Where Is Your Heart?
Preaching
THE WESLEYAN PREACHING RESOURCE
VOLUME II
We live in a very crazy world. Did you know
* that 51 percent of all the people ever born on the planet Earth are still alive today?
* that scientists have performed brain surgery on cockroaches?
* that 99 percent of the universe we live in is nothing?
* that hippopotamus' sweat is red?
* that bees can't fly in the rain?
* that one weekday edition of The New York Times includes more information in it than the average person encountered in his/her lifetime in seventeenth century England?
* that shrimp's hearts are in their heads?
Speaking of a heart in their head, I believe that was Jesus! Jesus' heart, Jesus' spirit, controlled His head, His life, in every decision that He made. And His heart was in tune with His Heavenly Father - who helped Him learn control of His life. That's what we are going to look at today!
I love watching Jesus' life! Don't you ever wonder what it was like to be there with Jesus? Walking down the road with Him - watching Him respond to people. If we are truly Christians, we must be like Him! And to be like Him means watching closely what He did, said, how He treated people, etc. In a moment we'll look at Mark 3:1--6. By this time in Jesus' ministry, He was making a really BIG SPLASH! He had become a very bright light in a very dark world. Which was also getting Him into trouble with the religious leaders of His day. They didn't like someone else taking away the spotlight from them - and taking away their authority over the people.
Prior to this event, Jesus' life and light was expanding. Look at these passages from His beginning ministry:
´ Mark 1:14 - Time's Up! Jesus put the world on notice. Matthew 12:30 and Matthew 10:34 and 38
´ Mark 1:18 - The fishermen dropped their nets and followed Jesus.
´ Mark 1:20 - These brothers immediately left ... and followed Jesus.
´ Mark 1:22 - The people were surprised at His teaching.
´ Mark 1:27 - Everyone there was incredulous.
´ Mark 1:33 - The whole city lined up at His door!
´ Mark 1:37 - Everybody's looking for you!
´ Mark 2:2 - A crowd gathered.
´ Mark 2:12 - Praise God, we've never seen anything like this!
´ Mark 2:13 - Again a crowd came to Him.
From just a handful of followers, now Jesus had to deal with crowds of people because Jesus was meeting their needs. This was unlike the religious leaders who basically flaunted their authority and leadership. And now we come to this passage from Mark. This is really a capsulated example of what Jesus was doing to meet peoples' needs. Here's what happened.
(Read Mark 3:1--6. If possible, read it also from The Message.)
There are three things I want to point out of how Jesus' heart was controlling His head.
A. In verse 1, we see that Jesus "found" a helpless person. This was His style - His business - to look for and serve those who were especially helpless. He didn't stand on the corner and preach "I'm holding a workshop in the Temple at 3:00 p.m., so come and meet me there." No. He went where the people were. He found them in everyday situations. We should be doing the same thing. In our schools, in our homes, at work - we should be looking for people and finding them at their point of need.
B. In verse 4, after Jesus "found" a helpless person, He then had a choice. He could either leave them helpless as they were, or He could choose to help them in their need. And, from what I read in the Word, Jesus always helped them - healed them, drove out demons in them, brought light into their dark lives, setting Satan's captives free. He then pointed them to their True Help - His Heavenly Father.
We should be doing the same thing as Jesus. We should be sensitive in helping people, not leaving them helpless. Every day we rub shoulders with needy people in our schools, in classes, in our hallways, at work, home, even in our churches. Oh, it may not be the same plight this man had, but there are needy people all around us. What are we going to do with those moments of contact? Help those people, or leave them helpless? What would Jesus have done? Walked away?
C. In verses 5 and 6, as Jesus reached out, He got involved and helped. Notice when Jesus healed this man, His hand was as good as new - it was completely restored. Jesus' heart, mission, and passion were to help and serve others to bring wholeness into their lives. To break the bondage that sin or helplessness had over their lives.
But look at the Pharisees! Because of their "hard--nosed religion and stubborn hearts" that did not have "servanthood" in them they turned away to plot Jesus' ruin. They had not allowed Jesus' message to change them from "leaving people helpless" (because it was a rule they kept for this day or that) to helping people.
Now the question is this - of which group have you chosen to be a part?
´ Stubborn, hard--hearted people?
or
´ Servant hearted people like Jesus?
I'd like for you to hold out your hands in your lap and look at them. Keep focused on them. Don't let anyone take way what God wants to say to you right now as you focus on Him. You have power in those hands - just as Jesus did. Power to either help others in need in your schools, homes, work places, or leave them helpless. You can slap, punch, hit someone with your hands. Or you can help them by showing compassion and care through those hands by reaching out to them in need - to heal them, just as Jesus did.
Mickey Cox
Mark 1:1--11
Affirmed!
As a little boy, I learned a lot of things. But I was never so impressed with this truth - that God loves me! I'd sing about it in Sunday school, my parents would tell me He loves me, the Church would emphasize His love for me. However, as I grew, I found that the world I lived in was not so full of God's love. In fact, it was a desert needing the water of His love in everything!
When I mention desert, I'm sure your mind goes to places like the Nevada or Arizona deserts. They are dry, dusty places in need of water. A desert is extremely hot in the day and cold at night. It is an arid place with not much growing. Deserts are barren and not necessarily attractive. It is this image I want you to have as we look into the Word today.
(Read Mark 1:1--11, if possible, from The Message.)
Looking at this passage and the time Jesus lived in, we understand that the spiritual climate of the Jewish world was a very dry, dusty, and barren climate. Not much was happening in their lives, especially spiritually. The Jewish leaders were not ones who challenged the people spiritually. Things had become routine - lifeless. Spiritual growth was not heard of during this time.
In the middle of this lifelessness in people's lives, a voice steps out and whispers "watch closely." It's quiet at first, but grows in resolution as it continues. This voice begins to point to the One Who is going to change lives from deserts to abundant living. These people were hearing all kinds of voices around them - voices that told them what to do in the religious world as well as secular world. Some are positive, but most negative.
It's much like what we hear today. We hear all kinds of voices. Some are affirming - most are negative. We seek to hear affirming voices, especially in the desert times in our lives. Those affirming voices could and would make a big difference in our abilities to "conquer" the world around us.
Jesus was ready to hear an affirming voice, too. He was ready to get involved in the ministry task He came to do - serve others. At His baptism, He heard an amazing voice, an affirming voice carrying Him to a true adventure and obedience to His Heavenly Father. Mark 1:11 says "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to speak to Satan's forces and cast them out of sin--weary people.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to touch and heal an outcast called a leper.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to calm the storm on the water.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to even walk on water.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to raise a dead man.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to be obedient even to the point of dying on the cross for you and for me.
This was an empowering voice! With this affirmation, Jesus was able to lay a foundation in His life that He could do anything on the adventure God had for Him. Through God's affirming voice, Jesus knew Who He was, and He was able to act on that security in His life. He didn't need the security of the world or what others thought of Him, He had His Fathers' security as a foundation for His life.
You know, you and I can have the same security and foundation in our lives! Because if we listen closely in the dry, dusty, thirsty, desert times of our lives, we can hear God our Heavenly Father's voice saying to us through Jesus - "You are my child, whom I love. With you I am well pleased."
But, how long has it been since you've heard this voice? Are you one of the following who needs to hear God's voice now?
1. Maybe you're living in the desert right now. Maybe you need to hear God's voice in your life because right now you are living just like the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11. Listen for His voice. He loves you!
2. Maybe you've heard this voice before, but you've drifted from the affirming voice in your life. Maybe you've allowed the weeds to choke out the voice, much like the growing seeds in Mark 4. Allow God to pull those weeds to hear His affirming voice right now.
3. Maybe you've heard God's voice before, but you're just hesitant to step out on this adventure, this journey, and say, "Okay, Lord, I'm all yours now." Jesus heard God's affirming voice, He said, "Okay," and He had a great adventure being obedient to His Heavenly Father. God wants to use you for mighty, powerful, and miraculous things in this world! Let Him!
God wants you to base your life on His foundation of affirmation. Let God's voice do amazing things for you today! Make a choice to hear Him now.
Mickey Cox
Mark 1:21--35
Where Is God's Power?
I don't know about you, but quite frankly, I've been wondering where God's power is today. I don't seem to see Him at work like I've read about in the Bible stories in Sunday school or books. It's like He's asleep, especially when I see our world in such a mess. With things like the World Trade Center, Columbine High School, parents doing unthinkable things to their children, wars that destroy thousands of lives like nothing, immorality rampant, value systems turned upside down.
My vision of God's power is of Him doing mighty works in the world that dazzle people - make them know He is the Almighty God! Something like throwing tons of water on the altar and then God lighting it from afar. Or the splitting of the sea so His people could walk across it on dry ground.
My vision of God's power, although right and correct in His powerful ability to do things, had boxed Him into this small box of preconceived ideas. It was a small view of His power.
So then, I began reading the Word about Jesus' life, and how He showed God's power while here on earth as a human being. I began changing my mind about God's power - letting the box open up to His reality - and saw that although Jesus did miraculous things, it happened in people's lives.
(Read Mark 1:21--35, if possible from The Message.)
Studying the Scripture closely, I began seeing where I needed to let God out of the box of my preconceived ideas. And let Him show His power in a different way. God is not so much interested in doing mighty and powerful showings of His works in physical ways - as much as He is interested in using and showing His power in peoples' lives - changed lives. The change, though, had to begin in me. I found three things that I needed to work on to see His power around me.
1. I needed to get to know God much better. My plate of activities had become quite full and I needed to empty it to get alone with God and see Him as He really was. I needed to do as Jesus did in Mark 1:35 - seek God out without detractions.
2. As I got to know God, listening to His voice in my life and asking me to do things for Him in the Kingdom, I needed to be immediately obedient to Him. I shouldn't put off what He asked of me. Right before this passage of Scripture, Jesus was out in the wilderness as Satan tempted Him for forty days. He withstood the temptations because He had obeyed God. In today's world, we have been mesmerized into thinking we have to experience a lot of things to be a complete person. The truth is, we need to be obedient to God and say "no" to those things that draw us away from Him and harm us.
3. I found that I needed to reach out to others if God's power was a vital part of my changed life. Jesus showed us God's heart and where His real power lies - in changing the hearts and lives of people. Jesus went out of His way to reach out and touch people. Who are you reaching out to, to show God's power at work in your life?
God's power. Yes, He does marvelous and mighty works. But nothing compares to the powerful change in lives touched by Him.
(Have someone share a testimony about their changed lives and God's power.)
Mickey Cox
* that 51 percent of all the people ever born on the planet Earth are still alive today?
* that scientists have performed brain surgery on cockroaches?
* that 99 percent of the universe we live in is nothing?
* that hippopotamus' sweat is red?
* that bees can't fly in the rain?
* that one weekday edition of The New York Times includes more information in it than the average person encountered in his/her lifetime in seventeenth century England?
* that shrimp's hearts are in their heads?
Speaking of a heart in their head, I believe that was Jesus! Jesus' heart, Jesus' spirit, controlled His head, His life, in every decision that He made. And His heart was in tune with His Heavenly Father - who helped Him learn control of His life. That's what we are going to look at today!
I love watching Jesus' life! Don't you ever wonder what it was like to be there with Jesus? Walking down the road with Him - watching Him respond to people. If we are truly Christians, we must be like Him! And to be like Him means watching closely what He did, said, how He treated people, etc. In a moment we'll look at Mark 3:1--6. By this time in Jesus' ministry, He was making a really BIG SPLASH! He had become a very bright light in a very dark world. Which was also getting Him into trouble with the religious leaders of His day. They didn't like someone else taking away the spotlight from them - and taking away their authority over the people.
Prior to this event, Jesus' life and light was expanding. Look at these passages from His beginning ministry:
´ Mark 1:14 - Time's Up! Jesus put the world on notice. Matthew 12:30 and Matthew 10:34 and 38
´ Mark 1:18 - The fishermen dropped their nets and followed Jesus.
´ Mark 1:20 - These brothers immediately left ... and followed Jesus.
´ Mark 1:22 - The people were surprised at His teaching.
´ Mark 1:27 - Everyone there was incredulous.
´ Mark 1:33 - The whole city lined up at His door!
´ Mark 1:37 - Everybody's looking for you!
´ Mark 2:2 - A crowd gathered.
´ Mark 2:12 - Praise God, we've never seen anything like this!
´ Mark 2:13 - Again a crowd came to Him.
From just a handful of followers, now Jesus had to deal with crowds of people because Jesus was meeting their needs. This was unlike the religious leaders who basically flaunted their authority and leadership. And now we come to this passage from Mark. This is really a capsulated example of what Jesus was doing to meet peoples' needs. Here's what happened.
(Read Mark 3:1--6. If possible, read it also from The Message.)
There are three things I want to point out of how Jesus' heart was controlling His head.
A. In verse 1, we see that Jesus "found" a helpless person. This was His style - His business - to look for and serve those who were especially helpless. He didn't stand on the corner and preach "I'm holding a workshop in the Temple at 3:00 p.m., so come and meet me there." No. He went where the people were. He found them in everyday situations. We should be doing the same thing. In our schools, in our homes, at work - we should be looking for people and finding them at their point of need.
B. In verse 4, after Jesus "found" a helpless person, He then had a choice. He could either leave them helpless as they were, or He could choose to help them in their need. And, from what I read in the Word, Jesus always helped them - healed them, drove out demons in them, brought light into their dark lives, setting Satan's captives free. He then pointed them to their True Help - His Heavenly Father.
We should be doing the same thing as Jesus. We should be sensitive in helping people, not leaving them helpless. Every day we rub shoulders with needy people in our schools, in classes, in our hallways, at work, home, even in our churches. Oh, it may not be the same plight this man had, but there are needy people all around us. What are we going to do with those moments of contact? Help those people, or leave them helpless? What would Jesus have done? Walked away?
C. In verses 5 and 6, as Jesus reached out, He got involved and helped. Notice when Jesus healed this man, His hand was as good as new - it was completely restored. Jesus' heart, mission, and passion were to help and serve others to bring wholeness into their lives. To break the bondage that sin or helplessness had over their lives.
But look at the Pharisees! Because of their "hard--nosed religion and stubborn hearts" that did not have "servanthood" in them they turned away to plot Jesus' ruin. They had not allowed Jesus' message to change them from "leaving people helpless" (because it was a rule they kept for this day or that) to helping people.
Now the question is this - of which group have you chosen to be a part?
´ Stubborn, hard--hearted people?
or
´ Servant hearted people like Jesus?
I'd like for you to hold out your hands in your lap and look at them. Keep focused on them. Don't let anyone take way what God wants to say to you right now as you focus on Him. You have power in those hands - just as Jesus did. Power to either help others in need in your schools, homes, work places, or leave them helpless. You can slap, punch, hit someone with your hands. Or you can help them by showing compassion and care through those hands by reaching out to them in need - to heal them, just as Jesus did.
Mickey Cox
Mark 1:1--11
Affirmed!
As a little boy, I learned a lot of things. But I was never so impressed with this truth - that God loves me! I'd sing about it in Sunday school, my parents would tell me He loves me, the Church would emphasize His love for me. However, as I grew, I found that the world I lived in was not so full of God's love. In fact, it was a desert needing the water of His love in everything!
When I mention desert, I'm sure your mind goes to places like the Nevada or Arizona deserts. They are dry, dusty places in need of water. A desert is extremely hot in the day and cold at night. It is an arid place with not much growing. Deserts are barren and not necessarily attractive. It is this image I want you to have as we look into the Word today.
(Read Mark 1:1--11, if possible, from The Message.)
Looking at this passage and the time Jesus lived in, we understand that the spiritual climate of the Jewish world was a very dry, dusty, and barren climate. Not much was happening in their lives, especially spiritually. The Jewish leaders were not ones who challenged the people spiritually. Things had become routine - lifeless. Spiritual growth was not heard of during this time.
In the middle of this lifelessness in people's lives, a voice steps out and whispers "watch closely." It's quiet at first, but grows in resolution as it continues. This voice begins to point to the One Who is going to change lives from deserts to abundant living. These people were hearing all kinds of voices around them - voices that told them what to do in the religious world as well as secular world. Some are positive, but most negative.
It's much like what we hear today. We hear all kinds of voices. Some are affirming - most are negative. We seek to hear affirming voices, especially in the desert times in our lives. Those affirming voices could and would make a big difference in our abilities to "conquer" the world around us.
Jesus was ready to hear an affirming voice, too. He was ready to get involved in the ministry task He came to do - serve others. At His baptism, He heard an amazing voice, an affirming voice carrying Him to a true adventure and obedience to His Heavenly Father. Mark 1:11 says "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to speak to Satan's forces and cast them out of sin--weary people.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to touch and heal an outcast called a leper.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to calm the storm on the water.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to even walk on water.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to raise a dead man.
With this affirming voice in Jesus' life, He was able to be obedient even to the point of dying on the cross for you and for me.
This was an empowering voice! With this affirmation, Jesus was able to lay a foundation in His life that He could do anything on the adventure God had for Him. Through God's affirming voice, Jesus knew Who He was, and He was able to act on that security in His life. He didn't need the security of the world or what others thought of Him, He had His Fathers' security as a foundation for His life.
You know, you and I can have the same security and foundation in our lives! Because if we listen closely in the dry, dusty, thirsty, desert times of our lives, we can hear God our Heavenly Father's voice saying to us through Jesus - "You are my child, whom I love. With you I am well pleased."
But, how long has it been since you've heard this voice? Are you one of the following who needs to hear God's voice now?
1. Maybe you're living in the desert right now. Maybe you need to hear God's voice in your life because right now you are living just like the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11. Listen for His voice. He loves you!
2. Maybe you've heard this voice before, but you've drifted from the affirming voice in your life. Maybe you've allowed the weeds to choke out the voice, much like the growing seeds in Mark 4. Allow God to pull those weeds to hear His affirming voice right now.
3. Maybe you've heard God's voice before, but you're just hesitant to step out on this adventure, this journey, and say, "Okay, Lord, I'm all yours now." Jesus heard God's affirming voice, He said, "Okay," and He had a great adventure being obedient to His Heavenly Father. God wants to use you for mighty, powerful, and miraculous things in this world! Let Him!
God wants you to base your life on His foundation of affirmation. Let God's voice do amazing things for you today! Make a choice to hear Him now.
Mickey Cox
Mark 1:21--35
Where Is God's Power?
I don't know about you, but quite frankly, I've been wondering where God's power is today. I don't seem to see Him at work like I've read about in the Bible stories in Sunday school or books. It's like He's asleep, especially when I see our world in such a mess. With things like the World Trade Center, Columbine High School, parents doing unthinkable things to their children, wars that destroy thousands of lives like nothing, immorality rampant, value systems turned upside down.
My vision of God's power is of Him doing mighty works in the world that dazzle people - make them know He is the Almighty God! Something like throwing tons of water on the altar and then God lighting it from afar. Or the splitting of the sea so His people could walk across it on dry ground.
My vision of God's power, although right and correct in His powerful ability to do things, had boxed Him into this small box of preconceived ideas. It was a small view of His power.
So then, I began reading the Word about Jesus' life, and how He showed God's power while here on earth as a human being. I began changing my mind about God's power - letting the box open up to His reality - and saw that although Jesus did miraculous things, it happened in people's lives.
(Read Mark 1:21--35, if possible from The Message.)
Studying the Scripture closely, I began seeing where I needed to let God out of the box of my preconceived ideas. And let Him show His power in a different way. God is not so much interested in doing mighty and powerful showings of His works in physical ways - as much as He is interested in using and showing His power in peoples' lives - changed lives. The change, though, had to begin in me. I found three things that I needed to work on to see His power around me.
1. I needed to get to know God much better. My plate of activities had become quite full and I needed to empty it to get alone with God and see Him as He really was. I needed to do as Jesus did in Mark 1:35 - seek God out without detractions.
2. As I got to know God, listening to His voice in my life and asking me to do things for Him in the Kingdom, I needed to be immediately obedient to Him. I shouldn't put off what He asked of me. Right before this passage of Scripture, Jesus was out in the wilderness as Satan tempted Him for forty days. He withstood the temptations because He had obeyed God. In today's world, we have been mesmerized into thinking we have to experience a lot of things to be a complete person. The truth is, we need to be obedient to God and say "no" to those things that draw us away from Him and harm us.
3. I found that I needed to reach out to others if God's power was a vital part of my changed life. Jesus showed us God's heart and where His real power lies - in changing the hearts and lives of people. Jesus went out of His way to reach out and touch people. Who are you reaching out to, to show God's power at work in your life?
God's power. Yes, He does marvelous and mighty works. But nothing compares to the powerful change in lives touched by Him.
(Have someone share a testimony about their changed lives and God's power.)
Mickey Cox
