"We are Remade!" (Matthew 28:1-10, Easter)

“We are Remade!”

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

April 24, 2011 ~ Happy Easter!

Show Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV) on DVD: ¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. ² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” ⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Jesus Christ is Risen! We are here today to celebrate and commemorate the greatest event in all of history—the resurrection of the living God. We gather to remember that our entire faith is held together by this one reality, that we do not worship and serve an impersonal, distant, or dead god. Jesus lives! [Prayer]

Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship! Religion is man’s initiative to know God whereas Christianity is God’s initiative to have a relationship with His beloved and chosen creation—you and me! Easter is about the power manifested to make this relationship possible so let’s not minimize it or attempt to control it by seeing it as a once a year religious observance. Today, we are celebrating the greatest event in human history that makes a relationship with God possible everyday!

I just have one teaching point, but I broke it up into two parts. First, WHEN WE EMBRACE THE POWER OF JESUS' RESURRECTION...

The Gospel of Luke 23:39-43 tells this story, “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

[move toward crosses on stage] One thief was unwilling to embrace the death penalty rightly due to him. He mocked Jesus Christ and called out to him to rescue him from his cross. His concern was only for this life, but Jesus came not to rescue us from our life circumstances, but to remove the sin that separates us for eternity. [His cross lies on the ground flat and away from the Cross of Jesus Christ because of his rejection.]

Whereas the other thief willingly accepted that he deserved the death penalty as the wages of his sin and instead confessed faith in Jesus Christ and asked Him to have mercy on him a sinner. [His cross is kneeling to the Cross of Jesus Christ as He worships the Messiah in paradise for eternity.]

To this very day, each thief’s choice has very real consequences! You either embrace that you are a sinner in need of salvation through the gift of God or you reject it. A right relationship with God begins with the conviction of sin for which we justly deserve the death penalty. As long as you think you are without sin, the Bible says you are a liar and far from God. Are you willing to embrace death with Jesus Christ?

But that is only the beginning because the Good News of God begins with death, but it ends with life. We do not worship a dead prophet, nor an impersonal god invented by human minds or created by human hands. The Bible teaches in Romans 6:8-11, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Jesus Christ (who was sinless) died to take the penalty (the full wrath of God; all the curses of the ancient covenant between God and humanity) on Himself so that we (who are sinners) would not have to pay the penalty for sin (death) ourselves.

If Jesus was not raised from the dead three days later, then our faith today would be futile; we would be fools worshipping a dead man whose promise of new life was not fulfilled. On Easter, we gather to proclaim the new life free from the bondage of sin that Jesus Christ gives us through the power of His resurrection. Christianity is the free gift of relationship with the One who is Life. Are you willing to embrace new life in Jesus Christ?

Easter is a celebration of the God who gave everything so that we can gain everything! Is this the desire of your heart: to embrace the God who gave you new life in Jesus and to embrace the power of Jesus’ resurrection in your life today? The Apostle Paul stated in Philippians 3:10-11 of the life purpose he embraced, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

It is the heart of God for us to experience the abundant life with Him, but so often we do not identify ourselves as children of God (royalty) who have the power of Jesus’ resurrection living in us. Do you want to embrace your new identity as a child of God? You are more than you can ever dare to imagine when you embrace the power of Jesus’ resurrection! When you embrace the power that washes away all sins! Have you embraced the power of Jesus' resurrection in your life? [**Show Youtube music video: Tenth Avenue North’s “You are More”]

How do you see yourself? In whose power do you live your life?

Let’s complete the sentence in our sermon notes and learn the deep truth that God has for us when we embrace the power of Jesus’ resurrection: WHEN WE EMBRACE THE POWER OF JESUS' RESURRECTION WE ARE REMADE!

When we embrace the gift of Easter in our own lives and identify with the death of Jesus Christ as our death to sin and then identify with the new life of the resurrection as our new life to God, then in that moment of faith decision, we are remade—made new! In fact, Jesus teaches us that we are born again. Listen to Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John 3:5-8, “Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’”

Jesus is teaching us of the resurrection power of God! The same exact Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, comes to live in your heart when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior! The Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God, lives in you, seals you for the day of salvation, and you are no longer what you once were; you are completely and totally remade—you go from death in your sin to life in Christ!

The Apostle Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

You have been remade! Do you see yourself as new? What or who is your identity found in?

Any foundation, any core center of identity, other than the resurrection power of Jesus Christ will lead you astray in this life. With a new identity, comes a new way of thinking and living! I have to let go of the old way of identifying myself with the world, my accomplishments or failures, my human relationships or roles. I no longer identify myself with my sins and addictions, but by the ongoing process of the Holy Spirit in me to renew and change me. Our lives’ are a life-long journey of being remade in the new ways; this is the life of discipleship we live together as a church. The Apostle Paul continues to teach us of being remade in Ephesians 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

You have been remade! Do you think and live in new ways? We are the church and we are to be a safe people learning how to live a remade life together through the Holy Spirit in us! But unfortunately, so often we fail as the church to act remade because we are all in process together. Let me tell you a funny story to illustrate [it is not a true story in terms of specific names and places, but it is more true than it should be…]

Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed morality monitor of the church (oblivious to her own sin of gossip and slander which are paramount to murder!), kept sticking her nose into other people's business.

Several members did not approve of her extra-curricular activities, but they feared her wrath enough to maintain their silence. But one week she made a mistake that would change her ways. She accused Frank, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup truck parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon. [show picture]

She emphatically told Frank (and several others) that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing!

Frank, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just turned and walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny. He said nothing! Which to Mildred proved her case even more and she yapped all the more.

But later that evening as the dinner hour passed, Frank quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's house. He walked home and left it there all night. [show picture]

Friends, we have been remade to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ!. So many people need to experience the love of Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection and it is my (our) prayer that we will be a safe community to experience His love, grace, and redemption. Have you embraced the power of Jesus’ resurrection? Show it by the way you live, the way you talk, the way you love, the way you forgive. Be the body of Christ!

The Bible proclaims in Ephesians 2:4-6, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

Gifts are only good when they are opened. They may look wonderful all wrapped up, but they are only effective when accepted from the gift-giver, unwrapped, and used in everyday life. Will you accept the gift of God’s love?

Accept or Reject; it’s your choice! Please know that your decision does not change the reality that God is loving and just. To reject this gift is to reject His open and most inclusive invitation to be with Him in heaven for eternity which is today being personally extended to you through His Holy Spirit. To reject is the only unforgiveable sin and the consequences are real!

Because of His love and justice, God will honor your choice and you will either be raised up with Jesus Christ in Heaven where you will enjoy the paradise of God’s constant presence or you will be sent away from His presence for all eternity in Hell where you will suffer the barren wasteland of eternal separation.

It's your choice...the consequences are real!

Drama with Crosses

Response Prayer

"Jesus Saves! (Matthew 21:1-11; Palm Sunday)

"Jesus Saves!"

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

April 17, 2011 ~ Palm Sunday

Christy to read Matthew 21:1-11 (NIV), ¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ⁵ "Say to Daughter Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest heaven!" ¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" ¹¹ The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

Christy to pray

Today, we enter into Holy Week on this Palm Sunday when we celebrate the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, entering Jerusalem; entering His destiny as the perfect Passover Lamb who takes the sins of the world away so that we, through faith, can be reconciled to God. On this day nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus entered into Jerusalem with the clamoring crowds praising God for His arrival. What happened on this first day of Holy Week? THE CROWDS DECLARED "JESUS SAVES!" ON PALM SUNDAY.

Listen to Matthew 21:9 "The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Hosanna in the highest heaven!'"

The word Hosanna is a Hebrew word and I have it printed in your sermon notes in Hebrew. הוֹשִׁיעָה = Hosanna means "Save now" or "Please save" and we see it used throughout the Old Testament. Let's look at Psalm 118:25-26, "LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you." Using this Scripture, the Jewish people are declaring that the King of the Jews, the Messiah, the Son of King David, has arrived into Jerusalem during the Triumphal Entry. They are declaring that God is going to save them through the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We are here on Palm Sunday to declare this same belief: Jesus saves! Do you believe Jesus saves?

**Watch video

What happened on the fifth day of Holy Week—the day we call Good Friday?

THE CROWDS SHOUTED "CRUCIFY JESUS!" ON GOOD FRIDAY.

Listen to this epic story unfold in Matthew 27:22-23, "'What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?' Pilate asked. They all answered, 'Crucify him!' 'Why? What crime has he committed?' asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, 'Crucify him!"

What would cause these people to change their opinion of Jesus Christ in five days? Why did Jesus go from hero to zero in such a short amount of time?

The people declared Hosanna (please save us now) at the Triumphal entry on Palm Sunday because they thought God had sent a political messiah who would rescue them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. On Palm Sunday, the clamoring crowds gladly welcomed the earthly savior because they thought He was going to change their circumstances. And then something happened! In five days time, these same crowds turned their back on Jesus Christ—the man they declared to be God's agent of salvation—and cried out "Crucify him!" Why? Because Jesus would not meet their expectations—they wanted Him to rescue them from the struggles of this life. But Jesus Christ did not come as a political savior from the Roman Empire; He did not come to give humanity a self-help plan for how to have a better tomorrow today. Jesus said, "May God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!" He did not say, "May the will of the people be done on earth as they want it!"

Do you get upset with God or turn your back on God when He doesn't meet your expectations in this life?

Here's the deep truth that I pray will sink deep into our hearts today and transform our lives for eternity: JESUS DID NOT COME TO SAVE US FROM THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS LIFE, BUT FROM OUR SIN THAT ETERNALLY SEPARATES US FROM GOD!

There is a third scene in the Holy Week narrative that demonstrates this point very clearly. Listen to the scene from Luke 23:39-43, "One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"

The corrupt officials of the world systems heard the bankrupt cries of the people. Humanity, because of the very sin Jesus came to save us from, turned collective back on the Son of God who came to save us for eternity. Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to the Cross next to two criminals who, unlike Jesus, deserved the death penalty. We too must be crucified with Christ!

Do you know that before you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, you are a criminal who justly deserves the death penalty?

God's Word teaches each of us this truth in Romans 6:22-23, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

One criminal knew that he justly deserved death for his life choices, unlike Jesus who had done nothing wrong. He did not deny his need to be crucified, instead he humbled himself in front of Jesus as he faced the wages of his sin—death—and Jesus promised him, "Truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise."

The other criminal though was filled with worldly pride and demanded life today. He felt entitled to being saved and denied the wages of his sin—he demanded it of Jesus to prove He was the Messiah by changing his circumstances.

Maybe you find yourself thinking, "I have never done anything that deserves death. This surely doesn't apply to me. I don't deserve death for the things I have done in my life. I am a good person. Isn't that enough in today's modern world?"

This contrast between the two criminals and their response to Jesus is obvious, but how it manifests itself in today's world is more subtle.

**Watch human video

The Bible teaches us that we have a choice and it's the choice that these two criminals had 2000 years ago when they found themselves facing the death penalty for their sins. It's the choice of how I should respond to Jesus Christ when faced with the reality of sin in my life.

Romans 5:17-19, "For if, by the trespass of the one man [Adam], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."

You and I were both born into sin and we each trace our lineage all the way back to the original sinner Adam. This is the one man by which death reigned. From that very first sin we became a people separated from God who are dead in our sins. And there is nothing we can do to remove the stain of sin that separates us from God!

But there is good news and that is why we are here to proclaim, "Jesus Saves!": the Bible is God's love letter to us saying that He has seen our separation and He knows we cannot fix this on our own, no matter how good we are; that's not enough! God took on flesh and dwelt among us; the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to do it for us by taking the sin that separates us from God and paying the consequence of sin, which is death!

Jesus didn't enter Jerusalem on Triumphal Entry to save the people from the oppression of the Roman Empire, but from the oppression of sin and death! Jesus died on the Cross to save us from death!

Do you believe that Jesus saves by taking the sin that eternally separates you from God onto Himself on the Cross? Do you believe this applies to you today two thousand years later? Can you afford not to believe?

RESPONSE: Which criminal are you? Will you be with Jesus in paradise? Please turn your sermon notes over and you will see a sticky note. God requires of us to humbly declare our faith in Jesus Christ and to honestly confess our sin to God. We are sinners by human birth, God knows that about you and he still loves you! Do you know this about yourself?

Write on the sticky note a confession of your sin and then when you are ready walk it forward and stick your note to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ bought you at a price! He saved you with the shedding of His blood to pay for your sins on the Cross! Place your sin on the Cross as a demonstration of your personal faith in Jesus Christ. As you do so, confess your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and your personal Savior and you will receive the forgiveness of sins that brings eternal salvation.

If you would like someone to pray with you the pastors and elders are available to you up front, but you can also invite a friend to pray with you at the prayer stairs. Let us respond together.

"A Faith that Reaches Beyond!" (Mark 2:13-17)

“A Faith that Reaches Beyond!”

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #13)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

April 10, 2011

The Word of God from Mark 2:13-17 (NAU), ¹³ And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. ¹⁴ As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him. ¹⁵ And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. ¹⁶ When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?" ¹⁷ And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." [Prayer]

In today’s Scripture lesson we are back walking along the Sea of Galilee (the city of Capernaum is on the north-western coast). This is very likely the same area found in Mark 1:16-20 when Jesus Christ calls the four fishermen, Simon and Andrew & James and John, stating “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (17). They left their boats behind to follow Jesus!

It was immediately after the calling of these first four disciples that Jesus of Nazareth entered the Capernaum synagogue and His fame began to grow as did the animosity between Him and the religious leaders of the day. We are at a time months later and Jesus now cannot go anywhere publically without building an audience.

Jesus is walking and teaching in the open air as many Jewish Rabbis of the day would have, but something very different happens in this story that never happened with any respectable Jewish person, nevertheless a Rabbi, and definitely not the Messiah according to the Pharisee's mindset of who the Messiah would be. Jesus reached beyond the acceptable cultural and religious barriers of His day and was met by disdain and criticism for doing so. They were blinded to Jesus being Messiah by their own cultural and religious barriers! Jesus reached beyond…

Let’s learn from Jesus Christ what it means to have a faith that reaches beyond. First, A PERSON OF FAITH REACHES BEYOND THEIR COMFORT ZONE!

Mark 2:13-14 starts the story, “And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ And he got up and followed Him.”

A quick history lesson is necessary for us to understand why this story is so radical and how Jesus’ example teaches us that a person of faith reaches beyond their comfort zone.

Levi the son of Alphaeus is the disciple we know as Matthew (see Matthew 9:9) and his occupation was as a tax collector who worked for Herod Antipas. His boss was hated and feared by the Jews and so were the men who would not only collect the taxes, but who would line their own pockets by stealing from the people by charging them too much.

Jesus called a hated man to be His disciple! A tax collector; a sinner who from the day he took the job as a tax collector was not allowed into the circles of religious men; an outcast from the Jewish mainstream culture. This is the type of person that the religious people had contempt for because of his amoral way of life. They thought they were better and they also feared him because they were afraid of the contagion of the sinner and would avoid any possible contact with such a person.

What type of person do you avoid? Do you struggle with worldly pride or fleshly prejudice? Does fear or contempt stop you from reaching beyond your comfort zone?

Jesus confronted the pride and prejudice, the contempt and fear of the religious leaders who imposed religious and cultural barriers on people by reaching beyond their barriers to touch the life of a sinner. Jesus knew that in order to cure the disease, it was necessary to come into contact with those who are sick. Jesus confronted his own disciples (and the Holy Spirit is confronting us today) that the man or woman with pride and prejudice, or fear and contempt, can never be a fisher of men. A fisher of men must reach beyond the barriers of their culture and religious institutions.

Here is the deal friends, many of us have been raised with similar cultural and religious barriers so they are ingrained into our sensibilities and thinking—they have become our comfort zones of what it means to be a good person. Jesus requires of us through His example and teaching that must reach beyond our comfort zones if we are to be disciples--fishers of men!

It is so easy for us to remain comfortable and play the game of in-group/out-group in our community, in our churches, and in our homes. Jesus addresses a religious leader in Luke 14:12-14 stating, “Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’”

Jesus’ model demands of us to reach beyond our comfort zone and that means we must allow the Holy Spirit to do something in us that is very uncomfortable; we must allow Him to convict us of sin so that we can repent and seek the lost. Not with an attitude of superiority or contempt, but as sinners who found the cure--Jesus.

Are you willing to go outside of your comfort zone? What person or people group is the Holy Spirit putting on your heart right now? [Pray] Pray that God will empower you and make a way for you to reach out to this person or these people.

This leads us into our second teaching point, A PERSON OF FAITH REACHES BEYOND TO INVITE PEOPLE TO MEET JESUS CHRIST!

The story gets even more controversial in Mark 2:15-16, “And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?’”

Jesus is now having table fellowship with the tax collectors and sinners and he is being charged by the Pharisees with moral carelessness. In this culture, to have table fellowship is to show acceptance for someone, and the religious leaders were shocked at the core of their very being that Jesus would condescend to the level of eating with tax collectors and sinners. Little did they know how much the Son of God had already condescended to have fellowship even with them!

Jesus is defying every religious convention of His day: you don’t eat meals with sinners; you don’t talk with them and associate with them; you don't call them to be your disciple! His actions cause deep animosity with the Pharisees and the hatred deepens as Jesus shows more love for the people then their religious rules! Grumbling + Complaining begins. Do you allow critics and complainers to stop you from building relationships with certain people who you are called to share Jesus Christ with?

These religious leaders and their barriers didn't stop Jesus from fulfilling the very purpose He came, nor should it stop us from being a part of God’s perfect plan to reconcile sinners! Jesus was not morally careless; He loved deeply and compassion moved him to seek and save the lost. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing and why He was doing it; He was proclaiming the peace of God to those who were far away and to those who were near.

Ephesians 2:17-20 proclaims this reconciling ministry of Jesus Christ, “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

A person of faith reaches beyond to invite people to meet Jesus Christ who is the one who can bring all people together into the one family of God—the Church. We must go into our communities, to those who are far away and preach peace with God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We must go to the most hated and undesirable peoples of our communities and have fellowship with them, being filled with love and acceptance, not filled with contempt thinking we are superior nor filled with fear thinking their sin is contagious like the Pharisees. It is our mission to invite people to be a part of the family of God so we are providing invitation postcards for you to hand out for the Holy Week services that start next week. [Invitations]

Do we, FBC, create a safe place for all people to meet Jesus Christ? Do you reach beyond your comfort zone while you are in this building on Sunday mornings? Do you go out of your way to meet new people every Sunday? Are you in a comfort zone that prevents you from reaching out to new people, to people who dress different, look different, or sound different? Do you look for people who you can invite into your life?

Our third teaching point, A PERSON OF FAITH REACHES BEYOND SO THAT JESUS CAN REACH IN AND HEAL HEARTS!

The conclusion of this story is Jesus’ answer to the Scribes question, ‘Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?’ Mark 2:17 records, “And hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” Jesus teaches us that He is the heart doctor and it is His mission to heal the sick; those who are dead in their sin. Are we like the Pharisees and don’t see our need for the heart doctor because we see ourselves as healthy by our own righteousness? Let us never forget that it is by grace we are saved. It's a privilege afforded to us by God to be a member of the body of Christ. Are we like the Pharisees filled with contempt and fear toward sinners that causes us not to reach out to them? Are you in need of the heart doctor?

The reason we reach beyond our comfort zones and introduce people to Jesus Christ is because without Jesus Christ people are spiritually dead in their sin. Before God’s gift of salvation, you too were dead in your sin and bound for Hell like a child of wrath. The good news is that as long as there is breath in the lungs of this temporary body, then a sinner has a chance to be healed of their spiritual death through faith in the one who bought us life through His death. You too were once upon a time brought to Jesus as a sinner and He healed you! Romans 5:8 proclaims, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus calls us to be fishers of men. Fishermen don't clean the catch while it's still swimming in the pond. No, you travel out to the pond and you catch dirty fish, then you clean them. Are you ready to go fishing in your community? Stay tuned, we are planning at least four fishing trips this summer into our community.

Jesus Christ reached beyond heaven to reach in and heal your heart. In response to this great love, are you willing to leave behind your reputation, comfort, and security in order to live a life of faith that reaches beyond? Are we as a church?

God will do this work in and through us, but He needs a people who are willing to give a 100% commitment to acquire the Kingdom of God. Unlike the four fishermen, who left behind their boats Matthew could never go back to being a tax collector. He left the tax booth, walked away from it all. He did more than leave behind the fishing boats, he burned the ships! And history has told His story and we know that all he left behind paled in comparison to all that He gained in following Jesus! What story will history tell of you?

God never goes back on the person who gives everything to follow Jesus Christ. [show images of burning ships] In the year 1519, Spanish Conqueror Hernando Cortes landed in the Yucatán Peninsula with 11 ships manned by 100 sailors carrying 530 soldiers with the primary ambition of acquiring a vast Aztec treasure of immense wealth. Upon landing at the beachhead and looking at this hard journey inland deep into the Aztec Empire, the grumbling began, the fear rose, and temptations of mutiny and turning back started to become a very real situation amongst Cortes’ men, but Cortes had a solution in mind.

Knowing that mission success would take the 100% commitment of his men, Cortes burned the ships focusing himself and the men on the journey ahead. There was now only one choice: mission success or certain death.

There was no going back! The ships of fear & quitting, insecurity & doubt, divided loyalties & false allegiances were now burned and they had to each give 100% together to set their life course toward the vast treasure of the Aztec Empire. What are your ships?

What is preventing you from doing what Matthew did? He left everything behind to follow Jesus Christ. Is there something or someone preventing you from giving a 100% commitment to following Jesus Christ? What prevents you from wholeheartedly setting your life course toward the vast treasure of the Kingdom of God? Are you willing to burn your ships?

"Teachable Moments!" (Mark 2:1-12, part 2)

“Teachable Moments!”

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #12)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

April 3, 2011

The Word of God for a message entitled, "Teachable Moments!" from the Gospel Mark 2:5-12 (NAU): ⁵ And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸ Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? ⁹ “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk'? ¹⁰ “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”--He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” ¹² And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.” [Prayer]

Last week, we studied Mark 2:1-12 focusing on the active faith of the four stretcher-bearers as they brought the paralytic to Jesus Christ. They walked by faith and were blessed to see the miracle of Jesus healing their friend. This week, we are going to focus on how Jesus Christ handles the interruptions to His teaching time. We see in Mark 2:2 that Jesus was “speaking the word to them”. Mark did not record any of this teaching, but he recorded the story of the interruptions. The interruption of four stretcher-bearers filled with faith who dug a hole through the ceiling to lower this paralytic down to Him. The interruption of the Scribes and what they were reasoning in their minds. Mark did not record the formal teaching of Jesus in this story, but he did record the teachable moments that Jesus utilized to model for us His teachings through His own actions. Jesus did not see these as interruptions to His mission, but as the exact purpose He had come. Let’s learn from our Master. Our first teaching point: JESUS CONFRONTS THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD!

Mark 2:1-4 sets the context and we see that four stretcher-bearers have successfully brought the paralytic before Jesus. Mark 2:5-7 shows us what happens next, “And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?’”

Jesus’ words to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven”, must have caused a hush filled with a diversity of emotions to sweep across the audience. Mark focuses not on the eager disciples filled with faith by the boldness and authority of Jesus Christ, nor on the eager crowds who flocked in hope to be touched by this Jesus of Nazareth who can heal people.

Rather, Mark focuses on the Scribes, who were skeptical of Jesus, and came to test His gospel message according to the Law of Moses. Mark chooses to focus on the interruption to the interruption! Why? I believe it is because Mark the evangelist wrote this Gospel for the reason of convincing people of this one eternal truth: Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, and He does have the authority and power to forgive sins and give eternal life to all who follow Him! The Kingdom of God has come in the person of Jesus Christ!

Friend, today, right now, God sees your sin and your brokenness and you are not an interruption to Him; you are the very reason He came! Are you a skeptical person? Is your heart open to experiencing God in the world today? God is at work in the world today and this Jesus I declare to you has the authority to forgive you of your sins and reconcile you to God!

These Scribes based their views of God on their cultural tradition and on their own interpretations of how God was going to work in the world. They had codified the Scriptures into rules and regulations to such a point that they no longer were able to experience the revelation of God’s word. Their traditions and interpretations of the Law led them to see the coming of the Messiah in a very specific way which in turn caused them to reject Jesus of Nazareth as a blasphemer rather than receive Him as Messiah. Instead of embracing their God who took on flesh to save them, they accused Him of a crime in their hearts and minds; an accusation that would later be brought to trial.

Listen to the punishment for blasphemy as legislated in Leviticus 24:16b, “Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him.”

The Scribes were not open to experiencing God in a way that was outside of their own human learning and experiences. In the same way that they boxed God into their own life experiences and human teachings, I wonder if we do the same. Have you put God inside the box of your own learning? God will neither be limited to your own experiences, nor your systematic theology.

Here’s the good news: God is bigger than our intellect and our senses! Jesus Christ, God’s agent of revelation and salvation, confronts the wisdom of the world, for the very purpose of saving us from the domain of darkness. Colossians 1:13-14 testifies, “For He [God, the Father] rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God.” Faith in Jesus moves us from darkness to light; ignorance to truth.

Jesus Christ came to reveal who God is to humanity, but the world rejected Him as God’s agent of revelation and salvation. Do you allow the Holy Spirit to confront you in your assumptions about God, life, and death?

Jesus does not react to the accusing thoughts of the Scribes. Instead, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, initiates the confrontation, not over who has the power to forgive sins for they are correct in that only God can forgive sins, but over His person as the One who has the power and authority to forgive sins.

The Scribe’s had this question in their hearts, “Why does this man speak this way?” Mark captures this story in his Gospel because Jesus’ confrontation offers a teachable moment with eternal implications. That is our second teaching point for us to apply to our lives: CONFRONTATION OFFERS TEACHABLE MOMENTS!

If we are honest with ourselves, most of us cringe at the word confrontation, but if we are to follow Jesus Christ we must learn from His example that confrontation of worldly wisdom is necessary and we cannot avoid nor back down from these confrontations if we are to proclaim the Gospel with our words and deeds. The story continues in Mark 2:8-9, “Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’?’”

Our Master Jesus Christ confronted the Scribes in order to teach them. He asks the question, “Which is easier…?” not in terms of which is easier for Him to say or do, but which is easier for us to visibly see the proof of effectiveness. There is no way for the bystanders to see or quantify the results of Jesus declaring this man’s sins are forgiven, but they would be able to see whether or not he can walk. Which is easier?

Jesus has already addressed this man’s greatest need by forgiving him of his sins; this provides reconciliation to the Father. That is why Jesus came and He would not compromise who He was or why He came.

Whether or not the man was physically healed at that moment or not is speculation and not the point of this story. In addressing the Scribes, Jesus is essentially saying that if He were to successfully command the paralytic to “Get up and pick up your pallet and walk”, then we could equally be assured that the former declaration, “Your sins are forgiven”, was also fulfilled by the same authority and power that caused him to be able to walk. We would have to believe this by faith at Jesus’ word, because we cannot verify the forgiveness of the paralytic’s sins or our own. We are saved by faith (not works) and we are called to live by faith (not sight)!

After His resurrection, Jesus confronted one of His disciples in a similar way to teach this same lesson. From the Gospel of John 20:24-29, “Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”

We are to believe even when we have not seen; Faith!

How has Jesus taught you about faith by meeting you in the places of your own doubt and disbelief? How do you allow the Holy Spirit to work through you to teach others about God in the midst of their own doubt and disbelief?

Jesus confronted the wisdom of the world to proclaim the good news of God. We too should never miss an opportunity to confront the lies, deceptions, and philosophies of our worldly culture. And you don’t need to go out looking for confrontation. You just have to live by faith and confrontation will find you; don’t back down from it and remember that every teachable moment is an opportunity to point to the power of God who lives in you! That is our last teaching point: TEACHABLE MOMENTS ARE AN OPPORTUNITY TO POINT TO THE POWER OF GOD!

The story ends in Mark 2:10-12, “‘But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’--He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.’ And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’”

Jesus had already performed a miracle of reconciliation, but the people were not astonished because they could not see it. “But so that you [Scribes] may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” Jesus Christ heals this man’s physical condition and the people are all amazed by what they can see!

They see a miracle, but that was not the point. The fact of the physical healing is not in question, but Jesus declared that the purpose of this healing was to point to the power of God to forgive sins through the Son of Man—this is a point of faith, that Jesus Christ is the power of God! 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 proclaims, “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

The point of Jesus utilizing this teachable moment, and the point of Mark including these interruptions in his Gospel account, is for us to understand that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that all authority and power has been entrusted to Him to bring salvation to everyone who believes. As Paul states in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”

We are not to be ashamed! Our lives, by the grace of God, should point to the power of God; make Him visible. Do you point other people to Jesus Christ in the midst of difficult circumstances? Are you ashamed?

There is a way we make a public declaration of our faith and that is by sharing communion at the Lord’s Table together. Regardless of whether or not you are a member of FBC, as members of the one body of Christ through the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation of the Cross, if you have given your life to Jesus Christ then you are invited to join us in communion.

Listen to these words from 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

Communion is an ordinance of the Church of Jesus Christ that calls us together to the Lord’s Table regardless of our circumstances in this life.

Communion is a remembrance to all Christians of the all-surpassing power of God who lives in us. We consume the elements: the bread that represents the broken body of Jesus Christ; and the cup that represents the poured out blood of the eternal covenant shed on the Cross of Calvary. We consume Christ who is the all-surpassing power of God.

Communion is a declaration of faith that the treasure of God’s salvation lives inside of each of us and that for all eternity we each will dwell in the House of the Lord. No matter what circumstances may fall on us—in this life or through our death—the life of Jesus Christ is revealed in our body.

May this time of response through communion remind us once again of our mutual call to reveal Christ, the power of God, to our world. Our elders will lead us in consuming together as the one body of Christ after the ushers serve you the elements. Let us pray.