Leaven: What is that About?

Introduction:

      A.   The People in Jesus' day expected the Kingdom of God to          come with a big bang and make a big difference all at once.

 

     B.   Today, we will look at a parable that should have

          prepared them for the way the Kingdom of God would come!

 

                            Prayer

                         Luke 13:20&21

 

I.   A look at the parable.

 

     A.   Notice Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is like leaven .          . . ."

 

          Def. leaven -  a substance that causes fermentation,

                        esp. in dough or liquids, as yeast, any                         influence working silently and unseen that                      brings about fundamental changes.

 

     B.   They expected that Jesus would lead a revolution and

          defeat their enemies, setting up an earthly Kingdom.

 

     C.   But as we now know, that wasn't how it would be at all!

 

     D.   Being like leaven the Kingdom of God would have a slow,          small start!

 

          1.   It started with a small group of people that Jesus               spent most of his time teaching.

 

          2.   But a little leaven in bread dough makes a big

              difference in the end result!  Such was the case

              here!

 

II.  What does this say to us today?

 

     A.   The Kingdom of God was going to make a difference in the         world; it already has!

 

          1.   Nothing has probably affected our world more nor had             as much impact as the teachings of Christ!

 

              a.   People who don't profess Christianity at all                    are still governed by laws influenced by

                   Judeo/Christian teachings.

 

              b.   Most countries of the world have laws of right                  & wrong that originated from these teachings!

 

          2.   We have all been touched by the results of Christ's              love!

 

              a.   Christ taught people to love with God's love!

 

              b.   These people in turn taught others to love, and                 this chain of influence still stands as a

                   witness to God's love today passed on by the                    people of God!

 

     B.   It can still make a difference today!

 

          1.   If we stop teaching about how bad things are

              getting, depressing people and stopping at that, we              can see growth today.

 

              a)   If you look online, too many times, Christians

are the most negative voices you see!

 

              b)   You could soon get the impression there is no

hope!

 

              c)   Why would you want to be a part of something

where there is no hope!

 

          2.   We need to be teaching about the solution and the                difference that can be made in Christ!

 

              a)   We need to be talking about the love of God that

takes us where we are and gives us a new life,

one worth living!

 

              b)   We need to be talking about letting God’s love

flow through us and being a part of what God is

doing in the world!

 

 

              c)   We need to be talking about how that love of God

can transform our country as we care and love

all people!

 

          3.   Christ didn't die for nothing!  There are still some             people out there who we can influence and bring to               Christ!

 

          4.   We have to reverse this negative attitude of the

              church today!  There is no need for it!  We are to               be victorious!  We are on the winning side!

 

          5.   The churches that are growing today are those that               believe that God still has a mission for them today,             and they are enthusiastically endeavoring to fulfill             their mission!

 

              a.   The people are all excited, coming to the

                   preacher with new ideas of how to reach or

minister to people.

 

              b.   They can be enthusiastic about it too because                   they know their church is enthusiastic and

                   willing to try new ideas!

 

          6.   Those who aren't growing are those who:

 

              a.   "have tried it all and nothing works!"

 

              b.   Anytime something new is mentioned, it is

                   knocked in the head with a negative overtone:

 

                   1)   "I just don't think it will work!"

 

                   2)   "We tried something close to that 10 years                      ago and it didn't work!"

 

                   3)   "That won't work here!"

 

                   4)   "There is no use; we are just not going                         to grow!"

 

              c.   People feel there is no need to share any

                   ideas, so they don't!

 

     C.   It doesn’t have to be this way!

 

          1.   Jesus Christ is still the same yesterday, today, and

forever! Heb. 13:8

 

          2.   Christianity can still grow!  It is still like

Leaven! It can still make a big difference in the

world!  We do not need to feel defeated!

 

a)   It may not be fast!

 

b)   But it can be steady!

 

          3.   We just need to be focused on sharing that Love of

God that the world, even many who profess to be

Christian, need to hear about and be able to see!

 

Conclusion:

 

     A.   So many churches are in the negative mode today, and they        could and should be in the positive mode.

 

     B.   Which church are we?

 

     C.   Read Luke 13:20&21 again.

 

     D.   How are we using our influence?

 

     E.   As we encounter Christ at the table today, ask Christ

fill you with God’s love!  As Christ to help you to be

Leaven and to let the growth start with you!

 

                      Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion

 

A Parable of the Don't Cares!

 World Communion Sunday!

 

Introduction:

A.   After we had been married about 3 years we bought a

     car that was a couple of years old; it was new to us.

     Not too long after getting it, it was parked out on

     the road, beside our house, and someone keyed it!

     Why?

 

B.   When preaching in Indianapolis one Sunday, someone

     stuck tooth picks in my car lock and broke them off!

     Why?

 

Luckily, they only did it on one side and I was still

able to get in on the other side.

 

C.   How can a mother throw a baby in a trash can and leave

it to die?

 

D.   How can a boy-friend beat up and kill his girl-friend and her child?

 

E.   How can someone kill people in worship and burn their

     church?

 

F.   How can anyone do something bad to someone else or even kill another person?

 

G.   I'm going to suggest that they don't care!  They don't care about the other person, only themselves.

 

H.   There are two types of sins committed by not caring:

the sins of commission and the sins of omission.

 

Trans.

Jesus taught a parable concerning caring, and in it, I believe we can see both types of sins.  Let's look at this parable this morning and see what we can learn from it.

                            Prayer

                         Luke 10:25-37

 

I.   First, we see the sins of commission played out in the action of the thieves.

A.   The thieves didn't care for this man; they only cared for themselves.

 

B.   They saw him only as something that stood between them and the money that they wanted, so they beat him up  and left him for dead!

 

C.   There are a lot of people today who don't care for

other people.  This moves them to commit all

types of sins trying to look out for themselves: child

abuse, theft, murder, adultery, lying, cheating,

posting something hateful on facebook, etc.

 

     D.   Jesus was clear we are to care for other people.  That is why he told this parable!

 

Also:     One of the two greatest commandments is

          "Love your neighbor as yourself." 

                        Mark 12:31

 

E.   If we care for people and Love them with God's Love, we won't commit these sins; it is only when we fail to care and to love that we do these things.

 

II.  The second type of sin of not caring, the sins of omission,  is found in the religious leaders!

 

A.   These also sinned because they really didn't care for this man as much as the other things they had to rush on to do!

 

B.   Jesus told this parable to people who would have  looked very hard on the thieves for the sins that they  had committed, but they too were sinning with their non-caring attitude!

 

1.   It wasn't what they were doing that was wrong!

 

2.   But what they weren't doing!

 

C.   They too failed to care, and it was showing up in their actions or rather lack of action!

 

James 4:17     "Anyone, then, who knows the right

               thing to do and fails to do it,

               commits sin."

 

D.   One way this sin surfaces today is through

indifference!

 

1.   Indifference is when we do not care enough about people and what is going on around us to do something about it!

 

2.   We don't care whether our church meets needs or

not so we don't take part in its ministries!

 

3.   We don't care what happens to our friends after death, so we never invite them to church or talk to them about spiritual things.

 

4.   We don't care when people have physical needs, so

we just look our for ourselves and expect everyone else to do the same.

 

E.   Jesus was clear this attitude was also sin.

 

III. We instead need to care and be trying to make a difference!

 

A.   That's what the Samaritan did!  This person saw a need and set out to "make a difference" in that need!

 

B.   That is what we are to do today!

 

C.   As we see needs, we are to set out to "Make a

difference" with determination, care, and love.

 

D.   When we do this, God is pleased with us just as God  was with the Good Samaritan.

 

E.   This attitude is just the opposite of "Don't Care," but this attitude says, "I care very much, and because of that, I want to make the effort to help where I can."

 

F.   If we will set out with this attitude to "make a

difference," we will find that we will make a

difference for God and the good of people!

 

          1.   We’ll find ourselves teaching, or otherwise

              serving, in the church to help people grow

              spiritually in their lives.

 

          2.   We’ll find ourselves working in ministries of  church like the Thrift Store and free food shelf                 because we care and want to make a difference.

 

          3.   We’ll find ourselves wanting to support

              ministries through our church that meet needs

              across Missouri and the world Options Pregnancy

              Center, United Methodist Committee on Relief,

              Volunteers in Mission, Mozambique missions in

              Africa, Heifer International, The Gideons, and

              many more, and through these ministries we will

              make a difference for good in our world!

 

          4.   We’ll find ourselves considering how who and what

              we vote for will affect others, and how what we

              post online will affect others.

 

          5.   We will find that if we care it will affect all

              aspects of our lives!

 

Conclusion:

 

A.   Which do we relate to best in this parable today?

 

1.   The thieves?   We don't care for others, and it comes out in the hurtful things we do to others.

 

2.   The religious leaders?   We don't care enough for

     others, and it comes out in the things we don't

     do that we should.

 

B.   Both of these are why Jesus came; this is why we need very much what God did for us through Christ!

 

C.   As we encounter Christ at the table this morning with

     Christians all across the world on this World

     Communion Sunday, let's let Christ help us to care

this morning so we can leave today a little more like

the Good Samaritan and a little more determined to, by

the grace of God, make a difference in our world,

starting with the community  where we live!

 

 

                      Prayer of Confession

Service of Communion

 

An Interview From Hell!

Introduction:

 

     A.   You know, we talk a lot about the beautiful place that           God has prepared for his children.

 

           1.   I don’t talk a lot about the other place.

 

           2.   I prefer for people to serve God because of love and

not out of fear.

 

           3.   If you listen closely, you can hear that preference

                coming through even as we talk about the other place

today!

 

     B.   But we see in Matt. 25:31-46 that those on the left hand

will go to another place!  read 25:31-33,41-46

 

           1.   He refers to it here as eternal punishment.

 

           2.   In other places, we see it referred to as "HELL."

 

     Trans.

           Let’s look at this kind of Interview from Hell, and see

what we can learn about this place!

 

                                Prayer

 

                            Luke 16:19-31

 

I.   What can we learn about Hell from this passage?

 

     A.   He was in torment (v.23). "Pain" (Nelson footnote).

 

     B.   He could see what he had missed in Heaven (v.23).

 

           1.   I think this would be perhaps even harder to bear than the pain!

 

2.   Here he sees Lazarus, but I think seeing a place of love, joy, and peace when those things were absent from where he was would be among the hardest pain in hell!

 

3.   Being out of the presence of these things and Jesus would be hell to me!

    

     C.   The torment will be inflicted by a flame!

 

           1.   He begged for just a drop of water to cool his

                tongue!

 

           2.   We are told other places that this flame will be

                everlasting.

 

           3.   Some would say there is not actual hell with flames.

          

                a.   The scriptures here do describe such a place,

so I think we do have to realize the

possibilities!

 

                b.   Again, for me, the worst punishment of hell

whether there is an actual place or not will

be being out of the presence of a God of Love

and all that is good!

 

     D.   He still could remember the things that had happened in life: all the opportunities he had missed to accept Christ.

 

           1.   He had not shown mercy to Lazarus, and he remembered

that!

 

           2.   One of the characteristics of Luke is that Luke writes like it is impossible for the rich to go to heaven!

 

a.   We need to hear that because by most of the

world’s standards, we are rich!

 

                b.   It isn’t about the money, but it is about what

do we let it do to us.  Are we greedy?  Do we

ever have enough to be generous?  Do we do the

things with the riches that God would have us

to?

 

                c.   The rich man here had lived in luxury and had

let Lazarus suffer, literally eating the crumbs

from under his table!  This speaks to us as

individuals and as a country, especially at a

time when many programs for the poor are being

cut to provide tax breaks for the rich!

 

     E.   He would do things different if he could have another

           chance (v. 27-31). 

 

1.   I think we can assume this from these verses.

 

2.   He couldn’t go back and tell his loved ones, so he

asks Father Abraham to send someone to tell them of

this place!

 

3.   Abraham’s response was a no.  They would have to

listen to those who were there! 

 

II.  Realizing these facts about "Hell," we need to ask ourselves     two questions!

 

     A.   Am I listening to the folks who are here?  Am I listening

to the prophetic message that tells me of the Love of God

in Christ?  It's up to us to hear and prepare!

 

           1.   Today is the day that we can decide that.  When we               face the end of life, it will be too late! Today is

the day of Salvation!  Today is the day to accept what God has done for us in Christ!  God has made a way; we just need to accept!

 

           2.   Jesus is the only way that we can miss Hell!

 

                a.   We deserve Hell, but Jesus paid the price so that we don't have to go there!

 

                b.   If we will come to him and if we mean business                   about living for him, we can live with him                       forever in Heaven!  We can be a part of sharing

God’s love in the world today, and we can be

surrounded by God’s love throughout eternity in

a place we call heaven!

 

     B.   Am I doing what I can to help others miss this awful

           place?

 

           1.   Are you living and sharing the Love of God every day

and everywhere you go?

 

a.   I am more and more convinced that this is the

best way we can reach those we love!  I don’t

think we’ll reach them by scaring them to a

commitment by preaching hellfire and brimstone at

them!

 

                b.   People are skeptical of those who think they

have all the answers but really don’t live the

love of God!

 

                c.   Be different!  Really tap into the love of God,

live it, and they will ask you questions!

 

1.   When they do, you will be able to share the

love of God in Christ and tell them what

difference Christ means to you!  You don’t

have to have all the answers!  Just point

 them to the one who does!

 

                     2.   You will have the opportunity to invite

them to church!

                    

                     3.   John Wesley charged us to “Offer them

Christ!”  That offer doesn’t just come

from the pastor, but it comes from all of

us! “Offer them Christ!”  Not, Cram Christ

down their throat!

 

                     4.   If you get them here, they can hear the

                           message!

 

           2.   Folks, there is an urgency; we don't know how many   

                more opportunities we will have to tell them of

                Christ this side of eternity!

 

a.  How we do it matters!

 

b.  Let God use your life to be a witness to the Love of God!

 

Conclusion:

 

     A.   We are going to live on forever and forever one place or         the other.  Which one will it be? 

 

1.   If you have never accepted what God has done for you

in Christ, you can do it as we encounter Christ at

the table today!

 

           2.   If you do, let me know so I can help you with your

new life in Christ!

 

     B.   Our loved ones are going to spend eternity somewhere!            What are we doing to make sure it is in Heaven?

 

           1.   As we encounter Christ at the table, Christ can

forgive us for past failures!

 

2.   We can be filled with the Love of God to be more

effective in the future! 

 

           3.   Ask God to give you opportunities and to help you take those opportunities in the future!  Ask Christ to help you to know what to say and when!

 

 

           Read Rev. 20:11 - 21:4

 

                         Prayer of Confession

                         Service of Communion