Jamesville
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Sermons are written in conversational style and include notes and directions to the preacher. Sermons are always better when heard rather than when read. But if you missed last week's, here it is below:"Church Builders" Romans 12:1-8, especially Matthew 16:13-20 15 th Pentecost - August 24, 2008
Children : Football or other ball. Volunteers try to catch ball with eyes closed. Whenever we play any sport… the coach is always telling us… Keep your eye on the ball (put my eye on the ball). It means… WATCH it… if we want to catch or hit… have to WATCH. Our life with God is a lot like that. If we want to be happy and do good and right… we have to Watch … what? Ball? Jesus…. When we LOOK to God… when we Study Jesus and follow Jesus… THAT is how we learn to do the right thing… and to live a good life. In games: Don't take your eye off the ball. I Life: Don't take your eye of Jesus.
Romans 12:1-8 : I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, * by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual * worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, * but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. * 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Matthew 16:13-20 : 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' 14 And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 15 He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' 16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, * the Son of the living God.' 17 And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, * and on this rock * I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.' 20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was * the Messiah. *
In one of his stories… Mark Twain told about his concern for all of God's creatures to… GET ALONG.
So… He took a Dog and a Cat… and put them both in the same cage.
It took some coaxing and training… but after a while… the dog and cat were living together in Complete Harmony.
(pause)
To make things a little more challenging… Twain said that he added a PIG to the group…
And again… after some time… they were living in Peace.
(pause)
And on it went… He added a Goat… a Kangaroo… some Birds and a Monkey…
And each time they all learned to live together peaceably.
(pause)
So Encouraged was he by his success… said Twain…
That he added an Irish Catholic, a Presbyterian, a Jew a Muslim, a Buddhist from China, along with a Baptist Missionary (whom he ALSO found in China)…
He put them all together in the Same Cage…
And within a Day… There wasn't a Single Living Thing Left in the cage!
(pause)
Humorists have always found the problems of Organized Religion to be fair game for their Jokes…
The name METHODIST… for instance… comes from a PUT - DOWN… a JOKE.
People saw this new group of religious people headed by John Wesley… to be so Meticulous and METHODICAL… That they began to call them METHODISTS.
"Those Silly Methodical… Meticulous … METHODISTS!"
And the name STUCK!
(pause)
PRESBYTERIAN… on the other hand… comes from the Greek: Presbus , meaning OLD MAN … or Elder as we like to call them now.
(pause)
So, I guess that makes US… Either Meticulous Methodical Methodists… Or… OLD MEN… (take your Choice)
Neither are particularly BAD names… Yet neither are particularly GOOD, either.
(pause)
JOKES are one thing…
Sometimes (however)… it seems like we are Overloaded With news of the BAD side of Organized Religion…
Child-Abuse… and Sex Scandals… The FIGHTS over Homosexuality… The Hypocrisy… and the Decline.
(pause)
When I visit people who have Stopped attending Church… They Often tell me about the HYPOCRITES they have known in Church…
People who don't Practice what they Preach… And Preachers… who are only after their Money…
THAT'S why they don't go to Church anymore… It's full of Hypocrites… SINNERS.
(pause)
And they are RIGHT… There ARE Sinners in Church… I am One of them.
There are Many Sinners in Church.
(pause)
There are ALSO SAINTS in the Church
You and I… are SAINTS… also.
(pause)
That is one of the PARADOXES of our Faith…
Followers of Jesus… are at one and the same time… BOTH Sinners… AND … Saints.
(pause)
The World… however… seems to have FORGOTTEN… The many Saintly things… that the Church Has done… and Still Does…
All of the Hungry people that the Christian Church FEEDS… The Sick people that we Heal… The Homeless that we care for…
All of the Lost Souls that the Christian Church SAVES
Much of this seems… somehow… To get LOST in the Shuffle…
FORGOTTEN amidst the Scandals and the declining membership.
(pause)
A man was stranded on the proverbial desert island for years.
Finally… a boat came sailing into view one day… And the man frantically waved to get the skipper's attention.
The boat came near the island, And a sailor got out and greeted the stranded man.
After a while the sailor asked: "What are those 3 huts you have constructed here?"
"Well… the First hut over there… is my House."
"What's the next hut?" asked the sailor.
"I built that hut to be my Church."
"What about the Other hut?"
"Oh… my First church turned out to be full of Hypocrites… So I had to go to an OTHER."
(pause)
Churches Do FIGHT too much… There are too many Schisms Too much Hypocrisy… Too much SIN.
But Churches ALSO do… much GOOD.
Remember… When there were no such things as SCHOOLS The Christian Church… Began PUBLIC Schools…
When there were no such things as ORPHANAGES… The Church… Started them…
When there were No HOSPITALS… The Church… Began them…
ALL of these Wonderful movements… were led… by SINNERS… like you and me.
(pause)
Even we CHURCH people… tend to Forget.. How POWERFUL and Saintly… the Christian Church can be.
(pause)
In our Gospel lesson… Jesus… in talking about the Church, said: "Even the powers of Death shall not prevail against it."
Jesus gave the Church the KEYS to the Kingdom of Heaven… and told us:
"Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
The Church… is Very Powerful… And can do an Infinite amount of good.
(pause)
Nearly 2,000 years have passed since Jesus uttered those words… About Building his Church… And we Still ask ourselves:
"Ho Do We BUILD a Church that is that Powerful and Good?"
"What is the STUFF ? … "What are the Mortar and Bricks that make it Go ?"
Certainly it isn't the BUILDING… As special as a building can Be… it is still only a Building.
No… the PEOPLE are the Rocks… The Mortar and the Bricks that make a Church.
We COULD say that JESUS is the Real Rock… And indeed… the Bible calls Jesus the Corner Stone…
But that is just a little too easy… Because PEOPLE are the physical STUFF that Jesus works with.
The Holy Spirit is the Spiritual Power behind it all… Jesus is the Corner Stone…
But the People are the Rocks… WE are the Physical STUFF… that Jesus Uses… To Build his Church.
(pause)
So… what kind of People does it TAKE… to be those Rocks… To be the Building Material for God's Church ?
What kind of People does it TAKE ?
(pause)
JESUS said… that it takes people like… PETER… (who's name Means Rock).
If you will remember… Jesus said: "You, Peter are the ROCK on which I will build my Church."
Jesus uses people like PETER.
(pause)
BUT… wait a minute… Peter Was NOT very Qualified… for this Important Job.
I mean… THINK about it…
Peter wasn't Educated… He wasn't especially Kind or Gentle… He Certainly wasn't PATIENT… HOW do you build a Church without Patience?
Peter… was a bit of a Hot Head… Yelling at Jesus when he talked about suffering and death… Cutting off the servant's ear who came to arrest Jesus.
Peter wasn't very Consistent either…
One minute vowing Never to let his Lord down… And the Next… DENYING Jesus 3 times.
(pause)
No… Peter was Far from perfect… And yet he was the Bricks and Mortar… the ROCK of Jesus' Church.
(pause)
When Peter said: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God"
THAT is when Jesus said: " NOW you've Got it! … YOU are the Rock upon which I will build my church!"
(pause)
It is Peter's FAITH… his Spirit… his HEART… That made him the Rock of Christ's Church.
Peter Loved the Lord… And had FAITH… that Jesus is the Son of God… The Savior of the World.
(pause)
I have worked in churches for 30 years now… And I can truthfully say
That ONE person with that kind of Faith… ONE person with a Passion and a LOVE for the Lord…
Is worth a Hundred… Educated Church Experts.
(pause)
The Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Scribes were the educated Religious people of Jesus' day…
But you will notice… that not ONE of them… Were among Jesus' 12.
There were no REVERENDS… For that matter… there were no Chair-people of Church Committees either…
Just Ordinary working Folk… And Some of them were pretty notorious Sinners.
But ALL of the Disciples had ONE thing in Common (all except the one who would Betray Jesus)…
They All LOVED Jesus…
And they all came to know in their hearts… that He is the Son of God…
And PETER.. was the most PASSIONATE of all.
And it is that Passion… that Love for the Lord… That FAITH… upon which Jesus builds his Church.
(pause)
We had… 155 Children… and 30 teenagers… in Vacation Bible School 2 weeks ago…
It was a SUCCESS… beyond our Wildest Dreams!
And it was a SUCCESS… because of the PEOPLE… Who gave of their time and their energy… And their HEARTS… for the kids.
(pause)
We had a couple of professional TEACHERS Help us…
And their Training and Expertise… Proved Quite Valuable.
(pause)
We also had a LOT of people… who just… LIKE Kids… THAT'S a MUST… You GOTTA LIKE what you are Doing.
But that is STILL not Enough… For there are Times… when children are simply NOT very Likable.
(pause)
No… I am Convinced… that what makes a program like this Successful… is that the people Running it … are like PETER…
They have a PASSION for it… and they Love the Lord.
(pause)
To a PERSON … our VBS volunteers LIKED what they were Doing… they LIKED the kids… and they had some Expertise in their task…
But Most Importantly… they LOVE the Lord… They just want to do Right by God.
And you know… (pause) … God BLESSES that.
(pause)
A Thriving Church… is built upon Rocks… Who Love the Lord…
Imperfect… even Sinful People… Who Believe that Jesus is the Christ… the Son of the Living God.
(pause)
A minister once told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of Lying…
To help you to understand my sermon… I'm going to give you a little Home work… I want all of you to read Mark 17 during the week."
The following Sunday… as he prepared to deliver his sermon… the minister asked for a show of hands… He wanted to know how many of them had Done their Homework… and Read Mark 17.
Almost Every had went up.
The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only 16 chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the Sin of Lying."
(pause)
The Church is Full of Sinners… Liars and Cheaters… and even Worse… I am One of them…
But the Church is ALSO full of SAINTS… People filled with the Spirit of God… People who LOVE Jesus… And who just want to do right by God.
I am one of THEM… also.
(pause)
The only way I know to move Beyond my Sinful nature… Is through my FAITH in Jesus… and my LOVE for God.
And when all that we Are… and All that we Do… Comes from our Faith and form our Love for Jesus…
Then WE become the ROCKS upon which Jesus Builds his Church…
Jesus gives US the: " Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven!
Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and
Even the powers of Death shall not prevail against us." Amen.
Prayer: Help us, Lord Jesus… to build your Church. To love you more fully… and to do what is good and right in your name. We are sorry for all of those times when we have fallen short of your Plan for us… and have Sinned. We are especially sorry for those times when our sin has reflected poorly on Your Cause… and on Your Church. We pray for those with special needs today, Lord. Out of our love for them… and our love for YOU… we pray for your Healing, for your Wisdom… and for your Saving Grace. Through J.C. our Lord, Amen.
BONUS MATERIAL:
Public Notions of Jesus' Identity
Some, said Peter, say that you are Elijah. Now why would people think that Jesus was the long deceased prophet Elijah. Elijah was, of course, a highly revered personality in the religious life of the Hebrews. His defeat of the 450 prophets of Baal on the top of Mt. Carmel was a story that was known even by the little children. It was a commonly held belief among the Hebrews that one day Elijah would return and that would mark the end of the world. In the very last passage in the Old Testament, in the Book of Malachi, we find these words: "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes."
Most of you have read Charles Schultz's comic strip Peanuts. One day we see that the television is on but there is no one in the room listening to it. The announcer is talking about a golf tournament that is in process. He says: Smith has to make this putt to win the championship. There will be no tomorrow." And just as he says, "There will be no tomorrow," in walks Lucy. She immediately goes into a panic and starts running around and yelling to the other children: The world is coming to an end. They just announced it on television. Her panic quickly spreads as we see all the peanuts kids as they go wildly screaming about. Finally in the last square we see all of the children huddled on top of Snoopy's doghouse waiting for the end of the world. And Charlie Brown finally speaks up with a puzzled voice: I thought that Elijah was supposed to come back first."
Well Charlie Brown knew his Bible. Elijah was supposed to come back before the end time. When the disciples told Jesus that some people thought he was Elijah, they were expressing a common thought among the people that the end was very near.
Staff, www.eSermons.com, 2005
One Generation Away from Extinction
It has been pointed out that the Church is always one generation from extinction. If we don't spread the Gospel, it will be just one generation away from disappearing from the face of the earth. It's a compelling idea, isn't it? It enhances our sense of Christian responsibility. We need to get out there and work for the Gospel or the Church could fade into history.
Perhaps you have heard the old story about Jesus appearing in heaven just after his resurrection. Jesus is giving a progress report on all that has happened while he was on earth. Moses is there and he asks him, "Well Jesus, did you leave things in capable hands?"
Jesus responds, "I did. I have left behind Mary and Martha and Peter and the other disciples."
Moses said, "What if they fail?"
Jesus said, "Well, I have established the Church and filled it with the Holy Spirit and they will carry on."
And Moses said, "What if they fail?"
Came the reply, "I have no other plan."
There's a great tension there. God is at work here in our church but we've been given the keys of the Kingdom. We have work to do and Christ calls us to it. The prophet Micah put it this way: "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with thy God."
Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com, August 2005
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People See Things Differently
People see things differently all the time. For example, three people - a minister, an archaeologist, and a cowboy - were getting their first look at the Grand Canyon one day. The minister exclaimed, "Truly this is one of the glories of God!" The archaeologist commented, "What a wonder of nature this is!" And the cowboy said, "Can you imagine trying to find a lost steer in there?" People see things differently.
The Messianic hope of those in the Jewish community who held such a belief was that the Chosen One would reestablish the supremacy of Israel among the great nations of the world. The assumption was that this would be accomplished in a violent and vengeful manner, with the forceful overthrow and total destruction of the current ruling powers. But before this happened, the prophet Elijah would return to herald the coming of the Chosen One. As a result of these hopes, Jesus had to somehow communicate to his disciples and others who had such high hopes for him that what he was offering was something completely different from what they expected.
Johnny Dean, The Pop Quiz, www.esermons.com
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