Meeting Jesus - Loving Much

School campus with a team of other students.  We painted, put sod down on the football field, striped the parking lot…and took care of other facility needs. One day, the Principal told me to get in his truck and drive it around to the other side of the school.  I hopped in the truck and drove it to the other side of the school.  As I was pulling into the parking spot, I saw some of my friends. I took my hands off the steering wheel, waved at them with both hands, then tried to whip it into the spot. I didn’t make the cut, and I ran right into Ms. McKinney’s brand-new Mercury.

I froze.

I didn’t have a driver’s license. I didn’t have insurance. I saw the rest of my summer flash before my eyes…sitting in a jail cell…playing the harmonica. I jumped out of the truck. Found Ms. McKinney and confessed to her what I had done. After she saw the damage, she said she would not make a police report, and if I would pay a portion of her insurance deductible, that would be fine.

When somebody shows unexpected kindness and compassion to us a deep sense of gratitude can fill our hearts. I did not deserve the kindness that Ms. McKinney showed to me. I had been careless with the truck. I wrecked her brand-new car. But she showed compassion and kindness anyway.

Today, we read about the encounter that Jesus had with a woman after he had already shown compassion to her and had forgiven her of her sins.

This wasn’t just any woman. This was a woman who had spent a lifetime selling her body to men for sex. She was a prostitute. She was a homewrecker. She used her body to tempt men, ruin marriages, and destroy families. But at some point, she had been changed by the forgiveness of Jesus, and now she was given an opportunity to demonstrate gratitude to Jesus.

Let’s read together.

Luke 7:36-50 (NLT2)

36  One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37  When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38  Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. 39  When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 40  Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. 41  Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42  But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43  Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. 44  Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45  You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46  You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. 47  “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48  Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49  The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” 50  And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” 

During this period of time, when a feast was held, anybody in the community could attend. The more important the guest of honor, the more people from the community would show up. Everybody was allowed to come, but not everybody was considered equal.

The first thing I want to point out is that both…

THE PHARISEE AND THE PROSTITUTE WERE DRAWN TO JESUS

The writer Luke does not say “A Pharisee” invited Jesus for dinner.  He uses the phrase “One of the Pharisees.”  This suggests it wasn’t some RANDOM Pharisee that invited Jesus to dinner, it was one of the Pharisees who had been around Jesus before. The Pharisees have already been mentioned numerous times so far in the Gospel of Luke:

The Pharisees were listening when Jesus taught in the synagogue in Luke 4:20-21.

The Pharisees were present every Sabbath when Jesus taught in Luke 4:31 and Luke 4:44.

The Pharisees were present when Jesus partied with the Tax Collectors and sinners in Luke 5:30.

The Pharisees were present when Jesus and his disciples were just strolling along through the wheat fields. Luke 6:1-2 

And, as we looked at a couple of weeks ago, the Pharisees were present when Jesus healed a man with the withered hand in Luke 6:7

Simon wasn’t some random stranger from a neighboring village. This was a MAN who had heard the teachings of Jesus, seen his miracles, and seen the life change that Jesus brought to others. But he was not drawn to Jesus because he was longing for a changed life. He was drawn to Jesus because he thought he could use the popularity of Jesus among the people to “Level-Up” his social status in the community. Simon demonstrated very little respect for Jesus and USED Jesus. 

We see the little respect he had. Even though Jesus was the guest of honor, Simon the Pharisee refused to demonstrate any customary signs of respect or hospitality.

Simon didn’t greet Jesus with a kiss.

Simon didn’t offer water to wash his dirty feet.

Simon didn’t offer the customary greeting of offering oil to anoint his guest’s head.

When Jesus arrived at the Pharisee’s home – he was snubbed! The Host of the Party GHOSTED the Guest of Honor because he only USED Jesus to make himself seem more important to the community. Many of us know exactly how it feels to be used by someone else. Maybe someone has used you for what you could give to them. Then when they are done with you, they diss you, ghost you, or give you the boot.

Maybe your family has used you for money.

Maybe somebody took what they wanted, then they were done.

The Pharisee was drawn to Jesus for his own personal gain. He barely liked Jesus, and it showed. When the woman enters the house, she immediately begins to weep, wash and dry Jesus' feet with her tears, and anoint him with expensive perfume. She was not groveling and begging Jesus for forgiveness.  She had already been forgiven for her sins. Apparently, she too had been around Jesus before.

She could have been present at the Tax-Collector party that Levi threw with Jesus as the guest of honor. 

She could have been present during the sermon on the mount.

This woman had already been forgiven and was already living a different life.

Jesus indicated that she had already been forgiven:

Luke 7:47 (NLT2)

47  “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”

This woman had already changed! She wasn’t out turning tricks, waking up in different beds around town.  She had stopped turning her body over to men to use and abuse her and treat her like trash so they could get their kicks. She had been forgiven, she had repented, and she had changed and because her life had been changed by Jesus, she showed him deep gratitude and love.

In the days of Jesus, women were considered inferior. They were not as important as men. Goats, sheep, and cattle were more important than women. Because she was a woman, most of her property belonged to her father, and when a woman married, it became the property of her husband. Women did not have much that society considered valuable. She had nothing to offer Jesus except her hair, her tears, and the perfume she used to use to make herself feel pretty.

According to culture, her hair was considered a symbol of her beauty, dignity, and modesty. Women would keep their hair bound and wrapped up to protect it from being damaged by the heat and the desert dust.  Since it was a symbol of their beauty, they protected it during the day.

But, when they were alone with their husband late in the evening, their hair would come down. At night, they were able to present to their husband their dignity and beauty.

Ladies, imagine you just spent hours at the hairdresser. You got it cut, highlighted, extensions, curled, weaved, or straightened…when you left the salon, you felt spectacular…

Could you ever imagine a scenario where you would use your hair to wash and dry somebody’s feet? This woman, filled with gratitude because she had been forgiven and filled with hope, was drawn to Jesus.

She anoints his head with perfume.

She washes his feet with her tears.

She dries his feet with her hair.

She kisses his feet.

And Simon the Pharisee had enough of this woman. All he sees is a disgusting woman, a worthless, vile, trashy woman. And, I think sometimes, even followers of Jesus today fail to…

SEE PAST THE PAST OF THE FORGIVEN

Luke 7:39 (NLT2)

39  When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 

The Pharisee could not move past this woman’s sins. He could not move past her past mistakes. He could not move past her reputation. Unfortunately, sometimes followers of Jesus get it wrong.  For some reason, sometimes followers of Jesus treat people the same way the Pharisee judged this woman. Instead of seeing others through the lens of forgiveness, we sometimes only see their past mistakes, sins, failures, and reputation. Sometimes, we have been so damaged by the impact of sin in our lives, we can’t move beyond our past.  

Maybe you have been hurt, abused, manipulated, lied to. Maybe you have been forced to feel worthless by people you trusted and admired. Even though you have surrendered your life to Jesus, you struggle to see yourself the way God sees you.

If you are a follower of Jesus, embrace this truth:

You will never be condemned.

Romans 8:1 (NLT2)

1  So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

John 3:18 (NLT2)

18  “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him…

John 5:24 (NLT2)

24  “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 

Sometimes people can’t see beyond your past because you don’t live beyond your past. Maybe you continue to feel trapped, held down, broken, and guilty.  

My advice?

Stop!

Stop watering down the victory Jesus has given to you in life.

Live free.

Think free.

Live a radically changed life because you have been made new.

And, if you have failed to see beyond the past of others, tell God you are sorry and tell them you are sorry. Make things right and apologize. Pick up the phone. Send a text message. Contact them on social media. Let them know you blew it.

See,

CHURCH HURT IS THE WORST HURT, SO DEMONSTRATE UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE.

The Pharisee's focus on the woman's past sins prevented him from recognizing the transforming power of Jesus' message of forgiveness. Instead of seeing the woman's new life and forgiveness, the Pharisee was preoccupied with her past. If there is any place in the world where people should be able to find love, acceptance, and forgiveness, it should be the church. I believe that followers of Jesus ought to demonstrate the same limitless grace to others that we have received from God. Uncomfortable grace requires us to see others as Jesus does - as new creations, transformed by His love and forgiveness. Determine to extend grace to others. Even when it makes you uncomfortable. Even when you are not convinced that individual has truly been changed. Keep being followers of Jesus that practice uncomfortable grace, because Jesus has extended it to us.

Meeting Jesus - Expanding Comfort Zones

When I was in Middle School “paddling’s” were used as a way to discipline the knucklehead students so teachers could maintain control in the classroom.  

At least once a month, the sound of one of our peers getting their bottom warmed up by a flat piece of wood would fill the halls and float into the classroom. I was paddled by every one of my homeroom teachers at least twice during 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.  The Principal and Vice Principal even got a little of the action.

I was paddled for fighting. I was paddled for cussing. I was paddled for telling my teacher to shut up. I was paddled for spitting spit wads, running in the hall, passing notes, and chewing gum. I was even paddled for peeing on the floor in the boy’s bathroom.

I was an idiot!

Man, in my school, the teachers could paddle until you stopped laughing.  If the first “three licks” didn’t wipe the smile off my face, a second teacher would step up to the plate for their turn. Culture was different. Teachers were not only educators, but they were well trained punishment machines. So…I wanted nothing to do with my teachers outside of school. 

Because of their occupations, and the age difference, teachers were the outsiders to my middle school world. In today’s passage of scripture, we encounter a man who was an outsider to the Jewish faith. Like my teacher’s in Middle School, he really was a well trained killing machine that served to keep the Jewish people in check. Because of  his occupation and race, the Jewish people really wanted nothing to do with him…but as we will read, he was a little different: 

Let’s read together:

Luke 7:1-10 (NLT2)

1  When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. 2  At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. 3  When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. 4  So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, 5  “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” 6  So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. 7  I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 8  I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” 9  When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” 10  And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed. 

Let’s make sure we fully understand the context.

The Jewish people wanted nothing to do with the occupying force of the Roman Government. They resented Rome. 

They hated that Rome occupied Jerusalem. 

The Roman government served to remind the Jewish people of their enslavement and bondage in Egypt and Babylon. 

Yet – Rome was organized. They had political leaders, soldiers, and power. So the Jewish people reluctantly lived with the occupation of the Roman guard. Because of the tension and anger, a Jewish man would never be seen inside the home, under the roof, or at the dinner table with a Roman soldier – especially one in charge of over 100 soldiers.

But Jesus knew that:

HATE BASED VALUES CANNOT PRODUCE LIFE-CHANGE

Until this miracle, Jesus had never healed anybody outside the Jewish world.  Every leper, diseased, blind, lame, or deaf person that Jesus had healed had all been Jewish. Jesus was not a racist.  Jesus didn’t hate people of other cultures or backgrounds…but until this moment, nobody from outside the Jewish faith had approached Jesus to ask for healing.  

It wasn’t because Jesus was unwilling to cross religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds…it was simply because no one outside the Jewish culture had the FAITH to believe that Jesus could heal and transform. Jesus was willing to go against his culture because he knew that hate based values could not produce life-change.  

Hating people because of the color of their skin, culture, religious views  - even if that was the way you were raised – is wrong.

The white culture is different

The black culture is different 

The Hispanic culture is different

Here in Myrtle Beach – we have a wonderful variety of people from different cultures.  It’s beautiful and amazing. But different cultures often create confusion, misunderstandings, and division. We see evidence of this almost nightly on the news.

Can I be honest? I do not understand the cultural norms of other cultures instinctively. Nobody does. And because we do not automatically understand the cultural values and differences of others, it can lead to unintended bias and prejudice. I am grateful that Jesus lived differently and without prejudice or bias.

Jesus was not going to limit God’s love and grace to only the people who looked like him, voted like him, or prayed like him. And in this instance, Jesus wasn’t the only one who refused to allow hate, intimidation, or fear to control his life.

THE CENTURION AND JESUS DEMONSTRATE ETHNIC COOPERATION

Note some of the things that the Jewish leaders said about the Centurion.  

The Jewish leaders told Jesus that he should heal his servant because the Centurion…

• was worthy

• He loved the Jewish nation

• And he even used his own resources to build a synagogue for the Jewish people.

The Centurion was in charge of 100 Roman soldiers.  He was wealthy enough to pay for a synagogue to be built.  This was a man who could have been FEARED by the Jewish community because of his wealth, power and influence. This Centurion was a tough man, but instead of using his influence to bully others and force his will upon others instead of using his influence to get his way, he used his influence to bless the Jewish people.

He crossed ethnic boundaries and unwritten code-of-conduct, he crossed lines of racism and hate, to bless people not like him.

He was a tough man, with a tender heart for the community he lived. He looked around at the Jewish people and he made a decision to improve the community he lived.  He used his wealth and power to make the lives of the Jewish people better.

You and I can do the same.

Rather than shrugging our shoulders and giving up – what if YOU chose to make a difference?

What if we chose a better path.

What if Beach Church became a place that helped launch churches that served different ethnicities in our community?

It would be amazing if God used our church facility as a place of worship for other ethnicities in our community. Or what if the cultural divide for you isn’t ethnic diversity – what if it is because of the age gap? 

What if Senior Adults began to brainstorm ways they can use their wisdom and knowledge to bless younger generations?  What if teenagers began brainstorming ways they can connect with senior adults? It could be through getting involved in our children’s ministry and student Ministry here at Beach. Or Senior adults developing relationships with Young Married couples to provide advice, wisdom, prayer, and mentoring. If we want to impact the culture around us, we have to be willing to lead conversations that begin with “What if we…” That’s when following Jesus gets crazy, messy, and fun!

We also see from the Centurions example that…

TRUE FAITH IS MARKED BY HUMILITY AND AUTHORITY

When the Centurion asked Jesus for help, he did not tell Jesus the good that he had personally done in the community. He could have. He didn’t negotiate. He didn’t tell Jesus if he healed his servant, he would build another temple.

Instead, the Centurion humbly respected the process. 

After he had heard about the need of his servant, he humbly reached out to Jesus through the proper Jewish channels. He did not go directly to Jesus (he could have.)  He understood that the Jewish people did not like him. He respected the lines that the Jewish people had created.

He sent a messenger to speak to the Jewish leaders. They made the decision to ask Jesus for help for the man. So they did…they sent word to Jesus that this man was unlike the other Roman’s occupying their land.  He was trying to help. He was making a difference.

And they probably thought it even more respectful that he did not show up at the Synagogue one morning when Jesus was teaching.  Instead, he demonstrated humility by going through the proper channels.

When the Pastor Search team was searching for a senior pastor, I had to go through the right channels.  Rather than just simply sending them a link with my name and information, I had to apply through a website, answer questions, go through several interviews…

At any point I could have shrugged my shoulders and said, “If they really were interested in me – they would do it my way.”

If you have a desire to make a difference in our church, in our community, and engage the culture around us, you must be willing to demonstrate humility. Jump through the hoops to serve.

And, be confident in the AUTHORITY God has given you while you are serving.  

The Centurion had so much faith Jesus was able to heal, he said Jesus didn’t even need to be present. He said, “just say the word and he will be healed.” If you serve in our community, on the mission field, on a mission trip, or serve in our kids and student ministry, believe that God has given you the authority to change lives. And if the idea of serving children and students makes you uncomfortable…make your “comfort zone” bigger.

EXPANDING YOUR COMFORT ZONE CAN BRING HOPE TO OTHERS

His servant needed help, so the centurion had to get outside his comfort zone to bring hope to him. Younger generations have changed. They are different. You will feel uncomfortable and feel a little intimidated by them.  You will not understand them…

So, if you want to serve…make your comfort zone bigger. 

When you step out of the areas you are most comfortable in, and begin connecting with people not like you, you are forced to lean into the Holy Spirit and trust him for guidance.

You can’t trust your gut.

You can’t trust your intuition

You have never been there before!

One way my family is going to expand our comfort zone is by traveling to Chan-Chen Mexico this summer with our church on July 26.  Kristy and I have served on mission trips – but not yet with our kids! Serving on foreign mission trips helps us get out of our comfort zone in our own neighborhoods. It forces us to see beyond what we have known.

Be comfortable living at the edge of your faith. 

Choose to serve with the strength God provides.

Meeting Jesus - Jesus restores

If you are grieving over a lost relationship, a lost job, a lost friendship, or a loss of anything, this message is for you. And I want to ask you to do me a favor: If you have a moment in today’s message that I call, “A Jesus Moment” come back next week and invite a friend to worship with you to experience a “Jesus Moment” as well. In this passage – you are going to see Jesus heart for the hurting, the broken, and the crushed. The man that Jesus encounters was not looking for life-change. He wasn’t asking for a miracle. Rather, he was simply there to listen to the teachings of Jesus. When you and I continue to LISTEN to Jesus – through biblical worship songs, through biblical teaching and preaching, through reading our bibles – even though we may not ask to have our lives change – Jesus may just show up and change our lives. We are able to understand more about God’s compassion and restoring work He desires to do in our lives.

Luke 6:6-11 (NLT2) 

6  On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. 7  The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. 8  But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. 9  Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” 10  He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 11  At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him. 

The first thing we can gather from this passage is this:

BROKEN PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO JESUS

Wherever Jesus went, broken people went to meet him. The people with leprosy went to find him. The adulterous woman found him. The blind, the paralyzed, the crippled, the deaf found him. Those who were broken over the potential death of a daughter, a son, or a loved one found him. There is something about the heart of our compassionate Savior that draws people to him. It really is fascinating that Jesus never really had to search for people who were broken. He made himself available, and the broken people were drawn to him.

In this passage, Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath – and this broken man – simply went to listen to Jesus teach.  He does not appear to ask for a miracle – but he is there because he is drawn in, he is pulled in, by the presence of HOLINESS and GOODNESS in a dark world. So he slips into the back of the room and listens to Jesus.

Something is going on in your life.  Not everybody knows about it, but you are hurting. Maybe you came to church today to find an answer for some difficulty you are facing. Some problems are fixed immediately, and some take time.  I hope Jesus restores what is broken in your life today, and if he doesn’t, I hope he gives you a glimmer of hope of what a restored life could look like. I invite you to keep coming back, keep brining a friend, and lean in to the worship and the teachings.

Like me, this man had something wrong with him. When we do a careful reading of this text in the original language, we can see that he once had the use of both of his hands, but now one was “withered.” 

We see that because the word Luke used to describe this man’s right hand is:

Xeros:  (xsay-ros): members of the body deprived of their natural juices, shrunk, wasted, withered

The author of Hebrews used that very same word in Hebrews 11:29 to describe the land of the Red Sea the Israelites crossed over upon…

They didn’t cross through muddy, mucky water. They crossed the red sea on DRY LAND. The ground that had been saturated and filled with the water of the Red Sea, became so dry the Israelites could ride across without getting any mud on their feet or wagon wheels. Because Luke used this word, we are to understand that this man’s hand had not always been withered!

He once had the use of his hand – but it had been damaged, maimed, mutilated.  It was useless, drawn up, dried up, and shrunk. It was once a strong arm – and now it was lifeless and good for nothing.  He knew what it was like to go through life with BOTH hands – and now only one. He was MISSING something he once had. His arm just hung there, muscles had atrophied, and it was useless.

Jesus KNEW that this man was struggling. He was hurting. The life that he once enjoyed was gone, and his new normal was this dangling, useless limb that people stared at and kids tried to touch. But the man wasn’t the only person there with Jesus. Those pesky religious leaders were watching Jesus – If Jesus healed the man, they were going to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath. Religious people always try to point out people who break customs and traditions. Religious people always strive to point out the flaws of others, but have a difficult time examining their own hearts. I love what we read in verse 8: “Jesus KNEW their thoughts.”

No wonder the Religious Leaders always had a hard time tricking Jesus.  He knew their thoughts.  He knew what they were thinking. He knew they were thinking about pointing out to people that Jesus was breaking religious rules about working on the Sabbath.

I want you to accept the truth today that…

OUR STRUGGLES ARE NOT HIDDEN FROM GOD

Psalm 139:1-4 (NLT2)

1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2  You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3  You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4  You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. 

God knows you COMPLETELY.  He knows our thoughts and our actions. With over 7 billion people on the planet, it seems crazy but it is true. Just like Jesus stood up in the temple that day and knew the thoughts of the religious leaders, God understands your thoughts and your struggles right now. In the Old Testament, Job was experiencing some great misery and said to his friends:

Job 31:4 (NLT)

4  Doesn’t (God) see everything I do and every step I take? 

Hagar was the name of a women who had a conversation with God in the Old Testament.  After she had that conversation with God and realized God cared for her, she said:

Genesis 16:13 (NLT2)

13  Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”

When I was a younger follower of Jesus, I used to think that God knowing all my thoughts, actions, and motives was a little unsettling, but my perspective has changed.  I have been a follower of Jesus since 1991, and I now find this truth that God knows my thoughts and actions COMFORTING.

Think about it! 

God knows my thoughts, and my actions.

He knows my fear, my worry, my doubts, my insecurities. 

He knows my actions the good and the bad.  

He knows my motives.  He knows everything about me.

If you are a follower of Jesus, that means you trust that he died on the cross and paid the penalty for your sin, he rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and you have received Jesus as your Savior by committing your life to Him.

This TRUTH that He KNOWS you and SEES you can be VERY comforting! 

It is comforting because GOD knows precisely how to counsel us when we mess up. 

He knows exactly what we need to hear, to motivate us and to comfort us.

He knows the people to put in your path, to encourage you and challenge you.

He knows how to help you and get you back on track.

He knows your thoughts and actions YET HE LOVES you ANYWAY!  

If we all were capable of knowing each others thoughts and seeing everybody’s actions, I do not think we would like each other very much.  BUT GOD not only likes us – he loves us! 

He loves you

God is filled with COMPASSION and MERCY.  He knows we are not perfect. He knows we fail. He knows all about us and chooses to LOVE you and I with a love that is indescribable and incomprehensible. And because Jesus understands us so completely…

JESUS CAN RESTORE YOUR LIFE, TOO!

Luke 6:8b (NLT) 

...He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. 

I imagine that this man could have been a little embarrassed about being called to come to the front of the room.  He had slipped into the back of the room. He didn’t want more people staring at his arm. The Religious Leaders were already staring at him.

In Elementary School, one of the kids that rode our bus had an arm that never developed.  He always tried to hide it, and everybody always stared at it. Yet, Jesus brought this man up from the back of the room to stand in front of everybody before he worked the miracle. This man may have felt the stares – but all eyes were on Jesus. Now – watch what happens:

Luke 6:9-10 (NLT) 

9  Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” 10  He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 

Jesus restored this man’s hand! Right in front of everybody. He said, “Hold out your hand” The man stretched out his shame right in front of everybody – and then a miracle took place. The bones grew. The skin stretched. The fingers, fingernails, fingerprints, all miraculously grew right in front of everybody.

He now had the full use of his arm and hand back. Jesus didn’t merely give this man back his hand – he gave him HOPE.

As unbelievable as that moment was, understand JESUS CAN RESTORE YOUR LIFE TOO! Jesus is calling you to stretch out your hand.

Expose your hurt to somebody.

Expose your brokenness to somebody.

Expose your shame to somebody.

That friendship you lost? If you are willing to admit you were wrong, apologize to the person, God can restore your friendship. That distant relationship with a family member? If you are willing to be humble – God can restore it.  

God can RESTORE your life to what it should have been from the beginning.  

Our prayer team would love to pray with you and for you. If you need somebody to help you seek restoration, begin with the prayer team. Be honest with them and ask them to pray with you and for you.

God sees you right now.

God knows your thoughts.

God knows what you have done.

And he loves you anyway. I am so grateful for our loving Heavenly Father that loves us so.

Meeting Jesus - The ascension

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, meaning at some point you made the decision to trust your life to Jesus. 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 your accepted him as your Savior.

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

GOD HAS OPENED YOUR MIND TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE

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 these five books of the bible memorized…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 truly get it.

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 taken place. God has opened your mind to understand the hope found in the Bible. Be encouraged! He Loves you, he chose to open your mind and showed you how to apply HIS TRUTH to your life. You have been FORGIVEN.

And we also see in this passage…

FORGIVENESS IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH CHANGE

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 get confused about the word repentance. 

They live their lives thinking repentance is living a life filled with remorse and 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.” 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 immediately stop doing, and other sins it may take some time, but the difference is…

There has been an inward change because you have been forgiven.

The word FORGIVEN is actually a mathematical term. 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 individuals name and amount due. It was erased. It was as though it never existed in the first place. The person that owed that money was no longer in bondage 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.  

LOWER THIRDS:

LIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

This is the amazing part of Christianity.  When you received forgiveness for your sin, you also received the Holy Spirit.

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 together 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. When I grew 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 of brick, steel, and drywall.  The house of the Holy Spirit is reserved for God’s most incredible creation – you and I. 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 a decision that you made, 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, or to serve, or to invite others to worship with you. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your generosity and in your relationships. So, since God has opened your mind, since you have been changed, and since you now have the Holy Spirit. You can live under the influence of the Holy Spirit! That means…

JESUS BLESSED OTHERS, AND SO CAN YOU

Luke 24:50 (NLT2)

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

That 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. And Father Carmine said a prayer in Italian and made the sign of the cross. We say God Bless you when somebody sneezes. BUT what does it mean to biblically bless others? I want to encourage you to write this down.   

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 gets 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.  He thanked them. He 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 he certainly could have – instead he focused on using his words to cause their hearts to swell with joy…not just joy – GREAT JOY. Typically is somebody is saying goodbye to a loved one…because they are 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 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, 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 other people. 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? Anybody can be a critic, anybody can point out things about others that they feel are wrong – but followers of Jesus can see the positive about people and love others with the love of Jesus and speak well of them. 

Meeting Jesus - The RESURRECTION

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 in disbelief.

Some 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 exactly how it was at the time of the resurrection. We are going to look at the journey to belief that the friends of Jesus had. 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 24:1-12 (NLT2)

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. 

It makes sense to me that if anybody ever wanted Jesus to be alive – it would have been the men that followed him for three years of their lives. When somebody you loves 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 certain 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 disciples 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. You believe he did good things. 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.

But seriously, it does demonstrate that you love them, appreciate them, and value them, so thank you for putting them first today and honoring their invitation.

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, in 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.  

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

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 with 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 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 

…And 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 are somebody that has heard the message that JESUS is ALIVE over and over again yet walk away with doubt, understand so did the very same men that followed Jesus!  

Jesus stood in the same room.  He looked these men eyeball to eyeball…yet they STILL had their doubts!  

They wanted to believe – but because of what they had already seen, they just couldn’t.

Is that you? Maybe you really would like to believe that Jesus is alive – but because of troubles, difficulties, and emptiness you have experienced in this world, you struggle with believing. If the disciples who walked and talked with Jesus after he 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 the faith to believe?  The same thing still required today. In order for us to believe in JESUS as SAVIOR – it requires God opening our minds to believe. If you have heard about Jesus’ death and resurrection over and over again, yet still have your 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 that is 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, simply 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 endured the “cup of suffering for all people” so that 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  in this 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 journey or shift or change in thinking.

The Disciples SHIFTED their thoughts about Jesus.  In this moment, they put their DISBELIEF behind them – they chose to believe that Jesus was alive, that he had died for their sins, and they fully believed by surrendering their lives to him through repentance. In order 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 have asked you to open my mind. I have heard the words of Jesus. 

I BELIEVE that Jesus endured my penalty for disobedience on the cross.

I BELIEVE he died and rose from the dead. 

I BELIEVE he is now with you in Heaven and one day he will return. 

I REPENT and COMMIT my life to you as MY SAVIOR… 

THANK YOU for giving me forgiveness and changing my life.

In Jesus name, AMEN.”

If you just surrendered your life to Jesus today, would you fill out the connect card and indicate that you gave your life to Jesus today? You can complete the Beach Church app connect card, or you can complete the card you were given when you entered the worship center. Let’s keep loving God with all our heart, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Our world needs followers of Jesus to prove he has resurrected by living out lives filled with His love for them.

Meeting Jesus - The Crucifixion

Last week, we took a look at the prayer Jesus prayed in the Mount of Olives. Then, Judas led the Religious Leaders and the Roman soldiers into the Garden, betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and Jesus was led to three separate trials, beaten, scourged, and condemned to die a criminal’s death on the cross. 

Today, we take a look at the Crucifixion of Jesus. 

Luke 23:26-47

26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ 31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. 47 When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” 

If you are a follower of Jesus, this sermon is going to be a little uncomfortable. 

The first thing I want us all to understand is that… 

THE CRUCIFIXION WAS THE CUP OF SUFFERING FOR SIN

As we looked at last week, when Jesus was in the Garden and was crying out to God, he said… 

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 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 

In the New Testament, the Apostle John writes about what it will be like in the end days for people who are facing God’s Wrath because they never surrendered their lives to Jesus. He writes: 

Revelation 6:15-17 (NLT)

15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?” 

People without Jesus would rather be crushed to death by rocks than to face God’s wrath over sin and 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. 

In Romans 2:8 we read that CUP was filled with the ANGER and WRATH of GOD toward sin. 

Romans 2:8 (NLT)

8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 

It was not the physical agony of the beatings, the scourging and the crucifixion that Jesus so dreaded. It was the spiritual agony He would experience as he drank every last drop of God’s wrath that we deserved. The Crucifixion was the CUP of SUFFERING that Jesus prayed he would not have to endure. 

When he prayed, ‘Father take this cup of suffering away from me” He was staring at this moment, when he was crucified, that he would experience God’s anger, wrath, and fury of our sin. 

When the Apostle Mark described Jesus prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, he described it like this: 

Mark 14:33-36 (NLT2)

He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 

In the original language it reads: 

“And having gone a little farther, he was falling on the ground and he was praying…” 

This is a picture of Jesus staggering and stumbling under the fear of the CUP OF WRATH until he finally collapses to the ground the whole time praying in agony. 

Crushed by agony of GOD’s coming WRATH. 

Crushed by fear of God’s coming TERROR. 

Crushed by grief of God’s coming JUDGEMENT. 

The Wrath of God would be released on Jesus at the Cross! 

The FEAR and the AGONY were so great he could not stand up…and he CRIES out “DADDY!”  Crushed to the GROUND, yet still PRAYING, he addressed his prayer to His ABBA Father. 

JESUS knew that WITH GOD anything was possible. Therefore, he cries out to his DADDY in heaven – PLEASE IF THERE IS any OTHER WAY – do it! Let this cup pass! 

Jesus asked that GOD would allow the CUP of WRATH to PASS. And then, as he lay on the ground in the Garden – he uttered the words – nevertheless – NOT MY WILL but YOURS be DONE. 

He said – Daddy – Don’t do this! Find another way… but if this is the only way – let YOUR WILL BE DONE. 

And at the cross… 

Jesus drank every last drop of the FURY of GOD for our sin. 

Jesus drank every DROP of GOD’s WRATH of for our sin. 

Jesus DRANK every drop of GOD’S ANGER for our sin. 

HE TOOK IT ALL! All of GOD’s WRATH was poured out on his SON JESUS. 

That means, 

THE CRUCIFIXION PROVES GOD’S LOVE

The Crucifixion of Jesus is God PROCLAIMING to the world with a VOICE that reaches into the past, speaks into the present, and shouts into the FUTURE. GOD LOVES the human race. All people. Everywhere. 

When you read about the crucifixion… 

When you think about the crucifixion… 

When you watch movie scenes depicting the crucifixion… 

I hope you understand how much God Loves you. Listen to the Word of God proclaim his love: 

1 John 4:10 (NLT2)

10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 

This is love. 

God loves you. I know you may not FEEL God’s love. Sometimes we even doubt God’s love. But just because we doubt something, it doesn’t mean that it is not true. 

He knows you. 

He knows your strengths. 

He knows your weaknesses. 

He knows your sin. 

And HE LOVES you in spite of the mess you may have made in your life. And before you can say PROVE it…he already has. 

Romans 5:8 (NLT2)

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 

The Crucifixion proves God’s Love for us, and… 

THE CRUCIFIXION PROVIDES FORGIVENESS (2 Cor. 5:21) 

Jesus was fully God and fully man. He never sinned. He lived a perfect life on this earth which is why he was able to pay the price for our sin. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

What happened in that moment on the cross, was an EXCHANGE. Jesus the innocent, BECAME sin and WE the sinner became RIGHTEOUS. 

When the full wrath and anger of God over sin was poured out on Jesus – Jesus became the full, twisted, ugly, corpse of sin. 

And – if you place your faith in Jesus and you surrender your life to Jesus, you put on the INNOCENCE of Jesus. You are forgiven. 

Because the Cup of Suffering was poured out on Jesus at the Crucifixion – if you surrender your life to Jesus, you are forgiven! 

The Crucifixion PROVES that God loves us. 

The Crucifixion PROVIDES forgiveness to us… 

And… 

THE CRUCIFIXION PROMISES HOPE

From the cross, Jesus declared “It is finished” the victory is won. 

On that cross, Jesus defeated sin, death and hell. 

His death and resurrection means that everyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life – the promise of heaven. 

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus followers of Jesus do not have to fear death, or what comes next. We can live faithfully & courageously because Jesus won the victory. 

If you’re living defeated, depressed, in pain & sorrow - we want you to know Jesus offers hope. 

If you feel like a failure, insignificant or unwanted – Jesus offers hope. 

Our Savior can change anyone – including you. 

John 5:24 (NLT)

24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 

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. 

Meeting Jesus - The Garden and Temptation

So I’ve been involved in ministry here at beachCHURCH for a little over 22 years…and in that time, I have participated in a lot of church-wide projects, led several mission trips, and my wife Marlene and I have had the blessing of leading the Celebrate Recovery ministry for the past 19 years.  And over that time, I have seen people experience some really incredible spiritual highs in their lives-they’ve had those “mountain top experiences” and I have seen those same people walk through some really tough spiritual lows, through some really deep and dark valleys. That’s not necessarily been by fault of anything they’ve done and it’s not an uncommon thing in ministry…even Jesus experienced those moments in His life as well. 

After Jesus left His hometown of Nazareth, He has been traveling around Judah and Galilee teaching the Gospel in the towns and villages along the way. But now He’s arrived in Jerusalem. And when He first got there, He was celebrated. In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John-they refer to His arrival as a triumphant entry because He was basically celebrated as a king. 

The people loved Him, they cheered for Him and laid their garments and palm branches on the ground before Him as He rode into town. But things change pretty quickly for Him because the things He was teaching and the views He was expressing about the religious establishment of the time upset the people in power-because they considered themselves the religious authorities.

Because Jesus was being proclaimed as the Messiah and the Savior, the religious leaders were plotting to kill Him-because He was a threat to their authority.

This was during Passover, a festival where the Jewish people celebrated their freedom from slavery in Egypt. And on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered up His disciples for their Passover meal-which we refer to as the Last Supper.

After Jesus had this really significant moment with His disciples in the Upper Room, Jesus went from a Spiritual High, to a Spiritual Low... 

At the Last Supper, everything was amazing.

Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper

He washed his disciples feet

But now – in Luke 22, they would leave the intimacy and joy in Upper Room, and Jesus would experience such an incredible degree of temptation and internal agony, that blood would begin to drop out of his body like sweat.  

Luke 22:39-46

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him. He prayed more fervently, and He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

At last He stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. “Why are you sleeping?” He asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

So there in verse 44 we see that Jesus was “in agony” And right before that, in verse 43, we see that an angel appeared to Him from heaven and “strengthened Him.” In these passages we get a clear glimpse of Jesus’ humanity…

Over the course of history, there have been a lot of twisted and distorted views of Jesus. Some people or groups have tried to minimize Jesus’ humanity, claiming that He was only spirit and His body was merely a shell or not even real at all. But look at Jesus in these verses. He is extremely troubled. Again, there in verse 44 we see that “He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”

Jesus is troubled to the point that He sweat blood. This is actually a very rare condition that is called hematidrosis and this condition has been observed by doctors on occasion when people face extreme distress. It’s a real condition, you can look it up on WebMD.

So just why was Jesus so troubled? 

It was because He knows the sheer amount of pain and suffering He is going to face. In the Garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus facing the consequences of choosing to become a human. In Philippians 2 it describes how Jesus gave up His divine rights and willingly became a human, even when He knew it would lead to death on a cross. Jesus becoming a human was always leading to this very point in time when He would take on the suffering and sin of the world. He knew this very clearly. But even though He had this knowledge-it didn’t make it any easier. In fact, this knowledge made it that much more difficult.

We’re all familiar with the old saying that, “ignorance is bliss”-but sometimes ignorance is a whole lot easier... If Jesus hadn’t known in detail what was going to happen to Him, He would not have been so troubled. 

But He knew. He knew every scourge of the whip, every hit with the rod, every prick of the crown of thorns, every hateful insult they would throw at Him, every hammer of the nails, every bruise, every cut, and worst of all, He knew the weight of the world’s sin and sorrow was going to fall on His shoulders. Jesus knew exactly what He was going to experience. And that’s what made it so much harder for Him.

So this wasn’t your ordinary religious, churchy kind of prayer…this was Jesus pleading with God that He would not have to suffer the things that were to come.

If I asked you if you would be willing to die for your faith, some of you would probably say, “yes.”  But if we as Christians started being persecuted and we actually faced torture and death right in front of us, that decision would be much harder to follow through with, wouldn’t it. 

Would we finish the fight? 

Would we keep the faith? 

At that moment, facing real persecution, actually doing it is harder than just saying “yes”.

That is the decision Jesus faced now. He could see in crystal clear detail exactly what He would face. Imagine again if you could view a large high definition screen of your own suffering and death ahead of time. That would be terrible-wouldn’t it?!?

And to Jesus His own death and suffering was seen and understood even more clearly than watching it here on this big screen. He knew every detail…

So it’s important for us to see Jesus’ humanity here. And the reason is this: 

JESUS’ VICTORY AS A PERSON GIVES US HOPE.

Jesus was not an alien. He wasn’t some kind of super human being or something like that... 

He had feelings as we do. He experienced pain as we do. He experienced temptation as we do. 

So just what was the temptation that Jesus was so concerned about?

It wasn’t that His disciples were spending too much time on their cell phones on TikTok or Facebook or Twitter getting all wrapped up in the drama. 

Or that they were struggling with porn addiction or lust issues, because they were looking at inappropriate websites on their tablets and computers…

They hadn’t taken Kevin Hart up on his $200 offer on Draft Kings and gambled away all the money they had made off of the big haul of  fish that Jesus had blessed them with that one day…

Yes, they struggled with pride and their egos-wondering which one of them was going to be most important and seated next to Jesus in heaven; but it wasn’t like they were fighting with each other or gossiping and bashing each other on social media (I mean, they weren’t politicians…!).

No, the temptation that Jesus worried about, that He was was cautioning His friends to not give in to was the very same temptation that He was in agony over.  

There in the Garden…in that period of humanity-Jesus faced the temptation to do what HE wanted to do, rather than follow through with what God wanted Him to do.

Jesus was in agony to the point that He was experiencing hematidrosis. Blood was seeping out of His pores, like sweat- because He wanted to be obedient to God; but He didn’t want to have to walk out what lied ahead of Him…

He was in agony because He wanted to obey God, but He didn’t want to have to bear His cross. 

He wanted to obey God, but He didn’t want to be arrested, beaten , and tortured.  He wanted to free us from our sins, but He didn’t want to be crucified.

That is why Jesus sweat blood.

He was torn between what He wanted and what He knew that He had to do...

JESUS FACED TEMPTATION WITHOUT HIS FRIENDS.

The only thing that Jesus asked of His friends was that they would stay awake and pray.  And you know, these guys were more than just friends, they were the group that He had “done life” with for the past three years.

He had poured into them.

Jesus had healed Peter’s mother in law.

He laughed with them, spent time with them, and He invested in them even when nobody else would have thought twice about them.

He gave them hope and He showed them God’s love.

And now, when Jesus just simply asked His friends to pray, they couldn’t even stay awake.

So, Jesus faced the worst time of His life without His friends…

Maybe you know what it is like to face challenges, temptation, losses, and fears all alone. Maybe you don’t have any friends that will come alongside of you and pray with you as you walk through struggles in this life. 

For whatever reason, you’re in this place of isolation; having walked the road of recovery for over 25 years now, I know that’s not a good place to be in. I have seen people overcome the worst of situations when they are connected. 

I’ve watched homeless addicts put their lives back together…

I have seen families that have been torn apart by adultery or other addictions restored…

I’ve seen so many people overcome the brokenness that brought them to their knees and into recovery-because they got connected and they walked out their recovery journey together in a community of people who loved them and came alongside of them in that brokenness and poured into those people the very same experience, strength and hope that had been poured into them, by someone else…

God has a circle of friends waiting for you.  People who will help you learn to trust in God during those challenging seasons and times of change.

And you need to understand that if you are serious about following Jesus, you need to realize that…

TEMPTATION OVERTAKES ALL BELIEVERS

But in spite of that, sometimes we convince ourselves that other believers have it all together and that WE are the only ones who struggle with sin.  

We know everyone struggles with the temptation to sin – but we’re sure  that they don’t struggle like WE DO.  

We think, “They read their bibles all the time, they go to church every Sunday, they’ve got their act together-they don’t struggle like me…So something must be wrong with me…”

I’ve seen some of those same people that have had incredible recovery experiences lose it all-because they got complacent and they disconnected. They became isolated and when they faced new challenges and temptations, they did it without friends…they went into those dark places all alone…

And when temptation overtakes them and they give into that  temptation and choose to sin rather than to obey God’s will..They find themselves thinking:

I was on such a good run…

Things were going so well…

I had my family back…

My marriage was back on track…

I can’t believe I did this….

How did I wind up back here all over again…? 

Why am I at this bottom AGAIN…?

I think that a lot of it has to do with the memories of our past. 

Our MEMORIES can stir up our desires and temptation to sin.

Think about it. Jesus was and always will be God. Jesus existed long before He became a human.  He knew what it was like to EXIST as LORD over all. Before He became a human, He could do all He wanted to do.  

But when He became a human, He gave up His rights as God…He experienced and felt things, just like we do and there in the Garden…Jesus was tempted to TAKE UP His rights once again.

His MEMORIES of His LIFE AS GOD stirred up this DESIRE He faced now,  to take control of His own life and do what He wanted to do. Not what God wanted Him to do…

And you and I need to understand that…with certainty:

MEMORIES OF SIN CAN STIR UP TEMPTATION 

Memories of sin can stir up temptation in our hearts…

Memories of those “good times” can stir up temptation in our hearts…

God doesn’t cause us to be tempted, we’re reminded in 

James 1:13-14

“God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” 

We are only going to be tempted to do something that we find pleasure in. I’m never tempted to go to the opera…but I love a good Christian Concert. I’m never tempted to walk around with club in my hand and chase after a little white ball…but put a gun in my hands and send me out in the woods and I’ll chase after an animal all day long! I promise you that I have never in my life been tempted to eat broccoli or cauliflower, I think I could probably do a 40 day fast and still not be tempted…but Ice Cream or French Fries, I’m all in on that one-Father forgive me, for I have sinned!!! 

A DESIRE to sin occurs only because we have EXPERIENCED it or something SIMILAR to it before…and we liked it! It made us feel good…

Maybe the experience came through people, places, or your past.  

Trust me, there are things I don’t do and there are places in Myrtle Beach from my past, that I need to stay away from and guard against.  Places and things that I used to find pleasure in-before I found my way back to Christ…I have to stay on guard against those old memories…

Memories of experiences or places that appealed to us in the past, can stir up temptation in our present and future. If we liked it in the past, our flesh tells us we will like it again. Put up guardrails to help you stay away from those kind of temptations.

WITH PRAYER AND FRIENDS EVERY TEMPTATION CAN BE OVERCOME.

If you feel like you have been walking blindly and stumbling into temptation after temptation…strengthen your prayer life. Pray more, and pray harder!

Begin to pray on a regular basis what Jesus prayed in the Garden – not my will, but your will be done.  

Ask God for His will to be done in your marriage, with your children and how you parent them, at your work…Ask God to help you be content and trust in His plan for you. You’ll be amazed at just how much better His plan is-than anything that you ever could have planned or imagined...God’s not trying to tease you.

God’s desire is to BLESS you not to MESS with you.

The brother of Jesus writes in

James 4:7-8 (NLT) 

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” 

This passage is what we see Jesus demonstrate there in the Garden…

He humbled himself before God. He bared his soul. He resisted temptation and God strengthened Him. 

God gave Him the willingness and courage to face what laid ahead of Him…

Jesus walked away from His prayer differently. He was no longer distressed and troubled. He walked away as a man on a mission!

He was resolved. He was assured. He was confident. 

His prayer didn’t change the outcome, He still was tortured and crucified; but He knew His Father had a plan and He knew it was a perfect plan.

Jesus will strengthen you today.

-Whatever it is that you are facing.

If you surround yourself with friends. If you begin to pray like never before and humble yourself to God…Every temptation you face in life CAN be overcome.  You have Jesus on your side fighting for you…

Since He himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested. (HEBREWS 2:18)

He has given us friends, He promises to help us himself.

God does not promise to deliver us out of our difficulty. He may not save you out of your trial. But if you come to Him in prayer, He will give you what you need to get through it and to be victorious.

Meeting Jesus - Triumphal Entry

Well. It is spring time – that means Spring Breakers are here – and it means my girls are playing softball. Naomi has made the Softball team at Carolina Forest, and Jessica is playing rec league. For the last couple of seasons, I was able to help coach one of my daughter’s teams, but this year, I get to help out the team by simply serving as the Announcer at the Home Ball games. So – I am not coaching, just practicing embarrassing my daughter by using my “Announcer Voice.”

I like to watch the kids step up to the plate with their bat, and face the pitcher.  For one brief moment, each kid is standing alone at the plate, and all parents and players are watching them. When I was the girls age, I played Little League.  Whenever a good hitter went to bat, the coach of the opposing team would yell to his outfielders to “back up.” If they were a great hitter, the coach would tell them to back up to the fence. Whenever I stood up to bat, they always yelled, “Everybody move in!” Everybody would shift in.

The players and coaches responded differently based on who was at Bat. I wasn’t allowed to wear my glasses – and I had terrible eyesight. I couldn’t see the ball…

I could never tell if the pitcher threw the ball or was waving at his family…but I always swung the bat.

And the coaches and players knew it and responded appropriately.  Since I couldn’t hit the ball, there was no need playing defense deep. They knew I would always swing. They knew I would never connect and whether we realize it or not, people have an internal response whenever they see you and I today.  

When you walk enter a room. People have an internal response to you.

When you enter your home. When you arrive at work. When you walk into an office people will react and respond to you, based on what they know about you. 

I know that because, you and I respond and react to the people around us based on what we know about them…

• When you see an old friend, you might run up, grab them and give them a hug.

• When you see a friend you see every day, you might barely acknowledge them.

• If you see somebody you do not like, you might avoid eye contact with them…

That’s why it is so remarkable to see how people responded and reacted to Jesus when he entered Jerusalem.  

He had been changing lives. 

Working miracles. 

Teaching about forgiveness. 

Hope and second chances. 

For three years, he had been telling people about God’s love and care for them. He had been reconnecting people with God.  And, for three years, he had ticked a lot of the Religious Leaders off. As we have seen so far in our “Meeting Jesus” series, Jesus always seemed to rub religious leaders the wrong way. He got under their skin. He ruffled their feathers. He ticked them off.

The core of Jesus teaching was one way to a relationship with God…

The core of the religious teachers was hundreds of rules to get to God…

So, the Religious leaders had had enough of Jesus. 

In John 11:57 – the Religious bullies had made a public order that every Jew that saw Jesus must report where and when they saw him, so they could arrest him.

John 11:57

Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him. 

They had placed the highest level of a Jewish arrest warrant out on Jesus, and they made every Jewish person accountable to give the information to them. Jesus responded – by walking right into the Religious Leaders playground! They issued an arrest warrant – and instead of hiding and running – Jesus did something he had not been accustomed to doing – he made himself the center of attention.

We will begin reading in Luke 19.

Luke 19:28-40

28  After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29  As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30  “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31  If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32  So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33  And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34  And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35  So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 36  As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37  When they reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. 38  “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39  But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40  He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” 

I love how the disciples and the crowd treated and honored Jesus. They didn’t know that in less than a week he would be betrayed, beaten, humiliated and paraded through town naked carrying a cross. They didn’t know he would suffer and die on a cross and pay the price for sin.

All they knew was that Jesus wanted to ride into town on a colt or a donkey – and they made it happen.  They borrowed a donkey.  They put their cloaks on it for Jesus to sit on. 

The crowd spread out their cloaks on the ground…and they called Jesus, KING.

They didn’t treat him like a King because he had told them to, they treated him like a King, because for three years, Jesus had treated each of them like they were a King. He talked with the tax collectors, prostitutes and notorious sinners not just because he loved them, but because they were important and had value. He healed the lepers, the blind, the sick, and brought hope to the brokenhearted because he loved them and they mattered to him.

Now, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, his followers had a chance to treat Jesus the same. 

Like ROYALTY.

During this time, a KING would enter into a town in two different ways. 

During wartime, King would ride into town on a horse. This symbolized to the town that King brough conflict. He entered the town on a horse, because he was going to defeat it. During peacetime, a King would ride into town on a Donkey or a Colt.  This symbolized the Kings intention were to bring peace, or continue the peace.  

If there were any rumors flying that the King was going to invade the land, the entering King put all fears and worries aside by entering the town on a donkey, and the people would rejoice.

Jesus desires to BRING you and I PEACE

This entrance stands out to me as one of the most incredible examples of courage in history. 

When Jesus entered Jerusalem…

JESUS DEMONSTRATED COURAGE AND DEFIANCE TOWARD RELIGIOUS BULLIES (John 11:57)

When I think about defining moments of courage, I think about TANK MAN. The man that stood in front of the line of invading tanks in Tiananmen Square and refused to move. I think about the United States Marine Memorial with Marines holding up the American Flag during WW2 at the battle of Iwo Jima.

I think about the men and women who rushed into the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001, to save the lives of strangers.

And, I think about Jesus entering Jerusalem. 

He knew there was an arrest warrant out for him. 

He knew what the religious bullies were planning.  

He knew one of his followers would betray him.

But, Jesus didn’t slip into Jerusalem at night in the shadows. He didn’t hide in a cart filled with supplies.  

He entered Jerusalem with the highest level of visibility possible. 

But…he did not enter Jerusalem as the Conquering King that brings war.

He entered Jerusalem as the King who brings peace.

Crowds of people gathered around him. Other gospel writers tell us that they waved palm branches in the air as they shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”.

The religious bullies that tried to control people’s behavior had a “hero of the people” to contend with.  The people cheered. They hugged one another. 

They celebrated the CHAMPION who had celebrated them. 

They cheered for the one who had cheered them on. 

They socially elevated the status of the one who had elevated them. 

They BLESSED the one who had BLESSED them.

They brought words of peace to the one who had brought them peace.

So,

LIKE JESUS, BRING AND LEAVE PEACE.

Do you bring peace to others when you enter a room? 

Do you leave peace when you exit a room?

We have the ability to bring comfort, peace, hope and encouragement to those around us. We can use our words to help or hinder others.  We can use our body language to help or hinder others. 

Are you a peace bringer? 

Or, do you leave rooms in conflict?

Do you help make people better through words of encouragement or do you enhance conflict with words of division? 

Does your opinion matter more than others?

Does your opinion always need to be expressed?

Are you always right?

These questions are difficult for all of us.  As a parent, sometimes I feel like I make matters worse when I jump into disagreements with the girls at the house. Instead of making things better, sometimes I feel like I make things worse. 

I am going to ask a series of questions – and I want you to let the answers linger in your mind for a little bit:

• If you are married, when your spouse sees you, do they brace themselves for conflict or are they relaxed and relieved? 

• Children, when your brother or sister see you coming, do they hold their breath and wait for the insults to begin, or do they light up when they see you coming?

• Employers, are you harsh with the people who work for you and “rule with an iron fist” or are they motivated to work hard for you because they know you work hard for them?

• Parents, do you constantly criticize and overwhelm your children with their failures or are you searching for areas to encourage them and are you building in them a healthy biblical self-image?

The reason I ask these difficult questions is because:

PEOPLE RESPOND TO PRESENCE BASED ON PATTERNS

As people lined up that day to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, they were celebrating, waving palm branches, cheering, and elevating his social status based on the pattern of life he had been living. Look at v. 37

Luke 19:37

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen…

People responded to the presence of Jesus based on the pattern of his life. Crowds of people did not gather around Jesus because he was rude, selfish, and always had to have his way. People responded to Jesus based on the pattern of peace he had already demonstrated. So how do we establish a PATTERN of PEACE in our lives?  It will only happen when we:

CHOOSE JOY BECAUSE OF JESUS

He entered Jerusalem thinking about what he would soon endure. 

The betrayal.

The beatings.

The scourging.

The nails.

The cross.

He knew what he was going to have to endure, but he did not limit his attention to the pain.

Hebrews 12:2B

Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Although Jesus knew he was about to experience UNBVELIEVABLE pain and suffering, he focused on what he would experience AFTER the cross.

AFTER the hostility.

AFTER the embarrassment.

AFTER the public humiliation.

AFTER the shame.

His suffering would bring you and I forgiveness of sin.

His suffering would reunite the Creator with His Creation.

His suffering would bring forgiveness of sin.

His suffering would bring joy.

And that is what he focused on! He didn’t not focus on the pain, he focused on the joy. That is so hard to do.

When we walk through the hard of life. When we walk through the pain in life. When we walk through confusion, betrayal, and loss…its difficult to not see it. Its difficult to not see the hopelessness, the loneliness, the confusion and the pain. So see it – but also see what is beyond it.

Look beyond the hard to focus on the joy!

We can do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

If we want to be joyful when we walk through the hard, we keep our eyes on Jesus.

Jesus is the one who brings hope.

Jesus is the one who brings peace.

Jesus is the one who brings healing.

Jesus is the one who forgives.

Jesus is the one who gives second chances.

And third chances…

And fourth chances…

Jesus is the one who is the great life changer.

If you want peace, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want healing, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want forgiveness, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want another chance, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want to be triumphant, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Will I really get all that by fixing my eyes on Jesus?

I do not know for sure, but I know it is the only place to start.

Meeting Jesus - Receiving What We Give

In High School I had long hair, bad acne, and mostly did what I wanted to.  😊 I rarely studied for tests. I did my homework if I felt like it. With no effort, I was a straight B student. I was suspended from school for 15 days for going to school drunk on moonshine. Another time I was suspended for fighting.

One month after I graduated HS, I gave my life to Jesus.  I began growing in my faith, reading my bible daily, and living for Him.  After roughly FOUR years, I had a desire to go to College – but I didn’t know where to start.  Even though I had been out of High School for four years, I scheduled an appointment with my HS Guidance Counselor. 

I explained to her that I had given my life to Jesus right after I graduated…I was a Sunday School teacher, a youth volunteer, and I had served for one year as a church planter in Ohio…AND NOW…I needed some help and guidance from the only person I knew who could help me. My Guidance counselor looked at me and made a judgement based on my past life. She did not see the new life I had begun living. She only saw the Sophomore that came to school drunk on moonshine and threw up everywhere.  She did not see the SS teacher. She saw the boy that got suspended from school for fighting.

She only saw my past and politely said to me, “Joe. Some people aren’t meant to go to college…”. In that moment – I realized that some people will never let you move on from your past. But my guidance counselor is not the only person guilty of judging other people – I have been guilty of Judging others as well. And I bet you have too.

Luke 6:37-42

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38  Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” 39  Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40  Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. 41  “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42  How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. 

First, I want to make sure we understand what JUDGING is.

JUDGING IS NIT-PICKING THINGS THAT DO NOT MATTER.

Nit picking can kind of look like how my youngest daughter eats her food.  She will not eat her food if it touches something else on her plate.  All the food on her plate is going to get squished about by her teeth, smashed with her tongue, and digested by her stomach…but she won’t eat her toast if it touches her scrambled eggs.

That is nit-picking! Most of the time when we make initial judgements about other people, we judge them based on things that do not matter:

We focus on their hair style.  

Whether they have too many tattoos. 

Whether they do not have enough tattoos.

Their clothes.

Their educational level.  

Their occupation. 

Their former occupation.  

Their family.  

Their marriages.  

Their past lives.  

Whether they drink.

Whether they smoke…

That is nit-picking.

None of these things matter.  

As followers of Jesus, it is our purpose to LOVE GOD and LOVE OTHERS…and it is impossible to LOVE people if we nit-pick them to death. But this passage has so much more that we need to apply to our lives than judging others…

We can also learn…

WE REAP WHAT WE SOW, SO SOW LOVE GENEROUSLY.

Luke 6:37

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 

Have you ever wondered why people criticize you?

Have you ever wondered why other people give you the elevator eyes?

Have you ever wondered why people gossip about you, spread rumors about you, and speak negatively about your character?

I have.

And – the hard truth in this passage is “we reap what we sow”. If I judge others, I get judged by others. If I condemn others, I get condemned. If I nit-pick other people – other people are going to nit-pick me.  

BUT – If I sow LOVE to others, I will receive love from others. If I sow grace and forgiveness, I will receive grace and forgiveness.

I have been told to wear certain types of clothes when I preach.  I have been told to wear a tie.  A suit. I have been told to wear Jeans, get a different haircut, shave my beard, grow a beard…

Nit picking others stinks – so sow love generously!

It is a very simple practical step of faith.  If we claim to be a follower of Jesus. If we have asked Jesus to forgive us for our own arrogance, our own pride, our own selfish sinful behavior, then as recipients of HIS GRACE we ought to treat all others with GRACE and KINDNESS. It only makes sense.  We have been forgiven – we ought to give REAL forgiveness to others.  We have been shown MERCY – we ought to show REAL mercy to others. So – we still have this little Judge living inside of us…so what do we do with our judgmental behavior? 

In verse 41 Jesus asked…

Luke 6:41

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?

That means…

WE ALL HAVE A BLINDSPOT.

Within the last week I have seen three fender benders in about the same spot at 501 and Forestbrook.  Shifting lanes and merging with traffic is hard. Our minivan has a blindspot monitoring system.  If I begin to shift lanes and a vehicle is in my blind-spot, lights on my dash blink and a noise alerts me. While shifting lanes, I have to continually stretch my neck around to make sure that another driver isn’t in my blind spot.  My little cars f=do not have that feature.  I almost ran one driver off the road and cut off another driver who waved at me with one finger as he passed.

We all have BLIND SPOTS of sin in our lives.  Sin that other people can see from afar, but it is so close to us personally it is harder to see.

It could be bitterness. 

Resentment. 

Unforgiveness. 

An ambivalent attitude toward sin.  

An unloving spirit.  

A gruff and harsh tone with other people…

An addiction.  

A lack of self-control…

Are you aware of your blind-spot?  Are you aware of that speck that “log” in your own eye?  

Listen to what Jesus said:

Luke 6:41-42

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42  How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

We ought to be our own harshest critic.  

Instead of JUDGING others, we ought to JUDGE ourselves.  

We ought to examine our own heart. Our own motives. Our own actions. Our own lives. 

We should never ignore SIN when it begins to take root in our lives.  We ought to turn our nit-picking onto ourselves.  On a regular basis, we ought to sit down with a copy of God’s word that we can read and understand and allow it to speak to us and change us.

We should not fear being transparent and honest before God.  Jesus has already paid the penalty for your sin.  For my sin.  God is not going to punish you for your sin – we couldn’t bear it if he did.  Rather, as a follower of Jesus God desires to continue to bring CHANGE to you.  Regardless of your age.  Regardless of your past.

See – If I am a liar and I sit down with God on a regular basis – God is going to change me from a liar to an honest person.  His character is going to RUB OFF onto me.

If I am a drunk and sit down with God’s word on a regular basis – God is going to rescue me and sober me up. His character is going to sharpen me.

If I am a thief and sit down with God’s word – he is going to change and transform me.  His Character is going to gradually make me more like HIM.

As God reveals those BLINDSPOTS in my life and I confess and remove them – THEN I can help other people who have been where I have been.  

So can you! I believe God wants you to…

INSPIRE OTHERS BY CELEBRATING YOUR WINS.

I love the story of the OVERCOMER.  Maybe you are the overcomer. 

I love the story of an individual who has been beaten down by sin and by life yet somehow God has given them victory.  Those stories are inspirational and motivational.  If God can work in restoring “their” life, then maybe it is not too much of a stretch that HE is able to work in my life.  

You are the inspirational story that another follower of Jesus needs to read!  That marriage that God redeemed and rescued – somebody needs to hear how you and your spouse overcame.  

That addiction that God rescued you from.  There is an addict sitting in our church that needs to hear your story of breaking free!

That cancer diagnosis? That depression? That anxiety? Somebody needs to hear about your win!

Be willing to share your win! 

When you share your win, you share HOPE!  You help those who are struggling understand that they are not alone and that they too can overcome through the love of Jesus.

Consider getting involved with Celebrate Recovery.  They lean on one another in a non-judgmental way.  They celebrate wins together and they stick with one another through losses and failures.

Whether we share it in a sermon or on Social Media, countless people can be impacted through hearing your story of how God removed the log from your eyes.

Will you communicate how God has given you that second, third and fourth chance, open your mouth and begin to speak about His Grace in your lives to help others?

Meeting Jesus - Loving Our Enemies

I have four daughters, and my youngest Jessica is 9 years old. And she is just as sweet as my other girls were when they were 9 years old…Jessie is like Tigger.  She is full of energy, joy, and is always bouncing around. She smiles. She laughs. She brings a lot of levity to our home.

Jessie said something one night while we were eating that surprised us all. As we were enjoying our family night dinner, one of the girls mentioned that a classmate had “told-on” one of the other students for doing something wrong. Without hesitating, my sweet, innocent, Jessie Lee said,

“Snitches get stitches.” 

I could just imagine Jessie being part of the 3rd Grade Mafia on the playground at the private Christian school she attended…pounding her fist in her hand…and warning the other kids: “Snitches Get Stitches.” 

But – “snitches get stitches” actually reflects how many people feel today.  Maybe we get our feelings hurt, maybe somebody does something to us to intentionally cause harm and we think:

Since you hurt me, I am going to hurt you back... OR

Maybe, If you hurt me, I will ignore you.  

Maybe, If you hurt me, I will look the other way when I see you coming.  

Maybe, If you hurt me, I will smile and nod – but things will never be like they once were.

Or maybe, if you hurt me, I will humiliate you and gossip about you and tear you down behind your back.

We know quite well the Old Testament passage: “An eye for an eye and tooth for a ______”

Think about a toddler. When a toddler gets hit by another toddler, most of the time, they choose to hit back. Ask the toddler why they hit somebody, and they will typically say, “Because they hit me first…”

The toddler is not thinking about self-preservation or self-defense. They want to hurt the other kid because they got hurt. 

And, parents, grandparents, and everybody who has a pulse, we struggle with “paybacks” as well. We struggle with paying people back when they hurt us…

So, how do followers of Jesus respond when we get hurt?  

In Luke 6, Jesus was teaching and he said:

Luke 6:27–36 (ESV)

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 

What is Jesus teaching us here?  Is Jesus teaching us that we are simply supposed to stand still and take it when we are hurt?  Are we supposed to allow “evil doers” to get away with the harm they have caused us? As a follower of Jesus, the first thing we need to understand about this passage of scripture is:

RADICAL LOVE OVERCOMES HATE, HURTS, AND HUMILIATION.

As always, it is important that we understand the context so that we understand the application. In the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew brought more clarity to this passage.  

Matthew 5:39 (ESV)

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Slapping somebody communicates they are insignificant, and you are not worried about their retaliation. A punch is designed to inflict more physical damage, but a back-handed slap is designed to cause deep personal hurt, shame and embarrassment. So…here is the message that Jesus wants you to hear.  Whenever you are deeply and personally hurt…when you are devastated, embarrassed and feel so ashamed somebody chose to hurt you…

When you are wronged - don’t pay other person back! Do not seek revenge…

Don’t grumble about them.  

Don’t take their private sin against you, and make it public.

Then, Jesus talked about TUNICs and CLOAKs…

• The tunic was a very thin garment worn under the clothes and closest to the skin. Most Jewish people had two tunics.

• The cloak was an outer garment worn during the day, and used as a blanket during the night.  The Jewish people only had ONE of these.  Anything more was considered excessive.  

Now it gets interesting.

If a person had been sued for their shirt and their coat…the law allowed that the coat and shirt could be taken, but the law also demanded that the coat be returned to the individual before night so that they had something to keep them warm. It was within the rights of every person to retain their coats.  The law insisted that coats were always returned to individuals… 

See, as followers of Jesus, you and I should be willing to lay down our rights and expectations so that others are blessed. Live with the mindset that everything you are entitled to, is in reality, entitled to others because God owns it all. That is Radical Love that loves our neighbor as ourselves. And Radical love overcomes hate, hurt and humiliation.

Then, Jesus goes on to explain why you and I as followers of Jesus are supposed to treat others with forgiveness and radical love.

The reason why followers of Jesus are supposed to demonstrate RADICAL LOVE to others is because:

GOD LOVES THE UNTHANKFUL AND WICKED – THAT’S ME.

The reason why we are supposed to be kind to those who hurt us, humiliate us, and hate us is because GOD LOVES the wicked and the unthankful. Look at verse 35:

Luke 6:35 (NLT)

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 

I know that might surprise you if you are visiting today. You might expect the Pastor to stand up and say, “God loves the righteous. God loves the Holy people. God loves Christians.” 

That’s true…but 

God loves and shows kindness to the people who do not believe in Him.

God loves terrorists, murderers, and abusers.

God shows kindness to people who are not kind to others.

One of my Core Values is Uncomfortable Grace.  I  believe that followers of Jesus SHOULD give the same limitless grace they have received from God. That means we demonstrate radical love. Not paying back evil for evil. Not seeking to hurt others who have hurt us.

We should go out of our way to demonstrate Grace that sometimes makes us and others a little uncomfortable…that means we love others and forgive our enemies in such a way, that we see them as God sees us, without one single fault.

Colossians 1:21-22

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22  Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 

You were God’s enemy…but God showed kindness and forgave you and you now stand without one single fault because Jesus paid the price for your sin. According to Paul, you are already in God’s presence, and you stand before him without one single thing wrong with you. No faults. No sin. As a follower of Jesus, because of God’s Kindness, we want to forgive our enemy in such a way, that when they are in our presence, we see them without one single fault.

So…

ACT LIKE A CHILD & LOVE LIKE YOUR DADDY.

In verse 35, many translations read:

Luke 6:35 (NLT)

“…you will truly be acting as children of the Most High…”

Let’s take one more look at children and toddlers interaction with each other. One minute two kids can be playing together on the playground, the next second, they are fighting. then the next second, they are playing together again. Most children under 4-5 years old, do not hold grudges. They let go of their hurt quickly, forgive and move on…because they would rather play and laugh than fight and argue. That’s how we all need to be.

Luke 6:32–34 (NLT)

“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. 

Jesus is teaching that even selfish, self-centered, people without Jesus can be kind, nice, and giving to those who are kind, nice and forgiving to them.

Only selfish people are nice to those who are nice to them.

Only selfish people love those who show to love them.

Only selfish people pray for those who pray for them.

Only selfish people give to those who give to them.

Only selfish people forgive those if they forgive them.

But the true mark of a follower of Jesus is love for all.  The more we learn to love others and care for others, the less you are going to be offended by them.  

1 Peter 4:8 (NLT)

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 

So, let’s be like our heavenly father. Let’s act more like children. Let’s forgive quickly and love others deeply. Let’s be more like our Heavenly Daddy who created us.  Let’s show uncomfortable grace to all those who have hurt, humiliated, or hate us…

When we do, great is our reward in Heaven.

Meeting Jesus - Jesus Parties With Sinners

Some people believe Jesus is a republican, a democrat, or an independent. Some people believe that Jesus is like a Genie in a bottle–if you rub the lamp through prayer, you get whatever you want. Still, some view Jesus like a Mascot the church rallies around once a week.Over this next year, we are going to seek to understand who Jesus really was,what he was really like, and how you and I can become more like Him.

Jesus, Partied.

That’s right.

Partied.

Just before Luke 5:27, Jesus had healed a paralyzed man whose friends had brought him to Jesus. They climbed the ladder, ripped off the roof, and lowered him down to Jesus. 

Jesus said, pick up your mat and go home, and the man was healed.  He left celebrating, praising God and the people were all amazed. And as Jesus headed out of town, he ran into Levi the Tax Collector.

Let’s read:

Luke 5:27-32

27  Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28  So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. 29  Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30  But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” 31  Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32  I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” 

After Levi decided to follow Jesus, he threw a Party with Jesus as the guest of Honor.  According to the Pharisees, Jesus was surrounded by low lifes they considered scum of the earth. Sexually immoral people. Corrupt tax-collectors. And according to Jesus response, Jesus seemed to enjoy being there!

Maybe it makes you more comfortable attended the party only to lecture the people. You want Jesus to be the chaperone. You want Jesus to have a clipboard with a list of rules. 

For many religious people today, it is easier to think of Jesus as the guy that shuts down the fun and laughter at the party with a devotional about sexual purity. While there is music, dancing, eating and drinking, Jesus is the guy running around separating dancers when they get too close. “Make sure there is room for the Holy Spirit.” or tapping people on the shoulder when they have had too much to drink.  He has his arms crossed, shaking his head “no”

Maybe you think Jesus would attend a party and probably ruin it. He is the Debbie Downer. He is like the preacher attending a Superbowl party that preaches a sermon at halftime instead of watching the commercials. But in the Bible, it seems that Jesus became known for attending parties. 

In John 2:1-2 Jesus attended a wedding and turned water into wine.

In John 12:2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus honor.

Jesus said in Luke 7:34 (NLT2) 34  The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’

In Luke 15:2 the religious leaders complained that he was always associating with sinful people and eating with them…

Jesus often attended parties, banquets, and celebrations. People invited him into their homes.

BECAUSE he was FUN! 

It’s not because he was a Debbie Downer or because he was there to place limits on the fun.

So Jesus partied often. He is the creator of LIFE and he enjoyed LAUGHING and Celebrating with people.

He drank alcohol – but he wasn’t a drunk.

He stuffed his face with good food – but he wasn’t a glutton.

He never sinned – but he ate, drank, and enjoyed the company of sinners.

Jesus was the type of person that many people had a glass of wine with. Now – let’s talk about the guy that threw the party. 

Levi would later become known as Matthew…

He would later write the Gospel of Matthew…

and historians tell us that Matthew would be stabbed to death in Ethiopia for telling people about Jesus.

Jesus changed Levi’s life.

BUT

He did not have leprosy. 

He was not paralyzed. 

He did not have a disease.

He was worse. 😊He was a TAX COLLECTOR. 😊

Tax collectors were viewed as the lowest of the low and the worst of the worst. 

They were greedy people that betrayed their own people by working for the occupying Roman government. With the enforcement of the Roman Military, a tax collector could charge as much as he wanted, give the Romans what they wanted, and keep the profit for himself.

At the toll booth, as people passed by they could be taxed any amount the tax-collector desired.  HE would observe the tiniest details about those that passed by…if they had a bag of money fastened to their belts…if they wore fancier clothes hidden under rags…they taxed per axel, per cattle, per wheel…

Because of the TAX COLLECTOR, the POOR were kept poor and the wealthy were PROVEN POWERLESS. That is why they were hated so much.

The Jewish people viewed them as traitors. The Romans did not respect them because they betrayed their own people. The Religious Leaders would not even allow Jewish tax collectors to worship! Levi was a wealthy, educated, and sharp businessman – but because he was a tax-collector he was never good enough for other people. Then, Jesus invited Levi to become one of his disciples!

So, if you view yourself as the worst of the worst, and the lowest of the low…you are just the type of person that God can use and the type that Jesus wants to hang out with! If you let him, Jesus can change your life! Because Jesus invited Levi to be one of his disciples, we find an important truth.

SAYING YES TO JESUS MEANS LIVING YES FOR JESUS.

28  So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. 29  Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them.  

Saying YES to Jesus is not just a one-time decision. Levi said yes, then he stuck with his decision to follow Jesus. 

All Levi had ever down in his life was TAKE TAKE TAKE.

Now, because he said yes to following Jesus, he would GIVE GIVE GIVE.

No longer would he be known as a greedy man – now he would be known for his generosity. The very first thing he did was to throw a party with Jesus as the guest of honor.  

This party – this was the mother of all parties! Eating, drinking, dancing, celebrating…because he wanted to introduce his old-friends to his new friend, Jesus. 

If you have recently become a follower of Jesus. 

Meaning. You believe that God created you and loves you. But your sins separated  you from God. You believe that Jesus paid the price for your sin. That he died on the cross and he rose from the dead and that one day he will return…and you surrendered your life to Jesus and said “YES.”

Keep living in the YES by introducing your friends to Jesus.  

Don’t abandon them. Don’t dismiss them. Don’t go out and find a whole new friend group. Sometimes new followers of Jesus are told they need to stop running with the people they once ran with. Keep those friendships!

I was told to stop running with my old friend because evil company corrupts good habits – and I walked away from many friendships I had with people because I was making new friends who were followers of Jesus.  I love those friends to this day – but I lost my influence with my old friends because I walked away from them.

Maybe that is what you experienced. People with good intentions wanted something more for your life and they were afraid that the crowd you once ran with you tear you down and cause you to lose your faith in Jesus. They had good intentions. They loved you. They wanted to see you grow in your faith…and were worried about you falling back into your old way of living.  

But – Levi seemed to do just the opposite.  

Jesus had shown Levi acceptance, grace, and mercy and Levi wanted his old friends to experience Jesus too.

So…my advice:

THROW A PARTY TO CELEBRATE FORGIVENESS.

What if you invited friends and family over to your home. The churched. The unchurched. People who understand the mission of Jesus and people who don’t.

What if you bought drinks, played music, smoked ribs, laughed and celebrated to the early hours of the morning…to celebrate FORGIVENESS! What if, while you were having a great time, you told them about how Jesus met you where you were, forgave your sins, and made you a different person? That would be AMAZING!

I want Beach Church to continue to reach people – so let’s have fun, celebrate, laugh and enjoy our relationship with God and with others – because life is too hard if we try to be live like the pharisees!

And while we celebrate forgiveness, we need to remember the lesson that Jesus tried to teach the Pharisees. 

As followers of Jesus, we need to…

TREAT SINNERS LIKE SICK PEOPLE IN NEED OF HEALING, 

NOT CRIMINALS THAT NEED TO BE CONDEMNED.

Like me, I am sure you have noticed that throughout the years, the church has hurt people “in the name of Jesus.”

Rather than treating sinners like sick people in need of healing, the church has treated sinners like criminals that need to be condemned. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus accused the Pharisees and religious leaders of being hypocritical, uncaring, and said they did more harm then good. My concern is that the way Jesus viewed the religious leaders then, is the way Christians are viewed today.

Do you know what unchurched Americans believe about Christians today?  According to the book UNCHRISTIAN:

85% of Americans believe Christians are hypocritical.

87% of Americans believe Christians are too judgmental

91% of American believe Christians hate homosexuals

And 75% believe Christians are too political

The Pharisees LOVED to condemn the tax collectors, the sexually immoral, and the notorious sinners of their day. In many ways, the church today has become known for condemning and judging those caught up in sin.

But Jesus partied with them!  

Jesus said:

Luke 5:31 (NLT2) “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 

Both Jesus and the Pharisees were in agreement that the people Jesus was with were sinners. But their approach to change their lives were radically different. The Pharisee approach was to condemn them, marginalize them, shun them, and to treat them as the worst of the worst.  Jesus approach was to talk with them, celebrate with them, and to show them that GOD did love them and that God wants a relationship with them.

The approach that Jesus took would lead them to life.

The approach of the Pharisees would push them further into sin.

By sitting down with the tax collectors and sinners, Jesus proved that God was not out to condemn or hurt people. It was a sign that he ACCEPTED and LOVED them.  He was not merely hanging out with them, but he was intentionally celebrating with them. 

So even if you have made the wrong choice and pushed people further away from God in the past, change. Choose to love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Choose to lead the world to a life-changing relationship with Jesus through your LOVE, not through condemnation.

Keep pursuing a relationship with God. Keep walking in obedience to Him. Never compromise your faith – but choose to love those that disagree with you. Otherwise, we look more like the Religious leaders than true followers of Jesus.

Meeting Jesus - Compassionate Faith

Some people believe Jesus is a republican, a democrat, or an independent. Some people believe that Jesus is like a Genie in a bottle–if you rub the lamp through prayer, you get whatever you want. Still, some view Jesus like a Mascot the church rallies around once a week.Over this next year, we are going to seek to understand who Jesus really was,what he was really like, and how you and I can become more like Him.

The book of Luke is so interesting because it’s a letter written by Luke reporting on the historical events surrounding the life of Jesus. It’s a beautiful, intricate piece of literature that reads like a well presented journal entry. I love journaling. It’s something that I do regularly every day whether in the book I carry in my back pocket or my work notebook that it’s my backpack, I love taking notes. I started seriously doing it, especially daily, during 2020 when I was stuck at home for a portion of the pandemic, the world felt like it was upside down but writing helped me focus on what was important, let go of stress and have something to look back on and get encouragement through the things Ive seen over the past few years. The biggest of which is COVID.

Though it’s not something that affects our every day life as much anymore, Covid still feels like a four letter word, depending on the day it legitimately felt like something that could wipe out the majority of the world all the way down to a mild inconvenience. We’ve all been affected, we lost friends and family and the world looks different now because of it.

I remember in 2020 when I tested positive and I thought I was going to lose my mind, we were just a few days away from Christmas Eve service and everything was falling apart as Tom and many of the band had also tested positive. Tom’s quarantine period was done before mine so that Christmas Eve Tom was the only musician we had during our service. I remember watching the live feed on my phone at my house as I laid in bed and feeling helpless, but we had volunteers jumping into areas they were not usually a part of to make sure that things went as smoothly as they could. So many people wanted to help in some way.

I’m reminded of all the food distributions that we were involved in both here on our campus but also partnering with other churches and civic communities around the Grand Strand. I’m reminded of the worship nights we had outside in the parking lot staying distant but together. I’m reminded of the numerous blood drives that were held here in Adventure Beach as there was a shortage across the country. I think of those that gave their time and resources to help others in need.

Those actions are examples of “COMPASSION.” 

When we see other people suffering, and we say…I want to help somehow, and we do something to help bring relief to the people suffering – that is COMPASSION.

In today’s passage of scripture, we find a very clear example of COMPASSION among people who believed Jesus was able to work miracles.

Luke 5:17-26

17  One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus. 18  Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19  but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” 21  But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” 22  Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23  Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24  So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” 25  And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26  Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” 

During this time, the religious leaders believed that if a person was suffering physical, it was because God was punishing them for their sins.

They believed that if something bad happened, that if something tragic happened, that if a person got a disease, was paralyzed, or just sick, they believed GOD was punishing that individual for their sins. It seems odd, maybe even ridiculous but I bet you have had a similar thought. We say things like “that’s karma” and we were raised to navigate through a world knowing our actions have consequences. Sometimes we see people with a terrible diagnosis, get in a horrible accident, and think that God must be punishing them for some reason. Like this is the consequence to some bad decision they have made.

Can I just state how insane that is?  

SIN and DISEASE are tied together. 

When the first man sinned, sickness, disease, deformities, and death entered the world.

BUT

God does not punish us with sickness and disease. Sickness and disease are something all of us will experience until we leave our physical bodies…

not because of personal sin – but because of sin. Period.

And, these Religious Leaders, rather than having compassion on the hurting, had judgmental thoughts toward those who were sick. The first lesson we learn about compassion from this text is that, as a body of Believers, we can…

PARTNER TOGETHER TO HELP OTHERS FIND HEAVEN THROUGH JESUS. (V.18-19)

Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 

When we care about the people around us, we will look for opportunities to partner with others to bring them to Jesus.

If you have surrendered your life to Jesus and received Him as your Savior. If you believe that on the cross, Jesus paid the price for your sin, you have been forgiven for your sins, and you have reconnected to God through Jesus. If that’s true then you know people who have not yet experienced a life-changing relationship with God – who don’t know what they are missing out on. If they did, they would want to know!

With Christ comes forgiveness. In that forgiveness, you have peace during a time of trial, you have hope in the middle of hopeless situations and even when you are defeated you can stand in the confidence of victory.

You have experienced Jesus power in your life…

rescuing you from addiction, 

fixing your broken relationships with others, 

redeeming your past. 

You know what it is like to have a GROWing relationship with your heavenly Father…and you

know through experience what friends, families and neighbors are missing out on because they have never turned their lives over to Jesus.

So – invite them to Weekend worship. Invite them to watch online. Invite them to a community group you are a part of.  

Maybe you don’t feel comfortable yet sharing how people’s lives could be changed through connect with God – invite them to church! Invite them to Celebrate Recovery on Friday nights at 6pm. Celebrate Recovery is for so much more than just addictions. If you want to see what a hunger for relationship with God looks like, I encourage you to go. Any hurt, hurt habit or hang-up. Everyone stands together with an eagerness to grow closer to God.

That is a great illustration of how we can partner together to point others to Heaven through Jesus. 

The second thing we can learn about Compassion is this:

COMPASSIONATE FAITH OVERCOMES HICCUPS, HINDRANCES, AND HELL. (V.19-20)

but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” 

This is something that would have taken a lot of determination. These friends didn’t look at the crowd, drop their bro on the mat and say “better luck tomorrow”.They didn’t let the crowd stop them, or a ladder or even a roof, they ripped it open and lowered their friend in need down in front of the only person that could help. They CARED too much to let things like crowds, ladders, and roofs get in the way. They knew if they could get their friend to Jesus – he would be changed forever.

And he was. 

Jesus forgave the man, then told him to stand up, pick up his mat, and go home. When he left that place, he did not need a mat. He would never need to be carried around again. The same crowd that blocked him from Jesus, now stared at him with wonder as they parted and he passed through. All because his friends didn’t just believe that Jesus could heal him… it wasn’t just a head knowledge that Jesus could change his life. They showed COMPASSION by doing everything they could to get him in front of Jesus.

And WE can do the same. You can do the same! 

Don’t just SAY you believe that Jesus can change lives. Have COMPASSIONATE faith that moves mountains and invite your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to church with you.

Scroll through the contacts on your phone if you can’t think of somebody to show compassion to.  

Invite your dentist, 

the person that details your car, 

your landscaper, 

your surgeon, 

your server at the restaurant, 

the people that deliver your furniture, 

the person that picks up your trash, 

We do care for others, so keep showing it and…

KEEP HELPING RATHER THAN CHOOSING A “HELPLESS FAITH.” (V.25)

And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.

If you have been changed by Jesus – live out that change every single day.  

Don’t live like you have a helpless faith.  

Don’t live like you aren’t important. 

Don’t live like you do not matter.

You have been given life- so work to give life to others. 

This man bound to a mat no longer needed it, and Jesus did not expect for this man to keep laying there.  He told him to GET UP.  He told him to haul his cot back to his house.

God has not changed our lives for us to remain motionless, paralyzed or helpless.  

When Christ first said the paralyzed man was forgiven, his life would be forever changed, but those around him were still doubtful, it was when the man got up and walked out that inward change was now evident to those standing witness to the glory of God through Christ Jesus. We can do the same. God changes us from the inside out. We can be FOREVER CHANGED! 

Let us walk away from what we WERE and be what God has called us to be. Let us not sit and feel helpless but stand and know that God is doing a mighty work in us. Let’s not be passive in our faith but actively seek out the chances to show the world that we are made new. That the sin that once bound us has been forgiven and there is no limit to what God can do in our lives and in the lives of those we encounter.

He has placed within our hearts a faith that can move mountains…I hope you believe that God can use you, that God will use you if you invite Him to.

Our Ethos statement here is “We are a connected people, captivated by Christ, whose changed lives are changing lives”

We are changed because of the work God has done in us. Why would we not want to show that change to those around us? We get to be a walking testimony of God’s power to change our lives. Maybe you are uncertain about how to get started, well theres a lot of easy ways to do that right here! Get connected.

There are so many ways for you to help rather than choose a helpless faith. Our Tuesday Crew is a group of men who meet here each week to help keep up our campus, making sure that it’s ready and able for every activity that we host here. Join our Children’s Ministry and speak into the lives of children as they grow in their faith. Join our prayer team to go to the Lord with those in need after our services and during the week.

Hebrews 12:12–13

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. 

Meeting Jesus - Jesus heals the leper

Some people believe Jesus is a republican, a democrat, or an independent. Some people believe that Jesus is like a Genie in a bottle–if you rub the lamp through prayer, you get whatever you want. Still, some view Jesus like a Mascot the church rallies around once a week.Over this next year, we are going to seek to understand who Jesus really was,what he was really like, and how you and I can become more like Him.

Here at Beach Church, we believe if we read God’s Word and apply his Word, he Will change our lives.Last week we talked about the importance of continuing to surrender to Jesus in our lives, and this week we are taking a look at Luke 5:12-16 when Jesus changes another man’s life.

The majority of us have experienced something traumatic in our lives, that we had to learn to deal with.

Maybe it was an unexpected layoff. Maybe a spouse filing for a divorce you did not want. Maybe your child was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

Some trauma comes to us through no fault of our own. 

Perhaps like me, you had an abusive, alcoholic parent who was mean and hurtful to you, or maybe somebody betrayed your trust and took advantage of you. Maybe you were neglected and abused by a spouse, or grew up in a violent and dysfunctional home. The world has been broken by sin. That means that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. And, bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people.  

A newsflash for all of us: 

Life is not fair! Nothing in life seems to be consistent and fair because the world has been broken by sin.

When my teachers would punish the whole class for something one person did, I would stand up, interrupt the class and shout: “That’s not fair.”

If my brothers or sisters received a toy, and I didn’t  - I would say, “That’s not fair.”

Today, we read about a man dying a slow, painful death through no fault of his own…and nothing could be done to help him.  I am sure he mumbled many times, “Life’s not fair.”

Luke 5:12-16

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” 13  Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 14  Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” 15  But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16  But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. 

It is important to understand this incident in the proper context. Leprosy was a terrible disease. The moment it was discovered a person had leprosy, their clothes, possessions, and bedding were destroyed through fire.  Then, their family disowned them and shunned them for the rest of their lives. Even if they had wealth and money – they lost it all. A person never asked for Leprosy, but they got it. Like Covid, a virus, cancer, or the common cold, a person contracted Leprosy through no fault of their own. Whether old, young, rich or poor, a leper was shunned by friends, family and the community.  

As a leper traveled and walked along the road or trails, they had to yell “Unclean!  Unclean!”  and ring a bell to make sure people knew they were diseased and for all to stay clear. 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 and toes, losing limbs, going blind, horribly disfigured they would eventually die…of either starvation or rot.

Can you imagine that life? To be grouped together with a group of diseased people and watching them one-by-one die a painful death, knowing that one day, you would also meet that same fate.  And – the psychological consequences of Leprosy were as damaging as the physical. They carried SHAME and GUILT even though they were innocent victims of the disease. Historians tell us that they often blamed themselves.

This man HATED himself and all that he had become.

This man had become the most grotesque version of himself he could possibly be. I believe He Hated who he was and what he had become. And maybe that’s where you are today.

Maybe somebody hurt you as a child, and you blame yourself. Maybe you were in an abusive relationship for years, and you blame and shame yourself for not getting out sooner. You were hurt. Your kids were hurt. You are weighed down by guilt you should not be carrying. Maybe you have an eating disorder, an addiction to drugs or alcohol, and you have hurt people who loved you. Maybe you were the abuser, you have deep regrets about the pain you caused. Maybe you just can’t look at yourself in the mirror any longer because you hate the person. you are today.

EVEN WHEN WE HATE OURSELVES, JESUS REACHES OUT

As Jesus is moving about in the village – this diseased leper hobbles to Jesus, bowing down to the ground in shame and pleads: “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean!”. Without hesitating, drawing back in horror, or recoiling, Jesus takes a step toward the man and said, “I am willing – and he TOUCHES the man!”

The day he was diagnosed, people stopped touching him. 

No handshakes. 

No hugs. 

No pat on the back. 

No stealing kisses from the woman he loved. 

No butterfly kisses on his cheek from his children or grandchildren.

NOTHING.

Then – this stranger reaches out his hand and TOUCHES the Leper. BEFORE he healed him!

The touch came first, then came the healing.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you came to a moment that you understood that you NEEDED the cleansing power of Jesus to change your life, too.  You understood the ugliness of your sin. That your sin separated you from God. But Jesus death on the cross paid the price for your sin and through his blood, you were cleansed from sin and made new. You Surrendered your life to Jesus and committed your life to following him.

If you are a follower of Jesus – understand if we want to make a difference in this broken world, we must reach out with a compassionate TOUCH before we can make a difference.

If people around you are broken – reach out with compassion. 

Be willing to meet them where they are.  Show them uncomfortable grace. Some people are so broken they hate themselves and they are ready to give up – show them the compassion of Jesus.  Your character and beliefs are never compromised by showing compassion to people overwhelmed by sin.

And, if you are at the place that you hate yourself because of choices you made, things you have done, words you have said, and hurt you have caused to others…JESUS is still reaching out to you.

You may hate yourself – but God loves you 

He knows how you feel about yourself…

He knows what you think about yourself…

But he will never stop reaching out to you.

Jesus will never ever stop reaching out to you. So reach back out to Him. Surrender control of your life to Him. 

Tell Him you are tired of making up the rules for your life. Tell Him you are ready to live by his rules. Beginning this moment, get clean on the inside.

Surrender your life to God and receive forgiveness for sins. Just simply say to God, “I believe Jesus paid the price for my sins, and I surrender to you. I will stop living by my own rules, and begin following you.”

Now, for all of us, it is important that we understand:

SOMETIMES HEALING IS INSTANT, SOMETIMES A PROCESS

In verse 13, we see that this man was healed immediately by Jesus.  I have heard of those miraculous moments in people’s lives when they struggle with anger, or addiction, or they have been diagnosed with cancer – and they are healed instantly!

I have seen the before and after of medical ultrasounds of tumors that are suddenly gone. I have spoken with men and women who had their desire for drunkenness and getting high instantly disappear. I praise the Lord for those sudden, dramatic, healings that demonstrate God’s power.

But, sometimes healing is a process that takes time.

PTSD healing takes time.

Overcoming depression and anxiety takes time.

Overcoming abuse, church hurt, and sadness can take time.

Much of the hurt you and I have experienced in life requires us to process through prayer, reading the Bible, counseling, and programs like Celebrate Recovery.

If you have any hurt, habit, or hangup that you wrestle with – Invest in healing for yourself by attending Celebrate Recovery and be open and honest about what you are hoping to recover from…Jesus heals today instantly, and he also heals through a process of time, prayer, conversation and understanding.

Wherever you are at, and whatever you need healing from, you are worth beginning the process and the journey.

Then, as you grow to a point of change and transformation…

ANNOUNCE CHANGE THROUGH BAPTISM

Luke 5:14

…He said, “Go to the priest… Take along the offering … This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” 

Jewish Old Testament Law required that those cured of an infectious disease receive permission to re-enter society from the Priests.  This man with the advanced case of leprosy must have hungered for years for a priest to say, “You are clean!”  Being healed from the disease would mean that he could return to his family, return to an occupation, and from that point on – he would never be alone, lonely, or by himself again because of his disease!

No more watching families from a distance. No more watching Father and Sons go to the synagogue together…and wishing that was him. Now he could be hugged! Now he could hug others! Now he could love and be loved by others…Through the touch of Jesus – he got a second-chance at life!

But before he could live in the NEW – the change had to be announced.

Some of you have experienced the life-changing power of forgiveness in your lives…It is time for the PUBLIC TESTIMONY of Baptism to let your world know that you are now a follower of Jesus. It is time to let your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors celebrate the change you have experienced.  Baptism is an outward declaration of the inward change you have experienced…is it time you have stopped holding back?

When you announce, others can celebrate and God is glorified.

It is time to let your world know you are now a follower of Jesus. You have been forgiven for your sins. You are not the same person you once were.

Let your world know.

Meeting Jesus - Walking Away From Religion

Some people believe Jesus is a republican, a democrat, or an independent. Some people believe that Jesus is like a Genie in a bottle–if you rub the lamp through prayer, you get whatever you want. Still, some view Jesus like a Mascot the church rallies around once a week.Over this next year, we are going to seek to understand who Jesus really was,what he was really like, and how you and I can become more like Him.

We mention week after week that our mission as a church is to to become a connected people, captivated by Christ, whose changed lives are changing lives. Have you ever wondered why we mention our purpose as often as we do?

See, if Beach Church as a gathering of believers, or as individuals, if we ever forget our purpose and our mission – we will become nothing more than a country club.  I know this might sound ridiculous to even mention – but sometimes churches forget “who they are” and “why they exist” so instead of having an outward focus to reach people, they develop an inward focus. 

They focus on the comfort, care, and preferences of those inside the church.

Instead of valuing and pursuing people to see them surrender to the life-changing power of Jesus, they began to value the things that matter to the majority of the people inside the church and cater to each other.  

They have forgotten their purpose.

They engrave names of people on buildings…Sunday school rooms get nicknamed after the leaders of their classes. Nobody else is allowed to use that room during the week because “it’s theirs.” Inward focused churches focus on things NOBODY else cares about. Inward focused churches argue about paint, the color of the carpet, choir robes, translations of the Bible, and the qualifications of Deacons. They become known as a church you would rather not visit than one you would.

That is one of the reasons why it is important that we talk about our purpose so much.  If we don’t, we will slowly begin to drift and become more focused on property and possessions rather than people. Inward focused people focus on the surrender they made to Jesus in the past – but they no longer live surrendered lives to Jesus. People who become “Followers of Jesus”.

Meaning they have come to a point that they believe that God sent his son into the world to save the world, not condemn the world…They have had a moment that they surrendered their lives to God by trusting in Jesus as their savior – and they have been changed from the inside out…In that moment of trust, they became a follower of Jesus through surrender.

But it is interesting that some people become followers of Jesus, people become Christians through SURRENDER…and yet never surrender anything to God again!  

And if you and I want to continue to live surrendered lives to Jesus it is important that we as a church and as individuals, apply these lessons to our lives.

Luke 5:1-11 

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2  He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3  Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. 4  When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5  “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6  And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7  A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8  When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” 9  For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10  His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11  And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

One of the ways that you and I can continue to live surrendered lives can be drawn out from verse one.  Verse one tells us that as Jesus was teaching – great crowds were pressing in to hear him.  The crowd was so big – Jesus had to get on a boat in the water…far enough away that he could speak to the crowds – but not so far away that people could not hear him.

Why were these crowds pressing in to hear from Jesus?  One of the reasons, is because they understood what he was saying!  

JESUS SPOKE PLAINLY TO PEOPLE, SO LET’S DO THE SAME

Luke 5:1 

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 

The reason why great crowds were gathering to hear Jesus teach is because they understood what he was saying. Have you ever met somebody that used large complicated words to communicate to you, and you had no idea what they were saying?

Maybe you have watched a TED talk. They were speaking about technology, medical breakthroughs, research…and even though they spoke in your native language – you had no idea what they were talking about. I have sat in classes in college and in seminary and I could tell that the teachers in charge of the class really loved to hear themselves talk.

They used big churchy elaborate words.

They used religious words. They used words like:

Justification. 

Sanctification. 

Incarnation. 

Transfiguration. 

Hypostatic union. 

Atonement. 

EXEGESIS…

When I first heard the word exegesis, I thought it was another name for Jesus…And then the Professor started saying things like “exegetical” and I knew I was wrong. I had to look the word up and read that it simply meant “an explanation of what a bible passage means.” Why didn’t he just say that?

And I guess that’s fine in a seminary classroom environment, but then Seminary trained pastors use “Christianese” language in their pulpits, then the members of their churches use that language as well. Then what happens is the people who need Jesus, those outside the walls of the church, have KNOW idea what we are talking about, so they seldom surrender their lives to Jesus. Just like Jesus taught plainly – you and I, if we use “Christianese”, need to surrender our language to Jesus so people can understand and experience the life-changing power of Jesus in their lives. Jesus taught plainly, large crowds gathered, and after Jesus used Peter’s boat, through a miracle of Jesus, Peter and the others caught such a large haul of fish, the nets were tearing and both boats were filled to the verge of sinking.

I LOVE the response of PETER.

He said, “Lord please leave me.  I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”

That response is one I have heard a hundred different ways from people.  

People say things like, “If I were to walk into a church, the church would catch on fire.” 

Or 

“If you knew what I have done in life, you wouldn’t be talking to me about God.”

Please understand this…

JESUS PREFERRED RELATIONSHIPS WITH SINNERS, NOT THE RELIGOUS.

If you came to church today, and you are under the impression that God only wants to connect with “churchy” people, you are wrong. 

Way wrong!

Two thousand years ago, the God-Man entered the world…and even though he went to the temple on a regular basis – Jesus seemed to prefer hanging out with sinful people. We read in scripture that “as was his custom” Jesus went to the synagogues for worship…yet he didn’t seem to hang out with the people he went to church with.  He was always with the people OUTSIDE the temple.  He connected with the people that DIDN’T necessarily fit in with the churchy people.

In fact, the “churchy people” called the people that Jesus connected with and hung out with, “SCUM.”

Later on in Luke Chapter 5:30 the RELIGIOUS leaders complained about the people that Jesus and his disciples hung out with…they said, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” 

So if you feel like scum.

If you feel rejected.

If you feel like you don’t fit in at church.

If you feel like you are too much of a sinner to be here…I have good news!

You are right where you belong!

Jesus came to “take away” your sin. (1 John 3:5) 

He takes away your sin when you stop trying to be good enough on your own to connect with him, and surrender your life to God by trusting Jesus as the one who takes away your sin and makes you a new person. 

RELIGIOUS people think God is blessed to have them church…

BUT Jesus preferred the presence of sinners, scum, and low lifes.

You don’t have to impress Jesus. You just have to surrender to him. 

The building has not caught on fire. You have not been zapped with lightning. God loves you, in fact, he prefers to hang out with you because he loves you. So, just take a moment and tell God you SURRENDER to him and trust Jesus as the one who took away your sin. Take that moment right now – even while I am talking.  Let the Love of God fill your heart and flood your mind and surrender to Him.

FOLLOWING JESUS REQUIRES SURRENDER OF MORE THAN SIN.

Jesus invited Peter to follow him – and he and his brothers left everything to follow Jesus. Verse 11 says, “As soon as they landed they left everything and followed Jesus.”

These were fishermen.  They surrendered more than sin…and they surrendered their occupations that were not bad!  It is not as though they were strip club owners or pornographers.  They weren’t cheating people out of their money. They walked away from their boats. Their nets. Their source of income. Because they wanted to follow Jesus.

Now, I am not suggesting that you walk away from your jobs.  And I am not suggesting that surrendering your life to Jesus requires you to change your occupation…But it might.

If you earn a living cheating people out of money – God is calling you out of that occupation. If you earn a living harming other people…God is calling you to surrender that and walk away from that lifestyle. God may desire that you sell off land, houses, cars and give it all away.  I don’t know what God is calling you to surrender when it comes to your possessions, but I do know that God is calling you to surrender your time by loving your neighbor as yourself.

I believe God is calling you to walk away from Christianese. I believe God is calling you to walk away from Religion. I believe God is calling you to live a surrendered life through Jesus.

A person who lives a surrendered life is more concerned with people than property. So love surrendered. A church that lives surrendered understands that God has called us to lead people into a relationship with Him, not to become a religious hypocrite. Jesus told Peter from now on he would be fishing for people. That purpose must shine in all we do. Fish for people.

Invite your neighbor to church.

Invite your spouse to church.

Invite your children to church.

Invite your coworkers to church.

Invite your Barista, your lawn care worker, and the person that cuts your hair to church.

God is doing a new thing at Beach Church. He is leading us to walk away from religion and make everything about our relationship with God, and real relationships with others.

What else besides sin, do you need to surrender today? What else is getting in the way of your relationship with God? 

Ask God to show you, and He will.

Meeting Jesus - Purpose and Rejection

Some people believe Jesus is a republican, a democrat, or an independent. Some people believe that Jesus is like a Genie in a bottle–if you rub the lamp through prayer, you get whatever you want. Still, some view Jesus like a Mascot the church rallies around once a week.Over this next year, we are going to seek to understand who Jesus really was,what he was really like, and how you and I can become more like Him.

If you are at the end of your rope…If you feel broken, crushed and misunderstood…

I want you to know if you begin to read God’s Word and Apply it to you your life, your life is going to change!

If you have ever interviewed for a job and you thought it went well, but never heard back from the employer, you know that feeling of rejection.

In today’s passage we are going to look at one of the moments in his life that Jesus was rejected...and learn how we can Deal with rejection we receive as followers of Jesus.  

If you are a follower of Jesus. Meaning, if you had a moment when you understood that God created you to have a relationship with Him. If you believe that the penalty of sin separated you from God. If you believe that Jesus death paid the penalty for sin and through Jesus death and resurrection, you have been forgiven for your sins…and you had that moment when it all clicked and you surrendered your life to Jesus and now have a friendship with God then most likely you have had to deal with rejection because of your faith in Jesus at some level. Maybe you have been rejected by friends, family, or neighbors because of your commitment to follow Jesus.

But maybe you have had to deal with rejection at a different level. Maybe your husband or wife has rejected you and abandoned you. They divorced you when you did not want to divorce them. Maybe the pain of that rejection still lingers. Maybe your adult or teen children have rejected you.  You love them. You care for them. But right now, they have rejected you. No returned phone calls or text messages for years…

Even if you are not yet a follower of a Jesus – I think you will discover some heathy ways that you are able to overcome the feelings that rejection can bring in your life.

At this point in his life, the ministry of Jesus was just beginning. People were just beginning to talk about him. He had been baptized. As we looked at last week, he had faced 40 days of temptation and fasting in the desert. Then he returned to Galilee, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and reports about him began to spread quickly through the region.  The people were excited and there was a “buzz” about him wherever he went and as Jesus traveled, he came to Nazareth, the town he grew up in.  Initially people spoke well about him – but after he began telling the churched-Jewish people that God loved those outside the Jewish faith – he experienced rejection.

Luke 4:16-30

When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17  The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 18  “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19  and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” 20  He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21  Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” 22  Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” 23  Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24  But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown. 25  “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26  Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27  And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” 28  When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29  Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30  but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.

This passage of scripture prophesied or predicted the purpose of the life of Jesus.  It predicted his mission. It summed up what his life was going to be like. After he read this passage and began to explain his purpose – the people – his friends and family from his hometown – rejected him.

REJECTION HAPPENS TO THOSE LIVING WITH PURPOSE

Jesus said: I have come to open the eyes of the blind, set captives free, bring Good News to the poor, and set the oppressed free…

But then he said to the “churched people” – not just for you! God wants people outside the walls of the Jewish faith to experience hope! He loves and cares for ALL people – including the broken, the blind, the oppressed and the rejected outside the walls of the church.

That’s what made the Jewish people so upset!

There are many churches that say they want to reach those without Jesus, but they don’t want “those types” of people in the church!

Now, rejection still happens to all of us whether it is because we are a follower of Jesus or because of our occupation:

• If you are a Real Estate agent, rejection is going to happen. 

• If you are a mechanic, people aren’t always going to be satisfied, rejection is going to happen. 

• If you sell insurance, cars, and are self-employed – you know rejection is going to happen.

If you are going to live with purpose, not everybody is going to like it and some people will reject, you. If you are wondering about how people will continue to react to you if you do continue to live with purpose, look at how people reacted to Jesus. The very same people that spoke well of Jesus in one moment, were ready to throw him off the cliff the next moment.

PEOPLE ARE FICKLE – THEY CAN BE FOR YOU, THEN AGAINST YOU

Luke 4:22

Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

Luke 4:28-29

When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29  And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.

Because you and I are broken – sometimes we treat people wrong.  Sometimes we are like this group of people that rejected Jesus.

After I had surrendered my life to Jesus, was baptized, reading my bible and growing in my faith, I sat down with my grandmother to explain what had happened to me and how I had surrendered my life to Jesus. My Nana looked at me and said, “You have been brainwashed.”

She was FOR me if ever a person was! When I was going to be sent to a boys home after I had run away from home, Nana opened up her home to me and let me live with her for four years throughout high school. She fed me and clothed me and supported me. Then she didn’t like what I had to say about Jesus changing my life – and she said I was brainwashed.

You may hear this and think that I am suggesting we should not trust people. That is not even close to what I am saying, I am saying that when people are fickle about supporting you – it hurts.  So don’t be like that!

Do you like it when people are for you, or against you?

It is always better to be like Jesus and be FOR others than AGAINST others. Sadly, it is in our sinful nature to fail other people and sometimes the same people who are for us one moment, can be against us the next moment. That’s what happened to Jesus.  The same people who were pleased with him one moment tried to push him off a cliff and stone him the next – not because of what he did, but because of what he said.

So how do we deal with rejection?

How do we deal with rejection when we know sometimes people will be for us and against us, because they are human sinners too?

Be CONFIDENT IN YOUR CALLING AND IDENTITY

If you are going to live in this world for any period of time, you will be rejected. 

Your ideas will be rejected.  

Your presence will be rejected. 

Your personality will be rejected.

If you are convinced that your calling is to sales – be confident in your calling to sales, and in your identity as a salesperson.

If you are convinced that your calling is to cook great food, be confident in your calling to cook, and in your identity as a chef.

And...if you are a follower of Jesus – your main calling and your main identity is not found anywhere else but in Jesus.

Remember, your calling is to be the salt and light of the earth.

Matthew 5:13

 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

You are called to bring flavor and preservatives to this world by following Jesus – others are not like you and the world needs your flavor mixed in with it!

You are God’s PARTNER.

2 Corinthians 6:1 

As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 

You are a partner with GOD! You can be confident that He is your Co-Worker and you are His.  He is working right alongside you caring for others, ministering to others, and loving others.

You are God’s masterpiece.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

When you feel like more of a MESS-terpiece than a masterpiece, be confident that you may have messed up and sinned, but sin has not ruined your story. God calls you a Masterpiece of Grace, mercy, and forgiveness. You are beautiful and wonderful, a work of art.

You God’s child and the evil one cannot touch you.

1 John 5:18

We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

If you are a follower of Jesus, the devil cannot touch one hair on your head. You are protected, cradled, loved, and guarded by Jesus Christ – Live confidently in that truth!

Jesus was confident in his calling and in his identity.  He knew what his purpose was and even when people rejected him and rejected his message – he kept on going. He kept on moving forward – because his calling compelled him and his identity strengthened him.

Meeting Jesus - The Word & Temptation

Some people believe Jesus is a republican, a democrat, or an independent. Some people believe that Jesus is like a Genie in a bottle–if you rub the lamp through prayer, you get whatever you want. Still, some view Jesus like a Mascot the church rallies around once a week.Over this next year, we are going to seek to understand who Jesus really was,what he was really like, and how you and I can become more like Him.

Luke 4:1-13

1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. 3 Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, change this stone into a loaf of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’” 5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” 8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’” 9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. 11 And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” 12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’” 13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

The Devil saw this as an opportunity to stop the ministry of Jesus before it even started. This was a no-holds barred attack on the character of the Son of God.

JESUS EXPERIENCED TWISTED TEMPTATION

When God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and they wandered in the desert for 40 years…and the Israelites and their animals were thirsty, Moses hit a rock with a stick and water came pouring out. Every single morning, so they didn’t go hungry, God gave the Israelites food they called, “Manna”.

The temptation that Jesus faced was twisted – it was reminiscent of how God had worked in the past among the Jewish people.

Then the devil resorted to using scripture. “For the scriptures say – “God will protect you.” So jump off this cliff and you will float safely to the ground.” Jesus knew God was going to raise him from the dead – but not this way and not this time.

This entire attack of temptation was twisted and manipulative. And if somebody has manipulated you with partial truths, I am sorry. That is the worst kind of hurt because you trusted them, and they manipulated you.

But make no mistake about it – Jesus WAS tempted to sin! If Jesus did not have a desire to DO these things – then Jesus wasn’t really tempted.

As LORD and GOD – Jesus never knew what it was like to hunger – he was always satisfied. He never got hangry. When the devil tempted Jesus – a full stomach must have appealed to him.

And, Jesus knew what it was like to have AUTHORITY. All things were created through Him. Authority and power in this world was a temptation for Jesus because he Knew what it was like to have power and control.

Jesus was tempted by these things because he remembered what it was like to never be hungry, have ultimate authority, and never be in danger.

JESUS OVERCAME TEMPTATION THROUGH TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD

Jesus overcame the temptation to live selfishly and live for his own pleasure through the truth of God’s Word, and…

YOU CAN TOO

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Sometimes I convince myself that every other follower of Jesus has it together and I am the only one that struggles with the temptation to sin. I know others struggle with temptation to sin – but I sometimes convince myself that others don’t struggle like I DO.

I remember many times sitting in church and thinking, “They read their bibles every day, they don’t struggle like me…Something must be wrong with me…”

Have you ever felt like that?

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.

Man, woman, or child, temptation is something we all experience.

Memories of experiences that appealed to us in the past, can stir up temptation in our present and future. If we liked it in the past, our flesh tells us we will like it again. We may have messed up in the past – but we know if we give into those pleasures in the future, it could damage those around us, and hinder our relationship with God.

THE DEVIL STILL WANTS TO DEVOUR YOU

1 Peter 5:8

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.