What Are We Doing at Abundant Life? Connect Part 2

John 1:1-3, 10-13; Hebrews 10:23-25; Acts 2:40-42; Revelation 21:3-8.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, April 26, 2020. 

We are in the middle of a series on the purpose of the Church of Jesus, more specifically of our local expression of the Church.  What are we trying to accomplish here?  As we take time to delineate those purposes that we should be trying to accomplish, we must not lose sight that we are not alone.  The Lord is also working to accomplish these things through us.  It is a cooperation that happens between humans and the Spirit of God.  Thus, we should take heart even though facts on the ground may cause us to doubt.

Last week, we focused on the fact that everything begins with Jesus.  Here is the simplified model that our church uses to picture these things.  We are currently looking at the upper left purpose, which is to connect to Jesus.  When we connect to Jesus through whole-life worship, he becomes our teacher, savior, and lord. 

However, when you connect to Him, you find that that there are other disciples who have done so before you.  Jesus has a band of disciples who are already following him, and he wants you to connect to them as well.  In fact, it is interesting that the Church is called, “the body of Christ.”  We connect to Jesus spiritually through repentance, faith, prayer, worship, and obedience.  However, we connect physically to Jesus by connecting to a group of believers, a local expression of his Church.  Let’s explore this further.

You have a new family (John 1:1-3, 10-13) 

Of the four Gospels, John’s gospel uniquely focuses on the heavenly origin of Jesus as opposed to his earthly lineage.  John establishes the relationship that Jesus had with God in eternity past before anything was created.  This is not a sermon on the trinity.  So, we won’t go into detail on verses 1-3.  Suffice it to say that God clearly existed as a community within Himself before anything was created.  When we connect to Jesus, we are connecting to this one who is connected to an eternal family that God is, and that He is still creating.  This family is far more important to God than all the material world that we see around us.  We will continue into the new heavens and the new earth, whereas this creation will be melted down and flee away.

The Bible makes it clear that God has a heavenly family made up of spiritual beings, of which some are named (cherubim, seraphim, watchers, arch-angels, and angels).  Yet, God wants humans to be part of this family.  Even more amazing, He wants you to be a part of this eternal family.  This is what John is talking about in verses 10-13.  Jesus came to what should have been his earthly family, both the micro in Nazareth, and the macro in Israel.  In general, he was rejected by his own.  However, those who did receive him were enabled to become part of his heavenly family.  Thus, we are given “the right to become children of God.”  Much of this life is about preparing us to take our place some day in that eternal family, but the family begins in the here and now.

This family of people who have received Jesus is rather large throughout the world.  Yet, God has a place for you in it.  No local church actually belongs to the pastor, or the elders, or even its members.  It really belongs to Jesus.  He is the one who said, “I will build my Church.”  God wants us to find our place within a local group of believers, and he wants that group of believers to make room for us.

The use of family terms is extremely important because God is the One who spiritually births new children by bringing them to faith in Jesus.  Children don’t get to choose who is in the family.  When a newborn baby is brought home from the hospital, the kids don’t get a vote on whether or not to keep it.  There are all kinds of growing pains as that little infant, who can barely do anything, grows up and begins to find its legs and its voice. 

This becomes our identity.  Regardless of what station of life you are in, regardless of what country you are from, how smart you are or how much ability you have, you are a child in the family of God.  The world didn’t give it to you and the world can’t take it away!  Only you can affect your status by giving in to the temptation to walk away from who you really are.

We must love one another (Hebrews 10:23-25)

In his last hours with his disciples, Jesus hammered home that he wanted them to love each other in the way that he loved them.  John 15 is a masterful weaving of these concepts.  Jesus wants us to experience the same love that he and the Father enjoy together, and it starts with learning to love other children of God.  In fact, he wants it so much that he makes it a command.  This means that we cannot tell ourselves that we love Jesus and are connecting to him if we refuse to learn to love other believers.  That is the rub, and place of tension that we find ourselves.

In Hebrews 10, you can see how the writer moves from encouraging us to hold on strongly to the hope that Christ has given to us, to loving other believers.  We are to consider how to stir up love and good works among this family.  To consider is to fix our minds upon the purpose and exercise our understanding and wisdom to develop a plan.  How can I encourage my spiritual siblings in this endeavor to love?  How can we stir up each other?

There are many things going on in the world today that can get us distracted from what God wants us to do.  Many of those things stir up fear and anxiety within us.  In such a state, we are not as well focused on love and good works as we should be.  In fact, we are tempted to go the other direction out of self-preservation and hurt feelings.  Don’t let the enemy trick you out of your inheritance.  When we overcome the obstacles of loving each other and doing good works, we become more like Jesus.  May God help us to keep focused on this in these days and the days ahead.

It is interesting that even the first century had a problem with some people not being interested in connecting to a group of believers.  The writer speaks of the “manner of some” to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.  Why do they and do we sometimes forsake gathering together?  Most likely there are multiple reasons.  In times of persecution, it is easy to go into self-preservation mode, every man for himself.  In times of doubt, it is easy to retreat into a shell and retract from other believers out of shame and guilt.  In times of being hurt, it is easy to harden our hearts towards each other and towards the command of Christ.

Now, I want to be careful here because I know that there have been some real injuries that have occurred in churches across this world.  However, I also know that there is just as much the tendency to be offended over things that I shouldn’t be.  Anyone who is intellectually honest with themselves will recognize that we can get off-base on either side of this debacle.  It is not right to beat people over the head, in the name of Jesus, and then tell them they are commanded by Christ to love it.  Yet, neither is it right to sit at home and point the finger at all churches saying, “They’re all hypocrites!”  Family is not easy, and few siblings would stay together if they didn’t have loving parents who taught them how to love each other.

We are told that this is going to be even more important as we see the Day [of the Lord] approaching.  The Day here is talking about the Second Coming of Jesus to judge the nations and set up His earthly kingdom.  Yes, this world is not going to continue as it does forever.  In fact, the world never stays the same.  There is a continual pressure building and working towards a modern tower of Babel.  It is building towards a modern rebellion against the Gospel of Jesus and the plan of God.  This world is not content to wait upon the Lord, but instead rushes ahead with its own purposes that will bring about destruction.

We are either going to be sucked up into this alternative family that refuses to become like God, or we are going to do the hard work of encouraging our siblings and helping them to continue.  Your flesh says that it isn’t worth it to love those people, but the Spirit of God is saying that you should dig deep and give them your all, like Jesus did.

We will have troubles with our siblings

I have briefly touched on this already, but let’s take a few moments to sink our teeth into the fact that we will have troubles with our new spiritual siblings.

The New Testament is clear that there will be false believers, teachers, prophets, and Christs.  We don’t have to try and figure out who they are through some kind of fascist or communist snitching culture.  We are simply to love one another, which takes dying to yourself and the help of the Holy Spirit.  It is hard to fake dying on a cross (I’m not talking about Hollywood).  At some point, it just gets too real and too painful.  People will either truly get saved at that point, or their flesh will cause them to bolt.

This earthly family of God is messy business.  Yet, not all problems in Church are because the other person is not really saved.  It can become a crutch, or a knee-jerk reaction, to label everyone who I don’t like, or who I don’t agree with, or who steps on my toes, as a false Christian.

Your brother isn’t always the devil.  Sometimes, he is just like you, wrestling with what it means to love others.  Take, for instance, the issue of older siblings.  Older siblings are supposed to help the younger siblings by teaching them the ropes, and watching out for them.  Sometimes, older siblings can forget that they are not the parent, and their younger siblings don’t belong to them.  They can be harsh, demeaning, and throw their weight around.  However, younger siblings can sometimes get a little too hot for their britches, and think that they can take on the world without their older siblings.  They can be annoyed with the strengths and abilities of their older siblings and act out of envy.

In all of this, God is calling us to authentic relationships with one another.  Yes, love, but not a false, superficial love that is like a photoshopped picture that has no connection to reality.  When a relationship is authentic, it is messy and filled with growing pains.  However, if we listen to the Spirit of God, it will be good. 

I was born into a Christian family and was raised in the Church.  And, yes, I have been hurt by other Christians, but I will tell you that if you keep your eyes upon Jesus then those difficulties will become the times where you grew the most in becoming like Jesus.  We need each other because we will never look like the Father without the adversity that we pose to one another, and without the Spirit-filled help that we can give to one another.

So, what does a person do when faced with all this messy business of Church, and the family of God?  Let me encourage you to keep your faith in Jesus.  I could have quit “doing church” along time ago, but I couldn’t do that without walking away from Jesus.  I guess it depends on what a person pours into the meaning of “doing church.”  My point is that this is God’s plan not mine, and He doesn’t change His plans because my feelings were hurt.  Instead, He comes alongside of me and helps me through it.

God has a purpose in believers doing life together as a family.  He will work it all to the good in the end.  We just have to trust Him.  The book of Revelation is meant to be a message of hope.  It tells us that regardless of all hell breaking out on this earth, God will finish what He has started.  It may hurt today, and it may be tough today, but there is coming a day when all the hard work will pay off.

3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  -Revelation 21:3-8 (NKJV).

My focus is really on the end of verse 7.  “I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”  Those are amazing words for you and for me.  The picture of having the tears wiped from our eyes by God himself is precious, and it is your destiny.  There will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain because the way things are now will become but a memory.  Friend, I encourage you not to lose faith in Jesus because connecting to his followers is difficult.  Instead, continue to hear Jesus calling you by his Spirit, “Pick up your cross, and follow me.”  “I know the way that is filled with an abundance of life!”

Connect II audio

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-52.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, March 29, 2020. 

Today, we have the story of Blind Bartimaeus being healed.  There are two issues at hand in this story that I would like to get out of the way up front.

First, the Gospel of Matthew relates this story and says that there were two blind men.  It does not name them, but the story is obviously the same as this one.  Some may point to this as a contradiction, but that would be superficial.  Where there are two men there is also one.  Mark chooses to focus upon a particular individual and even names him.  Perhaps Bartimaeus was well known at the time of the writing.  Matthew doesn’t focus on the individual, but rather the dynamic of healing blind men.  So, this should not be pressed as an error, only a difference in the focus of the eye witnesses.

Second, Luke records this miracle as happening when Jesus comes into Jericho, but Mark has it happening as Jesus leaves Jericho.  This is more than a difference in focus, and seems to create a contradiction.  Surely, both statements can’t be true, a person may think. 

A detective often has to deal with various eye-witness testimonies that may appear to contradict each other, even after weeding out false evidence.  The detective uses the art of questioning witnesses to ferret out what exactly they saw and didn’t see.  In this way, testimony that appears contradictory can often be explained.  Of course, we are unable to go back and question Mark and Luke, or, better yet, Bartimaeus.  Archaeologists have pointed out that there existed an Old Jericho (the city rebuilt on the rubble of Joshua’s famous battle), and a New Jericho that had been built up near it.  Herod had several palaces built there.  We see this dynamic even in our cities today.  Large projects, like international airports, require large spaces that would require the removal of vast historical areas.  This is why we see municipal districts that develop around a large project outside of a nearby city.  Thus, it is quite possible that Jesus leaves Old Jericho and heads towards New Jericho.  This would satisfy that Jesus is both leaving Jericho and going towards Jericho at the same time.  Of course, this is not completely satisfactory because it is simply a theory.  We can’t verify it by asking the witnesses.  Thus, this becomes a situation that is not technically contradictory, and yet we don’t know exactly how Luke and Mark’s testimonies overlap.

With that all said, our story challenges us with the reality that there are times of spiritual opportunity in our life.  It is as if God Himself were walking by us.  In those moments, there are things that He wants to do for us, but we must want them.  We must be seekers, knockers, and askers.  Let’s look at our story.

The beggar outside of Jericho

It has been common throughout history for those with physical disabilities to present themselves to society for charity.  We basically call this begging.  No one really wants to be reduced to such a humbling and humiliating place, but sickness, disease, and genetic problems are common in this fallen world.  It is easy to blame God for these things.  However, He did not bring these things into existence.  They are the results, or effects, of the Fall, and our rebellion against the Creator.  There was a beggar outside of Jericho, which is the last city on the Jordan plain before heading up into the hills towards Jerusalem.

Again, we remind ourselves that we are close to a week out from the crucifixion of Jesus.  He is actually on his way to give his life as a sacrifice, a ransom, for the sins of the world.  Yet, he stops at Jericho, among many other places, on his trip.  By the way, Mark does not share the story of Zacchaeus, the wee little man, but that story (from Luke’s Gospel) happens on this day as well.

A large crowd is around Jesus, and, when Bartimaeus is told that Jesus is near, he cries out.  Let’s look at what he cries.  First, he uses a title of Jesus that is used to refer to the Messiah, “Son of David!”  It is possible he has been told that Jesus is the Son of David, or he may have come to that conclusion by himself.  Many passages in the Old Testament promised that one of the seed of David would sit on his throne forever, and bring peace to Israel and the earth.  Isaiah 35:5 says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.”  Yes, this can be applied metaphorically, but it is intended to also be literal.  You could say that the literal becomes the proof of the metaphorical meaning.  Perhaps scriptures like this are in the mind of Bartimaeus as he cries out.  He believes that Jesus is the Messiah, and if he is the Messiah, then it is possible for his eyes to be healed!  He has faith in Jesus.

In the second part of his cry, Bartimaeus begs for mercy.  This is a man who knows how to beg; he has had to beg for a living.  He has learned to be persistent and press his need.  He can’t let this opportunity pass without trying.  On this day, there is a man who can do something for him far better than plopping a coin into his hands or bowl.  He begs for mercy.  “Have mercy on me!”

Mercy is a beautiful word.  It is different than justice.  You never hear anybody begging for justice upon themselves.  We tend to beg mercy for ourselves and justice upon others.  Justice is something that we can lay claim upon.  It is what we or another person deserves.  He has to do with setting right what is morally wrong between us.  Mercy, however, is the cry for something that we don’t deserve.  It lays claim upon the character of the person we implore.  To ask mercy of a merciless man is folly, but to ask mercy of Jesus, to ask mercy of God our Father, is to ask mercy of One who is full of mercy.  You should take time to read and meditate on Psalm 145, but I will put some of its verses here.

⁴ One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.  ⁵ I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.  ⁶ Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.  ⁷ They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.  ⁸ The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.  ⁹ The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

We are told that the crowd warns him to be quiet.  The word “warn” is basically a rebuke, and they are basically telling him to quit making a scene and shut-up.  In contrast to the great mercy of God, whom Jesus perfectly represents, is the crowds who couldn’t care less about this man.  Like a surging sea, the crowd is always crashing this way and that way, but generally it never crashes in the direction that God would have it go, except when He intervenes to accomplish His purposes.

There are many things that can get between us and the mercy of God.  People are one of the biggest obstacles.  It can be a large group, like this crowd, but it can also be an individual or series of individuals.  Regardless, they don’t care for your soul.  This causes you to despair and walk away from the mercy that God wants to give to you.  Listen friend, God has made mercy available for you, but you must want it bad enough not to listen to the merciless crowds, and those merciless individuals that you have encountered.  The song comes to mind:

“No man careth for my soul!,” thus cry the millions.  

“No man careth for my soul!”  O, hear their plea!  

Won’t you give your life today to spread the Gospel, 

So that Christ can save their soul and set them free?

Bartimaeus doesn’t give up, and neither should you.  He cries out to Jesus again over the top of the crowd and all of their resistance, and Jesus hears him!  O how many voices both external and internal are ripping at you constantly, telling you to shut-up, telling you to quit, telling you that there is no hope for you?  Don’t let the lies of the crowd in your life crowd you out of God’s inheritance for you.

The mercy of Jesus

In contrast to the crowd, we have Jesus who is ever merciful.  Praise God for Jesus!  Jesus tells the people to call the man and so the suddenly become very helpful to the man.  Rise up!  Jesus is calling you.  At this point, Bartimaeus throws off his outer cloak and approaches Jesus.  More than likely, he is ridding himself of this “begging cloak” in order to look more respectable before Jesus.  Yet, it seems to also represent how all of us must spiritually approach Jesus.  We must cast off the rags of our own righteousness and beg of him a truly white cloak of his righteousness.  This is the only way that we can come before God the Father, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.  How many things we must cast aside in order to have what we need from Jesus!

Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants, and the answer to that question seems to be fairly obvious.  Yet, Jesus asks it.  The man had asked for mercy, which is a general request, but Jesus wants him to give voice to the specific need that he has.  Now, we must never put the things that we desire above Jesus.  If we have to choose, then we must always choose relationship with Jesus over the top of things that we may want.  Jesus also had to make such a decision as he approached the cross. In his humanity, he did not want to die on a cross, but this was the plan.  It could not change.  Thus, he chooses relationship with the Father, and all who would believe upon him, over the top of avoiding the cross.

This can put us in a point of tension.  Some people will not pray for specific things because they think it is not spiritual to do so.  They somehow see it as beneath a true believer of Jesus.  They basically teach that we should pray for God’s blessing in general and leave everything up to Him.  This may sound terrifically spiritual when we hear it.  The problem is that it contradicts the Word of God.  All throughout His Word, He challenges us to come before Him with our request.  We are told, “You have not because you as not…”  Thus, only praying for blessing in general is a mere posing, and pretentious pride.  Jesus heals, period.  Yes, he doesn’t heal everybody that we pray for, but he is still the fountain of healing.  If we don’t seek him, knock on the door of heaven, and cry out to him for a particular mercy then we may never receive it.  This tension that we live in is the tension between being persistent because you know your God is merciful, and yet trusting His answer, be it “Yes,” or “No.”  What do you really want?  And, are you seeking God for it specifically, and trustingly?

Bartimaeus calls Jesus “Rabboni,” which basically means, “my Lord.”  He hasn’t really been a follower of Jesus and a disciple on his travels, but he still dares to call Jesus his Lord.  Even if you don’t know Jesus today, he really is your Lord and savior.  He is the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.  To those who will own him as their king, He will come forth as a healing and delivering savior.  He does not reject those whom the Father brings to him.

Then, Bartimaeus simply asks for his sight.  We are not told the back story of his plight.  Was he born blind?  Did he have an accident?  How long has he been so?  There is always a great story behind all who come to Christ.  Maybe you do not feel that your story is quite as grand as a blind man receiving his sight, but it is a great story nonetheless.  In fact, in a way all of us come to Christ begging for our sight.  Oh, Jesus, this world has blinded me to the truth and I don’t know what I can trust.  Help me to see so that I can know the truth and be set free!  How bold of Bartimaeus to ask for such an impossible thing.  Let me have my sight!

Jesus tells him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”  We should stop and recognize that what the man has done up to this point happens because he has faith in Jesus.  Do you have faith in Jesus today?  Maybe you had it yesterday, but some things have happened to rob you of your faith.  Our prowling enemy, the devil, is always looking to rob us of our faith in Jesus.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God and receive anything from Him.  Ultimately, we need our sins forgiven.  Natural sight is useless, if I don’t see that Jesus can set me free from my sins.  In the miracles of Jesus, there is always a spiritual parallel that it points towards.  We need our spiritual eyes opened to the plight of our sin and the mercy of Jesus to forgive us of our sins.  The healing of this blind man was to give hope to others that Jesus was the true light sent from the One who created eyes in order to open the eyes of people spiritually.  Oh, Church, let us not be blinded by this world!  Let us see the light of Jesus and have a faith that conquers all the obstacles in our path!

So, what is the result of this miracle, or any miracle for that matter?  All of the miracles of the Bible beg the question, “What did they do with that miracle?”  We are told that his eyes immediately opened and he received his sight.  What a moment that must have been.  Jesus had told him to go his way.  In other words, you are free to go wherever you want to go.  Is it possible that some who were healed by Jesus later fell back away from him?  It happens even today.  There are people who have had great things done in their life by God, but they are no longer following Him.  They have learned to rationalize the events and “deconstruct” them into mere reductive coincidences.  How tragic.

It is not enough to get something like a healing, financial help, a job, or wisdom about a decision from God.  If I don’t persevere through this life and remain in relationship with my heavenly Father then it is only a sad trinket that I can’t carry into the after-life.

We must not serve God in order to get things from Him.  Otherwise, we will one day part with Him when a cross stands in our path, and He is on the other side bidding us to follow.  However, let us never forget that the God we serve is the God of miracles.  A fringe benefit of following the Lord of Heaven is that He is merciful and there is no telling when He might say, “Your faith has made you well!”

Blind Bartimaeus audio

The Spirit of Rejection

Mark 9:38-41.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, January 26, 2020.

The title of this sermon does not use the term “spirit” in the sense of a spiritual being, or demon.  Instead, I am using it in the sense of an attitude, a temperament, or a disposition that overwhelms a person.  How easy it is for us Christians to cop an attitude that is too quick to reject others.  This can go many directions, but we are going to see that such an attitude is not one that Jesus had.

Last week, we mentioned how this chapter hinges on the issues of acceptance and rejection.  The religious leaders were already in the middle of rejecting Jesus and would execute him because they did not want to surrender their leadership of Israel.  The disciples of Jesus did not understand that their desire to be the greatest of his followers was of the same “spirit” as the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Their desire to be great would keep them from treating other believers properly.  Jesus had told them that if they did not turn from such a path and become like little children then they would not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  This issue is clearly very important to Jesus.

The principle that Jesus laid down is this.  To receive the least person in his name is to receive him, which also means, to reject the least person in the name of Jesus is to actually reject Jesus and the Father who sent him.  In that passage, the least of believers in your own group is immediately what was in view.  However, today’s passage clarifies that Jesus intended the scope to be far greater.  There are many believers throughout this world and it is easier for us to recognize that God’s work on this earth is greater than any one group of Christians, be it a local church, a network of churches, or a denomination.  However, they did not have such divisions in their day and the Gospel was not so wide spread.  The disciples did have a clear understanding of who was in their group of 12 and the greater group of 70 that Jesus had given power to minister in Israel.  Today’s story is about a man who was not a part of this group of disciples.

Now, let me just say up front that there are those who pretend to be believers, but are false apostles and false teachers.  They should be rejected.  That is not what is happening in this story and it is not what Jesus is forbidding.  So, let’s learn the lesson our Lord has for us today.

Don’t reject Christians just because they are not from your group

If your Bible uses paragraph headings then it might label this section something like, “Jesus Forbids Sectarianism.”  I think the word “sectarianism” falls short of what Jesus is saying, and yet, I am hard pressed to come up with a better word.   So, I have described what Jesus is teaching in a longer form.  Don’t reject other believers simply because they are not from your group of believers.

Churches can be cliquish towards believers who are not a part of their church, denomination, or theological persuasion.  I purposefully used the word “just” in my description of this main point because Jesus is not teaching that everyone outside of their group is to be accepted.  Make sure you caught what I said in that last sentence.  There is nothing special about being other.  The problem is that we can reject people with a knee-jerk reaction that is typically self-serving, based on pride, and sometimes because we want to be great, mainly because they are other.

As Jesus is talking, John brings up a situation that they had run into when Jesus was not with them. They had run into a man who was successfully performing the miracle of casting out demons, or an exorcism.  It is important to recognize that the man was doing this “in the name of Jesus.”  This phrase is a direct connection to the previous story, which also employs this phrase, but we will come back to this.

John explains that they had told him to stop performing these miracles because, “he didn’t follow us.”  I believe that the “us” here includes Jesus.  They are not emphasizing themselves excluding Jesus.  Rather, they recognize that this is not a person who has been a part of the group of disciples who followed Jesus.  Now, we should not make a bad judgment either way, overly to the man’s good or to his bad.  It is a valid question to ask why this man who clearly believes that Jesus has power over demons isn’t actually following him.  He has clearly seen Jesus cast out demons and has probably heard some of his teachings.  Yet, he is seemingly off on his own doing his own thing.  John proclaims that their concern was his lack of following Jesus, but it is not clear why this is a problem. 

Why is that bad?  They may see him as a loose cannon who is not under the direct control of Jesus.  Or, perhaps this is simply a matter of pride.  He did not get an official authorization from Jesus like they did.  The truth is probably a mixture of many such motivations.  The disciples had been able to cast out demons when Jesus had sent them out in groups of two to the towns of Israel.  Yet, in verse 18 of this chapter, they had failed to cast out a particular demon that was more difficult.  I don’t know if that failure happened before or after their interaction with this man.  If it happened before then maybe their pride is injured and they are taking out on this man.  If it happened afterwards then maybe God is trying to help them see that their pride is not good.  Regardless, we should recognize that when it comes to religious issues, Christians and Christian leaders do not always have pure motives behind what they do.  This is just as true for me as it is for others.  We must work hard to restrain our quick reactions no matter how we can justify them.  Like David, we must take time to ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and to help us make right decisions for pure reasons.  It was not the Holy Spirit that was leading them to shut this man down.

Jesus then tells them that they should not stop this guy or anyone like him.  He gives several principles that can help us to navigate these waters.

He starts by saying, “No one who works a miracle in my name can soon afterward speak evil of me.”  Notice the qualifier, “in my name.”  The Old Testament warns about people who may perform a miracle and yet lead people away from God, i.e. false prophets.  That is not what is happening here.  The man is crediting Jesus.  In fact, he is using the authority of Jesus to cast out the demons.  He is taking a stand against the evil kingdom of Satan in the name of Jesus.  He is clearly a believer that Jesus is the Messiah and that the power of God is with him.  Perhaps, he is one of the disciples of John the Baptist who were not quick to walk away from John and follow Jesus, and yet, knew that John declared Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus emphasizes that a miracle that is done in his name, or for his glory, can only be done through a person who is legitimately believing in Jesus.  Miracles are not that easy to do.  In fact, no one “does” a miracle.  The reality is that, when a real miracle happens, the power of God does the miracle through those who are acting in faith in Jesus.  It is not possible for someone who, first, has a relationship with Jesus marked by bold faith, and, second, is clearly recognized by the presence of the power of God, to quickly turn walk away from him, i.e. apostatize. 

Notice that he does not say it is impossible.  Rather, that it is not easily done.  The name of Jesus is not some kind of magic word or spell that makes evil spirits obey you.  It is our relationship with Jesus that those demons recognize and fear.  The disciples were physically with Jesus most of the time, and this man was not.  Yet, are not we in the same position as him?  None of us have physically sat at the feet of Jesus and received his teaching and authority to minister on his behalf.  We follow Jesus in the same way that this man was “following Jesus,” by faith.  A person who is following Jesus by faith and even exercising that faith boldly will find that the Holy Spirit will help them and work through them regardless of how good their credentials are.  We must understand that a person can be saved in the morning and be used mightily by the Holy Spirit in the afternoon because they have a real relationship with Jesus by faith.

The next phrase that Jesus gives is this.  “For he who is not against us is on our side.”  This is different from the common maxim, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” which Jesus never taught.  It emphasizes not the enemy, but Jesus himself.  Those who do not fight against Jesus and his disciples should be treated as being on our side, even if they aren’t physically with us because Jesus is greater than our group, and is not limited to our group and the ways he is using us.

The last phrase is interesting because it speaks beyond the issue the disciples were dealing with here.  Basically, Jesus promises that those who bless someone who belongs to Christ in his name, that is as a believer themselves, will be guaranteed a reward from him.  We are not sure if the man was successfully shut down by the disciples.  Did he go home despondently and quit?  Or, did he wait until they left and then continue what he was doing before?  We don’t know.  Jesus is telling his disciples that they should quit trying to treat the man like an enemy.  Jesus would reward that man just as surely as he would reward them. 

In fact, there is a bit of a twist in the way Jesus words this.  The man was actually blessing people (when he cast out the demons) who were in bondage to demons.  They were not believers in Jesus.  Christians often get hung up on one side of this or the other.  We are either quick to accept the lost and yet struggle with our relationship with other believers, or we are good at accepting other believers, but struggle with helping the lost.  The disciples could have blessed this unknown brother and encouraged him in what he was doing.  However, they missed out on a reward that day.  Their desire to be great in Christ was actually diminishing the reward that they would receive from him.  Wow, take some time to think about that one.

Let me close this by challenging us.  What spirit is animating my words and actions towards the lost, and towards other believers?  Of course, we want to quickly say that it is the Spirit of the Lord.  Yet, it is often a mixture.  We want to please the Lord, like those disciples did, but we also have other motives floating around our heart that are less pure.  Pride, the desire for greatness, envy, jealousy, strife, such things can cause us to be harsh towards one another when we shouldn’t be.  The disciples were rejecting the ministry of this man that they didn’t know.  They may have told themselves that they were doing this for Jesus, but the truth is that they were doing it for themselves. 

May God help us to be humble before Him, but also to be humble before all those who name the name of Christ.  It is not my job to police everyone who appears to be doing stuff for Jesus.  They are his servant and will stand or fall before him.    We are not in a contest against each other, but rather a battle against the forces of darkness that is directed by Christ himself in ways that we do not always understand.  Beware a spirit of rejection that tries to control how people are working for Christ without the true leading of his Holy Spirit.

Rejection audio

The Rewards of Faith

Mark 7:24-30.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, November 17, 2019.

We have been following Jesus throughout the Gospel of Mark as he traveled the different regions of Israel.  Today, we find Jesus leaving Israel and going into a Gentile country.  It is not explicitly stated why he does so, but it seems to be hinted at within the passage.  It appears Jesus is trying to get away for a brief period where he can have some alone time with his disciples.  Yet, as can often be the case, it was not to be.

In this story we find a woman who is desperate and, when she hears that a man is in her area who might be able to do something about it, she is not willing to give up easily.  Let’s look at the story.

A Gentile woman seeks deliverance

As I mentioned earlier, verse 24 tells us that Jesus “wanted no one to know” that he was in a house in the region of Tyre and Sidon.  This is a substantial distance from the Galilee area in what we would call Lebanon today, but was referred to as Phoenicia during ancient times.

A woman who has a daughter who is harassed by an unclean spirit, or demon, hears about Jesus through the inevitable grapevine that all regions have.  It is important to note that the impact of the ministry of Jesus had reached even areas beyond Israel.

We are told that this woman was a Syro-Phoenician by birth.  Yet, she is also called a Greek because it is a reference to cultural practices.  Most regions of the Middle East had been Hellenized or “Greek-ized” due to the dominance that began with Alexander the Great.  She is genetically a Syro-Phoenician and culturally a Greek.  This is important to the story.

The woman comes to the house and persistently keeps asking Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter.  In Mark Jesus responds first to the woman.  However, in the parallel account of this story in Matthew 15:21-28 [the audio is incorrect in stating it as Matthew 13], Jesus interacts with the disciples first.   In Matthew’s account Jesus appears to ignore the woman until the disciples urge Jesus to send her away.  They are getting annoyed with her continual crying out to them.  We should pause and think about that for a moment.  They do not have a heart of compassion for this woman and it appears that Jesus doesn’t either.  However, we know from too many other places that Jesus is not being a male chauvinist, or that he is being racist.  He has a particular reason, but the disciples are simply annoyed.  It is easy as the disciples of Christ to be annoyed with desperate people.  This is not a sign of great spirituality, but rather lack of maturity in Christ.  We should beware a heart that is easily annoyed with the desperate circumstances of the lost.  It can get in the way of ministry that God wants to accomplish.

Jesus Responds

So, in Matthew Jesus first responds to his own disciples with this. “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  This statement is quite clear and demonstrates a difference between Jesus and his disciples.  They are simply annoyed, but he is trying to remain focused on the purpose that God had sent him.  He had not come to walk throughout the Gentile lands and heal their sick and cast out their demons.  This does not mean that God doesn’t care about Gentiles.  Later, Jesus would send his disciples to the ends of the earth.  Yet, at this moment, his job was to first minister to Israel.

Thus, the particular reason for why Jesus didn’t respond to her then no longer exists now.  Israel heard the Gospel and saw the great works of the Messiah.  A remnant of Israel believed and entered into the New Covenant, but the rest of Israel did not.  Paul refers to this as opening the door to the Gentiles to receive the good news of the Gospel.  In fact, we can mistake the whole purpose behind why God created Israel in the first place.  It was not because He wanted some kind of “most favored nation” to treat as a teacher’s pet over the rest of the world.  Rather, it was to be a launch pad for taking back all the Gentile lands and making them one with God’s people again.

After this reply to the disciples, we are told that the woman bowed down before Jesus and said, “Lord, help me!”  She is completely identified with the ailment of her daughter.  The demon that terrorizes her daughter terrorizes her.  Instead of casting her daughter out, she has chosen to remain in that harrowing situation and begs for Jesus to cast out the demon.  It is at this point that Jesus gives an analogy to the woman to help her understand why he has not helped her.

The analogy is this.  “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”  The children in this analogy represent Israel.  Whereas, the little dogs represent the Gentiles in general, and specifically this woman.  To our 21^st century ears this might sound like a grotesquely insensitive statement.  However, we must be careful of being offended on behalf of other people.  Don’t jump on the band wagon of those who tell you that you must be offended at certain things.  This woman doesn’t even bat an eyelash at what Jesus says.  She not only isn’t offended, but she turns the analogy into her favor.  In fact, we might speculate that Jesus is actually setting her up to see what kind of faith she actually has. 

The Scriptures continually portray Israel as being near to God or close to God, whereas the Gentiles are far away.  His analogy does the same thing, but in a different way.  Many people treat their household pets a lot like children.  However, in those societies, it was understood that humans come before family pets, no matter how loved they were.  Does it seem insensitive?  It depends.  Is Jesus trying to put her down or trying to see if she wants to be lifted up?  If all Gentiles are like the little dogs around the table of God then how much more powerful is the image of a family pet being lifted up to the status of a child of God?  We can’t play it both ways.  Either Jesus is trying to be incredibly mean to her, or he is trying to help her see her true condition.  She is like the family pet wanting to sit at the table.

It is then that the woman demonstrates her true faith.  She is not full of herself, demanding that Jesus give her justice.  Rather, she accepts his picture that she is as far away from God as a pet is from its master.  She stands in no place to demand help.  The wisdom of accepting this characterization is that it opens the door to truth.  Even the little dogs underneath the table are able to eat the crumbs that fall from it.  Technically the dog isn’t eating with the family, but if something happens to fall on the floor [or even intentionally from time to time] few would fault the dog for eating it.

She does not demand that Jesus break his duty to God and resolve for his purpose.  She only asks for a crumb that might fall from the table of what God was giving to Israel.

Jesus then remarks that her faith is very great indeed.  He then tells her that she can go home; the demon has left her daughter.  Her humility and strength of mind obtains for her the freedom of her daughter.

Today, there are no such restrictions on the Gospel.  Christ has told his disciples to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.  However, is it not important for us who were far away from God to recognize that we have been brought near in a way that is as incredible as a family pet actually becoming a real, live child of God?  Like some kind of strange Pinocchio twist, we are not receiving what is our due, but rather we are receiving what is highly unlikely.  We all come to Christ as beggars, lacking even a right to his table.  Yet, God has had compassion upon us all and bids us come.   Jesus came to his own and his own did not receive him, but as many as did receive him (even if they were Gentiles, little dogs, etc.) to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name. (John 1:11-12).

There is always a reward for those who will simply trust God’s goodness and persist in their faith.  She knew that she sought a good thing.  It is not God’s will that humans be tormented by demons.  He did not create us for that.  May we all learn the lesson that faith must be more than short-lived.  It must also persist and be continually knocking, seeking, asking.  Yes, God sometimes tells us, “No,” to some of the things we ask.  However, in a case like this, we should never give up because we know that at the end of the day He is good and loves us.

Rewards of Faith audio