What Kat Missed on Sunday

Kat lives in Thailand.

She misses us, and we miss her back.

She follows this blog.

Paula is her friend.

Paula also missed church on Sunday, because she was at a cool winter camp.

Paula asked what she missed on Sunday.

I wrote her an email.

Kat probably wonders what she missed sometimes, too.

So here is the email.

And then my notes.

They are for Kat.

They are also for you if you weren't here and missed us, too.

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Paula!

How was your session? And camp? It's good to hear from you!

Church was really good yesterday. There was a unity to the whole gathering, between people in the community and also in content. From brunch to benediction it felt like one conversation.

There were two visitors - Ethan, a friend of Simon's, and Aaron, a friend of Brandon's who plans to join us for the next six weeks.

Katie and Joshua made baked oatmeal for breakfast. I understand it was delicious. I had a grapefruit.

Joel led communion. He talked about how Jesus' life reflects Moses' and the Israelite's and fulfills the Old Testament.

We spent some time to talk about Joshua going to another church. He's been preparing for this for a few weeks. This wasn't his last Sunday, but he wanted to prepare the community for his leaving. I'm helping him find a new church, as he requested. There isn't anything wrong or bad going on, he just feels it is time to go, and wants to do it well, and I support him. If you want to talk to him, or I, or anyone else about that, just go for it.

The message was (as the reading plan also was) about repentance, discipleship, and perseverance in faith. It was good. A solid message. There were some really fun parts about just what the disciple's lives were like, and what that might mean for us as disciple's today. I was challenged along with everyone else.

It was recorded. It'll be on the website before the end of the week.

looktothecrossforvictory.com

See you soon! If there's anything else you were hoping to know about, let me know.

- Birss

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These notes are made for me to read and preach from, not for you to read. Also, I had an additional page of handwritten notes as well, that isn't included here. This means that some of it might seem incomplete. If you want to hear the message, go to the website, and search for the message on 2011 Feb 20.

Feb 20, 2011 – Shawn Birss – LTTX
Matthew part 2
Discipleship, Temptation, and Perseverance


TEXT
Matthew 3:12-17

Pray

Matthew 3:18-22

HEAR AND HEED THE CALL

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

Gospel – Good News of a new Kingdom.
Bad News – Ceasar is Lord
Good News – JESUS is LORD

This Kingdom requires repentance. Because the laws of this kingdom are different.
Repentance means to turn around. It means to act differently than you are now.

Mat 3:8 – JtheB – Produce fruit . . . (Luke 3:10-14 for practical examples)

Repent is often not taken as good news. Because we don’t like to admit we’re going the wrong way. We don’t like to change.

But Jesus’ good news is, “You don’t have to be oppressed anymore. And you don’t have to be an oppressor anymore.”

Repent is actually a good, strong word. It’s full of hope, and new beginnings. It’s an invitation into a new way of being in a new realm, where you are exactly as you were created to be.

V23 – Good News of the Kingdom

“Come, Follow Me”

Describe discipleship in 1 cent Judaism.

Psalm 119 – nursery rhyme

RABBIS WERE ROCKSTARS

6yo – Elementary School – House of the Book (or Instruction) – The Torah.
Memorize the Torah until you’re 10
(Honey in your mouth – Ezekiel)

10yo – Juniour High – House of the Prophets – the Talmud
Memorize the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures
Art of Questions and Questions
ie – Q1 - What is the Capital City of Alberta? Q2 – Which city has the lowest ranking team in the NHL?

14yo – 2 paths
Either
you become a disciple
You ask “I want to take your yoke”
(Jesus – Matt 11:30)
They test you and either take you on
“Come Follow Me”
Or tell you
“Go learn the family business, and maybe your children will be Rabbis.”
OR
You go and learn the family business for four or five years as an apprentice,
Get married around 20
And raise your kids to do the same.

Who is called?
Jesus lived and ministered in a fishing village in Capernaum. Galilee of the gentiles. Great light.
He was calling the least of the respected. He was calling the “whosoevers” (j3:16)

Come Follow me – fishermen (Matt 4:19)
Come Follow me – Matthew (9:9-11)
Come Follow me – Rich man (Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:21)

The true disciple’s response to the call is not a confession of faith, but an act of obedience

Lazar Come Out (command, same as follow me)- John 11:33
(Peter walking on water – “come” (Matthew 14:29))

Whether Jesus invites us or commands us, he gives us the power to accomplish what he’s asked us to do.

Follow me
Jesus to Peter
First and last words
Both on the lake of galilee
Both while Peter was fishing
Matthew 4:19 John 21:22

LEAVE YOUR NETS

Repentance and following Jesus is demonstrative and measurable. What did you leave behind? How are you different?

John the Baptist - "produce fruit in keeping with repentance" - and then he gives examples

The fishers leave their nets

Matthew walks away from his table

Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell everything and give it to the poor.

What do you gain?

Rich man - treasure in heaven
Matthew - wrote Matthew
Fishers - ...of men

KofH - treasure in a field. A fine pearl.

Grace is so precious it is worth plucking out your own eye or cutting off your hand should your eye or hand cost you that grace. (ref)

The grace of God IS NOT FREE. It is the costliest thing in existence. It cost Jesus his life. He sweat drops of blood at the thought of the costliness of the grace he would purchase for us.

Grace is not free. Grace is paid for.

Jesus - gain the whole world, but lose his soul? Take up your cross, deny yourself. Follow me.

If the grace you believe in does not move you to a radical change in your life, it is cheap, and it is not the grace of God.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." This is the quote that is most often attributed to Elliot, but apparently it is very close to the English nonconformist preacher Philip Henry (1631–1696) who said "He is no fool who parts with that which he cannot keep, when he is sure to be recompensed with that which he cannot lose".

Diet Bon – page 54 “Bourgeois respectability”

Every single person mentioned in this message that was explicitly obedient to the call of discipleship to Christ DIED at the hands of the GOVERNMENT for their life of following and proclaiming Jesus.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Jim Elliot
Peter
James
Philip

John – sentenced to death, but exiled instead.

Lazarus - ?
Rich ruler – lived happily ever after.

STAY THE COURSE

Know god (this is my beloved son...)
Be filled with the Spirit (descends like a dove ... Acts - wait for the spirit ... Phil 4:13)
Know the WORD - Jesus defeated Satan with the Bible (lamp to feet and light to path. Hidden word in heart that I might not sin)

Read your Bible, pray everyday, and you'll growgrowgrow
I'm not going to stop saying this. Seriously. I have an agenda this year. It is to get every single one of us reading our Bibles and praying every day. If this is not a goal of yours for this year, you are seriously not paying attention. I will make it my mission to make life miserable for you until you do.

GO and make disciples (mat28)
Which is to continue the course you've already begun.
COME becomes GO Matthew 8:9
"come and see" (inviting brothers, Samaritan woman ref)

Mark 10:20-25 - The young ruler

Jesus LOVED him, before telling him the hardest thing he ever heard in his life.

Finish this sentence:

Jesus looked at me, loved me, and said . . .