CMLC 2024-01-28 Sermon

Hi. So, um, that rumor has it that this is the year 2024? I don't know. I can't figure out what day of week it is after time anymore. It's been very, very busy. The lead pass for the role is a very, very busy job.

Um, so, but fortunately I've got a lot of other people helping me keep me on track. So I've been very fortunate. But this thing is, is that I hear that this is an election year.

I feel like the last eight years have all been election years, so I don't even know anymore. Um, but one of the things that I find fascinating is how many times there are people that keep telling us, you see, I told you I was right.

See, it's fascinating that people that want to be in some sort of leadership or controller determination, they have a habit of being able to say all these things are going wrong.

And then when part of two of them actually turn out to be true, then they can go back and say, you see, I told you. Have you ever had that one person in your life? No matter what you tell them about, it's always going to be bad and wrong.

And then that way they can come in later and say, see, I told you this was going to go wrong.

And things that we seem to have a lot of people in the world today that they just know how to just keep talking and eventually something will end up being right.

And then they will like, see, I told you. But I think that in many ways we are just wishing and hoping that we can have those who gather our attention and lead us like those in the times past, like those like Charleston Heston, like Moses.

It is 10 commandments. Let's be honest. So I didn't grow up in the time when the movie first came out. Yes, I am in my 40s. No, for all of you young people. That does not make me that old.

But I did grow up in the time when ABC would play the 10 commandments every single year. And my mom would put it on the calendar.

We actually had a physical calendar. It wasn't just on the phone. And she put it on there. Moses. And there you go.

And with it though, is a people, while she was talking to the actor, James was Charleston Heston and every time she'd see him, it was like Moses.

But with it though, is that he always seemed to have, there were these two crazies that always stood out. And it was Moses coming up and saying, let my people go.

That and you can rip it from like cold dead hands, who's currently not from the movie as whatever. But the thing is that somebody being strong and loud has in many ways turned into our minds as the idea of having authority.

Is a person strong enough? Are they loud enough? And are they going to get your attention?

But in reality, authority is not about that demeanor. Authority is about something that is deeper. Something that we end up asking in regards to who it is that sends the person to do that work.

Now the thing about Moses coming to the people of God is that it was more than just Moses saying, I'm going to pull you out of each of us.

And we're going to go off and find the promised land. I mean, that would be a wonderful thing no matter what.

If somebody tells you that there is something to look forward to, of course it would be great to listen. But here's the harder parts.

Moses also had to tell the people the ways in which they were wrong.

And that's the harder part about what it was to be this prophet, is that not only did Moses have to be honest with the people about the ways in which they were guided, but even Moses himself.

Moses was not perfect by any means. And the time went ever, Moses had messed up that he had to be willing to let God say, you are also the sinner in my eyes.

Which let's be honest, in our world today, nobody gets grinding points for saying that in any form of leadership.

But good that is being able to say not just, are you willing to be honest and true with the people around you, but are they willing to hear you with what you have to say.

You see, how do we know if the prophet is actually from God? It says in the Jura'umi, when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken.

Isn't that strange? How do we know whether to believe what they say is going to happen? Do we just wait and see?

It is sort of like when we were growing up, my sister and I would be sitting there with my mom and we'd be at the red light, and my sister always had this little game where she would be staring at the light and she'd go,

green. And it's like, oh, okay, I can do the light turn green. She'd be like, it's like somehow she just needed the timing. She'd say green. And yeah, sometimes she was right. And then sometimes she'd say it three, four, five times. And then finally it would actually turn green.

And is that what it feels like about the prophet? Are we just, well, let's just see what they said happens to be right. Okay, great, you were right. Oh, God, you were right. And the reality is that it's more than just trying to say, let's just wait and see.

But I was also looking to where the person is here and now. And there are some things that hopefully you should typically do for me in any good sermon. One, I'm going to make fun of myself at some point.

Two, I'm going to reference something to do with some sort of transformers or something recent that they come in time to know. And three, hopefully I should always bring it back to Jesus. Today, let's make sure we bring it back to Jesus.

See, in our gospel, we see Jesus coming in and teaching with authority. I know that a lot of times we can imagine how much Jesus has spoken, how much He has presented Himself.

But it wasn't about making sure that He was some amazing public speaker. It was what it was that He was saying to the people.

Instead of just trying to say things that people were expecting or what they were comfortable with, it was that He was taking what they knew to be true about God, but connecting it in ways that they needed to do.

That's a harder piece to deal with. Let's be honest. We can sometimes kind of put a wall in front of, we can ignore people, right? This is easy to ignore people sometimes.

The interesting part, though, is when God finds a way to still get attention. And what happens at that moment in time? Someone comes in and has an unclean spirit, some sort of a demon.

And I know that there are discussions about whether or not they could have been epilepsy or something else like that. Fair discussion.

The point being, though, is that they came to Jesus and needed His help. Now, did Jesus pause this person and say, listen? It's the same.

I'm really not supposed to be helping out today. You see all these people around. They might have really felt comfortable with it.

So I'm going to need you to come back with your unclean spirit tomorrow. Okay? We could, maybe 9am, if I could schedule you with your demon for 9am tomorrow. Would that be okay?

Not only did Jesus stop us, He's doing, and deal with it right then and there, we also have the authority to actually do it.

I think that's the piece that we oftentimes lose sight of with the people we're meant to listen to.

It's being able to say, are you willing to be honest with us and not just say what you think we want to hear.

Describes to come up with all sorts of beautiful sayings and wonderful lectures and everything else.

I mean, I gave one, trying to throw in a great word from time to time. I told that makes me sound really, really smart. Maybe even some Hebrew.

But the reality is that, if you want to self-seek to hear what God needed for them, not just what someone made them feel good about.

That is far easier said than done. You see, it's not just asking about where we're going to be led, but also about where we're starting and the personless.

And I think that's something that we, as a church, I don't just mean in the general house, we mean personal life.

I think that's something that we have to pause and take account of.

See, we oftentimes get so caught up in thinking about all the future ideas and things that we want to get done in the world.

And how great things might someday be.

What about us right here and now? Are we willing to pause and actually listen and say, God, what is it that you need to hear right now?

Where do I need to grow and change? What is it that you need to be doing in my life right here and now?

And frankly, if I as a pastor can't do that with you, then I really shouldn't be here.

And then more than that is to be willing to say, what is it that we feel that God's spirit would actually need us to work?

Not trying to figure out, like, okay, what did that fancy group down the road? What is it that they figured out? What is it that they wanted?

But instead, just be willing to say, what is it that God's calling us to be right here right now?

And this one is, who are we supposed to be helping?

Where is it that we're being called?

Third, to be able to trust God to accomplish these things.

Not looking to ourselves, not trying to figure out how am I going to be powerful enough to make this happen.

But instead, how am I calling God so that He's the one accomplishing it?

Not inside of us, but hopefully through us.

And then, is there something that you can avoid?

Is there something that you genuinely believe you need to actually listen to?

Not ways of, for someone to give you some grantious idea or plan out there, but rather starting with you.

Because at the end of the day, it's meant to be looking for God's goals, not ours.

So I have three questions that I want to make sure that I post to you.

Number one, does what we say and do bring true with God's work?

Not, does it sound like a good idea to me?

Not, does it sound like something that I wish would happen or would make me feel good? No.

Right here or right now, does this actually sound like what God would want to hear?

Number two, are we focused on doing what God desires of us?

See, that piece there, is that instead of spending our time saying what are my goals with, that I want at this point?

God has something for you. Is that what we're willing to pursue?

But a serious issue that also brings us to number three.

Is God doing his work in us, with us, through us, rather than around us?

If he does this to think about God, God can and does do his work. God can and does do his will.

Are we willing to be the ones that he does it?

Fair question, Michael.