A popular skit series from the television show Saturday Night Live was about an individual named Pat whose character was intentionally made to be gender neutral. The point of the skits were to put Pat in various situations in which one could try and figure out if Pat was male or female. However, things were left so vague that one was always left wondering. The cast of Saturday Night Live made people laugh at the absurdity and awkwardness of something that should be quite clear yet was hard to define in this one individual.
How much of life is like this? Imagine if my references from when I was trying out for the preaching opening here at Garden Ridge made glowing statements like, “I am pleased to say that this candidate is a former colleague of mine”; or, “I can assure you that no person would be better for the job”; or, “I would urge you to waste no time in making this candidate an offer of employment.” Huh? What would they mean? Are these positive statements, or negative ones? (Go back and read each one again from both perspectives.)
I believe we have done the same thing with some of our different religious terms. One example of this would be the word, “disciple”. Ask a group of people what it means to be a disciple and you will get a lot of different answers. Some would be positive and some would not! Perhaps, the reason for this is because we fall into the trap of letting the world define what this means instead of allowing the Scriptures to provide its own definition. What was Jesus calling people to be and do when He invited them to follow Him and become His disciples? How much of what He desired from those walking with Him in His time applies to us in this present age? How much of what the first disciples were able to do in His name should we be able to accomplish?
One book that powerfully deals with the concept of discipleship throughout its pages is the Gospel of John! He begins his gospel on the very high plain of God creating through His Son, Jesus, and then sending Him to His creation to “explain” (the Greek term means to exegete) God. In so doing, His goal was not to bring God, His Father, down to the level of mankind, but to help mankind attain to the level of His Father! This is why John will make statements like, “there was the true light which, coming into the world enlightens every man”; and “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:9, 12). Do you see by these statements that we are called to His level? He enlightens us, not vice-versa! As a child of God, I am to live according to the ways of my Father, thus proving I am part of His family (See John 8:39-47 for a scathing discussion on being true children of God).
John helps define what a disciple is and what he does in three powerful quotes of Jesus found in John 8:31; 13:35; and 15:8. These are descriptive marks one must portray in order to truly be a disciple of Jesus. He calls His followers to: (1) abide (or live) in His word, which will set us free; (2) to love one another; and (3) to bear much fruit. Over the next three weeks I hope to take each of these statements made by Jesus and discuss what the implications are for our lives today. Following that, we will consider the cycle of maturity Paul prays for in Colossians 1:9-12 and how we can implement this in our daily living and ministries here at Garden Ridge.
Please recognize that the leadership at Garden Ridge is committed to searching out the truth of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and then challenge the members of this body to strive to live according to His high standard. We do not want to present a weak or impotent picture of what it means to be a follower of Jesus to our community, or one another, so that it is abundantly clear what a GREAT thing it is to be a disciple of Jesus and a child of God.
-Scott
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
What is Our Purpose?
Imagine a shoe manufacturing plant that has been operating for two years without ever producing shoes. Employees have been hired; safety procedures have been approved; machinery has been purchased and tested and maintained; insurance has been bought; a cafeteria has been staffed and operated; even marketing strategies and shipping procedures have been implemented. However, what is the point of all this activity if the plant doesn’t manufacture shoes?
Do you suppose we have ever been guilty of going through the motions of religion without fulfilling the very things our religion is supposed to be about? Jesus commanded His followers to “go and make disciples”! Of all the things we do as a church, if we are not doing this, we are not truly functioning as the “body of Christ”, are we? As His body, shouldn’t our main activity be bringing people to God; training them in His ways so they are equipped to stand in the battle for their soul? Shouldn’t reaching into the darkness to rescue the perishing and equipping others who already understand their need for Jesus as their Savior be our primary goals? All the church activities, charity and service projects don’t mean much if we are not helping people see their need to be in a deep bond of intimacy with God!
Indulge me in a very personal illustration for the Garden Ridge family. Suppose we had a Christian School we facilitated on our premises and a great amount of time, energy and financial backing were given to this effort. Suppose the school grew to provide training for over 200 students each year. Staff and teachers were hired; playgrounds were built and maintained; auctions were held to promote the school and to help with new programs; scholarship funds were started and maintained; etc. However, suppose the church family did not know the families who sent their children to school throughout the year and had very little contact with the students. Would they be missing out on a beautiful opportunity to fulfill Jesus’ command to go and make disciples?
Imagine if the church family became more intentional about making disciples and made efforts to make the most of a resource already easily accessible. What might happen? Suppose Life Groups adopted classes and held birthday parties and other fun activities for the students? How might that speak to their parents? Suppose children who graduated were presented with Bibles in the assembly of worship and their parents were treated as guests of honor. Consider what might happen if students were followed up on each year after they graduated to see how they were doing spiritually and if this church family could help them grow closer to God. Suppose families were contacted each semester to see if they had a church home and if there were any prayer needs they had that our church family could lift up before God for them. Imagine if parenting seminars with free babysitting were done specifically for families in the stage of life these families are at. Could these things open more doors to evangelize and train disciples?
If our purpose is to make disciples (and I firmly believe this is first and foremost what God calls us to do), then we must evaluate each ministry and activity we do as part of the body here at Garden Ridge and consider how we might make the most of the opportunities already before us. We must become more intentional about finding ways to reach out with the Good News we hold dear. God will provide the growth, but we must plant the seed! Are we ready to grow? Not if we lose sight of our purpose! There are a lot of shoeless people that need us to do our job.
What does it mean to be a disciple? Over the next several weeks my articles will provide some biblical insight into what God calls us to as disciples of Jesus. We will look at various characteristics of disciples and the process of maturation Paul prays for when writing Colossians.
-Scott
Do you suppose we have ever been guilty of going through the motions of religion without fulfilling the very things our religion is supposed to be about? Jesus commanded His followers to “go and make disciples”! Of all the things we do as a church, if we are not doing this, we are not truly functioning as the “body of Christ”, are we? As His body, shouldn’t our main activity be bringing people to God; training them in His ways so they are equipped to stand in the battle for their soul? Shouldn’t reaching into the darkness to rescue the perishing and equipping others who already understand their need for Jesus as their Savior be our primary goals? All the church activities, charity and service projects don’t mean much if we are not helping people see their need to be in a deep bond of intimacy with God!
Indulge me in a very personal illustration for the Garden Ridge family. Suppose we had a Christian School we facilitated on our premises and a great amount of time, energy and financial backing were given to this effort. Suppose the school grew to provide training for over 200 students each year. Staff and teachers were hired; playgrounds were built and maintained; auctions were held to promote the school and to help with new programs; scholarship funds were started and maintained; etc. However, suppose the church family did not know the families who sent their children to school throughout the year and had very little contact with the students. Would they be missing out on a beautiful opportunity to fulfill Jesus’ command to go and make disciples?
Imagine if the church family became more intentional about making disciples and made efforts to make the most of a resource already easily accessible. What might happen? Suppose Life Groups adopted classes and held birthday parties and other fun activities for the students? How might that speak to their parents? Suppose children who graduated were presented with Bibles in the assembly of worship and their parents were treated as guests of honor. Consider what might happen if students were followed up on each year after they graduated to see how they were doing spiritually and if this church family could help them grow closer to God. Suppose families were contacted each semester to see if they had a church home and if there were any prayer needs they had that our church family could lift up before God for them. Imagine if parenting seminars with free babysitting were done specifically for families in the stage of life these families are at. Could these things open more doors to evangelize and train disciples?
If our purpose is to make disciples (and I firmly believe this is first and foremost what God calls us to do), then we must evaluate each ministry and activity we do as part of the body here at Garden Ridge and consider how we might make the most of the opportunities already before us. We must become more intentional about finding ways to reach out with the Good News we hold dear. God will provide the growth, but we must plant the seed! Are we ready to grow? Not if we lose sight of our purpose! There are a lot of shoeless people that need us to do our job.
What does it mean to be a disciple? Over the next several weeks my articles will provide some biblical insight into what God calls us to as disciples of Jesus. We will look at various characteristics of disciples and the process of maturation Paul prays for when writing Colossians.
-Scott
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The Race
When everything is said and done, what will you have accomplished that is truly exemplary? When you reach the Finish Line of life, what accolades will be awaiting you? Could it be that there is an enemy running alongside of us trying to trip us up or lead us down the wrong path?
A story is told of two paddleboats that left Memphis at the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they were traveling side by side, words were exchanged, competition flared, and the two boats began racing to see who could reach their destination first. One of the boats began falling behind because it was running short of fuel. There had been plenty brought aboard for the entire journey, but not enough once they began to race! As the boat fell back, the captain took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the furnace. The response was immediate—the little boat picked up speed. The captain proceeded to fuel his boat with the material he had been assigned to transport down to New Orleans. He ended up winning the race, but burned up his cargo!
Could it be that we have fallen into the same trap when it comes to family responsibilities? One husband, out to prove his love for his new wife, swam the deepest river, crossed the widest desert and climbed the highest mountain. Unfortunately, she divorced him because he was never home! Too many of us get caught up in the rat race of life, striving to see, do and conquer more than any who have come before us. As a result, we often lose sight of the precious cargo that is right before us—our families! How many times have they been sacrificed in the quest for something truly amazing that winds up being only superficial and temporary?
Garden Ridge is a church that believes in the priority of developing healthy families according to the will and plan of God. With this in mind, the elders have seen to it that there are several tools in place to assist families in a variety of areas to challenge them and help them maintain proper priorities in all areas of family life. Programs such as Financial Peace, Dynamic Marriage, and Celebrate/Recovery are incredible tools for developing healthier families! “What are these”, and “How can they help me”, you ask? Consider the following:
Financial Peace University is a 91-day program designed to help couples learn how to pay off debt and build financial security through training and accountability. Several couples have already participated in this program and have paid off vast amounts of debt as well as started savings plans that have helped them become more responsible financially, and less stressed out emotionally.
Dynamic Marriage is an 8-week interactive marriage program in which the participants learn the plan of God for marriage and how to fulfill the roles He has designed husbands and wives to play. It is a communication training exercise in which couples learn how to speak love to one another in a way they will hear, and meet one another’s needs so they grow in intimacy.
Celebrate/Recovery is a Bible based recovery program designed to help people find and experience God’s healing power in whatever areas are stripping this away. This would include areas such as: overworking, divorce, food addiction, overspending, physical and/or sexual abuse, lying, perfectionism, fear and/or anxiety, sexual addiction, guilt, eating disorders, grief, hurtful relationships, rejection; control issues, insecurity, anger, gambling, alcohol and/or drugs, and co-dependency. In other words, this is a training, fellowship and accountability program for dealing with destructive behaviors or hurts that can adversely affect one’s family life.
Interestingly, as my mom used to say, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Good programs are not worth much if, like the paddle-boat captain, we forget what our mission is and get caught up in some other task or pursuit that actually destroys the core of what we are. Remember what will truly last and set your sights on achieving that so there will be no heartache at the end of the race!
-Scott
A story is told of two paddleboats that left Memphis at the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they were traveling side by side, words were exchanged, competition flared, and the two boats began racing to see who could reach their destination first. One of the boats began falling behind because it was running short of fuel. There had been plenty brought aboard for the entire journey, but not enough once they began to race! As the boat fell back, the captain took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the furnace. The response was immediate—the little boat picked up speed. The captain proceeded to fuel his boat with the material he had been assigned to transport down to New Orleans. He ended up winning the race, but burned up his cargo!
Could it be that we have fallen into the same trap when it comes to family responsibilities? One husband, out to prove his love for his new wife, swam the deepest river, crossed the widest desert and climbed the highest mountain. Unfortunately, she divorced him because he was never home! Too many of us get caught up in the rat race of life, striving to see, do and conquer more than any who have come before us. As a result, we often lose sight of the precious cargo that is right before us—our families! How many times have they been sacrificed in the quest for something truly amazing that winds up being only superficial and temporary?
Garden Ridge is a church that believes in the priority of developing healthy families according to the will and plan of God. With this in mind, the elders have seen to it that there are several tools in place to assist families in a variety of areas to challenge them and help them maintain proper priorities in all areas of family life. Programs such as Financial Peace, Dynamic Marriage, and Celebrate/Recovery are incredible tools for developing healthier families! “What are these”, and “How can they help me”, you ask? Consider the following:
Financial Peace University is a 91-day program designed to help couples learn how to pay off debt and build financial security through training and accountability. Several couples have already participated in this program and have paid off vast amounts of debt as well as started savings plans that have helped them become more responsible financially, and less stressed out emotionally.
Dynamic Marriage is an 8-week interactive marriage program in which the participants learn the plan of God for marriage and how to fulfill the roles He has designed husbands and wives to play. It is a communication training exercise in which couples learn how to speak love to one another in a way they will hear, and meet one another’s needs so they grow in intimacy.
Celebrate/Recovery is a Bible based recovery program designed to help people find and experience God’s healing power in whatever areas are stripping this away. This would include areas such as: overworking, divorce, food addiction, overspending, physical and/or sexual abuse, lying, perfectionism, fear and/or anxiety, sexual addiction, guilt, eating disorders, grief, hurtful relationships, rejection; control issues, insecurity, anger, gambling, alcohol and/or drugs, and co-dependency. In other words, this is a training, fellowship and accountability program for dealing with destructive behaviors or hurts that can adversely affect one’s family life.
Interestingly, as my mom used to say, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Good programs are not worth much if, like the paddle-boat captain, we forget what our mission is and get caught up in some other task or pursuit that actually destroys the core of what we are. Remember what will truly last and set your sights on achieving that so there will be no heartache at the end of the race!
-Scott
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Go And Make Disciples!
Deeann, Whitney and I have been overwhelmed by the loving care we see the members of this body share with one another here at Garden Ridge! When our family members come to visit, they all remark on the friendliness and spirit of joy they encounter as they worship and fellowship with the body here. It is uplifting and refreshing to the soul! It is a testimony to the Spirit of God working among His people to produce fruit. (Now don’t go letting this give you the big head!)
As a result of this type of love for one another and joy in worshiping the Lord we have seen God doing some powerful things all around us. 2008 has started off with awesome things happening as each week this year we have seen our church family grow. Thus far, in 2008, we have seen 5 new births into the Lord and 15 individuals express interest in being part of the church family here. (Let God receive the glory for this!) However, with this type of growth we need to consider how we will help people connect to the church family in ways that encourage spiritual maturation and empowerment so individuals are confident and equipped to put their talents and passions to work in ways that serve the Lord, one another, and our community.
The eldership and ministry staff have been meeting to try and organize a process for helping each member move forward in their spiritual growth so they become tools in God’s hand and ambassadors who can serve within His will, while also providing a witness that attracts many more to realize their need to live within a bond of covenant love with their Father in heaven. The goal is to make disciples—just as Jesus called His apostles to do as He prepared to ascend back to the Father. The task is to provide training, love, support, encouragement, empowerment, accountability and opportunity to grow in our understanding of God and His ways and to put our faith into practice in real ways that make an eternal difference. The process is multi-layered.
One of the things each member should realize is the importance of the various types of group encounters provided through the various classes, worship times and ministries at Garden Ridge each week. It would be ideal for each member to be involved in a time of worship with the whole church family; a time of more intensive Bible study (at least once a week); and a time of small group interaction to develop intimacy with others in the family and have accountability from some who really know what is going on in our lives each week. That is why there are Bible classes and Life Groups to participate in beyond the worship time we have together on Sunday. Each of these provides a dynamic for spiritual growth that the others cannot offer.
In addition to this, each of us must learn to exercise our faith by putting it to work in practical ways. Our talents and passions need to be employed in the work of the Kingdom so that our God is presented as real and His ways as truly beneficial in everyday living. A faith that does not work is useless (or barren—as the word James uses in James 2:20 also means) and we all know what Jesus did to the fig tree that was barren in Mark 11:13-14, don’t we? Putting our faith to work shows it is part of us and not just something we give lip service to. Our “religion” actually becomes a lifestyle; part of our character and personhood.
This is what Jesus was calling us to as He told His followers to “make disciples”. He wants us to follow Him, learn from Him, and draw others to Him as ambassadors of God, helping people see the reconciliation available to them in their relationship with God. He wants us to be intentional in the way we use our time, talents, resources and opportunities so we consistently grow in the ways of our Father in Heaven.
Most of us have already signed up for this—let the training and service continue!!!
-Scott
As a result of this type of love for one another and joy in worshiping the Lord we have seen God doing some powerful things all around us. 2008 has started off with awesome things happening as each week this year we have seen our church family grow. Thus far, in 2008, we have seen 5 new births into the Lord and 15 individuals express interest in being part of the church family here. (Let God receive the glory for this!) However, with this type of growth we need to consider how we will help people connect to the church family in ways that encourage spiritual maturation and empowerment so individuals are confident and equipped to put their talents and passions to work in ways that serve the Lord, one another, and our community.
The eldership and ministry staff have been meeting to try and organize a process for helping each member move forward in their spiritual growth so they become tools in God’s hand and ambassadors who can serve within His will, while also providing a witness that attracts many more to realize their need to live within a bond of covenant love with their Father in heaven. The goal is to make disciples—just as Jesus called His apostles to do as He prepared to ascend back to the Father. The task is to provide training, love, support, encouragement, empowerment, accountability and opportunity to grow in our understanding of God and His ways and to put our faith into practice in real ways that make an eternal difference. The process is multi-layered.
One of the things each member should realize is the importance of the various types of group encounters provided through the various classes, worship times and ministries at Garden Ridge each week. It would be ideal for each member to be involved in a time of worship with the whole church family; a time of more intensive Bible study (at least once a week); and a time of small group interaction to develop intimacy with others in the family and have accountability from some who really know what is going on in our lives each week. That is why there are Bible classes and Life Groups to participate in beyond the worship time we have together on Sunday. Each of these provides a dynamic for spiritual growth that the others cannot offer.
In addition to this, each of us must learn to exercise our faith by putting it to work in practical ways. Our talents and passions need to be employed in the work of the Kingdom so that our God is presented as real and His ways as truly beneficial in everyday living. A faith that does not work is useless (or barren—as the word James uses in James 2:20 also means) and we all know what Jesus did to the fig tree that was barren in Mark 11:13-14, don’t we? Putting our faith to work shows it is part of us and not just something we give lip service to. Our “religion” actually becomes a lifestyle; part of our character and personhood.
This is what Jesus was calling us to as He told His followers to “make disciples”. He wants us to follow Him, learn from Him, and draw others to Him as ambassadors of God, helping people see the reconciliation available to them in their relationship with God. He wants us to be intentional in the way we use our time, talents, resources and opportunities so we consistently grow in the ways of our Father in Heaven.
Most of us have already signed up for this—let the training and service continue!!!
-Scott
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Do You Have an Emotional, Intellectual, or Willful Relationship With Jesus?
What type of relationship do you have with Jesus? What type do you want to have? There are three elements one should involve in developing a covenant bond with Jesus: the emotions, the intellect, and the will. Typically, we begin with emotions, move to the intellect and finish with the will. Take a young man becoming attracted to a young woman for example. His emotions could get him into trouble if they were acted upon alone. Rushing into a relationship solely based upon emotion is a train wreck waiting to happen! The intellect should slow down the emotional response causing him to question things such as whether they are compatible, or if he is financially able to support a dating relationship, or what they will do if this should move on to something deeper. This is where some of the time element that goes into dating comes into play, so the two can get to know each other well enough to make both an emotional and intellectual decision about where their relationship should go.
However, there is a third element that must also be considered—the will! The will goes beyond the feelings of emotion and the rationale of the intellect to the very heart of commitment. The will is what one uses to decide about changes in lifestyle and the cost they are willing to pay in order to follow through on one’s decision. The will is the part that will hang in there when the emotions are not quite feeling it and the intellect is in doubt. The will is the glue that holds these other transitory elements together.
The text for the sermon this morning (Luke 4:14-5:11) includes three challenging stories. In the first one (4:16-30), Jesus is in His hometown and goes to the synagogue to proclaim God’s year of Jubilee. However, because the townspeople can only see Him as Joseph’s son (V. 22) instead of God’s Son (as has been emphasized consistently throughout our study of Luke), they wind up seeking to kill Him by the time He finishes teaching them (V. 28-29). This is a story of emotion! The townspeople who watched Jesus grow up are excited about His message of Jubilee, however, once He begins challenging their intellect and will, they let their emotions drive them to seek to destroy Him.
This is followed by a story of intellect (Luke 4:31-43)—the healing of the demon possessed man in the synagogue! In this account, the people let their emotions cause them to marvel at the authority and power in Jesus’ teaching (V. 32, 36) to the point that they search for Him when He withdraws to a lonely place. They then want Him to stay with them so they can learn more (V. 42). These people are searching and hungry to be with Jesus, but we are not told of any of them changing their lifestyle to follow Him!
That is where the third story comes in (Luke 5:1-11)—where Jesus teaches from Simon’s boat and then takes them out fishing. Simon has already encountered Jesus when He healed his mother-in-law (4:38-39). He has heard Him teach and witnessed a miraculous catch of fish. It moves him to confess he is a sinful man (5:8) and to feel unworthy to be with Him, however, when Jesus offers to make him a fisher of men he leaves everything to follow Him (5:10-11). This is a decision of the will to change his lifestyle and take on new commitment, even at great cost!
So, which story best describes your walk with Jesus? Are you in an emotion-level relationship in which you bounce all over the place, based upon the feelings of the day? Or, are you in an intellectual-level relationship in which you are searching to know more so you can figure Him out? You long to be with Him, but not to the point of making commitment or changing lifestyle. What He wants you to reach is a will-level relationship so you will live sold out to Him and pay the price to walk with Him, whatever it takes! He wants your heart in a bond of covenant! Are you willing to surrender this to Him?
-Scott
However, there is a third element that must also be considered—the will! The will goes beyond the feelings of emotion and the rationale of the intellect to the very heart of commitment. The will is what one uses to decide about changes in lifestyle and the cost they are willing to pay in order to follow through on one’s decision. The will is the part that will hang in there when the emotions are not quite feeling it and the intellect is in doubt. The will is the glue that holds these other transitory elements together.
The text for the sermon this morning (Luke 4:14-5:11) includes three challenging stories. In the first one (4:16-30), Jesus is in His hometown and goes to the synagogue to proclaim God’s year of Jubilee. However, because the townspeople can only see Him as Joseph’s son (V. 22) instead of God’s Son (as has been emphasized consistently throughout our study of Luke), they wind up seeking to kill Him by the time He finishes teaching them (V. 28-29). This is a story of emotion! The townspeople who watched Jesus grow up are excited about His message of Jubilee, however, once He begins challenging their intellect and will, they let their emotions drive them to seek to destroy Him.
This is followed by a story of intellect (Luke 4:31-43)—the healing of the demon possessed man in the synagogue! In this account, the people let their emotions cause them to marvel at the authority and power in Jesus’ teaching (V. 32, 36) to the point that they search for Him when He withdraws to a lonely place. They then want Him to stay with them so they can learn more (V. 42). These people are searching and hungry to be with Jesus, but we are not told of any of them changing their lifestyle to follow Him!
That is where the third story comes in (Luke 5:1-11)—where Jesus teaches from Simon’s boat and then takes them out fishing. Simon has already encountered Jesus when He healed his mother-in-law (4:38-39). He has heard Him teach and witnessed a miraculous catch of fish. It moves him to confess he is a sinful man (5:8) and to feel unworthy to be with Him, however, when Jesus offers to make him a fisher of men he leaves everything to follow Him (5:10-11). This is a decision of the will to change his lifestyle and take on new commitment, even at great cost!
So, which story best describes your walk with Jesus? Are you in an emotion-level relationship in which you bounce all over the place, based upon the feelings of the day? Or, are you in an intellectual-level relationship in which you are searching to know more so you can figure Him out? You long to be with Him, but not to the point of making commitment or changing lifestyle. What He wants you to reach is a will-level relationship so you will live sold out to Him and pay the price to walk with Him, whatever it takes! He wants your heart in a bond of covenant! Are you willing to surrender this to Him?
-Scott
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Tempted To Be Something You Are Not?
How far will you go to make a name for yourself? What could the devil offer you to sell out the desire God has for your life in order to make of yourself what you want? Are there things tantalizing you that will draw you away from God rather than closer to Him?
Greek mythology tells of a king named Tantalus who wanted to be more than he was. He befriended the ruler of the gods—Zeus himself—and was soon invited to take part in
the feasts and banquets that were held on Mount Olympus. Here he was able to dine on the nectar and ambrosia that was reserved as food only for the gods.
Greek mythology tells of a king named Tantalus who wanted to be more than he was. He befriended the ruler of the gods—Zeus himself—and was soon invited to take part in
the feasts and banquets that were held on Mount Olympus. Here he was able to dine on the nectar and ambrosia that was reserved as food only for the gods.
What does Tantalus do with this new found success and privilege? He decides to use his status to become popular with his friends who are mortals back on earth. Instead of showing gratitude to Zeus for blessing him with such privilege, he steals from the gods and brings their nectar and ambrosia down to humanity. This, of course, will not go unpunished!
The reaction of the gods was to destroy his kingdom and then Zeus struck him dead. However, in the Underworld Tantalus was sentenced to stand in the river of Hades with water up to his chin. Above him was a tree with clusters of delicious fruit hanging just above his head. Every time Tantalus tried to drink the water, it would recede beyond his reach and every time he reached for the fruit, it would be blown out of his reach. He was, thus, doomed to suffer hunger, thirst and unfulfilled desire forever. (This is the story from which we get the word tantalize.)
What kinds of things tantalize you? This morning we will see how the devil came to Jesus in an attempt to get Him to be something He was not. The devil said to Jesus twice, “If you are the Son of God . . .” and proceeded to try to talk Him into doing things that went against the nature or will of God (Luke 4:3, 9).
Wait a minute—isn’t Jesus the Son of God? Of course He is, but what does that mean? By turning stones to bread or jumping off the Temple He would be taking God off of the throne and putting Himself in that position! He would be providing for His own needs instead of trusting God to provide, and He would be making God serve Him by saving Him instead of Him serving God!
What the devil really wanted was for Jesus to use the things of God for His own glory and to serve Himself (much like Tantalus took the ambrosia and nectar of the gods for his own glory)! In other words, the devil tried to get Jesus to live up to the picture he had of the Son of God rather than the expectation God had! How many times do we fall into the same trap? How many times do we expect of Jesus things outside of what God expects? Hopefully, we will learn this morning to avoid the temptation to be something we are not, allowing God to sit on the throne of our heart while we trust Him to provide for us and protect us!
-Scott Jarvis
Sunday, February 3, 2008
A Call for a New Kind of Kingdom
Imagine you had access to a time machine and could travel back in history to see any event as it was happening! What would you want to see first? What event in history is so incredible, inspiring, unique and important that it would be at the top of your priority list? My thoughts went immediately to the crucifixion of Jesus. To see God in human form surrender to the evil of this world in order to overcome it would be overwhelming!
I cannot imagine the wide range of emotion I would feel! Part of me would want to do anything I could to ease His burden. Part of me would want to hug Him and look into His eyes and tell Him how sorry I am for doing the things I did that put Him on that cross! I would want to shout praise and encouragement to God for enduring the mistreatment and death of His Son! I would want to try to persuade the religious leaders and Romans to realize what they were doing so it was not in vain for even one person! And then there would be this part of me that would be angry!
How could I not be angry? As I tried to soak up everything going on all around Jesus, it would get under my skin that there was a group of soldiers huddled at the foot of the cross trying to decide how to split up the belongings of Jesus (See John 19:23-25)! How could they become so calloused that they would wonder what they were going to get out of the crucifixion of the Son of God? Could they really be this self-absorbed? And then that would make me wonder how many times I had approached the cross of Jesus with my own agenda! How many times during the partaking of communion have I acknowledged that there was a man hanging on a cross (that is, after all, why we are gathered together), but I came with my own appetite to satiate and my own agenda to fulfill? How many times have I looked for what I would get out of it rather than stopping to appreciate what Jesus was doing for me?
Perhaps that is why John the Baptist, the one whose job it was to “make ready the path of the Lord”, talked the way he did when people started to come out to him to be baptized (Luke 3:7-9). Calling people a brood of vipers and questioning their motives for coming out to be baptized does not seem politically correct or religiously polite. Shouldn’t someone blow their whistle and call a foul? Shouldn’t we be concerned about offending people and running them off?
John was much more concerned with true repentance! It doesn’t matter that they are Abraham’s children (V. 8)—God can make more from the stones of the ground! It doesn’t even matter whether they were baptized if they don’t produce the good fruit they were created to bear (V. 9). How can they withhold from those in need (V. 11); exploit one another (V. 12-13); or resort to extortion and bearing false witness (V. 14) if they are truly of the Father? No wonder the axe was already “laid at the root of the trees”!
Should we be concerned about falling into the same traps? Are you here this morning wondering what you are going to get out of Bible class or the worship time? Perhaps it would be time better spent simply reflecting on what it is Jesus has done for us and marveling at the extent He would go to in order to make us right with the Father!
-Scott Jarvis
I cannot imagine the wide range of emotion I would feel! Part of me would want to do anything I could to ease His burden. Part of me would want to hug Him and look into His eyes and tell Him how sorry I am for doing the things I did that put Him on that cross! I would want to shout praise and encouragement to God for enduring the mistreatment and death of His Son! I would want to try to persuade the religious leaders and Romans to realize what they were doing so it was not in vain for even one person! And then there would be this part of me that would be angry!
How could I not be angry? As I tried to soak up everything going on all around Jesus, it would get under my skin that there was a group of soldiers huddled at the foot of the cross trying to decide how to split up the belongings of Jesus (See John 19:23-25)! How could they become so calloused that they would wonder what they were going to get out of the crucifixion of the Son of God? Could they really be this self-absorbed? And then that would make me wonder how many times I had approached the cross of Jesus with my own agenda! How many times during the partaking of communion have I acknowledged that there was a man hanging on a cross (that is, after all, why we are gathered together), but I came with my own appetite to satiate and my own agenda to fulfill? How many times have I looked for what I would get out of it rather than stopping to appreciate what Jesus was doing for me?
Perhaps that is why John the Baptist, the one whose job it was to “make ready the path of the Lord”, talked the way he did when people started to come out to him to be baptized (Luke 3:7-9). Calling people a brood of vipers and questioning their motives for coming out to be baptized does not seem politically correct or religiously polite. Shouldn’t someone blow their whistle and call a foul? Shouldn’t we be concerned about offending people and running them off?
John was much more concerned with true repentance! It doesn’t matter that they are Abraham’s children (V. 8)—God can make more from the stones of the ground! It doesn’t even matter whether they were baptized if they don’t produce the good fruit they were created to bear (V. 9). How can they withhold from those in need (V. 11); exploit one another (V. 12-13); or resort to extortion and bearing false witness (V. 14) if they are truly of the Father? No wonder the axe was already “laid at the root of the trees”!
Should we be concerned about falling into the same traps? Are you here this morning wondering what you are going to get out of Bible class or the worship time? Perhaps it would be time better spent simply reflecting on what it is Jesus has done for us and marveling at the extent He would go to in order to make us right with the Father!
-Scott Jarvis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
