Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 10:46-52
Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 10:46-52
• Yesterday Campbelltown UMC had our annual congregational Charge
Conference, with District Superintendent Gary Nicholson. He spoke on our UM
heritage… the unlikely match of the evangelical church and Mennonite church,
combined with out-of-ashes Methodist church… Spoke of the five vows of
membership (prayers, presence, gifts, service, witness) and our “call to
action” as we as a congregation strive to live out our mission (reach out, make
disciples) in measurable ways, including worship attendance, professions of
faith, small groups, and missions involvement. Challenge for every member to
have personal ministry (service within the church) and personal mission
(service beyond the church).
• God has a goal for humankind, a goal of righteousness, a
goal that the earthly kingdom would perfectly resemble the heavenly kingdom,
that God’s children would perfectly live up to God’s mark. We fail, of course,
all fail and all fall short of the glory of God, every human in history except
one, Jesus, who lived blameless faultless human life, who measured up to God’s
expectations… who offers himself as the gate to the heavenly kingdom.
God’s goal for us is heavenly. The means is out of our
hands… the means is Jesus, nothing reliant upon us…
• how do we KNOW? How do we know God’s goal for us, how do
we know the means of Jesus? Through witness of scripture. Part of our doctrinal
heritage is the belief that All things necessary for salvation are contained in
scripture… there is nothing necessary for salvation that is not in scripture…
• And that connects to today’s text from Hebrews (“Jesus can completely save those who are
approaching God through him, because he always lives to speak with God for
them. 26 It’s appropriate for us to have this kind of
high priest: holy, innocent, incorrupt, separate from sinners, and raised high
above the heavens. 27 He doesn’t need to offer
sacrifices every day like the other high priests, first for their own sins and
then for the sins of the people. He did this once for all when he offered
himself. “ (Hebrews 7:25-27) : Christ is perfectly sufficient for
salvation, perfectly and uniquely able to cover our lives with his one perfect
life… Christ is enough… which is a nice thing to know… but a better and harder thing to live and believe…
• … but which carries with it there is nothing in life can
overrule Jesus… There is nothing in life is greater than Jesus. Not a storm, a
flood, or a power outage, not infidelity or drugs, not divorce, not the loss of
job or home or love, not any cancer, not the death of a child, a loved one, …
none of these can remove you from God because Christ is sufficient, perfectly
sufficient, perfectly sufficient and willing and able to cover you if you’ll
let him.
• So what do you do? Approach Jesus with faith, as
Bartimaeus (Mark 10). Did you notice in the reading from Mark that the blind man
could “see” what the crowd didn’t? Even before Jesus restored his sight,
Bartimaeus could see that Jesus was The One, the Son of David, the anointed one
of God… He acknowledged his Lordship. In spite of his lack of sight, he saw who
Jesus was.
Do you? And without regard for what others may think,
Bartimaeus put himself in Jesus’ presence, called out to Jesus. Made known his
request. Found Jesus both able and wanting to heal. Go and do likewise. See
Jesus. Acknowledge Lordship.
• Know Jesus. Study, love, participate.
Prayer for faith and humility, submission
Who are we? We are ones God has decided to redeem…
No comments:
Post a Comment