12 Beliefs of Jesus
Ever wonder what Jesus believed in? While the question seems to beg a rather obvious answer, it may not be that simple. Bart began this new series by taking us deeper into the meaning of what "belief" is about, why we struggle with our own, sometimes rigid beliefs, and how Jesus was constantly thinking outside the box and pushing the limits of a new paradigm in relationship with God.
Scripture: Matthew 17:1-8 Bart illustrates what it means to pursue the spiritual life in our walk with Jesus. We have to let go of many things; sometimes the very things we cling to: our possessions, our family, our finances, our children, even our addictions. Jesus is always waiting for us, but if we try bringing all our material and emotional baggage with us, we won't get there. We have to relieve ourselves of these burdens before we can move on.
As human beings, one of the hardest things for us to deal with is forgiveness, something which never bothered Jesus. We struggle with this from the time we are children right on through our adult lives. How do we forgive when something has been done to us that leaves pain, suffering and a lingering sense of injustice? How do we forgive ourselves when we have done something that will have lasting effects on someone else?And what do we do when we feel so strongly that the other person should be the first to forgive? Or that we are so justified in our feelings of being right that we have no need to forgive. Bart explores these issues and several more surrounding forgiveness and how God and Christ come at us with a preemptive forgiveness for all the sins we have committed--large and small. They beat us to the punch, leaving us in a place that requires soul searching and perhaps leaving with the uncomfortable realization that in order to move forward, we need to forgive.
Jesus believed that the kingdom of God came from within and expressed itself in the outward expression of our love. All the goodness that God pours into us, in turn, is poured out to everyone as though we are the fountain that is always full and constantly flowing. But sometimes there are things that keep us from taking in God's love: fear, worry, concern, doubt. These are the things, among others, that can deter us from the full expression of God's love. Bart weaves a story of a sweater that he wore "inside out" and how it serves as an example of what we need to do in order to live the life that Jesus wants us to live.
Bart continues his series by asking us to examine who we are and what we are as we attempt to follow the path of Jesus. Sometimes self examination can be very painful, often revealing and can carry with it a desire to not too far beneath the surface of our lives; to truly go really deep into our heart and our mind. Jesus asks each of us to examine who we are in relation to where God wants us to be as we live out our lives in the kingdom. Listen as Bart takes us on a journey of self discovery.
Bart begins this message with a reading from John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (NRSV) How much more loving can this generous God be? He gave us all a gift of such generosity that it is beyond our capacity to even understand what has been done for us. What are we generous with? Our money? Our time? Our talents? Our love? Bart points out that in "giving" we must do so from a place of love which is not restricted by our own sense of "how much" should we give. If one cannot give completely, freely and in the love of God, what's the point of doing so in the first place. Jesus became the ultimate gift to the whole world. And He was willing to give of himself in following the will of the Father. We can learn how to give in a generous, loving way which doesn't always mean we have to give money.
Bart begins this message with a reading from John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (NRSV) How much more loving can this generous God be? He gave us all a gift of such generosity that it is beyond our capacity to even understand what has been done for us. What are we generous with? Our money? Our time? Our talents? Our love? Bart points out that in "giving" we must do so from a place of love which is not restricted by our own sense of "how much" should we give. If one cannot give completely, freely and in the love of God, what's the point of doing so in the first place. Jesus became the ultimate gift to the whole world. And He was willing to give of himself in following the will of the Father. We can learn how to give in a generous, loving way which doesn't always mean we have to give money.
Bart continues his series on The 12 Beliefs of Jesus, Part 6 with a look at how God has already opened His arms wide and wants to welcome us in, despite our worries that we are not worthy of such love. In John's gospel we read that it was not that we loved God, but that God loved us first...and continues to do so in ways beyond our comprehension. So in taking an example from Jesus, who never turned anyone away and was always welcoming to the outcast, the marginalized, the poor, the lame, the blind, the leper...even the tax collector(!) we must lean to follow His lead and do the same.
"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."--Dietrich Bon Hoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship. What is the cost of our discipleship? What does it mean that we must "die" in order to live in Christ? Bart Tarman explores this theme in the fifth of his series on the beliefs of Jesus and explains how we must be willing to give up our attachments--some good, some bad--in order to follow Christ.
Living a humble life before God does not necessarily mean we have to retreat from the world and seek the solitude of a monk. It does mean that we have to put our ego to the side and defeat the forces that continue to pull us in directions that take us a way from God; feeling that we know what is best for us--that doing it "my way" is the only way and coming to terms with what Jesus wants for us: A fruitful life, lived out in receiving and giving love. And to set aside our inner desire to be acknowledged, recognized and openly thanked for what we do.
Part of our transformation as we try to live out our life by following Jesus, is that we are expected to be an open vessel, a container for God's love. But our goal is not to hoard that love, but to give it away to everyone with whom we come in contact. It can be, and often is, a surprising moment in our lives when we realize that giving God's love to someone else energizes and expands our love, for God always replenishes what we have given away. We are meant to be the very people Jesus entrusted with the Gospel. And instead of just sitting in church once a week for an hour or so, our mission is to share the Gospel, God's love, with our neighbors and friends and yes, even the stranger on the street. Bart is joined in his sermon today by a longtime friend, Art Kopecki, with whom he shared the 500 miles walking "The Way" across Northern Spain earlier this year.
Decades ago there was a TV game show hosted by Johnny Carson called "Who Do You Trust?" Married contestants were given a number of possiblities and then the husband or wife would say that the thing in question was true or not true about their relationship, with often surprising results. When it comes to trusting in God, trusting in Jesus, we may be faced with a number of possiblities because our trust system can be flawed. We may have any number of reasons of not wanting to trust Jesus. Afterall, this is an unseen force in our lives and we often feel it wiser to trust our own ways and instincts than turning everything over to God. But God is trusting in us that we will let go of our human instincts and put our trust in the one thing that is pure truth. Easy? Not always. Challenging? You bet. Changing the way we "trust" requires us to change the way we think about Jesus and God. It moves us out of a comfort zone that we can wrongly belief is serving us well. God is asking us to take a chance and let go of our stubborn ways in order to open our eyes to what is and what can be.
Ever wonder what Jesus believed in? While the question seems to beg a rather obvious answer, it may not be that simple. Bart begins this new series by taking us deeper into the meaning of what "belief" is about, why we struggle with our own, sometimes rigid beliefs, and how Jesus was constantly thinking outside the box and pushing the limits of a new paradigm.