Someone I can trust - Isaiah 9:7

Someone I can Trust!

December 18, 2011 - Advent 4

Isaiah 9:7

Introduction

• When I was still little, my dad had a workbench
• In my mind’s eye it was very high up, of course it was only at dad’s waist level
• Later on, at that workbench, I would learn to use a coping saw, and learn some elementary woodwork
• But when I was still little, dad lifted me up and set me on the workbench. It seemed so high up
• Then dad stood in front of me and told me to jump.
• I was scared stiff
• But I jumped, and dad caught me
• I trusted that my dad would not let me fall
• How often in life are we faced with situations and we have to trust someone?
• As I grew up, though, I learned not to trust
• I went through experiences where I learned to expect the worst
• There were benefits to expecting the worst, it enabled me to put up a defense and make preparation, so I could limit the damage
• This was useful in later life when I worked as the personal assistant to an international publishing director
• We would enter into multi-million dollar agreements with major printers
• One of my assignments was to read the fine print in the contracts, looking for the loopholes, anything that could damage us.
• So my defensive stance was a benefit in that area.
• But so often it was not a benefit but a handicap
• It meant that to trust someone was a major issue
• I was a very defensive person.
• Thankfully, Jesus set me free from this attribute, and today I generally believe the best of people
• Though occasionally I still find myself expecting the worst to happen, and later find out this had no substance to it at all, it was that old mistrust coming up again.
• Today is the fourth week of advent. In previous weeks we have examined Jesus as Healer, as Savior, as Baptizer with the Holy Spirit.
• Today we will look at Jesus as our King

Jesus born to be King

• Isaiah 9:6-7
• Jesus was born to be King
• As we go through the Old Testament, we see the record of many kings of Israel and Judah
• Usually, their son would be born to be king
• But that was not enough to determine what kind of king he would be
• A good king was often followed by a bad king
• Occasionally a bad king was followed by a good king
• Jesus was born to be King
• But this prophecy tells us he is going to be a good king
• He will reign with justice and righteousness
• This means that he will be a king you can depend upon
• So often in election campaigns you wonder, which of the names you can trust to follow through on their promises.
• Trust is an issue in politics
• But Jesus is going to be the leader we can trust
• Isaiah 11:1-5
• Jesus will deal with people according to their personal choices
• Those who live God’s way will be blessed
• And those who refuse to allow Jesus to be king will be taught the error of their ways
• Trust is a major issue
• At one level, people will learn by experience that God’s way is best
• As they see the good results of submitting to Jesus’ rule, they will flock to Israel to learn from Jesus
• Isaiah 2:2-5
• All this is yet future

Jesus as our personal King

• But how about today?
• Jesus was born to be King in our life today!
• He is trustworthy
• Isaiah 42:1-7 – a bruised reed He shall not break
• This passage was used by Jesus to characterize his ministry
• Matt 12:20
• Jesus came to give help to those who are weary and downtrodden
• We may feel like we cannot trust people any more
• But Jesus came to give us hope, and when we trust him in our lives, we experience freedom in our lives
• He does not tie heavy loads on our shoulders, but he carries our burdens
• Matt 11:28
• His relationship with us today, and with the whole world when he returns to reign over this earth, is based on love
• Jesus love is sacrifial love – he died to give us freedom
• Rom 5:8
• But it takes personal surrender to Him
• Romans 10:9-10 Confess Jesus is Lord
• We are told faith without works is dead
• We can believe Jesus is alive, but that is not enough
• We have to step out in trust, in surrendering ourselves to Him
• Surrender is a hard word to pronounce if we have been betrayed
• But Jesus is different
• All human beings have feet of clay
• But Jesus is faithful and he will guide and help us achieve the finish line
• Philippians 1:6

Conclusion

• Human beings let us down
• They damage the trust that we were born with as babies
• But Jesus has shown himself faithful and trustworthy
• He showed this by dying for us 2000 years ago
• He showed it by opening our hearts to the gospel
• He shows it each day as He answers our prayers and as He helps us along this journey called life
• And He will show his faithfulness that day when we stand before Him and He tells us “Well done good and faithfull servant, enter into the joy of your Lord
• So let go of your inhibi6tions and choose to surrender to your king
• Jesus is the King who was born to reign in our lives, and who is promised to one day reign as King over the whole earth

The Pilgrim's Progress - Matthew 3:11

The Pilgrim’s Progress
December 11, 2011 - Advent 2 & 3
Matthew 3:11

Introduction
- On June 4, 1783 at the market square of a French village of Annonay, not far from Paris, a smoky bonfire on a raised platform was fed by wet straw and old wool rages.
- Tethered above, straining its lines, was a huge taffeta bag 33 feet in diameter.
- In the presence of "a respectable assembly and a great many other people," and accompanied by great cheering, the balloon was cut from its moorings and set free to rise majestically into the noon sky.
- Six thousand feet into the air it went -- the first public ascent of a balloon, the first step in the history of human flight.
- It came to earth several miles away in a field, where it was promptly attacked by pitchfork-waving peasants and torn to pieces as an instrument of evil!   (Today in the Word, July 15, 1993)
- Often in life something new or different causes fear
- People in general do not like change
- You see it in addiction, the force to stay where you are is almost insurmountable
- When an addict recovers from his addiction and reunites with his family, there is a process called homeostasis
- In short this means that the family continues to see the person as he was rather than as he is now, and expects him to fail
- This is a major temptation for the addict to relapse
- Yet, the way forward involves change – change in actions, change in attitudes
- God gave us laws to live by.  They are outlined in the 10 commandments, and summarized by Jesus when he says we should love God with all our heart mind and soul, and love our neighbor as ourselves
- When we break these laws, God calls this sin (1 Jn 3:4)
- When we look back we see all kinds of sin in our life
- This sin separates us from God
- It doesn’t matter if we accepted Jesus 30 years ago, sin still separates us from God
- It’s because we carry guilt, and when we carry guilt it damages our relationship with the one who was sinned against
- We often don’t want to face up to our sins, because that would be an admission of guilt and loss of face
- But the way forward starts with facing our sin

Jesus comes as Savior – Advent 2
- Jesus came to save us from our sins.  Whether we are Christian or not
- He paid the price that a just God requires for disobedience to God’s higher law
- Because of Jesus dying on the cross for us, we can face our sins, deal with them and move along in our journey with God
- Jesus makes it possible for us to face our weaknesses, and address them
- His will for us is that we move forward, not that we stand still in our spiritual journey
- But when we refuse to face our issues, we are stagnant and ignoring God’s intention for our life.
- Change is needed.  It goes against our nature, we are very happy with homeostasis, and staying where we are at
- Some of the issues to face, are seemingly small things
- But some of our issues are very ingrained
- Some seem almost insurmountable, like a Mount Everest in our life
- So how can we deal with these things?

Jesus comes as our Baptizer – Advent 3
- The Israelites in the old Testament had problems
- They were whiners and complainers and idolators
- They turned away from God, wanting to do things their own way
- But from time to time there would be a revival
- Josiah, for instance
- He cleaned out the temple, he threw away and demolished all the pagan idols
- Revival entered the land
- But after he died, things went back to the way they were before
- His son turned against God and the land relapsed
- To make permanent change we need the power of the Holy Spirit
- Jesus came to send us the Holy Spirit, to give us the power to be obedient to God
- Matthew 3:11
- When a person turns to Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit
- Acts 2:38, Eph 1:13-14
- The Holy Spirit makes us a child of God
- Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit become a part of our lives, and make their home in us (John 14:16-17, 20, 23)
- We are now a new creation, we are different and we desire to be obedient to God (2 Cor 5:17)
- Jesus breathed on the disciples on Resurrection Day, and said “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22)
- The disciples were now a new creation!
- Jesus had just said, “As the Father sent me, I am sending you” - John 20:21
- But in the next chapter we read that Peter relapsed to his former life – he went back home to Galilee and restarted his old business!  Can you imagine?
- Peter, the disciples who went with him, and all of us, need power to live our Christian life to fullest
- This power come through being filled with the Holy Spirit
- Acts 2:8
- Being filled with the Spirit gives us a boldness that cannot be quenched
- We receive the Holy Spirit in a way that He fills every part of our life
- He is a special gift from God, for us
- Being filled with the Holy Spirit empowers us to live in obedience to our God
- When we receive this gift, He gives us a heavenly language to speak
- It is a language between God and us, which builds us up spiritually and helps us to love others the way God loves them (1 Cor 14:2, 4, 18, 39-40)
- It is a prayer language between us and God, which enables us to pray according to God’s will (Rom 8:26-27)
- This may be something new for us, or it may not
- Don’t be afraid of something new, God only gives us good gifts (Luke 11:9-13)
- Even if we have been filled with the Spirit before, we need to be filled continually (Eph 5:18)
- The experiences of life deplete the spiritual resources the Holy Spirit once gave us
- We need God’s touch again

Conclusion
- The Christian’s journey marches forward
- It was made possible by Jesus coming as our Savior, and as our Baptizer
- Today we will open up the altar for prayer
- If you want to accept Jesus for the first time, if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, or if you would like prayer for any other reason, today is the day the Lord has made for you!

Jesus heals today - John 5:8

Jesus Heals Today!

December 4, 2012

John 5:8

Introduction

• Today we are going to talk about the subject of healing, specifically about a miracle Jesus performed 2000 years ago
• Around 9 years ago, Dianne and I vistited Harvest Rock church in Pasadena
• During the worship there was a general expectancy for healing, the presence of the Holy Spirit was totally evident
• I was standing at the front, worshiping, and noticed someone praying with a person who was on his knees
• I joined in and others did too
• This man was leaning on his crutches
• For two years he had been paralyzed and unable to walk without the aid of his crutches
• He had come, expecting healing.
• We prayed and prayed for this man. He would try to pull himself up on his crutches, time and time again.
• He received strength in his legs, gradually, and first he was able to stand, then take one step, then another. Finally he could walk normally! He threw his crutches down, walked on the podium and worshiped God
• The rest of the conference we saw him walking around, carrying his crutches, telling everyone about what had happened
• Today I want to help you understand some principles that are evident in the miracle Jesus performed at the Pool of Bethesda
• John 5:1-9

Background

• This was just before the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus went up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast, in obedience to Deut 16:16
• This is a reminder to us that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together – Heb 10:25
• We need these times together in the presence of God to receive encouragement, otherwise we can become isolated and depressed.
• In Jesus day there was a pool at the north side of the temple area
• This pool has been uncovered by archaeologists
• In times past it seems to have been a place where sheep were cleaned before being slaughtered, but in Jesus day it became a place where the infirm would hang out
• John mentions the blind, the lame and the paralyzed
• They would wait here for something special to happen
• Remember that for 600 years there had been no prophets in Israel, no sign of God’s involvement with his people
• But now, at the appearing of the Messiah, God does something special. Periodically, and angel would come and stir ip the waters of this pool
• The first one into the water would be healed
• The disabled who were waiting around the pool were eager to be the first one in

The paralytic

• There was one person there who was paralyzed
• The Greek word here refers to weakness, so he was probably either lame or paralyzed
• He had been an invalid for 38 years
• Time after time he had seen the waters be stirred up by the angel, time after time he had seen people be healed
• But he felt it was not for him because he couldn’t seem to get to the water fast enough
• How many of us have seen healings, maybe many times?
• We have seen God do extraordinary things
• Yet when we are ill ourselves, we feel, it’s not for me
• We can have faith that others will be made well, but we’re not that sure about ourselves
• In some ways we may be like this man
• Maybe it is not physical healing that we need
• Maybe it is some relational issue
• Maybe we have been married for 38 years and we have given up that things could ever be better
• I tell you this morning that God wants to bring healing into your life like a flood of refreshing water
• God wants to pour out His grace and mercy in your life
• Bethesda means House of Mercy
• Come to the waters and be washed and be set free from the shackles that have held you back

The healing

• This particular morning Jesus goes out of his way to visit this man, personally. He did what the Father was saying to Him
• Jesus normally entered the temple area from the east, from the Mount of Olives
• He normally would not go to the area of the Pool of Bethesda, because it was very close to the Roman garrison called Antonia
• This morning he took a side trip to visit this man
• What does this mean?
• This man was special to God
• Despite the years of suffering, disappointment and discouragement, there was a time that this man was going to be healed
• God stepped into his life, told him, “Take up your mat and walk” and performed a miracle
• You may have gone through difficult stuff in your life and you may have despaired that could ever change
• With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible
• All we need to do is to come boldly to the throne of grace to find help in time of need

Conclusion

• So don’t despair
• Believe that God can change your circumstances, he can heal your body, he can make all things new
• Today is the first day of your future
• Are you going to allow your future to stay the same as your past?
• Or are you going to ask God for a miracle this day?