Pastor Leon Seaton

Is Jesus a Magician or Your Lord?

Today we are honored to have 2 guests from Germany.  As I reflected on this honor I thought of the history of my wife’s family.  In the mid-1800s they left Germany to find a better home in America.  They probably spent over 2 weeks riding in a boat from the homeland to America.  It was a tough ride.  Later they came to Oklahoma either on a train or with horse and buggy.  They had absolutely no concept of what lives are like today.

            Our guests climbed on a jet aircraft and were in the States in a few hours.  They rode in air-conditioned comfort.  Today they sit in a padded pew and we can control the temperature of this room with a few punches on the thermostat!  For a few pennies the girls can call their parents on a cell phone or contact them with a web cam on their computers.

            This is all possible because someone had a dream!  When the immigrants arrived in America they had fulfilled part of their dream, but they didn’t retire… they kept dreaming and working all of their lives.  Their children built on those dreams and their grandchildren – some of whom are part of this church – are still building their own dreams!

God has a wonderful dream for our lives!  “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

Every day God works to see that dream come to life, but it requires cooperation and hard work on our part!

Galatians 4:4-7, “When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.  Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’  So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”

            Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God…eternally existent, and truly God and truly man. But unless you and I are willing to acknowledge Him as God and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, this is just meaningless information. However, if you do receive Him as Lord and Savior you become God’s child with all the rights and privileges promised in the Bible.

Mark 8:27-38, Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked them, "Who do people say I am?"  They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."  "But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."

 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him. He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

But when Jesus turned and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" He said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, He must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels."

Deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus.

            That means we have to accept our God-given responsibilities and fulfill them to the best of our ability, but with God’s help. God understands our doubts, our fears and our short comings. In reality his plan for our lives is always bigger than our natural talent.

Believers are expected to support fellow Christians during their times of testing and trials.

Soldiers in the field of battle often risk personal danger and death to help a fellow soldier. They are so focused on getting their buddy to safety that they disregard personal danger to themselves. Christians should do the same thing for each other. We should be so wrapped up in doing God’s will that our concern for others causes us to forget ourselves.

In reality, this is the secret to happiness! But you have to take care of yourself or you will get so weary that you lose your joy!

True joy and satisfaction comes when we follow God’s will for our lives.

There is a fable about a man who lived in the desert. He would wake up every morning and follow his shadow. So as the sun moved across the sky from east to west the man essentially walked in a large oval. At sundown he ended up where he had started. This continued for years. The man walked in circles day after day, following his shadow. One night the man heard the voice of God in a dream while he slept. The voice told him to stop following his shadow. Instead, "Follow the sun," the voice challenged, "And you will experience life as you have never dreamed it could be."

The man thought for many days about his vision of God while he continued to walk around in circles in the desert. But one day he mustered up enough courage to break away from his shadow. Little by little, step-by-step, the man began to follow the sun. And he discovered a kingdom that was, heretofore, way beyond his wildest dreams and imagination. Ultimately, he became friends with the Son.

"For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for Me and the gospel will save it."  Robert L Salzgeber, Assayings: Theological Faith Testings, CSS Publishing Company.

            If you are familiar with the Bible you know that Jesus performed some fantastic miracles… water into wine, feeding thousands of people with a few fish and bread sticks. He raised the dead and healed all kinds of illnesses.

The people quickly lost sight of His true purpose. Jesus did not come to perform magic tricks… He came to introduce us to God.

Thus when the disciples told Him, “Everyone is looking for you,” He said, "We need to go to a new town" to preach the gospel.  Jesus refused to entertain. The purpose of the miracles was to prove that He was God in the flesh; they were not the reason for His coming!

If Jesus is our Lord and Savior and not a magician then there must be some basic requirements… let’s list them!

1.              We must be born again. Our house has an attached garage, and in that garage are some tools. Sometimes I do a little work on the car, but let me assure you, that did not make me a mechanic! Sitting in a church will not make you a Christian either!  You must be born again!

2.              Jesus said that His followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Therefore your job description means that you are making a difference in the world. People are hurting and they need your guidance! One of the ladies in this church is a believer because a bus captain came by their house every Saturday and gave them candy and told them how much God loved them. The next day he picked them up and took them to church. She probably owes her life to this man!

3.              People will hurt you! And we may hurt others by our actions. It is very important that we forgive and receive forgiveness. Otherwise a bitter spirit will develop in us. This can destroy us spiritually and physically.

4.              Spending time with God every day is an absolute necessity! This information leaks out of our brains and out of our spirits if we do not receive God’s word every day. Talk to God! Listen to God! Obey God’s word!

5.              Let people know you love them!  Charlie Brown once said that winking at a girl in the dark is like wetting your pants when you have a dark suit on. It gives you a warm feeling, but nobody knows about it! Sometimes tell them why you love them! Everyone needs to hear that you value them and that they add value to your life.

Let the Son shine into your life and He will make your life reflect His glow to those around you!

 Sunday, September 13, 2009