We are continuing in our message series in which we have been looking at the Gospel of Mark. In chapters 4-6 we notice that Jesus sets up for us a pattern of teaching, testing and doing.

In chapter 4 Jesus uses a number of parables to teach his disciples about the Kingdom of God, culminating with the teaching of the mustard seed. But, Jesus is not just some run-of-the-mill teacher who just likes to hear himself talk. In this chapter Jesus uses parables to teach. The interesting part is that the disciples get done hearing him teach and they ask him to explain it because they didn’t get it. If the disciples aren’t getting it, I am pretty sure the rest of the people there are probably a little confused. Listen to what Jesus says is the purpose of parables:

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,  “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

What a great teacher, right? Teaching a lesson that he never intends on them understanding. Brilliant! Wait…if you have a child and they come home and tell you that their teacher is teaching lessons that they do not want the class to understand, how would you respond? I tell you what I would do, go to the teacher and ask what this nonsense is all about. That’s why it is going to sound crazy when I say it but, this is why Jesus is such a genius teacher. Let me explain.

A parable is a story with earthly elements, elements that people would have understood in their context. The parable also has a heavenly meaning attached to it to try to teach them about whatever the subject that needs to be taught. For example; Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed and then talks about the seed. Now, he doesn’t explain why the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed but it gives them something to think about.

I don’t know if this is a good or bad way to look at parables and Jesus teaching of them but it’s my way. I remember in High School chemistry my teacher would do an experiment and then write a bunch of equation stuff on the board. I understood the experiment but the equation I could never understand. I have to tell you that it would have been really easy to give up, but I was intrigued by the process even if I was confused by the numbers. This process is what made me come back even when I was confused. Jesus left some people confused and that is precisely what made people come back again to hear what else he had to say.

Jesus as a great teacher also takes his disciples to the side later and explains it all to them. Jesus doesn’t just preach a good sermon, he also gives some real life examples or application to his teaching. He then follows up with a test! That’s right, he allows their faith to be tested when a storm comes up while they are all in the boat together. The storm hits and they believe they are going to die. Jesus asks them, “…Do you still have no faith?”  Then in Chapter 6 the rubber hits the road and he sends the disciples out 2×2 to preach, to teach, to disciple. A great teacher is able to teach, apply and equip; Jesus is a great teacher.

But if that is all Jesus is then I could take it or leave it. In these same passages we find that Jesus is sooo much more than a great teacher. At the end of chapter 4 Jesus shows that he has authority even over the wind and waves as he calms it with three simple words. Chapter 5 Jesus shows that he has power over the demons and at the end of the chapter he has power even over death. A great teacher doesn’t have the power or authority to do any of this. That is why Jesus is a great teacher but has also proven himself to be an even greater Savior.

Have you been challenged to view Jesus as just a great teacher? What have you done to help others see that he is so much greater than a teacher? Do you have concrete examples in your life that Jesus has proven to be more than just a teacher?

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Jesus is not Play-Doh but that doesn’t stop us from treating him like it. We attempt to push and squish him into a mold that we can be comfortable with. This is nothing new, it has been going on since his earthly ministry started.

Jesus was born into an established religious system of rules and regulations. The religious leaders of the day challenge Jesus and his disciples, because Jesus doesn’t fit their mold of what the messiah is supposed to look and sound like. Jesus and the disciples were not living according to the later additions to the law of God by the Pharisees and teachers of the law. In one instance the disciples took some grain on the Sabbath and in the other Jesus healed on the Sabbath, both acts strictly forbidden. The leaders are so concerned that Sabbath regulations be observed, they are not concerned about the hungry or the sick. This is an incredible example of missing the forest for the trees.

In every major world religion (except Christianity) the purpose of obeying the law is to assure you that you’re all right with God. As a result, when you come to the law, what you’re most concerned about is detail. You want to know exactly what you’ve got to do, because you have to push all the right buttons. You won’t gravitate toward seeking out the intent of the law; rather, you’ll tend to write into the law all sorts of details of observance so you can assure yourself that you’re obeying it and you are “in” with God.

But in the life of Christians, the law of God (though still binding on them) functions in a completely different way. It shows you the life of love you want to live before the God who has done it all for you. Instead of seeing the Sabbath as a bunch of laws to follow we see it exactly as it was intended; restoring the diminished, replenishing the drained, repairing the broken. When Jesus healed the man’s shriveled hand he was doing exactly what the Sabbath was all about and wasn’t concerned about fitting into anyone’s mold.

Have you ever used Jesus as Play-doh to fit him into some image you had for him? What were you trying to make him look like? How different did he look from the Jesus presented in the Gospel accounts? In what ways do you see other people molding Jesus in their own image? How harmful do you think this can be to the Christian faith?

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When Jesus says to Simon and Andrew, “Come, follow me,” immediately they left their vocation as fishermen and follow him. When he called James and John, they left behind their father and friends, right there in the boat. We know from reading the rest of the Gospels that these men did fish again, and they did continue to relate to their parents. But what Jesus is saying is still disruptive. In traditional cultures you get your identity from your family. And so when Jesus says, “I want priority over your family,” that’s drastic.

In our individualistic culture, on the other hand, saying good-bye to our parents isn’t a big deal because that is a part of growing up, but for Jesus to say, “I want priority over your career”—that’s drastic. Jesus is saying, “Knowing me, loving me, resembling me, serving me must become the supreme passion of your life. Everything else comes second.” In many of our minds, and minds of the world today, such words can smell of fanaticism. We would rather explain away these words of Jesus than to actually believe what it says. The excuses usually sound something like this, “Jesus didn’t really mean that” or “The Bible is an old book, it must be a cultural thing.”

Jesus says, “I want you to follow me so fully, so intensely, so enduring that all other attachments in your life look like hate by comparison.” If you say, “I’ll obey you, Jesus, if my career thrives, if my health is good, if my family is together,” then following Jesus is conditional based upon what is going on in your life. The conditional statement actually reveals who the real master in your life is. Jesus does not want to be a means to an end; he will not be used. If he calls you to follow him, he must be the goal. Jesus has called all Christians to be disciples and to follow after him. Will you answer the call?

I love the questions that Pastor Burcham ends with in the video above. They made me really think about the attachments I have in this life. So, what would be the one thing that would cause you to do a double take if Jesus called you to leave it behind and follow him? Would you still follow if he asked you to leave it behind?

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“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

Every house needs a foundation. What does your foundation look like?

I was doing some daily Bible reading and came across this passage. I love when Jesus gives powerful illustrations in his teaching, he does it quite often. The picture that he gives in the passage above is of two men who are building their houses. There is something different about this exchange, Jesus starts out with the positive example and ends the negative. There was a man who set out to build his house he wanted it to be on firm ground. I was thinking of course he would build on a strong foundation, it seems pretty obvious doesn’t it? The solid ground would be the logical choice because it would hold their house in the “rare” chance there would be a storm. But, the obvious choice is not always the one people make. The second man decided to build his house on sand. I am picturing California, beach front property with a beautiful view. The foundation on the house isn’t great but sometimes you have to sacrifice safety to get beauty.

We know how the story goes from here because we have all experienced it. The rain falls and falls and falls, so much so that the foundation on every house is tested. The rain is the difficult times, pain from loss, relationship that ends, the job that was once secure and now gone, fill in the blank with the rain you have experienced. It just so happens that when it rains it pours. One thing goes wrong and it begins a snowball effect. The rains fell and tested the foundation of the two houses. The difference between the two houses was the foundation. One house stood the flood because it was built on the rock…the other house went down because it was built on sand.

Jesus is the rock of salvation and there is no other. Again and again he has proven himself to be faithful in the lives of millions of his followers. If you don’t believe me, just ask any one of them and they will witness to the truth of how Jesus has worked in their lives. But as we have already seen, the obvious option is not always the one people go with. Some choose to reject the wonderful gift and decide to go at life all alone. This is a path no one is meant to go on alone, it is a difficult path that only ends with disappointment and pain.

I may not be good with tools or construction but I will give you some advice. Build your house on THE rock. When the rain falls, take shelter in the strong arms of the Lord, because he is mighty to save. This life can be devastatingly difficult, don’t be shaken and moved in any and every storm, be strong knowing that God is with you in the midst of the storm.

So what does your foundation look like? Have you built your life on a strong foundation or have you sacrificed it for beauty? When the rains fall where do you turn?

May God be with you today, whether you are in a storm or on dry land!

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We are all familiar with Matthew 28:18 and following because it is the “Great Commission,” but what about verse 17? Verse 17 says that “…some of them still doubted!” Really!?! They walked with him for three years, witnessed miracles beyond what was possible, watched him die on a cross and now he stands before them teaching, and there are still some doubting?

It goes to show you that even when looking at the impossible in the face there are still some people who will doubt. It is not unlike today when people attempt to view miracles with their modern eyes. They want proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Things they can’t see are not possible because they don’t have a material cause. Belief in God is a belief that he will work beyond our imagination. But doubt was not the biggest issue for the disciples but it led them to take their eyes off the mission.

Once they doubted it was easier for them to take their eyes off the mission. Once you take your eyes off of the mission of bringing the saving news of Jesus to people for the first time and for a lifetime we can become blinded to the obvious. If you look in Acts 1:6 the disciples are still thinking that Jesus is going to lead the people of Israel into freedom from Rome. But that was not His mission, it wasn’t the disciples’ mission, and it is not our mission. We have to stay committed to the mission and make all of our decisions and choices based upon that mission. There is no building, program, or sermon that will change the lives of people forever. Only the good news of Christ can change a life. The others are tools or vehicles for that news to penetrate hearts. Let’s commit to the mission!

What has become a stumbling block to you that has led you to take your eyes off the mission? What can you do today to recommit to the mission?

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Citizens of our great country, the United States, have learned to be self-sufficient. It is a trait that has been ingrained into the very fabric of our makeup. Our founding fathers created a very important document to celebrate this independence and the name was apropos; The Declaration of Independence.

The American dream is all about working to create a better life for you and your family. If you work hard enough you can be anything and do anything you want. No job or riches are out of the question when you work hard enough. It is a wonderful dream to have. One problem has arisen, the dream has led people to feelings of greed, selfishness and materialism, but the dream should not be the one to take the blame. The human heart thrives on being self-sufficient. Many of us want to be known as someone who has done it all and built it all ourselves. We would like to be our own saviors. These thoughts and feelings have permeated our culture to the point that we celebrate it and defend it to the death.

This weekend at church we talked about dependence on God. In theory this is a concept that should be easy to get. The almighty maker of heaven and earth, of course I can trust him with my life, the good and the bad, knowing that he has my best interest in mind. Doesn’t everyone sitting in church fully depend on God for everything in their life? The truth is that dependence is only easy when everything is going well in life. During those times it is very easy to say you depend on God for everything. The truth is, constant, continuous, “no matter what,” dependence on anyone other than you is very difficult; it is not something that we as a people generally promote.

So what does it take to depend on God when everything in our culture is working against us? You should know up front that there is no easy program and it is a lifetime of struggle.

There were three ideas of dependence talked about in the sermon that I want to share which will put us all on the right track towards dependence on God.

1. Dependence on God is not dependent on us understanding.
There are certain things in life that will not make sense. Why did I lose my job? Why do I have this disease? Why didn’t the relationship work? In those moments when we don’t understand what God is doing in our life we tend to walk away. But there is another way. The disciples walked with Jesus everyday for three years. There are times in the scriptures when it says the disciples didn’t understand what Jesus said or did. They easily could have walked away when they didn’t get it…but instead they continued to walk with him, learning more and more along the way. Let’s walk with Jesus when we don’t understand instead of walking away.

2. Dependence on God is impossible.
That’s right, dependence left up to us is impossible. Left on our own we choose to depend on ourselves. Why would we ever expect dependence to be easy? We need to acknowledge that we are powerless to control everything (I know it sounds like the first step in AA, but it is true!). God has proven himself to be faithful and his promises have always come true. He knows the plans that he has for us, plans to prosper us. Let’s declare that with God all things are possible. In this trust and declaration let us know that he will always come through and with his help we can depend on him.

3. Dependence rarely works on our timetable.
No matter how much we try to plan out everything and ask God to bless it, when we want it, and how we want it, it doesn’t work that way. We think we have the perfect picture of how things should work. It my life only went this way, it would be perfect. But we limit God when we want him to work by our plan. God has a plan and he has his own time-table.

When we start to understand dependence in this new light we can see that we don’t need to have it all together to depend on God. Instead, we can finally admit we don’t have what it takes to do it by alone and we can trust in the one who has proven himself faithful. So, let’s make a declaration in the year 2012. A declaration of dependence on God.

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With the Christmas season set to start-up in two days as we approach Epiphany, I thought it would be a fun idea to talk about the “Twelve days of Christmas.”

I came across an email the other day that talked about the origins of this well-known Christmas ditty. I do not know if all these facts are true (and if they are not I hope that someone will please correct it) but I thought it was interesting enough to pass along to think about. So here it is…

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

• The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
• Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
• Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.-
• The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
• The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
• The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
• Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit–Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
• The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
• Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit–Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
• The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
• The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
• The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

May your Christmas season be filled with Joy as we know and experience our God who has kept his promises and remained faithful as he sent his son into the world to save us, even to a  people who have been faithless.  

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If we focus just on the happy holidays and not realize that it is a holy day we have set ourselves up for some grave disappointments. The success or failure of your celebration depends greatly on things that are out of your control. Did you get the right gift? Don’t know until they open it. Will you get what you really wanted? Won’t know until you open it. Will the relative behave? Will the food turn out? Will I be alone again? And the list of ‘what if’s’ can go on and on. If it is just a holiday then there are so many intangibles that are unpredictable.

Yet, when you focus on Christmas being a “holy day” then you can guarantee that it will be a merry Christmas. When you look at the celebration of the birth of Christ, that God is with us…then there is no other response than to be Merry.

Why do we allow ourselves to get caught up in all the things that suck our time and energy away? What can you do to focus on the coming Holy Day to guarantee that it will be a Merry Christmas?

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People this time of year tend to wear themselves out. They attempt to hide it or act like everything is holly jolly, but I can tell when people are tired and worn out and I am sure you can too. You can see it in their eyes and their body language. When I ask people who look tired how they are really doing, they usually respond with the phrase, “Just trying to survive.” With only one week left till Christmas it has become a race to survive. Survive the relatives, parties, travel, decorations, and the list goes on. Are you just trying to survive another Christmas? Have you become so worn down by the circumstances of the season that the only thing you anticipate is the end?   

Anticipation comes in different forms. Two thousand years ago the people of the earth yearned in anticipation for the Messiah. Listen to the Apostle Paul from the book of Romans (8:22-25) as he talks about anticipation.  

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

We live a culture of “now” and waiting is not something that we like to do or believe we have to do. If we want it…then it is only a phone call or click of the mouse away. But let me take you back to a time when it wasn’t always like this. Do you remember the times as a kid that you waited for your Christmas presents? The feeling of excitement and joy mixed all together, as you anticipated what lie behind the wrapping.

I believe that feeling as a child captures the feeling of those long ago who waited for the messiah. The anticipation of Christmas today is really a flashback of the physical experience of the anticipation of 2,000 years ago. The earth groaned for a Messiah… they waited in anticipation. They eagerly longed for the Chosen One. The moment of his arrival was precious.

The holiday has become a burden and “Holy days” are not meant to be a burden but a time of celebration. Maybe this year we can turn our survival mode into a season of anticipation of the joy, the merry, of Christmas. It might be a matter of taking our focus off the things that can’t be controlled and place it on the One who has control; not anticipating the end, but anticipating the coming of the Savior.

Questions to think about and respond to: Are you just trying to survive another Christmas? Have you become so worn down by the circumstances of the season that the only thing you anticipate is the end? What can you do today to turn your thoughts away from survival mode into the anticipation of King Jesus?

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It is the worst feeling in the world to feel like you are out of control. Last night in Des Moines there was ice on the road and it is difficult to drive on ice. Anyone who has driven on ice will tell you, there are times when you feel like you are out of control. You apply the brake nice and slowly but nothing happens. The car starts to drift left or right and you as the driver feels powerless. It would be nice to know in those moments that you will be okay, that you are able to gain control and guide the car to a safe spot, and eventually continue on with your day. But in those moments your reaction will be crucial. If you don’t react well and use some good judgement you could easily end up in an accident harming you or someone else. It is all about the need for control.

I know a lot of people who would be considered control freaks. Control freaks have this constant urge to be in control of everything around them, down to the smallest detail. I know about these types of people because I have some ‘control freak’ tendencies. I don’t think I have it as bad as some people…but I could be in denial. Control freaks are placed in the worst position when circumstances around them are out of control. 

But I would contend that most people, whether they identify themselves as control freaks or not, have a hard time with the concept of control. It is the student who takes an important test and waits to receive the grade. It is the child who is growing up and has to learn to speak to adults without a parent there to guide them. It is the parents who finally have to give up control and let their child go off to college without them. It is the biopsy result that you eagerly wait to hear about. It is the person who is sick and doesn’t know what the outcome will be. It is the family who watches a loved one struggle through an illness, not knowing the outcome. Each situation can lead people to feel helpless and out of control. That is, if you let it.

A humans first reaction when out of control is to: panic, freak out, react without thinking. Panic can cause greater harm to everyone around. When panicking we attempt to come up with all kinds of solutions to the problem that we face. We think, what is the worst case scenario? Is there anything that I can do to avoid the worst possible thing from occurring? The problem with these questions is that everything is centered on us. If it is up to us then we have every reason to panic!        

Christians know that their lives and futures are in God’s control. We have choices and decisions to make, but God is even guiding those decisions. When we feel like life is out of control our first reaction should be to communicate, not panic. In the Lord’s Prayer we start with, Our Father. Why would we say father if we believed God was some stranger that doesn’t hear us when we pray? We act as if God is the last resort or the Hail Mary Pass, when he should be our first destination. I also don’t want you to believe that God is some sort of cosmic genie that grants all our wishes, but God is always there to hear us and walk with us.  

In our pride it is difficult to reach out in weakness to God and others. It is so much easier to keep things a secret and not let anyone else know that there is a struggle. When we are weak then we are vulnerable, and people of control don’t like to be vulnerable.

Listen to the Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 12:9-10, “But he (Jesus) said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

What a relief to know that my controlling tendencies don’t have to consume me. That in everything I can pray, praise and give thanks to God who gives me strength, especially in my weakness. What a comfort it is to know that even when all of life seems to be out of control, I can trust in the one who is in control. To God be the Glory!

Have you been consumed by control only to find out that the situation is out of your control? Was your first reaction panic or prayer? Ask God for help and then turn to other Christians for help.