The Lord has the Authority to Call and to give Growth

Mark 4:1-12 Parable of the Sower

Here is one of the most famous, if one could call these famous, story of the Bible. People have seen it in play form in the musical “God Spell”. (A version of the word “Gospel” or good news.) We may have seen it acted out during youth camps, or heard many sermons on this story of the Parable of the Sower. When Jesus spoke this parable, His followers really did not have any idea what it meant. In verse 13, Jesus asked His Followers: “Don’t you understand this parable?”

It is possible that there was a long silent “DAH” from the 12 followers of Jesus. Then Jesus added: “How then will you understand any parable.”

Were His Followers simple men? Stupid? Dull of thought? Or just out-to-lunch? Not in touch with Spiritual matters? The answer is yes to all those questions. Simply put, the Spirit of understanding had not been given yet, but still, it seemed to be pretty straightforward.

But here we are today, and we still may not understand this story. Why? There are a number of reasons that we will not go into this morning. We will talk about an undercurrent message here that drives the Church on! That current is found in the Call To Be Called.

First: The farmer is you and I. We go about our day-to-day routine and as we go, we spread the Gospel Seeds around. Sometimes it is in word, or deed or in personal response. We don’t need to think “Oh, this is hard ground, I’ll pass this area and not sow seeds here.” No, we go and scattering the seed of God’s Word anyway. The Word is shared. He’ll bring the increase.

Here Jesus mixes the terms and switches meanings. The Gospel seeds now become the people who receive the Word. They are living along the road. Any path of living, anywhere people are, there are some who live in hard places. They hear the Word. It has a short life. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the effect of the Word on them.

These people are close to the Evil One—even when they may not know that! They may not know that they are in league with him. They are not aware how dangerous it is to live so close to Satan. But there they are and almost at once the message has lost its impact-it’s meaning-on their life.

Others, (Verse 16) these people live in rocky places. These are interesting places with many challenges and thrills. It is an active place. Here, life is shallow, no depth of understanding. Little growth is expected as the soil is rough. There are short roots so there may be some sight of understanding. In fact, there is much joy with the message. But, over a short period to time—the same result. Trouble comes and they fall away quickly. Trouble or persecution comes BECAUSE of the Word and they fall away. Not a strong commitment to the Message at all. In fact, impressions that are not deeply rooted, will not last. We have seen that true here at the Chapel. Some have indeed fallen away and to their own ruin, suffered for that.

Still others are those who live among thorns. The Lord uses three thorns that ‘stick it’ to us. Three areas of personal pain and concern that dig into these people’s lives that produce no fruit:

1. Worries of this Life.
2. The Deceitfulness of wealth.
3. The Desire for other things.

These come into the lives of these people resulting in choking the life out of them. They become disillusioned. They loose sight of what was given to them. The result is unfruitfulness.

Unfruitfulness must really hurt! Think of a businessman who works for 30 years in a company, and just before he retires, looses it all. In fact, even his fellows in the same field forget him and pay no attention to his problems and do not come to his aid. His world collapses. All that he worked so hard for is gone.

One such man lived not far from here, just north of Shin Tokorozawa. He worked long hours and lived very sparsely. His boss paid him well but the hours were way too much. When I would visit him, he told me of his family in his home country. He would work so much so that he could send more and more money to his family members who were, from his own words, very poor—Except for the cash he sent them, they had nothing. He told me of the TV, and the other appliances he had sent them, of his fine wooded interior of his home, of the many things he was able to provide for them-out of his wealth. The outside looked like a shack but inside—beautiful! Then, not far from his home, a volcano erupted and the lava flow threatened the dwelling. Soon, all evidence of his gifts was to be swallowed up in the fast moving lava flow. All was lost! No evidence of his labors. No fruitfulness was seen. All would be destroyed. And there was nothing he could do about it but wait of the sad news. It was all lost.

He had worries in this life. His social activity put him at risk of illness. His thirst for wealth drove him to ruin. His desire for more than his wife made him a very ill man. He had also rejected the Teachings of Jesus. He was destroyed. And he had heard the Gospel message and yet it did not take root in his heart-in his life. A very sad story indeed! The worries of this life choked the Word in his heart making him unfruitful & unjoyful.

But all is not lost! There is yet another set of people-or seeds-of action that does respond well to the Message. In fact, the story called them “good soil” and like the others, they accepted the message. And the result of taking the Message to be true, produced a crop—30, 60, even 100 fold. God expects and requires fruit from those who enjoy the Gospel’s rewards: salvation, Peace, growth, understanding. One way to express that joy is to give back to Him a portion of what He has blessed us with in our offerings.

Take a look at an ear of corn, or a pomegranate. Each bud of seed, each grain of corn would produce 30-60-100 ears of corn. One fruit has so much seeds in it, it is even hard to eat! Yet, when those seeds are placed in the ‘good soil’ it would produce fruit.

There is the parable and there is the meaning. The undercurrent once again flows from the Authority of the One which gives the seeds power to grow. This One who calls all Mankind to Himself is the One God of the Universe. He has chosen Jesus, His only Son to come and ‘deliver’ that Message in His Own person. He is the One who directs the falling of the seed. He is the One Who cause the seed to break out of its dead state—once water is added. Once the Sunlight warms the surrounding soil.

He is the One who calls us to spread the seed.

He is the One who placed us where we are today. Wherever we are, He is the One with the Authority to encourage us to follow His Will and for us to ‘get the word out.’ His authority is based on Who He is.

Last week, we spoke of our response to this God—to serve the Lord IN our families. (Over 60 signatures were placed on the sheet.) May God Bless us and guide us in that promise. But today, we are asked to consider our role in the spreading of God’s Message to those who need it most.

A question for you: How many non-believers are you friends with? Are most of your acquaintances followers of Christ? Do you even know non-churched people in a friendship level? I will encourage you to look for people who are not in your circle of friendship yet as a possible ‘field’ to scatter some Gospel Seed onto. I, myself, took a hard look at who I spend time with and there are very few who do not know Jesus. I have many, many friends who are followers of Jesus. That in itself is not a bad thing but where am I stretching myself in bringing this Wonderful Message to those who do not know Him yet? I need to cultivate non-Churched friendships. It will take time but it is needed. I am asking you to do it: I need to do it too.

At Cape Town this week, the Lausanne Congress with about 5,000 people are assembled to learn and plan in the reaching of the Lost in the world. One of the topics was who will reach the children of the world. One man said that that there are no un-reached Children—either they will be reached for Christ or someone or something else will reach them. The question is, who will reach them? There is a deep need to rekindle the fire for evangelism. Billy Graham spoke via video and said: Keep evangelism at the center. Make Christ your focus. Base everything on Scripture. And pray, pray, pray.

The first week of November is Persecuted Church Week. So many are being hurt or killed because they love Jesus. Even when there are thorns, even where there are worries, and where there is a pull to fall into worldliness, some will survive. Some, no, many, will not fall away. We need to come along side them and hold them up in Prayer. In fact, we as a church need more time in prayer. I would ask you to come to the Chapel during the week to pray. You might be the only one here, but bring your hearts to the Foot of the Cross and offer up prayers of petition, request, and praise to the One who hears and acts. Let us take on the role of one who sits on the wall and sends out the warning to those who are lost, to come to the Savior for forgiveness for their sins and for Salvation.

And as for the World: The world is coming to us! In December, about 10 people will return to Enoki to help us in reaching our neighbors for Christ. They are from Singapore. We can go as well. Let’s plan together to travel to other Asian countries and help local churches there in their outreach. This can be done, with prayer and with His Guidance, we can help in the harvest and spread the seeds of the Message of God’s Gospel to others. He has given us the authority to do so.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

God, Thanks For Being Faithful! 20 years of God’s Leading

“Back in 1980, the first year Rick Warren started Saddleback Church, a reporter asked him, “How big do you thing this church is going to get?" He said, "20,000 people by 2020." The reporter looked at him and said, "Who do you think you are?" Rick told him, "The question isn't who do I think I am, the question is 'Who do I think God is?'"

“The size of your God determines the size of your goal. And godly goal-setting always starts with a promise of God. Don't look at your limitations; look at the promises of God.”

After reading this statement, I remembered my own feelings about ICCS back in 1990 when we started. I had a feeling that such a church would really work in this area. While we were not in the downtown area of Tokyo, I felt that there were a lot of expats in this area who would appreciate a worship service in English. AND I felt that they would come and build on that desire. My idea was to plant another international church in, say, Nagano, and the two of us would plant a church in another country, in another city in that country. THEN the three of us would plant a church in their area and help those two new plants to plant one in another country. If city centers of countries are reached, that is where most of the people live. And so to reach the world.

That was not what the Lord lead us to do. In fact, people from our worship hall here went to the corners of the world. Many of them serve the Lord there now. What we are going to do this morning is not talk so much about ICCS but to thank God for His Faithfulness. That is His Character. God is Faithful. He loves His People. He is faithful!

We are also going to consider our response to this Faithful God. I am going to ask us to sign a document of intent. This paper is not a legal paper. It is a strong suggestion to keep our hearts in tune with the Lord God who has called us here. The plan is to reopen the letter in five years and see what the Lord has done. I will speak of this again, but 1st..

We have seen something here at ICCS over the years. In these past 20 years, well over 890 people have come to worship our Living God here. We are Enoki-Cho’s first church and with an international outreach. Funny thing, our target audiences were people from outside Japan and who spoke English, yet the first people to come were local Japanese who spoke English or were non-English speakers. Among them were people like K.-San, his wife and two children, who had attended our very first service and who speaks English very well. Others came. I. S., T-San, I-San, H-San, then S-San and others. A family from CA came who worked for a Golf Mag brought their landlord: S-San. A Canadian blue-collared worker, Joel, brought a Chinese co-worker who found salvation during his last months in Japan. Joel also bought a High School piano player who later was Baptized here. Now is married and working with his wife to bring others to Christ through their music: H and M. We had American workers from the Honda Plant and Air Force personal from Yokota Air Base-even one officer from Yokusuka Naval Yard. Teachers from CAJ, JET workers, Finance workers, English teachers, day laborers, doctors, lawyers, street dwellers, and a few undocumented individuals as well.

People were from over 30 different countries-during the Bubble Days. The most people we had in this room were 97 people. People were sitting everywhere on every chair this building had! We have had weddings, two funerals, baby dedications, Baptisms, two ordinations, prayer times and four missionary commissioning services. Concerts, lectures from Phillip Yancey. 4 ALPHA classes. Many, many Covered Dishes!

We looked at the photos and records of past Baptism and found that more than half were Japanese—and our target audience was the expats!

Some who left us related to us later that they could not find a place like ICCS in their home area. Asking why, they gave a number of answers. The video clips you will now watch express some of those feelings. Some, you will not remember because it has been that long since they were here. All experienced ICCS like you and now they will speak out for us:

Watch VIDEO

All this to say, God Is faithful. He is Faithful. What can be added?

What can be added is not about ICCS but about our Lord. This Fellowship has been blessed-no question-but the ONE who blesses this place and this people is the One we want to look at this morning—and to look at Him as we look at the next 20 years.

In the ending chapter of Joshua, Joshua was finishing his term of office as leader of Israel. He put a question to the People of Israel: Whom will you serve? Let’s look at that story as we finish out this today.

Read Joshua 24: 15-31 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because He is our God."

19 Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you."

21 But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the LORD."

22 Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.

23 "Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

24 And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey Him."

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD.

27 "See!" he said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God."

28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. ...

31 Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel.

Neh 9:5-8 …"Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting." "Blessed be Your glorious Name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You.

7 "You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful to You, and You made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept Your promise because You are righteous.

This is the God we serve. He has not changed nor will He. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He is Creator God and we who believe in Him now will stand and repeat the Apostle’s Creed.

Acts 2:39 His promises are for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Hear how the early Church responded to His WORD:

Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Is it this way with you and your house? Are you serving the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your strength and will all your mind? That was the first and biggest command the Lord has given to us.

So this is what we are going to do. We will not put up a stone up as Joshua had done. We will affix our family’s name to a document that proclaims our intent to live a life that honors the Lord Jesus. In light of the teaching of Joshua in chapter 25: 15 & 24 and in Acts 2:42-47, we will live our lives for Jesus. As far as it depend on me, I will lead my family in the worship of the Living God of the Bible.

Let me read the document: We, the undersigned, do, as much as it depends on me, support the teaching as Joshua proposed in Joshua 24: 15 and 24. “As for me and my house, we will worship the Lord.” “We will serve the Lord our God and obey Him” and shall devote ourselves to the teachings found in the Bible and shall endeavor to remain in the Fellowship of Believers.

In the year, 2015, it is to be known that this list will be read in the company of those assembled at the International Community Chapel of Saitama and the People there assembled shall praise the Living Lord God for His continued Faithfulness and Guidance.

In a state of solidarity, come to the front and sign. This can be an act of worship.

Song: As for me and my house…

He Calls Your Name... from Mark 3:1-19

Please read Mark 3:1~19.

Jesus called a man to the front of the service to heal him. He called other men to serve. He called fisher men to be fishers of men. He called you and myself to share His Love. Don’t think so? Read it again: Matthew 28: 18-20. “AS YOU GO.” Who is going? Who is the YOU? Can’t escape the call. You are to share. You are to tell. You are to live this Christian life out each and every day. And you are to be calling on Him for the power to do it.

He will give the Power. That Power is called His Holy Spirit. How does it work? You allow Him to come into your life. By saying “I want to trust You with my life” starts the new life. The Bible says that when a person becomes a Believer, they become all new.

ILLUSTRATION: Caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

We are called to follow.

There is a nice quite song about this calling…

I have a maker

He formed my heart

Before even time began

My life was in His hand

Chorus: He knows my name He knows my every thought He sees each tear that falls And hears me when I call

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

Chorus: He knows my name He knows my every thought He sees each tear that falls And hears me when I call

Copyright ©1996 Doulos Publishing.

Jesus must have felt like He was in a fish bowl whenever He went out. He went to worship and there were people there looking for a fight. Looking for some reason to accuse Him. He might even heal on the Sabbath! My goodness, is that a bad thing? Sounds like those men would be against Him no matter what He did—or said. They hated Him that much.

There are many people around today that feel the same way about Jesus and His Followers. We read that certain countries are the most persecutors of the Faith. Saudi Arabia, North Korean, Egypt, some parts of Latin America and Africa. Maybe even in your office or your school or neighborhood. Or members of your own family. People really hate Jesus! They would do anything within their power (or outside the law) to bring Him down.

Here was Jesus inside a Synagogue. Unlike the Temple, people with a shriveled hand could worship here. That man could not take his worship to Jerusalem but he could go here. And here he would find people—within the worshiping community—who would want him NOT to be well—they would want him not to be made well. It suited their anger well for him to stay handicapped.

But Jesus had another idea. He sought the man out and asked him to stand up in front to everyone. Read with me verse 4. 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He was reaching out to the people to find compassion in their hearts but could not find any. As evidence of that, look at verse 5. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts He was very angry NOT to find open hearts. All He could find were stubborn hearts. All there were unwilling to be open. They were hard hearted. Jesus was angry. Deeply distressed in His heart. Even in this angry state, His Authority broke through. He called the man to stretch out his hand. “He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.”

What was the response of the worshiping community? They responded in hate toward Jesus. They went out angry. Why angry? Because I believe they really knew their time of control was coming to a close. This Jesus had the authority to do this and more. And they did not like that! They did not want that! They wanted to say in darkness.

They were so angry, they sought ways to join the ‘other’ side. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. Wanted to join up with Herod (Not a friend of the Jews) and his gang of henchmen.

So He called this man to be healed and to show He had the authority to heal him—even on a Holy Day.

Verses 7~12 deal with Jesus dealing with many people. Some had heard about Jesus and now they wanted to see Him for themselves. Some had been healed and now others wanted that healing as well. So they pushed and shoved and gathered around Jesus to see Him in action.

Jesus felt the crowds around Him and got into a boat so Him, “to keep the people from crowding Him. 10 For He had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch Him.

He would not accept the witness of those who were filled with demons. He wanted His witness to be one of righteousness.

Then, He called 12 men.

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. We look at the list and we find people from all walks of life. Some educated, like Matthew, others were fishermen like Peter, James and John. Another was of a political group who wanted the downfall of Rome: Simon, the Zealot (also known as the Canaanite). Later, one was voted in to replace Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and still later, Paul stepped into the role as an apostle.

The Messiah's Apostles had Hebrew names and since there is no letter "J" in the Hebrew alphabet it is difficult to know what their real names were. In the book of Mark, the Messiah is called "Jesus" but His real name began with the letter "Y" as is found in the Manga Messiah.

And why did Jesus call these men? Makes a great ball team or football team with some replacements? No, He had some real plans for them and here we see some of them.

Reason #1:That they might be with Him. That they might see the things He did and hears the things He said and witness the change of a religion to a relationship.

The second reason He had them was so that He might send them out to preach. A few times in the Gospels, Jesus sent out His followers, 2X2, to do that very thing. Preach and give testimony of God’s Grace on Earth.

He also had a third reason: and to have authority to drive out demons. That is something you don’t hear very much about today. But it was one of the reasons Jesus called these men together. To be His Band. To go and tell and do and demonstrate the Power of His Word in the lives of those He sent them. To the Greeks, to the Romans, to the Asians, to those who lived beyond Rome’s control and into the outermost.

Three reason:

· To be with Him

· To be sent out

· To have authority to drive out demons.

Do we pick and choose which of these is our calling? Don’t believe that for a moment! To be with Him means to be IN HIM. To hear the things He says and to follow them. To be grafted into His vine of ministry.

To be sent out by Him means to go into other areas of the surrounding areas—some overseas—to take what we heard Him say and share that with others. To be witnesses. To your grandchildren, your wives, your husbands, your parents, your friends, those whom you do not know yet. We are the “sent out ones”. It is not a professional role. It is not only for the ordained. It is for everyone who calls Him Lord.

Great news today. He has the authority to call people into His Service. He calls those He wants. You are those people. Won’t you respond?

He has called you by name.

Please read Mark 2:1-12

There are at least two or three stories going on here. One has to do with this sick man and his friends. The other is the question of HOW could Jesus do either of the miracles: heal the lame man and, more importantly, forgive his sin. The other, going along with the second, is the underlining stream of this Authority of Jesus.

Let’s just take the first one first. The man was lame. Not just lame but he had friends who wanted him NOT to be in that condition anymore. This sort of thing can’t be cured with bed rest or hot spring treatments. It is not, what could be called, an easy illness to deal with. He was bed ridden. He could not get around on his own. He needed to be carried BECAUSE of his misery. This shows us the suffering state he and many like him are in today.

While working with Wheelchairs of Hope (WOH), I have heard of similar stories of men and women who were so injured. Some were the result of poor medical treatment as a child, no treatment at all or as the result of a serious accident: a cave in, a land mine, attempted suicide.

One such story comes from Mongolia. The young woman in question was depressed. She wanted to end her life. Her parents did not care for her and wanted her out of their life. She was a burden to them. So, she got herself a gun and shot herself in the midsection. The shot did not kill her but she bleed for a few days without going to the hospital. Her parents did not take her but left her to die. After a few days, she was taken to a medical center and they stopped the bleeding but the injury was so severe, they could not repair the damage. (They could have IF she was treated when it happened.) Now, her lower part of her body could not move. She could not even kill herself. She became a paralytic. In her despair, she was introduced to Jesus. Make a long story short, she opened her life and heart to Jesus as her Savior and she was also given a wheelchair from WOH. Now, she has hope. She knows Jesus loves her deeply. She can make it through life now.

While she was not healed of her injury, her heart was healed. She had a reason to live. She has Salvation and her name is written in the Book of Life. She will be able to walk again once in Heaven. She is not bitter any more. She was touched by Jesus.

This story in Mark shows us what our response should be to the needs around us. We, at times, need to carry those who need that support. We need to show compassion toward our fellow-creatures who are in distress. True active Faith and a strong Faith work together. The Father would accept that kind of Faith. Sin paralyzes us. Because sin is the cause of our paralytic condition, we understand that the way to remove the effect is to take away the cause. The pardon of sin strikes at the very root of all diseases. Not trying to get ahead of the outline, BUT Jesus Christ proved His Power and Authority to forgive sin by showing us His Power and Authority to cure the man of palsy. (Muscular inability to move part or all of the body.) The whole fact THAT He could do both means He CAN DO both in our lives as well—to bring Him Glory and Honor.

Most people think themselves whole—without a need for help in many areas if not all areas of life. They think of themselves as whole—no need of a physician. Their lives are an example of ones who

1. Despise

or 2. Neglect Christ and His Teachings.

But, the ones who realize they are sick with sin and under the control of sin, they are the ones who are convinced of His Gift to them. They are humbled sinners, without power to resist the influence of sin. They accepted Jesus’ help. They open their heart to Him as their Savior and find healing from within.

But getting back now to the man on the mat. His condition was visible. Four men carried him to see Jesus. Jesus was sharing the Message of the Gospel with the crowds in a building. All sorts of people were there. Some were there out of habit. Others were there because they wanted to hurt Jesus. Still others were there to hear the Words of our Lord.

During Jesus’ teaching, people started to see and feel dirt coming down on them from the ceiling. Time passed very quickly and soon an opening appeared above them. Think of this for a moment. Four men took on a project of making a skylight in this building’s structure. I don’t know about you, but if it were my house, I would not be too pleased at all. Not a word about that in this passage; I guess the response was unimportant. A hole—big enough to place a man on a mat IN and lower him to the feet of Jesus.

In fact, the only thing mentioned was Jesus’ comment: When Jesus saw their faith; He said to the paralytic, “Son, YOUR sins are forgiven.” Did the man even know he had sins? Because of his condition, he could not visit the Temple, but he had sins? Kind of embarrassing, wasn’t it? Being called out that he had sin in his life. It was the feeling and also the teaching at that time that such illnesses were caused by sin—by either him or his parents. Jesus does not address that wrong teaching; He just cut to the real issue and did something about it. And a strange thing happened. Not only could he walk again, he was sin-cleaned! Forgiven!

One you can see and the other, well, you can’t. But there is outside thing you can see: joy. Nothing was said about this man’s joy or what happened to the four that brought him. Why? Again, that was not the point of Mark’s narrative. Scripture is silent on those points. The fact is that the man was healed because of the authority of Jesus. Healed spiritually inside and physically outside. And the response of the crowd: 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

(This story is also found in MATT 9:8 & 33).

My friends, your response would be what? In truth, would you not also be amazed? (The lame are made to walk, sight given to the blind.) Jesus was acting out prophecies made concerning Him from the Old Testament. In Is 29:18, we read: In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

Later, in Luke 7, even John the Baptist asked the question: “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' " Yet it happens every time someone is touched by the Lord. Salvation is extended to them through Faith in Jesus. Have you seen that? Have you experienced that change? Do you remember? This year, you will see more of that as we grow in our Faith.

Do you feel Jesus was taken by surprise by this event? Do you feel He knew what was going to happen that day? Was He shocked at the actions of the four men? He was pleased with their faith. He was willing to touch the man BECAUSE He wanted people to see His authority. Not in a self seeking way. He really wanted the people to give praise to His Father.

So, where does that take us this morning? A man who can’t walk and a sinner, walks away from the full room of excited people … knowing that his sins were taken away by the only One who could forgive sin. This Jesus did both!

Are you in a situation in life where you are unable to move? Are you paralyzed in your spirit and you can’t move from that point? Has there been an event, an occurrence in the past where you have not been able to move from. A hurt? A distant memory? A sin done against you? A sin you did toward someone else? You would only dream of that to be gone from your memory, but it still hangs on. You need to know that this One called Jesus can touch that sort of paralytic stance. He died for that.

That is why we come to The Table today. We come to not only give thanks for His death but also to ask for forgiveness of our sins.

1 John 1:8-10 says: 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.

We become like the ones who were questioning Jesus’ authority to forgive sin. They and we have a common bond: unbelief. But Jesus came to wash away our unbelief. We come into a relationship with Himself through His blood that poured from His Body on that Cross.

Read with me from Mark 14:17-24. (The MESSAGE)

17-18 After sunset He came with the Twelve. As they were at the supper table eating, Jesus said, "I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand Me over to the conspirators, one who at this moment is eating with Me."

19 Stunned, they started asking, one after another, "It isn't me, is it?"

20-21 He said, "It's one of the Twelve, one who eats with Me out of the same bowl. In one sense, it turns out that the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense, the man who turns Him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!"

22 In the course of their meal, having taken and blessed the bread, He broke it and gave it to them. Then He said,

23-24 Taking the chalice, He gave it to them, thanking God, and they all drank from it. He said,

This is My Blood,
God's new Covenant,
Poured out for many people.

Please know that Jesus has the highest authority to forgive your sins. He can because Jesus is God.

Amen

The Authority of Jesus: the series

Authority... As found in the Gospel of Mark


Authority. What do you do WITH authority? How do you respond to the SOUND of AUTHORITY?



You are driving your car. You see in your back view mirror the red flashing lights of a police car. You look very quickly at your speedometer and you automatically pull off on the gas pedal. You think, I was not speeding! Well, not by that very much. He announces that you are to pull over and turn your engine off. You’ve been stopped for speeding. You are guilty. You were driving too fast and a policeman stopped you. He stopped you because he is a person with legal authority.



You go to the doctor’s office and the doctor comes in after your exam. He has a file with him and his face looks grave. He looks at you and then at the graph in the folder. He sucks air through his teeth and sighs. “Well, the good news is that you don’t have cancer… But ____.” You don’t hear him after that. His voice, that voice of medical authority, has told you that you don’t have cancer!



The accountant from the tax office sits looking at your files. Her face does not show ANY sign of emotion. You feel that all the right papers were there and that you filed in good faith. She, like the doctor, sucks air through her teeth and says, “I don’t see how you can make the claims you are making. You have made a grave error. I will need to bring this to the attention of my superiors. You’d better prepare yourself and find a good lawyer.” She speaks with the authority of a person with financial authority.



Why is it that when we come in contact with such people WITH authority, we bend to their authority? In truth, it is best you do. They have authority over you. Why is it than, when the Lord touches our heart on any issue, we may try and find a way to get from under His Authority?



In our new series, we will be looking at Jesus’ authority that is found in the Gospel of Mark. It will not be a verse-by-verse study. We will be looking at the different stories that Mark reports about and ask ourselves HOW DOES JESUS HAVE SUCH AUTHORITY OVER ME?



The word ‘authority’ in the Greek expresses the idea of the term we use in English for ‘power’.



The basic meaning of that word (EXOUSIA) is that of “freedom of action.” A person of Authority has greater freedom to act than a person under authority. The greater the authority, the greater the freedom. In the New Testament, Jesus is shown to be a Person with COMPLETE authority. No one or no thing can place restrictions on Jesus’ freedom to act—in your life and in mine.



Please remember the event when Jesus meets the Roman soldier. The official wants Jesus to heal one of his men who is not close by. The Roman said “I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go,’ and he goes” (Matt 8:9). This man was under the authority of Rome and when he spoke, all the power of Rome’s mighty empire, under whose authority he stood, spoke through him.



And the same can be said about Jesus, but to a much higher degree. How was Jesus able to speak to and have nature, demons, and even death itself jump to obey? Because here on this Earth, Jesus also operated under an authority: the Authority of God—His Father. When Jesus spoke ALL the limitless Power of God Himself spoke through Him. Is that true? It’s like today! We can trust Jesus. The full Power of Almighty God is in Him!



The critical point here is this: Moral and spiritual blindness are not rooted in our inability to understand. No, they are deeply rooted in our unwillingness to submit completely to God. If anyone simply determines to do God’s will, that person will be enlightened. He will first recognize Jesus as God’s Son. She or he then acknowledge Jesus' teachings as God’s Word.



Who is this man Mark? He was the attendant of the apostle Paul. His Gospel was written in the late 50’s early 60’s while in Rome. His purpose and theme was to write an account that emphasizes the actions of the Messiah, Jesus. He especially highlights the servant nature of Jesus.



Mark’s book is a pastoral response to stressful times. And in the stress of our day, we will be encouraged to know that Jesus STILL have authority today to transform our lives into lives flowing in New Life.



Jesus carefully defined His authority by designating the Father as the source of His words. The following words from the Fourth Gospel are plain.

•(John 12:49,50) 49 For I did not speak of My own accord, but the Father who sent Me commanded Me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told Me to say."

•(John 8:26), "Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied. 26 "I have much to say in judgment of you. But He who sent Me is reliable, and what I have heard from Him I tell the world."

••(John 8:28) So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the One I claim to be and that I do nothing on My Own but speak just what the Father has taught Me.

•(John 14:10) Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? The words I say to you are not just My Own. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, Who is doing His work.

•(John 17:8) For I gave them the words You gave Me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

Mark follows the same road as John. When we look for the key verse of Mark’s Gospel, it is found in Mark 10: 45. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."



Mark equates authority with servant-hood. That should become clear as we take this walk through the Gospel of Mark.



A hint of His authority comes in the first chapter. He starts to call men to follow Him. There must have been something other than a deep voice in that call. These men He was calling, responded to His authority—which they would die for later on. He said to some: “Come, follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” How exciting to be the men who heard that! In other words, He was inviting them into a LIFE-STYLE that would make men be real men! Men who put God first in their lives and men who loved God and men who would be open and willing to go anywhere to serve Him—because He was One with Authority!



And they left their father and businesses and followed Him.



Friends? Would you stop what you are doing and follow Jesus? Would you give up your family line of work and follow Him? Many have in the past and we are thankful some did because we heard of this Gospel from such men and women. Men and women who followed Jesus. Be that one who follows Him! Follow Him…not me…follow Jesus.



In verse 21ff, we come to an encounter with an evil spirit. This is Mark’s first testing of the water—showing us just what kind of person this Jesus was. Read it with me: Mark 1:21~34.



Here was a gathering of worshiping Jews and in that mix, there was at least one who was not singing off the same page. He was not a follower of God, in fact, he was possessed by an evil spirit. Right there among them! They did not seem disturbed that such a man was with them in the worship room. They had no authority to ask him to leave. They got use to the fact that he was there.



How often do we allow certain things in our lives that are not what the Lord wants? Here, these Jewish worshipers were seemingly OK with the fact of this evil man being part of their fellowship. It was not an environment of bring this man to God: they were not witnessing to him. He had his evil spirit and they were OK with that.



Listen to the conversation:
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Then Jesus spoke sternly and said: “Be quite!” “Come out of him!”


In the first story, we had Jesus saying: Come follow Me and now He is commanding the evil spirits Come out of him…



And the evil spirit did. He shook the man violently. He came out of the man with a shriek! Makes Goosebumps form on my back!



And the people were amazed! They asked each other: “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him.”



When Jesus speaks to you, do you obey…or do you shriek, or perhaps scream or cry? Jesus showed that He had power over the evil spirits and that He had authority over them as well.



What part of your life needs that kind of power demonstrated?
Are you asking God for something that has taken a long time to receive?
Know that He will answer.
Are you experiencing some discomfort in your personal life—tension, dissatisfaction?
Are there known areas of your life that you need to see Jesus’ Authority claim rightful place?
Come to Him, today.
Let Him speak to your heart’s need right now.

~Next week: More Authority.

Final Instructions

FINAL Instruction from 1 Thess. 5:12-28

The message today is a simple one. No controversies. Not a lot of deep theology. There are no metaphors, idiomatic expressions, hidden meanings, or parables. Paul is giving his last instructions—which really is not his last as he writes one more letter to these people. But, for today, let’s look and see how this passage works itself out into our day-to-day lives.

First, it will affect you. Paul is asking and urging us to do something that he feels is important to the life of the Church. He is very clear about what to do.

Secondly, this passage will most likely stay with you for a long while. Not because of my superior preaching. It is going to stay around in your hearts because this is God’s Words! His Word will not return empty. Many of us today are here today because the Word of God started to work in our lives a long time ago. We now, when we look back, we can see how His Word had entered our very hearts and caused us to be alive in Jesus. His Word alive in us!

Paul asked these Believers to respect and honor those people who are teaching them—who are over them in the Church. These people work hard on your behalf. Because of that, they are targets of many attacks from the Evil One. Whoever they are, those people who have taught you, lead a Bible Study, prayed over you, these people are to get your respect. Those who were given this responsibility from the Lord have guided and encouraged you to stay obedient to the Lord. So, overwhelm them with your appreciation and with your love. Have fun doing it! As in giving with a cheerful heart—show your love without holding back.

Here comes a hard one for some: Live at peace with each other. Some feel it is their role in life to be difficult. To be nasty and mean to people. To be brutality honest no matter who gets hurt. Can’t live at peace with that kind of mindset. To live at peace with others does not mean being a weak person or a ‘YES man!’ It takes courage and power from the Lord. We all know of people who are hard to be with. Some here are married to them! Sometimes we get a feeling of wanting to hurt someone. We feel we must because something happened and our feelings were hurt. Paul says to us all: never you mind. Get that right. Be at peace with each other means that you too are at peace with God and yourself. How is that possible? Forgive them. Then you will be forgiven!

Paul moves from asking to urging his friends. A deeper, more involved action. This means so much to Paul! We are to warn the freeloaders or idle people to get moving! We all are part of the Body and we all need to be functioning in a healthy manner. Those who are idle take time away from our work in the Gospel. An idle person becomes the devil’s work area. Busy hands are good: idle hands produce discord.

We are to gently encourage those who are struggling to keep up. To reach out to those who are wiped out-exhausted and get them upright once again. It might be to hire a person—if it is your place to do that—in order to get them productive once again. Everyone needs encouragement! How did it go last week? Did you encourage someone? No? Why not? Did you forget? Did you think it was silly? Paul urges us to encourage people we are around. It is good practice to do so.

We need to be patient with people. (Now Paul is meddling!) Just let me alone, we might say. But Paul, and the Holy Spirit of God wants to bless us with an active Christian Faith. A Faith that helps encourage people to enjoy His Grace and Love.

We are not to pay back evil for evil. We are not to get even. Give that notion up! We are to be careful not to get on people’s nerves. It is easy to snap at each other. We see cats do that. We need to always look for the best in each other and it is our role in the Body of Christ to actively do our best to bring that out in others. Try to be kind. Try and keep at it!

Next comes Paul’s list. Short sentences yet powerful and life changing. Be joyful. Be cheerful-no matter what. Count it all joy—even when you enter hard times and temptation. Let’s be real, OK? Is this possible? It is when our hearts are in the right place. If we are looking into our own hearts for satisfaction, no, it will not be there. If we are looking at following the Heart of Christ, yes, it is possible—even to the point of becoming a different person once this sets into our reality!

We are to pray at all times. Even now, I would appreciate your prayers as our translator and I deliver this message. Asking God to help us understand the Word of God, to be able to speak the Word of God in an understandable manner. That people’s hearts would be touched and we, ourselves, would be different as the Word of God takes root in us.

We are to thank God at all times. Give thanks for things that come your way. The waitress gives you a glass of water: thank her. Your wife fixed dinner; thank her and then help clean up after dinner.

This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ to behave and live!

Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire. When I was a teenager, I had given my life to Jesus. While working at a church near my home, an older man—who was known as a fine Christian man—said to me, “You are excited now but wait a few years, you’ll come to understand. Your joy will leave ‘cause life is hard and your life is not all fun and games. When you get older, you’ll see.” What, to be as crusty as you? No thank you, very much! I like being joyful in Jesus ‘cause He has given me life! What else am I to do?

That old man tried to put out the Spirit’s fire in me. I am glad to say he did not succeed, but how many others are discouraged when older Believers dampen their zeal for the Lord. Careful.

We are to listen to the people who speak the Words of God but we are not to be gullible. Check what they say with the Word of God. Test the spirit, as it were. He says this but the Word say something else. Reject what that man says because of the Word of God is true. Hold on to the good and throw out anything tainted with evil. Anything, no matter the cost.

Paul asks us to pray for them. Pray for the door of opportunity to stay open. That hearts would be changed because of the Power of God in their lives. Pray all the time. Under any circumstances, keep your heart in the right place so that you can pray. Keeping yourself pure from the evil around you is your job. Say in turn with what the Lord is showing you. Ask Him for continued guidance. Pray for others direction as well.

You can keep those prayers going to the Father’s heart by staying close to Him. By keeping yourself pure. Throw out anything in your life that is tainted with evil. Anything.

Now comes the end of his instruction, but wait, there is more still. He almost ends this letter but first he gets really caught up in seeing just Who his Father is. He asked God Himself, who makes everything holy and full, to make us holy and full. Paul knows that his Father is completely dependable. If God said it, God will do it! That is a good reminder.

Look at what Paul prays for these people:

May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then, Paul gets personal. Not a problem, but we are to be genuine with one another. Embrace each other with a Holy embrace. Give a holy kiss. Not something sexual. Not with lust in the heart…but part of the purity we have in Christ.

Then, Paul ends his letter once again as I will end. God’s Grace be with you who love the Lord Jesus Christ.

AMEN.