19

Jump Start # 1233

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1233

Proverbs 19:19 “A man of great anger will bear the penalty, for if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.”

  It is interesting how often the Bible addresses the subject of anger. Proverbs tells us not to associate with an angry person, lest we learn his ways. James tells us that anger does not achieve the righteousness of God. Paul said that anger invites the devil and do not let the sun go down upon your anger. Jonah was angry. Cain was angry. The prodigal’s older brother was angry. Naaman was angry.

 

Our verse tells us that great anger comes with a cost. There is a penalty that the angry man will suffer. His anger will be expressed. He will say and do things that will hurt others. It will catch up with him and it will put him in trouble. Our verse isn’t directed toward the angry person. It’s directed to the one who tries to help him. Maybe it’s a parent. Maybe it’s a wife. Maybe it’s a friend. They have seen these outbursts for years. They have tried and tried to help and all they do is rescue him and apologize for him. His angry way has embarrassed and shamed them. Instead of being sorry and penitent, he finds fault with others. His continual blowups at work eventually costs him a job. Neighbors fear him. Some how he finds his way into a church. He gets his way, much too often, because others feel his tongue lashing and bullying way.

 

Our country, especially the folks in the St. Louis area, are on edge because of anticipated outbursts of violence and anger concerning the grand jury verdict about a white police officer shooting an unarmed black teenager. There has been angry mobs roaming that area off and on for months. When the shooting first happened, protests turned to violence. It gave some an excuse to rob stores and roam streets shouting ugly threats. Anger. Many innocent people were hurt. This may likely happen again. It’s not a healthy situation. There is no dialogue, wise heads nor sound voices trying to calm people down. Angry. Money has been offered by groups if anyone will locate the police officer who shot the teenager. They want to kill the police officer.

 

Much of the movies today are angry. Much of the modern music today is angry. What is happening isn’t anything new. Back in the old west, mobs would pull a guy out of jail and string him up. They wouldn’t wait for a trial. They were the judge and jury. Even before this, it was an angry mob that rushed Stephen and drove him out of town and crushed him with rocks. Before that, it was an angry crowd that shouted, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him,” when Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus.

 

In anger we say things that shouldn’t be said. Our emotions take over, we get worked up and without thinking, words are said. Those words are remembered. They are remembered by the children who hear us saying those things. They are remembered by the innocent who were hurt by them. In describing the type of leaders for God’s kingdom, Paul told Titus that shepherds were not “quick tempered.” Timothy was told that these men were to be “temperate.” Temperate is where we get the word “temperature.” There are two temperatures that affect relationships. We see this in homes. We see this in congregations.

 

First, it can be too cold. We are not talking about the air temperature, but tension, problems, issues. When it is icy between people, it is felt. The words are not warm and welcome. What is said, is only enough to let the other person know that I am bothered by you. The cold shoulder, the silent treatment, the ignoring of one another is enough to tell that the temperature isn’t where it ought to be. It’s tough in a marriage. It’s tough in a church.

 

Second, it can be too warm between people. Now we are talking about anger. Sharp words. Cutting comments. Little digs that bury a relationship. Mean. The edges of our words are rough and they hurt. They are intended to hurt.

 

Too cold or too warm… Sounds like the story of the three bears. However, this isn’t a story. It’s reality for many people. They live in homes where things are not talked about. If they are, it’s not talking, it’s shouting that takes place. Too cold and too warm is not comfortable—whether you talk about air temperature or the temperature in relationships.

 

Our verse today doesn’t give much help. In fact, it’s directing the innocent to let the angry person suffer. Let him pay the penalty for the trouble he gets in. Helping him out doesn’t help him.

 

In the home, it is the role of the man, as husband and father, to control the thermostat of relationships. If it is too cold inside, he needs to take the lead and warm things up by reassuring people, expressing his appreciation of them and counting blessings. He needs to take the lead in apologizing and forgiving. The way he directs determines if it stays cool or warms up. On the other hand, if it is too hot in the home, he needs to take the lead and cool things down. Talking without shouting, finding what is the problem, taking the lead in fixing things—these are the things that come with being the head of the house. Head doesn’t mean you get the control of the remote nor you get to choose where we will eat. It means you lead. You lead the family to Heaven. One way this is done is by controlling the temperature in the house.

 

In the congregation, this falls to God’s shepherds. That’s their job. Watching the sheep, they must pick up on tension between the sheep. Ignoring those things leads to bigger problems. Some leave. Some rally others to leave with them. Threats are made. Fingers pointed. Awful things are said. Fellowship is broken, often for generations. Shepherds, just like dads, must control the temperature. They must warm things up when it’s too cool. They must cool things down when it’s too warm. Knowing this and how to do this is why they are shepherds. They are experienced. They have done this before in their homes. They have done this in their places of work. They are able to see what is right. They are able to see the big picture. Sometimes it’s some tenderness that needs to be displayed. Other times, it’s reminding some of who they are. And there are times when a kick in the pants works best. They know. They are good at what they do.

 

The right temperature. It’s important physically. It’s even more important in relationships. Don’t feed anger. Don’t ignore anger. Don’t think it will just get better on it’s own. Temperate people who understand how to change the thermostat in relationships will do well in life. Those who don’t get this will generally fumble most times.

 

You can change the temperature of a meeting, a home, or a congregation, by the words you use, the tone you reflect them in, your attitude and your love for Christ. Let’s work on these things.

 

Roger

 

18

Jump Start # 1232

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1232

James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

  Our verse today is about allegiances. It is about loyalty and devotion. It’s about being a traitor. Contextually, James is addressing some severe heart and faith issues among the people of God.

Notice:

  • They were quarrelling
  • They were lusting
  • They were praying with the wrong motives
  • They were told to resist the devil and submit to God
  • They were told to draw near to God
  • They were told to humble themselves and purify their hearts

 

They were a mess spiritually. The opening words of our verse today are not nice words. Most folks do not like being called “adulteresses.” They were unfaithful to God. James is blunt and to the point with them. He wants them to make up their minds. Are they with God or with the world? By doing both, they were spiritually adulteresses.

 

The expression “friendship with the world” causes some concern and misunderstanding. It led to a system of beliefs called “Monasticism.” Taking the principles of James to the extreme and misunderstanding them, a group in the middle ages moved away from the world and lived in monasteries. More than that, they refused contact with the world. More than that, they often punished themselves because of the world. A few examples that I remember when I studied this years ago:

 

One guy refused to cut his hair. This was based some how on friendship with the world. He became so shaggy that children in his village thought he was a wolf and threw rocks at him. Another thought that the earth was so vile that he lived in a large bird cage suspended from a tree. Another, for some reason, tied his hand into a fist until this finger nails grew through  his hand. Some ate just enough to keep alive. Others refused marriage. They thought laughter was sinful. They avoided music, arts and all forms of entertainment. They moved away from the villages and cities and lived alone in what we now call monasteries. Their strange behavior was believed by them, to be fulfilling the thoughts of our verse today. They were not making any friendships with the world. They were not evangelistic. They closed their eyes to the needs of others. If you were not one of them, you didn’t exist.  This concept is kept alive by monks and nuns in the Catholic faith today, but not to this degree.

 

James is not talking about total avoidance of everyone that is not a Christian. That may sound good on some days, it doesn’t allow us to let our lights shine nor does it allow us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person. The friendship with the world that James is addressing are the things that are wrong. Sinful things oppose God. You can’t walk on both sides of the street and please God. The Christian cannot do everything that his neighbor does, because some of those things are wrong. Lines must be drawn and not crossed. James is truly addressing the heart of these Christians who are showing that they are not truly converted. They cannot give up things that are wrong. They like wrong and they like God. They want to keep both. You can’t. God won’t allow that. Their practices were infuriating God. They didn’t realize that they were quickly becoming God’s enemies. The very bridge that Jesus built through the cross, the reconciliation with God, was now being torn down by their refusal to leave wrong things of the world.

 

I sense these words are needed more and more today. Jesus warned of wolves in sheep clothing that would affect the flock of God. Instead of running from these wolves, too many are wanting to dance with the wolves. Some like to get as close to the edge of wrong as they can. Issues with modesty, attendance, social drinking, partying, questionable movies, suggestive language are things that every family and every congregation must continually deal with. Some get it. Some don’t. Some don’t want to get it. They’ve made their minds up that you cannot tell them that things are wrong. What doesn’t help is when we run from one extreme to the other extreme. Dressing like Amish isn’t the safe alternative. Going to the pulpit with a ruler and telling women how “short” is short is making up rules that God doesn’t have. Telling someone how many sips of wine is ok or not ok isn’t the answer. James knew what the problem was. It’s a heart issue. It’s being converted to Christ. It’s being a friend of God. It’s going in God’s direction. It’s realizing that some things are not helpful to my marriage, my faith, or my influence. It’s being able to say “No,” to the world. It’s listening to God.

 

The monastics missed it. They lived miserable lives, hurting themselves physically while missing the point of this passage. God wants us to be His friend. Friends do things together. Friends do not hurt one another. This is very much like marriage. Once a person gets married, the dating scene is over. No flirting with others. No showing off to others. No dating others. You make a commitment and your heart belongs to one and only one. This is conversion. We’ve changed. We cannot please everyone. We must please God. Some may not like the way you dress, does God? Some may think you’re no fun because you won’t laugh at what they say nor flirt around with others? God knows. Your heart belongs to Him. As long as God is pleased, it doesn’t matter what others say.

 

God wants us to be evangelistic. He wants us to enjoy the world He created for us. He wants us to follow Him all the way to Heaven. God wants us to be His friend. Is it possible in this crazy world? Certainly. Is it easy? Not always. God thinks about us more than we think about Him. God is interested in us more than we are interested in Him.

 

Friendship with the world hurts God. It ruins our relationship with Him.

 

Spend time with one who is a true friend and really cares for you, that is God.

 

Roger

 

 

17

Jump Start # 1231

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1231

Mark 4:38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

  Our verse reveals an extreme emotional and fearful time for the disciples. They were crossing the sea. A violent storm caught them. The expression, “a fierce gale,” from the verse before, comes from the Greek word “seimos” where we get our words, earthquake or seismograph. This wasn’t just any ole’ storm. This was huge. The experienced fisherman, Peter and James were frightened. Jesus was with them. Jesus was asleep in the boat. They woke Him and asked a question. That question said a lot about the disciples.

 

It is interesting that they did not ask, “Have you ever seen anything like this?” No, that wasn’t the question. They didn’t ask, “Is this storm greater than you?” Not the question. They didn’t ask, “Can you handle this?” What they asked, wasn’t about ability or power. They asked a question about the heart. They asked, “Do you not care…” That question struck at the heart of Jesus. Are you indifferent to what is happening to us? Are you insensitive to us? Are you heartless? Do you not care?

 

Jesus was asked this at another occasion. It was another storm. Instead of being on the sea, He was in a house. He was with friends. Martha was cooking and serving and Mary was sitting. Martha burned her attitude as she was stirring the pot. Unable to get Mary to move, she interrupted Jesus and said, “Do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving along?” Don’t you care?

 

Sometimes another person is unable to do anything, but knowing they care helps. Knowing that they will sit with you, pray for you, send you a card, means everything. Being in a situation in which you feel that no one cares, just worsens things deep within us. An uncaring Jesus cripples our faith. It leads us to thinking and then believing, that we are not good enough. Jesus cares for the “perfect” people and I’m not one of them. Or, Jesus cares for the preachers and not the rest of us. Or, Jesus cares for those with happy families, not those who are dysfunctional or have prodigals running through their lives. Thinking that Jesus doesn’t care leads us to feeling abandoned and alone. Our prayers drop off when we feel that Jesus doesn’t care. Worship doesn’t happen. Why worship, when God doesn’t care? Isolated and alone, we don’t know how we will get through our storms. Sometimes we don’t.

 

It seems that this question isn’t asked in the sunny days of our lives. It’s asked, as with the disciples, when we are going through a fierce gale. It’s asked, as with Martha, when other people seem to have let us down and we are really bothered by their lack of care. Those storms are real. They are frightening. They are greater than we are. Many perish in those storms. The disciples knew that. Overturned boats and drownings were common in that sea. They knew they could be the next ones.

 

It is interesting what Jesus did. He didn’t answer the question with words, but with action. He didn’t say, “Certainly I care.” Nor did He respond, “How could you ask that question?” Instead, He calmed the sea. Immediately, the threat, the fear, the storm was gone. Next, He calmed the storm within them. It was greater than the storm upon the sea.

 

We have a song that we sing, “Does Jesus care?” We never ask that when things are going well. We know. There are too many verses that show that God loves us, blesses us and wants us with Him. However, it’s when things are dark and stormy that we forget this. We wonder. We fear. We doubt. We question.

 

I’d think this must disappoint God. We do well when things are well. But when things are upside down in our lives, we panic. God must think, “I’ve not left you. I’m still here.” Is it that we want every day to be sunny? Is it that we only have faith when things are right and going smoothly? Faith is often tested. Faith is tried. Those trials, demonstrating just how much we believe and just how real our faith is, are the storms. The storms serve a purpose. The storms remind us that we are not in control of things. The storms remind us that we need God. The storms are necessary. I drove home in a storm last night. It was rainy. The traffic was heavy. There was road construction. The temperature was dropping and starting to turn to snow. Some thought it was a sunny August day the way they were flying through traffic. That only made things worse. Life can be like that. It has moments when it is intense. It’s time to slow down. Say some prayers. Pay attention. Put both hands on the wheel. Be careful. Those things not only help in traffic, they help in the storms of life.

 

Does Jesus care? Yes. He always has. The Cross is the proof. The troubles in our lives are not an indication of the lack of care by Jesus. They may be trials and testing. They may be the result of my choices. These storms may last longer than I want them to. These storms often bring pain and come with consequences. These storms will destroy the weak in heart. It’s by faith that we get through these. Jesus is there, in the storms. Trust. Seek Him. Obey Him. Talk to Him.

 

I expect fewer things hurt Jesus more than His own people asking, “Don’t you care?”

 

He does. He always has. He always will.

 

He cares for you.

 

Roger

 

14

Jump Start # 1230

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1230

Psalms 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”

  Commit, what an interesting word. A high school athlete will commit to a university to play ball for them. Signing documents to purchase a house, taking out a loan, commits a person to that sale. When a person is mentally unstable they often have to be committed to center that will evaluate them and help them. And then, of course, there is that commitment in a relationship that changes from dating to being married. Zack, my fellow preacher, and I have recently given a couple of lessons about dating. There is that old song that we used to tease others with that goes, “First comes love, then comes marriage…”

 

Dating is fun. It’s hanging out with friends. It’s movies and going out to eat. It’s spending time with that special person and realizing that they are really special. It’s finding out that the opposite sex is different in a good kind of way. Part of dating is breaking up. Lonely hearts. Sad songs. Looking at photos. Wishing things could be different. Then as one gets older, dating is about getting serious. It’s more than movies and holding hands, it’s seeing if there is a future with this person. It’s seeing attitudes and character and heart. Then, if all goes right and well, comes a commitment. Promises made. Future planned. A wedding. Vows. Commitment. This is part of life. This is the journey from boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife. Married folks aren’t supposed to act like they are single. They are responsible and accountable to one another. Some folks who are married want to act like they are single. It generally gets them in hot water, and it should. They made a commitment.

 

Our verse today tells us to commit your way to the Lord. Become responsible, dependable and accountable to the Lord. Just as with boyfriend and girlfriend, some folks want to simply date God. They like God. They like being around God. They like how God treats them. They feel good around God. But they don’t want a commitment. They are not that serious about God. They want to go to church services when they feel like it. They want to pray when it’s good. They even like reading the Bible and sitting in classes where the Bible is taught. They like the fellowship of the church family. There are a lot of upside positives about being around God. However, they don’t want to be tied down with God. They want to be able to skip church when they feel like it. They want to be able to still stick their big toe in sin now and then. They don’t want to completely give up the party life that they have lived. They don’t want to dump God. They are not walking away from God. They want God, but only when they feel like it. What has happened is that a huge segment today wants to date God but they do not want to commit to God.

 

What does dating God look like? From a distance, it looks pretty good. On some Sundays the daters will be in church services. They will show up now and then for classes. They may come to the home of others about their age. They smile. They look nice. They are friendly. Things seem to be going well. They know enough to hold their own in conversations with others and they feel pretty good about their faith. It’s a happy religion for them. From the perspective of the church, it’s a different look. They see the daters as coming and going. No one knows which Sunday they will show up. Generally, you can be sure that they won’t be there in bad weather or around holiday times, unless mom and dad are in town.

 

But something seriously is missing in the daters relationship. They have not committed themselves to the Lord. They are fooling themselves. Like a single person who acts like he is married, he’s not. There is a commitment that needs to be made to God. It begins with obedience in baptism. That’s big. Jesus said to do it. The apostles preached it everywhere. Baptism is crossing the line between dating God and making a commitment to God. It’s admitting that you need help from Heaven. It’s recognizing that you have sinned and need forgiveness. However, baptism alone isn’t all there is.

 

Committing to God involves letting the word of Christ dwell within you. It is being led by the Spirit. It is crucifying self and inviting Jesus to run your life. Paul said, “it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me.” That’s a statement of commitment. There is no going back. It’s being sold on God’s way. It’s throwing your lot in with those who are journeying to Heaven. It’s more than attendance, but it includes attendance. It’s an attitude, an outlook and a way of life. It is understanding that I am a Christian all the time. It’s time to get the big toe out of sin and kick Satan in the teeth. It’s letting your light shine at work. It’s being honest and generous as Jesus was. It’s forgiving others when you have been crushed by them. It’s a total re-wiring of your heart and mind. It’s putting a stake down in the ground and then holding your ground for Christ. Commit to the Lord. It’s taking the Bible seriously. It’s making serious changes in your life for Christ. It’s wanting to be in Heaven. Commitment. It’s not holding out for a better offer, it’s realizing that this is the best offer. It’s making your mind up that you want to want to follow Christ, all of your life, all of the time. It is saying yes to Jesus. It’s making promises to God and then keeping them.

 

Commit to the Lord. Stop dating God. Stop serving God on your terms when you feel like it. Stop being a fair weather Christian. The daters skip through life doing well, until the storms come. They always come. The loss of a job. A child that messes up. A marriage that unravels. A parent dies. The dreaded Cancer word. Then all the smiles are gone. Then it’s time to rely upon that deep foundational faith in Christ. It is that faith that weathers the storm and keeps the house standing as Jesus said. But wait, the daters of God don’t have that kind of faith. They never fully committed themselves to the Lord. They were playing around with God and the world. They followed God went they felt like it. They know God from a distance. They have not gotten real close to the Lord. Now, when they need Him so much, they really don’t know Him. Now, they don’t know what to do. It is here that things start coming apart. Doubt, fear and worry fill their hearts. The daters begin to question and even blame God. It is here that their relationship with God often ends. They drop off and out of sight for good. The very things that they need and can help them, they turn their backs to. Their happy little lives become a nightmare. Alone and afraid, they crumble under the burden of problems.

 

How do I know this? I’ve seen it way too many times. Stop dating God and make a commitment. Commit yourself to the Lord. His way. His terms. His life. His will becomes your will. His words, your words. His way, your way.

 

I fear that our churches are full of daters. It’s time to commit to the Lord.

 

Roger

 

13

Jump Start # 1229

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Starts # 1229

Mark 12:37 “’David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?’ And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.”

  Our verse today comes from a setting in the Temple. Jesus was teaching. Twice He asked a question. The first time, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” Then He quotes David saying, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand.” Then the second question, our verse, “So in what sense is He his  son?”

 

Tough questions. Jesus didn’t answer it. He wanted them to think. He wanted them to work things out in their minds. This wasn’t a question of trivia. This wasn’t who can stump who. This question had everything to do with Jesus. Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the son of David. How can He be the son of David? The answer had to do with prophecy, position and understanding Jesus.

 

What I want to see from this verse is the expression, “And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.” The crowd was large and the crowd liked listening to what was being said. Those are the dreams of every public speaker—a large crowd that enjoys listening to what is said.

 

There are two central thoughts: The speaker and the listeners.

 

First, the speaker, Jesus

 

1. What Jesus said was interesting. He wasn’t boring. He didn’t use a bunch of stale facts and dry statistics. He didn’t repeat things that they already knew. He made them think. He challenged them. He got them using their brains. Jesus was fresh. You can take a serious topic and make it inviting and interesting. People enjoyed listening to Jesus because He had something worthwhile to say. He wasn’t screaming at the audience. He wasn’t destroying them mentally.

 

The speaker has a responsibility to make things interesting. Preaching is communicating. The person that studies that, learns people and understands the importance of word selection, tone inflections, rhythm, the use of questions, illustrations, length, organization of thought, will do well. On top of that, the topic must be interesting. Jesus was the master teacher. He was interesting. What He said was interesting. Bored preachers, teaching boring topics in a boring manner, kills the audience. They can assume the audience just isn’t interested, but the reality may be that they simply are not interesting. Work on that. Learn. Listen to some of the better preachers, both in and out of our fellowship. Study what works and what doesn’t work. Don’t become a sideshow clown who resorts to tricks in order to keep the audience  spellbound. Jesus preached. The power and  influence was in His words. It’s not the loudness of a sermon that makes it right. Hurting people’s ears does not strengthen your arguments.

 

The people enjoyed listening to Jesus because He was interesting.

 

Second, the audience.

 

1. People enjoyed listening to Jesus because they wanted to hear Him. There is a responsibility upon the audience. The most interesting speaker gets no where if the listeners are bored and would rather be somewhere else. I must be interested. Herein lies some of our problems today. Our entertainment driven society, with 100 channels on TV, shows us how fickle and fleeting our interests can be. When watching TV, if I’m not liking what I see, I flip to another channel. Channel surfing ought to be an Olympic Sport. This has made our attention span short. Fewer and fewer people are reading today.  We want visuals.

 

I went to hear a friend preach this week. He’s good, very good. He connects well with the audience, knew his material and was very smooth in his delivery. What he said was interesting, practical and very helpful. It was good for me to be there. Listening to him taught me some things as well as demonstrating the effective nature of how to be interesting. I enjoyed listening. I enjoyed it because I wanted to be there. I enjoyed it because it was well worth my time. I enjoyed it because I left a better person. Those things are up to the audience and not the speaker. When a person comes because they are pressured, and they sit there bored, and they do not care what the Bible says, and they are stewing in a sour attitude, it doesn’t matter if even the Lord was speaking that morning. They will not enjoy listening because they have made up their minds that they were not going to enjoy the experience. They leave unchanged. They leave believing that it was a waste of time. They wished that they were at home in bed or doing something much more worthwhile in their minds, playing video games. The heart of the listening is as important as the message of the speaker.

 

The seed that fell upon the honest and good heart, in the parable of the sower, is what produced a bountiful harvest. That heart was honest and it was good. It was ready to listen. So all of this tells me that my mindset has much to do with the success of a sermon to me personally. If I’m tired, bored, stressed, worried or hurried, then the sermon won’t have much of a chance with me. It may be the very thing I need, and yet it fails because I failed. Do I come wanting to hear and learn? Do I come anticipating “enjoying” the experience? How I come, determines the outcome.

 

2.  We must also realize that enjoying a sermon doesn’t save a person. You may really like how the sermon was delivered. You may even remember a story or a quote from it, but unless it changes you and you obey Christ, you will not be saved. Years ago, preachers said that sitting in a church house will no more make you a Christian than sitting in a chicken house will make you a chicken. Just listening, just enjoying isn’t enough. It’s becoming. It’s allowing those words of Christ to stir my heart to lead me to obedience and change. That’s the true purpose of a sermon. It’s not giving information. It’s not a college lecture. It’s changing lives for Jesus. Many a person may listen to a sermon, but nothing happens. The poor preacher often blames himself when it’s the heart of the listening that lies at fault. Stubborn wills and pride often keep a person from changing. When God’s word intersects with that honest and good heart, then and only then, men are persuaded to become like Christ.

 

Most preachers would rather hear, “That was helpful,”  than, “good sermon, preacher.” What makes it a good sermon? You enjoyed it, that’s fine. How about, you became better because of it.

 

They enjoyed listening to Jesus. Later, they wouldn’t like what Jesus said. Some would walk away. Some would twist His words and accuse Him of blasphemy. But others, believed.

 

The making of a sermon is an art. The listening of a sermon can be life changing.

 

Roger