080330 Worship Service including John 20:19-31 sermon "Peace be with you" by Pastor Ron Smith

The first Easter was a busy day for Jesus. First thing - He got out of the grave and spoke to Mary and the other women and told them what to do. Then He walked seven miles to Emmaus with two disciples. He broke bread with them and came back to Jerusalem for the event we just read about. He first blessed them with “peace be with you” and then commissioned them as those who are sent (apostelon) just as the father had sent Him to the world.
Thomas might have gone to the restroom or he might have gone out for a walk to console himself in grief. But when he returned, the others said, “We’ve seen the Lord. Jesus was here.” And Thomas didn’t believe them. His reaction was like saying, “’Peace be with you?’ Yeah, right! I don’t believe you. I won’t believe – until I can put my fingers in the holes in his hands and side.” That’s an act of Thomas’ will. And that’s something that speaks to all of us. It begs the question, “Are we going to believe or are we not going to believe.” And you know we’re not going to believe unless we WANT to believe. Each of us have a decision to make: either I will believe or I will not believe. Kierkegaard called this the “either/or” of faith. When we defy Proverbs 3:5 and lean on our own understanding, then we are saying “I will believe when I can be convinced, empirically that this is so – then I’ll believe.” So we can WILL to believe or WILL not to believe that Jesus is resurrected and was standing there before those other disciples.
The following Sunday – Jesus came back with the same greeting and this time Thomas was with all the other disciples. Now if Jesus went to all the trouble of getting crucified to get us into the kingdom, it doesn’t seem strange that He came back to get Thomas. Thomas was part of the team and when the commissioning came on he was not there. Jesus came back, because He wanted Thomas on the team and He made Thomas aware of His resurrection.
This gospel passage is traditionally used on the Sunday after Easter every year, because this is an important passage. And what makes it important is that this is when it happened. And that makes a difference. Christianity is based on factual events that actually happened in a moment in history. At a moment in time God called Abraham and told him He found a family. God in a moment in history spoke to Moses and said, “You go back into Egypt and let my people go, bring my people out.” At a moment in history a real virgin had a real baby in a place called Bethlehem. At a moment in history that baby had grown up and went into the water and was baptized. There were other people, who saw each event. In a moment in history this man Jesus performed all kinds of miracles with many witnesses. He fed the hungry, gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He made the lame walk and even raised the dead and expelled evil spirits. At specific moments in time these things actually happened and that’s the difference between Christianity and all the other faiths that people profess around the world.
These events really did happen. And the people in the scripture really had the same kind of feelings that you and I have. They were tempted and purged like you and me. When Thomas said to the eyewitnesses, “I don’t believe you,” then he fell out of fellowship with the other disciples. One of us might respond the same way, if you excused yourself for a moment from this sanctuary only to miss out on a great miracle. You might tell the rest of us who experienced the event, “I don’t believe you.”
Each of us might try to convince you in different ways: “You don’t believe us . . . that means you don’t trust us.” Our mutual fellowship and faith would be damaged. Some of us would feel sad for you. Somebody might feel like you’re calling us liars or you’re saying we’re crazy. And we’d feel offended and hurt.
But the Thomas-in-us wants tangible proof, because it’s too important a thing to happen without reasoning and drawing logical conclusions. Some of you have attended the Brownsville Revival or a Billy Graham Crusade when hundreds of people were being saved every night. When I joined Billy’s evangelism team in 1996 I was still trying to explain logically what God does in people’s lives. Last Thursday the Gideons and I handed out close to 800 New Testaments to law enforcement and 911 communications personnel who started immediately reading what I had tried to get them to do for two years. This was for me a powerful witness that Jesus still shows up in our everyday lives.
Jail chaplain, Tom Bridges witnessed vivid proof the other day when he experienced his first demon possession and deliverance at the close of a worship service with female inmates. One of the women moved around a lot and seemed to be hurting. She consented to letting him anoint her and pray for her, but the Lord spoke to his heart and told Tom to stop. The Lord told Tom, “I don’t want you to lay hands on her and pray for her. I want you to point your finger at her and caste the demons out.” He obeyed and just pointed his finger at her and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ get out of her.” She immediately raised about 18 inches and fell to the floor with her legs bowed under her torso. She dragged her body across the floor. Her eyes went completely white. Her tongue started to hiss like a snake. Two correctional officers were poised to use mace. After a few minutes of this he offered to help the woman off the floor while asking her name. Her eyes opened and she gently said, “My name is Shirley - Peace be with you.”
Dear Heavenly Father, Your Son and Holy Spirit are still showing up in our lives to say, “Peace be with you.” Thank You for Your facts and events in scripture and in our lives that are so real – that are not made up as delusions or apparitions. For all knees shall bow and tongues confess, Jesus Christ is Lord, in His name, Amen.

080113 Matthew 3:13-17 "God's Responses" by Pastor Ron Smith

Perhaps your earliest memory of being close to a large body of water is like mine. I must have been in a bathtub. It may have been like a swimming pool for any small child or baby. You’ve washed babies, haven’t you? If you have (and I hope and pray that all of you have – or that you will someday soon), then you probably have noticed how beautiful, wonderful and joyful the child is in this experience. You probably have some family pictures or movies depicting children playing in a pool, in ocean waves on a beach, or in a flowing creek. One of our hour-long collections of family movies (published on the internet – of course) features all of these scenes with our children before they grew up and had their own children.
Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wasn’t a child anymore, like we knew Him only in last week’s story about the three wise men, the Star over Bethlehem and Herod killing all the other children in that little town.
Just a few words later in the scripture and Jesus is suddenly an adult. He probably still had memories like you and I about what water means to people – even children. If we understand Jesus as the eternal Son of God already and not a “soon to be announced” Son (as some early minority and non-orthodox Christians have theorized), then He is in fact God’s Chosen One – God Incarnate – God With Us – speaking with John the Baptizer.
Some people might also get stuck in questions like: “Wasn’t John really a first cousin of Jesus?” or “Isn’t Jesus really God and because God is perfect and without sin, then Jesus doesn’t need to get cleansed or washed-up or whatever that baptizing-thing is supposed to be?” or “Wait a minute – doesn’t God care whether Jesus or anyone else has given full adult-like permission and/or “belief in what baptizing really means . . . and whether someone gets saved with getting baptized?”
Jesus wanted John to baptize him. And John objected. The baptizer says, “I’m the one who needs to be baptized, not you!” Well, I guess that takes care of the last few questions. So, wad-ye-say Jesus? Is this baptizing experience something special – or what?
But Jesus insisted. “Do it, John. God’s work is about putting things right all these centuries - reconciling the human race back to God’s righteousness – fulfilling His righteousness. God wants to open up His kingdom again. God is coming together right now.”
So John did it. He did what some call “emersion in water.” Others call it “getting all wet.” Some say that Jesus was relating to all of us and just wanted to do what we do when He said after His resurrection, “Go into all the world, baptizing and making disciples” (in the great commission at the end of Matthew). Some say, “But the thief on the cross cried out for salvation to Jesus, and He promised ‘surely, today you will be with me in paradise.’” And Romans 10:13 says that “all who call on the Lord will be saved.” Jesus doesn’t wait to get a firm answer on these questions.
Immediately, Jesus came away from the water and the skies opened up. Jesus wasn’t a child anymore. He wasn’t just a human either. That’s what some of us still have a problem with. When Jesus – the Savior of the World – Your Savior and My Savior – takes us out of our limited dimension of understanding and into a God-dimension of limitless possibility and limitless potential – then Jesus met with God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit looked like a dove—descending and landing on Jesus. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.”
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your message that when we receive baptism, as your child – sinner and “want-to-be-saint” – then You bless each one of us with Your chosen-ness – Your mark of love – Your delight in Your love for our individual lives dedicated and consecrated to You. We thank You and Praise You in this great mystery – in the name of Jesus Christ – Amen.

071209 Matthew 3:1-12 "Fruit That Befits Repentance" by Pastor Ron Smith

John the Baptist’s life was completely absorbed in getting himself and others ready for Jesus Christ. His whole life was an Advent Season. Our personal relationship with Jesus as Lord of our life means that we can get ready for Jesus like John the Baptizer in three ways: 1) You can prepare your heart by retreating often in prayer and Bible study – alone (like John in the desert) and with other sincere disciples (like John’s disciples and later the disciples of Jesus). 2) You can go where the people are – like John did at the Jordan River. And 3) you can proclaim fearlessly the Word of God – even in the presence of powerful people like the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
1) We also have a simple message of hope in our spiritually dark and barren surroundings. It’s hard to repent and “change your life for God’s kingdom” when you’re too busy trying to belong to the right social group or say and think the right kind of things to please people and not God. You and I can claim Isaiah’s prophecy, too. Do you feel like your voice is calling in words and deeds to point each person to God’s ways, but it seems to fall on deaf ears and hardened hearts like it would in an empty desert? God’s word will not return void, for you tell of the King of Righteousness and Glory! The King-of-Kings’ road will be leveled out – made smooth and straight (Isaiah 40:3) – in spite of the deaf ears and hardened hearts.
2) People poured out of Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordanian countryside to hear and see him, the preacher, in action. He drew large crowds because he was unusual. He lived oddly, dressed oddly, and ate oddly. Untainted by the materialism of the culture or the legalism of the Pharisees, he could hear God clearly and make that truth known to others. As we untangle ourselves from materialism and religiosity, we too will hear God and become ready to be restored.
3) John speaks fearlessly to me at this time in my life and not just to a group of insincere Pharisees and Sadducees. I am snake-like when I do church things just to be popular – or just to react to what others are doing – or try to gain the confidence of others without gaining God’s approval. Snake-skin is water proof. Just as water does not change or affect snake skin, God’s cleansing and washing of sins will not work against a stubborn and unrepentant heart. Neither water nor God’s forgiving grace will make any difference to a life that is not ready for change.
When I feel someone is wrong or I feel how badly I'm treated, not much change will happen. God’s plan for restoration requires a complete change of MY mind, so that I'm willing to look at myself and admit my wrongdoing and my need of help.
When I accuse or even castigate others, the Holy Spirit will respond to my sincere confession and request for forgiveness. The fruit of this repentance is to ask forgiveness from those whom I have wronged (when I am made aware of it) and then to allow the Spirit to wash away the dirt and silt of my selfishness and stubbornness. Even if the others whom I have wronged are no longer available - the prophet Joel invites us to become cleansed by fasting, weeping, and mourning -- by genuine repentance.
I can’t just shed crocodile tears like a snake at the Jordan with John. I must ask for forgiveness from a contrite heart. God’s new life awaits: Instead of anger I get peace. My selfishness turns to helpfulness. My stunted spiritual growth becomes the joy of growing in thankfulness. Change is the fruit of true repentance.
Every moment of your life can be a baptizing experience in the river of life, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. But the “fruit that befits repentance” has to start showing up. And God promises to send His Holy Spirit, like John promised Jesus’ arrival: When you repent - the main character in your life’s drama comes in and you’re not just a stagehand looking for the next prop or the next pathetic trophy of this world that will only tarnish and disappoint.
Jesus has promised to ignite the kingdom life within you, like lighting a fire within you. It is the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house - make a clean sweep of your life. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false He’ll put out with the trash to be burned.

Dear Heavenly Father, please help every one of us to be like John the Baptizer and act as a road sign that points people beyond ourselves to You in Jesus Christ. Help us not to point to ourselves, calling attention to our knowledge of the Bible or our holiness. Rather, in our message and in our conduct, may we be signs that point beyond ourselves to God, in the blessed name that we wait for and anticipate in our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.