Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9.

This scripture is for Mary who was disoriented that she could not recognize that Christ was present. First, Jesus attempted to make himself known to her in a quiet way, why are your crying?

What’s the matter? Why are you crying? It is all right. You don’t have to cry. Jesus spoke to Mary much as we would to quiet a fretful child.” Woman why are weeping” whom are you looking for? Still, Mary could not see that the Risen Christ was with her. Can you remember a time when you heard from God, but it was a long time before you realized that you were heard from God? How many times have you found yourself running around in circles, looking for an answer to prayer, only to find that is was right in front of your face all along?

Mary did what we often do, she responded with a well-rehearsed response: If I have an opportunity to ask a question, I am going to ask where the body is. So, standing there, with Christ attempting to comfort her, she went into “auto play”. Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.

Finally, Jesus called her by name as he had so many times before. Mary! With a tone that said stop looking for a dead body! Mary! Stop looking for solutions inside a closed box! Stop acting as though limited perception limits outcome! Mary! Her response? Teacher? Finally she heard and understood.

The same Jesus who had fed the 5000, the same Jesus who walked on water, the same Jesus who had opend the eyes of the blind, the same Jesus who outraged the Pharisees by being seen with the tax collectors like Matthew and sinners like her, the same Jesus who raised Lazarus from the dead after four days when all hope was gone, the same Jesus who healed her of her afflictions. Had risen from the dead—just as he had said he would!

This morning when we encounter the empty tomb, what does it mean? There is a mountain of difference between he’s not here and he has risen. When Simon Peter and John saw the empty tomb, they believed. Mary stood at the same tomb and wept at her own emptiness. The good news for us today is that God does not leave us to our own thoughts, even when we are full of doubt or despair. The lesson Mary teaches us today is to persevere until God’s voice breaks through the fog of our lives. Rejoice with the church throughout the world that Christ is risen, as he said. Rejoice with the newly baptized that they are reborn in him and raised to walk in newness of life. Rejoice at the work of the Spirit who gives life to your mortal bodies and who clothes us with immortality, so, that we, too, will be raised with all the saints in the New Creation. Rejoice in the Entrance. Rejoice in the Word. Rejoice around the Lord’s Table. Rejoice to be sent into the world to proclaim the Risen Lord. Rejoice!   
 

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According to this belief, when someone gives his or her life to Christ, there is an immediate, substantive, in-depth, miraculous change in habits, attitudes, and character. We go to church as if we are going to the grocery store: Powered Christian. Just add water and disciples are born not made.

Unfortunately, there is no such powder and disciples of Jesus Christ not instantly born. They are slowly raised through many trials, suffering, and temptations. A study has found that only 11 percent of churchgoing teenagers have a well-developed faith, rising to only 32 percent for churchgoing adults. Why? Because true life change only begins at salvation, takes more than just time, is about training, trying, suffering, and even dying (adapted from James Emery White, Rethinking the Church).

Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him. Why? Peter believes the kingdom of God can be obtained instantly by force. Peter has a worldly view of the Kingdom of Jesus is speaking about a heavenly kingdom. For a moment I would like you to listen to this story with ears and see Jesus through eyes of Peter and the Son of God. Strip from your memory that He died on the Cross and the He did that for your sins. Forget that Jesus ever said love your enemies of love your neighbor.

Now I want you to think of Jesus only as a military leader. Imagine that your country has been invaded and is being ruled by godless men. Sense, now, that the tension is mounting, and you are about to go into battle. That you are about to conduct a coup d’etat. That you and this band of ruffians are going to attempt to overthrow this government by a sudden violent strike. That the odds are stacked against you, but you have an extraordinarily strong belief that God is on your side despite the overwhelming odds.

Now you are thinking like Peter. Jesus comes before his disciples and lays out his military strategy. In verse 31, Jesus says, “we are going to march into Jerusalem you, soldiers, are going to lose your lives and I, your general, will suffer many things. Furthermore, we are not going to get any help from our Jewish brothers the Elders. Even the chief priest and the Sadducees will not join us. Our government, the Sanhedrin, is corrupt and can be of no help to us. We are going it alone and I will die in this battle.”

On this day Jesus spoke plainly to his disciples about the events soon to transpire and even though it was plain language it was not plain enough. Peter was not able to shake his understanding of Jesus as his general, so he pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him. He says, “sir this is not particularly good military strategy. You are not going to die, do not say that. It is good for morale. We are going to be there with you, and we will fight to the end and we will throw these godless Romans out of Israel, you will ascend to the throne in place of Herod, and we will be at your right and left hand as the new leaders of Palestine.

 It is fascinating to note that just before Jesus rebukes Peter he turns and looks at his disciples. It is as if Jesus is putting two and two together and realizes the disciples have put Peter up to this. It is a perilous moment in the life of Christ. He must dispel this error from their minds and teach them the meaning of his mission, So, he rejects Peter outright calling him a tool of Satan and says, you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.

Jesus is up against a formidable foe. And in the end, this foe may posses more power than he. But the foe is not Peter and it is not the Sanhedrin or Pontius Pilate, or Rome. This formidable for is not even Satan himself. The powerful enemy of Jesus is our request for positions of rank and status.

To add to the confusion, Jesus pulls his disciples together and brings them before the crowd. And in front of the crowd, he corrects the disciples’ aspirations for privilege, rank, and power and he gives them this simple little directive: You must take up your cross and follow me. In closing, I would like to ask the question “why must we carry a cross?”

I think it should remind us that we are the center of the universe, to remind us that there are others who suffer, and to remind us that we are responsible in part for the cross that Jesus carried. Amen.
 

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This morning’s story has been shared in the gospel according to Matthew and Luke. Mark details are little different then the other synoptic gospel writers. This will give us a better view of the key concepts of the story, the idea that Jesus was tempted.

“To tempt” means to try and convince someone to do something. The Greek word for “tempted” can also mean tested.  Or I think in this case with Jesus ‘temptation, maybe God wanted to see if Jesus would do what is required of him. Or was this a time of testing for Jesus? And at the same time, Satan purpose was turn Jesus away from God. (pause).

The context of the life of Jesus, is based on being baptized by his cousin John in the Jordan river. Jesus came out of the water; he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Then immediately, the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into wilderness.

What a change in the story, one minute we here about the baptism of Jesus, and then we hear he is in the wilderness experiencing the brokenness of this world. If you noticed in the book of Mark, it does not give the three acts of temptation, like in Matthew 4:3,6,9, and Luke 4:3,6.9. What we do know is that Jesus was tempted, period.

Why was Jesus tempted? As the Son of God why did you have to go through this? God did say, that “you are my Son the Beloved, with you I am well please.” Maybe Jesus, was so much tempted by the devil, but by the situation itself to see if would follow His Father in heaven.

The season of Lent is the time when we follow this journey of Jesus to the cross. We follow Him as He is tempted, as the Devil tries to convince Jesus to steer away from his course of undeserved suffering and death. We see Jesus come through this period of temptation with His face renewed. Along the way, we see Jesus set His face, and we see those who would minister to him as he faces the cross of Calvary.

The journey in wilderness was a path for Jesus, to show himself and his father the He could follow that path. (pause). My question to my friends, does God tempt? Or Does God put temptations in our path to see if we will follow Him? I believe the answer is no. God does not tempt us individually, but he allows the sinfulness of this world to tempt us. “No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”, God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.” James 1:13.

God has given us two commandments to follow. (Read Mark 12:28-29). We are not tempted by God to break these commandments, but the by the devil, and the brokenness of this world.

I do not believe that God brings temptation into our lives, but rather that temptations are part of living in a world that is not fully redeemed. So, all around us are things that would lead us away from believing God with our whole heart and loving our neighbor as our selves. Selah
 

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Who is this man with an unclean spirit that shows up in the synagogue today? He is loud, He interrupts. He draws our attention the way an unbathed, talking to himself, homeless man would catch our attention if he showed up in our church this morning. The man with the unclean spirit is for many of us, I suspect. Ironically, he does not have the effect on the people in the synagogue. Their attention is on Jesus. They are totally inspired by his presence and teachings.

He is sharing words like nothing they have ever heard before. He speaks as one who has authority. His words are making a difference. Even the man with an unclean spirit is shocked and intrigued by Jesus. The man with the unclean spirit, said to Jesus, “what have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” The man with the unclean spirit speaks not only for himself but for all those in the synagogue that day. Those who have experienced brokenness, feelings of depression, loneliness, human conditions that we may endure during life’s journey.

The words that I am sure Jesus would say, “I have everything to do with you.” These are words that He can begin to put back into our lives.

Jesus is teaching in the synagogue with authority and has filled the place, with each person there. The bible tells that a man showed up with an unclean spirit. The presence of Jesus, the man with a clean spirit, draws out the presence of the man with an unclean spirit. This effect that Jesus had then, is the same effect that He has on us.
The unclean spirit is an image of what the lives of those in the synagogue look like. His uncleanness is not about personal hygiene, immorality, being bad, or following the faith of Judaism. His presence in the synagogue reveals the diseased souls of those who are present. In looking at the man with the unclean spirit, they see themselves and are astounded by the contrast of the one who has a clean spirit.

Friends, we use our personas as masks to hide the truth of what our life is like and who we are. The masks have a tendency of entertaining voices within. Condemnation, guilt, fear, anger, and judgement. Everyone of one these voices, is a voice of an unclean spirit that separates us from our authentic self, from all that we love, and all who loves us.

The true voice and the true image are always present. The man with the unclean spirit, cried out, I know who are, the Holy One of God. His recognition of himself and his own holiness. Jesus says, “Shh. Be quiet. That is not who you are. “You are mine and I have everything to do with you.” Selah.
 

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The Bible tells us that Simon and Andrew were casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. (pause). Day after day it was the same thing, the same sea, the same net, the same boat. Day after day it was wind, water, fish, sore muscles, tired bodies. I just wonder if they grew up watching their family members, while watching their future life.

So, I think that many of us may not fish as a living, but we know about casting and mending nets. Life has a way of becoming a routine. Casting and mending to make a living, feeding our families, paying bills. Casting and mending to keep our families together, our marriages, security and retirement, our needs, growing our children up in the faith. Casting and mending to gain the things we want, a house, a car, new clothes, a lavish vacation, reputation, status quo. Casting and mending our way through another day of loneliness, sadness, or illness.

Casting and mending life’s pass and current issues. This is when we would cast and mend the voice of one who would say “follow me”. We talked about this last week. This invitation that is being given to Simon, Andrew, James, and John is an invitation to a new life. This new life that He is offering them, is readily available to us as well.

Yes, their profession is catching fish. Now, when they have decided to follow Him, they will become fisher of men. This process applies to us today, Jesus has called us to fish for people, to see life transformation take place right before our very eyes.
Whatever your life is, however, you spend your time, there is in that life Jesus has called us to “Follow me”. “Follow me” is the call to participate with God in God’s own saving work. “So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:17.

As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus called them. No discussions, no questions, no goodbyes. They simply left and followed him.” Where are we going? What we will we do? How long will we be gone? What do I need to take? Where will we stay?

Following Jesus is not about planning and organizing, making lists, or packing supplies. This is an inner journey, a journey where you will leave things behind. The Bible tells us that immediately they left their nets and followed him. “They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”

“Follow me” is both the invitation to and to the promise of new life. It is all about letting go of our life so that we can receive God’s life. It happened for Simon, Andrew, James, and John. It can happen to you. Selah.
 

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Today, we are looking at this passage from John 1 and thinking about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I guess you are probably saying pastor this sounds like a rhetorical statement. Every sermon that you preach is about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. And you are right.

Let us look what John records for us. The Bible tells that Jesus decides to head for Galilee, and that is when the encounter with Philip begins. This first point of the story is, Jesus found Philip. Philip did not find Christ. Christ found Philip. The truth of the matter is, when we reflect on our personal Christian testimony, we did not find Christ, Christ found us. Why do people say, I have found Jesus, Jesus was never lost?

We did not decide for God, God decided for us. The Lord that we serve is constantly seeking out his people.  Samuel 1:1-10 is a great example. As well as is Genesis 3: 6-9, “the Lord called the man, “where are you?” Right the beginning of time, God has been seeking us out and finding us.

So never think that we chose God: He has chosen us! As Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world.”

And once Jesus found Philip, he issues a singe command: “Follow me.” Jesus commandment to us to is follow Him, not the world’s system, bank account or even your spiritual leader above Him. His desire is that we leave all things behind, your work, family, possessions, and even your ambitions. These things must go when we have decided to follow Jesus. (I have decided to follow Jesus, the world behind me the cross before, no turning back, no turning back).

Following Jesus is a radical commitment that demands every aspect of our being. However, we will get it wrong and we will fall short of His glory. Friends, when we miss the mark, let us continue to stay in the race, “again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance to them all” Ecclesiastes 9:11.

Following Jesus must be a radical discipleship process, that does not consist of taking an Alpha course, or joining a church, being baptized. According the reading this morning story, Philip begins to tell his story, about Jesus! Make sure that you are telling people about Jesus, as a follower of Him. We need to be passionate about our story, and Jesus will do the rest.

Do not worry about the naysayer, like Nathanael. “Can anything good come of Nazareth?
Keep on sharing the same story of Philip, “come and see”! Do not take my word, come and see, and let God do the rest.
Let us never forget what has transpired in this story. We did not choose God; He choose us from all eternity. We are called by Him primarily to tell others about the good news of Jesus. The same way He told Philip to follow and then Nathaniel recognition of who He is.  Let us continue to follow the author and finisher of faith Selah!
 

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Today we are celebrating the Third Sunday of Advent, John Baptist is sharing words with the religious authorities by saying among you stands one whom you do not know.

John became wildly popular, so popular that many believed that he was the messiah sent by God to save Israel and ultimately the world. But John said, “No, I’m not the messiah.”

He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. ⁸ I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” These are the words of John from last week and today.

So, who is the one? Who is John referring to? Most us would probably say it is Jesus. That is usually the answer, the usual way of how we were taught about John during his journey and then he reunited with Jesus Christ in the Jordan river.
Is Jesus the one and only or could there be others? Thank about this? Have there been others before Jesus? Will there be others after Jesus? This morning I want us to hear John’s words in a larger context. Is this one who stands among us be you? Me? A guest that shows up here on a Sunday morning. A stranger on the street?

Friends, I am not saying that Jesus is the wrong answer. I am just wondering if there might be more than just one right answer. What if John is not referring to the one as numerical limitation or an exclusion of all others but as an exemplar? What if John is referring to the way the points to the universal? What if this one is archetypal of the many? The Christian tradition has never held the one and the many as mutually exclusive. To the contrary, it is an important part of our faith. We in One God; the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit.

What if John is saying the to us the one has always been among and still is? Do we recognize the one who stands among us? Maybe the greatest barrier to seeing the divine presence among us is that we already have an idea or image of who that one is or should be and what that one should look like and do. In other words, we think we know, and we stick with what we think we know.

Last week, there was one who stood among us and we did not know it. John was not announcing something new. He said “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:23). Before John there was Isaiah. “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1). John was not the first to see the Spirit descend upon him.

The one who stands among you is Jesus, John, and Isaiah, this is the same couple from last week. And it can be you and me. Take time to share these words of Hope, promise, God’s faithfulness.
 
 
 
 
 

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This is important to remember today, the Second Sunday of Advent, the day we focus on the ministry of John the Baptist. John, you remember, emerged out of the desert, and began preaching that the people repent, for the Kingdom of God was at hand. He baptized possibly thousands in the river Jordan. We know little of his origins, even though other historical sources than the Bible tell us about him.

John became wildly popular, so popular that many believed that he was the messiah sent by God to save Israel and ultimately the world. But John said, “No, I’m not the messiah.”

He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. ⁸ I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

We are called to be more like John the Baptist. “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight the highway of God!” That was John’s mission statement. And it should be ours as well. John knew that the messiah was coming, but he did not just sit around and wait for the messiah to come and fix everything. He prepared the way. He helped as many people as possible come to believe in the forgiving love of God and live faithful lives. He challenged immoral political and societal structures. The world was not yet worthy of the messiah if there was a king like Herod, so he challenged him and got killed for his trouble. But his faithfulness prepared the way for the Lord.

In Psalm 85, we have a beautiful, poetic promise that if we practice the values of the Kingdom of God, we are making God’s path straight. According to the psalmist, if we are faithful, if we remain steadfast even in trying times, if we live righteously, if we practice the peace and love of God, then:
 
¹⁰ Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
    righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
    and righteousness will look down from the sky.
¹² The Lord will give what is good,
    and our land will yield its increase.
¹³ Righteousness will go before the Lord,
    and will make a path for God.

“Let every heart prepare Him room.” When we have prepared our hearts for the Lord, He will come—and he will keep coming, repeatedly, in each crisis and with every opportunity—and our souls will thrive.
 
 

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The scriptures for the first Sunday of Advent filled us with anticipation and hope. They brought us into a time to expect, and to wait, hope, watch, and prepare for God’s Advent in Jesus Christ. We look forward to Christmas and the unfolding of the great love story between God and human life. But there is even more. Advent is both the time to wait the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem and the time to anticipate His coming again in majestic power and great glory. Advent reminds us that God has given our lives great purpose and that we look for Christ to return and establish the Realm of God forever.

But some of us have a hard time staying with our Advent expectations. Waiting and watching can be very difficult at times. We keep busy. We like to get on with it. We fill up our time with parties to plan, events to attend, places to go, people to see, and shopping to do. We have to keep moving because if we slow down and pause, then we risk discovering the spiritual loneliness that may lie just beneath the surface of hustle and bustle. If we give up controlling our own lives, let go and allow ourselves to wait and hope, we will discover how much we need God. Simone Weil, a Jewish mystic and writer, said, “Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.” Waiting patiently in the expectations of Advent helps us to receive the power and the glory of a Savior coming into our midst.

There are times in Israel’s history when the people had lost sight of the divine purpose. The prophet Isaiah spoke God’s word in such a dark time and challenged the people to return to God. Israel had acted so badly toward God and so unjustly toward the neediest people that God allowed her enemies to invade. Offering a prayer that begins in Chapter 63, Isaiah confessed Israel’s sins and begged for God come to them with grace and mercy. Isaiah hoped that the divine return would tear open the heavens, make the mountains quake, and boil the seas. The Israelites would acknowledge God as Creator. ‘We are clay and you are like the potter” God would not remain angry with penitent people.

In His final words in the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that the Advent of the Son of Man will be the greatest event in history. Just before His return the suffering faithful will have reached the lowest point of despair. Then without warning “the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, the stars will fall from heaven, the powers in space will be driven from the courses. The Son of Man will appear, coming in the clouds with great power and glory. People in Jesus’ day had witnessed solar and lunar eclipses, meteorites shooting across the sky, and large storms with surging clouds. But put them together and magnify them a hundred times, and we can imagine what the Advent of the Son of Man will be like. No one will know the day or the hour. No one except God.
Jesus tells us that although His return does no abide by human calculations, we still have much to do to prepare for it. Advent does not require us to do nothing, to be passive and lifeless. Nor does it invite us to be consumed in frenzied activity that loses focus and meaning. Advent prepares us to embrace the most important even that will ever occur. For that, we have to wake up, keep alert, be ever watchful, and hope for the signs of God moving through our world. Act as the doorkeeper with our houses, being ready for the master return. Live each and every moment as the apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, to be faultless on the “Day of The Lord Jesus”, stay on the path that Christ has created to heal and comfort, to build up and strengthen the lives of others that Christ may embrace when he returns.

At the age of fifty the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy began a profound interest in Christian spirituality and studied the Gospels in earnest. Nothing summed up his faith better than this story he wrote on Jesus’ teachings to live in the expectations of Advent. This was a story about a humble shoemaker.

Martin Avdeitch, who wanted very much to meet Jesus one night, dozing over his Bible, he suddenly heard a voice saying, Martin! Look thou into the street tomorrow, for I am coming to visit thee”. Convinced that the Lord was coming to see him, Martin woke the next morning with nervous excitement. He cleaned his home and shop, put his wares in order, cooked a pot of hearty soup and waited patiently. Soon an elderly peddler woman came to his door and she looked so hungry, he gave her a bowl of his soup. Then a shivering mother and her young child came in and gave them two blankets to keep them warm. And then a veteran soldier appeared and the shoemaker gave him a pair of boots.

With a kind heart, Martin cared for each person, but as the evening fell, he was disappointed that Jesus has not visited him that day. Putting on his spectacles, he took up his Bible, with a sigh, and he opened it to The Parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25 and read: Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it also to me.” Then Martin understood that the vision had come true, and that his Savior had in very truth visited him that day, and that he had received him.”

Our Advent expectations lead us to prepare for Jesus Christ coming into our lives. We do that through love of others and helping those whom we know are in need, by welcoming a stranger, giving shelter to those who are homeless, and making sure that no child will ever to bed without food. These are lessons that the world, after 2000 years, still needs to learn from the first Christmas.
Advent means that God has come into our lives in the birth of Jesus Christ and is coming again when Jesus Christ returns. Advent is the time to keep awake and be alert, to watch and wait, to be prepared for the power of Christmas and to get ready for the greatest happening the cosmos will ever know. Paul also wrote to the Philippians 3:13-14: “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  I pray the lights of Advent- hope, peace, love and joy in Jesus Christ-shine through your lives and this world to everyone during this season. And may you always live the expectations of Advent until Christ comes again. Amen.
 

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In the gospel lesson that is ours this morning, Jesus is telling his disciples about the last days. At that time, Jesus says, the King will gather all the nations around the throne, and he will say to the sheep on his right.
    
Then, Jesus said, the King will turn to the goats on his left and he will say to them, This teaching of Jesus is so quite different from all his other teaching in the Gospel of Matthew. For in the previous chapters, Jesus is telling parables. But in this text, Jesus is looking into the future, explaining in graphic detail, what sort of judgment day awaits every one of us. It is not a parable. It is not a fairy tale. It is truth, coming right out of the mouth of Jesus. It tells us that God does, in fact, watch the way we live our lives, and the way we live matters. And Jesus plainly says that one day, each of us will stand in line as the King points the way to eternity. Some will be directed to the right, and they will spend forever in the Kingdom of God. But others will be directed to the left, and eternity, for them, will be spent in hell.

Now, I know what you are thinking. Is God going to grant us grace, or is he going to hold our sins against us? Do we have to earn our way into the Kingdom, or will it be given to us as a gift?”

Everything you have heard about God’s grace is true. He does, indeed, stand ready to forgive every sin and every act of disobedience. But God also has expectations of how his people are to live their lives. The Saints will be generous. The Saints will be kind. The Saints will be filled with compassion. It’s what the Saints do.

Giving and doing does not make us Saints. Giving and doing proves that we are Saints. Generosity and kindness and compassion are part of the DNA of a Christian. And once we recognize that God has claimed us as sons and daughters of the King, and once we realize that we will inherit everything the King has promised, then things in this world diminish in their value.

You see, sheep graciously share what they have, paying particular attention to those who are in desperate need. Goats want to keep all they have to themselves. Sheep see others in distress, and they are moved to compassion. But goats see others in distress, and they are moved to ignore. In short, when goats see an apparently homeless man, sitting on the steps of a church, they see a homeless man. When sheep see an apparently homeless man, sitting on the steps of a church, they see Jesus.
 
 
 

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The Gospel we just heard is known as the Parable of Talents. That word “talent” has a double meaning. Its original meaning in the Greek of the New Testament refers to a high sum of money. In the ancient world, a talent was worth what an ordinary labored earned over the course of fifteen years. Giving each servant one or more talents, the master in this story is entrusting them with his fortune.

The second meaning of the word “talent” results from one interpretation of this very story. As the master entrusts his servants with talents. So, God entrust each of us with abilities. Talent has thus come to mean ability or skill. Everyone has some sort of talent.
But the Parable of the Talents is not really about money or ability. It’s about something even more important. The Parable of the Talents is about trust. Understanding we own nothing, and what we have has been given for the purposes of God, He will free us to willingly direct our resources for His glory. At the end of the day, we do not have less of what we need.

The story opens with trust. The master is about to leave town on a journey. He entrusts his wealth to three servants-one talent or two or five. The master trusts each of his servants. He even handed over the money without any instructions.

The master returns home and calls in his three servants. Two of them have doubled their money. The third has made nothing at all; he returns to his master exactly what he received. It turns out that this servant simply buried the money in the ground, which is a common security measure in ancient times. He also reveals the reason for his action: he was afraid of his master. (Ref.26-30).

The story as we have it leaves us with an answered question. How would the master have responded to the first two servants if they had not brought in a profit? What if they had put the money at risk and come back empty-handed?

I think the master would have accepted them. After all, in the parable what he commends is not their profit, but their faithfulness. He does not commend the servant who produced five talents more than the one who produced two. Each receives the same commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” “You have been faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

The parable is not about money or ability so much as it is about trust. The servants or rather two them return the favor by acting out of trust rather than fear. The Bible says, in 2 Timothy 1:7 AMP, “For God did not give us a spirt of timidity or cowardice or fear, but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of sound judgement and personal self-disciple( abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control).
 

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2021 is going to be a great year, during the next few months of Epiphany it is so important to know, that we who are called Christians realize that Ready or Not Here He Comes.  

It’s time for every one of us to do what II Corinthians 13:5 “ says and examine ourselves to see whether the divine, God life and nature of Jesus is in us to avoid being judged as a reprobate. The original Greek word for reprobate is adokeemos, with a definition of; unapproved, worthless, castaway, rejected, and unacceptable. It is sad to say but there will be many more so-called church going religious Christians in this category who will be rejected when Jesus comes to receive His overcomer victorious church.

John 14:3 talks about Jesus receiving those who qualify unto Himself. On the other hand Matthew 7:13-23 says those who think they will be accepted, but won’t. Beloved which person will you be? What’s your prayer life like? What is your study life like? Moral living standards like? Remember Ready of Not Here He Comes. Let us hear His voice of correction now before it’s too late. (Read John 14:3)

This verse confirms that Jesus Christ is coming back to receive a specific caliber of people unto Himself. Please bear in mind that our first and second texts bear out that we must be more than a luke warm religious church goers. Jesus is returning for the over comer saints who persistently and relentlessly mature and develop to the very likeness He is as indicted John 3:1-9.  (Read)  Jesus is coming back for those who have received, kept and produced His word enough to produce His very nature and life style in this sin sick world. Let’s look closely at our previous mentioned Matthew 7:13-23 and see how clear it is that many who think they are ready for His return aren’t. The question is are you?  Ready or Not, Here He Comes.

Notice here that the majority seem to miss strait gate, and end up in destruction. Which gate are you prepared to enter in at?  In the later part of the text these are some disappointed church folk who did some wonderful spiritual works in Jesus’ name, but still won’t be ready when He returns.

No wonder the writer in Hebrews 10:25 says not forsake the coming together at the house of God, and so much the more often as we see the day of His return approaching; Ready or Not, Here He Comes.  In fact, 1 Peter 4:17 says judgment is beginning now at the house of God or us church folk. This is the hour of preparation through prophetic end time revelation information. Friends, we need to press into the word of God and receive insight as to our position during these closing days prior to Jesus Christ’ return. In Revelation 12:12 it says the devil has great wrath because he knows he only has a short time to destroy the destiny of as many overcomers as he can before Jesus returns for them, Verse 17 says: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In other words, he’s after those who keep the word and life style of Jesus all the way up until the time He returns. We need to realize that God has preserved us for these very last days to endure so Jesus can be glorified in us when He returns.

In II Thessalonians 2:1-12. Paul discusses a falling away in verse 3 which we see a lot of in the church today. Many people are in church one day and back on alcohol, drugs and the night club tomorrow. In verses 10-12 says: and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not and the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie; That they might be damned  who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Let us look closely at our lives and only approve things that produce the fruits of His righteousness until the day of Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6&10-11 Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that they may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are led by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and the praise of God?  

Don’t be caught falling from your steadfastness or like a thief has come in on you while unaware and unprepared in the night of your life. Walk as a child of light knowing fully what God’s word says. Stay awake spiritually, alert, and sober in your mind. Be totally aware that His return is closer than it’s ever been in any dispensation on this earth. This is your hour of preparation because Ready or Not Here He Comes.
 

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This week, we heard the religious leaders as Jesu a question about God-which is the greatest commandment? And yet Jesus gives them answer that contains both life and God. He says, “Well the greatest commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” But then just as everyone is about turn around and leave, having thought that was His answer, Jesus says, “Wait, there’s more… the second greatest commandment is like the first: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Again, they were looking for one answer and Jesus gave them two. They ask as question about God and Jesus brings life into the answer.

Jesus is saying here that your faith and your life cannot be lived out separately. One cannot believe in God and not have an effect on the way they live their life. And one cannot live their life without it saying what they believe about God. Faith and life cannot occupy different parts of your life. Instead, they influence one another. They say something about each other.

Untying and getting rid of the knits in our life, will help us to keep our minds and hearts out of bondage. Often, they are “knots” that we have allowed to burrow deep into our souls and become permanent residents there. How often do you focus on what you do not have instead of being thankful for what you do have? The Apostle Paul “said he learned to be content, whatever his circumstance. When you and I are tied up in the have nots our lives, it is because we have not learned to be content.

or this reason, friends, when we untie the cerebral knots in our lives, we will be able to main faith and life in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So, I heard about a minister who was sitting in her house on a Sunday evening reading a book. One of here parishioners knocks on her door. She opens the door. He is a big guy. He is sweating. It is obvious that he ran all the way to the house. He is in tears. He says, “Listen there is a family that lives just down the street. The guy lost his job in the recession, his mother is look after his three kids, who lives with him. Then he says, they do not have enough money to pay their rent. They have no money now. And they are going to get kicked out of the house. Even if they are one day late on their rent, they are just going to get kicked out on the street. It is the middle of winter. We must do something. Please let us do something.” So, the minister says, “Yes, we will go, and we will get some money.” Just in passing she says, “Oh and how do you know them? And says. “Oh, well, I’m the landlord.”

Faith and life must be held together, and not separate. And yet this landlord has allowed his faith and life to get a divorce. The landlord’s faith life is concerned about the poor family who does not have enough money to pay their rent. However, in his professional and social, it is just busines as usual. Pay your rent or you must move. He worships God on the weekends, but come Monday, he steps back into the ways of the world. His faith and his life are divided.

God cannot simply be in one part of a person’s life. God is a part of the whole man and woman. Sunday morning and Monday morning should still be a time worship and love your neighbor. This is a great time to acknowledge that life and faith cannot be lived out separately.

So tell me, what are you and God doing tomorrow around 9am?
 

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The traditional interpretation of this study tends to view it as contrasting the conduct of the scribes with that of the widow, and encouraging generous giving. 2 Corinthians 9:7 “each you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 

The poor widow is an example of generosity. We all should be generous like her. And know that we are. I pray that we will hear this beyond our gathering. The Bible tells us in Luke 6:38 “give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 

When it comes riches of poverty, most of us, I suspect, have not seen or experienced the riches of poverty very often. Instead we tend to view poverty as a problem to be fixed and not as a source of power and glory. Poverty is often a problem to be eliminated and solved but not in today’s gospel. The poverty of the poor widow is not a problem to be fixed but rather a virtue to be interiorized. The poor widow is actually our teacher when it comes to giving. She gave everything that she had. Proverbs 28:6 Better to be a poor person who has integrity than to be rich and double-dealing.

The treasure of poverty is embodied by the virtue of spiritual poverty. She has no need for the money of the rich, long robes of the scribes, or even the marketplace. She has no need for the best seat in the house or even the appearance of holiness. The absence of the widows need becomes her need not to have. She gives her last two coins. Out of her poverty, she put in everything she had, all that she had to live on. What else does a poor widow have to give?

The riches pf poverty come not from acquiring, but from letting go. All authentic spirituality is about letting go; letting go of comparison, competition, expectation, judgement, status quo, reputation, appearances, power, control, greed, success, being right, approvals, and perfectionism. Letting go of ourselves, and letting the love of Christ shine through our time, talents, and gifts.

When we let go and let God, we will see a difference in our lives. Hope, faith, and love is the answer that we need to give when we sharing who Christ is in lives. This is where the poor widow lives, this is where God lives, and they are in union as one. In the face of the poor widow-the face of the treasury of poverty, Christ sees and recognizes this. “For know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that through he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9. “Rich people who see a brother or sister in need, yet close their hearts against them, cannot claim that they love God.” 1 John 3:17. Amen.
 

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This morning text’s deals with a miracle that only Mark records for us. In some ways it is similar with other miracles that Jesus performed, but in other ways it is not. It is the first and only time that we have recorded where a second touch from the Lord was used to bring about healing (pause). Here are some interesting thoughts to mediate on. They bring a blind man to Jesus, God has called all Christians to bring people to Christ, and lastly we should not be satisfied to allow others to remain in blindness, we need to bring them to the Light of the world. Never forget that lost people are blind to their need, (2 Cor 4:4 KJV) “In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” 

Jesus the Christ gave him a touch, a touch only by the Master can take away that blindness. However, they had a problem in their thinking, this perceived idea about how Jesus would heal him would only limit your thinking about the works of Jesus, let us not find ourselves falling into this category.

The Bible tells us that Jesus dealt with him one on one. Jesus touched the eyes of the man, but the man was not healed at the moment of one touch. Can you imagine the scene Jesus leading this blind man by the hand, until they had left the city? Why did they leave the city? Maybe he needed get away for those who had unbelief and whose hearts were hard towards Him.

The Bible tells us in (Matthew 11:21 JKV) “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For If the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sack and ashes.”
So, Jesus spit on his eyes, we are talking about Separated People get the Intimate Touch : The SPIT. We are not talking about what had transpired in John 9:6 where He made clay to anoint the eyes of another blind man. I know this sounds quite unorthodox, as well as repulsive. But it was Jesus, who healed the blindness of the man.

Jesus asked the man if could see anything, now why would Jesus have asked that question, if He already knew the answer. I believe when questions are being asked of us by God, it for our benefit. (pause). The story tells us that Jesus touch him again and the man saw clearly. Why did Jesus touch him the second time?

Well, in John 3:36 KJV “ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth him.” John 5:24, “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Acts 16:31” And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Do you believe? There is only one touch to receive salvation. “If confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John1:9).

No matter how many steps backward you have taken as a Christian, it is only step back to the Lord. If you need to draw closer to the Lord today take step of repentance and come back home. Sometimes the sinner needs a second touch to bring them to faith. In sum, sometimes believers need a second touch to bring them back to clear thinking Amen.
 
 
 
 

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Once there was a burglar who was caught and brought before a judge for trial. He was found guilty, and was asked by the judge if he had anything to say before he was sentenced. The burglar stated “well, you know, your Honor, it’s like this. The more a man has, the more a man wants”. The judge replied, “Is that so? Well, I tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to sentence you to 15 years in jail. How many more would like?

The brother who wanted Jesus to arbitrate the inheritance dispute with his brother in this morning’s Gospel reading is like the burglar in the story. Both of them were motivated by greed, and only cared about themselves and not for others. The rich farmer in Jesus parable was the same way. He cared only for himself and hoarded what he had. (Pause) Do get so caught up with earthy possessions that you forget who is responsible for what you have.

The Bible tells us in Mark 8:36-38(AMP), “for what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world (with all its pleasures), and forfeit his soul. For what will a man give in exchange for his soul and eternal life (in God’s kingdom)?” For whoever is ashamed (here and now) of me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” “For where your treasure is, there your heart (your wishes, your desires: that on which your life centers) will be also.” Matthew 6:21 (AMP). Read Deuteronomy 8:18.

Jesus is not telling us not to prepare for our future, in fact, it would be foolish for us not to prepare for our future, especially before when would pass this former life. If you want to have a future with God, you must prepare your selves spiritually Now! (pause).
Jesus is not telling us to sit back and do nothing in the hope that God will provide for us. Paul said, that anyone who refuses to work should not expect to eat. We all have some sort of possessions, maybe some of us have more than others (pause). When was the last time you to took a look on the outside towards others, instead of looking on the inside of yourselves? True satisfaction flows out of fulfilling the purpose for which we were created, namely having a relationship with a loving God who loves you right where you are, and as you are.

Life is more than material goods. Materialism is often a symptom of buried emotions, inside of finding fulfillment in the wonder and beauty of creation and nature, let us not get to caught up with things. Our relationship with God is more important then things. 

Jesus condemned the man because he forgot that he was going to die someday. Do we worry about what is going to happen to our stuff? Let us never think that when we die, someone else is going to get my possessions. Well, for this reason we need to have a will in place, as well as detailed information that is drafted. Let us be concerned that our soul is right with God, so we can spend eternity.
If we forget about death and God because of our greed and our self-centered attitudes, we will be condemned. If we want more of anything, it should be of everything God offers to us. Jesus said to the man, think about others instead of ourselves, this principle should still apply to us today. Amen.
 

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Jesus said to His disciples, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are the meek, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” You are Blessed if you hunger after the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, and blessed are those who cannot be salt in their own strength.

What Jesus is saying will affect all of us today, you are the body of Christ, you are the salt of this earth. Jesus said to His disciples if you lose the flavor of true discipleship in striving after selfish ambition, you will become useless. We need to allow the salt to preserve us from selfish ambitions in order to maintain that flavor.

In the Bible you will find almost fifty references to salt. Here are some of the common references.

Leviticus 2:13 “Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

Numbers 18:19: “Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord. I give to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”

2 Chronicles 13:5 “Don’t you know that the Lord. The God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?

Ezekiel 43:24 “You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

Mark 9:50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make its salty again/ Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
 
“You are the salt of the earth.”Notice how I said this, it is an indicative rather than an imperative statement. Jesus is saying, Be salt!” or “You must be salt”, or “You should be salt,” or it would be nice for you to be salt.” No, if you are “blessed ones” as I stated in the beginning, you are truly my disciples, that means, “you are the salt of the earth.” 

If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, we cannot say that we don’t mind to be a follower of Jesus Christ but refuse to be salt. You either are a follower of Jesus or not. And if you are a follower of Jesus, then salt is what you are, whether you asked for it or not.

What does it mean to be salt? Salt is refined. So as Christians we must have impurities removed from ourselves. Salt melts, Christians should thaw bitterness and prejudice. Salt creates thirst, there should be something about us that makes people to want what we have.

Let me share some other precepts about salt. Salt is Palatable, it adds taste to your food, it brings out flavor, are you bringing out meaning into people’s lives? Salt is precious. In Jesus day salt was a precious commodity and it had enormous value than what it is today. As salt followers we are extremely precious in His eyes.

Salt penetrates the food into which it is inserted. It permeates through out the dish. As Christians we want to permeate the flavor of the gospel in the community and surrounding the areas. Salt preserves and prevents. Back in Jesus days, there were no freezers. The only way to preserve meat was to salt it away, prevent it from destruction and decay. We are palatable, precious, penetrating preservative that prevents decay. ‘We are the salt of this earth.” Don’t lose your saltiness.

Continue to stay seasoned through the word of God.
 

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If I may add to the sermon theme, those who are poor in this life may, in fact, be those whom God has selected for eternal life. Jesus wastes no time in describing this rich man in the story.

The Rich Man (Luke 16:19)
He gives us a couple of important details: notice first, this man was clothes in purple and fine linen. His clothing was the best money could buy. When it came to himself, he spared no expense? In the book of Acts, it talks about how Lydia was a seller of purple and fine linen. Purple represents royalty, it was also wrapped around Jesus, when they hurled insults, while beating Him.

Next Jesus mentions that this man feasted every day. When you think about this word, we thank of Thanksgiving or Christmas. Having an abundance of food, he feasted so often and didn’t hardly think about it (story of prodigal son). How could you be clothed in the finest linen, easting every day, while you are fifty feet away lay a man in tattered clothing, sick, and starving? You would think that this rich man would send one of his servants to take care of this poor man.

The Poor Man (Luke 16:20-21)
Jesus notes, that this poor man was in very close vicinity to the rich man. While in this life, the rich man had ample time to tend to the needs of Lazarus but never gave him second thought (pause) Can you see this picture one man clothed in purple and the other clothed with sores.

Was the rich man blessed because he was rich? Was Lazarus under divine judgment because of he was suffering so?  The rich man lived in a gated community. Cities had gates. Lazarus, on the other hand, had no home at all. This is a sad state of affairs; however, something is about to change.

The Rich Man and the Poor Man in the Life to Come (Luke 16:22-23). Read.
Did God bless the rich man because he fared so well while on earth? Was Lazarus under divine judgment because he suffered so? Jesus shares a comparison and contrast of these two men. They both died. Notice the switch in their circumstances.
Lazarus no longer suffered. He no longer was hungry and needy. He now had a home and rather than being mocked as he lay at the man’s gate, he was cared for and he now feasting. 

Lazarus blew his last breath, and carried away, placed in the bosom of Abraham and the angel. He was in the bosom of Abraham. This is a figurative phrase that appears to have been drawn from a popular belief that the righteous would rest by Abraham’s side in the world to come. A place of bliss and security the poor man is receiving his eternal inheritance and the rich man is suffering eternally.

There are five (5) wrong assumptions according to the fallacy of the rich man’s thinking. Luke 16:24-28

1-Abraham was his father (16:24-25)

2-His status in this life continued in the Life to Come

3-The great gulf between heaven and hell can be crossed (16:26)

4-Some people are entitled to special treatment (16: 27-28)

5-Miracle will bring about repentance (16:29-31)

Hearing is a very important theme in Luke’s Gospel. The phrase to hear or those who have ears to hear, is hearing with a response.
 

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We come to two parables of Jesus: the parable of the Lost sheep and the parable of the Lost Coin. It says, that the woman in the story has 10 silver coins and loses one. She does not shrug it off, but searches the house thoroughly until she finds it. Jesus explains the parable, that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents”. 

Please read John 3:16.

Something is Lost
So, this morning we want to consider three main points of the parables; 1) something is lost 2) there is a search for the lost 3) joy when the lost is found.

Can you remember when you lost something, and you had such a hard time searching for it, and such a hard time trying to find it. Well, in the first parable we heard that a sheep is lost and on the second parable a coin is lost. It is not important how they were lost, what is important is that the shepherd knows that the sheep is lost and that the woman knows how many silver coins belong to her.

We must rejoice that our Heavenly Father “knows those who are his” (2 Tim 2:19). The God that we serve knows us and He knows who we are, when we are lost. 

A Search for the Lost
In verse 4 it talks about the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine to after the one that is lost, until He finds it. The second parable tells us that the woman who lost the coin” lights a lamp and sweeps the house and seeks diligently until she finds it” This is a great witness when it comes to sharing the love of Christ (pause).

The lost will not just come back on their own. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:14” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written. ‘how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!

This is a great illustration of God’s pursuit of sinners. There is an old hymn that many of us are aware ‘the words are, pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; while on others thou art calling, do not pass me by.’ God who “shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.

Joy for the Lost being Found
In both parables we read that in both incidences, there is a time of rejoicing when the lost is found. Jesus said when the man found the lost sheep, he put it on his shoulders, and begin to rejoice, the woman who found the lost coin, called her friends, shouting and rejoicing, praising God. This is a joy that is unspeakable (pause). All heaven rejoices when a person commits their life to Jesus Christ and enters the kingdom of heaven.

God’s Lost & Found
These two parables are practical and they are a reminder for us, to continue to focus on the mission that has been set before us. Let us always take time to rejoice, when we would hear about a someone who was once lost and now is found.
 

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