Fifth Sunday In Lent
Preaching
THE WESLEYAN PREACHING ANNUAL 2001--2002
WORSHIP HELPS
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Come, Father, and fill our cups.
Men: Spill them over with Your blessings.
Leader: Faith and practice are tied together with a tight rope.
Women: Let us strengthen our grip.
All: Come, Father, and we will praise Your name.
OFFERING THOUGHT
Father, just as You gave manna to Your people needing help; so give to Your people today. But as You have shared with them, may they share with others. Amen.
BENEDICTION
What was done here today was commanded by the Lord, repentance, atonement, obedience, faith, sanctification. Praise be to God!
SERMON BRIEFS
Things To Do In A Graveyard?
Ezekiel 37:1--11
I have this recurring dream. In it, I am wandering through a cemetery, but the caskets are on top of the ground, the people are alive, and I am visiting with them. Some of them are my relatives and some I have never seen before in my life, but all of them have definitely died. You may analyze it however you will. Goodness knows I have done so. I think I have such a desire to see new life spring up where there is none, that my dreams take this form. Perhaps that is the dream of every pastor - at least I would hope so.
Now, whether we would call it a dream or a vision as Ezekiel does, our prophet is placed in a battlefield that has become a graveyard full of the fallen from battle. It could very well have been Megiddo, where many of Israel's battles were fought. Obviously, these are the fallen from the Israelite army and it isn't really a place where one's spirits would be raised. Ezekiel is already feeling defeated, no doubt, and the sight, even if shown it by the hand of God, just adds to the depression. Then comes the question, "Son of man, can these bones live?" (v. 3 NIV). How would you respond? Lesser people in better conditions would have answered in the same manner - "O Lord GOD, you know."
These bones represented not merely those who had fallen in battle, but the entire nation of Israel. The characteristics described reflect the attitudes of the people (cf. v. 11). Translated to our day, the same scenario could reflect a person or group of persons who is spiritually dead, defeated, or backslidden. Notice if you will:
I. The condition of the bones
These bones were dry, but that is an understatement, for the Scriptures say that they were very dry. These weren't fresh bones piled in a heap, but rather, bones that had been left so long that everything in them was gone. The life--giving marrow had long ago dried up and the bones were merely bleak, bleached remnants of better days. Verse eleven reflects back to Israel's attitude, for they said, "Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off" (NIV).
The bones were also detached. These skeletal remains echoed the words of David when he said, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave" (Psalm 141:7 NIV). Being detached, they had lost hope and they had become depressed. It has been said that one can live only so long without food, only a few days without water, a few minutes without air, and only a moment without hope.
II. The connection of the bones
In spite of the conditions, God had a plan. First, God told the prophet to prophesy. We may think of prophecy only in terms of foretelling, but there is also the element of telling forth. The latter, I think, is what Ezekiel did. He was told to preach to the dead, dried bones. I have spoken to some audiences of which I was not sure, but I don't think I was ever in the position of this prophet. How do you stir up life in a bunch of bones?
Ezekiel did as he was told and something did happen. By the properly applied Word of God, things began to shake and the bones, which were once disconnected became connected. That's what God's word does. It moves into our hearts, guiding us through the valleys until "the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21 NIV).
Allegorically, we could say that the stirring was the Holy Spirit moving among the people, shaking them up a bit; the sinews and muscle are the Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testaments, and the skin the overwhelming love of God which covers the whole.
III. The commission of the bones
From all external appearances, everything was as it should be. The bones now had sinews and muscle. They even had skin stretched over them to hold everything in place. They looked good, but they were still lying on the ground. They could not stand. "Preach some more," it seemed that God shouted in the ninth verse. However, this time it was not to the bones that Ezekiel was to preach (or prophesy). Rather, he was to call to the breath (or wind, or spirit) to fill these empty bodies.
So, our prophet, in full obedience, draws himself up to full stature and begins to call on the Spirit of God with all his heart. It will take the infilling and empowering of God's spirit to accomplish that which God has planned for the people. This is indicated in verse 14. I think that by now, our preacher is getting excited as he sees what God can and will do for God's people Israel and God moved because of Ezekiel's obedience. Isn't that what we are called to do, by the way? We are not to be so concerned by what is, but rather by what could be. Knowing that God knows is all the confidence we need.
So, now, we ask ourselves, as a part of God's great army, the church, what are we willing to be and do to march under the banner of "Holiness unto the Lord"? Let me assure you, there is righteousness and peace to those who are in the ranks of God's people.
Howard W. Sallee
I Am The Resurrection And The Life
John 11:1--45
Introduction
From the time the Lord spoke to Moses, " 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I AM has sent me to you" ' " (Exodus 3:14 NIV), God has been known as the "I Am." In the passage before us today, Jesus used that identification in reference to Himself.
It is in the context of criticism over His delay at responding to the illness of His friend Lazarus that we hear these words. Jesus did not come to the family, until after his friend had died. In response to the criticism of Martha, Jesus spoke the words of our text. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' " (vv. 25--26 NIV).
I. Do you believe this?
A. "This" is the supernatural character of Jesus. He had come from God and would return to God. In Him was all that pertained to the divine nature. "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9 NIV).
1. Jesus is the creator of life. We have our very being in Him. Both in original creation and in his daily sustaining power, Jesus is the giver of life.
2. Jesus is the resurrection from the dead. When He went to the cross to pay for our sins, Jesus died in our place and on our behalf. When He was raised to life again, we became the beneficiaries of his resurrection. We have the opportunity to share in resurrection life. Jesus becomes the essence of life itself. So much is this true that we are helpless without his life flowing through us. " 'I am the vine; you are the branches ... apart from me you can do nothing' " (John 15:5 NIV).
B. "This" is the ability of Jesus to give true life to those who believe in Him. He has come that we might have life and have it to the full.
1. The life that Jesus gives will survive change. There are many illustrations of this in scripture. Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth again. Surely they experienced change beyond anything they had imagined. Yet God was faithful to them. Whatever change comes to us will not overcome the new life we have been given in Christ.
2. The life that Jesus gives will survive difficulty. We look again at Mary and Joseph. Theirs was a life filled with difficulty - an unplanned pregnancy, a difficult journey that ended in a stable, the execution of all the boys in this small village with only Jesus surviving, the difficulty of living in a strange land. When we experience difficulty, we know that the life we have received in Jesus Christ will survive all the difficulties that might come our way.
3. The life that Jesus gives survives even death itself. Our new life in Christ is actually eternal life. Here in this present world we have the beginnings of everlasting life in Christ. This life will survive death and take us finally to be with the Lord for all eternity. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life ..." (John 3:36 NIV).
II. Do you believe this?
A. Believing here is more than simple mental assent. We may believe many things, such as that two parallel lines will never meet, or that 2 + 2 = 4. These require only the assent of our minds. The believing of which Jesus spoke was more than that.
B. Believing in the context of the teaching of Jesus includes the investment of trust. For example, we trust the brakes on our automobiles, we trust the lift of an airplane when we fly. In a similar way we trust our lives to the Lord. We lean back and allow His power to work within us. We not only believe that Jesus can, we trust Him to work in our lives.
C. Believing also includes acting on our trust. We move ahead in life with our faith setting the pace.
1. We live in the joy of salvation through our worship. Psalm 100 calls us to worship and praise. We give ourselves to such praise and joy as we live in the presence of the Christ whom we have trusted. Our trust issues in a joyful life.
2. We live in the freedom of salvation by a positive attitude. Paul teaches us in Romans 8:35--39 that we cannot be separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. In fact we are "more than conquerors" according to the word of Paul. Our positive attitude as a conqueror will impact every area of living.
3. We live in the reality of our salvation by obedience to God. " 'If you love me, you will obey what I command' " (John 14:15 NIV).
III. Do you believe this?
A. Here the focus turns away from the seeming failure of Jesus and back onto Martha. Until now, Martha had been focusing on what Jesus had not done or had not done according to her timing. Now, Jesus turns the focus back on her, and on us. Do you believe this? We cannot blame Jesus for our situation because He has provided for our salvation and our faith will open the door to His blessings.
B. Jesus turns the focus away from the seeming failures of others. We are reminded of a previous conversation between Jesus and Martha (Luke 10:38--42) where Martha seemed focused only on her sister. Jesus reminded her that what her sister did or did not do was not the issue. Here again Jesus turns the focus away from other people.
C. The focus is always on me ... and on you. We must personally answer the question of Jesus. "Do you believe this?" Our salvation hinges right there. Do we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?
Conclusion
Jesus offers Himself to us as the "Resurrection and the Life." In Him we have access to life ... abundant life. This abundant life is a life that will survive change and challenge and eventually even death. Our future is assured by no one other than Jesus Christ. He alone can give us eternal life.
Do you believe this?
Harold DeMott
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Come, Father, and fill our cups.
Men: Spill them over with Your blessings.
Leader: Faith and practice are tied together with a tight rope.
Women: Let us strengthen our grip.
All: Come, Father, and we will praise Your name.
OFFERING THOUGHT
Father, just as You gave manna to Your people needing help; so give to Your people today. But as You have shared with them, may they share with others. Amen.
BENEDICTION
What was done here today was commanded by the Lord, repentance, atonement, obedience, faith, sanctification. Praise be to God!
SERMON BRIEFS
Things To Do In A Graveyard?
Ezekiel 37:1--11
I have this recurring dream. In it, I am wandering through a cemetery, but the caskets are on top of the ground, the people are alive, and I am visiting with them. Some of them are my relatives and some I have never seen before in my life, but all of them have definitely died. You may analyze it however you will. Goodness knows I have done so. I think I have such a desire to see new life spring up where there is none, that my dreams take this form. Perhaps that is the dream of every pastor - at least I would hope so.
Now, whether we would call it a dream or a vision as Ezekiel does, our prophet is placed in a battlefield that has become a graveyard full of the fallen from battle. It could very well have been Megiddo, where many of Israel's battles were fought. Obviously, these are the fallen from the Israelite army and it isn't really a place where one's spirits would be raised. Ezekiel is already feeling defeated, no doubt, and the sight, even if shown it by the hand of God, just adds to the depression. Then comes the question, "Son of man, can these bones live?" (v. 3 NIV). How would you respond? Lesser people in better conditions would have answered in the same manner - "O Lord GOD, you know."
These bones represented not merely those who had fallen in battle, but the entire nation of Israel. The characteristics described reflect the attitudes of the people (cf. v. 11). Translated to our day, the same scenario could reflect a person or group of persons who is spiritually dead, defeated, or backslidden. Notice if you will:
I. The condition of the bones
These bones were dry, but that is an understatement, for the Scriptures say that they were very dry. These weren't fresh bones piled in a heap, but rather, bones that had been left so long that everything in them was gone. The life--giving marrow had long ago dried up and the bones were merely bleak, bleached remnants of better days. Verse eleven reflects back to Israel's attitude, for they said, "Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off" (NIV).
The bones were also detached. These skeletal remains echoed the words of David when he said, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave" (Psalm 141:7 NIV). Being detached, they had lost hope and they had become depressed. It has been said that one can live only so long without food, only a few days without water, a few minutes without air, and only a moment without hope.
II. The connection of the bones
In spite of the conditions, God had a plan. First, God told the prophet to prophesy. We may think of prophecy only in terms of foretelling, but there is also the element of telling forth. The latter, I think, is what Ezekiel did. He was told to preach to the dead, dried bones. I have spoken to some audiences of which I was not sure, but I don't think I was ever in the position of this prophet. How do you stir up life in a bunch of bones?
Ezekiel did as he was told and something did happen. By the properly applied Word of God, things began to shake and the bones, which were once disconnected became connected. That's what God's word does. It moves into our hearts, guiding us through the valleys until "the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21 NIV).
Allegorically, we could say that the stirring was the Holy Spirit moving among the people, shaking them up a bit; the sinews and muscle are the Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testaments, and the skin the overwhelming love of God which covers the whole.
III. The commission of the bones
From all external appearances, everything was as it should be. The bones now had sinews and muscle. They even had skin stretched over them to hold everything in place. They looked good, but they were still lying on the ground. They could not stand. "Preach some more," it seemed that God shouted in the ninth verse. However, this time it was not to the bones that Ezekiel was to preach (or prophesy). Rather, he was to call to the breath (or wind, or spirit) to fill these empty bodies.
So, our prophet, in full obedience, draws himself up to full stature and begins to call on the Spirit of God with all his heart. It will take the infilling and empowering of God's spirit to accomplish that which God has planned for the people. This is indicated in verse 14. I think that by now, our preacher is getting excited as he sees what God can and will do for God's people Israel and God moved because of Ezekiel's obedience. Isn't that what we are called to do, by the way? We are not to be so concerned by what is, but rather by what could be. Knowing that God knows is all the confidence we need.
So, now, we ask ourselves, as a part of God's great army, the church, what are we willing to be and do to march under the banner of "Holiness unto the Lord"? Let me assure you, there is righteousness and peace to those who are in the ranks of God's people.
Howard W. Sallee
I Am The Resurrection And The Life
John 11:1--45
Introduction
From the time the Lord spoke to Moses, " 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I AM has sent me to you" ' " (Exodus 3:14 NIV), God has been known as the "I Am." In the passage before us today, Jesus used that identification in reference to Himself.
It is in the context of criticism over His delay at responding to the illness of His friend Lazarus that we hear these words. Jesus did not come to the family, until after his friend had died. In response to the criticism of Martha, Jesus spoke the words of our text. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' " (vv. 25--26 NIV).
I. Do you believe this?
A. "This" is the supernatural character of Jesus. He had come from God and would return to God. In Him was all that pertained to the divine nature. "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9 NIV).
1. Jesus is the creator of life. We have our very being in Him. Both in original creation and in his daily sustaining power, Jesus is the giver of life.
2. Jesus is the resurrection from the dead. When He went to the cross to pay for our sins, Jesus died in our place and on our behalf. When He was raised to life again, we became the beneficiaries of his resurrection. We have the opportunity to share in resurrection life. Jesus becomes the essence of life itself. So much is this true that we are helpless without his life flowing through us. " 'I am the vine; you are the branches ... apart from me you can do nothing' " (John 15:5 NIV).
B. "This" is the ability of Jesus to give true life to those who believe in Him. He has come that we might have life and have it to the full.
1. The life that Jesus gives will survive change. There are many illustrations of this in scripture. Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth again. Surely they experienced change beyond anything they had imagined. Yet God was faithful to them. Whatever change comes to us will not overcome the new life we have been given in Christ.
2. The life that Jesus gives will survive difficulty. We look again at Mary and Joseph. Theirs was a life filled with difficulty - an unplanned pregnancy, a difficult journey that ended in a stable, the execution of all the boys in this small village with only Jesus surviving, the difficulty of living in a strange land. When we experience difficulty, we know that the life we have received in Jesus Christ will survive all the difficulties that might come our way.
3. The life that Jesus gives survives even death itself. Our new life in Christ is actually eternal life. Here in this present world we have the beginnings of everlasting life in Christ. This life will survive death and take us finally to be with the Lord for all eternity. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life ..." (John 3:36 NIV).
II. Do you believe this?
A. Believing here is more than simple mental assent. We may believe many things, such as that two parallel lines will never meet, or that 2 + 2 = 4. These require only the assent of our minds. The believing of which Jesus spoke was more than that.
B. Believing in the context of the teaching of Jesus includes the investment of trust. For example, we trust the brakes on our automobiles, we trust the lift of an airplane when we fly. In a similar way we trust our lives to the Lord. We lean back and allow His power to work within us. We not only believe that Jesus can, we trust Him to work in our lives.
C. Believing also includes acting on our trust. We move ahead in life with our faith setting the pace.
1. We live in the joy of salvation through our worship. Psalm 100 calls us to worship and praise. We give ourselves to such praise and joy as we live in the presence of the Christ whom we have trusted. Our trust issues in a joyful life.
2. We live in the freedom of salvation by a positive attitude. Paul teaches us in Romans 8:35--39 that we cannot be separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. In fact we are "more than conquerors" according to the word of Paul. Our positive attitude as a conqueror will impact every area of living.
3. We live in the reality of our salvation by obedience to God. " 'If you love me, you will obey what I command' " (John 14:15 NIV).
III. Do you believe this?
A. Here the focus turns away from the seeming failure of Jesus and back onto Martha. Until now, Martha had been focusing on what Jesus had not done or had not done according to her timing. Now, Jesus turns the focus back on her, and on us. Do you believe this? We cannot blame Jesus for our situation because He has provided for our salvation and our faith will open the door to His blessings.
B. Jesus turns the focus away from the seeming failures of others. We are reminded of a previous conversation between Jesus and Martha (Luke 10:38--42) where Martha seemed focused only on her sister. Jesus reminded her that what her sister did or did not do was not the issue. Here again Jesus turns the focus away from other people.
C. The focus is always on me ... and on you. We must personally answer the question of Jesus. "Do you believe this?" Our salvation hinges right there. Do we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?
Conclusion
Jesus offers Himself to us as the "Resurrection and the Life." In Him we have access to life ... abundant life. This abundant life is a life that will survive change and challenge and eventually even death. Our future is assured by no one other than Jesus Christ. He alone can give us eternal life.
Do you believe this?
Harold DeMott
