Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Cancels Opposition

Psalm 2

Have you ever felt like the whole world was against you?

Have you ever felt like every person, place, thing, and institution had it in for you and was trying to make your life as miserable and unbearable as possible?

Maybe you have heard over and over again, “You can’t do that!”

Maybe you have heard over and over again that you are not smart enough, you are not wealthy enough, you are not skinny enough or pretty enough, you are not physically fit enough, or you are not experienced enough.

Maybe the opposition came at school.  Maybe you were constantly in the sights of a bully or bullies.  Maybe you felt like a teacher had it out for you because no matter how hard you worked they just wouldn’t give you an A.

Maybe the opposition came at work.  Maybe your ideas were constantly rejected or unheard.  Maybe your co-workers looked down on you and spoke badly about you.

Maybe the opposition came from your home.  Maybe your spouse didn’t support your hopes and dreams.  Maybe your parents had rules that prohibited you from having the freedoms that you wanted to have.  Maybe your kids were disobedient. Maybe you were abused.  

Maybe the opposition came from your church.  Maybe the passions that you had and the gifts that God gave you were denied or went unused.

Each of us faces opposition from a variety of people and places throughout our life.

And, sometimes opposition can come from many different places at the same time making us feel like the whole world is against us.

In this morning’s text, King David, the writer of many of the songs recorded in the book of Psalms, feels like many of us do on a daily basis—like the whole world was against him.

Let’s hear about the opposition that King David faced from his own words which are recorded for us in Psalm 2.

In Psalm 2, King David says:

[1] Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

[2] The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

[3] “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

[4] He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

[5] Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

[6] “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

[7] I will tell of the decree:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

[8] Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

[9] You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

[10] Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

[11] Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

[12] Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (ESV)

Let me break down this Psalm for you into 4 parts.

Part 1 comes from verses 1-3.  

It is in these verses that King David describes his problem.

And, the problem is that when he examines the motives of the leaders of his world, he sees them making decisions and carrying out plans that go completely against God’s standards for life and love. 

He sees the leaders asking their subjects to bow down and worship the king instead of bowing down to worship God, the Father in Heaven.

He sees the leaders of the nations around him conquering, killing, and enslaving people, instead of gathering, protecting, and providing for people.

I didn’t mention this in the beginning examples, but maybe we are like David and experience opposition from the leaders and nations that have ruled throughout our lifetime.

In our recently deeply divided nation, people, including each of us, have been very vocal about the opposition that we felt was limiting our ability to live the way we wanted to.

From 2016 to 2020 some of us believed that our government and leaders were our enemies.  It seemed to us like every decision and move that was made was against our belief system and way of life.  We felt like those who were supposed to take care of us and protect us were actually opposing us.

And then,for the next four years, from 2020-2024, some of us believe that our government and leaders were our enemies. It seems to us like every decision and move that has been made is against our belief system and way of life.  We feel like those who are supposed to take care of us and protect us are actually opposing us.

When we live feeling opposed by the leaders and nations that are in position to rule and make decisions, we live in fear.  We fear what they are going to do to us.  We fear for our lives.

However, the next part of this Psalm brings some comfort to King David and to you.

In verses 4-6, King David talks about God’s response to those who think, say, and do things that oppose His rules for life and love.

King David says that God sits on His throne in Heaven and laughs at all of those that oppose Him.

God laughs at those who oppose Him because He sees the silliness that exists in anyone who thinks they can do whatever they want without any care or regard for their Creator who also happens to be the One responsible for the existence of the Universe.

God’s laughter at those who think they have more power than Him brings comfort to King David while he is being opposed for his belief in God because it reminds him that God is always in control, God is always in charge, and God will always be victorious.  No one can ever overthrow God or His good and gracious plan for humanity.

Part 3 of the psalm is found with verses 7-9 and tells us of God’s solution that he will use to defeat any opposition.

God’s solution is His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus will rule the universe eternally with justice and love.

That means that those that do not find themselves believing in Jesus and openly oppose God’s standards for life and love will receive exactly what they deserve—punishment for their sin.  Justice will be served and the guilty will be punished—opposition to God and His Kingdom will be squashed!

However, those that find themselves believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior will be recipients of the grace that flows from Jesus’ eternal reign. That grace that Jesus lovingly and willingly bestows gives forgiveness of sin through His death on the cross for you, eternal life in God’s Kingdom of Heaven, and righteousness.

A few years ago, the song Old Town Road came on the music scene fast and furious.  The world-wide popularity of the song had it playing on the radio, in commercials and ads, and in stores.  It seemed like you couldn’t make it through one day without hearing the song in some capacity.

Although the song became an instant world-wide success, it has a very interesting story attached to it.

When newcomer Lil Nas X was told his viral single was being removed from a Billboard chart, that might’ve looked like the end of his run of success. As it turns out, it was just the beginning.

“Old Town Road (I Got Horses in the Back),” is in many ways a country record. Its subject matter (riding horses) and slight vocal drawl are evocative of new country stylings. The official YouTube video consists entirely of footage from a popular video game set in a sprawling epic Western adventure.

Nevertheless, it still has a distinct hip-hop influence. Thus, after complaints from several unnamed Nashville country music gatekeepers, Billboard announced in a statement that “Old Town Road” was removed from the country music charts:

Upon further review, it was determined that “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X does not currently merit inclusion on Billboard’s country charts. When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first is musical composition. While “Old Town Road” incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it did not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its original version.

The subsequent fan outcry produced allegations of racism. Several industry analysts compared “Old Town Road” to country-chart-topping crossover pop singles with hip-hop influences from megastar artists like Taylor Swift.

But Lil Nas X has since gotten the last laugh. The controversy subsequently rocketed “Old Town Road” to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and spawned a remix collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus of “Achy Breaky Heart” fame … which also charted on the Billboard country charts.

When you are feeling like the world is against you, like you meet opposition at ever turn, know that God in Heaven knows exactly what you are thinking and experiencing in each of those moments because in Jesus God felt and experienced opposition in this world as well.

We say that we feel like the whole world is against us but,

because of sin, the whole world was in fact against Jesus.

But, Jesus, through the complete presence and power of God that dwelled in Him, overcame the power of sin, overcame the forces of the Devil and evil, and overcame death, all which opposed him and tried to cancel Him.

Instead of being able to cancel Jesus, the opposition found it self canceled.

In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus cancels opposition.

And, he cancels opposition not just for himself, but for you as well.

Colossians 2:13–15 tells us this good news with these words:

[13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [15] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (ESV)

Jesus knows what it feels like to be opposed on a daily basis.

You know what it feels like to be opposed on a daily basis—

opposed for who you are, what you think, what you say, and what you do, and, like the Psalm writer King David as well, for your faith in God.

The truth is that we have spiritual opposition that tries to separate us from God.


But, Jesus, on the cross and at the grave, has been 100%, completely, victorious over the opposition of Satan and his evil spiritual forces and temptation that try to keep us separated from God.

And, Jesus has been victorious over this opposition for you!

So, the question now is, “Will we have completely peaceful lives once we find ourselves believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior?”

And, the answer that can be shouted from the rooftops is:

No!

Absolutely not!

No way!

Jesus reminds us in John 16:33 of this when he speaks these words:

[33] I [say] these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (ESV)

In a book that I read this week, the author says this:

Christian believers can be assured that the weight of brokenness is no longer theirs to bear; Christ covers all our brokenness in His redemption. Yet we live in a now-and-not-yet world. While all brokenness has been redeemed on the cross, there remains this time we live in when we wait for all brokenness to be restored. We will still feel brokenness pressing in, and we will bear some parts of brokenness in our lives until we see the Bearer of every shame face-to-face. In Christ Jesus, we live in the knowledge that there is something better to come, that sorrow and hurt last for the night, but joy will come—joy does come—in the morning (Psalm 30:5). What we see in front of us won’t be broken for all eternity. 

This awareness of brokenness brings struggle and wrestling into our lives. God will certainly use this wrestling for His good, but it won’t be removed until Christ comes again. The force of the wrestling feels all too reminiscent of the weight of our sin. Satan will use this constantly to his advantage. He wants our awareness of brokenness to weigh us down in the shame that was lifted from us on the cross long ago. When we don’t talk about the concept of brokenness or understand its impact on our lives, we can end up applying shame to ourselves and to others around us who are asking for help in this broken world. 

Brokenness isn’t always about what we individually have done wrong, although that’s part of it. Brokenness also isn’t always about what we as humanity do wrong. Sometimes it simply means that we reside in a sinful world and we are all people impacted by sin in every area of our life.

Finally, part 4 of Psalm 2 has King David leaving us with words of encouragement and exhortation to live with faith, love, and hope everyday.

He tells us to:

Be wise.

Serve the Lord.

And, rejoice, because you are saved from opposition, and God will protect you and provide for you all the days of your life.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

May 12, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Love Conquers All (in the Ashes of the Fall)

John 15.9-17

When you leave this physical world, what do you want to be remembered for?

When you die, what do you want to leave behind?

What will be your legacy?

Godfrey Barnsley was one of the wealthiest men in the world in the early 1800s. He directed a shipping empire that sailed the world sea’s and transported 60% of the South’s cotton to his native England. He was well respected all over the world.

Barnsley decided to build a luxurious and magnificent home for his wife, Julia. He purchased 400 acres of land in the wilderness of northwest Georgia and created a vast estate and gardens. Since his wealth was so immense, he shipped in hundreds of rare trees and shrubs—ancient Cedars from Lebanon and other bushes from around the world. He chose handcrafted windows with sterling silver latches, marble from Italy and France, and priceless furnishings from the four corners of the world. It was one of the most exquisite antebellum estates east of the Mississippi river.

Unfortunately, his wife passed away before the home was completed in 1848, but several generations of the family lived at this estate until 1942. However, by the 1980s, the home and grounds were vacant and falling into ruins. In 1988, the property was purchased by an investor who developed it into the upscale resort it is today. If you go to Barnsley resort, all that remains of Godfrey Barnsley’s investment is a pile of rocks, known as the “Manor House Ruins.”

Godfrey Barnsley spent his life collecting money and possessions.  However, less than one lifetime later, nothing was left of his life’s work except a pile of rocks.  A sad remembrance of what used to be.

Godfrey Barnsley thought that he was changing the world for the better, but today, you didn’t know his name until I shared it with you.

When we think of the few short years we get to live on this earth, what are we spending our time doing?

To leave something lasting behind in this world is not an easy task.  

Are we collecting things that in my Dad’s words, “You can’t take with you?,” or, are we using our time wisely to live in a such that the world is truly impacted by the the way we think, act, and speak?

In our Biblical text for this morning, chosen by our lectionary for this Sixth Sunday After Easter, we are going to hear about the eternally lasting legacy that Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, God in the flesh, left behind after His death and resurrection.

Our Biblical text for this morning comes from the disciple John’s biography of Jesus.

Let’s hear together from John 15.9-17.

John 15:9–17 shares these words of Jesus with us:

[9] As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. [10] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. [11] These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

[12] “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command you. [15] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. [16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. [17] These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (ESV)

Here, Jesus is sharing the legacy that he will leave behind, that will last forever, after He leaves this world.

Two weeks ago, we heard Jesus promising to leave his followers with peace.

In Luke 24, we heard Jesus say to each of us, “Peace to you!” (Luke 24.36), and from John 14, Jesus said to each of us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14.27, ESV).

We learned that after Jesus’ life on earth is ended through death on the cross and after he rises from the grave and ascends back to Heaven, we are left with peace, specifically, peace with God.  

This peace with God comes to us after confessing and repenting of our Sin through faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  We are left at peace at that point because we know that we do not have to work to earn God’s approval and acceptance.  Jesus has done all that was needed for us to be approved and accepted by God.  And, we receive that peace only and simply through believing in Him as God’s chosen and sent Savior.

In addition to leaving us with peace, Jesus tells us in this morning’s Biblical text that he is also leaving us with love and joy.

Now, I have to point out that Jesus’ words here can be confusing if we don’t put them in the greater context of His teaching.

The English translation of this portion of the passage is a bit awkward, and that awkwardness can easily mislead us from Jesus’ intended meaning.  The language here, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,” makes abiding in Christ seem conditional.  It seems as if Jesus was telling his disciples, “I’ll love you as long as you are obedient, but the moment you’re disobedient, you can kiss my love goodbye.”

What Jesus was actually saying was, “If you stay in my love, you will be obedient.”  His love is not a result of our obedience, our obedience is the result of his love.

We are not driven to obey Jesus in order to get in good with him; we are driven to obey Jesus by a heart that is filled with gratitude for the ways he plucked us out of this world and poured his love out on us.

The epistle text from the lectionary for this morning from 1 John clarifies this point a bit.

[1] Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. [2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. [3] For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. [4] For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. [5] Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

[6] This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. [7] For there are three that testify: [8] the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. (ESV)

Here, the disciple John makes it clear that love is an outflow of our faith.  Not the other way around.

Jesus in us, through the workng of the Holy Spirit, moves us to think, speak, and act in manner that is worthy of Him.  And, that manner is love toward him and love toward others because of the gratitude we have for his sin-forgiving and life-saving acts for us.

In other word of the disciple John, “We love because He first loved us.”

To further this good news for us sinners who can do nothing to make ourselves holy enough for God, here is a little bit of theology for us.

In the Lutheran theological tradition, we talk about two kinds of righteousness.  Alien righteousness and proper righteousness. 

Alien righteousness is the righteousness that comes to us from the outside. This alien righteousness refers to the perfect and Godly righteousness that God gives to us (Not from little green men in spaceships).  We play no part in obtaining this righteousness, it is a complete and unconditional free gift from God because of His love for us.

Proper righteousness is the righteousness that comes from our own acting.  This is the God given righteousness that is demonstrated in our thoughts, words, and actions, after we come to faith in Jesus as our Savior, and are in turn, transformed by His love to show love to God and those around us.

I have recently been reading Carl Trueman’s organized summary of some of Martin Luther’s theology that describes how and why we live the way we do as Christians.

In chapter 7 of Luther and the Christians Life: Cross and Freedom, Trueman shares this:

The alien and the proper are not unconnected and independent. But the alien righteousness has the logical priority: proper righteousness built directly upon the relationship with Christ that is constituted by the believers, possessing Christ and thus his alien righteousness. Indeed, Luther says that proper righteousness is the result of the Christian’s working with his alien righteousness and, indeed, is the fruit and consequence of alien righteousness. He describes it as follows: 

the proper righteousness goes onto complete the first [i.e., alien righteousness] for it ever strives to do away with the old Adam and to destroy the body of sin. Therefore it hates itself and loves its neighbor; it does not seek its own good, but that another, and in this whole way of living consists. For in that it hates itself and does not seek its own, it crucifies the flesh. Because it seeks the good of another, it works love. Thus in each sphere it does God’s will, living soberly with self, justly with neighbor, devoutly toward God. 

The motive for this righteousness is rooted in Christology. Luther sets forth Christ as the great example to follow, but does not do so in a short-circuited manner, such as “Christ helped the poor; go out and help the poor!” Rather, he takes his cue from Philippians 2: “Let this mind be in you.” Thus, he sees the motivation of Christ as shaping the ethics of his practical conduct. Christ humbled himself in the incarnation, and thus all Christians who understand what it is to be clothed in alien righteousness will, or at least should, start to act as servants toward their neighbors. We might say that Luther regards proper righteousness as the natural outgrowth of the cognitive realization of the significance of being justified by the alien righteousness we receive in Christ. Love is both the motive for works and that which shapes them.

Thus, the purpose of expounding the law is not simply to terrify consciences; it is also to shape the social mores of Christians. The teaching of the catechisms clearly implies that a way of life is to be taught and fostered (“this is what love looks like in action”), and not simply theological principle (“God is holy; you, as a sinner can never measure up”). This message is of a piece of what Luther taught earlier, in his first series of lectures on Galatians in 1519: 

The Commandments are necessary, not in order that we may be justified by doing the works they enjoin, but in order that as persons who are already righteous we may know how our spirit should crucify the flesh and direct us in the affairs of this life, less the flesh become haughty, break its bridle, and shake off its rider, the spirit of faith. One must have a bridle for the horse, not for the rider. 

Here the commandments of God to fulfill a positive function. They do not create justifying righteousness, but they do provide a guide to how the Christian is to keep his flesh under control and thus shape his outward life.

That being said, we do have to remember that in these bodies of flesh and bones, we will never get love completely right in this world.  Even after faith, we struggle with Sin.  We struggle with the Sin that continues to tell us to look after #1 first in selfishness and self-centeredness. 

However, with faith in Jesus, the working of the Holy Spirit will convict of us of those times so that we can confess that Sin and repent of that Sin, staying connected to God the Father and Jesus, God the Son.

And, the result of God’s peace and love being given to us and left with us, until we eventually meet Him face-to-face, is joy.

We rejoice because of God’s grace that loves us, even when we are stuck in Sin, to work through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, His Only Son, to ensure that we are not separated from Him, but reconnected to Him forever in this life and the next.

In his book, Thinking for a Change, leadership guru John Maxwell says this:

“If you are successful, it becomes possible for you to leave an inheritance for others. But if you desire to create a legacy, then you need to leave something in others. When you think unselfishly and invest in others, you gain the opportunity to create a legacy that will outlive you.”

The now defunct punk band Anti-Flag has a lyric that I have written on a post-it note next to my desk that says:

“Love conquers all in the ashes of the Fall.”

Jesus’ peace, love, and joy persist through all of the world’s hatred and sustain you, the Christian, as you endure it.

Jesus’ peace, love, and joy do not depend on your immediate circumstances or situations.

Jesus’ peace, love, and joy transcend this world into eternity.

That means that whatever happens to you today, through faith in Jesus, you have peace with God.

That means that whatever happens to you today, you are loved unconditionally by the Creator and Redeemer of the Universe.

That means that whatever happens to you today, you have reason to rejoice when you lay your head down at night because you have been forgiven of the sin that separates you from God.

This is Jesus’ legacy for you.

This is what Jesus leaves you with.

This is what Jesus works in you—peace, love, and joy—so that you can do his work, through obeying his commands, and with his daily help, work to create peace, through love, leaving others with joy. 

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

May 5, 2024.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Somebody to Love

1 JOhn 3.16-24

I want to you to put on your thinking caps as we begin this morning.

I am going to read you ten statements and I want you to tell me what these ten statements have in common.

What is the theme?

What binds this thoughts together into one cohesive unit?

Here we go:

  1. You shall have no other gods. 
  1. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
  1. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 
  1. Honor your father and your mother.
  1. You shall not murder. 
  1. You shall not commit adultery. 
  1. You shall not steal. 
  2. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
  1. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. 
  1. 10.You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Does anyone have a guess as to what the commonality is with these 10 statements, or, as you probably know them, The 10 Commandments?

Well, if you said, “love,” you are right!

Each of the 10 Commandments that God lays out for humanity, for you and for me, is centered on thinking, speaking, and acting in love.

Commandments 1-3 are about loving God.

And,  Commandments 4-10 are about loving the people around you.

These 10 Commandments are how God measures true love in the heart.

Again, how do you measure love?

Do you measure love by the cost of the gifts that you are given?

Do you measure love by the words that someone uses when they talk to you and about you?

Do you measure love by the amount of time someone spends with you?

Do you measure love by the acts of service that someone does for you?

Or, do you measure love by the physical touch that you receive from another?

Well, in the fall of 1937, Ed Keefer was a senior in the school of engineering at the University of Toledo in Ohio. Tall, slender, and bespectacled, Keefer was the president of the calculus club, the vice-president of the engineering club, and a member of the school’s exclusive all-male honor society. He also invented the Cupidoscope.

The electrical device could not have been more perfectly designed to bring campus-wide fame to its creators, Keefer and his less sociable classmate John Hawley. It promised to reveal, with scientific precision, if a couple was truly in love. As the inventors explained to a United Press reporter as news of their innovation spread, the Cupidoscope delivered on its promise “in terms called ‘amorcycles,’ the affection that the college girl has for her boyfriend.”

Built in the school’s physics laboratory, the Cupidoscope was fashioned from an old radio cabinet, a motor spark coil, and an electrical resistor. To test their bond, a man and a woman would grip electrodes on either side of the Cupidoscope and move them toward one another until the woman felt a spark—not of attraction, but of electricity. The higher her tolerance for this mild current, the more of a love signal the meter registered. A needle decorated with hearts purported to show her devotion on a scale that ranged from “No hope” to “See preacher!”

It all sounds like a slightly painful party game—but the Cupidoscope was one experiment in a serious, decades-long quest to quantify love. This undertaking garnered the attention of leading scientists across the United States and in Europe in the early years of the 20th century, and it is memorialized most prominently in the penny arcade mainstay known as the Love Tester.

In order to measure love, Mr. Keefer used electrical current.

In this morning’s Biblical text, we are going to hear more about how God measures true love in a person’s heart, mind, and soul.

In order to hear more about how God measures love that meets his standards for perfect, true, and lasting love, we are going to hear from the disciple John’s first general letter to the Christians in the first century immediately following Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Let’s hear what John has to say about life and love together.

1 John 3:16–24 says this:

[16] By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. [17] But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? [18] Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

[19] By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; [20] for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. [21] Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; [22] and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. [23] And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. [24] Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (ESV)

As we have discussed, many times over the years, love is a often presented to us in the form of a verb.

That means that love is not a noun describing a feeling.

That means that love is an action word.  To love someone or something is to do something for that person or thing.

So, how do we know when someone truly loves us?

We know that someone truly loves us when that person acts intentionally, thoughtfully, purposely for our personal good.  And, in addition, those actions that demonstrate true love are often done by the other sacrificing their own good in order to benefit us.

In our main Biblical text for this morning, we are told that we know true love based on the fact that he, meaning Jesus, laid down his own life for us.

That is of course referring to Jesus’ death on Good Friday.  Jesus willingly chose the path of his own pain, suffering, and death so that we could benefit from the forgiveness of sin and righteousness that we are given through that act of pure and true love.

In the Gospel text from the lectionary for this morning, we hear about this act of sacrifice that defines true love when Jesus tells us this:

[11] I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [12] He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. [13] He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. [14] I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, [15] just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. [16] And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. [17] For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. [18] No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:11–18, ESV)

Let’s circle back for a minute.  If God considers true and perfect love to be measurable by strict adherence to the 10 Commandments, which means always putting God and others first in our thoughts, words, and actions, have you ever compared your life to the 10 Commandments and felt like a failure?

Does hearing the 10 Commandments lead you to know that you have failed to live and love as God desires you to?

This happens because you realize that:

At times, you have chosen to love others things or people more than God.

At times, you have used God’s name in vain.  Does the term “OMG,” or, “Oh my God!,” slide way too easily off of your tongue?

At times you have chosen not to keep the Sabbath Holy by going to church.  Instead, you have willfully chosen to sleep in or attend a sporting event on a Sunday morning.

At times, 

  • you have chosen to be angry, 
  • you have chosen to gossip, 
  • you have chosen to entertain sexual thoughts about another human being, 
  • you haven’t been content with what God has given you and wished that you had the possessions or life of another.

Maybe, when you read or hear the 10 Commandments, you feel like the band Convictions, who pretty much penned a psalm comparable to King David’s psalms, as they say this in their new single,  “Sleeping Lotus,”

Stagnant, complacent

Anxiеty’s chokehold pulls me down

A tattered lily amongst the dancing waters

Iridescent beauty waiting to be found

I’ve grown restless, searching through the darkness

Longing to prove myself (And rise out of the dirt)

A glimmer of hope dampened by constant defeat

Reaching through oblivion

God set me free

I feel weightless, I’m falling under

An endless dream, eternal slumber (Slumber)

I’m lost, I’m too far gone (Too far gone)

Show me a sign so I can follow your every word (Your every word)

Lost sight of who I am

God, no one understands (Understands)

Encompassed heart, time ticks away

A weathered seedling

I wither and decay

God, water these roots and drown out the doubt

Nourish my purpose

Turn me inside out

Illuminate your design

I’ll leave the old me behind

If you are feeling the burden of your sin that has kept you and is keeping you now from loving God and loving others,, here is the good news: 

as you find yourself staring at true love measured by the 10 Commandments and exemplified in the person and work of Jesus, coming to know that you will never be able to measure up to God’s standards, Jesus graciously says this to you, in Matthew 5:17–20:

[17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. [19] Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (ESV)

So, when Jesus says, “It is finished!,” to you from the cross, He is telling you that a perfect life has been lived according to God’s commandments, or, standards for life and love.

And, Jesus is telling you that by faith, “It is finished!,” for you!

Through faith in Him, you are completely united with Jesus and everything that He has and is, becomes 100% yours!

That means His track record of a perfectly lived life following every one of God’s commandments, perfectly loving God and perfectly loving others, becomes your track record, and, therefore, that is the life that God will measure you by when it comes time to meet Him face-to-face.

It is only through being united to Jesus through faith in Him that you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” on the last day.

And, what is the result of being loved by such a generous, sacrificial and unconditional love?

The result of being loved by such a generous, sacrificial and unconditional love is to go out and love others with that real Jesus love with which he first loved us.

That is to say, real love changes you.

Caring and sharing is the result of real love.

Jesus cared for you and therefore shared his life, death, and resurrection with you.

He gave you his earthly life so that you have a perfect record of loving God and loving others.

He gave you his death so that your own earthly record of not perfectly loving God and not perfectly loving others can be forgiven.

And, He gave you his resurrection life so that the power that Sin and Death had on to, to continue making you love yourself more than God or others, can be broken today, tomorrow, and forever.

As we heard Jesus say a few minutes ago, the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day talked the talk but didn’t walk the walk.

So, I encourage you, with the new life you have been given in Christ through God’s great and endless love for you, walk the walk don’t just talk the talk this week.

Go, this morning, in the freedom you have been given through faith in Christ, and speak, think, and act in ways that love God and love others unconditionally.

God, the Creator and Redeemer of all things, considers you somebody to love.

Go, and respond by considering God somebody to love and the people around you somebodies to love.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

April 21, 2024.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

You Got Served!

Mark 10.32-45

The lonely artist had made up his mind. Today was the day he would end it all for good. He climbed the tropically wooded hill behind his Tahitian hut, more alone than he had ever been. 

The now-famous French painter and atheist Paul Gauguin had failed to achieve meaningful success as a painter in his lifetime. He’d abandoned his wife and children, alienated his friends, and headed to Tahiti in search of the authentic life untouched by the poisons of conventionality, greed, and power. Now he had come to the end.

Just days before, he’d completed one last painting, intended as his final testament to the world. He’d described its philosophical ambition to a friend as “comparable to that of the gospel.” It was a massive, three-panel work depicting Tahitian women of all life phases. Moving from right to left, it showed the beginning of life in an infant and the end of life in a sad, old woman—and various stages between. In English it was titled: Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?

And now, having finished his greatest work, Gauguin walked up the wooded hill and swallowed all the arsenic in the tin. But he ingested too much arsenic, causing him to violently vomit the poison before it could take effect. He managed to find his way back down the hill, and would die a few years later at the age of 54.

But those three questions—Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?—didn’t come from Gauguin. They came from a Christian leader in France named Bishop Felix Dupanloup who drew from a much larger story than himself. 

Gauguin had studied under this dynamic Christian leader during most of his teen years. Dupanloup’s introduction to Christianity instilled in Gauguin the practice of pondering these basic questions about God, our selves, and others. Dupanloup was convinced that once these three questions get into our hearts and minds they cannot be erased—not completely anyway, particularly in this young student. No matter how far he roamed (or ran) from God—no matter how he tried to shake his past—the passionate bishop’s three questions, those he taught as more fundamental than all the others, could not leave the tormented and seemingly unyielding Gauguin. They became the substance of his final testament.

On that hilltop, when questioning the value of his own life, Gauguin had three questions for God:

Where do we come from? 

What are we? 

Where are we going?

We all have questions for God.  Some of our questions would just require answers in the form of information as an explanation.  

However, some of our questions want an answer in the form of God getting actively involved in our every day lives.

If you could ask God to do one thing for you today, what would you ask God to do for you?

Would you ask God to fix your marriage?

Would you ask God to bring back your rebellious kids?

Would you ask God to help you pass your midterm exams?

Would you ask God to increase your paycheck?

Maybe, instead of asking God to get you a pay raise, you would ask him to let you hit the lottery so you could retire immediately and live in leisure for the rest of your life.

Would you ask God to explain all of the suffering in the world—the miscarriages, the cancers, the drunken drivers that kill parents and children, the homelessness, the starvation, the wars?

Would you ask God to explain one of the harder things to understand in the Bible?  

For example, would you ask God what the unforgivable sin is?  

Or, would you ask God to tell you the day and time and Jesus was going to return so that you could make sure you are ready to meet him?

Each of us has a list of questions that we would want to ask God right now, if we were face-to-face.

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary for this Fifth Sunday in Lent, we are going to hear two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John, ask Jesus to do one special thing for them.  

Let’s hear from our Biblical text together now.

Mark 10.32-45 says this:

[32] And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, [33] saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. [34] And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

[35] And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” [36] And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” [37] And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” [38] Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” [39] And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, [40] but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” [41] And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. [42] And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [43] But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. [45] For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (ESV)

We all know, well, at least most of us know, that there is a social code that makes some questions inappropriate.

For example:

Asking a friend how much money they make…inappropriate.

Asking someone at the polls who they voted for…inappropriate.

Asking a relative to give you a job over more qualified candidates…inappropriate (and illegal).

Asking your wife how much she weighs…inappropriate (and also dangerous).

In this morning’s Biblical text, two of the disciples, James and John have an inappropriate question that they ask Jesus.  

Well, to be more exact, with a detail from Matthew’s biography of Jesus that also records this event, James and John have a question that they ask their Mommy to ask Jesus for them.

Doubly inappropriate.

And, their question is “Can you make us more important than everyone else in the Kingdom of Heaven by giving us the seats directly on you left and right.  This way when everyone looks at you, their Savior, they will also see us!”

They obviously forgot what they heard Jesus teach when he said:

[7] Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, [8] “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, [9] and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. [11] For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:7–11, ESV)

With that being said, there are three main problems with the question that James and John have their Mommy ask Jesus.

First, their question shows a superficial understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

James and John knew that Jesus was moving forward towards glory and world renown.

However, they didn’t know that the glory and world renown was going to come through rejection, suffering, pain, and death.

Jesus did tell them about this upside down path to glory and world renown in John 10:14–15, when Jesus says to us:

[14] I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, [15] just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (ESV)

And, later on, in his letter to the Church after Jesus’ death and resurrection, John reminds us of Jesus’ death and our responsibility to make similar sacrifices for others in our leadership.

1 John 3:16–18 tell us this:

[16] By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. [17] But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? [18] Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (ESV)

Following Jesus means doing what Jesus did—considering the needs of others more important than your own, or, sacrificing your own comfort and resources to make sure those around you have what they need for life and love.

Second, their question shows that they have an inflated opinion of themselves.

The ironic thing is that James and John want everyone to see what great leaders they are, but they don’t even have the guts to ask Jesus the question about being leaders in His Kingdom themselves.  Mommy has to do it for them.

James 4:8–10 says:

[8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (ESV)

Humbling ourselves goes against human inclination.

Because of the sin into which we are born, we enter this world and make our way through this world thinking and believing that there is no one smarter than us, no one more capable than us, and no one more deserving of a pat on the back than us.

Pastor Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City once wrote that another way to describe sin is self-centeredness.

And, that is exactly what James’ and John’s problem was when their asked their inappropriate question.  They were being selfish and self-centered, or, sinful, and thought that they were better in every way when compared to the rest of their friends and family.

Third, their question shows that they misunderstand how God measures greatness.

When James and John brought their question to Jesus, they were operating with the world’s understand of greatness. 

According to the world’s sinful understanding of greatness, greatest comes from having the most trophies, the highest grade point average, successful kids, the most money, the fanciest and most expensive possessions, going on lavish vacations, and holding the highest position of power possible within and organization which would give you the most amount of employees/servants underneath you to do your bidding.

However, in Matthew 23:11–12, Jesus tells us how God measures greatness when he says:

[11] The greatest among you shall be your servant. [12] Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (ESV)

Jesus is always the greatest among us.

Jesus humbled himself by dying on the cross even though he was sinless and innocent before God so that you could be rescued from death and eternal separation from God.

And, therefore, God exalted Jesus so that at one point or another, before or after physical death, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.  Some will do this to glory in Heaven, and some will do this to judgment and destruction in Hell.

Confess Jesus as Lord and Savior today.

Jesus puts your needs before his own.

Jesus shows you what real leadership is.

Jesus shows you that real leaders serve others in the Kingdom of God and Jesus showed you that by example in His life, death, and resurrection for you.

In a devotion that I shared with you through email and over Bethel’s social media accounts this week we heard this verse:

Who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? (Luke 22:27)

And, then, we were given this short commentary, titled, “The Servant Is Greater.”

When the Lord asked the disciples this question in the Upper Room, it seemed obvious that the one being waited on is greater. In the world, the more people you have doing what you want, the greater you are. This is what we sinners desire. But Jesus said, “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27). He washed their feet; He fed them the Sacrament. In God’s kingdom, it’s not the one who receives service but who gives service who is greater.

God is pure, self-giving love. He did not create man to serve Him (as if He needed anything) but so that He might serve man—breathing life into His people, blessing us with the gifts of His creation, and ultimately laying down His life for us. God is glorified in giving Himself to man, not in man giving Himself to God.

We gather for worship, then, as receivers. We give God nothing except the sacrifice of thanksgiving for the mercy He freely bestows. It truly is divine service. The Lord is still among us as the One who serves—from His font and pulpit and table. The highest form of worship is faith, to receive His gifts and to reverence Him as the One who is greater, from whom all blessings flow.

In Jesus, God serves you and puts your needs above his own.

You got served by God who did what was needed for you to be forgiven of sin and given righteousness and eternal life.

Go this week, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and be the humble servant of all, demonstrating the love of God in Jesus Christ that helps not hurts.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

March 17, 2024.

Prayer: Lord, grant me humility to receive Your gifts and to serve others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Love Won Another

Numbers 21.4-9 + John 3.14-21

I read once that the devil was having a yard sale, and all his tools were marked with different prices.  

They were a fiendish lot.  

There was hatred, jealously, deceit, lying, pride—all at expensive prices.  

But over to the side of the yard on display was a tool more obviously worn than any of the other tools.  

It was also the most costly.  The tool was labeled, 

“DISCOURAGEMENT.”

When questioned, the Devil said, “It is more important to me than any other tool.  When I can’t bring down my victims with any of the rest of these tools, I use discouragement, because so few people realize that it belongs to me.

We live in a broken and fallen world where it becomes very easy to fall into the trap of discouragement.  

In today’s political and economic climate, the list of worries grows by the minute:

Am I going to lose my job?

What decision is the government going to make next?  How will it affect me and my family?  

Who is going to be the President next year?

I have a family to take care of.  How will I provide for their needs?

I have bills to pay.  Where is the money going to come from to pay them?

And the list of worries grows and grows.  

And, as we worry and as life unfolds and not everything goes according to our plan, we become impatient and discouragement sets in.  

The problem with impatience and discouragement is that they lead us away from God as we try to lean on our own power and understanding instead of His.  

We only get discouraged because life does not go as we have planned it out in our own minds.

In this morning’s main Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary for this Fourth Sunday in Lent, we are going to visit a very interesting piece of history from the Old Testament.  

Now, to remind you, the Old Testament is the first part of the Bible that tells us everything that happened from Creation up until about 400 years before Jesus as born.

In this piece of history, found in Numbers 21.4-9, we are going to get a glimpse into a time when God was doing miraculous things for His people but, the people didn’t feel like he was doing them good enough or fast enough and became discouraged in their impatience.

Let’s look at this Biblical text together now.

Numbers 21.4-9 says this:

Numbers 21:4–9

[4] From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. [5] And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” [6] Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. [7] And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. [8] And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” [9] So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Numbers 21.4-9, ESV)

In this Biblical text, we learn many things about how discouragement functions in our lives.

First, discouragement leads to speaking against God.

The Israelites, we are told, immediately point the finger at God the moment they become uncomfortable.  When life does not unfold in the manner that they believe it should, those whom God has shown Himself to time and time again, stare God directly in the face, raise their finger and say “You have brought us out here to die!”

When we get discouraged, we automatically forget all that God has done for us, to us, in us, and through us.  

The Israelites forgot all that they had experienced while following God—transformation from slavery to freedom, a complete unharmed escape from the largest and most powerful empire on earth, miraculous provision of food from the sky, and drinking water pouring forth from rocks in the wilderness. 

In a moment of discomfort, having to spend some time in the hot desert away from the comforts of living in a settled area, the Israelites became discouraged because this was not the life that they would have chosen for themselves.  In their self-centered sinfulness they cast God’s works for them aside and spoke against their Creator and Savior.

You may be sitting there saying to yourself “How could they forget all that they experienced while following God?”  But I am here to tell you that you do exactly the same thing!

Our speaking against God sounds something like this:

My food isn’t tasty enough…

My clothes aren’t stylish enough…

My body isn’t beautiful enough…

My house isn’t big enough…

My car isn’t new enough…

My family isn’t refined and educated enough…

My church isn’t exciting enough…

My paycheck isn’t big enough…

Instead of saying “I am thankful to God for His provision.  He has given me a job, a house, a family, clothing, food, life, and a place in the body of Christ,” we criticize everything that we have and do and go through because we want to be God and think that we could run creation in a better way.  The very second in time that life does not go the way we want, the very second people do not do what we think they should, the very second that our plan does not match God’s plan, our impatience leads us to discouragement and we ultimately end up pointing the finger at God and accusing of Him of doing things wrong.

Second, discouragement leads to speaking against God’s appointed leaders.

We are told that the Israelites spoke against God and against Moses who was God’s appointed leader.  

Moses spent time in prayer, God called Moses by name, God chose and appointed Moses to lead His people through some miraculous but difficult times, and God directed Him step by step.  

Even though Moses stood up for God’s people, protected them, and led them, when life got difficult, Moses became just as guilty as God in the people’s eyes.  Moses was actually more guilty because as God’s representative standing before them, He was tangibly and physically present.  So, the people’s discouragement with life was unloaded on Moses who was doing nothing but following God.

And each of us does the same thing.  Sin flows out clearly in our words, attitudes and actions: “I don’t like what God is allowing to happen in my life, both inside and outside the church and because you are God’s representative standing before me, leading me through this difficult time, you are guilty by association.” 

Third, discouragement leads to a false view of reality.

In one breath, the Israelites say “there is no food and no water and we loathe this worthless food.”  Well, which is it, do you not have any food or is the food you have not the food that you want?

We get discouraged because we place ourselves at the center of the world and the truth is that we are not the center of the world.  

When discouragement sets in, it becomes almost impossible to judge things objectively.  All words and actions become magnified as an attack on us personally.  We become blind to truth and reality and our sinful hearts and minds create a false world where we are always right and everyone else is always wrong.

Fourth, discouragement leads to telling lies to justify your wrong attitude and behavior.

Because we end up in a false reality where it is the world verse us, we end up lying as we describe what we believe to be going on.  

For the Israelites, they lied and said they did not have any food when in fact, God was provided food for them day after day by dropping bread from the sky.  

In order for us to always be right and never be wrong, we have to create and describe a reality in which we are perfect and know-it-all and those lies are nothing but a slap to the face of God Himself.

Fifth, discouragement leads to God’s Judgment.

Due to the impatience, lack of trust, and outright disobedience toward God demonstrated in our discouragement, God brings forth the law which shows us the guilt of our sin and sets out the method of punishment.

For the Israelites, God punished them by bringing snakes to bite and poison them.  When the Israelites saw the snakes they would have been quickly reminded of the serpent in the Garden of Eden that helped usher sin into the world by making Adam and Eve discouraged with their perfect life with God.

and because of God’s judgment…

Sixth, discouragement leads to a need to repent and be forgiven.

When the Israelites were confronted with the sin associated with their impatience and discouragement, they saw their wrong measured against God’s law and came to Moses admitting “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you.  Pray to the Lord that he take away the serpents from us.”

When God heard their repentance, He answered their prayer and cry for help in a way that exceeded anything that they could have asked for.  

The Israelites asked for the removal of the serpents, which meant that those who had already been bitten would die and suffer the penalty for their guilt.  However, God, in His grace and mercy, does not remove the snakes because their sin deserves to be punished, but God provides a way to be healed and restored to life.  

God has Moses create a pole with a serpent on it and promises that whoever realizes their sin and their need to be forgiven and looks up to the serpent hanging on the pole will immediately find themselves healed from the punishment they are receiving because of their sin.  

God places a serpent on top of the pole so that every time the repentant look at it to be forgiven, they are reminded of their sin (the serpent) and God’s grace in providing a new life in spite of their sin.

For you, sitting here in the pew today, life is hard and you do become discouraged, probably daily, and in that discouragement you do not trust in God, you speak against God, you speak against His leads, you buy into the picture of a false reality and you often try to justify all of that by telling lies to get the pity vote from others.  

However, God has provided forgiveness for you; He has lifted Christ up on the cross to receive the punishment for your sin.  

When you come to the foot of the cross and look up at Jesus who became sin for you, you are reminded of your grumbling against God but you are also shown the grace and mercy of God who provides a way out from that sin through healing, forgiveness, and restoration to life with Him.

In his book Hidden in Plain Sight: The Secret of More, author and pastor Mark Buchanan illustrates God’s love through the story of Tracy. He writes:

Tracy is one of the worship leaders at our church. One Sunday, as she sat at the piano, she talked about the difficult week she’d just been through. It was chaotic, she said—a mess of petty crises on top of a rash of minor accidents, all mixed up in a soup can of crazy busyness. It had left her weary and cranky. She got up that Sunday to lead worship and felt spent, with nothing more to give.

However, Tracy’s 8-year-old daughter, Brenna, helped her gain new perspective earlier that morning. When Tracy had walked into the living room, the window was covered with marks. Using a crayon, Brenna had scribbled something across the picture window, top to bottom and side to side.

At first, it seemed like one more mess for Tracy to clean up. Then she saw what Brenna had written: love, joy, peace, patience, kindnece, goodnece, faithfulnece, gentlnece and selfcantrol (in Brenna’s delightful spelling). 

Mark writes: “Tracy stopped and drank it in. Her heart flooded with light. It was exactly what she needed to be reminded about: the gift of the fruit of the Spirit that arises, not by our circumstances, but by Christ within us.

And then Tracy noticed one more thing Brenna had written at the edge of the window: Love one another. Only Brenna, in her creative spelling, had written: Love won another.”

As Mark concludes: “It’s what Jesus has been trying to tell us all along. You were won that way.”

And, then he quotes our second text from the Lectionary this morning, saying:

[14] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, [15] that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light becausetheir works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3.14-21, ESV)

Cast your discouragement aside this morning.  Admit with the Israelites “I have sinned for I have spoken against God” and come to the cross where Jesus gives you peace with God by providing the healing and forgives you need through His life, death and resurrection for you. Trust in Him whom we have seen is able to do more than you can ask or imagine.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

March 10, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Remember Redemption

john 2.13-22

Why do you go to church?

Do you go to church because you have always gone to church?

Do you go to church because your friends go to church?

Do you go to church because they give you a free bagel and coffee before the service begins?

Do you go to church because they have the best band, the biggest video screen and the fanciest laser light show, or, in other words, do you go to church for the show and performance?

Maybe you go to church because God’s Word, the Bible, with the good news of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins is always front and center—and you need to hear that good news time and time again to get you through the day?

Now, another question we can ask is, why don’t you go to church on a regular basis?

Do you avoid church because you think it is boring?

Do you avoid church because you think it is irrelevant?

Do you avoid church because you think Christians are hypocrites?

Do you avoid church because you think it is one of the many places in the world that abuses authority to oppress you?

Do you avoid church because your 5 year old needs to play baseball or do gymnastics so that in 13 years they may possibly have a small chance at being one the few will get a scholarship to college?

Do you avoid church because Sunday is your only time together as a family?; Maybe it is your only time as a family because you are living above your means and have to work several jobs and extra hours to pay for your 3 trips to Disney World each year and all the bills for the unnecessary possessions that keep you drowning in debt?

Or, do you avoid church because you simply do not see any need for God’s love to change your life from a life that is separated from Him forever because of Sin to a life that is connected to Him forever through forgiveness of sin.

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary—a 3 year reading plan that let’s us hear every word of Jesus and see every deed of Jesus—we are brought to the biography of Jesus written by the disciple John.

In the book of John, which is found in the New Testament part of the Bible, we are going to see and hear Jesus talk about the meaning, purpose and importance of the church for each and everyone of us.

Let’s hear from John 2.13-22 together now.

John 2.13-22 says this:

[13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. [15] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” [17] His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

[18] So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” [19] Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [20] The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” [21] But he was speaking about the temple of his body. [22] When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (ESV)

Looking back on this event, the disciples of Jesus that were present could have easily sung a song that was similar to Gnarls Barkley’s 2006 hit, “Crazy.”

The disciples could have sung:

“I remember, I remember when

[Jesus] lost [his] mind.

Does that make [Him] crazy?”

So, let’s first ask the question, “Does this event where Jesus pushes the tables of the businessmen over—like he just lost a game of Monopoly—make Jesus nothing more than a crazy out of control lunatic who has lost his mind?”

The answer is, “No, Jesus is not a crazy out of control lunatic who has lost his mind.”

And, to come to that conclusion let’s answer two other questions.  Those questions being, “Why was Jesus upset when he entered the temple, or, church of his day?,” “Why did Jesus chase the businessman out of the temple?”

Jesus was upset because instead of hearing prayers, instead of hearing people’s voices singings songs of praise, and instead of smelling the sweet aroma of incense and sacrifices, Jesus heard the sound of money clanging, animals mooing and cooing, and the place of worship literally smelled like crap because the animal feces was piling up all around the businessman who were trying to sell them.

Jesus was upset because God’s house, the place where people should come to hear the Word of God (the Bible) read—which reminds them of God’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness—,the place where people should come to pray, the place where people should come to sing praises, and the place people should come to find support and encouragement from other like-minded believers, has been converted into a market place.  

In this country we have The Mall of America.  In this morning’s text, the temple had been converted to The Mall of Jerusalem.

According to the apostle John’s biography of Jesus, which is our Biblical text for this morning, Jesus wasn’t angry at corruption and false practices, Jesus was upset with people forgetting about God’s love for them and weren’t remembering the reason for going to the temple, or, church of Jesus’ day.

The temple, like today’s church, should always be a place where we receive and remember redemption.  The Church should be a place where we are only pointed to Jesus for hope.

However, the people in the temple were not following the two greatest commandments which are love God and love your neighbor, or, as I like to put it, love God and don’t be a jerk.  

Instead, the people were following their own commandments—love myself and forget about everyone else.

Sometimes, because of human brokenness that is called Sin by God, churches today still smell like crap.

They smell like crap when you enter them because they are more concerned about selling you a cup of Starbucks and the latest self-help book in their foyer, and then selling you the lies in their sanctuary that God promises you health and wealth all the days of your life and that you have the power within yourself to become a better person, than they are about being dead honest with you about  the fact that without faith in Jesus you are dead in your Sin which means you are dead to God and separate from Him and His Kingdom of Heaven forever.

I will sell you no lie and give you no false hope from this altar today. 

Instead, I will freely give you the good news and truth that you need.

Jesus lived, Jesus died, and Jesus rose from the grave for you so that your sins could be forgiven, so that you can be credited with his perfection, and so that you could be reconciled to God in Heaven today, tomorrow, and forever.

That is all you need to be known by God and have a place prepared for you in His eternal Kingdom.  To say it is a bit differently, there is NO OTHER WAY to be known by God and have a place prepared for you in HIs Kingdom except through faith in Jesus. 

The truth is you don’t need an expensive coffee in an expensive Stanley cup, a Joyce Meyer self-help book, and a Ted Talk.  

The truth is that you need Jesus if you are going to have hope for a saving relationship with God.

And, God’s love of you is so great that He comes to you and freely gives you Jesus Christ, His Son, even while you are living in the crap and filth of Sin, making every excuse in the book to avoid Him, the Bible, and the Church, or, going to church for the wrong reasons, misunderstanding and misusing Him, the Bible, and the Church.

Sharing this good news was the purpose of the temple in Jesus’ day, and this is the purpose of God’s Church today.

Jesus wasn’t afraid of the businessmen in the temple because of their sin-filled lives and Jesus isn’t afraid of us because of our sin filled lives.  

Jesus loves us and continues to walk into our sin-filled lives and extend his nail pierced hand to us for us to take a hold of so that He can lead us back to God our Father in Heaven.

The irony of what happened on this day that Jesus entered the Temple is this:

People were committing sin in the temple when it is was the time of year—the Passover—when the temple was celebrating God passing over and forgiving sin.

About five minutes into every single morning, I find myself catching an angry or impure thought, I find myself filled with grumbling and complaining, and through the grace of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in my life, I come to complete agreement with the apostle Paul when He says this in his letter to the Christians gathered in the city of Rome during the first Century:

[24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 7:24-8:1, ESV)

Here’s the thing…sin doesn’t go away once we find ourselves believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  In this flesh and bones body, every Christian, and that includes every Pastor, struggles to do what’s right every single day.  

However, we know where our hope for forgiveness is found and where our strength for the day to aim to to live up to God’s standards for life and love come from—they come from God the Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, His Only Son, the in Holy Sprit working in and through us.

In a book I read a few weeks ago, the author made this unbelievable true and comforting statement:

“Christianity isn’t tidy, and neither is the church. As long as there is a church, there will be church hurt. As long as there is a cursed creation, there will be suffering. As long as there is mystery, there will be unanswered questions. But as long as there is a risen Savior, there is hope. And that’s what I want to leave you with. I want to share a story of hope.”

In 1989, long hair and leather clad bad boy rockers, Skid Row, released a song that would quickly go on to reach #6 on Billboards Hot 100.

The song was called, I Remember You, and has the singer remembering a relationship from days past that made him feel loved and cared for.

The first verse and chorus go like this:

I paint a picture of the days gone by

When love went blind and you would make me see

I’d stare a lifetime into your eyes

So that I knew that you were there for me

Time after time you there for me

Remember yesterday, walking hand in hand

Love letters in the sand, I remember you

Through the sleepless nights through every endless day

I’d want to hear you say, I remember you

In our Biblical text for this morning, we are told that when the disciples remembered the things Jesus did and said in their presence when He was on earth caused them to remember two ultimately important things.

The first thing that the disciples remember about Jesus is that He had a zeal for God’s Church.  This means that Jesus had and continues to have a great love and enthusiasm for giving us a place and a people that will help us receive and remember the good news that forgiveness and redemption are possible for those that trust in Him.

And, the second thing that the disciples remember about Jesus is that He did what He said He would do.  He was killed and He came back to life to defeat the power of sin and death for everyone of us.

In other, words, when you stand at the gates of Heaven, you can have full confidence that Jesus will look at you with tears of joy in His eyes saying, “I remember you, welcome to Paradise.”

This morning, I am thankful that you are in church, and I invite you to make a habit of attending church, whether it is here or elsewhere—as long as it is a church that is a true church having it’s priorities right—holding out Jesus alone for forgiveness, redemption, and Heaven by always keeping God’s love for you, the Bible written for you, and the gift of Jesus Christ for you, front and center.

Receive and Remember your Redemption from this day forward.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

March 3, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Crowned With Comfort

James 1.12-18

A few years ago, a YouTube video circulated among some of my pastor friends.

In that video, we learned about Andrew Brunson, a Christian pastor from North Carolina who spent 20 years in Turkey. 

He had a quiet but deep ministry there until 2016, when after a failed military coup, the government arrested him along with journalists, activists, military officers, and others. 

The Turkish government labeled Brunson a spy.

Brunson was held for more than a year without charges. 

He spent nearly two years in prison, often enduring long trial sessions. At one point, it looked like he could spend years or even decades in Turkish prisons. Finally, after pressure from the

United States Government, Brunson was released from prison and returned to the United States.

The video that circulated into my inbox contained a Wheaton College chapel talk in which Brunson candidly said that he did not feel God’s overwhelming presence during his stay in prison. Instead, he experienced something even deeper. Brunson said, “[After a few days in prison], I completely lost the sense of God’s presence. God was silent. And he remained silent for two years.”

When he was finally brought to trial, things were even worse. He says:

There are some who go into the valley of testing and some do not make it out … I was broken. I lay there alone in my solitary cell, I had great fear, terrible grief, and I was weeping. And the thought kept going through my mind, Where are you God? Why are you so far away? 

And I opened my mouth as I wept aloud, and I was surprised at what I heard coming out of my mouth. I heard, “I love you Jesus. I love you Jesus. I love you Jesus.” I thought here is my victory. Even if you’re silent, I love you. Even if you let my enemy harm me, I love you. [As] Jesus said, “But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

What has happened in your past, or, is happening to you right now, that has you not feeling God’s overwhelming presence in your life, or, has you feeling like you lost the sense of God’s presence completely, believing God is silent?

When we experience periods of hardship and suffering (and we all do, trust me!) many questions arise for us about God’s goodness,  God’s promises, God’s presence, and God’s existence.

This was the experience of the pastor mentioned above, and at some point in life, it was your experience too.  It is only human to doubt and question God in a world filled with pain and corruption.  I say this to let you know that you are not alone this morning, even though you may think you are.

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary for this First Sunday in Lent, we are going to hear some of what James, one of Jesus’ brothers, wrote concerning the place of hardship and struggle in our lives.

Let’s hear together from the first chapter of James’ letter as found in the New Testament section of the Bible.

James 1:12–18 says this:

[12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. [13] Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. [14] But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. [15] Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

[16] Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. [17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. [18] Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (ESV)

Right before this section of James’ letter to the Christians in various cities throughout the Mediterranean region in the first Century following Jesus’ birth, James speaks about the testing of one’s faith.  He speaks very clearly about the times we experience fear, grief, weeping, pain, struggle and hardship.

For, faithfulness’ sake to this morning’s Biblical text, let’s read the  section of James’ letter that immediately precedes it and gives us context for what we hear James encourage us with in what we just heard.

In verse, 2-11, James says this:

[2] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [8] he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

[9] Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, [10] and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. [11] For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. (ESV)

So, with all of this information, let’s ask and answer a question that arises out of this morning’s Biblical text from James 1.12-18.

Here’s the question: “Why should we feel like God is blessing us when we have difficulties and hardships in life?”

Well, according to James, when we walk through difficult moments and seasons of life and come out on the other side, our faith is strengthened because we see that God was with us the whole time, proving to us that nothing in all Creation can separate from us from his love.  

Even in the hardest moments of life, when we seemed to question everything and everyone, God did not leave us alone.  

In fact, we are reminded in Psalm 23, that God is not only with us in every moment, but he is also leading us, guiding us, and protecting us from ultimate harm.

Psalm 23 reminds us of this truthful good news when King David says:

[4] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4, ESV)

When the harder moments of life test our faith, our trust in God’s presence and goodness, that faith grows stronger as we learn that God is really real, really present, and really concerned for us, so much so that he would deal with the crap and filth of broken humanity, which spits in his face and denies that goodness and existence, in order to rescue and save us.

The Bible often speaks of the strength of God’s love for us and the fact that nothing in all of Creation, what has come before in our lives and what will come in the future for us, will ever be strong enough to separate us from His continuous grace, mercy, and love demonstrated most clearly in His rescue of us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In a specific example, the apostle Paul, when writing to the Christians gathered in the city of Rome in the first Century following Jesus’ death and resurrection, encourages believers with these words:

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…

[37] …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31–35, 37-39, ESV)

James goes as far to say that when we see, learn, and come to believe that God helps us in our times of need, we become perfect because we trust in God who is in control of all things and can do all things, instead of trusting in ourselves whom cannot control anything fully, regardless of how hard we try, and we will try, believe me.

We come to rest in the fact that God never changes.  God is always good to us.  God always acts with grace toward us.  God always acts with mercy toward us.  God always acts with love toward us.  God is always patient with us.  

The author of the Biblical book of Hebrews captures this point succinctly:

[8] Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. [9] Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace…(Hebrews 13:8–9, ESV)

It is God’s will that you be forgiven of your sin so that you do not remain separated from Him forever.  And, God does everything needed to make sure that happens for you.

God gives you the good and perfect gift of Jesus Christ, His Son, who is God in the flesh, God with you, who lived the life you couldn’t live—obeying every command of God for life and love, who died on the cross to pay the price and provide the forgiveness you need for your command breaking, lawless, self-centered life, and who walked out of the grave alive after three days, defeating the power of sin and death that once kept you separated from God eternally.

And, through standing firm in faith in that good and perfect gift that is Jesus Christ, you will be given the crown of life which is your one way ticket into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

Speaking of his life of standing firm in faith through both good and bad times, the apostle Paul talks about the crown of life that believers will receive like this:

2 Timothy 4:7–8

[7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (ESV)

And, like this:

[24] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. [25] Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable [crown], but we an imperishable [crown]. [26] So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. [27] But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24–27, ESV)

In his final letter to the churches on earth, the disciple John, shared this vision which has Jesus speaking to and encourages Christians saying:

[10] Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. [11] I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. (Revelation 3:10–11,ESV)

In this life, Jesus wore the crown of thorns, or, we could say, the crown of death, so that in your eternal existence, you could wear the crown of life, having been forgiven of your Sin, made righteous in every way, and therefore, welcomed into God’s Kingdom of Heaven.

At some each of us goes into the valley of testing and it is sad to know that some do not make it out.  We are broken. We lay in bed at night, feeling all alone, with great fear, with terrible grief, and we sometimes weep. The thought keeps going through our mind, Where are you God? Why are you so far away? 

In those moments, even as you weep aloud, hear Jesus saying to you, “Do not be deceived!,” “I love you!.” “I love you.” “I love you.”

And in response, say, “I love you Jesus. I love you Jesus. I love you Jesus.” “Even if you’re silent for a moment, I love you. Even if you let my enemy temporarily harm me, I love you.”

In every instance, ask God to remind you that Jesus said, “But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

With faith in Jesus, you are always blessed when you remain steadfast under trial, for when you have stood the test you will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to you who love him.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

February 18, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Clean

Mark 1.21-28

Have you ever been the victim of someone’s abuse of authority and power?

While I was doing research this week to find common day and historical abuses of power and authority, I came across a very sad truth.

That very sad truth is this—the vast majority of recorded information about abuses of power and authority were centered on sexual assault.  Throughout each and every generation of human existence, the most common reason that people abused their power and authority was to receive immediate sexual gratification from those left in their care.  Whether it was a family friend or relative asked to babysit, or, a CEO of a fortune 500 company, those asked and tasked to provide safety, security and guidance for those under them, have abused the power and authority given to them in every situation imaginable to take what wasn’t theirs for their own benefit.

If you have been a victim of this type of abuse of power, I am truly sorry.  No one deserves to be used by another for their personal satisfaction.  

What time as prove to be true is that people abuse power and authority for any reason—even silly ones.

In 2013, Mexico’s Attorney General for Consumer Protection shut down a restaurant based on a complaint from his daughter. She was mad because they didn’t seat her at the specific table she wanted.

The attorney general’s name was Humberto Benitez Treviño. His daughter had gone to a popular restaurant in Mexico City without a reservation. When the staff refused to seat her at the table she wanted, she threatened to call her father and have the restaurant shut down. 

Soon after, four officials from the consumer protection agency showed up to carry out a “lightning raid” on the restaurant. They said they found some violations, including a problem with their reservation policies. They shut it down. At the same time, the daughter went on Twitter to complain about the restaurant.

Public opinion quickly turned against her. Mexico has long had problems with officials abusing their power, and this case was particularly blatant. It became a topic for discussion across the country, so the Mexican president fired Trevino, and the restaurant was reopened.

In 2017, a mayor in Florida got caught using the handicapped parking permits of dead people.

Darlene Bradley was the Mayor of Davenport, Florida. What makes her abuse of power particularly outrageous is that she stole a dead person’s identity for something as trivial as a parking spot.

She got caught after someone tipped off police, and they reviewed security footage from the parking lot at City Hall. The video showed her parking in a handicapped space and then lifting a heavy, wheeled briefcase from her trunk. Police discovered her parking permit had been issued to a woman who died in 2012, and Bradley had altered the expiration date. They eventually searched her house and found she had additional permits, including one from someone who died in 2015.

Prosecutors said the mayor’s actions showed she thought she was above the law. As part of a plea deal, she was forced to resign. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the charge of criminal use of the identity of a deceased person.

When we are talking about the proper and improper uses of power and authority, it is only fair that we also ask an uncomfortable question that requires an answer that comes from taking stock of our own pasts and possibly present.

Here it is:

Have you ever been the one to abuse authority and power given to you, making others the victim of an abuse of authority and power?

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary for this Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, we get to hear about the use of power and authority.  Specifically, we get to hear about how God, in the flesh and bones of Jesus Christ, used his power and authority, unlike the people just discussed, for the good of those He came to.

Let’s hear from the disciple Mark’s biography of Jesus now.

Mark 1.21-28 tells us this:

[21] And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. [22] And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. [23] And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, [24] “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” [25] But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” [26] And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. [27] And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” [28] And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee. (ESV)

In this piece of history recorded for us, we see and hear that Jesus, God present with us, used his power and authority to help those that came into contact with Him.

First, we see that Jesus uses his power and authority to give us hope.’

And, he does this by using his power and authority to teach and preach a message that is actually called, “The Good News.”

As we saw last week, from the text that immediately precedes this one, Jesus’ message that He was teaching and preaching was, “Repent, Believe, Follow Me, and I will make you citizens of Heaven who love God and love others!”  

This message contained in all of Jesus’ preaching and teaching brings hope because with the message of God sending a Savior, He is also annoying and showing that He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to rescue and save humanity from being separated from God forever.

He is making the promise and fulfilling the promise all at once.

In my devotional reading this week, I once again came upon Galatians 4:4–7 which the apostle Paul tells us this very truth in this way:

[4] But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. [6] And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (ESV)

Second, in our Biblical text for this morning, we see that Jesus uses his power and authority to make us clean.

Now, you may be asking, who is unclean?

Well, the immediate textual answer is the man that was possessed by an evil spirit.

We hear Jesus, with His power and authority over all things that were created, command the unclean spirit to leave the man it is bothering, enslaving, and oppressing.  And, because Jesus has power and authority over all things in existence, that unclean spirit had to obey and leave the man alone just as Jesus told it to.

It is here that we clearly see Jesus using his power and authority to set a man free from bondage to all things evil and ungodly, leaving the man in a better place, and a freer place, than he was before He met Jesus.

Even though our text focuses on this one unclean man, the text is also speaking to and referring to the fact that every man and woman that has ever been conceived and born into this world is unclean in God’s eyes before they are cleaned by the work that Jesus does in their lives. 

And, that includes you and me!

We are told over and over again in the Bible that being unclean, meaning morally impure, doing the things that God says not to do and not doing the things that God says to, separates you from God, your Creator and Father in Heaven.

Most of us go on living unclean, ungodly, selfish and self-centered lives, using whatever power and authority we can get to take what we think we deserve and are owed by the people and places around us.

However, because sin blinds us to our ungodliness and convinces us that we are in fact God, we often don’t see our need to be cleaned, saved, and restored into a relationship with God our Father until we encounter Jesus face-to-face.

Without the cleaning and transforming of our lives that Jesus ALONE provides for us, we are victimizers playing the victim to further use any and all power and authority we have to benefit ourselves.

The apostle John makes clear that those who remain unclean, that is untrusting and unbelieving in Jesus as Lord and Savior do not make it through the gates of Heaven.

In Revelation 21:22–27 when he writes about what Heaven will be like.  The apostle John says this:

[22] And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. [23] And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24] By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, [25] and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. [26] They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. [27] But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (ESV)

Later on in his ministry, after being asked to use his power and authority for the wrong purposes—to give a two men positions of power and authority over everyone else in the Kingdom of Heaven—Jesus answered with these words:

[25] But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [26] It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, [28] even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25–28, ESV)

Jesus always shows us his commitment to use his power and authority for the right reasons.

Unlike humans who use even the smallest bit of power and authority to serve themselves to the fullest, Jesus, God in the flesh, never once used his power and authority to serve himself.  Jesus always used his power and authority to serve you!

Jesus always used his power and authority to preach to you and teach you that there is hope for forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life.

Jesus always used his power and authority to wash and clean you from all of the sin that separates you from God.

And, Jesus always used his power and authority to lead you back into the eternal presence of God, your Father in Heaven, who both created you and redeemed you at the price of His own life.

Author Vaughan Roberts recalled the following:

Bobby Moore was the England soccer captain who received the World Cup from Queen Elizabeth when England won the trophy in 1966. An interviewer later asked him to describe how he felt. He talked about how terrified he was as he approached Her Majesty, because he noticed she was wearing white gloves, while his hand, which would soon shake the Queen’s, was covered in mud from the pitch … As the triumphant captain walks along the balcony, he keeps wiping his hand on his shorts, and then on the velvet cloth in front of the Royal box in a desperate to get himself clean.

Roberts continued, 

“If Bobby Moore was worried about approaching the Queen with his muddy hands, how much more horrified should we be at the prospect of approaching God? Because of our sin, we are not just dirty on the outside; our hearts are unclean. And God doesn’t just wear white gloves; he is absolutely pure, through and through.”

The only way for you to become clean enough for God to be with you today, tomorrow, and forever, is to recognize Jesus’ power and authority to say what he going to do and do what he is says he will.

In 1958, Mr. Clean, the all-purpose cleaner was introduce to the world with the slogan, “There’s no clean, like Mr. Clean!’ 

For eternity’s sake, there’s no clean, like Jesus clean!

This morning, rejoice because in Jesus “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, ESV)

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

January 28, 2024

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Don’t Play With God

Mark 1.14-20

Who do you follow?

We all follow someone or something.

What I mean is that we all take instructions for our daily life from a person, place, or idea.

And, in today’s technologically driven world, we actually find ourselves hitting a literal “follow” button on social media apps and websites.

Do you follow the Stanley Cup Fanatics, always chasing after the newest color or design of those sought after and worshipped water bottles?

Do you follow Dr. Phil, Dr. Ox, or Oprah Winfrey, looking for the perfect personally tailored path to mental and physical health?

Do you follow the leader of some pyramid scheme hidden under the guise of a business opportunity or side hustle to chase after a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle?

Do you follow the interpretation of world news from only one source, channel, voice, or YouTuber?

Do you follow the feeling at end of a glass of wine or the intake of weed?

Do you follow your own desires and instincts, always speaking your mind in the moment with little to no thought about what is coming out of your mouth or the actual consequences and implications for those around you?

If we sit back and examine our thoughts, words, and actions, we can all back track them to the input of someone, someplace, or something that came before us.  Whether we realize it or not, whether we want to admit it or not, we follow after the path, or, paths, that another has paved for us.

In a semi-recent interview with with Denzel Washington, it noted that the actor has been getting more explicit about his Christian convictions. 

In 2019 Washington called himself “a vessel of God.” 

Privately over coffee with the interviewer Washington added:

The enemy is the inner me. The Bible says in the last days — I don’t know if it’s the last days, it’s not my place to know — but it says we’ll be lovers of ourselves. The No. 1 photograph today is a selfie, “[Look at] me at the protest.” “[Look at] with the fire [with a glass of wine].” [Look at me with my kids at the park.  Look at me in church on Sunday.] 

“Follow me.” 

“Listen to me.”

We’re living in a time where people are willing to do anything to get followed. What is the long or short-term effect of too much information? It’s going fast and it can be manipulated obviously in a myriad of ways. And people are led like sheep to slaughter.

Don’t play with God. Don’t play with God. You hear what I said? Don’t play with God. You heard what I said? Don’t play with God.

Then the interviewer mentions that Washington urged her to download and use a daily Bible reading app. 

Washington said. “You have to fill up that bucket every morning. It’s rough out there. You leave the house in the morning. Here they come, chipping away. By the end of the day, you’ve got to refill that bucket.”

In our Biblical text this morning, chosen for us by the lectionary, we enter into the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry as recorded for us in Mark’s biography of Jesus.

It is in this short narrative of Jesus preaching and gathering of disciples that we hear the words, “Follow me and I will make you a citizen of Heaven.”

It is here that Jesus preaches a message that can be summed up with the words, “Don’t play with God.”

Let’s hear was the disciples Mark records for us in these opening words of his gospel.

Mark 1:14–20 says this:

[14] Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, [15] and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

[16] Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. [17] And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” [18] And immediately they left their nets and followed him. [19] And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. [20] And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. (ESV)

Our text for this morning opens up with interesting contextual note telling us that what Jesus was doing happened, “after John was arrested.”

This is an interesting time stamp that we may initially breeze over as inconsequential.

However, this simple statement is revealing to us a HUGE truth.

And, that truth is God cannot be stopped from loving you! Don’t play with God!

John’s preaching in the wilderness, and we have to assume elsewhere throughout his life, was “repent of your sins and believe in God’s promise of forgiveness through a Savior.”  For more specifics on this, or, if you don’t trust me, you can look back at Mark 1.1-8.

This message of personal wrongdoing that separates you from God and makes you guilty before God’s throne and deserving of extreme eternal punishment, rubbed the ruler of the day the wrong way because he wanted to live self-centeredly, cheating on his wife with his sister-in-law, while promoting his self-righteousness to all of his subjects.

So, to silence the conviction that God’s Spirit was bringing upon him, Herod had John thrown in prison and eventually beheaded.

However, this did not stop God’s message of sin and salvation.

God’s message of humanity’s need to repent—that is, confess of their sinful living against God’s standards for life and love and committing to turn away from that lifestyle with the Holy Spirit’s promised help—and believe in the good news of God’s forgiveness of that sin through the Savior’s life, death, and resurrection—would go forward until the end of time.

Herod tried to play with God, but God is relentless in his desire to love you by forgiving you, making you righteous, and welcoming you home into His eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

So, after John was taken out of the public eye and ear, Jesus picks up where John left off—preaching the message of humanity’s need to repent of their sin and believe in Him, who is now present with them, as their ONLY Savior.

In a few short, seemingly unimportant words, we are hearing the life changing message that God cannot be stopped from loving you and the world around you!

In the NT Biblical book of Acts, when the religious leaders had arrested and imprisoned some of Jesus’ disciples, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel said this to his fellow leaders:

“I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.  You might even be found opposing God!” (Acts 5.38-39, ESV)

Getting rid of John the Baptist would not overthrow the power and plan of God who was, is, and will forever be, working for your good through your salvation!

Pop/Punk band, Green Day, released their newest record this past Friday.

The title track, called, “Saviors,” has them reaching out for help with the following lyrics.

Calling all saviors tonight

Make us believers tonight

Calling all strangers tonight

Will somebody save us tonight?

The interesting thing that we see when we compare these lyrics to this morning’s Biblical text is that Simon, Andrew, James, and John were not in the business of calling for and looking for a Savior.  

In fact, we are told in the Bible’s Scriptures that none of us is ever in active pursuit of a Savior.  

The truth is that we definitely need one.  

But, Satan uses lies and evil to bring the sin within us to life in order to make us feel like we are self-sufficient through self-centered living and the the feeling of self-righteousness—meaning that we can be our own Saviors by putting in enough work and hours at decent living—or, having the good outweigh the bad in our lives.

The apostle Paul quotes Psalm 14 in his letter to the Christians gathering in Rome, found in the book of Romans in our Bibles and remind them and us that,

[10] as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;

[11] no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

[12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.” 

(Romans 3:10–12, ESV)

But, here’s the good news, even though the four fishermen weren’t calling for a Savior, they had a need for one, and their Savior came calling each of them by name.

And, that Savior, Jesus, did everything for them that they couldn’t do for themselves.

Jesus through his grace, mercy, and love, showed them their sin and gave them the strength, words, and desire to repent of that sin.

Jesus through his grace, mercy, and love, placed faith in their hearts to believe so that they knew without a doubt that He was God in the flesh, God with them, their Savior, and the Savior of all of those who also heard HIs call, repented, and believed.

Jesus through his grace, mercy, and love, called sinful, God denying men by name to follow Him in bringing God’s grace, mercy, and love, into the world.

And, Jesus made them fishers of men, meaning, partners in the Gospel who would work alongside of him loving God and loving others so that they too would hear the call of God, repent of their sin, believe in Jesus as Savior, follow him, and also become partners in the ministry work of loving God and loving others.

Repentance, belief, following Jesus, and loving others is all God’s work in our lives.  He works this things in and though us, not because we are calling him to do so, but because He loves us and wants the best for us now and eternally. So, He calls us by name and transforms us with His power because the power to change does not exist inside of us—regardless of what others tell you or you tell yourself.

In Ephesians 2:8–10, the apostle Paul lays it out like this:

[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV)

Following Stanley Cups, Dr. Phil, Dr. Ox, Oprah Winfrey, a pyramid scheme, a business opportunity, a side hustle, news interpretations, conspiracy theories, alcohol, drugs, or your thoughts and desires, will NEVER get you any closer to genuine happiness, genuine fulfillment, genuine satisfaction, or genuine contentment.

We all know that to be true because we have all tried at one time or another, or are trying right now to follow someone, something, or some idea, that is not Jesus, and we still feel unhappy and even miserable.

But, here’s the good news, even though you weren’t calling for a Savior, you had a need for one, and God your Savior, in Jesus Christ, came calling you by name.

And, that Savior, Jesus, did everything for you that you couldn’t do for yourself.

Classic rockers, still releasing music in this post-modern era, The Dead Daisies, say it like this:

Chosen and Justified 

…you know your satisfied

In your grace

You can’t erase 

Hear my call 

Don’t let it slip away 

Chosen and Justified

I was leading an AA meeting on Wednesday night and we were discussing the need for God to intervene in our lives to help us when one of recovered addicts said, “God doesn’t wear off quickly like drugs do.”  

I was taken aback because it was one of the most truthful, experience-driven statements that I have ever heard. 

When Jesus speaks into your life by calling your name, which is has been doing and is doing right now and will continue to do tomorrow, through the Word (the Bible) and the Sacraments (Baptism and Communion), you clearly hear 4 separate things.

1. Repent.

2. Believe.

3. Follow Me.

4. I will make you fishers of men.

And, these four things are not one time events.  They describe a cycle, or pattern, for your life from the day you find yourself believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior until the day you meet that Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in His Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus points out that the beginning of your faith journey with Him is just like the middle and the end of your faith journey with him.

Matthew 16:24–27 has Jesus reminding his followers of this daily need to repent, believe, follow him, and be made into fishers of men.

These verses tell us this:

[24] Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [25] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. [26] For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? [27] For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. (ESV)

This morning, don’t play with God, repent of your sin, believe in Jesus as God’s gift of Savior, follow Jesus, and be made into one who can freely love those around you because you have first been freely called and loved by God, your Father in Heaven.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

January 21, 2024