To all who visit this site:

You can view the archived group studies from past gatherings, but I suggest you fastforward about 15-20 minutes in, as I start this up early and chat with folks coming in. This will seem tideous to some, because they don't know the folks I'm chatting with, or what they are posting. Usually about 20 minutes in we start the group with a song. That too may seem better if you are there with the others worshiping together, so it's up to you if you listen to that or not. It's not perfect by any means, but it does work when we're all together. The study begins right after the song of worship. I hope you all find benefit from these indepth looks at the text and feel free to share it with any you wish to give this to, to help them grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and His will for our lives. We meet every Monday at 7pm CST, if you are interested in joining us live. Thanks, for coming, Tony.

You can contact me and this group on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/402500456475411/members/

You can also email me:

tony.hebert@oc.edu

Jesus’ Life Teaches God Is In Control

The whole of the Old Testament has one message= Somebody’s coming! We get the earliest reference of this in Gen. 3 when God tells the Devil “Her seed will crush your head.” The one coming is going to give the serpent of old a bad time.

The one coming is called the Lawgiver out of Judah, who will have the scepter in his hands. He is depicted as a rock that is smitten but gives water to the people, a Passover lamb that takes the place of the firstborn that they might live. He was shown as an uplifted serpent that would heal all those bitten by The serpent and were venom filled; you had to look to Him for this healing.

He was seen as a refuge for all those who had broken the law. We flee to refuge in Christ, because we too have felt the heals of someone after us for what we have done; Jesus is our refuge. The one to come was typified as someone who would bring us rest; He is also a high priest, as well as the crucified and resurrected one. He would be the very one who built the foundations of heaven and earth; He would be the stone the builders rejected, but in the end He would be the capstone of it all.

Isa. says He will be the virgins’ son, He’s David’s son sitting on the throne, He is called the everlasting Father, the prince of peace, the mighty God, and counselor. He is called the suffering servant, who will be beat up and all the people will say He deserves what God is doing to Him. But, the prophet tells us, we didn’t know it, but he was being hit for us. His stripes heal us, he said. We thought He was smitten of God and afflicted, but what we didn’t know was He was God afflicting himself to bring us home to Him. This message is the Old Testament message.

So, when the scholars of old tell us the Old Testament says, somebody’s coming, they are absolutely right! Even at the end in Malachi 4, we see the Son of righteousness and He’ll arise with healing in His wings! So, just when we put all that together and we could put more in there; what does that tell us about the Christ and His coming to us?

People have actually done the work and recorded over 300 distinct prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament. Does that tell us anything?

One thing it tells us is, that the life of Jesus here among us was no accident! It tells us there is and grand mastermind behind it all. Now, often times, when we read from Genesis to Malachi, we get lost and could swear there are long periods of time where it looks like no one is running anything. But, if we look at with this bigger lens and see the whole, we see all kinds of indicators that someone’s in control.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and no one was there, but you came across a shoe, a piece of clothing; even if no one was to be found, you would know someone was there. If you survey all human history, it may often, maybe even most of the time look like there’s no rhyme or reason for any of it; that no one is in control. But, then you look at the life of Christ and you see, somebody’s in control. That should be a great comfort to us.

I mean, even in my own short life, many times I have felt no one is controlling my life. Many times I feel I’m a walking contradiction, a civil war. Some days and times I am holy and thinking purely and uprightly, and sometimes I even handle mistreatment and abuse, but on other days, that’s all I hand out. Some days, it hard to think even one pure thought. I think to myself, if I were running my own life, I’d do it better than this. Scripture says, but it isn’t me, but sin that dwells in me!

The enemy of course is giving me a hard time too, pushing me toward sin, but it’s still me doing it. But, then I can see other days too, where I can say, you know Tony God is really helping you and growing you. I’m not all bad, I’m not all good either, but I’m not all bad. I do see tokens of growth in my life. Yet, we have bad days and they cause us to get down on ourselves for our spiritual idiocy and lunacy, but we can’t let that control us and beat us down. We must look to God and His Word and His word doesn’t lie to us; I do some times, but It doesn’t!

I don’t trust in me, I trust in Him and His Word and the life of Christ tells us, somebody’s in control and running the whole show. I’m saying all this, because I want you to know what the birth of Christ, His coming into the world really says to us. The birth of Jesus tells us a number of things:

1.     God is no racist! Someone put it this way about us; “the earth is a place where people fight over ruins, stabbing it’s lovely lambs with deep atomic wounds.

Daily taking overdoses of hatred, hatred on every side, hatred that expresses itself in this ungodly thing we call racism.”

Jesus the Christ, the Son of God was born a Jew! Blah – pew, blah! People of that day would do that and worse when they hear Jew and still do today. Ikeman said, he would jump into his grave laughing that he had a part in killing 6 million Jews; he was pleased about it. You know the history of how Jews have never really ever been liked by the rest of the world, not just now, been in all history.

Here’s the thing, My Master was born into a fourth rate nation! God sent Him here; He could have been born anywhere God chose, but He chose Israel. He could have been born in Athens, one the great cities of the world. He could have done whatever He wanted; He could have started it all differently than He did. He could have chosen one of the mighty nations of the world at the time. He chose to be born in a nation that was considered by other nations as the outcasts of the world.

The Master of the universe is against racism and I don’t care who’s got it, or who preaches it, we shouldn’t tolerate it for a second. It is unlike God to be a racist; we see it in the birth of Jesus. Scripture tells us where God stands on it clearly in places like Gal. 3 where it says, there is neither slave nor free, Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, but we are all one in Christ. Racism is a tool of the devil and we need to be clear about it; Jesus’ life teaches it.

2.     The birth of Christ also teaches us that God is unashamed of poverty. We can see from His very life that poverty is acceptable. I’m not saying there is anything holy about being poor; I’m just saying God is telling us it is okay. He is so unlike us most of the time. It’s simply amazing how much snobbery is all around us!

People who are more well of than others and they are looking down their noses at those who have nothing. People, who are educationally smart, look down on those who have little education. People who are the “noble” looking ones looking down on the commoners. What utter garbage it all is!

God choosing to born in poverty teaches us something about all our snobbery, however it expresses itself.

Whether it’s financial, intellectual, or social status; all such egotism is of the devil and does not belong to Christ. How perverse and idiotic it is for someone who has been blessed to educate themselves to look down on those who haven’t the same blessings in life. How ugly it is to look down on others no matter the reason. My Master says, away with such thought and practice and He didn’t just teach it, He lived it!

Jesus’ birth teaches us God is no racist, he’s no snob of any kind. Did you know Jesus was mocked even by His own people, because He chose to live in Galilee and He spoke in a funny accent because of it? The southerners snickered at Him because His grammar wasn’t like theirs and He just isn’t an educated man like us. Here we have God bearing all these criticisms of all of us down below. He chose this for a reason, are we hearing?

3.     The life of Jesus teaches us the central thing in life is being absorbed in God! By the way, being absorbed in God always translates into, being absorbed in people; you can’t escape it. The very first recorded words of Jesus were said to His mother ‘mother why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know that I must be about my father’s business?”

What we learn from Jesus about being about His father’s business is about how you treat other people. Scripture tells us what kind of reaction He got from those He taught in the temple as a young lad. It says, they were amazed, not at just His answers, but His questions as well. Did you ever think about it? Did you know Jesus thought He could be taught?

God, who manifested Himself in the flesh, not only talked, but He listened. I pray to God that we would learn this! He listened, which often is too scarce a commodity in our world today. Jesus’ life teaches us the importance to speak, but also the importance of listening.

4.     You can serve God anywhere, doing anything in life. We lose sight of Jesus from ages 12-30, the so-called silent years. Yet what do we learn of Him during this time? One thing scripture tells us is He was a carpenter. What do we learn about the life of Christ in that? I learn we can serve God doing anything, with no ballyhoo at all!

We really don’t hear from Him in all those years, but what does that tell us? What was He doing? He was serving His father with His life!

A carpenter was a hard job back then and wasn’t all that good a paying job, as it is now. But He did it, no trumpets blowing, no red carpets, no ticker tape parades through the streets of Nazareth; He was simply an ordinary man, living an ordinary life. He served God without having to be constantly praised and recognized for it. I really think you and I need to learn to live life without thinking we need a constant stream of praise to do it.

We’re so whiny! “No one appreciates me, no one accepts me, or recognizes if I live or die!” How often do we think and even say such things? I’m not saying we shouldn’t encourage one another, you know we should, but think on Jesus; put your eyes on Him for a bit. For about 30 years of His life he lived His life and did His job without any, wow! Without any, how marvelous, how wonderful You are!

We need to live our lives, do our jobs, for Him, believing He’s watching, believing He cares what we do and how we do it. We need to see Him rejoicing when you give your daily life in all you do for Him. You need to believe He believes in you even if nobody tells you how well you are doing. He knows all about you; he made you and rejoices in you, so glorify Him in all that you do.

Hey listen, He knows you need someone to drop you a line once in while, give you a smile and He gives us those people. But, say it doesn’t come often, then do it for Him, because He knows and He is pleased with you. God knows we need people who really care and they let us know, but in the mean time what are you going to do? Do what He did, which was living your life in service to Him wherever you are, whatever you are doing; with no trumpets or red carpets needed.

Jesus’ life as a carpenter teaches us that the ordinary is terrific with God. The ordinary pleases God to no end, when you give it to Him. You don’t have to be some head honcho of a big movement to be fully pleasing to God. Do the ordinary stuff for God and He rejoices.

You don’t think God doesn’t notice the ordinary everyday stuff? You remember when He went to visit at Simon’s house? Simon didn’t do the mundane, ordinary common courtesies of the day for Jesus.

No common greeting, no hug, or kiss, no water for his feet; all Jesus was to Simon was a celebrity and he just wants Him in his house to check him out. He didn’t do the common things one does to properly treat someone well who comes to visit you. You think Jesus doesn’t notice you when you do those things? Doesn’t He?

When the prostitute started kissing His feet and pouring oil on Him, He looks to Simon and says; do you not see what she is doing for me? You didn’t do anything for me when I came into your house, nothing! She’s washing my feet with her tears and drying them with her hair, and anointing me with oil. Doesn’t He notice when we don’t treat each other well? We’re just talking common courtesies here and Jesus is saying by not giving me just the common treatment, you mistreat me.

Jesus taught many times and as clear as possible in Mathew 25 where He identifies Himself with those who are needy, lonely, the sick, the hungry and thirsty. What’s He saying; one thing is the ordinary is extraordinary to God. If God came down from Heaven what Job would He choose? Of all the Jobs there are which one? Well, someone says, He’d be the biggest preacher of the biggest church in the entire world!

No, He chose to be a carpenter. That’s what He would choose, because that is what He chose. If He came today, maybe he’d chose to be a mechanic, or a bank clerk, or store keeper, I don’t know, but I know it would be ordinary, because that’s what He did. You see the truth is God doesn’t see what we call extraordinary as extraordinary.

God doesn’t believe that preachers/pastors and spiritual leaders are the only real proclaimers of God in the world. God doesn’t believe that only Bible studying, song singing, praying times are the only times we really please Him. He believes the ordinary given to Him for His glory is extraordinary!

What do we learn from the years Jesus spent as a carpenter; why am I taking so long on this one? This is where we live most of our lives and it means something big to God. It means we can serve God mightily without any ballyhoo, or rah, rah rah! We learn the ordinary pleases Him.

Being courteous to your parents, being fair to your customers, being honest with our debts, smiling for each other, weeping with each other and listening to each other; all great acts unto God and He notices! Jesus’ life teaches us this!

5.     What does His death teach us? His death is part of His life; absolutely necessary for us all and gives life to us all, so what do we learn? One thing His death tells us is sin is the one unendurable thing in the universe. It is the one thing God cannot and therefore will not tolerate. He can’t leave sin undealt with.

How did God deal with our sin? Some say, send everyone to hell! Oh no a thousand times no, that is not how He dealt with it! He took it right in His own chest is how he dealt with it. He sent His Son, not just to be born in a manger as awesome as that is, or to be a carpenter giving glory to God in the ordinary, which encourages us to live well too. But, He sent His Son, who represents the whole of the Godhead and tells Him, you go handle the problem of sin in the world and Jesus said, okay I will.

I’ll handle it for you Father, for me, and for the Spirit; for the whole Godhead, I’ll solve this problem. He didn’t come here with thunderbolts sending everyone to damnation! No! He said, I’ll stand before all the dumb little Pilate’s and I’ll take all the criticisms and I will take in my stomach and my feet and my hands and my head, all the pain brought on by sin that has ever or will ever be. I’ll handle it all and He did.

What sins did He handle? All of it, you know the real ugly stuff like, envy. Remember Pilate knew that it was because of envy they delivered Jesus up to be crucified. No special sin of the extraordinary kind. No! Just the same old garden-variety kind of sin I got involved in myself yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That ugly ordinary stuff we see and do everyday. It was loose in the first century and God came into the middle of it and it grabbed Him and killed Him!

On that day, it was God against God; the Father against the Son to deal with sin and that’s how God handled our sin. Grace isn’t cheap folks! Forgiveness didn’t come easy; it was terribly expensive. When Christ reaches out His hand in forgiveness towards you and me it has a big old bad whole it! When He takes you close to His heart, He’s got a big rip in His side. My Mater never forgave you cheaply. Sin was paid for.

6.     Death was not the end of His life, for He conquered the grave and arose! What does His resurrection tell us? It tells us that goodness and kindness runs the universe and the good news! Someone once asked if you could ask the universe one question what would it be, and someone answered and asked, are you friendly?

Haven’t you ever wondered how people live without Christ, without the Bible, without the knowledge that God is there and that He cares? How do they do it? I find it totally inexplicable. I have no idea how to live anymore without Jesus. I used to, but I don’t know anymore. The resurrection says goodness runs the whole show.

It tells us God has in store for each of us glory and life everlasting with Him. It tells us this body will be transformed and made new and ready for our new home. That’s what the resurrection tells us. The end of the story for you and me is not the tomb, or the graveyard and this brings us great joy.

One of these days, we are going home! Jesus’ life, death, and life again teaches us God is in control of this life. Pray that we can show the world through our lives that He is in control of the whole show.

Conclusion: God is in control of it all; His coming teaches us this.

There is no favoritism with God; he’s no snob in anyway. Even poverty is not evil and we can look at even the poor with dignity.

Jesus’ life teaches us the ordinary things done in service to God and others glorify God. So, let all your life be absorbed in God and people. Knowing He sees it all, so give it all to Him.

His life teaches us God will not let sin just go by; He must deal with it. He did in His own Son and even though a great price was paid, His resurrection shows us even if we don’t understand everything around us, we can know our God is good and He will give us great things yet to come. His coming, His birth and His life here teach us all will be made good in the end.

Walk like we know where we sit, Ephesians 4:1-6

Hey group, great to be with you again after a small break. This week we meet again to look at Ephesians 4:1-6 and discuss unity that we are all as Gods' children called to. Paul is very specific and practical in the steps to unity and maintaining it among us, but because of who we are, we reach for big things that do speak a big message to the world. We can be a huge witness to the world, or not, but the challenge is presented and we are all called to live up to it. Looking forward to meeting with you all again, Tony.

Ephesians 3:14-21

Another inspiring meet tonight as we open up a prayer of Paul's about how to take in all he's been talking about in the letter to the Ephesians so far. As you know he has said allot, but this prayer helps us understand how to make it a real part of our lives, so it should be inspiring to us all.

Just click on the link below at 7 pm central time tonight, or you can visit early to get used to the site, but we'll get started at 7. Cain't wait to see you all again, I look forward to it each time, Tony.

The Mind Of Christ!

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. ⁶ Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. ⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, ⁸ he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Love is only seen in the Passion of Christ! We must have it!
If you have problems with anyone, family, church, or other, this is the answer.
The gap between God and us; who can span it? Only Love could do it! Love is willing to come down to our level since we can’t go up to His.
Our minds are the same as Christ’s, where we let go of any position no matter how high, or how deserving, we let go and get vulnerable with each other.
Jesus left a place where all was working perfect and came to where nothing was perfect, He was always absolutely right and chose to come where we at best are rarely right.
Everything is disintegrating all around you; falling apart and you do all that has to be done to make it right, no matter how far that is. You know going in, you’re going to get hurt, but do it anyway.
We are so afraid we’re going to get hurt, we recoil instantly when wronged and want to run from those who hurt us. Jesus showed us the answer is to get in there and root for the other one and work with them until the end, no matter what the cost to you.
Be like Jesus and risk hurt for the sake of others, follow the example, don’t just think it, do it! God had to take the first step to make it right with us, it’s huge step to take the first step, but do it.
Knowing Jesus is knowing that he loves those who are hard to get along with, or you don’t know Him. Separating from each other is not the way of the cross, drawing all men through the cross is the way.
This is the path to greatness says God. He made Jesus the greatest name because of what he did, putting us all first before His own rights and privileges. One day all will bow before him and give glory to God, because of who Jesus is.

Hey Group and those new to the group,

Tonight we are going to talk about a secret God kept from us for centuries, but in our time has revealed it to us. The amazing thing to me is, if we know God had such a secret and kept it from us for so long; you could acurately say thousands of years, why don't we talk about it more, why aren't we making a bigger deal about it more today? Well we're going to do our part by talking about it tonight and prayerfully we will not stop shouting this good news to the world. Just click on the link below at 7 pm central standard time tonight and let's share the secret!

The Challenge of Life

The Challenge Of Life

Luke 7:11-23, 11 Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd.12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.”14  And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”15  The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.16  Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” 17  This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district. 18  The disciples of John reported to him about all these things.19  Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”20  When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’”21  At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.22  And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT , the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM . 23  “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

I want you to know, whatever you’re facing, there is plenty to be truly encouraged about. This reading has some dynamic encouragement for us all, so let’s look close.

He had just left Capernaum after he had healed the Centurion’s servant. 18 miles south of there, up a hill in a little notch is a town called Nain and it is still there today. It’s a little rinky dink town hardly even worth taking notice, but Jesus puts it on the map, because of what he does here.

When he goes from Capernaum to Nain, get the scene, this huge crowd is following him and then we see vs. 12, Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. So here comes one big crowd led by the Prince of life and here comes this other big crowd that’s following a victim of death. You just know this is going to be some good meeting; you just know it!

When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” He sees the woman and others and says to the woman, weep no more. Really? Isn’t that at least an interesting thing to say? He says to a mother who’s only boy, he’s a young boy on his way to be buried; her husband has died probably not that long ago, since this boy is young; He says stop crying. Really?

And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. The coffins back then were really just flat platforms with raised sides so the body wouldn’t fall off and they would just cover the body with garments. Well, he walks right up to the coffin and touches it and everything stops. Why? Because no one is supposed to do that, it’s just not done, all kind of rules about handling the dead, makes you unclean and all that, but listen if Jesus had paid attention to what everybody thought shouldn’t be done; allot of things would be different today wouldn’t they?

He goes over and says, young man, not old man, young; can you just imagine this? Can you imagine any of us doing something like this even today? Not to mention what He’s about to do, which would be a little disappointing, if we couldn’t raise soemone from their coffin, but just going up to the coffin and start speaking to the dead, wow!

And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”15  The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Now, that’s a nice touch to the story, don’t you think? I like that! Who else would He have given him to? Well, we see the response from the crowds vs. 16, Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

Fear led to giving glory to God for sending a great prophet, but that’s only the half of it, what’s really true is God has come to visit His people!

Then Luke takes us to a different scene alongside of this scene and brings the two together, which I just love. This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.18  The disciples of John reported to him about all these things.19  Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” So, Luke brings these two scenes together and when John the Baptist hears of what Jesus is doing in Nain, John sends some friends to ask Jesus an all important question.

Now, understand John has been put in prison, you remember the whole Herod, being married to his sister and his daughter tricks her father into putting John in prison and ultimately he will be beheaded, as these two ladies conspire to put John to death. Herod didn’t have the guts, but because John was so vocal in speaking out against the sin of incest and Herods’ sin, it all ends with John being in a dungeon for quite a while and eventually killed.

All John wants to know is, has it all been worth it? He’s a little down by being treated like this and he just wants to know, are you the one I prepared the way for or not? Just reassure me a little will ya? I’m in prison and I hear you have all this power, aren’t you going to come get me out of this jail I’m stuck in, or something like that? Surely, you’re going to do something for me Jesus?

So, John’s friends, his disciples and loyal followers, go to Jesus back in Nain while He’s doing all this amazing stuff and ask Him for John, are you the one we’ve been expecting, or do we look for another? Now, Jesus’ response is very interesting to say the least. How does Jesus respond to the question? Basically, He says, hold on a minute, I’ve got some things I need to be doing and He turns back to the folks and heals everybody right, left, and center and these guys just watch Him do it, waiting to hear an answer to the question John asked.

After He heals all these people, He then turns back to these men and says go tell John all you have seen, At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.22  And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT , the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM .

23    “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” Tell John this, that’s my answer. I see in this text, Jesus knows John is hurting and wants help with his pain, but Jesus is making known to everyone what He is really like compared to what everyone including John thought He was like. Everyone, even John, believed the Messiah would be this great military leader and king and would deliver all His people from Roman domination and free them from the bad leaders of Israel as well.

I see in this text one of the top major challenges of life to you and me. I don’t think Luke wrote this for the widow of Nain, or for John, or any of those people of the day. This was written for you and me; this event has your name written all over it! Scripture challenges us over and over to accept the challenge life brings you.

You see, life doesn’t come to us and ask our permission and say, excuse me, would it be all right with you if I did this or brought that into your life? No! Life just comes barreling right on into your life with no warnings or seeking permission. Many times, when you don’t want it, it will bring you things you don’t want anywhere near you.

You can see the woman’s pain. Her boy is dead! We read these stories off of pieces of print and, we can’t help it, we don’t feel the intensity for these folks. We can’t feel deeply for everyone, or guilty about it, we don’t know them, so we often miss what’s happening. If  it were happening to us then our emotions would be there wouldn’t they? Don’t feel bad about that, that’s how we’re built, thank God for it! If you felt intense about every pain, you would be overwhelmed.

But, when they’re close; husband, or wife, son or daughter, then the pressure gets racheted up, we feel the pressure and that’s how it works. This is her boy who’s dead. Now, if he were 98 and she asked us to pray for 20 more years, the pressure wouldn’t be as great would it? I’d pray, but I’d probably be inclined to say in some way, he’s lived a long good life, why not give a break and let him go home.

But, we all know there’s something sadder when the young fall, it’s the way we’re built folks. The pressure is more intense for lots of reasons. In this day, having no husband and now no son, life gets tough on mom, it’s the way it is.

But, even in our day, when someone dies at 17, or 19, they are just wiped out for some reason, we all get a little more disappointed. He’s not just her boy, he’s her only boy! Oh dear! There’s a special link if he’s the only child. She had lost her husband sometime ago and that just puts more special link to her only boy. If her husband was still alive they would lean on each other and cry their way through it together, but she’s got nobody. That’s her pain!

Then we can see John’s pain. John is in prison, not because he’s an idiot who broke some law, or a villain; he hasn’t done some ungodly sin, nor was he unfaithful in some way and now he’s being punished, no! “Now,  wait a minute God; here I am because I stood by You, I spoke the words You gave me to speak, how come I’m here?”

“Here, I am, on my own, and listen Lord, I don’t mind being here a while, but good night Lord,” and here comes his question. What I see John asking here is more than the words themselves say, I’m sorry I see it. I don’t believe what he’s really asking is what they words say. I don’t believe he’s asking, are you the Christ? John knows who Jesus is, what he’s asking Jesus is, what’s keeping you from me, why are you letting these people do this to me? How much longer do I have to stay here? Why don’t you listen to me. How much longer does this injustice go on and you do knowing to stop it? When can I get out of here?

I’ve been a great servant of yours for a long time and I still have much I can do to help you, how much longer before you come get me? The answer he gets is a very hard answer!

Listen folks, there’s no period in your life so hard to take, there’s no stress, temptation, or trial in your life so hard to take as this one right here. When God makes it crystal clear, He has given multiplied evidences of His allmighty power and He doesn’t use it to ease your burden. Oh dear!

John’s disciples report back to John and say, you know what He’s doing? He’s raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, cripples are walking, lepers are being cleansed, He is banishing illness and disease from Israel! John hears all this and says, quietly, did He say anything to you about getting me out of here? No, not a word.

It’s amazing isn’t it? We hear sermons over and over, we study our Bibles often, and I come to you and talk and others do to and we talk some more and we tell each other over and over again, He has great power, all power, beyond our imagination and we continue reading and hearing it. Yet, very often in my life and yours, he doesn’t use it on my behailf to ease my burdens.

Now, in the case of the widow he does ease her pain immediately and we see clearly He has the power. But, John, what about him? The only relief John is going to get is when the men come with the ax and take his head and send him home where he belongs. It doesn’t always end with cheers of joy at a marvelous deliverance from the pain. In fact, in my life there is seldom a dramatic deliverance and in the life of most of the people I have known. Most of the time we suffer!

What does my Master say to John? John, I do have all the power to deliver and more, I could get you out very easily, but I want you to trust Me instead. John here’s my answer, trust me and don’t stumble over me! I know you will struggle to understand this and see how this makes sense, how I operate and do things, but trust me and don’t stumble over me.

We struggle with sin, you and I and someone comes to us and says, oh you could stop it, if you really wanted to. I’m telling you that just insenses me folks. I am a sinner, so don’t you dare tell me I don’t want it out of my life! I want out of it right now, at this moment, don’t tell me I don’t want freedom from ungoliness, I do!

Don’t tell people you can just shrug it off, it’s easy to do if you just want to. That’s an insult to good people who are bent up by their sin and all the ungodliness around them and they want freedom from it. It’s an insult to Jesus  to suggest beating sin is easy! It took a cross and all that ugliness that went with to beat sin, nothing easy about it! If someone suggests it’s easy, there not living in reality. We beg God, when am I going to free from all this, would tell me please?

I’m asking John’s question, are You the one we’re looking for or do we have to go somewhere else? Jesus answers us the same, trust me and don’t stumble over me. Big answer; trust me!

There’s a whole lot more to this trusting thing than we’re telling folks, or ourselves. Let me try to illustrate it for you. A guy says to a girl after knowing her for only 5 minutes, will you marry me? Her answer, are you mad man? Question, does she trust him? Does she?

So, she says, let me thinkit over, I want check you out, so she checks his family out, everybody he knows, work, school, etc.; does she trust him? She wants all the answers before she is going to make such a big committment, right?

Okay, put this one alongside of that one; she has a sister who meets a guy and 5 minutes in he asks her to marry him and she responds by saying yes, lets do it! What do we think about it; she’s nuts right? Hey, I’m not asking if you think she’s an idiot or not, I’m not asking about her sesibility, that’s no what I’m asking. I’m asking, does she trust him? You say she shouldn’t trust him, I say, I’m not asking should she or not, I’m asking does she trust him? She trusts him, the other sister does not.

Let me give another one. Someone you know, not close, but you know them comes and says, join me in business, give me a half million dollars to put into this business and we’ll do it. Now, he’s not a crazy person, he sounds good and right, but you say, I gotta check this out and you begin looking into every source you can find, right? I don’t remember the last time I put a half million into business, but you check it out right?

It only makes sense to check it out. Do you trust him? It only makes sense to check, I’m not asking do you think it’s sensible, I’m asking do you trust him?

Now, lets bring it back to God. What do we do with God? Doesn’t it seem we spend a great deal of our time asking God to make it crystal clear to us that He is who He says He is? That He can do what He says He can do. Every 30 seconds we beg God to prove to us that He is able to change my life, delver us from whatever we face. I want it all worked out before I’m going to committ my life to You God. Don’t you see what we are all guilty of often? Do we trust Him?

One skeptic put it this way, “You Christians won’t make a move until you get Gods’ title on an affidavit.” But the truth is, we will never get it no matter how much we seek it, because God calls us to take the risk with Him. My Master said to John, Just trust Me John, that’s it, trust me. So, what are we going to do about it right now?

You say, Tony, you don’t know my struggles and pain and problems and it’s true I don’t, but I’ve got my own and we all struggle with something, so what are we going to do about it? Are we going to take our stand with God? Will we say to Him, the next time I start whinning or begging, please Lord listen cause I need You to listen, but I’m telling you right here and right now, I chose You no matter what?

This is what Christ is calling us to, you and me! He gives us dignity in calling us to trust Him. He says, I know you’re hurting real bad, but trust me anyway. I know you feel the pressure and I have all the power to change all your circumstances, but trust me whether I do or don’t change anything. This is what His call to us is.Away with whinning and let you and me accept the challenge of life He brings to us.

Let me address friendship a little here too. She comes with a crowd of people into the streets to bury her son and not one of them can do anything to stop the crying. They can’t because no one can bear this burden for her, she has to carry it alone; not one of them can raise her boy and that’s what is needed to relieve the burden.

Now, they all would have if they could; I believe that. I believe that about you and my friends too. Those who care for others would take away all pain and death from others if they could. Wouldn’t you? If you could help all those who come your way, you had the power, wouldn’t you? Sure you would. They were doing all they could for her, they went as far as they could go with her, tried to help her bear up under it all.

We all need friends; I don’t care who we are.I need friends, I need people and so do you; so does everybody. Scientists tell us babies would die if they weren’t touched and handled as new borns. I’m convinced the number one sickness of our society is not of the body, it’s not cancer, lukemia, blindness, deafness, stuck in a wheelchair, aids, etc. It’s being friendless and no one to care for you!

Oh we say, I care, but I just don’t tell them. How can they know you care, if you don’t tell them? How can people know you care if you don’t reach out to them? We need get on the phone, write those emails, do those audio visual chats on the internet, go to them in person wherever they are, because they need you. We all need each other!

Did you know that even My Master needed friends? Remember He begged his own to be with Him and pray when He was in the garden and the pressure was really on? He prayed and said I need you with me and he went and prayed again and came back and said my heart is breaking, I need you; my master needed His friends to stand with Him and we need them too.

Friends can really help, I know it and so do you, but they can only do so much! They can’t pay your bills for you, they can’t be sick for you, nor can they bear the burden of a loved one dying for you, but they can be there for you and bring joy to you of a kind that you can endure whatever you’re going through. They can encourage you to take your stand with God no matter what and even bring a smile to you in it.

If you’re crying, they try to get you to cry a little less. They hang around you when you need that and they stay away when you need that. Friends know how to read that when it’s written all over you that just need a little time. Friends are a great gift to you, you need them; they are a true source of help to you.

They all have limits though, they can’t cry for you, with you, but not for you. They can’t live your life for you and you shouldn’t expect then too. They do all they can, but they can’t do more than that. Also, don’t promote friendships where you are the only one who gives, you must let others give to you, as well. It’s worng to be the only giver, you’ve got to let them have some dignity, by being able to share with you.

I didn’t used to believe in funerals, but I do now. I’ve personally seen the good they can do. We all know of scenes like the one in the text didn’t end up like this one and the one dead doesn’t come up living. It does help to get loved ones and friends together and share the pain and grief; it does help. I can’t say anything deeper than this, I just know it helps. Friends do help in time of loss.

Friends also helped John in this text. He needed strength and understanding, someone to try to get answers for him and return with encouragement and he got all that. Hard circumstances call for friends to do all they can. They couldn’t go to jail for him, or die for him; they can’t take his place, but they did all they could do and gave him real help and strength to see it through to the end.

Conclusion:

You’ve all had loved ones die among you and the truth is, we will have more. The thing is, even if you could raise someone from the dead, they are still going to face it again one day. Even though Jesus healed so many, they would still get sick again one day. These painful desperate circumstances happen, there happening in some of our lives right now. Life is challenging us everyday with these things we don’t want or ask for.

John was wise; he went to Jesus for his answers and he got answers. It may not have been the one he was looking for or hoping for, he certainly didn’t want this answer, but it did bring him help and comfort in the end. Jesus confirmed to John He was the one with power to more than anyone could fathom, even get John out if He chose to. But, Jesus chose to say to John, trust me.

It will turn out for the good of all, if you just trust me! This is what I can do for you too. I don’t have the power to stop any of the things that are happening to you, or will happen to you, but what I can do and am doing is encouraging you to trust Him no matter what!

I can say, I ‘ll hang on to Him and if you hang on to me and you hang on to someone else and so on, then we’ll all make it together. This is the greatest power of all and what Jesus wants us to learn from all this. Let’s accept the challenge in Jesus and see each other through to the end, that’s why he brings us all together.