Mark 9:30-37 A Child's Welcome

[I started out this sermon by telling a story about getting a cheesesteak at Angelo's in King of Prussia, PA- I can't do the story justice here]
Mark 9:30-37 A Child’s Welcome
Mark 9:30-37, They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

The doctor took his patient into his office and said, "I have some good news and some bad news."
The patient said, "Give me the good news."
The doctor said, "They're going to name a disease after you."
What kind of Good News is this? What kind of good news is in order to be first you must be a servant?
Good news is sometimes like those shock paddles- that they use to bring you back to life- it shocks you in order to bring life to you. Good news of God does not keep us where we are- because left to our own devices we are selfish- and will argue about who’s the best- and other silly things
What does it mean to be first in the kingdom of God? It means becoming a servant to others.Stumbling Block- Who’s the greatest?- My needs, my preferences are more important than yours- anti-listening- fear of the newcomer
V. 30-31 “Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples.”
An important trait of a disciple: teachability
Not asking for perfection- but willing to learn and change attitude
A most amazing thing about kids- is how fast and how much they are learning

There is a story about a father who became disturbed about the length of time his six year old son was taking to get home from school.
The father decided he would make the trip to discover for himself how long it should take a small boy to cover the distance.
The father settled on 20 minutes but his son was still taking an hour. Finally the father decided to make the trip with his son.
After the trip, the father said, "The 20 minutes I thought reasonable was right, but I failed to consider such important things as a side trip to track down a trail of ants...or an educational stop to watch a man fix a flat tire...or the time it took to swing around a half dozen telephone poles...or how much time it took for a boy just to get acquainted with two stray dogs and brown cat.
"In short," said the father, "I had forgotten what it is really like to be six years old."
We forget what is to really be a child-

Application:
What would it look like for you to act more like a child of God?
How can we be people who welcome children and are “servant(s) of all”?

Do you serve others in any way? With time, giving, talents?
Do you make sacrifices in your life so children in poverty can have a better life
Youth ministry is supporting an AIDS orphan in China this year- via Judy Sutterlin, missionary
Do you view church worship as a thing that simply serves you- or as a time that helps shape you into a better servant for others. If you are coming to worship just to be served and not to be changed into a servant- you have got to come and talk to me.
Do you talk about others more than you pray for others
Do you complain about children more than you pray for them

Friends we are invited to live and serve in the God’s Kingdom
But we must understand- in God’s kingdom we live by God’s plan and not our own-
God’s plan is for kingdom people to be loving, welcoming people
People who change in order to serve others-
A kingdom where service is above self
A kingdom where every child is welcome- and in doing so we welcome Christ Himself- You are a loved child of God. Act like it.

9-17-06 "Who owns your soul?" Mark 8:27-38 + bonus commentary

Mark 8:27-38- Who owns your soul?
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."
29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered, "You are the Christ."
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

The great confession of Peter- he gets it soooooo right that Jesus is the Christ- and then Jesus explaining how he will suffer and be rejected is then confronted by Peter- and Peter gets it sooooo wrong.
Peter reminds Jesus of Satan- Satan had tempted Jesus by offering him dominion of the whole world without suffering, offering him bread- instead of fasting,- Evil avoids self-suffering that brings good.

Peter got the Christ-Title right- but he got the Christ-Mission wrong.
Sometimes we may have good titles or labels on us- “Christian” “Mother” “Father” “Citizen” “Boss” “Friend” “Pastor”- But getting the title right- means very little if we don’t have the substance of it
That is just what the world life here in this scripture means- the word in Greek is psyche- it can also be translated as “soul”- it is the essence or substance of our life.
What good is it for a person to live a “Christian” always going to church and whatnot, but failing to ever live the way of Christ- of self-sacrificing love. The name won’t save you- a life lived in title only- is a life lost. If you are a Christian in name only- beware

What does it mean to have your life “saved”?
It means you are buying in to God’s plan for life- completely. You are being saved from a life of self, into a with God life. The word means being made whole- being healed. You are becoming what God has intended for you- your are being healed of your misdirections, misdeeds and broken relationships- you are gaining a new life in place of the old one. Gaining new purpose, and direction.
What is your soul worth? If your soul was fading out right now- and you found out about it- what would you and could you do to remedy it?
Application: What do you need to “lose” in your life?
5 things- that I see a lot of Christians struggling to die to
Stuff people hold on to- that makes their own soul sick
1. A lack of mission-What is “your cross”- your personal mission of following Jesus?
My Mission is to be a loving and forgiving husband and father who is devoted to following Jesus Christ and serving others that they may also follow Christ.
Just because all of our daily survival needs are taken care of- doesn’t give us permission to go willy-nilly bouncing through life- never giving time to the question “What does God want for me?” or “Who does God say that I am?”
2. People Pleasing- People Hating
You cannot please everyone- if you are leaving this way- please die to it right now. Aim to love people- not please them- means doing the right and good thing, not always the nicest thing. We can’t live this life ashamed of the way of God- just to please the people of our age.
Some Christians need to die to the idea of hating people. Our faith- Our Lord has not called us to hate others. What is it to hate? To live denying the value of another’s life- wanting harm for them and not good. If there are people in your life in that state- you need to pick up the cross.
3. Unconscious “Fad” Living- Peter had bought into the “fad” or popular belief of who the Messiah would be and what he would be like. He believed this popular theory so much- that he rebuked Jesus- his rabbi. There are so many fads that bind us- I don’t know where to start. It all stems from a “lack of life mission”- If you don’t know why you are here- you live just doing things that come along or that everyone else does.
“Fad” of independent spouse- no such thing- dependent on each other
Fad of getting into unhealthy debt
Fad of unhealthy entertainment
Not anti-fun- anti-fad- I am having a fun-life
Prayer and worship cause the Holy Spirit- to make us conscious to things in our life
4. Unwillingness to Change- Jesus said, “Be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect”- can I see the hands of those who have gotten there. So for the rest of us the road to becoming more like Christ- means being willing to change- in ways God calls us to change.
Change for change sake- not what I am talking about- all change not good
Change for Christ’s sake- for growth
Are you unwilling to bend in your relationships? Why- cause you are the perfect friend? The perfect spouse? The perfect employee? The perfect boss?
Here’s another angle- when people change things around us- we react Whether at home, school, work, church- even if the change produces growth or positive results- a common reaction is “let’s go back to the old way”- no one likes feeling lost- but friends when good change occurs- we believe that God is in the lead- the scripture says every good and perfect give comes from God- just because something feels new, strange- or isn’t the way we used to do it- doesn’t make it bad or wrong- if it results in good fruit- we should rejoice not retreat-
So if you resist all change- hoping to keep time still- I have sad news- God honors that and passes you by when he comes to town with his truck full of blessings- you wouldn’t be interested in a new blessing
For God’s sake- and for your own sake- pick up the cross of change. if you feel lost when good change happens around you- maybe you let go of God’s hand to stay where you were- no worry- just stick your hand up
5. Ownership (stewardship)- kids, money, talents- possessions, education- Your own soul- All life is a gift on loan from God- we don’t own it- we only take care of it. Like the home Tina and I live in- we don’t own it- we only take care of it- Like this church- Denomination, us, Board- we don’t really own it- maybe legally in the world’s eyes= but in God’s plan we are stewards- taking the best care and living out the best life possible with the gifts given us- Your life is not yours to waste.
I urge you to lose your life- and pick up God’s life- and a life of good news- Maybe you have clinging on to a part of life- a certain relationship- finances, possessions, habits- and you need to say today, “God you can have all of it- give back to me whatever I need to live a life of love, forgiveness and mercy.” If there is a place in your life you need to pick up the cross- we are going to pray here and I urge you to lay it down before God- maybe its your pride, your need to be right, your need to please people- whatever it is- bring it to Jesus today.
Let’s pray.

Extra commentary/reflection Bonus: Having our clear personal mission helps us to know what we are living for and what we are not living for- we have died to some things-
Taking up the cross in daily language- means being able to say NO to things that would put us off our mission
Many of us are addicted to saying Yes to everything- because we want to please people- but if our mission is to serve Jesus Christ- and not to please people- we can die to that desire. There will be plenty of ways that people will be indirectly pleased because we are living for Jesus Christ- its just that People- Pleasing is not our mission anymore.
Worship- some think worship is done to please self- but truly done to please God. Does that mean we can have no fun in worship? No- but it does mean we need to be clear on the purpose of worship.

v. 31 Commentary [it was likely the disciples great hope that he would be accepted by the religious establishment and pronounced the messiah]

v.32 commentary [Peter- it seems here rebuked him regarding what Jesus was speaking plainly- that is that he would “suffer many things and be rejected.” Peter and Jesus probably saw these two things as connected- because he would be rejected he would suffer and be killed. Peter’s assumed rebuke is that you would not have to suffer if you were accepted and proclaimed the Christ. When this doesn’t happen we see that Peter is ashamed of the arrest and denies his involvement with Jesus and his movement.]

V. 33 Very likely that Peter’s reasoning of winning over the leaders and making concessions in order to do so, reminded Jesus a lot of Satan and his temptations. Also the devil tempted Jesus to avoid suffering and this is also what Peter is suggesting here.

V. 34 What does it mean? "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”- It means that life is not about. 1. Avoiding suffering 2. Being in complete control 3. Living in relative comfort because you have made moral/ethical concessions. Life is about: 1. Suffering for the right and good thing 2. Surrendering control of your daily life to God 3. Dying to self in order to see how BIG and Beautiful life really is.

V. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Preserving your life today for your own selfish desires- will cause you too miss out on the fullness and goodness of the life God has intended for you. If your dream life is a faster car, a bigger house, a larger bank account, complete comfort- without inclusion of God or thought of the welfare of other people- you though in good standing by some worldly measuring sticks- are actually low in life- you are a lowlife. But if you choose to surrender yourself- mind, soul and body- all your possessions- your talents, your family- to live a life that honors and follows the teachings of Jesus Christ- you will gain a full and beautiful life- the life that leads to salvation.

9-10-06- "Real Faith" James 2:1-19

Let’s Pray- Real Faith -James is a challenging letter to Christians- forcing the original hearers and us today to look at what it really means to live out our faith in Jesus Christ.
James emphasizes the need for Christians to be about doing good actions- good works- he says faith without works is dead. This has troubled some- especially Martin Luther- the great 16th century reformer- often called this book little Jimmy and stated at times that he wanted to throw this book out of the Bible- because he believed it confused people on the important issue of salvation- Jesus and Paul seem to state dozens of times in different ways that we are saved by grace through faith- and not by any good works- but by faith alone. James 2:24 "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” - Overlapping realities- My understanding/reading of James is that Faith always leads to good works- and cannot be separated from good works. Good works alone is no evidence that God is in your life making you whole- and in the same just saying you believe in God is no evidence that you have surrendered to God and allowed God to change and lead you in a life of doing good to others.
James 2:1-19, 1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.
1. Point 1 comes from verse #1 “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.” Talk about hard. The church has struggled with this for a long time. Our human desire to gain worldly riches and to gather people around us that will make us more powerful or comfortable are habits that have always been present in the church- and they have always been wrong.
Churches that supported Slavery and churches that sought to abolish it
Churches and ministries- that have abused and manipulated the poor- and churches and ministries that have cherished and welcomed the poor.
In the name of Christianity many look down on the poor as cursed- wrong headed
WE do not give or withhold hospitality our good acts- based on the material condition of another person or based on the ethnicity of another person
Racism and materialism have no place in a Christian’s life- The message still needs to be said today, “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.”
2. Keep the law by practicing- "Love your neighbor as yourself,"
There is no playing favorites when it comes to Christian love.
be impartial when it comes to love- don’t love only the rich or those who will reward you for your love- love isn’t love if you are just doing it to be rewarded or noticed- God is impartial- so should we be What is the “the law that gives freedom”? Of verse 12. Loving God and Loving your neighbors are laws that give freedom- because all the other laws can be fulfilled if you devote your life to living by loving God and loving others.
Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Some make Christianity a sport of judging others- rather than a life of showing mercy.
Rejecting the laws of impartiality- means you reject the authority of God- which is rejecting all of the law. A sin is a Sin is a sin. All it takes is the breaking of one of God’s laws to become a sinner- a lawbreaker- and we have all done it- and we are all in equal need of God’s grace.
Wouldn’t it be great if Christian churches and denominations got in fights about how much mercy we should show to others- rather than the judgment fights we often get into.
Mercy triumphs judgment- if you are going to err in a family life situation err on the side of mercy.
3. True Faith produces deeds- but deeds don’t produce faith
All the good works in the world aren’t going to get you to heaven- that’s missing the point
All the religious talk- the worship attendance, the tithes- aren’t going to get you to heaven- that’s missing the point
Jesus Christ alone brings salvation and healing- trusting in the Son of God- brings new life and salvation and wholeness- and living out His teachings such as love your neighbor as yourself- comes out of your faith/trust in Him
4. Faith is more than knowing the truth- or experiencing a good feeling- it is a life lived in trusting God
CS Lewis: I want God- not an idea of God, I want my neighbor not an idea of my neighbor, I want myself not an idea of myself- how much of life do we spend of being fake- on pretending.
How much time do we spend worshiping an idol of our own making-
What is real to you
Faith is a real thing- with God- how we act in life should be guided by our faith in Jesus Christ
If you are living a life where you talk the talk- but you don’t live it out- you don’t walk the walk- for example you gossip more than you pray, you spend more on vanity products a month than you give to others, you belittle people with nasty words much more than you encourage people- is good or evil winning in your life? Who’s really in charge in your life? You or God
We need to be people who take account of ourselves- and ask ourselves this tough question? Am I doing good? Having a small group or an honest friend give you an assessment- somebody who’d be willing to say to your face, “You are being greedy, playing favorites, being materialistic”- we need tough, honest and Merciful friends- fellow travelers in a faith journey who chastize us because they love us and they know that God is calling us to something more and better.
We are all going to go all different directions this week- to school, to work- to home, shopping, walking- who knows what= here’s your challenge- Do something good- just for the sake of adding some good into this world- show someone some mercy this week- offer someone forgiveness when they least expect it- I don’t know
Let God who in faith lives in you lead you to do good.

Mark 7:1-23 "Does God want a dirty church?"

Let’s Pray: Does God want a dirty church?We live in a very hygenic society
Mark 7:1-23 “Does God want a Dirty Church?”
7:1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"
6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
"'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
9 And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'" [NOTICE- THERE IS NO V. 16- IT HAD BEEN ADDED BY SCRIBES LATER, SO IT IS NOT IN MOST OF OUR TRANSLATIONS TODAY- IT DOESN’T OCCUR IN THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS]
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")
20 He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander [blasphemy], arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"

Reflections/Reactions:
1. God wants a lean church:
Something we can all relate- or almost all of us- Religion/Church as “Body Fat” metaphor- some body fat is a good thing- but too much is not a good thing-
Just as much religion and tradition as we need to function properly
Not supposed to build up for its own sake- if it does, it slows us down, tires us out and greatly hampers our functions of faith
Our traditions are meant to serve our faith in Christ and NOT vice versa.
religion as covering vs. function
Eating is a basic need/function of life. this is and is not mainly a dietary teaching- though it does fulfill the kosher laws- Jesus came not destroy the OT- but to fulfill it-just as he fulfilled the sacrificial traditions- this shows that he is the clean food that we must eat to have a pure life, we are not cleaned by eating a certain list of foods- but by living on the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Our tradition is here only to help us serve Jesus Christ
2. God doesn’t want a slimy church (deep theo. Word for icky or gross)
using tradition and manipulating scripture to avoid doing good (because doing good would require self-sacrifice)
explaning v. 11: Corban oath- is like saying “if I give you any other money it would be like stealing from God- so I can’t support you any more. The ideal would be then this unspent money would be given for Jewish religious purposes- but this was not always the case. Jesus is saying that the teachers allow for their religion to be a loophole to the commandment of honoring your father and mother- the tradition of a religion should not contradict its own teachings.
3. God doesn’t want a dirty talkin church- but does want a church willing to talk about its dirt. (Our Dirt- not others dirt- big difference)
Lets look at v. 21
v. 21, greek of evil thoughts is literally, the word for dialog- so from within, out of the men’s hearts proceeds the consideration, dialogue, discussion of worthless, injurious, harmful thought- the list of sins- that need to be dealt w
4. Reality: God has a wounded, but healing church
Let’s look at a couple of words here:
koinoo- defile- make unclean vs. katerizo- coterize- to make clean, to purge, to purify, a church willing to admit its own wounds and seek healing for them. James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”You have to clean a wound before you stitch it up.
5. God doesn’t need a well-dressed church
The main Theme: Commands of God vs. tradition of men
Illustration- tradition of men wearing a suit and tie to church. Is that a command of God? Does a flashy suit a good pastor make?
How do we tell the difference between traditions of men and commands of God?
We study the wordeating and digesting the word
Hold ourselves accountable to a worshiping community
letting others tell us if what comes out of us is good or bad
Most churches are full of people afraid to tell the truth
James text says pure religion- is acts of goodness taking care of widows and orphans- you don’t become good by doing good acts- we do good acts because goodness in Christ has come into us- so that is what comes out of us.
There are no pure people, no pure churches- only people and churches who regularly and humbly seek to be purified by the cleansing blood of their savior Jesus Christ.
Jesus says at different times- he came for sick, the lost, and sinners- he does not come for the pure, or the confidently righteous and religiously clean folks
So does Jesus want a dirty church?
Yes- Jesus wants an honest dirty church willing to admit its need for cleansing. Today we have free cleansing available- we have time and elements here that God uses to wash you up to bring more grace and forgiveness in - to fill your heart- your spiritual life-blood with the Spirit of God- Jews believed life was in the blood
For he is the way the truth and the LIFE-aima- blood- let Him be your life today- and he will clean you up and out of you he will bring forth wonderful good.