Tag Archives: Gospel of Mark

Sunday – October 7, 2012

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October 7, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Does God Ever Lose an Argument? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Does God ever intend on losing an argument? Do you think He ever changes His mind? After declaring all food clean, Jesus begins to go into Gentile territory to begin ministering to those who were outside the children of Israel. Will the ministry to the Gentiles be a second class ministry? Will Jesus with hold healing from the Gentiles or does He need extra persuasion? If you want to know the answers, don’t miss this Sunday’s message from Mark 7 verses 24 to 37 as we see “Does God Ever Lose an Argument?”

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Mark 7:26-27
“She kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Why would Jesus show such contempt to a woman only seeking help for her daughter and compare her to a dog? It implies the only legitimate diners are the children of Israel. If you are confused, you are not alone. The response of Jesus to this desperate mother has confounded readers, not to mention scholars, for years. The scene upsets our sense of justice. We do not mind when Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, because their sense of entitlement deserves condemnation. But the response of our Lord seems to be out of character for a mother interceding for her child.

To deal with this incongruity of Scripture not meeting our expectations, people have found many ways to excuse the perceived harshness of Jesus. Surely He must have used a gentle, maybe even humorous tone of voice to lessen the sting. Maybe Jesus was not convinced His mission was to include the Gentiles just yet?  Or could this be Jesus testing the faith of this woman? Others, with a low view of Scripture, argue this incident is merely an invention of the Church which was read back into the history of Jesus to demonstrate Jewish prejudice towards Gentiles.

Stop making excuses for Jesus and His response.  A dog is a dog, whether they are pampered pet or feral street hound. No matter how Jesus said it, to call this desperate woman a dog is not a term of endearment. And if this is a test of faith, why does not Jesus commend her faith when it was proved true?  Mark may not be aware of the problems which step on our political correctness, but surely the Holy Spirit who inspired Mark’s account is. We come to the Scriptures with our own bias, expectation and selfish desire. Our bias is to make Jesus more Gentile than Jew because we received Him gladly.  Our expectation is for Jesus to be more favorable to Gentiles because so many Jews have rejected their Messiah. And our selfish desire obligates Jesus to respond to every request made upon Him because we expect Him to respond to our every beck and call.

Our problem with this response of Jesus is we do not understand who we are, unlike the Canaanite woman. We are self-deluded to think Jesus accepts us just as we are. When Scripture filters out our selfish expectation, we see all of our righteousness is like filthy rags and God accepts us only as Jesus is – holy, righteous and pure. We are ready to begin talking about the grace of God in the Person of Jesus Christ only after we know what we truly are without Him. Never forget the only solution for our sin is the harshness of the cross. The cross is the only way sin, Jew or Gentile, could be dealt with to be accepted by God.

Sunday – September 30, 2012

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September 30, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Why Religion is All Washed Up from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Let me say from the start- I am a HUGE fan of hand washing. And I am sure Jesus would say amen when restaurant workers read the sign in the bathroom and wash their hands. But in our passage in Mark, Jesus is not talking about hand washing from a health point of view, He is talking about hand washing from a ceremonial point of view. And this is a Supreme Court decision about washing and food. Join us Sunday in our study of the Gospel of Mark and see why “Religion is Washed Up” and let’s connect some dots to see why the menu has changed in Mark 6 verse 53 to Mark 7 verse 23.

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Mark 7:8
“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

From our position in history, we see how the Pharisee’s tradition strangled faith. We dismiss their traditions about the washing of hands as obsessing over the gnats and missing the camels of the faith. But to connect the dots to our lives today, we must realize the honest concerns behind the traditions. The Law required the priests to wash their hands to be ceremonially clean and that standing was required for anyone in their household to eat their share of the sacrifices. The Pharisees’ tradition extended this requirement to all Jews. The desire of the Pharisees was to strive for holiness above what the Law prescribed. Since the command of God was “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2), the Pharisees saw purity as essential and it did not stop at the doors of the Temple.

For the Pharisees, the washings belonged to the traditions of Moses and became doctrine. They sought to fill in the gaps by careful analysis of the Law of Moses, as given by God. Their doctrines, which were based on these traditions, were rooted in Scripture and equal in authority in their minds. Their goal was giving practical application of the Law so lay people could live a life of holiness and purity outside of the Temple. A second benefit was protection against the influence of the world around them from watering down Judaism. It made sure people could clearly set themselves apart from the ungodly influences of those who were destined for destruction because of their moral corruption.

Now fast forward 2,000 years to the present. What doctrines have we developed from tradition to fill in the gaps of Scripture to direct what we should do (or not do) to remain holy? Before you scoff and say, I would never be so caught up in rules based on tradition, consider this: Should we tithe gross income or net income (assuming you do)? Does that include the money we get from recycling and credit card reward money? Does it include fruit and vegetables we grow in our home gardens? These are not silly questions. We use a tradition which tries to honor God’s requirements and then apply them to guide us in how to respond in situations which are not clearly spelled out in Scripture. Or is our Pharisee moment to emphasize one area of holiness over another to reinforce our being separate from the world? Because we do not engage in “this” sin (usually one which holds no sway over us) we are not like “them” who would never darken the doorway of a church. But what is our response to direct biblical direction regarding lust, anger, covetousness or gluttony? Is our answer, “Well that may be in the Bible, but it is not really for us already in the church”?

Many Christian traditions have direct parallels with the Pharisees’ concerns. If things are not done in a certain way, they are perceived to be violations. Whether it is baptism, communion, music style or use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit; we must guard against the temptation to focus on the details so much that we miss the grand design of God. Jesus Christ came to make God accessible to everyone. The intent of the Pharisees was to make God accessible to everyone by obedience to the rules of the priests in the Temple, but being in the Temple has nothing to do with access to God. What matters is the righteousness of Jesus Christ which comes from His work on the cross of Calvary – not ours.

Sunday – September 23, 2012

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September 23, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Connecting the Dots from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Jesus and His disciples are confronted with a unique problem. They are in the middle of nowhere with 5,000 men (not counting the women and children) at the end of a long day of ministry, when Jesus asks the disciples to feed the crowd. A miracle which is recorded in all four gospel. But Mark records what the discples did not get, because they could not connect the dots between the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on the water to the discples. To know who Jesus is requires us to connect the dots. The dots of His personal claims, miracles and teaching. But even more is the connecting of the Old Testament works of God the Father to the ministry of Jesus to see Jesus is the picture of what all the dots look like together. Join us this Sunday as we continue in our study of the Gospel of Mark in Mark 6 verses 30 to 52.

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Mark 6:41-44
“And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.”

Why must scholars rationalize the miraculous? And if there is one event the intellectuals must rationalize away, the feeding of the 5,000 is it.  Jesus must have hidden food in a secret cave. The disciples must have given up the food they were hoarding. The size of the crowd must have been exaggerated. It must have been a sacramental meal — a mere token piece of bread alluding to the feast that is to come. Why are we surprised when God acts like God?

Here is the One who is like Moses but greater than Moses. Here is the One who is like Elijah and Elisha but is greater than all the prophets. In feeding the 5,000, Mark demonstrates Jesus exercises God’s power and uses it for the good of the flock. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of His people and He provides for all needs in this life and the life to come. Even today, we long for good news but sadly settle for merely good advice. The question of feeding the 5,000 is the question religion has wrestled with for millennia: Is the need of mankind spiritual or physical? God recognizes our needs are both spiritual and physical.

Neither sending the crowd away nor compelling the disciples to share what they have solves the problem because they are the solutions of men. This is why politics will never solve man’s problems because they can only offer man-made solutions: send the needy away or compel those who may have to give more to those who have less. The Church needs to learn from the example of Jesus Christ Himself; neglect neither spiritual hunger nor physical hunger. The command of Jesus to the disciples was “You give them something.” A disciple of Jesus Christ is always the servant of others. We are called to feed the sheep and not just ourselves. The lesson is clear for those who have ears to hear: there will always be enough to feed the Church.

Before we echo the words of the disciples about our inventory and conclude we do not have enough, we may need to step out in faith. When self-proclaimed Christians, on average, give 3% of their income to the church and even less of their time in direct ministry, we should see we have enough. God never sacrifices the physical need to satisfy the spiritual need. Nor will God ever sacrifice the spiritual need of humanity in order to satisfy an empty stomach. Both are important to Him. So how important are they to us?

Sunday – September 16, 2012

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September 16, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Jesus Loses His Hero Status from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

This Sunday we continue our study in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus returns to Nazareth and finds the home town crowd is not there to support Him, but rather rejects Jesus looking for Him to do even greater miracles. Join us Sunday as we look at "Jesus Looses His Hero Status, John Looses His Head" in Mark 6:1-29.

Word On Worship – September 16, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 6:4-6
“Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.”

It is said, “familiarity breeds contempt.” That was true during the life of Jesus, just as it is today. In our passage Jesus returns home, not to where He was born, but where He was raised as the son of a carpenter and we see inspired teaching and miracles do not automatically produce faith. The response of the people of Nazareth stands in stark contrast to the faith demonstrated by Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage in Mark 5. Although faith is not a pre-requisite for miracles, the unbelief of the people of Nazareth is truly staggering.

Jesus is not there to demand respect and admiration from the hometown crowd. But the doubts and murmuring raised about the credentials of Jesus block the people of Nazareth from receiving God’s blessings through Him. I am sure there was no shortage of the blind, deaf and lame residing in Nazareth with a desperate need of healing. But the doubt and suspicion of some can affect the entire community. The reservations about Jesus seem odd when you consider they were already aware of His miracles. Only the handful who came for healing received the blessing. The blooms of doubt produced the fruit of unbelief in Nazareth.

There is a lesson to be learned from the indifference of the people of Nazareth. As we seek to share with people in our lives, indifferent responses will often come from where it is least expected. Failure to produce fruit in others is the common experience for all who sow the seeds of the gospel. But we are not to lose hope and stop sharing. While Jesus was amazed at their unbelief, He was not paralyzed by it and continued on to other towns and villages. This is a lesson for the disciples which we need to take to heart also as we are met with doubt, resistance and scorn when we share the gospel.

But our passage also raises a concern for those who have “grown up” in the church as Christians. Does familiarity with Jesus breed contempt in our lives? Have we become bored with Jesus, unless He performs for us in dramatic ways? It is a serious concern because we can have a fascination with the new and exotic, only to be lead astray by what poses as truth. This may lead us toward mirages that only take us away from the faith of our youth. We must guard against the attitude of the synagogue of Nazareth that says, “I already know Jesus from the Bible stories. What can Jesus teach me now?”

 

Sunday – September 09, 2012

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September 09, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Devinely Designed Delays from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Ever get stuck and in a traffic jam and missed an appointment? How about when that phone call comes in just as you were preparing to leave to meet a friend who had a problem? The frustration we have for delays can drive us up the wall. Or it could be a divine delay. Jesus knew all about delays in travel and ministry itineraries. But they were never a cause for concern, but an opportunity for God to demonstrate His sovereignty. Join us Sunday September 9th as we continue in our study of the Gospel of Mark and look at “Divine Delays” in Mark chapter 5 verses 21 to 43.

Word On Worship – September 09, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 5:35-37
“While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” 

The theme of belief runs through the gospel of Mark. But belief is one of the least understood concepts today. We have confused biblical belief with opinions, personal desires, and the evaluation of people and situations. When we lump the belief in Jesus Christ with our belief in a political philosophy, our plans for the future and the likelihood of our favorite team making the playoffs, is it any wonder we do not see the power of God in our lives?

Belief opens the door to the power of God. By it, divine power is given to those who are utterly powerless. Faith can be bold; it can be halting; it can be imperfect and it can be filled with trepidation. All that is needed for it to be effective is for it to be directed to Jesus Christ. When faith is in the person of Jesus Christ, it overcomes obstacles. The woman worked her way through the crowds and overcomes any sense of shame she had to reach out and touch His garments. The synagogue leader had to overcome the peer pressure of the other religious leaders who were already conspiring how they may put Jesus to death and humbly ask Jesus for the healing of his daughter.

Belief is not invisible, but always demonstrated by action. It is seen in the men digging through the roof to lower their friend to Jesus. It kneels, begs and reaches out to touch. It is not merely belief about Jesus that brings about healing, but a faith in Jesus that causes action which does. Neither Jairus nor the woman identifies Jesus as Messiah or even as a prophet. But they believe He has the power to heal and are willing to put their faith to the test to come to Jesus. Faith does not wait for the sea to divide before stepping out. Belief steps out, trusting God will do what is needed.

Belief is not a magic bullet to receive everything we may desire. Evil, illness and death still continue in our lives. Not every touch will bring healing, and those with great faith still hear the dreaded words from the doctor, “Your daughter is dead.” A miracle does not occur in every situation, but it does not diminish God’s power to save. If God intervened in every situation we asked of Him, we would never have to exercise faith. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego expressed the only kind of faith that will carry us through tragedy when they declared, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18).

Sunday – September 2, 2012

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September 2, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

What Demons Dread from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Have you ever wondered what demons dread? Jesus had already earned the reputation of casting out demons, but in Mark 5 He kicks it up a notch to deal with Legion- and Legion dreads it. Mark’s gospel takes the time and space to deal with the issue of demons in greater detail than any of the other gospel. Join us this Sunday for an interesting look at “What Demons Dread” as we continue into Mark 5 verses 1 to 20. See you at 8:45 AM this Sunday.

Word On Worship – September 2, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 5:2-5
“When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.”

Today’s society disregards most of our Christian fear regarding the influence of demons. We still watch movies or read novels that contain a supernatural evil residing in the populace to do harm in some arbitrary way. In their make-believe narrative, some seemingly indestructible “force” appears to transform into whatever shape is needed to destroy individuals and eventually the earth itself. This movie monster somehow has many extra lives enabling it to come back for the sequel by some man-made wizardry that allows the movie to end without fully resolving the problem.

The gospels present quite a different picture of the source of evil and how it is overcome. In the movies, humans have the power and the ingenuity to recognize and expel evil. Jesus reveals evil comes from a demonic source that preys upon human presumption of its own strength and ingenuity. Satanic influence isn’t something humanity can defeat on its own. It can only be overcome with something greater than ourselves — the power of God. Martin Luther was correct when he penned, “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing.”

The greatest proof of this striving against the wind are those who need the greatest deliverance. They often offer the greatest resistance to being set free from their captivity. People pay professionals for advice to change their lives but then resist any change required. We surrender to the demons we know because we are too afraid to live without them. I take great comfort from the persistence of Jesus against Legion. Jesus is not put off by the evasive tactics of the enemy or the people. He is willing to cross a stormy sea just to free this one man from the bondage of his tormentors and to reveal this truth to a community afraid of that deliverance.

Only in Christ can we find shelter from the blast of the enemy and the power to overcome demonic forces that swamp not only individuals, but entire nations. Only in Christ is there deliverance from the powers and principalities which we face in daily battle. This power is not based on the sheer might of Jesus, but in the mercy (5:19) God shows all who come to Him by faith and found only in Christ. We need to be a people who have met with Christ and allowed Him to transform our lives. And then have the courage to bring Jesus Christ to those who are still captive to this enemy of cruel hate. Again, as Luther wrote, “We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.”

— Pastor Andrew Kikkert

 

Sunday – August 26, 2012

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August 26, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Sermons by the Sea from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Jesus continues to teach the crowds around the Sea of Galilee in parables. Describing the Kingdom of God in parables to keep those who are only looking for the miracle man in the dark, but providing illumination for those who are seeking the truth, Jesus continues to place the emphasis of His ministry on teaching. Join us this Sunday as we look at Mark 4 verses 21 to 41 and listen to Jesus’ “Sermons by the Sea”.

Word On Worship – August 26, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 4:21-23
And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

God rarely makes headlines in the world today. But is that really surprising? His gentle touches seem inconsequential to humanity because God works silently and in ways human eyes overlook. The parables by the sea bring the hidden Kingdom of God into full view — for those who have the faith to see it. All parables of Jesus require faith, which can only be given by God, before we see God’s purposes are being fulfilled; even when there appears to be no empirical evidence to be gathered, quantified or measured.

The world tells us the only certain things are death and taxes. Jesus tells us in the parables God’s Kingdom is certainly at work in ways we do not know and accomplish His purpose in a manner that is beyond human formulation. From our finite perspective, we are ignorant of God’s grand design even when we are in the midst of it. In the eye of the world, how can the imprisonment of the Apostle Paul be a good thing? Yet God uses the imprisonment of Paul to advance the gospel so the entire palace guard heard the good news of Jesus Christ while Paul inspired others through his epistles to preach the gospel even more boldly! God draws straight lines using what seems, from our perspective, to be crocked lines.

God’s purpose is revealed in the cross, a road of suffering, which leads us to the resurrection. Yet many remain blind to God’s plan of redemption. Those who look for certified proof see the cross as foolishness. But the weakness and apparent foolishness of God is transformed into the power of God to bring future triumph in the reign of Jesus Christ. It takes faith on our part to take such a step, to risk trusting your whole life to something that lies hidden, like a seed in the soil.

Often God’s children suffer from spiritual myopia because we lack the spiritual vision to see what God is doing in the soil. We cannot see next week, much less all eternity, and so become impatient waiting for God’s purpose to bear fruit. The parables illustrate the purpose of God and when we sow God’s seed, it will accomplish His purpose. We may not harvest the crop, but it was never our crop to harvest to begin with. It is and will always be God’s harvest. The gospel must be preached to all nations, disciples must face suffering, and judgment continues to rest on Jerusalem as we wait for our Lord’s coming- in God’s time.

Sunday – August 12, 2012

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August 12, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Are You in the Family? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

The Smother’s brothers used to have the running gag, “Mom always like you best!” But what do you do when your mother and siblings decide you have lost your mind and need an intervention when you are the Messiah? it become time to think outside biology and realize the family of God is more than who your parents were but who your Heavenly Father is, and are you willing to obey Him. Join us as we continue in our wonderful study in the Gospel of Mark and ask, “Are You in the Family?” from Mark 3 verses 7 to 35. And do forget to stick around for our missionary potluck after the services.

Word On Worship – August 12, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 3:28-30
“Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” —  because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

It has become easy to classify Jesus as teacher who spoke timeless ethical truths, or a failed Jewish revolutionary or just another Jewish prophet who’s message was rejected by the people as many prophets before Him. However, the accusations by enemies of Jesus should tell us the only reasonable explanation for their deep hostility for Jesus was His own claims that what He did was by the manifested power of God’s Spirit through Him. C.S. Lewis was right when he wrote in Mere Christianity, “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

In his gospel, Mark continually confronts us with the question, “Who is Jesus?” For those who flock to Jesus for healings and signs, He is the performer of the miraculous. The demons acknowledge Him as the Son of God. Jesus is the agent of Satan to those in religious authority. And to His own family, Jesus is someone who is out of His mind. The job of the reader of this gospel is to determine, based on the evidence, which is right. Either Jesus is the Son of God or He truly is unclean and an agent of the evil one sent to mislead and provide false hope.

This is not an argument we will win based on abstract ideas or shouting matches designed more to win the debate over our enemies than to win over our enemies to Christ. The battle for the soul is not won by conventional means but by understanding that the battle is won by Spirit inspired conversations which entice people to think together with Christ, not against Him. The avenue our Lord takes is through the use of parables to provide common ground between the participants so the Spirit can enlighten their heart as they in turn are willing to open their minds to God.

Jesus has thrown the door wide open to all who want to follow Him. Anyone who does the will of God is a welcome member of His family. Jesus redefines the definition of family beyond simple biology or genealogy. Biological family relationships are not based on choice. Becoming a member of the family of God is a choice. The only membership requirement in the messianic family is obeying God, whose commands are defined by what Jesus did and taught. If you are not sure of your relationship to Jesus Christ, I strongly encourage you to speak to one of the Elders or a good Christian friend to see if you are in the family of the loving Savior.

Sunday – August 5, 2012

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August 5, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

On Any Sunday from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Many Christians do not recognize they same the same attitudes of the 1st century Pharisees. It becomes very easy to sing Amazing Grace and believe that God has in mind only our kind of wretches. Jesus came to tear down the categorizing of sinners by those who valued rites and rituals over mercy. Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series in the Gospel of Mark in Mark 2:13 to 3:6 and see "On Any Given Sunday" is an opportunity to share the truth of the gospel with out placing additional burdens on those we seek to share the love of Christ.

Word On Worship – August 5, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 2:16-17
“When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?” And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Religious study is the history of mankind’s search for God. What makes Christianity unique is that it presents itself as God’s search for mankind. But God’s search and rescue is often in the arenas of life where we seldom tread. The homosexual and the prostitute are in needs of healing as much as the paralytic and the leper. Sadly, little has changed since the days of Jesus, where an audible gasp was probably heard by those who witnessed Jesus call Levi to follow Him.

The calling of Levi exposes the tendency for God’s people to exclude and write off others engaged in sin we would never see ourselves committing. I suppose it is human nature to assume those who are chosen by God will be those who are most like us. Yet we forget Jesus went to those who were despised and unclean to redeem them for God’s Kingdom. I have known many who have felt the stone wall of resistance to “those kinds of people” from the same people who sang about how God’s grace “saved a wretch like me.” Is it too amazing for us to see the same grace is extended to save those we are convinced deserve punishment?

How many Christians today would be no less agitated than the Pharisees if they found the people protesting the convictions of certain Christian businesses sitting in the seat next to them because someone had the courage to go to them and tell them God loves them as much as the righteous? We applaud handing out tracts in a fleeting bid to witness to those who gather at the tavern, but to invite the abortion doctor to dinner on Sunday night is another story all together. The thought of associating with those who live on the other side of our barriers scares us because it often blurs the line between the righteous and the unrighteous. However, if we listen to Jesus at the table with the tax collectors, we would see there are no righteous people to call, because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The assembly of believers is the gathering of those who saw the sign saying there is a party and all are welcome. It makes no difference what we were before we walked in the door. The Church is the gathering where the only thing that matters is what happens to us after we arrived. Jesus is willing to throw such a party to reach those who are lost and despised. It is all about whether we accept or reject Jesus and the effect of that decision on our lives today. If we go looking for Jesus to be fasting with the priests we will be sorely disappointed to find Him eating among the sinners.

Sunday – July 29, 2012

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July 29, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

When Strange Things Come Through the Roof from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Jesus returns to face the religious leaders when some enterprising friends realize it is easier to go through the roof than it is to get in the front door. And Jesus makes this the opportunity to show the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins. Join us this week as we continue in our series in the Gospel of Mark and see just what happens “When Strange Things Come Through the Roof” in Mark chapter 2 verses 1 to 12.

Word On Worship – July 29, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 2:2-4
 “And many were gathered together,  so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.  And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.”

Life, it can be said, is a series of barriers. There are educational barriers for entrance to many jobs, financial barriers to purchase a home, and status barriers for entering social groups. The issue with barriers in our lives is what will we do about them? Will they become the excuse we use to give up and turn away or will they be the proving ground of our character and perseverance to excel? How we approach the barriers God has placed in our lives will define who we are and who Jesus Christ is to us.

The men in our passage knew about barriers. Certainly the impenetrable thicket of people surrounding the house where Jesus was teaching is a road block which would turn many away with a simple excuse of at least, “we tried.” But the friends of the paralytic were not ones to be daunted by the human forest around the front door. Showing uncommon resourcefulness, his friends find a way to the roof where they dig through to lower their friend to Jesus. But the crowd is only one of the barriers that need to be overcome for the paralytic to be healed.

A barrier not addressed but equally present is the suspicious skepticism of the religious leaders in the room. They are witnesses to the healing act of the Messiah, yet the question in their hearts is “Why does this man speak that way?” A priest could pronounce the forgiveness of sin on the basis of repentance and sacrifice (Leviticus 4, 5, and 16), but Jesus states He can forgive sins as if He were God. Either these words of Jesus are incredibly outrageous or incredibly wonderful. And how intimidating would it be to choose between the words of this Healer or the pressure from your religious leaders and men of authority. How often are we cowed by the stare or word of scoffing we hear from co-workers and family to turn away from the words of the Messiah which offer forgiveness and cleanse us from guilt of sin? The authority of the Messiah exceeds the peer pressure of those around us to think they have no need of the healing touch of the Messiah because the Messiah came to save sinners, not the self righteous who scoff at the grace of God.

And yet another barrier exists for the paralytic and us as well: our own skepticism. Will someone who has to be carried in on a stretcher by others believe the words of Jesus about the forgiveness of sins and then act on Jesus command to get up and carry it outside? Or will we accept the judgment of the world and say to ourselves, this man cannot forgive what I have done. How often do we, paralyzed by the sin in our lives, look at Jesus but think to ourselves, I cannot get up and carry anything because this barrier is too great for me to overcome? You see, there comes a time when each one of us has to make faith our own. The faith of his friends to get him to this point is for naught if this man does not exercise his faith and obey Jesus. You may be here this morning at the urging and prayer of a friend or family members. But for all the faith of your family, it will have no benefit for you unless you respond to the words of Jesus and stand up, tuck your mat under your arm and walk to the glory of God.