1 John 1:1-3

May 20, 2012

1 John 1:1-3

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

1 What was from the beginning, 
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word of life—
² that life was revealed, 
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us —
³ what we have seen and heard
we also declare to you,
so that you may have fellowship along with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father 
and with His Son Jesus Christ.

⁴We are writing these things
so that our joy may be complete

Get all excited go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King,
I said get all excited go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King,
get all excited go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King, 
jesus Christ is still the King of Kings

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/g/gaither_vocal_band/#share

They tell me that being a “preacher’s kid” can be difficult for a young child. I read once of a preacher’s little boy who was told by his mother that he should wash his hands because there were germs living in all the dirt he’d been playing in.
He looked up at his mother and got this really disgusted look on his face.

“Germs? Germs?” He said. “Germs and Jesus! Germs and Jesus! That’s all I ever hear around this house! And I’ve never seen either one!”

At that young age, that little boy wasn’t sure he was comfortable believing in something that he hadn’t seen. A lot of people are like that. You may even be like that!

John begins this epistle in a way that is different than many other letters circulated through the early church. He didn’t begin with a standard salutation; instead he began with an exciting declaration of his faith!

Folks it is time for us to get EXCITED! We have every reason to feel the excitement, and tell everybody about Jesus!

Get Excited Because Christ Is Real

The Gaither’s famous song, “Get All Excited” is a wonderful representation of the message found here in the opening verses of John’s 1^st epistle. We get all excited because Jesus Christ is REAL!

John gets right to the point in verse 1 and takes us all the way back to the beginning:

What was from the beginning, 
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word of life—
² that life was revealed,

People today are looking for something real. We live in an age with artificial food coloring, artificial flavorings, artificial sugar, and even artificial body parts! At times it is difficult to even tell the difference between what is real and what is not.

I’m here to tell you this morning that Jesus Christ is real! He is the real deal, and according to this passage and others such as:

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

He was real from the very beginning! John is telling us that Jesus is not some imaginary figment of our active imaginations. He has existed from the beginning of time, came to earth in an incarnation of man with a real body, with real hopes, with real hurts, and real dreams. He was as physically real as you and I.

Jesus was more than simply historically real, He is eternally real!

The greatness of God is most clearly displayed in his Son. And the glory of the gospel is only made evident in his Son. That’s why Jesus’ question to his disciples [in Matthew 16] is so important: “Who do you say that I am?”

The question is doubly crucial in our day, because [no one is as popular in the U.S. as Jesus]—and not every Jesus is the real Jesus. …

There’s the Republican Jesus—who is against tax increases and activist judges, for family values and owning firearms.

There’s Democrat Jesus—who is against Wall Street and Wal-Mart, for reducing our carbon footprint and printing money.

There’s Therapist Jesus—who helps us cope with life’s problems, heals our past, tells us how valuable we are and not to be so hard on ourselves.

There’s Platitude Jesus—good for Christmas specials, greeting cards, and bad sermons, inspiring people to believe in themselves.

There’s Good Example Jesus—who shows you how to help people, change the planet, and become a better you.

And then there’s Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Not just another prophet. Not just another Rabbi. Not just another wonder-worker. He was the one they had been waiting for: the Son of David and Abraham’s chosen seed; the one to deliver us from captivity; the goal of the Mosaic law; Yahweh in the flesh; the one to establish God’s reign and rule; the one to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, freedom to the prisoners and proclaim Good News to the poor; the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

Get All Excited, and Go Tell Everybody That Jesus Christ *IS* REAL!

Get Excited Because Christ Is Personal

Not only is Jesus real, but He is real in my life. That’s personal.

that life was revealed, 
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us —
³ what we have seen and heard
we also declare to you,
(verses 2 & 3a)

Gilligan’s Island was, as many of you know, a great comedy of its time. It wasn’t exactly known for its emotional impact, but there was one episode where Gilligan had gotten his feelings hurt and decided to move away to the other side of the Island to live alone in a cave. Immediately, this became a miserable existence for Gilligan—he was all alone. But also miserable for everyone else on the island—one of their own was no longer among them, in fellowship with them…and there was a terrible void. They missed him at the dinner table. They missed his jokes, his laughter, his gentleness. They even missed his clumsy screw-ups. I think at one point in the episode they were sitting around the dinner table taking turns talking about the specific things they missed about him. So what did they do? It began with Skipper. He decided to leave the rest and go live with Gilligan so he wouldn’t be alone. Then another person did the same. Then another. Until finally, all seven people were together again on the other side of the island in Gilligan’s cave. In true spiritual community, we either make it together, or we don’t make it…at least not in a healthy way.

Here’s a fun exercise for you to do when you have time. Use your concordance and find all of the scriptures from Acts to Revelation in which you find the word “together” and see what early Christians did “together.” Here’s a sampling: Meeting together. Praying together. Sharing material things with one another. Eating together. Consulting with and advising one another. Planning and strategizing together. Working together. Standing together when under attack. Jesus Christ never intended for any of his followers to follow him in isolation from other believers. Wherever it’s possible, Christ intends for all of us to be in this together; not just for one hour on Sunday mornings—not just during “official” church meetings, but through the day to day course of life.

That’s what it means that Jesus is personal! When John says in verse two that the life appeared, we are reminded of what he wrote in his Gospel where he said that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) He goes on to say that “We have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.”

In other words, God has manifested Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus appeared; they saw Him, experienced His life, and now can do nothing but proclaim the reality of the possibility of eternal life for all.

Fellowship, for the Christian is totally personally in both a vertical and horizontal fashion. We fellowship (or spend time with one another) while we fellowship with a Lord who is real!

Get All Excited, and Go Tell Everybody because Jesus Christ is real, and His relationship with us is Personal!

Get Excited Because Christ Brings Joy

We are writing these things
so that our joy may be complete (v 4)

Several churches in North Dakota were being served by a clever old preacher. The people were always amazed, for no matter what the circumstances; the preacher could always find something to give thanks for. As he made his rounds one cold December morning, he was late in getting to worship because of excessive snow drifts. As he began the service with prayer, the parishioners were eager to see what the old preacher could come up with to be thankful for on this dismal and frigid morning. “Gracious Lord,” his prayer began, “we thank you that all days are not like today.”

I have to tell you; sometimes we have to dig really deep to find the joy in life. Notice what John said there: “We are writing these things that your joy be complete (full)!” He didn’t promise a partial joy, or just a little bit of joy, he promised a complete and total complement of joy!

It seems like joy is in short supply today. . Many people just don’t have that joy, the joy that characterizes a Christian. Many Christians today are grumpy old sourpusses. They are grumps, gripers, and just plain dismal people to be around!

One of the things we should realize is that even though we are faithful Christians, troubles will come and battles will have to be fought. Job 14:1 teaches, “Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.” Seeing that all of us fit this description, that means none of us are exempt from troubles. In fact, Job says our days will be full of trouble. Due to the condition of this world, brought about by sin, our lives are full of trouble. As Christians, we must recognize this and deal with it the best we can. We must realize that the world, as created by God, is the best world it can be to accomplish God’s purpose in our lives, and we must learn to trust Him and realize that the circumstances we are facing will work out for our good and the good of others who may be involved (Romans 8:28).

Life is full of ups and downs; twists and turns. One moment you are going full steam ahead, with the wind in your sails, when suddenly, you hit a sand bar. Maybe you are confused, maybe angry, maybe discouraged. All you know is that all of a sudden, your Joy is gone. There are a host of situations that can rob us of our joy.

Joy Is Your Choice, It is a Positive Expression You Choose to Express

“Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things are.  Joy is not necessarily what happens when things unfold according to our plans.”

Marianne Williamson (A Woman’s Worth)

Get Excited And Tell Everybody that Jesus Christ is KING!

Evangelism is every Christian’s job. Maybe you won’t be on television like Charles Stanley, or filling stadiums like Billy Graham, but you are commissioned by no less than Christ Himself to go out and tell. It’s not your job to twist an arm, or force a conversion, or even to berate someone who doesn’t believe, but it is your job to share the love of God with all you meet.

The Times-Reporter of New Philadelphia, Ohio, reported in September, 1985 a celebration of a New Orleans municipal pool. The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans city pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season.

Are you sitting back, celebrating your successful walk with the Lord? How about giving someone else the gift of life? How about giving someone else the gift of love? How about you:

Get all excited and tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King!

Learning from Mom

Mother’s Day 2012

Matthew 20:20-23

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons. She knelt down to ask Him for something. ²¹ “What do you want?” He asked her.

“Promise,” she said to Him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom.”

²² But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”

“We are able,” they said to Him.

²³ He told them, “You will indeed drink My cup. But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

Our mothers are most often the first people we bond with as infants. They take care of our every need, nurturing us, encouraging us, and allowing us to forge our path in this world. The wise among us learn from the mothers and mother figures in our lives, and the wisest among us continue to learn from them as long as we can.

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
‘If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.’

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. ‘You better pray that will come out of the carpet.’

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
‘If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!’

4. My mother taught me LOGIC . ‘Because I said so. That’s why.’

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
‘If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the store with me.’

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
‘Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.’

7. My mother taught me IRONY. ‘Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.’

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS . ‘Shut your mouth and eat your supper.’

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTION. ‘Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!’

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA. ‘You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.’

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. ‘This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.’

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. ‘If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times: Don’t exaggerate!’

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. ‘I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.’

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. ‘Stop acting like your father!’

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
‘There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do.’

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. ‘Just wait until we get home.’

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING. ‘You are going to get it when you get home!’

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
‘If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.’

19. My mother taught me ESP. ‘Put your sweater on. Don’t you think I know when you are cold?’

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
‘When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.’

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
‘If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.’

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. ‘You’re just like your father.’

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
‘Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?’

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. ‘When you get to be my age, you’ll understand.’

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
‘One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.’

Obviously the things you just heard were intended to be humorous, but the lessons learned from a mother are serious indeed. In today’s passage of scripture we see how Salome, the mother of James and John, came before Jesus trying to get the best for her children.

A good mother is characterized by that kind of spirit. She is compelled to stand for her children and do her very best to insure that they get everything they need, and in many instances to provide the things they simply want!

You mothers (and mother figures!) are on the front lines of the battle of life, and often draw the most enemy fire. Today, as we should each and every day, we honor you for your sacrifice.

Learn How To Approach Jesus

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons. (V. 20)

The Bible is clear that it is the father’s responsibility to train the children in spiritual matters. Yet we cannot escape the fact that the mother keeps it all together. In this case, Salome allowed her boys see her approach Christ.

This is no small event. Children are natural mimics. In other words, they see what we do. Salome had a concern, and she went straight to the source. Often from the pulpit and in Bible Study courses we disparage Salome for what she did, because it does sound sort of self-serving and even a bit impertinent.

Life is funny, when we do something that maybe we shouldn’t there are many times positive things that we can learn from that action, and this is one of those.

A first grade teacher asked her students, "What do you do to help at home?" 
One little girl said, "I dry the dishes." 
One of the boys said, "I sweep the floor."
Another one said, "I feed and water the dog."
Every student in the class had something to contribute except for one boy sitting in the back. The teacher looked qt him asked, "What do you do to help out at home?" 
He said, "I stay out of the way."

Salome could have easily just sat back and stayed out of the way. She could have stayed out of the way of Jesus, and she could have stayed out of the way of her sons, but she did neither of those things. Salome wanted something for her children, and she approached the one man that could grant her wish.

It didn’t turn out for her like she expected, but at least she did something! Every time you sit back and think “Someone ought to do something” maybe that someone is you! Learn the lesson from a loving mother, and approach the Lord.

Learn How To Worship Jesus

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons. She knelt down to ask Him for something.  (V. 20)

A young girl became a Christian in an exciting revival at her church and was baptized the closing Sunday morning. That afternoon she ran through the house singing and dancing. Her sour grandfather rebuked her with these words, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You just joined the church and you’re singing and dancing on the Lord’s Day!” Crushed by her grandfather’s attitude, the little girl went out to the barn, climbed up on the corral fence, and observed an old mule standing there with a sad, droopy face and bleary eyes. As she reached over and patted the mule sympathetically, she said, “Don’t cry, ole mule. I guess you’ve got the same kind of religion that Grandpa has!”

You have to admit, sometimes as a follower of Christ, our attitudes just stink. The world would never know that we held the greatest of all joys deep in our heart. Or, perhaps that is the whole problem, we keep it held deep in our heart and never let it out!

At any rate, this loving, devoted mother approached Jesus, but did it in a spirit of worship. While her actions seem arrogant, and her request was certainly not in keeping with the concept of the last being first, and the first being last, we don’t see her approaching Jesus in arrogance. We see a humble servant approaching her Lord.

The Bible says she knelt down, other translations say she bowed down, the King James says she worshipped Him. She showed her sons how to properly come before the King.

One of the things we have learned through the ages in our church is that Jesus is a friend like no other. Unfortunately we forget a very important truth when we let that be our sole guide: Jesus is MASTER! He may be a friend, but we are not now, nor will we ever be, on his level. It’s not a relationship of equals, so we are obligated out of love to show proper respect. This mother, Salome, taught her boys to show respect.

Learn How To Accept Jesus

Now I know that if you are following in your worship folder you will notice that I have a different point printed there. The reason for that is in order to get the printing done I have to have the worship folder ready to go by Tuesday, and sometimes I’m not finished with the sermon until much later in the week. Occasionally things change.

He told them, “You will indeed drink My cup. But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” (Verse 23)

S. I. McMillen, in his book "None of These Diseases," tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. 
To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."

One of the most important parts of journey with the lord is to actually follow Him! The words Jesus said, were not the words this mother wanted to hear for her boys. Mama’s boys will always be mama’s boys even when they become of an age where those would be fighting words.

She was disappointed, she was expecting a different outcome, yet she accepted what Christ had to say. She chose to obey, and she chose to follow. Her choosing this course of action modeled the correct response for her sons. By her actions she taught them what they should do themselves. This is exactly what a mother should do!

A mom who is walking in the path of Jesus is a mom who will consistently display characteristics that are good and right. She will, by her own actions, teach her children to do the same.

Moms, train up your children in the way they should go!

©2012 Rev. Charles S. Mims, All Rights Reserved

April 29, 2012

James 5:13-20

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, future US Presidents, were among the delegates meeting at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, on March 23, 1775, considering a resolution sending Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War. The Virginia House of Burgesses was unconvinced. Finally, Patrick Henry spoke. He concluded:

“What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Reportedly, those in attendance, upon hearing the speech, also shouted, “Give me liberty or give me death!”

That passionate speech is credited with turning the tide. It is one of the most passionate lines from the American Revolution. It changed the course of history.

That line reminds me of a passionate prayer, prayed over 200 years earlier. John Knox prayed “Give me Scotland or I die.”

John Knox was described as low in stature and of a weakly constitution. A contemporary, Mr. Thomas Smeaton, said, “I know not if God ever placed a more godly and great spirit in a body so little and frail.”

When that frail body went to his knees, Mary, Queen of Scots, trembled. She said she feared the prayers of John Knox more than the combined armies of Europe.

Larry Christenson in his book, The Christian Family, says John Knox prayed with such power that all Scotland was awakened. He goes so far as to attribute the whole reformation of Scotland to Knox’s prayers. He writes, “‘Lord, Give me Scotland or I’ll die!’ [Knox] cried. And he prayed with such intensity that the Lord answered.”

There is power in prayer! Prayer is something we say that we believe in, and we talk about solving our problems with prayer, but it is something we don’t practice as often as we should. We sit in the darkness because we never turn on the power!

As we wrap up our study of the book of James, he closes with a command for Christians to turn on the power! For 5 chapters, at least as we view it—James viewed it as one letter—James has been telling us what we needed to do. He’s been giving us instructions for practical living. Now, at the close, he tells us how to do it. He tells us how to turn on the power.

Turn On The Power When You Are In Trouble

Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray.

The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, “Let’s go! Let’s go!” The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air. 

“Fly over the north side of the fire,” yelled the photographer, “and make three or four low level passes.” 

“Why?” asked the pilot. 

“Because I’m going to take pictures,” cried the photographer. “I’m a photographer and photographers take pictures!” 

After a pause the pilot said, “You mean you’re not the instructor?”

Well folks, if there were ever a great time to pray, this is it! Now you might be thinking that trouble is usually when most people actually do pray, but that is not always the case. Sometimes a false sense of pride keeps us from getting on our knees and taking our troubles before the Lord.

Sometimes we have the feeling that we don’t want to bother God with trivial concerns, but scripture commands over and again that we need to take our troubles to God. That means that God is expecting it! Sometimes I tell folks “Give me a call if you run into trouble” and the next time I see them I hear this tale of woe and I’ll say “Why didn’t you call me?” and invariably they say “I didn’t want to bother you!”

Sometimes we don’t really believe He will help. We have a crisis of faith, and we just don’t believe that God is going to do anything about it. This is a condition that most often effects the fervent believer, especially after something really terrible happens. We begin to doubt our faith, and we begin to doubt God. Ironically, it is at these times that we need Him the most!

Other times we don’t go to God because we are not in the habit of doing so. We just simply don’t pray on a regular basis so when things are bad we don’t go to Him. If you are a believer and this describes you, well then, shame on you!

Psalm 120:1 (NCV): ” When I was in trouble, I called to the LORD, and he answered me.”

Listen up! When the photographer is teaching you to fly the plane that is the time to bother God!

Turn On The Power When You are Happy

Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, then your life will surely show it,

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

Such a simple little song, isn’t it? Yet it contains such a powerful scriptural mandate. When you are happy–pray. Praise God for every good thing!

• When your plate is full of wonderful food—Praise Him!
• When you bills are paid—Praise Him!
• When you can wake up in the morning—Praise Him!
• When your children or grandchildren remind you why you suffered for them—Praise Him!
• In everything, great or small—Praise Him!

Praise is one of the most neglected of Christian disciplines. We often just forget to pray when things are going well. It’s not malicious, and it’s not intentional, it just happens. If we want to truly experience the wonderful power of God’s Spirit, then when things are going well, that is when we need to pray!

Sing your praise to the Lord, everybody sing Hallelujah!

Turn On The Power When You Are Sick

Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Now let me say right up front: I believe that God HEALS! I believe in the supernatural, life altering, disease beating, life sustaining power of prayer. I believe that one can be sick, and through the power of prayer be healed in the name of God.

What I don’t believe is that this verse is some sort of magical talisman that when invoked brings about unicorns and puppies. I believe God heals, but I believe that God heals when it is His will and it has nothing to do with our actions.

The laying on of hands, the anointing with oil, none of this changes the will of our Sovereign Lord. I believe that it is an important distinction. It’s all in God’s hands, not ours.

Look at it this way: Gathering the elders, laying on of hands, anointing with oil—none of this obligates God! We can’t manipulate God with rituals. However, prayer does move God. God does hear when we entreat Him, and there are countless examples in scripture where God stayed His hand of judgment because of the prayers and repentance of His people.

Verse 16 of our text reminds us that:

The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

So praying is effective! Some people use this passage to decline medical attention when medical attention is required. I think that is a dangerous misinterpretation of James’ intent when he wrote this verse. When you slip and fall and break your arm it’s ok to pray about it. It’s even a great idea to pray about it, but it is also urgent that you go get it set and a cast put on!

Turn On The Power When You Sin

¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

Four preachers met for a friendly gathering. During the conversation one preacher said, “Our people come to us and pour out their hears, confess certain sins and needs. Let’s do the same. Confession is good for the soul.” In due time all agreed. One confessed he liked to go to movies and would sneak off when away from his church. The second confessed to liking to smoke cigars and the third one confessed to liking to play cards. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn’t confess. The others pressed him saying, “Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?” Finally he answered, “It is gossiping and I can hardly wait to get out of here.”

They said that confession was good for the soul, but I’m not sure that was what they had in mind! When we have sinned, is when we need to come before God and kneel in prayer. When we sin, judgment is not what we want, we want absolution. That absolution, or forgiveness, only comes when we go to the Lord in earnest prayer.

James finishes up by sharing with us an example that his audience was very familiar with, and that is the example of Elijah.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.

Now that is some might powerful prayer! James is teaching us that we too have that power. Notice what he said in verse 17. He said Elijah was an ordinary man. He had a nature just like ours. The lesson for us today is that the same power that Elijah called down from heaven above is available to us as well.

We have the power! We just need to turn it on!

April 22, 2012

James 5:7-12

James 5:7-12

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Waiting for the Lord

⁷ Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

⁹ Brothers, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

¹⁰ Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. ¹¹ See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

¹² Now above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. Your “yes” must be “yes,” and your “no” must be “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.

According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and drink.

The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing. So Abraham asked him, “Don’t you worship God?”

The old traveler replied, “I worship fire only and reverence no other god.”

When he heard this, Abraham became incensed, grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his tent into the cold night air.

When the old man had departed, God called to his friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was. Abraham replied, “I forced him out because he did not worship you.”

God answered, “I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one night?”

The lesson to be learned from this traditional story is a lesson of patience, longsuffering, and wisdom. Patience is a dying art, and it is one of those virtues everyone talks about but rarely possesses.

We live in a fast paced world, where we want everything and we want it right now. We don’t know how to wait, and often think there is no reason for us to wait on something. Why wait when we can pop it in the microwave or fly through the drive-up window and get it now.

Today’s passage addresses this issue, and confirms to us that even though the pace of life has increased the faults of the living remain the same! Patience is indeed a virtue, and is in fact the fruit of the Spirit. A less theological way to look at that is patience is required for the Christian!

Oooops. That’s going to be a problem. Patience may be a virtue, but for most of us it is that virtue we seek the most in others! Yet patience is one of those things that set us apart from the world. The world looks at how we handle the difficulties that come our way, and scrutinize the grace in which we endure those difficulties.

James doesn’t beat around the bush here, he’s direct and emphatic. We, as Christians, must; MUST; cultivate an attitude of patience in our life. As we look toward achieving that goal let’s identify some areas in our life where it is necessary to exercise patience.

1. The Pastor is Preaching Through James.!
   

The first time you must exercise patience is not scriptural! You won’t find it in the Bible, but when the pastor’s 4 week overview of James turns into twelve sermons you have to practice patience!

Now that we have that one out of the way we can get to the meat of God’s Word!

1. You Must Wait
   

You must be patient when you are required to wait. Now if you are like me, that is precisely the time that you lose your patience! I’m not a fan of the waiting!

⁷ Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Being a farmer is an excellent example of patience, and James knew that it would be well understood by his audience. Farming is perhaps the epitome of patience. You see, the farmer knows that everything has a season. There is a time to plant, and a time to harvest, and there isn’t anything that you can do to change the timing of these events. You must simply wait.

When he was seven years old, his family was forced out of their home on a legal technicality, and he had to work to help support them.

* At age nine, his mother died.
* At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. He wanted to go to law school, but his education wasn’t good enough.
* At 23, he went into debt to become a partner in a small store.
* At 26, his business partner died, leaving him a huge debt that took years to repay.
* At 28, after courting a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him. She said no.
* At 37, on his third try, he was elected to Congress, but two years later, he failed to be reelected.
* At 41, his four-year-old son died.
* At 45, he ran for the Senate and lost.
* At 47, he failed as the vice-presidential candidate.
* At 49, he ran for the Senate again, and lost.
* At 51, he was elected president of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln.

Things don’t always come in the time you expect them to, but there are those times that the outcome is worth waiting for. The key to understanding patience is remembering that God’s timing is perfect!

Tending God’s kingdom is often compared to farming. We are told to bring in the harvest, we are told to watch what we sow, and even that whatever it is that we sow, that is what we reap. Here James continues that comparison as he tells us to wait like the farmer waits.

1. You are Mistreated
   

¹⁰ Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. ¹¹ See, we count as blessed those who have endured.^[a]You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Another time that James tells us to be patient is also another time we really don’t want to be patient, and that is when we are being mistreated. I don’t know about you, but my first reaction when someone is in my face giving me a hard time is not usually “Oh God bless you my friend”. No sir, that is not usually my first reaction. And as I look at you, I suspect that is not your reaction either. Yet the fact remains that it SHOULD be our reaction. We should take the shots, and let God take care of it.

“Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy. It is the quality that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial; it is the opposite of despondency and is associated with hope.”

For years William Wilberforce pushed Britain’s Parliament to abolish slavery. Discouraged, he was about to give up. His elderly friend, John Wesley, heard of it and from his deathbed called for pen and paper. 

With trembling hand, Wesley wrote: “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you would have been worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them stronger than God? 

“Oh be not weary of well-doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery shall vanish away before it.” 

Wesley died six days later. But Wilberforce fought for forty-five more years and in 1833 he saw slavery abolished in Britain. Three days later he died. 

What if he would have given up ?

Even Jesus reminded us that the world would become our enemy. It is when we are being treated the worst that we must practice the most patience and remember that we don’t belong to this world, but we belong to God!

If we live for Jesus we are going to suffer. The great thing is that God is present in our suffering. The false theology that is often presented as truth in today’s churches will leave you cold when the blanket is taken away. If you are taught through God’s Word that bad things sometimes happen to good people it doesn’t become a crisis of faith.

Matthew 5:11-12

Good News Translation (GNT)

¹¹ Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers.¹² Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted.

IV. You Don’t have A clue

This last instruction for James is a place I often live my life. James says to be patient during those times when you don’t have a clue!

James 5:11

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹¹ See, we count as blessed those who have endured.^[a] You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

All my life I have heard that so and so has the patience of Job, and usually they are not referring to me. In fact, I think it is safe to say they are never referring to me when they say that. Why would one want the patience of Job? In order to prove that you have that kind of patience would mean that you have to endure the kind of troubles that Job went through.

As everything unfolded around Job, he had no idea what was going on. He had no clue why these bad things were happening, and he cried out to God for help. He believed that God was in control, but he couldn’t understand what he had done to deserve the treatment he was receiving.

Somerset Maugham, the English writer, once wrote a story about a janitor at St Peter’s Church in London. One day a young vicar discovered that the janitor was illiterate and fired him. Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop, where he prospered, bought another, expanded, and ended up with a chain of tobacco stores worth several hundred thousand dollars. One day the man’s banker said, “You’ve done well for an illiterate, but where would you be if you could read and write?” “Well,” replied the man, “I’d be janitor of St. Peter’s Church in Neville Square.”

Sometimes we don’t know why things happen to us. This is true especially when bad things happen to us. Indeed, normally our reaction is pretty poor when bad things happen. The lesson that James is trying to teach us is to hang in there because something good is going to happen. James is teaching us to just be patient.

We need patience, and we need it right now!

©2012 Dr. Charles S. Mims, All Rights Reserved

A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22

A man walked by a table in a hotel and noticed three men and a dog playing cards. The dog appeared to be winning.

“That must be a very smart dog,” the man commented.

“He ain’t so smart,” said one of the players. “Every time he gets a good hand he wags his tail!” 

When we have joy in our hearts, it will be obvious to everyone!  “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face” (Prov. 15:13) –Kent Crockett

Kent Crockett’s Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com

To be honest, this hasn’t been the greatest couple of weeks. We had to replace the stove, and the air conditioner is beyond repair. For three weeks it hasn’t been less than 85 degrees inside the house, and because the cost to replace the unit is so high it’s only going to get hotter. It’s always funny when someone says in April “Just wait until August” when you are sitting in your recliner with the artificial chill of the central air unit flowing through the vents. It’s not so funny when you realize that if it is 85 inside in April, it’s going to be over 90 in August. No, that’s not so funny.

As the temperature rises, tempers get shorter. People find it difficult to get along. There is one thing that will diffuse this sort of situation. Well two things, a new air conditioner is one, and the other is a truly funny joke. (Or around my house it is often less a joke, and more me doing something stupid that everyone else thinks is funny.)

Proverbs tells us a cheerful heart is good medicine. There just might be something to that. It’s good to laugh a little. It makes your troubles seem a little farther away. Laughter is sometimes just a wonderful healing balm like no other.

With that in mind, I will leave you with this:

“A pastor saw Robert Schuller’s TV program “Hour of Power.” One of the things that impressed him the most during the program was watching everyone turning around to shake hands with and greet other worshippers seated near them. The pastor felt that his church was a bit stuffy and could use a bit of friendliness. So, at Sunday morning worship he announced that next week they would initiate this custom of greeting one another.

At the close of this same worship service one man turned around to the lady behind him and said a cheerful, “Good morning!” She looked back at him with shock at his boldness and said, “I beg your pardon! That friendliness business doesn’t start until next Sunday!”

April 15, 2012

James 5:1-6

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹ Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ⁴ Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

What would you do if you played the winning numbers for that mega millions jackpot a few weeks ago and won? How would your life change? What would be your goals and priorities?

• There are a lot of sayings we toss about concerning money:
• I can make more generals, but horses cost money. – Abraham Lincoln
• We have the best government that money can buy.—Mark Twain
• Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes things go smoother. –Unknown
• There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich, and that is the poor. The poor can think of nothing else.—Oscar Wilde
• You know, my main reaction to this money thing is that it’s humorous, all the attention to it, because it’s hardly the most insightful or valuable thing that’s happened to me.—Steve Jobs
• Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.—Benjamin Franklin

Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

A lot of our energy, and a lot of our time is spent on how do we make more money. The Bible has hundreds of scriptures dealing with money and its uses. So I ask the question again, “What would you do if you won that jackpot of over one hundred million dollars?”

It’s a fun exercise to figure out what you could spend it on. It’s also an exercise that shows us what our priorities are.

Hopefully many of us, when contemplating that question, have lofty ideals on how to use it. Hopefully many of us could see the good that could be done with it. Do we want a new car? Do we want to build new facilities for our church, or open a food bank in the basement? Do we want to help our families be sufficient in their needs?

As the hoopla over the jackpot reached frenzy I found myself thinking about it, even though I hadn’t purchased a ticket and really had no intention of doing so. It was really an academic exercise. I considered many things, and one of them was buying a car that I couldn’t reach across with one arm! I thought about paying off all my debts, and endowing our church so that we wouldn’t struggle with finances as we tried to do God’s work.

As I look back on the exercise though, some of what I thought about was self-centered. I thought about getting English tailored suits straight from the source in person, I thought about buying a house where everything worked properly.

What is it about money that brings out the worst in us? As we continue our study of the book of James we see James take a harsh stand against the rich. It really wasn’t so much that they had money, but instead it was how the money changed them.

How many of us here today wouldn’t like just a little bit more? The thing is when we get that little bit more, then we want just a little bit more; and then we want just a little bit more; and the cycle perpetuates itself to infinity.

Philippians 4:11

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹¹ I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Notice what Paul says there. He doesn’t say “Hey guys, I’m happy as a pig in slop”; no, he says he had to LEARN to be content with what he had. It seems to me like the context is that it didn’t come naturally to him, so why would we think it would come naturally to us?

James, in characteristic James fashion, lays out the problem for us in clear unambiguous words, then tells us how we should approach wealth.

Don’t Be Greedy

James 5:1-3

Good News Translation (GNT)

¹ And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you!² Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths.³ Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days.

For many years Hetty Green was called America’s greatest miser. When she died in 1915, she left an estate valued at $100 million, an especially vast fortune for that day. But she was so miserly that she ate cold oatmeal in order to save the expense of heating the water. When her son had a severe leg injury, she took so long trying to find a free clinic to treat him that his leg had to be amputated because of advanced infection. It has been said that she hastened her own death by bringing on a fit of apoplexy while arguing the merits of skim milk because it was cheaper than whole milk. 

At one time, she was the richest woman in America. Her estate was valued at from 65 to 100 million dollars. Her income from real estate, stocks, bonds, etc. was $5 a minute or $300 an hour. Yet Hetty lived her life on a lower scale than her scrubwoman did.

Prior to her death at the age of 81, the victim of a stroke of paralysis, the nurses who cared for her were instructed by friends of Hetty to wear their street dresses, not their white uniforms. In this way, Hetty would think that they were poorly paid servants. She would not have died peacefully if she had suspected that they were expensive, trained nurses. This was the life of Hetty Green, a woman who loved money. If she had loved God instead of money, how different her life would have been!

What good did this woman’s money do her or those around her? She stored it up in the bank for a rainy day even though the hurricane was raging over her head. The old saying is “You can’t take it with you”, and there is a great deal of truth in that little nugget.

James isn’t saying not to have money, what he is saying is don’t hoard it! Some people want all the money they can’t get their hands on, just because they can. There comes a point where it is just ridiculous!

The accumulation of money and material things is not to be the intended goal. I admit it’s a nice side effect of a prosperous life, but when the money becomes the priority then we have lost sight of the right priority.

Timothy said that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Money becomes a problem when we begin to desire it above all else. It becomes a problem when we forsake everything else as less important. Money becomes a problem when it becomes our reason for existing.

The message is clear. Don’t trust in things but in God. And use what he gives you. In 1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) we read: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Don’t Be Deceitful

James 5:4

Good News Translation (GNT)

⁴ You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty.

Not only does James exhort us to use the gifts, the monetary blessings, that God has given us, he also tells us that when we acquire money, to do it honestly. This passage of scripture, when combined with those surrounding it and others that James has used paints a pretty stark picture of unacceptable business practices.

When a Christian owns a business, or hires an employee (even if it is just someone to wash your car or cut your grass), they have a higher responsibility to take care of that employee and pay them a fair wage.

With all the arguing over living wages, and fair compensation raging in the United States today I’m going to step off on a limb here and say that Christian owned and operated businesses shouldn’t even be a part of that conversation. Why? Because Christian owned businesses should already be paying their workers a fair wage. Not because the government mandates it, but because the morals and mores of our faith demand it.

Now what was happening here is that the landowners would hold back the wages of their works for a little bit longer than was necessary, gaining use of those funds for a little bit longer. This was considered unethical business practices and likely fraud. James is telling the listeners that they should, no they must, be above that kind of practice.

Leviticus 19:13

Good News Translation (GNT)

¹³ Do not rob or take advantage of anyone. Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night.

We believe in hard work, and part of the Christian ethic is unless exceptionally hindered every man must earn his way. The Old Testament teaches that if a man doesn’t work, he doesn’t eat; and encourages us to avoid mimicking the sloth but instead to be like the ant: busy and industrious.

God ordained work, but keep it in balance. Work is not the goal. Obtaining more is not the goal. Providing for your family is the prize. Work is a tool.

Work hard for what you earn. Don’t cheat others. Don’t steal from others. Pay your debts. Don’t rob God. Each of these is part of the foundation of a proper understanding of wealth.

Don’t Be Selfish

James 5:5-6

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

⁵ You have lived luxuriously on the land and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your heartsfor^[a] the day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned—you have murdered—the righteous man; he does not resist you.

One of the greatest traps we run into when dealing with our personal finances is we get selfish. It’s not always something we do with intention; it is just something that occurs. As times get tougher, our natural inborn tendency is to protect what we have first as a means of self-preservation.

One of the things we often do when we “come into some money” (such as a windfall from an inheritance or a lottery win—or even an income tax return) is to indulge ourselves in the things we have felt deprived of. We buy that fancy sports car, or that million dollar house—or the pantry full of groceries that we have been short on for weeks. We go out to eat, we take a vacation, and we pamper ourselves.

I just saw on a court television show just this week a young woman and her boyfriend who took a $10,000.00 vacation to Disney World. My first reaction was, “Well good for them, everyone needs a vacation sometimes”. As the facts of the case came to light, she had just been downsized and the money they used was her severance package. They were also relying on a court settlement that he was supposed to get for injuries sustained in an automobile accident. The problem began when after the trip they broke up, and she wanted him to pay half of it. Her argument was she spent all her money.

Then my thoughts became “You shouldn’t have spent that money knowing you were unemployed!” In Proverbs 21:17 (NLT) it says, “Those who love pleasure become poor; wine and luxury are not the way to riches.”

The cure for selfishness is to follow God’s example. God has given us an example of freely giving; giving more than we could imagine.

Jesus said something similar in Luke 6:38 (NLT): If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving—large or small—it will be used to measure what is given back to you.

Money can become a stumbling block in our Christian walk, but it doesn’t have to be. We just need to be wise in our stewardship. I’m not a “health/wealth/prosperity” preacher. I’m not going to stand here this morning and tell you that if you give X amount of dollars to this ministry then God will give you triple back. Or double. Or even a portion. That’s just not a biblical concept.

What I will stand here and tell you is that if you are faithful to God, He will return blessings to you. That has been proven to me in my life over and again. He’s never allowed me to be wealthy by anyone’s measure, but I’m rich in His grace.

The same can be true for you.

He’s Alive!

Easter Sunday April 8, 2012

Matthew 28:1-10

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹ Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. ² And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. ³ And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. ⁷ Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

⁸ And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, ”Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

I heard a story about a woman who was doing her last-minute Christmas shopping at a crowded mall. She was tired of fighting the crowds. She was tired of standing in lines. She was tired of fighting her way down long aisles looking for a gift that had sold out days before. Her arms were full of bulky packages when the elevator door opened. It was full. 

The occupants of the elevator grudgingly tightened ranks to allow a small space for her and her load. As the doors closed she blurted out, “Whoever is responsible for this whole Christmas thing ought to be arrested, strung up, and shot!” A few others nodded their heads or grunted in agreement. Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator came a single voice that said, “Don’t worry. They already crucified him.”

Every Christmas we marvel that Jesus would leave the splendor of heaven to be born in a lowly manger, and are amazed at the gift we have been given, but we forget sometimes that Christmas is only the beginning of the story.

Spring rolls around and our thoughts turn to the agony of the cross, as we stand amazed in His presence. It is hard to comprehend how someone could love us so much that He would endure the punishment that rightfully belonged to us, yet even this is not the end of the story.

The end of the story begins with Resurrection Sunday because He’s Alive! Christ the Lord is Risen Today! Today, on this most holy of days, we celebrate. We celebrate not only because Christ was born, and not only because He died on a cross, but because He Is Alive!

It’s a story that is as familiar as day, and a story I hope we never tire of hearing. Christ the Lord is risen today. He’s alive! He’s alive! He’s ALIVE!

He’s Alive—There is Love!

1 John 4:9

Good News Translation (GNT)

⁹ And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him.

Love, love love. Love makes the world go round! Love is a basic need of every human, we desire to give it, and have it given in return. Wars are fought over love as often as hate, and love is the hallmark of a Christian. The story of Easter, and the truth of the resurrection is simply, and at its core, a story of love.

It is a story of unconditional love, a love without boundaries. A love memorialized in an event so spectacular, so defining, that it can never be repeated. We see this love nailed to a cross and as we reflect on the week of passion we see love in its purest form.

It doesn’t end there! The love of God not only put Christ on the cross, and put Him to death, but it also brought Him back! The love of God didn’t leave Jesus in the tomb, but instead it rolled the stone away!

The love found in the resurrection needs to characterize every word we speak and every action we take. This overwhelming love must be central to who we are. Every interaction we have with another of God’s creation must be based in love.

In fact, the Biblical model of love is the love that Christ showed for us, and as we know from our Good Friday service the other night, Jesus was the perfect example of love. Therefore, if Christ is our model for love, then we need to be willing to go to the mat for the final count just as He did.

Now all of a sudden love doesn’t seem so easy! And it is not! It is hard to love like Christ did. It is difficult, and will often be inconvenient. Yet it is not an option. There is a world all around us dying for love. They are looking for love at every junction, and as the song goes “they are lookin’ for love in all the wrong places”!

If you are searching for love this morning, and you don’t know where to turn; if you are turning to the wrong things to find love, or if you are finding love elusive, then come to the empty tomb and gaze into the greatest expression of love that has ever been given.

Because He is alive, there is love!

He’s Alive—There is Life!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things^[a] have come.

What is this fascination with being made-over? Some psychologists have suggested that it has everything to do with a deep-seated discontent that rules our lives these days. We grapple with the aging process that slowly but surely is claiming our youth. Where once we kept a car until it had 150,000 miles, more and more Americans are trading in the old before it even becomes “old.” We are a people obsessed with reclaiming youth and newness. We long to be a Phoenix rising from the ashes of what was, restored to a new promise of what could be. After all of this effort, can we say that we are getting there? Will the “rebuilding” process necessary to this make-over finally find us content?

A property owner once found a buyer for a warehouse property that had been difficult to sell. As he showed a prospective buyer the property, the owner took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

“Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said. “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.” (Ian L. Wilson)

This is just what God has said to us. God said that He was going to create a brand new creation, and bring to us a fresh start. That is resurrection life! That is life that can only come from God. It is a life everlasting!

Death held no meaning against the power of the one true God. Jesus Christ is ALIVE! He’s ALIVE today! He is here with us now according to the word of God, and when we walk with Him we can feel His Spirit taking control and changing who we thought we were. Instead of a dim reflection of who we could be, we begin to reflect the glory that is God’s alone.

Because Jesus is alive, we have life!

He’s Alive—There is Hope!

1 Peter 1:3-4

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

³ Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

From Parade magazine comes the story of self-made millionaire Eugene Land, who greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him. Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. “Stay in school,” he admonished, “and I’ll help pay the college tuition for every one of you.” At that moment the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, “I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling.” Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school.

Everyone needs a little bit of hope, and sometimes it is that little bit of hope that makes the difference between failure and success. The truth of the empty tomb give us hope for today, and hope for the future.

On Good Friday we saw a ragtag group of disillusioned believers. They wanted to believe, they wanted to have faith, but the reality of death smacked them square between the eyes. It’s hard to argue with what your eyes are telling you. Every one of those followers of Christ that stood on that hill and watched their Lord give up His spirit knew that death was final. They knew that death was the end. They knew that people didn’t come back from that.

The hope that they felt after the triumphant entry just a week before had been blown out like a candle in a hurricane. Those ladies that went to the tomb were not going to the tomb prove He had come back, instead they were going to properly anoint Him in death.

They expected to find a corpse, and instead they found an empty tomb, and with those discarded grave clothes they found a little bit of hope. From deep within them that flame began to kindle, as they searched for the man that they loved.

Jesus entered death, pushed through it, and raised His hands in the air in a victory salute because He lives! Jesus defeated death, and because of that we can have hope.

He’s alive, and so is hope!

He’s Alive—There is Power!

1 Corinthians 6:14

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹⁴ God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

Folks, make no mistake about it, there is power in the resurrection! Paul said he wanted to experience that resurrection power that cannot be stopped – the resurrection power of Christ is a conquering power – that why the word declares in Rom. 8 that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. There is power in that empty tomb!

Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday School class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in leadership magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully. 

The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought L’eggs pantyhose containers, the kind that look like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely spring day, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new-life symbols, opening the containers one by one in surprise fashion. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one, whether a flower, butterfly, or leaf, the class would ooh and ahh. 

Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, That’s stupid. That’s not fair. Somebody didn’t do their assignment.” 

Philip spoke up, “That’s mine.” 

“Philip, you don’t ever do things right!” the student retorted. “There’s nothing there!”  

“I did so do it,” Philip insisted. “I did do it. It’s empty. the tomb was empty!” 

Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar not with flowers, but with their Sunday school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg.

That’s the power of the empty tomb! Jesus didn’t rise up from the grave and run off to heaven to leave us to our own devices. He stayed and prepared His followers to receive His Spirit and because He is alive, He is with us today. The same power that rose Christ from the grave is available to us right now.

He’s alive, so we have power!

Christ The Lord Is Risen Today!

He Is Risen Indeed!

Easter Sunrise Service

April 8, 2012

John 20:1-18

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹ On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed^[a] from the tomb. ² So she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!”

³ At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. ⁴ The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. ⁵Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. ⁶ Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. ⁷ The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. ⁸ The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then entered the tomb, saw, and believed. ⁹ For they still did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples went home again.

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord

¹¹ But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹² She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” ¹⁴ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.

¹⁵ ”Woman,” Jesus said to her, ”why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”

¹⁶ Jesus said, ”Mary.”

Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, ”Rabbouni!”^[b]—which means “Teacher.”

¹⁷ ”Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus told her, ”for I have not yet ascended to the Father.But go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to My God and your God.”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what^[c] He had said to her.

There once was an Illinois man who left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day.

When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick e-mail. Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her e-mail address, he did his best to type it in from memory.

Unfortunately, he missed one letter, and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher’s wife, whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her e-mail, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fainted to the floor.

At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:

“Dearest Wife,

Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Signed, Your eternally loving husband.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.”

What a powerful message! When you receive an email from beyond the grave that is bound to get your attention. That is exactly what Easter is, it is a message from beyond the grave. It’s not an email, it’s not a sticky note, instead it is a living message filled with the good news that Jesus is alive!

We gather here this morning, before the sun comes up to bring our minds away from the stark realities of our lives and focus our thoughts on the dawning of a new day. The empty tomb brings hope and a celebratory joy to our worship this morning.

We don’t normally associate the word empty with something positive. When my Dr. Pepper bottle is empty, I’m not happy. When my gas tank is empty it causes worry, and when our hearts are empty we cry out in despair.

Mary was empty when she came to the borrowed tomb of Jesus before the day began. Her heart was filled with the darkness that enveloped the followers of Christ as they watched His life play out before their very eyes just a few short days before. Like the others, her love for Christ was strong, but the dark despair of hopelessness had likely overtaken her spiritually and she was empty. She was empty of hope, and empty of faith, for you see Mary hadn’t come to witness a resurrection, Mary had come to prepare the body of Christ in the traditional Jewish fashion.

That first Easter didn’t start out as a joyful celebration, but instead began as a pain filled trek to a sealed tomb. Praise God it didn’t end that way! The emptiness of hurt, pain, and anguish gave way to the reality of an empty tomb!

What Mary, and the other women experienced that day would change their lives forever! Mary came to Christ that morning because she thought He needed her, but He knew that she needed Him! He knew that it was all part of God’s plan and what Mary needed, what we all need, is a risen Savior!

Jesus brought the hope of emptiness as day began to break on that first Easter morn.

The Hope of Emptiness Can Defeat Our Past

We are all consumed with the power found in the oppressive worldly nature that is ours by birth, and the new birth made possible by the empty tomb breaks the chains of bondage and sets us free. Because of the hope of emptiness, the promise of that empty tomb, we are greater than we were before. We have potential that we never dreamed of.

American artist James Whistler, who was never known to be bashful about his talent, was once advised that a shipment of blank canvases he had ordered had been lost in the mail. When asked if the canvases were of any great value, Whistler remarked, “not yet, not yet.” 

That’s the way it is when confronted with the empty tomb. We are blank canvases that have not great value; at least not yet.

The hope of emptiness is that our past doesn’t matter!

The Hope of Emptiness Means God is Present in the Present

The great news of the empty tomb is that God is here, right now. Jesus, who was God, became man—died and rose again—and is here now. Right now! The emptiness of the tomb is relevant to our present.

One night at dinner a man, who had spent many summers in Maine, fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week by week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.” 

Because of the Hope of Emptiness there is power in our present.

The Hope of Emptiness Looks to the Future

A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, “Eighteen to nothing–we’re behind.” 

“Boy,” said the spectator, “I’ll bet you’re discouraged.” 

“Why should I be discouraged?” replied the little boy. “We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!”

A popular Eater hymn contains the phrase “I don’t know about tomorrow, but I know who holds my hand” The future is a great big unknown for us. We just don’t know what lies around the next corner, but because of the empty tomb, that hope of emptiness, we don’t have to worry about it.

Every now and again someone asks the question “Would you want to know the exact moment you are going to die?” That’s a hard question to answer, but in general I think my answer is a resounding no. My reasoning is that I know myself, I would worry about it. Rather than providing me comfort, it would cause anxiety.

The hope of emptiness means I don’t have to worry. God has a future for me, and that future is going to be with Him.

1 Peter 1:3-4

Good News Translation (GNT)

A Living Hope

³ Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope,⁴ and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away.

The tomb of Christ was a temporary abode. Jesus never intended to stay there, and only allowed himself to be placed there so that he could show the world that death held no power over him. The emptiness of the tomb is what brings our hope.

©2012 Dr. Charles S. Mims, All Rights Reserved.

It Is Finished

Good Friday April 6, 2012

John 19:30

It Is Finished!

• A man’s last words tell us a whole lot about who he is, and the kind of person he was. For a moment let’s look at some famous last words of some well-known people.
• John Barrymore, actor, died May 29, 1942 reportedly said “”Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him.”
• Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) “To the strongest.”
• Humphrey Bogart, actor, d. January 14, 1957 “I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.”
• Karl Marx, died in 1883 with these last words… “Go on, get out – last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.”
• Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, d.1170 “I am ready to die for my Lord, that in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace.
• Then of course there are the famous last words of every redneck in the United States: Hey y’all, watch this!

What about the last words of the most influential man to have ever walked the planet? What about the last words of the Son of God as he was executed on the lonely hill of Golgotha? What do Jesus’ words reveal about His character?

Let’s turn to God’s word this evening as we take a journey through Christ’s last hours on earth, and how he reacted to those that were torturing Him.

Jesus Was a Man of Forgiveness

Luke 23:33-34

King James Version (KJV)

³³And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

³⁴Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, “Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?” There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up. “Sin,” he said.

Well friends, you and I have probably already met that requirement! Sin is most likely something that you and I are well acquainted with, probably more acquainted with than we need to be. Jesus lived forgiveness, and He died forgiveness.

Throughout His ministry we see instances of His divine forgiveness as He taught His disciples a better way to live. Jesus taught radical concepts like “love your enemy”, and “do good to those that would harm you”. He even taught that when someone struck you on the cheek, to turn the other one to them to strike as well.

This was a sea-change departure from the attitude and practices of the religious elite of Jesus’ time. Yet for Christ it was part of His nature, it was who He was. In life Christ practiced forgiveness, and in death He did no less. If those last words are an indicator of who you are, then Jesus was a man of forgiveness.

Jesus was a Man with a Mission

Luke 23:39-43

King James Version (KJV)

³⁹And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

⁴⁰But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

⁴¹And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

⁴²And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

⁴³And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Have you ever said “I have a right” to do or say this or that? Well if anyone had a right to be a little bit self-centered it was Jesus as He hung on that cross. Who among us wouldn’t at least given thought to the concept that here we are, hanging from the crossbeams and are not guilty of the charges against us. Yet on either side of us are two guilty thieves. Most of us would at least entertain the notion that the deserved what they got.

Not Jesus. Through all the pain, through all the torture, through all the mocking, Christ never forgot what He was all about. Luke 19:10 describes the mission of Christ when it says “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost”. Christ didn’t forget that. In spite of all that He was going through he took the time to share God’s love with those around Him.

Tonight I want us to think about how many opportunities we let pass us by to continue Jesus’ mission because it might not be convenient. Jesus’ words on the cross show Him to be a man on a mission.

Jesus was a Man of Compassion

John 19:25-27

King James Version (KJV)

²⁵Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

²⁷Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

A man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out.

A subjective person came along and said, “I feel for you down there.”

An objective person walked by and said, “It’s logical that someone would fall down there.”

A Pharisee said, “Only bad people fall into pits.”

A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was.

A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit.

An IRS agent asked if he was paying taxes on the pit.

A self-pitying person said, “You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit.”

A fire-and-brimstone preacher said, “You deserve your pit.”

A Christian Scientist observed, “The pit is just in your mind.”

A psychologist noted, “Your mother and father are to blame for your being in that pit.”

A self-esteem therapist said, “Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit.”

An optimist said, “Things could be worse.”

A pessimist claimed, “Things will get worse.”

“Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.” 

Jesus, seeing the end of His life near, raised His eyes and looked upon His mother and had compassion for her. He knew that she would have needs when He was gone. He knew that she would need consoling when He was gone. He knew that someone would need to take care of her, and He knew that John was the most tenderhearted of His followers.

Jesus also knew that John needed a job to do, as much as His mother needed someone to lean on. Jesus knew all of this and acted on it while nearing the end of His own life.

These words showed the Lord to be a man of compassion.

Jesus was a Man of Humanity

John 19:28

King James Version (KJV)

²⁸After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

During Holy Week we often focus on the deity of Christ, and for good reason. The deity of Christ is what made salvation possible through regeneration. Let us never forget that Christ was man. He was a human male who thought like we do, ate like we do, and thirsted like we do. He had the same basic needs of survival that you and I have. It is this humanity that makes the sacrifice possible.

This one little phrase: “I thirst” reminds us that Jesus was indeed human.

Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, “I am your king!” The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!”

God is willing to make most any accommodation to have fellowship with us. Even becoming human.

Christ was a man of humanity!

Jesus was a Man of Destiny

John 19:30

King James Version (KJV)

³⁰When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

In a British cemetery: 
Pause my friend, as you walk by 
As you are now, so once was I 
As I am now so you will be 
Prepare my friend, to follow me. 
A visitor added, 
To follow you is not my intent 
Until I know which way you went!

Destiny is determined not by chances but by choices.

Jesus made choices. He had the same capability to sin that we have, yet He chose not to. He would have rather not gone to the cross, yet He chose to do God’s will. As the song says “He could have called ten thousand angels” yet He chose to die alone for you and me.

Jesus understood what His destiny was, and he chose. He chose to give His life that we might live. When it was done, when it was complete, Jesus declared it finished.

These were not His last words; His last words were an act of submission commending His own spirit into the hands of the father. These were not even all of the seven phrases that Christ uttered from the cross. They were, however, phrases that showed the kind of man that Christ was.

From the cross of Calvary, we are taught a lesson in how to carry on our lives. It is finished.

Palm Sunday April 2, 2012

Matthew 21:8-9

King James Version (KJV)

⁸And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

⁹And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came to a stop, a giant of a man – six feet four inches with bushy hair and a large mustache stepped from the train. Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various people began telling him how honored they were to meet him.

The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the bags and with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the greeting party he apologized, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer’s action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, "That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking."

As we pause in our study of the book of James for a couple of weeks to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, we find ourselves with a traditional passage on Palm Sunday. This is the passage you were expecting, and the sermon you have heard every year for generations. In fact, this will be the 15^th time I have preached it here at South Peninsula. Or will it?

We are indeed going to use the traditional passage. We are indeed going to talk about how the well-wishers lined up along the road into Jerusalem broke out into spontaneous acts of worship. That, however, is going to pretty much by my bow to tradition this Palm Sunday.

Today’s sermon is almost writing itself. The words have sprung from the wellhead of God’s grace, and have moved me greatly. So, even if *YOU* don’t get anything out of today’s message, rest assured that God spoke to me individually, so someone is getting some good out of it!

We aren’t going to focus on the donkey. We are not going to focus on the steps it took to secure that donkey, we aren’t going to dwell on the palm leaves or the chants, instead we are going to look at Jesus. Jesus was a sermon in shoes. Or maybe sandals, but you get the point.

If you want to enjoy POWERFUL WORSHIP, if you want to feel God’s HOLY SPIRIT moving in you, and if you want your presence here this morning to actually mean something, then set your eyes upon the Master!

Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Worship Without Walking is Dead

It is not enough to throw down some palm leaves, it is not enough to lift your hands in praise, it is not enough to praise “Hosanna in the Highest”.  It’s not enough. If you don’t put some feet to those words, and some action to those motions then you don’t have worship!

As Jesus came into Jerusalem, people were excited. They lined the streets and worshipped Him as King, only to turn their backs on him just a few short days later. Their praise had no legs!

When I was a child we used to sing a song called “A Sermon in Shoes”. We had these large cut out shoes on poles. There were tennis shoes, work boots, cowboy boots, high heels, and just about any other kind of shoe you could think of. We would carry these cut out shoes and march around the church while singing the song. It went something like this:

"Do you know, O Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes?
Do you know, O Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes?
Jesus counts upon you to spread the gospel news,
1. so walk it and talk it, a sermon in shoes.
2. so live it and give it, a sermon in shoes.
3. so teach it and preach it, a sermon in shoes.
4. so know it and show it, a sermon in shoes.

So I ask you this morning South Peninsula:  Do you know that you are a sermon in shoes?

I ask you again church:  Do you know that you are a sermon in shoes?

Why do I ask you this? Jesus was a sermon in shoes. Yes He Was! His whole life, His whole ministry was a testament to what God wanted from Him. If our worship doesn’t involve some walkin’ then we are present but not accounted for!

Walking in Worship is Doing Good

Hebrews 13:14-16

Good News Translation (GNT)

¹⁴ For there is no permanent city for us here on earth; we are looking for the city which is to come.¹⁵Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord.¹⁶ Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.

Become a sermon in shoes! A living, breathing, walking, talking example of good works. That is what pleases God. It’s not being at church every time the doors are open.  It’s not singing the old hymns of praise as loud as you can, it’s not even bellowing an out of tune rendition of a contemporary tune. You can raise your hands or not, shout hallelujah until you lips fall off, or turn cartwheels from here to the ocean. None of that matters. None of it.

What matters is what you do in your faith. Come to think of it, this lesson isn’t that much different than if we had continued in James! The writer of Hebrews is telling us “do good and help one another”. When we do that, when we put feet to our faith, that is when we are doing the will of God. That is when we are worshipping.

"Do you know, O Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes?
Do you know, O Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes?

so live it and give it, a sermon in shoes.

Jesus Christ is a sermon in shoes. Wherever we walk—whether it be in tennis shoes, flip-flops, soccer cleats, ballet shoes, high heels, hiking boots or ski boots . . . or even bare feet!—we are a living, breathing sermon to those around us.

As professing Christians we are basically walking advertisements for Jesus. What kind of Christ does your life advertise? What are you advertising? Who are you advertising?

James told us (see I guess we can’t get too far away from that series until God says we are done!) that it is a sin to know to do good and to refuse to do so!

It is recorded of D. L. Moody that, upon one of his journeys across the Atlantic there was a fire in the hold of the ship. The crew and some volunteers stood in line to pass buckets of water. A friend said to Moody, "Mr. Moody, let us go to the other end of the ship, and engage in prayer." The common-sense evangelist replied, "Not so, sir; we stand right here and pass buckets and pray hard all the time." How like Moody this was! He believed that prayer and work were the two hands of the one person: that they should never be separated.

"Do you know, O Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes?

Walking in Worship Where You Stand

Matthew 5:16

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

¹⁶In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven.

When I was in band we did a lot of marching “in place”. What that really meant is we got all worked up, pumped our legs up and down and expended a whole lot of energy and made absolutely no progress. Sometimes I think that is where we are in worship. We get all excited and remain in place.

Our place is wherever we are, and to worship where you stand quite literally means every place you are. The scripture tells us to let our light shine, and that will bring praise to the father.  So, whenever you and I do good works we are not only worshipping in obedience (because our acts of work are acts of worship) we are lighting the path so that others may follow.

At church little Jane had listened to a sermon on "Let Your Light Shine." The only part she remembered was the text, but she didn’t understand what it meant until her mother explained, "It means being good, obedient, and cheerful." In the afternoon there was trouble in the nursery, and Jane excused herself for being naughty by saying, "I’ve blowed myself out."

A whole lot of folks were gathered that first Palm Sunday. They were lined up along the road like they were waiting for Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade to begin. They had their palm branches, and were throwing their garments in the road, but in the end they “blowed themselves out”

We need to walk in worship where God has placed us, and keep on walking.

"Do you know, O Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes?
Do you know, O Christian, you’re a sermon in shoes?
so know it and show it, a sermon in shoes.

So I ask you this morning South Peninsula:  Do you know that you are a sermon in shoes?

I ask you again church:  Do you know that you are a sermon in shoes?

©2012 South Peninsula