Mark 9:38-50 Sin Fighters

In 2012 Dr. Michael Youssef, who is the founder and President of Leading the Way Ministries, wrote an article about a Christian Sunday school teacher who was leading a class of boys. After a conversation with one of the boys, the young man prayed and received Christ. That young man was D.L. Moody, who became one of the greatest evangelists of his time.

On one of his trips to England, D.L. Moody preached at a church pastored by another great evangelist named F.B. Meyer. Moody invited him to come to the United States to preach. At one service, a man named J. Wilbur Chapman gave his life to Christ and became a great evangelist. One of the people he led to Christ became his travelling companion. That companion was evangelist Billy Sunday.

After Billy Sunday preached in Charlotte, North Carolina, a group of farmers asked God to do something great for the world, starting in Charlotte. They invited an evangelist by the name of Mordecai Hamm to preach in Charlotte. During one of his services, three young men came forward to receive Christ. Their names were Billy Graham, Grady Wilson and T.W. Wilson. Billy Graham became one of the most respected evangelists of our time, and the Wilson brothers became administrators with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

While we are on earth we will never understand what God is doing through each and every one of us. We will understand this only when we get to heaven. One lone Sunday school teacher impacted generations of Christians by doing God’s work. If that one Sunday school teacher can have such an impact, just think of how our ministries or our gifts can be used by God to impact the world.

My own life is an example. I have now preached approximately 250 messages, each of which is posted on my blog. In turn, I post links to each of these messages in several Facebook groups I belong to. These messages, which to date have been seen over 125,000 times, have been widely received with much praise and thanksgiving judging by the comments I have received. Some of these messages have been published in a new book, and if you want to see the sample copy I have with me today or would like to buy a copy, please see me after church or during the week. 

In Mark 9:38-50 we read that in their struggle for position, the disciples were upset to find that an exorcist was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, especially since recently they were not able to heal a demon-possessed child. Every mature Christian can be drawn into “turf wars” in the church. Jesus said that anyone who does God’s work in his name is a partner in ministry, not a threat to ministry. There will be no peace in our world until we have peace in our hearts. God loves us all the same. God’s will is for liberty and justice for everyone. We do not have peace in our lives if we try to protect our turf and destroy the weak among us. 

In Jesus’ time, salt both preserved and seasoned food. It also came with impurities that could make it useless. Jesus tells us to get rid of the impurity of selfishness and show the purity of self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. Any little thing we do in Christ’s name will be rewarded. Jesus tells us that if there is nothing distinctive about our lives, it is no good for us to be followers of Jesus. There is no use in following him if we don’t make any real contribution to the life of the world, or if there is no redemptive power flowing through our lives and our actions.  

So what does it mean to be a “salty believer?” Let me give you an example. Legend has it that a missionary was swept overboard while traveling on very high and rough seas, and was subsequently washed up on a beach at the edge of a remote village. Nearly dead from exposure and lack of food and fresh water, he was found by the people of the village and nursed back to health. He lived among them for twenty years, quietly adapting to their culture and working alongside them. He preached no sermons, and made no personal faith claim. Neither did he read scripture to them.

But, when people were sick, he sat with them, sometimes all night. When people were hungry, he fed them. When people were lonely, he gave a listening ear. He taught the ignorant and always took the side of the one who had been wronged.

The day came when some missionaries entered the same village and began talking to the people about a man named Jesus. After listening for a while to their story, the native people began insisting that Jesus had already been living in their village for many years. “Come,” one of them said, “We’ll introduce you to him.” The missionaries were led to a hut where they found their long-lost companion.

All sacrifices we make to serve Jesus are accompanied by hardships, suffering or persecution, so we should not be surprised when these things happen. Believers are purified through suffering and persecution. 

Jesus was not commanding self-mutilation when he said that if your tongue, foot, hand or any other body part causes you to sin, cut it off. He was talking about the importance of doing whatever it takes to actively oppose sin. For example, if an addiction to pornography causes you to sin, cancel your Internet service and stop buying adult magazines.

Professing Jesus’ name means living the life that Jesus lived. This means driving out the demons of intolerance, injustice, strife, grudges and poverty, to name just a few. We as Christian disciples are to focus on what we are to do in Jesus’ name and not be quick to criticize others who also follow Christ but who do not belong to our church, church group or denomination. We must not fault people or churches who do things differently than we do. We must assume that what they do is “in His name.” There are many different ways to do things for God, and if someone chooses to do something that is different from the way we do things, we are not to stop them from doing it their way.

We are not to be like the lady who cornered my father in the Milton post office one day and asked him which church he belonged to. He did not belong to either of the two churches in the community. When he told her which church he belonged to, she replied, “Well! That’s what I was afraid of!” She turned around and walked right out of the post office.

We must not look for labels or titles. We must look for attitudes, actions and spirit. Jesus rejoices when he sees mercy, justice and compassion in our lives, because when he sees them he sees God at work in our world. How we live the life Jesus lived is more important than having the right documents or the right membership cards. Jesus has invited us to join his eternal family. The invitation means that he lives through us so that our words and deeds might be a loving response to his grace.

Jesus’ love knows no limits. His compassion never runs out and it isn’t limited to a select group of people with the right credentials or disposition. There is plenty of his love for everyone. Jesus is the face of the God we can’t see; the God who wants to forgive all sinners, and not just a few; the God who wants to reach out and heal everyone who is sick physically and/or spiritually, not just a select few.

We must be very careful about how the example we set influences other people. Every person is a role model for either good or evil. The best way to show love for the children of God is by loving God and keeping his commandments. Our commitment to Christ affects how we live our lives. Our lives are enhanced when we follow Christ. Our lives will be more effective and have more impact. Christ will give us the strength we need to fight our sinful nature. The burden of our sin runs away at the foot of the cross. The Kingdom of God is a treasure that is worth giving up everything to get.

 

Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

3.      McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 25: Mark (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)

4.      Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 26^th Sunday (B).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

5.      Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “A Powerful Perspective.” Retrieved from mydevotional@leadingtheway.org

6.      King Duncan, “The Ultimate Solution for Sin.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

7.      King Duncan, “Losing Favor or Losing Flavor?” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

8.      King Duncan, “About Other Denominations.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

9.      King Duncan, “Can’t We All Just Get Along?” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

10.  Brett C. Blair, “Be At Peace with One Another.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

11.  King Duncan, “Choices.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

12.  Thomas Peterson, “The Needle’s Eye.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

13.  Donald Strobe, “Radical Surgery.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

14.  Exegesis for Mark 9:38-50. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

15.  Dr. Keith Wagner, “Salty Believers.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

16.  Pastor Dave Risendal, “Do No Harm.” Retrieved from http://onelittleword.org/?p=7337

17.  Jude Siciliano, O. P., “First Impressions, 26^th Sunday (B), September 27, 2015.” Retrieved from firstimpressions@lists.opsouth.org

 

 

 

 

 

Mark 9:38-50 Salt of the Earth

Good morning boys and girls!

How many of you have ever eaten something that didn’t taste very good? What did you do to make the food taste better? Did you put any salt on the food?

Improving the taste of food is one of many uses for salt. Salt is used to keep dyes from washing out so our clothes will always look nice. Salt is also used to make leather, and without it we would not have things such as leather belts. Salt is also used to make plastics, and without salt we would not have toys made out of plastic.

Salt has been important throughout history. In fact, at one time people used to be paid with salt. Because salt has been so important it’s not a surprise that Jesus told us in Mark 9:50 that we are to be like salt to the world. In particular he said, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” What he meant is that we should flavour our world with both our love and Christ’s love. The world needs that love because there is a lot of bitterness and hatred in the world today. He also meant that we should allow him to use us to make the world a better place. If we show Jesus’ love in everything we do, we can do much to reduce bitterness and bring peace to our world.

Let’s bow our heads for a moment of prayer. Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to flavour the world with his love. Help us to add flavour to our world by letting you use us to make the world a better place. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

Bibliography

1.      “Pass the Salt, Please.” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com/pass_the_salt.htm

2.      “A Pinch of Salt.” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com/a_pinch_of_salt.print.htm

 

 

 

 

James 3:13-4:3,7-8 The Devil Made Me Do It!

I want to take you (especially those of you who are among the older readers of this blog) on a trip down memory lane for a minute. Some of you may remember a famous comedian named Flip Wilson. He had a TV show in the 1970s, and on this show he had such famous characters as Geraldine Jones and Brother Leroy. He also had some famous lines, including one that ties in nicely with the reading we heard from the Book of James earlier in today’s service. That line was, “The devil made me do it!” The characters in Flip Wilson’s comedy routines often blamed the devil for leading them into trouble, and they were partially right. The devil can’t make anyone do anything, but he can definitely tempt us and influence our choices.

The devil is part of earthly wisdom, and James contrasts earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom. People’s lives reflect the source of their wisdom. There is “earthly, unspiritual, devilish” wisdom that leads to “envy and selfish ambition” in the individual and “disorder and wickedness of every kind” in society. Against this, there is “wisdom from above” that is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits…” Trouble arrives, he tells us, when we act based on earthly wisdom and not out of faithfulness to God.

The Letter of James was controversial for much of Christian history, largely because its emphasis on doing good works seemed to clash with parts of Paul’s writings that emphasized salvation by faith alone and not by works. This passage can help us understand that faith in God and charity towards our neighbor are inseparable. It is our faithful adherence to the “wisdom from above” that spurs us to act gently, justly, and in ways that will yield “good fruits.”

If we have a right relationship with God, we will be understanding people and show concern for others, and therefore we will demonstrate heavenly wisdom. Heavenly wisdom is shown through Jesus, available through the Holy Spirit, written in the Bible and delivered in a steady flow from God to us. Heavenly wisdom is the foundation for our Christian lives. When we draw close to God, he will draw closer to us in response. If we put ourselves under God’s control, we will be open to God’s grace. This will be the ultimate challenge for proud people.

If we trust in God’s wisdom, we will be seen as meek. This is not to be confused with the world’s definition of meekness, which is cowardice and passivity. Earthly wisdom comes from sin and Satan. Earthly wisdom causes chaos, self-ambition and the playing of the “blame game.” Peace is the opposite of selfish ambition. If we bring peace, we will harvest a rich crop of righteousness.  

Selfish desires cause people to make war against each other, even in the church. For example, James talks about murder taking place in the church. How could that happen? One possible reason is that the rich were taking the poor to court and basically stripping them of all they owned. Without food or the necessities of life, the result was death. In addition, how many churches have been divided because of selfish desires? Some of us may remember the division in the United Church of Canada several years ago when the Church’s General Council decided to allow the ordination of homosexual clergy. That decision caused several individual churches to leave that denomination.

Another example is people who leave a church because they don’t like the Order of Service or the music or the minister or something else. We don’t come to church because of the Order of Service or the music or the minister. We come to church to worship with both God and fellow believers.

We show earthly, sin-filled wisdom when we are estranged from God. James tells us that if we try to get what we want through our own efforts instead of asking God, we will end up being frustrated. Worldly pleasures never satisfy us. They provide short-term pleasure and long-term pain. External conflict is often a sign of internal conflict, because if we are not at peace with ourselves, we are not likely to be at peace with others, especially within the church.

One of the deepest problems in our world is the problem of the human heart. If there were no greed, jealousy, anger, covetousness or any other sin, the world would be a much better place. If we truly loved one another and treated each other with respect, the world would also be a much better place. Unfortunately, this will be wishful thinking unless and until we put others first instead of ourselves. This will be wishful thinking unless and until we seek God’s will for our lives

Wisdom is more than understanding something intellectually. Wisdom must be demonstrated in our Christian lifestyle. Wisdom must be pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruit, without hypocrisy or partiality, and show true justice. This type of wisdom comes only from God. James is concerned with our ability to understand the truth of God’s Word and live it by faith. We do these things by submitting to God, denying ourselves, taking up our crosses daily and humbling ourselves before God. When we humble ourselves before God, we grow closer to him, and when we grow closer to him, offering forgiveness becomes easier over time, our faith will increase and our concern for the spiritual conditions of others will expand. Heavenly wisdom is full of sacrificial earthly action. We must use our circle of influence or friends to make a difference for God. After all, wisdom is not what we know but what we sow.  

The main way we humble ourselves before God is through prayer. God makes us ask for what we want and need, even though he already knows what we need and want. He makes us ask because he wants to have fellowship with us, and the only way he can have fellowship with us is for us to talk to him through prayer. Those who humble themselves before God and trust him to provide for their needs will receive his grace. That grace will give us the desire and ability to obey God and respond in a way that pleases him.

Prayer is the lifeblood of our relationship with God, but sometimes we have questions about its power and effectiveness. We will find the answers to those questions when we take them to God, study the Bible for answers and talk to a trusted spiritual mentor. Some of these answers will cause us to question the motives behind our prayers.

God is very concerned with those motives. He’s interested in the state of our hearts. We need to check our motives from time to time. James points out that there are two problems in prayer lives-lack of prayer and wrong motives. Believers don’t get what they ask for when they do not ask or when they ask with selfish motives. Some of us have promised God that we will walk closely with him or that we will spend time in his word only to find that we became busy or tired and therefore broke those promises. We became disappointed with life’s circumstances, so we gave up on the promises we made.

Resisting the devil means that we have submitted to God, and that means going to his word as written in the Bible to counteract our earthly thoughts, feelings and wants. If we obey his word, he will draw near to us, and when that happens, wars will cease. We will not be at war with God, so we will not be at war with ourselves or with others. Prejudice, bitterness, anger and hatred will be uprooted at the foot of the cross. We as Christians must not have any of these things in our hearts because we are all sinners in need of a Saviour in spite of our differences.

 

Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

2.      David Jeremiah, “Defeating Temptation.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org

3.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

4.      Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)

5.      Cedar, P.A. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 34: James/1&2 Peter/ Jude (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984)

6.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

7.      Dr. Charles Stanley, “Spiritually Satisfied.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

8.      Bayless Conley, “The Motive of Faith.” Retrieved from Christianity.comn@crosswalkmail.com

9.      Pastor Ed Young, “Make the Most of Your Opportunity.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

10.  Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Coming Back to the Cross.” Retrieved from mydevotional@leadingtheway.org

11.  Stormie Omartian, “Maturing in Prayer.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

12.  Dr. Neil Anderson, “Your Position in Christ.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

13.  Alex Crain, “Not What You Wanted?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

14.  Dr. Charles Stanley, “Does Prayer Make a Difference?” Retrieved from Jesus.org@crosswalkmail.com

15.  Billy Graham, “What is the World’s Greatest Challenge?” Retrieved from www.arcamax.com

16.  Steve Arterburn, “Fellowship with God.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

Mark 8:27-38 The Key to Happiness and Eternal Life

The scene in Mark 8:27-38 is the climax of the first half of Mark’s Gospel. This first half focuses on miracles and gradually reveals Jesus as the Messiah. The second half explains the nature of that Messiahship and has far more teaching and far fewer miracles.

Caesarea Philippi was located well into the heart of Gentile Territory. Why would Jesus choose this location instead of Jerusalem to reveal himself as Israel’s Messiah? The most likely reason was to state that his followers were not to remain in Jerusalem, but were to go to the ends of the earth and proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.

Jesus did not want the disciples to reveal his identity right away because they did not completely understand what that meant, as Peter demonstrated when he rebuked Jesus. Peter’s reasoning was demonic. He was influenced by Satan, hence Jesus’ demand to “Get behind me, Satan.”

Three times Jesus mentioned that his death and resurrection were part of God’s plan, and each time the disciples misunderstood his meaning. They thought that the kingdom meant Israel’s return to power and the end of Roman rule. Christ’s way meant suffering and sacrifice, not political maneuvering. Jesus knew that the freedom people need the most is spiritual freedom from sin and God’s wrath, not freedom from political oppression.

Christ’s death represents atonement for sin, and the beginning of God’s eternal, messianic rule. Nothing can make up for the loss of our soul, but there are many times when we exchange our souls and our lives for worldly things instead of spiritual things. Worldly things do not lead to eternal life. Those who give up their lives for the sake of Christ and the Gospel will find eternal life. This concept was very evident to the readers of Mark’s Gospel because they faced persecution and conflict. They saw this as a challenge to be faithful. We have the same challenge today. The world is still hateful to both Christians and the Good News of the Gospel.  

I read a news story some time ago about a group of young people who were arrested for trespassing and attempted burglary. They drove to a car lot late at night and removed a set of tires from one of the cars on the lot. Unfortunately for them, the lot’s owner saw them on closed-circuit television. While they were busy trying to steal his tires, he picked up their vehicle with his forklift and hid it inside a building. When they finished their dirty work and were ready to leave, they had no transportation.

Many people today are the same. They spend all of their time trying to get material goods that they think will make them happy, when what they really need for happiness is a personal relationship with God. That relationship will provide us with the transportation we need to get to heaven when we die.

We must not let anything or anyone worldly take control of our lives. Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit that the apostle Paul refers to in Galatians 5:22-23. When we have self-control, we can stand up to people and things who try to tell us what we should be and what we should do.

Jesus taught that being great in God’s kingdom means self-denial and sacrificial service. These values are opposite to the world’s values. Self-denial means letting go of self-determination and becoming obedient to and depending on Jesus. Happiness comes from service, and we need to practice service and generosity today. These two things will bring more happiness to our lives than anything else, and they also define what it means to be a Christian. Jesus is calling us to carry the cross of sacrificial living. Words come easy and living the life is more of a challenge, but in today’s world people need to see that sacrificial living leads to fulfillment and real life.

Sacrifice does not necessarily mean martyrdom. It also means doing small tasks such as giving food to a hungry person or a cup of cold water to someone who is thirsty. It also means doing things in the church such as teaching a Sunday school class or singing in the choir. Our willingness to do the small tasks as they are needed is more important than our willingness to die for Christ when that is not needed.

We do not have to do this alone, and we can’t do this alone. We need strength, and Jesus will give us that strength. This strength will allow us to live a life that will bring us blessing and fulfillment beyond our wildest dreams.

If we become suffering servants like Christ was, there is a danger that we might assume that the saving work of Christ is automatic. Mark’s Gospel reminds us that this assumption is false. Christ’s suffering servanthood teaches us about the Incarnation, but the passion of his suffering teaches us about his redemption. Too much emphasis today is placed on the healing of human hurts, which reflects Christ loving care for us when we hurt. More emphasis needs to be placed on righting of human wrongs, also known as sin.

This might makes us uncomfortable in the short term. We like our worship to be comforting and uplifting, and while this is a necessary part of worship, it must not be the most important part. The main emphasis must be on redirecting our lives, our values and our priorities. This disruption in our lives is necessary if we truly believe that the heart of Jesus’s message is change or repentance. If we accept this, we have to let go of the lives we have now, no matter how painful the process will be.

Jesus’ message of self-sacrifice won’t always fit neatly into our earthly lives. Words like “Come die with us,” or “Follow Jesus no matter what the cost,” or “Called to sacrifice for the world” aren’t heard very often in churches today. These words are the heart of what Jesus taught. He wants us to follow him by giving of ourselves so that others may know his grace. Believers have resisted this call since it was first made over 2,000 years ago, so it isn’t surprising that the same call is resisted today. How do we as Christians see it?

Our attitude as children of God must centre on a life that is lived in him. In return for his sacrifice we need to make good use of the opportunities Christ sends our way. God wants to be an active presence in our lives, and it is because God has been an active part of the lives of men and women throughout history that the church has survived and thrived. If the church is to survive today, God needs to be active in our lives today. If more people made God an active part of their lives, the world would be a better place (and our churches and offering plates would be full to overflowing every Sunday!).

1 Kings 21:17-29 Prophecy and Grace

The story in 1 Kings 21:17-29 is the aftermath of King Ahab’ theft of Naboth’s vineyard by murder. It is a story of prophecy and grace.

Ahab died in battle shortly after the events in this story, and dogs licked his blood at the pool in Samaria. Believers have the courage not to take revenge into their own hands because they have confidence in God’s willingness to avenge evil. That’s why Elijah did not seek revenge on behalf of Naboth. Elijah was content to be God’s messenger and to let God avenge Naboth’s death. The prophecy concerning Jezebel (namely, that she would be eaten by dogs) was fulfilled during the reign of Jehu.

Ahab showed repentance by tearing his clothes. The tearing of garments was a common expression of grief, terror or repentance in the face of great personal or national tragedy. Ahab also showed repentance by wearing sackcloth. Sackcloth was rough and made the skin itch, so it made the wearer remember his or her sin.

When Ahab repented, God had mercy on him and did not judge Ahab’s house during Ahab’s lifetime. Even the most evil person on earth is not beyond God’s mercy, but just because God shows mercy doesn’t mean that there won’t be consequences for sin. For example, even though God showed mercy on Ahab, he still brought judgment to Ahab’s house after Ahab died. God gives grace to the humble. 

The prophet Elijah caught Ahab in the act of confiscating Naboth’s property. Elijah prophesied God’s punishment for Ahab and Ahab’s family. Elijah was the best friend Ahab had in his kingdom, and like a true best friend he warned Ahab of the consequences of his actions. Sin always blinds sinners to the true identities of friends and enemies.

Jealousy may creep into our lives and lead us to sin.  Surrounding ourselves with bad people when we are vulnerable can lead to sin. Ahab was a good example. He sought comfort from Jezebel, and her idea of “comforting” Ahab led to sin, murder and God’s vengeance. Sin blinded Ahab to the true nature of his wife Jezebel. His choice led to physical and moral ruin. Jezebel was singled out for judgment because of her influence on Ahab. Our poor choice of a mate can also lead to physical and moral ruin.

Sin causes the sinner to be ashamed of the best things in life. The apostle Peter made the same mistake when he denied knowing Jesus on the night before Jesus was crucified.

Sin causes us to sell our souls in the following ways. First, we sell our souls when our desire is uncontrolled. Ahab’s sin was the sin of coveting. He coveted Naboth’s vineyard, and that desire led Ahab and Jezebel to commit murder. Second, we sell our souls when we believe we are above the law. Ahab and Jezebel manipulated the law to get Naboth’s property. Finally, we sell our souls to satisfy our desires when we believe no one will know about our sin. Ahab felt guilt over what he did. Ahab’s guilt teaches us that we can’t hide anything from our conscious minds. When we violate our standards of right and wrong, that result is guilt.

Ahab committed one of the worst possible sins when he stole from God. Naboth’s vineyard was part of God’s gift to the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land. Naboth refused to sell his vineyard because selling it would have meant selling something he received from God. Ahab and Naboth might have been able to resolve their dispute if they had just talked about it, but Ahab resorted to murder as his first option. When Ahab had Naboth murdered and confiscated his vineyard, Ahab stole from God. God will not allow sin to go unpunished even when we repent because we have to accept the consequences of our actions. We as Christians are called on to live according to God’s will and not the world’s will.

We as Christians know that all people are responsible to God for their actions. God is the final King over this earth, and he holds all of us accountable for our actions. That’s why Elijah condemned Ahab and his family to destruction.  We would also be condemned to destruction if it was not for God’s grace and mercy.

Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

2.      Dilday, R. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 9; 1,2 Kings (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1987)

3.      Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)

4.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

5.      Lucado, M: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010)

6.      Billy Graham, “Does God Like That I’m Successful?” Retrieved from www.arcamax.com

7.      Stephen P. McCutchan, “On Loan from God.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

8.      Elizabeth Achtemeier, “Set Apart People.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

9.      Carlyle Fielding Ste, “Extreme Measures.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

10.  Robert Allen, “Selling One’s Soul.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

Mark 7:24-37 When you’re With Jesus, Expect Surprises

Have you ever noticed that Jesus often does things that we don’t expect him to do? Take the stories we read in Mark 7:24-37, for example. He does two things that we don’t expect him to do.

First, Jesus gave an uncharacteristically rude and abrupt reply to the woman’s request for her daughter to be healed. Jesus is often portrayed as a gentle, kind and caring person, but in this case he gave a harsh response. The woman made a bold move by approaching Jesus in the first place. At that time, women did not boldly approach men. She was also bold by continuing to engage him when he attempted to dismiss her because she was a Gentile.

There was a reason for his reaction. He wanted to encourage the woman to keep asking him to cast the demons out of her daughter. This should remind us that God doesn’t always answer prayer right away, and sometimes he doesn’t answer prayers in the way we want him to answer them. Sometimes he says, “yes’”, sometimes he says, “no,” sometimes he says “not right now,” and sometimes he says, “no, I have something even better in mind for you.”

The Jews hated the Gentiles and referred to them as “dogs.” In Jewish households at that time, people ate with their fingers and then wiped their hands with a piece of bread, which was given to their pet dogs to eat. Since dogs were considered to be unclean, Gentiles and dogs were on the same level in Jewish society. Dogs also ate any crumbs that were dropped from the table. When the woman referred to dogs eating the crumbs from the table, she meant that the Gentiles would accept any scraps from Jesus’s initial ministry to the Jews. Because of the woman’s faith, Jesus healed her daughter without seeing her or touching her.

Jesus was right when he told the woman that he was sent to minister first to the people of Israel, but there would come a time when his ministry of God’s salvation would be extended to the whole world.  After all, Jesus was in Gentile territory, and even in Gentile territory his fame preceded him, so he could not move about in anonymity.

The woman with the demon-possessed daughter knew that Jesus’ first earthly ministry was to the Jews. She was willing to accept this, and she was willing to be called a dog, but her love for her daughter was so great that she was willing to endure Jesus’ harsh remarks. She did not give up, and neither should we. When we persist in spite of harsh treatment and ridicule, Jesus will meet us at our point of need and bless us richly. Everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord will never be turned away.  

God sometimes tests our faith for various reasons, just like Jesus tested the woman’s faith with his rude reply. The reasons for these tests range from strengthening our faith to teaching us something. When Jesus was abrupt with the woman, he was testing her faith. Jesus and life can be hard teachers at times. They give the test first and then they teach the lesson. Our response to their tests influences our character, faith and future. By the way, the woman passed her test with flying colours!

Sometimes the life of faith doesn’t turn out the way we want it to. When this happens, we must continue to believe not only because we want to, but because we have to. Jesus is the only one we can rely on in our deepest sadness. Jesus is the only one we can hope in when all hope is lost. Jesus is the only one we can seek out, fall at his feet and ask for even just a small amount of help. Jesus can take our belief and call it faith. 

Another way Jesus surprised the people was by healing the deaf man who had a speech impediment. He healed the man in a very personal way-by touching him. Such a miracle was expected of the Messiah, but the fact that this miracle would be done for a Gentile was a complete surprise. By healing the deaf man, Jesus’ popularity reached a new high. He told both the man and the crowd not to tell anyone about what happened (because it was not time for his ministry to be extended to the Gentiles), but they disobeyed him.

In Jesus’ time, sickness was thought to be the result of sin. When Jesus touched the deaf man, he touched someone whom many people considered to be a sinner. Jesus came a long way physically, religiously and socially to get to this man, open his ears and loosen his tongue. By healing the deaf man and the woman’s daughter, Jesus reached out to people who were eager to hear him.

Jesus is for everyone, but what really matters is our relationship with God. Part of that relationship includes regular prayer time with God. How we pray does not matter. For example, it is the custom today for people to close their eyes and bow their heads when they pray, but when Jesus healed the deaf man, he looked to heaven when he prayed. There are no standards or postures for prayer. Prayer is about a person’s heart.

Heaven was the source of Jesus’ power. If we want to see God’s presence at work, we must look at the power behind a miracle, and that power is God. All miracles are God’s blessings. If we meet the needs of other people, we can be a part of God’s miracles in their lives.

Jesus took the deaf man aside as an act of common courtesy. He does not want to embarrass anyone. People’s feelings were important to him. He was sensitive to the deaf man, just like he is sensitive to the cues of everyone he deals with. He reads the situation and acts accordingly. We need to follow his example when we deal with hurting people in our world.  

When the deaf man was healed, the people saw God at work in Jesus. They confessed that Jesus was the Messiah. Mark uses this to lead us to the point where we will also confess that Jesus is the Son of God and his Gospel is the Good News of salvation for everyone.

There are a lot of similarities between the deaf man and the disciples. The man could not hear or speak properly, and the disciples could not understand what Jesus was telling them. Because they could not understand what Jesus said and did, their proclamation of the Good News was hampered. They needed Jesus’ touch so that they could see, hear and understand.

We also need Jesus’ touch so we can understand. The church often experiences the same failings. For example, many preachers proclaim the Prosperity Gospel by telling people that all they have to do to become rich is believe when they really need to tell the people to take up their cross and follow Jesus. The church also tolerates any divisions within its midst because crossing these dividing lines makes people uncomfortable. Jesus crossed all sorts of racial, religious and other boundaries during his ministry, and he calls on us to cross those same boundaries today. Jesus’ commitment to enter Gentile territory shows his commitment to those who are different, and he calls on us to share that same commitment.

Our worship agenda is too often “what we get out of it.” In other words, we are concerned more with God serving us that we are with us serving God. We need to recover our ability to be astonished, especially our ability to be astonished by the wonderful things Jesus does in our lives today. The miracles we read about in the Bible seem to be so remote to us, but Jesus still works miracles and changes lives. We need to open our eyes, ears and hearts to the wondrous things of God that are happening all around us. Then, we need to bring a friend to Jesus either in person or in our prayers.

The deaf man represents each and every one of us, and the miracle of his healing applies to each and every one of us. Just as Jesus opened the ears of the deaf man to hear physical sound, he opens our ears to hear the gospel message. Just as he opened the eyes of the blind, he opens our spiritual eyes to see by the light of faith. Just as he cast out demons, he casts out anything that would hinder our Christian journey. We are often deaf to the pleas of those around us, especially the pleas of the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed. We have to open our lives to everyone and listen carefully to what they have to tell us. Listening means that we do not plan our answers while they are talking. Listening means hearing them out without the obligation to give advice or provide them with a solution. When we hear God’s Word we must speak it plainly to a world that has turned a deaf ear to Christianity. When we do, we might just be pleasantly surprised by the reaction we will get.

Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

2.      Fr. John Boll, “First Impressions, 23 Sunday (B).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

3.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

4.      McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 25: Mark (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)

5.      Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)

6.      Macarthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

7.      Lucado, M: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2010)

8.      Exegesis for Mark 7:24-37. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org.

9.      Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 23^rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (B).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

10.  The Rev. Janet Hatt, “A Young Man Named Pablo and the Syrophoenician Woman.” Retrieved from http://dancingwiththeword.com/

11.  The Rev. Dr. Charlene Han Powell, “Desperate Belief.” Retrieved from http://day1.0rg/6783-desperate_belief.print.