September 25, 2013
And He Came…
Mark 1:9-15
I He Was Baptized… 1:9-11
II He Was Tempted… 1:12-13
III He Was Heard… 1:14-15
Years ago, a friend told me the sweetest story of sacrifice about her daddy, which totally exemplifies the sacrifice that Jesus came and made for us ……. She was about 6 years old and she was sitting with her younger brother and sister on the front pew of the church where her daddy was the visiting preacher for the day. She and her siblings were giggling and figitting and picking at each other, to the point that their poor mother was exasperated, from having to referee them ,for that hour.
When the service was over and they got in the car, the daddy didn’t give a lecture to the 3 children about how they had embarrassed the whole family and tried their mother’s patience like you would have expected; he just told them that they were going to get spankings for their behavior, when they got home, and that my friend was going to be first one to take her punishment, because she should have known better, she was older and should have been an example for the other two.
My friend says that nobody cried and nobody said a word, because they had been warned, before they had even gotten out of the car, on the way to church that morning, so they knew that the were guilty. My friend said that she fretted all the way home, because she knew he would use his belt, and she was scared about how much is was going to hurt, and so she spent the whole time they traveled, trying to figure a way to get out of it.
They got home, went into the house and her daddy told my friend to meet him in her bedroom. She dragged her feet all the way down the hall-----and when she walked into her bedroom---- there, indeed, stood her daddy with his belt in his hand. He told her to come inside and close the door----she said she felt defiant, she wouldn’t look at him and she was still trying to figure away out of her punishment.
Her daddy reminded her, that she had been told not to misbehave; and she had been told to obey her mother; and she had been told to lead a good example for her younger siblings and that since she hadn’t done what she had been told to do, that she deserved her punishment.
My friend said that she knew there was no help for her, the spanking was going to happen, so she squared her jaw and lifted her eyes to her daddy’s, determined not to cry------and what she saw shocked her------tears were streaming down her daddy’s face and he was holding the belt out to her-----He insisted that she take it---- and then he told her that she deserved the punishment, but that he was going to take her place, that he wanted her to spank him instead.
Of course, she started sobbing, and begged him not to make her. She said she was crying so hard that she hardly remembered him putting the belt down,-----but that she did remember that he had taken her gently into his arms and told her, that that’s what Jesus had done for us when he came, and went to the cross in our place. And then, right there, on the floor of her bedroom, her daddy led her to a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Hallmark greeting cards have a famous phrase that we’ve all heard a million times----“They care enough to send the very best…” Well magnify that more times than you can imagine and you have what God did-----He not only cared enough to send the very best, but He cared enough to come Himself----He cared enough to put aside his kingly status, and his royal robes, and his home in heaven, on streets of gold, to become a sacrificial servant to bring us back to Himself. Because He knew that was the only way that we would, and could, understand how lost we are and how much He loves us. We are one of a kind. We are valuable to the Lord and He proved it, by coming to sacrifice Himself for us; to take our place, through his son Jesus.
We need to live our lives in such a way, that we show our gratitude, for the sacrifice, that He made for us.
I He was Baptized…
“Ivan the Great was the tsar of all of Russia during the 15th century. He unified all the warring tribes into one vast empire, the Soviet Union. As a fighting man he was courageous and as a general, he was brilliant. He drove out the Tartars and established peace all over Russia.
However, Ivan was so busy waging his campaigns that he didn’t have a family. His friends and advisors were very concerned. They reminded him that there was no heir to the throne, and if anything should happen to Ivan, the union would shatter into chaos. “You must take a wife who can bear you a son.” they clamored at him. The busy soldier-statesman said to them that he didn’t have the time to search for a bride but if they would find a suitable one, then he would marry her.
The counselors and advisers searched the capitols of Europe to find an appropriate wife for the great tsar. And find her, they did! They reported to Ivan about the beautiful, dark-eyed daughter, of the king of Greece. She was young, brilliant and charming, and he agreed to marry her sight unseen.
The king of Greece was delighted. It would align Greece in a favorable way with the emerging giant of the north, But there was one condition---the king said, “He cannot marry my daughter unless he becomes a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Ivan agreed to do it.
So, a priest was dispatched to Moscow to instruct Ivan in Orthodox doctrine. Ivan was a quick student and learned the catechism in record time. The arrangements were concluded, and the tsar made his way to Athens, accompanied by 500 of his crack troops----his personal palace guard.
He was supposed to be baptized by immersion, which was the custom of the Eastern Church. His soldiers, ever loyal, asked to be baptized too. The Patriarch of the church assigned 500 priests to give the soldiers a one-on-one catechism crash course. The soldiers, all 500 of them, were to be immersed in one mass baptism. Crowds gathered from all over Greece.
What a sight that must have been, 500 priests and 500 soldiers, a 1000 people walking into the blue Mediterranean. The priests were dressed in black robes and tall black hats, the official dress of the Orthodox Church. The soldiers wore their battle uniforms with all their regalia---ribbons of valor, medals of courage and their weapons of battle.
Suddenly, there was a problem…the Church prohibited professional soldiers from being members; they would have to give up their commitment to bloodshed. They could not be killers and church members too.
After a round of hasty diplomacy, the problem was solved quite simply. As the words were spoken and the priests began to baptize them, each soldier reached to his side and withdrew his sword. Lifting it high over- head, every soldier was totally immersed, everything baptized except for his fighting arm and sword.”
This is a true story----“The Unbaptized Arm”. What a powerful picture of so many of us believers down through the ages----how many unbaptized arms have there been; how many unbaptized free-wills; how many unbaptized talents; how many unbaptized checkbooks; how many unbaptized attitudes, how many unbaptized tongues; how many unbaptized social activities; how many unbaptized marriage commitments; how many unbaptized areas of Christian service? I could go on and on… When we make a commitment to the Lord, whatever it is, we need to do it with all our heart, soul and mind. That’s what Jesus did!
Christian baptism is an outward symbol, of a life-change that has been made in a person’s heart. It is a sign that a person has turned from the darkness to the light, from being a sinner to being a saint. It does not save us and it does not insure that we are heaven-bound-----it is an act of obedience, that signifies that we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and it identifies us, with Jesus and other believers, as God’s children.
John the Baptist’s ,baptism, was a baptism of repentance, meant for people who were sorry for their sins and who wanted to show that they were done with sin and that they were looking for the Messiah, who could forgive their sins.
Jesus’ baptism was not like either of the first two--------He had never sinned so He didn’t need to repent and to be saved, and He didn’t need forgiveness---- He was the Savior, who was the forgiver.
William Barclay says that for Jesus, the baptism was 4 things:
- It was the moment for decision…it was time to leave the obscurity of Nazareth and step out onto the world’s stage. It was time for him to begin the slow walk to the cross. It was time to reveal God and His love to mankind. It was time for God to speak to his people, Jew and Gentile, about their relationship with him. And it was time for Jesus to answer God’s call and step out and change the world.
- It was the moment of identification…God’s people were moving toward God, through their desire for repentance and Jesus was their way back to Him, so He had to identify Himself with them. He needed them to trust Him, and hear Him and believe Him and follow Him-----how could He not do what was necessary to show everyone that He belonged to them. And baptism by the greatest evangelist, besides Jesus’ Himself, was the way to start. He was drawing a line in the sand-----and once it was drawn, He couldn’t take it back.
- It was the moment of approval… Not many people leave home lightly and set out in an unknown way…most of us need to be very sure that our decision is right. And most of us need an affirmation from the Lord, that we’re moving forward in the right direction. Jesus had made his decision and had stepped out in faith and I believe that He needed for God to affirm that it was the right thing, just like we need for Him to. Matthew tells the story just a little differently in his Gospel, but the way Mark tells it, God’s voice was heard by Jesus alone, and that voice said, “You are my beloved son and with you, I am well pleased”. With His baptism, Jesus submitted His decision to God and God wholeheartedly approved of the boy that Jesus had been; of the man that He had become; of His decision and its timing; and of His purpose, which was to atone for the sins of the whole world.
- It was the moment for equipping…God never calls us to a task without first equipping us for it. And it was no different for Jesus-----the Holy Spirit had always been with Jesus, but at His baptisim, the Holy Spirit came down on Him with a power that He hadn’t ever experienced before, that we know of----And it was a sign to John too----Matthew tells us, in his Gospel, that God had told him, that when he saw the dove resting on the person he was baptizing, then he would know that the Messiah had come-----the dove is the symbol of gentleness-----Matthew and John tell us, that John the Baptist’s message was about the ax being laid to the root of the tree, and of the terrible sifting, and of the consuming fire. It was a message of doom.
But from the outset of Jesus’ ministry, at His baptism,----the Spirit, in the form of a dove is the very picture of gentleness. The message was being sent, that Jesus would conquer, but the conquest would be one achieved by love. The first time He came, Jesus came not to condemn but to forgive----He came to love people into the kingdom, not to judge them there. But when He comes back again, it will be to judge and that’s’ why we need to tell everybody we come in contact with, the good news, so that they can be saved, before He comes again.
Jesus didn’t become the Son or the Messiah at his baptism. Jesus already had His divinity from eternity past-----the opened heavens, the voice of God and the dove, reveals to us that Jesus was God’s long awaited son, come to earth as the Promised Messiah, to fulfill prophecy, and to bring salvation to those who believe. It is significant that all 3 persons of the Trinity were present at this moment. They were all present at the birth of the world and they were all present at the rebirth of the world.
II He was Tempted…
“Many years ago, young Indian men would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. The story goes, that there was one young Indian brave who hiked into a beautiful valley, lush and green with grass and trees and bright with beautiful swaying flowers. So he stopped there and fasted------and on the 3rd day, he looked up at the surrounding mountains and noticed one tall rugged peak, capped with dazzling snow. “I will test myself against that mountain”, he thought. He put on his buffalo-hide shirt, threw his blankets over his shoulders and set off to climb the peak. When he reached the top, he stood on the rim of the world. He could see forever, and his heart swelled with pride. Then, he heard a rustle at his feet, and looking down, he saw a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke.
“I’m about to die,” said the snake. “It’s too cold up here for me and I’m freezing. There’s no food and I’m starving. Put me under your shirt and please take me down to the valley.”
“No!” said the young man, “I have been warned about you, I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite me and your bite will kill me.”
“Not so,” said the snake. “I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, you will be special. I will not harm you.”
The young man resisted the snake for a long time, but after a while, the very beautiful, very persuasive snake wore him down. The young brave picked it up and tucked the snake into his shirt and carried it down to the valley. When they got there, he gently laid it down on the grass and turned to go------in a flash, the snake coiled, rattled and struck---biting the young man in the leg.
“But…you promised!!!!” cried the youth.
“You knew what I was when you picked up, said the snake, as it slithered away….”
Temptation comes to all of us, in some shape or form---we need to recognize that the temptation is not the sin, it’s the yielding to the temptation that trips us up and causes us to stumble or causes us to fall head-long into a pit…but thanks to Jesus and His willingness to allow Himself to be tempted, so that He could completely identify with us, we can resist any and all temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “ No temptation has overcome you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” Jesus is that way out…
I learned a phrase, from Anne Lotz, years ago, in Bible Study Fellowship that has always proven to be true, “After the blessing, comes the testing.” This isn’t a negative thought, it’s the truth, and being aware if it helps you to be ready when the testing comes.
It was the same for Jesus, no sooner was the glory of His baptism over, than came His battle with and victory over, His temptations. One thing stands out, that we cannot miss----and it’s that the Holy Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. That happens to us too, but the beautiful thing is, He doesn’t send us there alone, He goes with us.
In this life, it is impossible to escape the assault of temptation because the Lord has given us a free will, and because of the evil lurking inside us, we are subject to the temptation. But there is one thing that is for sure----temptations are not allowed by God to make us fail; they are allowed by Him, to strengthen us in our minds, bodies, hearts and souls. They aren’t meant for our destruction, they are meant for our good. God gave us free will and He allows us to be tempted, and even to fail from time to time for our own good, which helps us to emerge as better warriors and stronger athletes for Him. God didn’t allow Jesus to be tempted because He wanted to see if Jesus was ready for His mission, He allowed Jesus to be tempted to prove that He was ready…
Satan however, had other plans----he wanted to test Jesus and tempt Him to do evil and to thwart His mission from God. But he failed, and Jesus’ personal victory over Satan, at the very outset of His ministry, set the stage for His command over demons, throughout His ministry----satan will never get the victory, no matter how hard he tries.
Just like Jesus identified with mankind at His baptism, He also identified with us in His temptation------and because He didn’t yield to the temptations he faced, we don’t have to either. He will help us, just like He helped Himself----He clung to the scripture and He refused to believe satan’s lies and He used His power to reject him. He was so filled with the Spirit, there was no room for anyone or anything else. And if we are believers, we have that same Spirit filling us up too.
Mark didn’t present the temptation of Jesus in detail like the other gospel writers did-----bible scholars think the reason is, because he wanted to show that satan didn’t just tempt Him in just the one episode, but that he did it over and over again, throughout his entire time of ministry, right up to the cross, and Jesus never failed to resist him.
I want to briefly talk about the 3 temptations that the other gospel writers do mention:
- Satan said, “if you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread… ‘Jesus told him no, that man doesn’t live by bread alone…’ God’s will was more important to Jesus than food was.
- Satan said, “If you are the Son of God, then throw yourself down, He will command His angels concerning you and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone,“ after taking Him to the Holy City and having him stand on the highest point of the Temple. “Jesus told him no, that He wouldn’t put God to the test…” God’s will was more important to Jesus than proving that He was God’s son.”
- Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and then said, “all this I will give to you, if to will bow down and worship me.” Jesus told him no, that only Almighty God deserved to be worshiped---and then He banished him…” God’s will, even though it led to the cross, was more important to Jesus, than all the kingdoms in the world, with their riches and splendor beyond imagination.
Our lives will prove what we are, warts and all. But we need to take heart because Jesus has taken on our condition. He was tempted by everything that we’re tempted by, and He didn’t’ give in and He didn’t compromise. So not only does He deliver us, but he sympathizes with our weakness. Hebrews 4:15 says that “Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are----yet was without sin.”
The most important factor in fighting temptation, is to be filled with the Spirit and the second one is to be filled with God’s word.
Mark’s gospel, is the only place where it is mentioned that Jesus was out among the wild animals and that the angels took care of him, while he was being tempted in the wilderness. ( the verb tense that is used in the Greek, means that the angels were ministering to Him, continually, but scholars believe that it was more in a spiritual sense, than it was in a physical one, because He was fasting the whole time. )
I looked in 10 different commentaries and they all say about the same thing about this-----mostly centering around 3 different interpretations:
1.) That the Palestine wilderness was a dangerous and desolate place and was inhabited by wild animals, like boars, jackals, wolves, foxes, leopards, and hyenas. And that the fear of being torn limb from limb, anytime, day and night, added to the fuel that Satan could use to try and get Jesus to yield to his temptations.
2.) That the wilderness was such a horrible, hostile, lonely place, in contrast to the beauty and perfection of the Garden of Eden, which serves to draw a vivid picture of the difference between the first Adam and his wife, Eve, who fell to Satan’s temptations in a lovely place, where all their needs were met abundantly, where, they never hungered or thirsted, where all the animals were tame and biddable, and they all coexisted in peaceful harmony------and the second Adam, Jesus, who was tempted by the same Satan but did not fall, even though he fasted and went without the basic necessities for 40 days and was surrounded by wild animals, who were just waiting for a weak moment when he would let his guard down, so that they could devour him. (John Milton’s epic poem, “Paradise Regained” popularized the theme that Jesus’ victory over Satan in the wilderness, reversed the tragic consequences of Adam and Eve’s fall and thereby prepared the way for paradise to be regained.)
3.) That the wilderness was a wild untamed place, but that
the animals were Jesus’ gentle companions. William Barclay said, “that
perhaps it wasn’t a scene of terror at all, perhaps it was a lovely scene” that Mark wanted us to see, so that we would catch a full glimpse of Jesus’ true identity, as the wild beasts behaved toward Him like a
beloved dog will behave toward his master. Tucked in the middle of their dreams, of the golden age when the Messiah would come, the Jews were waiting for the day to come, when the enmity between humanity and animals wouldn’t exist any more. Hosea 2:18 says, “I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground.” And Isaiah 11:6-9 says, “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid… the nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain.” William Barclay said, “that maybe, Mark is giving us a foretaste of how lovely it will be, when human beings will be at peace with every creature that God has created and with each other”.
They all make sense, to me each interpretation just expands the other one-----but there is something, especially precious to me, about the wild animals being his companions, along with the angels because this would mean that, even in the world’s understanding today, that they had recognized their creator, their king and their friend, before the human race did, and they paid homage to Him, as their sovereign Lord. I love that!!!!
Craig Larson, editor of, Preaching Today, says that temptation is always seductive, and that Satan is always evil, and that we can never have too many reminders, of his purposes to trip us up and entangle us------he tells the story of a simple reminder that he was given-----he was at a party over lunch with some fellow co-workers. It was a warm Chicago day in early September ,and they had the windows of the office wide open. He says that it wasn’t long before a bee found its way in, and that after buzzing near him for a few seconds; it landed on some food on the table. One of his colleagues a few chairs away, took hold of an empty bottle of sparling grape juice and held the mouth of the bottle out, near the bee. When she did that, he says he expected the bee to be startled like a butterfly, would have been, and fly away to safety. Instead, as we’ve all seen bees do, without a moment’s hesitation, the bee flew to the mouth of the bottle as if it had done it a hundred times before and climbed inside the narrow opening. Immediately his colleague put the cap on the bottle and screwed it shut. The bee spent the rest of the party getting his fill of sugar, drinking at the bottom of the bottle, hastening his inevitable demise.
Was his colleague’s purpose for luring the bee into the bottle, because she wanted to treat it to something, that it would like? No, she despised bees----her purpose was to capture it, control it and destroy it. That bee had flown into a carefully set trap….
When satan entices us to indulge in the pleasures of the world in a manner that oversteps God’s commands, what is his purpose? Is he concerned that we might miss out on the good things of God? Does he want us to be treated to things, that we really love? No, he despises humans, and he hates God, so he wants to do all the harm he can, to God’s children and their love relationship. His purpose is to capture and control. We can never let our guard down----we have to always remember that if we follow him, we will walk into a trap every single time! So we have to keep our focus on the only One who understands our plight, the only One who can claim the victory, the only One who paid it all, the Lord Jesus.
III He was Heard…
“Jim Cymbala is the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, in downtown Brooklyn, NY. And he tells the story about the day he heard how the Lord wanted him to serve.
It was Easter Sunday and he was so tired at the end of the day, that he just went to the edge of the platform, pulled his tie loose, then sat down and swung his feet over the edge. It had been such a wonderful service with so many decisions made that the counselors were still talking to people.
As he was sitting there, he looked up the middle aisle and there in about the 3rd row, was a man who looked about 50, and was disheveled and filthy. The man looked at Jim Cymbala kind of sheepishly, as if to say, “could I talk to you?” He says that they have homeless people coming into their church, all the time, asking for money and shelter and clothes----and all kinds of things.
He said he sat there for a few minutes, thinking to himself, ashamed of himself, but still thinking it----“What a way to end such a good Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering and here’s a man who probably just wants some money for more wine.”
Then the man started walking toward Jim, and when he got about 5 feet away, Jim smelled a horrible smell which was worse than anything he’d ever smelled in his life. He says that it was so awful, that when the man got closer, he would inhale by looking away, and then he’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because he couldn’t stand to inhale facing him.
He asked the homeless man, “What’s your name?” “David Ruffin.” “How long have you been on the street?” “Six years.” “How old are you?” “Thirty–two.” He looked 50----hair matted, front teeth missing, wino-eye glazed. “Where did you sleep last night, David?” “An abandoned truck.”
Jim kept his money in a money clip ,in his back pocket, so he fumbled with it thinking, “I’ll give him some money, I won’t get a volunteer, they’re all busy. Now usually, at the Brooklyn Tabernacle they didn’t give people money----they would take them to get a meal-----but Jim was thinking, that he would get rid of him quickly.
As Jim took out his money, David pushed his finger in front of him and said, “I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it, I’m going to die on the street.
Jim says that he felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach----he says that he completely forgot about David and started to cry himself. He felt humbled, he had planned to give a couple of dollars, to get rid of someone that God had sent to him. He had felt so good about his message and himself ----but he had missed the whole point----he wasn’t seeing David the way God saw him. And he wasn’t feeling about him the way that God did. And it made him weep…
David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening, and didn’t know what to do, while Jim verbally pleaded with God, “God forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me! I’m so sorry that I represented you this way. Here I was telling people what Jesus would want me to tell them, I said all the right things, but when it came to putting my money where my mouth is, literally, I failed you---you send me somebody to live the good news of the gospel out to, and I wasn’t ready. Oh God, please forgive me…”
As Jim wept, great big wracking sobs, David began to weep too. He fell against Jim’s chest as he was sitting there. He fell against his white shirt and tie. Jim said his arms went up around him and they wept together, clinging to each other. The smell of David’s body became a wonderful aroma----Jim says that he heard the Lord say to him, “If you don’t love this smell. I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what I’m about, this smell. This is what you are about, this smell.
The Lord Jesus changed David’s life. They took care of him after he got out of the detox hospital. They found him a place to live and hired him to do maintenance at the church. They got his teeth fixed.
He started memorizing portions of scripture at an amazing speed. He spent Thanksgiving and Christmas at Jim’s house and Jim and introduced him to his future wife.
A year later, David testified about his conversion and acceptance of the Lord’s free gift of salvation, for the first time ----a year after that, he was ordained to preach, and now, is an associate pastor at a church in New Jersey.
David and Jim both heard and responded to the Lord and their lives were changed forever.
The smell that surrounded David was one of poverty and addiction and loss-----we’re faced every day with people who smell, it may not be poverty and addiction, but it can be so many other things just as damaging to a human soul-----loss, sorrow, grief, lies, compromise, anxiety, hopelessness, disappointment, worry, pain, illness and hatred, just to name a few…Jesus, and His presence in our hearts, is the only way that we can love someone who isn’t very lovely and who smells so bad that we want to turn away from them…
Jesus began His public ministry in the province of Galilee----the town of Capernaum was His home base and was a very cosmopolitan place----the whole region was full of Jews and Romans and Greek , all mingled together it was as much a Gentile place, as it was a Jewish one. -----Palestine was divided into 3 sections---- Galilee was in the north, Judea was in the south and Samaria was in the middle. We know, from the other gospels that Jesus traveled up and down the whole area, preaching and teaching and healing-----most of his miracles were performed in Galilee and most of His teaching was in Judea.
The beginning of Jesus’ ministry is directly related to the imprisonment of John the Baptist. The other gospel writers filled in the details, but Mark concentrated on Jesus work, as a servant----so he pointed out that John’s work of preparation had ended when he was put in jail and Jesus’ had begun.
Jesus called people to repentance just like John had, but he added another word---believe. And He called the people with a sense of urgency, that had the element of right now, because the kingdom of God was at hand.
There are 3 words that we can emphasize were the crux, of Jesus message to the world------the good news, repent and believe.
- It is the good news----which brought to the world the truth that Jesus came to show us exactly what God is like.
and brought us the hope that the hopeless heart doesn’t have to strive for goodness anymore----we can never achieve it, so Jesus did it for us.
and brought us the peace that the good and evil that struggles in our heart doesn’t have to war any more------the battle is over and good has won and Jesus makes it possible for our hearts to rest peacefully, even in a world of sin.
and brought us the promise that God will always do exactly what He says He will because He already has.
and brought us eternal life, and salvation, which is not just liberation from sin and escape from its penalty , but it is the power to live victoriously and to conquer the desire to sin on a daily basis .
- It is repentance that leads to forgiveness-----not just to be sorry for the sin in our lives but to hate it to the point that we run from it. To turn away from behavior and attitudes and practices and turn toward the Lord and the promises and lifestyle that He has for us.
- And it is belief that leads to salvation-------- believe in the Lord Jesus, believe in God the Father and believe in the Holy Spirit, believe in the good news, that God so loves us, that He sent His only son to die on a cross so we wouldn’t have to.
The response to Jesus’ teaching was remarkable! Everybody came
to hear Him and many, many people responded with a saving faith------among them were some fisherman named Simon, Andrew, James and John. They believed what Jesus said---- they had no idea how it was going to be accomplished----but they still believed.
Do we believe the good news, to the point, that we would let the smell of a person, who needs Jesus, become sweet perfume to us, as we follow in Jesus’ footsteps and love people into the kingdom of God and not judge them there.
Lets go out and serve!!!!!!
