I COULDN’T KEEP IT TO MYSELF!

To hear Pastor Yolanda preaching this GOOD NEWS message, please click the link above.

SCRIPTURE

Mark 7:24-37 (NRSV)
Christ heals a little girl and a deaf man

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go - the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."



SERMON

Being a good evangelist, I see the work of evangelism all over today’s gospel reading! In two separate instances we see how Jesus is at work, moving in the lives of the most unlikely people, to bring good news to those in need.

So, what is it that we can learn about evangelism from today’s scripture reading? Well, the first thing that I learned is that we are always to be on the lookout for where Jesus might be at work next!

Scripture records that Jesus was in the region of Tyre and that he was “hiding-out” in the house of a friend. Mark says, “Jesus did not want anyone to know that he was there.” We don’t know why Jesus entered that house to hide from others, but perhaps he needed some good old fashioned Rest & Relaxation. After all, Jesus was always busy, preaching, teaching, healing, praying, and delivering people from evils known and unknown.

Well, before Jesus could get in the house good and put his stuff in the drawers here comes a Gentile woman begging for him to heal her daughter who is afflicted by a demon. Good grief!

Can you just imagine? Who was this woman that she knew so much about Jesus? What was it that kept her from going to a healer in her own community? When did she come to be on the lookout for Jesus? How did she know where Jesus was, when so many others did not? And why did she think that Jesus would help her?

It seems to me that scripture leaves more questions than answers in regards to this Gentile woman. All that we know for sure is that she was on the lookout for Jesus and that although Jesus was trying to keep his appearance in the region on the down low, he was not able to escape the notice of this desperate mother.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be on the lookout for the move of God just like that! I want to be so attuned to the move of Spirit that when Spirit blows left, I’m there! When Spirit blows right, I’m there! When Spirit ascends up a hill, I’m there and when Spirit descends into the valley, I’m right there!

I want to be the type of Christian that is so attuned to the work of God, that God is unable to “escape my notice.”

I once read Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life and in it he says something like, “We ought not to pray, ‘God bless what I am doing, rather we should pray God let me do what you are blessing!’”

Hallelujah!

That one phrase fundamentally changed how I pray and how I do ministry! I realized that my job as a Christian is to be on the lookout for the work of God all around me and to get along side of Spirit helping, lifting, praying, and believing as I am led.

In all things, we are to remember that ministry is God’s work and if God chooses to use our hands, feet, mouth, brains, or hearts to discharge God’s work of Love in the Earth, so be it!

And this brings me to the second thing that I learned from today’s gospel reading. God is often at work in the most unexpected places!

As Christians, it is imperative that we do not allow our personal prejudice to get in the way of the work that God wants to do—in and through—us! Scripture says that the woman who came to Jesus was a Gentile of Syrophoenician origin.

Now, we know how Jewish people felt about Gentiles, right? And we remember that Jesus was a Jewish man socialized in the ways of the Jewish community…

So, initially, for reasons unknown to us, and only known to Spirit, Jesus reacted to the woman in the way that his community had taught him, calling the Gentile woman a dog and declaring that his healing virtue was for Jews first.

But, when the Gentile woman courageously spoke Truth to Power, pushing back against his discriminatory and inflammatory words, I imagine that just Jesus smiled and flew into action appreciating her great faith in the Law of Love.

See, the Gentile woman understood that the Law of Love demands that all of God’s children be treated equally and fairly. The Law of Love tears down the walls of discrimination, segregation, and hate. The Law of Love dictates that all of God’s people--red, yellow, black, and white--be recipients of the good news message that Jesus saves and He saves to the utmost!

When Jesus healed the daughter of that Gentile woman her good news testimony must have taken root and spread throughout her entire community! And when Jesus healed the deaf and mute man, the same thing must have been the consequence.

See, when we are on the lookout for Spirit, we will often be called to work in the most unlikely of places! We will be inspired to work amongst the least of these in our communities. We will be led into places and communities that we otherwise would never have gone to. For Scripture teaches us that God cares passionately about the outcast, the socially unacceptable, and the so-called dregs of our society.

On most job applications the following affirmative action statement is usually present. It reads, “We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, color, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.”

I believe that The Church of Jesus is called to proclaim the same message. WE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE!

All of God’s children are welcome to come to Jesus, just as they are, and receive the good news of God’s salvation, love, care, and healing which is for all people!

I am always profoundly disturbed when I walk into a church that is segregated by race and/or class! I am always disappointed when I notice that everyone in a congregation looks, acts, smells, talks, and worships in the same way.

Uniformity in any Christian congregation begs the question, “Where are the least of these?”

Where are the non-Christians? Where are the disabled? Where are the drug and alcohol addicted? Where are the people of color? Where are the prostitutes? Where are the homeless who sleep under the bridge at night? Where are the folks with HIV and AIDS? Where are the people who have been convicted of felony crimes? Where are the least of these—the folks pushed to the margins, who make their homes outside of our camps, who face discrimination on a daily basis? Where are the folks who are truly desperate for Jesus?

This last question, leads me to my final lesson from today’s scripture. For today, I am reminded that Jesus is inviting us to walk through the open door of opportunity, where God is at work, and where we can zealously proclaim, the astonishing good news, that Jesus has done all things well!

When Jesus healed the deaf and mute man, scripture records that Jesus, “took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.”

Wow! My holy ghost inspired imagination is truly captured by God’s simple command “Be Opened.”

And I can hear still hear that command ringing in the air today. I believe that God is saying be open to new experiences. Be open to a new season in the life of your church. Be open to new people. Be open to new partnerships. Be open to new opportunities to bring the good news to people in need of it! BE OPEN SAINTS OF GOD!

See, when Jesus healed the deaf and mute man, Jesus ordered him and his friends to tell no one what had been accomplished for them!

But, scripture says that the more Jesus ordered people to be silent, the more zealously they proclaimed the astounding good news that Jesus does all things well! They simply could not keep the good news to themselves!

Wow! So today, I ask you, what is it that you are zealous about? Today we are reminded that as Christians we ought to be zealous about sharing the astounding good news that God loves, gave, and saves!

God loves us so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life. Doesn’t God do all things well?

God is so powerful that Jesus did not stay dead, but was resurrected on the third day just like he promised! Doesn’t God do all things well?

God is so awesome that on the day of Pentecost God sent the Holy Spirit to teach us all that we needed to remember to share good news effectively. Doesn’t God do all things well?

God cares for us so much that God extends to us love, joy, peace, hope for the future, and an attitude of gratitude. Doesn’t our God do all things well?

God protects us so much that God saves us from dangers seen and unseen, heals our bodies, reconciles our relationships, and makes provision for our every need. Doesn’t God do all things well, my friends?!

I could go on and on, but I know that you have your own bold testimonies about how God keeps you healthy, happy, holy, and whole for our God does all things well!

As Christians it is our honor and our duty to be on the lookout for where God is at work and to work at God’s side without respect for persons, casting aside our prejudices and declaring with great zeal, “Our God does all things well!”

As we share this good news message, Jesus will become truly famous within our spheres of influence and we will be blessed to see our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even our enemies come running asking, “What must I do to be saved?”

Now, ain’ta that good news?!

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray, Amen.



INVITATION

There may be someone who is listening today, who is ready to declare for the first time, “My God does all things well.” If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, won’t you please pray with me?

Holy God, thank you that you are constantly at work in my life. I am sorry for the many times I have missed the move of Spirit working to bring me love, joy, and peace. Today, I am putting all of my hope in Jesus. I believe that you love me so much that you gave Jesus to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. I know that Jesus did not stay dead, but he was resurrected on the third day just like He promised that he would. Today, I can say with great zeal, “You do all things well!” This is good news in my life, and I simply cannot keep it to myself. I pledge to share good news with others everywhere I go and I pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.


SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday, my friend! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share the GOOD NEWS with others!

Peace be with you all and thanks for listening to GOOD NEWS LIVING with Pastor Yolanda.

*For my readers—Won’t you please click “yes” in the poll located at the top right-hand corner of this blog? Did God save you today? YES! http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/

JUST LOOKING...

To hear Pastor Yolanda preaching this GOOD NEWS message, please click the link above.

SCRIPTURE

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (NRSV)

Authentic religion

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
'This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.'
You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition." ...

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." ...

For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

SERMON

In today’s scripture reading Jesus and his disciples encounter some Pharisees who express grave consternation about the fact that the disciples are eating without washing their hands in a ritualistic fashion. They question Jesus asking, “"Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" In response, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah proclaiming that the Pharisees are hypocrites who worship God with their lips, but not with their hearts and who uplift human tradition, rather than the commandments of God!

Whoa…talk about an uncomfortable conversation. After all, Jesus was talking to the Pharisees. In the eyes of the people—and of themselves—the Pharisees were the righteous ones. The Pharisees were the learned people who knew the law. The Pharisees were holy and blameless and fit to judge others!

Well, if you’ve spent any time in scripture, you know that Jesus was often frustrated, if not angry, with the self-righteous Pharisees. He felt that their piety was restricted to outward appearances, rather than the condition of their hearts.

Jesus, therefore, pushed back against this type of vain and valueless religiousity when he stated, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile."

What a radical concept! Jesus was saying that although human beings have many traditions, what is most important is to hold to the commandments of God. And what are the greatest commandments we may ask? Jesus answered this question during his lifetime when he stated, “The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Apparently Jesus had grave concerns regarding whether the Pharisees were truly loving God and neighbor as they stood in radical judgment against other human beings.

So, what is it that we can learn from scripture today? Well, first of all, I believe Spirit wants us to know—and remember—that it is the condition of our hearts that most concerns our God.

God is the knower of all things. God is not fooled by what we say. God is able to look directly into our hearts and see if we truly love God and neighbor as ourselves. God knows that some of us are just looking like we have it all together.

There are many Christians who are guilty of the sin of hypocrisy. On Sunday, they put on their fancy clothes, come to church, say all the right things, and give an appearance of godliness, but on Monday they return to the “world” unaffected by the good news message and purposefully hurt and harm others for their own greedy gain!

Lord, have mercy us for we know that this is true. We have to look no further than to our televisions, newspapers, and history books to see that many Christians have failed to hear--and heed--the Holy Word of God! We see Christians who are guilty of sexual misconduct against minors, war crimes, thievery, selling drugs, and the like! Jesus said is from within...list. Even these things come from "Christian" hearts!

God have mercy upon us!

When "Christians" are caught doing these things, the people around them always say, “But, I don’t understand. S/he seemed like such a nice person. S/he even went to church on Sunday!”

Lord, help! I once heard a wise old woman say, “You can have been in church your whole life, but the church not be in you!”

Hallelujah! Just going to church does not make you a true disciple of Jesus. Just attending Sunday worship does not mean you are a follower of the Way. This is why James 1 says that if you think that you are religious, but do not bridle your tongue, you deceive your heart and your religion is worthless!”

Isn't that a strong statement? But it is true. What we think, say, and do unto others, matters to God! It is not the outward appearance of piety, but the inward condition of holiness that concerns our God.

And this brings us to our second lesson. I believe Spirit wants us to remember that in addition to observing the condition of our hearts, we must also remember to observe God’s commandments rather than man’s traditions!

Here’s where the Pharisees always got into trouble! They were well versed in the traditions of the elders. They knew when to wash their hands. They knew how much of their income to give to the Temple. They knew when to stand, sit, and lift their hands. What they didn’t know was how to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. What they didn’t know was how to be gracious, merciful, humble, compassionate, and kind. What they didn’t know was how to affirm the amazing grace of God in love!

Wow! On this side of the cross all of us should be aware of the fact that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…there is none righteous no not one! All of us should remember that sin begins as a thought of the imagination, then becomes an action, which if left unconfessed leads to our spiritual death. Surely, all of us can sing, “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now was found, was blind but now I see!”

My goodness! If we could all just remember that Jesus is the only sin-free, blemish-free, perfect lamb of God, wouldn't we would be so much better off?

It is hard to point out the splinter in our neighbor’s eye, if we are cognizant of the log in our own. It is ridiculous to throw stones at another, when we, ourselves, live in glass houses.

I love the fact that Jesus reminds us, “S/he who is without sin, should throw the first stone!”

It seems to me the Pharisees were always throwing stones! But, Jesus was constantly reminding them that all of us are in need of forgiveness and reconciliation with God!

As we attend to the holiness of our own hearts with the help of Spirit, we will become much more concerned with following God’s commandment to love God and neighbor, and much less concerned with policing the behavior of others.

Really…it is our tradition to dress modestly as Christians, but can we welcome the prostitute into our midst on Sunday? It is our tradition to abstain from garish jewelry and tattoos which cover our bodies, but can we welcome the gothic teenager or hard rock head banger into our midst? It is our tradition to sing the great hymns and anthems of Christiandome, but will we welcome the one with an Ipod in his ear which is blaring the rhythms and sounds of hip hop music?

In each case, the prostitute, goth, head banger, and hip hop listener all have something in common with us. They all need Jesus, just as we do. They all need to hear the word of God, just as we do! And they all need to put all of there hope in Christ, just as we have…

Recently one of my Twitter friends said, “The problem with The Church’s evangelism strategy is that we are the only people who try to clean our fish, before we catch them!”

Shame on us!

I love the song, “Just as I am.” It reminds me that no matter who we are, how we look, or what we’ve done, we can come to Jesus just as we are!

But, let me say this to you, my friends. We can come just as we are, but we won’t stay that way! Glory to God! From the moment that we put all of our hope in Jesus, Spirit begins to transform us from the inside out!

And this brings me to our final lesson for today. I believe Spirit is inviting us to not only be hearers of the Word, but doers as well!

As Christians, it is imperative that we be hearers--and doers--of God’s Holy Word! This is only possible in as much as we acknowledge that God loves the world so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life.

Do you notice something my friends? John 3:16 does not say that human beings do anything to receive salvation. Instead it says, “God loves. God gave. God saves.”

In other words, the work of salvation belongs to God, and God alone. I think that as human beings, we become Pharisaical when we believe that we need to save the souls of our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and enemies.

We become judgmental when we believe that we must regulate the behavior of others so that they will not miss out on eternal life. We become prideful when we forget that our relationship with God is based on the love, grace, and mercy of God, through Jesus Christ, rather than on any good works of our own!

It is only as we put all of our hope and faith in Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven, we are reconciled with God, and we are granted eternal life. Come on somebody!

As we live into this awareness of God’s unconditional Love, we will extend this love to others and as we bathe ourselves in God’s Amazing Grace, we will give grace to all those in need.

Even when we are compelled by Spirit to speak Truth to power, we will do it in love and with humility, recognizing that we too are in desperate need of the Blood of Lamb!

Dear friends, today we must change our perspective! No longer can we look on the outward appearance of people, rather let us ask Spirit to help us see into the heart of others.

As we look into the lonely, broken, scared, confused, abused, misused, judged, condemned, hurting hearts of our non-Christian friends, we will be compelled to simply love them to the cross of Jesus!

When I was a child my Mama would say to me, "Chile, you love people to the cross! You don’t beat them there.”

As we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, house the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned, and care for the widows and orphans, we will share good news--and be good news--in the lives of those who need Jesus!

Let us follow the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Let us take on the humble spirit of a servant and love and serve people in order to witness their salvation! Remember, what is of utmost importance is that we attend to the holiness of our own hearts, follow the commandments of God, and do the Will of God! In so doing, many will come running asking us, “What must I do to be saved?”

Now, ain’ta that good news?!

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

INVITATION (tailor to message)

There may be someone who is listening today, who wants to get real with God and stop pretending that everything is all right. Won’t you put all of your hope in Jesus today? If so, please pray with me.

God, I’ve been going through the motions and on the outside everything looks okay. But, here’s some real talk, I’m so lonely, scared, and confused. Today, I am putting all of my hope in Jesus. I want my inside to look like my outside. Today I confess that I know—and believe-- that You gave Jesus to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. I believe that Jesus did not stay dead, but got up on the third day just as He promised! Won’t you please forgive me of my sin, Jesus, and fill me with the Holy Spirit? I want to look and act like You! I pray this in Your Name, Amen.

SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share the GOOD NEWS with others!

Peace be with you and thanks for listening to GOOD NEWS LIVING with Pastor Yolanda.

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PUT ALL OF YOUR HOPE IN JESUS--If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

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From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com