Mark 10:46-52 Make Yourself Heard Above the Crowd

Good morning boys and girls!

How many of you have a little brother or a little sister? How about a puppy or a kitten?

How do they get attention when they want something? They whine or cry when they are hungry, thirsty, tired or wet. For example, babies don’t care if they are home or in a restaurant or even here in church.

What do you do if you want to get someone’s attention?  As we get older, we learn to be more reserved about making our wants and wishes known. Or do we? Today we will hear the story about a man who was not at all bashful about letting Jesus know that he needed something.

Jesus and his disciples had spent some time in the city of Jericho. As they were leaving town, a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road. When he heard the people saying that Jesus was approaching, he began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

His crying out disturbed the people around him. "Be quiet!" they yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

When Jesus heard Bartimaeus crying out, he stopped and said, "Tell him to come to me."

So they called the blind man. "Cheer up," they said. "Come on, Jesus is calling you to come to him. Bartimaeus jumped up, threw aside his coat, and went to Jesus.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked.

"I want to see," Bartimaeus answered.

"Go," Jesus said. "Your faith has healed you." Instantly Bartimaeus could see and he followed Jesus down the road.

Can you imagine a mother hearing her baby cry and just ignoring it? No way! A mother will do whatever she can to find out what her baby wants or needs and tend to that need. Can you imagine God knowing that we have a need and ignoring it? Not a chance! God loves his children and wants what is best for them. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

When you have a need in your life, don't be shy. Speak up! Remember what Jesus said in John 14:13. "I will do whatever you ask in my name."

Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dear God, we know that you love your children and want what is best for them. Help us to remember that we need not worry about anything. All we need to do is to ask in Jesus' name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

 

Bibliography

1.      “Speak Up!” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com

 

Job 42: 1-6,10-17 Suffering and Humility Lead to Rewards

In 1927, the silent film “Wings,” a World War I film about two American aviators, won the first Academy Award for Best Picture. When it was being filmed, production stopped for several days. Frustrated producers asked the director why. He replied, “All we have is blue sky. The conflict in the air will not be as visible without clouds. Clouds bring perspective.” The director was right. Only by seeing aerial combat with clouds as a backdrop could the viewer see what was really going on.

We see a good example of a similar situation in the passage we heard from Job earlier in this service. At the beginning of his suffering in Job 3:3-5, Job complained that “May the day perish on which I was born…May a cloud settle on it.” Job continued to suffer until God spoke. Then Job exclaimed in Job 42:5, “I have heard of you…but now my eye sees you.” Job had an encounter with God, and that changed his view of God’s purposes.

There are times in our own lives when we wish for blue skies instead of storm clouds, but cloudy skies often reveal God’s faithfulness. When we look back on the clouds in our lives, we gain new insights on how God has been faithful in our trials. 

The Book of Job deals with the universal problem of human suffering. More importantly, it deals with the vindication of a good God in the face of evil and suffering. Nowhere is this more evident that the reading we heard from the Book of Job. God did in Job’s life what he did in the life of the nation of Israel. The way God led Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt didn’t make sense, and what he allowed in Job’s life didn’t make sense either. The Israelites suffered and complained, and so did Job. Both the Israelites and Job learned that God is sovereign and good. The only difference is that Job always remembered what he learned. The Israelites didn’t.

Job’s response to God is one of complete submission to God’s sovereignty. Job affirms that God is free-he can do anything-and he does what is good and right. Job was right where God wanted him to be-humbly bowing before God in worship and repentance. Job went from silence to submission.

Job did not confess to any of the sins he was accused of, nor did he say what he was told to say. Job was innocent of these accusations. Job’s fault was that in making judgments about matters, he did not understand, especially when he argued with God about his justice. God did not condemn Job for any sins or foolishness. He did chastise Job for saying that he could better explain what was happening in the world and better order and control its affairs. Job was wrong on both counts, so he repented.

The final picture of Job mirrors the opening picture of him in Job 1. God restored Job not because of Job’s sacrifice but as a gift. God restored Job’s family and fortune to a level surpassing that at the start of his suffering. God gave Job back twice as much as he lost, including another ten children. These children did not replace the first ten children, but were added to them. Between heaven and earth, Job had twenty children. The names Job gave to his daughters were Peace, Forgiveness and Beauty. The book of Job ends with a positive picture of Job and focuses on his character. Job acknowledged all of his children as equals in the inheritance he left them. That was a rarity in ancient times because of the society’s attitude toward women. Job probably lived to the age of 210, which was a typical lifespan in Job’s time. The term “Old and full of days” meant that Job lived a rich, full life until the day he died. Job stayed faithful to God during his suffering, so God wisely rewarded him. 

Job is a good example of the fact that God allows suffering so that he can test us or teach us something. My own life is a good example. God used my father’s suffering and death to bring me back to the church and in to lay ministry. Consequently, my ministry has been blessed by God and used to bless others. God allowed Job to come to a point where he humbled himself before God and finally found peace. In the same way God let me come to a point where I humbly submitted to his will.

Job was at a point where he had to confess that he was weak, unwise, wordy and unworthy. All of us have had times in our lives where we had to make some type of confession, and Job was no exception. Even if we have never sinned, our pride can get the best of us by ruling our lives. Job was relying on his own strength instead of relying on God. How many times have we made the same mistake? How many times has God had to make us suffer and realize that we need him? When we are at the lowest points in our lives and turn to God in repentance, we find out the truth behind the old saying that “What does not kill you makes you stronger.” God’s redeeming grace can take us from tragedy to triumph and from disbelief to a strong faith.

Worldliness can distort our view of God. Once we confess our ignorance and keep our mouths shut, we can see God clearly. We get to know him for ourselves. We don’t have to depend on human reasoning to define God. We don’t have to be afraid of God’s power because we have seen God’s grace. We don’t need an explanation for everything because we’ve placed our trust in God.

Sometimes when we suffer, we wonder where God is. We are not alone in asking this question. In his book, “Where is God When it Hurts?” author Philip Yancey answered this question. Here is his answer, and it is the same answer for each of us:
 

                                    He has been there from the beginning…

                                    He has watched us reflect His image…

                                    He has used pain, even in its grossest forms, to teach us…

                                    He has let us cry out and echo Job…

                                    He has allied Himself with the poor and suffering…

                                    He has promised supernatural strength to nourish our spirit…

                                    He has joined us…hurt and bled and cried and suffered

                                    He has dignified for all time those who suffer…

                                    He is with us now…

                                    He is waiting…

                                    Where, O death, is your victory?

                                    Where, O death, is your sting?

Instead of asking why God hasn’t kept his promises, we need to ask ourselves if there is anything we are doing that is keeping God from fulfilling his promises.  

When God condemned Job’s friends, Job interceded for them. This was part of Job’s repentance, and because he showed grace to his friends, enemies and family, God gave Job grace.  Job prayed for his friends, and that was evidence that Job’s heart was no longer filled with resentment or bitterness toward them. Job forgave them and experienced God’s forgiveness for himself.

When we pray for others, our own lives will change. The more we appreciate God, the more we will depreciate or humble ourselves. When the thought of God rises higher and higher, our pride will sink lower and lower.

There are things in life that we can’t understand on earth, but we will understand them completely when we get to heaven. One of these things is God’s grace.  Grace can’t be earned. It is the gift of God’s unconditional love. Job’s intercession was a prophetic image for Christ’s intercession for his enemies when he was dying on the cross. Grace holds no grudges, and neither did Christ or Job. They accepted those who abandoned them just like God still loves us even when we abandon him.

Satan is always looking for ways to attack God’s children, and when he does attack, God is still in control. Even when Satan does his worst like he did when he made Job suffer, God does his best for us. When the devil attacks, we must continue to surrender our lives to God’s will, because God will always defeat the devil.

 Bibliography

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

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

3.      McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 12; Job (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1986)

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

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

6.      “Perspective from the Clouds.” Retrieved from noreply@rbc.org

7.      Steve Arterburn, “Nothing to Prove.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@croswalkmail.com

Mark 10:35-45 Heaven’s Definition of Greatness

In Mark 10:35-45, Jesus once again told his disciples everything that would happen to him in Jerusalem-his trial, death, resurrection and ascension. James and John seized this opportunity to ask for the highest positions of honour in his kingdom-at the right and left hands of Jesus. They forgot that God controls the final destiny of each and every one of us. They expected a moment of glory, and they wanted to enjoy it. No wonder Peter and the rest of the disciples were upset. Jesus saw that a power struggle was developing, and he had to do something about it.

The disciples would have been wise to remember the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for.” Jesus warned them that they would suffer like he would suffer. He told them that they would be martyred for their faith, and in fact they were martyred for their faith. James was the first of the disciples to die for Christ. John was the last. He died in exile as an old man on the Greek island of Patmos.

Sometimes we have the idea that if we follow Jesus we are guaranteed to receive a reward. When that happens we forget that Jesus’ ministry was one of serving others. He gave himself for the sake of others, including suffering for their salvation. Christians today should be just as willing to suffer with Christ as they are to reign with him. Nowhere is this more evident than in countries where being a Christian could lead to jail, physical harm and even death. In our part of the world we may never have to suffer the same consequences for following Christ, but there will be times where we will have to endure our own brand of trials because of our faith. We must remember that if we suffer here on earth for our faith, we will be greatly rewarded in heaven.  

Power as the standard of greatness corrupts people. You only have to look at some politicians to see that this is the case. People who are corrupted by power fail to realize that there is only a limited amount of power to go around. They want to protect their position, while people who don’t have power want it. If power is a standard of greatness in any organization, including the church, ambition will rule and jealousy will reign.

Pride wants strokes, and lots of them. Pride loves to get the credit, to be mentioned, to receive glory. For example, those of you who were in the workplace were likely in situations where your bosses should have given you the credit you deserved, but for whatever reason they didn’t. When that happened, your pride needed to be kept in check.

Jesus had the right to be mad at the disciples, but he realized that they were slowly beginning to understand what ministry would involve. He chose to teach them the meaning of true greatness by comparing human standards of greatness with God’s standard of servanthood. In Jesus’ vision, greatness is equal to servanthood. Jesus redefined the true nature of greatness. To be great does not mean to lord it over someone. It means to willingly serve under someone. By giving his own life as a ransom, Jesus-the Suffering Servant mentioned in Isaiah 53:10-12-would soon show his followers ultimate humility. 

When we care about the things that hurt others, our hearts will be opened to their pain, and that openness will lead to its own suffering. We need to see other people and realize their importance to God. True humility and love for others flows from the infinite love God has for his people. Christ gave his life to God the Father as a ransom to pay for the sins of the people. The cup Jesus was to drink from was God’s wrath. Jesus bore God’s wrath in the place of sinful mankind. The cup the disciples would drink from would purify them and give God glory.

When we follow God, we lay the foundation for God’s kingdom here on earth. We have been saved by the greatness of Jesus, and in return we are to serve Jesus by serving others. Someone led us to Christ, so we must lead others to Christ. Someone helped us to grow spiritually, so in return we must help others grow spiritually. Someone was kind to us, and in return we are to be kind to others.

This can be hard to remember in our fast-paced world. It can be easy to lose sight of what it means to be great in God’s eyes, but if we slow down and open our eyes we will see that opportunities to serve are all around us. It’s easy to find them when we are at home. For example, we can do someone else’s chores or prepare a special meal. We can also serve outside of our homes as well. We can hold the door for a mom pushing a stroller or for someone who is carrying something in their arms. Here at Queens Manor, we can help by helping a fellow resident find a hymn in a hymn book or by being a true friend if someone needs to talk about something. Regardless of what we do, we must serve gladly, because the person we are serving could be an angel in disguise. When we serve others as Jesus served us, we will know the true meaning of greatness. Being called by God is not an invitation of ease and special treatment, but is an invitation to abundant life.

Bibliography

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

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 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.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

5.      Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 29^th Sunday (B).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

6.      Wendy Pope, “Serving Others.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

7.      Charles R. Swindoll, “To Serve and to Give.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ca

8.      Charles R. Swindoll, “A Servant, Not a Celebrity.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ca

9.      Pastor Dave Risendal, “You’re Gonna Have to Serve Somebody.” Retrieved from donotreply@wordpress.com

 

 

1 Corinthians 14:26-33, 37, 40 Peace and Orderly Worship

Does it seem to you that worship is not as orderly and dignified as it used to be? Well, you’re not alone. Complaints about worship have existed since the beginning of Christianity. In fact, the passage from 1 Corinthians 14:26-33,37,40 was Paul’s response to a complaint about disorderly worship.

The Christians in Corinth were so undisciplined in their exercise of spiritual gifts during worship that there was chaos. Such chaos reflected badly on God, who was the giver of spiritual gifts. Confusion affects our ability to live according to the spiritual laws of God’s kingdom. Confusion causes indecision, frustration, passivity and lack of progress. These things go against God’s will, because God wants peace.

One thing that did disturb worship in the church in Corinth was the speaking in tongues by people who claimed to have a message from God. Paul told the Corinthians to carefully evaluate these messages, and we must also carefully evaluate similar messages today. False teachers were in the church in Corinth, and they are still in the church today.  People who claim to speak under the prompting of the Holy Spirit could be mistaken. In either case we must determine if their message is scripturally valid.

This does not mean that we must not exercise our spiritual gifts. O the contrary, we must be able to exercise our gifts, but in a way that is not competitive or disorderly. In many churches worship has become a spectator sport. If every worshipper became meaningfully involved in worship, the lives of other worshippers and the quality of worship would be enriched.

People who come to worship must be able to understand what is sung and said. People need to feel that what is said and sung can apply to their lives. Worship must not use words that the people don’t know without explaining what these words mean. People have different needs, and when the church recognizes this, it lays the foundation for an orderly way of honouring God.

Paul emphasizes that worship must be done decently and in order, but today there are times when it is appropriate to necessary to have a little disorder. One example is churches that use modern music and modern musical instruments. For some people, this is confusing, but to others (especially younger people), this is a means of worship. We must not allow worship to be dictated by our personal preferences, but at the same time we must take care to make certain that there is a certain degree of dignity in worship. In worship, we are to come and stand by the promises of God. We must also have a desire to think and act in a way that causes unity with our Christian brothers and sisters. 

Paul gave three rules for exercising the gift of prophecy during worship:

1.      Only 2 or 3 people should prophesy during a service.

2.      They are to speak in turn-one at a time.

3.      If they speak in tongues, an interpreter must be present.

Paul also gave four rules for speaking by prophets:

 

1.      Only 2 or 3 are to speak.

2.      Other prophets were to judge what was said.

3.      If while one prophet was speaking God gave a revelation to someone else, the speaker was to defer to the one hearing from God.

4.      Each prophet was to speak in turn.

Genuine prophets and people speaking in tongues would submit to these principles, and they must still submit to these same principles.

God doesn’t just want peace in the church. He also wants peace in our lives. For example, one of the main causes of stress in our lives is the lack of peace. Some of us are so used to stress that we don’t know what to do with ourselves if we aren’t busy. Stress affects us physically, mentally and emotionally. The only way we can have peace in our lives and peace in worship is through faith in Jesus.

Bibliography

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

2.      Chafin, K.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 30: 1,2 Corinthians (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985)

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

4.     “I am a Church Member-A Unifying Church Member-Part 1” Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com

5.      David Jeremiah, “Addicted to Stress.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org

 

 

1 Timothy 2:1-7 Giving Thanks to God

Thanksgiving was approaching, and a family had received a Thanksgiving card with a painting of a Pilgrim family on their way to church.

 

Grandma showed the card to her small grandchildren and observed, “The Pilgrim children liked to go to church with their mothers and fathers.”

 

“Oh yeah?” her young grandson replied, “So why is their dad carrying that rifle?”  

 

Today we are celebrating the Canadian Thanksgiving. It is a time when we pause to celebrate and give thanks to God for everything he has given us, and the best way to give thanks to God is to pray. Giving thanks is one of three types of prayer, the other two being supplication and intercessions (which means speaking to God on behalf of someone else). Regardless of the type of prayer we use, we must remember that prayer is not just for our sakes or needs.

Supplications are petitions for certain definite needs. They are humble requests made because of certain situations which God alone can help. When our supplications are granted, we need to give thanks. When we take our concerns to God, God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.

In the reading we heard from 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Paul tells us to pray for those in authority. Here in Canada this is appropriate right now because we are in the middle of a federal election campaign. Complaining about people in authority is easy, but God also tells us to pray for them. These prayers should include requests for the peaceable and wise rule and prayers for their salvation. Such prayers acknowledge that all authority is ultimately God’s authority and that God is the ultimate King.  

We are also to pray for salvation for lost souls. This puts us at odds with Paul. He argues that although God wants everyone to be saved, that does not mean that God will save everyone. People must either accept the Gospel or reject it. Believers should still pray for everyone, even those who seen unreachable. If we think that some people do not deserve the gift of salvation, then we are not as all-loving as God is. Scripture clearly states that God wants everyone to be saved and know the truth of salvation. There are no exceptions. No one is beyond God’s saving love.

Salvation is available because of the one person who was both man and God and who could represent humanity and reconcile humanity to God. That person is Jesus. Jesus served as a mediator between these two otherwise irreconcilable parties. Jesus is the only way to God.

The cross is the site of the most important transaction in history. Jesus served as a ransom to redeem humanity from slavery. The image is that of a slave market, with human beings as the slaves of sin. The price paid to free them was Jesus’ own death. Jesus substituted his own innocent life for our lives as slaves to sin and dying the death we all deserve and sparing us from the judgment we deserve.

False teachers were probably saying that salvation was restricted to the Jews, prompting Paul to write that Jesus gave himself for the sake of everyone and that God appointed him to teach the Gentiles.  Paul’s calling has authority because God gave it to him and because he was faithful to it. Godly obedience makes a Christian’s testimony believable so that unbelievers may hear it and receive it.

We have many gifts from God to be thankful for. These gifts range from the universal offer of the Gospel and salvation to everyone to God’s love for everyone to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for everyone to a church that is for everyone. The last one is hard to believe when you consider that some churches have allowed the world to control their agendas.  

The passage from 1 Timothy links God’s grace with our concern for the church’s conduct in a world that lives by non-Christian customs. Churches that appeal to their own kind are the churches that most often grow in numbers. A church that reflects a culture of affluence and success is more likely to be successful. While God can and does bless people with success, we must remember to give thanks to God for that success. We must use that success to show God’s love to the world. One way we can do this is to pray.

Paul’s desire is for us to have compassion for the lost, to understand the depths of their pain and misery, and to come ultimately to God pleading for their salvation. Paul wants us to come to God on behalf of people who have no standing with him. We are to intercede for the lost.

We must not be “carnal Christians.” We must not live to please and serve ourselves instead of pleasing and serving Christ. It’s so easy for us to get caught up in asking God to provide us with what we need or want that we forget to pray for others. We need to ask God to help us be sensitive to the needs of others, just like many people in this area are being sensitive to the needs of Syrian refugees by coming together to arrange to bring some of them to this area. We must take advantage of every opportunity to approach God and lay our concerns at his feet.

Things do not happen in this world because we pray. They happen when we pray. We are changed as we discover that the deepest desires of our hearts and the world are changed in some way because of God, the source of light and life, the ground of our being and the lover of our souls. God is the source of all things. If there is matter, God created it. If there is meaning and purpose to life, God determines it. If there is power, God yields it. These are great gifts from God for us, and we need to keep our sights on God’s kingdom and not on the politics of the day.

Because of the gift of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, we have the power to choose what is right. Our love for Jesus motivates us to live for Jesus, and if we live for Jesus, we are to share our faith by praying for people. God loves doing miracles in the lives of people, especially people who are not believers.

The act of praying can involve lifting hands to heaven. This act is a picture of coming before God with clean hands and a pure heart. How can we lift our hands to God if we are not seeking to relate to everyone we meet-people God loves without distinction? We can’t lift our hands to God if we don’t speak and work for the elimination of things that would destroy us. We must raise our hands without anger or doubt.

One of the greatest gifts from God, and one that we truly need to be thankful for, is the leaders in our church. We must pray that God will give them the wisdom they need to lead us in faith. We must also pray that God will give them the wisdom to administer church affairs according to his will. This includes praying for the decisions they have to make-decisions such as the decision to build a new church in Milton. We must also pray that God will give all of us the strength we need to overcome the hurt some people have experienced as a result of this decision.

At God’s Table, which is one of the greatest gifts God can give us, we learn that we need to show an attitude of gratitude. We don’t need to wait until Thanksgiving to give thanks. We need that deep spirit of influence. It keeps us from having an attitude of selfishness. We need to give thanks for all things because there is always something to be thankful for. We can give thanks to God today and every day, and we can be thankful for the one who loved us so much that he paid the ultimate price for our sins-Jesus.

 Bibliography

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

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

3.      Demarest, G.W. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984)

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

5.      Bayless Conley, “The Prayer of Intercession.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

6.      Dr. Tony Evans, “What are Carnal Christians?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

7.      Pastor Ken Klaus, “Everybody.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org

8.      Pastor Bobby Schuller, “Pray for People.” Retrieved from hourofpower@hourofpower.org

9.      Allan Smith, “Praying for Others.” Retrieved from thought-for-the-day@hub.xc.org

10.  Rebecca Barlow Jordan, “Mediator.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

11.  A.K.M. Adam, “Commentary on 1 Timothy 2:1-7.” Retrieved from http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=717

12.  The Rev. Geoffrey Hoare, “Intercession.” Retrieved from www.day1.org

13.  Exegesis for 1 Timothy 2:1-7. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

14.  Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “Honour the Emperor.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

15.  Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “Praying for Others.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

16.  Billy D. Strayhorn, “Sitting at the Big People Table.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark 10:2-16 Jesus Wants Us to Be Around Him

Good morning boys and girls!

Has anyone ever told you to get lost or go away? Has anyone ever told you that they didn’t want you around? How did that make you feel?

 

There is one person who will never tell us to go away. In fact, he wants all of us to come close to him. His name is Jesus. Let me explain by reading a story to you from Mark 10:2-16.

 

One day, Jesus and his friends were walking along the beautiful coast of Judea. As they were walking and talking, and discussing the news of the day, other people saw Jesus and wanted to hear what he was saying. Soon there was a very large crowd of people following Jesus. Some of them were sick, and Jesus touched them and made them well. Others had questions they wanted to ask and listened carefully as Jesus answered them.

 

There was a group of people called "Pharisees," who were leaders in the temple. They liked to have long discussions and especially enjoyed arguing and trying to trick one another. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus was nearby, they left their work and rushed to join the crowd. They were having a good time asking questions and trying to trick Jesus, but, of course, Jesus knew what they were trying to do, and He gave them perfect answers every time. They could not trick Jesus!

 

While the Pharisees were having their discussion with Jesus, some mothers joined the crowd. They knew Jesus was a very important man, and they wanted their children to have a chance to see Him. Holding the hands of their children, they pushed through the crowd, trying to get closer.

 

When Jesus' friends saw the mothers and children trying to get to the front to see Jesus, they scowled roughly. "Go away! Don't you know that Jesus is an important man? Can't you see that he is busy talking with the leaders of the temple? Take your children and go home!" Sad and dejected, the mothers turned to guide their children back the way they had come and away from the crowd.

 

However, Jesus loved children very much and had a different idea about the situation. He turned to his friends and kindly said, "No, don't send them away. Let the children come to me." Jesus' friends quickly worked to make a path through the crowd so the mothers and children could get up close to Jesus. The mothers were full of joy and excitement as Jesus reached out his arms toward their children!

 

One by one, He scooped up the younger children into His loving Arms, held them close, and prayed a special prayer of blessing. He gave each of the older children a tender hug and also prayed a blessing for them. He spoke gently to the mothers and gave them a smile of approval. After each one had seen Jesus and been blessed, Jesus spoke to his friends, the Pharisees, and the rest of the crowd, saying, "Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God as a child does, will not be able to enter into it." He was trying to help them all understand that loving God is easy enough for a child to do, and all their long discussions and arguing were unnecessary.

 

Here’s another story about how much Jesus loves us. It’s a story about a little girl named Susie. One morning Susie mother said to her, “Do you want to come with me to Saturday School?”

 

“What’s that,” said Susie, “I already went to school.”

 

“Saturday School is a place for children who would be home alone all day on Saturday,” said her mother.  “How come?” said Susie.  “Because they don’t have a daddy or they don’t have a mommy and there is no one to stay home on Saturday,” said her mother.

 

“You mean they have to go to school another day because they don’t have a daddy or mommy,” said Susie. “That’s not fair. It’s not their fault. I wouldn’t want to have to do school work on Saturday.”

 

“We don’t do a lot of school work,” said her mother. “It’s fun. You’ll see. You can help.”

 

That night after Susie had taken a bath and tidied up her room, her mother came in for a Bible reading and prayers.  They sat together on the bed and opened the Bible to a picture of Jesus sitting down talking to children. A little girl was on his knee and others were standing around him. He looked happy and so did the children.

 

“Did Jesus teach Saturday School?” said Susie. “Well, you know,” said her mother.  “He probably did when he lived in Nazareth.”

 

“Are those children with Jesus because they don’t have a mommy or daddy?” said Susie.

 

“I don’t know,” said her mother. “But I do know that Jesus wants them to have mommies and daddies, and if they don’t Jesus would give them special attention.”

 

“Is that why we went to Saturday School today?” said Susie. “To give the children special attention like Jesus.” “Yes,” said her mother, “We were being like Jesus.”

 

“I like being like Jesus,” said Susie.  

 

All of you are here today because someone loved you enough to bring you here. It doesn’t matter if that person is your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles or even a neighbour or close friend. We are thankful for each and every one of you and for the people who loved you enough to bring you here.

 

Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dear God, we love the children just as Jesus loved them and we are thankful that these children have someone who loves them enough to bring them to Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

 

Bibliography

1.      Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards, “Fruit of the Spirit-Love: Jesus Loves Children.” Retrieved from stories@tscpulpitseries.is.to

2.      Roland McGregor, “Children’s Sermon for McGregorPage 838 Pentecost 19 (October 7, 2012) Retrieved from childpage@mcgregorpage.org

3.      “Let the Children Come.” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com