Weekend Sermon -- "I Am"

     Thank you for joining me for another edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I am happy to be with you once again this week, and I hope that all of you are doing well.

     This past week has been pretty good.  Work is about the same, but as I said last week, I am working for a goal, so I am hanging in there.  It just amazes me in dealing with clients how much more course and rude this world has become since the days when I was a young man.  I actually had to stop talking to a client over the phone because of the horrible blasphemies that were coming out of that man's mouth.  I will probably get in trouble at work for it, but I could not stand to here God's name and character abused anymore.

     I have just started writing a new book which I hope to have finished by the end of the year.  This is a religious book, and I will share more about it on the blog in the week's to come.  I am also getting  ready to send out poetry for publication.  Please pray that the Lord will assist me in my writing ministry.

     In prayer this week, please pray for peace in this world.  The situation in Syria gets worse and worse.  There is a significant refugee problem.  Let us pray for peace, and let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ facing persecution is areas of Syria.

     This week we will begin a new series of messages on the the subject of the divinity of Jesus Christ as presented in John's gospel.  If you study the Gospels for any length of time at all, it quickly becomes apparent that John is much different than the other three Gospels.  

     Matthew, Mark and Luke are know as the Synoptic Gospels.  They share many things in common and share with their readers many of the same stories about the life and ministry of Jesus.  On the other hand, John presented the life and ministry of Jesus in a different way.  John records many teachings of Jesus, and there are miracles recorded by John that are not mentioned by the other writers.

     John's major emphasis is to present Jesus as God come in the flesh.  The other Gospels also teach the divinity of Jesus, but they also demonstrate the humanity of Jesus.  For instance, Matthew and Luke provide us with birth narratives for Jesus.  This emphasizes Jesus' humanity.  John begins his book by saying that Jesus was in the beginning with God.  John says it this way, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

    In John 20:30-31, John tells us why he wrote his work.  He states, "Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."  The miracles and the teachings of Jesus presented by John are given to show us the divinity of Jesus.  And this topic will be our focus in the coming weeks.

     One of the ways in which John presents the deity of Jesus is through Jesus' "I Am" statements.  Several of these are recorded by John, and we will look at each of these in the weeks to come.  

     Today, I want to focus on Jesus' "I Am" statement as recorded in the passage from John 8:48-58.  As was the case throughout His public ministry, Jesus was always in confrontation with the religious authorities.  On this particular occasion, Jesus had just informed the religious leaders that they could not believe in Him because they were of their father the devil.  This enraged the religious leaders who then accused Jesus of being possessed by demons.  Jesus then told them that anyone who believes in Him would never taste death.  This just set the religious leaders off more.

     The leaders said that Abraham had died.  They wanted to know if Jesus thought that He was greater than Abraham.  Jesus' reply included the phrase found in verse 58, "before Abraham was born, I Am."

     When the religious leaders heard this they realized exactly what Jesus was saying.  Jesus was equating Himself with God.  They immediately took up stones to kill Jesus.  But, Jesus hid from them and escaped from the Temple.

     What was the significance of Jesus saying "I Am".  When Moses encountered the Lord in the burning bush, Moses asked God what he should say if the people asked Moses who had sent him.  The Lord God told Moses to tell them that "I Am" sent you.  

     Every Hebrew knew this story and the significance of these two words.  When Jesus said that He was "I Am", he was stating clearly that He was God come in the flesh.

     I have heard some liberal religious leaders state that Jesus never claimed to be God.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Jesus said that He was God right here in this passage.  The people that He was addressing knew what He meant, that is why they wanted to stone Jesus for blasphemy.  

     In John's Gospel, Jesus will make seven more statements that contain the phrase "I Am".  We will look at each of these in the weeks to come.

     However, let us focus for a moment on the significance of Jesus' statement in our passage today.  Stop and ponder just a moment what it means.  Jesus was saying that the God of the universe, the God of all creation was standing in their midst.  The God of the universe became incarnate in human form in the man Jesus Christ.  God came and took on human flesh so that we might know who God really is.

     Jesus came to show us what God is really like.  He came to teach us the divine way of life and to fully reveal to us His teachings and the way that we ought to live.

     Jesus came to be the sacrifice to take away our sins.  He was the Lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world.

     It is a great mystery that God would become incarnate as a man.  I can't even begin to comprehend all that God in the person of Jesus Christ has done for me.  It leaves me in awe and wonder.  It causes me to love God and want to serve Him and know Him in a deeper way.

     Jesus, the "I Am" wants to have a relationship with you.  That is why He came to this earth and went through all that He had to endure.  Jesus calls us to come to Him and follow Him.  I hope that you will decide to follow Jesus today.

     Next week, we will examine an "I Am" statement of Jesus found in John.  I will post the verses on Monday.  There may be a review on Wednesday, but I am not sure of this.  Friday I will post the sermon.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Book Review

     I just finished reading the first book of a cat mystery series.  This book is entitled, "The Whole Cat and Caboodle", and it is written by Sofie Ryan.  At first, I thought that I would like this book, but as I continued reading, I was disappointed that the cat really didn't play that much of a role in solving the mystery.  I am a big fan of the Joe Grey series written by Shirley Rousseau Murphy, and this book is not like that series at all.
     In this particular book, Sarah Grayson is the owner of the Second Chance shop and owns a cat named Elvis.  When one of Sarah's long-time friends is accused of murder, Sarah and her friends attempt to clear the woman's name.
     This book is well-written, and the mystery is OK.  However, I just didn't enjoy the book that much.  I was expecting something different.  I won't be reading anymore books in this series, but those who like cozy mysteries may enjoy the series.

Verses For the Week

Psalm 32:1-2 -- "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit."


Luke 12:11-12 -- "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

John 14:23 -- "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.  My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."

Weekend Sermon -- Act 12

     Hello, and welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon.  It is good to be with you again this week, and I hope that every one is doing well.  Thank you for reading this blog.
     This last week has had its ups and downs.  Yesterday, we had the mid-year review at work.  I received a very good review.  However, I just do not like having to deal with all of the negative people I have to deal with.  So many of the people who call in are extremely rude and nasty.  I am getting pretty tired of being cussed at and yelled at on a daily basis.  Please pray that I can keep going.  The job pays well, and as I have mentioned, I am trying to save up to start a larger ministry.
     One thing that I have noticed is that the manners in my country have become more and more atrocious.  I just can't believe the way that people talk to other people today.  As Christians, we are called to be kind to one another.  Hopefully, if we spread kindness, it will rub off on some of the rude and nasty people in this world.
     I would ask that you please pray for me this week.  As many of you know, I have many health problems, and I am in a lot of pain today.
     In prayer this week, please pray for an end to the Ebola situation in Africa.  There are still cases of the virus in Sierra Leone, and a few new cases have been reported again in Liberia.  There is a health development that we need to thank the Lord for.  I heard a report today that there is a new malaria vaccine for children that has a 25 to 30 percent effectiveness rate.  The report said that this new vaccine would help to save thousands of children.
     Let us continue to pray for peace in the world.  Let us also pray for all those in need.  There are many people in Haiti who are yet to recover from the earthquake a few years back.  Many people in this world are struggling.  Let us pray that the needs of people will be met by caring people in this world.
     In last week's message, we focused on a story from the life of the early church as found in the book of Acts.  Today, we will have another message from Acts.  Starting next week, we will turn our attention to a study of the divinity of Jesus as presented in the Gospel of John.
     Today, our focus will be on Acts chapter 12 and the persecution of the apostles of the Lord.  We will see what we can learn today from these events from 2,000 years ago.
     Acts 12 begins by stating that Herod began to persecute the church and its leaders.  Herod began by having James the brother of John killed with a sword.  This occurred about 14 years after the resurrection of Jesus.  When Herod saw that James' death pleased the religious leaders, he had Peter arrested, and Herod planned to kill him as well.
     Peter was in chains between two guards when an angel from the Lord appeared to him.  Peter's chains fell off, and the angel led Peter out of the prison without a single guard noticing.
     All the time, the members of the Christian community were in prayer for Peter's release.  After his miraculous release, Peter came to the house where the believers were gathered and knocked on the door.  A woman named Rhoda answered the door and saw Peter.  She went and reported that Peter was at the door, but those praying did not believe her until Peter kept knocking and was eventually let into the house.
     When the people saw Peter they were astonished.  Although the persecution would continue, the word of God continued to flourish.
     What can we learn from this account?  First of all, I would like to focus on James.  James was the first apostle to die for the faith.  James, Peter and John formed the inner three of Jesus followers while Jesus was on earth.  Several passages state that Jesus would leave the others behind, and He would take Peter, James and John with Him to certain places or when He performed certain miracles.  Two of these occasions were when Jesus was transfigured and when Jesus went deep into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.
     It seems strange to me that James who was so close to Jesus would be the first to suffer death.  It doesn't seem like he got to minister very long.  However, church history tells us that James had quite an extensive ministry.  It is reported that James went and preached as far as Spain before he returned to Jerusalem.  Pilgrims in Spain to this day follow a path across northern Spain to reach the church of St. James.  There is an interesting movie about this called "The Way" starring Martin Sheen.
     Some people believe that James may have written the epistle of James.  I don't think that this is the case as most scholars believe that Jesus' brother named James wrote that book.  Who knows?  What I learn from James is that during his time of ministry, he was faithful to the Lord Jesus and served Him with all of His might.  He was willing to face persecution and death for the sake of the one He called His Lord.  James is an encouragement to me.
     In the account about Peter, two things strike me.  First of all, the church was praying, but they really weren't believing.  They were praying for Peter to be released, but they were shocked that he was actually released.  The whole story is somewhat amusing.
     Sometimes, I think our prayers are that way.  We pray, but do we really believe that anything will happen?  Part of prayer is believing.  We need to believe in the power of the Lord to answer us when we call upon His name.  As Jesus taught in the parable of the persistent widow, even if we don't see a  result right away, we need to keep trusting in the Lord, and we need to keep praying.
     Often, I think we just go through the religious motions and rituals.  We don't have any trust or faith behind it.  It is just something we do.
     Often, I wonder if anyone has any real belief in the Lord Jesus.  Jesus Himself wondered if anyone would really believe in Him when He returned.
     In spite of what we may see, we must have faith and believe the promises of God.  I know in my life that I have prayed about many things that have not come to pass.  But, I am still praying for them.      I try to have faith and continue to believe in the Lord because I know that He has performed great things on my behalf in the past.
     I know of five things that I prayed for that I know without a doubt the Lord miraculously provided.  Two of them involve my friend Toby.  When Toby was first diagnosed with cancer, the oncologist only gave him six weeks to live even with high doses of chemotherapy.  I asked the Lord.to give us more time together.  The Lord answered that prayer, and Toby lived for 13 months and not six weeks.  Toby also had a terrible autoimmune skin problem.  Nothing the veterinarians did worked.  I prayed and asked the Lord to heal him, and Toby's skin was healed.
    I also had a terrible skin problem.  I had vitiligo all over my body in the late 1990's.  I even went to Mayo Clinic to see if they could help me.  Nothing the doctor's tried was working.  I finally stopped all the treatment and just kept praying.  The Lord healed me. Praise be to his name.
    In the ministry I used to have, we prayed for peace to come to two different nations for many years.  We kept praying, and these two nations are at peace today.
     Often, what we pray for does not come to pass in this life.  I know that I prayed that my Mom would get better.  But over the course of the five years she lived post stroke, she just got worse and worse.
     We have to continue to have faith in Jesus.  He knows what is best.  Even if things don't work out the way we think they ought to, Jesus is ultimately shaping things according to His will and way.
     Finally, this passage teaches me that in spite of opposition and persecution, the message of the Lord Jesus will prosper.  All of the forces of hell were unleashed against the early Christians, but they kept on going for Jesus, and the gospel message now reaches all around the world.
     Today in many parts of the world, Christians are facing persecution.  These faithful men and women continue to live for Jesus and spread His message of love and reconciliation.  In spite of persecution, the message of Jesus will continue on this earth.
     Next week, we will begin our new series.  On Monday I will post the verses.  There will be a book review on Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Book Review Update

     I thought that I would have a book to review this week.. However, I am behind on my reading.  Next week, without a doubt, I will be caught up on my reading.  I am just about to finish three different mystery novels that I want to review.  I am also reading some religious books and some animal books.  There are several book reviews on the way in the coming weeks.

Verses For the Week

Psalm 147:1 -- "Praise the Lord.  How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!"

Mark 1:14-15 -- "After John was put into prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.  The time has come, He said.  The Kingdom of God has come near.  Repent and believe the good news."

Luke 13:24 -- "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to."

Weekend Sermon -- Acts 5:12-42

     Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon.  It is good to be with you again this week to share a message from the word of the Lord.  It is my hope and prayer that all of you are doing very well.
     This week has gone fairly well at work, and I am thankful to the Lord for that.  We had another big storm blow through this week, but it didn't cause too much trouble down where I live.  Some people up to the north of me had tree damage, but that was all.  I keep praying for better weather.
     In prayer this week, please remember to pray for peace and safety in whatever country you live in.  Here in the United States, we had another violent incident this week.  Let us pray that terrorism and extremism will come to an end and that people will learn to live together in harmony.
     Let us continue to pray for an end to the Ebola crisis, and let us continue to pray for peace in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Iraq and Afghanistan.  Pray for refugees and those facing persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.
     Last week, the message centered around the work of Philip as he sought to spread the message of Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission.  Philip took the message of Jesus to the Samaritans and to an Ethiopian governmental official.
     Today, we will continue our study of the early church as presented in the book of Acts.  We will look at the ministry of Peter and the apostles in the city of Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 5.
     When the church of Jesus Christ first began after the day of Pentecost, one of the ways used by the Holy Spirit to attract people to the message of Jesus was through signs and wonders.  The Holy Spirit empowered Peter, and the other apostles, to perform miracles of healing.
     Each day, Peter and the apostles would go to the Temple and stand in the Portico of Solomon and preach the good news about who Jesus is and what He accomplished through His death and resurrection.
    During their time of ministry, many people were healed of various afflictions.  People came to hear Peter from all the area surrounding Jerusalem.  So many people came to be healed that they would come near where Peter was walking so that Peter's shadow would fall on the sick, and the sick would be restored to complete health.
     Just as the religious leaders of the day despised Jesus, they hated Jesus' followers.  Of course, this is just the way that Jesus said that it would be.  The religious leaders had Peter and the other apostles arrested and brought to trial before the council.
    The council instructed the apostles to cease preaching in the name of Jesus.  The apostles said that they had to obey God and not men.  They would continue telling people about Jesus and His message.
     The council was enraged, and they wanted to immediately kill all of the apostles on the spot.  However, one prominent member of the council named Gamaliel spoke up.  He said that they should just wait and see what happened.  If the apostles message was false; it would fail.  If it was from God, then it would succeed.
     The council had the apostles beaten, and then they were released.  However, the apostles did not stop preaching about Jesus.  They counted it an honor that they were allowed to suffer for the sake Jesus Christ.
     What can we as believers in this day and age learn from this story about the earliest days of the church under the leadership of Peter and the apostles?
     First of all, the apostles were continual preaching the message of Jesus.  They went every day into the Temple to proclaim the message of the cross.  Not all of us are called to have a ministry of public proclamation.  We aren't all called to be full-time pastors or missionaries.  However, we can be the servants of Jesus and proclaim His name right where the Lord has placed us.
     We need to have the attitude each day that we get up that we will be witnesses for Jesus.  This means different things.  We should always live in such a way that people see our good works and give glory to the Father who is in Heaven.  The people who interact with us on a daily basis should see that we reflect the values and teachings of Jesus our Lord.  When people look at us and our actions, they should see Jesus.
     We also need to take advantage of the opportunities the Lord sends our way to share the hope that is within us with others.  If a conversation at work comes around to spiritual matters, don't be afraid to share what Jesus means to you and what He has done in your life and in the life of your family and friends.  Be a missionary where the Lord has placed you.
     The second thing that we can learn from this passage is that it is always better to obey God than man.  This world system may want us to conform to its value system.  We must obey our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If it should come to pass that we are ever forbidden from sharing our faith or practicing our religion, we should do it anyway.  We must obey what the Lord has told us to do.
     The third thing I want to focus on is the statement made by Gamaliel.  While this is a faithfully recorded statement, and the words Gamaliel spoke allowed the apostles to go free, they are incorrect.  There are many movements and false beliefs in the world today that have been and are very successful.  Just because a movement is old or has many followers does not mean that it is blessed by God.
    Ultimately, only what is of God will endure.  One day, when Jesus returns, the truth will be revealed to all people, and everyone will bow to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who is Jesus Christ.
     Finally, the apostles felt blessed that they were allowed to suffer for the Lord.  I know that many Christians are suffering persecution for Jesus.  Stand firm in the faith.  Jesus is pleased with you for what you are doing for Him.  Trust in Him, and do not be afraid.  The Lord is with you, and He will see you through in this life and in the world to come.
     Next week, we will continue in Acts.  The following week, we will begin our series about the divinity of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospel of John.  On Monday, I will post the verses, and there will be a book review on Wednesday.  May God bless you.  Amen.