Video to come.
Morning Message Text: Matthew 3: 1-12
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Morning Message:
What is an Iconoclast? Has anyone here ever come across this word before? I have not. I read it in our Advent devotional, and I just had to look it up. The definition is: a person who attacks cherished beliefs or traditions. As I heard this definition, I thought to myself, “I could be one of these.” From this pulpit on many occasions, I have found myself challenging many in the congregation to rethink some of our cherished beliefs and traditions. I wouldn’t use the word attack, but some might feel that way. I know that there are times that some disagree with some of the conclusions that I draw, and how I might present the gospel and make connections to things that take place in current events. People don’t think I know, but God gives me a sense of these things, and the hard part is, I can’t back down from what God gives me to say. Each and every one of us has been programmed by our life experience, and sometimes our life experience becomes beliefs and manifests themselves into traditions that we cling to. When God’s pure light shines on what we believe, sometimes it can be hard to reconcile.
I want you to listen to this devotion that you should read on Tuesday. It is not easy to comprehend. I am not being condescending toward you when I say this. I had to read it several times, and study it before God opened my eyes to it. (From C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed, p. 78). “My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it himself. He is the great iconoclast.” Remember, what is an iconoclast? A person who attacks cherished beliefs and traditions. Now listen. “Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of his presence?” When God comes into our lives; when we allow His presence to overtake our human thinking, it can and should change the earthly things that we cling to and believe.
Continuing with the words of C. S. Lewis. “The incarnation is the supreme example; it leaves all previous ideas of the Messiah in ruins. And most are ‘offended’ by the iconoclasm; and blessed are those who are not. But the same thing happens in our private prayers.” I am adding this to that statement, if we allow it. Now I want to leave most of this devotion for you to read for yourselves. I am trusting that you will read it, and I hope that you find it as intriguing as I have. The main point that I hope you will draw from this is that we have to remain open to God’s ways, and in order to do that we must be ready to allow God to change our programming.
Christmas has always been controversial. Let’s settle some inner-family debates. What do you think? Elf on the Shelf – Is he creepy or cute? I didn’t quite understand this one until my family clued me in. Christmas decorations – Can you put them up before Thanksgiving? Christmas tree – Real or artificial? Presents – Open on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day? Can you open one gift before Christmas? Movie – Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie? We all have our favorite Christmas movies and activities. These things aren’t controversial, just a matter of preference. Controversy has been around Christmas for 2000 years. The biggest controversy surrounds the identity of Jesus. He is either Savior and Lord or the biggest con artist in history. In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis makes an argument known as Lewis’ “Trilemma” that since Jesus repeatedly claimed to be God, then Jesus is either “A Liar, A Lunatic, or Lord”. Anyone who claims to be God Almighty cannot simply be a good man or an ethical teacher. Who do you say He is?
The biblical Christmas account is clear on the identity of Jesus. “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” (Luke 2: 11-12).
A little boy wrote this letter to Santa Claus: “There are 3 boys living at my house. Jeffrey is 2. David is 4 and Norman is 7. Jeffrey is good some of the time. David is good none of the time. Norman is good all of the time. I am Norman.” The spiritual problem all humans have is that none of us are Norman. No one is perfect or good enough. Heaven is perfect and the only way to go to heaven is to be perfect. Technically, there are two ways to get to heaven: (1) Be perfect. (That’s not going to happen). (2) Have a Savior who forgives your sin and gives you His perfect righteous.
John the Baptist was an iconoclast. Like all of the prophets who came before him he attacked the cherished misbeliefs and traditions in order to bring people to repentance. John choose a lifestyle of reliance on God instead of the comforts of life. He was different on purpose so that he could show people that what they believed or held sacred was not God’s way but man’s. He challenged a system of religion that put all of its importance on self-reliance and living what they thought was a good life. He showed them that all of their goodness was as filthy rags in the sight of a Holy God and presented them with the opportunity to repent. The Pharisees and Sadducees came to take part, and John boldly told them: Don’t waste your time unless you are willing to change and serve God. We can’t fear the world disagreeing with us.
At the end of your devotion on Tuesday you will find these questions. I will ask them today. “What icons, images or molds is God breaking in your life? What expectations do you have that God does not seem to meet? Perhaps that is his plan. It usually is.”
People get upset with me over what I say from the pulpit. Maybe they should look a little deeper to the change that God is trying to make in their lives. I’m not always right, but I do allow God to guide what I say from here. Don’t take it personally; just take it in and let God deal with it.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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