Well...I'm back after a brief hiatus and time of travel as I recently watched my son, Jason - at FSU, swim in his college conference championship. It's good to be back!
This next episode from our systematic study of the Gospel of Mark challenges us to consider our public witness. The world tries to squash the voices of those who follow Jesus. We are told to be quiet and not impose our values or beliefs on our culture. (Of course, the world is asking us to do something they will not offer us...we call that hypocrisy.) So the world says, "Religion and politics should not mix" or "Eternal life is a myth" or "Every path leads to God...whatever works for you is just fine" or you can name your own, and they demand that Christians remain silent and not respond.
Well, Jesus has another thought...hear what it is by listening to this message.
I hope and pray the Holy Spirit touches your heart through this message. May God bless you as you respond. - KM
“Tested…but True”
Fallacy 1 – Religion and Politics should
not mix.
ILL:
Danbury Baptist and Thomas Jefferson
· Separation
of Church and State was for the safety of the Church from State interference…
·
…not
safeguard for the State from theocracy.
** So...the notion of the separation of Church and State, as applied today, is a complete doctrine of revisionist history wherein the "facts" are completely misinterpreted and misapplied.
Mark 12:17 – Then Jesus
said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
** See…Pharisees and Herodians hoping people reject
Jesus’ teaching…
…Romans were oppressors…Caesar claimed to be God…
** But they forgot what Paul reminds us – that every authority on earth is set up by God for his
purposes.
Romans 13:1 – “Everyone
must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority
except that which God has established.”
Truth:
Faithful Christians make great patriots.
Recap: Jesus
rejects the notion that Religion and Politics should not mix… rather, believers
are to show their faith by being faithful citizens.
Fallacy 2 – Eternal life is a myth.
** Sadducees were the Biblical version of Fatalists
today…
…life stops when we take our last breath on Earth.
…did NOT believe in Resurrection
…but willing to twist/compromise own beliefs to satisfy their agendas.
Note: As if they
were willing to say anything to stay in
power/catch Jesus/satisfy their own agenda.
** But Jesus would have NONE of their gamesmanship –
brings them back to Biblical truth:
Mark 12:26-27 – Have you
not read in the book of Moses… how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of
the living. You are badly mistaken!
Point: Jesus is the author/creator of
eternal life…
…telling him how eternity works is like telling Bill Gates how Windows works.
Truth: Anyone who has ever lived on earth,
will live in eternity.
Note: The
question is, “Where will when we enter eternity?”
…2 Options:
1.
in the Presence of God (i.e. Heaven)
2.
apart from the presence of God (i.e.: Hell)
Recap: Eternal
Life is no Myth…
…which is what makes the third vignette/fallacy/truth
so important.
Fallacy 3 – Any path leads to eternal life.
** So, in our
reading today, a scribe/teacher approaches Jesus with an apparently more HONEST/GENUINE question:
“Which
is the most important Commandment?”
** Jesus said, “To love God with all you are… And the
second is like it – to love neighbor.”
** The teacher did not fight Jesus, but affirmed the
answer…
…but then Jesus says an interesting thing -
Mark 12:34 – When Jesus saw
that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom
of God.”
Point:
Teacher, like most in Israel, was trusting obedience to the Law for his
salvation…
…but Jesus knew his heart was on the
right path…
…so he encouraged him to keep seeking
God on that path.
App: Sadly…
In today’s world, people would say about this encounter, “Well…who are you, Jesus, to question this man’s
salvation? Who are you to judge someone
else?”
Note: We live in
a world that believes, “Whatever works for you is
fine…whatever works for me is fine”
Problem is… how do you know it works?
Truth: The prescribed path to
heaven is through Jesus.
John 14:6 – Jesus answered,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me.”
CONCLUSION
** Our world is not that much different than Jesus’
world…
…we have the Skeptics and the Seekers, too.
App:
Yet…who is God using to dispel the Fallacies and declare the truth in our world
today? - if it
is not you and me?
** Earlier…mentioned Mark
Burnett and Roma Downey – “Son of God” movie
** Wonder…how might God call us to take a stand?
Note: I cannot
make a movie…but I can speak up when the opportunity arises.
App:
Be a public Christian…
…don’t give into the world’s
demand to remain silent if you are a Jesus follower…
…rather… live a fully integrated live where…
1.
Faith and Life fully Mix…
2.
we share with seekers the way to eternal life…
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