Hope and Expectation.

Third Sunday of Advent – December 13, 2009

Prayer: Father, let your message this morning be one of hope and expectation. Father let my words convey your message, and may we be blessed with your peace; which surpasses all our understanding. Amen.

Hope and Expectation.

Our first reading this morning came from the book of Zephaniah and I will be honest, it is not a book I have spent much time studying as Zephaniah was number nine of the twelve minor prophets in the Old Testament. These prophets are normally referred to as the prophets of doom; but Zephaniah is different; full of hope, and expectation for the future anticipated Day of the Lord.

The book of Zephaniah was written over 600 years before the birth of Jesus: at a time of international intrigue externally; and the alluring threat of idolatrous worship internally.

After a great number of condemning prophesies of doom by his cohorts, Zephaniah promised a day of great rejoicing when God would walk on this earth, and be present among His people. This would bring not only forgiveness and security from oppression; but prosperity and renown among all His people.

Zephaniah went on to say that God would bring great judgment, not only to Israel, but to all nations. God would reconcile Himself with his people; motivated by His everlasting love which he promised in His covenant with Israel. This reconciliation was to be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, 600 year hence; so it was still to be brought to completion by the work of the spirit (small s) in all who believe. Reconciliation means put right, bring together, or resolve. God was to reconcile Himself with man. What a wonderfully thought for those people back then.

We now move onto our Gospel reading which describes the events just before the ministry of Jesus, about 30 AD. Here John the Baptist is preparing the way, for the coming of the Messiah; which will be sooner rather than later.

John’s preaching seems harsh and fundamental to our modern ears, but several themes stand out in John’s message: the absolute sovereignty of God in spite of ritual correctness, far-reaching social justice, and the promise of a messiah who would come in judgment to win a glorious victory.

When John’s congregation asked what they were to do, John proclaimed that everyone should smarten up there act and live a more honest life. Luke has recorded two example, but there must have been many more. The two recorded were the most extreme.

First the Tax collectors, (the most despised people in Israel because they were hired by the hated Roman government), John told them to limit their revenues to what had been officially prescribed, and nothing more. No sane tax collector would even consider such a revolutionary approach.

Secondly; John challenged the imperial security forces with an equally hash answer. Do not extort bribes from anyone caught and imprisoned; as it was fairly common for soldiers to do so too supplement their wages. John told them to be satisfied with their meager wages, which was unthinkable. This was a far-reaching social justice on both accounts, but John went further, as he challenged everyone who heard him to share their resources. Can you imaging sharing all your possessions with anybody and sundry. I think not.

John the Baptist was commissioned by God to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. This was his way of doing so. He was implying; “you better get your life in order, because if you do not, this new Messiah will sort you out”. This was the language they understood.

John at this stage could not say something like, “God will love you regardless”. No he had to build Jesus up first in there mind, and once they accepted him as the Messiah; Jesus could then teach his new Gospel of power through faith and love.

Our final readings this morning is from the Philippians in the New Testament, written probably about 40 years after the death of Jesus, but this reading is also full of hope and expectation; where a wonderful confident faith shines through those few verses, (which we use as a prayer at the end). Here Paul refers to what looks like the second coming, but he is not; rather he is referring to the fact that Jesus is not dead, but alive, and he is on hand to help us.

Paul was saying, Jesus is alive and he is looking after them; just like he is looking after us today. It was a bad time for the Israelites in the days of Zephaniah. It was a bad time in days of John the Baptist, and it was certainly the most challenging of times in Paul’s day.

How are you feeling as we move towards the celebration of Christ’s birth? Are you free from stress, worry and anxiety this advent? Using today’s scripture which we have just heard, I will now try to help you relieve these worries. Sometimes we do not know what we have, and we need to be reminded.

But first, you must accept that nothing can ever separate us from Gods love. Our limited minds cannot comprehend God’s love, but His love comes with no strings attached. God loved us first, not the other way around. God does not love us “if ….”, but “in spite of ….”. God does not love us if we do this, this and this; he loves us because of Jesus, and His death upon the cross. Jesus died for us and Jesus died instead of us, which we deserved. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our failures. All our sins, died on the cross with Jesus.

As a parent you may not approve of your child’s behaviour, but you always love and accept them. They are yours, and they belong to you. That is how God sees us.

Now to finish; if God was to write us a letter, a wee note for Christmas, (in our modern days language0, I think it would go something like this.

'Dear child.
I knew you before time began. I know how many hairs are on your head. Like a parent and their child you are created in my image.

I have plans for you. I have also given you the gifts you need to fulfil them; and what I give, nobody can take away. But don't abandon them, or leave them to fester; exercise them, and stir them up daily. I've started a good work in you and I'm going to finish it. I always complete what I begin.
'My commitment to you is unending. In this life you will have challenges, but cheer up, I have robbed Satan of his power to control you, and the world of its power to destroy you. When you are in trouble, remember I'm with you to help. Give Me your burdens, and I will keep you going. When you're stressed out and worn down by the pressures of life, lean on Me.

I will be your rock, your fortress, your deliverer and your strength. Even though you fail from time to time, you won't be discarded because I am upholding you. I have clothed you in a suit of spiritual armour, encircled you with angels, and allowed the Holy Spirit to dwell in you. You are marked with my seal of approval.

'But a word of caution: don't take advice from those who are spiritually dead, and do not hang out with sceptics; but delight yourself in My Word and, like a big oak tree growing by a river, you'll prosper in everything you do.

1243 words.



Prayer.
We now close with a prayer, a prayer taken from our New Testament reading this morning.

Father,

I will try to rejoice in you always. I will try my best to let your gentleness be known to everyone. I know that you are near; and I will do my best not worry about anything, as you have everything in my life in hand. Father let your peace, which surpasses all understanding; guard my heart and my mind, in Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen

This sermon was delivered in St Oswald Church in Maybole, Scotland on the 20th September 2009.


Let us pray.
The question has been asked Father as to who is the greatest; and the answer is not what we expected, or what we may want it to be. But it is your answer, an answer that seems to lack power and authority. I therefore ask you Father this morning that we understand this question and answer better, to give us more confidence when we meet the world outside. Amen

Who is the Greatest.

I am the greatest was the chant of Mohammed Ali, the world champion great boxer of the 1970’s. I remember him as Cassius Clay, and as a boy he was my favourite. He not only beat many of his opponents, but he used to boast humourlessly about beating them, long before they got into the ring. Yes three times world champion, he was the greatest to me, then, but his reign did not last.

People nowadays are on a similar mission for themselves, to be the greatest. People in general feel they have to get to the top in order to survive. In the wild it is called natural selection, where only the strongest can survive.

Many people live their lives in exact same way as the animals, but use different weapons to put their rivals down. Men tend to be more physical and straight to the point in making their authority known, whereas women are much more subtle, and more surreptitious in their assault; and from my experience more deadly.

But either way, the natural behaviour for most people is to climb that greasy pole, and get to the top, somehow. But what is the “top”? I can always recognise someone climbing to the top, it by the common response off “I am getting there” when I ask how they are getting on. I always want to ask the question, “Where exactly is there?

Well “there” to some it is an imaginary place where they can rest, and enjoy the spoils of their ill gotten games. It is supposedly a place where there are few problems, and many resources to deal with these problems should they arise. In fact it is a place of pure fantasy, but a place very real to many; a place where even murder has been committed time and time again; to reach that imaginary place.

In the case of a typical man, “there” is a position of power and wealth; and when he finds himself “there”, he find he is referred to as the “King Rat”. Women however tend to hide behind a strong “family”, who will guard her; and who will do anything to defend her; in the position more commonly referred as the “Top Dog”. If you do not know any of these people personally, you are lucky, but I am sure you know of what type of people I speak.

Now with this in mind, we now consider the gospel message this morning, where the disciples have been arguing about which of them is the greatest. This same argument continues on, down to our own day; as I have pointed out, this is a popular argument among adults. It might not be to your full King Rat level, but the struggle is to climb that greasy pole to the “top”.

It is usually not as overt as it is with these disciples, but in our culture today, the argument is generally conducted indirectly; communicated through symbols such as who has the biggest income, the fanciest car, the largest house; and who can manipulate the most without detection; but like the disciples of Jesus, today's adults can be primarily concerned as to who is the greatest.

The disciples were straight forward enough to discuss it directly as they walked together down the road, yet somehow they were ashamed when Jesus asked what they were arguing about. Their uncharacteristically silence was meant to fool Jesus, but it was obvious to him what was going on. Basically each disciple wanted the top position after Jesus died; an imaginary top position of security and strength.

While Jesus was alive, everything was fine, Peter, James and John were able to talk with Jesus about their doubts, and Jesus was teaching them. School was open and it was a time for learning and asking questions. But Jesus told them he was going to die soon, and this set in an emotion of total insecurity; and they were afraid of what was going to happen (to them) after Jesus died.

So naturally there was a battle, well an ongoing argument about the future pecking order. They weren't afraid for Jesus, they were afraid of themselves, they were afraid of each other; and none of them wanted to appear ignorant and pushed to the side; an obvious natural reaction.

Now let us look at this same situation from a spiritual viewpoint, a viewpoint that includes God in the equation. The first thing that is obvious is that none of the disciples knew what Jesus meant when he said he had to die. If they did, they would not have the temerity to argue about superiority.

Jesus had to die, and none of them knew why, and none of them knew what benefits and blessing they would receive after the death of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was not even discussed at this stage. Jesus had to die so that the sins of the world could be forgiven, and that God could freely communicate with man. God’s relationship with man could only be accomplished by the death of his son; who paid the price for the sin of humanity.

The good news depended on the murder and resurrection of Jesus. Without Golgotha and the empty tomb there was no acceptable sacrifice to God for our sins; but like many people today, the disciples just did not get it.

Most people today think Christianity is a weak, wishy washy religion. A religion that bases its beliefs in a bible that is full of contradictions, and a saviour who is like any other dead prophet. No. let me make this clear; the Christian religion is a religion of power, strength and might. Let me give you three examples of this misinterpretation.

Firstly Meekness.
We all know the hymn Gentle Jesus meek and mild. What is meekness, well meekness is grossly misunderstood.

To many, “meekness” suggests the idea of passivity, someone who is easily imposed upon and weak. Since Jesus declared Himself to be meek in Matthew 11:29, some perceived Him as a sissy lovey dovey type of character, telling his followers to be totally spineless. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the ancient Greek New Testament, “meekness” is from the Greek term “praus”, which is derived from two words, one being something wild and powerful, and the other being under control. It does not suggest weakness; rather, it denotes strength brought under control. Some people like to think of it as a wild horse, recently tamed and bridled. In the biblical sense, therefore, it describes one who has channelled his strengths into the service of God.

Secondly, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday, a donkey; a week before he was crucified. I have heard many scholars say, he would have been better to ride into Jerusalem on a large white stallion to give himself presence and stature as the son of God.

No Jesus rode a donkey, but what you do not know was that the Jewish people of the day knew their scripture backwards, and their scripture was very clear that the future messiah was to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. No other animal was more significant at this time, and it was a strong bold gesture made by Jesus when he rode that little donkey into Jerusalem, bolding saying, “I am the son of God. I am the anointed one who has come to save you from yourselves”. What else would have brought such a strong reaction from the Pharisees? They knew their scripture, they were annoyed by him on this donkey, and they plotted to kill him. Fortunately this was in the plan.

My third example is the very conclusion of this sermon, as to who is the greatest. Well Jesus took his disciples, sat down and gave them a lesson once they had settled themselves. Jesus said “If anyone wants to be first, he must be least of all and servant of all.”

This is the exact opposite of natural selection. Instead of aiming for the top, aim for the bottom, and be the servant of all; that is with everyone above you. When Jesus sat down, it was time for serious learning; and greatness he said is recognised in servant hood. Servant hood; that which is in direct contrast to the kingdom of man where the greatest is known by how many people the King Rat has under him.

The kingdom of heaven on the other hand recognizes those who are under the most. You are recognised by God by the amount people you are supporting, not on how many people are supporting you. You therefore have to be very strong, to be the servant of all; and if you are very strong, and are under control, God will strengthen and promote you himself, because you are representing him; and it is his desire that you be strengthened.

Now the natural reaction to this statement of being called a servant is a position of weakness; where everybody simply walks over you. If that is what you are thinking, you have not listened to what I said. Christianity is not a wishy washy religion, but a religion of strength and power. So for Jesus to say that you must be the least to be the greatest is not a statement to make you feel feeble and weak, but a statement to make you feel strong and secure. Jesus knew what he was talking about, with promotion, comes responsibility and accountability; and if you are trying to get to the top for your own means, you are carrying one hell of a burden, a burden that is not of God. If you are supporting people, then those people need and depend on you. If you are lording it over people, those people will rebel at some stage, and they will reject you.

Jesus said my yoke is light, and He is telling us to be a servant of all. Do know think Jesus knows what he is talking about?

Without God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, this servant hood advice is all nonsense, but if you bring the trinity into the equation then this all makes sense. After all, Jesus himself became the least, and who now the name above all names. If you are struggling to get to the top, if you want to be the greatest in the kingdom of man, then you are doing it alone, without the assistance, the power and the grace of God. The way up, is down. Amen.

Let us pray, Father, you are the greatest that is without doubt. That is why we are here this morning to worship you, but the greatest person on earth is unknown to us because we do not know how to measure such a person. The world has its standards and direction, you have yours; and I thank you that your standards, because of Jesus, are totally different, and lead to glory. Father I ask that we learn to easily tell the difference in discerning what spirit motivates a person; as to whether it is for their own ends, or whether it is for your service and glory. Amen

An introduction to Spiritual Warfare.

This sermon was delivered in St Oswald Church in Maybole, Scotland on the 24th August 2009.

Prayer: Father, you speak in the bible of the spiritual realm; a realm that we can neither see, hear, feel, touch or taste; but it is the realm where you live, along with the other dark forces. Father I thank you that Jesus conquered this realm, and that you want us to follow in his footsteps, footsteps that show us the way to victory. Amen.

We heard the words in Joshua this morning asking the people of whom they want to serve, God or Idols?

The answer to me is obvious, God of course; but most people today worship idols although they may say they do not. I will give you an example; how many times have you thought that if you only had this one idol, then you would be happy. This idol could be new furniture, a new car, a new house, a new job even; but they are all idols in their own right. Now think, when you get that idol you desperately desire, you are thrilled, even ecstatic, and I am sure you deserved it. But ask yourself this question, how long does this contentment or excitement last? One thing for sure, it has a finite length of time, and it is not too long before you weary of this idol and seek another.

This continual seeking of idols seam to suit most people; and they certainly give us that impression, but I do not think they do. When people are left on their own, especially in times of trouble, do they honestly think there idols will carry them through these times of difficulty? We will never know for sure because these people tend not to speak of such intimate matters; in fact I am sure they would deny them strongly if you confronted them.

What I am getting at here is that there is a point within everyone’s lives where they are in touch with things spiritually. I personally have no doubt that all adults within this world have tasted at some point, spiritual things, things which are not of this world; and they are reluctant to speak of.


We will leave that for the time being and move on. We read Paul in Ephesians this morning say “for we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies – the evil rulers of the unseen world …”

This verse go on, but the point I want to make here is that Paul is stating there is a spiritual world out there; a world that we cannot see, but very much exists; and Paul goes on later in the passage to let us know how to fight and win this spiritual battle. So how can you win a battle, if you do not recognize the fact there is God; there is a battle; there is an enemy out there; after you; which you cannot see; with weapons you cannot feel?

But there is a battle; there is an enemy; it is after you; and we cannot see it; let alone using weapons we cannot feel. In fact it gets more complecated, God tells you how to win this battle; a battle he has already won, and he tells you to do like-wise; using HIS weapons, and HIS tactics. This whole area is known as Spiritual Warfare. Spiritual Warfare, I am sure some of you may have heard, but I am also sure this maybe new to others.

How can I prove this spiritual world exists? I can’t, any more than I can prove that this Church is full of waves. It is full radio waves, television waves, x-rays waves, infra red and ultra violet ray waves, it even has radiation waves, in this church this morning. They are all present. You cannot see, feel, hear, touch or taste these waves, but they are here. The only way I could prove they exist, is to put a receiver of such waves and transmit there calling to a sense that we can understand. A Transistor Radio for example will pick up radio waves and transfer these waves into music for example. A television will pick up television signals and broadcast a program to you. Similarly there are devices to detect and transmit all the other types of waves I mentioned. So because you cannot see, hear, feel, touch or taste these waves, do they exist? Well obviously yes.

Likewise in the spiritual world, because we cannot see, hear, feel, touch or taste the spiritual realm, how can we say it does not exist? Jesus believed it, and Paul wrote about it, and that will do me. If you find this difficult, please accept this for the time being, and hopefully it will all make sense.

Let me this morning introduce some of the aspects of Spiritual Warfare. What kind of receivers do we need to detect the spiritual realm? Well the spiritual realm is detected by man, by us, (by woman). In fact time permitting I can only start off today by describing the basic make up of man and how he relates to God and this spiritual realm.

What exactly is man made off, that is, from a spiritual viewpoint? And I will promise to keep this simple.

The Body.
Man or woman has a body; as you know fine. We all have different bodies, even identical twins have different bodies. Our bodies are what we get about in, our bodies make us mobile. Our bodies have nothing to do with class, creed, wealth or intelligence.

The Soul.
Man also has a soul, and although different people describe this differently, I believe this is the best description.

Our soul is made up from our mind, will and our emotions.
Our mind is made up from our education, our family and our location. Our mind, with our memory, is the computing power within our body and it is located in our brain.

Our will is the part of us that wants action, or non action. It is the part of us that wants to do something, normally after some deliberation or thought process.

Our emotions on the other hand are that part of us that feel, and we tend to feel two main things; we feel pain or pleasure, or some degree within. We have no other feelings. Pain or pleasure.

You might be thinking, but sometimes I can sense things around me, how does that fit into the soul? Well it does not fit into our soul, it fits into our spirit, our human spirit.

You must have heard this term which is often used to describe great feats of achievement, such as, “what a wonderful achievement it is for the human spirit to land a man on the moon”. Is not the human spirit wonderful, to allow a man to walk to the North Pole alone. You may also have heard the similar expression, spirit of man, the human spirit.

I better qualify this.
The body and soul are well understood, but the human spirit is much more complex. You maybe confused at this stage as the bible speaks of the soul in different terms; for example the word “heart” is used interchangeably with the word “soul”; and the word soul for some people include the human spirit. It is confusing at first as these words are found interchangeably in the modern translations of the bible; but it is different in the original Ancient Greek version; as Ancient Greek is much simpler and more logical in its details; and in the original version it is clear that the spirit and the soul are separate: and the heart is the soul, and not the organ used to pump blood. For now, please accept the fact that man has his own, independent spirit, his human spirit. One thing you will notice in the modern English bibles is that the word spirit either starts with the capital letter “S” for the Holy Spirit or a lower case letter “s” to denote any other spirit.


Enough of man for the time being, what of God?
Well it says in Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let (him) have dominion over the fish of the sea, etc etc …….”
I am doing this backward, but I am doing it for a reason.

God said, Let us make man in our image. Jesus is our heaven body. He is the body of the Godhead. The body of Jesus was broken on this earth, but he was given a new, heavenly body after his resurrection.

God the Father, is the soul of the Godhead; nobody has seen the father except the son. God the father is the intelligent part of the Godhead with feelings and a will.

And the Spirit of the Godhead is, well the Holy Spirit; by far the most complex part of the Godhead and I hope to speak of Him at another time.


So we now know what is meant by the words in Genesis 1 that, man is made in Gods image. God is three in one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and Soul, Body and Spirit. Likewise, man is made up of body, soul and spirit.

This morning we have only briefly touched on the introduction. The very basic make up of man and God, but I will finish now with their relationship, and how they communicate or interact.

A man will make a decision in his mind to pray emotionally, from his body to God. The will, mind, emotions and body do not come into contact with God. The only part of man that interacts with God is the human spirit.
John 4:24 says “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Small “s” in spirit. They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

What is the truth?
I like John 14:6, “Jesus saith … I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
The only part of the Godhead that interacts with man is the Holy Spirit.

So why would God the Father want to communicate with us?
Because God is love, and we are his children. God sent Jesus to die on the cross to save us. He let his own son die for us on a painful shameful cross. Why then would God not want to communicate with us? We can communicate with God because Jesus died for our sins, and God does not see us as filthy human beings full of sin, but he sees that part of us made righteous by Christ Jesus, within us, within our human spirit. That part of Jesus that lives in our human spirit.

I am finishing now by quoting 1John 4:15 which says whosoever, are we part of whosoever, yes: Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. God dwells in our human spirit.

The true worshippers, will worship the Father, in spirit, (small “s”) and in truth.

Amen. let us pray
Thank you Father for this wonderful gift of communication you have given us through prayer into the spiritual realm. Although we do not see, hear, feel, touch or taste this realm, we take comfort from the fact that you want the best for us, to justify the painful death of Jesus on the cross. We know that you love us very much Father and that you want to answer our prayers which are asked in the name of Jesus.

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rest Area

Mark 6: 30-32.

This sermon was delivered in St Oswald Church in Maybole, Scotland on the 19th June 2009.

Prayer:
Lord, many of us look forward to the summer as it is a time for vacations and holidays; whether we travel to the mountains or the sea side, whether it is in this country or abroad, but NOT everyone knows that it is a direct command from you, and that we should not feel guilty about resting, and just doing nothing in its proper place and time. Lord let me speak these words for you today, in Jesus name. Amen.

My last sermon included over fifty verses; the opposite now applies where I considering only three verses. Let us read through Mark 30 – 32 again and be prepared to be surprised, as to where it takes us. My text is as usual from the King James.

Mark 6:30
“Then the apostles”; we will stop right here.
What is the word then placed here for? “Then the apostles”
THEN is a logical word to conclude the mission they had just returned from. The mission mentioned, prior to this verse, is where Jesus had sent out the 12 original apostles on their own; for the first time.
Funny enough the word, “apostle,” from the Greek means “sent”; sent as in go forth, and not the smell.

The twelve disciples had been sent out on their first missionary journey alone; and we Christians are apostle-like people. We are always sent out into the world around us. We are not just Christians who sit back in our churches, or in our homes, our comfortable enclaves but we are actually sent into the communities, towns and villages around us with the message and the power of the gospel.

We do not realize that is what we do; but according to scripture, we are God’s representatives on Earth, so that must be what we do. Obviously somebody needs to tell us that, but it is up to us to believe it. Okay, we do not ram religion down other people’s throats, but by our very existence we are the representatives of Christ in this world today. Question: if it is not us, who is it then who represents God? We are the best God has, and that certainly worries me. In fact it is frightening to think of it in this way, but who else is representing Jesus in this world today?

Do you just think you come to Church every other Sunday, and do the odd good deed? No, there is so much more going on in your and my life, than you or I can possibly apprehend. Don’t believe me? Well think of a time when somebody has attacked you head on, and you cannot retaliate in the same manner because you a Christian. I am sure this has happened to you many times, it has certainly happened to me; but note when this happens, recognize the fact that you are Gods representative, you are not acting alone. You are definitely not on your own. You are acting for Him, Him who will defend you. I hope this gives you confidence. We will leave that for the time being, but think seriously about it; and try and deny it if you can.

Anyway, let us move on, verse 30 still,
We have only read three words so far, “Then the apostles” Right,
“Then the apostles gathered around Jesus.” Then the apostles gathered around Jesus? Why did they do that? Well followers of Christ always gather around Jesus. Jesus is the center, the focus, the core, the axis, the hub of the Christian church. We always gather around Jesus. Jesus is our life, or reason for being. He is the way the truth and the life. I like that verse, so I thought I would slip it in.

Verse 30 still
Then the apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
It is almost as if the first disciples were like little children, all excited and wanting to come back and report everything to their master of what they had seen, done and taught. They wanted to share with Jesus what had happened.

We too enjoy sharing good news with people who are authority figures, especially if their have sent us out on a task. These first disciples were no different, they wanted to share their good news with their mentor and teacher, Jesus.

Verse 31 He (that is Jesus) said to them, "Come aside by yourselves, to a deserted place and rest a while”. After Jesus listened to his disciples, he suggested that they go away to a deserted place all by themselves for a while. They were obviously full of themselves, so He sent them out again to a deserted place somewhere, but this time he told them to rest. Nothing else; just rest; and for a while, (until they had refreshed themselves).

They had been enormously busy. They had been preaching and healing and sharing the gospel, and they had helped real people with real problems in their real lives. They were basically exhausted, but over the moon with it. Think about how you feel yourself after you have successfully helped someone who has been in trouble.

Jesus was basically saying, STOP! It is time now to take a breather; go away, and have a break, or as the King James says it “Come aside by yourselves, to a deserted place and rest a while”

Everybody is always telling me to do that, some day I will listen and act, but in preparing and delivering this sermon, I will have to think very carefully about a few things, in fact I am the worst person to tell anyone to rest and relax, but this command is not from me, it is from the very mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, as written in the bible.

What if Jesus was from Maybole with a typical Maybole attitude, remember I am a Maybole man. He would probably say something like, “You weren’t that good, away and calm down somewhere!” Correct! But the Jesus we worship said "Come aside by yourselves, to a deserted place and rest a while”

Yes, Jesus teaches us many things about life. Jesus teaches us about the way of love and how to show compassion and grace to our neighbours, whether we like them or not. Jesus teaches us about the power of belief and faith through grace and miracles and healing and many other great and mighty things, BUT Jesus also teaches us some other very very basic simple things to do, like GO to a Quiet Place, Yourself and Rest.

To move on, we are still on verse 31, “ He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves, to a deserted place and rest a while” for there were many coming and going.

We can certainly relate to that, everybody is so busy nowadays, including myself; and if you think it is hectic here in Ayrshire, go down to England and watch the pace of life there. Those people come here for peace and rest holiday.

The world we live in has become a rat-race. We are so busy, all of the time with our comings and goings, so much so that we don’t even have time to eat. What does the end of verse 31 say, “and they did not even have time to eat”.

"Come aside by yourselves, to a deserted place and rest a while, for there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

I am going to say this again, Jesus our Lord is not teaching us here about the great and grand issues of life such as loving God and our neighbors and having a powerful faith that moves mountains, Jesus is teaching us about the simple things of life such as rest, solitude, and quiet.

Notice also the words, come aside, which clearly mean to me that, if you life is the normally the opposite, that is quiet and lonely, you to need to get away and see yourself from the distance. Get away from your familiar circumstances and routines, and re-evaluate your life and yourself from a different viewpoint, if you can. I can relate to that side of life myself, when I was unemployed years ago, so I appreciate the fact that some people are busy with a routine and boredom; in fact my heart goes more out to them.

We will finish of with verse 32
So they departed to a deserted place in a boat by themselves. We can envisage the disciples getting into a boat, a large boat that would accommodate them all, and then going to a deserted place, all by themselves.

That is what many people would like to do: to go to a deserted place; away from telephones; computers, TV’s, radios, etc. with their friends or friends they do not know.

Jesus was their shepherd, their leader, and their guide; and Jesus knew that it was time for his disciples to rest and recuperate, and this meant being alone in the wilderness. In the gospel story for today, Jesus our good and wise shepherd, is leading us TO rest in green pastures and lie down by still waters, and thereby restoring our souls. Today, Jesus is teaching us about the wisdom and necessity of resting out in a quiet place.

We shall now pray: Lord may these words speak for you, words that tell the apostles to rest, relax and take it easy. Let these words remind everyone here that every individual needs a rest area, and a time away from the daily stresses and hurried routines of their lives. Lord by us accepting this command; make this opportunity available for everyone who asks. We make this request as commanded, in Jesus name, Amen

Compassion and Grace.

2 Sam 1:1, 17-27 - Mark 5:21-43 - 2Cor 8:7-15

This sermon was delivered in St Oswald Church in Maybole, Scotland on the 28th June 2009.

Those readings this morning were long and difficult to decipher; 12 verses from the book of 2nd Samuel, 7 from the Psalms, 23 from the Gospel of Mark, and 9 verses from 2nd Corinthians. All on different topics and all totally unrelated. But are they?

If you ask yourself the question, “who wrote the bible?” you will probably answer with names like David, Mathew, Paul, James, and John etc. and you will be correct, but under what influence did they write their particular chapters. Well I firmly believe they were written under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in fact all of these authors and more besides, wrote the bible under the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit.

So, can we see the Holy Spirit at works within these verses? Quite a challenge, so let us have a look. In 2 Samuel we see David making a lamentation for Saul just after his death. It is a nice lamentation from David to Saul. It is an elegy however, not a divine hymn nor a Psalm as it does not mention God in it, nor does it claim to be inspired from God. It is a lamentation to honour the life of Saul and I found this very strange as Saul was the sworn enemy of David, yet here David is praising Saul’s name. Very strange indeed, but it does make sense if you considered the fact that David always considered Saul as God’s anointed, even though Saul was rejected by God, and hated David so much so that he plotted and tried to kill him many times.

Yet here we see David not only praising Saul’s name to himself, but declaring it to the nation; even to the extent of stating that this lamentation is to be taught to the children of Judah. We are reading it today. David obviously had great compassion for Saul, and undeservedly we might say.

In today’s Psalm we heard:

O Israel, wait for the LORD, for with the LORD there is mercy;
With him there is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

I think it is safe to say that if God is going to rescue Israel from their sins he has great pity, or great compassion for them. Here we see the word compassion arising again; and again we could say undeservedly.

Now in the Gospel message this morning we read of a man named Jairus, one of the leaders of the synagogue, who came and fell at the feet of Jesus. This man Jairus was one of the enemy: one of those who opposed Jesus, and one of those who eventually engineered the death of Jesus on the cross. But this Jairus begged Jesus repeatedly to save his daughter from the point of death, and Jesus showed him compassion and went with him and healed his daughter. Again we could say this undeserved but Jesus rose above the situation and showed grace. Grace is that merit without favour. Grace is totally undeserved or it would not be grace, it would be by works.

To continue on this same passage, we also see woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and whose condition was growing worse. Now we do not know if this woman was a Jew or a Gentile but we do know that her illness made her ceremonially unclean; and this disqualified her from mixing with the crowds under strict Jewish law. Jesus did not rebuke her as was expected, but showed great compassion, and perfected the woman to a public confession of faith. He rewards her testimony with the assurance that she can go in peace, and be healed of her disease.
Again compassion and grace clearly being seen.

We now move on to our new testament passage in 2nd Corinthians where we read in verses 13 and 14

I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.

What Paul was saying here was that the Corinthians had at that present time more resources than the Christians in Jerusalem; and Paul is implying that they had more resources than the Macedonians; who had already given the Corinthians so generously. It was only fair therefore that the Corinthian’s show compassion to the Christians at Jerusalem and help them out as they had been graciously helped out by the Macedonians in the past. Notice the compassion and grace again.

Compassion is therefore defined as a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortunes of another. Compassion is from the Latin; “com” meaning “with” and “pati” meaning to “suffer”. It is a deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with a wish to relieve it.

God's character embodies the definition of compassion. God desires to free others from their suffering. He has compassion for people that are lost. He has compassion for people that repent, and compassion from those who have a true desire to turn away from their sin. God basically has compassion for people that have a love and faith in Him.

As our Creator, God desires us to be as compassionate as Him and show human kindness to others. To be compassionate we must have love in us that compels us to do good deeds. If we just do good deeds for someone, but we have no love for that person we are therefore not compassionate.

Let us now see if we measure up with this simple example.
During the American Civil War there was this story of two women who arrived at the Whitehouse and asked Abraham Lincoln of the well being of their relative General Lou Wallace who had been reported missing. General Wallace had been involved in a vicious battle, and they had heard there was a fatality named Wallace in dispatches.

But after learning the Wallace mentioned, was a different Wallace, and their Wallace had survived, they spoke rather glibly of their gladness being thankful that it was not “their Wallace". Lincoln responded soberly, "Yes, but it was somebody's Wallace, wasn't it?"

I have two separate messages I want to highlight this morning, the first being the authority of the Holy Spirit, and how he is present throughout scripture. I think we can safely say that the Holy Spirit was present while these 4 passages were written, don’t you; giving clearly a theme of compassion and grace. So when you read your bible, be particularly aware of his presence throughout. In fact, make a point and look for look for his presence and influence, asking him what exactly what you need to hear.

My second message this morning was that of compassion and grace; which is a very big issue for the church today.

The church is a community of people who present living proof of a loving God, to a watching world. A living proof to a watching world! So we have to ask ourselves individually, and as a church, how we are living proof of a living God to the world around us. It is a fair question, and one that will challenge us if we take it seriously.

We are not just pointing at things which are wrong; it means we are part of the solution. A solution we can only achieve if we but submit to the will of God, with the outward signs of caring, strength and forgiveness.

Lets pray: God we thank you for this your word and pray that as we think about it together, we will respond with the obedience that comes through faith. For it is in Jesus name that we pray. Amen.