Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 4 (2018)
Illustration
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
God calls forward prophets. In Deuteronomy the prophets are Moses and Joshua, but today God is still calling forth prophets. Who are the prophets in our midst, those empowered by God to preach and proclaim the message of God? These prophets may come from unlikely places: women marching for freedom and equal rights; the Black Lives Matter movement; the peace movement; those spending their lives nurturing the lives of those living on the streets; those seeking veterans benefits or rights for the poor and infirm, the elderly and disenfranchised.
Where are the prophets in the 21st century and are we listening to them, are we hearing the words of God that pour forth from their mouths? Remember that God is a God of light and love and relationship. When a “prophet” proclaims a message that is antithetical to love of God and love of neighbor, we need to consider that “prophet’s” words to not be of God. But when we hear words proclaiming love of God and love of neighbor, care of creation and the created, then it is likely the individual is a true prophet of God. Listen well and discern. And if you encounter a true prophet, prayerfully consider what God may be saying and calling you to do and be. It is important and will make a difference to you and the kin-dom of God.
Bonnie B.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
This lesson promises that we will not be without prophets. It is a good thing, because we badly need them. The Pew Research Center found that 80% of American churchgoers attend churches with less than 20% of the membership comprised of another ethnicity. In addition, exit polls indicated that the majority of American churchgoers voted for a presidential candidate in 2016 who played the race card and anti-immigrant nationalism to win. A LifeWay Research poll in 2016 found that eight in 10 Americans are concerned about our nation’s moral decline. We need Christian prophets who will stand up to these trends.
We need to be realistic. Prophets are not usually accepted in their own time, just as Moses’ words were often not heeded. American social critic Noam Chomsky’s comment about prophets provide us with a sense of how the voice of prophets is not something we really want to hear, even though it is good for us: “The people who were honored in the Bible were the false prophets. It was the ones we call the prophets who were jailed and driven into the desert.”
In the same spirit, black theologian James Cone says that a prophet of God must become “anti-Christian” and “unpatriotic.” We need heirs of Moses who will say things against the church and its behavior noted above -- prophets who will criticize those who are so “patriotic” that they can’t see the social ills just noted.
Mark E.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
We like to think that this is talking about Jesus coming. Yes, there were many prophets in the years before our Savior was born who spoke the words of God, and if the people didn’t listen they would also suffer God’s punishment. That could even be true of the pastors (prophets) who speak God’s words today when they preach about Jesus and speak of his commands to us. Will we obey?
Yes, Jesus was from the same nationality. Later we find out that we are all Jesus’ brothers and sisters if we obey his word. We were adopted by him through our baptism.
We are not in a country where we need to worry about the fire of the Lord -- unless, of course, that fire comes in the form of an atomic bomb! But God can deliver us from that also.
We are warned not to listen to prophets who are not of the Lord. That would include Muhammad, Joseph Smith, Buddha, etc., but there are still many false prophets today who try to win us through newspapers or television or the internet. We need a church to keep us from falling for those who think they have a “better” way. We can keep each other from falling for lies. I’m not sure we should put them to death. We must let God handle that.
In Nepal it was hard to separate the false prophets from those who had God’s word. The Christians thought we were all one in the Lord, and they were not into doctrine. If anyone greeted you with jaymasi, which means “Jesus is Lord,” you assumed they were fellow Christians. Some were won by the Mormons because they talked about Jesus. If you offered them some financial support, they would be won over regardless of their message. One of our jobs was to help the people separate the false prophets from the true ones. They read the warning in this passage and were afraid to deny anyone who claims to be Christian.
This could even be a problem in our country for those who were not brought up to know the true God. That is not only the job of the church, but of all Christians.
Bob O.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” This quote is from the book Lest We Forget by Lt. Col. Carlos Keasler. The point of the statement is clear. The ability to do something is not a green light to do it. There’s a moment in the original Jurassic Park film when Ian Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum) says emphatically regarding the cloning of dinosaurs: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
I thought of this quote when reading through Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 8. He is clear about how an idol is nothing in the world, and eating food sacrificed to an idol is not a big deal. However, he is also clear that not everyone knows this or feels this way. So, because some might misunderstand and have a problem if he eats meat sacrificed to an idol, Paul refrains from doing that. He urges his readers to do the same. His point is powerfully made in verse 13: “Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.” Just because Paul could do something did not mean he should. It applies to us too.
Bill T.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
When Asian businesses began to move into Southern California in the ’90s, a thriving trade developed to help Chinese establishments change their addresses and phone numbers to increase business. Why? Well, simply imagine that your new shop was located at 9413 Elm Street. A person who speaks Mandarin or Cantonese Chinese might refuse to enter your establishment, because the numerals in those languages had another meaning. The numbers 9, 4, 1, and 3 also mean “nine die, one lives.” The number 664 means “continuous death,” while 424 becomes “die and die again.” The number 148, on the other hand, means “a lifetime of prosperity.”
Different cultures look at things differently. Christians in Corinth might all worship Jesus, but their differing cultural values might cause them to look at the meat for sale in the marketplace very differently.
Frank R.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Justin was born into a pagan family and later converted to Christianity. He then became a great apologist, a defender of church doctrine. He was arrested in Rome under the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Prior to being beheaded for refusing to worship the idols of Rome, he said: “If we are punished for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we hope to be saved.” For this act of faith Justin was given the surname Martyr -- Justin Martyr.
Polycarp studied under John, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. Polycarp was burned at the stake for refusing to burn incense to the Roman emperor. Upon his death he said, “Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
Carry this forward to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was hanged in 1945 for his defiance of Hitler, and whose last words remain: “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”
Application: Our reading teaches us to avoid the worship of idols.
Ron L.
Mark 1:21-28
I am often amazed at the miracles Jesus performs. Today’s reading is no different. A man, possessed by demons, proclaims who Jesus is and asks a pointed question: “Have you come to destroy us?” Perhaps more important even than that is the acknowledgment of the man or the demons within the man, that they know that Jesus is the Holy One, the messiah. This encounter follows Jesus teaching in the synagogue. His teaching is with authority and insight that amazes the scholars, leaders, and faithful gathered in his midst. The people wonder who this man Jesus is.
But the demons know. Those who are embedded in the soul and psyche of the man know who Jesus is, for they are afraid. Jesus banishes the demons or the spirits inside the man, and once again people are amazed at the authority with which Jesus acts.
My friends, we each have the opportunity to speak with authority -- maybe not for freeing the possessed or the mentally ill, but for proclaiming the loving grace and compassion of God to a world hungry for peace and hope and blessing. What are you proclaiming with your voice, with your actions, and with your life? Is it hate and fear, is it complacency or indifference, or is it grace and hope and joy and love? People are watching and are listening. In whose authority do you act? What do people know about God and Jesus through watching and listening to you? Proclaim hope!
Bonnie B.
Mark 1:21-28
Psychologist Jean Twenge nicely describes the present American ethos: “...it’s clear that we no longer answer to one definite authority. There are many options, and each is considered valuable” (Generation Me, p. 30). More than ever, then, we are in need of authority to orient us in life. Martin Luther points us to the word of God: “What a precious thing it is to have the word of God on our side in everything we do! For such a person is safe, however much he may be tried. But without the word a man of necessity finally falls into despair, for he lacks divine assurance for what he is called on to do” (What Luther Says, p. 1466).
Jesus will not frustrate us like the sales representative or complaint manager of a store who tells us they would like to help, but really can’t because they don’t have the authority. What Jesus says will get done (if not on our timetable). Famed Christian author C. S. Lewis well describes the kind of authority Jesus has and the difference it makes in our lives: “Authority exercised with humility, and obedience accepted with delight are the very lines along which our spirits live.”
Christ’s authority exercised in humility, as it is in this story and on the cross, leads us to obey and follow him with delight. And accepting that kind of authority with delight can give us the orientation we need in these confusing, uncertain times as we try to make sense of our lives.
Mark E.
Mark 1:21-28
The teachers of the law were bound by it. They did not have authority over it. All they could do was quote it. Sometimes a president acts like he has authority over the law and not as one who is bound by the constitution. Some people accept that! Supreme court justices are also bound by the law, but still have the power to interpret it as they think best.
Sometimes our government has trouble separating the meaning of the law, which tells us that we are not under any “church.” We may not be under a church or denomination and their constitution, but we are still under God! We can’t forget that.
It is important to know that Satan believes that God is in power. He knows who Jesus was and is and what Jesus is doing. He has more belief in God’s existence than an atheist! It is faith in Jesus and his promises that Satan lacks. He has not given himself to the Lord, he just knows about Jesus.
I was in a Roman Catholic group once that was casting out demons. It was spectacular to see the fantastic change in those who were freed! Jesus can still do that today.
The people on the mission field, when they heard missionaries speak with authority, they began to believe! They recognized what we said as a new teaching which many had never heard before. We hope the pastors in our churches will do the same, even though we have all heard it before. We need to hear it over and over again. We want to hear God’s word spoken with “authority.”
Bob O.
God calls forward prophets. In Deuteronomy the prophets are Moses and Joshua, but today God is still calling forth prophets. Who are the prophets in our midst, those empowered by God to preach and proclaim the message of God? These prophets may come from unlikely places: women marching for freedom and equal rights; the Black Lives Matter movement; the peace movement; those spending their lives nurturing the lives of those living on the streets; those seeking veterans benefits or rights for the poor and infirm, the elderly and disenfranchised.
Where are the prophets in the 21st century and are we listening to them, are we hearing the words of God that pour forth from their mouths? Remember that God is a God of light and love and relationship. When a “prophet” proclaims a message that is antithetical to love of God and love of neighbor, we need to consider that “prophet’s” words to not be of God. But when we hear words proclaiming love of God and love of neighbor, care of creation and the created, then it is likely the individual is a true prophet of God. Listen well and discern. And if you encounter a true prophet, prayerfully consider what God may be saying and calling you to do and be. It is important and will make a difference to you and the kin-dom of God.
Bonnie B.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
This lesson promises that we will not be without prophets. It is a good thing, because we badly need them. The Pew Research Center found that 80% of American churchgoers attend churches with less than 20% of the membership comprised of another ethnicity. In addition, exit polls indicated that the majority of American churchgoers voted for a presidential candidate in 2016 who played the race card and anti-immigrant nationalism to win. A LifeWay Research poll in 2016 found that eight in 10 Americans are concerned about our nation’s moral decline. We need Christian prophets who will stand up to these trends.
We need to be realistic. Prophets are not usually accepted in their own time, just as Moses’ words were often not heeded. American social critic Noam Chomsky’s comment about prophets provide us with a sense of how the voice of prophets is not something we really want to hear, even though it is good for us: “The people who were honored in the Bible were the false prophets. It was the ones we call the prophets who were jailed and driven into the desert.”
In the same spirit, black theologian James Cone says that a prophet of God must become “anti-Christian” and “unpatriotic.” We need heirs of Moses who will say things against the church and its behavior noted above -- prophets who will criticize those who are so “patriotic” that they can’t see the social ills just noted.
Mark E.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
We like to think that this is talking about Jesus coming. Yes, there were many prophets in the years before our Savior was born who spoke the words of God, and if the people didn’t listen they would also suffer God’s punishment. That could even be true of the pastors (prophets) who speak God’s words today when they preach about Jesus and speak of his commands to us. Will we obey?
Yes, Jesus was from the same nationality. Later we find out that we are all Jesus’ brothers and sisters if we obey his word. We were adopted by him through our baptism.
We are not in a country where we need to worry about the fire of the Lord -- unless, of course, that fire comes in the form of an atomic bomb! But God can deliver us from that also.
We are warned not to listen to prophets who are not of the Lord. That would include Muhammad, Joseph Smith, Buddha, etc., but there are still many false prophets today who try to win us through newspapers or television or the internet. We need a church to keep us from falling for those who think they have a “better” way. We can keep each other from falling for lies. I’m not sure we should put them to death. We must let God handle that.
In Nepal it was hard to separate the false prophets from those who had God’s word. The Christians thought we were all one in the Lord, and they were not into doctrine. If anyone greeted you with jaymasi, which means “Jesus is Lord,” you assumed they were fellow Christians. Some were won by the Mormons because they talked about Jesus. If you offered them some financial support, they would be won over regardless of their message. One of our jobs was to help the people separate the false prophets from the true ones. They read the warning in this passage and were afraid to deny anyone who claims to be Christian.
This could even be a problem in our country for those who were not brought up to know the true God. That is not only the job of the church, but of all Christians.
Bob O.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” This quote is from the book Lest We Forget by Lt. Col. Carlos Keasler. The point of the statement is clear. The ability to do something is not a green light to do it. There’s a moment in the original Jurassic Park film when Ian Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum) says emphatically regarding the cloning of dinosaurs: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
I thought of this quote when reading through Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 8. He is clear about how an idol is nothing in the world, and eating food sacrificed to an idol is not a big deal. However, he is also clear that not everyone knows this or feels this way. So, because some might misunderstand and have a problem if he eats meat sacrificed to an idol, Paul refrains from doing that. He urges his readers to do the same. His point is powerfully made in verse 13: “Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.” Just because Paul could do something did not mean he should. It applies to us too.
Bill T.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
When Asian businesses began to move into Southern California in the ’90s, a thriving trade developed to help Chinese establishments change their addresses and phone numbers to increase business. Why? Well, simply imagine that your new shop was located at 9413 Elm Street. A person who speaks Mandarin or Cantonese Chinese might refuse to enter your establishment, because the numerals in those languages had another meaning. The numbers 9, 4, 1, and 3 also mean “nine die, one lives.” The number 664 means “continuous death,” while 424 becomes “die and die again.” The number 148, on the other hand, means “a lifetime of prosperity.”
Different cultures look at things differently. Christians in Corinth might all worship Jesus, but their differing cultural values might cause them to look at the meat for sale in the marketplace very differently.
Frank R.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Justin was born into a pagan family and later converted to Christianity. He then became a great apologist, a defender of church doctrine. He was arrested in Rome under the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Prior to being beheaded for refusing to worship the idols of Rome, he said: “If we are punished for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we hope to be saved.” For this act of faith Justin was given the surname Martyr -- Justin Martyr.
Polycarp studied under John, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. Polycarp was burned at the stake for refusing to burn incense to the Roman emperor. Upon his death he said, “Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
Carry this forward to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was hanged in 1945 for his defiance of Hitler, and whose last words remain: “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”
Application: Our reading teaches us to avoid the worship of idols.
Ron L.
Mark 1:21-28
I am often amazed at the miracles Jesus performs. Today’s reading is no different. A man, possessed by demons, proclaims who Jesus is and asks a pointed question: “Have you come to destroy us?” Perhaps more important even than that is the acknowledgment of the man or the demons within the man, that they know that Jesus is the Holy One, the messiah. This encounter follows Jesus teaching in the synagogue. His teaching is with authority and insight that amazes the scholars, leaders, and faithful gathered in his midst. The people wonder who this man Jesus is.
But the demons know. Those who are embedded in the soul and psyche of the man know who Jesus is, for they are afraid. Jesus banishes the demons or the spirits inside the man, and once again people are amazed at the authority with which Jesus acts.
My friends, we each have the opportunity to speak with authority -- maybe not for freeing the possessed or the mentally ill, but for proclaiming the loving grace and compassion of God to a world hungry for peace and hope and blessing. What are you proclaiming with your voice, with your actions, and with your life? Is it hate and fear, is it complacency or indifference, or is it grace and hope and joy and love? People are watching and are listening. In whose authority do you act? What do people know about God and Jesus through watching and listening to you? Proclaim hope!
Bonnie B.
Mark 1:21-28
Psychologist Jean Twenge nicely describes the present American ethos: “...it’s clear that we no longer answer to one definite authority. There are many options, and each is considered valuable” (Generation Me, p. 30). More than ever, then, we are in need of authority to orient us in life. Martin Luther points us to the word of God: “What a precious thing it is to have the word of God on our side in everything we do! For such a person is safe, however much he may be tried. But without the word a man of necessity finally falls into despair, for he lacks divine assurance for what he is called on to do” (What Luther Says, p. 1466).
Jesus will not frustrate us like the sales representative or complaint manager of a store who tells us they would like to help, but really can’t because they don’t have the authority. What Jesus says will get done (if not on our timetable). Famed Christian author C. S. Lewis well describes the kind of authority Jesus has and the difference it makes in our lives: “Authority exercised with humility, and obedience accepted with delight are the very lines along which our spirits live.”
Christ’s authority exercised in humility, as it is in this story and on the cross, leads us to obey and follow him with delight. And accepting that kind of authority with delight can give us the orientation we need in these confusing, uncertain times as we try to make sense of our lives.
Mark E.
Mark 1:21-28
The teachers of the law were bound by it. They did not have authority over it. All they could do was quote it. Sometimes a president acts like he has authority over the law and not as one who is bound by the constitution. Some people accept that! Supreme court justices are also bound by the law, but still have the power to interpret it as they think best.
Sometimes our government has trouble separating the meaning of the law, which tells us that we are not under any “church.” We may not be under a church or denomination and their constitution, but we are still under God! We can’t forget that.
It is important to know that Satan believes that God is in power. He knows who Jesus was and is and what Jesus is doing. He has more belief in God’s existence than an atheist! It is faith in Jesus and his promises that Satan lacks. He has not given himself to the Lord, he just knows about Jesus.
I was in a Roman Catholic group once that was casting out demons. It was spectacular to see the fantastic change in those who were freed! Jesus can still do that today.
The people on the mission field, when they heard missionaries speak with authority, they began to believe! They recognized what we said as a new teaching which many had never heard before. We hope the pastors in our churches will do the same, even though we have all heard it before. We need to hear it over and over again. We want to hear God’s word spoken with “authority.”
Bob O.
