Followers

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Sermon, Feb. 25--SHORT CUTS

Synopsis
The common thread to all three temptations faced by Jesus was the invitation to take a short cut...is this not true of many of the temptations we face as well? We'll see how Jesus was able to withstand them and learn from him.
Scripture

We are tempted to take short cuts
Guys, ever tried to take a short cut when you’re traveling in totally unfamiliar territory? Your wife and children keep saying: “Are you sure you know where you’’re going?” You answer confidently “Oh, yes! Trust me, family, I know this is shorter. Imagine all the money we save on gas when we shave of 100 miles!” Now you’re hoping and praying that a gas station would show up around the bend so you can not only fill the tank, but also find out how to get out of this short cut.

“No money down. Easy monthly payments.” (They don’t tell you that the payments go on past your lifetime and to your grandchildren’s. Try breaking a lease and you’ll find out!)

“It’s just a buck. Buy a ticket. Play the slots. You could win the big one this time. The next time you could get lucky.” (They don’t tell you that you could get addicted big time and blow a fortune, not to mention wreck your marriage and even face criminal charges!)

“Just try our fat-cell eliminating elixir, our corpulence-killing capsules. You don’t need the pain of exercise. Why waste your money on health club memberships? Just take a pill, lay on the couch and watch calories burn as you feast your eyes on Temptation Island.” (They don’t tell you about the possible side effects which could mess up your life worse than you could ever imagine!)

Jesus was tempted to take short cuts
In every one of those three instances, the Tempter was attempting to get Jesus to take A SHORT CUT. Let me explain what I mean.

Jesus had just emerged from the shadows to publicly begin the mission that God had set before him. He has been baptized, declared by a voice from heaven as the Son of God, the one in whom God is well pleased, the one to whom all should listen. Jesus knows that God had sent him to be the Messiah, but not a military Messiah who would use excessive force to liberate the Jews from their oppression under the Romans. Instead he would be the Suffering Servant who was foretold by the prophet Isaiah. As a matter of fact, within a very short period, Jesus would tell his disciples that accomplishing his mission would include suffering, rejection, persecution and ultimately lead to his death.

But the Tempter offers him an alternative. He advises Jesus to follow Plan B, that would help him accomplish the mission of drawing people to God’s cause...without all the pain and suffering of Plan A. Watch how he operates.

The devil offers Jesus temptations which seem, on the surface, harmless enough. They are certainly not temptations to do evil. The devil is just encouraging Jesus to take the easy road in order to show the world that he really is the Son of God. Look, again, at these "harmless" temptations.
Temptation number one. Not a bad idea, really. Think about it. A lot of good could come from such a move. It would remind the Jewish people of how God fed their ancestors in the desert with manna and help them see Jesus as the Messiah! And, hey, what’s inherently wrong with feeding the hungry anyway? Isn’t it a good thing to do? Isn’t God concerned with the hungry people of this world? Jesus, you’ve got the gift, baby! Put your miraculous powers to good use here and transform this barren tract of land into a booming bakery. Take A SHORT CUT.

Or what about that second temptation? "Worship me," says the devil, "and to you I will give all authority over all earthly kingdoms." In other words, if you do it God’s way, you’re not in charge. I will be dogging you every step of the way, making life miserable for you. Instead, why not make a compromise? Sign right here on the dotted line. And I’ll leave you alone. No one else needs to know that you are in cahoots with me. I’ll make life easy for you. Whaddyasay Jesus? TAKE A SHORT CUT.

Then the devil comes up with a wonderful plan as he takes Jesus to the top of the Jerusalem Temple. Yes, the Jerusalem Temple, that was the focal point of the Jewish faith. It was a crowded place, where people would not miss the action. "Jesus, throw yourself down from here" and let God perform a dramatic rescue. After all, didn’t God promise to break your fall by sending angels to provide you with a safety net? Imagine the publicity this stunt would generate. You can accelerate the process of accomplishing your mission incredibly by pulling off a big one right off the bat, Jesus. Go for it! TAKE A SHORT CUT.

Do you see the point of these three examples? These "harmless" temptations could lead to Jesus being King of the World immediately and easily -- no more preaching to crowds on hillsides or by lakes, no more healing all those sick bodies, no more teaching to those who seem not to understand, and, most important of all, no cross to bear. It would have been the easy way out and it would have led away from Calvary and death. The temptation of Jesus was to choose another way, one that bypassed the cross.
But Jesus knew...NO CROSS, NO CROWN.

Church Lite?
“Has the heaviness of you old fashioned church got you weighted down? Try us! We are the New and Improved Lite Church of the Valley. Studies have shown we have 24% fewer commitments than other churches. We guarantee to trim off guilt, because we are Low-Cal... low Calvin, that is. We are the home of the 7.5% tithe. We promise 35 minute worship services, with 7 minute sermons. Next Sunday's exciting text is the story of the Feeding of the 500. We have only 6 Commandments-- Your choice!! We use just 3 gospels in our contemporary New Testament *Good Sound Bites for Modern Human Beings*. We take the offering every other week, all major credit cards accepted, of course. Yes, the New and Improved Lite Church of the Valley could be just what you are looking for. We are everything you want in a church... and less!!”
Jesus was able to avoid shortcuts…2 reasons
He knew the Word of God.
He was filled with the Holy Spirit…fasted 40 days and nights in the wilderness…came out in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We too can immerse ourselves in God's Word and make time (as in Soaking) to be filled with the Holy Spirit and live in his power as Jesus did.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUPS

1. Share with the others in your group about a time when you gave in to the temptation to take the easy way out. What happened?

2. Share a time when you did not give in to the temptation. What happened?

3. What could’ve happened had Jesus given in to any one of the 3 temptations?

4. How can you guard against giving in to this temptation (to take the easy way out) in the future? (Hint: What two factors helped Jesus overcome?)

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Sermon, Feb. 18--A MOUNTAIN-TOP EXPERIENCE

Text: Luke 9:28-36

An audio file of the entire sermon is available for streaming or download at
http://www.mediafire.com/?7y5ko0k3rxh

SYNPOSIS

Ever been to a mountain top? You get a perspective from the mountain top that you do not get otherwise.

All through the Bible there are many references to mountain-top experiences.

MOSES...Exodus 34:29-35...after 40 days and nights with God, "he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD."

Like the glow of a pregnant woman...she may not see it, but others do.

JESUS takes three disciples up to a mountain top and what happens is called the Transfiguration--lit. change of figure, appearance.

The mountain-top is not where Jesus lived and ministered most of the time!

Happens when he was praying.

Our Transfiguration
II Corinthians 3:18: "we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

The experience of transfiguration is not limited to people like Moses & Jesus. We too can experience God's glory.

My friend Geraldo Dinardi of Brazil...we couldn't understand a word he said...but we knew something was special about him. Later on, we discovered that Pastor Dinardi always carried his laptop with hime wherever he went...always playing DVD's of Benny Hinn meetings or listening to soaking CD's or praise and worship music. No TV. He was on the mountaintop...and it started to show.

An Analogy
Let's say you go to a "hot spot" like Florida, Cuba, Hawaii, etc...it's the same sun as in Canada, but you spend longer time period exposing yourself to it...in a different atmosphere and it shows on your face as a tan.

Similarly...it is the same Jesus whom we meet in church...when we spend more time with him in the atmosphere of prayer (as in Luke 9:28)...on the mountaintop... it shows on your face!

Can’t keep a tan like that forever…unless you use tanning lamps!
Can’t stay pregnant all the time though!

But you can be transfigured…growing more and more in the likeness of Jesus

A suggestion for Lent...
Give up some time...TV time...Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights...can we spend 40 hours altogether during the 40 days of Lent? Pick up a Soaking CD. Go to the Mountaintop. Pray.
After 40 days, you may not notice it…but others will…You will radiate…

This is also an illustration of THE POWER OF VOLUNTARY WEAKNESS (refer sermon, Jan. 7)
As we celebrate COMMUNION--literally means "union with"…Jesus first and then his people, may you have A MOUNTAIN-TOP EXPERIENCE.


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUPS
1. Have you ever found yourself physically on a mountain-top or some high location (tower?) What was different (spectacular) about it?
2. Share with the group any experiences in your life that you would describe spiritually as a mountain-top experience.
3. Put yourself in the sandals of one of the three disciples who went up the mountain with Jesus. How does this experience change your perspective of Jesus?
4. Can you relate to Paul's reference to OUR Transfiguration? Have you experienced this? In what ways?
5. The sermon suggested "going to the mountain-top" every day for an hour during the season of Lent. Are you willing to do this? In what other ways can you have a mountain-top experience?

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Sermon, Feb. 11--TREE-OLOGY

Texts:
Jeremiah 17:5-10, Psalm 1

An Audio file of the sermon is available for streaming or download at
http://www.mediafire.com/?eiggghjmjii


SYNOPSIS
To explore how we can be like "trees planted by the water, whose leaves do not wither, who bear fruit in season."

The Contrast
In Jeremiah 17, between the desert shrub that will never bear fruit and the tree planted by the water.
In Psalm 1, between the tree planted by the water and chaff which is blown by the wind.
Between mere survival and bearing fruit.
Between stability and being blown about.

"We shall not be moved"
We shall not, we shall not be moved (x2)
Just like a tree that's planted by the water
We shall not be moved.

How do we become a tree planted by the water?
The most important factor in determining a tree's growth and ability to produce leaves and bear fruit is its ROOT SYSTEM.
Roots will grow anywhere (even through sewer pipes) in search of moisture. How deep they are and what source supplies them are determining factors.

Dependence on human resources vs. Trust in God
A desert shrub is limited (as is chaff) because it is not tapped into an everflowing supply of moisture.
A person who depends only on human resources (his/her own as well as another or others) is limited, whereas one who trusts in God is now tapped into God's resources
The streams of living water that Jesus spoke about in John 4.
The River of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 47)

All benefit from the rain...but those who trust in God seem to have an extra source that still supplies moisture even when there is no rain.

Meditate day and night on the law
Biblical meditation is not emptying one's mind using a mantra but filling one's mind with God's word. The Hebrew words for meditation involve muttering, murmuring, not total silence.
It is reading out aloud God's promises (as stated in sermon, Jan. 11--The power of the Spoken Word)

Meditation helps send out more roots to the source...however, we still cannot do it 24/7...that is where the Holy Spirit comes in, because one of his main functions is to remind us all that Jesus taught (John 14).


The Invitation...Do you wish to be like a tree planted by the water? Let us humble ourselves and admit that we cannot do it on our own power, ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and resolve to send more and deeper roots through meditating on God's Word.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUPS

1. In the sermon (listen to audio) Jeeva talked about the contrasting sight of the banana tree in his backyard and other plants or a desert shrub vs a tree in the oasis. Where have you seen such a contrast in nature?

2. Share with one another a time when your reliance on human resources (another person or your own brain or brawn) produced less than satisfactory results.

3. Share with one another a time when your trust in God pulled you through.

4. Take a time of silence ("soak" for 10 or 15 minutes) and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what kind of "tree" you are...where you're planted, your root system...and when you receive that picture, ask what you need to do to be like the tree mentioned in both readings.

5. Share your experience (in #4) with the others in your group.







Monday, February 5, 2007

Sermon, Feb. 4, 2007--OUR PRIMARY MISSION

SYNOPSIS
When Jesus calls people to be his followers--way back then and now--he gives us a primary mission--to be fishers of people, to capture, captivate others with his good news.

Text: Luke 5:1-11

mp3 files of this sermon may be accessed for streaming or download at
http://www.mediafire.com/?2myz2ab1mut (part 1)
http://www.mediafire.com/?a4imfm4yntm (part 2)

The stranger who walked into the church following worship three weeks ago asking to meet with the minister. He was not here for a handout. Instead, he wondered why we were not going door-to-door telling people about Jesus. Although his mannerisms and methodology were a bit jarring, I couldn't get his question out of my head.

After all, did Jesus not invite would-be followers initially with the invitation to be fishers?
Did he not send them out two-by-two to go and share the gospel (good news) with others?
Did he not tell us to "go into all the world and make disciples" before he left the earth? (The Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20)

The Mission Statement of a church...Bring them in, build them up, send them out in Jesus' name.

Has "fishing" been our primary mission?
Check out this link on "Fishology" http://www.tagnet.org/masabatha/fishing.html

The story begins with Jesus telling Peter and his fellow fishers to "go deep." What does a professional carpenter know about fishing? Peter had every right to reject this advice...after all, he is the professional fishermen? He says: "We've been fishing all night and caught nothing..."
YET (But, Nevertheless) if you say so, I will do it."

Can we relate to Peter's fatigue and frustration?
We've knocked on doors and dropped off information packets, sent fancy postcards out at Christmastime...over 3000 homes received them, we've spent hundreds of dollars and "man-hours"...how many new people have showed up as a result of our advertising efforts? None, nada, cipher, zero.

At this frustrating time, Jesus tells us to GO DEEP
Going deep is scary...what if we fail? Are we not taking a greater risk in going deep? We'd much rather stay on the shore and wait for the fish to come to us :)

If we do a survey of those who became part of our church in recent years (those whose families did not have a connection to Palermo at all), we will discover that some came because they saw the church here or checked the phone book to see the closest United Church. However, we will find that most came because someone took the time and effort to invite them personally.

Is it possible that our call to GO DEEP today calls us to do the same? Even though we may not be comfortable? Even though we feel that we're out of our depth?
We need not go to another country...we need to learn how to infiltrate our neighbourhood with the good news of Jesus.

Our task as the minister and leaders of this church is to equip you to captivate others enough that they want to come and see who Jesus is. This is our PRIMARY MISSION.

All we need to learn to do is how to BEGIN CONVERSATIONS, find out the needs they may have, and lead them to a place where their need is filled by Jesus. This is what I need to do more of, because whenever I've initiated conversations, something usually happens (Like the shoe store clerk I told you about a few months ago).

When Peter obeyed Jesus, the catch was so large that they needed others to help them bring the fish on board. One person's obedience was all it took for that miracle to happen? Imagine what can happen if just one of you decided to obey the call to GO DEEP today and we started fulfilling OUR PRIMARY MISSION!


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUPS
1. How did you respond to the reading "Fishology"? Did it ring true at all? Why? Why not?
2. Can you think of people (including yourself) who have become followers of Jesus, primarily because someone took the time and effort to talk to us and invite us?
3. To what extent does Palermo United fulfil OUR PRIMARY MISSION?
4. What would keep you from "going deep" --starting conversations and/or issuing invitations?
5. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the names of five people to whom you can start talking. Write them down on a piece of paper. As a group, pray for these people that God would prepare their hearts to listen to you and pray for yourself that He will give you the right words to say when you take a stab at beginning a conversation.