Podcast appearances and mentions of jesus perhaps

Talk 18   Mark 6:30-44   Feeding the Five Thousand Welcome to Talk 18 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we'll be looking at Mark 6:30-44 where we read of the amazing miracle of how Jesus fed over 5000 people with five small loaves and two small fishes. Mark tells us that these people were, as so many are today, like sheep without a shepherd, and today I want to concentrate on what the passage shows us about the people, about the disciples, and about Jesus.   But first let's read the passage to remind ourselves of the details of what happened.   30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.   33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.   35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."  37 But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"   38 "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five – and two fish." 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.   The people So let's begin by considering the condition of the people. Verse 34 tells us that they were like sheep without a shepherd (34). To understand what this means we need to remember that the role of a shepherd was to lead and feed his sheep. This is well illustrated in Psalm 23 where David says: The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. But these people were like sheep without a shepherd. Notice the word like. We're not told that they were sheep without a shepherd. The Greek literally says they were like sheep not having a shepherd. But surely they had a shepherd. Wasn't the Lord their shepherd? Didn't Psalm 23 apply to them? Of course it did. The Lord was their shepherd, but, as so often with Israel of old, they were acting as though he were not, some because they were ignorant of it and others because they were unwilling to be led by him. And if you're not willing to be led, you can't expect to be fed! A sheep without a shepherd will probably find food somewhere, but it won't find the green pastures and quiet waters that only the shepherd can provide.   What's more, one of the great things about being led by the Lord is not just that he takes care of you and meets your needs, but that he gives you a sense of direction in life. He leads you. But the people in this passage, like so many people today, were aimlessly running to and fro, without any clear purpose in life other than to get their needs met. They ran on foot from all the towns (33). They were constantly coming and going (31). The word going here literally means departing. Why didn't they STAY? Of course, some did. The disciples did. But many were departing. They were in a constant state of flux.   The key to understanding the root cause of this is found in verse 34, where we're told that Jesus began teaching them many things. This shows very clearly that they had a lot to learn. Of course they would have known well enough about the current political situation with the occupying Roman forces as a constant reminder. They would have known about the history of their nation and of God's deliverances in the past, and they were well aware of the religious laws of their Bible as they were interpreted by the rabbis in their synagogues. But there was still much that they needed to learn, that only Jesus could teach them. Only Jesus could show them the way to Heaven.   And it's just the same today. Most people know something about politics and history and law. Some even know something about the teachings of the Bible, but there is still much coming and going, still no clear understanding of truth. Despite all the advances of science and our knowledge of the natural world, people are still living in uncertainty, with no real sense of direction and purpose in their lives. Refusing to be led by the good shepherd, they are failing to find the green pastures to which only he can take them. But that's where our role as Jesus' disciples is so important. It's our responsibility to make sure that everyone at least has the opportunity to know the truth. It's by knowing the truth that people are set free (John 8:32). So let's now see what we can learn about the disciples in this passage.   The disciples At the start of our passage the disciples have just come back from the mission Jesus sent them on. They were excited to tell Jesus all they had done and taught (30). They had preached that people should repent and they had cast out demons and healed many who were sick (12). And by the end of the passage they had become instruments in one of the greatest miracles Jesus ever performed. They were truly a privileged group of people.       But they were also in many ways quite ordinary people, and our passage reveals some of the weaknesses that are sometimes seen in our lives as Christians, and perhaps especially of those God uses in miraculous ways like healing. It's clear from verse 31 that the apostles were under pressure from the demands of the people. So many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat (31) and, when Jesus suggested they go somewhere quiet to get some rest, it must have been frustrating for them to see that the people had got there ahead of them (33).   I can't help wondering if the disciples were irritated by this. I know from personal experience how easy it is for this to happen. Just when we think we might have found a solution to a problem, it can so easily crop up again when we're least expecting it. Problems do sometimes seem to get there ahead of us. And the ‘problem' on this occasion was the very people whose problems they were there to deal with! They wanted Jesus to send the people away (36). The reason they gave might suggest that they were genuinely concerned for the people:   …so they can go …and buy themselves something to eat.   But was this really their motivation, or were they more concerned for themselves than for the people? After all, hadn't Jesus told them that they needed a rest? Of course, we can't be sure what the disciples' real motives were, but if we're honest we know how easy it is to think of a good reason for doing what's most convenient for ourselves. Only Jesus was entirely selfless, putting the needs of others before himself.   But before we turn our attention to Jesus, we need to point out another weakness in the disciples that we often find in ourselves as well. Despite all the miracles Jesus had already performed, and indeed the healings and exorcisms they had experienced in their own ministry, the disciples still had a tendency to doubt when the problem they were confronted with seemed insoluble. When Jesus told them to give the people something to eat (37) they responded by saying, That would take eight months of a man's wages!   It seems they thought that Jesus was making an unreasonable demand. And at a natural level it probably would have been. It's unlikely that they carried that much money with them, so how could they possibly feed a crowd of several thousand? Their mistake was to forget that when there was no natural solution, with God there might aways the possibility of a miracle. And, of course, with the benefit of hindsight, we know that that's exactly what Jesus had in mind.   So is it wrong to seek a natural solution to our problems when we know we have a miracle working God? By no means. We mustn't limit God to working in one way only. We certainly mustn't limit him to working naturally, but neither must we limit him to working supernaturally. For example, he may heal by natural means, or he may heal us supernaturally. Proclaiming the kingdom of God means proclaiming that God is king. That means that he decides! We should never forget that he is able to work a miracle, but that he may choose to work through natural means. When looking for a miracle the important question is, Have you heard from Jesus? The disciples had the benefit of hearing directly from him and when they followed his instructions they discovered that on this occasion his purpose was a miracle rather than a natural solution to the problem. But that brings us to the person of Jesus himself. What does this passage teach us about him?   Jesus Perhaps the most important thing we learn about Jesus in this passage is his compassion for the people. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.   They were like sheep without a shepherd, so he began to teach them. We were all like sheep going astray (1 Peter 2:25), but like the shepherd in the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), Jesus sought us and found us and has rescued us by laying down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). That's what Jesus is doing for the people here in this passage, and Matthew and Luke tell us that he was not only teaching them and feeding them, but he was also healing them. Jesus was giving his life for them even before he died on the cross. And if compassion is not our motivation, then any words that we may say or any miracles we may perform will be of little value.   And Jesus' compassion is evident not only in his care for the crowds. It is also seen in his concern for his disciples. They had just returned from a mission of preaching and healing and he knew they needed rest. So he says in verse 31, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.   It's interesting that he does not say, go away and get some rest. He says, Come with me… He knew that they needed to be alone with him. In Mark 3:14 we read that he chose twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach… Now, as they return from the mission he sent them on, it's just as important that they spend time with him even as they rest. It's vital that Christian workers learn this lesson. We all need time to rest, and to rest in him.   And Jesus' concern for his disciples is also seen in the training he gives them. He tells them, You give them something to eat. He involves them in one of the greatest miracles he would ever perform. He guides them step by step through a lesson in faith that so far they have never experienced. Notice the following six things:     1.     He asks them to assess the seriousness of the situation. "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." 2.     He directs them to prepare for the impossible. …have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 3.     He prays. …looking up to heaven, he gave thanks. 4.     He acts in faith. He broke the loaves.   5.     He involves them in the miracle. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. 6.     He does not allow anything to be wasted the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces  (cf. John 6:12 Let nothing be wasted). Perhaps for them to eat later? He was not expecting this kind of miracle every day. Neither should we.   So in this passage we have seen Jesus' compassion for the people and his concern for his disciples. But before we conclude we need to take note of Jesus' confidence in his Father. He did nothing except what he saw the Father do (John 5:19) and so before he breaks the loaves and the fish he looks up to Heaven – unlike the disciples who looked around for the solution (36). He has already organised the people into groups ready to feed them although as yet he had only five loaves and two fishes. But his eyes were not on the paucity of natural resources, nor on the immensity of the multitude. His eyes were on Heaven.   And the qualities we see in Jesus in this passage are qualities that are seen over and over again throughout his life. He lived and died because of his compassion for us sinners who were like sheep without a shepherd. He was able to do this because of his complete dependence on and obedience to his heavenly Father. And he is still training disciples and involving them in miraculous provision to demonstrate his love and compassion for a world that is lost without him.   So let's be aware of the condition of the people around us, let's try to avoid the mistakes the disciples made, and let's follow the example of Jesus and love those who reject our testimony, even if necessary by laying down our lives for the sake of the gospel.  

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There are a lot of characters in this passage, and I wonder, which ones in this scene might we identify best with this morning- Are we like Pilate, and just want to pragmatically serve our own interests- Are we like the crowd, easily swayed by deceptive people- Are we like the self-righteous chief priests- Are we like the soldiers who just pretend to worship Jesus- Perhaps there's a little of each of them in us, but if we really want to see ourselves in this passage, look no further than Barabbas- the guilty sinner who goes free while the righteous Son stands condemned. We are Barabbas, and oh what mercy has been shown to us here, so that we might by faith in our suffering king be sinners saved by grace. In his great hymn, -Man of Sorrows,- P.P. Bliss writes- Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood- Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah- What a Savior-

There are a lot of characters in this passage, and I wonder, which ones in this scene might we identify best with this morning-- Are we like Pilate, and just want to pragmatically serve our own interests-- Are we like the crowd, easily swayed by deceptive people-- Are we like the self-righteous chief priests-- Are we like the soldiers who just pretend to worship Jesus-- Perhaps there's a little of each of them in us, but if we really want to see ourselves in this passage, look no further than Barabbas- the guilty sinner who goes free while the righteous Son stands condemned. We are Barabbas, and oh what mercy has been shown to us here, so that we might by faith in our suffering king be sinners saved by grace. In his great hymn, -Man of Sorrows,- P.P. Bliss writes- Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood- Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah- What a Savior-

Thanks for listening and if you enjoy this message please share with a friend and let us know by giving us a rating. You can find more information about New Hope at newhopechurch.tv and follow us on Instagram @newhopechurchtv If you need prayer or have made a decision today please text PRAYER to 642-123 You can also watch our sermons at youtube.com/NHChurch

We often consider how Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, but have you ever thought about what might have been the most difficult temptation for Jesus? Perhaps there’s a clue in our reading today from John 6. In verse 15 it says, “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” Why do you think when the people finally recognized he was a king did he need time alone? He had just performed the amazing miracle of feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish and this was their reaction. What happens next is he begins to preach in a way that was hard for them to hear and understand. Trying to have them appreciate the spiritual food as well as the physical food. But his message was misunderstood by his own disciples and we find out the people went from wanting to make him their king in verse 66 – “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” – to their reaction to the difficult things he taught, like “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (v.56) which many of his disciples said, “is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

Jesus Came And... Offended Many Jesus Came And... Offended Many Ross Tenneson / General The Gospel of Luke / Forgiveness; Gentiles / Luke 4:22–30 Exposition of this passage Summary Exegetical Main Point: Jesus teaches that God is not under obligation to work among the people of Israel but can compassionately save surprising people. Sticky: God will show compassion to whomever he wants to, not to those whom we think he should. Connection (me) I love how welcoming our worship gatherings feel and how welcoming other churches I’ve attended in the past feel. And churches should be the most welcoming places on earth because the gospel is the most welcoming message there ever was. Yet, I confess that in my heart, I have not always had that kind of welcome toward everyone I’ve worshipped with. There are people I have worshipped with that I struggled with liking very much. I even have from time to time not been happy that a person is at the same worship gathering as me. This betrays that I have a sense of bias in my heart where I prefer certain people to be God’s children and not others and it is a favoritism toward myself that I somehow deserve to be there more than they do. Tension (we) Now, may never think these things (or admit we do), yet I want to ask you: Do you sometimes find yourself wishing that God would have saved this person instead of that person? Do you sometimes struggle to rejoice over someone’s salvation (maybe in your community)? Is there someone (maybe someone who wronged you) whom you wouldn’t want God to show mercy to? In our text this evening, Jesus is going to uncover and answer these questions that we all have in our hearts at some level even if they are not at the level of awareness. Pastor Daniel made a good point to me when I was preparing this sermon: since we are all prideful people, there is something offensive to each one of us about God’s grace and mercy. Hopefully Jesus can expose that in our hearts this evening so that he can also heal us. Revelation (God) We get to pick up in this passage where Daniel left off two weeks ago. Jesus, while in his hometown of Nazareth, had finished reading from the scroll of Isaiah about an era of God’s favor that God would bring on his people. Then he makes the astonishing claim that this prophecy was about him. Now, in the rest of this passage, we get to witness how the people in Jesus’s hometown respond to Jesus making these claims. It will be a roller coaster that starts with celebration and ends with attempted murder. Now, our outline this evening will include two simple steps[1]: (1) First, Jesus will share two sayings that describe the situation and hearts of the people of Nazareth (vv. 22-24). [Two Sayings] (2) Second, Jesus will illustrate his point by comparing himself with two prophets from the Old Testament (vv. 25-30) [Two Prophets] Two Sayings (vv. 22-24) Let’s begin then in verse 22, English Standard Version Chapter 4 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Jesus’s fellow Nazarites first respond with favor to the things that he said.[2] Perhaps there was a sense of pride that one of their own would speak with such favor to them from God’s word. Yet, that very same fact (that Jesus is one of their own) appears to also produce an alternative response in Jesus’s listeners.[3] Luke captures this reaction in the question they ask: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” While there was joy in Jesus’s claim that the prophecy in Isaiah 61, that the era of God’s favor had arrived, there was skepticism, rejection, and soon to be hostility to the idea that such an extraordinary reality could come from one who seemed so ordinary to them. They may have thought, I remember Jesus when he was this tall. I remember when he became an adult. I remember when he first became a carpenter. How could he fulfill this prophecy of the restoration for us? We will see more and more as we walk through this passage that people’s expectations play a huge role of how they respond to Jesus and his message. For one, since they were familiar with Jesus’s ordinary upbringing, they did not expect him to be a man whom the Lord used mightily and thus rejected him. Jesus was aware of the skeptical objections in their minds and responds to them publically in verse 23,[4] English Standard Version Chapter 4 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” (A) Now Jesus quotes the first of the two sayings he will refer to in this passage: “Physician, heal yourself.” What does Jesus mean by saying his fellow townspeople will quote to him this saying? Evidently, the residents of Nazareth had heard of great works that Jesus had done in Capernaum of freeing a man from a demon (vv. 31-37). The thought this proverb expresses is that Jesus is under obligation to perform his works among them (in his hometown where he was raised) before he performs them for others.[5] So, in the saying, “Physician, heal yourself,” by “yourself” they actually mean “your hometown.”[6] In other words, Jesus you should do your works here, among we who raised you, before you go and do them elsewhere. There seems to be two things that are going on in their hearts here: (1) Seeing him perform his works among them would give them the proof their skeptical hearts demand.[7] (2) As Jesus’s kin, they saw themselves as more worthy and deserving of his benefits than others and were expressing jealousy of what the other town had experienced.[8] After all, they had probably helped to raise him. It is not difficult for us to begin to expect and believe we deserve certain benefits from God, is it? Likely, we wouldn’t think that way, but our emotions often give us away. I think one of the biggest evidences of this is how easy it is for us to emotionally go off the rails when something does not work out the way we expect or think that it should or the envy we feel towards others when they get what we want. (B) Next, Jesus introduces a second saying to further reveal what is happening in this sequence of events. He says in verse 24, English Standard Version Chapter 4 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. When Jesus says “truly” in the beginning of verse 24, he is indicating that what he is about to say demands our attention.[9] What does Jesus mean by “no prophet is acceptable in his hometown?” He means that their familiarity with him, especially in his developmental years, is a stumbling block for them.[10] I think we all get this point: Who here finds that some of the hardest people for you to witness to are family members and friends that you grew up with? Jesus experienced that as well and understands. Anyone who has seen us in a period or season of weakness is prone to use that as an excuse to dismiss us as messengers and avoid the message that we proclaim. For Jesus, it was not a sinful season of weakness they saw, but the ordinary process of growing up and learning new things. Since they were familiar with him as a youth , they were content to continue to think of him that way and dismiss the call to receive him as the one bringing God’s favor. Therefore, Jesus would not do the works he did in Capernaum in his hometown. Now, did you catch what Jesus referred to himself as in this verse? He calls himself a “prophet.” And by referring to himself as a prophet, he characterizes himself as one, who like the prophets before him, experienced rejection from the Hebrew people.[11] Now that we have walked through the two sayings Jesus referred to, now we will take a look at the two prophets he compares himself to. These comparisons will cause the crowd to boil over in their rage and attack Jesus. Two Prophets (vv. 25-30) In order to explain why Jesus won’t do works in his hometown, he compares himself to two Old Testament prophets: Elijah and Elisha. This explanation will almost get Jesus killed. Now, what would Jesus have to say to almost get himself killed by a town of Jewish people he grew up with? Alright, let’s take a look at the first of two prophets to whom Jesus compares his ministry: Elijah. Jesus says in verses 25 and 26, English Standard Version Chapter 4 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. This story refers back to the story of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 17. At that time, Ahab, king of Israel, had abandoned worshipping God and instead worshipped the false God Baal. Sadly, much of the rest of the nation follows suit. As a result, God inflicted the land with a drought for a period of about three years. And during that drought, God did not send Elijah to work among the people of Israel. Instead, he shockingly send him to a widow in the city of Zarephath, which was a pagan city outside of Israel.[12] She lived in a place that in the Old Testament was geographically far from God. God used Elijah to give this widow a miraculous source of food. Jesus makes a piercing point here: “Although there were many widows in Israel, God sent Elijah to none of them but only to Zarephath.” No Jewish person would have expected God to do this— to favor someone in an unbelieving nation rather than the Jewish nation. It would have, in fact, been offensive to them that a gentile would receive mercy before they would. Worse than that, Jesus is comparing them to the faithless Israelites in Elijah’s day whom God passed over.[13] What important truth does this reveal to us about God? God does not act according to our expectations of what we think he should do. I have seen God save a handful of people in my life, and guess what? He never asked me beforehand if I thought it was a good idea.[14] We have to get used to the idea that God shows mercy to whomever he wants to and some people we think should believe won’t and some people we think shouldn’t believe will. This passage is a warning against limiting God’s mercy and ever assuming there is a kind of person God wouldn’t save. Later in Luke, Jesus shares a story about a son who leaves his Father and his household and squanders his inheritance in reckless living. After running out of money, he returns home in shame. He expects his father to take him back, not as a son, but as a hired worker: that would fit with what he deserves. Yet, as his Father sees him approaching from afar, he runs to embrace him. He puts a robe and a ring on him and throws him a feast to welcome him back as a son. When God shows someone mercy, which he does everyday, it is this kind of over-the-top, scandalous event. How does his older brother respond? He gets upset and jealous that his little brother who squandered his inheritance would come back and get another share. He is offended at his father’s mercy toward his brother. This is how the people of Nazareth were responding, and this passage is warning to us not to respond this way. Here is one way I was convicted while preparing: Do you like me tend to think that there are certain people (or kinds of people) that God won’t save or even that you don’t necessarily want him to save? I have a younger brother whom probably none of you have met yet and who seems to have no interest in the things of the Lord. A lot of days, I have a small expectation that God will save him because he seems so far from God. And I noticed that when I have a small expectation God will save someone, they tend to drop out of my prayer life. Is there someone you have stopped praying for because you have a small expectation that God will save them? If we pause and think about that, it is actually us subtly assuming that God will work according to the way we expect him to work. Also, is there a person or a kind of person whom intellectually you would say you want them to know Jesus and belong here, but emotionally you are not there? This text is calling us to repent of that and to pray for and love those we just don’t tend to like. God is not going to withhold new life from someone because you or I don’t like that person. We must not be like the people of Nazareth and oppose God working in someone else’s life (and just to be clear, indifference and disengagement when God has put someone in our path is opposition, when you are sensing a burden or seeing a clear opportunity to witness to someone and you won’t). Again, I believe that when we shy away from praying for a particular person, it is an indication our hearts are in this place. Then, Luke brings up another example of God’s work through another prophet, Elijah’s student, Elisha: English Standard Version Chapter 4 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” Leprosy is a disease that destroys your skin and having that disease would make you unclean and unable to enter the temple in the Old Testament. Again, the same sequence of events unfolds: God passes over his rebellious people and he shows mercy to a foreigner. Yet, he is not just any foreigner. He was the general of the Syrian army— a historic enemy of Israel’s. Syria was not only a different culture from Israel, it was a hostile one. This text is also a call to cultural humility for all of us (God will not only save particular people we don’t expect, but kinds of people we don’t expect). This text anticipates the reality that the gospel spread outside the mono-cultural Israel to the multi-cultural nations.[15] It’s a miracle that I am standing here preaching Christ to you today considering my ancestral roots. I know I have a Scandinavian Lutheran background of nice church people, but if you go back far enough, I descend from warring, pillaging idolaters. There is no people group or cultural group in the Twin Cities we should not expect to be apart of All Peoples Church one day. And we need to pray, fast, and evangelize until this is the case. We must not prefer or welcome people from one culture over another because we think that one culture is more likely to respond to the gospel than another. To have that perspective is to subtly adopt the viewpoint of the people of Nazareth. Our response to others whom we perceive as far from God can reveal if we think we are more deserving or proper for God to save. Shying away from certain people or kinds of people reveals a sense of favoritism towards ourselves. Truly believing that we have no worthiness of our own and that our only claim to God’s favor is the blood of Christ will overflow in us going to difficult people. After Jesus had said these things and exposed their sinful hearts, the people of Nazareth had had enough. Verse 28 describes how they respond, English Standard Version Chapter 4 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. In the process of hearing Jesus saying these things, Jesus’s relatives and neighbors become so enraged they attempt to kill him. What was it about what Jesus said that drove them to this point? Let’s try to put together all of the pieces to make this clear. Jesus says to those with whom he grew up among that they have rejected him. He goes further and identifies himself as a prophet who, like the other prophets in Israel’s history, faces rejection. He then characterizes the situation as similar to the era of Elijah and Elisha in that the people of Nazareth were unbelievers in God like the Israelites of that day. And because of their unbelief, Jesus was going to go elsewhere to work miracles and preach the good news.[16] And those whom they thought to be inferior to themselves would receive the blessings they thought Jesus was obligated to share with them. The weight of this truth and conviction should have humbled them and brought them to repentance; instead, they lost control and tried to kill Jesus. The point in all of this is that God will show compassion to whomever he wants to, not to those whom we think he should.[17] Therefore, our lives, our affections, and our mission should show no sort of favoritism to certain people or kinds of people. In fact, we should look for opportunities to connect with and share Jesus with the people who seem least likely on the surface to respond to Jesus— stories like these show that these are the kinds of people Jesus delights to save. That’s why our mission statement says we want to help others follow Jesus, especially those far from God. Application (us) What does this story have to say to you if you are not yet a follower of Jesus? Perhaps you are here today and you can identify with the widow of Zarephath. She was lonely (she had no husband) and overwhelmed (she had the burden of raising her kids). More than that, she was hungry. Yet, perhaps your hunger is not as much of a hunger for bread as a spiritual hunger. You know there is something missing, you know you long for more than what this world has offered you. Just like God used Elijah to give her an everlasting supply of bread and oil, Jesus will give you everlasting satisfaction for your deepest needs if you will come to him. Do you feel like you have done too much wrong for him to welcome you? Elijah’s going to this widow from an unbelieving city, a city in which the residents were far from God, shows that there is no one too far from him to receive his mercy. He will have you just as you are. The only remaining question is: will you have him? On the other hand, maybe you are more like Naaman the Syrian general. He came to the land of Israel and the prophet Elisha to seek healing for his skin disease of leprosy. He didn’t fully understand Elisha’s instructions to be healed of his leprosy. He almost refused with agner to do what the prophet had said. But in the end, his servant convinced him to do it anyway. And guess what? He was healed. Maybe you do not consider yourself religious or don’t have a religious background. Maybe Jesus sounds nice, but following him just doesn’t make much sense to you: this is not what you are used to. God didn’t heal Naaman because he fully grasped God’s plan or it was familiar to him. He saved Namaan because he followed God’s plan anyway. And what is God’s plan for you? That you would believe in the Lord Jesus and receive his sacrifice for you on the cross. That just as God used the Jordan to cleanse Naaman’s skin of leprosy, he would use the blood of Jesus to heal your sin and forgive you completely. How is it possible for God to heal and forgive all these different kinds of people? Widows from Zarephath, generals from Syria, and every sinner who sits here today? Verse 30 says, English Standard Version Chapter 4 30 But passing through their midst, he went away. While in this instance Jesus avoided dying at the hands of sinful men and women, this event foreshadows a future event.[18] Three short years later, a mob would lay hands on the Lord Jesus again. Instead of passing through their midst, he would allow himself to suffer death by crucifixion. What is his reason? To pay for the sins of any who would come to him. To pay for the sins of even those who are far from God and whom we least of all expect to join us here praising Jesus. To pay for the sins of our Somali neighbors who would believe, our lbgt neighbors who would believe, of our poor and drug addicted neighbors who would believe, and of those in our lives who are especially hard to be patient with and to be around. Perhaps you are here today and have not yet followed Jesus. I invite you before you leave this room with: repent and believe and become his child. Please speak with me or any of our member to learn how you can do this. Imagination (We) How would our community grow if we believed these things? I believe there will be a chain reaction if we have a gospel message as radical as the one Jesus presents in this text. If we believe God will save those who are far from him, we must pray for those who are far from him. If we pray from those who are far from him, we will feel an inclination to take steps towards those who are far from him, if we take steps towards those who are far from God, some will hear the gospel through us and believe. Then, our community will become more and more a group of surprising people to be together in one family. All of this starts with believing that Jesus radically saves unexpected people. Glorification (Jesus) Verse 30 ends by saying Jesus “went away.” That word that verb comes from will appear a handful of times in Luke. It is framing Jesus as on a journey toward Jerusalem where he will solve the greatest problem facing humanity: our broken relationship with God. Here we have taken the first few steps of that journey with Jesus and already we have seen that he is a great and glorious savior. He is a savior we did not anticipate or expect who save those we don’t anticipate or expect him to save. He shocks and amazes in the ways how he redeems. And we will have to keep walking through this gospel together with Jesus to see him rescue and save all these different kinds of people. [1] Green, J. B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke (p. 216). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. [2][2] Green, J. B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke (p. 216). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. [3] Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Gospel of Luke: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 186). Exeter: Paternoster Press. [4] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin’s Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 231. [5] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin’s Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 232. [6] Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Gospel of Luke: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 187). Exeter: Paternoster Press. [7] Cf. Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 137–138). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. [8] Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Gospel of Luke: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 187). Exeter: Paternoster Press. [9] Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Gospel of Luke: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 187). Exeter: Paternoster Press. [10] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 103). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [11] Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (p. 138). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. [12] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 103). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [13] Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (p. 138). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. [14] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin’s Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 234. [15] Schreiner, T. R. (2013). The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments (p. 494). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. [16] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin’s Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 234. [17] Cf. Spurgeon, C. H. (1907). The Rule of Grace. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 53, p. 501). London: Passmore & Alabaster [18] Bovon, F., & Koester, H. (2002). Luke 1: a commentary on the Gospel of Luke 1:1–9:50 (p. 156). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

“Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” —Luke 22:31-32  LORD Of My Rebound! It is the ability to REBOUND from stumbles & sins that is the great secret to ultimate victory, for those who are a New Creation in Christ. God has engineered the New Creation to be resilient, constantly rising through the ups and downs of life.  GOD’s strategy in your life doesn’t depend on you never falling down, but on you never staying down.  Ours is the grace to press victoriously though failures in life.  Proof of Jesus’ work of Redemption in you isn’t manifest in you never stumbling or failing at life’s tests.  But He is glorified as Redeemer when He leads you triumphantly back to your feet.  GOD is Keeping you, not so you’ll avoid trials, but so you’ll recover from them. ----more---- That Your FAITH May Not Fail As a child of GOD, if you won't stay down, then you can never be defeated.   If you keep taking your Father's Hand and rising from your shortcomings, Satan can never win against you.   Your made-up-mind to REBOUND from mistakes and failures is the devil’s worst nightmare.   Basketball teams that put all their effort into winning just with great shooters, will never be champions.  Because no matter how good you are at hitting the net, there’s an opponent that’s equally good at knocking your ball away.   Satan Has Demanded To Pick You Apart Luke 22:31-32  “Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you (PICK YOU APART) like wheat, How is it that Satan was able to obtain permission to pick Peter apart???  HOW did he get passed Jesus?? Perhaps the answer is found in Jesus comment about His own temptation. John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world (Satan) comes, and (he) has nothing in me. The Devil comes.  It's an inescapable fact of life. And like the winnowing wind, God cannot protect the chaff of worldliness in us, from being revealed by Satan’s probes.  "And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the Heaven.”  This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken MAY REMAIN." —Heb. 12:26-27  God's Word states with sobering certainty, that all things which can be shaken will be shaken.  So Satan attacked the "things which could be shaken" in Peter's character, thinking he was “picking him apart”.  But look at what God says about the removal of the shakable things. Afterwards, "those things which cannot be shaken will remain."  Satan thinks he’s “picking you apart”, but Jesus said he’s “sifting you like wheat”.  The Chaff in you is the only thing Satan can blow away.  He can’t touch the Wheat.   The Chaff will blow away but the Wheat will REMAIN and not be moved   But I Have Prayed For You! God has provided for your rebound BEFORE you’ve even stumbled or missed your shot. It’s the team that masters its ability to REBOUND and take back control of the ball, that cannot be defeated.   Winning your battles under the net is what makes you an undefeatable champion of faith.   Strengthen Your Brothers & Sisters "When you have turned back (Rebounded), strengthen your brothers & sisters.” —Luke 22:32 If the devil knew that every time you REBOUND from  stumbling in a trial, that you would come up stronger in grace and ready to strengthen others, you would think that he’d leave you alone.   Satan’s nature is bent in obsession over GOD’s favor for you.  But he has no power to separate you from GOD’s Love.   As GOD’s child every time you REBOUND from your trials you demonstrate His unconquerable Love and become a symbol of hope & courage to others!  

Brad Sullivan 5th Sunday of Lent March 18, 2018 Emmanuel, Houston John 12:20-33 Sleeper Awake (and Quit that Darn Snooze Button) First of all, I’d like to thank my buddy Patrick Hall for his sermon last Sunday entitled, “Risking Exposure,” which helped draw out of me these words for today. You can look him up, Patrick Hall, and search for his sermon from last Sunday called, “Risking Exposure.” Now turning to today’s sermon, I’ve recently found that one of the worse inventions ever created is the snooze button. It’s a procrastinator’s dream. You get to put off the day and stay comfy in bed, wrapped in the covers for just a little bit longer, which, if you’re going to do that just set the alarm for 10 minutes later. The big problem with the snooze button is what doesn’t get done because of it, the morning walk or time in prayer, the rushing through a morning that could have been more peaceful. Ok, so as non-horrific and only mildly annoying as that may sound, what about when we begin hitting the snooze button on life? I know I need to do this thing now. I know it’s important. I know it’s where I need to go in life, but I really just want to stay as I am, so I’ll put it off. Snooze. When the Greeks came to see Jesus, that was an alarm going off for him. As soon as he heard that a couple of Greeks wished to see him, Jesus immediately told his disciples, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” aka, it’s time for me to go get arrested and killed. Why was the fact that a couple Greeks wanted to talk to him an alarm clock for Jesus? Perhaps because they were Gentiles, and Jesus realized that in order for his mission to extend to the Gentiles, he had to die and be raised, and the Holy Spirit to come upon his disciples so that they could all continue his work and grow his Kingdom here on earth. Perhaps it was simply some pre-ordained signal given to Jesus by his Father. “Now son, when a couple of Greeks come to talk to you, that’s when it’s time.” In any case, as soon as that alarm went off, Jesus hopped out of bed, and immediately began preparing his disciples for his coming death. He told them that a grain of wheat must fall into the earth and die so that it could bear much fruit, rather than just stay as it is. Jesus was talking about his Kingdom and the resurrection life within his kingdom both after this life, and in his kingdom life here on earth. Long before our deaths, we have alarm clocks going off, telling us that it is time for the Kingdom life here on earth, letting us know there are conditions and situations in our lives which need to die to let the Kingdom life happen. We need to let go of an old resentment. We need to stop drinking. We need to stop going halfway with our faith and fully embrace the way of Jesus. We need to let a past relationship go, or we need to stop fooling ourselves that we are ok as we are and admit to just how broken we really are. We all have alarm clocks going off letting us know that it is time to let that condition or situation die, and we hear the alarm, we know what we need to do, that it is time to get up out of bed, that shadow of the tomb, and let die what needs to die, but instead, we hit the snooze button and stay as we are, assuming we can manage life as it is, assuming we can try harder, do better, and largely stay as we are. This is of course untrue, and we simply wait for the next alarm, keeping our whole lives in the shadow of death, rather than waking up, getting out of bed, and placing that part of our lives that needs death into the tomb. Why do we do this over and over? Why, when we hear Jesus calling us to let something in our lives die, do we keep hitting that blasted snooze button? We could say lack of trust or lack of belief, fear at facing the new day without whatever part of us we need to let go, or sometimes we’re just so comfortable as we are, even if it’s not working, we’re just so comfortable lying in bed with the covers drawn up, that we don’t want to move. We don’t want to change, because it’s just too hard to get up out of bed, when we know we’ve got that snooze alarm ready to come around again. The problem is that with this snooze alarm, is that in life, it only makes getting out of bed even harder. We become more engrained in the life we have, and even though we know life is not working, the thought of risking change becomes intolerable. Facing the new day is far too daunting, and we are far too tired, so we hit the darn snooze button again. Perhaps then, we need to start going to bed earlier, so we’re not so tired in the morning, and the thought of facing the new day doesn’t seem so daunting. By going to bed earlier, I mean intentionally following practices of prayer, of scripture reading, of service to others, setting aside intentional time each day for prayer, learning more and more to trust in Jesus and thereby to be rested enough so that the alarm is not a horrid sound, but an invitation from a trusted friend. We also need to do these prayer and scripture practices, this service others not only by ourselves, but also in community with others who can help us learn to trust in Jesus more. We need to admit to those prayer, scripture, and service partners, why we keep hitting the snooze button. We need to admit to them and to ourselves what is keeping us in bed so that they can give us extra support so that we can get up out of bed in the morning, knowing we have others to help us face the world without the things we need to let die. We need help putting things in the tomb. We need folks with us at the funeral, and we need those folks with us to help us through the new life as our lives are remade by Jesus, as his fruit begins to grow. It is a daunting task to let die within us that which Jesus is calling us to let die, and that snooze button is so tempting, but what is waiting for us when we get out of bed is the resurrection life of Jesus’ kingdom here on earth. The love of Jesus, the life of Jesus, the forgiveness and grace of Jesus all both received from Jesus and then given by us to others, that is what we are putting off every time we hit that thrice blasted snooze button. His Kingdom. His resurrection life. His grace and forgiveness, a new life unbound by that which keeps us asleep. That is what is waiting for us. “Sleeper awake,” Jesus calls. “Quit that darn snooze button, and get out of bed, that shadow of death. Let die within you that which needs to die, and follow me.”

Speaker or Performer: Pr. Mark D. Lovett Scripture Passage(s): Luke 5:1-11 Date of Delivery: July 20, 2014 In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.When the Lord Jesus grabbed Peter’s attention, Peter’s reaction was to confess his sinfulness and plead mercy. He got the mercy wrong. He wanted Jesus to leave. But that’s the world’s mercy which is really no mercy at all, as we heard last week. The world always asks Jesus to leave so that it can go on being comfortable in its sin. How does the world ask Jesus to leave – how do we ask Him to leave? By not attending His gathering. By telling our preachers what to preach instead of letting the Holy Spirit preach. By refusing admonition by our brothers and sisters because they’re sinners like we are. In short, we ask the Lord to leave by ignoring His holy word instead of holding it sacred and gladly hearing and learning it.But Jesus’ mercy is that He doesn’t leave. He stayed and made Peter what he was not. He made him a child of God. He stays and makes you what you were not. He’s made you a child of God.That’s what the absolution does. It makes you a child of God. The absolution, given most clearly and confidently in Holy Baptism, makes you a child of God. And whenever you are absolved, whenever Christ’s ministers and servants say to you, “I forgive you all your sins,” whenever the gospel promise of forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation comfort you in your affliction and free you from your guilt and shame, you are made and established as a child of God. This is the great love the Father has for us, that we should be called children of God.The Son of God makes children of God by His Spirit, which cleanses us from all sin and guilt before God our Father. And having been made children of God, we follow the Son of God.“Come, follow Me,” the Savior spake. Now what does it mean to follow Jesus? Does it mean to become a missionary? A preacher? Does it mean to volunteer more at church or teach Sunday school? Does it mean to carry your Bible around and talk to everyone about Jesus? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Jesus is the Child of God, the Son of God, so we as children of God must be like Him. And the only way we are like Jesus is if we share His Spirit and live by the Spirit.And the Spirit of God bears witness to Jesus, the Son of God. The Holy Spirit preaches to the world that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, that He is King of kings. So, too, do we, for we share the same Spirit. We preach to the world by attending this gathering, preaching that Jesus is our Lord and that we are His. We proclaim His death until He comes in the future. We worship Him by receiving from Him His blessings and benediction.We also preach to the world by having mercy. For that is the will of our Father in heaven. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. So we, too, as children of God, do not condemn the world by point the world to Jesus that they might believe and be saved. We don’t do this by pointing out how wrong they are or how wicked and evil and ungodly they are, but by pointing out how merciful and kind our Savior is.Peter was a wicked man. And while our Lord did not deny this, neither did the Lord show Peter all his sins and wickedness. He absolved him. The absolution means that Peter was a sinner. If he wasn’t a sinner he wouldn’t have needed the absolution. So, too, with us. But we don’t dwell on our sinfulness and sins. To dwell on them is to give power to the death and devil whose power is the law.Now what does that mean, then? That we don’t worry about sinning or falling into wickedness. Not at all! Rather we stay awake and watch. We watch for the Christ who is coming to judge the quick and the dead. And as we watch, the way we watch is by remaining in Him, by hearing His word and receiving His blessings and benediction; by sharing in His Spirit.The Spirit leads us the way we should go, which is to follow Jesus. We follow Him in showing mercy, we follow him in not condemning but forgiving. And we follow Him by praying to and doing the will of our Father in heaven.And in doing this, we leave everything. It’s not hard to leave everything. It’s easy because the burden of Christ is easy. The way we leave everything is that we look to nothing but our heavenly Father for all good and provisions; for all that we need for this body and life. Your heavenly Father knows what you need and provides for you all things. Give thanks to Him through Christ Jesus, which is how we follow Jesus, too, and receive from Him all things: even eternal life. For not only do we follow the Son of God in mercy, forgiveness, and obedience to the Father, we follow Him through the grave and into eternal life.+ In Nomine Iesu +