“Single-Minded Mission”

On Sunday, June 25, 2017, Eastside Presbyterian Church Lead Pastor Mark Auffarth preached a convicting sermon from the text of John 6:1-15. If you would like to read my summary of that message, “Single-Minded Mission,” please read on. . . .

“Single-Minded Mission”
From the “Who Is This Jesus?” Sermon Series
By Mark Auffarth, Lead Pastor
Eastside Presbyterian Church
Greenville, South Carolina
Sunday, June 25, 2017

Text: John 6:1-15 (English Standard Version)

1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii[a] worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Footnote:
John 6:7 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

Summary of and Editorializing by Bob Stouffer

This passage is commonly known as the “feeding of 5,000,” but this situation is misnamed, because the 5,000 were men, not counting the women and children, which could have included as many as 15,000 people in total. This story is recorded in all 4 Gospels, the writers of which do not contradict each other.

Jesus was tired. He had been at Capernaum. He had been working for days. He told His disciples that they needed to get away for rest and prayer. They got on a boat. The went 4 miles across the sea. The people were dismayed. Their healer and provider was leaving. They took off by land to meet Jesus where He and the disciples were going.

I want to look at three points today:

JESUS, THE COMPASSIONATE ONE

JESUS, THE GRACIOUS ONE

JESUS THE PURPOSEFUL ONE

JESUS, THE COMPASSIONATE ONE

After all of Jesus’ ministry, the crowd came. Did He run away? No. He had compassion on them. He healed some of them. He knew this was the crowd from which many would leave Him. They would desert Him. Those who left didn’t understand His mission; they wanted to make Him King. Yet, He had compassion on them and healed many of them, even though He was exhausted.

It’s a good thing to get rest, isn’t it? Yet, He had compassion and ministered to them. Does this teach us anything about how we should be? Christianity is facing more and more hostility. Christians are perceived negatively by the culture. Christians are perceived as anti-science and against all of the things the culture finds so enjoyable. Does this narrative teach us how to respond to increasing hostility in America?

We know these negative perceptions are unjust. Christians have been willing to show compassion to others throughout history. Christians have been leaders in every discipline, including science. During the Black Plague, Christians stayed put, had compassion, not caring about their lives, ministering to the sick and dying. Compassion is how we should respond to a hostile world.

We can look at the world in one of two ways — as a battle field or a mission field, and the way we look at our roles will determine how we respond to this hostile world. Of course, we should put on the full armor of God in spiritual battle — to act as good “soldiers.” We must stand up. But we can’t take a legalistic perspective on legislating morality. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but, rather, against the spiritual forces of the world. Satan and his minions are our enemies. Don’t look at people who don’t think like us as our enemies. View them as a part of the mission field.

To view people in the mission field is to view them with compassion. This is what Jesus did in the passage. He loved them. He knew they would turn against Him. If we are mistreated for what we believe, the answer is not to battle but to love well. The issue is not our “winning.” The issue is “loving.” How can we love people who think differently than we think? That’s far different than viewing others on a battle field. We need to learn their language. We need to love them well. We need to show the love of Jesus to people. Help them “belong” even before they “believe.” We must be concerned with others.

JESUS, THE GRACIOUS ONE

In Matthew, this account of feeding 5,000 indicated that the disciples believed the hungry people should go to the villages so they could find something to eat. Jesus tested Philip, because He already had in mind what He was going to do. Philip essentially indicated that there was “no way” they would be able to feed all of these people.

Aren’t we like Philip? We don’t know what to do when faced with challenges. Our daughter Kimberly is pregnant, and she is waiting for a baby within a month. She was on our health insurance plan. Bills were submitted. The claims were rejected. She got on the phone and discovered the company doesn’t cover maternity for dependents. She walked into our living room, bursting into tears. She had zero faith at that moment. She was sure she would be destitute. That’s not so rare for us. We think God abandons us in our times of need. We also blame the devil.

Jesus was testing Philip. When confronted with this challenge, Philip “had nothin.'” He was dumbfounded. Jesus presents us with impossible situations, so we can have faith in Him! We know the one who is in charge of the universe! We put these challenges in Jesus’ hands! The problems facing us are too big! We’re in good company with people like Philip and the other disciples who struggled with their faith.

Jesus basically asked Philip, “Where have you been?!” Hadn’t He seen the turning of water into wine. Hadn’t you been there when He healed the lame man? Jesus had been healing people all day long. He had power. Jesus is full of grace for the unbelieving. You don’t believe, and He shows you grace. And, when He shows you grace, your faith is increased.

“Watch this, Philip!” Jesus essentially proclaimed to him. Jesus fed 15,000 people, and they collected 12 baskets full afterwards! It’s grace. Today, He says to you and he says to me, “You breathe! When is the last time you thought that was amazing?! Have you realized how your blood flows through your body? Were you worried at night that the daylight would not come? We take these things for granted in our lives. Every day, He says, “Let’s do it again!” Blessing, after blessing after blessing! And we don’t acknowledge this grace.

Jesus essentially said, “How can you believe that I’m not for you?” His works are ingenious. We need these experiences to rub off the rough edges of our lives. We’ve got to trust God’s plans for today. He’s a good and gracious God who loves us. We should thank Him for not answering all of our prayers, because, if He gave us everything we wanted, we would not follow Him. He knows the plans He has for us. He lavishes us with grace every. . .single. . .day. When we understand and acknowledge His grace, we become more gracious and compassionate people. We are just as broken as every other broken person in our lives.

JESUS, THE PURPOSEFUL ONE

Jesus withdrew. They wanted to make Him a king by force. The people had seen His miracles. He had provided for their physical needs. They would lack nothing. They wouldn’t have to do a thing. Aren’t we just like these people? We want to make this world our kingdom. We like to think there is permanence in this world. There is nothing permanent about where we are. We plan. We save. We have our bucket lists. We desire happiness above all else.

Jesus told us His Kingdom was not of this world. Our citizenship is not here. Our citizenship is in heaven. Jesus never lost sight of His mission. When the devil tempted Jesus, He had come off a 40-day fast. Jesus was weak. He was famished. He responded with Scripture to every temptation. The temptations were to give into instant gratification and to give up on the mission. Jesus’ mission was to walk the lonely road to the cross, to carry the weight of sin of the people, for the Father. He could have given in to immediate gratification, but He did not lose sight of His mission, a mission which included US!

We would give up on such a mission — to get fed and to have the nations worship us. That’s the good life. We want to be the kings of our own kingdoms. We want blessing upon blessing upon blessing. That’s not what Jesus promises us!! The people in this passage wanted the good life — instant gratification — but, if such were the case, everyone he loved would have been lost. His lonely road to the cross was FOR US! His was THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT ever.

He’s calling us to reject instant gratification, so we can see the bigger story. He invaded history, so many, many more will follow Him.

He wants us to do three things:

#1, Pursue Him with reckless abandon. Trust Him in the good times and especially in the bad times. Seek His face. Spend time with Him in meditation and prayer.

#2, Involve yourselves in others’ lives in deep ways. Engage in spiritual inquiry. Ask difficult questions. Get into the nittty-gritty of people’s lives. A hard question for accountability would be “Have you lied to me today?” This is what we need to do with each other.

#3, Know that you’re on mission. He’s given us The Great Commission. We are to witness to those who do not know Him. We are too narcissistic. The church exists for our needs, we believe. But we exist to meet the needs of others. We have a cause. Our purpose is to fulfill The Great Commission. We live for the sake of that cause. We need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, which matters for eternity.

What a Savior!

What a God!

This is the Gospel!

And the Gospel changes everything!

“Love As a Way of Life,” by Dr. Gary Chapman

How fortunate that the renowned Dr. Gary Chapman committed to serve as the keynote speaker for the 2017 Southside Christian School graduation ceremony on May 26, 2017.   (Dr. Chapman is well known for his Christian books, articles, and messages on “the 5 love languages.”  He would like to be known as SCS 2017 Graduate Davy Grace McGuirt’s grandfather!)  If you missed the wonderful commencement exercises, including Dr. Chapman’s excellent message, you might want to consider the outline he used for his speech:

“Love As a Way of Life”

By Dr. Gary Chapman

Southside  Christian School

Simpsonville, South Carolina

Friday, May 26, 2017

Congratulations to students

Appreciation to parents

“A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Life’s greatest meaning is not found in things.

Where does life find its meaning?  In relationships – first with God and then family and others. 

I believe there are two essentials to long-term healthy relationships:

First, is to choose to be a loving person.  John 13:35  “This is how they will know…”

Several years ago, my daughter and I were flying back from a medical convention. . . .

. . .which sent me on a journey to see if in our culture we still know what it means to be loving.

Love as a Way of Life: Seven traits of Love

1.             Kindness – Discovering the joy of helping others
2.             Patience – Accepting the imperfections of others
3.             Forgiveness – Finding freedom from the grip of anger
4.             Courtesy – Treating others as friends
5.             Humility – Stepping down so someone else can step up
6.             Generosity – Giving yourself to others
7.             Honesty – Speaking the truth in love

It is loving people who discover the greatest satisfaction in life.

Albert Schwitzer, French Equatorial Africa – Nobel Peace Prize:  “ One thing I know; the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”

As I passed by the Cabel Auditorium at the University of Virginia, I read the following: “You are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

Second, Learn how to apologize and forgive. . . .

The reason this is an essential is that none of us are perfect.

Say,

I’m sorry, I regret that I did that.

            I was wrong.  No excuse for that.

            What can I do to make this right?

            Can you give me some ideas on how I can keep from doing that again?

            I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. 

Parents, we need to apologize when we realize we have failed our children.

Apology alone will not heal a relationship.  There must be a response – forgiveness.

“to pardon”    “to take away”

As Christians we have outside help in developing these two essentials.

Romans 5:5

Love poured

“. . . .hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Bearing Fruit”

Eastside Presbyterian Church Elder Steve Schoen preached a message from John 15:1-11 on Sunday, June 18, 2017. If you would like to read my summary of Steve’s sermon, “Bearing Fruit,” please read on. . . .

“Bearing Fruit”
Steve Schoen, Elder
Eastside Presbyterian Church
Greenville, South Carolina
Sunday, June 18, 2017

Text: John 15:1-11

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.  [English Standard Version (ESV)]

Quote of the Week:

“I don’t think we will stand before God and He will say, ‘You were way too gracious and merciful. You should have condemned people more.” (Gibney)

Summary of Bob Stouffer

This is a wonderful church. I love this church. I am grateful to be a part of this church.

Jesus was the master of communication. He could say volumes in just a few words. I got lost in this text. This text communicates beautifully and simply.

Imagine the setting. It was hours before Jesus’ death. He was speaking about Himself as the one who is the “I AM” delivering God. Israel was the vine that God had planted. Unfortunately, Israel did not fulfill its role as vine over the years, so Jesus spoke of Himself as the true vine. And he asked you and me to be a part of the vine, an awesome privilege.

Christ is calling us to be the people of God. We disciples can accomplish His work by abiding in Him. What does that mean?

Abiding is a two-way exchange. He abides in us. And we abide in Him. We cannot try to be the vine in attempting to generate fruit by ourselves.

JESUS ABIDES IN US.

What happens when Jesus abides in us?

He gives us His presence and His power. He died. He rose again. He appeared to them. Then, He removed His tangible presence. How can He abide in us, if He is “gone”? He gives us His presence as though He is sitting or standing right next to us now.

He also promised His power. In the Old Testament, God dwelled with His people in the manifestations of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Mountains trembled in His presence. Smoke billowed up. This is Jesus saying, “I AM.” He is that person. He is that God. This is the power that comes to preside in you and in me. This power allows us to accomplish the mission of the Gospel.

A violent wind — a hurricane — tongues of flame which did not consume — God’s presence — came upon the people on Pentecost. Today, the Holy Spirit abides in us as well! His power is available to us!

He also abides in us by giving His character through the fruit of the Spirit. These are the attributes of God. He expresses His person in us, because He is there. We have difficulty seeing these attributes through our sin and the wrath of God. But He gives us His character to be expressed in us. His image is in you.

When He abides in us, He also gives us His truth, His revealed word for our minds and hearts. Do you struggle with this word, abiding? He wants to make a home in us to affect and to change us. He changes us individually and corporately. He speaks through His people. He gives us His comfort in the midst of our failures and sorrows. Pressure in our lives reveals the need for more transformation in our lives. We must repent and change. It’s a wonderful thing, even though it’s difficult in the changing. He is changing me. He is changing you, because he abides in us.

He gives us forgiveness, so we don’t have to carry the burden of our sin. He has removed our hearts of stone and given us hearts of flesh. He gives us all of these things and more.

WE ABIDE IN CHRIST.

When we abide in Christ — remember, it’s a two-way street — we preach the Gospel to ourselves, accepting His love and forgiveness. We say to ourselves, daily, “I want You, Lord, to show up in me today, revealing Your nature in me.”

We abide in Christ in prayer. We stay in Christ’s presence.

We abide in Christ when we fellowship with each other. It’s beautiful. We can help each other abide in Christ. It’s not about me. It’s about us together. It’s about Him and staying close to Him.

We abide in Christ when we take Communion. We meet with him with the elements, remembering His love. He loved us so much that he died for us. We abide in Him.

We abide in Christ when we confess our sins and receive His forgiveness.

What happens when we don’t abide in Christ? He gives us warning. We don’t bear fruit when we don’t abide in Christ. That’s a struggle. We harbor sins we are not willing to confess. We insist on being the vine. We don’t spend time with Him. We’re too “busy.” We should pray that we will be with Him more, spending more time with Him, so he can change us and release His power in and through us.

What fruit comes from abiding in Christ? The fruit of the Spirit. These fruit can be expressed to others as the church. We bear fruit here, loving each other. I have seen that fruit of love in this church. It’s great.

I’ve also see people sharing the Gospel with others, the fruit of righteousness — not works — but this sharing takes a lot of work. In the presence of this God who made the mountain tremble — a God who came upon His disciples with tongues of flame — we will experience fruit which will not perish. The fruit remains.

Fruit comes to us when we are failing and suffering. We don’t understand why, but He brings fruit in powerful ways. People who faithfully struggle through challenges of life. God bears fruit in each of us. I would like to see a church which helps each other abide in Christ and helps each other bear fruit. Such would be an amazing church. Abide in His Word. Abide in His love. And receive His joy.

“We Will Tell”

On Sunday, June 11, 2017, Greg Skipper, Executive Director of the Calvary Home for Children in Anderson, South Carolina, served Eastside Presbyterian Church as “substitute teacher.”  If you would like to read my summary of Greg’s excellent message, “We will Tell,” please read on. . . .

“We Will Tell”
By Greg Skipper, Executive Director, Calvary Home for Children, Anderson
Eastside Presbyterian Church
Greenville, South Carolina
Sunday, June 11, 2017

Text: Psalm 78:1-8

¹ My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
² I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
³ things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
⁴ We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
⁵ He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
⁶ so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷ Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget his deeds
    but would keep his commands.
⁸ They would not be like their ancestors—
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.

Summary of Bob Stouffer

I pray that God’s angels will guard you in all of His ways.

Where did that prayer come from?

Whitney and I were nearly engaged when the nightmare happened. We had just finished worshipping in church. She was mad. She wanted to talk. I was mad, and I wanted to leave. We were headed back to Clemson. We were in two cars. I looked back and noticed Whitney was not behind me. She’s doing this on purpose, I thought. I looked again. In the rear view mirror, I saw Whitney collide with another car. I turned my car in super hero mode and landed squarely in the ditch. I ran to see if she were alive. As I ran, I prayed for God’s angels to guard Whitney in all of His ways. Where did that prayer come from?

When our son David was handed to us, he seemed a little cold. A neo-natal emergency team came to intubate him. I asked for God to command his angels to protect my son in all of His ways. Where did the prayer come from?

I was enjoying fresh steak as a kindergartener or first grader, and I started choking. My Mom commanded God’s angels to minister to me in all of His ways. That prayer I had prayed for my wife and my son came from my Mom’s prayer. The Word of God was my Mom’s prayer, and it became mine.

By God’s mercy, Whitney and David were just fine.

What impact are you having on the next generation?

Perhaps you’re thinking you don’t have children and this message is not for you. But I say to you that this message IS for you. The Psalmist addresses his audience as “O, my people.” He could have addressed fathers, but he didn’t. Could the Psalmist have addressed mothers? Yes, but he didn’t. He didn’t address parents. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he addressed “O, my people.”

The African proverb is for the village to raise children, but don’t let the village raise children. It takes the church — God’s people — to raise the next generation of Christ.

The address is to me.

The command is to me.

What are we doing?

The Scripture says we are not to hide what we have heard and known. So how do we hide these things from the next generation?

Sometimes, we don’t think we have enough information to tell the world about God — or we don’t have the knowledge. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”

Sometimes, we hide our light, rather than allowing the light to stand.

We sometimes hide God’s character and commands when we do not tell the world about our personal devotions. One of my friends in North Carolina likes to mention what she reads in God’s Word, which causes the children in her church to ask her question upon question. She has had golden opportunities to share the importance of God’s Word with children.

We also hide God’s character and commands when we don’t share our struggles with the next generation. When you share your struggles with this next generation, you are being one thing this generation needs; you’re being authentic. You are modeling authentic Christianity.

We also don’t tell of God’s wonderful grace and power. When is the last time that you shared God’s testimony with others?

We must train our children to worship God with reverence for and awe of Him. When you fall asleep in church, or choose not to sing, or choose not to give when the offering plate comes by, you are training the next generation to fall asleep, not to sing, and not to give.

We must not hide God’s character and commands.

What are we to tell the next generation?

Let’s first look at the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. God is merciful. He teaches. He applies the history of His people. He warns them not to commit the sins of past generations. We should not feel inadequate to teach God’s Word. Tell the Bible stories. Talk about them. Talk about God’s character. Talk about your own sin. Ask for forgiveness. Warn your children not to commit the same sins, under the power of the Holy Spirit. Tell of the amazing grace of God.

We must teach God’s Word. We live in a maze of moral and spiritual confusion. God’s Word allows us to navigate this maze. Come over to our house sometime. In a shadow box, we have collected several items which remind us of the stories related to those objects and our family. I tell of the great faithfulness of God.

We are also told to tell the law of God. Instruction comes in the form of positive instruction, example, and negative results. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 6. We’ll look at verses 4 through 9. This passage beautifully summarizes the commands of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Do you see where the training of the next generation begins? It begins with you and me. These truths are to be impressed on children all of the time. What are the results by God’s grace? Jesus captures our hearts, and then we can truly instruct the next generation. The commands are up to me. The results are up to God.

Because you’ve been shown mercy and grace — given salvation through Jesus Christ — we reach and teach the next generation.

The first result of this reaching into and teaching the next generation is knowledge. The next generation will know God’s character and commands. They will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second result is for the next generation to impart that knowledge to the subsequent generation.

The third result is that the next generation will put their trust in God. We are to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts, to lean not into your own understanding, to acknowledge God — and, then, He will make our paths straight.

The fourth result is that we will not forget God’s deeds. The next generation will be humble servants as a result of God’s deeds and grace in their own lives.

The fifth result is that the next generation will keep God’s commands. We respond by God’s power through loving obedience. True obedience to God’s law is always motivated by God’s grace.

The sixth result is that there will be a marked difference in the next generation. They will not be unfaithful. Around 70% of professions of faith are made by the age of 18. Are we praying for a bountiful harvest of young people? Are we teaching this next generation? The results are up to God.

Mary was a girl who loved VBS, church, and Sunday school. She lit up the room. Her family struggled with divorce. Most kids would have turned their backs on Jesus. But not her. She grew in God’s grace. She was ministered to by so many people in the church. She remembered God’s character and commands. She put together a Top Ten list of ways that the church family has influenced her.

1. God is good all the time. All the time God is good.
2. There is not an area of life that God does not touch.
3. Salvation is through the grace of God alone.
4. The Word is inerrant.
5. Look up the verse for truth. Don’t blindly trust the teacher or preacher.
6. Give God thanks for all things.
7. I don’t have what it takes within me to be a missionary, but the Holy Spirit has the power.
8. Love God’s people, the church.
9. Prayer is commanded.
10. Victory comes through Jesus Christ.

Eastside Presbyterian Church has many stories like Mary’s.

Let us persist in teaching and training and shepherding the next generation of Christ, so they, in turn, will do the same.

“Approval Addiction”

On Sunday, June 4, 2017, Eastside Presbyterian Church Lead Pastor Mark Auffarth preached a convicting sermon about seeking the approval of men and women, rather than accepting the unconditional approval of God in his message, “Approval Addiction.”  If you would like to read my summary of Pastor Auffarth’s message, please read on. . . .

“Approval Addiction”

From the “Who Is This Jesus?” Sermon Series

By Mark Auffarth, Lead Pastor

Eastside Presbyterian Church

Greenville, South Carolina

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Text:  John 5:41-44

Jesus said, “I do not receive glory from people.  But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.  I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me.  If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.  How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”  (English Standard Version)

Quote of the Week:

“Remember, the only real leader you have is Jesus Christ.  Unless you are daily taught of Him you will not be able to make the right decisions.  To get to Him you need to pray, but it needs to be prayer of a unique quality.  You can pray all night and all day and still not be in touch with His will.  Prayer is not full and effective unless it adds up to our learning to wait upon the Lord for Him to make known His will.   He needs to break down our tendency to cry out in prayer ‘Your will be done,’ and then to get up and still try to impose our will on circumstances.”  (C. John Miller, The Heart of a Servant Leader)

Prayer of the Week:

“O God of grace, you have placed my sin on Jesus, my substitute, and you have given me His righteousness.   You have clothed me with a bridegroom’s robe and decked me with jewels of holiness.  But in my Christian walk I am still in rags.  My best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so weak; my receiving the Spirit is filled with selfishness.  I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins; no loom to weave my own righteousness.  I am always standing clothed in filthy garments and by grace am always receive change of raiment, for you always justify the ungodly.  I am always going into the far country and always returning him as a prodigal; always saying, ‘Father, forgive me,’ and you are always bringing forth the best robe.  Every morning, let me wear it, every evening return in it, go out to the day’s work in it; be married in it, be wound in death in it, stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.  Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace.  Amen.”  (Matthew Henry)

Summary of and Editorializing by Bob Stouffer

I ran across an article in People magazine.  I was looking for something on the Internet, and I found, in this edition of People magazine, a part-serious and part-tongue-in-cheek survey of a “Sindex.”  This was an index of sin!  Each sin was accompanied by a coefficient from worst (murder) to lesser sin (cohabitation).  Overall, readers admitted to 4.6 sins a month!  Is that how you would categorize yourself?!

It dawned on me that we Christians are all about fighting sin.  Is this the way to go about it?  Do we make a list of our sins, figure how serious they are, and then live in accordance with this “sindex”?

The people confronting Jesus in today’s passage of Scripture were concerned about how Jesus was addressing sin.  They didn’t understand their own sin.  You’re probably thinking this is a “sin sermon,” and you’re concerned that I will heap guilt on you.  We know how effective guilt is in motivating us.  I’m not going to do that.

There may have been different sins in Jesus’ time, but we still have the exact-same view of sin today.  Sin is not about higher or lower on the “sindex.”  Sin is not about external wrong-doing  as much as it’s about the predisposition of your heart.  Sin or righteousness is about the condition of our hearts.  

Sin is who we are.  Our hearts are already inclined to sin.  The religious leaders of Jesus’ time were “good, religious” people.  He went right for the jugular in verse 42 of this passage.  They did not have the love of God in their hearts!  BOOM!  It’s all about what you love.

So what is Jesus trying to say here.  Everything you are and do is “surface.”  We obsess over the external.  We add to the law.  Our entire focus is on ourselves.  We don’t love God, and we don’t love people.  Sin is a condition of the heart — about what you love.  These religious leaders are more committed to things other than God.

Let’s look at two themes from this passage today:

HERO WORSHIP and 

PLAYING TO THE CROWD

HERO WORSHIP

Jesus was referring to the people who were trying to liberate Israel from the Romans.  These efforts came to nothing.  People were killed and scattered as a result of these attempts.  The Pharisees were a different political party than the zealots.  The common sentiment was the desire to throw off the Romans and their oppression.  But many of those people came “in their own name.”  The people were pining for a Messiah, the hero who would free them, so the people had rallied to pseudo-messiahs.  

Waiting on the Messiah is found all the way back in Genesis.  But the men of Jesus’ time were interested in self-centered pursuit, to be freed from their bondage, and that’s why they missed Jesus completely.  That’s the essence of the sin, isn’t it?  They were committed to their own lives and what they wanted to be free from.

Has anything changed in the world?  Who is your hero?  Who or what do you hope will save you from your circumstances?  

Our country is committed to politicians saving us, and we are angry when those people do not represent our interests.  We have violence between those who are for and against our President, especially on college campuses.  People are forming sides and angry with each other.  There are few voices of reason.  Most of what passes as news is partisan.  The pundits indicate their candidates can do no wrong.  Even in the evangelical church, pastors prophesied that Donald Trump was “anointed.”  

What we’re really looking for is someone who will preserve our comfortable life.  We’re looking for legislation that will bring us comfort, never a discouraging word, where the skies are not cloudy all days!  Is this about going back to yesteryear for you?  Let’s not be fooled that God is a Republican or Democrat.  Yes, we should be involved in politics and have respect for our institutions and fight for the lives of the unborn, but we should also understand the many other social issues to which we turn a blind eye — racism, poor environmental stewardship, mistreatment of aliens, prejudice about refugees, etc.  God’s not on either team!

Some years back, I preached from the book of Joshua at a point when he was ready to enter Jericho.  A man with a sword confronted Joshua.  Joshua asked, are you on our side or their side?  “Neither,” the man [who was representing God] said.  It’s not whether He was on Joshua’s team; it was about Joshua being on “His team.”  And let the chips fall where they may.

Can we love people well, even those we hate?  It’s not about us!  It’s not about invoking God to OUR viewpoint, invoking God to do what WE think He should do.  It’s about our being on His team and doing what HE wants.  He has brought us to this time, because He wants to see what we are going to do as the body of Christ.  He is saying that He is the only thing worth committing to.

PLAYING TO THE CROWD

Dan Lewis said in a blog entry that Rick Barry had hit almost 90% of his free throw shots in his NBA career with a weird underhand “granny” style.  From a physics standpoint, Barry felt the style worked better.  Scientists agreed.  The great Wilt Chamberlin made 54% of his free through over the course of his career.  On the day he scored 100 points, the NBA record, he tried the granny style and hit 28 of 32 of his free throws.  Why did Chamberlin give that unorthodox style up?  It looked silly, and he was too proud.  

Do we play to the praise of the crowd?  Who doesn’t do that?  Aren’t we obsessed with playing to the praise of the crowd because we have to project a certain image?  The religious leaders of Jesus’ time were like this.  Jesus pointed out they did not love God, but they did accept praise from men.  The religious leaders must have assumed that Jesus was in it for the praise.  

Jesus pointed out that hypocrites fasted to get attention.  Jesus told the Pharisees that He did not accept praise from men.  The Pharisees were playing to the crowd.

It seems like we are always playing to the crowd.  Who are you playing to?

“Peculiar People” is a performance group that does a great skit, yelling at each other in the car, arriving at church, and changing their behavior on a dime, acting all righteous, because you can’t be that way at church!

To whom are you playing?  Your boss?  You don’t show failure in any way, or you might not move ahead.  As a student, you may want to impress the group you want to be a part of.  Maybe it’s your father.  Maybe you have a huge father wound, and you’re attempting to impress him during your entire life, even when he has been dead for a long time.  You might even say, after his death, “Dad, you would have loved this.”  Such was the experience of Elton John, who attempted to earn his father’s favor, even after his father’s death.

Maybe we do things to impress others through the cars we drive or the homes in which we live.  Some of us have to have perfect, spotless homes in which to entertain friends — to show this is the way we always live.  

Maybe it’s the way we talk, hiding cracks in our lives, soothing over the rough spots, never admitting weakness or failure.  My person favorite is making people laugh, so I know that they like me.  That’s why I’m always cracking jokes.  See.  I struggle this way, too.  We have a terrible drive for approval.  We pursue approval, but approval doesn’t do it for us.  It’s a dogged pursuit to fill our souls.  

A U2 song talks about climbing walls and mountains but still not finding what they are looking for.  Have you found what you are looking for?

Jesus is the one who broke into your darkness.  He is the hero of your story.  You don’t have to work to impress Him, because He already loves you.  Christianity turns “obey-to-be-accepted” upside-down as “you-are-accepted-because-I-love-you-and-died-for you.”

Sin puts us on an endless path of trying to impress others over loving Jesus, yet there is no guarantee that these people will actually love you!  Jesus knows the depths of your soul and the motives of your heart!  “I know!  I know!  And I love you,” Jesus says to you. 

We must come to Jesus with a clean heart and receive His love and redemption.

That’s the Gospel.

And it changes everything.