When Temptation Knocks at Your Door?

WHEN TEMPTATION KNOCKS AT YOUR DOOR! Luke 4:1-13

Introduction: Let me start with a children’s story. Toad baked some cookies. "These cookies smell very good," said Toad. He ate one. "And they taste even better," he said.  Toad ran to Frog's house. "Frog, Frog," cried Toad, "taste these cookies that I have made." Frog ate one of the cookies, "These are the best cookies I have ever eaten!" said Frog. Frog and Toad ate many cookies, one after another. "You know, Toad," said Frog, with his mouth full, "I think we should stop eating. We will soon be sick."

            "You are right," said Toad. "Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop." Frog and Toad ate one last cookie.  There were many cookies left in the bowl. "Frog," said Toad, "let us eat one very last cookie, and then we will stop." Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie. "We must stop eating!" cried Toad as he ate another. "Yes," said Frog, reaching for a cookie, "we need willpower." "What is willpower?" asked Toad.

            "Willpower is trying hard not to do something you really want to do," said Frog. "You mean like trying hard not to eat all these cookies?" asked Toad. "Right," said Frog. Frog put the cookies in a box. "There," he said. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can open the box," said Toad. "That is true," said frog. Frog tied some string around the box. "There," he said. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can cut the string and open the box." said Toad. "That is true," said Frog. Frog got a ladder. He put the box up on a high shelf.

            "There," said Frog. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can climb the ladder and take the box down from the shelf and cut the string and open the box," said Toad. "That is true," said Frog. Frog climbed the ladder and took the box down from the shelf. He cut the string and opened the box. Frog took the box outside. He shouted in a loud voice.

            "Hey, birds, here are cookies!" Birds came from everywhere. They picked up all the cookies in their beaks and flew away. "Now we have no more cookies to eat," said Toad sadly. "Not even one." "Yes," said Frog, "but we have lots and lots of willpower." "You may keep it all, Frog," said Toad. "I am going home now to bake a cake."

            How many of us can identify with “Toad & Frog’s” struggle over eating cookies? We all tried to overcome certain temptations and have failed miserably so we stopped trying. The truth about temptation is that, it is part of our everyday Christian life. It doesn’t spare anyone. Jesus Christ, and many great saints of God were not exempt; neither are we. We have been tempted in the past, and maybe we are being tempted now, and we will be tempted in the future.

            To overcome temptation, we need more than just will power. We are on a journey to discover precious truths from the orderly account of the Gospel of Luke. Last week we learned about Jesus’ birth, his dedication in the temple and how an age-old prophet named Simeon had his unforgettable moment when he beheld baby Jesus in his arms.

            Today we will learn how Jesus was tempted before he entered into his public ministry and how we can withstand when temptation knocks at our door the next time.  In the passage we read the author highlights a great confrontation between Jesus the creator and the savior of the world and Satan the deceiver and disrupter of God’s cosmic plan of salvation. The devil brings about a threefold temptation to divert Jesus Messianic Mission.

I. THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS

            Vs 1-2, “Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.” With varying details Matthew, Mark and Luke all three gospel writers highlight the temptation of Jesus before the start of His public ministry.

            The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for 40 days. This tells me that God the Holy Spirit at times leads us into places where we might be tempted by the devil, though not many of us merit such direct confrontation with Satan himself.  Here Jesus was brought directly before Satan to face whatever he would throw at him.

            Satan used three doors to tempt Jesus and they are: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Before we deal with them separately let’s look at the word “temptation.” In Greek it means: To try, to tempt, or to prove someone as evil by soliciting him or her to sin.    

A) The lust of the flesh: Vs 3-4 “Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.” By this time Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, and hadn’t eaten anything during that time. When Jesus’ hunger was greatest and his resistance lowest, the tempter comes and says, “if you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

            It is interesting to note why Satan chose “food” to tempt Jesus? For the obvious reason, Jesus hadn’t eaten food for forty days so naturally food was what Jesus’ greatest need at that point. When Jesus was starving for food, he suggests that he would use his power as the Son of God and turn some stones into bread and satisfy his hunger. Logically sounds good, right?

            In his notes Pat suggests, “Make yourself bread by your power of the Holy Spirit. This power is equated with privilege. Use your position to take care of yourself. The temptation is to believe that being son of God confers the right to act on privilege for self.” If Jesus was tempted to use his power to gratify his selfish needs, we too can be tempted to use the power of our position for selfish purposes. We see this abuse of power happening all the time

            How did Jesus handle this temptation?  Though he was starving for food, and had the power to turn stones into bread he did not fall for the devil’s tactics. He counters the attack by quoting what was written in the scripture, Deuteronomy 8:3, “People do not live by bread alone.”

B.  The Lust of the Eye: Vs 5-7 “Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” Here we move immediately from the mundane of daily bread to a visionary spectacle. He took Jesus to a high point and in a second showed him the splendor and the glory of the kingdoms of the world.

            Moreover, he claimed that they were given to him, and he will give Jesus all the glory and authority over them. But on one condition, if Jesus would worship him. From the beginning Satan always wanted to be like God, and be worshipped by the angels and the people. In order to reach his goal, he would go to any lengths to deceive people from worshipping God. He comes to Jesus and offers to give back the world, if he can simply bow down and worship him.

            It is interesting to note that Jesus did not refute Satan’s claim over the world, but refused Satan’s offer of how he could reclaim the world back to God. The devil was showing Jesus a simple and easy path of no suffering of the cross which he came specifically to endure. Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The only way to reclaim the world back to God was by the way of the Cross

            Satan offered Jesus, earthly kingship over the world and the kingdoms by way of worshipping him, whereas Jesus came to set up another kingdom the Kingdom of God by offering himself as a living sacrifice. Jesus reminded Satan, who truly deserves all our worship, Deuteronomy 6:13, “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”

C. The Pride of Life: Vs 9-11

            On both occasions Jesus was able to withstand temptation by quoting scripture. Satan thought this time I will use scripture as a weapon too but he wrongly quotes it. Vs 9-11, “The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Satan’s true nature was coming into light here.

            Again, he challenges Jesus saying, “if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.” Satan used this phrase, “if you are the son of God,” twice. What does it mean? It means, “since you are the son of God.” The devil is not casting doubt on Jesus’ divine sonship, but is tempting him to use his supernatural powers as the Son of God for his own end.

            Thankfully, just like the other two times, Jesus did not fall for this foolish trap of the enemy. From his arsenal, he took the sword of the Sprit the Word of God and attacked Satan saying, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Deut 6:16)

            Take note of Vs 13, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, (ended every temptation ESV) he left him until an opportune time.” This indicates that not only these three temptations the devil used to tempt Jesus but may be more that were not recorded here. And also, that was not the end of Satan’s temptations, he had just left Jesus waiting for an opportune time. Satan continued them throughout Jesus’ ministry, culminating at Gethsemane. But in all these temptations we see Christ standing victoriously. He conquered sin, death and the devil in the end.    

II. WHEN TEMPTATION KNOCKS AT OUR DOOR!

            In the temptation of Jesus, we saw the devil using three broad categories to tempt Jesus. Though these were unique to Jesus, they are the main ways through which the devil tried to get at the creation of God. He successfully tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. No matter who we are, we all are susceptible to these and many other tactics of the devil. What do we do when temptation knocks at our door? John gives a clue on how to handle temptations. I John 2:15-17.

            “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.

            These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” We all struggle in the area of food. There is nothing wrong in eating food, but overeating is sin and it has an ugly name, GLUTTONY. There is nothing wrong in desiring and wanting to have good things in life, but craving for everything we see is sin it has a name; LUST. There is nothing wrong in sharing how God has blessed you, but boasting about your achievements and possessions is sin, and it also has a name; PRIDE.

            The devil could use, any and all of these three Gluttony, Lust and Pride and many more to gain entry into our lives to reduce productivity, divert our passion for the Lord, to rob our joy, health, relationships and in the end to kill us. That is the very nature of Satan (John 10:10).

Our real problem is not in eating a cookie, but lies in, “one more cookie.” The only way to overcome our craving for, “one more cookie” is to be determined and say, “NO MORE.”

            I know it works for me when I say it and truly mean it, because it is a scriptural principle. When the devil attacks us, God doesn’t’ expect us to fight back or use our will power because he knows we are weak.  But he does want us to appropriate the victory that Jesus had already own at the cross. By God’s grace we can say to the enemy, you came this far but no further. James 4:6-7, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. “So humble yourselves before God.       Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Key to have victory over temptation is our submission to Christ and resisting the temptation. Therefore, next time when the devil knocks at our door with a temptation, remember he only knocks, but cannot push the door open. In other words, he can only tempt us but cannot make us sin. Even when we give into temptation and sin, as it reads in I John 1:9, “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” Jesus is gracious, and very sympathetic to our temptations. He too was tempted in every which way, we are being tempted, yet remained sinless. He is our advocate and He will fight on our behalf, so that together with Him we are more than conquerors. Amen!

           

Behold The Son

BEHOLD THE SON!

Luke 2:21-35

Introduction: We all have certain unforgettable moments in our lives. When we receive big news, whatever that might be, our minds are forever imprinted with the emotion and excitement captured in that moment. We hear of an upcoming marriage, a baby on the way, an acceptance to a school, whatever it might be – and those big moments leave a mark in our minds.

In 2010, Drew Brees – quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, had that kind of moment as he celebrated a Super Bowl win. As he stood with his son lifted up high in the air, he said, "I stood there with my little boy, and I was overwhelmed. I told Baylen how much I loved him and how much he meant to me and what an inspiration he was to me. I thought of my mom, who I believed was smiling down from heaven, and all my family and friends who were there watching. 'We did it, little boy. We did it!”

In that landmark moment for Drew Brees' career, that image of him holding his son up in the air will be an image forever sketched in his mind. Today we will learn about an unforgettable moment of an aged prophet and how that might affect our lives. This past week we launched five Connect groups meeting in various locations. This is a great way to fellowship, pray and study God’s word.  These groups will be studying the Gospel of Luke and on Sunday mornings I will speak on certain key themes of this gospel. If you have not yet signed up to attend one of these groups please meet with one of us at the end of the service so that we can help you find a group.

I INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LUKE

As with the other three gospels, the title is derived from the author’s name. According to tradition Luke was a Gentile. That would make Luke the only Gentile to pen any books of Scripture. Luke wrote this Gospel as well as the book of Acts. Very little is known about Luke, other than what is referred to by the Apostle Paul. In Philemon 24, he is referred as a co-worker.

2 Timothy 4:11 tells us Luke was a loyal friend of Paul. In Colossians 4:14, Paul calls him, his beloved doctor. Luke’s interest in medical phenomena is evident in the high profile he gave to Jesu’s healing ministry throughout the gospel. As we read through this gospel notice that Luke’s account gives prominence to Jesus ‘concern for the poor and oppressed. Pay particular attention to Jesus’ interest in diverse ethnic, religious, economic, gender and social groups.

The first two chapters deal with the birth of both John and Jesus and some particular details of Jesus’ childhood that were not present in other gospels. We come across several speeches that are worth listening to, namely: The angel Gabriel’s speech to Zachariah, and Mary. A short speech by Elizabeth. Mary’s speech, the angel’s speech to the shepherds and from our passage the speech of Simeon. Throughout these speeches and unforgettable moments, we can notice the very movement of the Holy Spirit in the fulfillment of the age-old prophecies.  

II JESUS IS PRESENTED IN THE TEMPLE

When you read through the first two chapters, we will see several prophetic fulfilments and also God’s people fulfilling what was written in the Law. Jesus’ legal parents Mary and Joseph were very devout followers of the law of Moses.  Eight days later, they circumcised the baby boy and named him Jesus a name that was given by the angel even before he was conceived. Forty days later it was the time of their purification offering according to the law.

The law required, if a woman’s first child was a boy, he then must be dedicated to the Lord, as every first born belonged to the Lord. The parents made a six-mile journey to the temple with their offering of “Two pigeons or turtle doves.” It looked like they couldn’t afford a lamb and two pigeons as per the custom, so they took only two pigeons.

This gives us an indication of how poor Jesus’ legal parents might have been, yet were entrusted with the greatest treasure in their hands as they offered up the purification offering and consecrated their baby boy Jesus.

II UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT.

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So, when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. What do we know about Simeon?

Simeon was a man of Justice and devotion to God. We don’t know how old he was, we could well imagine he might have been a hundred years old, as in those days God granted long-life to those who loved Him. (91:16). He must have been following the prophecies of Isaiah, Zechariah, Daniel and Micah, about the Messiah who would be born of a virgin, would sit and reign on the throne of King David and establish his Kingdom on earth etc.

To confirm all those prophecies, the shepherds who went and saw the baby wrapped up in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger, they in turn went around and told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about the child. All those who heard the shepherd’s story were astonished. I am sure this story must have reached Simeon.

This day was unlike any other day, the Holy Spirit led him to the temple exactly at the time when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus. What a timing?  The timing of God is always perfect, never too early or never too late, just the right time. The Holy Spirit positioned Simeon just at the right time at the right place so that his dreams could come true.

It is interesting to note that even before the Holy Spirit physically manifested during the Pentecost, he was fully active and involved in the affairs of the world events. The Holy Spirit gave Simeon an unusual insight into the future of the 40-day old baby Jesus. He took the child into his arms and looked at him. We can only imagine what it might have been like for Simeon.

Here for the very first time he was holding a miracle baby, “The word, God incarnate in the form of a little child. The one who spoke, and everything came into existence, now staring perhaps with some stars in his eyes into the eyes of Simeon. It was for this glorious moment that he had been waiting since the Holy Spirit told him, that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. This is it! This was his unforgettable moment. He could not contain his Joy.

Simeon began to praise God saying: “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Simeon further said to Mary the baby’s mother. “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

What does, “cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise mean”? It means Jesus rises up those who believe in him, but he will be a stumbling block for those who do not believe in him. Later on, we see the apostle Paul making a reference to this prophecy I Corinthians 1:23-24, “So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Jesus’ is indeed the cause for many to rise and to fall.

Jesus came into this world to point people to the father and his love for sinners. Yet many have opposed him then and will even oppose him now. Many people, that includes God’s people the Jews simply take offense at the very mention of the name Jesus. But on the other hand, scores of people have gladly accepted and will continue to accept what Jesus had to offer, the great gift of salvation and become God’s children in His one BIG family. What does this all mean for us today? It means, like Simeon did, we too are called to Behold the Son.

III. BEHOLD THE SON

In this passage Simeon represents humanity in waiting for the Consolation of Israel. i.e; the comfort that the Messiah would bring to his people Israel upon his coming. When he held baby Jesus in his arms, he was beholding the Messiah. What Simeon prophesied of Jesus was very profound. Up until that moment the people of Israel had been waiting for the Messiah to come, comfort and save them from their enemies. But the Holy Spirit opened up Simeon’s understanding that salvation is not only for Israel but for all people of all nations.

As a Gentile himself, Luke was careful to emphasize the truth that salvation was offered for the Gentiles as well as for Jews. Simeon had his unforgettable moment when he saw Jesus. If Simeon were here today, he would like all of us to have that unforgettable moment of beholding Jesus the Son of God. What does it mean to behold the Son for us today?

It means, recognizing that Jesus is the Messiah, the savior of the world. It means believing in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. It means accepting Jesus gift of salvation by confessing our sins and putting our trust in Jesus only. When we do that, we too can have our unforgettable moment of Joy, Peace, and be filled with eternal Hope, that one day when we die, we along with Simeon and millions of other saints will continue to behold the Son.

In closing, did you have your unforgettable moment yet? There is nothing in this entire world as unforgettably joyful, as the day when you behold the Son. If you never experienced that moment, all you need to do is to respond to the beckoning of the Holy Spirit, who would like you to leave this place knowing that your sins are forever forgiven. He wants you to accept the free gift of salvation.  When you behold the Son, He will change your life forever. What more are you waiting for? How long would you push God away in your life? As the scriptures suggest, “indeed the right time is now. Today is the day of salvation.” Amen!

Moving Beyond

MOVING BEYOND

Mark 1:35-45

Introduction: About 350 years ago a shipload of travelers landed on the coast of New England. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness.
            Who needed to go that far anyway some argued?  What has changed? Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles beyond out of town. Did they lose their pioneering vision.[1] What a tragedy that might have been?
            This happened to the early pioneers. This illustration is a reflection of the church in general in our country, but could this reflect our church too? We can start with a great vision but down the road if we don’t maintain it, like the early pioneers, we too can lose our primary vision. We can grow comfortable in just attending church and unwilling to see and move beyond.
            The word “Beyond,” is a word worthy of our attention as we desire and need to move beyond ourselves and beyond our limitations, obstacles, and move beyond and into what God has for our lives in 2019. Let’s not underestimate what God has in mind for Hope Church this year. I believe He wants to take us to places with him that we have never been before. Therefore, it is important to remember God’s vision for our Church. Why do we exist as a church? How can we move beyond? Where are we going from here and what does it take to get us there?  

  I. WHY DO WE EXIST AS A CHURCH?

Imagine these couple of scenarios. On a given Sunday we average about 40 people. Imagine what would Hope Church look like in ten years from now, if no other new people, and families join our Church? Hope Church could become part of the number of churches that are closing their doors every year.  According to one report, “Between 6,000 and 10,000 churches in the U.S. are dying each year. That means around 100-200 churches will close this week.” [2]             Personally, I don’t like to use the term, “Churches are dying,” because the church of Jesus Christ will never die, it will endure forever. It makes me wonder why so many churches are closing their doors each week? The pace will accelerate unless our congregations make some dramatic changes. We don’t want to see the same thing happening to Hope Church.

Imagine another scenario, if every church member in Hope Church assumes the role of a “Minister of the Gospel”, prayerfully goes out and shares the good news of the gospel to one person in 2019, and hopefully that person gets saved and joins our church what would be the strength of Hope Church by 2020, we will have 80 people worshipping in this place. If those 80, repeat the same thing we will have 160 people by 2021. And if that trend continues by 2024, we will have around 1,280 people. Wouldn’t that be awesome to see that many worshipping at Hope Church? We may have to have two or three satellite churches to minister to that many.

I am not all about numbers, but I am all about impacting lives. That’s what I meant when I said, let’s not underestimate what God has in mind for Hope Church in the years to come. What is the reason our church exists? I believe as the scriptures suggest the only one reason why we exist as a church is to carry out God’s vision. What is God’s mandate and his vision?

We find it in the very words of Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark. It is the shortest of the four gospels. It emphasizes the superhuman power of Jesus. Christ is represented as God’s son in action. Mark tells more of what Jesus did than what he said. Like a Hollywood motion picture, the author rushes from one dynamic scene to the next. He uses “immediately” about 40 times to make the transitions, to indicate a sense of urgency.  We will pick up our story from where John the Baptist was taken into custody.  Jesus came into the region of Galilee preaching the good news of the gospel. He called his first two disciples John and James, and right away he took them on a field trip. The came to Capernaum, entered the Synagogue and began to preach.

There he delivers a man possessed with an unclean spirit. Immediately the news about Him spreads throughout the region. He enters Simon’s house and heals his mother in-law which lead him to an evening of healings, miracles and deliverances. Mark notes, Vs 33-34 “The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So, Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons.” After a night of eventful ministry, Jesus did not remain in bed the rest of the day, he got up early in the morning and went up to a lonely place to pray.       Simon and his companions were searching for Jesus, when they finally found him, the said to Jesus “Everyone is looking for you.” What for? Perhaps for more miracles and more healings. But Jesus had something entirely different in His mind. He wanted to move beyond his home town Capernaum. Jesus replied, “we must go on to other towns as well, I will preach to them too. That is why I came. Vs 29, “So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogue and casting out demons.” These words of Jesus, has deeply impacted my life.

It was 1990, by then I left my home town, and serving in YWAM in another city for five years. One day I received news that my mother had passed away. That broke my heart.  As I was getting ready to go to my home town to be with my family, I prayed to the Lord, and said Lord speak to me and give me a word, otherwise once I go home, I may never come back.  

As a male child in the family, the pressure would be too great to stay home and help my dad in running the household. As I waited, the Holy Spirit brought this scripture to my mind. Mark 1:29, “we must go on to other towns as well, I will preach to them too. That is why I came.” Those words clarified my mission and the call of God on my life. After spending a few weeks at home, I came back to YWAM, kept traveling to various locations preaching and teaching the gospel. I never knew then; those words would one day lead me to Sharon.

What happened to me could happen to anyone of us. Whenever we read God’s word, pray, or listen to the preaching, God might be speaking to us all the time, in regards to what our mission and His purpose in this world is. But how many of us are pausing to pay attention to what God is saying to us? When we actually do it, our lives would be radically changed.  

The reason why Jesus came into this world was very clear to him, but not to his disciples, as they were on miracles and healings. Inorder to get them moving beyond their hometown thinking Jesus said, we must go on to other towns as well.  Towards the end of his ministry Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the gospel all over the world. Matthew 28:18-20, “Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Let’s be very clear on one thing, the primary reason why Hope Church exists is to make disciples of all nations (ethnic) groups and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded us to obey, so that in return they too will go out and do the same and the cycle is continued. When we loose sight of this vision we become stagnated.  In the story we read about a man with Leprosy.  If you know anything about Leprosy during Jesus time, it was considered a curse and hence a social stigma. The lepers were often rejected by their family and live on the outskirts in isolation.

Jesus heals this man and strictly tells him to go back to the temple and show himself to the high priest in the temple. This man had a choice, he could back to home town, be restored back to his family and eventually to the community, but instead he chose to go beyond what was familiar and comfortable. Vs 45, “But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened.” In other words, he began to tell his story.

As a result of this one man’s willingness to go beyond, the crowds were amazed at the power of God and kept going to Jesus. In both these incidents we see a key principle at work, i.e.; the power of moving beyond What does moving beyond mean for us today?

II. MOVING BEYOND.
            In the beginning of 2019 I was asking the Lord again to give me a sense of direction for our Church and I felt that the Lord was saying to me that we are to move beyond Hope Church. What do I mean by moving beyond Hope Church? As the time goes by, we tend to grow comfortable with what is familiar and become reluctant and almost resistant to move beyond. Moving Beyond Hope Church may mean several things for us. It may mean doing things that are unconventional, or outside the box. Doing things that we may have never done before.
            Let me explain. At Hope Church, we know each other, love each other, and put up with each other, that is wonderful and a real strength. We attend Bible times, or Connect groups, sit in our couches and study the Bible. This location is familiar and comfortable. There is nothing wrong with that.  But moving Beyond Hope Church means, we will take our Bible Study places.   
            Some church members are opening up their homes, that’s the way to go!  Some groups could take place in Panera’s or Starbucks, we are still exploring that. We will ask ourselves: who is that person or who are the people in my life who need an invitation to one of those groups?  It is exciting when we start seeing all of life as ministry.
            I was challenged by talking with Mathew as the Thomas family came back from India.  Both of Mercy’s brothers work in secular places on in India and another in Riyad Saudi Arabia. In spite of risks involved, both of them take their call seriously and sees themselves as ministers of the Gospel and continue to share their faith with others. There are many who are living in adverse conditions yet remaining faithful to their call.
            How about Christians in America? It appears to me that we care too much about our comfort, safety and pleasure than taking the good news of the gospel to those who desperately need to hear it. The Gospel is indeed the good news, we will be selfish if we just keep it only to ourselves. We are called to take the gospel beyond the for walls of Hope Church. In order for us to move beyond in 2019, we will be doing our connect groups in five different places, on different times and days. Look at the bulletin to find a place where you can join a Connect group.
            On this second Sunday of 2019 I invite you to join us in prayer, studying God’s word and in fellowship, and go out and spread the good news of the gospel. I believe, when we recognize that each believer in Christ at Hope church is a minister of the gospel, a soul winner, and a disciple maker. And when we intentionally and prayerfully be witnesses for Jesus in our schools, work places, homes and communities. We will see the Kingdom of God expanding and, the Lord adding more people to Hope Church.  When that happens, we will continue to remain a resilient, welcoming, and missional Church in Sharon and beyond for many more years to come. Amen!

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[1] Lynn Anderson; Sermon Illustration

[2] https://factsandtrends.net/2018/01/16/hope-for-dying-churches/

Whom Will You Serve?

WHOM WILL YOU SERVE?

(A Covenant at Mt. Shechem)

Joshua 24:14-26

Introduction: On New Year’s Day I got a brief e-mail wishing me Happy New Year and with these questions: I hope you enjoyed 2018 and ready for 2019. What did you do on New Year’s Eve? Did you go anywhere? That made me think what millions of people did around the world that night. For a brief time, as I watched the crowds standing in the rain for 7-8 hours just to see a “Ball Drop.” I wondered how many of them were thankful to God for all he has done for them in the year passed, and how many were entrusting their lives to Him for yet another year ahead of them? The celebrations and the revelry of that night reminded me of the revelry of the Israelites in front of the “Golden Calf” I quietly welcomed the New Year on my knees praying!

            In the passage we read we are faced with a challenging question that Joshua asked the Israelites thousands of years ago, and the response of the Israelites. On this first Sunday of the New Year it would be worth to reflect on that question and prepare ourselves to answer appropriately and make a commitment to walk accordingly. Let’s see under what circumstances this question was asked, how the Israelites responded what are its implications for us today.

HISTORY IN REVIEW: The Book of Joshua describes the conquest of the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Joshua was with Moses throughout the 40 years of the wanderings in the wilderness. He was one of the twelve spies of whom, only he and Caleb got to cross the Jordan river to enter the promised land.  

            He was a man of tremendous faith, courage and leadership ability, who believed that God could do what He promised. In the story we read, he was around hundred years old. He gathered all the tribes of Israel, and elders for a summit on Mount Shechem.  Why Mount Shechem? 

            Mount Shechem was a historically significant sight for the Israelites. Here where the Lord first promised the land of Canaan to Abram (Gen 12:6,7). It was here Jacob destroyed the idols which he had been brought from Mesopotamia (Gen 35:2-5) Here the law of Moses was officially enacted (Josh 8:30-35). Here Joshua challenged the loyalties of the younger Israelites by leading them into a covenant with God. Before that he reviewed Israel’s History.

            Chapter 24 gives us a snap shot of hundreds of years of history all the way from the call of Abraham, slavery in Egypt, mighty battles of God’s redeeming power, the crossing of the Red sea, the Jordan river and their final entrance into the Promised Land.  To hold the younger generation accountable, and help them not to forget God who brought them into this beautiful land in the first place, Joshua invites them to make a covenant with God. 

I. A GREAT INVITATION: Vs 14-15

            Vs 14-15, “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”   Joshua lays out three options before Israel: First, they could return to serve the gods of their ancestors. “Beyond the Euphrates” which is better translated, “on the other side of the river.” Second, they could serve the gods of the Amorites. Amorites was a term, though referring to a specific people, which was also used for all the people living in Canaan. Third, they could follow the example of him and his family i.e. “to serve the Lord.”  For Joshua only one option is open, i.e. together with his family to serve the living God and no one else. I see a number of parallels between the state of Israel then and our current state of affairs. Let’s explore them.

            Serving the gods on the other side of the river or Egypt is like turning our backs on God and going back to live like the way we used to live before our salvation. We all know how miserable and hopeless that live used to be. Serving the gods of Amorites and the land of Canaan is to follow the secular gods of our world. In his book, Jesus Among the secular Gods, Ravi Zacharias deals extensively about them. Some time back our men did a study on this book to refresh your memory here are the secular gods: “Atheism, Scientism, Pluralism, Humanism, Relativism, Hedonism, and I might add to the list, Materialism. 

            Who does Joshua represent in this story? Joshua, in Hebrew means, Yahweh is salvation. Joshua is also the original Hebrew form of the Greek name Jesus. So, we can safely say that Joshua here represents Jesus, but the difference between Joshua and Jesus is huge. Joshua died at the age of 110, whereas Jesus lives forever. Joshua only led the Israelites into the physical promised land (temporarily giving them rest) whereas Jesus will lead us into our eternal promised land, where we are permanently protected against our enemies. (Heb 4:8).

            What about Joshua’s “household then? I believe he was just not only referring to his immediate family and other God-fearing Israelites, but prophetically inviting all the future generations who would follow Christ and come into the family of God as well. Through our study from the Book of Ephesians we have learned, “we have become citizens along with all God’s holy people. We are members of God’s family.” In other words, we are God’s household.         This challenge and the invitation that Joshua gave to the Israelites is as relevant and timely for the Church of Jesus Christ today as then. Unlike never before, we are constantly being bombarded by the media, and the secular people to compromise our faith and abandon our loyalty to God and serve their political and atheistic ideologies.  Let’s keep these in mind as we explore the response of the Israelites and the final covenant that Joshua made involving them.

II. A GREAT DILEMMA & RESOLVE

            The Israelites were presented with three options, along with that a challenge. Joshua said, “choose for yourself today whom you will serve, but as for me and my family we will serve the LORD. Israelites were now in a great dilemma. Whom would they choose? Let us put ourselves in their position, if we were given those three options which one would we choose?

            To serve the Lord God almighty, right? That was exactly what they did. All the people with one voice said: Vs 16, “We would never abandon the LORD and serve other gods…, we too will serve the LORD, for he alone is God.” Mark these words. But to their surprise Joshua replied, are you kidding me! “You are not able to serve the Lord,” but the Israelites insisted and said, “No, we will serve the Lord.” Why did Joshua doubt their commitment to serve the Lord?

            Joshua had strong reasons to doubt their commitment because their ancestors said the same, but failed miserably. After holding them as their own witnesses to what they said, Joshua challenged them with one very practical thing. All right then, Joshua said, destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD God of Israel.

            The people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone. Then Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Mt. Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of the LORD.  As I read through this story, I began to think about my own life and the lives of all of you at Hope Church. What implications this story in the history of Israel would have on us, if we were to face with similar challenges?

III WHOM WILL YOU SERVE?

            On this first Sunday of the year 2019, if Joshua were to come to Hope Church and confronts us with this question, choose for yourself whom will we serve today?  What will we choose? Your future will be determined by the choice you will make today.

            I wish, all of us here would say, like Joshua did, “as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.” If we did that then we are required to do something else, i.e. to destroy the idols among us. You say, shockingly idols! We are Americans, that too we are Baptists, we don’t worship any idols, neither do we bow down to any objects. It is they the heathen in the east or in Africa who worship idols. Yes, in one sense you are right, in the west you may not see such blatant form of idolatry as much as we see in India and other places.

            But it doesn’t mean we don’t have idols among us?  Of course, we do, we just may not recognize them as such. Briefly, what is an idol and idolatry? An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God. The definition of idolatry, according to Webster, is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.”

            The most prevalent form of idolatry in the OT was the worship of images that were thought to embody the various pagan deities. God was angry with those who worshipped idols.   In the N.T Jesus condemned it and Paul warned about the devastating effects of idolatry.    Consider the following scriptures: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”  In Timothy we read “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (I Timothy 6:9-10).

            Unfortunately, these days, many around the world, including many God-fearing Christians greedily run after money, wanting to get rich. Colossians 3:5, “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” Here Greed is equivalent to Idolatry.

            Another form of idolatry is gluttony. In writing to the Philippian believers Paul challenges them to follow his example when it comes to controlling their bodily appetite for food. Phi 3:17-19, “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite,” (their god is their stomach) NIV.

            In the bible excessive eating and drinking are often associated with idolatry. This uncontrollable appetite for food is called, “gluttony.” There could other idols but greed and gluttony are the two most powerful idols that seem to control many people in the world and Christians are not spared either. More can be said about the other idols we secretly worship.

            If we are not watchful, where would our idolatry lead us in the end? Revelation 21:8, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” That is precisely what Yeshua, Jesus came to spare us from. He died on the cross for each of us so that we might cross over that lake of fire and live forever with God in heaven.

            In closing, we are given a challenge on this Sunday, 6^th of January 2019. We are invited to serve God wholeheartedly, by entering into a covenant with Him. We realize, without destroying the idols in our lives, neither can we serve Him nor enter into a covenant with Him.  

Therefore, let’s examine our hearts, what are the idols that we need to destroy? In know, on our own this may not be possible, but by the power of God we can in indeed break free from the control of the idols of our heart and go on to serve God whole heartedly. My prayer is that in this New Year we will experience God’s continued grace as we resolve to serve Him alone Amen!