Sermon 6-9-24
Heavenly Father, You are the way and yet we wander, looking for fulfillment elsewhere. Please help us to surrender ourselves to You and to listen for Your direction. Please guide us to Your holy word so that we may live lives pleasing to You, always hoping in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whose name, we pray. Amen.
Security checks now days are very common. We’ve come to expect them at every airport or border crossing. The reason for a security check is to make proper identification of who you say you are.
There is one person in particular that we will want to identify correctly: Jesus. Get His identity wrong and you’ll be more than embarrassed come Judgment Day.
Some in our Gospel text thought Jesus was a madman. Others said He was a double agent! Still others considered Him family.
The first people who should have known Jesus the best were His mother and siblings. However, when they heard that Jesus was so busy teaching and healing that He didn’t take time to eat, they said Jesus was out of His mind. Mary called Jesus a madman. We might tsk our tongues and shake our heads at that statement, but maybe that’s not as surprising as we might think.
Isn’t that what we think when scripture tells us to tithe 10% of our income? Or to be in worship every week and then attend Bible class too? You want me to honor my parents who are the most un-cool people in the world? You expect me to keep my body for my spouse alone? Really, Jesus? You’ve got to be insane!”
Well in one sense Jesus is out of His mind. He’s crazy about you and doesn’t want to lose you to satan and to eternal damnation. That was the point in the parable about the shepherd who left the 99 perfectly good sheep to go looking for the one loser. Why didn’t He just cut His losses? Why did spend His time and effort looking for an animal that had caused trouble before?
Or the parable of the woman who looked for the lost coin; the parable of the prodigal son. These illustrations show how Jesus rescued each one of us from sin and the high price He was willing to pay: namely a painful death and rejection by His heavenly Father.
So for Jesus to skip meals to help sinners is no surprise. He seemed out of His mind because He did what no one else was willing to do and without Him we’d be eternally lost.
The religious leaders claimed Jesus cast out demons by satan’s power – only to gain people’s confidence and later mislead them. I think the Pharisees had watched too many spy movies to come up with that explanation.
Jesus was no double agent working for satan. Instead He compared Himself to a strongman who had come to bind satan so that He could rescue those who had been taken hostage by the prince of darkness. Jesus did that by preaching the truth of God’s Word urging us to put our faith in Him. Because anyone who believes this truth, is no longer held hostage to satan’s lies. What lies has satan convinced you to believe?
Jesus ministry on earth was one of focused intensity. Jesus told His disciples that night was coming when no more work could be done. Therefore it was imperative for them (and for us) to share God’s Word with those who otherwise would be eternally lost.
Jesus came to save everyone – even those religious leaders who rejected Him, and so He issued a serious warning. Jesus said that anyone who rejects His witness—calling His activities “satanic,” would be guilty of the sin against the Holy Spirit for which there is no forgiveness. Jesus died and paid for every sin. Forgiveness is granted when we trust in Him. It’s the job of the Holy Spirit to bring us to saving faith. So if we reject Jesus, we’ll never come to faith and never benefit from the forgiveness that Jesus won for us. Here’s an example.
A person out hiking strays off the trail, gets lost and cannot find his way back. You’d think that person should be glad when the rescue party arrives to take him to safety. However, if that person rejects the rescue attempt, there is nothing the rescuers can do but leave the stranded person to fend for himself, and of course, eventually die. The foolish person would perish, because he refused those who had come to rescue him. That’s the nature of the sin against the Holy Spirit.
Whenever we ignore God’s Word or even think it’s boring we’re telling the Holy Spirit to buzz off. The result being, we’ll lose our faith, and without faith in Jesus there is no salvation – only eternal wrath.
So far, we’ve heard Jesus identified as a mad man and as a double agent. But here’s how Jesus identified Himself: When word reached Jesus that His mother and brothers were looking for Him, Jesus identified Himself as family to all who do God’s will–to repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus for salvation. Jesus considers such people His own flesh and blood. He is the one to whom we can go, with every prayer, of any kind, at any time. Anyone who puts their faith in Him, are His family! Meaning we can go to Him directly and share with Him whatever is on our heart.
Of course this doesn’t mean that Jesus will give you whatever you want. Jesus knows what we need and when we need it. And we trust that He knows what is best—even in some of the greatest struggles we face.
Who is Jesus to you? A madman when He insists that you follow His Word?
Do you treat Jesus as an agent of satan –someone out to get you?
Do you stay away from His Word because you don’t like what it says?
Jesus extends His hand of forgiveness and assures us that He has paid for every sin, and those who believe in Him, He calls family.
Jesus is saying that about you and me and all of us who are gathered here to listen to His voice. Jesus good and gracious will is simple this: that we come to Jesus to hear and believe and be saved! For He has the words of eternal life. Amen
