Looking in the Mirror | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

James 1:17-27

¹⁷ Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

¹⁸ In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹⁹ You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 

²⁰ for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 

²¹ Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

²² But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 

²³ For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 

²⁴ for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 

²⁵ But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

²⁶ If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 

²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

 

When I was a young child, I was fascinated by mirrors, and I would spend a lot of time looking in mirrors. My stepmother thought it was the strangest thing; we could be in the mall about to go up the escalator of a department store; if there was a mirror on the support beam in front of the escalator, I was going to look. I would want to see what was going on with my face. How is my mustache coming in? Do I have any pimples, any visitors in my nose? I just wanted to make sure I looked ok.

 

Studies show that people check the mirror as much as 40 times a day. For some, looking in a mirror is simply a matter of gathering data; for others, it's to confirm the worst. We can always find a mirror, and perhaps that's why we take mirrors for granted. We use them for practical purposes and décor. When driving, good drivers check their side mirrors and rearview mirrors for safety reasons. We use mirrors to reflect light. And we use mirrors before going on a date to see how we look. When we don't have a mirror, some of us will take out a cellphone and put it in "selfie mode" to ensure we are together.

 

We also use mirrors in our language; when a child looks like their parent, we say they look like a reflection of the parent. When we want someone to reflect on their actions, we tell them to take a hard look at themselves in the mirror.

 

Theologian Sean Carter said, "I'm a mirror. If you're cool with me, I'm cool with you, and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don't like what you see, then you've done something." – Jay-Z

 

But what about the mirror that the apostle James used 2,000 years ago? That kind of mirror was not a piece of glass coated with silver nitrate. The mirror James spoke of was probably a piece of polished bronze or copper. Whatever it was, there's no doubt that his readers knew what a mirror was.

 

Mirrors had been around long before James wrote his letter to the Christians of the diaspora. Artifacts dating to 6,000 B.C. tell us that the early communities used polished stones as mirrors before going to their equivalent of Walmart.

 

James was writing to people spread out all over the land when he wrote his letter, and he wrote this letter to make things clear to believers. Faith is about action: a small book with a bunch of powerful statements in it. James was short with his words, very blunt, and said that if you are a believer, you should not have to say so; your actions should speak for you. James was not saying we should not evangelize but that our Christian life should be more than just saying the right things; we must do the right things as well. If somebody is all talk and no action, they are just like people who look at themselves in the mirror and forget what they saw.

 

James tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only; the time has ended for us as believers to go to church, say "that was a great sermon" or "worship was good today" and not do something to reflect the change in us. For faith to be genuine, it must translate into deeds; otherwise, we lie to ourselves. If we are believers, we should listen more than we speak and not get angry so quickly. James says that our anger does not produce God's righteousness. How we treat people reflects what type of Christian we are. That is why James says we need to bridle our tongues.

 

We are to welcome the word of God into our lives and let it take root; that way, we can be good Christians to ourselves and others. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ does not mean we exclude others. James said that true religion is to take care of widows and orphans. Those are people in the bible who at the time could not care for themselves. If your behavior matches that of a good Christian, you should have no problems looking yourself in the mirror.

Looking in the mirror is a good thing, but only if we act according to the data the mirror has furnished. Otherwise, looking in the mirror is a waste of time.

 

We become better versions of ourselves, and the world becomes a better place when we look into God's mirror — the perfect law — and act on what we see. James alludes to looking in the mirror when he applauds those who can bridle the tongue. He refers to working on what we see when he argues that a Christian who takes care of orphans and widows in distress is a practitioner of "true religion."

 

James gives us a call to action: let us investigate the mirror and act on what we see. When we do, we will be better for it, and so will our neighborhoods, communities, and our part of the world.

Personal Protective Equipment | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

 

Personal Protective Equipment, I became familiar with the phrase personal protective equipment working for Exxon. The culture focused on safety. I had to wear protective gloves, goggles, a long sleeve shirt, and steel-toe boots to change a projector bulb. The goggles kept bulb particles from possibly flying in my eyes; the gloves were so I did not cut my hands on sharp edges or glass, long sleeve shirts for the same reason, and steel toe boots in case something heavy fell on my feet. Wearing the right equipment for the right job protected me from possible danger. I had to keep all my PPE on while doing a particular job; if I only had on a portion of the equipment, I would only have a part of the protection.

 

We all have some type of equipment for protection, especially during this time, people wearing gloves, masks, face shields, and double masks. Many people are trying to do their part to keep themselves and others safe, but you must make sure you have the correct type of protection and complete protection. If I sold you a car and told you only half the airbags work, would you still want to buy it? Some of you might be asking which half pastor? Do you think there are players in the NFL that would like to play football with just shoulder pads and no helmets? Personal protective equipment is useful as long as you have the right equipment for the proper purpose.

 

The apostle Paul is speaking of PPE in scripture when we get close to the end of Ephesians.

Paul is coming to a close, his first one, and Paul tells the people in the Ephesian church to have the right tools for the right purpose. Paul is speaking to the Ephesian church about having protection because Christianity was illegal during this letter. Christianity was not legal until 311AD.

 

Paul was writing this letter to the Ephesians during imprisonment. He was familiar with the Roman soldiers' weapons and the PPE they donned every day. And as a Roman citizen who had been thrown into Roman jails and subjected to Roman beatings, Paul was intimately aware of military hierarchies and punishments. Paul’s familiarity with Roman soldiers and Roman beatings is why he could describe the appearance of a Roman soldier so well.

 

Paul comes to the end of his letter; he reminds his readers of the powers arrayed against them and uses the image of a Roman soldier in a battle against his foe. For Paul, the enemies were formidable: “rulers … authorities … cosmic powers of this present darkness … spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (v. 12, emphasis added). This urgent reminder is one of the last things Paul underscores; one remembers best what is freshest in mind. His letter had begun with a lengthy and glorious peroration about being “blessed in heavenly places” (1:3). But even as we are blessed in heavenly places, we are also beset in heavenly places; therefore, we must be vigilant during the struggle against evil “in the heavenly places.”

 

The ancient Romans had a militaristic culture, people were expected to fight, but Paul tells the Christians that their battle is not with other people but with sin, evil, and death. These spiritual powers were affecting society. The Ephesian church members would have been in a city with many temples for other religions, and some even centered around political leaders.

 

Paul tells the Ephesian church to have the right PPE on

Belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness Feet fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit.

 

Breastplate of Righteousness- A breastplate covers a large portion of your body, just like your righteous character can keep you and get you places other things cannot.

 

Feet ready to share the gospel - There is the action again, sharing the gospel, getting the word of Jesus Christ out to others. The roman soldier would have sturdy sandals that protected them and helped them move around better than barefoot.

 

Shield of faith- The shield is not a small circular shield but one of the long and tall shields that can deflect arrows no matter where they aim at you. The Roman shield was large enough to cover the whole body; made of wood, covered with animal hide, and bound with iron at the top and bottom. When dipped in water before a battle, it could extinguish fire arrows that had been dipped in pitch and set ablaze.

 

Helmet of salvation - The helmet of salvation is both a present experience and a future hope. We get saved but are constantly working on our salvation.

 

Belt of Truth - A Roman soldier's belt was tied around them to hold their sword.

 

Sword of the Spirit -word of God the Greek term used for sword in the Greek is a short sword, one used for close-quarters combat. To use the word of God, you will have to get close to other people.

 

In today’s world, we need PPE. We need it for the eyes and face, hands, bodies, respiratory system, and ears. If we distilled the message of health care professionals to four words, it would be this: “Protect yourself and others.”

 

Along with the PPE, we also need to pray. We need to pray and keep praying; prayer is just as crucial as the armor Paul mentions. Prayer is a continual part of Christian living.

 

Isaiah 55:6  (NKJV)

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

 

Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

 

Mark 11:23 (NKJV)

23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

 

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

Pray and keep praying.

 

Talk as if we already have the victory, act as if we already have the victory. Paul is claiming the victory even though he is writing from jail. Paul knows that we already have the victory through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

 

 

Walk & Talk Like a Christian | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

 

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

5 

¹ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

 

Growing up, I sometimes did not get along with people because of how I communicated. Either I was too quiet around people, which made them uncomfortable, or I would bluntly tell them what I thought, which would make them uncomfortable as well. I have spent some time improving my communication skills, I still have my quirks, but I am still improving. I am not where I want to be precisely but not where I used to be. My communication is a process that I am always trying to improve. Learning how to communicate with people is a skill everyone can use; talking to the right people the right way will take you places money and credentials will not.

 

We see an example of how to talk like a Christian here in scripture in Ephesians 4. Ephesians is a so-called Deutero-Pauline letter meaning that we can't confirm Paul wrote it, but we think he did. Ephesians was a letter for a church in Ephesus, an ancient Greek city, now present-day Turkey. The Ephesian Church was a church that had Jewish people and Gentiles coming together to form one church. Ephesian Church was a church with members born into the faith and members who recently converted to form a single church. I think the Book of Ephesians is valuable for many reasons, but the main thing is when I look at Ephesians back then, I see the church right now. If the church wants to survive another generation, we will have to go out and get new people; we cannot depend on the people in the church to have families and expect the families to stay. Some may say that the church has been around and will stay around; I say not for long on the current path. There are only so many years of burying more people than you baptize that can happen before you end up closing the doors for good. It is hard to let go of our old ways of thinking; it is easy to dip back into what we know we used to do and do well, but in Christ, all things are made new, and we can walk like it, talk like it, and live like it.

 

The writer says that we have new life in Christ Jesus, and with the new life, there will be a new way of living. The text is telling us to avoid vices and adopt virtues. The writer believes that the Ephesian church can rise to the occasion of being better church members, better believers, better people because they have a power working inside them that is better than any power working outside of them. The writer gives us a few things for the church to work on if the new people and the longstanding people to the faith plan to work together.

 

Change your Mouth

Put away all falsehoods and speak the truth to our neighbors. I read that the average person tells four lies a day. Four lies day seems like a lot, but we did lie a lot when I thought about it. You may say, Pastor, I resent that remark; how dare you call me a liar. I am not calling you a liar, but I am saying we all lie. What you do is not who you are; however, the lies we tell are about ourselves. The biggest lie most of the published reports said people told was, "I'm fine." Trouble all around us, hard to keep it together, but as soon as someone asks, "how are you doing?" The default answer is a lie. There are some other lies we tell, "just this once," or "I don't care," "you can't make me mad" I could go all day, but there are other parts of the text I want to touch. The point is Ephesians is telling us if we're going to thrive, there must be some authenticity among us. We can do things exceedingly, abundantly; above all, we could ask or imagine according to the power working in us according to Christ Jesus, but it starts with our mouths.

 

Change your Mind

Be angry and do not sin; there are tens of thousands of books for sale on Amazon right now about anger management. The Bible says to be angry, but do not sin, so you can be angry. The Bible also says, don't let the sun go down on your wrath. We have an issue we should address and address it quickly. How much better would our lives be if we stopped holding on to things that happened long ago? When we hold it in, we give room for the enemy to come in, and when the enemy comes in, that throws you off. I have a spades tournament championship trophy in the house that I laugh at every time I see it. My wife and I were partners in a tournament, and we were losing a game; it came time to bid the next hand, and we had nothing. We went board; that's the minimum amount you can bid for those who don't play spades. The other team went with their bid; the other team might have started to bid 7 or 8; my wife started trash-talking and tricked them into bidding higher like 10. The other group didn't make their bid, so they were set and lost points on that hand; for the rest of the game, when the other team bid, the other partner would angrily say, " You sure you don't want to ask LaTaya first? Then they would start arguing. We were in their head the rest of the game. Well, Pastor, what does that story have to do with making room for the enemy? You may not get fooled on a spades hand. Still, someone may have told you that you would not amount to anything, you can't give that room anymore, somebody might have said you weren't smart, you can't give that room anymore, people who don't pay your bills put a roof over your head, or provide you salvation should not have any room. Here are some things you can make room for, I am the righteousness of God, I am blessed in the city, blessed in the field, blessed when I come, and blessed when I go. Make room for the things of God.

 

Change your Moves

Be imitators of God. When you are imitating something or someone, you talk like them, and you try to look like them; you try to be the same places they are. If we want to imitate God, we should know what God says to imitate it. We should be places God would be so that we can imitate it. We should do Godly things so that we can imitate him. Can people tell you are a believer without telling them or are they shocked when they found out you belong to a church? Also, imitating God is not a one-and-done deal. The growth does not stop after baptism, joining a church, or getting active in the church; it is ongoing. God marked us with a seal for the day of redemption; this is not just a date on a calendar but a goal. The goal is to be a better Christian day by day. Bishop Scott Jones says that there is no retirement from God's work. We can always work to be better Christians today than we were yesterday. We can keep moving forward because we are not moving forward on our power.

 

We have new life in Christ Jesus; we can change our minds, change our mouths, and change our moves. We can forgive others because Christ has forgiven us. We can make those sacrifices and live in love because Christ already made the most significant sacrifice when he gave himself up for us.

 

 

Soul Food | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

I love soul food, I love the taste, I love the feeling I get when I eat it, I love the rich history of the food because I know that Soul Food came from people who did not have a lot of time, nor the best ingredients and they had to improvise in order to make the food tasty. I know a little bit more about healthy eating now that I am older I don't eat Soul Food as much as I used to. I know that the reason the soul food tastes do good is because it is filled with sugar, salt, starches, and fat. Not very nutritious. However, there are still some times I will have some Ox tails. I have an emotional attachment to other foods as well. I love a good steak, and I won't eat watermelon. My mother says that when she was pregnant with me she ate a lot of steak and watermelon, I love steak, and I don't care for watermelon. I know how to pick great watermelon, but growing up in a house where you saw one every day from the start of the season to the end you might get tired of looking at watermelon.

I'm sure we all have food that makes us feel a certain way. There are foods that take us back to a time we enjoy. Food that brings back memories, food that nourishes our souls.

We find Jesus in this passage of scripture right after he finished feeding the multitude and walking on water, now both Jesus the disciples are not around the crowd anymore and the crowd starts to look for Jesus. I commend the crowd for this action at least, because the crowd saw that the men of God had moved on and they went to search for them. Do we search for Jesus or do we just expect him to show up on our terms?

The Motives were impure

The crowd of people found Jesus and when they found him, they asked him a question, Rabbi when did you come here? Jesus saw right through that, Jesus knew that the people's motives were impure. They claimed to come for the teaching but Jesus saw they really came for the bread. The crowd was attracted to Jesus but not for the right reasons. I've read about missionaries running into this type of issue abroad. The missionaries would go to an impoverished area to teach the people that lived in the area about Jesus. 

They converted, were baptized, joined the church, and remained active members as long as their physical needs were met though the generosity of the congregation. But once their prospects improved and they and their families no longer needed rice, they drifted away from the church. Hence missionaries called them “rice Christians.” That name calls to mind those who flocked to the churches in East Germany and Romania just before the liberation of eastern Europe—when the church was manifesting courage, and pastors were speaking out against Communist regimes. The people came to cheer the church on, and to join the congregation in its opposition to the tyrannical state. But after liberation from the heel of the Soviet boot and local dictators, the crowds dispersed and the churches began to look as straggling and abandoned as they had before the stirrings of political liberty took hold.

That kind of behavior is not exclusive to foreign mission trips. We see the same behavior here in the United States in our churches. Are you on a board or committee to do the work, or do you just want the title and the control? Are you really following a call God placed on your life or do you just want to be on stage and be seen? Are you really here to minister to the people or do you just want a  check?

The people misunderstood the work.

In the text Jesus told them not to work for food that perishes but to work for food that brings eternal life. The crowd was thinking about the law, and thinking about the type of work where one labors and gets something in return for their labor. What Jesus was talking about was belief. Over and over again Jesus will ask people before he performs a miracle, do you believe? There will be times when Jesus can only do a little bit in the text and not a lot, why? Because the people lack faith. Jesus wants to know do you believe? Do you believe  Jesus is a doctor in the sickroom? Do you believe Jesus is a lawyer in the courtroom. Do you believe Jesus is  a friend to the friendless? Do you believe Jesus is hope for the hopeless? Do you believe Jesus can you of your disease? Do you believe Jesus is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever ask or imagine? Do you believe Jesus can really make away out of now way?

The crowd of people are talking about work like it is performance on a job but what Jesus wants to know is do you believe?

The people misapplied the manna

The people are starting to get it but not quite yet. Jesus walked on water, Jesus feed the multitude with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread and the next question the crowd asks is what other signs are you going to perform? What else you got Jesus? What have you done for me lately? They still want more.

It is the crowd in the text that says our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness.

Jesus gets one thing clear for them. That 'he' that the people refer to in the quote, is not Moses, it is God. Moses did not give them bread, God did. Understand that God provided the means for the Israelites to survive for years and years in the wilderness. It was God that gave them food when their own supplies ran out. It was God that kept the Israelites fed when no one else was able to do it. Jesus lets the crowd know that Moses was a great prophet, but the power to keep the people fed in the wilderness came from God.

Now they don't need manna anymore, they have the bread of life. Jesus lets them know with an I AM statement that he is the bread of life. Food that will make you feel good and something that will save your soul. Jesus provides a bread that makes sure you are never hungry again after eating it, water that makes sure you never thirst again. The Bible says that God loved the world so much he gave his only begotten son, and if you believe in Jesus his only begotten son you won't perish but will have everlasting life. Moses was the first redeemer Jesus is the final redeemer. With Moses, the people got manna that only lasted a day, with Jesus you get a supernatural bread that will feed you for all eternity. Jesus is giving us soul food that will provide forgiveness and new life in the Kingdom of God. This is food not only for us to eat, but food for us to share with others. 

Doing a Lot With a Little | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

Sometimes when I am driving around Houston on highway 59 or 69 in Houston I look a the hotel my family stayed in when we first moved to Texas, I go by some of the old places we used to live as well. There are certain gas stations and fast food places that have a special place in my heart. When our living situation wasn't certain I remember making a lot with a little staying in a hotel while we worked out where we where going to stay. I remember doing a lot with a little when my mother sister and I had to split a fast food restaurant value meal with a refillable fountain drink from the local gas station. I know about doing a lot with a little going to college on not enough financial aid but making it work semester to semester so I could earn my undergraduate degree. I am very familiar with doing what you can with what you have.

I think we all have had to make what we had work in some way shape or form. Raising children, keeping a home, keeping a job, personal and/or professional relationship, maybe even just doing day to day tasks in this thing called life. I believe very few of us have had everything handed to us, and whatever we had

God

We get to see Jesus do a lot with a little in John chapter 6. Two of the most famous miracles of Jesus are here in this passage of scripture. Jesus feeding the multitude is in all four gospels and Jesus walking on water story is in Matthew, Mark, and John.  Earlier in John chapter 5 Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath and the people plotted to kill him. Jesus violated a rule by healing a man on the Sabbath, the religious authorities focused more on the rule violation than the person who got their life changed forever. Jesus is getting away from those people at the end of chapter 5 because it is not his time yet.

Jesus gets away from the people trying to kill him and that is where we find him by the Sea of Tiberius in today's reading. John marks the time by mentioning Passover. The location is important because of the time of year, it is Passover season, the time when believers went to Jerusalem to celebrate, however Jesus and the disciples are over 100 miles away from Jerusalem. That is a 1:30, or 2 hour drive and the disciples do not have cars. During the time of Passover the people should be in Jerusalem but a crowd is still around Jesus.

-while we have our traditional celebrations there is another world out there that can’t or won’t be in the main place for celebration.

Jesus sees that the people are hungry and take the initiative to act, compassion moves people to act. Jesus sees that the people are hungry and wants to feed them. Jesus then asks the disciples, where can we buy food? You could have a whole sermon, sermon series, Bible study, conference, and revival on these particular scriptures. Jesus asks where can we buy food, Philip complains about the price, Andrew brings up a little boy’s lunch. If that is not the struggle of the church, I don’t know what is. Jesus asked a specific question, one that should have been answered with a location, instead Jesus got complaints, one doing nothing because of the perceived price and another trying to get the job down with the “homeboy hookup.” This is the one who has never failed asking them a specific question and the disciples, the church folk can’t get out the way of their own thinking to do what Jesus asks.

How many thousands of dollars have been lost because a church didn't want to spend a few hundred? How many things has the church missed out on by not answering the specific questions? How many visions have gone unfulfilled because the negativity and lack of action prevented the idea from even getting off the ground? How many projects are there that could  have helped the community but died in committees?

Thank God that Jesus did not let the church folk stop him from performing this miracle, a sign to point people in the right direction in the kingdom of God. After performing the miracle, the people wanted to make Jesus king, it still wasn't Jesus time yet. Jesus is still trying to work without the fanfare.

The disciples ran into some rough water, in that rough water they kept pushing forward, they did not stop their trip permanently they kept working with what they had and pushed forward. In the storm, the disciples see Jesus, first on the shore, then walking on the water. The disciples are afraid at what they see, but Jesus told them not to be afraid because it is I. In the midst of the storm, a storm that is too big to handle all we can do is keep pushing forward and look to Jesus.

Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus fed the multitude and showed the  disciples a sign of who he is walking on water. Jesus took care of the physical and the spiritual needs of the people, the church could and should follow the same example. William Barber said preachers shouldn’t be worried about tithes and offerings if they are not also fighting for their congregation to get a living wage. We as a church are able to do a lot more than we are doing we just have to be willing to act.

God can do a lot with our little and turn it into something great. We have to be willing to give God what we have and let God work with it. It's no secret what God can do, what he has done for others he will do the same for you.

Jesus told the disciples on the boat not to be afraid, and he told them it is I but the phrasing is better said as  I AM. Phrasing there is the same phrasing that God told Moses from the burning bush I AM that I AM,  the I AM when Jesus says he is the light of the world, the I AM when Jesus says he is gate of the sheepfold and the good shepherd, the I AM when Jesus says he is the resurrection and the life, the I AM when Jesus says he is the way, the truth, and the life, the I AM when Jesus says he is the true vine, and the I AM when Jesus says he is the bread of life. Here to take care of us physically and spiritually.

A Compassionate Christ | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 

³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

³² So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 

³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 

³⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, he began teaching them many things.

 

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 

⁵⁴ As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.

⁵⁵ They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 

⁵⁶ And wherever he went—into villages, towns, or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

 

 

Compassion is an interesting word, it wasn't until preparing for this message that I learned passion comes from a word that means "to suffer", and that the com prefix means "with”, so compassion means to suffer with someone. There are some things that I know I suffer for, that I am passionate about. Family, health, things that I feel need justice. I am sure there are some things we are compassionate about, things that stir our spirits. However, true compassion will drive action, we won't just feel some way about it, we will do something.

 

In looking at compassion, we find ourselves in the Gospel of Mark again, this story is in all four gospels. The lectionary reading for the week leaves out Jesus feeding the 5000 and walking on water and only lists the scriptures before and after those events. It is easy to think the scriptures read are not important but there are lessons to learn from these as well, we can get a whole bunch from the beginning and the end and save talking about the miracles for another day. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus went home, couldn't do many miracles because people there were more concerned about the Jesus they knew back then and not the miracle worker in front of them now. Then Jesus sent his disciples out to heal the sick, sometime during this time Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been killed by Herod, who threw a big party for his birthday. John the Baptist spoke truth to power, and it cost him his life. Because of John the Baptist, I am always leery of a so-called prophet that wants to get buddy-buddy with politicians just to further their aims. I am not saying don't work with them, I work with politicians all the time to help the community, I do it to help the community, not make myself famous. John the Baptist spoke truth to power and so shall I.

 

In the text the Apostles, the disciples, the sent ones are coming back to Jesus after being sent out, Jesus told them to go around preaching repentance and if someone did not accept them, shake the dust off their feet and keep it moving. The disciples went out to the people, they did not stay inside somewhere and wait for the people to come to them, and when they were done, the disciples had fruit in their ministry. I wonder what state the church would be in if we had more people willing to go out instead of waiting for everything to come to them?

 

Now the disciples are back telling Jesus what they have done. Jesus and his disciples are traveling the countryside, casting out demons and healing the sick. Everything is so busy that the disciples aren't even able to rest and get a bite to eat. Jesus calls the apostles to hop into a boat with him and go away to a deserted place across the Sea of Galilee to enjoy some rest. Jesus tells them to get away for a bit and rest a while. Rest is good, and rest is especially good when you earned it. Jesus saw that the disciples had a need and he met it.

 

But their plans are quickly derailed. The desperately needy people of the region see where Jesus is heading and hurry on ahead of him. When his boat hits the ground, there is a huge crowd waiting for him. Although Jesus is weary, he somehow avoids being annoyed that his much-deserved day off is being interrupted. He isn’t irritated that these people are unable to help themselves. He isn’t even frustrated that the need all around him is so enormous.

 

People began to see and hear the work Jesus and the disciples were doing and the word spread, people were beating Jesus and the disciples to the towns they were going to. Large crowds gathering at these places and Jesus had compassion for them and began to teach the people and heal them. Jesus saw them as sheep without a shepherd and had compassion for them. Shepherds feed their sheep, shepherds, protect their sheep, shepherds clean their sheep. The people needed a shepherd, Jesus saw the need and he met it.

 

Jesus went to Gennesaret, which is important because that is not where they set sail, Jesus and the disciples were getting in the boat headed for Bethsaida but ended up in Gennesaret. Gennesaret was a place where no one spoke Aramaic, this was not a comfortable cozy place for ministry, even so, Jesus and the Disciples still did kingdom work there. We may not always be in the most ideal situations where everything is going to go as we planned it, but God can still get the glory and the work of the kingdom can still be done.

 

Christianity is about proclaiming the Gospel and helping people in need. A compassionate Jesus was willing to help his disciples, a compassionate Jesus was willing to help people from towns and villages that spoke his language, a compassionate Jesus was willing to help people who didn't speak his language. Christ's compassion helped him to act, not just feel for the people from afar. This was only a glimpse of Christ's compassion because we would see Christ's compassion on full display at Calvary, aka Golgotha, aka the place of the skull, when Jesus would willingly give himself up for all of us to have access to eternal life.

 

Where could we be if we went out to the people instead of waiting for them to come to us? Where could we be if we allowed our compassion to drive us to act instead of waiting for someone else to do it? Where would we be if we didn't wait for the perfect opportunity, in the perfect place, at the perfect time to do something for God?

 

Doing What's Possible | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Mark 6:1-13

6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.

² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 

³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 

⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 

⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 

⁷ Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

⁸ These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 

⁹ Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 

¹⁰ Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.

¹¹ And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

¹² They went out and preached that people should repent. 

¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

 

There is a phrase I think of from time to time, "familiarity breeds contempt." Basically, the longer someone is around someone else or something else, the more familiar they get with it and begin stop appreciating as much as they used to. I have some friends and family members that don't think I can preach very well, don't understand how I am on the board of directors for some of the organizations I am, and get surprised at the work I do. Why? Because they only know me as the snot-nosed, nappy head, kid with a lisp that they knew before and can't imagine him being much else besides that. We all do it.

 

Get a brand-new car, get it washed every week, inside smelling great, tire shine on it. Get a new house, everybody must take their shoes off on the way in, don't track outside inside my house. The point is when you have been around it for a long time the newness of it fades. Doesn't have to be material things though, this happens with people too, you can get a promotion on the job, and you friends start to say you are acting funny. I am sure there are some people here who don't hang around the people they used to because you changed, and they couldn't handle it. 

 

We see some familiarity causing contempt in the Gospel of Mark. The passage I read for you at the beginning of this sermon is in Matthew and Luke but there is a little more time between Jesus coming home and Jesus sending the Disciples out. In chapter 5 Jesus healed Jairus's daughter and the woman with the issue of blood and is now coming home. Jesus starts off teaching in the synagogue and later tries to perform some mighty works, but it is not going as well as it did in chapter 5. Chapter 6 is a little different because Jesus is trying to so this in his hometown. 

 

This was new Jesus was different to the people of Nazareth, a lowly carpenter teaching in the synagogue so the text says they took offense. In the Greek the phrase "took offense" can also mean they stumbled, or they fell away. Don't we know him? Isn't this Mary's boy? People are familiar with Jesus and because they are familiar, they even insult him. Watch the text they mention everyone Jesus is related to, name his mother, his brothers, mention his sisters, but they don't name his father. That is not by omission, but intentional, they are calling Jesus a fatherless child while they are talking to him. 

 

The people did not understand the source of Jesus power and wisdom and because they did not understand it, they chose to be familiar than see the move of God. The people chose what made them comfortable over what would make them conquerors. Tradition over triumph and because the people in the village went that way they missed out on miracles. What have we missed out on because, "we have never done it that way before?" The people in Nazareth thought they knew Jesus, and didn't expect anything good from him, and because they expected to nothing, they got what they expected. Jesus was only able to do a few things there and had to move on. Dejected but not distraught Jesus and the Disciples kept doing work. Don't let the little faith of others keep you from doing what God has set out for you to do. Take what you can, do what you can, while you can. If it doesn't work, shake the dust off your feet and keep pushing. Take what you need

 

Faith empowers action, faith is more than just saying I believe, it is doing something along with that belief. Are you willing to do what God says to do using only what God told you to have? Faith empowers actions, the people in Nazareth did not have much faith in Jesus, sure they were surprised but faith is more than having an emotional reaction to something. Faith empowers us to act. We should be able to exercise our faith, no matter how much or how little we must go out into the world and make a difference. God loves us and gives us power to do great things for the Kingdom of God. 

 

Jesus sent the Disciples out with power and authority to cast out demons, to heal the sick, and to do great work for the kingdom and that same power that flowed through them is the same power that flows through us. You may not want to heal the sick and cast out demons, but I bet you could help somebody in need. I bet you could volunteer a little more, I bet you could share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone you haven't talked to about it before. Doing what is possible puts us in a position where God will transform us from people who think real change is impossible, to people who are doing the work of God — even when it looks like the odds are against achieving anything. What is waiting out there for you to finish? How might your decision about that be driven by what is possible for you now? How might God be in that decision?