3 wishes and a hen

Intro

What do we think of Christ? Do we want him in our lives or not?

Goal

Let us understand that even religious people sometimes don't want Jesus in their lives.

Sermon Plan

We will look at the bullying of Christians, how we view Christ, 3 wishes and a hen, and a grumpy girl.

Bullying of Christians

Woe to those who speak out about Jesus especially when it threatens the powers that be. Those powers can be members of the news media, national political leaders or even a local church. Herod Antipas was a political bully like his father. He intimidated people and threatened the life of Jesus, like a fox threatens a hen who would gather her chicks (Luke 13:31-35). But the harassment of Christ and the bullying of those who come in his name is normal. Jesus told Jerusalem that they would not see him again until they say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Those who come in the name of Jesus Christ expect a rude welcome from politicians and the media. How do we in the church treat those who come in the name of the Lord?

3 men and an elephant

3 men were blindfolded and allowed to touch an elephant. One touched its trunk and declared it to be a snake. One touched a leg and declared it to be a tree. One touched its tail and declared it to be a rope. It was only when the blindfold was removed that they saw an elephant. So it is with Jesus. Those who see him only as a threat to their religion want him to leave. Those who seem him only as a threat to their political power want to kill him. Those who see him as a meal ticket only want to treat him and his followers as prey. But those who see him as he really is, the healer of all humanity, are willingly gathered together by Jesus Christ as a hen gathers her chicks (Luke 13:31-35).

3 wishes & a hen

In Luke 13:31-35 are three wishes. They only become obvious in the original Greek using the word thelo meaning to desire or wish. The first is from Herod who wished to kill Jesus. The second is from Jesus who wished only to gather the children of Jerusalem like a hen gathers her chicks. The third is from those children who wished not to be gathered. Herod thought he was a lion, but Jesus called him a fox, meaning that he was less of a threat than he thought. Human governments may threaten the church, but they cannot do what God will not allow. Herod threatened but Jesus knew that God is in control. A fox is also an outsider to the chicken coop. The chicks are insiders, but in this case do not desire the hen’s gathering. Do we?

A grumpy girl

I once worked in a place where there was a grumpy girl. She was hostile and easily angered and did not like anyone. So, I determined to treat her kindly and gently. I just knew that something must have been hurting her deep down inside. One day she asked, what would I do if she was my daughter and came home and told me she was pregnant. I simply replied that the first thing I would do would be to give her a big hug. She broke down and cried. Her parents had kicked her out of the house. They were church goers, but had missed the most important thing that Jesus taught, love. In Luke 13:31-35 Jesus spoke of his wish for Jerusalem that had killed the prophets. He just wanted to take the city into his embrace.

Outro/Take Home

Do we wish Jesus in our lives to protect and bless us? That's his wish for us.

Spiritual battles

Intro 

How does the Bible teach us to wage spiritual war? 

Goal 

Let us understand that we can win spiritual battles if we are willing to use the right handbook. 

Sermon Plan 

We will look at the Holy Spirit's work, the restoration between God and humanity, the slanderer and how Jesus waged spiritual war. 

The Holy Spirit’s work 

Jesus was reported as being full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4). What happened? The phrases “full of the Holy Spirit” or “Spirit filled” are often misused today. The Holy Spirit’s work was mentioned in this chapter three times. Each time different circumstances were described and it helps us understand some aspects of the Holy Spirit’s role in Jesus’ ministry. The first time in verse 1 when the phrase “full of the Holy Spirit” was used, it was associated with Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness for a period of temptation and fasting. Then in verse 14 Jesus was again portrayed “in the power of the Spirit” and teaching. The third time verse 18 revealed the Holy Spirit as being upon Jesus for preaching. This chapter described the Holy Spirit’s work in Jesus’ preparation, teaching and preaching. 

How restoration begins 

When relationships are broken, it takes a very long time and a lot of patience to restore them. If we have made major mistakes how do we begin to repair things? Humanity made a major mistake at the beginning. Our ancestors rejected God and we have followed the same path. That restoration began in Jesus and it began with a fast and resisting temptation (Luke 4:1-13). A time of fasting before assuming a major responsibility has been the habit of many of the faithful down through history. Resisting temptation is an ongoing struggle for Christians. Lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, anger, envy and pride are always around. Idolatry, hatred, theft, sexual unfaithfulness, dishonesty, gossip and more tempt us every day. Jesus resisted the devil by recalling Scripture. The word of God is a powerful weapon in the face of temptation. 

The slanderer 

Enemies are a part of life. How do we deal with our adversaries? Our enemies sometimes tempt us to do seemingly good things, but with strings attached. When life seems to offer us something good it is always wise to consider the source. The adversary tempts us with power and prestige. When life offers us authority and status it is wise to ask at what cost. The antagonist tempts us to be reckless. When we are tempted to take a leap of faith, it is wise to ask if it is not in reality a leap of foolishness. The personality that Jesus confronted as he was being tested in the wilderness was a slanderer. That’s what the word devil means (Luke 4:1-13). How do we deal with the devil? We have a handbook for that. It’s called the Bible. 

Jesus and spiritual war 

Some advice given under the title “spiritual warfare” is more like ineffective superstition than biblical instruction and can even be potentially harmful in the reality of spiritual combat. The devil would love for us to go into battle with useless weapons. Paul’s advice on putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) and Jesus’ battle royal with Satan (Luke 4:1-13) are two examples of truthful material whereby we can achieve real victory in spiritual battles. The weapons of engagement in Jesus’ case were fasting and the word of God. Jesus described prayer and fasting elsewhere as effective tools against the forces of evil (Mark 9:14-21). To the Ephesians Paul also described the Holy Scriptures as a sword, an offensive weapon in combat. Prayer and fasting and Bible skill are tried and true weapons of spiritual war. 

Outro/Take Home 

Jesus waged spiritual war using the Bible. How well are we versed in that weapon of battle against our enemy the devil?

Rendezvous with God

Intro 

Have you ever had an epiphany, a special revelation from God? It is something that people who have had a near-death experience talk about. It could be a dream or even a vision. 

Goal 

Let us understand that encounters with God are not as rare as we might think. 

Sermon Plan 

We will look at a rendezvous with God, happy days, the two main theories about death, our failures, sacred places and some allusions in the transfiguration. 

A rendezvous with God 

When Jesus prayed it was a rendezvous with God, not just a speech. In one such divine meeting he was dramatically transformed. The Old Testament is sometimes spoken of as two major parts, the law and the prophets. The major figure of each was Moses and Elijah. How appropriate that in his transfiguration, Jesus spoke with those two people (Luke 9:28-43). God spoke directly so that others could hear only a few times in Jesus life, at his baptism and here, saying this is my beloved Son, hear him. In a society where Moses and Elijah were “heard” every week in the assembly, this was a new instruction. Is Jesus the one to whom we listen? When we pray, do we just speak to God or also await expectantly the possibility of a dramatic experience of God’s divine presence? 

Happy days 

What have been the happiest days of our lives so far? The birth of a child, a wedding, a baptism or confirmation, a special trip, a graduation, a party are all occasions to remember. What about a theophany, a special appearance of God. The disciples Peter, James and John experienced one of their happiest days as a time on the mountaintop with Jesus (Luke 9:28-43). It was a day of prayer and intimacy with God. Throughout history people have recorded those rare moments of a special appearance of God, a near-death experience, a dream or a vision. The transfiguration was a life-changing experience and it began with prayer. Prayer is an opportunity every day to change our lives. It is an encounter with God, a time for an intimate meeting with the ruler of the universe. Don’t miss out. 

In heaven or asleep 

Present or future, heavenly or earthly? Those are questions that many ask about the transfiguration in Luke 9:28-43. There are two main theories of eternity which struggle with this scripture. Are Moses and Elijah alive in heaven now or asleep and awaiting a resurrection? Was the vision Moses and Elijah as they are now, or as they will be after a future resurrection? There are also two main theories about our future. Will it be in heaven or on earth? Actually after Revelation, heaven and earth come together and the point becomes moot, but in the in-between time, there are two main theories. Are Moses and Elijah in heaven now, or waiting to reign on the earth after Christ’s return? I lean towards the popular belief, but the truth is, it is all a mystery. We’ll all know then. 

Failure in the valley 

Why is it that immediately after the “mountain-top” experience of a lifetime, the disciples failed in the valley (Luke 9:28-43)? They could not heal a demon possessed boy. But Jesus was with them and he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. They were all amazed at the mighty power of God, in the valley. Many Christians look for that mountain top experience, but we live in the valley. Sheep climb out of the valley to escape predators, but must go back to the valley to eat. The valley is where the food is. It is where we live. Though we meet God on the mountain top, he is with us also in the valley. Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of the shadow of death, let’s remember that he is with us. 

Sacred places 

The mountaintop became a sacred place during the transfiguration because the disciples experienced an incredible vision of Jesus, Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:28-43). The first such sacred place was the garden east of Eden, which our first parents regretfully disrespected. Other sacred places were the burning bush and the tabernacle. In all such sacred places we experience a taste of God. A sacred place can be where we pause for daily prayer. For me a forest pathway has always been a sacred place where I am reminded of the presence of God in the majesty of his creation. For most of us our church buildings become sacred places, because there we hear the word of God expounded, pray and sing praises to his glory. Sacred places can be anywhere that we are reminded of the ubiquitous presence of God. 

Allusions in the Transfiguration 

In the transfiguration are many allusions. It occurred possibly on Mount Tabor. Peter wanted to build something and something was finally built there, the Church of the Transfiguration. Jesus, Moses and Elijah had some similar experiences. Each fasted 40 days (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Matthew 4:2). Elijah was lifted up into the heavens before he died (2 Kings 2). The discussion between the three during the transfiguration included Jesus’ upcoming exodus or departure from this life (Luke 9:28-43), an obvious allusion to Moses’ exodus. The passage also alludes to the eighth day, which in the early church was also a way of speaking about Sunday, a weekly memorial of Jesus’ resurrection. The appearance of glory uses words that are only found in places describing the return of Christ, an obvious allusion to the second coming. 

Outro/Take Home 

We often think of an epiphany as a special revelation from God, but it can be an everyday experience as well. God gives us every breath, ever heartbeat and every mouthful of food comes from his creation just for us. We encounter God all throughout the day. God is ubiquitous, omnipresent. Let's give God thanks for his minute-by-minute Providence.

Xenophobia and Jesus

Intro 

We all have bigotry to one degree or another. What does Jesus say about bigotry? 

Goal 

Let us understand that Jesus loves the whole world. 

Sermon Plan 

We will look at jingoism, the danger of telling the truth about national bigotry, xenophobia and God's love for all people. 

Jesus’ challenge to jingoism 

Jesus’ home crowd praised his preaching, but he knew their bigotry. Like much of American Christianity is mixed with nationalism so was the religion of the Jews. We sing God bless America and think of ourselves as deserving blessings above others. Some churches try to counter this by making their altars a flag-free zone. That may be worthwhile but flags are not the point. Jesus told the jingoistic crowd that even in their Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, God healed gentiles when he could have healed an Israelite (Luke 4:21-30). There are no special nations in the Gospel, except that spiritual nation to which all Christians belong. Heaven’s message is without borders. It is for all people. Jesus did the one thing you are not supposed to do in a bigoted crowd, tell about God’s love for all people. 

Telling the truth can be dangerous 

What caused the crowd in Jesus’ hometown to want to kill him (Luke 4:21-30)? A recent book is called “A Patriot’s History of the United States.” It may be a good book, but for a lot of people the definition of a patriot is to gloss over a nation’s sins and only tell those parts of the story that make us look good. I doubt that such a book would tell of our war crimes, political and industrial corruption, or our terrible treatment of the poor, numerous ethnic groups, the unborn and immigrants. In fact, when people are brave enough to address such themes they are hounded off the air or boycotted, and at times the Mccarthyists have falsely accused them and even tried to put them in prison. Like Jesus’ home crowd, we don’t like hearing the truth. 

We love to believe lies 

We love to believe lies. Here is a short list of popular lies in today’s media: Obama is a socialist. NRA executives get a cut of assault weapon sales. They want to take away all our guns. Romney’s son owned voting machines in Ohio. Obama gave Alaskan islands to the Russians. General Motors is becoming China Motors. The debt has not increased under Obama. Obama gave stimulus money to China to build US bridges. According to factcheck.org all of these are false, but we love to believe lies that support our prejudices. When someone comes out with the truth we try to shut them up, denigrate them or find some other excuse to deny the truth. Like Jesus’ hometown we sometimes even want to kill those who tell the truth (Luke 4:21-30). The truth will set us free. 

Lies about Christianity 

Here are a few lies about Christianity: “God does not want you to suffer.” Wrong! All who live godly lives in Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). “Doctrine does not matter only love does.” Wrong! Love is a doctrine, the most important one (Matthew 22:34-40). “God helps those who help themselves.” Wrong! The Spirit helps in our weakness (Romans 8:26). “Sin is fun.” Wrong! Sin is short-term fun and long-term heartache eventually paying wages of death. “Christians are divided.” Wrong! Christians agree more than they disagree, especially on God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus (Romans 6:23). “Christians must be anti-intellectual.” Wrong! Christ taught us to love God with all our heart, soul andmind (Matthew 22:37). People don’t like the truth and that is one reason why Christians are persecuted (Luke 4:21-30). 

Questions about truth 

If Jesus confronted us with truth like his home crowd (Luke 4:21-30), how would we react? Are we offended when someone in our midst is promoted over us or does better than us? Are we bigoted against other nations or ethnic groups? If God blessed a neighboring nation and not ours, would we be angry at him? If Jesus healed people in the next town and not ours, would we reject him? If we heard that Jesus brings good news for all people, why do we reject some people? Do we reject the poor, prisoners, the blind and the oppressed to whom Jesus was sent? Who are the oppressed? Is it foreigners, migrants, minimum wage earners, single mothers, disabled people, ethnic minorities, the elderly or all of these? Jesus’ truth may offend us, but it is still the truth. 

Provocative Jesus 

We love the little baby Jesus meek and mild. We do not want to hear the provocative Jesus (Luke 4:21-30). But how might our politics look if we allowed Jesus into the debate over immigration reform? How might Jesus inform political opinion about foreigners and similar outsiders? We don’t have to agree with someone to love them. Jesus even told us to love our enemies. But in the political arena, such commands fall on deaf ears. Why do so many Christians claim to follow Jesus, when our political opinions are often the exact opposite of what he taught? But that’s the same in many areas. We claim Christian standards that neither Jesus nor the Apostles claimed as criterion of Christian behavior and we ignore those that they did. Why do we not ask, what would Jesus do or teach? 

Xenophobia and Jesus 

In school I found foreigners to be very interesting people. I was the only white boy on our high school sports team. The rest were foreign students. Living in other countries I learned to love different accents, cuisines and cultures. Many people are xenophobic, fearing strangers. As a foreigner in different countries and even at times in my own, I have experienced ignorant prejudice. It is that precise attitude that Jesus challenged in Luke 4:21-30. America was founded on multiculturalism. Swedes, Scots, English, Germans, Spanish, Africans, Italians and more melted into a multicultural pot. One common thread runs through all cultures worldwide: people just want to live, love, laugh and have happy families. When we focus on bigotry and hatred we miss out on experiencing the variety of God’s wonderful creation. And the Gospel must also go to them. 

Good things I learned from foreigners 

In Australia I learned to laugh at myself. Among the Chinese I learned how parents sacrifice for their children. Among the Bedouin I learned about hospitality. Among the English I learned about good manners. Among the Dutch I learned about tolerance. In Germany I learned about hard work and thoroughness. In France I learned about diplomacy. In Poland I learned about the love of children. From Africans I learned about faith and how to simplify. In America I learned about big thinking and a can do attitude. In North Carolina I learned about the importance of encouraging our children. In Maryland I learned to respect those who work with their hands. In West Virginia I learned about being sensitive to people’s feelings. How silly it is to be bigoted against strangers when God loves us all equally (Luke 4:21-30)! 

Outro/Take Home 

If we are going to take the Gospel into all the world, we cannot afford the luxury of bigotry. Let us allow Jesus to remove all bigotry from our hearts.