CHILD-LIKE

Jesus Tells us the ONLY real FAITH is faith that is LIKE A CHILD

Jesus is RECKLESS

We are FEARFUL 

· The LEPER KNELT before Jesus and DECLARES his NEED

· The CENTURION RAN before Jesus and RECOGNIZED his PLACE.

· Peter’s MOTHER-IN-LAW is BROUGHT before Jesus and ASKED for his HELP

JESUS IS A REVOLUTIONARY, any version of him that looks like a MIDDLE CLASS RULE FOLLOWER is a IDOLATROUS LIE

· The CROWD

· The STORM

· The DEMONS

KIDS ARE IDEALISTIC - They dream big and demand perfection

KIDS ARE FEARLESS - not afraid to DISRUPT LIFE

 

If you are honest, what SCARES YOU about what you BELIEVE?

 

28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

 

30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

 

32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake ad died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

– Matthew 8:28-34

What does it mean to have "KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL"?

"9In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” - Genesis 9:-17

What IS CHILDLIKE FAITH?

HONEST, not IGNORANT

HUMBLE, not SELF-RIGHTEOUS

INNOCENT, not NAÏVE

SIMPLE, not SIMPLISTIC

CURIOUS, not COCKY

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3

The promise of Christmas is the promise of LIGHT. When God dwells on earth, it is to establish justice and bring light. God's salvation rarely looks like what we are expecting.

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

    my chosen one in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him,

    and he will bring justice to the nations.

2 He will not shout or cry out,

    or raise his voice in the streets.

3 A bruised reed he will not break,

    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

4     he will not falter or be discouraged

till he establishes justice on earth.

    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the Lord says—

the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,

    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,

    who gives breath to its people,

    and life to those who walk on it:

6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;

    I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

    to be a covenant for the people

    and a light for the Gentiles,

7 to open eyes that are blind,

    to free captives from prison

    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

What RULES do you have in your life? Who put them there? Are they producing LOVE in your life? God's voice is calling us to REPENT of our SINS...INCLUDING THE SIN OF OUR RULES. God CHANGES HIS OWN RULES when he encounters a sincere heart.

How often do we sacrifice love for our own rules?

We are called to protect and free our brothers and sisters, not condemn them with rules

Do we rely on our own rules so much we can't hear God's VOICE?

"I thought I couldn't hear God, but then I realized he was there through all my life...I just didn't recognize his voice" - Heather Urban

Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort, comfort my people,

    says your God.

2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

    and proclaim to her

that her hard service has been completed,

    that her sin has been paid for,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

    double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

    the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert

    a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be raised up,

    every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

    the rugged places a plain.

5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

    and all people will see it together.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out.”

    And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,

    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.

    Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

    but the word of our God endures forever.”

9 You who bring good news to Zion,

    go up on a high mountain.

You who bring good news to Jerusalem,

    lift up your voice with a shout,

lift it up, do not be afraid;

    say to the towns of Judah,

    “Here is your God!”

10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,

    and he rules with a mighty arm.

See, his reward is with him,

    and his recompense accompanies him.

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:

    He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

    he gently leads those that have young.

Language Is Not As Precise As We Like To Think It Is...here are quite a few sayings we still use, that have long since lost their original meaning (do you know any of these origins?)": "Straight from the Horse's Mouth", "Horsepower", "Roll up the windows", "Drop of a hat", "Pulling out all the stops", "Dress to the nines", "Get the ball rolling", "Carbon copy"

If we only apply a "LITERAL" flat interpretation to the Bible (or any text), we are oversimplifying what God WAS saying to the people and will miss what he IS speaking to us through it. Isaiah sees a vision of a world that is void the danger of lions and "ravenous beasts"...WHY? Because that was a genuine concern to the people of Judea when this was written. When we realize that, a few themes emerge:

1. We aren't concerned with all the things that concerned ancient Hebrews...many of our concerns are new and much more complicated.

2. The ravenous beasts that threaten our welfare look much more like corporate officers, politicians, etc., than an ACTUAL lion.

3. If we are so comfortable and self-sufficient how can we know the "God who saves"? A major reason for this Book is to force Israel to BE HONEST with who they are, their limitations and their needs.

4. Isaiah paints a vision of a Kingdom where God's Righteousness and Justice rule over everything...but he describes this place not exclusively as a destination, but as a JOURNEY...wherever we are on the Way of Holiness...God meets us IN OUR NEED.

Just as God grafts in new branches into the main vine, The Spirit creates "on ramps" for this "highway" right where we need them, right in front of us. The faith of Jesus doesn't require you to jump through hoops, recite prayers or preform religious rites...it only requires a sincere heart...THIS IS GOOD NEWS TO THOSE OF US WHO NEED A RESCUER.

(and it is repugnant to religious people who have saved themselves)

The desert and the parched land will be glad;

    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;

    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the Lord,

    the splendor of our God.

3 Strengthen the feeble hands,

    steady the knees that give way;

4 say to those with fearful hearts,

    “Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

    he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

    he will come to save you.”

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,

    and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

    and streams in the desert.

7 The burning sand will become a pool,

    the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

In the haunts where jackals once lay,

    grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

8 And a highway will be there;

    it will be called the Way of Holiness;

    it will be for those who walk on that Way.

The unclean will not journey on it;

    wicked fools will not go about on it.

9 No lion will be there,

    nor any ravenous beast;

    they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,

10     and those the Lord has rescued will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

    everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

- Isaiah 35:1-10 NIV

The Kings of Isaiah's day were supposed to be the keepers of all things right and holy in Israel…instead we see a pattern that God rejects through prophets like Isaiah…a theme of pride, self-reliance, compromise, folly. Many of the kings made "treaties" with neighboring countries to protect themselves, even after God has proven his faithfulness in times of fear and scarcity.

Isaiah 9 talks of the "time of Midian's defeat"…that time was in the past…WAY IN THE PAST. In the Book of Judges we see a narrative of a hero names Gideon who listened to God's seemingly crazy advice to whittle his army down from thousands to just 300 to defend against and defeat the Midian's…a growing superpower coming to invade from the East (if this sounds familiar it is because it shares quite a few similarities with the Spartan 300 and the battle of Thermopile). God went before Gideon in his obedience and wiped out the entire oppressing army without the Israelites raising a single sword!

We can not experience the fullness of God's goodness, power and provision if we never need God to fight our (seemingly) impossible battles. If we are completely self-sufficient, if we assume God always wants us to follow the safe, simple way, will we ever come to know God as a rescuer? A Messiah?

Here is a great quote from a recent, very relevant book, followed by our passage from Isaiah:

"Have evangelicals over the past fifty years been so busy fighting the culture wars and pursuing political power that they have failed to bring more white men and women into the fold through evangelization?  Have they invested so much time in politics that they have not cultivated the spiritual and moral lives of young people in a way that keeps them in the church?" - The End Of White Christian America

9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darkness

    have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

    a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation

    and increased their joy;

they rejoice before you

    as people rejoice at the harvest,

as warriors rejoice

    when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,

    you have shattered

the yoke that burdens them,

    the bar across their shoulders,

    the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle

    and every garment rolled in blood

will be destined for burning,

    will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peace

    there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

    and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

    with justice and righteousness

    from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

    will accomplish this.

- Isaiah 9:1-7 (NIV)

What is your foundation?

Karen Herman brings a timely message of hope and truth after a week of national heartbreak and tragedy.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor. - Isaiah 63:1-3

Is there life after death? Do we have souls? What does Resurrection look like? What separates humans from animals? WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?

These are some of the questions that plagued King Solomon, and they are some of the most important questions we can ask right now? Beyond simply asking the questions, we ask WHY they matter TO US? How do we live in light of this? How does Jesus differ from the hopelessness we see in Ecclesiastes?

Is there anything of which one can say,

    “Look! This is something new”?

It was here already, long ago;

    it was here before our time.

No one remembers the former generations,

    and even those yet to come

will not be remembered

    by those who follow them.

Ecclesiastes 1:10-11

Why was Solomon wise? What makes his wisdom different from that of his father David?