Philippians - God Provides

We are concluding the sermon series from Philippians.  We will look at his closing thoughts, and I hope you will see Paul’s mutual love for the Philippian believers. Now, remember. Paul wrote this letter to thank the Philippians for a financial gift they sent him while he was under house arrest.  And they sent a man named Epaphroditus with the offering to give it to Paul. While Epaphroditus was there, he cared for Paul, got sick, almost died, got better, and now Paul is about to send this letter back with Epaphroditus to read this letter to the church.

Let’s read:

Philippians 4:15-23 (NLT2) 

15  As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16  Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17  I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. 18  At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19  And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 20  Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. 21  Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. 22  And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household. 23  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. 

If you are a skeptic, I know what you are thinking. Paul was not buttering the church to get them to send more money. He is actually being warm and sincere and grateful for the way they blessed him. I encourage you to read through Acts 16 and 17 and discover how Paul met the Philippians and how the church was launched. In short, Paul and the Philippian church had a very warm and special friendship.  From the very first, their hearts were joined together through generosity.

They generously bandaged his wounds when he had been beaten and thrown into prison. They generously gave him a place to stay, food, and encouragement. Even after he left town, they kept sending him help to partner with him in telling others about Jesus. 

That’s why Paul said…

Philippians 4:15-16 (NLT2) 

15  As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16  Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 

The Philippian believers were generous from the moment they surrendered their lives to Jesus. And now Paul wanted them to know that…

LIVING GENEROUSLY GENERATES REWARD

Philippians 4:17 (NLT2) 

17  I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. 

Paul was reminding them of this very simple principle.  In life, the more generous you and I are to others, the more others will be generous to us. Before you tighten your grip on your wallet, I don’t think Paul is only referring to financial generosity. The Philippians believers had seen the generosity of time, love, and encouragement Paul gave them.  

Paul was generous with his worship after he had been beaten in the prison. After being locked up in the inner dungeon, Paul was generous with his love. Paul was generous in sharing the good news of Jesus with the prisoners. Paul modeled the generosity of God’s love for others. And the Philippian believers were pouring out the same generosity they had received from Paul.

When Kristy goes out of her way to be generous toward me with her love and tenderness, I want to go out of my way for her. When others are generous and kind to us, we want to show kindness to them. Paul spoke about this simple principle in his letter to the Galatians.  He writes:

Galatians 6:7-9 (NLT2) 

7  Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9  So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

So, if you sow “doing what is good” to others, you will reap a “harvest of blessing” if you keep it up. I love sharing this example of people who practice generosity in our church. Twice a month, around 40 people show up and distribute food.  Over 1700 people in our community receive food from our partnership with a local food bank each month. It's hot. It's humid.  The lines are long. But the people serving smile, love, and the sow generosity to bless other people.

If you are a follower of Jesus, by that I mean you believe that God created the world, but the world chose to sin. You believe you lived in disobedience to God, and the punishment for disobedience was eternal separation from God. And, you believe Jesus was God in the Flesh who paid the price for our disobedience on the cross. You believe that Jesus generously suffered, died, was buried, rose from the dead, went to heaven, and will one day return. And because you believe these things, you surrendered your life to God, trusted and received Jesus as your Savior. If you had a moment like that, you are a follower of Jesus.

And now that you are a follower of Jesus, there is a promise that you can claim, as found in Philippians 4:19.

GOD WILL MEET EVERY NEED, SO PERSEVERE WHILE WAITING

Philippians 4:19 (NLT2) 

19  And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 

Every single person in this room has needs in their lives.  We make some of our needs known to everybody, but we keep other needs private. You may make it known that you need more coffee on Sunday morning, but you may not make it known that you are overwhelmed with credit card debt. You may make it known that you are hangry, but you may not share that you are lonely. You may make it known that you and your spouse argued this morning, but you may keep it hidden that you have been quietly thinking about divorce. But God wants to meet your needs.  God wants to work miracles in your life.  God wants to restore your marriage, restore your relationships, and restore your life. 

You may be walking through a difficult season in your life right now, but I invite you to persevere. For the next few minutes, I will highlight the perseverance many people showed during a difficult season at Beach Church.

In 2019, Beach Church was recognized as the 83rd fastest-growing church in America.  The parking lot was filling up. By the spring of 2020, the church was averaging over 1,500 in worship, and because of the growth, the staff was preparing to launch a third worship service. But by 2022, because of internal strife and division, worship attendance had dipped into the three-and-four hundreds, leadership left, and people wondered if God was finished working in Beach Church. Morale among staff and members was at an all-time low. The 1,900-seat worship center felt emptier each week, and visitors stopped attending. Many feared that Beach Church would soon close its doors for good. 

It wasn’t easy. It was hard.  For many, that season felt heavy, confusing, and uncertain. Yet you continued to serve at Guest Central when there weren’t many guests. You continued to serve in the parking lot when there weren’t any cars to help park. You continued to serve on our First Impressions team and maybe over-greeted the few guests who visited. Your friends tried to convince you to go to church with them. People said to “give up” and “sometimes churches die.”

But you continued to give, you continued to serve, and you continued to keep moving forward when church life got hard. And today, people are walking through the doors at Beach Church like never before. Our lobby is filled with joy, laughter, tears, and prayers each week. Entire families are surrendering their lives to Jesus, getting baptized, and experiencing hope! Since the beginning of 2024, we have welcomed 1400 guests in worship, gave away over 500 bibles, baptized over 174 people, and have had over 65 professions of faith. To keep up with the movement of God, we have added a Family Pastor, a Student Pastor, and today, a Director of Children’s Ministry.  

And…

Two weeks ago, Outreach Magazine contacted me to inform me that in 2024, Beach Church was ranked as the 58th fastest-growing church in America. Thank you for trusting God when things weren’t clear. Thank you for trusting God when you were discouraged. Thank you for wedging your foot into the door and keeping it propped open for people to come and experience the life-changing love of Jesus.   

We are a church where the broken overcome. We are a church where marriages can be restored. We are a church where those who have been at the end of their rope can offer a ladder to those who are now at the end of theirs. And friends, because a group persevered in the waiting…

YOU HAVE A PLACE AT BEACH CHURCH

Philippians 4:20-23 (NLT2) 

20  Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. 21  Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. 22  And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household. 23  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. 

As Paul closes his letter, we see the incredible sense of love he has for this church. If you haven’t yet felt that sense of belonging here at Beach Church, it may be because you have not yet begun to live transparently. I remember the initial weeks after I surrendered my life to Jesus. From the time I surrendered my life to Jesus at 18, I stepped up to serve in any area that would take me.

I got involved in leading the student ministry. I got involved in teaching Sunday School. I got involved with ministries that met on my college campus. I took the first step and initiated relationships. I believed that I would be loved and accepted, and I was.

For the first three years after I gave my life to Jesus, I was a dirty, hard-working construction worker.  I had a beat-up car, worn-out clothes, a mullet, and didn’t quite fit in with the little Baptist church I attended. Still, I believed everybody loved and cared for me because they were part of God’s family, so I kept initiating relationships and getting involved.  Not everybody understood me, but I loved them anyway.

And you get to be you here at Beach Church. You can have a mullet and be stuck in the 1980’s, and it’s okay. You can have a flattop and be stuck in the 1950s and it’s okay. You can listen to emo and be stuck in the 2000s, and it's okay. You can have a lifted four-wheel-drive truck or drive a Tesla; it's okay. You belong here at Beach Church. You have a place, whether you are a young married couple, single, divorced, or parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. If you continue to persevere and trust that God will meet your needs, you will find a place to belong.  But you must be willing to take the first steps. 

Jesus didn't do life alone. He invited the disciples to join him. Don't sit back and wait and just randomly bump into people. Be intentional. Begin to experience that sense of belonging by downloading the Beach Church app. If you can play an instrument or like to sing songs of worship in the shower, you may be a good fit for our worship team.  Take the initiative, complete the app's digital connect card, and let us know.

The Ascension

Last week, we examined the Resurrection, and this week, we will examine Jesus's ascension.

Let’s read together:

Luke 24:36-53 (NLT2) 

36  And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37  But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38  “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39  Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40  As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41  Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42  They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43  and he ate it as they watched. 44  Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46  And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47  It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48  You are witnesses of all these things. 49  “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” 50  Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52  So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53  And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, you made the decision to trust your life to Jesus at some point. If you surrendered your life to God, you understood that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, you asked him to forgive you, and you accepted him as your Savior.

That only happened because, as we see in verse 45…

GOD HAS OPENED YOUR MIND TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE v. 45

The disciples had seen Jesus do some pretty amazing things. He healed people who were disfigured. He fixed the sight of people who were blind. He healed the deaf, and they could hear. Over and over, he healed people with diseases. 

Miracle. After Miracle. After Miracle.

Now, in order for his disciples to become fully convinced that Jesus was truly the Savior that the Old Testament prophets had prophesied about, Jesus opened their minds. These disciples had heard the Old Testament prophecy.  In fact, by the age of 10, boys had to have memorized the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy.  In the Jewish language, that was roughly 80,000 words! Most likely, these men had memorized these five books of the Bible, and they attended the synagogues each week to worship God and hear the teaching of God’s word on the Sabbath.

But even though they had memorized 80,000 words. Even though they attended the synagogue for worship every week of their lives. Even though they spent roughly three years with Jesus. They were still limited in their understanding of scripture. They knew God created them. They knew that Adam and Eve chose to sin, and sin entered the world. They knew that all descendants of Adam and Eve sinned. They knew THEY were sinners…and they knew they were separated from God…but they did not UNDERSTAND why JESUS died on the cross and rose from the dead.

They heard but did not understand. They HEARD but did not truly get it. Hey, parents, does that remind you of anybody? 

We spend half our time parenting, reminding our children of what we have already told them to do. But honestly, our kids get it from us! It is a common problem throughout the history of man.

Ezekiel 12:2 (NLT2) 

2  “Son of man, you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. For they are a rebellious people. 

I grew up Catholic. I understood that God created me. I understood Jesus paid the price for sin on the cross. I understood he rose from the dead. But nothing in me changed until God opened my mind to understand how to surrender my life to Jesus. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, it is only because a miracle has occurred. God has opened your mind to understand the hope found in the Bible, that means God loves you and has chosen to open your mind to HIS TRUTH about your life. You have been FORGIVEN.

And we also see in this passage…

FORGIVENESS IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH CHANGE v. 47

In verse 47, Jesus said,  “There is forgiveness of sin for all who repent.”

REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS are two separate words that communicate one idea.  Some people need clarification about the word repentance. They live their lives thinking repentance means living a life filled with remorse, guilt, and shame from their past. They don’t allow themselves to become the person God has created them to be because they do not understand what repentance actually is. Repentance is simply a “change in direction.”  

Suppose you are in your car on the 501 headed to Conway. But instead of going west on the 501, you are driving east!  Instead of heading to Conway, you are driving to the Coast. You must change your direction to arrive in Conway. If you want to get to Conway before you drive into the Ocean, you make a UTURN and change your direction…

That is what it means to REPENT. When you repent and surrender your life to Jesus, you make a UTURN in life. If you have been forgiven, you will WANT to please God.  

You will show signs that you reject the sinful lifestyle you have been living, and you will stop doing those things. Some things you will stop doing immediately, and other sins may take some time, but the difference is…but there has been an inward change because you have been forgiven.

The word FORGIVEN is actually a mathematical term. 

In the days of Jesus, when an individual borrowed money from a lender, their name was written down in a book or ledger. As the person made payments on what he owed, the payment was subtracted, and a new balance would be recorded. But if the lender FORGAVE the debt, they would open the book, find the name, and completely blot out that individual's name and amount due. It was erased. It was as though it never existed in the first place. The person who owed that money was no longer bound to the lender. They were no longer loaded down with debt…they were free.

God has dealt with sin the same way. If you have surrendered your life to Christ and received Jesus as your Savior, it is now as though your sin had never existed in the first place. Your sin has been erased through the sacrifice of Jesus. Your sin has been removed from existence. You do not need to live like you are still loaded down with the guilt and the weight of your past lives.  You have been set free. So live like it. Embrace the freedom that God has given to you through Jesus.  Demonstrate the freedom of forgiveness through a visible change in your life.  

LIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT v.49

This is the fantastic part of what happens when you become a follower of Jesus. When you receive forgiveness for your sins, you also receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples he was sending the promise of his Father to the disciples and for them to…

Luke 24:49 (NLT2) 

49  “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” 

We see this incredible promise fulfilled in Acts 2.  After Jesus ascended into heaven, these men and women gathered in a room. They were praying, then…

Acts 2:2-6 (NLT2) 

2  Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3  Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…

If you are new to following Jesus, please understand. The HOLY SPIRIT of God does not live inside a church building, a statue, or a painting on the wall.  The Holy Spirit of God lives inside YOU. Growing up, I was told the church building was God’s House.

I had to speak reverently and quietly. I had to dress nice. I couldn’t wear a hat. I was told to behave in God’s HOUSE. I now know that God does not live inside brick, steel, and drywall. The house of the Holy Spirit is reserved for God’s most incredible creation—you and me.  

What a blessing to know that we are not abandoned and left to figure out life on our own! You have been changed not through your decision but through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Lean into the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Let Him Guide you to be baptized, serve, or invite others to worship with you. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your generosity and your relationships.

So, since God opened your mind, you have been changed and now have the Holy Spirit. You can live under the influence of the Holy Spirit! That means…

JESUS BLESSED OTHERS, AND SO CAN YOU. v. 50

Luke 24:50 (NLT2) 

50  Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 

The word BLESSED can be hard to understand. I was an altar boy. I remember the Priest taking Holy Water and flicking it on people in the church – and they considered that a blessing.   

In the movie Rocky…right before his big fight, Rocky asks Father Carmine for a blessing. Father Carmine says a prayer in Italian and makes the sign of the cross. We say God Bless you when somebody sneezes. But what does it mean to bless others biblically?

A BLESSING means:  TO SPEAK WELL OF, TO THANK, OR TO ASK GOD’S FAVOR UPON AN INDIVIDUAL. 

So, as Jesus was leaving, he wasn’t telling his disciples that they better have their rooms clean when he got back home. He did not threaten to punish them if they did something wrong while he was gone. Before he ascended into Heaven, Jesus spoke well of his disciples, thanked them, and asked God’s favor upon them.   

He BLESSED them through ENCOURAGEMENT.  He Spoke words of LIFE over them. He didn’t point out all their flaws – and certainly could have – instead, he focused on using his words to cause their hearts to swell with joy…not just joy – GREAT JOY. Typically when somebody is saying goodbye to a loved one headed out for a long trip, moving away, or even passing from this life…most don’t waste their breath being critical. Some might.  But most people will not waste their being critical and talking about how much their loved ones have disappointed them. 

It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode in which Frank Costanza creates a holiday called Festivus, and at the Festivus dinner, he goes around the table and tells everybody why he is sick of them! The sad truth is that while many people may not have a Festivus tradition like that, many choose to live every day like that.

They use their words to criticize, tear down, and destroy others.   

They use their words and influence to hurt others…and who knows why?   

WORDS of BLESSING can bring great JOY to others. 

Don’t you feel good when others speak well of you?  

Don’t you feel good when somebody goes out of their way to say THANK YOU to you and appreciate and value you?   

So, let's model our lives after Jesus and bless others, encourage them, and say words that will help them, not destroy them.

Easter - 2024

Growing up, my family had a tradition in which the Easter Bunny had hidden our Easter Basket filled with candy around the house, and we had to find it.  Sometimes, the baskets were hidden so well that I was certain The Easter Bunny had forgotten about me.

Every Easter, Kristy hides Easter Eggs in the yard, and the girls search for plastic eggs filled with money, candies, and jellybeans.

Can you imagine explaining Easter egg hunts to someone who's never heard of them before? 'So, we celebrate the resurrection... by hiding chocolate eggs... laid by a bunny? Perspective can make our traditions seem a bit quirky. Have you ever noticed that we all respond differently to events?

For instance, if your wife gets a speeding ticket, some husbands will get mad, and some of you will laugh at her.  Wives, If your husband stubs his toe or steps on a Lego in the middle of the night, some wives will laugh, others will hide their giggle, and some won’t wake up. We have different responses to almost everything, including the most incredible event in history, the resurrection of Jesus. Some people respond with belief. Some people respond with disbelief. Some people may not care one way or another.

Today, we celebrate Easter, and I think people respond to the resurrection of Jesus the exact same way.  Some refuse to believe.  Some have doubts. Some fully believe. That is precisely how it was at the time of the resurrection. Many of the followers of Jesus did not believe he had risen from the dead. Even after they talked with him, they still struggled to believe he was actually alive. Today, we will examine Luke 24 and discover how those who did not believe Jesus had risen came to the conclusion that he was indeed alive. 

We will do that because you may relate to the people who could not believe that Jesus was alive, and I want to help you move from unbelief or ambivalence to belief and faith in Jesus. So, Let’s read about the events that happened three days after Jesus had been killed on the cross and buried in a tomb.

Luke 24:1-11 (NLT2) 

1  But very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2  They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3  So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4  As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5  The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6  He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7  that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” 8  Then they remembered that he had said this. 9  So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11  But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 

“Very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb.” 

Now, I don’t know about you, but getting anywhere very early on a Sunday is miraculous in itself, especially if you have kids. It makes sense to me that if anybody ever wanted Jesus to be alive – it would have been the men who followed him for three years of their lives. When somebody you love dies tragically and suddenly, you miss them and want them to be alive. The disciples aren’t any different. This wasn’t a long, drawn-out battle with cancer or disease.  One moment, Jesus was healthy and enjoying dinner with his closest friends; the next moment, he was arrested and murdered. They saw him work miracles and change lives. They ate with him, learned from him, and saw the hope he brought to people. 

I am sure they wanted Jesus to be alive more than anybody.  Yet,

THE DISCIPLES REFUSED TO BELIEVE.

The word Luke used in verse 11 that describes where the friends of Jesus were on their journey to belief was:

Apisteo (aw pis tay o:) to have no belief, to disbelieve

The disciple's first response was not “Hurray! He is alive!”  

Their first response was, “No way! That’s not possible!”  

They thought the women were nuts! They refused to believe Jesus was alive. That may be where you are today.  

You believe Jesus existed, that he did good things, and that you may even appreciate what he taught about forgiving others, loving those who do not deserve it, and the kindness and compassion he showed. You believe that he was put to death by execution on the cross…but like the disciple’s early response, you refuse to believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

It is important to note that the disciples changed.  Their minds were changed. They went from “refusing to believe” to fully surrendering to Jesus.

How did they get there? 

Well, between verses 12 and 36, Jesus made a few special appearances.  

• Jesus appeared to a couple of men walking down a road and talked with them.

• Then he appeared to Peter.  

• Then he appeared to his disciples to show them the nails in his hands and feet.  

And the disciples got together, and they were talking about it.  Jesus appeared to me, me too! He showed us his hands and feet…We had an entire conversation with him…

Luke 24:36-41 shows us that the disciples moved from refusing to believe that Jesus was alive…they conceded a little ground…

And now…

THE DISCIPLES DESIRED TO BELIEVE (v. 38, 41)

Luke 24:36-41A (NLT2) 

36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder…

When Jesus said, “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?” He used the word:

Dialogismos (dē-ä-lo-gē-smoss): the thinking of a man deliberating with himself.  A deliberating, questioning about what is true.  Hesitation, doubting, disputing, arguing.

They desired to believe. They made eye contact with Jesus. They saw the wounds on his hands and feet. They wanted to believe, but they were torn by what they saw happened to Jesus at the cross. Their resistance to embrace the TRUTH of Jesus being alive reinforces the suffering and brutality of the cross. Before Jesus was arrested in the Garden, he had been pleading with God to find another way to bring forgiveness to mankind rather than face the brutality of the cross.

Luke 22:42 (NLT2) 

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

We do not understand the phrase “cup of suffering” the way the Jewish people did back then. In the Old Testament, “the cup” is often used as a metaphor for the wrath of God. 

Isaiah 51:17 (NLT) 

17  Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem! You have drunk the cup of the LORD’s fury. You have drunk the cup of terror, tipping out its last drops.

Jeremiah 25:15 (NLT) 

15  This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. 

Habakkuk 2:16 (NLT) 

16  But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced. Come, drink, and be exposed! Drink from the cup of the LORD’s judgment, and all your glory will be turned to shame. 

Isaiah called it a cup of terror.  Jeremiah called it a cup filled to the brim with God’s anger. Habakkuk called it a cup of the Lord’s Judgement. 

Throughout the Bible, we see glimpses of God’s Wrath:

• God’s Anger over sin is seen in the great flood that destroyed the earth…

• God’s wrath destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone.

• God’s wrath is seen in the 10 Plagues upon Egypt.

It was not the physical agony of the beatings, the scourging, and the crucifixion that Jesus dreaded. It was the spiritual agony He would experience as he drank every last drop of God’s wrath that we deserved.
The Disciples watched the physical brutality of the cross. They watched the flesh ripped from his back through the scourging. They heard his final words and watched him breathe his final breath. They saw his dead body. They knew NO MAN was going to come back from that.

If you have heard the message that Jesus is ALIVE over and over yet walk away with doubt, understand that the very same men followed Jesus! Jesus stood in the same room.  They made eye contact with Jesus, yet they STILL had doubts!  They wanted to believe, but they just couldn't because of what they had already seen.

Is that you? Maybe you really would like to believe that Jesus is alive – but because of the troubles, difficulties, and emptiness you have experienced in this world, you struggle with accepting. If the disciples who walked and talked with Jesus after he was resurrected struggled with believing – it is understandable that 2,000 years later, men and women struggle with fully believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Let’s look one more time in Luke 24, and we will discover that…

THE DISCIPLES FULLY BELIEVED, AND THEIR LIVES WERE CHANGED

Luke 24:45-47 (NLT2) 

45  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46  And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47  It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

What did it take for these men to have faith?  The same thing still required today. For us to believe in JESUS as SAVIOR – God must open our minds to believe. If you have repeatedly heard about Jesus’ death and resurrection yet still have doubts or think, “So what? That is not going to change anything about my life...” 

I want you to understand why you think that way. The Apostle Paul tells us why some people do not believe:

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT2) 

4  Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ... 

So, if you desire to believe, ask God to open your mind to believe. Ask God to remove the blindfold preventing you from becoming a follower of Jesus. You can ask him right now. 

“God, please remove the blindfold on my mind. If Jesus did rise from the dead, that changes everything. I would like to believe, but I need you to open my mind.”

Take a moment right now.  In your own words, say, “ God, open my mind to understand Jesus.”

Then, in verse 46, Jesus taught them that the Savior of the World would have to suffer and die.  God opened their minds, and they understood now that Jesus was the Savior who endured the “cup of suffering for all people” so that mankind might never have to experience God’s wrath again.

They understood the words that Jesus told them in John 3:16:

John 3:16 (NLT2) 

16  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Maybe at this moment, God has opened your mind to understand Jesus. Maybe something has clicked, and you understand how much God loves you. In verse 47, Jesus said, “There is forgiveness of sin for all who repent.”

The word that Jesus used for “repent” communicates a shift or change in thinking. The Disciples SHIFTED their thoughts about Jesus. This was the moment they put their DISBELIEF behind them—they chose to believe that Jesus was alive and that he had died for their sins, and they fully believed by surrendering their lives to him through repentance.

To repent – you, too, must have that SHIFT in your thinking. If you would like to repent, be forgiven for your sins, and become a follower of Jesus today, pray this with me:

God, 

I believe that Jesus suffered for my disobedience on the cross and died.

I believe he rose from the dead; he is now with you in Heaven 

and will return to earth one day. 

I surrender my life to you as my Savior.

Thank you for forgiving my sin and changing my life.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Meeting Jesus - Simeon’s faith

As we bid farewell to 2023 and step into a new year, it's natural to reflect on the past and anticipate the future. Regardless of the highs and lows each of us experienced, there's a common thread that ties our journeys together—the hope for a better tomorrow. Today, we delve into the life of Simeon, drawing inspiration from his righteous and devout character, as recounted in Luke 2:25-35:

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

Luke 2:25-35

Simeon's Righteousness and Devotion:

Simeon's life is marked by his righteousness and devotion. He diligently studied God's Word, believed in its promises, and as a result, cultivated a profound hope for the future. In considering Simeon's example, we are reminded that our hope, too, should be firmly anchored in the Word of God.

Our hope should be built on the Word of God

It's not uncommon to feel a lack of hope—perhaps in failing marriages, dwindling finances, or declining health. It's crucial to understand that you are not alone in your struggles. Sharing a personal journey of transition from a previous church to the current one, we understand the challenges of seeking answers from God. Sometimes, the answers come in the form of a 'Yes,' 'No,' or 'Wait.'

When we wait on God, we see His plan for our lives

The Power of Waiting:

Reflecting on personal experiences, including health challenges like kidney stones and a heart attack, waiting on God revealed His transformative plan. Like Simeon, we can live and believe in the waiting. Even when life seems overwhelmingly loud, God speaks in the stillness, guiding us with a still small voice. When I sat in the hospital bed. I looked back and marveled at What God did in the waiting. Just like Simeon.

In challenging times, it's easy to feel abandoned by God. Sharing a personal struggle with silence in prayers after losing a brother in a car accident, Romans 8:28 becomes an anchor. Believing God's promises, even in the face of tragedy, has the power to change us.

Believing and waiting on God's promises increases our faith today

Faith in Action:

What is faith? Through a face-down illustration, we explore the concept of faith as an unwavering trust in God, especially when hope seems to fade. It's an invitation to declare our trust in the Lord, affirming our belief in His promises and seeking strength to persevere.

We can have hope for the future when we trust Jesus

The Journey of Trust:

Whether facing challenges in marriage, finances, health, or struggling with trust and belief, the invitation is to be obedient and trust God.

Maybe you are here today and your faith is fading, your hope is diminishing, and you find it difficult to believe.

Who among us today will say Lord my hope is in you and you alone?

Who will say today that I do believe you and your word?

Who will day today, Lord strengthen my faith?

You may not know what is around the corner, You may not know what 2024 will hold You may ask God to change your Circumstances while God is trying to change your heart about your Circumstances.

Meeting Jesus - Mary: The Type of Person God uses

Several years ago, my family was driving across the country, and we stopped at a Chilis to eat dinner.  Inside the restaurant, Sofie and I turned a corner, and there was Santa. From his head to his toe, red suit, hat, belt.  Sofie stood directly in front of me – the biggest smile on her face you could imagine.  Santa smiled, too – then it got creepy. He kept smiling at her – but he never said a word to her.  Sofie said, “Hi, Santa.”  He said nothing – just stood there.  Finally, Sofia looked at me and said, “I have to go to the bathroom.” When Santa shows up unexpectedly, he can be a scary thing to some children.  Some kids just don’t want to sit on Santa’s lap.

How many of you have photos taken like this? I think Santa Claus is overwhelming to some children. Think about it:

He knows when you’ve been sleeping. He knows if you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so … {you can finish it from there}

No wonder some children are afraid of Santa and don’t want to get near him.  He is OVERWHELMING! They like the thought of Santa from a distance…. but too close, and he is too much.

I think like Santa is to children, for many adults, the thought of God is overwhelming. The EVERLASTING, OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT, and OMNISCIENT God is an overwhelming thought for many people.  God is all-powerful, everywhere, and all-knowing…that is a lot to take in. It gets even heavier when THIS everlasting GOD wants to use you and me to do His work on this earth.

In today’s passage, Mary – the Mother of Jesus, learns from an angel that God wants to use her to be the mother to Jesus. As we look at this passage – I am going to highlight three characteristics of Mary – and I believe these are some of the maturing characteristics that God looks for in followers of Jesus.

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT2) 

26  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27  to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28  Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29  Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30  “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34  Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35  The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37  For nothing is impossible with God.” 38  Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. 

Bible scholars tell us that Mary was roughly between 13-15 years old.  She was barely a teenager!  Two of my daughters, Violet and Naomi, fall into that age range! Yet, even at this young age, Mary had characteristics of the type of person that God uses. Like you, I am still in the process of becoming the person God has called me to be.  In many ways, I am NOT the DAD I imagined I would be. In many ways, I am not the HUSBAND I imagined I would be….but God is not finished with me yet. God is not finished with you, either. 

If, like me, you want to become the type of person that God uses to bless others and impact this world, then let’s try to understand why God chose to use Mary.

First, understand that…

GOD WORKS THROUGH PEOPLE OF FAITH

God chose to use Mary, a teenage girl, to raise Jesus. Because this would be a teen pregnancy, she would be viewed as a disgrace to her family, friends, and community. In fact, according to the Old Testament Law, her fiancé would be able to drag Mary to the door of her father’s house and stone her for having sex with another man before she was married to him.

So, she was a kid. She would be viewed as a disgrace… So why did God choose Mary? I believe God knew that Mary’s faith in Him was deep enough to carry her through the shame, disgrace, rumors, and gossip she would face as she carried Jesus to term and then raised him. 

Her faith would carry her through the public shame. 

Her faith would carry her through the difficult conversation with Joseph. 

Her faith in God would carry her through the conversations with her parents.

That is what FAITH does. 

Faith carries us through HARD and DIFFICULT seasons.  Faith is our DEPENDENCY upon GOD to carry us through hard, confusing, and sometimes embarrassing seasons of our lives.

The author of Hebrews describes faith this way. He writes in Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT2)

1  Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. 

And in Hebrews 11:6 we that…

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT2) 

6   it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 

So, let me ask you a question:

Do you have FAITH in God?

Faith in God begins by surrendering your life to Jesus. Do you confidently believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins on the cross? Do you confidently believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Do you confidently believe that your sins have been forgiven?  Do you confidently believe that one day, Jesus is going to return? If your answers to those questions are YES – then you have faith in God.

But if your answers are mixed – you can ask God to increase your faith. Say to God, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Help me to believe more.” Also, remember this. Our faith grows when we spend time with God, reading his word, and praying even when we don’t feel like it. I’ve been feeling pretty empty lately in my relationship with God – and I’m being challenged to keep doing things that I know will keep me connected to God to read His word. To get out of bed and pray. To keep serving him daily. 

How about you?  

Is your faith in God growing? If not, ask him to help you. So, God works through people who have faith in Him, and secondly we see that:

GOD WORKS THROUGH PEOPLE WHO TRUST HIM

Mary is told she will become pregnant, and the first thing she does is ask a question.

In verse 34, Mary asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 

Trusting God does not mean you cannot ask God questions! Mary said, “How is this going to work, because I am a virgin.”  Mary had a legitimate question! Look at the contrast between teen Mary’s response and an old Preist when an Angel of the Lord told him that his wife Elizabeth would have a child. In verses 5-17, Zechariah was an old priest, married to his old wife, and they never had children. An angel of the Lord told him he was going to have a son who God would use for great things. But instead of trusting that God could do what he promised…

Luke 1:18-20 (NLT2) 

18  Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” 19  Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20  But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” 

In this chapter, we have two angelic visits to two different people. One is an old priest, supposedly mature in his faith and active in serving God. The other is a simple teenage girl. 

The priest’s reaction, “How can I be sure this will happen? Shows us he doubted God and asked for a sign for proof. But Mary asked for clarification: “How will this be?” Not – “Give me a sign so I can believe.” 

Mary TRUSTED and asked HOW?  

Zechariah doubted and said, “I need a sign because my wife and I are way too old!”

If God’s WORD prompts you to do something, or if the Holy Spirit directs you to do something as a representative of God, I want to encourage you to follow that prompting quickly and not doubt God. 

So, God chooses to work through people with FAITH, people who TRUST him, and finally:

GOD WORKS THROUGH PEOPLE WHO HAVE A SERVANTS HEART

Look at what Mary said to the angel in verse 38. “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be to me as you have said.” Mary could have had all sorts of responses when she was told of God’s plan for her to be the mother of Jesus. Mary could have said, please find somebody else, this will ruin my life, but she didn’t. Instead of convincing God to change His mind or tell God she was unhappy with His plan, she accepted the plan and submitted to God’s leadership. “I am the Lord’s servant.”

And that is because servants do what they are asked to do. 

It might be inconvenient. 

It may be painful. 

It may be the opposite of what they want, but a servant does it anyway.

And, because Mary had the heart of a servant, her life was changed forever.

Are you a servant of the Lord? 

Or are you still in charge of your life?

Do your plans, dreams, finances, and time belong to you or God?  

When you surrender your life to God and invite Him to be your Lord, you invite him to be your boss for the rest of your life.  So, do you still consider Him the boss of your life?  

If your plans, dreams, finances, and time still belong to the Lord, you prove it by what you do. There are many opportunities for you to SERVE inside of Beach Church and outside the walls of Beach Church.  Go to the connect tab on the Beach Church app, click “volunteer at Beach Church, and let us know the areas you are interested in serving. I often wonder if God has something he specifically wants done here in Myrtle Beach, but he found somebody else to do it because I was too busy… too tired…or lacked the genuine faith to believe. God is still searching for people like Mary today.

2 Chronicles 16:9a (NLT2) 

9  The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

God uses people to do his work. But he uses people who have faith in him, trust Him, and have servants’ hearts. God will do so much in our world when he finds people like that. It is my prayer we would all become a person like that.

Meeting Jesus - the widow’s offering

Pastor Marty shared a story with us recently and I thought it was worth passing along. Marty's uncle attended this church, and one Sunday the pastor announced that a fellow member was in the hospital, and they needed a special offering for medical expenses. The congregation passed the collection basket around once, twice, and even a third time. It seemed like the pastor was not satisfied with the amount collected until that third round.

Now, I'm sure some of you, upon hearing today's message about the witness offering, might have thought, "Here comes another money talk." I won't ask for a show of hands if that crossed your minds; we're all good here.

But let me assure you, that's not my message today. Pastor Joe gets the money talk next week – just kidding. Let's dive into the Word. Turn with me to Luke 21, verses 1-4. Jesus is in the temple, observing people dropping gifts in the collection box. The rich toss in large sums, but then a poor widow enters and puts in two small coins.

Luke 21:1-4

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Jesus says, "This poor widow has given more than all of them, for they have given a tiny part of their surplus. But she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."

Now, let me share a bit of history. In the '80s, there was this guy, Lee Iacocca, an automotive executive. He helped Ford with the Mustang and the Pinto and revived Chrysler. During a Statue of Liberty fundraising effort, he received unusual gifts, including a $10,000 check from an 80-year-old woman requesting his book for free. Another woman sent $1,000, got a thank-you note, sent another $50,000, and later sent three checks totaling $201,000. Iacocca joked, "There's no telling where we'd be if we just sent her flowers."

But the most touching gift was from 78 homeless Vietnamese refugees. They pooled $114.19, everything they had, to contribute to the Statue of Liberty refurbishment.

Their gift was a lot like the widow's in today's scripture. You see, Jesus singled out the poor widow, recognizing her sacrificial giving. Her two small coins were worth about $0.75 each by today's standards. She gave all she had to live on, showing an extraordinary level of faith, trust, and love for God. Most of us may never reach that level, but we can learn valuable lessons from her. First, the Lord observes our giving. Jesus watched as the rich gave, but He saw the widow and her gift. He sees every giver and every gift.

The giving experience in Jesus' time was different – no offering plates, just collection boxes with trumpet-like tops. People made noise to draw attention to their generosity. But the widow, with her faint clink, went unnoticed, except by the Lord. Remember, Jesus observes our giving – the amount, the motive, everything. Don't seek recognition; give out of love.

Next, generosity desires confidentiality, not credit. Give without seeking acknowledgment. Jesus evaluates our giving based on what's left after we give. The widow gave everything, while the rich gave from their surplus. God evaluates our generosity by the leftovers.

Think about it – David refused to offer burnt offerings that cost him nothing. Generosity isn't just about the amount; it's about the cost to the giver. Motive matters; God knows our hearts.

Finally, Jesus evaluates and commends sacrificial giving. The widow's gift wasn't necessary for the temple budget, but her generosity moved Jesus. She gave until it hurt, giving God the leftovers. We should all feel a pinch when we give, not just offering sacrifices that cost us nothing.

Remember, Jesus gave it all for us. His sacrificial love sets the standard. We're called to be generous, not just with our money but with our hearts. God isn't after our money; He's after our hearts. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So, as we talk about giving, let's reflect on the widow's example. She gave everything, voluntarily, out of love for God. Let's be inspired by her generosity as we consider our own giving. Remember, God loves a cheerful giver.

Meeting Jesus - Pretendinitus

When I was a Student Pastor at an inner city church in Louisville, KY, Kristy and I had been married for about three years. We had a friend we had known for over ten years who was also a student pastor in a nearby state. He was dating a young woman from the church he was serving, and over the years, we would speak at each other’s church, and occasionally combined our youth groups for retreats.

It was during a combined winter retreat in 2002 that I learned my friend was not an honest person. At separate moments, two of his 18-year-old female students went to my wife for prayer and counseling at separate times. During that time, they shared that they had had a secret intimate and physical relationship with my friend. They kept the relationship hidden from the church, and hidden from his girlfriend.

When Kristy shared this with me, I was shocked. I confronted my friend with the truth. He admitted it was true. I was devastated. After more conversations that weekend, I learned the web of deception was so deep, and what he had done to these two young ladies was so harmful, his Senior Pastor needed to know.

When we returned from the retreat, I filled in the Lead Pastor on what my wife and I had discovered.  When the pastor privately met with the girls, he told them that he would not tell the church what the youth pastor had done to them because he did not want the church to know “what kind of girls they were.”

When the youth pastor resigned from the church, he read a letter claiming it was to “focus on his education.” The church was never told, and the girls lived with significant hurt and confusion for the next 17 years. 

My friend pretended to be transparent and honest, but he wasn’t. The struggle with transparency and honesty is more widespread inside the church than we want to acknowledge. I am working on it, but I deceive people every single day.

“Hey Pastor, how are you?”

“Great!” I reply.

Most days I am not great.

Most days I am burdened, my heart is heavy, and I feel worn down to a nub.  But Jesus loves me, so I answer, “Great.” But that is not the whole truth.

Today, in our passage of scripture, a group of men pretend to be honest so they could hurt Jesus. 

Let’s read together.

Luke 20:20-26 (NLT2) 

20  Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. 21  “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. 22  Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23  He saw through their trickery and said, 24  “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 25  “Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” 26  So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent. 

In this passage, religious leaders use deception by sending spies pretending to be honest men to trap Jesus with his words. And then, the spies made comments to Jesus to get Jesus to say something wrong so he could get arrested.

They wanted to involve Jesus in political controversy.

My Nana would send politicians or people from churches away from her door without hearing one word from them and she would say, “we do not talk about religion or politics.”And around the Holidays anytime a relative wanted to discuss politics or religion, she would shut them down and say the same thing. These men were eager to get Jesus' thoughts about politics and religion, hoping he would make a politically charged comment so the Roman government might be willing to put Jesus to death as a Rebel. So they ask Jesus a “Yes” or “No” question about paying taxes.  “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”  

If Jesus opposes paying taxes, he risks being arrested by Rome and possibly killed. If he is for taxing the Jewish people, then the Jewish people may turn on him.

So, the first takeaway is this:

SEEK GENUINE TRANSPARENCY OVER THE APPEARANCE OF TRANSPARENCY

Luke 20:20 (NLT2) 

20  Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. 

These men had a condition called “Pretendinitus.”

Pretendinitus is a condition in which somebody pretends to be something they are not. These men pretended to be honest men, but they were liars. They chose to appear transparent rather than actually be transparent. We all struggle with letting others know the real “us.”

One evening, I was leading an outreach night at our church. Driving to the church, I listened to country music on the radio. When I pulled into the parking lot at the church, I switched it to Worship music.

Why did I pretend?

I listen to worship music all the time. Why was I afraid to pull into the parking lot at church with Zach Brown singing about “Cold beer on a Friday night?” So silly.

But maybe you too, have hidden something about you because you weren’t sure what other people would think of you. Maybe you don’t tell others about the doubts and fears you live through daily. Maybe you don’t tell others about the struggle you are having with your spouse.  Maybe you smile and nod and tell people everything is okay, but on the inside, your heart cries out for somebody to listen to you.

Many of us have pretendinitus. We pretend everything is ok, when everything is not ok. One of our Guiding Values here at Beach Church is Transparent Living.  We believe God desires us to be real, open, and honest about who we are and allow others the freedom to do the same. Living transparently means we are honest about our struggles and wins to demonstrate God’s grace in our lives. So, one of the ways you can demonstrate transparent living is this:

SHOOT STRAIGHT; BUTTERING PEOPLE UP IS A FORM OF MANIPULATION.

Luke 20:21-24 (NLT2) 

21  “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. 22  Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23  He saw through their trickery…

These men, pretending to be honest, now looked at Jesus and buttered him up because they believed if they flattered Jesus, he would let his guard down, and they would trick him. Most of us know when somebody is flattering us because they want something.  When my children were toddlers, they were perfect at this.

Sofia would stretch her arms to me and say, “I want to hold you.” I would scoop her up and hold her, and she would say, “You’re the best daddy in the world,” followed by, “Can I have some more ice cream?”

It's cute as toddlers, but as we mature into adults and followers of Jesus, we must be honest and sincere in communicating with others. You don’t have to be Jesus to know when somebody is buttering you up and flattering you to manipulate you or gain their trust…If you spend too much at Starbucks, you may be tempted to tell your spouse how awesome they are before you tell them two special coffees and coffee cakes cost $40.

It happens!

It is so important that we shoot straight with people and stop flattering others to get what we want. Now, if you think shooting straight with other people gives you an excuse to give your spouse a piece of your mind…I have to disappoint you.

Shooting straight with others does not mean you get to give somebody a piece of your mind. It doesn’t mean we get to tear down and damage others.  “Shooting straight” means you are honest, not harmful. It means we give helpful feedback, not destructive criticism. Paul was a follower of Jesus and wrote a lot about how we speak to others. 

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT2) 

29  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 

Colossians 4:6 (NLT2) 

6  Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Ephesians 4:15 (NLT2) 

15  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

When we shoot straight with others, our love for God and others is evident in our words. God is honored when we choose honesty and transparency with others rather than “buttering them up” to get something we want.

And the second way you can experience transparent living is to:

LIVE TRANSPARENTLY IN A LIFE GROUP TO BE A BETTER YOU!

Live transparently in a life group to be a better you. Sermon-Based Life Groups will begin next year.  The most meaningful friendships I have ever had are from the small groups of people I have lived transparently with. In life groups, we grow together. We share our lives. We talk about personal struggles and our wins and learn from each other. We pray for each other. We cheer each other on. When you are willing to open your life up to others, others will open their life up to you. When you are genuine, open, and honest about who you are, others will be open and honest about who they are. You will build real friendships and develop genuine relationships with other followers of Jesus.

You cannot live transparently with the whole church, but you can choose to do life with a small group of people in the same season of life as you.

Meeting Jesus - Embrace The Message Of Hope

When we began this series, one of the first messages in January was about the rejection Jesus experienced.  Throughout the Gospel of Luke, the Pharisees continued to reject him despite all of his miracles and all the proof he gave to the world that he was the Savior. I count at least 14 times in the Gospel of Luke that describe the Pharisees rejecting him.

Rejection is a terrible feeling.

If you have tried out for a sport but didn’t make the team, you know the feeling of rejection. In Middle School – I, too, experienced rejection. I was 13 years old, and I was in love. Her name was Rebecca Bumpus. We sat together for breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria.  We passed notes in the hallway.  And on occasion, when teachers weren’t looking, we even held hands. That relationship lasted for about one whole week. I remember our relationship so well because of how it ended. I believe our relationship began on Monday – but by Friday – Rebecca's best friend, Marcine, was sent to do her dirty work. Marcine Butts (that’s right. Her last name was Butts) sat down beside me in class on Friday afternoon and told me that Rebecca was breaking up with me. I didn’t understand why Rebecca was rejecting me.  I asked Marcine, “Why is she breaking up with me.?”  

Marcine Butts replied, “Joe...you’re ugly.”

And those words of rejection lingered in my heart for years.  Anytime I was interested in asking a girl to “go with me” in middle school, high school or go out on a date with me in college, I could always hear Marcine Butts words in my head, “Joe, you’re ugly...”

Rejection stinks!

Whether it is in relationships, whether you apply for a job, at work, or in court, rejection stinks. Especially if it is done in a way that tears you down.

In today’s passage, we are going to read a parable about people who continued to reject Jesus.  Let’s read.  

Luke 20:9-19 (NLT2) 

9  Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. 10  At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 11  So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. 12  A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away. 13  “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’ 14  “But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 15  So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him. “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked. 16  “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.” “How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested. 17  Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 18  Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.” 19  The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction. 

Nearing the end of his journey on the earth, before he faced the brutal death on the cross and paid the price for our sins, Jesus once again tried to reach the Pharisees who hade spent the last three years rejecting him. This parable isn't just about squatters refusing to pay rent. Jesus is actually revealing how people often treat God's messages and messengers. And the plot twist is that the son in the story represents Jesus Himself.  The squatters who beat and kill the son of the landowner foreshadow what is going to happen to Jesus. We have three takeaways from this passage that, if applied, will change your life. The first takeaway is this: 

GOD PATIENTLY SEEKS PEOPLE DESPITE REJECTION OF HIS MESSAGE

This first point is good news about the message of Good News. I have shared the message of Jesus with many people, and not everybody trusts in Jesus the first time they hear the message. Maybe that’s you. Maybe you have heard many times that if you put your faith in Jesus and believed that he paid the price for your sins on the cross, died, was buried, rose from the dead, and will one day return… but you rejected the message.

But eventually, you accepted the message of hope, listened to the messenger, and surrendered your life to Jesus, then you have experienced the patience of God. Despite rejecting Jesus many times, God was persistent in showing patience to you because he Loves you. Despite rejecting the messenger and the message of Jesus, God continued to be patient with you because he wanted you to be saved and surrender to Him. See, the reason Jesus has not yet returned to the earth, is because he is patient and desires all those who have rejected Jesus to repent of their sin and trust Jesus as Savior. Speaking about why Jesus had not yet returned, the Apostle Peter said:

2 Peter 3:8-9 (NLT2)

8  But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9  The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Like in the squatter's parable, God is patient for you.

So, our second takeaway:

EMBRACE REPENTANCE BECAUSE OF GOD’S KINDNESS

Embrace repentance because of God’s Kindness. In this parable, Jesus is very blunt with the religious leaders, and he warns them that God’s patience will eventually end for them. He is patient.

His messengers are beaten up and rejected. He is patient.

His son is murdered. The patience of the vineyard owner came to an end for these squatters.

Luke 20:15-16 (NLT2) 

15  ... “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked. 16  “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.” …

If you have ever lost patience with one of your children, it most likely surprised your kiddo. Internally, for you, the irritation had been building up. But for them, it came out of the blue. They did not know you were being patient, kind, and forgiving…but you had enough and snapped at them because they did not heed your warnings to correct their behavior.

I have done that. But this parable does not teach us that one day, God’s patience will come to an end. Instead, this parable teaches us that God has a plan to return. One day, Jesus will come back just like he said he would. And the reason he has not yet returned is because God is being patient with you and all those who have rejected Jesus.

Eventually, God’s plan is going to unfold.

So, respond while you can to God's Kindness and patience.

Romans 2:4 (NLT2) 

4  Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? 

In the parable, the vineyard's owner is kind, tolerant, and patient. And in your life, God is kind, tolerant, and patient with you. So, embrace repentance because of God’s kindness, and embrace…

THE MESSAGE: BUILD YOUR LIFE ON JESUS!

Luke 20:17-18 (NLT2) 

17  Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 18  Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.” 

Jesus did not die on the cross simply to forgive and save us. The cornerstone of buildings kept the rest of the walls from wobbling. Jesus desires to prevent the walls of your life from wobbling and falling apart.  He sacrificed his life so that you and I can build our lives on him. Jesus did it so our entire life could be built on Him. 

If you follow Jesus, he is the cornerstone of your life. He is not a decorative painting that hangs on the wall; he is the foundation that holds everything together. Think about your everyday life: 

The music you listen to…The movies that entertain you…Your spouse…The way you raise your children…How you engage with one another at Beach Church…How you love one another…

Every single bit of your life should reflect the values, teachings, and love of Jesus because he is your cornerstone. When Jesus is our cornerstone, He influences our choices, guides our actions, and shapes our worldviews. Building on this foundation means that every beat of our heart and every decision we make reflects His presence in our lives.

I don’t mean to prescribe a set of rules to live by. Because Jesus is our cornerstone, Jesus' sacrifice and love should saturate through every corner of our existence. He is our cornerstone, meaning we create a life that sings, speaks, and shines the message of Jesus in the most authentic way possible.

So, would your Netflix queue reflect that Jesus is your cornerstone?

Would your last argument with your spouse reflect that Jesus is your cornerstone? Does your song playlist reflect that Jesus is the cornerstone of your life?

Essentially, that is what it looks like to build our lives on the cornerstone of Jesus. It means we line up the walls of our lives through everyday decisions we make, with the patience, kindness, and love that God has demonstrated to us.

Remember Jesus is more than a Savior; He is  the cornerstone of our lives. His love and message are not just lofty ideas; his words are practical guides for living. Embrace Jesus in words and actions, making Him the solid foundation of all we do.

Meeting Jesus - Jesus Clears The Temple

This weekend marks one year since I announced to the church I was serving in Arizona that behind the scenes I had been interviewing with Beach Church, that I would be stepping down from leadership at Calvary, and that, on December 6, I would preach “in view of a call” to be either voted in or rejected as the Lead Pastor at Beach Church.

It was a difficult season for my whole family.  It was not a move initiated by me, rather, it was initiated by the Pastor I trusted, and was supposed to secede.

He went away for a five-week Sabbatical, and when he returned, he gaslighted me, he made me think there was something wrong with me, and then said to me in a nutshell: “God told me not to leave and for you to go. Find another church to serve.” Perhaps you know that sting of church hurt as well. When we moved to Arizona, we planned on staying there the rest of our lives.  My family  invested in the community. We established meaningful friendships.

Church hurt is the worst hurt to overcome, because it happens through people often trusted, respected, and loved. In the Old Testament, a boy named Joseph had brothers who were jealous of him. They were going to murder him, but instead made money off of him and sold him to slave traders from Egypt. In time, Joseph became the second in command to Pharoah, and God used him to save the lives of the Israelites.

In the Old Testament, a boy named David was selected by God to become King.  The current King of Israel did not want to give up his throne, so he spent his remaining days trying to kill David.  Saul threw spears, David ran. Eventually, David would become King of Israel. In the New Testament, a man named Paul taught that Jesus was the Messiah and Savior of the world so much, he was chased out of city after city, he was stoned, beaten, thrown into prison and eventually beheaded as a rebel.

In the New Testament, a man named Jesus was God in the flesh. He walked the world caring for the blind, the beggar, the deaf, the crippled, the broken. He loved the outcasts, the misfits, and brought joy to their lives through miracles and life-change. He professed to be the Savior of the World, and was beaten, mocked, and crucified. But three days later he came back to life. Lived among his disciples for another forty days, then returned to Heaven with a promise that he would return one day. In each of these situations, God brought victory through tragedy.  Sometimes, the worst hurt we experience is hurt that comes through the hand of people we trust.  

God will bring victory to your life through tragedy!  That is what God does!

In today’s passage of scripture, the people of God were getting hurt at the church, and Jesus had enough.

Luke 19:45-48 (NLT2) 

45  Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46  He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” 47  After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48  But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said. 

Why did Jesus get angry at the money changers in the temple, but not at Mattthew or the other tax collectors? Jesus didn’t flip Matthews table over for gouging people on their taxes. Why did it bother Jesus so much?

Because, prior to the cross when Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we could have a right relationship with God, the temple was the place his people could be forgiven. At the temple, the people of God could worship, hear scripture, make sacrifices, and be made right with God.  The temple is where they could have their relationship restored with God.

Please understand that today, 

THE CHURCH SHOULD BE A PLACE OF RESTORATION, NOT HURT.

The people in charge of the temple, the priests and the teachers of the law, were not guarding the sanctity of the temple, but were allowing and even participating in the corruption, and making money from it. The temple had become a place of hurt, not restoration. It had become a place where people were robbed, not blessed. It had become a place of insecurity, filled with people who honor God with their lips, but their hearts remained far from him.

That made Jesus angry. Jesus loved God and he loved God’s people. He was angry because he saw how the people were deceived and damaged. So he took action. Grabbing cords, flipping tables, and chasing these people out of the temple, Jesus showed he came to look out for the people of God that the Religious leaders stopped caring about. Roughly 580 years BEFORE this scene God had some harsh words of rebuke for the Religious Leaders of Israel.  Through the Prophet Ezekiel God gave the religious leaders a good old fashioned whooping.

Listen to these stinging words of rebuke:

Ezekiel 34:1-6 (NLT2) 

1  Then this message came to me from the LORD: 2  “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? 3  You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. 4  You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. 5  So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. 6  They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them. 

Talk about a whooping!  God rebuked the religious leaders for neglecting, starving, and harming his people. He said the religious leaders had not:

• Taking care of the weak.

• Bound up the injured.

• Searched for the lost people or those who have strayed away.

In the name of God, the religious leaders used their position to take care of themselves. In the name of God, they abused people and led them cruelty. Never doubt that God cares about what happens to the people in his churches.  

Young. Old. Rich. Poor. Any race. Male or female.

God’s heart beats for people.  

People who have surrendered their lives to Jesus.

People who have rejected Jesus.

People who have wandered away from the church.

God loves each and everyone.  

And, the thing about God’s anger is that God doesn’t stew, wring his hands, and strike in anger.

Look how God says he is going to handle the situation:

Ezekiel 34:11-12 (NLT2) 

11  “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12  I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 

Ezekiel 34:16 (NLT2) 

16  I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak…

Because he loves and cares, God rolls up his sleeves and says:

I will be their shepherd.

I will find my and rescue my sheep.

I will search for the lost and bring them back.

I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak.

That is precisely what Jesus did on the earth 2,000 years ago, and that is what he still does today. The church should be a place of restoration, not hurt. Hurt in the church doesn’t only come through the leaders in the church, does it?

HOW WE DO CHURCH MATTERS TO GOD

God not only cares about the religious leaders leading with the heart of Jesus, he also cares about the way we do church. He cares about the way we treat one another. After God rebukes the religious leaders, God has more stinging words of rebuke for the way the people treated one another:

Ezekiel 34:17A-21 (NLT) 

17  “And as for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to his people: 18  Isn’t it enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Isn’t it enough for you to drink clear water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19  Why must my flock eat what you have trampled down and drink water you have fouled? 20  “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep. 21  For you fat sheep pushed and butted and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scattered them to distant lands. 

Some of God’s people were acting like the religious leaders.  They only focused on themselves. They did not care about other people. They did not try to help other people. As the people of God, some had become extremely wealthy and powerful and used their power, wealth, and influence to harm other people.

The bad religious leaders looked the other way while the strong, fat sheep pushed and butted everybody else around.  It was the religious leaders role to feed, strengthen, and protect all the sheep. At the temple when Jesus became angry and chased out those merchants, it is because they were hurting people in the name of God. Merchants made an arrangement with the religious leaders of the temple to sell animals for the sacrifices and rip people off. 

Just like in Ezekiel, the temple had become corrupted by greed, deception, and hypocrisy. Jesus chased them out, and the religious leaders wanted to kill him.  He was ruining their plans to pad their pockets and take care of themselves. But the religious leaders couldn’t find any wrong to accuse Jesus of doing, and the people remained in the temple hanging onto every word he said.

So, we do church right. We love one another and we…

HANG ONTO GOD’S WORD

I say it at the beginning of every sermon. One of our guiding values is Life-Changing truth. We believe if we read and apply the word of God He will change our lives. So, how can you get the word of God from the pages of the Bible, to your heart? 

NEXT STEPS: GROW

I invite you to join us for our Next Steps Event.  If you struggle with knowing how to read God’s Word and apply it to your life, if you struggle with hanging onto the Word of God, sign up now for our next event. We are going to worship, break out into Intro, Grow and Lead. In GROW, I have created a class to help you read and understand the Bible and how you can make practical application to your life.

Also, another way you hang onto God’s Word is to…

SIGN UP FOR A SERMON-BASED LIFE GROUP  

Our sermon based life groups are going to begin in January. Life groups are going to meet in homes, discuss the sermon from the weekend, how it applies to their lives, and build real relationships with others. The groups will be 10-12 people, living transparently with each other, sharing struggles and victories with each others, and caring for one another.

Meeting Jesus - Trust The Plan

In the tapestry of our lives, trust forms the intricate threads that weave us closer to God. Yet, trust is no easy feat, especially when it has been fractured in our relationships with others. The Bible is replete with stories of individuals tasked with trusting God's plan for their lives, often in what seems like unconventional and, at times, downright crazy ways.

Trusting God Beyond Understanding:

Consider Abraham, who was instructed to leave his home without a clear destination. "Don't worry about it, follow me," God assured. Noah faced the seemingly absurd task of building an ark without knowing what an ark even was. Hosea was directed to marry a prostitute as part of God's divine plan. These stories may appear crazy when viewed through worldly lenses, but they teach us that the more we understand God, the more we can trust Him.

The Unpredictable Master and His Servants:

In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus shares a parable to illustrate the importance of living as if we truly trust God's plan. The story involves a nobleman who entrusts his servants with resources before embarking on a distant journey. The servants are given both responsibility and authority over the master's money.

Luke 19:11-27 (NLT2)

11  The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 12  He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13  Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ 14  But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’ 15  “After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. 16  The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’ 17  “‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ 18  “The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’ 19  “‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’ 20  “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. 21  I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ 22  “‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, 23  why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 24  “Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ 25  “‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’ 26  “‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

If you give away RESPONSIBILITY, you must also give away AUTHORITY

The servants, equipped with the master's money, were expected to make more for their master. This underscores the principle that responsibility and authority go hand in hand. If you delegate responsibility, you must grant the corresponding authority. The master's money became the servants' responsibility, and they had the authority to make decisions to grow it.

Our Individual Responsibility in God's Kingdom:

In the same way, Jesus has entrusted us with resources and given us complete authority over them. Whether spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, or financial resources, we are called to make daily decisions to invest in God's Kingdom. This responsibility can be daunting, but as Daniel 4:35 reminds us, God's sovereign plan will prevail even when we don't fully understand it.

Our actions demonstrate our guiding values

Demonstrating Guiding Values:

The parable further reveals that the first two servants believed in their master's plan. They invested the money, made a profit, and were rewarded upon his return. Their actions demonstrated their guiding values—they valued and believed in their master's plan, expected his return, and believed in the necessity of making a profit.

Conversely, the third servant's misplaced beliefs about his master led to inaction. He accused the master of being harsh, lazy, and a thief, projecting his own shortcomings onto the master. This servant failed to understand that the master's plan was to earn a profit, and his lack of trust resulted in missed opportunities.

When we trust God's plan, we trust God's character

Trusting God's Character:

The story reminds us that when we trust God's plan, we trust His character. The first two servants recognized the master's intentions, while the third servant projected his own flaws onto the master. Trusting God involves understanding His character, His goodness, and His plan.

As servants of Jesus, we are called to invest in His Kingdom, trusting His plan and character. Our actions reflect our guiding values, demonstrating whether we truly believe in His return and our responsibility in advancing His Kingdom. Let us live with the conviction that God's will is going to be done, and He uses us as instruments in His grand symphony.

In trusting God, we find not only peace but also the joy of being part of His redemptive plan. Whatever God has entrusted you with, trust His plan, for it is within His authority and according to His divine purpose.

Meeting Jesus - What Do You Want Jesus To Do?

I always wanted to be a superhero.

As a child, I often dreamed about jumping off the ground, flying in the sky, and landing.  In my dreams, I would run along the ground, leap into the air, and fly. Around clouds, through clouds, and in the sunshine. Then, after flying, I would land on the ground with a smile.

After I gave my life to Jesus, I still dreamed I could fly, but the dream changed.  I still dreamed I could fly, but I wasn’t flying alone. I dreamed that as I flew, I would swoop down from the sky, scoop up my brothers and sisters, and give them rides of flight in the sky with me.

God used me to share Jesus with my two brothers and three sisters.  Because of God’s grace, both of my brothers and all of my three sisters have surrendered their lives to Jesus.

I am willing to bet that many dreamed of doing something heroic in their lives to help other people. 

Have you ever -

• dreamed of being a superhero as a child?

• dreamed of making a difference?

• dreamed…of being a supervillain in life?

In our passage of scripture today, Jesus is, yet again, a hero. He changes somebody’s life.  He reaches out to somebody his community ignores but cries out for mercy.

Let’s read about our true hero, Jesus, in Luke 18:35-43

Luke 18:35-43 (NLT2)

35  As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36  When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37  They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. 38  So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39  “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40  When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41  “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” 42  And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” 43  Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too. 

The blind man knew what it was like to feel alone, unwanted, and rejected. He knew what it was like never to fit in. To live on the margins of society. He never fit in because he was always the outcast. He wasn’t the outcast because he had drifted like the prodigal son. He wasn’t an outcast because he had cheated people like the tax collectors or had made sexually immoral choices like the prostitutes. He knew loneliness and rejection because of something beyond his control. He was rejected, an outcast, and alone because He was blind.  He had eyes, but his eyes didn’t work.  And people did not know what to do with somebody who was not like them. 

He needed a Hero – but there was nobody who could help him.  Sightless, he went from begging station to begging station, pleading for money and food and weeping for help that never came. I believe that many of us dream of making a difference in life to others because, in one way or another, we know what it's like to wait for help that never seems to come. We want to make a difference in the lives of others because we have been there before, and help never came. The first thing I want us to understand about this passage is this:

WHEN OUR STRUGGLES INTERSECT WITH FAITH, MERCY IS PRESENT.

Luke 18:36-38 (NLT2) 

36  When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37  They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. 38  So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The blind man only cried out for mercy because his blindness intersected with his faith in Jesus as a HEALER.  He had heard about the great miracle worker. He had heard stories from former blind people that Jesus had healed them. Cripple people no longer ran in his circle because Jesus had healed them. He had heard the whispers of faith grow into legend…and now, Jesus was walking by him. So, he cried out for mercy.

He cried out because he believed Jesus was able to heal him. He cried out for mercy because he had faith Jesus could do in his life what Jesus had done in other people's lives. He was transparent. He made his need known. And he found mercy. Today, I want you to know the same Jesus that healed this blind man on the road is passing by you today. You can cry out and find mercy today.  

Hebrews 4:16 (NLT2) 

16  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

But some won’t cry out for mercy.  It’s not because they don’t want to.  I believe they do not understand how destructive sin is in their lives. Jesus said those who do not call out for mercy are blind.  In John 9:39, Jesus said:

John 9:39 (NLT2) 

39  Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” 

Often, when we think about the power of sin, we only see it as disobedience to God, but we do not realize the damage it does to us. So now, I want us to focus on:

THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF SIN:

INHERITANCE

When one family member engages in sinful behavior, it can reach out and contaminate others in the house. Sin doesn't just stop with one person; it has a domino effect. It keeps leading to more sin, and this chain reaction can suffocate. Sin launches a vicious cycle that feels unbreakable. 

If you were raised in a dysfunctional, broken home, there's a high likelihood that you might repeat those same patterns when you start your own family. Sin traps people and families in its grip and drains the joy from their lives. It is crucial to recognize its trapping power to break free from sin’s cycle.

Are you sick of sin yet?

DEFLECTION

Do you remember doing something wrong but blaming somebody else? We have all done that at one point or another. We sin, blame, and accusations begin to fly. You try to shift responsibility to ease your guilt over what you have done. But because a destructive power of sin is deflection, you justify your behavior and say something like: 

I act this way because…it was how I was raised.

I act this way because…nobody loves me.

I act this way because…somebody hurt me. 

Let me be brutally honest with you: "So what?" Will you let something that happened in the past control you for the rest of your life? Blaming others or your circumstances may temporarily relieve guilt, but it won't lead to lasting change. 

Taking responsibility for your actions and breaking free from the cycle of sin is the only way to regain control of your life.

Are you sick of sin yet?

NUMBNESS

The repetition of sin leads to a callousness in your conscience. Initially, when you engage in sinful behavior, you might feel a sense of guilt or the thought, "Oh my gosh, this is wrong." But if you do not listen to your conscience and the Holy Spirit warning you to stop this behavior, over time, if you continue, those feelings fade away. The flashes of shame on your cheek disappear. 

Your heart toughens up, and you become increasingly indifferent toward sin. The destructive power of sinful flesh takes over, slowly numbing your conscience until you don't care anymore. You stop caring about yourself. You stop caring about others. You grow numb to the desire to repent and right in your life.

Are you sick of sin yet?

And that numbness to sin leads to another destructive power of sin. You thirst for sin becomes:

INSATIABLE

Like one gets used to a drug and wants something more, sin loses its ability to satisfy your flesh.  It becomes easier to sin without having a guilty conscience. 

Gossip grows.

Anger grows.

You lose your temper at little things.

Secret lust turns to the internet.

Internet lusts soon turn to clubs.

Lives are destroyed for one more hit of sin.

Just one more taste… one more whisper… one more night away from home…

The destructive power of sin is an insatiable desire to sin more. 

Are you sick of sin yet?

SELF-CENTRIC 

Sin makes everything about "me." Like wearing blinders, sin prevents us from seeing the struggles of others. Sin turns us inward. We focus on the struggles, problems, and pain that sin has brought to our lives.  Sin keeps us wrapped up in our own world of self-pity. We stop caring about the feelings and needs of others. Our focus narrows, and we begin to live self-centric. 

The problem is that followers of Jesus are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, and we can’t do that when we are focused on ourselves.

Are you sick of sin yet?

Jesus looked at the Blind Man and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

So, I ask you, if you are sick of the destructive nature of sin,

WHAT DO YOU WANT JESUS TO DO FOR YOU?

You do not have to settle for sin’s destruction in your life. You can be set free and receive mercy. Jesus is present. Turn to Jesus. Cry out for mercy. Submit to God and tell the destructive power of sin, “Stop. Sin. Stop Habit. Stop Numbness. Stop Self-Centeredness. Stop the Cycle. Stop shifting blame. In the name of Jesus, you will go no further.” 

Psalm 91:9-16 (NLT2) 

9  If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10  no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11  For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12  They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 13  You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! 14  The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15  When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16  I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” 

By faith, turn to God and let him set you free.

Meeting Jesus - Living On Mission

If you spent any season of your life investing in children’s ministry, serving in Vacation Bible School or kid’s Sunday school, you might be familiar a man who climbed a tree to see Jesus.

Zacchaeus. 

If you are familiar with Zacchaeus, you may remember a song/rhyme….

Zacchaeus was a wee little man.

And a wee little man was he.

He Climbed up in a sycamore tree.

For the Lord he wanted to see.

A child’s understanding of Zaccheus is pretty innocent.  He was a short little guy who climbed a tree to see Jesus. The “adult version” is understood a bit differently.  Zacchaeus wasn’t a wee little man…he was a big giant jerk. Everyone hated him. He was not trusted. He was an extortionist. 

Zacchaeus was considered a collaborator with the government of Rome, who was oppressing the Jewish people and often viewed as a traitor. He would compete against other Tax Collectors and would place a bid with the Romans to win the opportunity to be the Chief Tax Collector. If he thought the taxes would be a million dollars, he would give the Roman Government the Million Dollars – and then over the next year, the tax collectors that worked for him would use the power of the Roman Soldiers to squeeze enough taxes from the Jewish people to earn Zacchaeus and the Tax Collector, a substantial profit…

Since the Jewish People considered the Roman Government as “occupiers” in the land they were forced to pay taxes to; they considered the tax collectors who worked for Rome as unfaithful, disloyal, and betrayers of the Jewish people. The Jewish people did not like the Roman Government ruling over them – and for Zacchaeus to make his money off the Jewish people while collecting taxes for Rome…it just didn’t sit right with people.  

He had betrayed them, but if people complained, he had the power and influence of the Roman soldiers on his side. Year after year, Zacchaeus was viewed as a betrayer of the Jewish people, a thief protected by the Roman Government, and a jerk.

Luke 19:1-10 (NLT2) 

1  Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2  There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3  He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5  When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6  Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7  But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8  Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9  Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10  For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” 

Short, hated, and filthy rich. I think the most important lesson from this passage is for each of us to understand one simple truth:

Believe: Only you can prevent yourself from following Jesus.

For Zacchaeus to have this encounter with Jesus, he had to overcome some obstacles. He was shorter than others, and he could not see above their heads. The crowd was certainly not going to do him any favors by allowing him through. So Zacchaeus tucked his robes around his waist, took off running, his stubby legs a blur, and ran to the front of the crowd and climbed a tree. When I was a child, I climbed trees all the time.  As a dad, I have climbed a tree with my kids maybe once or twice.  

He was already despised.  He was short…and now he was climbing a tree. In order to overcome the obstacles that were in his way, Zacchaeus placed himself in an awkward position and climbed a tree.  

Think of the optics.  He was already short like a child, and now he is climbing a tree like a child.  Children climb trees.  Not adults.  Children. Zacchaeus would be hearing about this for a very long time.  Wisecracks would follow.

If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, maybe you had to face some obstacles of awkwardness, too.  Maybe you began to tell others about your decision to follow Jesus; they laughed at you, put you down, or stopped talking to you.

After I surrendered my life to Jesus, I told my Nana; she told me I was brainwashed. Awkward.

I told the men I worked construction with. One said, “Oooh, now you are a fairy Jesus follower, huh?” Awkward.

When I surrendered my life to Jesus, I was immediately changed – and I was convinced every person would want to experience forgiveness of sins, a relationship with God, and a transformed heart. I was wrong. But I did not allow what others thought about my decision to prevent me from following Jesus.

Let me ask you a rhetorical question: “Are you allowing something else to prevent you from becoming a follower of Jesus?”

• Maybe your spouse doesn’t want you to follow Jesus.

• Maybe your parents do not want you to leave the faith you grew up in to follow Jesus.

• Maybe you are concerned you will have to walk away from your occupation if you become a follower of Jesus.

The only thing that can prevent you from becoming a follower of Jesus is YOU. Don’t worry about your spouse, your parents, your job, or your children. Don’t worry about your past; don’t worry about your future.  Do whatever it takes to follow Jesus today. If you believe that God created you and wants a relationship with you. If you believe that sin in your life prevents you from having that relationship with God. If you believe that Jesus’ death on the cross forgave your sins and removed the barrier between you and God. If you believe that Jesus rose from the dead and will one day return…

Then let today be the day you stop letting YOU get in the way and surrender your life to Jesus.

And – if you are already a follower of Jesus, or you become a follower of Jesus today,

Respond: Live a changed life!

It is important to note that in past encounters, when a notorious sinner came to Jesus – it was the Jewish Leaders – the Pharisees, that would complain about Jesus associating with sinful people. But in this passage, it wasn’t just the religious leaders complaining about Zacchaeus; now, it was EVERYBODY!  Look again at verse 7, “But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 

Zacchaeus heard the people grumbling about him.  “What is this jerk doing this close to Jesus?  He doesn’t belong here, and we don’t like him!”

Zacchaeus understood their complaints. He had been a cheater, a betrayer, a swindler, and a no-good, corrupt tax collector. The feast his household was preparing for Jesus came at the cost of the Jewish people.  His home, the servants, his land, his barns…

He had wealth because he betrayed the Jewish people and took more money than he should have from them. But Zacchaeus’ next words from his mouth demonstrate the same type of life-changing power of Jesus that is available to you and me today.  He was supernaturally changed!His desire to hoard, steal, and cheat others was no longer in his heart.  Now, he wanted to bless and give generously. In verse 8. “Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 

This was not the same man he had been five minutes before. At some point – whether in the tree when Jesus looked at him or in a conversation with Jesus – Zacchaeus had surrendered his life to Jesus. The Apostle Paul describes what happens to a person on the inside when they surrender their lives to Jesus:

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT2) 

17  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 

Zacchaeus’ life demonstrates he had been transformed from the inside out. His desire to betray the Jewish people was transformed into a desire for loyalty. His desire for greed was transformed into generosity. His response to Jesus accepting him was to live a radically changed life. So, you surrendered your life to Jesus. How are you living out a changed life?

The best thing you can do is to…

Prioritize: Embrace Jesus' mission to seek and save.

Jesus was very clear about his purpose in life. 

Whenever people criticized him regarding the people he spent time with – 

The notorious sinners…

The tax collectors…

The scum of the earth…

Whenever he was criticized, he always explained that he was on a mission to seek and save the lost. If you are a follower of Jesus – there is nothing greater that you and I can do than to prioritize the mission of Jesus in our lives. It is Jesus that brings hope to those who struggle in darkness. It is Jesus who brings healing to families. It is Jesus who brings peace to those facing fears, anxiety, and worry. It is Jesus who can rescue the addict and free those trapped in sin.

Prioritize the mission of Jesus, and seek to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.

Meeting Jesus - Letting Go

One of the ways you can begin to experience a life changed by the Word of God is by applying the message today to your life. Today, we will look at another moment in scripture when Jesus invited somebody to follow him, but the man rejected Jesus. He did not reject Jesus because he was a religious leader.  He didn’t reject Jesus because he lacked belief. He rejected Jesus because he could not let go of what he considered most important.

“Letting Go” can be a very difficult thing. 

When I was in college, I spent my summers serving as a counselor at a Christian Camp during the summer in the mountains of Colorado, and one of the activities I was in charge of was the zipline. The Zipline was over 150’ high on one end, over ¼ mile long, and crazy fast. The rider steps into a harness that loops around the legs; they pull the harness up like a pair of pants. Then, the harness connects to a pulley, and the pulley gets connected to the cable. All the rider has to do is step off the 150’ high rocks and trust that the pulley, cable, and harness are secure. The first time I stepped off the cliff – I was terrified. 

My heart was thumping. My body kicked into fight-or-flight mode.  I forced myself to overcome the panic I felt, stepped off the rocks and I was almost halfway across when I realized I wasn’t trusting the harness. I was not sitting down in the harness; I was clinging to the strap as tight as I could, holding onto the strap, squeezing with all my might…but sitting down in the harness. Slowly, I lowered myself down and allowed full weight of my body to rest in the seat of the harness…then let go. I was a chicken to let go, but when I did – it was one of the most incredible moments in my life.

Letting Go.

It is one of the most difficult things to do.  Right now – I want to invite you to “let go.”  

Luke 18:18-30 (NLT2) 

18  Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 19  “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20  But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’” 21  The man replied, “I’ve carefully obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 22  When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23  But when the man heard this he became sad, for he was very rich. 24  When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! 25  In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” 26  Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?” 27  He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” 28  Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.” 29  “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30  will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.” 

On the surface, it appeared like this ruler had everything together in life. Most likely, he was respected in the community as a leader.

He was a ruler. 

He had wealth. 

He seemed to live with integrity. 

He respected his parents. 

But, under the surface, beneath the perception others had of him, this man knew his own heart.  He knew something was not right.  Although he had wealth, influence, and family… and probably offered advice to others, under the surface, something troubled him. He did not know if he had lived a good enough life to be with God in heaven when he died. He did not know what life after death was going to look like. And, he asked the RIGHT question to the RIGHT person.  He asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

This question shows that the man not only thought about his life here on the earth, but he understood that there was a spiritual life that would go on after he died.  He wanted to know what he needed to do to get into heaven. I think many people have that same question today.  What’s it going to take for me to get into heaven? Like the man asked Jesus, I want to ask you a question:

HAVE YOU INHERITED ETERNAL LIFE?

Many of us have questions about Heaven. What is heaven really like?  We don’t have all the answers, but God gives us a little look at what Heaven will be like in Revelation 21:1-4. Speaking about Heaven, the Apostle John writes:

Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT2) 

3  …God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 

In Heaven, followers of Jesus will be in the presence of our creator God forever.

We will live without fear or worry. 

We will live without need. 

We will live without pain. 

We will live without sorrow.

In heaven, there will be no more cancer. No more heart failure. No more diabetes. In heaven, there will be no sickness, pain, and frustration, and God will wipe every tear of joy from our eyes! If you have experienced the hurt, confusion, sadness, and sorrow that living in a broken world brings – you understand that living with God for all eternity will be absolutely amazing. 

But this man who rejected Jesus was more concerned about what his temporary life would be like without his stuff. He was narrow-minded.  He couldn’t see the Big Picture. He did not realize that 90 years of living on this planet is nothing compared to the infinite presence of God in his life. He walked away rejecting the HOPE of Eternal Life…but that doesn’t have to be you. Jesus clearly communicated how a person could know if they had Eternal Life. 

John 5:24 (NKJV) 

24  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 

The ONLY way to receive ETERNAL LIFE is BY HEARING and BELIEVING.

Hearing what? The words of Jesus.  God’s word.  You cannot be given ETERNAL LIFE unless you hear God’s Word. You are already doing that right now. You are halfway there – but halfway there is not close enough.

 PISTEUO (Pistooyoh): To TRUST IN, ENTRUST, and COMMIT. 

Jesus is saying – BELIEF is MORE than head knowledge – BELIEF is an action WORD.  It requires TRUST…

And if you truly entrust your life to Jesus, you let go of anything you once valued as more important than Jesus. I BELIEVED the zipline strap would hold me up…but until I stopped gripping the strap with my hands, I did not ENTRUST my life to the strap. Jesus used PISTOOYO John 3:16 when he said,

John 3:16 (NLT)

16  For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  

EVERYONE who LET’S GO, TRUSTS IN, AND COMMITS TO JESUS will have ETERNAL life.  

BELIEVING in JESUS means ACCEPTING what He DID for you 2,000 years ago and ENTRUSTING your LIFE into his hands through SURRENDER.

And surrender looks like this:

Romans 10:9 (NLT) 

9  If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

If you are ready to surrender your life to Jesus, inherit eternal life, and receive forgiveness for your sins, at this moment, you can say something like this:

PRAYER OF SURRENDER:

God, I am ready to become a follower of Jesus, and I surrender my life to you.  I believe that Jesus paid the price for my sins. I believe he suffered, died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Thank you for your forgiveness and grace…I receive Jesus as my Savior and entrust my life to you.

Now, you have surrendered your life to Jesus. You have let go of your life. You have surrendered to Jesus and received forgiveness for sin, and are living daily for him.

Now, as a follower of Jesus, some advice I offer to you as you seek to follow him…

DON’T LET YOUR “BUT” GET IN THE WAY

Jesus was not communicating to the man that Eternal Life came through giving his stuff away – this was a test of this man’s heart. Have you ever met somebody who had the answer to everything?  They always had an answer, whether it was true or not.

Jesus said, “Have you obeyed your parents?”  Oh, Yes Lord!

Have you committed adultery? Oh, no, Lord.

Have you lied or cheated? Oh no, Lord.

Since I was a child – I have been PERFECT!

Jesus looks at the man, and I believe this is his “yeah, right” moment. It was clear to Jesus that no matter what Jesus told this man to do, this man would claim to have already done it…

So, looking at his wealthy clothes and money, Jesus said, “Get rid of your wealth.”

If he had REALLY loved the Lord with all his heart and loved his neighbor as himself since he was a child, giving away possessions would not be that big a deal. 

Think about this.  If Jesus had communicated to this man that wealth was an acceptable excuse – Jesus would be saying that there is a higher priority than him! 

How often have you been like this man?

Jesus, I will follow you wherever you lead, BUT not across the street to my loud-at-night neighbor. 

Jesus, I love my neighbor as myself, BUT I don’t have time for them.

God,  I will begin to give generously, BUT I need to set aside vacation money first…

God, I will speak more softly and gently with my spouse, BUT they make me so mad sometimes…

Jesus, I will seek reconciliation with my parents, BUT I am waiting for them to take the first step…

Jesus, I will begin to rise early in the morning to spend time reading my bible and sitting in your presence, BUT I stayed up too late…

Jesus, I will begin a Lifegroup, BUT I don’t want to be trained…

We let our selfish BUTS get in the way of following Jesus. If we stop living a lifestyle of surrender, our BUTS get bigger! If we stop following Jesus, we stop experiencing his blessings.

It is important for followers of Jesus to remember…

A LIFESTYLE OF SURRENDER REAPS AN ETERNITY OF BLESSING

In verse 22, Jesus invited this man to let go of his past and follow him.

Luke 18:22 (NLT2) 

…Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 

The invitation to follow him was not a cold command to walk behind a dictator.  The invitation is nothing like that. The Greek word akoloutheó (ah-ka-loo-they-o) means not just to follow but to “accompany, attend” or literally, “to go the same way with.”

Jesus wasn’t simply saying, “Walk with me.” 

He was also saying, “I want to walk with you.” 

Jesus wants to walk in the same direction as you – He is pleased to be going the same way.  He guides and directs our steps along the path, and He is not embarrassed to be seen at your side. He knows you are dragging your feet. He knows you become distracted at times. He knows that you stumble and fumble into sin…yet he still chooses to walk with you, and he is not ashamed of you!

Jesus was communicating to this man – 

I know you will become distracted by other things in your life…but I will accompany YOU as well.  

I will never leave you. 

I will never abandon you.  

I will walk alongside you even if you choose to abandon me, 

I will never not be there for you.  I will always be near you.

JESUS WANTS TO WALK WITH YOU! He enjoys your company! 

As followers of Jesus, we are assured of his forgiveness of our past, his promise to walk through life with us, and the promise we have of eternal life.  

So keep living a lifestyle that lets go.

Let go of your treasures. 

Let go of your fears.

Let go of bitterness.

Let go of pride.

Let go of sadness.

Let go of hurt.

And keep surrendering to Jesus.

Meeting Jesus - Humble Hearts

Around 2018, videos began to surface online, and were somehow categorized as “Karen” videos.  Karen” videos often depict middle-aged white women exhibiting entitled, unreasonable, or inappropriate behavior. Issues that caused them to be triggered could be related to, customer service, parenting children, covid related, neighbor disputes, parking violations, etc…

These videos were designed to shame these women for how they acted publicly. Public shaming has been around for a very long time.

Often in the Old Testament, Prophets were publicly shamed in the town square and placed in stocks while others laughed at them and made fun of them.  

And, if your name is Karen. I am sorry! I didn’t name these types of videos!

In Luke 18, Jesus told a story about a Pharisee who publicly humiliated and shamed a tax collector who had messed up in life. 

Our world is quick to judge and slower to understand, so let’s read: 

Luke 18:9-14 (NLT2)

9  Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10  “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11  The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12  I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13  “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14  I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 

This statement may surprise you.

Some people believe they are better than you! (Gasp!)

Some people believe God is always pleased with them, and God is never pleased with you.

This story Jesus tells gives us three applications that, if applied to our lives, will help significantly. First, I believe this story teaches us to:

Choose self-awareness over self-righteousness

The viral Karen videos and the way the Pharisee called out the tax collector have striking similarities. In both instances, there is a display of self-righteousness and a condemnation of the other without self-awareness. The videos show individuals quick to judge and point fingers without understanding the entire story or the perspectives of others. Likewise, the Pharisee was quick to point out the sins of the tax collector without pointing out his own sins. Avoid becoming like the Pharisee and develop a healthy awareness of self.  

Here is how you can begin to develop a healthy self-awareness. Begin with two lists.  The first list is a list of the things you do well. The second list is a list of the things you don’t do well. The first list will make you prideful without the second list. The second list will make you depressed without the first list. You and I need a healthy self-awareness. We grow in confidence as we get better at the things we do well, and we begin to appreciate others when they are great at the areas we are not. The more you develop a healthy self-awareness, the more you grow comfortable in your mission to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. But self-righteousness develops when you only focus on how great you are…

If you only focus on how skilled and great you are in particular areas, you will begin to look with disgust at those who do not live up to your ability and standards. 

And we are more like the Pharisee than we think. The problem with the Pharisee was that he only saw the good things he did, and he only saw the shortcomings and failures of others. He never saw the good qualities of others, only their failures and sins.

This takes us to the second application for us all to consider:

Declaring what we do right does not hide our wrongs from God

Take a look at the prayer of the Pharisee as he focused on himself.

I don’t cheat.

I don’t commit adultery.

I fast twice a week.

I give you a tenth of my income.

The Pharisee supplies God with a list of all his wonderful qualities that, in his mind, should excuse any of the sins he may be hiding.

He was honest with people. He was faithful to his wife. He fasted twice a week. He gave a tenth of his income to the Lord.

These are all great qualities for a person to have.  

The problem is found in one sentence in his list:

He said: “I don’t sin.”

He listed all his good deeds, seemingly using them as a shield to cover up any of his sins and failures. I don’t know how to say this kindly, so I will say it plainly: 

Self-righteous people have delusional minds.

They believe that God overlooks any sin as long as their good outweighs the bad. They are delusional because God never claimed if we did enough good in life, we would be okay. 

Isaiah 64:6 (NLT2)

6  We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags…

Ecclesiastes 7:20 (NLT2)

20  Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.

1 John 1:8 (NLT2)

8  If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

Psalm 14:2-3 (NLT2)

2  The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise if anyone seeks God. 3  But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!

Psalm 53:3 (NLT2)

3  But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one! 

And I could go on and on and on. The one who created us, God, gave us guidelines to live by. He told us how to treat others. He told us how to treat ourselves. He told us how to treat Him.  When we do not obey him in those areas, we sin. When we claim to be without sin, we negate the significance of the sacrifice that Jesus made to pay the price for our sins on the cross. So, choose to be honest with God about your sin. If you are more like the tax collector, you are welcome here at Beach Church.

And, if you feel like you are more like the Pharisee, you are welcome here too.  Jesus never stopped trying to reach the pharisee. He loved the Pharisees too and always tried to get them to see how their actions impacted others. 

If you struggle with judgmental thoughts toward other people, I am glad you are here, too. We accept everybody wherever they are on their journey of faith.  We are not going to “judge the judger.” We are going to love you too! But let me encourage you. Don’t waste your life focusing on the sins and failures of others.  

Before you judge others, take a long look in the mirror.

Because,

Life-change happens through transparent living

It is clear that both the Pharisee and the Tax Collector were guilty of sin when they began their prayers. By themselves, neither one of these men is an example of the type of person we should aspire to be.  The Pharisee tried to hide his sins from God and pointed out the sins of other people, and the tax collector was a cheater, liar, and swindler. Both had hurt people. The Pharisee had hurt people through his judgmental attitude about others.  The tax collector hurt others by “legally” stealing from them. But Jesus said that when one of the sinners returned home that day, that sinner returned home “justified” before God.

Luke 18:14 (NLT2)

14  I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

The definition of the Greek word “justified” is: 

Dikaioo: (dee – ki – o):  to render just or innocent

When the tax collector left the temple that day, God declared him to be innocent of his sin, but the pharisee still remained guilty. They both showed up guilty, and only one went home innocent. This is because the Tax Collector is the only one who practiced transparent living with God and with others. 

Take a look at the prayer of confession that the Tax Collector prayed:

Luke 18:13 (NLT2)

13  “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’

The transparency and humility of the tax collector are clearly noticeable in his actions and through what he prayed. At Beach Church, one of our core values is Transparent Living.  We believe that God desires us to be real, open, and honest about who we are and allow others to do the same. That means we are all “not okay.” None of us have figured out how to live a perfect life. We embrace transparent living because living transparently motivates us all to live dependent on the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:7-9 (NLT2)

7  But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 8  If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 

Being honest with God and being honest with others actually sets us free. When we are honest and transparent about the darkness that lurks beneath the surface of our hearts and the dark sins we struggle with, we are actually living in the light!

It is only through honesty and transparency that we can experience ongoing life change!

So, today, commit to live transparently.

Meeting Jesus - A Black and Blue God

There seems to be an acceptance within Christian culture that PRAYER is the LAST RESORT for followers of Jesus. You may have heard the statement, “When all else fails, pray.”  That statement suggests that PRAYER is a last resort. It indicates that those who focus on prayer in a specific area have given up, failed, and thrown in the towel. They have stopped trying. That statement suggests that PRAYER is for those who have failed and lost, not those who are victorious…

It is for those who do not want to try any longer. That prayer is for those who do not want to try any longer.  But that is not what Jesus teaches about prayer.  Those with the courage to pray as Jesus teaches, demonstrate they will never give up.

Luke 18:1-8 (NLT2) 

1  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2  “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4  The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5  but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” 6  Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7  Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” 

Let’s make sure we understand what PRAYER is.  We know that prayer means communication with God. Prayer is bringing our requests and listening. But in this passage, the Greek word that LUKE uses he also used over 18 times in the Gospel of Luke:

Proseuchomai

There are two parts to this word:

pros = toward, facing, before

euchomai = speak out, utter aloud

The word for prayer means directly facing the LIVING GOD and Speaking to HIM. So, understand, this means that when you speak to God when you pray:

PRAY DIRECTLY FACING THE LIVING GOD

When you pray, you are not whispering into your Bible. You are not talking to yourself. You are not mumbling incoherently or rambling on into nothing. When you pray, you directly face the MIGHTY KING OF KINGS and pour your heart out to him.  

As you humbly speak directly to his face:

Submit to Him.

Confess to Him.

Plead with Him.

Praise Him.

Thank Him. 

Even though the men who followed Jesus had seen firsthand the power of prayer in Jesus' life, Jesus still understood that they would be tempted to give up and stop praying. If the truth were told – you and I probably relate to that. Followers of Jesus still fail to talk to God like we should. We sometimes give up praying for days, weeks, and months at a time. I believe one reason we give up praying is because, often…

HABITS AND GUILT PREVENT BOLD PRAYING 

Habits and guilt prevent bold praying. Have you ever noticed that bad habits are hard to break, but good habits are hard to start? 

Bad habits like:

• Eating a Family size bag of chips during Monday Night Football…

• Pressing the elevator button repeatedly because you think it will come faster.

• Pretending to be on a phone call to avoid a conversation.

Habits that are bad for us are hard to break. But habits that are good for us, like exercising or prayer, take much work to start. Once we break the daily habit of prayer, it is difficult to start again. But you can do it! You started it once before; you can do it again. Guilt can prevent us from praying as well. Some feel bad because of a particular sin, but rather than talking to God and admitting it was wrong, some fear the consequences and shut down their communication with God. Then, when they do pray, their prayers are shallow because they haven’t been genuine and honest with God.

I have been there. Sometimes, my prayers have not been genuine and honest with God. If I get angry with God because life gets more challenging, I may shut down my communication with him or pretend I am not angry with him or about the situation. That’s when I pray something like, “God. You are awesome, and I am so grateful for everything I am experiencing now.”

That’s a lie.  I am not grateful for the difficulties.  I hate them.  I don’t want to walk through them. I want God to change my circumstances and get me out of the mud and the mire of life! So, because I lie to God about how I feel, I begin to feel guilty, and my prayer life begins to erode. Can you imagine that? Standing up, facing God directly in prayer – and lying to his face. When I was a child, I was an excellent liar. 

 I lied to my parents about everything. I lied and accused my brothers and sisters of things I had done wrong. At school, I lied and denied lighting the pack of firecrackers and dropping them under the bleachers during the assembly. I lied because I was afraid of the consequences.

When we were younger, we lied because we did not want to experience the consequences of the truth. We were fearful of punishment. But you can be honest with God about everything in your life because God’s anger and wrath over sin was poured out on Jesus Christ on the cross.

If you have tried to deceive God and lied to him, tell him. 

If you feel guilty over sin and dumb actions you have taken, tell him. 

If you are angry with him because life has been hard, tell him. 

Begin the conversation with something like this:

“Sorry, I haven’t spoken with you much. I have been avoiding you a bit.  I don’t want to do it anymore.  Let’s talk.”

Pray through the guilt.  Pray through the anger. Pray through resentment. He is FOR you. Finally, my favorite part of Jesus’ teaching on prayer:

PRAY AS THOUGH YOU COULD WEAR GOD OUT

Luke 18:4-5 (NLT2) 

4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5  but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’

In Jesus’ day, there was no “Blind Justice.” Judges were known to accept bribes of money or land when making decisions and settling disputes. Since this Widow had nothing to bribe the Judge with, the Judge was uninterested in hearing and resolving her case. So, the widow wore this judge down with her persistence. When he looked out his window in the morning, she was there. When he walked into the town square, she was there. When he went out to dinner with his family, she was there. Requesting his help, asking for justice, pleading her case. Everywhere this man turned, this woman was there, and like a boxer, she would jab him with her request for justice. How do we know that?

In verse 5, when the Judge says, “This woman is wearing me out,” the Greek phrase is hypōpiazō. 

It means to beat black and blue, intolerable annoyance

It was a colorful expression describing the widow's persistence and annoyance. He went to the market…she was there. He went to his home…she was there. The t-ball game, the basketball game…she was there. The judge finally yielded because of HER persistence. She was “beating him until he was black and blue with her annoying persistence.

Jesus teaches us as his Followers to WEAR OUT GOD in prayer! Jesus provided this colorful expression to drive the point home to pray hard, often, and persistently.

A boxer does not expect to knock his opponent out with shots to the ribs…but repeated jabs will wear out his opponent. Jesus wants us to pray like a boxer going for the ribs of his opponent of our requests! Keep throwing jabs and prayer requests. Keep calling out to him.  Keep praying to him.  Keep on asking. Pray as though you must wear down God to get an answer. Face God directly in the ring and plead your case. 

Jab, and ask God to heal your mother with cancer.

Jab and ask him to bring HOPE to your child.

Jab and ask Him to HEAL your marriage…

Jab and ask Him to HEAL your parent's marriage…

Jab and ask him to turn your teenager back to the heart of Jesus.

Jab and ask God to rescue the addict.

Jab and ask God to come near you.

Jab and ask God to deepen your prayer life.

Jab and ask God to create genuine WORSHIP within your heart.

Jab and ask God to fill this worship center with people who need Jesus.

Keep going to God…

Keep jabbing at God…

You might think, 'But Pastor, can we do that with God? Can we keep jabbing at Him? Won't we hurt or wear Him out with our constant requests?' Trust me, you can keep on jabbing, but you can never hurt God. He is the Almighty, the Everlasting, and the All-Powerful. Our persistence cannot wear him out. When we pray, we are engaging with the God who can move mountains, who can heal, who can provide, and who can change our lives.

So, don’t go to your corner of the ring when you’re tired.

Keep asking him for that promotion…

Keep asking him to provide for your family…

Keep asking him for WISDOM…

Keep asking him for strength…

Keep asking him for ENDURANCE….

Keep asking him to move MOUNTAINS!

God WANTS you to pray like you could make him tired and wear him out! 

So, let’s be a people who will pray like Jesus teaches us to pray.

Meeting Jesus - Happy Hearts

In this passage of scripture, Jesus heals 10 lepers, but only one of those lepers returned to demonstrate how grateful and thankful he was. If you are a follower of Jesus, you realize we have so much to be thankful for…but even if you are not a follower of Jesus – you still have so much to be thankful for.

Did you know that you are among the wealthiest 25% on the planet?  I know that with inflation, rising interest rates, cost of housing…you may not feel like the wealthiest people on the planet…

I read an article that said the cost of food had risen 18% in most of the USA since 2020. Most of us don’t feel like we are. Often, we focus and zero in on what we do not have and fail to truly appreciate what we do have. I believe the passage today will speak to us and help us develop Happy Hearts.

Let’s Read:

Luke 17:11-19 (NLT2) 

11  As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12  As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13  crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14  He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15  One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16  He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17  Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18  Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19  And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” 

Leprosy was a terrible disease. The moment it was discovered a person had leprosy, their clothes, bedding, and possessions were destroyed in a fire. A lepers family and community would disown and shun them for the rest of their lives. To survive, they would often join a group of lepers, huddle together for warmth during the cold nights, and beg for food. As they hobbled along the road they would ring a bell and yell, “Unclean!  Unclean!”  to warn people to stay clear of them. And their condition grew worse and worse they grew a bit more grotesque and diseased every day.  

In their leper colonies, they watched each other literally rot away, losing fingers, toes, limbs. Lose their eyesight, go deaf and eventually they would watch each other die.

Can you imagine what it was like for them to be shunned by their own family and children, and watch families interact with each other?   

• To see mothers caring for their babies. 

• Father and sons walking back home after a hard days work in the fields or on the boats. 

• To watch families walking to the synagogue to worship.

As those lepers watched families interact with one another, I imagine they longed for what they once had:

To again hear the words, “Daddy!” at the end of the day. To feel their children’s arms, hug their legs, and cling on longer for a ride. To sit down for a meal with their family…or to just hear the words,  “I love you.”  

Together we see them standing at a distance as Jesus entered the village. Grotesque. Smelly. Hobbling. In unison they raised their weakened voices in the air and cried: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

So Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests at the temple. (The Priests at the temple were the only ones who could declare a Leper healed and their declaration would allow them to return to their families and society.) Maybe one by one as they were walking they realized they had been healed. Maybe one was able to walk without pain. Maybe one of their stumpy legs grew a foot. Maybe one was able to hear his feet shuffling down the rock path. They must have dreamed of waking up one day to find that they were no longer, UNCLEAN but CLEAN!

Now, they would be able to reunite with their family, their spouses, their children. Now, they would be able to rejoin society and begin to work with their hands. They would be able to walk the streets and make eye-contact with strangers again without the stranger turning away or gagging at their appearance and smell. They were ready to hold their families and celebrate!

As a forgiven follower of Jesus, you understood the pain of your sin and how your sin separated you from God, and prevented you from enjoying relationships with others.

So,

REFLECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH GRATITUDE

Luke 17:16 (NLT2) 

16  He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. 

So far in the Gospel of Luke, every time somebody was healed by Jesus…they celebrate! They fall at his feet, they leap and dance, they shout out loud…but nine of these men failed to return even to say, “Thank you.”  

So the reminder for us, as God blesses you in your everyday life: 

Whether God blesses you through a meal with your family, hugs around your legs, a paycheck, leftovers in the refrigerator…Simply be thankful. God has blessed you more than 75-92% of the population of the world. Before you ask him for something else…tell Him thank you.  

If you have received forgiveness for your sins…try to imagine what your life would have been like had it not been for Jesus changing you. What direction would your life have taken if you had never surrendered your life to Jesus?

Think about that for a moment. When you are forgiven for your sins, you were given a new direction in your life. Jesus changed the direction of these men, and he changed the direction of your life as well.

Through the forgiveness of sins, Jesus made you a new person. He gave you new desires, new hopes, new dreams, new passions, new determination. New power. So, live this new life with gratitude because…

A LACK OF GRATITUDE IS DESTRUCTIVE AND SELFISH

Luke 17:17-18 (NLT) 

17  Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18  Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

These nine men had spent years focused on their disease. When their disease disappeared, they focused on their healing. They did not focus on the one who healed them.  And that is what Jesus found disappointing. We have a tendency to do the same thing. We focus on the BLESSING God provides, but we do not focus on GOD. Followers of Jesus ought to live with a spirit of THANKFULNESS and GRATITUDE to GOD.

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to followers of Jesus in Rome, and in his letter he described why some people rejected the truth about Jesus.

Romans 1:21-22, 24(NLT) 

21  Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired…

Living with gratitude toward God is a path toward blessing. Living with ingratitude is a path toward destruction. Because of ingratitude God abandoned these people. Because of ingratitude their minds became dark and confused.

As a parent, we teach our kids to be polite and to say “Thank you.” We try to show them what it means to live with gratitude. And we understand that gratitude is a HEART thing. Just because my kids say, “Thank you.” it doesn’t mean they really are. 

If you want to destroy a relationship with a spouse, family member, coworker…Never say “Thank You.”  

Never show GRATITUDE.  

NEVER show appreciation for what they do.  Let them feel unloved.  

A lack of gratitude in your life is selfish and destructive and will come back to destroy you.

And even if you have nothing. No material possessions. No money in your checking account. No food on the table…

Remember:

FORGIVENESS IS ENOUGH REASON TO LIVE THANKFULLY

Jesus said, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?” Then Jesus told the one that had returned to get up and begin his journey to the temple. So, what did Jesus do the other nine? 

Did he say, “Fine, you aren’t going to thank me?  I’ll give you LEPROSY again.”

He didn’t take away the toes he had returned. He didn’t take the foot back.

Jesus did not return to the Leprosy to the nine ungrateful men.

This should remind us that even when we are at our worst after salvation – Jesus does not take away our salvation.  Once you have surrendered your life to Jesus, you are always forgiven for your sins!

The apostle Paul writes about God’s Grace in our lives even when we are at our worst:

Romans 8:38-39 (NLT) 

38  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NOTHING can ever separate you from God. God’s grace is a LIFE-CHANGING LOVE. You can’t be bad enough to shake it. You can’t be good enough to earn it.  If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, nothing in all of creation will ever separate you from God’s love. 

Even when you and I are at our worst, God still loves. So live thankfully. Live with gratitude.

In the few moments after  Kristy and I said “I DO” and were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Donahue…

Kristy and I exited the Worship Center, turned the corner, and we were alone, I looked at her, pulled her tight and close, and began to sob. I was overwhelmed that she married me! I didn’t feel lovable.  

Yet she loved me and had just committed to remain at my side for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until the day we are separated by death.  She could have married anybody else, but she chose me. Her love humbled me and created a debt of gratitude in my heart.  

With these nine men, Jesus loved them so much that even though the nine did not return to give thanks, they still lived under the influence of grace and mercy for the remainder of their days.

You can experience that type of grace and mercy today.  Just as the 10 Lepers were changed on the outside, you can be forgiven for your sins and transformed on the inside.

Meeting Jesus - Lessons From The Dead

We will be examining the story of a homeless man in Luke 16, and I am reminded about a man I met several years ago.

He had long shaggy hair, a crazy long beard, and loose camouflage clothes. Almost daily, I would drive past him walking along the highway on the edge, typically in the grass, and picking up aluminum cans.  I went to Sonic to grab lunch, and he was sitting at one of the outdoor tables and counting his change. I pressed the red Sonic button to order then asked him what he would like to eat, because lunch was on me. His face lit up.  He walked over, leaned into the voice on the speaker, and ordered a double cheeseburger with onion rings and a sweet tea.

I sat with him at one of the picnic tables and we ate lunch and talked together.

Here are some of the surprising details I recall about him:

-His name is Joseph.  (His name was most likely the only thing he told me that was rooted in reality.)

-Next, he told me he was Fidel Castro’s brother. And, during the Cuban Missel crisis, he sided with the USA, so Fidel stopped speaking to him. 

-He told me he was a soldier. He fought in WW1, WW2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Afghanistan.

-He told me he lived in an apartment with his girlfriend.  He collects cans, but sometimes he gets cheated by the recycling place. He doesn’t cuss at them…but he gets very angry.

-He told me he was going to be a Priest.  

-Then he told me that all of his sons are Priests…and he told me all of his daughters are Priests.

His words were difficult to understand.  In the 90-degree heat, his odor was …uncomfortable. But he was really glad that I had noticed him…and really happy to have a conversation with somebody. At the end of our lunch, I told him he was the youngest-looking WW1 veteran I had ever seen!

Joseph never asked for money.

He never asked for help.

He never threatened me. 

But as he talked, I gathered that he had some type of mental illness. I couldn’t solve Joseph’s major struggles that morning. I couldn’t take away his confused mental state. I gave him some food and listened to his story. I laughed when he tried to be funny.  

And as I was driving away, the Spirit of God whispered into my heart:

“You noticed him.”  

He didn’t blend in with the landscape.  He was a person.  God created him and God cared for him deeply. In Luke 16, we see a man a lot like Joseph.

Luke 16:19-31 (NLT2) 

19  Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20  At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21  As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22  “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23  and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. 24  “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ 25  “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26  And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ 27  “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28  For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ 29  “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ 30  “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31  “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’” 

Real quick: Jesus was not teaching that to go to heaven; you have to be poor with dogs licking your wounds. And he was not teaching that rich people go to hell. However, I believe the rich man had a few sins that you and I should to avoid in our lives to ensure we do not turn out like him.

The first sin we should learn to avoid is:

The absence of compassion when need was clear

“As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 25  “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing…”

This man was extremely wealthy. He had a large house that had its own courtyard and a gate. He feasted on massive meals every day. 

And Lazarus had nothing.  

No home.  

No family. 

No table.  

No food.  

He was so weak that he didn’t stop the dogs from licking his sores.  Lazarus was a pitiful picture of humanity. He longed for the scraps of food from the rich man’s table.

Context, 2,000 years ago, people ate with their hands. Forks, knives, and spoons did not exist, so they ate everything with their hands.  My kids would have loved that! When their hands would get messy they wiped their hands on bread, then they threw the bread onto the floor. The “scrap” that fell from the table that Lazarus longed for was the bread used as napkins to clean gravy, potatoes, grease, and crumbs from the fingers of the rich. 

But Lazarus was too weak to collect bread. Day after day, Lazarus lay at the gate, malnourished, covered in sores, and alone. The rich man stepped over Lazarus on his way in and out of the courtyard of his house. He never noticed Lazarus. For him, Lazarus simply blended into the background. Sadly, sometimes people around us blend into the landscape to and go unnoticed. 

Maybe they blend in at work. Coworkers you pass every day. They blend into their office, the hallway, their cubicle.

Or, maybe you have family that blend into the landscape at home. You don’t speak to them. You don’t talk to them. They blend in.

If you are a follower of Jesus, meaning you believe that Jesus paid the price for your sin on the cross, and you surrendered your life to God by trusting Jesus as your Savior.  You have been forgiven for your sins, and you now have a relationship with God, then, you are God’s chosen one.  As God's chosen people, we are called to show heartfelt compassion to others.

The rich man had an absence of compassion when the need of Lazarus was clear. So, grow in compassion. Ask God to help you see more clearly the people in your home, workplace, and family. Demonstrate to them that they are more than scenery; show them compassion.

The second sin of the rich man for us to avoid is this:

He wanted pity yet never apologized.

We see in this passage that even in death, the Rich man believed that Lazarus was inferior to him in every way. Out of respect for Abraham, he said “Father Abraham”. Look again at the conversation, and look at the way he spoke to Abraham, and the way he talked “around” Lazarus:

Luke 16:24 (NLT2) 

24  “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

Luke 16:27 (NLT2) 

27  “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home.

Luke 16:30 (NLT2) 

30  “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 

The rich man respected and honored Abraham, and still treated Lazarus like a beggar or a servant.

Send Lazarus.

Send him.

If someone is sent.

He didn’t speak to Lazarus to apologize for overlooking him. He didn’t address Lazarus as a man.  Rather, to the rich man, Lazarus was still a nobody. He was a nobody to the Rich Man in life, and he was a nobody to the rich man in death. Even while the Rich man burned in eternal life – he clung to his sin of pride. He wanted pity, but he never apologized.

Do you have somebody at your work, in school, or home?

Don’t be like the rich man. See them.

Be genuinely sorry for the way you have treated them.  

Ask for their forgiveness and apologize.

And the final sin we observe of the rich man:

He knew the truth but made no application

Look at Luke 16:30 again. 

Luke 16:30 (NLT2) 

30  “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 

The rich man knew that the only way to heaven was for a person to repent of his sins and turn to God. Yet, while he lived, he chose to ignore the truth and make no application to his life. He refused to accept the life-changing truth of God’s Word.  He refused to read and apply God’s word to his life. This is the kind of man you would carry a Bible to church but never applied what it said. And then, it was too late. 

Do you struggle with obeying God’s Word?  

Do you apply what the bible says about Eternal Life?  

Do you apply what the bible says about forgiveness?  

Do you apply what the bible teaches about compassion?

If you want to experience JOY in this life and for all eternity, read and apply what Moses wrote!  Obey the Life-Changing truth of God’s Word.

Heaven is very real.  Hell is very real. Don’t be fooled by your wealth, and don’t be fooled by your poverty. Rich and poor will only get to Heaven by accepting Jesus as their Savior. 

About Eternal Life and Forgiveness, God’s Word says this:

John 14:6 (NLT2) 

6  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Romans 10:9 (NLT2) 

9  If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

If you are ready to surrender your life to Jesus, you can do it right now. Here is a prayer to help guide you. There is nothing magical about these words, but can help you start a conversation with God about your salvation.

Dear God, I am ready to surrender my life to you.  

I believe Jesus paid the price for my sin on the cross, 

that he died, was buried, rose from the dead, and one day he will return.

I surrender my life to you and accept Jesus as my Savior. 

Help me to follow you every day of my life.

Amen.

Meeting Jesus - Faithful In All Things

Out of all the parables, out of all the stories that Jesus tells – the story we are going to take a look at today has the highest likelihood that as we read it, you ask yourself – “What?”  It sounds confusing at the first read, and the tenth read. But Jesus point is clear, and it is my hope and prayer that you will be challenged by this passage as I have been. I am the main cook in the house.  Almost daily, I cook breakfast – Kristy packs the girls their lunches for school, and I cook dinner.  That is a rhythm that we have found works great for our family.  I like to smoke and grill foods, bake in the oven…

And for a family of six, I have to cook quite a bit of food, and I love to be creative and invent new dishes to introduce to our kids.  For instance, in one week I introduced them to spicy baked chicken thighs which went well, and smothered pork chops in rice that did not go so well.

When the new dish does not go so well, inevitably I will hear, “I’m not hungry…”  or “yuk.”

If I had sat down at the table with my grandmother and complained about the meal she had prepared, she would have jumped up, cleared the table, and told me, “Well, I guess you don’t get any food then…”

My Nana lived during the Great Depression. She not only learned the value of a dollar, but she also learned how to reinvent leftovers.  She would turn today’s fried chicken, green beans, and rolls into tomorrow’s casserole. As much as I would like to say, “That’s what I do.”  It’s not.  We store the leftovers in the refrigerator…and shuffle things around…then forget what’s in there…and eventually throw it away.

Sometimes it feels like we throw away more food than we eat!

Jesus told a story about a man fired for wasting resources that did not belong to him.  Let’s read this account in Luke 16

Luke 16:1-13 (NLT2) 

1  Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2  So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’ 3  “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4  Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’ 5  “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6  The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ 7  “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’ 8  “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9  Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. 10  “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11  And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12  And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? 13  “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” 

This parable is difficult to understand fully.  In most of the other Parables or stories that Jesus told, God is represented by one of the characters: 

God is the shepherd searching for his lost sheep. God is the Father waiting for his son to return.

Or – the lost coin represents a relationship with God.

But in this parable – everyone is bad. It might be helpful to think of the rich man like the Godfather. If a person needs a little help? They go to the Godfather. They need more olive oil for their business? They go to the Godfather. They need more wheat for their bakery? They go to the Godfather…

But he doesn’t help just to be nice.  He lends to get paid back with a high interest.

But the Godfather can’t do it alone, so he hires somebody to help manage, but the manager starts wasting money.  And when he learns he is going to be fired, he makes back-room deals to protect himself. You owe the Godfather 800 gallons of olive oil?  Now it's 400. You owe 1,000 bushels of wheat?  Now it’s 800.

The manager makes deals with those who owe the Godfather money so that after he loses his job, they will owe him and take care of him.  The manager was setting himself up as a Godfather! He was dishonestly using money that did not belong to him to make friends so that when he was fired, he would have places to live.

The Godfather – admires the actions of his manager – because that is precisely what he would have done in that situation. This parable was not being directed toward the Pharisees and religious leaders. Jesus was telling this story to his disciples.

And the first point I want you to understand is that followers of Jesus are to…

Use earthly possessions to bless others temporarily and eternally (v. 9)

Luke 16:9 (NLT2) 

9  Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. 

Jesus is not teaching that we can buy our way into heaven.  We know that forgiveness for sins only comes through faith.  Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” And, you cannot pay for other people to get into heaven. But – you can use your resources to give you an open door to share the good news of Jesus with others.

If you choose to tip your server $100 for a $15 meal and tell them about Jesus or invite them to church – they may be more prone to listen to you…

See, there are ways that you can use your resources to bless others in this world temporarily and there are ways you can bless others eternally. The term resources indicate more than “money”. It is everything you have at your fingertips that you can manage. Use your resources from a big picture perspective.  

Use your extra room to bless people who need a place to stay.

Use your spare vehicle to bless families who need transportation.

Use a portion of your business to bless others who could use some help.

And – as you live out your faith in Jesus through giving generously of your resources, God will use your generosity to point to his generosity toward forgiveness and a relationship with Him. So, understanding that God can use your resources to lead others to a life-changing relationship with Jesus, I have to ask you a question:

Do you live with an open hand or a clutched fist?

Luke 16:10-12 (NLT2) 

10  “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11  And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12  And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

Do you cling tightly to the worldly wealth that God has given you?  Do you turn a blind eye to those around you who are hurting and in need?

As a follower of Jesus, if you truly want God to use you to “love your neighbor as yourself,” then consider they ways he has positioned you to use your resources to bless others. I am part of an online community that builds and teaches others to build “artificial pancreas systems” for people with Type One Diabetes.  

Developers who are gifted with knowing how to write and develop code have hacked the technology in insulin pumps and rewrites the code so that Insulin pumps read blood sugar levels directly from a Glucose Monitoring System and increases or decreases the amount of insulin needed to control the blood sugar levels all by itself.

If the blood sugar is predicted to go low, the pump stops giving insulin.

If the blood sugar is predicted to go high, the pump gives more insulin.

These developers voluntarily spend hours developing this technology for FREE.  No Charge.  They choose to use their resources to bless other people. How they choose to use their resources may not matter to you, but for my family, their use of resources has changed our lives. And now, in my spare time, I voluntarily help other families hack their insulin pumps and rewrite the code so that their kiddos can live a healthier life. Living life clutching your resources is going to stress you out – so choose to live with an open hand. Give to others, help others as you can, and use whatever resources God has entrusted to you, to bless and help the world around you.

Because,

Your management reflects your relationship with God

Luke 16:13 (NLT2) 

13  “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Jesus is teaching you and I that how we manage the resources God has entrusted us directly reflects our relationship with God. It is clear that the manager had been unfaithful in the little things of the Rich Man’s business, and then he was unfaithful in the large, backroom deals too. If God matters more in our lives than our resources, people around us are going to see God’s love flowing out of our lives. If we are faithful in the little things, God is going to trust us with more responsibility.  

So, strive to be faithful in all things.

Meeting Jesus - Returning to God

The witness protection program fascinates me:  A key informant that is aware of terrible crimes of others (and perhaps themselves) is given a new identity for cooperating with federal authorities.  They are given a:

• New occupation.   

• New address.  

• New name.  

• New background.   

• New birth certificate.  

• New Social security number.  

• And in rare instances, a new family. 

Yet – many of those individuals are not just key witnesses: most of them are CRIMINALS who eventually use their new identity to set-up a new life of crime!  For instance;

Henry Hill was in the program. Because he refused to continue to commit crimes. He and his family were relocated 10 times. And was eventually busted for selling two pounds of cocaine to undercover DEA agents. 

Joseph Barboza was a mobster who turned on his crime family and cooperated with the Government.  In the Witness Protection program, he was relocated to Santa Rosa, California where he enrolled in a culinary arts school, killed more people and was sentenced to Folsom Prison.

Some people can be handed a new life – but they cannot leave their old life behind… 

Today, we are going to look at the story of the Prodigal Son – but rather than focusing on the returning’s son past – we are going to look at the New Identity he was given and its application for you and I. In Luke 15:1, the religious leaders were complaining about Jesus spending time with ‘tax collectors and sinners” so, in response, Jesus told them this story about the Prodigal son. 

Luke 15:11-23 (NLT2) 

11  To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12  The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13  “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14  About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15  He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16  The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. 17  “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18  I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19  and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ 20  “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21  His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ 22  “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23  And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast…

First, we must understand…

THE STORY ILLUSTRATES OUR RETURN TO GOD.

The SON was EVERYTHING the RELIGIOUS people hated about the type of people Jesus spent time with.   

He was a DRUNK.

He threw wild parties. 

He squandered his money.

He rejected his family.

He rejected his community.

Towards the end of his wild living, he was homeless and poor.

He returned home empty-handed.

RELIGIOUS PEOPLE THOUGHT: “Why would a HOLY GOD want ANYTHING to do with this type of person?” 

 But the Father in this story, was so happy that his son returned.  He CELEBRATED by throwing a party with feasting, loud music, and dancing.   

And, if you have already returned to God…by that I mean, if like the son, you had a moment where you realized that God loved you after you rejected His path for your life, and you understood his plans are not to harm but to help you and give you a great future. You believed God proved his love for you through Jesus paying the price for your sins on the cross, that Jesus died, rose from the dead, and one day he is going to return, and you surrendered your life to Jesus…God is HAPPY you have returned to Him! 

You may have been a drunk, had dozens of sexual partners, wasted your money, rejected your family, had a long season of wild living, and hurt other people… But now because of God’s unconditional love, you have returned to God and have been changed.

God is happy you have returned home to him! 

If you relate more to the son that walked away from his father, than the son that stayed at home. Welcome to the club.

God unconditionally loves all of those who have wandered away. And God celebrated when you returned home. But before the party began, the Father gave the son significant gifts that helped establish the son’s identity, and God wants you to understand the new identity He has given to you. We see in this passage that the father gave his returning son:

A robe, a ring, sandals, and a calf. 

And…

THE GIFTS ILLUSTRATE LIFE-CHANGE

There is no doubt that son left his father’s house in fancy clothes, but his fancy clothes were now nothing but rags that smelled like manure from the pig farm. He stunk!   (Dad runs to meet his son, embraces him, and catches a whiff of manure all over him!). Wouldn’t a nice bath, and some fresh clothes be just as good and make more sense than ruining the finest robe in the house? A bath would make sense, but that is not what the father wanted to communicate.   

You see, 

THE ROBE RESTORED IDENTITY & INHERITENCE 

In Hebrew Culture – the finest ROBE in the house belonged to the father. The only person that would ever wear the father’s robe IS the Father.  The robe belonged to the head of the household. But, when the dad died, the firstborn son would receive the Father’s robe.

In this story, there was an older son, and a younger son. The youngest son is the son that left. By placing the robe on his youngest son, the father communicated that his identity and inheritance had been restored. No questions asked! All the neighbors and the community knew how the son had rejected his father and brought shame to the family. It was a betrayal.  As far as the family and friends knew, the son would be shunned. But by the time they arrived and saw the son, what did they see?  Would they see the son in filthy smelling rags?  

NOT IF THE DAD had anything to do with it!   

The dad communicated that going forward, his son’s identity would not be formed through his  rejection of his father.  From now on whenever people would see the son in the robe, it was as though they were seeing the father! His past would not be his identity. If you are a follower of Jesus, God does not define you by your past sins. God sees you through the lens of forgiveness. You are heirs to His throne!

Romans 8:17 (NLT2)

17  And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Galatians 4:7 (NLT2) 

7  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Then, the father then gave him a RING for his finger. And…

THE RING RESTORED AUTHORITY

In the Hebrew Culture, presenting a ring to someone was a sign of great affection and symbolic of receiving great authority. In Genesis, Joseph, as a reward for interpreting Pharaoh's dream, was made his second-in-command. Signaling to all of Egypt that Joseph had authority over Egypt, Pharaoh gave Joseph his ring.  (Genesis 41:42 (NLT2))

The Hebrew culture understood the significance of a RING… 

After squandering what the dad had worked for, dad gave him authority over the household by giving him his ring! 

This was not because the son was trustworthy. It was not because the son had proven himself.  It was only because his father chose to demonstrate genuine forgiveness. With the gift of the ring the father was telling the servants:  

“He has AUTHORITY over you.  If he asks you to do something, do it as though I was asking you.  

The father was not going to doubt the son’s repentance.  His forgiveness was complete, immediate, and total. He treated his son as though he had never sinned!

As a follower of Jesus, God has restored your authority to be involved with the family business. You have authority to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. You have authority to defeat the demonic powers at work in this world that seek to keep people trapped in isolation, loneliness, confusion, and despair.

You have authority to pick up the sword of life-changing truth of God’s Word, apply it to your life, live in freedom, and lead others to freedom. And the third gift the father gave to his son, was a pair of sandals for his feet. 

THE SANDALS RESTORED RESPONSIBILITY

The son returned to his daddy – with no shoes on his feet.  

Slaves did not have sandals. 

Servants did not have sandals. 

Going barefoot was often a sign of shame or poverty. 

So before anybody saw his son in this shameful state, the father immediately ordered that his son receive a pair of sandals on his feet. His father was not going to let people treat him like a slave. He was not HOMELESS. He was a MEMBER of the FAMILY and like every member of a FAMILY – he had RESPONSIBILITY!  The father was communicating for the third and final time that his son was NOT a second-class family member.  HE HAD A RESPONSIBILITY to the FAMILY. And with the shoes, son, it is time for you to be responsible.

As a follower of Jesus, you are part of God’s family, and you have a responsibility.

I want to mention one of the ministries of our church that you may have a responsibility to fulfill.  Our church is unique in that every Sunday morning, children with special needs are lovingly served by amazing adults. Moms and Dads of children with special needs are able to come to our worship services and enjoy worship and connection with other people and know that their children with special needs are being cared for.  

If you are interested in being approved and getting involved with that ministry, please stop by Guest Central, complete a connect card, and let them know you want to serve with BEACH BUDDIES!

And finally,

THE CALF ILLUSTRATES CELEBRATION

Just as his dad was happy to welcome his son back home…when you read this passage in the future, I want you to remember that It made God HAPPY to bring you into his family!

Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) 

5  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  

If you have trusted in Jesus and have become a follower of Jesus, God did not accept you into his family begrudgingly. He does not have one hesitant thought like…Maybe not him…Maybe not her…They have been really, really, bad. In this story, we see God’s attitude toward all those who have turned away from the world and turned to God. 

He celebrates. Angel’s dance. God sings. And God’s people rejoice.

Meeting Jesus - Celebrating Forgiveness

Today, we are going to look at the story Jesus told about a man who went out searching for one of his lost sheep. If you remember getting lost as a child, you probably remember being a bit scared. 

Once my family was camping in a state park and at night, I got lost. I had spent all day swimming in the lake…and I stayed too long in the water…I left after it had started to get dark, and I got disoriented because nothing looked the same. The lights, campfires, camper lights through me off. I wandered from site to site trying to find my family.  Eventually, one of the Park workers helped me find my way back to our site. 

I knew I was in the campground. 

I knew I was near the lake. 

I knew I was along the road…

but I still didn’t know where I was because nothing seemed familiar. Being LOST stinks.  It is a terrible feeling. Keep that feeling in mind as we look at this passage of scripture.

Luke 15:1-7 (NLT2) 

1  Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2  This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 3  So Jesus told them this story: 4  “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5  And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6  When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7  In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! 

Did you see WHY Jesus told this story to teachers of Religious Law?

Look at verse 1-3 again.

Luke 15:1-3 (NLT2) 

1  Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2  This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 3  So Jesus told them this story: 

People with questionable character were the ones filling the “rows of chairs” around Jesus.  But rather than celebrating that these people with “faults” were listening to the words of Jesus, the Pharisees chose to complain and focus on their faults.

RELIGIOUS PEOPLE FOCUS ON FAULTS NOT FORGIVENESS 

Jesus told the story to respond to the complaints the religious people were making about the type of people Jesus spent time with. The PHARISEES felt as though they had “cornered the market” on what God wanted.  The Religious leaders believed that if more people were just like them, the Jewish world would be a far better place.

And – they had a slang phrase that they used to classify the types of people who lived among the Jews but did not seek to follow the religious law.  They called them, “People of the Land.”  It was a derogatory term similar to ones we often hear today.

They were earthly people. People with no spiritual thoughts. They were low, ungodly, people of the land. They did not trust these people with money, they would not accept his eye-witness testimony, they would not trust him with a secret, travel with them along the road, or allow them to be a foster parent and take care of orphans. The Pharisees did their very best to NEVER be associated with the PEOPLE OF THE LAND.  So Jesus told them the story of a man who owned 100 sheep.

The man in this story owned 100 sheep.

He fed them daily.  

He led them daily.  

He protected them from thieves.  From cliffs.  From bad weather…

He was a SHEPHERD and that is what SHEPHERDS DO.

In our world today, we have a variety of values that people have:

 We have different political views…

We have different views on mask mandates, Student Loans, Government, and immigration.

We have different types of families…

We have different worldviews…

We turn on the News and guests are yelling at one another, instead of listening to each other. We live in a world that highlights the FAULTS with one another, rather than focus on what we agree on. If you are a follower of Jesus, you understand how divisive the world can be…you understand how divisive Christianity can be…when we choose to focus on the faults of other’s rather than the forgiveness Jesus offers. There are followers of Jesus who have a different view on controversial topics. In a world that BLASTS social media videos about “Karen’s” we need followers of Jesus to CELEBRATE FORGIVENESS.

When the Apostle Paul was writing to followers of Jesus in the letter to the Colossians, he said: 

Colossians 3:13 (NLT2) 

13  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

The easiest way to live with an attitude of grace and forgiveness to others…is to remember one simple truth:

ALL PEOPLE BELONG TO GOD, BUT WANDER

I am not saying that all people are followers of Jesus – I am saying that all people BELONG to God.  

All people are His Sheep:

The stubborn ones.  

The scared ones. 

The lonely ones.  

The white ones. 

The black ones.  

The brown ones.

The conservative ones.  

The liberal ones.  

The terrorists.

The murderers.

THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS ones. 

The people you agree with and the people you avoid.  We all belong to God.  All 7 billion people on the planet.  Every person who has ever lived, and ever will live belongs to God.  

So if we ALL belong to GOD – why is the world in such a mess?  

Why are children abused? 

Why do some marriages end in divorce?  

Why is there cancer, childhood diseases, sickness, and death?  

Why do we struggle with loneliness, isolation, hurt feelings, pride and sadness?  

Why do we have division in politics, churches, and families?

The answer is simple and it is found in this story.

WE all BELONG TO GOD – but – we all wander. Even your sweet old grannie that read her bible every day, went to church, served in her community, and prayed for you daily – even she – wandered from God.

I grew up hearing stories of Mother Theresa.  She poured out her whole life feeding and taking care of the poor in Kolkata, India. 

Guess what she is? A Sinner. A Wanderer.

I grew up watching the evangelist, Billy Graham. He preached Jesus in over 185 countries and to over two hundred million people. 

Guess what he is? A sinner.  A Wanderer.

Joe Donahue? Sinner.

In fact, God described our WANDERING WAYS exactly like sheep in Isaiah 53:6 when he said 

6  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.”

I gave my life to Jesus in 1991…but I did not stop sinning in 1991. I did not stop sinning when I accepted Jesus. I still have negative thoughts. I still have thoughts of lust. I sometimes say the right thing, the wrong way. I sometimes struggle to not say the things I want to say, and often fail to say the things the Spirit wants me to say.

A couple of years ago, Kristy and I were on an airplane flying back from Hawaii, I reclined my seat to rest.

So, I had my seat reclined the whole two inches, and I had my tablet out and I was going over the sermon that I was going to be preaching in a few hours, I was in my happy place. Nothing was wrong with my world.  I was going over the message – praying – experiencing the joy of God in my heart…with my seat reclined. After about an hour, a man seated behind me grabbed the top of my seat, pulled it back further and began yelling at me.  

Through his choice of vocabulary, He let me know that I was the rudest, meanest, most hateful person in the world.  He was repulsed that I had reclined my seat. He had his angry eyes on. You know how Mr. Potato Head has the ANGRY eyes you can pop in? That was him…along with his frowny face.  All I could think about was Mr. Potato Head. He had his angry face on, he was loud, and standing over me.

What I WANTED to say to Him and what I ACTUALLY said to him were two totally different things.  I won’t tell you what I wanted to say to him…but I will tell you what I said, “I am so sorry.  I wish you would have said something earlier.  My wife and I will raise our seats and we will not recline back any further.”

I could tell he was not expecting me to be kind.  It caught him off guard and he was still angry! He yelled another ten seconds or so, which felt like an eternity on the plane… and then he pointed at my tablet and the words on the screen and said, “And you’re reading that CHRISTIAN CRAP.”

I did not reply.  We raised our seats to straight up.  FOR.THE.NEXT.FOUR.HOURS.  and said nothing else to him. At the end of the flight, when I stood up, in a very meek voice the old man said, “Sir.  I am sorry for the way I spoke to you. I didn’t have to speak that way and I am sorry.”

I stuck out my hand, shook his, and said, “Don’t worry about it.  I forgive you.”

But what I wanted to say was – “Potato Head!” Then Ninja-poke him in the eye. I have not stopped sinning since I gave my life to Jesus – but I am forgiven.  My life has changed – I do GOOD works now.  I tell others about Jesus now. I try to sin less – but the reality is – I still sin.

If followers of Jesus were honest, we each would admit that we WANDER from God’s path as well.  Even if we consistently spend time with the Lord in the morning, we still wander away from Him during the day. There is a reason the old hymn contains the words, “Prone to wander Lord I feel it…”  Because we DO!

And IF followers of Jesus drift away from God’s paths – is it any wonder that the world is a messed up as it is? We are all colliding into one another like a wreck at NASCAR.  Some people get dinged, others get totaled.  

Sometimes, the church stops following Jesus in searching for the lost and begins to focus on petting the sheep.

BUT GOD NEVER STOPS SEARCHING FOR THE LOST! 

So…

LOWER THIRDS:

JOIN THE SEARCH PARTY TO CELEBRATE FORGIVENESS

This SHEPHERD represents GOD.  God loves PEOPLE. 

God loves the LOST.

God loves the BROKEN.

AND God puts his love into action and searches for PEOPLE to show his kindness to.  The reason Jesus often hung out with the outcasts of society is because he was searching for his LOST sheep. It was not to make a point; it was to make a difference and change lives. 

YOU and I must be intentional about joining God to search for lost people.  

Since followers of Jesus still sin, that even means sometimes we get evangelism and life-change wrong. We do not SHAME people to become a follower of Jesus. We do not try to CORRECT their rude behavior. That is the attitude that turns people away from the church and from God.  On that PLANE ride I could have jumped up and lectured the man behind me.  But the bible tells me to speak respectfully to older men as Fathers.

It is the HOLY SPIRIT that convicts lost people of sin.  When Jesus was speaking to his disciples about the job of HOLY SPIRIT after Jesus left, he said:

John 16:7-11 (NLT2) 

And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 

The HOLY SPIRIT convicts the world of sin.  

Not preachers.

Not Pastors.

Not followers of Jesus.

We don’t grab picket signs and shame people because of their behavior. 

It is our mission here at Beach Church to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.

Be KIND. Show Grace and JOY.

FORGIVE quickly.

ACCEPT ALL.

You can accept others without compromising what you believe.  God accepted you and I and we were the worst of sinners! We must build relationships with those who have never received forgiveness for sins.  We laugh with them. We cry with them.  We hang out with them…so that we can LOVE them to Jesus, not to convict them of their sin.  

Join the search party as we celebrate the forgiveness of sins through our relationship with Jesus.