that their         worrying was for nothing; someone had already rolled the stone away. The tomb was empty; they could see for themselves the empty place where Jesus lay…

It’s kind of like the controversy over the Shroud of Turin. No supernatural happening, such as the Resurrection, can ever be proven by natural evidence; it can only be inferred by physical facts consistent with the event, even though incomplete. Every test tried on the Shroud confirms it’s not a fake; yet no scientific explanations can account for the fact that there are facial impressions in the shroud and bloodstains of a crucified man. But, no one assumes—on the basis of scientific analysis—that this is indeed the cloth which Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Jesus in at the time of his burial…

The truth is, when the available facts are in, some people will believe it’s the shroud of Jesus … and others will not. But, the physical facts of the Resurrection are in. Jesus, who was crucified on Friday … is gone from the tomb on Sunday! What a gift this is to Jesus! Then, we also have…

• The revelational facts…

Faith in the resurrection must take over where physical facts leave off! And God leaves us His Word as the way of knowing his TRUTH; His Word is our basis for belief. So, as proof of Jesus’ Resurrection, God sends his messenger to speak His word: “He is risen!” (v. 6) is all that God needs to say; what a headline for Easter morning! So, we have a revelation in God’s Word, then we also have…

• The prophetic facts…

The prophetic words of Jesus … had to return to the disciples who were in hiding after his death (Mark 14:28, MSG): "But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee." And, folks, here God keeps his word! What does the angel tell the women to go and tell the other disciples (Mark 16:7, MSG)? “Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said.” And, Jesus (God) kept his word to them—a prophetic fact… Folks, I want you to know today that the Resurrection was an incredible gift to Jesus…

AND THE RESURRECTION WAS A GIFT TO US! The resurrection lives on in us … in these ways:

• We no longer have to fear the greatest enemy of humanity—DEATH!

It is true that all sane human beings have some fear of death; but that’s not the same as being consumed with this fear. Now, I know that some people do their best to avoid the subject altogether, thinking that any talk of death is ‘morbid.’ The ‘testiness’ of their behavior is usually a clue to their slavery to this fear. But, that’s not what Jesus wants for any of us, folks…

George Bernard Shaw once commented that the statistics concerning death are most impressive: One person in one … will die. (There’s not too many Elijahs out there…) But as we pause on this Easter morning and think about the past happenings of Holy Week, how wonderful it is to know that because of what Jesus did on the cross and through his resurrection on Easter morning, no Christian ever need be intimidated by death again…

Folks, when it comes to our own bodily resurrection, we never have to give up! HOPE … is always there for us … in the Resurrection of Christ! But, this isn’t the only way the Resurrection is a gift to us. Did you know that?

• When we’re going through times in our lives when we’re down, for whatever reason, and need to be lifted up again, resurrection is ours for the asking!

As I’d mentioned earlier, sometimes we need to be resurrected from our ‘stinkin’ thinkin’’ as Zig Ziglar likes to call it…

• And sometimes, we veer off of God’s path in life, diving headfirst into what we want—things that become habits in our lives that are so debilitating or numbing—not realizing how deadly they are for us…

Regarding habits that take consume our lives: Sometimes we get so dead to these things in our lives—habits that we’ve been in or ruts that we’ve gotten ourselves into—that we don’t even realize we’re dead to those things any more. It’s like sticking your hand over an open flame … and not feeling a thing!

We need resurrection! We need to be brought back to life from those things that take our life (the life God wants us to have)! So Resurrection, folks, is truly a gift to us, too. What an incredible TRUTH to hear on this Easter morning!

For those who’ve been on the Journey with me throughout this season, we have now arrived at our destination; yet the Journey in a very real sense continues…

• How has God worked in your life throughout this Journey to Jerusalem 2012?

• And how do you think God will continue to work in your life after this season?

If we’re truly walking with Jesus, folks, the Journey truly continues… Let’s keep our eyes on the One who loved us so much, that he gave his life for us—the One who was so obedient to his Heavenly Father, that he stuck it out all the way through the Resurrection. God came through for Jesus on Easter morning; and God wants to come through for us EVERY morning… Will you remember that? That’s the GOOD NEWS of Easter…

As we come to this time of Holy Week, we look back to see that we’ve traveled this Journey to Jerusalem together, seeking hope amid some of life’s most difficult challenges. Now we’re at the pinnacle of our journey – the intersection between suffering and hope. When we face the cross, we may find ourselves—our own lives—reflected in it. We need to take some time to think about that tonight—about what part we might’ve played in adding to the suffering of this day…

Well, as we begin our time in God’s word tonight, let’s take a moment for a refresher of the events of that first Good Friday. Listen now to the story…

At dawn's first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate.
² Pilate asked him, "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?" He answered, "If you say so."
³ The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations.
⁴ Pilate asked again, "Aren't you going to answer anything? That's quite a list of accusations."
⁵ Still, he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed.
⁶ It was a custom at the Feast to release a prisoner, anyone the people asked for.
⁷ There was one prisoner called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the uprising against Rome.
⁸ As the crowd came up and began to present its petition for him to release a prisoner,
⁹ Pilate anticipated them: "Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?"
¹⁰ Pilate knew by this time that it was through sheer spite that the high priests had turned Jesus over to him.
¹¹ But the high priests by then had worked up the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas.
¹² Pilate came back, "So what do I do with this man you call King of the Jews?"
¹³ They yelled, "Nail him to a cross!"
¹⁴ Pilate objected, "But for what crime?" But they yelled all the louder, "Nail him to a cross!"
¹⁵ Pilate gave the crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.
¹⁶ The soldiers took Jesus into the palace (called Praetorium) and called together the entire brigade.
¹⁷ They dressed him up in purple and put a crown plaited from a thorn bush on his head.
¹⁸ Then they began their mockery: "Bravo, King of the Jews!"
¹⁹ They banged on his head with a club, spit on him, and knelt down in mock worship.
²⁰ After they had had their fun, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they marched out to nail him to the cross.
²¹ There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him carry Jesus' cross.
²² The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning "Skull Hill."
²³ They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with myrrh), but he wouldn't take it.
²⁴ And they nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them.
²⁵ They nailed him up at nine o'clock in the morning.
²⁶ The charge against him—THE KING OF THE JEWS—was printed on a poster.
²⁷ Along with him, they crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left.
^28
29 People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: "You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—
³⁰ so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you're really God's Son, come down from that cross!"
³¹ The high priests, along with the religion scholars, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: "He saved others—but he can't save himself!
³² Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We'll all become believers then!" Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.
³³ At noon the sky became extremely dark.
³⁴ The darkness lasted three hours. At three o'clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"
³⁵ Some of the bystanders who heard him said, "Listen, he's calling for Elijah."
³⁶ Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down."
³⁷ But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath.
³⁸ At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle.
³⁹ When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, "This has to be the Son of God!" – Mark 15:1-39 (MSG)

Folks, often we set Judas apart from all of humanity, as if he did something that no other human being could ever do. But the truth is … we’ve all turned our backs on God from time to time, betraying God by placing our own agendas—our own desires in life—first. (At the very least, we all certainly have this potential…) If we meditate on the cross tonight, what might the cross reflect … regarding our lives? Let’s talk about that for a moment or two…

So, how have we turned our backs on God, just as Judas did … just as Peter did … just as the rest of the disciples … or Pilate … or the religious leaders of Jesus’ day? How have we put our own agendas in life … ahead of the cross (and what God was doing there)?

Last week, I’d mentioned that we have to know what a problem is … before we can fix it. Isn’t that right? And Jesus not only came as a solution to an eternal problem, but he was the one who came with the TRUTH—the truth about our human condition … and it was his speaking of that truth that finally sent him to the cross… Folks, here’s the problem—the human condition that the cross dealt with (and still deals with)—as I see it today…

THE PROBLEM IS … ALL TOO OFTEN, LIFE IS STILL ABOUT US! I’d like to call these the ‘but God’s’ of our lives… But God … I really NEED (you fill in the blank)…

My niece, Sally Pegram (Boscobel), is one of the brightest young people I know—always has been. She’s a high schooler at Boscobel High School currently. But when she was about 3 years old (at her sisters birthday party), she announced to the crowd gathered for that event that she NEEDED to open presents. (Her sister, Molly, was opening all of the presents that day and it just didn’t seem fair to her.)

After that, her parents always asked her “Now, Sally, do you really need that or do you just want that (whatever it was at the time)?” And Sally, being the bright young person she was, decided that she’d get more traction in any circumstance if she used the word NEED. “But, I NEED that…” she would say.

Folks, how is that any different than us … when we’re talking to God? When we’re relating to God, how often do we let God know that we NEED something … as if God doesn’t already know what we need … and what we want … and that there’s a difference? Remember, these are the ‘But God’s’ of our lives…

• But God … I don’t care if you think this is an unhealthy relationship to be in or not; I really NEED this man (or this woman)! And then things fall apart for us and we wonder why…

• But God … I know that I’ve been prideful in this situation, but I’m not the one that needs to apologize; they are!

• But God … I know this is harmful for me … and I can stop any time I want to, but just this once … I NEED this…

• But God … I know that we cannot serve two masters, as your word tells  us, but I have to protect what’s mine; I can’t get away from loving my money (and my stuff)…

• But God … I don’t really care what your desires are for my life or anyone else’s … as long as I get what I want!

Folks, we have turned our back on God in these very ways; Judas … and Peter … and the others … were not the only ones to do this; we are guilty, too…

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “But Rom (instead of God), I hear what you’re saying … but it’s just HUMAN NATURE!” My answer’s going to be … “Yes, you’re right! It is human nature to want what we want!” But, there is a fact of this ol’ world that we need to keep before us. THIS IS A FALLEN WORLD! Theologically and biblically, when the first sin—deliberately going against God’s wishes—took place in the Garden of Eden by the first couple—Adam and Eve, this has come to be known as ‘The Fall.’ (We’ve fallen from God’s Grace!) So, even though we want to say our behavior is just … human nature, it’s now a part of our ‘fallen nature.’ And it’s this ‘fallen human nature’ that has separated us from God (eternally)…

There is an answer to our ‘fallen human nature,’ however. And the answer is found in … the cross! So, if THE PROBLEM IS … ALL TOO OFTEN, LIFE IS STILL ABOUT US, then…

THE SOLUTION IS … OUR LIVES BEING COMPLETED AT THE CROSS! It’s there that we learn that life is not really about us at all … but about the One who gave his life for us … and his agenda!

I want to take you back, for a brief moment or two, to the opening scripture of this Journey to Jerusalem series. Why? Because … it’s that scripture that reminds us that Jesus is in the ‘driver’s seat.’ And it’s there that we discover our true selves. Here it is (Mark 8:34-37, MSG)…

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. ³⁵ Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. ³⁶ What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? ³⁷ What could you ever trade your soul for?

Our true selves are revealed when we see our incompletion in the harsh reality of the cross … and embrace the love of God in Christ that completes us…

Folks, here’s the bottom line: It’s at the cross that we come face-to-face with the reality that we cannot complete ourselves. In other words…

• We’re not as self-sufficient as the world tells us we are…

• We’re not really able to ‘pull ourselves up by the bootstraps’ like we think we can…

• God never created us to be ‘lone rangers’ at any point in our lives; we’re to be a part of a community of believers—followers of Christ—that make up his Body right here on earth, loving God and allowing God to support us, loving one another and allowing others to care for us and to be there for us, and then serving the world by teaching others the same truths…

• One thing’s for sure: We cannot save ourselves from sin; we could not patch up the rift between God and humanity; there was only One who could do that for us … and that was Jesus—the perfect, sinless sacrifice—who took care of that business on the cross…

THE SOLUTION, FOLKS, IS … JESUS … and what he did for us on the cross. There was no other way! Remembering this truth … and living by this truth … needs to be central in all of our lives…

So, folks, for all that we might’ve done … turning our backs on Jesus from time-to-time, know this today: Because of what he did for us—giving his very life for us—as he went through a horrible death … WE ARE FORGIVEN. And, there’s no greater love than that…

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
¹³ So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him.
¹⁴ At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’
¹⁵ He will take you [upstairs] to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.”
¹⁶ So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
¹⁷ In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples.
¹⁸ As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”
¹⁹ Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”
²⁰ He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me.
²¹ For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
²² As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”
²³ And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
²⁴ And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.
²⁵ I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
²⁶ Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. – Mark 14:12-26 (NLT)

My greatest fear, as a pastor, is that I’ll fail to lead my congregation to do anything but ‘go through the motions’ when it comes to Holy Communion. This should be one of the most meaningful times we spend together as the Body of Christ—the people of God

So, what does it really mean—Holy Communion? What was going on during that very special Passover meal that Jesus was having with his disciples? And what is that to us today? Let me share with you a couple of thoughts tonight…

• HOLY COMMUNION is … remembrance (a memorial). But this remembrance is more than just intellectually recalling Jesus’ mandate “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25).The Greek word used her in scripture is anamnesis—a dynamic action that becomes a re-presentation of God’s gracious acts of the past, but in such a way as to be present now! Christ is risen and is alive here and now … not just remembered for what he did in the past!
  

• HOLY COMMUNION is … sacrifice. It is a re-presentation (not a repetition) of the sacrifice of Christ. If you want to dig into what Holy Communion really means, go to the NT book of Hebrews, Chapter 9, and read it.

  • In particular, Hebrews 9:26b makes clear that ‘…he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin.’ Jesus’ atoning life, death, and resurrection make divine grace available to all of us who put our faith in him!

  • We also present ourselves a living sacrifice in union with Christ (Rom. 12:1; 1 Peter 2:5) to be used by God in the work of redemption, reconciliation, and justice. In our traditional Great Thanksgiving Holy Communion liturgy, the Church prays: “We offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us…” (UMH, p. 10).

• HOLY COMMUNION is also … a means of grace (God’s grace). In other words, it’s a vehicle through which the Holy Spirit of God can work … and it’s described in John 14:26: “The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you.” This is the part of our traditional liturgy for Holy Communion that beckons the HS to be active in our lives: “Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine (juice, in our case).” Then, the Church asks God—referring to the bread and the juice—to “…make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world…” (UMH, p. 10).

So, tonight let’s not just go through the motions, but…

• Let’s be about remembering in such a way as to know that Christ is alive and present with us now…

• Let’s be about remembering the incredible sacrifice of Jesus—joining with him as living sacrifices today … to be used by God in the work of redemption, reconciliation, and justice.

• And finally, let’s open up our lives during this time of communion--a means of grace--to the Spirit of Christ … who helps make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world…

On the day that Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem—that first Palm Sunday, I can almost imagine that he could see right through the praises and accolades of those in attendance. The symbol of riding on the back of a donkey’s colt—one that had never been ridden—was a sign of royalty. Indeed, here was the King—our King, the One whom God had sent in his infinite wisdom to save us from our sins—literally from the sin that we were born into. But, the majority of His world missed it. And even his closest disciples were afraid to stand by that truth…

Less than a week later, many of those who were singing His praises on that first Palm Sunday, watching as he rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s colt, through the Eastern Gate and onto the Temple grounds … many of those same people would be right there to condemn him to death as the crowds began to shout ‘Crucify Him!’ Folks, Jesus came to speak the truth—God’s truth about the condition of humanity and of what it would take to reconcile our relationship to our Creator. But, the truth scares people; many in this ol’ world cannot handle the truth (no pun intended, if you’re a Jack Nicholson fan). Instead, they will do anything they can to avoid the truth—even the truth of God, including sending the Messiah who God sent … to his death on the cross. So, where was God in all of this?

Today’s scripture actually begins in Mark 14:43, where we left off in the Garden of Gethsemane earlier… Jesus had already announced to those who were with him that the time had come to cease prayer and get ready for what was next. What was next was the betrayal of Judas. He came with a mob … and I’m sure they had a ‘mob mentality’ like so often happens … and he betrayed Jesus with a kiss, so they’d know exactly who to take with them to the High Priest and the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Council). Let’s pick up there with verse 53 of Mark 14…

They took Jesus to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law had gathered. ⁵⁴ Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and went right into the high priest’s courtyard. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire. ⁵⁵ Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any. ⁵⁶ Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other. ⁵⁷ Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony: ⁵⁸ “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’” ⁵⁹ But even then they didn’t get their stories straight! ⁶⁰ Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” ⁶¹ But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶² Jesus said, “I AM. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³ Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses? ⁶⁴ You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!” – Mark 14:53-64 (NLT)

When we are going through times of pain and suffering in this world … and we wonder if we’re all alone—if God even understands what we’re going through, be reminded especially of the 24 hours that Jesus spent prior to his death. I have a few things to say about God and his understanding of suffering, but let me begin with this: In Christ, folks, we can find true HOPE, even in the midst of our pain and suffering! Why would I say something like that (other than the fact that I believe it to be true)? Here’s why: First…

GOD IS NO STRANGER TO SUFFERING… From the Garden, and on into that night, Jesus learns the agony of:

• Denial (Peter and the other disciples)…
  

Can you imagine how it would feel if those closest to you—those who had walked with you for years and had stood by your side—finally reached a point in your relationship where they felt like they had to walk away? The disciples, living out of FEAR, went into hiding… Peter hangs in there for awhile, inappropriately turns to violence on behalf of Jesus, then eventually denies knowing him 3X before the rooster crowed 2X (as Peter remembered in v. 72). In Mark, we also find out that another young man hung in there for awhile, too (vv. 50-52):

“Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away. ⁵¹ One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, ⁵² he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.”

Most scholars believe this ‘young man’ to be John Mark himself—the author of the Gospel of Mark (his comments here being almost like an artist’s signature in the corner of a painting—bed sheet=linen cloth, etc.)…

Folks, how often in your lifetime have you had someone you thought was your friend … suddenly back off, denying being close to you? It happens you know—usually right when you need someone to stand by you! Denial doesn’t only bring agony to us, but denial brings agony to Jesus too; then he learns the agony of…

• Decision (Jesus=self-emptying)…

Here, Jesus has to make the final decision to be obedient to God; he is fully human and fully divine, yet here he makes a decision to empty himself of the divine—to become fully human for a short period of time, so that he’d be that ‘perfect sacrifice’ for sin. This was an agonizing decision—a decision to separate himself, even if just for a short period of time, from God. (How do we describe a time when ‘God is absent?’ HELL … and that’s what Jesus went through for us!) So, here Jesus learns the agony of decision—a decision that meant absolute suffering for him, but the freedom of salvation for us! And then Jesus finally learns the agony of…

• Deceit/Betrayal (Judas)…

Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? I don’t think there’s any worse feeling in the world…

When the Romans wanted to capture Jesus they paid one of his trusted followers to betray him. Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ disciples. The Romans arranged for a signal from Judas. He would identify Jesus by kissing him in the Garden of Gethsemane. In return for this betrayal, Judas was paid thirty pieces of silver.

• Judas is thus the symbol of betrayal and treason…

• The “thirty pieces of silver” has become another way of saying “blood money”…

• An act of betrayal has come to be known as a “Judas kiss.”

• Similarly, a “Judas goat” is the animal that leads a flock to the slaughter house. (Encyclopedia of Illustrations #13087).

If you’ve ever been through this kind of suffering—having someone who you believed to be close to you … betray you in every way, then just know that God is no stranger to this kind of suffering either! Jesus has been there … and understands when we’re there, too… Folks, it’s one thing to know that God is no stranger to suffering; but, we also need to know—without a doubt—that…

GOD’S LOVE CAN PERSEVERE THROUGH IT ALL… Let me tell you what LOVE overcame on that fateful night:

• Broken communion—both heavenly and earthly! Jesus was separated from those he was closest to here on earth … as well as being separated—for a time—from his Father in heaven! Can you think of a time that could be any lonelier than that? LOVE overcame broken communion on the night Jesus was betrayed … and LOVE also overcame...
  

• Injustice like this world had rarely seen! A commentary that I recently went through recorded at least 9 infractions—legally speaking—of what took place that night, when they came to the Garden to get Jesus, that were totally illegal. There was no integrity in the actions of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day—at all (and that would make a good study sometime)…

Folks, the fact is … GOD IS NO STRANGER TO SUFFERING, but the other fact is … GOD’S LOVE CAN PERSEVERE THROUGH IT ALL: GOD’S LOVE did not fail when humanity failed him … and GOD”S LOVE did not fail … even when it seemed that God had abandoned him.

So, what keeps you going when suffering becomes a reality in your life? When we think of suffering in our own lives, look at how Jesus handled it … since he’s already been there—done that…

Jesus accepted the fact of human suffering, and neither explained it … nor explained it away. If he had attempted to explain it, his message would’ve been just another philosophy (philosophy having to have an explanation for everything). Jesus’ purpose in coming into this world was not to explain everything, but to spell out the GOOD NEWS—that in him we can find HOPE and life and power to overcome all obstacles… Folks, the Gospel may not explain, but it certainly brings about a change—a change of heart and a change of mind. Jesus transforms suffering by using it, and shows us that victims can become victors, and tests can become testimonies… Are we going to now trust him, our Lord and Savior, during our times of suffering?

As you come forward for communion today, reflect on the suffering of your own life; but also reflect on the suffering of Jesus…

• Jesus, folks, is one who totally understands any suffering we might go through.

• Jesus is also one who can offer us HOPE, not only because he’s been there … but because he’s conquered the very last enemy that can get a strangle-hold on us: death.

• Jesus not only experienced resurrection himself, but now he’s able to give us—through faith—the gift of resurrection in our lives; yes, we will be given a bodily resurrection, but even now Jesus can resurrect our lives from a place of hopelessness … to a place of HOPE … in Him.

There’s nothing this life can throw our way … that Jesus doesn’t understand, hasn’t been through, and can’t deliver us from! There’s the GOOD NEWS of this day…

So, as you come to His Table today, GIVE YOUR SUFFERING TO JESUS—turn it over—knowing that he can handle yours, too!

So often, we just want to go to God when things are going good in our lives. But, what’s up with that? Look to Jesus as your example; learn to fall on your knees … especially when the world seems to be crashing in around you! This is what Jesus did; this is what God wants us to do…

Give your suffering … to Jesus, once and for all!

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Summer will soon be upon us. And for many of us, that’s when we plan time away with the family. Well, if we go on a vacation (a journey), we usually take time and plan, don’t we? And one of those very important things to take into consideration, when planning for a journey of any kind, is the cost… It costs to go on vacation (a journey), doesn’t it? And, here we find that ‘money matters’…

In the same way, money is a very important part of our life journey with Jesus, too. The fact is … everything costs. So, we need a good understanding of our currency, how it works, the dangers of it, and just how much this journey with Jesus is going to cost us! (Mark’s Gospel gives several examples: The Widow—Mark 12:41-44, Jesus’ anger toward those who profit from the faithful—Mark 11:15-19, and Jesus answers the ‘tax question’—Mark 13:15-17.)

Apparently, it’s very important to have a good understanding of this reality called ‘money’ in our lives. And in today’s scripture, we see an illustration of a person whose relationship with money creates a huge divide between him and God. Now, that’s what we don’t want to happen in our lives… So, let’s take a look (Mark 10:17-25, MSG):

As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”       ^18–19Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.” ²⁰He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!” ²¹Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.” ²²The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go. ^23–25Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.” ²⁶That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.

Today’s mile marker, again, is: Money—money for the journey… It’s a reality in this world we live in—this journey called ‘life.’ The journey requires it. However, we see some folks along the way who have very little who are eager to share, while some who have much fear losing what they have. We see both in scripture. Today’s focus is on putting a proper perspective on money, so it doesn’t get in the way of HOPE…

Sometimes called the ‘Rich Young Ruler,’ by the very description Mark gives, this man who approached Jesus is wealthy, young, and powerful. Today, he might be called a ‘high achiever.’ By his own efforts, he’s gained money and power. In Luke’s Gospel, he’s referred to as ‘a certain ruler’ (Luke 18:8), implying he might’ve been a synagogue leader or a respected member of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Council)—impressive for one so young…

The fact he came running to Jesus tells us something about his general attitude toward life. Early on, he learned that in order to get what you want … you have to run toward your goal at the head of the pack. In other words, you have a ‘proactive’ attitude in all your relationships in life. This is the kind of person who, if he walked into a room full of people, most everyone would love his company—not just because of his wealth & power, but because he’s positive and forward-looking in his view of the world…

Rich, young, and powerful… Most of us would have trouble handling the temptations of having too much … too soon. But, not this young man! His wealth and power didn’t affect him in many ways. He can still kneel before the Master Teacher and claim obedience to the Law from the time of his youth…

Well, hearing about Jesus—whose teaching emphasized eternal life—the young man decides he’ll achieve this goal by the same tactics and assumptions by which he’s achieved everything else in his life! Running, bowing, flattering, and deferring, he asks Jesus the timeless question (v. 17): “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?” And here we move into the heart of today’s message: This young man had the right question, but a few of his assumptions about how all this works with Jesus … were wrong. Let me say this: Many times, we’ll ask the right questions when we talk to Jesus, but our assumptions also can be wrong! So, we need to know Jesus’ take on all of this, don’t we? Let me begin here:

False Assumption #1: Goodness Can Be Achieved. That’s the American way isn’t it … if we want ANYTHING, all we have to do is work a little bit harder; but, is that true when it comes to the Kingdom of God? Verses 17-18 remind us, “As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?’ Jesus said, ‘Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God.’” So, where’s the false assumption here?

First, with Jesus, know this: flattery will get you nowhere; when the young man calls Jesus ‘Good Teacher,’ he’s really commending his achievements … instead of his character; Jesus wants this man to know WHO he’s talking to, not just WHAT he’s done… Here Jesus is really saying, “Do you really know the      One to whom you are speaking?” because only God is truly good; the man was calling Jesus “God,” whether he knew it or not; but, it’s because of WHO he is, not just WHAT he’s done…

So, here I believe Jesus wants all of us to know that GOODNESS can never be achieved by human effort! It’s always because of the presence of God in our lives! ‘Human effort’ (a part of this young man’s ‘currency’) doesn’t work when it comes to gaining eternal life, which leads to the next false assumption…

False Assumption #2: Eternal Life Can Be Earned. If Jesus’ reaction to this young man’s attempt at flattery shakes him up just a bit … he gets his wind back when Jesus refers to the foundation for GOODNESS in the scriptures… In verses 19-20, Jesus says, “You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.” ²⁰He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!” So, puffing up with justifiable pride, the young man must now feel he’s on the threshold of eternal life when he gives Jesus this answer: “I have—from my youth—kept them all!” What more could Jesus ask … right?

I can see Jesus locking eyes with this young man, admiring the rare quality of his character, and seeing the potential of this young man’s leadership for the Kingdom of God! One could speculate that this young man might have been God’s FIRST CHOICE for the role that Saul of Tarsus (Paul) would eventually play. Why does this come to mind? Because in both cases, Jesus is prompted to speak the TRUTH to them in LOVE … and let them know what stands between them and eternal life (and Jesus will do the same for us):

• To Saul, Jesus says, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5)…

• To the Rich Young Ruler, Jesus says, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor”; promises the reward, “All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth,” and puts out the challenge, “And come follow me” (v. 21).
  

Eternal life cannot be earned by any ‘currency’ of this world; regarding eternal life with God, it cannot be earned or bought, which leads me to this…

False Assumption #3: Everything Can Be Bought For a Price. Verses 21-22 explain, “Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, ‘There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.’ ²²The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.”

Folks, here Jesus teaches a basic lesson in economics: price and cost are not the same thing!

• Price, folks, is written in dollars (for us)…

• Cost, is always spelled out in values…

In other words, no price tag—as we know it—can be put on eternal life! However, it does have what economists call ‘opportunity cost.’ Here’s how it works: Every time we buy something, we have to ask ourselves, “What opportunity am I willing to sacrifice in order to make this purchase?”

• For the poor, a pair of shoes may be the ‘opportunity cost’ of a loaf of bread…

• For the wealthy, investment in a new enterprise may be the ‘opportunity cost’ of the expansion of an old business…

You get the idea. When Jesus applies the principle of ‘opportunity cost’ to the value of eternal life, he absolutely pierces the heart of this young man! Everything is to be sacrificed, including the fruits of human achievement. In other words, eternal life is a value that cannot be bought, but costs our all…

You can just imagine how this wealthy and powerful young man felt. His wealth and power represent a cost he’s not willing to pay … and his HOPE for eternal life disappears in pain as he turns his back on Jesus. He’s made his choice!

And, folks, we have to make ours, too … as we travel on this Journey with our Lord and Savior. There’s no doubt that Jesus came to turn our world upside down. And this story certainly shows us that. Let me remind you: As the young man turns away, having made his decision, Jesus turns to his disciples teaches them these Kingdom values, unlike the values of wealth which’ve unfortunately been confused with spirituality amongst the Jews…

• Jesus reduces the expectations attached to wealth. According to the Jewish elite, poverty-stricken people could pray … but only the rich had the food to fast and the money to give. In their economics, wealth had become the stuff out of which spirituality was made. But, Jesus turns this false expectation upside down when he teaches (vv. 23-25)—“Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” Then he went on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.” Wealth was not an automatic ticket to heaven, as the Jews taught…

• Jesus also reverses the rewards attached to wealth. Peter says with pride (v. 28): “We left everything and followed you.” But Jesus quickly reminds him that in the Kingdom of God, the rewards are different—homes, family, children, and lands by the hundreds … endless resources if you think of the whole Body of Christ…

• Finally, Jesus reverses the position attached to wealth—contrary to what folks were being taught by the religious leaders (v. 31), “This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

Thinking about some of the false assumptions of this wealthy young man who came to Jesus on his Journey to Jerusalem…

• Do you have money … or does money have you? Are you in possession of all that God has given you—a good steward of your ‘stuff’ … or are you so afraid of losing what you have that it has become an obsession?

• Or, let’s bring it a little closer to home: If Jesus asked … could you give up your house? Your car? Your level of income? Your position in life?

Your reaction to these questions may reveal your current understanding of ‘money for the journey’—whether it’s your servant or your master. The GOOD NEWS today is this—exactly what that Rich Young Ruler found out, too: The greatest possession of all, eternal life, can’t be bought with money. It’s only purchased by FAITH … and that’s something available to us all. Let’s stay on the journey with him, shall we?

Getting ready for what was ahead, Jesus retreats to His usual place of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. If you’ve seen this holy site in Jerusalem, it’s at the location (across the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount) of the “Church of All Nations,” built over the site where Jesus would have flung himself to the ground for those final prayers before his arrest…

I want you to know today that the name Gethsemane is a sign in itself. The word ‘Gethsemane’ is synonymous with “tribulation,” meaning “press,” connoting the stomping of the grape to squeeze out the blood of the vine. (Both grapes and olives were pressed in this location throughout its history.) For Jesus, this place was a sign of things to come, when his own life blood would be squeezed out on the cross…

Jesus expects Gethsemane to be a time of final communion with His Father in preparation for the Cross. Even though he’s predicted that all the disciples will deny him, he still takes his inner circle of Peter, James, and John with Him to the place of prayer, hoping that their entry into a time of denial/betrayal will be delayed until the very last moment. In other words, Jesus counts on both … communion with God and fellowship with friends to get him through this most difficult time of his life! He doesn’t expect His friends to continue with Him beyond this point in the garden, but his Heavenly Father is different. Surely he’ll stay beside him through this ordeal which no man had ever suffered before, and no one would ever suffer again…

Well, our experiences don’t allow us to even come close to understanding the depths of Jesus’ emotions in the Garden of Gethsemane. And even Jesus, at this particular time, is not fully prepared for the shock of reality that overwhelms him in the Garden. Mark’s Gospel says it this way: “He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony” (v. 33b, MSG). There’s not one English translation that I’ve found that’s strong enough to carry the full impact of Jesus’ feelings at this time. A more literal translation would be, “He began to be terrified and disoriented.” Sheer terror strikes his soul as—for the first time—he faces the reality of unbridled evil…

As I was preparing for this message today, I couldn’t help but think to myself that none of us have ever experienced a world in which God wasn’t present. But, even if just for a short time, Jesus did. He’d just gone through 3 years of full-time and grueling ministry. He was now near Jerusalem, the final destination of his life. And, folks, I can just imagine that in his human body, Jesus was a bit wore out … as he prepared himself for the cross that was ahead. Let’s read what happened on this leg of the journey…

They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." ³³ He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. ³⁴ He told them, "I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me." ³⁵ Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: ³⁶ "Papa, Father, you can—can't you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?" ³⁷ He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can't you stick it out with me a single hour? ³⁸ Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don't be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire." ³⁹ He then went back and prayed the same prayer. ⁴⁰ Returning, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn't keep their eyes open, and they didn't have a plausible excuse. – Mark 14:32-40 (MSG)

When we tire on the journey, it is those times that we’re most susceptible to temptation in our lives. And that’s our mile-marker for today: Temptation. So, the question is—using Jesus as our example, how can we stay true to the path God has us on even when we tire from the journey? How can we safely refuel while on the journey? Very simply, here’s what I’ve learned from this part of Jesus’ journey…

PERSONAL PRAYER (Communion with God) IS A GREAT WAY TO REFUEL! Again, when Jesus was tired from his journey, tempted to not continue on in the direction God had set for his life, he depended on communion with God. When we go to God we connect with our Life-Source—the One who knows us from the inside out and can help in ways no other can. The temptation however, when the journey has worn us out—when we are absolutely on our last ounce of energy … is to run from God…

I don’t know if you’ve ever witnessed this phenomenon or not, but as a pastor I see it all too often. I watch as people get into tough situations in their lives … really in over their heads—in a variety of ways—and when they’re just plain wore out, and probably not thinking real clearly, the temptation is to run from God in their lives … instead of toward God! I really don’t understand it, except that when the going gets tough … we seem to revert back to what we’re most comfortable with. And for some, the most comfortable thing for them is to be in control of any given situation themselves…

But folks, when are we going to learn? When are we going to learn that … when we go to God we connect with our Life-Source—the One who knows us from the inside out and can help in ways no other can… (Can I stress that anymore?)

At the outside chance you don’t yet understand what I’m talking about, let me ask the question in a different way. When you get to a point in your life where you are just plain tuckered out, life is somewhat painful, and you’re tempted to ‘give up’ on your life’s direction (or God’s direction for your life): What kinds of pain-killers are you using instead of personal prayer? Here’re some examples we tend to drift toward:

• Ungodly Relationships-those outside of our God-given covenant relationships (marriage); that’s a temptation for many…

• Alcohol or other drugs (both prescribed & illegal)…

• Excessive work (burying ourselves and our problems in the job)…

• Pornography (or other ‘escapes’ involving fantasy)…

• Gambling … whatever might seem to ease the pain…

The problem is, all of these ‘answers’ to those times when we’re at the end of our rope … are just temporary at best! We need to do what Jesus did during his greatest time of stress—turn to God … and stay close to him! Because it’s eternal, that relationship is the only one that will truly help us overcome the temptation to just give up. And, here’s the other thing Jesus did … and we need to be doing, too, when we’re just plain wore out on the journey: We need to know that…

CORPORATE PRAYER (Fellowship of Friends) IS A GREAT WAY TO   REFUEL! Not only do we have the help of others to pray us through some situations, but we also find out we’re not alone! It is so important that we have friends who will stay awake during our times of hardship … which is why I hesitantly elaborate on this story:

Folks, Jesus desperately needed the fellowship of friends. Leaving Peter, James, and John behind to keep watch, Jesus goes a short distance, falls on His face and pleads like a little child before His Father for release from the cards that’ve been dealt him. And to pray “Papa (Abba), Father” (v. 36), as a desperate child … is in line with his helplessness…

• No longer is Jesus the self-sufficient adult, teacher, and miracle-worker…

• He who teaches that we must become as a little child to inherit the kingdom finds His words coming full circle...

• At the end of His reliance on human and supernatural resources, Jesus falls back into the love of the Father—what he is most familiar with and trusts...

Jesus also falls back onto the will of God as the only way he can accept the misery that lies ahead…

• Reason has no answer…

• Experience is not sufficient…

• Feeling is out of control…

• And his human will lacks the strength to “tough it out”…

Piece by piece, every layer of Jesus’ self-reliance is peeled off until nothing remains except an unshakable desire to do the will of God at all costs, “But please, not what I want—what do you want?” (v. 36). Now, the whole Gethsemane thing comes to life … as Jesus begins to be crushed in the “press”—his blood beginning to flow…

He desperately needs the fellowship of friends, but what happens? Jesus comes back to check on his ‘friends’ who are there with him. What does he find?

• They’ve fallen asleep, perhaps victims of exhaustion themselves…

• Returning from prayer, in pretty good control of His mind, emotions, and will, Jesus finds the disciples ‘resting their eyes’ … and he breaks the gloom of the Garden with a bit of wry humor, “Simon, you went to sleep on me?” (v. 37). (Of course, he’s sleeping. It’s kind of like the person who calls you on the telephone in the middle of the night and asks, “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you asleep?” If the mind is quick enough, the best answer is, “No, no problem. I had to get up and answer the phone anyway.”) Peter has no answer; as one who pledged to die for Him, he can’t even stay awake for Him now…

• And this scene repeats itself two more times before Jesus is arrested…

Folks, on this night of Jesus’ greatest need, not only did he need communion with the Father, but he also needed the fellowship of friends! So, what’s the moral of this story? Choose your friends wisely—those who will stay awake for you when you need them the most…

Seriously, on the third time Jesus returns from prayer and finds His disciples in a sleepy stupor, he knows that the hour of his betrayal has come. Prayer is in the past. His mind is clear. His emotions are strong. His will is set. With the dignity and valor of a king who goes to his death with honor, Jesus commands His disciples, “Get up. Let's get going. My betrayer has arrived” (v. 42).

Folks, again with Jesus as the example for our journeys in life, where do we turn when we get so tired out from the journey that we’re not even thinking straight anymore—to a point where our temptation is to give up, to exit the journey God has us on and look for another? What do we need?

What we need today, as we contemplate those times in our lives, is an emergency contact plan. (You didn’t expect that, did you?) You know what an emergency contact plan is, don’t you? Especially when you travel, who needs to be contacted in case of an emergency? That’s what this plan does for us…

In times where we’re facing today’s mile-marker head-on—temptation, we need to know who to turn to—who to contact immediately (and, just for the record, it’s not ourselves):

• God is at the very top of this list; isn’t that what Jesus did?

• Next on the list should be ‘faith friends’ or your pastor—friends that will be there for you at your time of greatest need…

And, folks, know this about your #1 Emergency Contact: God’s calling plan has unlimited minutes… So, let this be my final word today:

• Get busy calling God (prayer), especially when you’re tempted to give up on something along the way!

• Increase your prayer life in number of minutes (since these are unlimited in God’s plan)…

• And increase the depth of your conversation!

God’s always there for you … and I’ll just bet your friends are, too!

• A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the need to avoid roadblocks in our relationship with God.

• Last week, we talked about the mile marker of self esteem or, rather, ‘our esteem of self in God’—learning how to look into God’s mirror as we journey together.

• And today, as you’ve probably already guessed, our mile marker is this: UNITY.
  

As we journey together, we have to stick together. If we’re going to succeed in reaching the destinations God has for us … both as individuals and as a congregation, we need to stick together—no matter what. But learning the importance of that … and how to do that … is a process, as we can see in our Bible story for today. Listen…

James and John, Zebedee's sons, came up to him. "Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us." ³⁶ "What is it? I'll see what I can do." ³⁷ "Arrange it," they said, "so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left." ³⁸ Jesus said, "You have no idea what you're asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I'm about to be plunged into?" ³⁹ "Sure," they said. "Why not?" Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. ⁴⁰ But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. There are other arrangements for that." ⁴¹ When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. ⁴² Jesus got them together to settle things down. "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around," he said, "and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. ⁴³ It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. ⁴⁴ Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. ⁴⁵ That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage." – Mark 10:35-45 (MSG)

So, even some of Jesus’ disciples struggled with ‘unity on the journey.’ Folks, understand that James and John were talking here to … Jesus—God in the flesh! In light of that, how often do our conversations with God involve asking for a personal blessing, rather than one for the community and world in which we live?

When we’re on a journey with others, we must think of the collective whole, not just individual selves. The truth is traveling with a group can be both difficult & rewarding. Some may want to lead and as a result, create division; here we see James & John focusing on personal desires & promotion, rather than the best interest of the ‘whole.’ This can surely disrupt a group’s unity and purpose, making any journey difficult…

So, here on their journey with Jesus, they’re traveling along—everything seemingly going well, and then 2 of the group on the journey decide to proclaim themselves more special than the others. Needless to say, this didn’t go over well. And this is always the danger when, on our journey with Jesus—even as a church, someone decides they don’t really like the way the journey’s going … and proclaim or self-appoint themselves … into a position of leadership and/or authority; it’s then that division begins to take place—the opposite of unity!

Several years ago, in my rookie years of leading youth mission trips, we were headed for North Carolina to do mission work in the mountains. One of the adults on that trip happened to be a colleague—a pastor here in the Wisconsin Annual Conference. We didn’t think anything of it; some youth from her church were going along on the trip. Frankly, we appreciated her support as a pastor, because this was all new to us at the time…

It was a 2-day journey by bus to our destination. It didn’t even take half a day on the road, however, before we knew that we had a problem. This pastor finally figured out that teenagers were not her thing! Everything on these trips, of course, is catered to the teens—the majority of those along. She was after us to shut off the videos on the bus, to shut off the music on the bus, to basically shut down everything that would appeal to our teens. (I think she thought, since traveling by bus, that this was going to be like one of those tours to Branson for senior citizens!) This wasn’t the journey that we were on—not even close!

Thankfully, we got to our destination successfully, with some of us interceding in this situation so that minimal damage would be done. She announced to us by Sunday night—the night we arrived at our destination—that she would be purchasing a plane ticket, requested a ride to the nearest airport, and would be leaving the very next morning (Monday morning launch)…

In spite of our other responsibilities at the beginning of the week, we gladly gave her a ride to the airport—thankful that she’d discovered at the beginning of the journey that this wasn’t the one she really wanted to be on. She bowed out … and that was for the good of all...

Sometimes, folks, that’s the very best action that can take place. We needed UNITY on this journey, to accomplish all that God wanted us to accomplish during our time on the road. Actions of DISUNITY threatened the very life of its success! I believe with all my heart … that God intervened in this situation … and UNITY was maintained. We ended up having a great mission trip that year!

Now, I know that every individual has both needs and a real need for fulfillment in their lives. But when you’re on a journey with others—with Jesus leading the way—you have to also be aware of ‘the good of the collective whole.’ In other words, what’s best for the entire group involved on the journey? Let me be clear this morning, as we talk about the mile marker for today: Journeying together means balancing our focus on individual needs & fulfillment, as well as the good of the collective whole. Balance is key…

UNITY IN THE MIDST OF INDIVIDUAL NEEDS & FULFILLMENT! Our own needs—in every way—are a reality! How do we balance our personal needs with God’s plan for the whole?

The world’s message is always ‘look out for #1!’ (Actually, I’ve never a ‘look out for #2’ message…) And it’s ‘look out for #1’ AT ALL COSTS! Unfortunately, when individuals begin to live out that philosophy while on a journey with others, the results can be devastating!

John Calvin, that great pastor & theologian, saw that the Devil's chief device in working against the Church … was disunity and division. He preached that there should be friendly fellowship for all ministers of Christ … and made a similar point in a letter to a trusted colleague:

Among Christians there ought to be so great a dislike of schism, as that they may always avoid it so fast as lies in their power. That there ought to prevail among them such a reverence for the ministry of the word and the sacraments that wherever they perceive these things to be, there they must consider the church to exist...nor need it be of any hinderance that some points of doctrine are not quite so pure, seeing that there is scarcely any church which has not retained some remnants of former ignorance.

In other words, if you are a follower of Christ—on the journey with Jesus, any type of schism or divisive behavior … should put a horrible taste in your mouth—to the point that you cannot stand it! You have to come against it…

Folks, we know that each of us has needs in this life; of that, there is no doubt. But, when our personal needs and our desires take precedence over and above all who are on the journey, we’ve got a problem! For anyone who is that SELF-centered, they haven’t left much room for GOD at the center… So, what are we to do? We need to be well aware of ‘the good of the whole’ at all times—realizing that even though we have needs ourselves, that cannot come before the good of all on the journey! We must be God-centered when traveling with others, which always results in unity in the Body… So, our focus needs to be on…

UNITY IN THE MIDST OF THE GOOD OF THE COLLECTIVE WHOLE! When journeying with others, we must think of the collective whole—not just individual selves! The greater desire has to be for the good of all—there’s the balance; if that’s the case, the journey’ll be successful for all… We need to allow God to transform our way of thinking by the renewing of our minds, especially when it comes to journeys we take together (Rom. 12:2)…

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:2 (NLT)

What ELSE does God’s word say when it comes to the way we’re to journey together (1 Cor. 1:10)?

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. – 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)

Keeping Christ central in our lives is the way… Now, this may seem silly to some who’ve never been on a group tour of any kind, but my father came up with one rule years ago that has really worked to help make trips of people traveling together successful—trip after trip after trip…

What’s the one rule? “No Complaining.” It’s now officially the Pegram Rule for trips or tours of any kind. It works on mission trips. It works on Holy Land tours. It works anywhere groups of people are put together for a journey … and have to learn to live together for a period of time. That’s the one rule we still use today … and it works, because it lends itself to ‘the good of the collective whole.’ (The only reason it wouldn’t make sense is if someone still has ‘me, myself, and I’ at the center of their universe … which still happens occasionally…)

We need to start thinking differently, as we journey together. We need to begin to allow Christ to transform our thinking by the renewing of our minds—to begin to think like God thinks, to begin to see things as God sees them, to begin to love others the way God loves… That will lead us to unity in the midst of ‘the collective whole.’

Folks, let me say it one more way, as we close today: We can’t be like the televangelist who used to say every week on T.V., ‘Give God the grocery list!’ What he taught his audience was a very selfish way of praying… (This goes back to where we began today: How often do our conversations with God involve asking for a personal blessing, rather than one for the community and world in which we live?)

When we’re on a journey with ‘all God’s people,’ the journey can no longer be about … just us! And if you’ve ever been a leader on a journey like this, you’ll know that there is no way you can cater to a select few; it has to be about the good of all involved…

So, instead of asking ‘What about me?’ we need to be asking ‘What about them?’ What about the whole group? What about everyone together? How do we love in the midst of our journey with Jesus?

Note: Click in the middle of the pages to make it full-screen.  To download/print the full thing in PDF format, the link is below.

Well, I told you last week that we’re not going to wait until Palm Sunday for Jesus to enter into Jerusalem … this year. Today’s the day. So, with that in mind, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with palm branches waving … conjures up some other images for me. Folks, at this point in his earthly ministry, Jesus was at the height of his fame here on earth … and this got me to thinking…

Do you think that Jesus would ever Google himself? You know, search for himself on the computer? He’d get plenty of hits, wouldn’t he? He could probably spend eternity reading press clippings, blog posts, and endless commentaries … about himself.

In today’s scripture, we find Jesus firmly in what I like to refer to as the “Rock Star” stage of his life. People are swarming around him like he’s Tom Brady at Super Bowl media day. They want to touch him; they want to feed off of his ‘holy aura.’ He can’t even get away to pray for 5 minutes before his disciples come looking for him. He’s like Daniel Radcliffe at a Harry Potter convention … or SpongeBob at an elementary school assembly. Jesus is HUGE! Dare I say, Jesus was even bigger than … um … the Beatles!

I can’t help but think about how tempting it must have been to revel in his own popularity… But, that’s not why Jesus came into this world was it?

• It wasn’t to become the ‘big man on campus’…

• It wasn’t to have more followers on Twitter or friends on Facebook than Justin Bieber…

Jesus came into the world to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven; and that meant that there was no time for him to sit around and enjoy the fruits of his success here…

When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany on Mount Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: ² "Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you'll find a colt tethered, one that has never yet been ridden. Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone asks, 'What are you doing?' say, 'The Master needs him, and will return him right away.' "

⁴ They went and found a colt tied to a door at the street corner and untied it. ⁵ Some of those standing there said, "What are you doing untying that colt?" ⁶ The disciples replied exactly as Jesus had instructed them, and the people let them alone. ⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus, spread their coats on it, and he mounted. ⁸ The people gave him a wonderful welcome, some throwing their coats on the street, others spreading out rushes they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Running ahead and following after, they were calling out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God's name! ¹⁰ Blessed the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in highest heaven!

¹¹ He entered Jerusalem, then entered the Temple. He looked around, taking it all in. But by now it was late, so he went back to Bethany with the Twelve. – Mark 11:1-11 (MSG)

Jesus did not travel to Jerusalem to get praise from others… His worldly success is shunned in order to pursue his uniquely divine call. From a PR point-of-view, that’s too bad. But, from a salvific (salvation) point-of-view, thanks be to God!

Well, unlike rock stars who count on fans to make them feel important, Jesus was grounded in who he was. People’s reaction to Jesus had little to do with the accomplishment of his mission. He went to Jerusalem knowing that he would be rejected! As he entered Jerusalem on that day with palm branches waving, how hollow must the people’s praises have seemed to him…

Folks, we can learn a lot from this part of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. We are on the second mile-marker of our Journey to Jerusalem: Self-Esteem. So, what can we learn from Jesus’ life—from this part of his Journey—that can help us get through our life journeys too? Let’s get started with this thought: Folks…

THE WORLD’S IDEA OF SELF-WORTH WILL ALWAYS LEAVE US WANTING! Too many in our world today base their personal value on things that do not matter! Think of the millions of dollars we spend every single year on … cosmetic surgery, anti-aging creams, designer clothes, cars, shoes (oh, now you’re getting personal, Rom!)… Or, perhaps we measure our self-worth by things like … careers, promotions, grades, or other accomplishments. The truth is, if we self-assess on outward appearance … or accomplishments, we will continually be in an uphill battle—one that I’m afraid we’ll never win!

The fact is, sometimes we won’t meet our goals, others will not recognize our worth, and our looks will not meet society’s ideal of beauty (I’ve had that problem all of my life) … and that’s where the trouble begins for us! Why? Because of our focus: We are simply too wrapped up in ‘self’…

Some of you are familiar—by now, I’m sure—with the late night host, David Letterman. What you may not be aware of is how he looks at what he does … night after night after night. Here’s how he sees his work: [Letterman] says the single most powerful motivating force in his life is a desire to succeed and prevail. He explains how he feels about doing 'Late Show with David Letterman’…

Every night you're trying to prove your self-worth. It's like meeting your girlfriend's family for the first time. You want to be the absolute best, wittiest, smartest, most charming, best-smelling version of yourself. If I can make people enjoy the experience and have a higher regard for me when I'm finished, it makes me feel like an entire person. If I've come short of that, I'm not happy. How things go for me every night is how I feel about myself for the next 24 hours. Because I'm not playing a character, I’m trying to give you the best version of myself.

So, in that quote from Letterman, what words struck you as significant to this conversation? How about … ‘self’ and ‘me’ and ‘myself’? Folks, if we are ever struggling with an acceptance of ourselves … our self-worth in life, could it be that our focus is a bit off? Could it be that there is way too much ‘ME’ in the picture? We get so wrapped up in ‘self,’ don’t we? But, here’s what we can draw from Jesus’ life…

GOD’S IDEA OF SELF-WORTH IS THE ONLY KIND THAT WILL SATISFY! Jesus is God’s idea of a healthy self-understanding and identity! And, folks, if there was ever a day and age when we needed to pay attention to what God is trying to tell us, it’s NOW… Jesus knew others did not fully understand him or accept him, yet he continued to focus on doing God’s will … regardless!

I want to teach you something theological today, can I? I want to teach you about … the power of the Imago Dei—the ‘image of God.’ Here’s what I want you to know: With Christ as the ideal of God’s image in the world, we also must get a glimpse of that image in ourselves! Genesis 1:26a (MSG) says,

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature….”

‘Let US make…’ refers to the Trinity—Father, Son & Holy Spirit—even way back at the beginning of creation… Jesus was there then … reflecting God’s image … and creating us to do the same…

Folks … God’s nature is in all of us, and by God’s grace, that nature can be fine-tuned to a life of love in community. With that in mind, here’s yet another step we need to take today: We need to change self-esteem into … esteem of self in God!

You know how the old saying goes, don’t you? “If you are looking for perfection, don't look in the mirror.” Many people carry mirrors with them, like on road trips and such—sometimes mirrors with a magnifying side. We can use this to symbolize how we see ourselves and how closely we look at ourselves. But, if all we ever do is look into the mirror of ‘self-esteem,’ we’ll only be disappointed in the end!

What we need to do is to begin to look into God’s mirror—to see how God sees us … and to let our esteem be built on that reality—the only one that really counts…

• Psalm 139:14 (NIV) – “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

• 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (MSG) -

•  

“God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. ⁵ God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. ⁶ God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. ⁷ Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! ⁸ The variety is wonderful: wise counsel, clear understanding, ⁹ simple trust, healing the sick, ¹⁰ miraculous acts, proclamation, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.”

Folks, the bottom line is this: We cannot measure ourselves through other’s opinions! We can only find our true worth through the Imago Dei—the image of God that we were created in! In light of that, let me end with this thought:

Perhaps no composer has captured the musical heart and soul of America as did Irving Berlin. In addition to familiar favorites such as ‘God Bless America’ and ‘Easter Parade,’ he wrote, ‘I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas,’ which still ranks as the all-time best-selling musical score…

In an interview for the San Diego Union, Don Freemand asked Berlin, ‘Is there any question you've never been asked that you would like someone to ask you?’

‘Well, yes, there is one,’ he replied. ‘What do you think of the many songs you've written that didn't become hits?’ ‘My reply would be that I still think they are wonderful.’

God, too, has an unshakable delight in what, and whom, he has made. He thinks each of his children is wonderful, and whether they're a ‘hit’ in the eyes of others or not, he will always think they're wonderful!

Folks, Jesus didn’t travel to Jerusalem to get praise from others; that shouldn’t be our goal in life either. Like him, we need to be content in knowing God thinks … we’re something special! Then, what the world thinks won’t matter that much at all…  As James Baldwin once said, “Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you must do is put in on.” Remember that as we journey on together…

The problem is … what seems the most logical thing to do … is not always what’s best for us; sometimes we need the supernatural to intervene in our lives. Why? Because the very walls that we put up around us, to protect us … can also keep us from growing in our relationship with God. They can keep us from ‘coming to Jesus,’ so to speak. And these ‘walls’ or ‘roadblocks’ in our lives are varied. Just watch this, would you?

Relational roadblocks—or ‘walls’—come in all sizes, shapes, and kinds… And again, they can keep us from coming to Jesus—keep us from the relationship he wants to have with each and every one of us who he calls … ‘child!’ Listen to today’s scripture:

The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. ¹⁴ The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. ¹⁵ Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." ¹⁶ Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them. – Mark 10:13-16 (MSG)

On Wednesday night, as we began this series, Jesus was up at Caesarea Philippi with the disciples, walking amongst the pagan shrines and asking his disciples who they really believed him to be. Today, our scripture tells us that ‘he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan.’ He was on his way to Jerusalem—again, his destination in life, the culmination of God’s will for his life. And it was in Judea, East of the Jordan, that Jesus encountered the kids. And that statement of his absolutely goes right to my heart as he said: “Don’t ever get between them and me.” And yet … we allow that to happen, don’t we? Things are allowed to get in between us—as God’s children—and Jesus; people are allowed to get between us and Jesus… But, according to Jesus himself, we shouldn’t let that be happening! Folks, here’s the truth, today:

Sometimes BAD THINGS get between us and our relationship with Christ! SIN, of course, is a major cause of relational breakdown between us and God. And one thing that can lead us to sin (a separation from God) are … HARMFUL relationships!

If anyone is familiar with this type of ‘harmful relationship’ or  ‘roadblock,’ it’s our teenagers! It’s called ‘peer pressure’ … and it leads us to allow a variety of things and/or relationships to get right smack in the middle—between us and our relationship with God!

There was a test conducted by a university where 10 students were placed in a room. Three lines of varying length were drawn on a card. The students were told to raise their hands when the instructor pointed to the longest line. But 9 of the students had been instructed beforehand to raise their hands when the instructor pointed to the second longest line. One student was the stooge. The usual reaction of the stooge was to put his hand up, look around, and realizing he was all alone, pull it back down. This happened 75% of the time, with students from grade school through high school. (C. Swindoll, 3-27-84)

What would some harmful relationships be in this category? We may not be in the worst of it, but don’t kid yourself—these aren’t that far away…

• Those who push drugs…

• Those who insist that everyone in the party drink alcohol (no longer a personal choice)…

• Those who promote ‘gang activity’ (no longer allowed to think for oneself)…

• And other harmful relationships…

Peer pressure, the pressure of those around us to do what they think we should be doing with our lives, is incredibly powerful and persuasive … and it doesn’t just affect teenagers; I’m shocked at how often adults will allow others to manipulate their lives … and that can be terribly destructive! Folks, in a heartbeat, we can allow ‘roadblocks’ to be built between us and Jesus. But, folks, Jesus says: “Don’t ever get between them and me.” [The them is us—the children of God!) And yet we encounter ‘roadblocks’ on our journey with Jesus every single day … if we allow them!

Well, harmful relationships or other ‘bad things’ we tend to understand. The things that we generally struggle with most in life—things that can get in between us and Jesus—are these…

Sometimes GOOD THINGS get between us and our relationship with Christ! The answer to these GOOD THINGS that get in the way, or ‘roadblocks,’ is obedience to Christ—keeping him first in our lives! In other words, OBEDIENCE in our relationship with Christ … is the real key to avoiding roadblocks that can get between us and Christ!

St. Augustine, in his famous work called The Confessions of St. Augustine, says:

Sin arises when things that are a minor good are pursued as though they were the most important goals in life. If money or affection or power are sought in disproportionate, obsessive ways, then sin occurs. And that sin is magnified when, for these lesser goals, we fail to pursue the highest good and the finest goals. So when we ask ourselves why, in a given situation, we committed a sin, the answer is usually one of two things. Either we wanted to obtain something we didn't have, or we feared losing something we had. Augustine in The Confessions of St. Augustine (Christian Classics in Modern English), Reflections, November 23, 1992, p. 41

So, what is it in your life that in the overall eternal scheme of things is really minor—though GOOD, yet you’ve elevated that thing or that relationship to a status that actually interferes with your relationship with God?

Again, OBEDIENCE is the real key to avoiding roadblocks that can get between us and Christ—even when they are GOOD THINGS! Disobedience happens in our relationship when we allow things that Jesus said didn’t really matter eternally … to get in between us and him. Some examples of these GOOD THINGS that can actually get in between us and Jesus would be:

• MARITAL relationships... This is especially the case when one is a non-believer; scripture speaks clearly about being ‘unevenly yoked’ in marriage; and, thankfully, those sections of scripture also talk about our responsibility to Christ in such circumstances…

• PARENTAL relationships… Sometimes we allow our relationships with our parents—as adult children—to get in between us and Jesus, especially if they are skeptical of church &/or religion…

• FRIENDSHIPS... Now, don’t get me wrong; we are supposed to be ‘friends’ even with unbelievers in this world, but the truth is sometimes our unbelieving friends—who don’t go to church—can influence us to use our time differently, ultimately getting in the way of the most important friendship of all—with Christ…

• WORK (COLLEAGUE) relationships… Again, those who are not believers and have nothing else to live for besides work, would sometimes rather see us work … than take time for devotion and worship in our lives … and the list could go on…

So, folks, let’s recap this part of our journey: On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus encountered some kids … and took this teachable moment to teach ALL OF US as God’s children, to never let anything get between us and our relationship with God! It was that important then … and it’s that important NOW!

As we close this time today, let me ask some very important questions…

• What keeps you from being a child of God?

• What’s keeping you from coming to Jesus with your whole life today?

• And, since we’re on this journey with him together, let me ask this question too: Who’s your traveling companion for the journey?

• We need to be choosing friends who will hold us up and support us in LIFE…

• We need to be choosing friends who will support us in our relationship with Christ—even if its not their thing or they're not where we are spiritually right now, they still respect our faith and are not fighting against the faith we hold so dear and getting in between us and Jesus…

• We need to be choosing friends who will not have any other agenda in our lives … than to love us, being a true friend—respecting God’s involvement in our lives!

Are there any ‘roadblocks’ in your life today? Remember Jesus’ words; don’t ever let anything or anybody come between you and him…

The way we traveled when all us kids were young was … we camped. That was the least expensive housing we could find on the road in those days, so we packed the family station wagon full as we could and usually pulled a borrowed pop-up camper or something like that (with an additional pup tent for my older brother and me).

This vacation was going to be an adventure! We knew we were going on a long journey. We knew we were going to both have fun and face challenges. We knew we were going to be traveling in a hot, non-air conditioned car … and camping each evening. So, we knew it was going to be a hot, sweaty, and sometimes dirty proposition … but we didn’t care! Why? Because we were going to Disney World … and destination was all that really mattered!

It was the same with the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came into this world … so that he could go on a journey, too—a journey up to Jerusalem. And, as far as Jesus was concerned, there was nothing more important than God’s will in his life … and God’s will was for Jesus to go to Jerusalem—when the time was right. So, how does Jesus journey relate to our lives? Good question…

In my favorite devotional, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, he talks about Jerusalem in a devotional called “The Big Compelling of God” (August 3). In this devotional, Chambers bounces off Luke 18:31 where it says “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem.” And there he tells us:

Jerusalem stands in the life of Our Lord as the place where He reached the climax of His Father’s will. “I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.” That was the one dominating interest all through Our Lord’s life, and the things He met with on the way, joy or sorrow, success or failure, never deterred Him from His purpose. “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”

Then Chambers continues: “The great thing to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own”—a metaphor for our life in Christ.

So, what is the Jerusalem of your life? What is the destination of your life’s journey? And will it be God’s will (as opposed to your own) that guides you there? Folks, no matter what life throws our way on the journey—whether joy or sorrow, success or failure—nothing should deter us from reaching our destination either … with God’s help. That’s what this season is going to be all about … on our Journey to Jerusalem…

Let me share a scripture with you as we begin this journey tonight. A couple of things you need to know though as we go on this journey together:

• We’re going to be drawing primarily from the Gospel of Mark, as we look into this part of the life of Christ … and…

• I’m going to be using The Message—Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible throughout this series…

Where we’re starting tonight, Jesus turns the corner in his 3-year ministry … to begin to head toward his final destination: Jerusalem… Listen:

He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive."

³² He said this simply and clearly so they couldn't miss it. But Peter grabbed him in protest. ³³ Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works."

³⁴ Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. ³⁵ Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. ³⁶ What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? ³⁷ What could you ever trade your soul for? – Mark 8:31-37 (MSG)

Jesus here is up in the area of Caesarea Philippi … almost to Damascus, Syria. He’s gathered there with his disciples in an area of pagan worship, where people’s beliefs were all over the map. And he asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am.” It is here where Peter claims Jesus to be the Messiah … and Jesus tells them to keep that quiet and not breathe a word to anyone about his true identity. Why? His time had not come yet … to go up to Jerusalem. But, he begins to talk about, doesn’t he?

Let’s review, once again, what Jesus says here as he begins to turn his face toward Jerusalem. He told them…

• WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN ON THE JOURNEY (FOR THE FIRST TIME)—POINT BLANK.
  

Verse 31, again, tells us: “He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive." Then, verse 32 says that he said this very simply … and clearly … so they couldn’t miss it! These guys have had a reputation (like most guys) of being a bit dense at times … so Jesus made it real clear…

• HOW NOT TO LET FEAR TAKE OVER ON A JOURNEY…
  

In verses 32-33, the text explains: “He said this simply and clearly so they couldn't miss it. But Peter grabbed him in protest. ³³ Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works." The One who they’d followed for the past 3 years … who they’d looked up to … who had transformed their lives into something they never dreamt they could ever be … was going to leave them—not in a good way either! Peter responded without thinking … and Jesus called him on it…

• WHAT GOING ON A JOURNEY WITH JESUS IS REALLY ALL ABOUT…
  

Verses 34-37 explain this life in Christ very clearly: “Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. ³⁵ Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. ³⁶ What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? ³⁷ What could you ever trade your soul for?’” Well, Jesus makes this pretty clear, too; if you’re going on a journey with him:

• He’ll be the trail boss—not you or I…

• We have to follow him in everything, including our attitude toward suffering and real life…

• While the world tries to sell you on another method of ‘self-help,’ Jesus lets us in on a little secret: Self-sacrifice is really the key to real life … and experiencing that eternally...

Folks, today we turn our faces to Jerusalem with Jesus. As we do that, we already know that it will be a difficult journey—a path that will eventually lead to the cross. Yet when we join Jesus, we find HOPE even amidst the challenge…

Along the path, we’ll see reflections on issues that still affect us today; these include…

• Self-esteem…

• Money/power…

• Relation-ships…

• Careers/jobs...

• Temptation…

• Suffering and death…

With this in mind, let me close with these questions for you:

• How might our life’s journey be different if we truly let Jesus be ‘in the driver’s seat?’

• What would we have to adjust in our carefully laid plans … or our roadmap?

As we discover Jesus along the way, perhaps we will also uncover some of our ‘real’ selves that we’ve never known before. No doubt, the journey won’t always be easy. Just like going to Disney World back in the 70s, at times it may be hot and sweaty, and we may just get our hands dirty … but it won’t matter. Why? Because all that matters is the destination—that at the end of these lives of ours, we have fulfilled God’s will for us.

• Are you ready to go to Jerusalem?

• Are you ready to go there with Jesus—his way?

Let’s ask God to help us on this journey … even as we begin this evening. Would you join me?

What this has done to the Church is this: The result is lackadaisical Christians that are not held accountable to be living out the Gospel in community and on mission. Instead of having and holding a high view of ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church), Christians are more prone to apathy … treating church membership like membership in any other club or service organization. However, that’s not what we’re talking about when we discuss being ‘members’ of a local Body of Christ…

Let’s look at our scripture for today to see what God’s Word has to say about being ‘members’…

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³ Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. ¹⁴ Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
¹⁵ If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? ¹⁸ But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ²¹ The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” ²² In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. ²³ And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, ²⁴ while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. ²⁵ This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. ²⁷ All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. ²⁸ Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages. ²⁹ Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? ³⁰ Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! ³¹ So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 (NLT)

Folks, for way too many, the church is simply a place they ‘go,’ whether they physically go there or not! You know, people will ask ‘Where do you go to church?’ and most respond with the church where their name is on the rolls. But, is that all that church is?

Here’s the problem. The church is not just a place we ‘go’ to… It is also not just a building. It’s a people—the people of God … sent on God’s mission to proclaim God’s message! Folks, we are the Church. The local church is a collection of committed followers of Jesus Christ banded together to live out the Gospel in community and on mission. With this in mind, I want to offer up 3 important reasons (though there are many more) why local church membership matters:

The ONE ANOTHER’S of Scripture. Even a cursory reading of Scripture lets us know that God’s people lived in radically other-centered ways (see Acts 2:42-47, for example).

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. ⁴³ A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. ⁴⁴ And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. ⁴⁵ They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. ⁴⁶ They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— ⁴⁷ all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. – Acts 2:42-47 (NLT)

Throughout God’s Word we see Christians being instructed to exercise the ‘one another’s of Scripture’ and, in turn, see them living out these ‘one another’s’ in obedience to those instructions. This may sound a bit corny, but please know that today … as we read these, we also need to heed these! Folks, here are some of the ‘one another’s of Scripture’ that I’m talking about: As Christians, we are commanded to…

• …love one another (John 13:14, Romans 12:10, 1 Peter 1:22, etc.)…

• …instruct one another (Romans 15:14)…

• …comfort one another (2 Cor. 13:11)…

• …serve one another (Galatians 5:13)…

• …bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)…

• …forgive one another (Ephesians 4:22)…

• …admonish one another (Colossians 3:16)…

• …exhort one another daily (Hebrews 3:13)…

• …stir one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)…

• …confess our sins to one another (James 5:16)…

• …and at least 25 other ‘one another’s’ that I can count…

Local church membership matters because the LOCAL CHURCH is where we live out these ‘one another’s’ of Scripture—with real people, people with personal and spiritual and missional discipleship needs … people with real problems, real burdens, and real sin! So, first the ‘one another’s’ of scripture is why Membership Matters! Then comes…

Commitment to ONE ANOTHER. If we are truly to live out the ‘one another’s’ of Scripture, we must be COMMITTED to one another and know who’s COMMITTED to us! Membership Matters in this way…

Do you know where the word ‘member’ as it applies to church membership comes from? It is ‘body language.’ One of the definitions of member in the dictionary is this: a part or organ of a plant or animal body, especially a limb… In other words, your arm is a ‘member,’ etc. It’s referring to being a member of a living body. And, folks, we are the Body of Christ…

Think about it: It’s those parts or ‘members’ of a living body who are truly committed to one another that makes for a very healthy and functional body! Again, if we are truly to live out the ‘one another’s’ of Scripture, we must be COMMITTED to one another and know who’s COMMITTED to us! Let me share this idea with you from another perspective…

Jesus Christ died for the Church—that’s you and me. He obtained it with his own blood. Acts 20:28 tells us:  “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.” Now, one of the metaphors that Scripture uses for the Church—purchased with Jesus’ own blood—is ‘the bride of Christ.’ With that in mind, think about this:

If a man tells a woman he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her … yet refuses to commit to her in marriage, she really ought not to take him seriously! If he simply showed up at the house whenever he felt like it … or needed something, never emotionally invested, never demonstrated his love for her, never sacrificed for her in any way, never put her needs before his, never financially supported her, that wouldn’t be much of a commitment, would it?

In the same way, folks, ‘Christians’ who fail to commit to the local church treat Christ’s bride in a very cheap manner! Local church membership matters because our commitment to ‘one another’—the Church—matters! We have to know who is committed to the mission & vision of the local church … and to us as members. And the final reason why membership in the local church matters is…

Commitment to CHRIST and Obedience to HIS WORD. And, this is the one that finally convinced me that local church membership truly does matter! First though, let me make this bold statement this morning (because the longer I live & study God’s word, the more I believe it to be true): It is impossible to live in obedience to God’s word without being a member of a local church! Why? Because ‘the Church’ is God’s medium provided to us whereby we can live out all that God has asked us to do in the world we live in! Let me give you an example…

Hebrews 13:17 says this: “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.”

The only group of leaders, according to Scripture, who are responsible or ‘accountable’ to God for leading God’s people … are the pastors/leaders of the local church. If you are not a church member, how can you obey this command of scripture? In other words, what body that has pastors/leaders—for this purpose—are you submitted to? Does that make sense? You can’t be obedient to what’s being asked of you in God’s word … unless you are connected to a local body…

Note: It must be implicitly recognized that leaders in a local church are not accountable for every person who comes through the door for worship each week! They are only held accountable for those who have formally committed to be a part of the local church under its care, thus becoming a part of the ‘flock’ who they are commanded—by Scripture—to pay close attention to (Acts 20:28). So, Membership Matters … very much, scripturally speaking…

As we close today, I need to make a couple of comments regarding what we’ve talked about today:

• If someone is not committed to living out the ‘one another’s’ of Scripture, if they are not committed to doing that with a specific group of real live people, how are we ever—as leaders in the church—to evaluate their commitment to Christ? There has to be some way, if we’re to be held accountable for members of the Body…

• If someone is trying to function apart from the Body, is Christ truly their head?

• If a failure to commit to the local church is equated to disobedience to God’s Word, what do we make of someone who consistently refuses to even consider this type of connection?

Some of you might know the name Church Colson, once a part of the Nixon administration in the White House, he is currently the head of a ministry called Prison Fellowship. In his book called ‘The Body,’ Colson says this: “Yet membership in a confessing body is fundamental to the faithful Christian life. Failure to do so defies the explicit warning not to forsake ‘our assembling together.’ His understanding of this prompted Martin Luther to say, ‘Apart from the church, salvation is impossible.’ Not that the church provides salvation; God does. But because the ‘saved’ one can't fulfill what it means to be a Christian apart from the church, membership becomes the indispensable mark of salvation. … ‘So highly does the Lord esteem the communion of His church,’ Calvin wrote, ‘that He considers everyone a traitor and apostate from religion who perversely withdraws himself from any Christian society which preserves the true ministry of the word and sacraments.’ (The Body, Charles W. Colson, 1992, Word Publishing, Page 70.)

Biblically speaking, membership really is serious business, isn’t it? Membership Matters. And we need to all consider it … seriously!

Do you see what he’s getting at here? For the past several weeks, we’ve been in a worship series called Plan B; we’ve looked at several different examples of when life seems to come at us in ways we didn’t expect … and God doesn’t show up in our circumstances the way we thought he would. But folks, the Christian faith itself was born—again—out of uncertainty, darkness, and despair. And it’s out of this seeming tragedy of the cross, the ultimate Plan B, that something amazing and transformational is born. That’s what the cross tells us … and it tells us even more. It tells us something important about ourselves and our Plan B situations, too; let me begin with this…

When our kids were young, it was very unusual that Jane would take an evening off and leave the kids with me. (I know what you’re thinking; there must have been some reasons for that!) But, it did happen occasionally. Quite frankly, when they were real young, they pretty much scared me … and I think that’s why Jane didn’t leave me with them too often. She would always leave me a set of instructions, however, which brought me great comfort. She told me things like what they could have to snack on, when their bedtime was, etc.

On occasion, they would do their best to push my buttons. I would follow Jane’s instructions explicitly … and apparently that was a problem for my kids. She told me how many snacks they could have … and that’s what I gave them—no more. But, have you ever tried to cut a kid off from their favorite snack? Sometimes, they would kick and scream when snack time was over … and usually what they’d do is cry out for their mom. “I want my mommy!” (Some of you dads have heard that before, I’m sure…) And I remember thinking about that time … “Yes … and I want your mommy, too!” Over and over again, they would scream…

I learned to not take their screaming for their mom personally, though. You know why? Because I finally figured out … they didn’t really want their mommy; they wanted what they thought their mommy would give them…

Now, let’s do a freeze-frame here and pause for a second. Can we be real with each other? At the risk of losing your attention right now—at the beginning of this message, I want to share something with you that you just might need to hear: You might be at odds with God about something right now, you may not be happy with the way your life is turning out, and you may be in the midst of praying and pleading with God about something! But, my question is this: Is it God you really want … or do you just want what you think God might be able to give you?

One of the things God’s been teaching me in life is that at times I want my dreams more than I actually want God! And maybe that’s why our Bible story for today resonates with me so much. Let me share it with you now … and then I’ll explain more:

The LORD said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ ² And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ³ Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.” ⁴ When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stopped wearing their jewelry and fine clothes. ⁵ For the LORD had told Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide what to do with you.” ⁶ So from the time they left Mount Sinai, the Israelites wore no more jewelry or fine clothes. – Exodus 33:1-6 (NLT)

Did you understand what just took place here? God promises Moses success in battle—success in claiming the Promised Land for his people. This is what Moses has wanted all along, isn’t it? This is the dream he’s been pursuing ever since God helped free his people from Egyptian slavery… However, Moses responds to God in an amazing way:

One day Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’ ¹³ If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.” ¹⁴ The LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.” ¹⁵ Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.” ¹⁷ The LORD replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.” – Exodus 33:12-17 (NLT)

I absolutely love this!!!! Moses is basically saying here, ‘God, success is not enough for me. I want YOU! I want your presence. I don’t just want what you can give me. I want YOU!’ … In my own life, I’m desperately trying to get to that place where I believe this truth to the very core of my being. I want to get to the point in my life where I can honestly say: “If God doesn’t give me one more thing in this life, I still owe him everything!” Are you there today … in the midst of your Plan B situation?

Folks, there’s still a lot I don’t know about Plan Bs in life, but here’s what I do know: Being a Christian doesn’t exempt us from the fact that Plan Bs may enter into our lives too! Now, please don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that being a Christian doesn’t make a difference in our lives; I’m just saying that Christianity cannot always be reduced to simple answers (like some theology on bumper stickers, t-shirts, or bracelets)…

I don’t believe that anyone understood the complexities or the confusion of our lives here in this world any better than Jesus did! As a matter of fact, in John 16, Jesus lets us know just how much he understands our life in this world. To begin…

JESUS gives us two realities we need, if we’re to make sense of our Plan Bs! First: There is a God who is BIG and POWERFUL and who LOVES us!

I want to give you some background as to Jesus’ words here at the end of John 16. Jesus is about to be crucified. He’s headed for the cross. He is carrying the sins of the world on his shoulders … and he is going to cross so that through his substitutionary death, we can experience forgiveness and be freed from the sin we’re born into in this world. In other words, he’s getting ready to pay a penalty that was really ours to pay … and he says this to his disciples (John 16:33, NLT): “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

‘Anyone interested in this peace that Jesus offers? Notice he says, “…you may have peace in me.” Those words ‘in me’ are so important! Jesus doesn’t say that you’ll have peace because of what I can give you; he doesn’t even say that you’ll have peace in the Church. He clearly says, ‘in me.’ When you immerse your current reality into his reality, there is where you’ll find peace. Again, it’s not so much in what he can give you; peace is found in a relationship with Jesus himself…

Folks, God loved us enough to send us the very SOURCE OF PEACE… Again, there is a God who is BIG and POWERFUL and who LOVES us! And, it’s a good thing, because after telling us that peace is found in him, he reminds us why this peace is so important.

Here’s the second reality we need to know: We live in a world that seems to be FALLING APART! In verse 33, again, it says: “…Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows….” It’s as if Jesus is saying, “You’re really going to need peace because trouble is coming.” And this is not the ‘I locked myself out of the house’ kind of trouble; this is the kind of ‘I don’t know if there is a God’ kind of trouble—the kind that rocks you to the very core…

I can almost picture Jesus in this verse 33 of John 16 as a meteorologist, forecasting the weather … and giving us a 7-day outlook: “It’s trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, and … trouble.”

In a word, the forecast for life on earth is … trouble. And this is true because of these two overlapping realities that Jesus tells us about:

• There is a God who is big and powerful and loves us…

• … and we live in a world that seems to be falling apart.

“…But take heart, because I have overcome the world,” Jesus says at the end of v. 33. In other words, don’t lose sight of the BIG PICTURE, no matter what you’re going through right now… Folks, here’s the GOOD NEWS for today (Point II):

The CROSS gives us one reality that ESSENTIAL (God’s unending love)! Understanding and grasping God’s unending love is essential in the midst of any Plan B. It’s essential because, in our humanness, it is way too easy to think: God must NOT love me if he’s letting me go through this. God must have abandoned me or I wouldn’t be feeling this way.

If we simply focus on circumstances and if we define God through those circumstances … that conclusion may seem to make sense. But, when we get our eyes on the CROSS, we are reminded that there are no limits to what God will do to draw us close to him—even the giving of his one and only Son, that we might be able to live in peace with him… Don’t ever forget the LOVE of the CROSS! That’s where God needs to be defined in our lives—not out of our circumstances… Here’s a couple of final comments to help you through your Plan Bs in life, in light of the CROSS:

Don’t ever let IDOLS take the place of the CROSS! Folks, God loves us and that should supersede whatever Plan B situation we’re going through … BUT, the trouble is, we don’t always think that way! We’re sometimes tempted in the midst of our Plan Bs to take our eyes off of the CROSS and look for other ways of coping with the pain of our Plan B situations—things like the practice of idolatry…

My favorite definition of idolatry is this: to take something other than God and make it our primary focus in life! So, what’s your primary focus today? If it’s not God, our Heavenly Father, we can be in trouble. Pastor Louie Giglio says we can find our idols in life by following ‘the trails of our life’—things like:

• Our time…

• Our affections…

• Our energy…

• Our money…

• Our allegiance…

Follow the trails of your life; at the end of the trail, you’ll find a throne; and whatever or whomever is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you—what you really worship. What I’m telling you today is this: Don’t let anything take the place of the CROSS in your life … especially when going through Plan Bs! Don’t ever forget the LOVE of the CROSS…

Here’s one more thing for consideration: It’s possible the reason we feel so SHATTERED and BROKEN in the midst of our Plan Bs, at times, is because our love and devotion are MISGUIDED! It’s possible, in other words, that part of the reason we feel the way we do in the midst of our Plan Bs is that we’ve given our love and devotion to OUR DREAMS and OUR PLANS … instead of God. It’s something to keep in mind as a possibility, for no matter how worthy or compelling or good a personal plan might be—it makes a pretty worthless god…

Folks, I can’t help but think of Jesus’ final words of his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before his arrest. And it’s these words, folks, that we need to learn to say and believe to our core. He asked God, if it would be possible, to take the suffering that he was about to go through away from him. But then he prayed (Matt. 26:39c, NLT): “…Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Jesus refused to let his will, his dreams, his expectations to become his idols. We too must be willing to abandon what we’ve planned and dreamed of, if need be, in order to receive the life that God has authored for us. We must keep our eyes on the CROSS. God loves us—that’s the message of the CROSS that changes everything. Absolutely everything…

Folks, when you’re in the midst of a Plan B-type circumstance, dealing with unmet expectations, or when you’re hurt or doubting, questioning or crying, there’s nothing more healing than knowing that someone else has been there. When you’re going through those types of emotionally-challenging times in your life, there’s nothing more comforting than hearing someone say, “I know what you’re going through’ and mean it! “Me, too!” That’s the words that we long to hear—knowing that there is someone who understands and will stand beside us as we go through our Plan B situations in life…

I don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve read the OT Book of Ruth, but if you’ve been longing for that story, today’s your lucky day, because that’s where we’re headed! There’s a woman in the Book of Ruth who’s a major player and her name is Naomi. Naomi kind of reminds me of Joseph in the fact that her life seems to be one Plan B situation after another—never letting up! Let me take just a few moments to share her story with you … and then we’ll get into the scripture for today:

Ruth is a book that’s about the subtle ways God works in the lives of people. It’s a book for those who wonder where God is in the midst of their Plan B situations in life—especially those who’ve gone through serious  reversals in their lives. In fact, that’s exactly where the Book of Ruth begins—with the predicament of a good woman named Naomi who lives in the land of Judah. Naomi’s family is going through a very rough time. An economic depression has hit and her husband loses his job. (How contemporary!) The family ends up losing everything they have, so out of desperation, they move to a foreign country called Moab. (Those of you who’ve been with me to the Holy Land have either seen Moab or actually been there; it’s modern-day Jordan.)

Now, Naomi is not only dirt poor at this time, but she’s now living amongst a people who speak a different language; she’s absolutely thrown head-first into a culture that is unfamiliar to her—strange, if you will. The whole situation is a major Plan B for her. But, at least she has her family around her—her husband and her two boys—to watch over her and care for her. That is … until her husband suddenly gets sick and dies!

Can you imagine what a blow this is to Naomi? She’s not only lost everything and had to move to a foreign country, but now she’s lost the love of her life (not to mention her primary means of support)! Thank God she at least still has her two sons to help her!

Naomi has a bit of a reprieve in her life; over the next 10 years, both her boys find wives and marry—life seeming to settle down just a bit. Naomi’s still a poor widow, living in a foreign land, but at least she has the comfort of a growing family. She gets along well with her daughters-in-law, Orpah (not Oprah, but Orpah!) and Ruth—looking forward to being a grandmother someday…

Then, once again, the unimaginable happens to Naomi! Naomi’s two sons, the boys who mean everything to her, also get sick and die—just like their father. You can just imagine the crying out to God that took place after that! “Why me?”

Folks, Naomi has now experienced economic devastation, lost all her possessions, and she’d been forced to move to a foreign land. Now, she’s also lost her husband and her two sons. She a widow living with her two daughters-in-law, who are now also widows themselves. She’s been stripped of everything that could possibly bring her HOPE!

Here’s how the story ends: At the end of her rope, Naomi decides she’s going to move back to Judah, the land where she came from. But, she’s moving back to nothing. As a widow, you see, she has no name, no identity, and no rights. She probably knows at this point that she’ll live out the rest of her life as … a beggar. (Naomi was in such despair here that she even changed her name—Mara, meaning bitter.)

Who can blame Naomi for this attitude? She’s lost everything that means anything to her. But, she hasn’t lost her ability to care about others’ needs. Before she leaves Moab, she has sits down with her daughters-in-law and has a very serious conversation with them. She tells them they should return to their homes and families and try to start over. She tells them that they’re young, they can find new husbands, and they shouldn’t tie themselves down to her miserable excuse for a life. But, look what happens next:

But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? ¹² No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? ¹³ Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD himself has raised his fist against me.” ¹⁴ And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. ¹⁵ “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.” ¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. ¹⁷ Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” ¹⁸ When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more. – Ruth 1:11-18 (NLT)

Here, folks, we see the first signs of HOPE in this story! And, it comes through God’s gift of COMMUNITY! In Naomi’s darkest hour, when all hope seems to be absent, God gives Naomi … Ruth! (Yes, community can be just one person—whoever is willing to stand alongside you in the midst of your deepest pain or struggle!) God gives Naomi someone who knows—without a doubt—her pain and loss, but can still point her toward the hidden hope in her situation. God gives her someone who can say … “Me, too!”

Interestingly, I don’t think that Naomi actually realizes what an incredible gift God has given her in Ruth! When they return together to Judah (in Israel) all the women recognize Naomi, and she begins to share with them in vv. 20-21a: “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. ²¹ I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty….” Yet, Ruth stood right there beside her… How could she miss that?

At this moment, Naomi is blind to the amazing grace of God in her life. She underestimates, in the midst of her Plan B, just how precious the gift of community really is! (And you and I tend to do the same thing when our life is scripted … and things aren’t turning out the way we wrote our story!) But, here, Naomi almost misses the gift that God had given her for this particular time in her life! And this is a lesson for us, too: DON’T DO IT!

• Don’t allow your pain, as deep as it may be right now, to keep you from fully embracing the gift of community!

• Don’t let your disappointment, as devastating as it might be, keep you from hearing (or saying!), “Me, too!”
  

Folks, in order to be able to hear a healing “Me, too!” there’re a couple of things we must do in order to be able to receive God’s gift of community. The first is this: we have to be real about what’s going on with us—where we’re at this very moment! We have to be authentic in order to experience community, so hear this:

AUTHENTICITY IS A REAL KEY TO EXPERIENCING GOD’S GIFT OF COMMUNITY. The truth is, however, both our culture and our Christian communities set standards we can’t live up to! I’m convinced that it’s primarily due to our inability to be authentic—or real—that keeps us from recognizing the gift of community that God offers us. But, I also believe that both our culture and the Church many times sets standards that are impossible to live up to consistently; so, what do we do?

• We hide…

• We pretend to be something we’re not…

• We immerse ourselves in a false reality…

• We ‘fake it ‘til we make it,’ as the saying goes, pretending to be a winner (winner’s circle/loser’s circle) even though we suspect we’re not…

It’s hard to have authentic community when we’re not willing to be who we really are at any given moment…

There’s a story told about a dad who took his little boy to the city pool one day. As his son was playing in the ‘kiddy pool,’ dad was busy reading a book—a book that he’d wanted to get into for quite some time. As the dad tells it, his son—who had a bladder the size of a peanut—came up to him and told his dad that he needed to pee … again. So, his dad—enthralled in his book—simply brushed off this request with a sarcastic answer. He told his little boy, “Oh, why don’t you just go and pee in the pool (probably not his proudest moment of parenting)!”

About 30 seconds later, there were gasps all around the pool! Dad looked up from his book to see his son standing by the pool, trunks around his ankles, urinating in the pool. He threw down his book and he yelled, “No … you can’t do that!” By this time, everyone around the pool had gotten very quiet. So, when his son yelled back at him, it kind of echoed … “But Dad, you told me to.” Busted…

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in life where you didn’t really want to admit to anyone (including yourself) who you really are? It’s only in reality that we can experience true, authentic, healing community with others. When we choose not to admit who we are and what we’re really going through, we’ll probably miss the HOPE God offers us through the gift of community…

Folks, we have to break through the world’s standards so that we can be known! Please know this: You can only be loved to the extent that you’re known … or that you allow yourself to be known! Also…

SURRENDER IS YET ANOTHER KEY TO EXPERIENCING GOD’S GIFT OF COMMUNITY. When we think of surrender, we tend to think of a white flag; but actually, being authentic means surrender—a position of strength not weakness!

There is a group in our community that is a reflection of the community that we’ve been talking about today: Compassionate Friends—a ‘community’ specifically called together to support those who have lost children. There is no way that any one of the people who attend their monthly meetings or annual time of worship and remembrance would come … unless they had surrendered to their emotions … unless they were willing be real or authentic about where they’re at in life. It’s only through that surrender that they are ready to reach out and accept God’s gift of this community in their lives! (If you want to know more about this, please be in touch with Ronnie &/or Bobbi Butteris.)

Folks, are you ready to be totally real about your life—about your Plan B circumstance? If you’re not, like Naomi, you may just miss out on the incredible gift God offers you in community; again, you can’t have real community unless you’re willing to be totally honest about your Plan B and surrender your circumstances to God!

Let me end here today: So many deep friendships are formed in the midst of Plan B situations. It’s amazing how quickly you can make a deep connection with someone who’s shared your same struggle. “Me, too!” is a powerful sermon; it’s really a description of one of God’s greatest gifts—COMMUNITY. Dallas Willard says it this way:

"God’s aim in human history is the creation of an all-inclusive community of loving persons with himself included as its primary sustainer and most glorious inhabitant. He is even now at work to bring this about. You have been invited, at great cost to God himself, to be part of this radiant community. You, right there in your life."

Do you feel like part of a ‘radiant community’ right there in your life—in the midst of your Plan B situation? Are you experiencing the comfort that “Me, too!” can bring? Folks, don’t ever doubt it: This is who God is calling us to be as a congregation! This is being the Church! This is truly loving one another as Christ has called us to love! Let’s be a place where “Me, too!” is heard often…

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