A NEW COMMANDMENT

For all of humanity's accomplishments, the area we are collectively least productive in is, ironically, humanitarianism. Jesus noticed this character flaw long ago, when He came and observed our behavior toward one another. It isn't that we lack the skill, certainly we how to promote the well-being of a fellow human, because we know how our own human-self's well-being is best promoted. No, what we lack is the consciousness, and not merely that but also the determination to do it.

Although that is true, Jesus perceived that it was not out of innate cruelty that we neglected each other. And since it was not cruelty or disinclination which prevented us, we could overcome those obstacles of ignorance... if given the right logic and incentive to do so. Therefore He provided it, and various places of the Bible encouraged us so.

• A NEW COMMANDMENT

Most of the world is at least familiar with the ten commandments written in the Old Testament book of Exodus. Much less of the world is conscious of the eleventh commandment which Jesus provided in New Testament. We have been actually, officially commanded to love each other... with fervor.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:34-35

Jesus has commanded us to love each other as He has loved us, which means that we need to love each other with compassion, impartial mercy, and loyalty. Perhaps a mighty task, but reasonable. That means we have to start to consistently make more selfless-in-nature choices. We have to be more aware of our subjectivity but less beholden to it. Objectivity requires that we are intentionally more perceptive of the scope outside of our selves. To love one another also means that we have to broaden our 'lovable' criteria and subsequently need to love people who are not just different from our normal, but even the people who are in direct opposition of it.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? 

Matthew 5:43-46

And... it also means that have to love the people who are not easy to love. Which means that we have to abandon hate and desist from retaliative behavior. A more difficult task... and initially, somewhat less reasonable (if we're being honest). What Jesus did not say, (and in not saying it, left us to discover for ourselves) is that love is a much more productive emotion than its opposite. Love is more influential, a more convincing and effective 'argument' than well... an actual argument. If we are more persistent in prayer than in maintaining hostility, we eventuate toward a tangible, constructive result rather than an endless cycle of futility.

• THE LEAST OF THESE

There is another category of people we are commanded to actively love. In the aforementioned verses, Jesus encouraged us to love with our hearts and minds; to interact with others with kindness and patience. There are also people we need to love with action. 

‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

Matthew 25:37-39

In Matthew 25 Jesus explains to the righteous that they have fed Him every time they filled an empty belly, (or metaphorically, sustained a starving soul). They had quenched His thirst every time they refreshed a dry mouth (or metaphorically, revived a despondent spirit). They clothed Him, every time they clothed a naked person, (or metaphorically, sheltered a vulnerable heart).

And conversely, Jesus explained to the unrighteous that they ignored and neglected Him every time they ignored or neglected a person in need (in literal or metaphorical terms). That is a sobering thought; for in saying that, Jesus essentially told us that by deeming another person unworthy of our time and resources, we deem Him unworthy of them as well. A person might not meet our personal requirements for charitable eligibility but they meet His... and guess whose requirements actually matter?

• A SOLEMN REQUEST 

It has probably become apparent that the new commandment requires selflessness. And honestly, selflessness is something we all have to strive for because we are, at least by physical design, self-centered. We have to consciously project ourselves out of, beyond, our own sphere of existence in order to be cognizant of the plight, position and perspective of others. To do that, we can follow Solomon's lead.

...Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
1 Kings 3:8-9

Solomon was a monarch, and responsible for a kingdom's entire judicial system... and subsequently an entire kingdom's well-being. What he meant by 'judge' the people was care for the people: He wanted to know how to judge/discern between the sometimes difficult choices a leader is forced with in order to lead God's people well. Every person is familiar with such quandaries, when the right and wrong choice is not as obvious as it should be, when good and evil are not as distinct as black and white.

And so we can follow Solomon's lead when we commit ourselves to the new commandment: we ask God for help. We pray for God to supply the wisdom and tools we need to 'enter the field' properly equipped and sufficiently prepared to begin the task of loving all people well. 

God is really proud of such selflessly-productive requests.

The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.

1 Kings 3:1-13

Solomon's prayer was answered... and added to. God has cleverly designed a system by which a person earns what they're too genuinely-humble to ask for. When we endeavor do to God's will well and as a priority, He over-equips us. We could achieve much, change the whole world with literally nothing except God's loving-approval, but because He is so graciously generous, we do not have to. What do have to do, what we miraculously get to do, is pray to God as Solomon did for His assistance in our assistance of others.

• WITH THE SAME MEASURE

This next statement of Jesus' might instill either panic or relief. But will definitely provide the pragmatic-logic of helping others you need to continue or begin doing so with the fervor Jesus commanded. 

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Luke 6:38

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

2 Corinthians 9:6

This is the incentive Jesus left us with: that we fill our own basket every time we drop something in someone else's; we neglect our own basket every time we ignore someone else's. Indeed, rather than determining, with His omniscience, who is worthy of what, as He could fairly do...God lets us decide what we receive or do not receive. Therefore we now know that when we do stand before the judgement seat of Christ, it will really be our own selves who have chosen the judgement we receive. 

• CHEERFUL GIVER 

The new commandment is meant to be enjoyed in it's undertaking. We were told to love others as God loves us... and God loves to love us. It pleases Him to provide for us, Luke 12:32.

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Don't love reluctantly, because when you do, you put up barriers and withhold love from expanding and abounding... and that is what makes love so special, the fact that it can leap and grow and include more than could be expected or calculated. Love is the element which renders the impossible... possible. If you want to participate in, or cause that level of influence among humanity, you will need to exude unrestrained love. 

And don't give just because you've been commanded to, or because you can gain something from it... that is not an expression of the selfless love Jesus has loved you with. Give because you understand the act of giving to be a privilege, participation. For when you love and help others, you assuredly participate in the work of the Kingdom of God. You are a fellow-worker with God, 1 Corinthians 3:9. Give because there is no better feeling than witnessing relief, hope, happiness, encouragement, strength, or revival on the face of a previously destitute, person, in the spirit of a previously-desolate soul. 

PRINCE OF PEACE

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.  

Isaiah 7:13-15

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

Our Prince of Peace restructured the heart of humanity and therefore changed and lit the whole world. This sermon curates some of the highlights of His life in order to help you restore or retain the peace He offers you.

Though it could be reasonably argued that there are faults in elements of celebration of the Christmas season, if Jesus is the center of them all, the purpose of the day, then a blessed season it will be.

• PRINCE OF PEACE

“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, ...
Numbers 24:17

The birth of Jesus was prophesied of in the Old Testament. Jesus is the obvious star of the New Testament, but God intended from the beginning for a messiah to arrive, align and heal His children.

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

Indeed, Jesus has always been our story. We are loved thoroughly by God; He realized from before our first breath that we would require such qualities as Jesus would possess in order to spiritually survive and thrive. Let's think about those qualities listed in the ninth chapter of Isaiah more deeply:

Jesus is called Wonderful. The original word was "Pele" and means a miracle, a marvelous thing; wonder, marvel. Jesus is the miracle so many pray for and few actually see. He is the answer to every prayer, the strength for every weakness, the balm for every wound, the hope for every situation, the light of every life, the love for every heart. The wonder of Jesus is that a relationship with Him compensates for any lack a person could ever have. 

Jesus is called Counselor. A lifelong conversation with Jesus is a prayerful life. He is present, vigilant and available for consult each moment of our day or night. Because He is so aware of every detail of our situation, and so very familiar with us as unique individuals, He is able to provide specific, tailored advice. He powerfully, subtly, leads us toward the answer we need. To welcome the presence and counsel of Jesus into your your heart, your life and your situation is to be given the objective perspective and divine-strength necessary to proceed with purposeful wisdom.

Jesus is called Mighty God. Our Messiah is a multifaceted entity... praise God. Praise God because while Jesus is gentle and kind and wonderful, He is also a powerful authority. We require a powerful authority to confront the tenacious corruption of our enemies. We need a God who is gentle and fierce. We need a good Who is as wonderful to us as He is frightening to our adversaries. 

Jesus is called Everlasting Father. We need a God who is a father. We need Him to love us and discipline us. We need Him to raise us well and also rest us thoroughly. We need a God who is a shelter, a haven, a home. And we need Him forever. In God and Jesus we have steadfast presence and loyalty, such that we could never receive from any other source.

Jesus is called Prince of Peace. In the tumult of a world of people and a body of emotions we sometimes cannot understand or endure, we have the peace of Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus provides the hope and remembrance we need when we forget that difficulty and darkness are temporary. Jesus' peace soothes us as we remember God's plan, which Jesus brought to us, in order to assure us that there is purpose and order and justice in life. The greatest peace is knowing that God is in control and has a righteous, compassionate, restorative plan that is in the works this very moment!

• AN ANGEL ARRIVED

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. For with God nothing will be impossible.” 

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:30-35;37-38

God's sense of humor cannot be denied; it is especially noticeable when He reveals an aspect of His plan to one of His children. He is always able to baffle and astound because His plans consistently exceed our limitations. Jesus' birth is our reminder that God has grand plans within our own lives that are not subject to any rules, norms or possibilities.

Mary is our reminder to always consent when God offers to run the course of our life in accordance with His word. For God certainly chooses us for tasks we would, not unreasonably, deem too lofty for our own capabilities. And they would be too big for us without Him. It is only through firm, focused faith that we able to keep our lives on the course of God's will.

The birth of Jesus through Mary, of the Holy Spirit, is extraordinary especially in that it is the melding of the natural world as we know it with the super-natural, spiritual world Jesus has taught. In no other moment had humanity been so-joined with God than in the birth of Jesus. Our former brothers-and-sisters-in-faith did not have Jesus as we have Him now. The Holy Spirit had not yet permeated the hearts of any who called upon it. We have continuous, persistent, intimate connection with God. It was such unprecedented and joyous a moment that a multitude of angels and the glory of the Lord were present (Luke 2:9;13).

Together they celebrated the gift we now have today, this precise moment and its immediate and even everlasting future.

• BLESSED ARE THEY

Baby Jesus grew up and with His ministry redesigned the whole philosophy of the earth. In various ways, He taught the opposite of what the system of the world had been teaching, introducing such concepts as humility and mercy and servitude.

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.  

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:1-10

Jesus taught the shocking message that it was actually the weak who were strong, the lowly who were exalted and the hungry who were fed. Jesus taught the concept of "we reap what we sow" and suddenly it was wise to invest and participate in the well-being of others. He shifted humanity's perspective in a manner which would enable the little and lowly of the world to be seen and valued, and cared for. 

Jesus taught us that if our primary pursuit was the kingdom of God, there would be progressive purpose in everything that we do and more than sufficient provision to do it, (most specifically noted in Matthew 6:33). Jesus' message rendered the former way obsolete and even regressive. It could no longer be thought that it was prudent to disregard the meek and needy. Self-promotion and progression by any means necessary in order to be wealthy and recognized as prominent, no longer held logic since Jesus taught that God's eyes were on those who gave more than they had and held no esteemed position in society. 

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-15

Moreover, Jesus gave us purpose when He revealed to us to our influence. Jesus gave us value when He revealed that God trusted us to make an impact here with our words and behavior. We may have once believed ourselves to be too minuscule to matter, our lives too happenstance for purpose, but because of Jesus we cannot think that anymore; we have been taught otherwise.

• SON OF THE FATHER

Jesus taught us a valuable lesson in His temporary death and the events that led up to it: his message was contrary to the world and therefore was rejected by it (John 15:19). Changing our lifestyle in accordance with God's will would definitely make us popular with God, and would just as definitely make us peculiar to the world (and thus unpopular in it). 

There was an opportunity for Jesus to be released from prison before the crucifixion, but He was not released, because had a message for us.

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” 

Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”

And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

Matthew 27:15-16;20-26

Jesus, though innocent, took the place of the guilty man... and continues to do so each and every time someone professes themselves to God. He lived and died and resurrected in order that we would receive the message that gives eternal life. We are not condemned to death because He has earned our eligibility redemption.

Jesus is referred to as 'Son of God' and the guilty man's name, Barabbas, means son of the father. We are all children of God, but who do we recognize as our father? Jesus revealed that we have a good Father in Heaven, the Father of righteousness. Barabbas had chosen to be a child, a product of unrighteousness. Jesus preferred a Father, a family and even the repentant sinners were welcomed into it; it was in Jesus' heart even to forgive the ignorant (Luke 23:34).

Jesus' life and death and resurrection provided us with a choice: will we accept our place as a child of God?

• PEACE I GIVE TO YOU 

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:15-18

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’

John 14:25-28

We celebrate Jesus' birth because since before even the moment of conception, He has been our advocate. Jesus is spiritually present, but because of His physical absence, He knew that we would need support. In the Holy Spirit, we have it. We have Him. We have an intangible, inexplicably, but undeniable, comfort, provision and power that sustains and propels us. 

All we have to do to receive it is to welcome Him into ourselves, our lives, our thoughts, choices and actions. And why wouldn't we? Jesus offers the sweetest peace and promise. 

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

John 14:12-14

Within the will of God is an extraordinary place to be because possibility is endless. Within His ancient and established, everlasting kingdom are new glories, fresh inspirations, unprecedented occurrences. The Prince of Peace connected us to the God of vitality and proliferation. Our creator is a masterful artist and architect who gives attention to the details of the details of life. If you are able to dream of and pray for anything which enhances your little portion the Kingdom, God is able to do it. Trust Him to do it and deliver it in the time and material and way that He decides is best. Let God's will enhance your dream.

Finally, if you need a reminder of how to serve God this season, listen to Jesus' parting advice. It's simple.

...“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:23

And if the boisterous demands of the season are draining your peace, distracting you from the purpose of the season, and causing you to feel feebly alone, remember that you have never been alone.

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20

EYES ON YOU, I

Everybody wants to walk on water. Everybody wants to walk on water, but walking on water metaphorically, requires the same amount of extraordinary strength and coordination it would require literally. If we want to have the type of extraordinary blessings that "walking on water" implies, we need to build the spiritual muscle and coordination skills to do it. In part 1 of this 2-part sermon, we explore Matthew 8:23-27 and Matthew 14:22-33 to understand what it takes to walk on water into miraculous blessing.

• WALKING ON WATER 

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

In the fourth watch of the night, water sloshed in darkness against the disciples' boat in the middle of the sea. Quietly, Jesus walked across those waters to meet them. When the disciples noticed the figure approach, they were astonished to the point of fear. They had never witnessed power so strong it could defy the laws of nature. 

Jesus announced His presence, but before they would allow themselves to be mollified, indeed before the fear would dissipate, Peter responded: "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." For Peter knew from his recent and intensive course with Jesus that only He was capable of such power; if it was Jesus, Peter knew that he would be made able to walk on the water. Such an expression of faith it was! Peter knew that he could identify his Lord by the power He held. He knew that only Jesus was capable of answering affirmatively to impossible requests. Jesus answered simply: "Come." And Peter climbed down from the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 

Most of us make it to this stage of the desire to walk on water; that is, we all ask God to help us to do that seemingly impossible thing we have been praying and striving for. We are all willing to take that first step of simply asking. And it is not a small thing, that first step. Truly it is an accomplishment in faith to direct a prayer to God rather to some other thing. We could be asking any other source to help us, like the secular world does, but we have chosen to ask God. Unfortunately, most of us then make the same mistake Peter then made.

• BOISTEROUS WIND

The faith was short lived... for when he noticed the wind was boisterous, Peter became afraid and then began to sink. Like Peter, we all put our first, faithful foot forward, but before the second foot lands, our faith falters. Instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus, Peter looked at the tumult the wind caused. He looked at the bobbing boat, the stirred up waters. He looked at the chaos and the chaos got its grip on him; suddenly he was wet, subject to the whim of the tumultuous wind. 

Why don't we realize that extraordinary blessing will require extraordinary faith? How can we expect to walk steadily toward a blessing if we are not walking steadfastly in faith? If we want to walk on water, we need to make that request to God; if we want to keep walking on water, we need to develop the faith to do it. As we work, wait, and pray toward blessing, we need to keep our eyes on God. We need to burrow deep in scripture in order to receive the guidance and reassurance, instruction and discipline from God required to obtain the blessing.

It's easy to become distracted by the boisterous wind. There are constant and fierce and fearsome distractions in life. We must choose to look at the Creator rather than the destroyer. Why should destruction hold our attention when our God's strength is mightier than its? Circumstances, relationships, opportunities and so much more in life might falter, fail or even end but with eyes on God, we are directed away from becoming the debris of those storms.

Peter was fine, firm on the water when he looked toward Jesus in order to meet up with him. Realize this crucial detail: the wind did not start when Peter began to walk. The wind had already been blowing destructively... but it did not matter, it did not effect Peter until Peter took his eyes off of Jesus. He did not even notice the wind while he was engaged in conversation with Jesus! We do not get wet in the storm when we stand with Jesus in the center of it. When we give the winds our fear, they suck out our faith. We become so focused on the turmoil that we neglect to use the tools God built in us to endure the storm. 

How could we ever endure it, if in giving our attention to the storm, we neglect to remember to use the arsenal of spiritual weapons which enable us to survive it? Strength and discipline, prayer and hope, wisdom and faith... righteousness and compassion, two actions which reap what they sow! 

• LORD, SAVE ME

But as he sank into the dark waters, Peter remembered Jesus' presence and power and willingness to save and cried out: "Lord, save me!" And through Peter's faith, Jesus swooped in to support: "And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him..."  We need to remember that our God is present and powerful... and willing to save. Our Father in heaven knows us so well; He knows that we will break our gaze of faith and falter in fear. Therefore He has made Himself receptive to our calls for help. When we call to God in earnest faith, there is no delay in His answer. Scripture uses the word "immediately" to describe the speed in which Jesus reached out to catch Peter. We need to train ourselves in faith to automatically call out to God as soon as we lose our balance on the water, as soon as we lose Him in our line of sight.

When they climbed into the boat, Jesus asked Peter: "...why did you doubt?" He was genuinely curious. Why don't we believe, though many of us say that we do, that God is capable of keeping us afloat? Is it because we start to sink and instead of blaming our brittle faith we blame God?

Faith is a mighty thing. A small but compact word, dense with spiritual tools we build and sharpen throughout our lives. Faith is the comprehensive tool we need to wield throughout life if we plan to walk on water. There will be wind on the water and it will not always be easier to keep our eyes trained on God. In order to actually do it, to keep our eyes on God, we need to develop a relationship of familiarity and trust in God. We need to know (soul-deep) Who He is, what He has promised, and what He is capable of in order to rely on those things while on the sea in the storm. 

• YOU OF LITTLE FAITH 

"Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” Matthew 14:23-25

We are not always aware of God's consciousness, even true believers. As beautiful and unique and indescribable as those moments of awareness of His presence are... they are also intermittent, sometimes even rare. There would be no need for faith if we sailed our little ship with a conscious Jesus at the helm and in sight. Let 2 Corinthians 5:7 remind us that we walk by faith, not by sight. It might appear sometimes that God is sleeping...if we allow ourselves to believe that lie, our own anxiety will stir the storm up several more degrees in severity.

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

It is ludicrous to us that the disciples actually thought that they could sink while in the presence of Jesus, right? Well since Jesus told us in Matthew 28:20 that He is always with us... since Jesus told us in John 14:17 that the Holy Spirit will be with us and in us, it would be ridiculous for us to think that we could possibly sink.

Eyes on God is faith. We look past the mess, through the chaos, to our Light and Guide and source of strength. We place our attention on His direction, rather than on the boisterous wind. We are not subject to the dangers of the sea when we are walking on it toward Jesus. In part 2 of this 2-part sermon, we will explore what "Eyes on You" means from the battlefield. 

HONEY ISLAND

Ask yourself: In what way, today, have I invited God to speak to me? At what point have I not just said but behaved as though I am listening? A crucial element of our faith is to be receptive to God. If, like Paul, you found yourself shipwrecked on a small island in the middle of a stormy sea, would you have the faith to discover hope and purpose in the situation?

It is easy to answer yes in the metaphorical sense. But when life leaves us stranded in a situation we did not foresee and do not want to be in, hope and purpose are usually lost to us. The shipwrecked crew in Acts 28 had just personally experienced the grace and power of God that resulted in the retention of their lives. A little sea-beaten but alive in faith and fresh off of the rescue, God was able to exemplify why, out of any island, the one they had come to was honey island.

• HONEY ISLAND

Paul and company discovered themselves to be preserved and on new land... albeit shipwrecked, on an island called Melita, "honey". So often is that the result of our fight in faith, feeling shipwrecked in a new place. We wrestle to subdue the parts within and around us that are not in alignment with God's word and find ourselves on new, unfamiliar ground. But the truth is: that ground is holy, that ground is honey.

In Psalm 119:30 God's word is described as sweet as honey; and throughout the Bible, honey is a representation of faith and health, and the wisdom and love of God. And so to arrive on honey island after a literal and spiritual battle is to arrive into blessing. Honey island is that haven faith brought you to just before you lost or gave up completely. Honey island is the place where God is most efficiently able to heal and restore you, because you have finally arrived in a place where you invite Him to do so. 

The men aboard the ship with Paul had just submitted themselves to God's will. Before God would restore them to voyage, they needed time with Him. To bask in His love and instruction, to become strong enough to retain their faith once restored to their original purposes. From this we can understand how important it is to have the special, isolated time with God. He won't simply send us back out into the world on flimsy faith. We need to build the relationship, experience life from His perspective and observe what is is to operate in accordance with His will. 

• NO LITTLE KINDNESS 

Unforeseen arrivals in an unknown land, Paul and the crew could fully expect not to be welcomed by the island's inhabitants. The opposite happened: all surviving men of the shipwreck were met with extreme kindness and care. They were cold and wet and without bribe or even request were warmed with fire. 

The process of building strength, even spiritual strength, requires time. A new commitment, even a wholehearted one, is often weak and in need of coddling. We have to build our relationship with God. Trust is not an on/off switch. Love is not a well. We can't simply fall into it and remain. Each is a voyage, a process. And thus it is only through walking that we begin to build and grow those things.

What we can expect is that will provide the fire. Cold and wet or weak as we may be, God supports us in that time. New in faith (or in the renewing of faith or a new area of faith) we are seen by God as a fawn or hatching. A small thing in need of support and nourishment. That is the word and will of God. So dependent on it, we must ask ourselves if we have been receptive to it. God is providing, are we receiving? 

• BECAUSE OF THE HEAT

Faith formed in our lives is a fire. Faith ignites inspiration and courage within it. It ignites our determination and passion and purpose. And when we are fired up in such things, it makes sense that the injustices we begin to contend with will bite. 

Paul did a good thing. No matter where he was: on the road; in a prison; or shipwrecked on a island, Paul brought people to God. It was the work and purpose of his life. As the fire grew hotter and began to warm the people around it, a venomous viper came out and bit Paul in the hand. The bite has spiritual implications. 

In the fight for justice we will meet resistance. In the preaching of scripture we will face rejection and even hostility. And that rejection and hostility will always intend to stop our work. To bite our hand, to ultimately thwart our purpose. And that viper, in whatever form it comes in, will  have the power to do so... if we have not been receptive to God. 

The inhabitants of the island were certain that Paul would die. A bite from such a danger could not be survived. And they were right. It could not be survived... without God. There is so much that we cannot do and cannot survive if we are not accessing, through faith, the power and strength of God. But Paul had been receptive to God; he was accessing those holy storehouses and therefore he was impervious to the bite.

God wants us to understand that when we are doing the work of the Kingdom of God we may be confronted by enemies but will never be subdued by them. When we are plugged into faith, we have the nourishment to persevere through derailment. God's protection over us will astound others: the islanders thought Paul a supernatural being because of he survived.

But as God's children, we know the truth. God has told us:Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, James 4:7. As Paul did, shake the enemies off and continue to preserve in spiritual purpose: in loving others, in providing for family, in assisting strangers and supporting the weak. 

There is an insufficient number of people working such causes! Matthew 9:35-38 tells us so:

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

God will protect the laborers because they are few and desperately needed. Those who have welcomed the power and love of God into theirs lives are best able to project it into the lives of others. God's purpose has always been to perpetuate the kingdom, to gather its members and care for them. When we join in that work, our survival is not just crucial but also arranged by God. And when we do eventually come to an end here, as all on earth must do, we will have provided many others with their start. We need not fear the bite of the viper.

• YE ARE GODS 

The islanders were so amazed by Paul's survival that they thought him a god. In John 10:34-35, Jesus referred to God's children as gods. Not because of any power we have of our own. Not because we are better or smarter or more valued but because we have welcomed the power of God into our lives, our hands, our efforts. Our impact on the world is godly because it is done by God through us. Without His wisdom, strength and courage we would fail. 

Paul, the other apostles and disciples were able to heal in immediate and visible ways. The way we heal now is a little different. The same God is able to conquer the same illnesses but spirituality has become more complex. We are stronger now, made able to thrive despite illness. The healing we receive now is of the spirit. We are revived, restored to life. Sometimes we heal in physical ways, like Paul healed the father of Publius in this chapter, and sometimes we do not. But either way, we are a message. A strength, meant to exemplify to others the power of the Spirit of God with us.

Honey island now, is a personal and spiritual experience. We are healed of everything we bring to God, and then are abundantly supplied for our journey back into the world to live, preach with our lives of the honey that is God's word and love.

• BOUND FOR HOPE

The machinations of men, the enemies of Paul, would have made his journey to Rome entirely nonsensical. Paul was innocent and certainly not worthy of death. They had no truthful claims against him. But because Paul was an agent of God's will, there was purpose in the journey.

Paul explained "it is for the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain, (Acts 28:20)" God will ensure there is purpose in every day that we live for Him. We need only to be receptive to what instructions He has for us each day. Broadly, we are meant to love others, uphold justice, and support the weak. What that looks like in detail is particular to the individual. 

Take heart that whatever chain you bear, God use it to benefit you and others and then will break it. 1 Peter 5:10 states:

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

We must have and endure the journey of the struggle in order to build the spiritual muscle to come out of it stronger. Wiser. More perceptive and objective and just and compassionate. That time of suffering is packed with nutrients we need to grow in faith, and strength and character. It is packed with the seeds we need to grow great things. That time prepares us to move the mountains God has said we would move.

Although they feel real, the chains in our lives are like play handcuffs. They are temporary, removable and God has the key. To unlock them, we need only to listen to and trust and follow Him to where the key is kept. And in the meantime we must live as Paul lived:

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

We must live quite undeterred in our mission to perpetuate God's love and receive it also for ourselves. The journey for Paul could  have been ridiculous and a waste of time. It could have been a depressant and an end. Instead Paul kept His eyes on God, his life on track, and his faith forward. His life resulted in blessing.

HE IS THE HOUSE

This is a sermon about David, but this story really begins much before David's birth. Even before his parent's or grandparent's births. God called forth a family out of the earth, out of slavery, and then out of the wilderness in order to lead them and their posterity, steadily, into His kingdom. That journey takes place throughout the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Numbers, Judges and Joshua. All before David existed, but crucial to his story; because David would represent the pinnacle of all of it. 

The tribes of Israel, (that is, the people who had made a commitment to be God's people in life and law), finally arrived in a land they could call their own. Blood, sea water and prayers had brought them to a home. What made their place a home was the King that precipitated it and presided over it: God. Yet the people did not so attribute their new place to their God. They wanted a king, lowercase. They wanted a man to preside over their territory, despite dire and specific warnings against it (1 Samuel 8:10-18).

Thus began the reign of a man named Saul. Saul's reign began well enough, but very quickly, he began to descend into corruption and paranoia, to injustice and outright lawlessness. God's solution to the problem was David. A young boy, the youngest son of a man named Jesse. David, a little shepherd with a big heart for God. A humble human with a courageous spirit. 

God chose David as Saul's predecessor. David quickly evidenced why: deep faith in God allowed him to slay his peoples' fiercest enemy against all odds. David then grew into a successful soldier; so successful that he garnered the attention of all the people. They loved David so much that Saul begin to hate him. 

Saul clung greedily to the throne. He desperately endeavored to kill David. But Saul's position on the throne was only precarious because he had made it so. It was his own unrighteous action that caused God to seek another, someone who would not simply obey God's instruction, but someone who would enjoy God's instruction. It was a requirement for the position. For God's people could only be properly led if led in accordance with God's will. And someone who did not love God's will, would not choose it as their path. Saul did not love it, but David did. Saul noticed that and caused David's life to spiral down into a frenzy. 

David's life became tumultuous: called forth from his childhood home, David went from battlefield, to battlefield; to the king's house. From the king's house, David went from hiding place to hiding place; to enemy territory. He had no obviously linear path. He lived in a constant state of fear and flight. Except for his faith, he had no security; but his faith, his God was the one constant. God was the core of security beneath all of the tumult surrounding David. 

• PLEA FROM THE WILDERNESS 

Some of the best Psalms were written by David during this time of extreme duress. Each verse narrates David's emotional journey from fear, to trust, to reassurance. In essence: I am scared, but I trust you, and have good reason to, as you have saved me before. Psalm 53 is an example of a Psalm written by David while he feared for his life, homeless from the wilderness. Let's break it down with that sentence:

I am scared . . .

Save me, O God, by Your name,

And vindicate me by Your strength.

Hear my prayer, O God;

Give ear to the words of my mouth.

For strangers have risen up against me,

And oppressors have sought after my life;

They have not set God before them. 

. . . but I trust you,

Behold, God is my helper;

The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

He will repay my enemies for their evil.

Cut them off in Your truth. 

. . . and have good reason to,

I will freely sacrifice to You;

I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.

 . . . as you have saved me before.

For He has delivered me out of all trouble;

And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

David began the Psalm with fear. He communicated to God his desperate situation and the character of his enemies. Likely, none of us are praying to God from a cave over fear of our enemies. But, metaphorically, we have caves and enemies of our own. We too life in fear and flight and homelessness. From David, with scripture, we know how to pray such situations into hopeful coherency. We  take inventory of our fears and enemies and we pray them into God's hands. Finally we trust, because God has proven trustworthy; moreover, God has proven capable. Such a prayer reminds us of the times we have been in similar, seemingly-impossible situations and simultaneously reminds us that we are no longer in them. God moved us from the previous seemingly immovable state and can do so again.

The ability to trust is not something that can be learned then mastered. Trust is a constant effort that, at best, is more and more easily applied when it is needed. David moved from place to place with no assurance except for the same promises, on the same pages, from God that we are reading now. And though his situation seemed uncertain and his circumstances volatile, God kept David safe and fed and positioned precisely. God ensured that David always had the upper hand; despite Saul's organized pursuit of David, David was the one with the opportunity every time Saul was near.

The reason was because David clung to his faith, communicated through prayed and committed to God. Three actions often rejected and even sneered at by much of the world, rescue God's children every day. 

• WHO AM I AND WHAT IS MY HOUSE?

Eventually, Saul died and David became king. And he was a king, a man, after God's own heart. David remained aware and grateful for God's presence and action in his life. His busy life as a soldier past, David committed his life to honoring God. He wanted to build a house for God.

But God explained that a house was not necessary for him. He was, and is, always, where His faithful children are. God never needed a house. He never needed to be settled. For God has been and is The House. We are the settlers, and He is the land. Indeed, God reiterated, he did not need a house and did not ask for one. Instead, God committed to building a house for them. For us. 

David was stunned with amazed humility. God, who had already given so much, vowed to give more rather than receive. The news was delivered through the prophet Nathan, from God to David: the Lord tells you that He will make you a house. God vowed to give His people a place, to plant them in it and to secure them in it. To grow, to thrive, to last. To rest. And that place is His kingdom. He is The House. No matter where we are, or what circumstances befall our lives, He will make us a house. 

As the Lord did for David, so will he do for all of His children who love Him; for all of His children who make their own variations of the same prayer David prayed in Psalm 53: I am scared, but I trust you, and have good reason to, as you have saved me before. The same fulfillment of promise is promised and fulfilled by God to us right now. He will make us a house. 

God's goodness is so absolute that each time we receive it, we are stunned by the magnitude of His generosity. He gives so much; He fills our cup, and as it spills over we wonder how He could love us so much. That love, that relationship is built over time spent with him, praying to him, trusting in him, from the wildernesses, from caves, in the trust and hope that He will make us a house.

• ABIDE IN ME 

And while that house is being made, we have been given Jesus, who has invited us to abide in Him. Because it is not always easy to wait with trust. God has given us, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, a space to abide in peace. The assurances of Jesus are alive and proffered, we need only to remember to claim them.

God is not looking for monarchs anymore, Jesus has been established in that position now and forevermore. But God is still in the business of establishing His children. He is still a protector. He is still constructing safe places for His children to grow, thrive, last and rest. During the development, He has provided shelter, direction and instruction:

Shelter, John 15:7

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Direction, Matthew 6:33-34

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

 Instruction, Matthew 6:34 

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

And He also provided reassurance, for the times when we are feeling homeless, hopeless, or fearful.

Reassurance, Matthew 28:20

"... and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

Everything David lost or lacked was given back or created by God. David's life, once devoid of so much was filled to bursting by God with shelter safety, rest, redemption, establishment, purpose, family, love... and so much more. Abide in God, for He is The House. He knows what you need (Matthew 6:8) and it is His great pleasure to give it (Luke 12:32).

JESUS LIVED FOR US

Jesus died for us, but He also lived for us. He devoted every stage and element of His life to restoring us to the kingdom of heaven. He indefatigably served God and He turned every instant into a lesson, a healing, an example, a reassurance, an expression of love. These are seven pieces of scripture in which that is evident. While His death cemented our communion with God, it was His life that initiated it. 

John 9:2-12

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

In a move of dynamite refinement, Jesus blasted away the aversion that society had placed on the downtrodden; He revealed their true value and strategic purpose in the kingdom of God. Our tears, tribulations and infirmities are no less than these blessed chances for the goodness of God to be revealed to the land of the living.* We shatter shrouding darkness with the light of the Lord when we respond to the circumstances of our life with faith. Our resilience speaks of the strength and the glory of our God, of His ability to hold and heal.

Luke 22:49-51 

When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.

Despite the solemnity of their teacher, Jesus' disciples were compelled by indignation to strike His enemies. Yet not only did Jesus prohibit the act of violence, He also repaired the damage His disciple had caused to a man who meant him harm. The depth of Jesus' compassion was most apparent in the way that he loved the people who least seemed to deserve it. The small gesture was a massive declaration of the ultimate purpose of the outreach of the kingdom of God: to heal broken people, things and spirits. Jesus cupped the wound and healed it because the nature of God is as harmless as a dove.**

John 13:3-5; John 13:13-17

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

In a heartfelt expression of humility, Jesus physically exemplified His ultimate, spiritual mission on earth: to serve. The disciples were abashed to have Jesus wash their feet; and yet all along He had been serving and cleansing them, and more intimately. Jesus selflessly chose to channel His authority into the act of sincerely ardent servitude. We experience a breakthrough of intimate faith when we realize God within the raw details of our life. Our faith, outwardly projected, adopts the manner of our creator and by Him we heal the earth.

Matthew 26:53

Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

Jesus was unfazed by fear and undaunted by enemy because He placed full confidence in God's authority. Every other person believed that Jesus had been caught, thwarted. Jesus alone understood that God had orchestrated the events of His "capture" in order to perpetuate the specific outcome of His resurrection.

Jesus deftly humbled the arrogance of His captors by simply stating that God could instantaneously provide Him the defense of twelve legions of angels! In this Jesus professed the power and immediacy of prayer. We are never caught by happenstance or by the craft our enemies; in all positions, we have been placed expertly by God for purpose. Jesus was not afraid to be in the position, He was honored to be in the position. He was calm and centered, focused and determined. Jesus taught us that a life lived in alignment with the commandments of God is a life lived under the commanding control of God. Through it seemed otherwise to the people around Jesus, the situation was so entirely, cleverly and meticulously under control and thus Jesus remained collected.

Jesus unveiled God's unseen angel-army, poised and ready to act; and based on His nature, He had likely done so more to comfort His followers than to frighten His enemies. For those who take up the cross*** need and receive all of the support they can get.

Luke 6:12

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Of the most beneficial acts of Jesus, our messiah demonstrated how a personal connection with God can be attained and maintained. Jesus consistently retreated to a private and natural location to hear and be heard by our Father. In a humble and noiseless place, Jesus delved into the solemnity of our Father. A place to hear and be heard. As we pray, we build a noiseless, impenetrable fortress which includes only ourselves and God. We delve and seal ourselves in a place of His solemnity in order to express and relieve our souls, and to be understood and restored by His.

Jesus' days were an absolute ruckus as He contemporaneously built both the offense and defense of Christianity from scratch. Without His precious moments of withdrawal to God in the quiet hours, the interminable chaos and celebration of the day might have wearied Him at best and distracted Him at worse. Jesus demonstrated that our ability to serve God publicly is entirely reliant upon our consistent willingness to know Him privately. Jesus received His purpose, strength and instruction from God and so do we. Jesus knew what to do when the sun rose because He allowed God to direct Him in the hours that preceded it.

It is not insignificant that Jesus chose natural settings to pray. For all of the world's opulent cathedrals and multi-million dollar churches, Jesus prayed in the mountains and beside the seas. To be in the midst of nature is to be surrounded by  that which God created with His own hands. In a world congested with man-made structures and products, it is in nature that we are most connected to home.

Matthew 14:29 

“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

Jesus extended a lifelong invitation into the kingdom of God. No matter what figurative sea, mountain or desert is between us and God, we have been made able to cross it. We have been invited and enabled to defy the figurative and physical properties of all barrier to ascend into our Father's arms. In the single word, come, Jesus invited and enabled us to cross all boundaries unaffected by the gravitational pull of the people, forces and circumstances which try to hold us down.

Matthew 28:20 

I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

A departing gift from Jesus: His perpetual presence. Long after the age of the first disciples, He remains as intimately and vigilantly near as He has always been. Jesus departed from earth and was reborn in the Spirit of God within us****; nearer now even than ever before, but still precisely Him. Every aforementioned act above is something He is doing this moment for and within you. 

* Psalm 27:13

** Matthew 10:16

*** Matthew 16:24-25

****1 Corinthians 3:16

Ephesians 4:9-10 Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.

FEED MY SHEEP

“You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God,” says the Lord God. Ezekiel 34:31 

God's foremost objective is to care for His family. His foremost directive is for us to care for His family. To explain and emphasize His exhortation, throughout scripture God uses the metaphor of sheep and shepherd. We are His "flock" of sheep, a term of endearment used by Jesus Himself in Luke 12:32 ("Fear not little flock;..."). He is our shepherd; and is frequently described as such in scripture. 

• SCATTERED FLOCK

In Ezekiel 34:1-10, God declared the infractions made by people who were supposed to shepherd God's flock:

What they did not do made them neglectful. 

The weak you have not strengthened.
The sick you have not healed.
The injured you have not bound up.
The strayed you have not brought back.
The lost you have not sought. 

What they did do made them abhorrent:

You fed yourselves.

You clothed yourselves.

You ruled with force and harshness.

Negligence and harsh treatment resulted in a scattered flock. A vulnerable flock. The flock became prey. Such negligence and harsh treatment is the reason why God's flock are scattered now instead of gathered in the kingdom. Deviations from God's philosophy, His program of justice and compassion, have caused humanity to scatter. Not geographically but spiritually. Emotionally. 

God charged Ezekiel to prophesy against the abhorrent shepherds, and the heat of His anger will be just as hot against the person today who neglects their duty in shepherdship. He will neither accept not ignore behavior that harms or fails to help His people. We are not on earth for self-serving purposes; we are not here to procure for ourselves. Faithful children of God are provided for by God. Our objective is not to sustain ourselves, that position has been filled; our objective is to sustain others. Therefore, self-serving behavior is wasteful. 

We will not fit-in in heaven if we do not fit heaven's purposes into our lives. It is imperative that we learn that here before there is no place or purpose for us there. This life is our opportunity to declare that we are aligned with heaven rather than against it. This is our time to claim our role as caretaker, as shepherd of our portion of the flock. None of the shepherds above were accused of breaking commandments; they were not even directly accused of sin. They were accused of neglect and selfish behavior. Crimes we are all guilty of committing at times in our lives. And because we are all guilty of them, the "flock" is as scattered and desperate now as it was then.

• TEND MY SHEEP

Jesus anticipated that God's flock would require shepherding in future generations, that is why He exhorted Peter to take care of His sheep three successive times; and it is why that text is still alive today.

In John 21, Jesus asked Peter: "do you love me?" When Peter answered that he did, Jesus responded: "Feed my lambs." Jesus asked again and a second time, Peter answered yes. Jesus responded: "Tend my sheep." The third time Jesus asked, Peter became distressed, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." It was so important to Peter that Jesus knew he loved Him. A final time, Jesus answered: "Feed my sheep."

It's probably important to you, too. You want God to know that you love Him. From Jesus and Peter's exchange, God told us how to truly love Him: by tending to His sheep. You do not have say that you love Him three or three billion times to make it true or known. You just have to tend His sheep. Do that and He will know. 

We are so loved by God that he used His final hours on earth to exhort the disciples to tend to, to feed, His flock. Instead of exhorting the disciples to follow rules or rituals, He urged them to take care of people. Selflessly, Jesus turned the attention away from Himself and onto others.

SHEPHERD THE FLOCK

How do we shepherd the flock? Fittingly, we can look to 1 Peter 3;5 for the answer.

There is hunger in the world; and certainly, there are people who need food. But there is another type of hunger prevalent in the world as well. We are called to feed both. There is a hunger we can fill with our behavior. There is hunger, a restlessness, a desperation in the world that can only be filled and calmed by the lifestyle God has outlined for His children. If we know it, we have to live it. And by living it, we feed others with a way of life previously foreign and unattainable to them.

Our temperament and choices are a type of food the people around us eat by observing it, by being recipients of it. They adopt the lifestyle when we evidence that it works. That is fills and calms empty, restless souls. What are the elements of this lifestyle?

Unity of mind. Sympathy. Brotherly love. Tender hearts. Humble minds. Bless instead of curse. Speak truth. Turn from evil. Do good. Seek and pursue peace (1 Peter 3:9-11). We "feed" (metaphorically) the world by doing the reverse of what the people did in Ezekiel 34. We strengthen others with our friendship and support and with our own strength, with the resources we have and they lack. We heal the injured with our kindness and empathy, by providing our time and attention. We bind the injured with truth when the world showed them only deceit; we bind their wounds with steadfastness when the world abandoned them. We seek the lost when we reserve harsh judgement; when we try to know them, understand their circumstances. We pursue the lost when we pursue their restoration rather than merely observe their destruction.

We have to feed others when others in the world starved them of family or friendship or opportunity. We have to clothe others when pain and shame and injustice have stripped them bare. We cannot dominate the people weaker than us; we must express mercy with gentleness. Ultimately, the thousand plus pages of the Bible are teaching us, urging us to simply... be kind. Humans have complicated life so much that we require so much lecturing, so much encouragement, so much example to do a truly simple thing: love people.

Those who do so live under God's gracious gaze (1 Peter 3:12).Those who shepherd the flock are shepherded by The Shepherd. 

•  SHEPHERDSHIP 

For God has declared Himself so: "Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered..." (Ezekiel 34:11-12).

In response to the selfish neglect and cruelty of the irresponsible shepherds, God replaced them with Himself. Although a cruel and selfish person neglects and harms the sheep, it is not the sheep that will ultimately suffer. For God has spoken, "I will feed My flock and I will make them lie down... I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in my judgement." (Ezekiel 34:15-16). 

Our spiritual Father is a shepherd and He wants His children to continue the trade. He is a peace-provider, a chain-breaker, a soul-savior; and as we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27), we have both the ability and responsibility, to draw those spiritual elements out of ourselves and into the world. Willingly. Eagerly. Selflessly. Humbly. (1 Peter 5:1-3).

Those who adopt shepherdship now receive as well as reinforce God's peace and blessing, rescue and security. 

Jesus' life and Resurrection provided us with a Shepherd. Emulate the life He lived. 1 Peter 2:25, "For you were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. It has been declared that each of us have gone astray. Maybe in the past, maybe in the present. God wants you to shepherd the people in either place.

PAUL IS PROOF

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
John 3:17

Do not misunderstand the purpose of Jesus' life and ministry; do not mis-assign His target: not the flawless but the flawed; not the righteous but the unrighteous; not the sinless but the sinful; not the found but the lost; not the best but the worst.

Jesus came to find and (re)direct the lost and directionless; He came to put purpose in our journey and destination at the end of it. He came to re-purpose our flaws, mistakes and weaknesses into motivations, messages, and strengths. And so, regardless of why we are unworthy, or even how unworthy we are, God has made us His beloved mission. He has determined us, all of us who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, worth His time and His love.

• NOT TO CONDEMN BUT TO SAVE

Jesus was frequently questioned about, and judged for, his association with... well, sinners. In Matthew 9:9-12 specifically, adversaries of Jesus asked His disciples why Jesus interacted with the people society had condemned and socially quarantined. Jesus answered that the sick need a doctor, not the healthy. Society might have condemned and quarantined them, but God had not. God, Spiritual-Physician that He is, had compassion on them; spiritual stethoscope on their souls, He diagnosed that they needed healing. Jesus was the prescription; His ministry, the word and philosophy of God was the treatment. 

We, therefore, who have insecurities, deficiencies, and emotional turbulence, are most fortunate. For God is a specialist in our ailments. He is here and near and most importantly, equipped, to heal us. Although so many authoritarians would have arrived to condemn, Jesus came to save. He came to sentence us to life rather than death, and helps us to make the spiritual crossover.

• ONE SINNER WHO REPENTS

If you have ever believed that your mistakes or wandering have made you less valuable to God, read the Parable of the Lost Son in the gospels. In the Parable there is a father with two sons. One of the sons remained with and loyal to his father, but the younger son did not. The younger son left and consequently languished. He struggled in life and became desperate enough to reflect on his choices. He realized he needed to go home, but knew his father would not accept him back as a beloved son. But he had learned from his mistakes and had changed; he began to value the family he had been born into. He hoped, at most, that his father would take pity on him, relent, and allow him back as a servant.

The son journeyed back to his home. While was still a long way off, his father noticed his younger son and had not pity, but compassion for his son. The father ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. Immediately the younger son repented and humbled himself before his father. He felt unworthy; he did not believe he deserved the blessings he squandered, rejected and neglected. 

But the father began to clothe his son in the familial vestment. So great was the father's joy at his son's return that he immediately restored him and planned a celebration for his arrival. He exclaimed: "...my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." Though we had turned our back to Him, the love and mercy of God rushes toward us the moment we decide to turn our face  toward him. He considers our change of heart our return to life, and by Him we are welcomed home as beloved children once again.

It is thanks to the elder son's confusion that we understand why the wayward son was restored to his father's good graces so readily. The father had to explain to him that his younger brother's return was so beautiful because he had been dead. The elder son had always obeyed his father, unrighteousness, thus death had never claimed him. But the younger brother was in the clutches of death, he was a slave to sin, he was disconnected from the Kingdom. His return was so spectacular because it had been so unlikely. He return was so spectacular because he had been so far away! He had almost to the point of no return. His return was so spectacular because instead of suffering a loss, the Kingdom of God could celebrate a restoration, and addition. 

• SAVES THE ONE

In Luke 15:1-7, Jesus used an analogy of sheep to explain that God charges into the wilderness to save one of His lost ones. Just as in the Parable of the Lost son, those who never go astray are loved, but so, deeply, are those who do. In fact, we learn that "there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."

We are cherished even more for who we are because of who we were. In His appreciation for us, God takes into account the arduous journey we take from past-self to present-self. After all, The people who left the kingdom worked harder than anyone else to be in it. The sick child restored to health, the lost child who found his way home, is cause for heaven-wide celebration.

• APPOINTED TO HIS SERVICE

In the book of 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Paul confessed that even though he considered himself to be the worst sinner of all sinners, by God's grace, he was appointed to His service. Returned children, healed children, are not just restored to a place in heaven, they are also given a purpose.

Jesus enabled Paul, put him directly in the ministry, because Paul's past served the impact of his future. Paul was known, infamously, as the persecutor of the Christian faith. Having come further than anyone else, from the brink of death to the peak of life, Paul's testimony carried a weight different and heavier than anyone else's could have. When he, Paul, the most known, most deadly persecutor of Christians to converted to Christianity the world changed; the ministry of Jesus reached further than ever before across the world and generations. 

Jesus came to save sinners and Paul is proof. Paul's life exemplified the pattern of God's patience: this, exclaimed Paul's life, is the pattern that is the restoration of the repentant sinner: We go from death to life! Lost to found. Sick to healed. The faith and wisdom we gained during the journey back become the tools and materials we use to bring others with us back with us. Our value is increased all the more; our mistakes and weaknesses, hurts and scars, the process of our repentance and return, teaches us how best to help, to heal, to rescue the people who are what we used to be!

Maybe you are the lost son, the lost sheep, someone who walks away from or even against God. If you are, Jesus came specifically for you. Your heartbeat is in His ears, your thumbprint is on His body, your hurt has been destined for His healing. He has planned a place for you in the kingdom, a purpose for you in this life. He is closer to you than anyone else; it is your voice He most wants to hear, your face He most wants to see. 

Until now you've shown Him your back, we all have at certain times and moments in our life. We are not perfect in any moment, situation, relationship or act. There are times in everyone's day and life when our back, instead of our face, is toward Him. We lose our patience, we resist forgiveness, we make a selfish choice, relent to doubt or to temptation. It is in those moments precisely that God is most fiercely present, ready to sit and speak with us; the Great Physician, ready to heal us of the greed or lust or anger or meanness or depression that made us sick.