Meeting Jesus - You Can Trust God and Others (again)

Worry. 

It seems that today we worry about everything.

We worry about our finances:

Do we have enough money to pay the bills?

Do we have enough money to get the car fixed?

Do we have enough money to pay the orthodontist? 

Am I ever going to be able to retire?

We worry about our health: 

If I get sick, who will take care of my children?

Do I have enough insurance? 

I need to exercise, I need to get healthier.

I have been sick so long, am I ever going to get better?

We worry about our children, our grandchildren. We worry about their future, their success, their happiness.

Have we done enough as parents to point them to trust in Jesus and live in faith?

We worry about the future of the country. We worry about political decisions. We worry about who is sitting in the Whitehouse, who is making decisions, and who is voting for them…

WE WORRY!

So, let’s read our passage of scripture to see how Jesus teaches us how to deal with worry.

Let’s read: 

Luke 12:22-31 (NLT2) 

22  Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23  For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. 24  Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 25  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 26  And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? 27  “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28  And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 29  “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. 

In the preceding passage, Jesus had just finished teaching the parable of the Rich fool. He spoke about how a man had  so much stuff that he decided to build a bigger barn to store it all up…and God called him a fool to be rich in the world, but not have a rich relationship with God. And now, Jesus teaches the same crowd how they can develop a rich relationship with God, through living a life that genuinely TRUSTS God.

The first thing we can understand from this passage is that you can…

TRUST GOD BECAUSE HE CARES & PROVIDES FOR YOU. 

The crowd that Jesus spoke to were people who were unsure what they would eat every single day.  They were farmers, gatherers, and hunters. They could not stop off at the local Publix grocery store for a sushi roll and fried chicken wings. They didn’t drive by Chick-fil-A on the way to work for a coffee and chicken minis.

Because people were dependent on a good harvest, parents were unsure of how they would provide for their children each day. Would their family go to bed hungry this season? They would if the harvest season was slim and they had to stretch the crops out to get through the season. Families often worried about how they would get through the season, the week, and the day.

When Jesus spoke to them, he was looking into the eyes of those who had gone without, those who had eaten less so their kids could have proper nourishment, and those who often went to bed hungry.

The people worried because they knew hunger. The people worried because they knew what it was like to sleep through cold hard nights without enough clothing. The people worried because they had experienced hardship in the past.

That is often why we worry as well.

We worry about our children because we walked through hard and we do not want them to experience what we did. 

We worry about our future because we have scraped by in the past, and we do not want to experience it again.

We worry about relationships with other believers, because we have been burned, betrayed, and wounded by people who were followers of Jesus.

We worry about the things in life because we have gone though valleys of brokenness, hurt, betrayal, and pain.

For six years, as a follower of Jesus and as a Pastor, I worried that God wasn’t allowing Kristy and I to have children because we were going to somehow screw them up. I worried that God believed I would be a bad dad and wasn’t going to bless me with kids. Even though I was a follower of Jesus, a youth pastor, and seeking to walk with Jesus, I worried that God saw something wrong with me that I could not see. 

Sometimes, we worry about the future because of scars from our past experiences. We fail to truly trust God, because even since you became a follower of Jesus, you have been hurt.

So, pay very close attention to the root cause of our worry. The reason why we worry about the future is found in verse 28.

“Why do you have so little faith?”

See, according to Jesus…

WORRY IS ROOTED IN UNBELIEF; REMEMBER HIS FAITHFULNESS TO YOU!

Worry is rooted in unbelief. We worry today because our memories from our past battles are saturated with unbelief. We remember the wounds and how much something hurt us rather than remembering how God was working the bad stuff out for our good. I want to challenge you to reframe your bad memories so you can trust again and worry less.

For instance, I have shared before about my teenage years. I can either choose to recall my past experiences with unbelief or through the lens of faith and belief.

For the next paragraph, I will recall an event with unbelief:

As a child, I was in a Psychiatric Hospital for three months. I had been sexually abused by my dad. I had mood swings and had bursts of anger and rage when things didn’t go my way. I threatened my mom, I threatened my brothers and sisters. After three months, my mom said she didn’t want me, so I was sent to live with my grandmother through my High School years.

Or I could frame this event in a way that remembers God’s faithfulness can remember it through belief.

Even before I was a follower of Jesus, God was working in my life to help me recover from the impact of growing up with an abusive father. God used a network of people to place me in a Psychiatric Hospital for therapy and help. It was the first time I opened up about the abuse, and the first time I was able to trust people with my secret shame. After three months, God sovereignly allowed me to move in with my grandmother through my high school years where I would meet the girl that invited me to the church where I surrendered my life to Jesus and eventually would meet my future wife.

You can do the same thing!

If you struggle with trusting God because of past experiences that were hard, revisit your memories and look for ways God was faithful to you in the midst of the hard.

Grab a notebook or a journal.  Write down the experience through the lens of unbelief and pain…then rewrite the experience through a lens of faith.  Look at the way God led you and took care of you and provided for you and moved in your life.

There was an older man in the Old Testament, that had spent time reflecting on painful experiences from his past. His childhood and young adult years was filled with betrayals, and lies that others told about him. His name was Joseph. His brothers (who were going to kill him) sold him off as a slave into Egyptians traders. He grew up as a slave. He was accused of rape and thrown into prison. He grew up without his father. Without his family. Alone.

Yet, God used every situation in his life, including his brother’s evil actions and the false accusation of rape, for good. Toward the end of his life, Joseph was able to say without bitterness to his brothers:

Genesis 50:20-21 (NLT2) 

20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 

Joseph was able to trust in the sovereign plan of God. He was able to trust and live believing that God can turn any situation around.

If you believed that God created you to have a relationship with Him, but you sinned and were separated from that relationship with God, and you believe that Jesus paid the price for your sin on the cross, that you have been forgiven and you surrendered your life to Jesus received Jesus as your Savior, and you are now a follower of Jesus, then the promise and the principle that God can work all things out for good, that God can take the bad and redeem it for good, is true for you, too!

Romans 8:28 (NLT2) 

28  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

So, reflect back on your hurt, your pain, your times of need, and see the thread of God’s Sovereign care weaved through the tapestry of the pain. Look for the way’s he has redeemed the pain and blessed you today.

And remember,

WORRY CAN BE TAMED THROUGH BABY STEPS OF TRUST.

Luke 12:31 (NLT2) 

31  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. 

The worry that you have CAN be tamed! If you have been diagnosed with anxiety and are on medication, please continue to take your prescribed meds and course of therapy. Anxiety is persistent. Worry is temporary. So tame worry through baby steps of trust.

Keep attending Worship services.  God didn’t speak to you today? Believe He will. Keep on coming back.

Sign Up for Our Next Steps Event on August 27

Volunteer to serve in some capacity in our church.

Begin to give generously to the Lord through the church or to other people.

Sign up to be Baptized. Let your world know that Jesus has forgiven you and changed your life.

Invite a friend to church…God is moving in this place. Invite others to experience the movement of God.

Begin listen to Christian podcasts or Christ centered music.

We can trust God and other’s again because God will use our pain for GOOD. Maybe you have been in so much pain you don’t even want to talk about it.  That only means you need to learn to manage your worry. Understand this, your greatest impact on this world could come through reframing your past and seeing God’s faithful guidance. 

Your greatest ministry to others could come from your deepest darkest pain. 

Mine has. So can yours.

So, live today without worry because you genuinely trust Jesus.

Trust in his guidance.

Trust that God will never leave you or forsake you.

Trust that Jesus prays for you.

Trust that despite the pain, God has been working in your past.

Trust in God’s complete and total forgiveness.

Trust in God’s unending grace.

Trust in his everlasting kindness.

Trust in his overwhelming wisdom.

Trust him as your Prince of Peace.

Trust in his magnificent greatness.

Trust in Jesus. 

Meeting Jesus - The Danger Of Greed

Today, our passage of scripture addresses one of the ugliest and most obnoxious characteristics that a person can display.

Greed.

Not Creed as in the Apollo Creed. Greed as in the Grinch, Ebenezer Scrooge, or Walter White from Breaking Bad. We see Greed on display in almost every song, television show, or video made today. Some videos go viral when they demonstrate the generosity of an individual, and other videos go viral that highlight the gold digging, greedy hearts of people.  

Today, we want to examine our own hearts – not the heart of the person beside us – and ask ourselves if Greed is a common characteristic in our life. As Jesus was teaching about hypocrisy and how to respond when people experience persecution, somebody from the crowd interrupted Jesus with a question…

Luke 12:13-21

13  Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14  Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15  Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” 16  Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17  He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18  Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19  And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20  “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21  “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” 

The man that interrupted Jesus had a very specific agenda.  He wanted what belonged to his brother. To understand the context better – we need to know that when the father of a household passed away, it was up to the oldest son to decide how to divide the estate among his family.  

If the son wanted to, he could keep it all to himself.  

If the son wanted to, he could distribute it among his brothers.

For some reason, the oldest son had not yet divided his estate with his brother.  The older brother may have been dragging his feet, he may have been lazy, or…he simply may not have wanted to give anything to his brother. 

When my dad passed away, his six children did not have a problem dividing up his estate – because he didn’t have one!  

When dad died, he was penniless.  The floor of his camper was rotted. His old truck didn’t start. Even his pack of cigarettes was empty. But, as a Pastor, I know I that ESTATE issues after a loved one has died, can really cause division among families today.  Families fight for years over houses, land, bank accounts, and property.

So, maybe you understand how these two brothers felt. The oldest had no obligation to share the estate…and the youngest had no right to claim the estate. We don’t really know who was being greedy in this passage, but we do know this:

GREEDY PEOPLE TAKE FROM OTHERS

One of these two brothers was being greedy – maybe they both were.  Jesus’ response to the man must have left him a little stunned.  Jesus responded to the younger and perhaps to the older brother and said, “Guard against every kind of greed.”

If you are searching for a proper definition for the word “greed” you could call it a “strong desire to have what is not yours.” Jesus is warning about a type of “inner compulsion” a person has, when they desire what other people have…and then, they attempt to take it.

It might be the type of greed or coveting that desires another person’s spouse. 

Or their family.

Or their children.

Or their home.

Or their toys.

Or their title. 

Or their popularity.

Or their recognition.

“Coveting” is this inner compulsion that desires anything that belongs to others – and a greedy heart means you want it so bad, you will lie, steal, or resort to violence to get it. When we struggle with greed we look like kids fighting over a ball on the playground…

Or…Monkeys.  

Sometimes I get lost watching monkey videos on YouTube or Facebook.

I may be lying in bed trying to fall asleep, and I’ll start scrolling through video after video of monkeys fighting over food, snatching things that don’t belong to them, grabbing things from people, or just irritating one another. Confessionally, I have probably watched several hundred videos of monkeys – but I have never seen a generous monkey.  

They are mean to each other. 

They fight over food and shiny objects.  

They slap, pinch, punch, poke, and scream until they get what they want.

They are greedy, selfish, and fun to watch. 

But – it’s not so funny when people who have been created in the image of God, act like a greedy monkey.

So, Jesus then shared a story of a rich man who had so much land and crops, he didn’t have room for it all.  The man “said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18  Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19  And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

This story that Jesus tells us provides a little bit of insight into the heart of greedy people. 

Jesus reveals to us that:

GREEDY PEOPLE ARE BLIND TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS

This rich man did not try to discover the needs of the community.  He didn’t say, “I have plenty for myself but other people go to bed hungry. So, I will keep my barn full, and give the extra away.”

No.  

He only wanted to make sure he had plenty of food for today, tomorrow and for his future. He lived focused solely on himself. His FUTURE mattered more than the future of other people. His COMFORT mattered more than the comfort of other people. Growing his real estate portfolio mattered more than growing relationships with PEOPLE.

Greedy people are blind to the needs of other people. And since you are not greedy…How can you and God take care of the people around you right now?

Do you know of a single parent struggling with bills? Write down their name and demonstrate generosity. Write them a check, or hand them an envelope with cash. Be generous with your cash. Do you know of a neighbor with a car that is always breaking down? Write down their name and give them one of the cars that won’t fit in your garage. Be generous with your property.

Or maybe, somebody you know needs some encouragement.  Maybe they are alone, tired, and discouraged by life and they need to know you are praying for them… Write down their name, send them a text right now. Invite them for a cup of coffee and for 60 minutes, let them pour out their heart to you. Be generous with your time,and if people keep coming to your mind, thank God that you are not blind to the needs of others – and seek to love your neighbor through your actions. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been a recipient of the greatest generosity ever demonstrated.  If you have surrendered your life to Jesus and trusted in Christ as your Savior, God has generously given you forgiveness through Jesus.

God has restored his relationship with you through Jesus.  There is nothing more than God could give than his son. God was not blind to our need for him, so let’s make sure we keep seeing the needs of those around us. If you have grown blind, ask God to open up your eyes to see the needs of others. Then, Jesus shares a hard truth about what God thinks about Greedy people. In the story, the man was patting himself on his back, congratulating himself for amassing and hoarding his property, buildings, and possessions…

He even called himself, “Friend” and perhaps he was his only friend. But God wants us to understand that…

GREEDY PEOPLE ARE FOOLS NOT FRIENDS. 

“My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20  “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

We might be tempted to think this man was being wise; he was storing up for a rainy day…he was saving for the future…

He was practicing, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”

Why did God call this man a fool?

God called this man a fool because this man refused to be generous.

He wasn’t being a friend to himself. He wasn’t being a friend to others.

If you truly love and care for yourself, you are going to love and care for others…and that means you will see their needs, talk about their needs, and try to meet their needs. This man was not being a friend to himself by storing up his wealth instead of practicing generosity. When we practice saving, whether it is saving money, or saving stuff in our garage, without practicing generosity, we demonstrate greed. When we live lives filled with greed and focused on ourselves, God calls that foolish.

And, if you have lived up until this moment like a selfish, greedy person, you can change. You can be transformed today. You can experience the extravagant generosity of God’s love. You can surrender your life to Jesus, receive forgiveness for your selfishness and your sin, and be made a brand-new person.

A RICH RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD PREVENTS GREED

So in the story, God called the man a fool.  But as Jesus wrapped up this story, he said to the crowd that was listening, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

You and I are fools to live our lives with the ability to have a rich relationship with God, and never develop it. We have developed a one hour class called “Grow” that will help you develop a quiet time and “grow” in your relationship with God. It’s a great class for new believers and for old crusty believers. 😊 The class will be offered this fall as part of our Next Steps Ministry.  Pay attention and make sure you sign up for it.

If the words that God spoke to the rich man kind of have kind of poked you in the heart, and you see yourself in that story living as a fool…and, if you would like to begin to live an unselfish life; it begins by dying to your own needs, your own desires, your own life, and acknowledging to God that up until this moment, you have rejected God and lived sinfully and selfishly.  

You can surrender your life to Jesus, receive forgiveness for your sins, and begin to live a brand-new life. If you would like to surrender your life to Jesus, our prayer team will be here at the front of the stage after the close of the last worship song. If you are ready to surrender your life to Jesus, they would love to lead you to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.

Meeting Jesus - faith over fear

Fear is tough subject. When I say the word fear it usually brings to mind that one thing that you may be fearful of.

2nd Timothy 1:7

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but power, love and self-discipline”

Throughout scripture we are told not to fear. 

To not fear circumstances.

To not fear people

To not fear death.

Then when we read this scripture in Luke 12, in the first few verses, we read about a group of religious leaders that consider themselves the most spiritual, the holiest, and they would absolutely live by the most legalistic regiment possible. At times they would beat people down and consider themselves better than all the “Sinners” based not on their Savior, but on their good works.

The Bible is clear on our state:

Romans 3:23

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

We know what the wages of those sins are but what is the gift of God?

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord”

We know that Jesus changes everything. Not our works. The religious leaders were banking on their works but also condemned the “sinners”. 

Jesus constantly confronted their hypocrisy.

Let’s pick up in Luke 12:4-12

Luke 12: 4-12

4 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear. 6 “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. 8 “I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. 9 But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels. 10 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 “And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.”

The Disciples were probably feeling the pressure and the threats from the crowds led by the religious leaders. Jesus is telling them not to live in fear. Live knowing the One who has saved you is the one who dwells within in, the helper, the spirit, God Himself.

You are confronted with 2 categories: Sinner or Saint

The religious leaders felt they were Saints but because of their works. Jesus Shows us we are Saints not because of us, or our works but because of Him.

Yes, we are sinners. 

BUT

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

God loves you regardless of what you have done, regardless of what choices you have made. He loves you and paid for you with his son’s death on the cross.

Therefore:

YOU ARE NOT MERELY A SINNER, YOU ARE A SAINT WITH SIGNIFICANCE

You have significance!! Once you have surrendered your life to follow God, He looks upon you regardless of what happened in your past and sees His son.

1st Peter 1:15-16 

15“But now you must be Holy in everything you do, just as God chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say “you must be holy because I am holy.”

God Saved you, He loves you, even though you are a sinner.

Psalm 103:12 says “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west”

You go from a sinner to a saint by God’s redemptive work on the cross. He forgives us our sin and does not continue to throw it in our face but sometimes people who feel they are saints because of the good they do, will throw it in our face.

When God saves us, we become His child, we receive His inheritance, but sometimes we are so guilt ridden that we cannot get past our sin and who we were either by our own thoughts or what others may think about us that we cannot see how significant we are. We have been forgiven but maybe some of us are still working through that healing. We have a great Celebrate Recovery here at Beach Church that help people experience healing. I have seen healing in the seats of this auditorium. I have seen healing in the dorms, at Youth Camp. I have seen healing in parking lots, in pools, at the beach, I expect to see it Sunday mornings. Last week I saw it first hand at the Beach during our Beach Baptisms. Healing Comes when we become truthful with God and with ourselves.

LIFE-CHANGING TRUTH IS REFLECTED BY TRANSPARENT LIVING EVERYWHERE

When we experience life change. When we meet Jesus, it changes everything! We realize that we are sinners saved by His Grace. The truth is we are the sinner. We are guilty of the sins we committed!!

BUT

God loves us anyways. He loves us, despite the wrong we have done, the sins we have committed. The truth is when we experience life change and we recognize the significance of who we are in Christ. We accept that He saved us and people see the life change because we start to live a life that is different than who we were. We become transparent.  People see a change in us. Our vocabulary changes. Our desires change. People start to see our hearts. Love changes a person. You talk about what you love the most everywhere!! It just comes out.

When you’re in love people can see it.

Maybe today, you haven’t experienced the life changing power of Jesus. You feel like you are just a sinner that will be forever separated from God. Your sins are too much for God to forgive God saved him. There is Hope! There is forgiveness there is life. Maybe that’s where you are.  You are stuck and God is calling you today. Give up. Give it to Him. Turn your life over to him today!

Pastor Joe said Last week. WHY NOT TODAY?

Maybe you are a follower of Christ and have experienced life change but have fallen. You’ve stumbled. You feel like you are merely just a sinner and you are not significant. You have forgotten that you are Saint by his work not your own. You have sinned. You’ve done things you never thought you would. You have questioned your transformation. You have struggled with what you done. 

I did things that I would’ve never imagined I would do, to my wife, to my family, to God. There are people today in this auditorium that can say the same thing. There are followers of God right now that are struggling with sin. There are countless men and women dealing with self-worth, marital issues. There are men and women who are dealing with Pornography. You have turned back to addiction. You think I have messed up and God doesn’t love me anymore. 5 years ago, I was there. I fell, I stumbled. I stepped away from Ministry, I stepped away from the calling God gave me. 

A STUMBLING FAITH SHOULD REMAIN CONFIDENT OF ETERNAL LIFE

You may have fallen, you maybe stumbling through your faith now but remember:

Romans 8: 38-39

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

Have confidence know that He has saved you! Regardless, of what you have done or what people say about you or what you may say about yourself. Remember that if you have had a life changing encounter with God. You are a son or daughter of the most high God. You are not who anyone says you are. You are a child of God.

Live as though you are a sinner saved by his grace, Living as a saint with significance because of His holiness and not your own. Live a transparent life because you have experienced the life changing truth of his love and your identity is found in him and not of your own works. Be confident in your citizenship even if you have stumbled. Have confidence know that you are His Child and He loves you.

Meeting Jesus - Spontaneous Baptism

I have been baptized twice in my life.

I was born into a Catholic family, and I was baptized as a baby. Almost 19 years later, after I surrendered my life to Jesus and committed my life to him, I was baptized as a follower of Jesus.  

In Luke 3 we read about the Baptism of Jesus. When Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened up, the holy spirit descended on Him like a dove, and God spoke from Heaven.

Luke 3:21-22 (NLT2) 

21  One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22  and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” 

Imagine you were there witnessing this event:

Jesus came out from the water.

The sky ripped open.

The Holy Spirit descended.

God spoke “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

JESUS’ BAPTISM IS AN EXAMPLE FOR BELIEVERS.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT2) 

19  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

From the time Jesus left the earth, he taught that all believers, all followers of Jesus, all disciples, should be baptized. Baptism is not a requirement for forgiveness of sins. While dying on the cross, Jesus turned to the thief and said, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

Years later, in Acts 16: 30 the apostle Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and singing hymns in a prison. Seeing their joy, the jailer asked, what must I do to be saved, and they replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” After they believed and surrendered, they were baptized.

Baptism is an outward expression of the inner change that occurs when a person surrenders their life to Jesus. About three months after I had surrendered my life to Jesus and was forgiven for my sins, as a hymn of invitation was being sung, I walked down the center aisle, took the Pastor’s hand, and told him I had surrendered my life to Jesus and I wanted to be baptized. A few weeks later, I was in a line of other teenagers on a Sunday morning, waiting to be baptized.

Two friends were in front of me. Mikey and Kim.  Mikey had surrendered his life to Jesus about a week before I did, and Kim was the Pastor’s daughter, and my wife’s twin sister. Kim came out of the water and climbed out of the baptistry. Mikey went down the steps to be baptized and while he was going under the water, Kim whispered into my ear, “I peed in the water.” Seriously.

The Pastor brings Mikey up out of the water, and Mikey climbs the step up. I go down, turn and face Mikey, and his nose is bleeding and had run down the white baptismal robe and red blood is everywhere. That was the last thing I saw before the Pastor dunked me under the water. As soon as I went under the water, I burst out laughing. I was being baptized in pee, blood, and water…and I thought it was funny.

Maybe your baptism story is much more reverent than mine. But that’s my story. No booming voice from heaven, just pee.

Let’s read about a man, who after he surrendered his life to Jesus, spontaneously got baptized from Acts 8:26-39.

Acts 8:26-36 (NLT2)

26  As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27  So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28  and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. 29  The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.” 30  Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31  The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. 32  The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 33  He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34  The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” 35  So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. 36  As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”  38  He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 

As we see in this example of Phillip and the Ethiopian:

FOLLOWING JESUS SOMETIMES REQUIRES SPONTANEITY. 

We love self-control. We love having plans. We love having clear expectations.  Even in our worship services – we intentionally go into every weekend service with a plan.

We have the songs timed. We have the message timed. 

We have the announcements timed so that we can get out in exactly one hour because we have multiple worship services and we want your friends to know what to expect if you invite them to church. Plans are good.  Self-control is good.  

But as we see in the example of Phillip – following Jesus sometimes requires spontaneity. If Jesus is the Lord of our lives, we should live more spontaneously. We should be listening to the internal prompting of the Holy Spirit and we should live being led by the Spirit. That means we live doing things that are unexpected.

Be careful that you do not confuse the internal prompting of your own sinful desires with the internal prompting of the Holy Spirit. If you lose your temper, that is not in response to an internal promoting of the Holy Spirit.  That is in response to your sinful nature. While it is spontaneous and unexpected, it is not because you were being led by the Spirit.

It is clear to me, that Phillips' first step of obedience resulted in more communication from the Holy Spirit. As Phillip is walking along the road as the Lord had instructed him to do, the Holy Spirit spoke to him again, and Phillip responded in obedience to him, again.

Following Jesus sometimes requires SPONTANEITY.  Don’t be afraid to live on the edge of your faith and confidently step into the unknown where the Holy Spirit is prompting you to go. The continual NEXT STEPS of obedience by Phillip led to a LIFE-CHANGING conversation with the Ethiopian. If you are already a follower of Jesus, and you have not yet been baptized, your next step is to let your world know you are a follower of Jesus by being baptized.

But first, it is crucial to understand this:

BAPTISM FOLLOWS SURRENDER TO JESUS

Phillip caught up with the Ethiopian and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading.” The passage of Scripture that Phillip explained was Isaiah 53.  It is the explanation of the death of Jesus 400 years before it happened. 

In case you do not know Isaiah 53 – these are some of the things it say about Jesus.

• It was our weakness Jesus carried

• It was our sorrows that weighed Jesus down

• Jesus was pierced for our rebellion

• Jesus was crushed for our sins

• Jesus was beaten so we could be whole

• Jesus was whipped so we could be healed

And Isaiah wrote about you and I as well.  About us he said,

“All of us like sheep have strayed away, we have left God’s path to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.” Isaiah 53:6

• The Spirit of God led Phillip spontaneously to the desert, 

• to spontaneously catch up with a chariot, 

• and to spontaneously have a life-changing conversation about how that Ethiopian could become a follower of Jesus and receive Christ as his savior.

And now – I want to invite you to spontaneously become a follower of Jesus.  

Right now – if you believe but have not yet received Jesus – God has sent me to tell you today how to receive Jesus.

Take a look at this Prayer of Surrender:

God, today I admit to you that I am a sinner and deserve death.  I believe that Jesus paid the penalty for my sins through his death on the cross. I believe you have forgiven my sins. Jesus, I surrender my life to you and commit to following you. Amen.

That’s what happened in the conversation with Phillip and the Ethiopian!  After Phillip explained how a person could become a follower of Jesus – he told him that HIS NEXT STEP was to be baptized to let everybody know he was now a follower of Jesus and changed from the inside out.

So then they saw some water and he said, in v.36 "“Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”

The Ethiopian received Jesus as his Savior and was immediately baptized.  That is what you can do today.

WHY NOT TODAY?

Meeting Jesus - keep on asking

You know, I have been in ministry for just about 26 years, and regardless of whether I am in a room filled with men, women, children, pastors, deacons, parents, volunteers, or staff – everybody can be chatting, laughing, cutting up…but the moment the words are said, “who wants to open us up in prayer?” the room grows quiet.

People look down at the floor to avoid eye contact.

Some people have been followers of Jesus for a long time, yet they have never prayed in public.  If that sounds like you, its ok!  You don’t have to pray out loud in front of other people to experience a life-changing relationship with God.

According to research, the number one fear in America is “Speaking in Public.”

The second fear in America is death.

This means some people would rather die than speak in public!

Just a couple of months after I had surrendered to Jesus, in the fall of 1991, I was sitting in church on a Sunday night. I had been clowning around with one of my buddies during the message and closing, and when the Pastor had a “Sunday night routine” of asking somebody to pray.  That night, because I was not paying attention, I thought he said my name!  My heart raced.  My breathing went shallow.  Searching for the churchy words, I prayed out loud for the first time…but the Pastor did not call on me! He asked the person behind me! To make my prayer even more awkward, people came up to me afterward and congratulated me on such a wonderful prayer. That was weird.

In today’s passage, the disciples had recognized that Jesus had a different prayer life than anybody else they had come across.  Jesus was often going out to quiet places by himself to pray. Sometimes he took along his disciples, sometimes he went by himself.  On this occasion, after Jesus had been praying to God, the disciples turned to Jesus and said, “Lord teach us to pray.” Then – Jesus gave them what is known today as “The Lord’s Prayer”  - or if you are Catholic or former Catholic, you know it is as the bead that comes after the 10 Hail Mary’s on a Rosary bead.

Jesus did not just teach them how to model their prayer – but then he taught them some crucial principals about prayer that we all need to apply to our lives. If your prayer life has felt empty recently, my prayer is that today, the empty prayer life will change.

Luke 11:1-13

1  Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2  Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3  Give us each day the food we need, 4  and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.” 5  Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6  ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7  And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8  But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. 9  “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11  “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12  Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” 

It sounds to me like Jesus had been waiting for years for his disciples to ask Him to teach them to pray. He gave them powerful life changing advice. He didn’t tell them to “fold their hands, close their eyes, bow their heads…”  Every evening when we give God thanks for dinner, I wait for the girls to bow their heads, close their eyes, sit down at the table, and stop teasing each other…but Jesus did not focus on the external, Jesus addressed the inward attitude. He emphasized the heart, not the action. He emphasized the “experience of prayer” he was not focused on “kneeling down, lifting hands, closing eyes, or bowing heads.” He wasn’t focused on the loudness of prayer, he focused on the heart.

One of the ways he emphasizes the heart in this passage is that…

THE HEART OF PRAYER IS UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE 

Take a look again at verse 4.  

Luke 11:4

4  and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Jesus taught that at the very core of our conversation with God – is an attitude that offers UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE to those around us. When we pray and ask God to forgive us of our sins, we must be willing to forgive those who have offended us. That means friends who betrayed us, wounded us, and hurt us deeply, are the first ones on our minds when we pray. Have you ever noticed it usually is not strangers that bother us, hurt us, or offend us when they sin against us? Strangers may sin against us, but they don’t hurt us like those that we trust. It is our friends, our family, and those we love who hurt us the deepest. It is not the people that cut us off in traffic or call us repeatedly on our cell phones that we can hold a grudge against.  

But the people we love, trust, admire, and hold in high regard – when they sin against us, they usually hurt and wound us deeply. When trust is broken, it can wound us for a long time if we let it. But here is the beautiful thing! It is only when we are wounded and broken that we get to join Jesus in demonstrating GRACE to those who don’t deserve it. It is only when we are hurt that we can radiate the beautiful, overwhelming kindness of God. So, when was the last time you demonstrated uncomfortable grace in your prayer life?  When was the last time, alone in the presence of God, you released your hurt, anger, and grudge against those who hurt you?  

Do they deserve to be forgiven?

No.

But neither do you.  

See, you and I – we cannot earn forgiveness from God, and we do not deserve his forgiveness for our rebellion.  Each of us in this room have thought evil thoughts, we have lied, we have cheated, we have lusted, we have lived in open rebellion against our Creator God and because of our rebellion, we deserve to be separated from God forever.  

1 Peter 3:18

18  Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

If you are a believer in Jesus and you have surrendered your life to Him, you have been brought safely home to God.  You are wrapped up in his presence in prayer…and bring that attitude of uncomfortable grace with you. As God wraps you up in his presence as you pray, make sure that you aren’t sticking your tongue out at somebody else that needs you to show them uncomfortable grace.

And, if you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, our prayer team will be at the front of the stage after the last worship song is sung.  They will be here to answer any questions you may have about how to surrender your life to Jesus and be forgiven for your sins.

A second thing we learn about prayer from this passage is that…

PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER DEMONSTRATES FAITH

Persistence in prayer demonstrates faith. Sometimes people say things like, “Well, I asked God to set me free from this addiction…” He never did, so he must not love me enough to answer my prayers or maybe, “I asked God to help me in my marriage, but He hasn’t.  He must not love me.” If you want to be rescued from addictions in your life, then you must be persistent in your ask. Be persistent in your request.  Is it really important to you? Do you really want to experience God’s power in your life? 

Look at the story Jesus told:  “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6  ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7  And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8  But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. 

One man did not want to get out of bed. The other man refused to go away. He was obnoxious. It was midnight. He kept knocking! Can you imagine a neighbor knocking on your door at midnight and refusing to go away? If that happened today, we would call the police.  Jesus is teaching us that it is okay to be obnoxious in prayer! Every day, I am reminded by persistence in prayer because my children refuse to take “no” for an answer.  “Dad, can I have this? Dad, can I please have this? Dad, please, oh please can I have that?”

If you understand what I’m talking about, say, “Help me, Jesus!” Persistence in prayer is a sign of faith and finally, we understand this third principle:

GOD IS GOOD AND WANTS TO BLESS YOU, SO ASK, SEEK, AND KNOCK!

Luke 11:13

13  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

And God wants to bless you first by giving you His Holy Spirit.  When you surrender your life to Jesus and receive forgiveness for your sins, you are made NEW and you receive the Holy Spirit. So how will you demonstrate your faith? What is a need in your life that is screaming for you to ask and knock until God meets that need? Be obnoxious and keep asking God. Keep knocking on his door. Be persistent. Jesus said you have the freedom to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK at the house of God anytime!

Keep on asking God for healing in your marriage.

Keep on asking God to set you free from addiction.

Keep on asking God to heal relationships with your children.

Keep on asking God to set you free from insecurity.

Keep on asking God to set you free from doubt.

Keep on asking God to heal your cancer.

Keep on asking God for that job.

Keep on asking God to help you forgive.

Keep on asking God to set you free from a grudge.

Keep on asking, keep on knocking.

If it sounds obnoxious to you, then you are learning the principle Jesus wants us to practice.

Persistence in ASKING means we continue to TRUST that He is Good.  

Meeting Jesus - Worship and Serving

As we will discover in our message today from Luke 10, leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus requires worship and service.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus with siblings and friends of Jesus.  When Martha heard that Jesus was in town, she invited him into her home and planned a massive banquet for him as a guest of honor.

Anytime a person had a banquet, the entire town could attend and celebrate.  

This required much work from Martha.

Luke 10:38-42

38  As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. 39  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41  But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” 

Since many of you have served or volunteered in some capacity in the church world, you may be able to relate to how Martha felt in this passage. Martha invited Jesus into her home to celebrate him as the guest of honor, but she could not spend any time with him because of all the work she had to do to have a big feast. During Thanksgiving, when the family comes into town, I love preparing the feast. I often get so caught up in making sure the food is cooked close to perfection that I often fail to connect with the family that has driven hours to spend time with us. I spend more time with the deep-fried turkey than the turkeys running around in my living room.

Well, that is precisely what happened with Martha. From this passage, it is essential for us to understand:

SERVING WITHOUT WORSHIP RISKS RESENTMENT

Luke 10:40 

Martha said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 

Can you see Martha working hard?  Running back and forth. Checking the temperature of the food. Tasting it to make sure the right amount of seasoning is in each dish. Making sure they had enough clean utensils and dishes. Getting the table set right for the guest of honor. Filling the wine glasses repeatedly. I am willing to bet she began preparing this feast with a happy heart…humming a song and feeling honored that she could have her friend and the great miracle worker Jesus in her home. 

Then...as she hustles around the home, her eye falls on her sister.  Sitting on her butt. Talking to Jesus. Laughing with him. Listening to him. Not helping.  Not serving.  Just sitting.

So, Martha begins to show signs of resentment.

Working as a construction worker, I would get so aggravated when a co-worker was lazy! Maybe you have experienced that frustration before as well.  When somebody does not pull their weight, when somebody is not working alongside you.  

Martha must have kept one eye on her work and the other on her sister. Growing more and more angry and steamed with every second that passed, until she couldn't take it any longer and blurted out:  It's not fair! Have you been there?

Maybe initially, serving others sounded like a good idea…but you felt like you have to do everything and nobody was helping you. It could be at church. It could be at home. It could be at work.

SO REST TO SERVE SELFLESSLY

As a follower of Jesus, when we serve others and fail to rest in the presence of Jesus on a regular basis, our attitude becomes stale and crusty. Look how quickly it happened to Martha. One moment she extended an invitation to Jesus and welcomed Jesus into her home.  The next moment - she wants to yank her sister up by the hair and make her help.  

If you are serving inside the walls of Beach Church or outside the walls of Beach Church and you feel frustrated with others, remember to rest in the presence of Jesus and cling to the promise of this verse:

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT2) 

58  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Nothing you have done or ever will do for the Lord is useless.  Be encouraged. Rest in his presence in worship, and keep on going. Another truth we can draw out from this passage of scripture is this:

NEGLECTING JESUS STRAINS OUR RELATIONSHIPS

As a follower of Jesus, we want to live for him. We get in the word; we understand how he wants us to live, whom he wants us to become, and what he wants us to do…but if we stay focused on the “becoming” and neglect spending time with Jesus, our relationships with other people will become strained. Without resting in the presence of Jesus, acts of service and kindness become a religion. Without spending time with Jesus, we attempt to “love our neighbor as ourselves’ without loving God with all our heart. We get caught up in the doing, and we neglect worship.

When we neglect spending time in worship with Jesus, our relationships get strained, and we may blurt out something that we regret later. We may understand what Martha was thinking about because - we have all been there.

Please remember this:

SERVING IS GREAT, BUT WORSHIP IS GREATER

Martha must have been stunned by the gentle rebuke of Jesus and the words,

Luke 10:42

42  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

The story of Mary and Martha illustrates what it looks like to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.” In the passage of scripture that we looked at last week, Jesus taught that the Good Samaritan showed us what it was like to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Luke 10:25-28 

25  One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26  Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27  The man answered, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28  “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 

When we love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we are serving them. Serving is GREAT! Martha is serving others in this passage. She is going above and beyond. She is going the extra mile. She is treating others how she would want to be treated. But, she was missing the mark when it came to “loving God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

Serving others walks hand in hand with loving God with all our heart soul, mind and strength. 

It is impossible to love God and NOT serve others truly, and we can’t love our neighbor as ourselves for long without becoming resentful and straining our relationship if we are not worshiping and loving God first. That is the lesson for all of us from the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus is not telling Martha that she should not be serving. He is telling Martha that as she serves, she must do it from the source of the only thing greater than serving.

Worship

The only thing that is greater than serving is worship. Worshiping Jesus is the most important, thrilling, extraordinary thing a human can experience…I love experiencing life-changing worship with hands lifted high, tears flowing from thankful hearts, and being joined together as followers of Christ as we pursue a more meaningful relationship with God. Serving others is almost equally as amazing of an experience! When you choose to bless other people, it is a fantastic feeling. You will feel good. You will be humbled. You will enjoy going the extra mile. If you serve out of the overflow of your relationship with God.

So keep following Jesus. Keep loving others. And make sure you do all you can to do BOTH together.

Meeting Jesus - The Good Samaritan

In 1993, two and a half years after I became a follower of Jesus, I sensed God was leading me to move 7 hours away to Columbus, OH, and serve at a new church that was meeting in a middle school. Everything I owned in life I stuffed into two large black trash bags. I had a 1986 Buick Regal with a bad thermostat, four bald tires, and a transmission that was stuck in one-gear, drive. Along the interstate, I replaced the water pump, changed a flat tire, and made it to Columbus with $60 left in my wallet. I arrived on a Sunday morning as worship was beginning, dropped $20 into the offering plate, and thanked God for getting me there safely. Now I had $40, no job, and no place to sleep, but I was following GOD! I had peace in my heart because I knew God would provide.  

Sunday afternoon, the Pastor of the church plant made a few phone calls, and later that day, I drove my car to one of the nicest neighborhoods I had ever seen. Blowing white smoke out of the exhaust, I parked my car on the curb of a beautiful five-bedroom home with a perfectly manicured lawn and a water fountain near the front door entrance. I had been living in the rented basement of a run-down house. Dark low ceilings, musty, broken plumbing pipes, barely getting by…

The Moser family welcomed me into their home and treated me as if I were one of the family. I had my own bedroom, bathroom and lived rent-free for the next year and a half. I ate meals with them and participated in everything the family did. Games, birthday celebrations…I was welcomed into their home not as a guest but as a stranger who became part of their family.

My entire life changed because of their willingness to take care of a stranger. When I moved back to Tennessee, I enrolled in college and later went on to Seminary. Had God not put this family in my life, at a critical time after I had surrendered my life to Jesus, I do not think I would be married or in ministry. Maybe you have experienced somebody who went out of their way to help you.  And they helped you in such a way that it changed your life. 

If you have ever been the recipient of selfless service like I have, this passage of scripture will speak to you today. Let’s read:

Luke 10:25-37 (NLT2) 

25  One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26  Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27  The man answered, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28  “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 29  The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30  Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31  “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32  A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33  “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34  Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35  The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36  “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37  The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” 

Throughout the Gospel of Luke, the Religious Leaders are often seen trying to trick Jesus, kill Jesus, or accuse Jesus of sin. This religious lawyer had memorized the Old Testament and was an expert on how Jewish people were supposed to live. Every religious leader had summed up the entire Old Testament commands in one sentence:

To love God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

And, like every good lawyer who searches for loopholes, this religious lawyer was interested in discovering the loopholes in the command to “love his neighbor as Himself.” He wanted to define his neighbor so did not have to love ALL people.

Who was His Neighbor?

• Was it just those that lived near his home? 

• Maybe just the people he attended synagogue with? 

• Maybe just the people he saw on the way to work?  

• What about people outside the Jewish faith? Are they his neighbor, too?

This man reminds us that…

RELIGIOUS EXPERTS CAN FAIL AT RELATIONSHIPS

Sometimes people become such experts at knowing what the Bible says about right and wrong that they fail to have genuine connections with others. They become the authority about living correctly for followers of Jesus. They desire to control others through the commands of Jesus…and they love the grey areas of scripture:

Like:

If you are a real follower of Jesus, you should not drink alcohol.

If you are a real follower of Jesus, you should not smoke or vape.

If you are a real follower of Jesus, you should wear nicer clothes to church.

If you are a real follower of Jesus, you should be like me.

Then, when others do not meet their expectations, the relationship is over, until or unless the other person’s behavior changes. 

Some families are like that.

Some marriages are like that. 

Some churches are like that…

I am grateful, we are not. And If we have been in the past, that is not who we are now. Attempting to “control the behavior of others” will never deepen your relationships. The more we expect others to follow the rules, the more disappointed we will be in them because we all are sinners! We are all going to miss the mark. Don’t look for loopholes in relationships. Love all people as you love yourself and recognize that meaningful relationships are built through difficult seasons.

PEOPLE MAKE BAD DECISIONS; HELP THEM ANYWAY

Jesus was intentional about the road he included in this story. If you wanted to travel from Jerusalem to Jericho, you could only take one road. The “road” was more like a trail or a path, cut through hills and valleys and twisted and turned for about 25 miles. If you traveled the road, you would put your life at risk. Dehydration, Wild animals, and Thieves and bandits would hide along the trail, steal your money, beat you up, and leave you for dead.

The traveling man thought he could travel the road alone, but he was beat-up and left for dead. He made a bad decision. He didn’t think he needed people with him. He thought he was immune to all the bad things that would happen to him along the route. This man thought he could walk the road alone. Often, we do the same thing. Pride tells us that we do not need others. God designed us for relationships. God created us to do life with people who sin and make bad decisions. When people get in trouble because of the poor decisions they have made in life, help them anyway. You get that if you are a follower of Jesus. You understand that you made poor decisions in life, yet God helped you anyway.

Jesus did not allow our mistakes to keep us separated from him.

If you have come to a point where you understood God created you and loved you, that on the cross, Jesus paid the price for your sin, and that God wants a relationship with you through the forgiveness of sin, and you have surrendered your life to God and trusted Jesus as your Savior. Then you understand that God did not allow our failure to prevent him from helping us. So don’t allow other people’s bad decisions to prevent you from helping them. The religious people walked on past this man. 

Maybe they thought as they walked by: 

“Actions have consequences.” 

“You play with fire, and you will get burned.”

All these sayings are true…but I have made bad decisions before, and I needed help. 

You have made bad decisions before, and you needed help. So show others mercy, and help them even when they have really messed their lives up. Remember,

SELFLESS SERVICE REQUESTS NOTHING IN RETURN

“Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35  The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

This man selflessly served and asked for nothing in return:

• He used his emergency kit.

• He walked the rest of the journey while the wounded man rode his donkey.

• He paid the medical bill of a stranger.

Beach Church has a pattern of Serving selflessly. We serve with a “no strings attached” mentality, expecting and asking for nothing in return.

Some examples:

• Gift Cards for Families at Christmas

• Parent’s Night out

• Whenever you purchase a drink in the Cove, all of that money goes directly to local missions.

• We have provided breakfast for local schools

• Clothing drives for Fostering Hope and Homeless shelters

• Annual food Drives for local food pantries

• Monthly food distributions

I could go on and on…

When we are serving, we serve with no strings attached. We do not try to coax people into becoming a follower of Jesus before we help them. We serve selflessly.

And remember, 

A NEIGHBOR’S NEED IS A CALL TO ACTION, NOT PITY

After this story, Jesus asked, “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” 37  The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”  In today’s culture, when we see somebody in danger, we are more prone to record it than to help them. But, because Jesus tells us to go and do the same, a neighbor’s need is a call to action…and feeling sorry for people is not what God wants. God wants you and I to be light in a dark world.

He wants us to make a difference to those who are hurting. 

To those in need. 

To those at the end of their rope. 

To those who feel beat up by life and left for dead. 

To those who think they do not matter and nobody cares for them.

God does not want us to feel pity for them. He wants us to go out of our way, to serve selflessly, and to take action. So, if you have established a pattern of walking past those in need, change your pattern. Make a decision today that you will never walk past a person in need without helping them. Let’s be a people here at Beach Church that serve selflessly and make a difference in our community.

Meeting Jesus - Extraordinary Encounters

I was in my second year of college in 1996 when the comet named Hyakutake (ya-koo-ta-kee) filled the night sky.  Around 10 o’clock at night, my friend and I hopped in my car to get away from the city lights to get a good look at it.  Outside the city limits, we made lefts and rights down some backroads until we finally were far enough away from the city lights to get a good view. We were surrounded by thick trees, the sky was black, and once we found a little clearance at the top of a hill, I pulled my car into a dirt road. My headlights hit a house with boarded windows and doors…

We jumped out of the car, left the doors open, the headlights on pointing toward the woods across the road, and the engine running (because my car usually didn’t start the first time I turned the key) and turned to look at the comet.  

It was stunning.  The huge ball of fire, the streaming brilliant tail that went on for thousands of miles….it was incredible.

But…something felt off.  It felt like I was being watched.  Something did not feel right. It felt like that the moment I jumped out of the car…and it built up.  I couldn’t shake it. After driving 45 minutes to get out of town, I spent less than a minute looking at the comet. As awesome and brilliant as the comet was – something didn’t feel right. I turned to my friend and asked him if he wanted to go.  Quickly, he said “yep.”  

I turned to get in the car, and in the headlights just at the edge of the road, a man was walking directly toward me! He had on dark clothes, a hat pulled down over his head, and was moving silently through the leaves toward me. I jumped into the driver’s seat. Yelled to my friend, “Get in the car!” He saw the guy, jumped in. We slammed the doors, put the car in drive…and as I pulled out past the man, he glared at me through the driver side window and KICKED the back of my car as hard as he could.

I did not stop at one stop sign or red light until I pulled back onto campus.  Once on campus, we both leaped out of the car and quickly looked underneath to make sure this guy wasn’t hanging on. That was the strangest encounter of my life! We had questions like, “Why couldn’t we hear him?”  “Why was he coming toward me?” “If we were trespassing, why didn’t he just yell at us?”  I had no answers.  It was a bizarre, strange, and weird encounter.

Sometimes we encounter things in life that we are unable to explain. Maybe you have had a bizarre experience in your life as well. Some people make claims that they have seen Bigfoot. Or abducted by aliens… 

It’s crazy that in light of all the technology that we carry around in our pocket on our cell phones, most of these strange encounters are blurry and out of frame. Luke recorded a very strange encounter that the disciples had with Jesus.  Two dead prophets and Jesus would hang out together on a hill, and Jesus clothes and appearance would turn to radiant white.  It was strange and bizarre, but I believe there are some great take-aways in the passage for us.

Luke 9:28-36 (NLT2) 

28  About eight days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a mountain to pray. 29  And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30  Then two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. 31  They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. 32  Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. 33  As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 34  But even as he was saying this, a cloud came over them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them. 35  Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” 36  When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen. 

This was a bizarre and strange encounter.  Men who had died hundreds of years before…Jesus appearance being changed.  The voice of God booming from within a cloud. For Jesus, this was a public affirmation from God that he was going to save the World from our sins…that he was the chosen son of God…and that we should all listen to him and do what he says to do.

And It is interesting that in this moment, 

JESUS DID NOT SEEK VALIDATION FROM INFLUENCERS

This was the most significant moment in his life to date...yet he did not bring in the heavy hitters with political or religious influence to see it. Jesus did not contact the local news team. He didn’t gather together the heads of the tribes of Israel, He did not invite Kings, scholars, philosophers to observe this moment of validation. He didn’t invite people from different arenas who would tell others about what they saw, and about who He was. He did not seek out the popular people among the Israelites. So many people in our culture today seek out validation from INFLUENCERS in social media.  

We have many Social Media Influencers in our church.  Let me ask you to use your influence to shine the light on Jesus and to point others to Jesus.

Be informative. Be witty and clever. Be funny. But periodically, point them to something greater than you.

The greatest influence you could ever have is to lead somebody to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Many people today want to be recognized on social media – they want their opinion to matter more than others. They want the recognition. They build revenue through LIKES and HEARTS and COMMENTS.  If enough people like them – sponsors will pick them up.

But some people who want to be an influencer have it wrong. They want to be important and they want to matter.  Some people who try to be an influencer aren’t seeking revenue or cash, they are building their view of self.  They think, “The more people that like my posts, the more important I will be.” 

And, “If people do not like my posts, apparently I do not matter.”

Let me say this right now – you are important. You do matter.  Your self-worth is not found online. If you seek out validation from other people to feel important, stop it.

Jesus has given his life for you – you matter. There may be absolutely nothing exciting or incredible about you. You may not have any talents whatsoever. Your checking account may make a homeless person feel rich…

You may be absolutely NORMAL, like Jesus demonstrates in this passage:

GOD INVITES NORMAL PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THE ABNORMAL

Jesus took regular ordinary people to the top of this mountain to experience something abnormal. Something unexpected. Something unheard of. Peter, James and John were all regular uneducated, untrained, fishermen.  They were mediocre fishermen at best.  When Jesus first called them, they had been fishing all night and did not catch one fish.  They weren’t the best or most skilled in their line of work.

They were ok. They were adequate. They were normal, everyday people that he called to experience the abnormal. That is what God continues to do today. If you want to experience the abnormal in a life-changing relationship with Jesus – you can be wealthy, or poor, you can be be attractive, or ugly. You can be a nobody or a somebody. You can be married. Divorced. You can be single.  

You can bring all your flaws, all your faults, they way you are, surrender your life to Jesus, and experience an abnormal life. I know normal quite well, because I am normal. In many ways, I consider myself below average. God has gifted me as a teacher.  I love teaching his word and helping people experience the abundant life He has for them…

On the stage, I teach pretty transparently.  In fact, one of my core values is to live transparently…I often share my own struggles with applying God’s Word to my life…and often my own failures.  

I acknowledge that I am a guarded individual.  I am very guarded when it comes to who I let in my life.  I have experienced a lot of hurt in my childhood, and a lot of hurt in ministry. Because I am guarded, I may come across as uncaring. Normal people have problems – but we should not let our problems stand in the way of experiencing the abnormal.  

So – what are your barriers to growth?  What are the areas of your life that needs to experience healing? Besides Jesus, Peter is the only other man that speaks in this passage of scripture – and essentially he is a blubbering idiot.  He doesn’t know what to say, so he rambles.  

33  …Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

In the presence of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah – Peter felt a need to say something – so he just blurted something out. That was Peter’s personality.  He often did or said things that were dumb things to say.  

He jumped out of the boat to walk on water and sank. He rebuked Jesus and told him he was wrong. He blurts something out here just to say something. Like you and I, Peter was a normal ordinary guy. He had a lot of rough edges. He had to make a lot of apologies…

But Jesus knew that…

GOD TRANSFORMS ORDINARY INTO EXTRAORDINARY 

After Jesus rose from the dead, God took this man named Peter, a normal ordinary man and transformed him into a preacher and leader. In the Book of Acts, under Peter’s preaching – thousands and thousands of people surrendered their lives to Jesus and experienced forgiveness of sins and were made brand spanking new. God took the man that smelled like fish and made him a fisher of men.

God took the man with no communication skills, and transformed him into one of the most gifted and honest speakers of his time.

Acts 4:13 (NLT2) 

13  The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

Both Peter and John were Ordinary until God grabbed ahold of their lives. So, how can you let God transform you?  How can you as a follower of Jesus, become extraordinary. At Beach Church, our mission is to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. We not only lead people to Jesus…we lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. That means, all those in Jesus continue to be changed by Jesus. Let me give you a little glimpse of what we will be incorporating into our Next Steps classes.

Our Next Step classes are designed to help people learn more about our church, and to help followers of Jesus transform into people who become more like the person God created them to be. I have developed 7 Questions called Anchor Points that will be incorporated into our Next Steps course, but for now, I want you to have these questions that you can ask yourself on a regular basis. These Anchor Points are questions designed to help an “ordinary” follower of Jesus become an “extraordinary” follower of Jesus:

Here are the Seven Anchor Points for a follower of Jesus to ask themselves on a daily basis:

ANCHOR POINTS

LOVING: How am I showing others kindness and respect?

GROWING: How am I deepening my relationship with God?

CONNECTING: Who am I getting real with?

FORGIVING: Who am I forgiving and extending grace to?

SERVING: How am I selflessly meeting the needs of others?

INVITING: Who am I encouraging to follow Jesus?

GIVING: How am I trusting God with my finances?

God wants to take your ordinary and make it extra-ordinary. Will you let him?

Meeting Jesus - Overcoming Roadblocks to obedience

This week – the college world series started, with the regionals. Coastal Carolina even hosted one of the tournaments. They are now playing the super regionals and next is the College World Series. Baseball can be a fun sport to watch. The young men are throwing baseballs at 90-98 MPH. I watched one game, where the pitcher hit 100 mph.

Do you know how difficult it is to hit a baseball traveling 90-98MPH?  I tried, 80 MPH at a batting cage once and played against some guys that could throw the ball that hard, so I can tell you that it is very difficult especially the older I get. Pitches traveling at 95-100 mph take just 400 ms to travel from the pitcher to the hitter. Since the typical reaction time is 200 ms, and it takes 100 ms to swing the bat, this leaves just 100 ms of observation time on which the hitter can base his swing.

There is NO ROOM for HESITATION when you are at bat.  You must make a RAPID decision and begin to swing IMMEDIATELY if you want to make contact with the ball. When it comes to following Jesus, believers in Christ can sometimes get caught up in hesitating before applying God’s Word to our lives. Think about it.  A follower of Jesus reads God’s word and KNOW a CHANGE needs to occur in their life. They understand that God has called them to Love God and Love people…to forgive, show kindness and compassion, and grace…

 …But we hesitate.  

Let’s read the words of Jesus from Luke 9:18-27 to see what Jesus has to say to his followers about living in obedience to Him.

Luke 9:18-27 (NLT2) 

18  One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 19  “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.” 20  Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!” 21  Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. 22  “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” 23  Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26  If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27  I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.” 

This passage of scripture is Jesus challenge for his followers to die to themselves. He isn’t sharing this with the crowds.  He shared this with only those who were his disciples.  They believed that Jesus was sent from God and that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus took this small group to a deeper level and challenge them to APPLY what he had been teaching them.

BUT, when you hear “take up your Cross” it can stir up some hesitation.

A COMMON ROADBLOCK TO LIFE CHANGE IS HESITATION. 

For Instance, I remember when I first surrendered my life to Christ. My life began to change, but I was still dealing with some hesitation especially about going public with what was happening. Of course, I told my family, but I hesitated when it come to telling others, especially my friends about what Jesus had done. I was afraid that if I told them, that they would no longer be my friends. I remember on one occasion, I had a friend named Michael that point blank asked me what was different about me. As I thought I hesitated to tell him that Jesus had turned my world upside down. I wanted to tell him that I now know what Love is, I have peace, I have hope, I have joy. I wanted to tell him that he could have the same. 

BUT, I didn’t! 

I hesitated because I was afraid of what it might cost me.

“Take up Your Cross”??? that means I have to give up something. I did not want to lose one of my best friends.

Luke 9:23 (NLT) 

23  Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 

At this point in the life of Jesus – everybody wanted to be his follower.  Life-Change was happening all around.  People were being healed.  He was turning the entire religious system upside down.  He was showing compassion, grace, forgiveness.  Crowds were following him at no risk to themselves.  It cost them nothing.  In fact, it was a rather popular position to be in.  

Jesus had already called those HE now called APOSTLES to give up their lives and follow him.  Now Jesus turned to the crowd and said, before you can follow me – you have to do two things before you can be my follower. 

TURN from your selfish ways

TAKE up your cross daily

Let’s think back to the Garden of Eden.  At the root of ADAM and EVE’S sin was SELFISHNESS. The Fruit was desirable. James 1:15 Says “These desires give birth to Sinful Actions” Adam and Eve WANTED to please themselves by giving into their desires. Pleasing their creator was important – (we know it was important to them because they HID from God after they had sinned) but PLEASING themselves MATTERED more.  Pleasing themselves mattered more than anything.  God said not to eat the FRUIT but they wanted to satisfy and gratify themselves

WE HESITATE BECAUSE WE ARE SELIFSH

Lucifer was kicked out of Heaven because of SELFISHNESS. ADAM and EVE were kicked out of the Garden of Eden because of SELFISHNESS. From the time our children are able grasp the concept – we teach them not to be selfish but to share.

Every sin is rooted in selfish desires.  

Selfish attitudes.  

Selfish ways.  

If you struggle with temptations and give in often to sin – it is because you are a selfish, selfish person.  You may not be selfish in all areas – but you are selfish in some.  You struggle with sin because you want to PLEASE your flesh.

If you fight often with your spouse – it is because you are being selfish.  You didn’t like something they did.  You don’t like that they left something for you to do… Most of the time, when my wife and I argue it’s because one of us being selfish. Let me rephrase that: It’s because I’m being selfish.

If you gossip it is because you deep down – you want to appear wiser, smarter, and better than the person you are talking about. 

So JESUS says the very first step, the very first thing we must be willing to do to follow him is to TURN AWAY from our SELFISHNESS.  

We need to tell ourselves “NO” 

NO I will not say that.

NO I will not think that.

NO I will not go there with my words.

NO I will not look at that.

NO I will not get mad at all Walmart Employees because only one line is open.

We TURN away from our SELFISHNESS.

BUT we limit the MEANING of the words of Jesus spoken in Luke 9:23 if we only focus on SELF-DENIAL.  Self-DENIAL is only part of the equation.  

Let’s look at Luke 9:23 again

Luke 9:23 (NLT) 

23  Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 

In order to be a FOLLOWER of Jesus – we must “Deny ourselves” and “Take up our cross daily.”

The Cross was a symbol of Death. The crowd would have known what carrying a cross meant. The disciples knew. We know how brutal it was because of what we have read and know. We know that when a man carried a cross it was not a round trip ticket. We know if a man carried a cross, HE WAS GOING TO DIE.

Denying ourselves is one thing – but taking up a cross is a whole deeper level of commitment.  You can not be a follower of Jesus without committing to not only DENYING self, but SACRIFICING self as well. This is something that we do daily!! We are selfish people and so we have to take up that cross and deny our selfish desires.

You have heard the expression, “It’s not about me.”  

The most selfless thing we can do is to SELFLESSLY SACRIFICE for others.  Serving in the NURSERY is a SACRIFICE.  Serving in our Children’s ministry is a SACRIFICE. Serving in the student Ministry is a SACRIFICE.  Serving in the church, on a mission team, on any of our teams here at Beach Church is a SACRIFICE. If I can be honest, if we are truly sacrificing self for others church’s wouldn’t have to beg for volunteers. Jesus EQUATED TAKING the CROSS of SUFFERING with what it means to FOLLOW him.

CARRYING a CROSS is LIVING with PURPOSE.  

CARRYING a CROSS is a lifestyle of ACTION.  

CARRYING a CROSS is being a SERVANT to ALL.

CARRYING a CROSS is GIVING so much we feel it.

CARRYING a CROSS is HUMILIATING.

CARRYING a CROSS is giving up all SELFISHNESS and EMBRACING SACRIFICE.

One of the things I have NEVER understood since I became a Christian is how people can be SO PREFERENCE DRIVEN in the church when Jesus calls us to DIE to OURSELVES. 

They think CORPORATE WORSHIP should be the songs THEY LIKE.

They think MISSIONS OF THE CHURCH should be where they DESIRE to go. 

And on and on and on…they fight for their colors, their ministries, their turf, their worship, their preaching style, their SELFISH DESIRES!

When the CHRISTIAN chooses to FOLLOW JESUS they have abandoned their PREFERENCE way of DOING things and PICKED up a CROSS with a ONE-WAY ticket to HEAVEN. This is when we truly understand “It’s not about me”

We were not SAVED merely to STOP doing things – we were saved to “CARRY a CROSS.”  We were saved FROM something FOR SOMETHING!

Paul illustrates what it means to carry a CROSS beautifully in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT) 

21  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22  throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. 

The way Paul describes TURNING FROM OUR SELFISHNESS and CARRYING a CROSS is by THROWING OFF OUR OLD MAN and PUTTING ON THE NEW MAN…just as we would throw off nasty dirty clothes and put on new ones.

Paul then provides illustration after illustration of what that looks like:

Ephesians 4:25-29 (NLT)

25  So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26  And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27  for anger gives a foothold to the devil. 28  If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 

This has always been a fascinating passage to me because it illustrates the LIFESTYLE of a FOLLOWER of JESUS who has turned from his selfishness and is carrying a cross.

A LIAR is transformed to a person who can be TRUSTED by OTHERS.

A HOT-TEMPERED person is transformed into a person controlled by FORGIVENESS to OTHERS.

A THIEF is transformed into a person who WORKS HARD to give GENEROUSLY to OTHERS.

A FOUL-MOUTHED PERSON is transformed into an ENCOURAGER of OTHERS.

THIS IS NOT A HARD CONCEPT TO UNDERSTAND BUT IT IS SOMETHING WE MUST APPLY

There is a radical transformation that has occurred!  Something uncommon has happened to an individual who DENIES SELF.  Something amazing.  Something beautiful…SOMETHING that has forever changed the habits of his life!  That something is REPENTANCE.  

True repentance alters a person’s life!  Truly turning from our selfish ways is a result of GENUINE REPENTANCE.

DYING TO SELF HELPS US BECOME THE PERSON WE WERE CREATED TO BE

When we are humbly seeking the Lord, and seeking his face to do what is right, we will take up our cross on a regular basis.  We become the person God has created us to be – we begin the journey of becoming an unselfish person who sacrifices for others.

That first step of REPENTENCE is simply this, rejecting your selfish ways and turning yourself toward God’s ways through Jesus. If you’d like to do that right now, pray this prayer.

Dear God,  

I want to be a follower of Jesus.  Therefore, right now I reject my selfish way of living and turn to you.  I believe that Jesus has paid the penalty for my sin on the cross, and ask you to forgive me of my sin and I receive your one and only Son as my Savior.  Through your strength, I ask you now to help me carry my cross and live out this repentance through my actions.  Thank you for saving me. Thank you for loving me.  I receive Jesus as my Savior and Ultimate example of everything I should strive to be like. 

In Jesus name, Amen.

Meeting Jesus - Spontaneous Generosity

Are you a generous person? On a regular basis, do you demonstrate generosity in your life?

Now, before you roll your eyes and say to yourself, “Here we go. The Pastor is talking about money.” I am not.

Would your family, friends, and neighbors consider you to be a generous person? 

Are you generous with your time? 

Are you generous with food?  

Here is a story about how I made a decision to be greedy with my time instead of living generously.

On Friday morning around 8:30, I put on my bike helmet and hopped on my bike to ride from my house to the beach. As I was passing the church, I saw cars and tables in the parking lot and remembered that it was “Food Distribution” day. I felt the compulsion, the desire in me to stay…then I heard the voice that said, “Its your day off. Keep riding your Bike.” So I pedaled off on my bike. I rode down to the beach, and up the coast to 48th. I used Google Maps to discover bike paths to ride to River Oaks Elementary.

But instead of taking me down nice, smooth, paved bike paths, my friend Google took me to Mountain Bike trails, with jumps, sudden down hill bursts, tight twists and turns…this was a trail for seasoned Mountain Bike riders, of which I am not!

My hands slipped off the handlebars a few times, I almost crashed. 

I kept peddling, kept pushing, and kept pressing into my near death experience. I was exhausted. Cut through the underbrush and pedaled down the highway that had no bike trail…and you know how crazy the drivers are. By the time I made it to the school, my 50 year old body was worn out. My butt hurt. My legs hurt. My feet hurt. My eyelids hurt.

And I thought, “I sure wish I had been generous with my time and stayed at the church to help out.” 

Today, all of my lower body is in pain! Greed can hurt! In more ways than one. Sometimes, when a loved one passes away, greed steps in and families fight over the property left behind, and relationships are strained or destroyed.

We can all learn lessons from a boy in Luke 9 that demonstrated generosity.

Luke 9:10-13a 

10  When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11  But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick. 12  Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.” 13  But Jesus said, “You feed them.” John 6:8-9 (NLT2) 8  Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. 9  “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” Luke 9:13b-17 (NLT2) “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” 14  For there were about 5,000 men there. Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15  So the people all sat down. 16  Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. 17  They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers! 

We see in the first few verses that Jesus did not plan on spending his day with this crowd of 5,000. Jesus wanted to spend time alone with his disciples talking with them about what they had just experienced. In the first few verses of chapter 9, Jesus gave his disciples the authority to heal diseases and cast out demons, then he sent them into neighboring towns and village. The disciples came back and they were so excited about what they had been able to do. They cast out demons, they healed people, they were excited, so Jesus pulled them aside to spend time listening to their joy and excitement. But the crowd found out where Jesus was going and followed him. So Jesus, gave generously of His time. 

Jesus WELCOMED them and taught them about the Kingdom of God. While Jesus walked on the planet, his mission was to tell people about God’s love for them. The people were HUNGRY for the words of truth about God.  Everywhere Jesus went, the crowds pressed in around him and followed him. People are still spiritually hungry to hear about God’s Kingdom of Love, forgiveness, hope and peace. Despite what we see on social media, I believe people are hungry to know God and the truth. People are hungry for church to focus on the mission of leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.

LIVING GENEROUSLY SUPPORTS THE MISSION OF JESUS

The mission of Jesus was to teach people about God’s Kingdom and communicate God’s love for them. If it had not been for this young boy willing to be generous with his food, some would not have experienced the mission of Jesus being unfolded in their lives.

Luke 9:12-13 (NLT2) 

12  Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.” 13  But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” 

If the disciples had their way, they would have allowed their limited resources to end the dramatic life-change that was happening to the people in the crowd. Like parents of screaming toddlers, it was the end of the day and they were ready for their kids to be in bed. The crowd was tired and hungry. The Disciples were tired and hungry. Maybe they were all “hangry.” Hangry is when you get hungry and angry because there ain’t no food yet.

So, because everybody was hangry and there was no food, the disciples thought “send them away to find food and rest.” The crowd was tired and hungry, but it never dawned on the disciples that the crowd did not need Jesus permission to leave. Each person could have left anytime to go eat and rest.

They chose to stay because they were hearing about God’s Kingdom in a way that made sense. They were being fed spiritually, so they lingered in the presence of Jesus. I am so grateful that when Beach Church walked through the hard a couple of years ago with Covid and division, that the staff stuck it out because the mission of Jesus mattered!

Despite resources being limited, peoples lives were changed, baptisms increased, and the mission of Jesus continued. Similarly, this boy takes his lunch, his limited resources, gives it to Jesus, and the mission of Jesus continued. He could have been greedy, found a shady spot under a tree and stuffed his face. But somehow, this boy knew that if he was generous with his food, Jesus would be able to do something great with it.

Are you living generously like this?

Do you live generously in your home?

Are you generous in your time with your spouse? 

Do you put down the remote, turn away from the television? 

Do you put down your cell phone and live generously with your attention on your children?

You may think, “My time is limited. I do not have time to be generous.”

Let me say this, “You do NOT have time to NOT be generous.”

LIVING GENEROUSLY PROVIDES FOR YOU AND OTHERS

Luke 9:17 (NLT2) 

17  They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!

The boy, the one had had given away everything, ate as much as he wanted, too. When we live generously, God provides for our needs as well. When we seek to bless those around us, God provides for us as well. Feeding the 5,000 is an example of what Jesus taught in Luke 6:38 about generosity.

Luke 6:38 (NLT2) 

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.”

This boy’s generosity is a clear example of God’s promise to bless those who are generous. He gave away his food. He put it in the hands of Jesus. And Jesus did far more with it than the boy ever could. The boy was fed. The crowd was fed and the mission of Jesus continued.

When we choose to live generously, we are choosing to trust God with our resources. 

So, live generously.

If you have ever received bad service at a restaurant.

If a driver behind you at a light blew their horn when you did not accelerate immediately when the light turned green.

Live generously. 

Bless the servers at your restaurant today with a generous tip, even if your food and service is bad.

Bless other drivers with a generous amount of patience. Instead of tooting your horn because the driver in front of you does not accelerate the second the light turns green, give them 5 seconds. Bless your family with generosity. 

Leave the last slice of pizza for somebody else. 

Do the laundry. Wash the dishes. Practice living generously because…

GENEROUS LIVING OFFSETS OUR INCLINATION TOWARD GREED.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 

6  Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7  You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

When we are generous, we radiate God’s character.  Think about how God has been generous to you.

God GAVE you life.

God GAVE you family. 

God GAVE up his own son to die on the cross for you.  

God GIVES you blessing after blessing after blessing.

When we are GENEROUS it allows God to BLESS US more.

Generosity says: I will bless others and trust God to bless me.

Greed lies and says: When I have enough, Ill bless others.

Generosity helps fulfill our mission to lead people to Jesus and aligns our heart with God.

Greed is never satisfied and always desires more. The only way to overcome the temptation to live out greediness is to practice generosity.

When we are generous on a regular basis – it opens the door to more of God’s blessings. Whoever sows BOUNTIFULLY will REEP BOUNTIFULLY. WHEN your HAND is OPENED and EMPTY GOD is going to put MORE in it to give to others. BUT there is a CAVEAT. YOU have to WANT to GIVE! God blesses CHEERFUL givers. God is not going to BLESS sour puss givers.  He is not going to bless SCROOGE like givers.  God is going to BLESS GIVERS who GIVE JOYFULLY.  Not out of obligation.  Not out of necessity.

Give joyfully because when we give we are reflecting the character of God.

Meeting Jesus - No Longer Alone

In the late 1980’s and early 90’s there was a boy band known as the New Kids on the Block.  All teen girls LOVED New Kids.  Girls had their pictures on their folders, their trapper keepers, their t-shirts…

To be honest, I never learned the New Kids names.  Like most guys, we didn’t like them!  They were a boy band!

BUT! 

My wife and her twin sister LOVED the NEW KIDS on the BLOCK. When Kristy and I started dating, her dorm room rocked NEW KIDS posters, pillows, sheets, comforters and towels.  We still have one of the towels and, when laundry gets low, sometimes I have to dry off with this towel…😊

Kristy loved the NK so much that one day, this NEW KIDS commercial came on TV featuring a number you could call and hear all about what the NEW KIDS members were up to.

So, what did Kristy do after watching that commercial?  She picked up the phone and dialed that number! ($2 for the first minute and .45 cents for each additional minute.) All was fine until – her dad opened the telephone bill. Kristy heard her dad start yelling – “What in the world?”  

He dialed the 900 number to see who it was… slammed the phone down, grabbed the “spanking spoon” and headed to the back bedroom.  Kristy hid in the closet. Her twin sister Kim was no help.  She said, “It was Kristy!”

Kristy was busted.  She was ashamed.  She was embarrassed.  And she was in hiding. Kristy wasn’t hiding from her dad EXCLUSIVELY.  She was hiding from the punishment that was going to come from her dad. She loved her dad…but she was afraid of the punishment.

Isn’t that the way we sometimes act toward God? We get beat up by sin.  We get beat up in life because life is DIFFICULT.  We make poor choices and sin.  Or we get weighed down by things that are beyond our control.

And instead of turning to God to ask for help, we feel ashamed, dirty, and worthless and HIDE from God. We want to turn to God for help because we know he loves us, but we are so ashamed at the same time. Today, we will read about a woman who tried to hide from Jesus and receive healing from Jesus at the same time.

Luke 8:43-48 (NLT2) 

43  A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. 

Mark 5:26-27 (NLT2) 

26  She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27  She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 

Luke 8:44-48 (NLT2)

44  Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. 45  “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.” 46  But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” 47  When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees before him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. 48  “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 

All of us would acknowledge that whether we are believers in Jesus or not, none of us are promised an easy life.  We are not promised lives that are free from heartache, free from pain, or free from problems. This woman had led a hard life. For twelve years she suffered. Maybe you have suffered with a long battle with a disease for a long time as well. 

My dad suffered with battles of cancer for 17 years.  From cancer in his lymph nodes, skin cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer…

Many have seen friends and family walk through difficult years of health, divorce, family troubles…In fact, life will kick us at times, it will be difficult and overwhelming.

When you experience the hard of life…

DON’T LET FEELINGS BE AN OBSTACLE TO SEEK THE RIGHT HELP.

This woman had been seeking help from one doctor after another. The Gospel writer MARK tells us that she had tried EVERYTHING to be cured.  She had gone to Doctors numerous times whose medical treatments hurt her more than helped her:

Mark 5:26 (NLT) 

26  She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.

For twelve years, she suffered from a rather embarrassing, gynecological condition of constant hemorrhaging and bleeding. So, she bounced from one doctor to the next – all hoping that the treatment they would give her would cure her.

Nothing fixed her. In fact, the doctors she had turned to only made her suffering grow greater and made her condition worse.

One Doctor promised a cure. And caused more harm.

The another Doctor…and caused more harm…

Then another and another and another and another and another…

Until finally she spent every penny she had trying to find a cure for her condition! 

And now – she was too ashamed to ask Jesus for help.  

When we turn to everything else without the help of Jesus for healing, we only make things worse. 

You may be on a journey bouncing from one relationship to the next, convinced that the next man or the next woman is going to be able to love you and make you feel worthy of being loved. You may have an addiction to drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs, and you bounce around from one doctor to the next, hoping the next doctor is going to tell you what you want to hear.

Like this woman, my dad spent his entire adult life trying to heal from the wounds of the abuse from his dad as a kid. 

My dad abused me.

And He had been abused by HIS dad.

He tried to find healing for his childhood in bottle after bottle of liquor, beer after beer in the bar, one pack of cigarettes after another. He tried to hide his shame and run from his hurt and trauma through pornographic magazines and movies. He wanted to numb the pain of his past. He wanted to forget the hurt he had experienced and he wanted to forget the hurt he had caused. 

Sadly, my dad, like the woman in the story, wasted every penny he had seeking healing in the wrong places. He tried to get relief from his pain in alcohol and pornography. Things that only made his life worse. My dad passed away at the age of 54. Cancer had ravaged his body, but it was the things he chased after for healing that had destroyed his life.

So, please, don’t let your feelings of shame or embarrassment prevent you from seeking out the right help.  Whether you have been hurt as a child, hurt by the death or trauma of a loved one, hurt by addiction, sin, and mistakes, seek help from Jesus.

Jesus can help you and heal you.

Now, look at the reason WHY this woman sought out healing from Jesus. 

Mark 5:27 (NLT) 

27  She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.

Please, never forget that your faith in Jesus, is not a private thing. Your faith belongs in the PUBLIC.

Because,

CELEBRATING YOUR FAITH CAN IGNITE FAITH IN OTHERS

This woman sought healing from Jesus based on what she had heard OTHER people say. Jesus was radically changing peoples lives and people were talking about him! She bounced from doctor to doctor, until FINALLY she heard about Jesus! She had HEARD that Jesus had already been doing things NOBODY had ever done or seen before.  

Let’s take a look at some of those healings already mentioned in the Gospel of Luke:

JESUS HEALED PETER’S MOTHER-IN-LAW FROM HIGH FEVER

Luke 4:39 (NLT) 

39  Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them. 

JESUS HEALED ALL THE SICK IN A VILLAGE.

Luke 4:40 (NLT) 

40  As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one.

JESUS HEALED A MAN WITH AN ADVANCED CASE OF LEPROSY.

Luke 5:13 (NLT) 

13  Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

JESUS HEALED A PARALYZED MAN.

Luke 5:25 (NLT) 

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

JESUS HEALED A MAN WITH A DEFORMED HAND.

Luke 6:10 (NLT) 

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!

HE HEALED ALL THOSE WHO WERE SICK BY THE THOUSANDS.

Luke 6:19 (NLT) 

19  Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.

HE HEALED THE SLAVE OF A ROMAN OFFICER.

Luke 7:10 (NLT) 

10  And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

HE RESURECTED A WIDOW’S SON.

Luke 7:14 (NLT) 

14  Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.”

HE HEALED VARIOUS DISEASES AND THE BLIND.

Luke 7:21 (NLT) 

21  At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases and illnesses, and he cast out evil spirits and restored sight to many who were blind.

This woman had HEARD these things about Jesus.  She had heard that Jesus was restoring hope to those who had given up hope. The Celebration of others ignited a fire of faith in the community and in this woman.  

Your celebration can ignite faith in other people, too.

So – celebrate what Jesus has been doing in your life so that others can come to Jesus. If you have not yet told your story of how God has restored your marriage, your friendships, your life, begin to tell your story! If you have not yet made it clear about the changed life Jesus has brought to you…

STEP OUT OF HIDING AND INTO THE PRESENCE OF JESUS

Today, I want to offer you the chance to step out of hiding and into a relationship with Jesus. I want to invite you to confront the struggles of sin you have faced and find true healing and freedom in Him. The same power that flowed from Jesus 2,000 years ago is the same power that can flow to you and bring you a second chance at life. Her twelve year battle of suffering was over!  

No more suffering at the hands of medieval Doctors.  

No more suffering in isolation.  

No more suffering with this constant shame! 

SHE HAD BEEN HEALED!

You no longer have to remain UN-NAMED and HIDDEN in the CROWD.  Just like Jesus stopped the crowds and called out to this woman, Jesus has stopped the crowds and the flow of this service and he is inviting you to reach out and turn your life over to Him.

Meeting Jesus - Live In Freedom

As a child, there were many times I experienced  being afraid of the dark.  It wasn’t a common thing.  It wasn’t an everyday thing.

But at night sometimes, my imagination would wander, and fear would override my common sense. The faces of Freddy Kruger. Jason Vorhees. Mike Myers…and Norman Bates…they scared the crap out of me as a kid! And sometimes the darkness would paralyze me to the point I barely breathed. Dark shapes of trees, or shrubs, or things in my room, would transform into the faces of the characters that Hollywood had created and I believed that they were going to leap out at me and kill me.

Any other children of the 70’s and 80’s that want to admit to being scared of the dark and thinking about those guys? Today’s passage of scripture can read like a Stephen King novel…

Demonic possession.  A cemetery. Chains and shackles. Self-harm and howling at the moon.

It is from Luke 8:26-39, and the Gospel writer Mark also provides an account of this crazy story, and I am going to add one of the verses from Mark, to this passage to help with the context. 

Let’s read together:

Luke 8:26-27 (NLT2) 

26  So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. 27  As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town. 

Mark 5:5 (NLT2) 

5  Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. 

Luke 8:28-39 (NLT2) 

28  As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29  For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power. 30  Jesus demanded, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31  The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit. 32  There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs. So Jesus gave them permission. 33  Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned. 34  When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35  People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36  Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37  And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them. So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38  The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39  “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him. 

Bizarre story, right? In case it is not obvious, let me point out everything that this man had going against him:

• He was Demon possessed, naked, homeless, and lived in a cemetery. (v. 27)

• He wandered around the cemetery day and night, howling and cutting himself with sharp rocks. (Mark 5:5)

• The people that he knew CHAINED and SHACKLED him to the rocks (v. 29)

Regardless of the difficulties you are facing and the hopelessness you may feel in life – this man has you beat!   You can at least read this passage of scripture and say, “I have problems – but not like him.”

If you feel chained down. 

If you feel like you cannot get over your past. 

If your struggles continue to resurface day and night.  

If you just don’t feel like you can overcome your past…

Like this demon possessed man, I want you to know, you can be freed. I understand that this passage is a bit unsettling.  This man was demon possessed.  He was controlled by the Devil and was filled with demons. I do not believe that a follower of Jesus can be possessed by the Devil…

Once a person has become a follower of Jesus, once they have surrendered their life to Jesus, received Jesus as their savior, and have committed their lives to Him, they have been made NEW. They are born AGAIN.  

They have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. 

So, I do not believe that a follower of Jesus can become DEMON possessed, because the Holy Spirit of God already possesses them.

BUT

I do believe that a follower of Jesus can begin to believe the lies of the devil and live as confused, and feel as isolated and powerless as this man.

As we looked at last week, the devil hates God and the devil hates followers of Jesus. 

And…

KEEPING PEOPLE IN BONDAGE IS A PRIORITY FOR THE DEVIL

In verse 30, Jesus asked the man a very simple question.

“What is your name?”

I could answer that question. You could answer that question. But the man had lived under the influence of the devil for so long, he could not answer the question correctly. 

His name was NOT Legion. His real name was a good Jewish name.  Thomas, Matthew, Peter, or John…LEGION was not the man’s name.  

But he had lived in darkness, confusion, and hurt for so long, he had forgotten his name. He had forgotten who he really was. He had forgotten his identity. He had given up.  He had quit the fight and BELIEVED the lies.  

Jesus characterized the Devil in John 8. Jesus said:

John 8:44 (NLT) 

…He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

As a follower of Jesus, you cannot be demon possessed, but you CAN BE FILLED WITH LIES. You should not believe the discouragement and despair that CREEPS into your thought life.  

You should not believe the harsh words that others speak into your lives.  

You should not believe the whispers of hopelessness when you are trapped and bound by your own sin…

BELIEVE the TRUTH that just like this demon possessed man – Jesus can SET YOU FREE!  

He can free you from the deception of abusive criticism, lies that you have begun to believe about yourself, Pessimism, doubt, and despair…He can set you free, but only if you want to be free.

Lot’s of people who profess to be followers of Jesus, choose to live in darkness every single day.  They have been set free from the penalty of sin, but they make choices to live imprisoned every single day.

Do you do that?

JESUS MADE YOUR FREEDOM A PRIORITY, DO YOU?

Jesus went out of his way to encounter this man and set him free.  The night before Jesus landed the boat in front of this man, he and his disciples had fought the storm in the middle of the lake. In verse 37 – Jesus gets back into the boat to leave. THE only reason why JESUS had made the journey across the water was to rescue this man.  This moment.  Getting across the water wasn’t easy.  Jesus made the freedom of the Gerasene Demoniac a priority and…

Jesus has made your freedom a priority too! He went to great lengths to set you free from SIN.  

Paying the penalty for our sin – he was arrested, beaten, whipped, scourged, mocked, and savagely murdered on a cross.  His blood and broken body paid the penalty for our sins.  

Jesus made your freedom a PRIORITY although it came at GREAT personal cost.  

Does your freedom matter to you as much as it matters to Jesus?

Do you make your freedom a priority? 

Every single Friday night at 6:30, Celebrate Recovery meets here at Adventure Beach.  Anybody with HURTS, HABITS, or HANGUPS are welcome to get involved and invited to discover freedom.  

And, if you are a Veteran, or you know a veteran, that has been scarred and damaged from service in the military, we have a special CR small group just for you. Other Veterans, gathered together to help one another recover and heal…

Many men and women have never recovered from a childhood of abuse, so they chase “what they knew” as a child through one bad relationship after another. Many men and women have been set free from the chains of sin, but they keep holding on to the chains because they don’t know how to live free.  Their more comfortable with shackles than freedom.

Make your freedom a priority.  

Jesus offers abundant life.  He offers honesty, love, and hope. Love yourself enough to choose freedom. And understand,

JESUS HAS THE AUTHORITY TO SET YOU FREE, WILL YOU LET HIM?

Maybe like this man… you are overcome with evil in this world. Maybe you are overwhelmed with an addiction to anxiety. Maybe your relationship with your spouse is crumbling and you feel like you will never experience a HEALTHY relationship with them.  

Maybe you have a hidden addiction to drugs…an addiction to alcohol…or hopelessness.

Throughout the Gospel of Luke, the Son of God, JESUS demonstrates he has the AUTHORITY to set people free.

He demonstrates AUTHORITY over finances (coin in the mouth of the fish), over demonic oppression, and the evil one himself.  

He demonstrates AUTHORITY over nature by calming the wind  & rain.

He demonstrates AUTHORITY over the human body by fasting for 40 Days in the wilderness.  

He demonstrates AUTHORITY over temptation by living 33 years on this earth and refusing to yield to temptation.  

He demonstrates AUTHORITY over the Laws of Physics by walking on Water, turning WATER into WINE, and multiplying the loaves and fish.

He demonstrates AUTHORITY over DEATH and LIFE by raising people from the dead.

He demonstrates AUTHORITY over the Law of Gravity by ascending into heaven. 

He demonstrates AUTHORITY over sin by paying the penalty for sin through Jesus death and rising from the dead.  

THERE IS NOTHING THAT MY JESUS CANNOT DO!

Your freedom is a PRIORITY for JESUS and he CAN SET YOU FREE.  

Like this man – perhaps of you have been cowering and hiding in the darkness so long you have forgotten who you really are and who you belong to.  

You are not a child of the evil one  - you have been born again and you are a child of the most high God!

Live like it! Step out of the shadows of shame and darkness.  

John 8:36 (NLT) 

36  So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. 

Romans 8:2 (NLT)

 2  And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Romans 6:22 (NLT) 

22  But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.

And once you have been set free – then do what this man did.  

Jesus cast the demon out of the man, people who witnessed it ran to the town and told everybody and when they all came running back, the man was clothed, sitting calmly and in his right mind.  He wanted to follow Jesus at this point, but Jesus had something greater for him to do.

He told everybody about what Jesus had done for him.

You can too. On July 16, we will have Beach Baptisms.  Join us and let your world know that you have been set free from sin, and you are a follower of Jesus.

Evil grows in isolation.  God grows in community. 

Meeting Jesus - Jesus, Storms, & Faith

I know it is a bit “elementary” but do you remember playing the game FOLLOW the LEADER when you were young? A line of people follow the leader, and they are supposed to copy everything that the leader does…

Week after week, I share that our mission is to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.  Ultimately what we want to do is help people do the exact same thing that people did in Jesus day.  

We want to help people follow Jesus. Before we begin the message today, I think it is crucial that it is said plainly that…

A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, FOLLOWS JESUS.  

Sounds profound right? 😊 If I am a Jesus follower – that means I FOLLOW Jesus.  I have trusted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  I have turned away from my old life of sin and made the decision to FOLLOW JESUS. That means I try to LIVE the way Jesus says to live.  I try to become more like Jesus, and if you have committed your life to Jesus, so do you. Together, we try to follow Jesus through the challenges, joys, frustrations, and storms of life. By this point in Jesus ministry in Luke 8, 12 men had decided they were give up everything and follow Jesus. 

Jesus is going to sound a little frustrated with his FOLLOWERS because they were not FOLLOWING him.

Luke 8:22-25 (NLT2)

22  One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. 23  As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. 24  The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! 25  Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!” 

Storms were something that fishermen often faced.  In this region, storms appeared suddenly and could be incredibly fierce.  In this moment, the disciples faced a storm and they were actually convinced they were going to die from it! If this storm had popped up and they were safe on the shore, they would not have been afraid.  They could have been in the same storm, on dry land, and they would not have had to face any fear of death. They did not have life jackets or lifeguards.  If the boat filled with water and sunk, they would have had to swim for the shore. But the waves were so big…they believed they would never make it to the shore. 

They were convinced they were going to die…BUT their FEAR only existed because of the game of “What If” that their mind was playing with them.

What if the storm keeps going…

What if the waves get larger…

What if the boat fills up too much…

What if we have to swim to shore…

What if we die…

There is no question that the storm was fierce…but part of the fear the disciples had over the storm was rooted in “What if?”

I struggle with that.

While you and I may never be in a storm on a lake or the ocean like this – we all know we have been through many storms that have been scary…and it is made much worse because of  “What if Roulette”. We walk through a difficult storm and we make it harder on ourselves by imagining the worst case scenarios. For instance, Kristy and I experienced a storm of 6 years of infertility, followed by a miscarriage. Part of the fear we had was rooted in “What if we never have children…?” 

My family experienced a storm when I was suddenly fired from a church in Virginia in 2014 when I learned about financial corruption in the church. “What if” roulette started in my head.  

What if I have to get a job outside of ministry? 

What if people think I was fired for something I did?  

What if my ministry is over…?

I know that many of you are in a storm. Is there a storm you are going through that is shaking you to the core?  

Maybe it is your marriage.

Maybe you just learned that once again, your spouse has been unfaithful.

Maybe you have received a difficult health diagnosis. 

Maybe your doctor has mentioned that you might have Cancer and wants to blood work just in case.

Whatever storm or hardship you are facing right now, I want you to be convinced that…

STORMS ARE PAINFUL EXPERIENCES THAT WILL END.

Storms of life have the ability to rip into our hearts and shred our lives.  Storms of life can cause deep pain that changes the way we think and how we act. In my college days, a tornado went through our college campus and wrecked it. Classrooms buildings collapsed. Art was destroyed.  The entire landscape of the campus changed…but when it was rebuilt – it was better than ever.  

I know it feels like your storm has been dragging on and on – but it will end.  

It has been painful – but it will end. Now, it may not end the way we hope it would. The “health storm” a loved one faces may not end the way we would like it to. Maybe your spouse has already walked away and left you hurt and devastated. Maybe the impact of the storm you have faced has left your life in pieces. If that is the case, I am sorry. I hate that you are experiencing this type of pain. But I know God is able to rebuild our lives better than we can after a storm, if we keep on following Him. When people do face a storm or a tragedy, they often ask the question, “Where is God? Why didn’t he do something?”

Have you ever noticed that we often take credit for the good that happens in our lives and blame God for the storm? Storms and tragedies happen in our lives for three main reasons. 

BROKEN WORLD

Some of the storms we face in our lives come from the reality that we live in a broken world.  We live in a world that sin, broke. We have viruses, diseases, infertility, cancers, accidents, injuries, heart attacks, strokes, high cholesterol, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes, because we live in a world that sin, broke. It was not supposed to be like this.  After God created the world, he looked around and said it was all GOOD.

Then Adam and Eve sinned and the good world, went bad. Because Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God, sin was born and sin brought death…and all of nature was impacted. When earthquakes and diseases happen, it is not God’s fault, it is because the Adam and Even did not choose to follow God, sin was born, and the Good world went bad.

That leads to the second cause of storms in our lives, 

OUR SINFUL NATURE

Some of the storms I face in my life are brought about by me.  I am a sinner.  I have done stupid things that have caused storms in my life.  The first 2 and ½ years of my marriage was a storm because I was selfish.  I wanted my own way.  I caused the storm. I created the storm. My sinful nature can create storms. So can yours. If we do not follow Jesus, we are going to create more storms in our lives. Our sinful nature can really mess things up. The third root cause of storms that we face in life is…

SPIRITUAL ATTACK

If you are a follower of Jesus, God loves you unconditionally. He is for you. He wants you to prosper, to be blessed, and rejoices over you. He loved you enough to send his son to die on the cross for you – and since God is FOR you. Since God LOVES you… you can be sure, the Devil (Satan) hates you. He hates you because he is a God Hater.  He wants to DESTROY all that God loves.

He wants to try to destroy the work of God in your life. 

He wants to ruin your story of life-change.  

He wants to destroy your faith in God.

He wants to ruin your trust and turn your story of faith and trust into a story of doubt and fear.

Sometimes when storms come it is through a spiritual attack.  

If you are making an impact and leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus…

If you are strengthening the church through serving. 

If you are bringing words of encouragement to other believers and making the Church stronger…

Satan is going to spiritually attack you, because you are for God.

So, storms come through a broken world, our own sinful nature, and through spiritual attack…

What can we learn from the disciples?

They were in the boat.

The storm came.

Fear overwhelmed the disciples…they woke Jesus up…he stopped the storm and the waves.

Jesus SHOWED his faith in God by rebuking the storm…and then he asked the disciples the question… “Where is YOUR faith?”

Why didn’t you do something about it?  Why didn’t YOU take action? Building up to this story, Jesus emphasized repeatedly that a FOLLOWER of Jesus DOES what he tells them to do:

Luke 6:46 (NLT)

46  “Why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?

Luke 6:49 (NLT)

49  But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation…

Luke 8:18 (NLT)

18  “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given…

Luke 8:21 (NLT)

21   “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.”

All along, Jesus had been CONNECTING FAITH with ACTION.  With OBEDIENCE.  Jesus had personally been teaching his disciples to demonstrate their faith. This storm was their moment to put into practice all the things that Jesus had been teaching them.  This was their moment to face their storm by faith! This was their moment to demonstrate faith, stand up in the boat, and rebuke the wind and the waves. But instead, they chose to be controlled by fear. I want to invite you to do what the disciples did not do…

DURING THE STORM, SHOW OTHERS YOUR FAITH

That is called TRANSPARENT LIVING. Other people need you to practice your faith. In Luke Chapter 9 and Luke Chapter 10 – Jesus sent out his disciples to heal other people. To heal people of diseases. To cast out demons.  And they went out – and they worked miracles by faith – FOR OTHERS!

Not one time throughout all of scripture do we see a follower of Jesus work a miracle for themselves.  

When you and I walk through storms, AND when we don’t try to hide the storm, but we live transparently and our faith REMAINS ACTIVE, other people will be inspired, encouraged, and challenged about what they really believe about Jesus.

When you are walking through a storm, keep following Jesus! Keep living transparently. Keep serving other people. When you are walking through a storm, the last thing you need to do is stop attending worship, stop serving, and stop blessing others. You have a place to demonstrate your faith every week! From celebrate recovery, serving in local missions, children’s ministry, student ministry. Choose FAITH over FEAR and live transparently so others can see it and even when you are not in a storm – followers of Jesus practice our faith for OTHERS. 

I encourage you to read Luke chapter 9 and 10 and watch what the followers of Jesus did by faith.

Jesus taught that FAITH was POWERFUL.

Matthew 17:20b (NLT)

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

So – WHERE IS YOUR FAITH? Can others see your faith when you walk through the storms? 

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.