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?

Two Touches | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Mark 5:21-43

²¹ When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 

²² Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 

²³ He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”

²⁴ So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 

²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 

²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 

²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 

²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 

²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 

³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 

³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

³⁵ While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

³⁶ Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

³⁷ He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 

³⁸ When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 

³⁹ He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 

⁴⁰ But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 

⁴¹ He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 

⁴² Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 

⁴³ He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

 

I would like to give you a little bit of a behind-the-scenes picture of how I write my sermons I’ve decided about 10 years ago to use the lectionary for my scripture selection and I thought that if I Preached the lectionary calendar every year at about 12 years I would’ve rotated through a good portion of the Bible for those who don’t know the lectionary calendar is a three-year rotational calendar that has a Year A, Year B, and Year C. Each Sunday for this calendar they list four types of scriptures, a Psalm, a New Testament Letter, an Old Testament passage, and a Gospel Passage. So, I thought I could use the lectionary for 12 years rotating each year, without repeating passages, but every year I got this week I seem to always pick this passage from the Gospel of Mark. I relate to this passage; I have had some good times and some not-so-good times. I have had some friends and I have been alone; I have been healthy, and I have been sick. I’ve learned that life is full of ups and downs I am sure I am not the only one who has learned this.

 

We all have had to go through some life changes, and if you have not God bless you, and as the adage goes keep saying good morning and you will find some changes. There is a saying that goes we are always in one of three places in life, in the middle of a storm, coming out of a storm, or going into a storm. If we took a testimony, I’m sure many could share how things didn’t go exactly as we planned it but we pushed through and made it to the end. Changes are a part of life, no matter how much we don't like it. But even during those life-changing circumstances, a touch from the lord can make it alright. You can touch the Lord, or the Lord can touch you, either way, that touch can make things better immediately.

 

God shows us this in scripture here in the Gospel according to Mark. Mark the oldest of the Gospels and the shortest. Written by John Mark who spent time walking with Peter, and John Mark wrote about what Peter told him, that is how we get the Gospel of Mark. You can see Peter's personality come out in the text. Peter was short on patience and short on words, Peter let the actions do the talking, and the actions happened immediately, the Gospel of Mark has immediately in it a bunch of times, and the two people in need of healing were healed immediately in this passage. The text starts with Jairus a leader in the synagogue coming to Jesus for help, during the Biblical times, the people of God focused on worshiping in the temple and the synagogues were community-based, the big Temple was destroyed later but the synagogues survived to this day. Jairus was a synagogue ruler, a big fish in a little pond as my family would say but he still needed help once his 12-year-old daughter got sick. He went to Jesus, and he begged him to heal his daughter, it doesn't matter how big you get, how much of a pillar you are in the community, all that can go away in an instant and you lose or almost lose everything valuable to you. Jairus is showing us you must treat people right on the way up, you may need them later, or at least see them on the way down. At least Jairus went to someone that could help him, someone that had the power to make it alright, Jairus saw his baby girl was in trouble and took him to the one that could fix it. Jesus didn't mock Jairus either, didn't ask Jairus to find one of his other Rabbi friends, Jesus did not say he would consider it, Jesus saw the man begging for help and decided to help him.

 

Jesus and company ended up making a pit stop on the way to heal Jairus' daughter, the woman with an issue of blood for over 12 years pushed her way through for her healing. The text says she had spent all her money trying to find a way to get healed but the situation only got worse. She had done all she could and heard about the man named Jesus and had to get to him. The woman with the issue of blood did not care about social rules either, according to Leviticus 15 she should not have been around other people being unclean, but she knew where her healing was and didn't care what happened as long as she got it, the woman said if I could just touch the hem of his garment. Jairus didn't care about his position the woman didn't care about her social status either, whether you are up or down you still can get something from Jesus. If some of us were to pursue Jesus like we didn't care about what other people thought about us. What if we were willing to embarrass ourselves to get closer to God, I remember when David danced for the Lord they made fun of him, but he said I will become more undignified than this. Worrying about what other people think is stagnating and preventing the church from being what God called us to be what if we were a little more like this woman and Jairus?

 

Jesus felt power leave him, so he asked who touched him? The people said Jesus it's too crowded to be asking questions like that, everybody touched you. But Jesus knew this touch was something different. This touch immediately healed the woman's issue, and when Jesus found the woman, the text says she told Jesus the whole truth, some translations say the woman told him all.

Have a little talk with Jesus

Tell him all about our troubles

Hear our fainted cry, answer by and by

Feel a little prayer wheel turning

Know a little fire is burning

Just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

 

Jesus told the woman that her faith made her well, and he called her daughter. The woman went in with an issue and came out family, went in with no name, and came out being called something Jesus doesn't call anyone else in the Bible. The woman was willing to stick around and received her healing and then some.

 

Some people from Jarius’ house show up around that time and tell Jairus Don't bother Jesus your daughter is dead. Jesus told Jairus don't be afraid, only believe and they kept going towards Jairus' home. When the entourage got to Jairus' home they were met outside by some professional mourners. People paid to mourn the loss of a loved one almost put on a show at a funeral. I know this was common back in the Bible times, but I can't help but notice these days you have people that will cause drama for free.

 

Some people like drama some people just aren't happy unless they are seeing some drama or if they can't see some, they will start some. Jesus said the little girl was only sleeping and the people laughed. In response to the drama, and the mess, and the laughter, Jesus put the people out. Jesus touched the young lady, and she was healed immediately, not only healed but healed and hungry. Having been sick before and hospitalized while sick I can appreciate the little girl getting something to eat, that meant she was healed and ready to get back to living life to its fullest.

The woman was someone who was not supposed to be touching people, but Jesus let her, Jairus daughter was dead, people were not supposed to be touching her, but Jesus touched her. In both situations, Jesus did not care about the rules he showed the love of God to the people and healed them both.

 

What if we were willing to not worry about our titles and positions and put some more effort into getting to know Jesus? What if we were willing to go past the rules to help others get to know Jesus as well? Some things in us could make us untouchable, but Jesus is still willing to touch us and let us touch him.

 

The In Between Times | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

2^nd Corinthians 5:6-17

⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

¹¹ Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.¹² We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. ¹³ If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

 

 

I struggle with in-between times when I am almost there but not quite. When I get through security at the airport but haven't boarded the plane yet. When I was at a track meet, and it was not quite yet my time to run. I know the change is coming, just not there yet. I struggle because I always feel like I should be doing something in the meantime. I can't just put my headphones on and listen to podcasts, I'm too worried I might miss some important information, don't want to sleep, because I am worried that I might miss the plane, it's hard for me to even eat.  When I was in-between jobs, that was also uncomfortable. I have not been in between income, I would find a way to earn that, but in between established jobs, or even long-term contracts for my business would make me uncomfortable. Even though they are uncomfortable for me, they are a necessary part of processes, and sometimes needed.

 

The in-between time is not a new concept, some people are comfortable with the practice, people take "gap years" after graduating from High School before they go to college, many successful companies have extremely generous vacation and time-off policies. Even the United Methodist Church has sabbatical time built into our pastoral careers, paragraph 351 of the Book of Discipline says that pastors are supposed to take a sabbatical after 6 years of full-time ministry. If the pastor is part-time, they can take it once they get to the equivalent of 6 years in ministry.  Some people end up in an in-between time involuntarily, they can lose their job, reach some uncertainty in a relationship, must take leaves of absences from jobs or organizations, an in-between time is thrust upon us. Something happens, and suddenly we are living between two points: what was, and what we hope will be. Meanwhile, we’ve got to figure this out.

 

We find some in-between time right here in 2nd Corinthians. Scholars believe that 1st Corinthians was probably Paul's second letter to the church and the letter we call 2nd Corinthians is probably the 4th. Paul is speaking of an in-between time in the text. Away vs. home, faith vs. sight, old vs. new, and flesh vs. new creation. Believers are caught between an "already done" and a "not yet" kind of time.

 

The apostle Paul has an interesting take on this thing we call life. For him, his life was not only an in-between time but an in-between life.  That is, it was life in parentheses, life in the anteroom room of the kingdom of heaven. It was life before life. He writes, “While we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord … we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him” (vv. 6, 8-9).

The people of God were in an in-between time because by the time this passage was written, Christ had died, rose again, and the people were waiting on Christ's return. People are judging the Corinthian church right now; people are putting them to shame. To put it plainly, the church folk don't look good right now.

 

The people were worried about being embarrassed however Christ won't put us to shame.

 

Know that Christ is the final judge, we all must appear before him, that is why whether we are away or at home we should aim to please Jesus. No one else sacrificed their lives so that we could have life and have it more abundantly. No one else willingly gave themselves up for people who did not deserve it, but Jesus did it for them anyway.

 

Romans 5:7-8 says ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Earlier I stopped reading at verse 17 for today's message but if I had gone down to verse 21, verse 21 says ^“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Someone who did not have to make the sacrifice for us did it and did it willingly because he loved us so. Christ died for all; his love pushes us forward (love motivates the mission). That is who we should be looking to impress not anyone else.

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there's just something about that name.

Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim

Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,

But there's something about that name.

 

Also, after Christ gave himself up for us and rose from the dead, we got the Holy Spirit to act as a comforter during the in-between times until Christ comes again.

 

The Spirit is given to believers as a guarantee or promissory note that will be redeemed. We can walk by faith during the in-between times of life because we have something to hold on to that will keep us. In an airport, after I pass security, I may be uncomfortable waiting to get on the plane, but I know I am getting on the plane because I still have my boarding pass.

 

In my senior year of college, the company managing the campus apartments overbooked the room, they tried to get me to sign a release, that release would have gotten me my deposit back, I didn't sign it, because I knew if they had my deposit, they had to find me a room. I had something, that meant the company had to provide something for me. Because I did not sign a release, and they still had my deposit, they had to put me in a hotel until they found an apartment open for me. They were on the hook and if I didn't let them off the hook, they had to come through on their end of the bargain.

 

Paul is not cocky but is confident, confident because he knows that this is temporary and eventually, we will all be with the Lord. He says in verse 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

 

Romans 8:38-40

³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

God's love cannot be contained or constrained.

 

We know the plane is going to leave eventually, we are confident in this because of our faith. 

Christ provides renewal to all things, everything is made new, which means renewal, not a replacement.

 

Paul walked by faith, and so can we. Paul was an ambassador for Jesus Christ, and his mission was to reconcile people to God. The fundamental truth to which we must cling is that God does have a purpose for us, and God is working out that purpose right now — one day at a time. Amen.

 

Can These Bones Live? | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

37 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

I

When I was a child, one of my favorite toys was Legos, I liked to be able to build, if I could not build with legos I would figure out something else I could use to build. I had an active imagination, was always looking at the bigger picture and I liked to see things built, and rebuilt. One of my favorite YouTube channels to watch is a channel called Odd Tinkering. On the Odd Tinkering channel, there is rarely anyone speaking, only a pair of hands-on cameras restoring things people thought were junk. They will take an old video game system, a rusted-out fan or some other item people thought were junk and restore it good as new. I like to see how things are connected. I think many of us like to see how things are connected, millions of dollars of Legos are sold every year, Odd Tinkering has millions of views. We like to see how things come together.

WE

This Ezekiel 37 passage is very popular, there are over 80,000 references to this passage in music and pop culture, there are paintings and drawings about this passage of scripture as far back as the 3rd Century. We can relate to the passage, we can relate to the reconnection, the resurrection, but we can also relate to the times when we are disconnected. There is resurrection in the text because there is something that needs to be resurrected.

Most of us can point to periods when doubts, hopelessness, depression, fear, and anxiety were prominent in our daily living. We can remember times when we had more month than money, times when we could not get ends to turn around and face one another let alone meet. Trouble on the job, trouble in the home, things not going the way we planned. Certainly, hopelessness and despair were a communal experience for the people of Israel at the time of Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones.

Ezekiel was a priest and prophet around the time Babylon defeated Israel. The text was written around the time of Exile, Ezekiel had been in Babylon for about 5 years at the time of the text and was walking around an irrigation canal when he felt the pressure of the lord and caught up in a vision. 

The people of God had been defeated and lost access to the temple, the people of God were marched against their will to Babylon. The Israelites are in a theological crisis because they can't go to church anymore. The primary focus of their worship centered around being able to go to the temple, they were blocked from going to church. This theological crisis caused a political, social, and economic crisis. 

Ezekiel is talking to people who have lost heart, who are suffering a death of the spirit, a living death in exile in a foreign land. Their temple has been destroyed, their holy city plundered, their leaders maimed and put in chains, their soldiers put to the sword, their young men and women either killed or dragged off into a foreign land. Ezekiel witnesses the soul of his people gradually wither and die, becoming as lifeless as a valley of dry bones. Can these bones live? That is what God asks.

GOD

God asks the question, but he knows the answer already, God asks Ezekiel because God wants Ezekiel and the people of God to know that he has not abandoned the exiles. No matter how dead and dry your situation is, God can resurrect it.

a. The miracle of the dead bones (37:1-10): 

Restoring the connection 

An amazed Ezekiel sees dry bones in a valley suddenly reassemble themselves and then become covered with muscles, flesh, and skin! Things that were separated are coming back together. Just like all the bones will be connected, God is going to restore and reconnect his people. I like that God is explicit with the explanation of how the bones and sinews will reconnect. 

Restoring breath/spirit

God breathed life into the bodies after the connections were together. God put the bodies back together, then he put the breath in the body, then he put the spirit in the bodies. That is going to give the people the power to come back again to put one foot in front of the other. 

b. The meaning of the dead bones (37:11-14): 

God explains that he will someday do a similar thing for the nation of Israel! The situation may be messed up right now, but this is not the end of the story. Can these bones live? Can this dead situation be resurrected? Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of man what God can do for you. The bones of your life are dead and disconnected now but God says they won't be that way much longer. 

YOU

God is in control, but that doesn’t mean you lean on a shovel and pray for God to give you a whole. Ezekiel was not just an observer but an active participant in the move of God. You want God to bless you, you must be willing to give him something to bless. Want God to bless your relationship, spend some time working on it yourself and let God provide the increase. Want God to bless your finances, spend some time learning about finances, and let God provide the increase. God has the power to revive the bones on his own without any help, yet God still asked Ezekiel to participate in the process. 

WE

Death is not the end, God revived bones, not people that had recently died, to show God's resurrection power. 

I'm too old to go back to school. Can these bones live? 

It’s too late to start the business. Can these bones live?

It’s too late to reconnect with those loved ones. Can these bones live?

I've been unhealthy for too long. Can these bones live?

Can these bones live? Yes Lord, definitely yes, absolutely yes.

A Real Big Voice | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Psalm 29

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.

8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.

And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

11 The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

I spend some time thinking about the times in my life that I hear God's voice, I am grateful for the times that voice saved me grateful for the times that voice kept me when everyone around me was falling apart. The voice of God kept me from dangers seen and unseen, opened doors no one else could open, and kept doors shut for my protection. I get happy when I think about the God speaking to little old me. 

I don't think I am alone in this, many of us listen for the voice of God, in our prayer time, in our dreams, in our gut reaction to events that happen. As believers, we all long for the voice of the lord and want to know what the plan is for our lives. Even if you are not a believer, I see more people talking about what the universe has in store for them or what the universe is saying to them. We are all looking for some guidance from someone other than ourselves.

There are people in scripture looking for guidance from something other than themselves. Psalm 29 is one of the oldest Psalms, some scholars think it is an adaptation of an ancient Canaanite Hymn to Baal. Canaanite priests are mentioned in other Old Testament books several times. As I have said time and time again, I don't care who does what first, I care who does what right. Yeah, there was some competition for worship in the days of the Bible, and there is some competition for worship today. There is a temptation to be caught up in things besides God, (technology, humanism, prosperity, etc.) people are in a pandemic and are worried about the economy first. People during the time of the text may have thought that Baal or something other than God was in control. 

God invites us to worship

The text says in the first couple of verses to ascribe, to give someone their due, to acknowledge that is glorious, and strong, that God is holy. Our purpose is to worship God, not our political parties, not our bank accounts, not our social circles, not our positions, we are supposed to worship God. While someone may think that Baal or something else is powerful and in control, God is in control. God is powerful, God gives us true peace, God has the glory, God triumphs over chaos. Acknowledge the Lord.  Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the leading Jewish theologians and philosophers of the 20th century, insisted that awe is critical for not taking the world for granted and thus losing the ability to experience it with depth and reverence. That means awe is a pathway not only to knowledge but also to wisdom and God.

The bible says to let everything that has breath praise the Lord. God is all-powerful, wonderful, amazing, excellent, altogether lovely the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

God invites us to listen

The phrase "the voice of the Lord" is repeated 7 times in the passage of scripture. God's voice is powerful, and God's voice is something we should listen to.  When we hear the Lord, we must be open to what God may be saying to us in our lives.  God's voice is powerful, the psalmist describes it as something powerful enough to rip apart trees and make the earth move.  Where has the voice of the lord been in our lives? Where could we use the voice of the lord now? 

God invites us to his inheritance

By the end of the Psalm, we see the glory of the Lord and want to be a part of it, to experience the glory for ourselves. The Lord is enthroned forever, and we want God to pass that glory on to us. The glory, the weight of the Lord we want some of that in our lives today. God uses various ways to come into our lives and being in awe of God and worshiping God is one of those ways. God is inviting us into his family, and this is an opportunity to worship him and listen to what God has to say for our lives.