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Traction-- This winter we here in the Seattle area had some of the worst snowfall we have had in about 70 years. And therefore I gained a new appreciation for two very important words. The first of these is “traction”. Yes, as I dug the snow out from under the wheels of my car numerous times so that we could get out of our driveway, I gained a new appreciation for this word “traction”; and a stronger dislike of this word “stuck”. And I remember one day in particular that was perhaps the worst; and that was when all the snow and ice on the roads became slush. And you’d think slush would be better because the snow is breaking down. But it is actually the worst because as you car is trying to drive on it, is is moving underneath of it. The car can’t get a footing. And for those of you digging the snow out from under your car; or who had to try to push their car, you know how frustrating getting “stuck” can be.
And you know, you can be “stuck” just about anytime and anywhere. Because there are different ways you can be stuck. You can be stuck in a difficult job where things don’t seem like they’re going to get better; you can feel stuck in your relationships with your spouse or your kids or your extended family; you can be spiritually stuck in your relationship with God. And it just feels like you are snowed in. And you may wonder, “How do I get out of this?” “How can I start getting some traction again?” Well, just as a car needs something more than slush under its tires, so also you need something solid as your foundation as well. By the way, this is why the world has nothing to offer you in this area. If you look at the world right now, it is so mixed up, it hardly knows its left hand from it’s right. And the purely naturalistic view that it seeks to indoctrinate us with (whether its on television, social media, you name it); all of it just leaves us spinning our tires. Some say depend on science. Only problem is that science is always changing its theories; what is fact one century is often discarded the next. They always say, “This time we got it right!” But then new evidence is uncovered and the theories change. One decade they tell you your baby will die if it sleeps on its back. The next they’re telling you the baby will die if it doesn’t sleep on its stomach. One decade they’re telling you you need to brush with you toothbrush up and down; then it’s side to side; now you’re supposed TO DO IT IN CIRCLES!!!!! And really all of the wisdom of the world seems to be doing just that; we’re just running in circles; WE’RE….JUST….SPINNING….OUR TIRES. There is nothing solid you can depend on in this world; no unshakeable truth upon which you can lay a sturdy foundation for your life, knowing that that thing is not going to change;……that is, until we come to the Truth of Christ and His Word. For those who place their faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him, they discover something solid. Maybe this is why Jesus talks about us who spread the truth about Him as being the salt of the earth. Because when we give a world Christ, we are helping to break down the snowy slush and uncover for people something solid that can hold them steady. A wise Christian once wrote: [Our hope is not hung upon such untwisted thread as "I imagine so", or, "it is likely"; but the cable, the strong rope of our fastened anchor is the oath and promise of him who is eternal verity; our salvation is fastened with God's own hand, and Christ's own strength, to the strong stake of God's unchanging nature.] Our Anchor-- It may surprise you to hear this, but: "The {primary} first century symbol {for the early church} wasn’t the cross; it was the anchor. [Epitaphs on believers' tombs dating as far back as the end of the first century frequently displayed anchors alongside messages of hope. Such expressions…speak to the hope Christians felt in their anticipation of heaven. Archaeologists found about 70 examples of these kinds of messages in one cemetery alone.] And person I read helps to make sense of this. He said:} If I'm a first century Christian and I'm hiding in the catacombs and three of my best friends have just been thrown to the lions or burned at the stake, or crucified and set ablaze as torches at one of [Emperor] Nero's garden parties, the symbol that most encourages me in my faith is the anchor. When I see it, I'm reminded that Jesus is my anchor.” Hebrews 6:19 (NIV) says this, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Jesus wants to be our real and present Anchor. And knowledge of Him and His ways can be a solid foundation for your life. And that is what our new sermon series (FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE) is going to center on. How can you and I know God? What is important for us to know about God? And how can our relationship with Him give us the anchoring we need in today’s world. John chapter 17:1-6 says… John 17:1-6 (ESV)-- 1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. “The Word We Do Not Speak Of”-- Now I have been told by one of my mentors (as I discussed this series with him) not to use a particular word. I will have to use quotes at times in which this word will show up. But I have been warned not to use this word myself (particularly in the title of this series (FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE) simply because of how boring this word is. In fact, it is so boring that pastors have been unintentionally putting their congregations to sleep for years simply by using it. Pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to know this word because their profits on sleep aids would immediately plummet. No magician could pronounce any incantation more powerful than this word if they wanted to put you to sleep. I will use it in a moment, but before I do, I’d like to kindly ask that you please angle your heads away from any hard objects. The word….are you ready….is “THEOLOGY” (YAWN). From now on the word just spoken will be referenced to as “the word we do not speak of.” Now I jest. But for many there is no word more boring. And that is because when we hear it, we immediately think of it as books and study about a subject that is too deep for anybody to understand. Now I disagree, but that is what we think; that it is too lofty, too deep, and too impersonal and therefore, boring. And sometimes theology (which is often defined as “the study of God”) can be impersonal and boring. But real theology never is. In fact, the first theology book that ever existed wasn’t like that at all. In fact, quite the opposite. The first theology textbook goes back even before the Bible was written. It was a theology textbook given to the first man ever created. God gave this theology textbook to Adam soon after Adam was created. And though God wrote this textbook, He allowed Adam to to give this theology textbook a name. And the title Adam chose for his first theology textbook was “woman”. And that woman’s name was Eve. And Eve was anything but boring. She was amazing. No Hallmark Valentine card sentiment could have captured what happened in Adam’s soul when God first presented her to him. And it was to be in a relationship with her that Adam would discover (in a small part) what God wanted in His relationship with Adam. Eve was God’s living and breathing theology book for Adam. And she was as about as far from impersonal as you could get. She came from his own body (God made her from one of his ribs). Adam describes her as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”. And it says in Genesis 4:1 that Adam “knew” his wife. And the two became one flesh. Dissecting God-- There were classes I loved in high school; biology wasn’t one of them; they were unpleasant days, as during them my biology teacher (Mrs. Durand) had us dissect a fetal pig. But did she stop there? No. You would think one animal was enough but no. After fetal pig, we did cow heart, then rat, then maybe crawfish, and then (worst of all) we even did shark. Now I’m telling you, the stench from that thing was unbelievable (even worse than fetal pig, which I didn’t think was possible). I kid you not, you could smell those dead sharks from the opposite side of the school. I was so glad to be done with her class. And then of course when I got to Asbury University (as if I needed more practice) my teacher there had us dissect frog (which after shark, wasn’t that bad). But nonetheless disgusting. But in each of these instances I’m sitting there (putrid stench), and I’m trying to peel back the layers so I can see how this dead thing worked when it was alive. Now why do I tell you this. Well, I tell you this because so often times when we define the word “theology” we define it as “the study of God”; it’s a study of God just like a dead animal. He’s laying there on the operating table and we’re trying to figure out how He works. It’s all mental; it’s all cognitive; it’s all systematic. But that is not a Jewish way of understanding theology. Theology; true Christian theology (I don’t care what anybody says; it is NOT) merely “the study of God”. Because studying something is always impersonal. No, theology is not simply “the study of God”; it is “the knowledge of God”. And this is key. WHAT IS THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE?— One scholar makes the observation that [“Knowledge, as a general conception in the Old Testament, is quite unlike that in our…world.… For us, knowledge implies grasping things by reason, seeing things and their connection of cause and effect and the understanding of the component factors of something. The Westerner says that he knows a thing when he has analyzed a thing fully and when he can explain all the factors from which it…arose. That is, when he can give it a place in the whole of his range of ideas. In the Old Testament, knowledge is living in a close relationship with something or somebody, such a relationship as to cause what may be called communion.”] That is what Adam shared with Eve; and that is the kind of knowledge we are to have of God (not just cognitive, but relational; and it is both). To know (in the Jewish mind) is to totally experience the other person. And if you want salvation, you cannot just believe cognitively in God. No early Christian would ever have said that. And neither would Jesus. What does Jesus say? John 17:3 (ESV)-- 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Do you Know?-- And my question to you today is, “Do you know Jesus?” Not about Him; or even that you believe in Him. Do you know Him. Do you relate with Him. I want to tell you today that that level of relationship is open to you. But you have to open yourself to it. You must move from God as idea/concept to God the person. You must know Jesus as your “personal” Savior. And that can happen right here; right now in this moment by simply opening your mouth and inviting Him into you life like that. If you want that, all you have to do is ask. Ask Him today, and He will meet you; and that personal relationship will begin and will give you hope for the present and an eternal hope for the future. Let’s seize that hope today. Amen.
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Christ is risen! And for that we give glory to God in a special way today. And I would like to read to you the account of Jesus’ resurrection given to us in…
John 20:1-10 (NIV) The Empty Tomb— 1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Night & Spiritual Darkness— Now our passage this morning begins in darkness. And often when the Bible talks about something happening at night, it does so for a specific purpose. Because often times what accompanies that physical darkness is some sort of spiritual darkness. After Judas dipped his bread in the cup and Jesus said to him, “What you must do, do quickly”, it says that Judas went out and it was night. And that outer darkness reflected an inner darkness, as Judas left to betray Jesus to the Jewish leaders. Now darkness (especially during that time) was a terrifying thing. People did not have outdoor streetlights to illumine their paths. Even in their homes the lights people had were small. In our modern day we can control our environment; we can make our rooms as bright as we want them to be. But not so in the ancient world. In the ancient world, night was a time of darkness; it was a time when wild animals came out to hunt. It was a time of fear. There is a famous song from the musical Annie which says “The sun will come out tomorrow.” Right? But what if it never did? What if there was night that never ended? In a spiritual sense, that is what the world experienced after mankind fell into sin. Like with Judas, there was a spiritual darkness that descended on us as man left the presence of God after sinning in Eden; a darkness that flowed from our betrayal of God. It was a time of night that the world has been in bondage to ever since. And the darkness reached a climax as Jesus hung on the cross. It says in… Matthew 27:45 (ESV)-- 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. The Hour of Darkness-- Now this was not typical darkness. The sixth hour was noon and the ninth hour was 3pm. So it is the middle of the day. And yet it says there was darkness over all the land. It was a supernatural darkness that reflected the spiritual darkness that 1 Peter 2:24 tells us was descending upon Jesus Christ as the sins of the whole world were placed upon Him. A Day of Burial-- And that day and the following night were perhaps the darkest the disciples of Jesus had ever experienced; and for the women who followed Jesus and who invested in His ministry and who looked forward in hope to seeing the glorification of their Messiah, I cannot imagine a greater pain; a darker night. It was the day the Son/Sun died. And the darkness of the night was matched only by the darkness that their loss of hope brought to their souls. And it is in that darkness that Mary Magdalene has come to the tomb. And Mary is perhaps one of the most profound followers of Jesus in the Gospel story. We learn from Luke 8:1-3 that she had been possessed by seven demons before Jesus drove them out; imagine that! And she was a part of a group of women who supported Jesus in His ministry. And when her brother Lazarus died, Jesus had raised him from the dead. Jesus had touched her on a very personal level; when her brother died, she thought she would have to enter a new season of life without him. But Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead, and she had washed Jesus’ feet as an expression of gratitude. She poured that pure nard on his head and feet. And that nard was very likely the expensive perfume Jewish girls saved for their wedding night. But she chose to give Him that gift. Why? Because Jesus had freed her from the demonic. And on top of that, He gave her dead brother back to her alive. And so I believe this gift she had given Jesus comes into play in our passage today. A Roller Coaster-- Now the day she came to the tomb was Sunday and the past two weeks or more had been an unbelievable roller coaster of emotions as her brother Lazarus became sick. And she, along with Martha, took on the burden of caring for him, waiting for Jesus, until Lazarus finally died. And they mourned for him; they buried him. But then Jesus calls Lazarus out of the grave, giving him new life. Mary’s grief was turned to joy once again, as Jesus had given her brother back to her. Her Heart is Broken— But then her Lord; her Messiah; goes to Jerusalem, is betrayed, and handed over to be beaten, flogged, and crucified. And she had watched Him carry the cross up to Golgotha. She had watched as they nailed Him to the beams, lifted Him up, and jarred Him into place. She watched Him die and then (after death) be ruthlessly stabbed with a spear. I cannot imagine the sickening grief and horror of watching our Lord; her Lord; die on the cross like that. And then she begins to go through the same process she had gone through before with her brother of perfuming the body; embalming it; and preparing it for burial. And Jesus was placed in the tomb. And now this-- And now this incident has happened. And she, those who were with her, and the disciples don’t know what to make of it. To their knowledge, Jesus’ body may have been stolen. And so the disciples run to the tomb. John stops at the entrance and Peter runs right in. And Jesus’ body had been laid on a bench opposite the entrance. And Peter, after stooping down and entering the tomb, sees the bench on which Jesus’ body had lain and finds nothing but grave clothes. And this is incredibly strange. And Peter comes out and he and John both, bewildered, leave perplexed. But Mary stays. Verse 11 and following says… John 20:11-13 (NIV)— Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” The Ultimate Gardener-- Now considering how much Jesus had talked to them about bearing fruit; about His being the vine and them being the branches; about seeds (through death) being allowed to take root and grow to create abundant life; I find it so appropriate that she thought He was the gardener. He was the ultimate Gardener. But He is also the Good Shepherd. And what does the Good Shepherd do? As John 10 tells us, He calls His sheep by name and His sheep know His voice. John 20:16-18 (NIV)— 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. First To Her-- Now I find it interesting that Jesus doesn’t appear to John first (the one Jesus loved); He doesn’t appear to Peter first (who was the leading disciple). Jesus chooses who He appears to first. He appears to her first; to her; the one who had anointed His head and feet, which He told her was for the day of His burial. She had given Jesus the best thing she had; that perfume she had been saving. And Jesus in the same way reserves this place of honor; being the first to see Him alive; He reserves that for her. Another reason I think she could not leave the tomb was because Jesus had made her life new; and now that it was new, she didn’t want to enter any season of life without Jesus. And Jesus appears to her first and I wonder if He isn’t in essence saying to her, “I don’t want you to enter any season of life without me either.” I will never leave you nor forsake you. During any season of life, the thing you can count on (the only thing you can count on) is that I will be with you; encouraging you, comforting you, strengthening you. It doesn’t matter what’s in your past. I will be there for you. Jesus wants to be with us in every season of life. He doesn’t change like shifting shadows and wants to be that anchoring point for us amidst a sea of change. Morrison’s Hell Elevator-- Dennis Kinlaw wrote how he […once heard a sermon by Henry Clay Morrison in which he took his audience on an elevator ride down to hell and then up to heaven. {He says} When we reached heaven, we saw a creature more beautiful than anything we had ever seen. Because of its grandeur, we assumed it was the archangel Michael or one of the great saints such as Moses or Paul. When we asked, the creature laughed almost gleefully and said, “No, I am Mary Magdalene. I am the woman of sin made clean by the blood of the Cross.”] Then Kinlaw said [The most beautiful people in heaven may be the ones in whom the Holy Spirit has wrought the greatest transformation.] Malachi 4:2 (ESV)— 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. Praise be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that each and every one of us has found healing in the wings of our risen Lord. Today, as you reflect back on that blessed day when Christ first called you by name; on that day when you first found healing in the shadow of His wings, give thanks to Him. And if you have never received Christ, all you have to do is confess your need of Him and invite Him in. And He will do a work every bit as remarkable as the one He did for Mary. He will completely change your life and will lift you from darkness into His light. If you want that today, all you have to do is ask Him. And Easter will no longer be only about what happened in a grave over two thousand years ago, but will be about the day that Jesus was raised in you. Place your faith in Him. Today. Amen. Today, as you know, is Palm Sunday. And in light of that, I would like for us to take a look at the account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem given to us in…
John 12:12-19 (ESV) The Triumphal Entry-- 12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” Who do we expect Jesus to be?-- As we move towards Easter, I’d like to share a few brief thoughts with you on this Palm Sunday about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and why this celebratory event in the life of Christ is still so very important to us. It says in verse 12… John 12:12 (ESV)-- 12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. The Crowds-- It is hard to overstate the excitement that Jesus was stirring amongst the people as He was moving from place to place. People are coming to celebrate the Passover Feast; and it is an extraordinary amount of people (all the locals who lived in that area plus all the people from far and wide who have come to Jerusalem for Passover). It is estimated that [the regular population of Jerusalem in this period was about 50,000 and that during Passover it grew to perhaps 100,000 to 120,000.] And of course there is not room for that many people in the city. So you had thousands of people staying on the hillsides surrounding the city. Hearing of The Messiah-- But as people are coming, and are merging with the people who are already there, they are hearing news about the latest exploits of this revolutionary new teacher who has arisen out of Galilee and was then staying just outside of Jerusalem. Not only were His teachings unlike anything they had ever heard, but the signs that accompanied His words were unlike anything they had ever heard tell of. And one in particular has caught the attention of the crowds. A man who had contracted an illness and died had been buried for four days. And everybody had through that all hope had been lost; because (after all) who could come back from the dead? But Jesus commanded that his tomb be unsealed and opened. And when they did it, he called to the dead man to come out; AND HE DID!!!! So the stories are circulating. This teacher (Jesus) seems to have no limits. What people perceive to be the ultimate power in the world (the power of death) apparently is not the ultimate power. Apparently all this Jesus has to do is speak a word and death itself works backwards and then retreats. And so the many who hear of this and all that Jesus had done in and throughout the course of His ministry conclude that He is the Messiah; the Christ; the one who would come to bring them liberation. And so they seek to honor him as such. We read in… John 12:13 (ESV)-- 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” Triumphal Entries-- Now [“Triumphal entries” were common in the ancient world. A conquering hero or king would return to his city, bringing the spoils of his battles and stories of conquest. 13 This imagery would not be missed on any Greek-speaking audience on the eastern edge of the Roman empire. When John says that the crowd “went out to meet him,” this is a common expression used for cities meeting their triumphant, returning king. {And}14 In a Jewish context, “Hosanna” was used to greet such incoming kings (2 Sam. 14:4; 2 Kings 6:26). In fact, Jewish culture understood these “royal welcomes” so well that it adopted such forms commonly.] The “Triumphal Entry”— But it is ironic that we call this the triumphal entry because the triumph Jesus was going to bring was very different from the kind of triumph the people expected. They expected Him to bring triumph over Rome, when in fact, Jesus had His eyes set on something bigger; something deeper. Israel had fallen into captivity numerous times before, which was God’s judgment on them for sin. But then they would cry out to God for deliverance and would repent, and God would deliver them. Yet it would be not long after that that they would fall into sin once again. And we see this cycle in our lives as well. We undergo some hardship and find ourselves crying out to God for deliverance. And we promise to live lives more fully devoted to Him; to stop doing the things we know we shouldn’t be doing. And yet afterwards (after He has answered us) we fall back into our old pattern of life. We see this pattern every time natural disaster strikes; I have seen it in the lives of the men I have ministered to in prison, many of whom promise repentance and yet many (soon after their release) are soon back in prison. We see it in the lives of those who battle addiction. In the human condition, there is something deeper than physical bondage. Israel’s bondage to Rome was a symptom of their disease; the result. They wanted Jesus to deliver them as their Messiah as God had done so often in the past. And Jesus does want to do that; and will do that in the end. But first God has to do something in our hearts in order to ensure that we can live a life of victory rather than a life of defeat; a life that is no longer in bondage to the cycle of repeating the same sins and mistakes over and over again. Christ wants to set us free. But the people who here cried hosanna were not looking for that kind of Savior. They wanted a Messiah who would pronounce judgment on others for their sin; not deal with their sin. And that is why, when Jesus humbled Himself before His enemies; when Jesus didn’t fight back; when Jesus allowed Himself to be taken captive, all forsook Him and fled. And many of the same people who had cried Hosanna became the very people who cried out at His trial, “Crucify Him!” And what I want you to think about today is this, “What kind of Messiah do you really want in your life?” A Messiah who will serve you and make your name great or a Messiah who says, “Follow me. Oh and by the way, I am going to the cross.” That is what nobody understood; and even what many people do not understand today. If we we want to understand the real meaning of Easter; what it means to have Christ raised in our hearts, then we have to first understand the cross and what it means for our individual lives. Giving Your Life to Christ-- I read a preacher and author some time ago who shared a story from his own life that encapsulates it so well. He says: [I remember one night during World War II when I spoke to a group of G.I.’s at an evangelistic service. One of the soldiers lingered afterward to talk. Once we were alone, he said, “I would like to become a Christian.” “Why?” I asked. “Well, I don’t want to go to hell,” he replied. “I suppose that is a good reason.” I responded. “I don’t know if it is the noblest reason, but it is a perfectly legitimate one. All right, then, will you give your life to Christ?” The soldier stiffened, “Oh, I could never do that,” he said. “Are you sure a man has to do that to be a Christian?” I turned in my New Testament to read Jesus’ words, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” After a pause, he asked again, “Do I have to give my life to Christ to become a Christian?” “Yes, you do. Why aren’t you willing to do that?” “Why, I have plans for my life!” he exclaimed. “How can I give my life to Christ if I already have my own plans for it?” I wanted to shake that soldier’s hand for his crystal-clear honesty. I had spent most of my life as a pastor dealing with people who felt that there was no contradiction between saying, “I will give my life to Christ,” and saying, “I know what I am going to do with my life.” That man sensed the contradiction. The priests in Jerusalem felt that there was no contradiction between saying, “This is the Lord’s house,” and then running it in such a way that it was unfit for the Lord. Jesus had to walk in and declare, “You have made a terrible mistake. This is my Father’s house. It must be managed his way.” The priests reacted with panic. Most of us panic when Christ comes into our lives like this. The foremost reason is our inordinate fear of what he will do with our lives when we allow him to take control. But is there any good reason to suppose that Jesus would make a mistake with our lives?] Today, as we think about our Messiah, let us give ourselves to Him wholly completely as the true Lord of our lives. Christ was not on His way to a throne; He was on His way to a cross. And therefore every person He calls to come and follow Him is also called to come to that same cross; to die to their own plans for their own lives and to give themselves completely to Him and to His mission. Jesus gave His life so that we might have life. And so we also are to give our lives to Him and pour our lives out so that others might come to know Jesus. Lechem Panim #42 "Giving Love Away" (1 Jn. 3:16-18, Eph. 4:1-3, Phil. 2:1-4) Pastor Cameron Ury4/7/2019 One of the things I find most challenging about preaching is the amount of time I’m given. I remember one Sunday I was set to preach on the love of God, but my time was cut to 15 minutes because of some special programs we had going on, and I remember thinking “How am I going to speak on a topic as deep as the Love of God in only 15 minutes.” The irony is that now I I try to do this every week on air with you. There is always more that can be said.
The Monk, The Candle, & the Crucifix-- But some time ago I read a story of [A certain medieval monk {who} announced he would be preaching {the} next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.] Today, as we move towards our remembrance of the death of Christ during Passion Week, I would like to talk briefly about the subject of love, which is so central to the Passion narrative leading up to Easter. And I would like to talk about three different aspects of love that (if we understand them) can forever change all our relationship with God and with each other, making them full and rich. POINT 1: LOVE PROTECTED/WITHHELD IS LOVE LOST— And the first of these is revealed in: 1 John 3:16-18 (ESV)— 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. Michael W. Smith: “Love isn’t love until you give it away”— One of my favorite artists (has been for many years) is Michael W. Smith. And one of his oldest yet most powerful songs is a song called “Give It Away”; because it talks about one of the most fundamental aspects of love that can so often be overlooked. Love is not truly love until you give it away. He sings: She asked him for forever And a promise that would last He said, "Babe, you know I love you But I can't commit to that" She said, "Love isn't love Till You give it away" A father lived in silence Saw his son become a man There was a distance felt between them 'Cause he could not understand That love isn't love Till You give it away You gotta give it away We can entertain compassion For a world in need of care But the road of good intentions Doesn't lead to anywhere 'Cause love isn't love Till you give it away You gotta give it away There was a man who walked on water He came to set the people free He was the ultimate example Of what love can truly be 'Cause His love was His life And He gave it away You gotta give it away Proverbs 27:5 (ESV)— 5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. C.S. Lewis: Love Protected is Love Destroyed-- C.S. Lewis says in his book The Four Loves: [To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin or your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable...The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers...of love is Hell.] The primary characteristic about God that we need to understand is that He is the God who gives Himself away; with nothing held back. In Eden He gave us His breath and He gave us His world. In Adam and Eve’s marriage He gives us the foundation for understanding His Holy, hesed love. In Abraham, He promises us His salvation. In Jesus, He gives us His very Son. Through Jesus, He gives us entrance into His family. Through Jesus He gives us His eternal life and His very Kingdom. God is a God who gives Himself away; who in every way imaginable tries to bring us back into relationship with Him so that He can bless us with Himself. That is what the incarnation and Easter is all about. The Twisted Lip of The Master-- Medical doctor Richard Selzer once shared an amazing story. He said: [I stand by the bed where a young woman lies, her face postoperative, her mouth twisted in palsy, clownish. A tiny twig of the facial nerve, the one to the muscles of her mouth, has been severed. She will be thus from now on. The surgeon had followed with religious fervor the curve of her flesh; I promise you that. Nevertheless, to remove the tumor in her cheek, I had to cut the little nerve. Her young husband is in the room. He stands on the opposite side of the bed and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private. Who are they, I ask myself, he and this wry mouth I have made, who gaze at and touch each other so generously, greedily? The young woman speaks. "Will my mouth always be like this?" she asks. "Yes," I say, "it will. It is because the nerve was cut." She nods and is silent. But the young man smiles. "I like it," he says, "It is kind of cute." All at once I know who he is. I understand and I lower my gaze. One is not bold in an encounter with a god. Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show her that their kiss still works.] The miracle of Christ's coming is that He did not conceal or reserve his love, but that He bent Himself to kiss us with His life. And so also we, if we want to truly have the love of Christ, we must be faithful to give our love away just as Christ did. Only then can it be made truly alive. POINT 2: BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER— A second element of love that is important for us to remember is revealed in: Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)--1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Works in Progress-- One of the key things to remember about love is that we have to be patient with the person we are loving. Every single one of us is a work in progress; we all have flaws; and we all fall short in many ways. But God is working in each of our lives to form us more and more into His image. But that takes time. And we need to recognize that each of us is a work in process. The Bible teaches us that we must be patient with one another and bear with one another; encouraging on another to become that person God wants them to be. And we have to be patient; though that is not always easy to do. But a vital part of our own transformation is having patience cultivated in our lives. And it is something we have to learn now; because you cannot learn patience in heaven. A.B Simpson: If you are to practice patience, it must be now-- A.B. Simpson, a 19th-century preacher once said: [“Beloved, have you ever thought that someday you will not have anything to try you, or anyone to vex you again? There will be no opportunity in heaven to learn or to show the spirit of patience, forbearance, and longsuffering. If you are to practice these things, it must be now."] We Must Cultivate Patience Now-- You can’t learn patience in heaven because there will no sin-filled people to try your patience. Our life here is the place we cultivate it; among our brothers and sisters in Christ; among our spouses; with our kids. We must, in every way, show our love by bearing with one another. POINT 3: MAINTAINING UNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER— The third important element of love is revealed in: Philippians 2:1-4 (ESV) Christ's Example of Humility— 1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Satan Works By Dividing And Conquering-- Unity is an important thing. Where one is weak, many are strong. Unity in the body of Christ is the key to the power of any Church. Satan usually gains victories by first causing a break in unity. And he does this by getting individuals side-tracked on things that don’t matter; on getting them to value a thing or an idea or an opinion more than the other person. Emptying ourselves-- This is why this passage in Philippians is so important, because it points us to the very root of our disunity; and that is selfishness. People who are all tuned in only on themselves will suffer a greater amount of disunity. Yet Paul points here to the fact that we must empty ourselves just as Christ emptied Himself. We must consider the other person’s needs more than our own. In doing that, we are tuning ourselves in to way of Christ. A.W. Tozer: The Pianos and the Tuning Fork-- A.W. Tower once asked: [Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.] The Key to Unity-- The key to unity in our church; in our marriages; in our relationships with our kids is to all have our eyes fixed on Jesus and on modeling that sacrificial love that He himself lived. If we tune ourselves to Him, we will automatically be tuned to each other. We will truly love each other and draw closer to each other. But it is like a triangle, Christ being at the top and each of us being the lines that flow down. The closer we draw to Jesus and to living like Him, the closer we draw (automatically) with one another. In order to have the love of Christ in our families and in our church is we must give it away; it cannot be withheld. In love we must bear with one another in patience as Christ also bears with us, encouraging and strengthening one another. And we must all seek a unity that can be found only in patterning our individual lives after Jesus. In doing so we become like-minded and unified in His nature. Let’s commit ourselves to apply these elements of love to our lives. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
April 2021
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