Mercy

This month Pastor's sermons have showed us that the call to follow Jesus is 1) a call to mission, 2) a call to action, 3) a call to obedience.  Today we explore a fourth element of the call to follow Christ.

The scripture lesson is in The Gospel of Matthew 9:9-13 in which Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him.
Unlike the previous called followers who were ordinary working men, probably likeable because we can relate to them, Matthew is a member of a despised, even hated, class of people.  He is a tax collector whose companions are other tax collectors and sinners.  Yet Jesus issues the call to follow and Matthew immediately accepts the call, invites Jesus and His disciples to dinner.

The religious leaders are outraged.  Jesus is taking bread with bad people who have no respect for the Law.

"Whether you think you are worthy (to be called to follow) or not, you're not."  --JB

Peter, James, and John left their nets and followed.  Yet they had the option to return to fishing.  (In fact, they did so following Christ's crucifixion.)  Matthew, a contract employee of the Roman government, did not have the option to go back.  He forsook everything to follow Jesus.

Jesus told the lawyers and religious leaders, "I value mercy, not sacrifice."  (Here quoting the prophet Hosea.  Hosea 6:6)


The call to follow Jesus is a call to Mercy!

This was a complete paradigm shift from the understanding of the people of that day who had been taught that sacrifice was everything.  Their complete system of worship was screwed up.

With sacrifice
 1) you are taught to reject the unclean; ritual purification is key.
 2) you are trained to detect flaws.
 3) you are trained to respect tradition.

Jesus's love for the Father and for people caused the law to fall into place.  Jesus opened the gates and gave everyone access to Himself!

The call to follow Jesus is a call to Mercy!  He takes care of the sacrifice; you must operate in mercy.

1)  Operate out of a heart of compassion.
2)  Operate out of a heart of forgiveness.
3)  Operate out of a heart of love.

But what of the unlikable, the unclean, the wretched?  Love those we don't even like.

Let your heart beat with love for people!

His compassion and love never fail!

Mission, Action, Obedience, Mercy

Preacher Johnnie Blair

Sunday morning

Follow, Obey

In the first chapter of Mark's gospel we see Jesus calling out to a bunch of fishermen who are repairing nets and doing chores on their vessels.  "Follow me!" he said, "and I will make you fishers of men."   (Mark 1:16-20)

What do true followers of Christ actually look like?

The call to follow is a call to live our life in Christ's mission.

The call to follow is a call to mission.

Jesus invites us to participate in what He is doing!  (Sitting in the bleachers makes one a fan, not a follower.)

Jesus doesn't just "hang out" with sinners, He recruits them!

When Jesus called the fishermen, they acted immediately.  To follow at once is a crucial piece of discipleship.  When God told Abram to uproot himself and move to a strange land he started off at once.  He did not dawdle or question.

Being able to discern the will of God then doing it is essential to discipleship.

When the rich young man asked Jesus what he must do, Jesus told him the cost was everything.  The man could not come to grips with the conditions.  He left, a sad man.

The will of God will always be accomplished but it will be limited in one's life if we fail to heed his voice.   By our disobedience we sideline ourselves, disqualifying ourselves to be true disciples of Jesus.

DO IT HIS WAY!

Some people want Jesus to do what they want Him to do, requiring little of them.  God sometimes allows us to be emptied of things so that we can be full of the Spirit.

God wants to reveal his glory through you and your life!

 Again:  The call to mission is a call to action, to obedience.

WHENEVER YOU ARE IN HIS WILL YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE!

How to obey

1.  Live with a "yes" in your heart, then you will say yes in the moment.
2.  Learn to discern His voice.  Amidst the chaos of many voices, know His voice.
3.  Seek peace and pursue it. 
4.  Be obedient. 

AS WE FOLLOW HIM WE BECOME LIKE HIM!

  While we are trying to mend our broken nets, He calls out, "Follow me!"

Preacher Johnnie Blair

     Sunday morning

Read Psalm 34

Follow Me

The scripture lesson is from Luke 5.

Jesus calls disciples

5 One day Jesus was standing beside Lake Gennesaret when the crowd pressed in around him to hear God’s word. ² Jesus saw two boats sitting by the lake. The fishermen had gone ashore and were washing their nets. ³ Jesus boarded one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, then asked him to row out a little distance from the shore. Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴ When he finished speaking to the crowds, he said to Simon, “Row out farther, into the deep water, and drop your nets for a catch.”

⁵ Simon replied, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and caught nothing. But because you say so, I’ll drop the nets.”
⁶ So they dropped the nets and their catch was so huge that their nets were splitting. ⁷ They signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They filled both boats so full that they were about to sink. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw the catch, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Leave me, Lord, for I’m a sinner!” ⁹ Peter and those with him were overcome with amazement because of the number of fish they caught. ¹⁰ James and John, Zebedee’s sons, were Simon’s partners and they were amazed too.
Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on, you will be fishing for people.” ¹¹ As soon as they brought the boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.  (CEB)

In America today the concept of religious piety is being rejected.  The church is declining at an alarming rate.  The Church must get back to the basics:  We are followers of Christ, and Christ alone.

When Jesus walked among men, people were drawn to him; they were compelled, wanted to be in his presence.  This was not because his teachings were easy.  To the contrary, they were hard stuff contrary to human nature.  Look at the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus, among many other things, taught that to hate was to commit murder, to lust was to commit adultery, to be persecuted is blessing; hard teachings indeed.

Because we fear the message of Christ is too radical for the masses, we attempt to disguise Jesus, to soften his message. " Since his teachings are too radical, let's make it a little bit
 easier." 

Jesus clearly said he is the only way.

Some make the message more than Jesus intended by attempting to impose rules and regulations, much as the Pharisees of Jesus's day did.

Why are we trying to disguise Him?  The disguises we use have made Jesus unattractive, He to whom the people of his day were attracted.  

 Ask Jesus to change our hearts such that we won't change His message.

 We cannot help people by disguising the Jesus they need. 
People are sick of the sham Jesus we are presenting.

In today's reading note that when Jesus said do it, Peter did it.  An act of blind obedience, for he knew not what the outcome would be.  Jesus gave no assurances but simply told him to cast his nets on the other side.

Sometimes Jesus might ask of us to do that which is scary or intimidating, the outcome of obedience uncertain.  We need to do it; obedience is key.

When we are with Jesus we are in good company. 
Though we may have no idea how things will work out if we walk in obedience everything will be all right.
In the instance of these fishermen, they found that on their worst day there was abundance.  They realized that something miraculous happened.  Peter was so fearful that he asked Jesus to leave. He was humbled and terrified.     

Like Peter, we assume sinners have no [place in the presence of Jesus.  Not so.  Jesus offers healing, cleansing, comfort.  Jesus wants to repair and use broken people.

At His bidding, these fishermen left everything, their very means of livelihood, and followed Jesus!

If you are paralyzed by fear of the unknown, by feelings of unworthiness, listen!  Jesus says, Don't be afraid.  Follow me.  Fish for people.  Participate in what I am doing.

The call to follow included the invitation to participate in His mission!  

Go with Him to places where people need Him.  Follow in His footsteps to bring light to the lost.
Don't be afraid.  Maybe we need to think about casting the net on the other side.  Jesus wants to use us to be the light if we would be obedient.

God calls you to do something.  Go with it!  Obedience. 

Preacher Johnnie Blair

Sunday morning  

 

The Struggle is Real--Prayer and Fasting

The scripture lesson is Mark 9:14-29 in which a man whose son is afflicted with a demon asks healing of Jesus's disciples, but they cannot do it..  When Jesus arrives the man says to him, Heal my son if you can.  "If you can?" said Jesus.  "Believe."  The man replied, I believe; help mine unbelief.
Jesus healed the lad.

Why were the disciples, who had been given authority by Christ, unable to perform the requested action?  The power was available to them.  But.  But they had not made themselves available to the power.   Many of us are in just this same position.

The disciples questioned Jesus as to why they were unable to cast out the spirit and Jesus replied, "This kind will only respond to prayer and fasting."   This is a critical piece in the faith puzzle.  "There are some spiritual breakthroughs that will only happen through intensive prayer and fasting."  --JB

"If you want to make yourself available to God's power, make yourself available to prayer." -JB


"God does nothing that is not backed up by prayer."  --John Wesley

Spiritual discipline:  Prayer is not an add-on; it is life's breath.  To breathe is to pray and to pray is to breathe.  Doubt begins to corrupt faith.

When we train ourselves in the discipline of prayer it becomes easy to discern the will of God.

Prayer expresses a felt need to God.  Fasting expresses our dependence on God.

In Matthew chapter six, Jesus gives us instructions regarding fasting.

It was suggested that we each select a mode of fasting and practice it, particularly during Lent, remembering always that fasting alone is insufficient without intensive prayer.

Preacher Johnnie Blair

Sunday morning