Tag: bible

The God of Another Chance

The God of Another Chance

Luke 13:6-9 NLT… Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ 8 “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. 9 If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”

Introduction: In the wake of two national tragedies, Jesus preaches that condemnation is not the posture to assume but repentance is. When we fail to repent, we choose to perish. Reference verses 1-5

Transition: This parable of the barren fig tree is an appendix of the verses that precede it. It’s Jesus’ way of illustrating that when your focus is judgmental, critical, and damning of others, you have lost sight of your responsibility to be faithful and fruitful.

Exposition:

-The landowner’s expectation is fair but futile… verse 6

-The landowner’s evaluation is not rash but reasonable… verse 7

-The extension is granted because of the gardener’s plea for mercy and plan for grace… verse 8

Conclusion: This story is left incomplete, because it wasn’t about the tree in the first place. There is a possibility for conversion or condemnation… verse 9

The Scandal of Christmas

The Scandal of Christmas

Genesis 3:1-10 The Message… The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”   2-3 The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’”   4-5 The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”   6 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. 7 Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. 8 When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.   9 God called to the Man: “Where are you?”   10 He said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.”

Introduction: Scandal is defined as an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage.

Transition: The Christmas story is familiar to us, but the scandalous truth is something we choose ignore and deem as inappropriate for our picturesque customs.

Exposition: The scandal of Christmas is sin, which is rooted in self and that is a dilemma that demands a savior.

Conclusion: Yes, our story is scandalous but our God is the solvent for sins scarlet stain!

What Are You Waiting For? 10 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 10 of 10

The Talents

Matthew 25:14-30 NLT… “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

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19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ 21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Introduction: When God gives a gift, we bare the weight of using it for maximum multiplication.

Transition: When Jesus told this parable, it was understood opposite of the way we understand it. We compliment what in Jewish antiquity would have been condemned, and vice versa.

Exposition: Jesus labels those who bury their talent instead of being multiplying it…

-Wicked (verse 26)

-Lazy (verse 26)

-Useless (verse 30)

Conclusion: What are you waiting for? Whatever God has given you, use it! Splurge it, invest it, risk it, spread it, for the glory of God and the growth of God’s kingdom!

Reference Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

What Are You Waiting For? 9 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 9 of 10

The Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids

Matthew 25:1-13 NLT… “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ 7 “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. 8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ 9 “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. 11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’

12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ 13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

Introduction: Old wisdom advises us to embrace the principle of readiness. “It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it”.

Transition: The early church fully expected the second coming of Jesus during their lifetime. This created an issue of looking being more prevalent than living.

Exposition: This parable is both an exhortation and admonition…

-Don’t believe the hype (verses 3-5)

-Stop depending on charity to cover your immaturity (verse 8)

-Midnight always tells the story (verse 6)

-Some opportunities really are once in a lifetime (verses 10-12)

Conclusion: What are you waiting for? You can only conceal temporarily and somethings you can’t steal, you must be ready so you can enjoy the journey.

What Are You Waiting For? 8 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 8 of 10

The Wicked Servant (Pulpit Notes)

Matthew 24:45-51 NLT… “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. [46] If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. [47] I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. [48] But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ [49] and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? [50] The master will return unannounced and unexpected, [51] and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What’s most concerning to me about this parable, is that the use of the word wicked/evil is not associated with an outhouse sinner but with an in-house servant/a trusted steward. Jesus informs us in this end time description, that sometimes our enemy isn’t without but sometimes the threat to decency and order, is an inside job.

The problem presented in this prophetic parable is that a trusted servant of the house can defect to evil/to wickedness/to disobedience, which results in permanent judgment.

Why? Why would a servant of such a kind/trusting master decide to go rogue/defecting to wickedness? Jesus gives us the answer in verse 48 in the words evil and thinks. Evil introduces a cancerous infection of the heart, while thinks implies the cancer has spread to the head. The servant has this false sense that the master will be gone so long that essentially this is my house now, and I can allow all of my perversion/dysfunction/arrogant opposition to the master a loose on everybody and everything in the house.

Brothers and sisters, Galatians 6:7 is clear “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. You just can’t give God your posterior to kiss and think you’ll get away it! This Christian life is not a childish game, nor is it an opportunity for you to come up at God’s expense. It’s either all or nothing!

What are you waiting for? There is no time for the exertion of our will, only the execution of God’s will! Why? He’s coming back one day just like he said he would, but we don’t know when. So we must be ready for his return.

What Are You Waiting For? 7 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 7 of 10

The Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14 NLT… Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!

4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.

7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Introduction: Jesus is having a bad day, and it begins with a walk, a cursed fig tree, an argument, and parables that are uncharacteristic of Jesus to tell.

Transition: Let’s not give more weight to the king of a kingdom, than we do to a father giving a banquet for his son. The king of heaven is relational!

Exposition: What are banquet clothes? Matthew 21 has the answers…

-A life that bears good fruit (verses 18-22)

-A life that accepts the authority of Jesus (verses 23-27)

-A life that is deeper than words (verses 28-32)

Conclusion: What are you waiting for? The Christian is called to a life which must produce love (John 13:35) and light (Matthew 5:16).

What Are you Waiting For? 2 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 2 of 10

Wheat and Tares

Matthew 13:23-30 NLT… Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Introduction: “Your perspective will either become your prison or your passport.” ~Steven Furtick

Transition: Theodicy is the theological construct resolving the omnipotent and benevolent God, in relation to persistent evil in the world.

Exposition:

-You can do it right and wrong still happens

-You can mean right and do it wrong

Conclusion: What are you waiting for? Don’t allow problems to prevent progress!

What Are you Waiting For? 1 of 10

What Are You Waiting For? 1 of 10

The Sower

Matthew 13:1-23 NLT… Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. 14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eye— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Introduction: This series will focus on the parables of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. A parable is a compound word in Greek, and it means to cast alongside.

Transition: The issue with this parable is that allegory (a stories elements have hidden meaning) is introduced in the explanation to the disciples, which implies that verses 18-23 were additions.

-Compacted (footpath)
-Crippled (rock)
-Crowded (thorns)
-Choice (fertile)

Exposition: Hope of a harvest begins with what’s in your hand. You have seed and a field; so, what are you waiting for?

-It will not always be efficient (there will be waste)
-It will not always be expeditious (there will be a waiting period)
-It will not always be what you expected (there will be more)

Conclusion: What are you waiting for? The kingdom needs you to take what you have and plant it, care for it, and prepare for the harvest!

BIG Words 3 of 3

BIG Words (Reconciliation) Making sense of Christian language, for holy and healthy living.

II Corinthians 5:18-20 NLT… And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Introduction: Like a puzzle, reconciliation involves patience, determination, common sense, and maturity.

Transition: The following definitions will help us understand this BIG Word, and how it is to be a part of our lives and…

-Reconciliation: the intentional return and commitment to relational health; the merger of wills in favor of unity. REFERENCE Romans 12:17-21

-Ambassador: an authorized agent into a foreign country who speaks on behalf of an invested power.

Exposition: This is a spiritual plea that has physical implications.

–Reference I John 1:5-10

Conclusion: God’s children have the responsibility of getting it right, and that only comes through death/the demise of negativity, hostility, selfishness, and vengeance.

Just Like Jesus 3 of 4

Objective: To transform our lives and relationships, by living into what it means to be Christlike.

Hearing God

James 1:22-24 NLT… But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

Introduction: As we celebrate the birth of the church, we must consider if God can trust us to carry out God’s kingdom building mission.

Transition: The tension of the text, is found in a person’s disregard of the details they learn from the mirror.

Exposition: Hearing God is a discipline…
-Devote and defend time. Reference Psalm 88:13, Psalm 141:2, Psalm 55:17 -Dig into the scriptures. Reference Psalm 1:2 -Determine to be receptive. Reference Acts 17:11

Conclusion/Overwhelming Observations:
-Not sound but substance (listen)
-Discernment is necessary (to God’s word)
-Input makes you responsible for output (do what it says)