Jail Sermon #3

Good Morning.

Before I get into the meditation for today, I would like to share a story with you that I recently read. As far as I know, it’s a true story about a man who had just bought a brand new Jaguar. It goes like this:

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!
He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!!" Building up a head of steam he went on. "That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?!!"

"Please, mister, please. I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do!" pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."

Tears were streaming down the boy’s face and dripping down his chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and God bless you," the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to his Jaguar... a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

God whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, He has to throw "a brick" at you. It's your choice: Listen to the whisper--or wait for the brick. …………….

 

I don’t know about you, but given what has happened to me in the past, that story really hit home.

I kept hearing the whisper during my young adult years, I paid only a little mind to it, never listened, and kept on heading in the direction I was. Eventually, as I got older, I heard the whisper a little more, attended church regularly, but never really listened to it. It wasn’t until I got hit with the brick, when my business crashed and I got into trouble with the law, that I finally listened.

What about you? Where are you now? Whisper or Brick?

Our meditation text for today has a lot to do with those questions. In it a man named John – Some of you may know him as John the Baptist – had been wandering in the desert most of his young adult life. During his wandering he ate bugs, locusts, and honey for nourishment. He wore a robe of sackcloth – a kind of burlap – for his regular clothing which may have provided some coolness during the day, was hard to clean, and camel fur which kept him warm during the evening. Temperatures in the desert soar above 100 degrees during the day, and swing to below freezing at night.

John most likely was a sight to behold. His hair was probably very long and ratty, he probably was very dirty and didn’t smell too well. He probably didn’t fulfill anyone’s idea of what a prophet should look like.

But God had a mission for him. I suppose one could speculate that during John’s time in the desert, God was conditioning him to fulfill His – being God’s – purpose in life.

What caused John to wander in the desert? To the extent of my knowledge I don’t know. We could speculate that perhaps he was out there to hide from someone or something. Perhaps he had gotten into trouble, and his existence in the desert was the result of being hit with a brick. We don’t know for sure. There is no reference to what his reason for being in the desert was, except that he was being molded by God to fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

^{5 x}Every valley shall be filled,

^yand every mountain and hill shall be made low,

^zand the crooked shall become straight,

and the rough places shall become level ways,

^aand all flesh shall see ^bthe salvation of God.

This prophecy is the prophecy concerning Elijah, the prophet who was to come before Jesus Christ, to proclaim a message of Repentance and Hope in the coming Savior.

What is Hope? What is Repentance?

Let’s start with repentance. In our meditation text for today Luke 3:3 says:

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming ^sa baptism of repentance ^tfor the forgiveness of sins.

John, God’s messenger, speaks here of a “baptism of repentance” for the “forgiveness of sins” Throughout the new testament there are two types of baptism indicated in the original Greek language. There are “baptizo” and “baptizmai” which are similar in indicating a washing with water. And there is “baptizma” which means to suffer greatly.

The baptism in our text refers to the latter meaning to suffer greatly.

Repentance here in the original Greek is “metonia” which means a change of mind as a result of regret or remorse. And, the word “repentance” here is intended to describe the word “baptism”.

So in essence the definition of the baptism of repentance means a change of mind due to the suffering one has endured that will influence his or her action if presented with the situation again.

This does not mean it is a mere sorrow for a moral lapse and sin against God, or guilt alone, but it is an annoyance at the consequences of an act or course of acts and chagrin of not having known or done what was right.

Another way of putting it is when you do something wrong and your reaction is “Why did I do that? Man that was stupid. I should have listened or I should have known better. I’d better not do that again. Boy I feel bad about that, please forgive me.” That is the repentance that John is talking about here. It isn’t just feeling bad about something and continuing to do it. It is much more complex. Just like our Jaguar owner’s reaction when he found out why his car got hit by a brick, this is God’s desired result of us being hit with a brick. He wants us to pay attention to him and what he has to say.

Some of you may say “well yeah, I’ve done that, I’ve repented, but I keep on doing it.” What about that?

Well, men / ladies there is hope. Hope comes in the form of Forgiveness.

John proclaimed a baptism of repentance that we just learned about. He also said this repentance was for the forgiveness of sins.

When we sin and are made aware of it through any means from a whisper to a brick, what does God tell us to do? Repent. For what reason? To receive forgiveness. To whom do we repent? To God and to those we’ve sinned against, if possible. How many times do we do this? Every time. There’s no limit.

Matthew 18:21 tells us of a disciple of Jesus’ named Peter who asked him a question about forgiveness.

“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often ^ywill my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? ^zAs many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”

Jesus here is not saying that seventy times seven equals 490 so you are forgiven up to 490 sins so make good use of them. No. What he is telling Peter, with his symbolic use of multiples of 7, is forgiveness is eternal, it never runs out for the repentant sinner. You keep repenting, he keeps forgiving.

It is also important to remember this forgiveness is complete. There are no conditions. If you repent of your sin to God, he tells us he will wipe the slate clean. Not because we have done something ourselves to earn that forgiveness, but because of what Jesus Christ did for us through his death and resurrection.

The condition of repeating sins over and over is definitely not unique. We all do it. It is because of our sinful nature. We are sinful from birth. Sin entered our lives thousands of years ago when Adam and Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit. Our sinful nature is here to stay, but God demands that we live a perfect and holy life. How can we do that if we are by our own very nature sinful?

The writer of most of the Gospel books of the Bible, the apostle Paul, wrote in the Book of Romans about this very same problem. He writes in Romans Chapter 7 verses 7 and beyond. “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.” The law being referred to here is Biblical, Civil, and Moral law. And the law shows us our sin. Paul continues, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin…… I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want…..but I do the very thing I hate.” Paul is speaking of all sin and every sin here. He continues, “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” He then follows with, “when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.” And finishes with “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” In essence, Paul is telling us here there is nothing we can do about our sinful condition. We are slaves to it. There is only one way out and God tells us. He says in 2 Corinthians 2:19:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

 His grace was manifested when Jesus died on the Cross for you and me.

Repetition of or addiction to a sin is a ploy Satan uses to wear you down. He wants to wear you down to a point where you quit repenting. He uses the temptation, and the empty promise of feeling good through addictions and repeat sins against you…. to separate you from the love of God, and the salvation His Son Jesus Christ earned for you through his innocent death on the cross.

He knows that if you quit repenting, you will drift away from the blessing of eternal life that God has given to you freely as a gift of his grace, through faith in his Son Jesus Christ. And then he has you.

You may say, “but I’m sick of this sin over and over again….” God can relate and he has made a promise to all of us he says in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

 No temptation (or sin) has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out, that you may be able to endure it.

What is this way out? God puts (Himself through his Word,) people, places, and/ or things in our midst to help us through these trials and in some cases hit us with a brick. God uses people like me, Rick, Bonnie, Ministers of the Word, and different authorities to help. He uses places like jails, hospitals, rehab centers, and safe houses to help. He uses things like 12 step programs, bible studies, mentoring programs, and yes, “bricks” to help.

God wants you to keep repenting. We want to stop sinning over and over again because of what God has done for us by his Grace. We want to do everything we can to stop sinning because of His love for us.

The message John the Baptist brought to the people along the Jordan River and to us was, in part, a message of repentance. We learned that repentance is a change of mind and that once we repent and ask God to forgive us, forgiveness is given freely and without condition. We learned that when we repent of sins over and over again, God forgives over and over again. Repentance and forgiveness then, are a result of and work together with our belief in Jesus as our Savior and what he has done for us.

John’s message was also one of hope. Hope in a Savior that was about to come and begin his ministry, who later in Luke chapter 3 verse 16 John described as

“he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

This hope, …..a true hope…..was brought to us through a virgin birth over 2000 years ago.

Jesus is the Savoir promised to us in the beginning by God the Father. The Son of God, born of a virgin in a stable in Bethlehem. An infant who would grow and live a perfect life in our place to freely give himself as a pure and holy sacrifice and take upon himself the punishment that we deserve and through his blood, suffering, and death, win for us eternal life with him in heaven. We do not deserve it nor are we entitled to it, but we have been given it as a gift by the grace of God and His love for us as He sees us through His pure and holy Son. What more do we need?

God loves us and wants us with him, in heaven, for eternity. This has been given to us freely. All he asks is for us to believe.

Amen

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Jail sermon #5

Our Old Testament reading comes from the book of Exodus chapter 15 verses 1 thru 11:

15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
“I will sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.?a?
5 The deep waters have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 “Your right hand, O LORD,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand, O LORD,
shattered the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty
you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;
it consumed them like stubble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils
the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood firm like a wall;
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 “The enemy boasted,
‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;
I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew with your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
11 “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD?
Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

Our New Testament reading comes from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 thru 11.

15 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance??: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter,? and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.


The text we will consider in our message today comes from the Gospel according to Luke chapter 24 verses 1 thru 12:

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.



It was Sunday, nearly two thousand years ago, a small group of Jewish women had set out to go to the grave of their friend and mentor, who had died on Friday, only a few hours before their traditional Sabbath, which took place on Saturday.

It was Jewish custom that absolutely no work be done on the Sabbath. This custom was so stringent that the mere cracking of a peanut shell would be considered work and grounds for severe punishment. Therefore they had no choice but to wait until Sunday.

The women were going to the grave, a tomb carved out of a rocky hillside, to finish embalming his body and to mourn his death because there was not enough time for them to do so two days prior.

Before we go any further, perhaps it would do us well if we were to recap the events that happened to this man, mentor, and friend prior to his death and burial.

This man was none other than Jesus Christ.

A week ago Sunday, about two thousand years ago, Jesus had entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s colt. His disciples and other followers had honored him singing and shouting “Hosanna, Hosanna” “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”? “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

They also placed their cloaks, tree branches, and palm leaves on the road in front of him, as he rode in to town. They did this because of the unsanitary conditions of the streets.

Any regular citizen would normally have to weave a path through stagnant water, raw sewage, and rotting food. This was normal.

Only when royalty entered town were these kinds of things done for them and to honor them.

Why is this significant you may ask.

The significance of what Jesus has done is immediately apparent to the people who are following. Jesus is consciously fulfilling the words of the prophet Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Matthew and John quote this prophecy in telling the story of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The people spread cloaks on the road as a kind of royal carpet.

They were honoring Jesus as their King

The next few days, Monday thru Wednesday were filled with several events.

Jesus cleared the temple of merchants and peddlers who had desecrated the temple by making it a “den of robbers” as he had put it. They had set up tables and were selling animals for sacrifice and other wares. Something that was forbidden by God’s decree.

He taught his 12 disciples of many different things during these last few days. He preached to his followers.

He also was constantly being hounded by his enemies, the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin and their followers. They wanted Jesus dead. They fought against Jesus’ teachings. They wanted nothing better for Jesus than to push him off of a very tall cliff.

Jesus was bringing the people a message of salvation through repentance and belief in him as their Savior while his enemies taught that salvation came through works and keeping the law.

The enemies of Christ could not get Jesus to fall in their traps, which angered them all the more. They HATED Jesus. They wanted him DEAD. He was causing them all kinds of problems by turning their followers against them.

Then, late on Tuesday night, one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, the corrupt keeper of the treasury, who helped himself to the ministry’s money as often as he wished, who was likely to be disgruntled and angry to the point of hate because Jesus had rebuked him and was not the King whom Judas had expected, came to the Pharisees and agreed to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, which was a miserably small amount of money. Judas had become an instrument of Satan, and he began looking for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them while there were no crowds around.

Satan had taken such full possession of Judas’ soul that he was deaf to all the divine grace and truth he had heard from Jesus’ lips, and which could have made him shrink from the deed he contemplated.

Thursday evening came and it was time to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus had directed two of his disciples to prepare the upper room, where they would celebrate the hasty meal of whole roast lamb, bread made without yeast, and bitter herbs. This wasn’t any regular meal. This was the Last Supper Jesus would have with his disciples. Before the meal, the disciples were arguing with one another about who would be the greatest. In response, Jesus gave them an object lesson and washed his disciples feet, in order to teach them humility. By his example, he taught them that in order to be the greatest they must be the least, just as he was.

This lesson is meant as an example of love. Jesus washed his apostles’ feet, not merely to put them to shame, though he surely did that. He was giving a visual demonstration of the love that forgets to feel superior to others; love that stoops to the lowliest service for the physical and spiritual welfare of others—and is not even conscious that it is stooping; love that pays no attention to the cost of service to a fellow man, especially a fellow believer in Christ. It is self-effacing love that is not bent on recognition and reward, but seeks only the approval of Jesus.
Therefore, “?to wash one another’s feet?” means to practice genuine love toward our fellow men, especially our fellow Christians.

Such love “?does not boast, it is not proud?” (?1 Corinthians 13:4). In other words, it is a humble love that is alert to the needs of others and acts to meet those needs. Of course, we are not capable of such love by nature. We gain it and practice it in some measure only as we have learned it from our great Teacher and Lord.

Later that evening, Jesus predicted Peter’s denial, predicted his death and resurrection, instituted the Lord’s Supper, by which we celebrate communion today, and, while giving him every opportunity to repent, excused Judas from the meal. When Judas left, he became a full disciple of Satan.

After the meal, Jesus and the 11 remaining disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus could pray. Jesus agonized in prayer with his Father in heaven while his disciples could do no more than sleep. It is important to remember that Jesus’ prayers to his father were not those of begging his Father to keep him from experiencing what was about to happen but rather to give him the strength he would need to endure what he had accepted to be his ultimate reason for coming to earth as the Son of God. He was about to substitute for us and pay the ultimate price we owe to God for all of the sins we have committed in our lives. The price of death and complete separation from God.

Enter Judas and his small army. Again, Jesus gives him an opportunity to repent of what he is going to do, but Judas in his unbelief, betrays the Son of God into his enemies hands with a kiss.

Peter tries to fight them off, and cuts off the ear of a servant, which Jesus immediately healed. Jesus is bound, taken into custody, and led off to be tried for blasphemy and insurrection. The small army Judas had brought also tried to seize the disciples but they all fled, one who was caught by his clothing, pulled free from it and fled naked.

Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin and Pharisees where he was tried. Many false witnesses came before the trial and testified but none of their stories matched. Finally, the Chief Priest, Caiaphas asked Jesus directly if he was the Son of God. Jesus of course answered yes. According to Caiaphas, this was enough proof for blasphemy. He asked all assembled what to do with Jesus, they beat him, mocked him, and decided he was worthy of the death sentence.

The country was under occupation by the Romans at the time, and through this occupation, the Jews were not allowed to carry out the death penalty, only the Romans could. So Jesus was brought before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate.

The Chief Priest and Sanhedrin presented their case to Pilate, but Pilate did not take only their word. He decided to question Jesus himself. Pilate took Jesus into the palace and questioned him and discovered there was no basis for the charge. Jesus was an innocent man, truly innocent without blame of any sin of any kind. Pilate also discovered that it was because of jealousy and many other reasons the Jews, who did not believe in the gospel message Jesus had brought to them, wanted him dead.

Pilate tried many times to release Jesus after that. He sent Jesus to the Jewish King Herod who didn’t want anything to do with Jesus except to have Jesus show him a great miracle of some sort, which never happened. Herod and his guards beat him, spat on him, and mocked him. They placed an elegant robe on Jesus and sent him back to Pilate.

When Jesus arrived, Pilate again appealed to the Jews, punishing Jesus by having him flogged, a terrible punishment where a whip with many leather straps interlaced with bits of sharp bone was used to beat and scourge Jesus. A crown of thorns was twisted together and placed on Jesus’ head and hit with sticks. Jesus got it worse than any one else ever would have. The flogging had definitely left the skin on his back and legs in shards, he looked like hamburger. His loss of blood had to be immense. Pilate ordered this punishment in an attempt to set Jesus free. He may have thought that once the Jews saw how badly beaten Jesus was, they would have pity on this innocent man and release him.

The Jews would have none of it. “Crucify!” was what they wanted.

Pilate tried one last time by offering the custom of releasing a prisoner for the Passover. Pilate tried to stack the deck by offering them the worst criminal he had on prison, Barrabus, a man who was a terrorist in his time, who had murdered many, He gave the Jews a choice, Jesus or Barrabus. The Jews chose Barrabus and accused Pilate of being no friend of Cesar, the Roman Emperor.

Pilate, being the politician he was, exercised his political power, and condemned Jesus to die by crucifixion. He tried to put a spin on it by “washing his hands” of what he had done, but by sentencing an innocent man to death, he had become just as guilty as the Jews.

The day was Friday, it was afternoon, and Jesus was nailed upon a cross. He hung there, abandoned by his friends, his disciples, and his God, to suffer our pain, our death and our total separation from God, for us, in our place. When Jesus had paid the price in full, he then gave up his spirit and died.

Jesus’ lifeless body was later taken from the cross and hastily placed in a tomb, because the Sabbath was only a few hours away………

So here we are, back to the women walking to the grave of their friend and mentor, Jesus. They get there ready to finish embalming Jesus, and what do they find? Two very bright and shining angels, and one very empty tomb.

The women are terrified, they were mournful, and extremely depressed and what do they find? The Glory of God. Bright like lightning! Two of God’s holy angels were there and asked the women,
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

Just imagine their astonishment, Jesus? ALIVE? How could this be? We saw him die on Friday! Scripture then tells us in verse 8: 8 Then they remembered his words.

He’s ALIVE! He is RESURRECTED!

Why is this so important? Because if Jesus had not risen from the dead, he would not have overcome the power of sin, and death, and the devil for US! We would all be DOOMED to HELL!

But, by the Grace of God, he accepted Jesus’ pure and holy sacrifice of himself as payment in full for our sins, for all of us! For free!

It says later in scripture, that the women ran back to the disciples to tell them the most awesome news anyone could ever hear.

Just imagine their excitement, joyful screaming and laughter! At this point, the disciples didn’t quite get it yet, but shortly they will, and when they do, they will be shouting from the highest hill tops and lowest valleys of the Good News. Sin, Hell, and Death have been defeated, the grave could not hold the King!

Salvation has been bought for you and me. No longer do we have to wallow in the pity of our sin and condemnation. God has accepted Jesus sacrifice and credited it to US as Righteousness! With NO conditions and NO strings attached. We all have been SAVED through our faith in this promise!

Tomorrow is when Easter, the resurrection of the Son of God and Son of Man, is celebrated in the Christian Church. I would like to leave you with a little hymn verse that I enjoy using when greeting fellow Christians during Easter and the Sundays following. It is simple and reminds me of the gospel message of THE promise made, and THE promise kept it is “Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!” Amen.

May the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. AMEN


The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you,
The Lord look on you with favor, and Give you peace. AMEN

Jailhouse Sermon #2

Our Old Testament reading today is taken from the book of Amos chapter 5 verse 6.

Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.
Amos 5:6.

Our Gospel reading and meditation for today is taken from the book of Mark chapter 10 verses 17-27

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’? ?”
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is?? to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:17-27


Remember when you were a child and you used to pretend there were monsters under your bed? Maybe they were in your closet. Or perhaps they were waiting in the hall to “get” you when you got up from bed to sneak out there to spy on your parents or whatever other reason there may have been

My monster was under my bed. He had red glowing mean eyes. He was big, ugly, and green with sharp teeth and bad breath. He had sharp claws on his hands and feet and kind of looked like an upright lizard with no tail. His breath was so bad it could whither a live plant on contact, it could melt plastic, and if he breathed on me I WOULD DIE I was sure of it. To an adult he looks pretty unrealistic and foolish but to a child, he is very real because he has kidded himself in to believing it is real, and in his mind it IS real even though there is no chance it is.

How many of you currently have some clothes at home in your closet or at the back of the drawer in your chest of drawers that you have kept for years? You know the ones. They are a couple sizes too small or a couple inches smaller in the waist than what you are wearing now. You have kept them all these years because you are going to fit back into them one day most likely around February after you have made your New Year’s resolution and finish your last piece of Lasagna.

Chances are you most likely will never fit into those clothes again. You are kidding yourself but what a great thought! Man, I’m going to fit back into those one day and then I will look GREAT and everything will be awesome because everyone will see that I’ve lost weight, and I will feel better about myself and everyone will love me and think better of me. Right?

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus is approached by a very wealthy man. Most likely he is ruler in a synagogue or perhaps a high ranking government official. He is like the Donald Trump of his era in terms of his wealth.

He falls on his knees before Jesus and says “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus, of course, knew his heart and thoughts, but we can figure out where his heart was and what he thought and felt through that simple question.

Why did he come to Jesus and ask that question in the first place? After all, we soon find out that in his mind he had kept all the commandments Jesus mentioned, if he did that, why would he even need to ask Jesus about eternal life? Obviously, the smart, business savvy man had some doubt in his mind. Doubt that had lead him to question his salvation.

When he falls on his knees at the feet of Jesus, what does he call him? ‘Good teacher’ In the original new testament language of Greek; “Good” was originally agathos meaning one who has good moral qualities. Teacher – didaskalos simply means instructor. So this man was calling Jesus “instructor with good moral qualities.” Was this who Jesus was? Not even close. It was one of the qualities of Jesus but not who he was. Did the rich man get it? Did he understand who Jesus was? Did he understand that Jesus was his Savior? Not a clue. In his mind he was talking to the most popular instructor of scripture during his time, sort of like Billy Graham is to many people today.

If we continue in his question he asks “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” There it is: the confirmation of his unbelief that the man he was talking to was his Savior. “I” “What must I do” He is depending upon himself and his obedience to the law to earn his way to heaven, he’s kidding himself isn’t he? Sort of like the way children kid themselves to believe there are monsters under their beds, or we kid ourselves that we will fit into those clothes again.

The rich man was self righteous and was depending on his good works to get him to heaven.

Jesus then asks him, “Why do you call me ‘good’?” WHAT AN AWESOME OPPORTUNITY!! Jesus has just given the rich man his Golden chance to confess that he believes that Jesus has come to save him from his sins, and that he is the Holy Son of God. Here he is with the most awesome opportunity of his lifetime and what does he do? He says NOTHING! Not a word. The scripture doesn’t indicate it but perhaps he may have shrugged a little, maybe he might have looked around past Jesus, jaw agape, and said “Ahhhhhh…” I don’t believe there are any Greek words for that in the Bible so it wouldn’t be in there.
What would you say? Wouldn’t you at least say SOMETHING? Even if it might be wrong?

Jesus answers this question himself and indicates to the rich man his Deity. Jesus states to the man using his own words, “No one is good – except God alone.” Jesus tells this guy that only God is good, and you have called me good and I have not denied that I am good so do the math, what am I telling you?

“Ahhhhhh……”

The rich man just doesn’t get it, he is so stuck on his self righteousness and good works that he cannot see his salvation standing right there in front him not more than a foot away. He could reach out and touch Him……

Are these the only problems the rich man has? No. Let’s continue. Jesus knows that this rich man is not going to figure out any time soon that he is his Savior so he approaches him from the current Jewish way of life by earning God’s favor through keeping the Law and the 10 commandments. Jesus directly asks the rich man if he has kept the commandments. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother. Finally the guy gets a voice and pipes up: “Yes teacher! I have kept all these since I was a boy!” he’s probably thinking: “Awesome! He’s going to tell me now that I have done well in following the Law and I am going to heaven just like he’s been telling all of these other people!”

But wait a minute…..How many commandments did Jesus list here, aren’t there only seven? Where are the other three? Did Jesus forget them? Is the rich man so special that because he’s rich he only has to follow those seven commandments?

No, Jesus did not forget them, and the man is no more special than you or I, he may have been able to keep the seven commandments concerning his treatment of others and their property, but Jesus knew this man’s heart and he was about to reveal to him that he has sinned against the first three commandments that God gave concerning himself.

What are these three commandments? Let’s start with the second and third, you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God and remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Although there are no direct references to the rich man’s violation of the Sabbath day, one could assume it would be very easy to violate because the commandment during this time was used to prevent any work whatsoever on the Sabbath and Jesus himself had revealed throughout his ministry how all of the Jewish people had violated this commandment. This man was very rich and wouldn’t he work on the Sabbath if he could make money? Perhaps.

How about misusing the name of the Lord? Did he misuse it by not acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God? A sin of omission perhaps? Regardless, we do not know the man’s heart at the time so this is only speculation.

However. Jesus, being a teacher to this man, was using this opportunity as a “teaching moment.” He wanted the rich man to be able to be truthful in his answer so Jesus could point out this man’s sin in order to bring him to repentance.

The rich man was in violation of the first commandment – you shall have no other Gods, and it became especially obvious after his reaction to what Jesus told him next.

Jesus told the man he lacked one thing. He needed to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, then he would have treasure in heaven. Then the man was to come and follow him.

What happened next? The man’s face fell and he went away sad. Why? Because he was filthy rich and did not want to part with it. So when the rich man came to Jesus with his original question he didn’t ask the whole thing. Perhaps he should have asked the question this way: Good teacher, what must I do, other than give up my money, wealth, and power, to inherit eternal life? Or, Good teacher, how can I buy my way to eternal life? This was most likely the reason he had come to ask Jesus about eternal life in the first place.

What sin was the rich man obviously guilty of? It wasn’t wealth. Wealth in itself is not a sin. What did his sadness show of himself? He loved his wealth more than God. His wealth had become his idol, his god.

He was guilty of idolatry. Idolatry can come in many forms. When something becomes more important than God, it becomes an idol. The love of money, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and pornography are a few of the hard ones to deal with but there are much simpler ones in our daily lives that become our idols. When work becomes more important than our relationship with God, it becomes an idol. When the care of a family member becomes more important than our relationship with God, it becomes an idol. When television becomes more important than our relationship with God, it becomes an idol. If surfing the internet becomes more important that our relationship with God, it becomes an idol.

Do you have any idols in your life? Is there something more important than God?

The wealthy man in our gospel reading today was kidding himself. He was thinking that all those good things he did would earn him a spot in heaven, after all, he had kept more commandments than he violated. He was up on the score seven to three, he was winning right? He was ahead of all those other guys in order to make the cut.

Jesus puts that idea to rest very quickly he says, “Children, how hard it is?? to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus is telling us here that we cannot of our own strength, power, or decision ever hope to enter heaven. As a matter of fact he describes that it is easier to force a real camel through the eye of a real needle than it is for us to gain salvation through our own works.

Each one of us is guilty of sin from our birth and God demands that we lead a perfect, sinless life to receive eternal life in heaven. God tells us that in his Word.

Psalm 51 verse 5 says: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Who then can be saved? Jesus concludes his lesson to us in this manner he says: “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Did you hear it? Right there. The last six words. “All things are possible with God.”

Jesus understood the rich man’s heart. He understood the rich man was not interested in what He was about to do for him on the cross, he understood the rich man as well as he understands everyone else. Jesus knows that it is impossible for us to save ourselves through the things we do or don’t do. He understands that we are sinful from birth and can do nothing.

All things are possible with God. These things above all else include our salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven.

So how are we saved? Well, we’ve learned that there is nothing we can do to by our own works to save ourselves. So we need someone to do that for us, we need a Savior. And Jesus is it.

1st Corinthians Chapter 5 verse 21 tells us:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
This verse tells us exactly how Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross after leading a perfect life in our place has saved all of us who believe in Him from eternal death in hell.

God sent his perfect, sinless son Jesus to be our substitute. Through his death by being crucified, he paid the price for all who believe by taking our punishment upon himself. He did this freely without complaint.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection God declared that all who believe in Jesus and His sacrifice now share in the righteousness Jesus has earned for us.

Isn’t it comforting how there are no strings attached, nothing that we have to do, and nothing that we can do to earn our salvation? Jesus shows that to us by his interaction with the rich man in our meditation for today.
Salvation is a gift. Given to us only by the grace of God. We only have to believe and have faith that Christ’s sacrifice has paid for our sins just as God has said. Heaven is ours earned for us by Jesus’ lonely death on a cross.

The Rich man could do nothing to save himself, I can do nothing to save myself and you can do nothing to save yourself. Jesus has already taken care of that for us. Salvation is a gift that we already have. We can only refuse it in our unbelief.

So, as we close for today remember the rich man, who thought he could earn or perhaps even buy his way to heaven. Remember what Jesus taught us through his Word for today, and let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that we can do something to earn our way to heaven ourselves. Jesus has already done that for us.

All we have to do is believe. No Kidding. AMEN.

And now, May the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. AMEN

Jailhouse Sermon #1

Once a month I preach in a local county jail. The following sermon and prayer are what was presented to 14 men and women who are incarcerated for various crimes.

Although I expounded on certain areas of the sermon which is not included in this text, the main point is in tact and very obvious.

This is also officially my first sermon of my "vicar" year. I write that while pressing my tongue in my cheek....(chuckle, chuckle)

I did excerpt a good point from the People's Bible, and included it in the sermon, I just can't remember where.

I suppose I should title it, how about "Faith."

Enjoy.......

Our meditation today is based on the gospel according to Matthew Chapter 17 verses 14 through 20.

14When they came near the crowd, a man approached Jesus. He got on his knees in front of him. 15“Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son. He shakes wildly and suffers a great deal. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to your disciples. But they couldn’t heal him.”
17“You unbelieving and evil people!” Jesus replied. “How long do I have to stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”
18Jesus ordered the demon to leave the boy, and it came out of him. He was healed at that very moment.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private. They asked, “Why couldn’t we drive out the demon?”
20/21He replied, “Because your faith is much too small. What I’m about to tell you is true. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, it is enough.” Matthew 17:14-20


Earlier in the day Jesus and three of his disciples
· Peter
· James
· And his brother John

Had been at the Mount of Transfiguration. They were returning to the other 9 disciples when they found a demon possessed boy with his father, in the midst of a large crowd, surrounded by nine very confused disciples.

Here was a boy possessed by a demon – a fallen angel bent on bringing as much of God's creation into ruin as possible. The nine disciples who had not gone with Jesus up the Mount of Transfiguration were unable to drive it out, though earlier Jesus had given them the authority and the command to do exactly that.

The father knelt before Jesus and pleaded, “Lord, have mercy on my only son.”

Jesus’ first reaction was to denounce the “unbelieving and perverse generation.”

Q. Whom do you suppose Jesus was calling an unbelieving and perverse generation?

· Did he mean that crowd?
· the boy’s father?
· the nine disciples?
· Perhaps Peter, James and John who had just witnessed an incredible miracle themselves?

A. The fact is, all of them might well have been included.

Jesus then rebuked the demon, and it had to leave the boy, but its departure was so violent that the boy, completely exhausted and spent by the ordeal, looked as though he was dead. …………Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and the boy was completely and permanently free from the power of the demon.

Q. Why on this occasion, did those nine disciples fail in casting out this particular demon?

· Were they unworthy?
· Did they not know what they were doing?
· The nine disciples had been given the power to drive out demons by Jesus himself and had become very successful in earlier attempts to cast out demons, why was this time any different?
· Well, what does Jesus say?

A. Because your faith is much too small.

Perhaps you question how those nine disciples’ faith can be too small, after all they ARE Jesus’ disciples aren’t they? They above all people should have the strongest faith of everyone during that time right? Doesn’t that make sense?

Let’s step back a little. There is a popular account of Jesus and Peter where Peter and the rest of the disciples were in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee during a storm. They had traveled a considerable distance from land when they looked to where they had come from and saw what they thought was a “ghost” walking on the water toward them. They began screaming “IT’S A GHOST!!, IT’S COMING TO GET US” It wasn’t until this “ghost” spoke to them that they began to realize who it was. It was Jesus. He told them “Take courage, It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Peter, not sure whether to believe what he heard, or continue in his fear and start paddling as fast… as… he… can… the other way, called out to Jesus and asked him, “Lord if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” So Jesus said, “Come.”

Peter with no other option than to trust the Lord Jesus, focused everything, heart, mind, body, and spirit on Jesus in the distance, got out of the boat and started walking – on top of the Sea of Galilee. It wasn’t until after a few steps, the storm and the crashing waves distracted him and his focus on Jesus and he began to sink. He cried out for the Lord to save him, Jesus reached out his and caught him. Once Jesus had a hold of him on top of the water, he gave him this rebuke,

“Your faith is so small!, why did you doubt me?”

So here we are, just like Peter had done earlier, those nine disciples -in the face of a particularly vile and strong demon who was doing things to this boy by causing him to throw himself into fire, drown himself in water, make his body convulse wildly and foam at the mouth - had most likely began to fear and become distracted by this spectacle. And just like Peter, why did they fail? Because they were distracted by the vileness of this particular demon and most likely began to doubt.

How many times have you been faced with a scary task?

Perhaps one you may see as impossible to complete. Or maybe you have thought you conquered a particular sin only to fall right back in to it again?

All of us in some way have been faced with our own ‘demons’ or our own ‘ghosts.’ These demons and ghosts are our sins, our failures, and our feeble attempts at making things right by our own means through faith in ourselves and our abilities.

We, like the disciples in these accounts, have failed in our attempts to cast out our demons, our sins. Or maybe, we have decided to do what is right and began to do the right things, only to end up sinking away to the original sin we were attempting to make right. We start the task only to lose focus, doubt, and end up disappointing ourselves and the ones we love. Why? Because we also have failed to place our trust and faith in the only true and right place worthy of it,…………………

After Jesus sent the demon away and healed the boy, the disciples asked the Lord why they had been unsuccessful. Jesus scolds the nine men because, in view of the especially violent and viscous demon, which they may have never encountered before, the disciples doubted the promise of Jesus that through faith in Him, the demon would be driven out.

In a similar way, Peter became distracted by the storm and waves and began to doubt that through faith in the power of Jesus, he would be safe and continue to walk on the water.
In both cases they failed in their effort because they doubted in God’s power to accomplish the task.

How did they fail? By depending on themselves and their own understanding and power to solve the situation. They put faith in themselves and not in the power of their Savior where they should. When their faith failed, they were disconnected from Jesus’ power, and by themselves they could do nothing!!

It’s not the quality or quantity of our faith that is important. What matters is the One on whom our faith is founded. If we only think about our faith, we have begun to rely on ourselves. But if we trust in Jesus alone, then our faith is strong because He is the basis for it, and our confidence is rightly placed on our ever faithful Savior and his completely reliable promises.

Faith is always related to a specific promise. When the Lord makes a promise and we take him at his word, that promise is certain to be fulfilled. Jesus promises, for example, that he will provide everything needed for this body and life to those who seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.

The Lord promises to make all things work together for the good of those who love him, and countless Christians across the centuries have learned from personal experience that God does exactly what he promises.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we have this assurance:
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

With faith in this promise of God, many a Christian has triumphed over unbelievable hardships and suffering. Remember these promises always. Cling to them and be richly blessed!

Isn’t it a blessing and comfort to know that by simply trusting in the promises of Jesus and having just a grain of faith, we - you and me - have become an heir to eternal life?

No matter how many times we fail to “do things right” or how many times we disappoint ourselves,… our loved ones… our God…or our Savior by failing to accomplish a task, or perhaps break a promise and fall into an old or new sin, Jesus is ready to forgive us.

Salvation is free, given to you as a gift through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross.

All you need is a grain of faith….believe…..a simple grain of faith can be defined as this…..Just Believe.

Is a mustard-seed faith all you have? Rejoice! Jesus is the firm foundation of your faith. With him nothing is impossible. Every promise he gives you in his word will be fulfilled. No doubt!

AMEN
We Pray,
Increase my faith, dear Savior, for Satan seeks by night and day
To rob me of this treasure and take my hope of bliss away.
But, Lord, with you beside me I shall be undismayed;
And led by your good Spirit, I shall be unafraid.
Abide with me, O Savior, a firmer faith bestow
Then I shall bid defiance to ev’ry evil foe. Amen.

The Prayer (with an adaptation of Luther's Morning Prayer)

PRAYER

In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen. We thank you our Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept us from all harm and danger. Keep us this day also from sin and every evil, that all our doings and life may please you. Into your hands we commend our body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with us, that the wicked foe may have no power over us.

Heavenly Father, you above all else are mighty and powerful, we come before you as your creation unworthy of your forgiveness, deserving only your wrath and punishment, but you, oh Lord, in you infinite grace and mercy sent your Son, Jesus, to serve as our substitute, who took all of the wrath and punishment that we deserve, and paid for our sins in full by living a perfect life for us and giving himself as a selfless sacrifice on the cross and we thank you, Dear Lord for allowing Jesus’ sacrifice to win for us eternal life in heaven.

We bring before you our petitions for your grace and mercy in these trying times, All of us in this room, in countless ways, have sinned against you and our neighbor, we humbly come before you and ask for your forgiveness. We ask that you give us and our families the courage, patience, and strength to endure this hardship. We also ask in the coming days that you give us the strength to bear whatever the results of hearings or sentencing may be, we also humbly ask you to be with us and help us through these judgments.

Father, the men/women in this room have brought personal requests to your feet: Requests for…………………………..

Heavenly Father we place these requests into your hands, understanding that it is by your grace and your providence, that you will answer them.

Father we thank you for the blessing of your word today and come before you and pray as Jesus taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory
for ever and ever.

AMEN…

The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you,
The Lord look on you with favor, and + Give you peace. AMEN

A Little About My Purpose for This Blog

Welcome!

I'm Kris. In my normal daily life I am a mild mannered Construction Manager, but by night and through my spare time I become an even more mild mannered pastoral student. I am studying it as a second career, and I enjoy every minute.

I currently am involved in prison ministry where I prepare and deliver a sermon to the attending inmates of a local county jail, 20 souls on average. I hope to expand to a second county jail in my area soon. I am also deeply involved in other areas of evangelical outreach and inreach

This Weblog will be posted with my sermons, letters, thoughts, and various meanderings. Please feel free to comment on all of the posts.

Just a little disclaimer here. While the vast majority of my work posted here is original, I do occasionally borrow a few quotes, a paragraph or two, and NIV bible verses in my sermons. I feel they demonstrate a point well and I may choose to incorporate them. I will make my best effort to give credit when due. If the quotes are copyrighted, and I, by mistake, don't give credit to the human being who wrote it, allow me to apologize by acknowledging the source of the quote: to God be the Glory!

I also will be commenting on things said publicly by people in the news. I will be sure to give them credit.

I believe in today's society there are a scary amount people following the lies and idols of men. There are so many people that are following lies and half truths, thinking they are right. It is my goal to help these people see their wrongs and change their ways before they meet their maker and have to answer for their lives and give God a good reason why they deserve heaven.

Sounds real righteous doesn't it? If I were a young foolish boy, I'd feel pretty good about that, and go forth with the attitude that it is what I do or what I say will save you.

I am firmly convinced that God can handle that on his own and doesn't need me to save people. He's already taken care of that. I am just his messenger, and his humble servant devoted to His truth. Pointing out the lie, showing and explaining that truth to you is my mission, what you do with it is up to you.

God has already saved you. He has also given you a free will to choose to refuse this saving gift of salvation in unbelief. I encourage you to ask questions, leave comments, debate me.....whatever.

Profanities will be deleted, but not necessarily the entire post if it is conducive to a good discussion.

So please, read on, enjoy, and may God bless you.