Blind Side

1 John 3:16-20

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%203%3A16-20&version=NIV;NLT;MSG

 

¹⁶ This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.      MSG

 

One of my favorite movies is Blind Side. It’s the story of a wealthy white couple that adopts an adolescent black boy who is from a very poor background. Although he eventually played in the National Football League, before being befriended by this family, his odds of ever overcoming his life circumstances were virtually zero.

 

The adoptive family went out of their way to help this young man who was homeless, by first providing him a place to stay for the night and eventually adopting him as a part of the family. The bottom line was that someone noticed him, believed in him, loved him and sacrificed for him.

 

Jesus spoke about this kind of love when he said, “love your neighbor as yourself”. He

then explained through the story of the Good Samaritan, that our “neighbor” is defined as anyone in need that we are aware of. He doesn’t give us any disclaimers to justify excluding anyone.

 

^18-20 My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living, truly living, in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.     MSG

 

Henry David Thoreau wrote, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them." How depressing; but when you show love to another person, you are affirming their dignity; their value; their purpose for living, and at the same time affirming your own.

 

What would you be willing to sacrifice for a homeless adolescent? For someone leading a life of quiet desperation? For the guy who cut you off in traffic? For the person who stepped over you to get the promotion instead of you? For the prostitute on the street? For the sexual offender in your neighborhood?

 

Who is your neighbor?

 

 

 

Other passages that relate to this topic of sacrificial love:

Romans 5:7

John 10:11-12         
Matthew 25:31-46

 

 

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The Shout of Victory

Revelation 19:6-8

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2019%3A6-8&version=NIV;NASB;NLT

 

⁶ Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder…     NLT

 

 

 

This verse reminds me of a Buckeye game I went to years ago.

The opposing team, which happened to be the team I was routing for, had marched the length of the field. There were only seconds left in the first half. A touchdown would give us the lead, and a decided edge going into the second half.

 

 

With the momentum and the ball, we were at the closed end of the Shoe. As my team came to the line of scrimmage, the crescendo of the crowd noise was deafening. The ball was snapped; a pass floated into the flat; and a Buckeye intercepted it and ran for a touchdown. That was the game. A shout rose from the stadium to celebrate the victory.

 

Another joyous occasion is a wedding. The bride, and oftentimes her mother, spend months in preparation for the momentous occasion. A dress must be picked; colors chosen; flowers ordered; a meal planned. The details of preparing for an event like this

can become overwhelming at times.

 

But it’s all worth it on the day of the wedding, as people smile broadly at the bride as she walks down the aisle to the traditional music of the Bridal Chorus. Songs are sung, words are proclaimed, vows are taken, the bride and groom kiss and are presented as the new couple. The people rejoice.

 

The victorious shout of a vast crowd and the smiles and tears of a wedding, celebrate temporal events that dot our lives with joy and meaning. However, John is writing about something not temporal, but eternal. The celebration of the wedding of the Lamb of God (Jesus) and his bride (the church), who has prepared herself.

 

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.        NASB

 

The Lord is with us always. He loves us and is always at work in our lives. He is sovereign. He is victorious over death and still reigns. Can you hear the shout of victory? Can you see the Lamb of God waiting for his bride?

 

 

 

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Some Things Never Change

Matthew 4:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%204%3A1-11&version=NIV;TLB

  

Have you ever had a face to face confrontation with the devil? Neither have I. But Jesus did, and he won! There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this passage in Matthew.

First though, let’s take a look at the back story. Let’s dig deeper to see what else was going on.

 

Jesus quoted several verses from the book of Deuteronomy. The lessons of Deuteronomy occurred as the nation of Israel finished wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. They were at the Jordan River as Moses gave them his final words of instruction to prepare them before they entered the Promised Land.

 

Here are just a few of the lessons that Moses passed along to them:

 

¹³ Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his

name.            Deuteronomy 6
 

¹⁶ Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.  Deuteronomy 6

 

³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.    Deuteronomy 8

 

Do these verses sound familiar to you? They are the same words that Jesus used to defend himself against the devil. Spoken 1400 years before, they were still powerful!  Some things never change.

 

I would bet that while Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, that he was meditating on Deuteronomy because he was getting ready to lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land. Not a physical land, like Moses lead them to, but a spiritual home, inhabited by those who have faith in Jesus.

 

In light of this, as we wander in the wilderness, doesn’t it make sense for us to meditate on God’s word to prepare us for battle? Some things never change.

 

⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home

and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.                Deuteronomy 6

 

 

 

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SIDEBAR:

Before leading the people to the Promised Land, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and then wandered in the wilderness for 40 days. This is the reverse order for Moses and the people of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before crossing the Jordan to the Promised Land.

Some things do change, but the purpose doesn’t.

 

Today's message through images.

 

 

The Power of THE Unbalanced Force

Matthew 6:5-13

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A5-13&version=NIV;GNT

 

 

Newton's first Law of Motion reads like this:

 

“An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.”

 

According to teachertech.rice.edu, “This means that there is a natural tendency of objects to keep on doing what they're doing. All objects resist changes in their state of motion. In the absence of an unbalanced force, an object in motion will maintain this state of motion.”         

 

Newton’s three Laws of Motion are the foundation of classical physics. I hated physics! It just didn’t make any sense to me. Apparently though, the main goal of physics is to understand how the universe behaves. Now that interests me, because we as humans are a part of the universe.

 

If you apply Newton’s first Law of Motion to people it might read like this:

 

Every person has their own beliefs, attitudes and habits which will remain the same unless acted on by an unbalanced force. The result is that our human nature resists change.

 

Like Newton’s physical laws, there are spiritual laws at work in our world, and in our hearts.

 

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:21-25 NIV

 

Because of this battle with us, it is critical for us to pray in the way that Jesus taught his followers including, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Or from the Good News Translation: “Do not bring us to hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One.”

 

In other words, “Lord, please be that unbalanced force that redirects my life; that

engages me where I am at; that leads me through trials and temptations; that delivers me from evil; that protects me from myself and from the evil of the world; that changes me into the person you created me to be.”

 

But, if you pray this prayer, be ready for THE unbalanced force.

 

  

 

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Other related verses you might want to read:

James 1:13-15

1 Corinthians 10:13

James 4:7-8

 

YOUR Call to Action

Luke 5:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%205%3A1-11&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

Coach Steward was a big man. He stood about 6 feet 8 inches and probably weighed close to 300 pounds. He was an assistant coach for my high school football team – the St. Louis Sharks of St. Louis, Michigan – the Middle of the Mitten.

 

It was half time of a game that we were obviously losing. First the head coach yelled at us. Then it was Coach Steward’s turn.

 

We sat silently with our eyes fully focused on him as he held a clip board in one hand and began. As he paced the floor, his volume increased. He began to beat on the clipboard with his other hand. When his tirade had reached its climax, he pounded on the clipboard one final time, breaking it in half.

 

Coach Steward had our attention and we were ready to go into battle; to walk through walls for him; to do the impossible. He had called us to action, and we responded.

 

In Luke 5, even though it made no sense, Jesus called Peter to go back out and throw his nets into the deep water. It was a ridiculous request. Peter was the experienced fisherman. He’d been out all night working hard. Jesus was a carpenter and an itinerant preacher. He didn’t know anything about fishing. But Jesus had called Peter

to action, and Peter responded.

 

This was not the first time Peter had interacted with Jesus, and it wouldn’t be the last. John 21 describes a strikingly similar story.

 

Without their Lord, following his death and resurrection, Peter and a few other disciples fished all night in the Sea of Galilee, once again, without catching anything. Jesus appeared on the shore and told them to cast their nets one more time. They did, and the net was filled with “153 large fish”.

 

Following breakfast on the beach, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me”. We know that Peter was hard headed. He lived by the premise of “ready, fire, aim”. He didn’t always think before acting. But the Lord saw something special in Peter. He saw a man who could lead others while following him. That morning, Jesus once again called Peter to action, and he responded.

 

I think that the Lord is still working in your life and mine in the same way as he did with Peter. He keeps showing up in our lives; he keeps speaking to us; he keeps pursuing us; he keeps calling us to action.

 

What has Jesus called you to do? What desire has he given you? What sermon have you heard, or book have you read, where he has spoken to you? Listen closely for his still small voice. Don’t miss it; don’t make excuses; don’t rule it out because it doesn’t make any sense. Just follow him wherever he leads you.

 

 

 

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