The Outsiders

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The Outsiders Luke 2:8-20

Intro: Last week I talked about 3 groups of people that were present at the birth of Jesus, the young, the rich and the fringe.

I tend to identify with the fringe, so I’d like to take some time today to focus on the shepherds.

In the course of life, God often uses events or people we may never have picked ourselves.

We tend to go with what makes most sense, or is most logical.

Today’s story is a good example of that. The Son of God, savior of the world was coming in human flesh and who did God choose to announce it to first? Shepherds!

Shepherds were a despised class in 1st Century Palestine. Their jobs among the dirty sheep keep them from observing the ceremonial law, which meant a lot to religious people. They were also considered unreliable and were not even allowed to give testimony in the court of law.

So imagine the general public, receiving this all-important news from such

a lower class group of people.

Some people may feel like the Shepherds as they try to sort through all the mixed Christmas messages.

From the outside looking in...can I be part of this story too? How can God use me? What does Christmas really mean?

As we continue to prepare for Christmas, today I want to focus on “The Outsiders” in the story, the Shepherds and Angels.

Those who played a supporting role, “Best supporting actor” as it were.

Text: Luke 2:8-20

Song: “Angels we have heard on high”

Big Pic: When God talks to us we need to move from fear to action.

What do you see in this picture? (I’d like to propose 4 basic concepts….)

Shepherds, “average guys” Luke 2:8

What would you say is the most important characteristic if you’re going to

be used by God? Availability (and a willingness to be used).

“God, how can you use me to help change the world?

Awe/Fear Luke 2:9

What do you think made these shepherds terrified?…

God’s presence for sure, with the angel…

Possibly the task ahead of them too, letting everyone know.

Better known as respect for God. Psalm 111:10

Angels...God...Peace Luke 2:10-15

When God shows up in your life, is should be a bit freighting. This is the real deal…

When it’s clear God is speaking to you, you should be able to move along a natural progression of:

Initial fear to repentance (if needed), to understanding, to obedience to action.

An important message being delivered and to be delivered.

These shepherds were now official witnesses to Jesus.

That God choose to use them to spread this heavenly message must have stunned them. “Me God, are you sure?”

“The shepherds, farmers by trade, represent all of us who face a choice of the supernatural event - angels, bright lights, and music. Miraculous or fictitious? Fact or fraud? This will determine your attitude about Christmas.

To many of the "intelligent," it is not reasonable. 1 Cor. 1:18-31

For the shepherds, and should be for us today, it is the reason for our hope, and a hope for our reason.

It was supernatural splendor from a heavenly host!

The church is made up of believers, make-believers, and unbelievers.

Where are you? Don't let Christmas and its real meaning and excitement pass you by.

Conclusion: Frog Vision

How many of you hunted frogs when you were little? (Still do?)

Big ones at Camp McCullough….

Frogs have unique visual powers that enable them to elude their predators.

A frogs vision or optical field is like a white-erase board that is wiped clean. The only images it receives are objects that directly concern him.

Frogs are never distracted by unimportant things. Instead they are only aware of the essentials and whatever may be of danger to them.

So, here we are trying to focus on Jesus during Christmas...we get preoccupied with the distractions of the season.

Our lives easily get cluttered with materialistic and insignificant concerns. If we’re not careful we can lose perspective of what is most important.

Psalm 119:37

The more attracted we are to Christ, the less distracted we’ll be by the world.

As we approach this Christmas, maybe you feel like an outsider looking in.

Can this whole story actually be a part of my life? Can it have a deeper meaning than what I’m used to?

You bet! Remember, God is just waiting for us to ask…

GOSPEL

Christmas Unity

(To hear a podcast of this sermon, please go to www.pacificviewbaptist.com and click on Sermons from the menu on the left.)

Christmas Unity

Intro…The Chargers actually won!

(Union Tribune), “After 57 days Philip Rivers was smiling. Even Norv Turner allowed a grin en route to his first post-game victory speech since Oct. 9^th.” However, the game is blacked out today…

Just as (for some) sports can unite a city, Christmas can and should be something that unites us all.

Christmas stuff everywhere, music etc. even though some people want to call it “The Holidays.”

Big Pic: Christmas can unite the general population, if they choose to participate.

Through Christmas, Christ can change a life, if a person is willing.

Text: Matthew 2:1-2, Luke 2:6-15

Birth announcement

Who gets invited to this special birth?

They young, The Rich and The Fringe

The young (Mary and Joseph, obviously)

Mary and Joseph were a young, scared couple. God entrusted the future of his own son to them.

The young is the future of every church.

Why do you think McDonalds puts those nifty play structures right out front where all the parents and kids can see them?

The parents bring the kids and spend the money.

Let’s consider together how our church will be attractive to young families and young people.

As we grow and flex as a church, let’s keep the next generation in mind.

The rich (Magi, could’ve been 3 or more) Matt. 2:1-12

These were the upper class, priests and experts in mysteries in Persia and Babylon.

However, by this time “magi or wise men” applied to a wide range of people whose practices included astrology, dream interpretation, study of sacred writings, the pursuit of wisdom and magic.

These wise men traveled with a large number of attendants and guards for the long journey, which would have taken several weeks up to 40 days.

V. 11 They brought expensive gifts to Jesus, gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Average income of people in Encinitas area: over $90,000.00

Median house price: $600,000.00

That’s rich to me…

God is asking us to also reach our “rich” neighbors.

The fringe (shepherds)

The Shepherds were on the fringe, invited into this grand event by God.

Shepherds were stinky, living in the fields with smelly sheep.

They didn’t wear the fancy clothes like the magi.

They didn’t bring expensive gifts…

The fringe in our community could be those surfers…

Or to some people, these are people on the fringe: homeless. Couples living together, homosexuals, someone with a drinking/drug problem, someone with too many tattoo’s, a person that been divorced…twice, a theologically confused person, a non-Christian, a Presbyterian, a street kid, a goth, Encinitas new ager,

or anyone you are uncomfortable around…

The fringe should be able to walk into our church and feel welcomed.

But also need to remember that the fourth presence at Jesus’ birth was

The divine (angels, God’s presence, God himself)

In a healthy church, God’s presence is obvious.

Meeting with Ron Bachman, talking theology, “How do you explain God’s presence?”

It will be the love of Jesus and the presence of God that will truly help welcome people into our church.

And there you have a picture of healthy church life.

The young and the old

The rich and the poor

God himself

I chose this theme of unity today because this is the third service we’ve done together since Thanksgiving.

Today we’re not only talking about the birth of Christ, but also about the importance of unity.

Let’s pray together as a church on how we can move forward with this idea.

Went to the Encinitas “holiday parade” with the little ones. Ended up sitting with Relda, Becky and Josiline.

Tons of people and entries. Definitely an event that unites the town of Encinitas.

Fun event, a few churches were there…

Swami’s “Joy to the world.”

You all know how the song goes…

Let’s sing it…Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king, let every heart prepare Him room.

Christmas should unite us as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Paul's final days

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Paul’s Final Days

Intro: Two famous people we’ve all heard of: Paul the apostle and Nero the Emperor.

In the 70AD these two famous men lived in the same city. While Nero’s name was making headlines, Paul’s wasn’t. Anderson Cooper would have wanted to interview Nero. Nero would have been invited to state dinners hosted by the President Obama. Nero was hero. Paul was zero. He was a stoop-shouldered, balding, crooked nose, cloudy-eyed old man. Paul kept talking about Jesus as if he were God. So, Paul got locked up in prison in Rome. If you asked anyone in Rome in the 70 AD, “Who will make the greatest impact on the world, Nero or Paul?” everyone would pick Nero. Nero was married to Poppaea Sabina, a blonde, head-turning beauty who bathed in donkey milk. 400 donkeys were kept on hand for just that. She would be dried by swan feathers and massaged with crocodile mucous. Nero liked soft skin, and what Nero wanted, Nero got. At age 25, Nero deified himself by erecting a 120 foot tall statue of himself. People looked up to Nero, but looked down on Paul. Paul was common, described as bald-headed, bow legged, small man with a big nose and scruffy, thick eyebrows that met in the middle, and a body covered with scars.

Text: 2 Timothy 1:8-12

Big Picture: What will be your legacy? What will be on your tombstone? What will they say at your funeral?

The New Testament records the dynamic life and deep struggles of Paul. Here are a few highlights:

Paul tells of his tumultuous life. 2 Corinthians 11:23-30

Paul walked in the major cities of the known Roman world.

Paul worked as a tent-maker in the mornings and spoke about Jesus Christ and the Gospel from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day except the Sabbath.

Paul wrote books as he traveled and as he sat in prison, and we treasure his words to this day.

“Be anxious for nothing”

“Our citizenship is in heaven”

He spoke of “the love of Christ which passes knowledge”

Paul was a spokesman for God’s grace; he was a messenger of grace; his favorite word was “grace.”

“By grace you have been saved.”

“You can earn salvation no more than you can earn a mother’s love.”

“We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Paul was both a prophet and a pastor, who never got over that the living Jesus met him, changed him and commissioned him as an apostle.

Everywhere he went Paul caused an uproar.

Acts 21:30-31

Even though Paul led a crazy life, causing trouble for Jesus, he endured to the end.

Being rejected and often left for dead, how did Paul face the severe challenges in his life?

I can tell you what he didn’t do. He didn’t dig deep within himself and rely on his “inner strength”.

He knew where his help came from and he readily admitted he needed God.

Some of you may be able to relate. Some of us are rejected by our families or friends for following Jesus.

Some may thing you are crazy for even believing in Jesus.

Some feel the isolation that comes from being devoted to Jesus.

We all have storms of some kind—relational, financial, personal.

I’m sure if I asked any of you to share we would here some amazing stories of struggle in your lives.

While in the Roman prison Paul wrote to Timothy revealing the secret of his endurance. (2 Timothy 1:8-12)

Since we can relate to Paul, let’s discover his secret.

Don’t ashamed of the testimony of our Lord

Share in the suffering (knowing many have gone before us)

We have been saved by God and called to a holy calling.

We’ve done nothing to earn this grace, what a Christmas gift!

Death (spiritual) had been abolished and we have immortality through the gospel.

Again, we don’t need to be ashamed because: “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.”

That’s the secret! Not some silly book…

Paul anchored his life to a hope out of this world and beyond himself.

Paul entrusted his life into the hands of God.

We can identify with Paul because many times we feel like nothing in life is going right.

Paul ended his life very well; Nero did not.

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Paul’s new life began on the Damascus road and ended on a chopping block in a prison cell in Rome.

Nero at the age of 29 was lonely and paranoid.

His second wife killed his first wife and Nero kicked/stomped on his pregnant second wife and she died.

Four years after Paul’s death, Nero committed suicide.

Nero was no hero. Paul still impacts us to this day.

Think about this:

There are no Saint Nero Cathedrals or churches.

When was the last time you heard of someone naming their son Nero?

Lots of people are named Paul or Pauline or Paulina.

Who are the real difference-makers in the world?

Not the spot-light seeking, attention-craving celebrities. (ad nauseum)

It is the ordinary Pauls and Paulines, the church, who are making a difference for all eternity.

Only those who believe in Christ have received the story of grace.

Upper Story/Lower Story

In the lower story of our lives there is chaos, confusion, struggles, sickness, and imprisonments. Sometimes we feel like that is all there is. The Christian realizes though, that above all this there is an upper story. God has a plan before time that will continue after this version of earth.

Maybe you’re laboring away in relative anonymity, doing your thing for the glory of God. You’re loving your kids. Teaching first graders. Manning the fire station. Showing up at work. Hanging in there with that grumpy spouse. Taking it a day a time.

Life comes with challenges. Life comes with storms. You are a living epistle. Do not underestimate how God is going to use your life.

The real change makers are those who are quietly working under the radar, not those who are walking the red carpet.

They are touching lives and making a difference, one life at a time. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disheartened.

Most of us look awfully ordinary. And the church, with all of her bumps and bruises looks terribly ordinary.

Are you fighting the good fight?

Are you finishing the course?

Are you running the race?

What will be said at our funeral, in you obituary?

Communion intro…

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The importance of Paul’s Mission

Acts, Romans and 1 Corinthians.

Intro: A little boy was asked by his Sunday School teacher why is it important for us to be quiet in church. The little guy answered, “Because people are sleeping.”

I hope our study of the Bible is not putting people to sleep.

Review: God used Israel in the Old Testament to win people back to himself, even though Israel failed in many ways.

In the Gospels we read of God sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to win us back by dying on the cross for us, solving the big problem called sin.

In the Book of Acts and the New Testament epistles (or letters), we see God using the church—us—to find his lost children and to bring them home.

We are the church—the body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12:27.

Text: 1 Cor. 12:12, 26.
Big Pic: Paul’s mission to the Gentiles is important to us today because we were once Gentiles in need of a savior and can only be saved through grace and faith, not by sticking to a set of laws.

The church is the body of Christ in the world. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Assembled together the church is Jesus, and we are to think like Jesus, act like Jesus and love others like Jesus loves them.

WWJD

The church is commissioned to go into all the world as witnesses to Jesus. Acts 1:8

God wants all people in the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:16-17

Tebowmania

God raised up a point leader to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth: Paul.

Saul of Tarsus was an unlikely candidate to become the world’s first and most renown missionary.

Susan Boyle

Acts 9:1-9 The Message

Saul hated Jesus and the church and hunted down and killed Christians.

Even Saul who became Paul was amazed that Jesus chose him as a missionary to the ends of the earth. I Corinthians 15:9

Paul’s three missionary journeys

Paul planted 10 churches and wrote 13 of the 27 New Testament books.

When the NT books were written.

The Book of Galatians was written in correlation with the great Jerusalem Council (Acts 15).

The Jerusalem Council dealt with the question: Do Gentiles have to become Jews (in practice) to be true Christians?

Some Jewish leaders said Gentiles had to do two things to become true Christians: 1) believe in Jesus Christ, and 2) be circumcised (i.e., practice Jewish laws).

The Jerusalem Council reached the conclusion the Gentiles did not to submit to Jewish laws. Acts 15:23-25, 28-34

Paul’s book of Galatians argues for the reasons behind the strategic decision.

Mainly that these Gentiles did not have to become Jews or follow the outward ceremonies of the Mosaic law.

To require these things is to deny the heart of the gospel, which is justification by grace and faith alone, not by obedience to the law.

Oh, I know we’d like to earn it…book pg. 69

Why is Paul’s mission to the ends of the earth important to us?

Because we all start of as Gentiles. It is because of Paul’s mission that we are invited into salvation.

We need to be saved as much as the Gentiles did in the time of Paul.

If you are a follower of Christ, somebody told you about God’s plan, and that took a “missionary.” Think back to the very first missionary who approached you, invited you, and lived out their faith in front of you.

For me it was my Dad and Mom…

The Book of Acts is our story.

The book of Acts is still being written today.

The acts of the apostles are to be the acts of our local church.

The mission of the church is our mission: to be Jesus to our Jerusalem, (Encinitas) to our Judea (San Diego) and Samaria (California) and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

In the power of the Holy Spirit we intend to do that until we breathe our last breath, or until someone chops our head off, which is exactly what happened to Paul.

As we continue to study the Bible, let’s always remember the “upper story” and “lower story” of the Bible.

In the last 29 weeks, instead of diving into the details of the Bible, we have focused on the upper story of God, what God is up to, his story.

Right from the first page you get the idea that God is up to something. We see he has a vision, a passion simply to create us so he can be with us.

Our representatives, Adam and Eve, had a different vision, and their choice injected sin into the human nature and is transmitted to every human being, separating us from God.

That’s just Chapter One. The rest of the Bible tells the story of the extent that God will go to get us back; the relentless pursuit of God.

Now the question is, who is going to take the message of Jesus and what he has done to the world?

Starting in the book of Acts and continuing to the end of the Bible in Revelation, God establishes the church.

God’s primary relationship in the Old Testament is with Israel, but in the New Testament it is with the church.

What is the mission of Pacific View? Love God, Love others and Serve the World.

Barnraising…we all gotta work together to build God’s church.

Paul was God’s original point man.

Tim Tebow’s doing his best…

Now it’s up to us “normal people.”

All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.

He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?"

He said, "Who are you, Master?"

"I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next."

His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing.

Just for fun

Some truisms of life:

There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

Was learning cursive in school really necessary?

Map Quest really needs to start directions on #5 since I’m quite sure I already know how to get out of my driveway.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you why the person died.

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks if I want to save the changes to my 10-page technical report that I did not make any changes to.

I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone so I’ll know not to answer if they call.

I think the freezer ought to have a light inside like the refrigerator.

I wish Google maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand what was said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them almost forever.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket or purse, finding their cell phone, and pinning the tail on the donkey. But I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from three feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

Always giving thanks

Always giving thanks Psalm 100

Intro…One of the challenges of being a pastor for so many years is coming up with “new” stuff for the major holidays.

I have this fear that people are subconsciously “bored” before they get here…”How will the pastor put a new spin on this holiday?”

I suppose Thanksgiving is not quite as bad as Christmas and Easter, but it’s good we are reminded yearly of what is important.

Today and on Thanksgiving, we take time to be extra thankful. Just like Christmas and Easter we should actually be thinking of these things all throughout the year though.

Text: Psalm 100

Here’s a few nuggets from this passage:

v. 1-2 “ Make a joyful noise” is relative to culture.

This Psalm invites all the earth to join the song of praise.

Let’s focus on the fact that we are told to make a joyful noise to the Lord, serve him with gladness and come into his presence with singing.

If those three things are happening, then we need to let it happen! Even if we don’t like the style, format or method.

We can easily get comfortable with “our style” of music, what we are comfortable with, and there is nothing wrong with that!

I’m as guilty as the next person…I will admit I like a certain style of worship music.

Worship videos…

Sanctuary, Cowboy church, reggae, rap etc.

Even today we experienced 3 different styles of worship. For some of us, that was a stretching experience.

But here is something all Christians should have in common,

“Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!”

As Christians, we have so much to be thankful for, in every culture, in every place around the world.

v. 4 Come into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise.

“Gates and courts”

Sometimes we are actually in a church building/sanctuary where there are gates and courts.

Other times we are enjoying his creation outdoors.

In reality, we are always in God’s gates and courts so let’s not save up all the thanksgiving and praise only for Sunday mornings.

Enter each day with thanksgiving and praise.

v. 3 & 5 Know that God is good and he takes care of us.

This is a fact and should eliminate any questions we have about God’s goodness.

“God is good, all the time.” Let’s say it…

What are the qualities of a good shepherd? (Guides, keeps the sheep from getting lost, protects, gently nudges with the crook,

Most of us would like to think we aren’t dumb like sheep…

We are thanking God for the privilege of being the sheep of his pasture.

In fact, God is so good that his love endures forever and he is faithful to all generations.

Conclusion:

Look at the title: “A Psalm for giving thanks.”

We are thankful to God because we need him.

Well, we are about to eat…

(To hear a podcast of this sermon, please go to www.pacificviewbaptist.com and click on Sermons from the menu on the left.)

New Beginnings Acts 2

Intro: A book, 100 pages long published by the Department of Justice, can be downloaded is a book that no parent wants to read.

The title is When Your Child is Missing.

Key bullet points and action steps are on the cover of the book, like, “You’re not alone,” “Hope is essential,” “Trust your feelings and share them with law enforcement officials,” “Distribute pictures,” “Keep your focus,” “Exercise caution,” and the final exhortation is “Never stop looking.”

The parents of Jacob Wetterling have been searching for him since 1989. They post messages saying, “We’re still searching for you and we will never quit.”

Parents will spare no expense as with resolute passion they search for their missing children.

So does God. God has lost children, people who have gone the wrong direction, lost their bearings, lost their place in this life and lost their vision of the next life.

God initiated a massive, three-phase search and rescue strategy to find his lost children.

The first phase was Israel. God wanted a nation through whom to show his character and to call people back to himself.

The second phase was Jesus Christ. Jesus declared, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

We are lost and Jesus is the way back home. By his death on the cross and his resurrection, we can be reunited to our heavenly Father.

The third phase is the church. We will be looking at the Book of Acts, beginning with Acts 1:8.

Text: Acts 2:42-47

Big Pic: The church is not a museum for saints, it’s a hospital for sinners.

Thankfully, we have a God who continues to pursue us, even when we continue to sin.

The Book of Acts is the second of a two-book set written by Luke.

The Gospel of Luke describes the second phase: God finding his lost children through Jesus Christ.

The Book of Acts, written by Luke and addressed to the same person, Theophilus, as his Gospel, describes the third phase: God finding his lost children through the church. Acts 1:8 is the theme verse of Acts.

How many disciples did Jesus have? (more than 12)

The disciples, 120 of them, (v. 15) wait in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded.

Why Jerusalem? Because the Day of Pentecost is approaching and about a million people will be in Jerusalem.

On the Day of Pentecost, the 120 disciples hear a violent wind and are anointed with tongues of fire as the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them. Acts 2:1-4

The 120 disciples become cross-cultural missionaries, speaking the wonderful works of God in the languages of the world. Acts 2:5-12

The people are rightly so amazed at the miracle of the languages.

The burning question is: “What does this mean?” Acts 2:12

Peter, who had previously denied the Lord, is now filled with the Spirit. He boldly declares the meaning of the events of Pentecost: Jesus is alive and he is Lord. Read Acts 2:14-36

The response? Three thousand respond to Peter’s explanation by repenting, being baptized, and becoming the first people in the birth of the church. Acts 2:37-41

The massive, diverse, multi-cultural crowd of 3000 believers becomes the unified community—the church. (Acts 2:42-47)

God is still finding his lost children and creating a thriving family.

Think about the church throughout the world, so-o diverse, so great!

Amidst the diversity, what keeps us all united? The presence of the Spirit.

There are no singular pronouns in Acts 2:42-27. (re-read emphasizing “they”)

The church is not a collection of saved individuals; it is a community living in the Spirit of God.

Illustration/Application:

There is an Episcopal priest who wears a huge golden cross. To some other pastors, it seemed a bit showy at first. That is, until you hear the story behind it.

Jim served many years in his congregation and when he became bishop, he had to leave the congregation he loved. The congregation loved Jim and donated gold items that could be melted down and molded into a cross. In Jim’s cross were melted wedding bands, a friend’s ring meant for his bride, rings from widows and widowers, golden add-on beads, even some crowns from teeth. Over 242 different contributions made up Jim’s huge, golden cross. Stories of peace and pain were forged into a cross binding them altogether.

The bishop’s cross is a picture of the church. When we hold a hand in the hospital, when a conservative loves a liberal, when a Hispanic loves an Anglo and an Anglo loves an African-American, when the young respect the elderly and elderly love the young, a cross is forged and visible for the world to see.

The new church met from house-to-house, eating meals together and using their homes as places of God’s love. Acts 2:46-47

The church spread into Judea and Samaria as Jesus commanded.

Saul of Tarsus was converted and became a missionary to the nations in the far reaches of the world. Acts 9

Paul wrote many of the books in the NT.

Application:

Did you know that a military general’s command remains in effect until he issues a new command?

Good soldiers follow commands, they don’t stop to think about it.

Jesus issued a command to us and it hasn’t changed…Acts. 1:18

We have a task/command to carry out and that’s how the church grows.

This isn’t a suggestion…

The Resurrection

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The Resurrection Matthew 27:62-64

Intro: “Christmas in July”…how about “Easter in November?”

Last Sunday, the importance of the cross, today the importance of the resurrection and “Moving from Friday to Sunday.”

“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming” VIDEO

The first Easter Sunday was so good because the days before had been so bad.

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and Easter Sunday the resurrection.

The Saturday in between commemorates desperation. On that Saturday it seems that Christ was totally defeated as his body lay utterly dead in a rock tomb.

The spear had sliced his heart and his tongue had gone silent.

Death was absolute. No one was betting on resurrection.

How could they? No one had ever seen a resurrection before..

Today we’ll see how we can get unstuck from “Saturday mindset” and move into “Sunday mindset.”

Text: Matthew 27:62-64

Big Pic: What a difference a new day can make. In the life of Jesus, Saturday seemed hopeless, but Sunday was glorious. In our lives, any day can seem hopeless. God gives us a new chance everyday to have a glorious life.

Saturday was a no hope, no courage day.

While Jesus’ opponents celebrated his death, his disciples were hiding in fear that they, too, would receive a cross.

The disciples hid behind closed doors in fear.

The disciples did not trust Jesus’ promises of a resurrection.

Mark 9:30-32

The women disciples did not intend to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection body, but to embalm his dead body. Mark 16:1-3

Application: We too can easily get stuck in Saturday, living with a Saturday state of mind—no hope, no courage, no plans, believing that death is the final end.

Not only are we talking about physical death, but the circumstances in your life that seem so hopeless.

Take a minute and think about a situation in your life that is bumming you out…

Everyone dies, but we try to avoid that reality.

We attempt to stay in the land of eternal youth, plastic surgery, botox, exercise, etc. etc.

We brush our teeth, eat good foods, pay our taxes, drive a Chevy….

Famous people who have died?

Love gets buried in a tomb, poetry gets buried in a tomb.

Is this all there is?

If it was, what a gloomy outlook.

Sunday—resurrection day—is a day of eternal love, life and hope.

Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb stuck in a Saturday state of mind. John 20:11-18

The empty tomb did not take away her despair and grief.

The angels did not take away her despair and grief.

Mary Magdalene, the one Jesus befriended and delivered from demonic oppression, had the sadness of Saturday covering her heart.

She was “stuck in Saturday.”

Jesus, alive from the dead, meets with Mary Magdalene, calling her by name.

Mary thought wrongly that Jesus was the gardener.

When everyone thought Jesus was dead, no one called him “Lord” except one—Mary Magdalene.

Jesus speaks Mary’s name and she realizes that Jesus, her Lord, is alive from the dead.

Application:

Why did Jesus personally appear to Mary Magdalene?

Because that is just the kind of person Jesus is. He is full of mercy and full of compassion.

Are you in a season of darkness?

This could be a good season for you.

During the times we are stuck in Saturday God does not get upset with us.

God is patient with us. Shh, be quiet and listen, Jesus is also calling you by name.

God’s desk calendar in heaven is stuck on Sunday.

God is inviting you to move from a Saturday state of mind into Sunday. The choice is yours.