Sermon Notes 9-1-2019

5 things Jesus wants you to know today!

John 13:34–35 (ESV)

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So what does Jesus want you to know today!

It’s really nothing new; Jesus’s teaching was timeless! He is never changing, but as our world changes around us, I think there are some things He wants us to remember. Jesus was not democrat or republican, He was not liberal or conservative, He was God incarnate (Emanuel), and He is the God of the universe, the second part of the trinity. He is the one who was with God when the earth was created and He loves each and every one of us in this room! So let's take a look at what Jesus has to say!

1) I love you!

John 3:16 (ESV)

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."

·     Amidst the protest signs, yelling crowds, and political referendums, the simple message of Jesus’ love for you is often drowned out. 

·     Never doubt that Jesus loves you more than you could ever know. 

·     Jesus doesn’t just love a future version of you; 

·     He loves you exactly as you are right now. 

·     Jesus’ love for you has no prerequisites or requirements. 

Romans 5:8 (ESV)

⁸ but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

·     Even if you hate Him, Jesus loves you and wants what is best for you. 

·     Love is at the core of everything Jesus taught. 

1 John 4:8–10 (ESV)

⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 

¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

·     Unfortunately His message of love has been conveniently left out by many who would rather make a point than make a difference 

2. I understand rejection

Isaiah 53:3 (ESV)

³ He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

·      Jesus knows how it feels to be a social outcast. 

·      You would think the religious leaders would have been His best friends, but they hated Him. 

·      They sought to kill Him and publicly shame Him any chance they had. Eventually, the religious elite joined forces with local politicians and murdered Jesus in front of a cheering crowd. Rejection hurts. (Matthew 27:1-3)

Mark 3:20–21 (ESV)

²⁰ Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 

²¹ And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” 

·      Jesus’ own family thought He was out of His mind; you probably understand how that feels. In Jesus’ greatest moment of need, His closest friends deserted Him.

·      You may feel rejected by society and the church right now, and that daily pressure takes a toll. 

·      Jesus understands. 

·      His heart always breaks for the rejected and the outcast.

o  The woman at the well (John 4)

o  The women who washed His feet (Luke 7:36-50)

·      Jesus wants to gather you in His arms and let you know that He loves you. 

·      You have a home with Jesus, you belong to Him, and you are His child. 

·      Don’t reject Him because He has not rejected you

3. I also was tempted

Hebrews 4:15–16 (ESV)

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

·      Jesus was tempted in every way that we are tempted. 

Hebrews 2:17–18 (ESV)

¹⁷ Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 

¹⁸ For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. 

·      He does not shame you or reject you because of your temptations and feelings. 

·      He faced the same thing when He walked the earth. 

·      He never married and faced daily pressure and temptation in every way imaginable. 

·      Some like to pretend they are perfect and never face any struggles, but they’re lying. 

Hebrews 12:2–3 (ESV)

² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

³Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 

·      Jesus really was perfect and still faced temptation.  

·      He battled the desire to run away from His Father’s plan. (The Garden)

·      He understands what you are going through. 

·      If you read about His life, you will see it was no cakewalk, but if you will walk with Him and obey Him, you will find a greater reward than you could ever imagine

o  Stay in His word

o  Pray often

o  Take His yoke, follow Him, His yoke is light and He will lead you down the right road!

4. I want more for you

·      Think of the bible and Jesus teaching as a big yard with a high fence!

o  Inside the fence it is safe and good and pleasing to Him

o  Anything outside the box is harmful and bad (sin) and is not pleasing to Him

·      Sin is not a fun word or a comfortable topic, but Jesus will not stop bringing it to our attention because we will miss out on life with Him if sin is left unaddressed. 

Ephesians 3:17–21 (ESV)

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 

¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 

¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 

²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 

·      You may think Jesus is trying to take the one thing you enjoy or spoil your fun, but that is not the case.

·      The reason He wants us to stay in the ”yard” is because He wants what is best for you.

1 Timothy 2:1–4 (ESV)

¹ First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 

² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 

³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 

⁴who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

·      Ignore the political arguments, the protestors, and the yelling. 

·      Jesus wants you to trust Him. 

·      Trust that He has good things in store for you. 

·      Trust that He wants what is best for you. 

·      Before you decide that what you feel is right, decide if you trust Him

·      You want folks to be saved?

·      You want more folks going to heaven with you

·      You have to be JESUS WITH SKIN ON

·      Who cares what the TV says

·      Or the right-wingers or left-wingers

·      We have to be ambassadors of our Father and Big Brother!

·      It's not to condemn, it's to show them the Way and we can't do that by showing hate and contempt

·      Remember Paul’s words

1 Timothy 1:15 (NLT)

¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 

·     The bible has to be a mirror, not a window!

5. I will always be here for you

Romans 2:3–4 (NLT)

³ Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 

⁴ Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? 

·      You may disagree with Jesus’s thoughts on any Sin in your life, but He will not turn away from you. 

·      You may enjoy the life you live right now even if it disagrees with the guidelines He laid out in Scripture. Jesus understands your hesitation to make changes. 

2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent. 

·      He does not give up on us. 

·      For a long time now, people have disagreed with Him, yelled at Him, and run from Him, and He patiently waits. 

·      Jesus is patient with us because He wants you to know Him. 

·      Jesus wants you to live the life He has planned for you. 

Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT)

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

·      When you are worn out from doing things your way, He will be here. 

·      Turn to Him and ask for help, and He will be there before you can blink.  

·      There is no permanent joy outside of Jesus. 

·      Jesus wants what is best for you, and He wants you to experience a full life. 

·      Jesus is not concerned with winning an argument or forcing you to do something you don’t want to do. 

·      Jesus wants you to know that your relationship with Him is better than anything else out there. 

·      Until you reach that point, He will be here patiently drawing you to Himself 

Why should I forgive? (Short question:short answer)

Q: Why should I forgive someone when they don't apologise?

 A: Grace and the cross teaches us something about why it is important for us to forgive.  Besides God's glory what, does the Cross of Christ show us.  It shows us God giving us what we don't deserve, mercy.  Because of our sin against God, God's justice requires a penalty, that penalty is eternal death, but because God loves us He wanted to give us a way out,ba pardon.  Through God's mercy (the Cross) we can now partake of this pardon, even though we do not deserve it.  You see someone had to pay the penalty; what Gods justice requires, but no man was good enough to pay, except for one, Jesus.  Now through Jesus getting what He doesn't deserve we can have what we don't deserve, Salvation from the penalty of our sin.  This is what we are doing when we forgive someone of a trespass they commit against us.  Because they did something to us, that action requires a just penalty (in human terms we call this revenge) just like our sin against God.  Forgiveness is our way to give that person what they don't deserve, the same thing Jesus gave us, a pardon from the penalty of that action.  When we forgo vengeance through forgiveness we are echoeing the very thing Christ gave us....Mercy.  Just as God put our just deserts on Christ; we are to put the other person's just deserts upon God for He says "....
, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”....."(Romans 12:17-19)
 I believe throgh Christ death, God showed us Mercy trumps  justice.  When reasonable we are to always show and search out mercy before justice.  This is one of the many lessons of the Cross.

Psalm 103:10-12
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Isaiah 43:25
I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Luke 24:46-47
It was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations.

Harvesting: it is God's job not ours

It's not my job to tell people what to think, it's my job to show them what I think and then pray for the harvest.  We cannot force our religion on others, this is not loving, nor respectful.  If God wanted to He could have forced everyone of us to believe in Him, but then we would be no better than robots.  This was the purpose of free will; there is no true love without the freedom to chose.  God wants us to chose Him over sin, it is because of this that we should not force our religion our morality onto others except that which is vital to the operation of a society (these are more like rules to live peacebly with others more than they are morality in the religious sense, another topic for another time).  The old adage live and let live is a great example of this.  It is not our responsibility to save people, it is only our responsibility to live in a way that points to Christ; God and only God does the saving. 

When Jesus' disciples asked Him who can be saved, He replied, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible," (Matt. 19:26). That is why salvation rests in God alone by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).
Psalm 3:8  (NASB)
8 [a]Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing [b]be upon Your people! Selah.
We should never forget, we are not saved by our own strength, by our own power this is impossible in our current human state to even want to turn from our sin..."But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." (1 Cor 2:14).  It is because of this we need a Savior, it is because of this we need the Holy spirit.  The Holy Spirit does the convicting (John 16:8), without this convicting we can never chose God.  Because the sinner cannot come to God on his own, he must be convicted of his sin, and thus be made aware of his need for salvation.  The conviction of sin is beyond our control.  Because we cannot come to Christ on our own, we cannot expect the unsaved world to be swayed by our actions alone; we cannot put the same expectations of living right on them just because we say so.  We must allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and the best way outside of living like Christ that we can do this is through prayer. 

Prayer is an essential part of witnessing; it is what puts the Holy Spirit in motion.  Without prayer our witness is essentially without it's greatest weapon.  It is prayer that frees you to spread the Gospel as effectively as you want and to trust God to give the increase (1Cor. 3:6-7).  It is through prayer that we ask God to send the Holy Spirit; ask Him to convict the world of sin and ask Him for the ability to say and do the right things.  The work of the Holy Spirit is essential in salvation and is guided by our prayers.

Matt Slick of Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (CARM) sums up our position in regards to salvation like this: "When we sin, who do we sin against? God.  Who forgives?  God.  Who pays?  God!  Did you get that?  God pays!  How does He do that?  Simple.  2000 years ago on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem, He bore our sins in His body and died on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24).  He took our punishment: "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried... He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him..." (Isaiah 53:4-5).

God is just.  God is merciful.  God is gracious.  In the justice of God, He took our place.  In the mercy of God, we don't get punished.  In the grace of God, He gives us eternal life.

Even though we are unworthy of salvation, even though we are unworthy of God's love, even though we are unworthy of mercy, even though we are worthy of wrath, God saved us.  He did so not because of who we are, but because of who He is, not because of what we do, but because of what He did.  God is love (1 John 4:16).  God is holy (1 Peter 1:16).  God is good (Psalm 34:8).  We could never fathom the depths of His purity and kindness (Rom. 11:33).  We could never, through our own efforts, attain Him.  There is only one thing left for us.  We must worship Him, love Him, and serve Him.  He alone is worthy.  Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Did you read the theme here?  It's all about God, what He did, what He is doing and what is going to happen.  Because it's about God and because He is the one who saves, who does the harvest there is nothing we can do that on its own saves people.  In a nutshell, we don't save people, all we do is witness to God's Glory; we do this through living like Christ and praying for those who need Him, that's it, nothing more, nothing less.  This is the seed we plant, that is living a life that no human can live on their own, a life full of servitude, obedience, patience, Grace and love.  It would be arrogant of us to say or do otherwise.

b777, M. S. (2017, October 16). Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. Retrieved from

Sermon Notes 8-25-2019

Matthew 57

Chapter 13: Jesus and the parables 

There are weeds in the fields! 

Matthew 13:24–30 (NLT)

²⁴ Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.

²⁵ But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.

²⁶ When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

²⁷ “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

²⁸ “ ‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.“ ‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

²⁹ “ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.

³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’ ”

Matthew 13:36–43 (NLT)

³⁶ Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.” 

³⁷ Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed.

³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.

³⁹ The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

⁴⁰ “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.

⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

⁴² And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

 There are weeds in the field! 

You ever drive by a field and see weeds amongst the crops?? In every field, there are weeds right along with the grain. 

Weeds are everywhere no matter how hard you try there are always weeds creeping in. and sometimes they creep over from the neighbor’s field because he doesn’t take care of his crop!

And today Jesus is talking about weeds amongst the crops and the harvest! 

Sometimes it’s even hard for us to understand!

³⁶ Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.” 

·     sometimes it’s hard for us to get

·     it’s comforting to know the ones closest to Jesus had a hard time absorbing it all

·     so, the days it feels like your drinking from a fire hydrant, it's ok

·     I think it’s important for us all to know that we can get frustrated 

·     We can be confused sometimes

·     That we don’t have to have it all together all the time

·     That we will fail, we will stumble and we will not always get it! 

The fields are continually being planted!

²⁴ Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.

·     The kingdom is constantly being planted around the world

·     Day in day out, God is using His people to plant His seeds 

·     And the fields are His church

o   The god-fearing, bible preaching churches everywhere

Jesus is the good farmer 

³⁷Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed.

·     And Jesus is the farmer that oversees the operation

·     Every detail is looked after by Him

·     He sees everything and is in total control!

There is an enemy constantly trying the destroy the crop!

²⁵ But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.

²⁶ When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

·     We are not to blame for the “bad seeds” that infiltrate the church

·     We plant, and some will be bad, the enemy will see to that

·     We will not be judged by God and we should not judge each other 

·     Bad apples happen, period

·     And they will be with us to the very end, there will always be weeds amongst God's people

Jesus explains!

³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.

·      we should expect it

·      Jesus does, and so should we

We worry way too much! and are sometimes a little overzealous!

²⁷ “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

·      I have over the past 30 years seen the church try and isolate itself from the world

·      So, we try and weed out the weeds by giving them rules to comply with 

·      Dress codes

·      What they can say, what they can drink

·      And believe or not the weeds follow the rules better than we do

·      Satan wants them here, following rules allows them to 

·      We need to worry less and love more 

·      Rule followers hate love and kindness, it’s messy

^39a The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. 

·     And never forget Satan has and will continue to attack Jesus’s church

·     Because he knows that the end is near!

  

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater!

²⁸ “ ‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.“ ‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

²⁹ “ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.'

·     My mom used to say that all the time

·     And it rings true here

·     If we try and purge every “evil person” that comes along

·     We might be eliminating God's children as well

·     And we don’t see hearts and may be pulling good crops

o   Only Jesus sees hearts and only He can determine good intentions from bad! 

Paul says it best!

2 Timothy 2:23–26 (NLT)

²³ Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 

²⁴ A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 

²⁵ Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 

²⁶ Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 

The end of the book is written, let's spend less timing pointing fingers and more time planting seeds (shining God's light of love) to the world, our community!

³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’ ”

·     Jesus has a plan

·     He has the end in sight

·     He wrote the ending already

·     All He wants us to do is to love a fallen world

·     To shine His light on the dark world

·     And finish strong! 

The end explained!

^39b The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

⁴⁰ “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.

⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

⁴² And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. 

Jesus’ in this parable answers the age-old question of why God allows evil and suffering in the world. His creation can only be purged of all evil through the judgment and re-creation of the universe at the end of the age because evil resides in every person. God’s delay in bringing the end of the world is thus entirely gracious, giving people more opportunity to repent ^[1]

From the actions of the farmer and the fate of the wheat and weeds, one learns that God will permit the righteous and wicked to coexist in this age but that He will eventually separate the wicked, judge them, and destroy them while gathering the righteous together to be rewarded by enjoying His presence forever.^[2]

And He finishes with this!

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

---

^[1]Blomberg, C. (1992). Matthew(Vol. 22, p. 219). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[2]Blomberg, C. (1992). Matthew(Vol. 22, p. 219). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.