In Galatians 5:22 the apostle Paul says that the fruit of God’s spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. What Paul is saying is that these are the qualities of character that we as followers of Jesus should reflect in our lives, and my guess is that most of us want to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. The question isn’t whether we want this kind of character, the question is how do we develop it and how do we let it take hold in our lives and shape who we are each and every day? And what exactly does this fruit look like? What does it mean for us to be loving, kind or good?
These are some of the questions I want us to explore this summer as we look at what it means for us to develop the fruit of God’s spirit. Each week we will look at one of these character traits and explore how we can develop this fruit in our lives, but today I want us to look at the key to it all. There is one underlying principle that we need to keep in mind as we talk about developing the fruit of God’s spirit, and the key is this – we have to stay connected to God. While we need to be focused and intentional on developing a strong and Godly character in our lives, the source of the fruit, the strength to live a life that reflects the life of Jesus does not come from somewhere deep inside of us. We don’t become more loving and kind just because we decide to, or make the commitment to work hard at it. We reflect this fruit of God’s spirit by simply staying connected to God. The fruit of the spirit develops in our lives as we maintain a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is why Paul uses the image of fruit in the first place
Think about fruit for a moment. Fruit does not produce itself – it is formed by the branch as the branch stays connected to the vine. If you think about grapes – grapes don’t produce themselves, they emerge from the branch, and the branch doesn’t make them on their own, they just stay connected to the vine. All that the branch needs to produce fruit flows from the vine and as long as the branch stays connected to the vine, fruit will develop and ripen. If the branch is cut off from the vine however, it can not produce fruit. The branch can not produce fruit on its own – it has to stay connected to the vine, and we can not produce the fruit of God’s spirit on our own – we have to stay connected to the vine, which is Jesus Christ.
This is what Jesus is saying in John 15. If you remain in me and I in you – you will bear much fruit. But apart from me – you can do nothing. In other words, if we want our character to reflect that of Jesus, we have to stay connected to him, and if we set out and try to develop a Godly character on our own –we will fail. In his classic book on the Holy Spirit, Billy Graham says this same thing. As long as I strain and work to produce the fruit of the spirit from within myself, I will end up fruitless and frustrated. But as I abide in Christ – as I maintain a close, obedient, dependent relationship with him – God’s Holy Spirit works in my life, creating in me the fruit of the Spirit. Billy Graham goes on to say that this fruit doesn’t just suddenly appear overnight – wouldn’t it be nice if it did – but it doesn’t. It takes time for fruit to emerge and mature on the branches of a vine, and it will also take time for God’s spirit to produce fruit in our lives. It might take a lifetime for our lives to reflect the love and kindness and patience of Jesus – but as long as we stay connected to God and allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within us – the fruit will ripen and mature.
So the fruit of God’s spirit will develop within us as we stay connected to God, but this is not a passive process in which we do nothing – there are some ways we can work with God in the process. Look with me at Psalm 1:1-3.
Notice again that the image used here is that of a plant that stays connected to the source of life. Here it is a tree that is planted by a stream so its roots are able to draw all the water it needs for the leaves to develop and the fruit to ripen and mature. We see again the importance of staying connected to the source of life, which is God, but one of the specific ways the psalm tells us to do that is to stay connected to the word of God. Those who meditate on God’s law, or on God’s word day and night are like the trees planted by the streams of water.
God’s word has an important role in our staying connected to God. Jesus said the same thing in John 15:7 if you remain in my and my words remain in you – ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you. There seems to be a direct correlation between the place we give God’s word in our lives and the development of a Godly character. I’m not sure we can fully understand how it all works, but the Bible does say that God’s word is living and active so as we read it, meditate on it, study it, memorize it and apply it to our lives – it actively shapes who we are. I’m not sure it’s quite as simple as saying, if you want the fruit of the spirit in your life just read the Bible – but I think we can safely say that if we do not read God’s word – the fruit of God’s spirit will not develop. There is simply no getting around the importance of God’s word in the development of our faith and character.
While Psalm 1 shows us that we can help develop God’s character in our lives, it also say us that there are ways that hinder the development of God’s character in our lives. Look at Psalm 1:1-2.
What keeps the fruit of God’s spirit from developing in our lives is our disobedience and sin, and the reason for this is simple to see, it’s because sin cuts us off from God. Think back to the story of Adam and Eve, when they disobeyed God, the consequence of their actions was being separated from God, literally, they were kicked out of the garden. It’s no different for us. Our sin separates us from God & while there is forgiveness and grace which works to restore that relationship, ongoing sin in our lives means that the development of a Christ-like character will be slowed down.
A great example of this is pride. As long as we try to do things on our own and think that we can handle every situation that comes our way in our own wisdom, strength and power – God is not able to give us the help and strength we need. And it’s not just pride in our relationship with God, as long as we think we can live on our own and don’t need the help of others we cut off the help and support God can send our way through his people. Pride is like the branch cutting itself off from the vine because it thinks it can do everything on it’s own – it can’t. If we think we can do it all in our own strength and power and don’t allow the spirit of God to dwell within us – not only will we produce no fruit, but in time we will die. Paul says that ultimately the consequence of sin, or the consequence of being separated from God, is death.
Now I know you may be saying, “but we can’t live a sinless life” – believe me, I know – but the answer isn’t to be perfect. God doesn’t call us to be perfect; God calls us to confess our sin when we see it. There will be times when we find ourselves struggling with sin and if we leave that sin unchecked or un-confessed it will cut us off from the flow of God’s spirit and it will keep us from experiencing the life and the character God has for us, but once we confess our sin – not only will God’s forgiveness be there, but so will God’s help, and the Holy Spirit will flow through our lives and continue a process of transformation so that we will reflect more of God’s heart and life.
This process of identifying and confessing our sin is what Jesus calls pruning. In John 15:2 Jesus says, every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. In gardening, pruning is the process of cutting off parts of the branch so the branch can be more effective and produce more fruit. When God opens our eyes to our disobedience and sin and calls us to repent and change, he is cutting away parts of our lives that keep us from Him and keep us from being all God wants us to be. As we confess our sin and experience God’s forgiveness – the way is opened for God’s spirit to flow through us and we bear more fruit.
As we look at the fruit of the spirit over the next several weeks and learn what it means for us to be more and more like Jesus, we need to keep in mind that the key to the development of a Christ-like character is to stay connected to God through a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So this morning I invite you to ask Christ to dwell in your hearts and lives. Maybe you have never asked Jesus into your life before – if not I invite you to do it today and begin to experience the power of God’s holy spirit work in you. Maybe you have never thought about living in a close personal relationship with Jesus day after day – if not I invite you to consider that way of life and see the transformation of your heart and life and character that will take place. Maybe you have been living in this relationship with Jesus for years and if so – that’s great, but let me tell you, there are ways we can all go deeper and allow the word of Christ to dwell in more ways and new ways in our heart and life. So wherever you are in your journey of faith, if you desire more of Jesus and more of Jesus life and more of God’s fruit in your life, then I invite you to confess the sin that separates us off God and simply ask Jesus to dwell in your heart and life. It really is that simple. If that is your desire, I invite you to pray with me.
God, we desire more of you in our lives. We want to experience more of your love, joy, peace. We want to be more patience, kind, good and we want hearts that will faithful, gentle and lives that are more self-controlled, so at this moment we ask you to enter into our lives with your power and grace and love. Forgive us for all the ways we try and live life on our own. Forgive our sin that separates us from you and by the power of your spirit help us to stay connected to you by allowing your word to dwell deep within us. Lord Jesus, enter into our hearts and lives this day. We yield our lives to you and ask you for your spirit to flow through our hearts and lives
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Pentecost ~ The Gift of Courage
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples over a period of 40 days and during that time he not only assured them that he was indeed alive, he also promised to give them power from God. In Acts 1:8 we hear the final words of Jesus before he ascended into heaven. He said, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus doesn’t just promise to give them power, he gives them power for a purpose. The power of God was going to come upon the disciples so that they could share the good news of God’s grace and love with others. They were going to be witnesses to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit they were going to call others to repent and believe that the transforming power of God could be work in their lives too. A week later, that is exactly what happened.
It was on the day of Pentecost, which was a Jewish festival that took place 50 days after Passover that the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and filled them with power, and the power of the Holy Spirit is all over this story. They felt the power of the Holy Spirit as it came as a might rushing wind filling the whole house where they were sitting. They could see the power of the Holy Spirit when they look at each other and saw what appeared to be tongues of fire resting on each person and they could hear the power of the Holy Spirit as they being to talk about what is going on and realized that they don’t understand each other because they are all speaking in different languages. That’s power – they felt it in the wind, they saw it in the fire, and they heard it in the different languages, but it was power for a purpose because what they ended up talking about in all those different languages was the wonder and the work of God. Look at Acts 2:11.
What’s amazing to see here is how God has set this whole thing up. In Acts 1:4 Jesus told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift that would help them share the good news about Jesus, and the reason God wanted them to stay in the city was because on the day of Pentecost there were going to be people from all over Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth right there in the city. People from all over were going to be in the city of the festival of Pentecost and so the disciples could witness to them without even leaving the city. Of course the problem with this plan was that the disciples didn’t speak all the languages of the people, but the Holy Spirit took care of that by giving the disciples the power to speak in other languages. So God has the disciples stay in the city where people from all over the world were going to be and then He gives them the power to share with these people the work of God seen in Jesus. Not only that, God then gives Peter the power to teach and preach and call people to repent, and he is so effective that by the end of his first sermon 3,000 people have given their hearts and lives to God and entered into the life of the church. The power of God is all over this story & we see clearly that the power was given for a purpose.
As we look at the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the disciples that day, we might think that the real gift was in the ability to speak in other languages, or maybe Peter’s amazing ability to teach and preach to the people, or the gift of organization and administration that helped bring 3,000 people into the life of the church. As amazing as these gifts are – the real gift of the Holy Spirit given to the disciples that day, the gift that changed their lives and the world around them - was the gift of courage.
Look at where this story begins. At the beginning of Acts 2 the disciples are together sitting in a room. It says the Holy Spirit filled the house where they were sitting, so they are inside. Earlier in Acts it says the disciples were meeting in the upper room and other places it talked about them meeting behind locked doors. So we find them inside and the reason they are inside is because they are afraid. They are afraid of the religious and political climate of the day and they are afraid of saying too much about Jesus for fear that they might be arrested, tried or beaten for their faith in the risen Jesus. But as soon as the Holy Spirit comes upon them notice where they end up – they are outside on the street. They are in a public place where their speaking in different languages draws a crowd. People from 15 different nations and areas are drawn to the scene because they each hear someone talking in their own language. Now while this ability to speak in other languages is a miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit, and while Peter’s ability to then teach these people about Jesus and call people to repent and believe are also gifts of the Holy Spirit – if it were not for the courage of the disciples to leave the upper room and move out onto the streets and to stand up in front of thousands to speak, the other gifts would be no good. So the real gift of God which changes the world is the gift of courage.
I believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit most needed by the church today is the gift of courage. Courage to step out in faith and do what God is calling us to do. Courage to begin a journey of faith that will help us become all that God is calling us to be. Too often when we talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit we only focus on the gifts listed in the New Testament. We talk about wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, discernment, tongues and the interpretation of tongues, or we think about prophecy, pastoring, teaching, evangelism and service. While all of those are gifts given by the Holy Spirit – none of them means anything if we don’t have the courage to use them. The gift of the Holy Spirit which activates all the rest is the gift of courage, so let’s ask the spirit of God to fill us with courage today. Not courage to become powerful public figures, not even courage to become influential leaders, how about just asking God for the courage to become like children.
In Matthew 18:2, Jesus calls forward a little child and places him in the midst of all his disciples and he says, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The key to becoming the people God wants us to be is having the courage to become like a child. Think about the courage our children showed today. They stood up and shared their faith with us. They shared their gifts through music, songs and scriptures. They gave testimonies about what they have learned about God. They had the courage to welcome and greet people as the entered into worship. Think about the courage the children show us each week as they come forward for the children’s time. It’s hard to get adults to come forward and do anything, let alone talk and share about their faith and be involved in worship, but children are often eager to take part. We need to have the courage to step out like little children and embrace the simplicity of our faith, the joy of our faith, and like children we need to be fearless when people ask us to help out and be involved, like children, we can’t be afraid to fail.
Children not only have the courage to step out in faith and share their gifts and knowledge and questions and answers, they also seem to know better than we do what the right priorities are in life. Many times children don’t care about the rules of the game, or winning the game – they are just happy to play. Children show us the value of sharing and giving. They remind us to find the simply joy in life. If we are willing to listen and observe, we might learn from children how to make the decisions that honor the values of God’s kingdom. Listen to this story told by Bill Harley on NPR’s all thing considered.
Last year, my young son played T-ball… Needless to say, I was delighted when Dylan wanted to play… Now on the other team there was a girl I will call Tracy. Tracy came each week. I know, since my son’s team always played her team. She was not very good. She had coke bottle glasses and hearing aids on each ear. She ran in a loping, carefree way with one leg pulling after the other, one arm windmilling wildly in the air.
Everyone in the bleachers cheered for her, regardless of what team their progeny played for. In all the games I saw, she never hit the ball, not even close. It sat there on the tee waiting to be hit and it never was. Sometimes after ten or eleven swings, Tracy hit the tee and the ball would fall off the tee and sit on the ground six inches from home plate. “Run! Run!” yelled Tracy’s coach and Tracy would lope off to first clutching the bat in both arms smiling. Someone usually woke up and ran her down with the ball before she reached first. Everyone applauded.
The last game of the season, Tracy came up and through some fluke, or simply in a nod toward the law of averages, she creamed the ball. She smoked it right up the middle through the legs of 17 players. Kids dodged it as it went by or looked absentmindedly at it as it rolled unstopped, seemingly gaining speed, hoping over second base, heading into center field. Have I told you that there are no outfielders in t-ball? There are for three minutes in the beginning of every inning, but then they move into the infield to be closer to the action, or, at lest, to their friends.
Tracy hit the ball and stood at home, delighted. “Run!” yelled her coach. “Run!” All the parents, all of us, stood and screamed, “Run Tracy run, run!” Tracy turned and smiled at us, and then, happy to please, galumphed off to first. The first base coach waved his arms ‘round and ‘round when Tracy stopped at first. “Keep going, Tracy keep going! Go!” Happy to please, she headed to second. By the time she was halfway to second; seven members of the opposition had reached the ball and were passing it among themselves. It’s a rule in T-ball – everyone on the defending team has to touch every ball.
The ball began to make its long circuitous route toward home plate, passing from one side of the field to the other. Tracy headed to third. Adults fell out of the bleachers, “Go Tracy Go!” Tracy reached third and stopped, but the parents were very close to her now and she got the message. Her coach stood at home plate calling her as the ball passed over the first basemen’s head and landed in the fielding team’s empty dugout. “Come on Tracy! Come on baby! Get a home run!”
Tracy started for home, and then it happened. During the pandemonium, no one noticed the twelve year old geriatric mutt that had lazily settled itself down in front of the bleachers five feet from the third base line. As Tracy rounded third, the dog, awakened by the screaming, sat up and wagged its tail at Tracy as she headed down the line. The tongue hung out, mouth pulled back in an unmistakable canine smile, and Tracy stopped, right there. Halfway home, thirty feet from a legitimate home run.
She looked at the dog. Her coach called, “Come on, Tracy. Come on home!” He went to his knees behind the plate pleading. The crowd cheered, “Go Tracy Go!” She looked at all the adults, at her own parents shrieking and catching it all on video. She looked at the dog. The dog wagged its tail. She looked at her coach. She looked at home. She looked at the dog. Everything went into slow motion. She went for the dog! It was a moment of complete and stunned silence. And then, perhaps not as loud, but deeper, longer and more heartfelt, we all applauded as Tracy fell to her knees to hung the dog. Two roads diverged on a third base line. Tracy went for the dog. (story from Michael Yaconelli’s book Dangerous Wonder – one of the best books I have ever read!!)
How many of us would have had the courage to choose love over winning? How many of us would have had the courage to let go of all that the world says is important so that we can embrace the values of God’s kingdom. Children often have the courage to set the right priorities and they often have the boldness to step out and do the right thing. That’s the kind of courage we need today & this courage does not come from within us – it comes from the Holy Spirit, so as we celebrate Pentecost and remember that God has given us His power for his purposes, and today as we give thanks for the children God has placed before us– let us ask God to give us the gift of courage, a gift that if we use, can change the world because it will change us.
It was on the day of Pentecost, which was a Jewish festival that took place 50 days after Passover that the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and filled them with power, and the power of the Holy Spirit is all over this story. They felt the power of the Holy Spirit as it came as a might rushing wind filling the whole house where they were sitting. They could see the power of the Holy Spirit when they look at each other and saw what appeared to be tongues of fire resting on each person and they could hear the power of the Holy Spirit as they being to talk about what is going on and realized that they don’t understand each other because they are all speaking in different languages. That’s power – they felt it in the wind, they saw it in the fire, and they heard it in the different languages, but it was power for a purpose because what they ended up talking about in all those different languages was the wonder and the work of God. Look at Acts 2:11.
What’s amazing to see here is how God has set this whole thing up. In Acts 1:4 Jesus told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift that would help them share the good news about Jesus, and the reason God wanted them to stay in the city was because on the day of Pentecost there were going to be people from all over Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth right there in the city. People from all over were going to be in the city of the festival of Pentecost and so the disciples could witness to them without even leaving the city. Of course the problem with this plan was that the disciples didn’t speak all the languages of the people, but the Holy Spirit took care of that by giving the disciples the power to speak in other languages. So God has the disciples stay in the city where people from all over the world were going to be and then He gives them the power to share with these people the work of God seen in Jesus. Not only that, God then gives Peter the power to teach and preach and call people to repent, and he is so effective that by the end of his first sermon 3,000 people have given their hearts and lives to God and entered into the life of the church. The power of God is all over this story & we see clearly that the power was given for a purpose.
As we look at the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the disciples that day, we might think that the real gift was in the ability to speak in other languages, or maybe Peter’s amazing ability to teach and preach to the people, or the gift of organization and administration that helped bring 3,000 people into the life of the church. As amazing as these gifts are – the real gift of the Holy Spirit given to the disciples that day, the gift that changed their lives and the world around them - was the gift of courage.
Look at where this story begins. At the beginning of Acts 2 the disciples are together sitting in a room. It says the Holy Spirit filled the house where they were sitting, so they are inside. Earlier in Acts it says the disciples were meeting in the upper room and other places it talked about them meeting behind locked doors. So we find them inside and the reason they are inside is because they are afraid. They are afraid of the religious and political climate of the day and they are afraid of saying too much about Jesus for fear that they might be arrested, tried or beaten for their faith in the risen Jesus. But as soon as the Holy Spirit comes upon them notice where they end up – they are outside on the street. They are in a public place where their speaking in different languages draws a crowd. People from 15 different nations and areas are drawn to the scene because they each hear someone talking in their own language. Now while this ability to speak in other languages is a miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit, and while Peter’s ability to then teach these people about Jesus and call people to repent and believe are also gifts of the Holy Spirit – if it were not for the courage of the disciples to leave the upper room and move out onto the streets and to stand up in front of thousands to speak, the other gifts would be no good. So the real gift of God which changes the world is the gift of courage.
I believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit most needed by the church today is the gift of courage. Courage to step out in faith and do what God is calling us to do. Courage to begin a journey of faith that will help us become all that God is calling us to be. Too often when we talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit we only focus on the gifts listed in the New Testament. We talk about wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, discernment, tongues and the interpretation of tongues, or we think about prophecy, pastoring, teaching, evangelism and service. While all of those are gifts given by the Holy Spirit – none of them means anything if we don’t have the courage to use them. The gift of the Holy Spirit which activates all the rest is the gift of courage, so let’s ask the spirit of God to fill us with courage today. Not courage to become powerful public figures, not even courage to become influential leaders, how about just asking God for the courage to become like children.
In Matthew 18:2, Jesus calls forward a little child and places him in the midst of all his disciples and he says, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The key to becoming the people God wants us to be is having the courage to become like a child. Think about the courage our children showed today. They stood up and shared their faith with us. They shared their gifts through music, songs and scriptures. They gave testimonies about what they have learned about God. They had the courage to welcome and greet people as the entered into worship. Think about the courage the children show us each week as they come forward for the children’s time. It’s hard to get adults to come forward and do anything, let alone talk and share about their faith and be involved in worship, but children are often eager to take part. We need to have the courage to step out like little children and embrace the simplicity of our faith, the joy of our faith, and like children we need to be fearless when people ask us to help out and be involved, like children, we can’t be afraid to fail.
Children not only have the courage to step out in faith and share their gifts and knowledge and questions and answers, they also seem to know better than we do what the right priorities are in life. Many times children don’t care about the rules of the game, or winning the game – they are just happy to play. Children show us the value of sharing and giving. They remind us to find the simply joy in life. If we are willing to listen and observe, we might learn from children how to make the decisions that honor the values of God’s kingdom. Listen to this story told by Bill Harley on NPR’s all thing considered.
Last year, my young son played T-ball… Needless to say, I was delighted when Dylan wanted to play… Now on the other team there was a girl I will call Tracy. Tracy came each week. I know, since my son’s team always played her team. She was not very good. She had coke bottle glasses and hearing aids on each ear. She ran in a loping, carefree way with one leg pulling after the other, one arm windmilling wildly in the air.
Everyone in the bleachers cheered for her, regardless of what team their progeny played for. In all the games I saw, she never hit the ball, not even close. It sat there on the tee waiting to be hit and it never was. Sometimes after ten or eleven swings, Tracy hit the tee and the ball would fall off the tee and sit on the ground six inches from home plate. “Run! Run!” yelled Tracy’s coach and Tracy would lope off to first clutching the bat in both arms smiling. Someone usually woke up and ran her down with the ball before she reached first. Everyone applauded.
The last game of the season, Tracy came up and through some fluke, or simply in a nod toward the law of averages, she creamed the ball. She smoked it right up the middle through the legs of 17 players. Kids dodged it as it went by or looked absentmindedly at it as it rolled unstopped, seemingly gaining speed, hoping over second base, heading into center field. Have I told you that there are no outfielders in t-ball? There are for three minutes in the beginning of every inning, but then they move into the infield to be closer to the action, or, at lest, to their friends.
Tracy hit the ball and stood at home, delighted. “Run!” yelled her coach. “Run!” All the parents, all of us, stood and screamed, “Run Tracy run, run!” Tracy turned and smiled at us, and then, happy to please, galumphed off to first. The first base coach waved his arms ‘round and ‘round when Tracy stopped at first. “Keep going, Tracy keep going! Go!” Happy to please, she headed to second. By the time she was halfway to second; seven members of the opposition had reached the ball and were passing it among themselves. It’s a rule in T-ball – everyone on the defending team has to touch every ball.
The ball began to make its long circuitous route toward home plate, passing from one side of the field to the other. Tracy headed to third. Adults fell out of the bleachers, “Go Tracy Go!” Tracy reached third and stopped, but the parents were very close to her now and she got the message. Her coach stood at home plate calling her as the ball passed over the first basemen’s head and landed in the fielding team’s empty dugout. “Come on Tracy! Come on baby! Get a home run!”
Tracy started for home, and then it happened. During the pandemonium, no one noticed the twelve year old geriatric mutt that had lazily settled itself down in front of the bleachers five feet from the third base line. As Tracy rounded third, the dog, awakened by the screaming, sat up and wagged its tail at Tracy as she headed down the line. The tongue hung out, mouth pulled back in an unmistakable canine smile, and Tracy stopped, right there. Halfway home, thirty feet from a legitimate home run.
She looked at the dog. Her coach called, “Come on, Tracy. Come on home!” He went to his knees behind the plate pleading. The crowd cheered, “Go Tracy Go!” She looked at all the adults, at her own parents shrieking and catching it all on video. She looked at the dog. The dog wagged its tail. She looked at her coach. She looked at home. She looked at the dog. Everything went into slow motion. She went for the dog! It was a moment of complete and stunned silence. And then, perhaps not as loud, but deeper, longer and more heartfelt, we all applauded as Tracy fell to her knees to hung the dog. Two roads diverged on a third base line. Tracy went for the dog. (story from Michael Yaconelli’s book Dangerous Wonder – one of the best books I have ever read!!)
How many of us would have had the courage to choose love over winning? How many of us would have had the courage to let go of all that the world says is important so that we can embrace the values of God’s kingdom. Children often have the courage to set the right priorities and they often have the boldness to step out and do the right thing. That’s the kind of courage we need today & this courage does not come from within us – it comes from the Holy Spirit, so as we celebrate Pentecost and remember that God has given us His power for his purposes, and today as we give thanks for the children God has placed before us– let us ask God to give us the gift of courage, a gift that if we use, can change the world because it will change us.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Day ~ What do these stones mean?
As the people of Israel finally entered into the Promised Land, God told Joshua to have one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel enter into the middle of the Jordan River, right where the people crossed over, and pick up a stone to carry with them into the Promised Land. Those stones were then set up as an altar to remind the people of all that God had done to bring them safely to their new home, and when future generations saw that altar and asked what do these stones mean – the stories of God’s faithfulness would be told. The stones reminded the people how God stopped the flow of water in the Jordan River so that the people could cross over on dry ground and enter into the land God had promised them, but the stones said so much more. Those stones gave the people the opportunity to share with their children and grandchildren the stories about how God provided manna and quail for the people as they wandered in the wilderness. The stones told how God made water come forth from a rock, and they stood as a reminder of how God parted the Red Sea and rescued the people of Israel from the advancing armies of Pharaoh. The stones were a reminder of how God forgave his people and how God guided them faithfully through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness until the finally entered into the land God had promised them.
The stones reminded people of God’s faithfulness and God’s commitment to his people and his promise, but they also stood as a reminder to the people that they were being called to be faithful and committed to the work of God themselves. While crossing the Jordan River and entering into the promised land was the end of a long journey for the people of Israel, it was not the end of the story, in many ways it was only the beginning, the beginning of a new day. Now that they were in the land God had promised them they had to establish themselves as a nation. There were already people living in the land so they would have to drive out nations. They were going to have to build homes and communities and they had to learn how to work the land and raise crops. They had been a wandering people for over a generation and now they had to learn what it would mean for them to settle down and establish a new community. There was a lot of work that still needed to be done and while the stones told them that God had been faithful in the past and would be faithful to them in the future – those stones also told the people that they needed to remain faithful themselves and that they needed to once again commit themselves to the work God had for them.
This weekend we will also take some time to look at stones, stones that have a lot to say to us. Memorial Day is not just a time for cook-outs and camping, and it’s not just a time to plant flowers and put out the patio furniture, it’s also a day to remember and it’s a day to ask ourselves, what do these stones mean? These stones reflect lives of faithful service. These stones tell the story of sacrifice and commitment made by so many men and women who were willing to give themselves to a cause greater than themselves. Each of these stones tells the story of a person who gave their life to help someone else. They reflect men and women who were willing to help fight for freedom and justice both here and around the world. The stones that we will reflect upon and decorate with flowers and flags this weekend help us remember and give thanks for those who have sacrificed for us and served us, but these stones need to do so much more. These stones need to call us to greater faithfulness and deeper service.
These stones need to remind us that as followers of Jesus, each and every one of us is called to give ourselves away in service for others. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. In other words we have to stop thinking about ourselves first and what’s best for us and we need to be willing to lay down our lives so that others can experience freedom, spiritual freedom and life. We are called to look not to our own interests but to the interest and the well being of others. We are called to have the same mind as Jesus, who didn’t think about himself first and foremost, and did not think about what was good for him, but what was in the best interest of others. Look at Philippians 2:5-8.
We are being called here to have the same mind, or the same attitude as Christ himself who never thought about himself first. While Jesus was God himself, he did not hold on to his rights and privileges as God, he didn’t hold tightly to all that he was entitled to in heaven; instead he gave it all up because he was thinking about us. Jesus humbled himself when he put our needs first and came into this world in the form or a servant – someone who would spend his life helping others. And when that life of service became difficult and dangerous, Jesus didn’t turn away, he remained faithful and committed, he was obedient to death – even death on a cross. Jesus gave himself fully so that others might fully live – so that we might live. Jesus committed himself to the will of God and he sacrificed himself so that we might be free, spiritually and emotionally and some day physically freed. Paul is saying here in Phil. 2 that it is not enough to just remember all of this, it’s not enough to just give thanks for Jesus and all he did for us – we have to be willing to embrace this attitude and this way of life.
So Memorial Day shouldn’t just be a day to look back and remember, it also needs to be a day for us to look forward and commit ourselves again to faithful service to God and to the work of God and the people of God and to God’s people here and around the world. I love what Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address: It is for us the living rather to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. For Lincoln, it wasn’t just about looking to the past to remember and honor the sacrifice of those who had given so much; it was also about picking up their hopes and dreams and following their example of dedication and service in order to make the world a better place. Reflecting and giving thanks for those who fought for our freedom and died so that we might experience the fullness of life is important – but it’s really not enough. These stones tell us that we need to keep giving ourselves to others. As we reflect on those who have gone before us this weekend, are we willing to remain faithful to God and commit ourselves anew to the work of God here and around in the world? Will we dedicate ourselves to the great task that remains before us? That task is the unfinished work of God. It’s to continue to share the love of God and the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ with others. It’s to invite people to experience the salvation that is ours through Christ alone and to draw people closer to God.
We are all here today because someone in our lives was willing to give them themselves to this great task. We are here because there were people who dreamed big dreams about what the power of God could do in their community and they were willing to give themselves to God and sacrifice their time and energy and even their lives for us. There are those who have fought to help establish our freedom, but there are also those men and women who have worked hard to establish us in faith. As a church, we are here today because men and women of vision and passion and commitment were willing to step out and dream big dreams for God. There were people who willing to take a great risk and buy this piece of land and build this building. We are here in worship today because men and women: parents, grandparents, teachers, leaders, friends and neighbors took the time to pray for us and they told us about Jesus. They shared with us the love of God and they taught us about Jesus. More importantly they showed us what it means to love and follow Jesus. We are here today because there have been countless numbers of people who have given themselves to the work of God and while it’s important to remember them and give thanks for their faithful lives of service, remembering and giving thanks is not enough – we have to be willing to commit ourselves again to carrying on the work of God.
What will it mean for us to dedicate ourselves to the great task before us? Let’s go back to Joshua 4 and see what we can learn. The first thing we see here is that when God speaks to Joshua – Joshua is listening. When God asks Joshua to choose 12 men who will go and take stones out of the river – Joshua is listening – his ears and mind and heart are attentive to the word of God. If we are going to commit ourselves to the great tasks God has for us, then we have to know what those tasks are. There are many ways we could build the kingdom of God in this world. There are many causes for justice we could fight for and many ministries we can pursue, so how do we know what God specifically wants us to do? There is only one way we can know and that is to listen to God.
Are our ears and our hearts attentive to the word of God? Are we personally listening for God to give us a sense of purpose and direction? The question isn’t whether or not God is still speaking today – he is, the question is, are we listening? There are so many ways we can listen for God today. We can listen for God as we read the word of God written in the Bible. We can listen for God as we reflect on the life of Jesus – remember Jesus was the word of God in the flesh. In John 1 it says that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. And this word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. So as we listen to what Jesus says and more importantly as we watch what Jesus does we can hear the word of God. We can also listen to God speak directly to our hearts and minds through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Through the convictions of our heart, God can speak to us, through the thoughts and directions of our minds, God can speak to us, and sometimes if we are open enough and quiet enough we can hear the word of God speak. So the question is, are we listening? Are we eager and anxious to listen?
One of the hardest things for us is to do as we enter into worship each week is to enter with the expectation that God is here to speak to us. The last 2 weeks I attended different churches and while I was excited to be able to worship in new places, I have to tell you that I’m not sure I went into worship expecting or anticipating God to speak to me. I’m not sure we gather each week expecting God to speak to our lives, and yet if we want to dedicate ourselves to the great task that lies before us, if we want to commit ourselves to the work God has for us then we need to enter into this time with ears and hearts that are open and ready and eager to hear what God has to say. Joshua was listening when God spoke and we need to constantly listen because God is still speaking today.
But let’s also be clear that listening isn’t enough, we must also be willing to act on what we hear – that’s what Joshua did. Without asking why they had to pick up stones, Joshua chose the men and then set them out to work. They were obedient in what God called them to do and we also need to be obedient to the work God has for us. Again it is Jesus who talks about the importance of acting on the word of God. In Matthew 7:24-27we find Jesus finishing up his sermon on the mount. After teaching the crowds about how they needed to practically live their lives in this world, after giving careful instruction on how to live in relationship with God and in community with the people of God – Jesus says this:
Notice that Jesus says here that it’s not enough to listen to the word of God – we have to act on it, we have to live it out in our lives and when we do we will not only have a strong and solid faith for ourselves, but we will be establishing a foundation of faith for those around us. When we act on the word of God, when we follow through on all the big and little things God asks of us, we will be helping pave the way of faith for all of those who will follow us, and that’s part of what the stones mean. Whether it’s the stones out of the Jordan River, or the grave stones we will reflect on this weekend, the stones are a call to faithful service. The stones call us to commit ourselves to the work of God so that future generations can live in spiritual freedom and come to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ. So let us commit ourselves to the great task that still lies before us, let us dedicate ourselves to the unfinished work of building God’s kingdom as listen for the word of God and then faithfully act upon what we hear.
The stones reminded people of God’s faithfulness and God’s commitment to his people and his promise, but they also stood as a reminder to the people that they were being called to be faithful and committed to the work of God themselves. While crossing the Jordan River and entering into the promised land was the end of a long journey for the people of Israel, it was not the end of the story, in many ways it was only the beginning, the beginning of a new day. Now that they were in the land God had promised them they had to establish themselves as a nation. There were already people living in the land so they would have to drive out nations. They were going to have to build homes and communities and they had to learn how to work the land and raise crops. They had been a wandering people for over a generation and now they had to learn what it would mean for them to settle down and establish a new community. There was a lot of work that still needed to be done and while the stones told them that God had been faithful in the past and would be faithful to them in the future – those stones also told the people that they needed to remain faithful themselves and that they needed to once again commit themselves to the work God had for them.
This weekend we will also take some time to look at stones, stones that have a lot to say to us. Memorial Day is not just a time for cook-outs and camping, and it’s not just a time to plant flowers and put out the patio furniture, it’s also a day to remember and it’s a day to ask ourselves, what do these stones mean? These stones reflect lives of faithful service. These stones tell the story of sacrifice and commitment made by so many men and women who were willing to give themselves to a cause greater than themselves. Each of these stones tells the story of a person who gave their life to help someone else. They reflect men and women who were willing to help fight for freedom and justice both here and around the world. The stones that we will reflect upon and decorate with flowers and flags this weekend help us remember and give thanks for those who have sacrificed for us and served us, but these stones need to do so much more. These stones need to call us to greater faithfulness and deeper service.
These stones need to remind us that as followers of Jesus, each and every one of us is called to give ourselves away in service for others. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. In other words we have to stop thinking about ourselves first and what’s best for us and we need to be willing to lay down our lives so that others can experience freedom, spiritual freedom and life. We are called to look not to our own interests but to the interest and the well being of others. We are called to have the same mind as Jesus, who didn’t think about himself first and foremost, and did not think about what was good for him, but what was in the best interest of others. Look at Philippians 2:5-8.
We are being called here to have the same mind, or the same attitude as Christ himself who never thought about himself first. While Jesus was God himself, he did not hold on to his rights and privileges as God, he didn’t hold tightly to all that he was entitled to in heaven; instead he gave it all up because he was thinking about us. Jesus humbled himself when he put our needs first and came into this world in the form or a servant – someone who would spend his life helping others. And when that life of service became difficult and dangerous, Jesus didn’t turn away, he remained faithful and committed, he was obedient to death – even death on a cross. Jesus gave himself fully so that others might fully live – so that we might live. Jesus committed himself to the will of God and he sacrificed himself so that we might be free, spiritually and emotionally and some day physically freed. Paul is saying here in Phil. 2 that it is not enough to just remember all of this, it’s not enough to just give thanks for Jesus and all he did for us – we have to be willing to embrace this attitude and this way of life.
So Memorial Day shouldn’t just be a day to look back and remember, it also needs to be a day for us to look forward and commit ourselves again to faithful service to God and to the work of God and the people of God and to God’s people here and around the world. I love what Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address: It is for us the living rather to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. For Lincoln, it wasn’t just about looking to the past to remember and honor the sacrifice of those who had given so much; it was also about picking up their hopes and dreams and following their example of dedication and service in order to make the world a better place. Reflecting and giving thanks for those who fought for our freedom and died so that we might experience the fullness of life is important – but it’s really not enough. These stones tell us that we need to keep giving ourselves to others. As we reflect on those who have gone before us this weekend, are we willing to remain faithful to God and commit ourselves anew to the work of God here and around in the world? Will we dedicate ourselves to the great task that remains before us? That task is the unfinished work of God. It’s to continue to share the love of God and the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ with others. It’s to invite people to experience the salvation that is ours through Christ alone and to draw people closer to God.
We are all here today because someone in our lives was willing to give them themselves to this great task. We are here because there were people who dreamed big dreams about what the power of God could do in their community and they were willing to give themselves to God and sacrifice their time and energy and even their lives for us. There are those who have fought to help establish our freedom, but there are also those men and women who have worked hard to establish us in faith. As a church, we are here today because men and women of vision and passion and commitment were willing to step out and dream big dreams for God. There were people who willing to take a great risk and buy this piece of land and build this building. We are here in worship today because men and women: parents, grandparents, teachers, leaders, friends and neighbors took the time to pray for us and they told us about Jesus. They shared with us the love of God and they taught us about Jesus. More importantly they showed us what it means to love and follow Jesus. We are here today because there have been countless numbers of people who have given themselves to the work of God and while it’s important to remember them and give thanks for their faithful lives of service, remembering and giving thanks is not enough – we have to be willing to commit ourselves again to carrying on the work of God.
What will it mean for us to dedicate ourselves to the great task before us? Let’s go back to Joshua 4 and see what we can learn. The first thing we see here is that when God speaks to Joshua – Joshua is listening. When God asks Joshua to choose 12 men who will go and take stones out of the river – Joshua is listening – his ears and mind and heart are attentive to the word of God. If we are going to commit ourselves to the great tasks God has for us, then we have to know what those tasks are. There are many ways we could build the kingdom of God in this world. There are many causes for justice we could fight for and many ministries we can pursue, so how do we know what God specifically wants us to do? There is only one way we can know and that is to listen to God.
Are our ears and our hearts attentive to the word of God? Are we personally listening for God to give us a sense of purpose and direction? The question isn’t whether or not God is still speaking today – he is, the question is, are we listening? There are so many ways we can listen for God today. We can listen for God as we read the word of God written in the Bible. We can listen for God as we reflect on the life of Jesus – remember Jesus was the word of God in the flesh. In John 1 it says that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. And this word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. So as we listen to what Jesus says and more importantly as we watch what Jesus does we can hear the word of God. We can also listen to God speak directly to our hearts and minds through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Through the convictions of our heart, God can speak to us, through the thoughts and directions of our minds, God can speak to us, and sometimes if we are open enough and quiet enough we can hear the word of God speak. So the question is, are we listening? Are we eager and anxious to listen?
One of the hardest things for us is to do as we enter into worship each week is to enter with the expectation that God is here to speak to us. The last 2 weeks I attended different churches and while I was excited to be able to worship in new places, I have to tell you that I’m not sure I went into worship expecting or anticipating God to speak to me. I’m not sure we gather each week expecting God to speak to our lives, and yet if we want to dedicate ourselves to the great task that lies before us, if we want to commit ourselves to the work God has for us then we need to enter into this time with ears and hearts that are open and ready and eager to hear what God has to say. Joshua was listening when God spoke and we need to constantly listen because God is still speaking today.
But let’s also be clear that listening isn’t enough, we must also be willing to act on what we hear – that’s what Joshua did. Without asking why they had to pick up stones, Joshua chose the men and then set them out to work. They were obedient in what God called them to do and we also need to be obedient to the work God has for us. Again it is Jesus who talks about the importance of acting on the word of God. In Matthew 7:24-27we find Jesus finishing up his sermon on the mount. After teaching the crowds about how they needed to practically live their lives in this world, after giving careful instruction on how to live in relationship with God and in community with the people of God – Jesus says this:
Notice that Jesus says here that it’s not enough to listen to the word of God – we have to act on it, we have to live it out in our lives and when we do we will not only have a strong and solid faith for ourselves, but we will be establishing a foundation of faith for those around us. When we act on the word of God, when we follow through on all the big and little things God asks of us, we will be helping pave the way of faith for all of those who will follow us, and that’s part of what the stones mean. Whether it’s the stones out of the Jordan River, or the grave stones we will reflect on this weekend, the stones are a call to faithful service. The stones call us to commit ourselves to the work of God so that future generations can live in spiritual freedom and come to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ. So let us commit ourselves to the great task that still lies before us, let us dedicate ourselves to the unfinished work of building God’s kingdom as listen for the word of God and then faithfully act upon what we hear.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Jesus ~ The Good Shepherd
Tim Laniak is a professor at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and on a trip he took to the Middle East he spent a lot of time with shepherds. Tim travelled with the shepherds, slept in their tents, tended sheep with them and asked a lot of questions. One of the questions Tim asked was if the shepherds really knew their sheep. You may have heard the stories about how sheep only know the voice of their shepherd and how they will only follow that voice, but do shepherds really know each and every one of their sheep as well. The shepherds reply, yes, he knew each and every one of his sheep. He knew the year the sheep was born and the circumstances of its birth. He knew if it had broken any bones. He knew which diseases it's susceptible to, which foods it doesn't digest well. He knew which animals it doesn't get along with and he knew its temperament—if it tends to wander or fight or follow. Obviously if his sheep had names, this shepherd would have known each and every one of them.
So a good shepherd really does know his sheep, and as our Good Shepherd, Jesus really does know us, but what is it that Jesus knows about us? To answer this, let’s look at 4 people from the gospel to see what Jesus knew about them, the first is Nathanael. Nathanael was a friend of Philip, who was one of the first disciples of Jesus. When Philip told Nathanael that he believed Jesus to be the Messiah, Nathanael was skeptical. He couldn’t believe that anyone or anything good could from Nazareth, which is where Jesus grew up. When Jesus meets Nathanael he says… (John 1:47-49). Now a little background here is helpful. Many good Jews who were waiting for the Messiah to come would sit and read God’s word and pray under fig trees, so when Nathanael was sitting under the fig tree we take that to mean he was longing for and maybe even in that moment praying for the Messiah to come. He was a true Israelite who was longing for God’s kingdom and Jesus could see that in him. What Jesus knows about Nathanael is that while he might be skeptical – he was also longing for God’s kingdom. While he had his own doubts and prejudices, he was looking for the Messiah to come. What Jesus knows about Nathanael is the deepest longings of his heart.
When we say that as the Good Shepherd Jesus knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows the deepest longings of our heart. Jesus knows what we really want, the deeper longings and desires that often lie hidden under our own doubts and prejudices. This was made clear to me when I went to college. As I headed off to college I thought I wanted to experience the typical college life. My preconceived idea was that a good time was going to be found in all the things you associate with college parties. That’s what I wanted and that’s the environment in which I lived. My freshman year at MSU I lived in an all male dorm on an all freshman floor. Let’s just say it doesn’t get any more wild than that. It was what I thought I wanted, but as the Good Shepherd, Jesus knew what I really wanted – which was to be known and loved and accepted, and those relationships weren’t going to come from college parties but through a relationship with the Good Shepherd himself. God knew the deeper longing of my heart and life and when I began to turn to Jesus as the Good Shepherd, he helped me see that and accept his love and care. I think that’s what Jesus is doing with Nathanael here, he helps him see that the deepest longing of his heart, which was to see the Messiah and begin to experience the kingdom of God, was right there in front of him, in a man from Nazareth.
So Jesus knows the deepest longings of our heart. Even when we can’t articulate them clearly, even when they might lie hidden from us. Jesus also knows the things that holds us back in life and in faith. In Mark 10 is the familiar story of Jesus encounter with the rich young man. This young man had it all. He was faithful and giving and he followed the commandments all his life. He approaches Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life and Jesus knows him so well that he knows the one thing that has held him back all his life. Mark 10:21-22 Jesus knows that the one thing holding this man back from a full, faithful and abundant life is greed and Jesus loves him enough to point that out to him.
Jesus knows us so well that he knows the one thing that holds us back in life and in faith. Well, I don’t know about you, but I think Jesus knows it is more than one thing that holds me back – so let’s say that Jesus knows all the things that hold us back in life and in faith and you know what? Jesus loves us enough to point them out to us. We may not like it when we feel challenged or convicted in certain areas of life, but are we willing to listen to God when he points out a problem to us? Our natural tendency is to get defensive when we are challenged. We don’t like to be told that we might need to change or go in a new direction. It is humbling – but God says that it is the humble that will be lifted up. It is the humble that will experience the fullness of life. So when we say that Jesus as the Good Shepherd knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows all the things that hold us back. He knows how we wander away from the truth and how we wander away from God and need to return and repent. Jesus knows how our greed, and pride, and self interest keeps us from experiencing the greater blessings of life or faith.
Jesus doesn’t only know those things that hold us back, he knows our sin as well. In the gospel of John is the powerful story of Jesus not only knowing the sin of the woman caught in adultery, but the sin of all the people who accuse her as well. In John 8 we see a woman who was caught in adultery being thrown in front of Jesus and the crowd wanted to know what to do with her. The law said to stone her – along with the man by the way, who was not brought to Jesus – and people were asking Jesus what to do with her. Now seeing the sin of this woman was easy – everyone saw it. It says she was caught in the very act – there was no hiding her failure, but what this story shows us is that Jesus didn’t just see her sin, he saw the sin of the crowd as well. Look at John 8:6. What people believe here is that when Jesus bent down to write in the sand, he wrote out the sins of the people gathered around him. So as people are watching him they begin to see their own failures written on the ground and my guess is that they began to ask themselves – how did Jesus know that? How did he know my sin? How did he know that about me?
As the Good Shepherd, Jesus knows everything there is to know about us. He knows our sin, all of it. There is nothing that we wrestle with today, nothing that we are trying to hide from others or from God that Jesus does not know, and while the reality of our sin can weigh us down with guilt and shame – notice that Jesus doesn’t use his knowledge of people’s sin to accuse them or judge them – instead he is willing to forgive them. What Jesus says to the woman he says to all of us today, “neither do I condemn you”. In John 3:17 it says that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world but so that the world might be saved through him. God sent a good shepherd to save the sheep and to gather them together in order to experience the fullness of life. So Jesus knows our sin – all of it, every last detail and yet loves us still. Jesus knows our brokenness and our failures and yet sees beyond that to the deeper potential that lies within us. He really knows and he really loves us.
Let’s look at one last encounter. Again from the gospel of John Jesus has just begun his ministry and Andrew brings his brother Simon to meet Jesus and when Jesus sees Simon he immediately changes his name to Peter – which means Rock. Jesus immediately knows that Peter is the leader upon which he would build his church. Jesus knows Peter has potential. Did Jesus see the ways that Peter would fail Jesus, of course he did. I think in that initial meeting Jesus heard a rooster crow and knew Peter would deny that he even knew Jesus. But Jesus saw beyond that to the Peter who in the strength of God’s spirit would stand up and preach that Jesus is the Messiah and who would bring thousands of people into the kingdom of God.
As the good shepherd, Jesus doesn’t just see our sin and our failures, Jesus sees our potential. For me, this has always been the most encouraging part of my relationship with God. Jesus doesn’t just see my failures, he doesn’t just see my sin, he doesn’t just know that I am broken and needy – he sees the potential that lies deep within. He sees what we were created for, the good works God has planned for us and he sees us for who we are – which is sheep of God’s pasture, the lambs of God’s kingdom.
So when we say that as the Good shepherd Jesus knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows more than our name. He knows all of our hopes and dreams. He knows the deepest longings of our heart. He knows all our sin and failures and those things that hold us back in life. He knows it all, and yet he loves us enough to look beyond the failures to see the future God has for us all. Actually, as the good shepherd, Jesus doesn’t just look past the sin - he is the one who takes away our sin so that God’s potential and future can become a reality in our lives.
That’s the second part of what Jesus says when he says he is the good shepherd. Go back to John 10:15. I lay down my life for the sheep. This is not the first time Jesus said this. He said it in John 10:11 and will say it again in John 10:17-18. Jesus is clear that a good shepherd is willing to lay down his life for the sheep. A good shepherd is willing to run directly into danger in order to save the life of the sheep and that is exactly what Jesus has done for us. Because Jesus knows us so well and knows how our sin and will keep us from God and the life God has for us - and because he knows that we are powerless to overcome this on our own, he ran straight into the danger for us. Jesus willingly took up a cross – our cross – so that we might live. The empty tomb reminds us that sin and death – our sin and death – has been forgiven and overcome by God so that we might live – live eternally with God and live fully right here and now.
When we say that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, these are not empty words. As a shepherd, Jesus really does know us – he knows our hopes and dreams, he knows our failures and sin, and he knows our full God given potential. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus loves us enough to lay down his life so that we might be live. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, so let us listen for his voice and follow him today.
So a good shepherd really does know his sheep, and as our Good Shepherd, Jesus really does know us, but what is it that Jesus knows about us? To answer this, let’s look at 4 people from the gospel to see what Jesus knew about them, the first is Nathanael. Nathanael was a friend of Philip, who was one of the first disciples of Jesus. When Philip told Nathanael that he believed Jesus to be the Messiah, Nathanael was skeptical. He couldn’t believe that anyone or anything good could from Nazareth, which is where Jesus grew up. When Jesus meets Nathanael he says… (John 1:47-49). Now a little background here is helpful. Many good Jews who were waiting for the Messiah to come would sit and read God’s word and pray under fig trees, so when Nathanael was sitting under the fig tree we take that to mean he was longing for and maybe even in that moment praying for the Messiah to come. He was a true Israelite who was longing for God’s kingdom and Jesus could see that in him. What Jesus knows about Nathanael is that while he might be skeptical – he was also longing for God’s kingdom. While he had his own doubts and prejudices, he was looking for the Messiah to come. What Jesus knows about Nathanael is the deepest longings of his heart.
When we say that as the Good Shepherd Jesus knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows the deepest longings of our heart. Jesus knows what we really want, the deeper longings and desires that often lie hidden under our own doubts and prejudices. This was made clear to me when I went to college. As I headed off to college I thought I wanted to experience the typical college life. My preconceived idea was that a good time was going to be found in all the things you associate with college parties. That’s what I wanted and that’s the environment in which I lived. My freshman year at MSU I lived in an all male dorm on an all freshman floor. Let’s just say it doesn’t get any more wild than that. It was what I thought I wanted, but as the Good Shepherd, Jesus knew what I really wanted – which was to be known and loved and accepted, and those relationships weren’t going to come from college parties but through a relationship with the Good Shepherd himself. God knew the deeper longing of my heart and life and when I began to turn to Jesus as the Good Shepherd, he helped me see that and accept his love and care. I think that’s what Jesus is doing with Nathanael here, he helps him see that the deepest longing of his heart, which was to see the Messiah and begin to experience the kingdom of God, was right there in front of him, in a man from Nazareth.
So Jesus knows the deepest longings of our heart. Even when we can’t articulate them clearly, even when they might lie hidden from us. Jesus also knows the things that holds us back in life and in faith. In Mark 10 is the familiar story of Jesus encounter with the rich young man. This young man had it all. He was faithful and giving and he followed the commandments all his life. He approaches Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life and Jesus knows him so well that he knows the one thing that has held him back all his life. Mark 10:21-22 Jesus knows that the one thing holding this man back from a full, faithful and abundant life is greed and Jesus loves him enough to point that out to him.
Jesus knows us so well that he knows the one thing that holds us back in life and in faith. Well, I don’t know about you, but I think Jesus knows it is more than one thing that holds me back – so let’s say that Jesus knows all the things that hold us back in life and in faith and you know what? Jesus loves us enough to point them out to us. We may not like it when we feel challenged or convicted in certain areas of life, but are we willing to listen to God when he points out a problem to us? Our natural tendency is to get defensive when we are challenged. We don’t like to be told that we might need to change or go in a new direction. It is humbling – but God says that it is the humble that will be lifted up. It is the humble that will experience the fullness of life. So when we say that Jesus as the Good Shepherd knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows all the things that hold us back. He knows how we wander away from the truth and how we wander away from God and need to return and repent. Jesus knows how our greed, and pride, and self interest keeps us from experiencing the greater blessings of life or faith.
Jesus doesn’t only know those things that hold us back, he knows our sin as well. In the gospel of John is the powerful story of Jesus not only knowing the sin of the woman caught in adultery, but the sin of all the people who accuse her as well. In John 8 we see a woman who was caught in adultery being thrown in front of Jesus and the crowd wanted to know what to do with her. The law said to stone her – along with the man by the way, who was not brought to Jesus – and people were asking Jesus what to do with her. Now seeing the sin of this woman was easy – everyone saw it. It says she was caught in the very act – there was no hiding her failure, but what this story shows us is that Jesus didn’t just see her sin, he saw the sin of the crowd as well. Look at John 8:6. What people believe here is that when Jesus bent down to write in the sand, he wrote out the sins of the people gathered around him. So as people are watching him they begin to see their own failures written on the ground and my guess is that they began to ask themselves – how did Jesus know that? How did he know my sin? How did he know that about me?
As the Good Shepherd, Jesus knows everything there is to know about us. He knows our sin, all of it. There is nothing that we wrestle with today, nothing that we are trying to hide from others or from God that Jesus does not know, and while the reality of our sin can weigh us down with guilt and shame – notice that Jesus doesn’t use his knowledge of people’s sin to accuse them or judge them – instead he is willing to forgive them. What Jesus says to the woman he says to all of us today, “neither do I condemn you”. In John 3:17 it says that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world but so that the world might be saved through him. God sent a good shepherd to save the sheep and to gather them together in order to experience the fullness of life. So Jesus knows our sin – all of it, every last detail and yet loves us still. Jesus knows our brokenness and our failures and yet sees beyond that to the deeper potential that lies within us. He really knows and he really loves us.
Let’s look at one last encounter. Again from the gospel of John Jesus has just begun his ministry and Andrew brings his brother Simon to meet Jesus and when Jesus sees Simon he immediately changes his name to Peter – which means Rock. Jesus immediately knows that Peter is the leader upon which he would build his church. Jesus knows Peter has potential. Did Jesus see the ways that Peter would fail Jesus, of course he did. I think in that initial meeting Jesus heard a rooster crow and knew Peter would deny that he even knew Jesus. But Jesus saw beyond that to the Peter who in the strength of God’s spirit would stand up and preach that Jesus is the Messiah and who would bring thousands of people into the kingdom of God.
As the good shepherd, Jesus doesn’t just see our sin and our failures, Jesus sees our potential. For me, this has always been the most encouraging part of my relationship with God. Jesus doesn’t just see my failures, he doesn’t just see my sin, he doesn’t just know that I am broken and needy – he sees the potential that lies deep within. He sees what we were created for, the good works God has planned for us and he sees us for who we are – which is sheep of God’s pasture, the lambs of God’s kingdom.
So when we say that as the Good shepherd Jesus knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows more than our name. He knows all of our hopes and dreams. He knows the deepest longings of our heart. He knows all our sin and failures and those things that hold us back in life. He knows it all, and yet he loves us enough to look beyond the failures to see the future God has for us all. Actually, as the good shepherd, Jesus doesn’t just look past the sin - he is the one who takes away our sin so that God’s potential and future can become a reality in our lives.
That’s the second part of what Jesus says when he says he is the good shepherd. Go back to John 10:15. I lay down my life for the sheep. This is not the first time Jesus said this. He said it in John 10:11 and will say it again in John 10:17-18. Jesus is clear that a good shepherd is willing to lay down his life for the sheep. A good shepherd is willing to run directly into danger in order to save the life of the sheep and that is exactly what Jesus has done for us. Because Jesus knows us so well and knows how our sin and will keep us from God and the life God has for us - and because he knows that we are powerless to overcome this on our own, he ran straight into the danger for us. Jesus willingly took up a cross – our cross – so that we might live. The empty tomb reminds us that sin and death – our sin and death – has been forgiven and overcome by God so that we might live – live eternally with God and live fully right here and now.
When we say that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, these are not empty words. As a shepherd, Jesus really does know us – he knows our hopes and dreams, he knows our failures and sin, and he knows our full God given potential. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus loves us enough to lay down his life so that we might be live. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, so let us listen for his voice and follow him today.
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