The Shepherd’s Voice

Readings for February 1^st:
Deut 15:18-20
Ps 111
1 Cor 8:1-13
Mk 1:21-28

Moses, Jesus, and an old man are out golfing. Moses steps up to the tee and hits the ball. It goes sailing over the fairway and lands in the water trap. Moses parts the water and chips the ball onto the green.
Jesus steps to the tee and hits the ball. It goes sailing over the fairway and lands in the water trap. Jesus walks on the water and chips the ball onto the green.
The old man steps up to the tee and hits the ball. It goes sailing over the fairway and heads for the water trap, a fish jumps up and grabs the ball in its mouth. As the fish is falling back down into the water, an eagle swoops down and grabs the fish in its claws. The eagle flies off over the green, where a lightning bolt shoots from the sky and barely misses it. Startled, the eagle drops the fish. When the fish hits the ground, the ball pops out of its mouth and rolls into the hole for a hole-in-one.
Jesus then turns to the old man and says “Dad, if you don’t stop messing around, we won’t bring you next time.”

In our Gospel lesson today Jesus went to the synagogue or temple on the Sabbath and began teaching. People who observed this were astounded with his teaching. They said he spoke and taught with authority. Why would they say this?
There are a couple of reasons why Jesus spoke with such authority – Well, look who his dad is that may be all we need to know, however I want to suggest there is more going on here that we need to explore.

1. Sin is in the house – in our case an unclean spirit enters the temple, and Jesus needed to do something about it. He needed to speak with authority in this circumstance.
2. As sinners we know the Holy one. Jesus knows this and speaks with the authority of the father.

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president was famous for being a man of few words. One day after going to church, upon returning home he said nothing about the service. His wife wondered how it went so she asked him. “Calvin what was the sermon about?”
“Sin,” Calvin answered.
“Well, what did the preacher say about sin?” she waited patiently for an answer.
He responded, “He was against it.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m against it too. Sin is in the house. It’s in our house, our life, our community, our country, and our world. Sin or the devil another name for sin prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour Peter tells us. 1 Peter 5:8

Sin makes us anxious. Sin is our adversary. Sin is our enemy. Sin destroys. In our story today sin, the unclean spirit recognizes Jesus and says, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

Sin crouches at the door of our lives. I don’t care if you have been a Christian for 40 years, 40 days, or 40 minutes, sin still crouches at the door.
When we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, from all sin no matter how bad we think it may be. Jesus speaks with authority because sin is dangerous.

Our unclean spirit in Mark acknowledges Jesus, and Jesus responds with a simple solution, “Be silent, and come out of him!” That’s some authority, that’s some power! God is in control.

Jesus, the Son of the Father speaks with authority when sin is in the house. Sin doesn’t have a chance. We see here that the unclean spirit started to convulse and cry out in a loud voice.

Isn’t this just like us when sin enters us. We are disgusting. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, when sin lives in that house we don’t like to admit it, but when we see Jesus, the one with the authority to change our life at first we can’t stand it, we convulse in agony, in pain, and sometimes we cry out in a loud voice because sin is painful. We are in pain.

The good news here is that God hears us. Paul tells us in the letter to the Romans that the whole of creation has been groaning in labor pains until now. (Rom 8:19-25) Until the coming of Christ one had to keep the law. Can you keep the law? I’m no good at it either.

I don’t think I can go an hour without breaking some moral law or offending someone or thinking badly about someone. The Decalogue, the Ten Commandments were given to the Hebrews, the Jews, and then to us as heirs of the covenant. Let’s make it easier – can you keep the two commandments that upon which Jesus said all the law hangs, “Love God and love one another.” How are you doing with this very simple requirement? Me either…..

There’s a story in John (Jn 8:1-11) about a woman who was about to be stoned. Jesus was at the temple and all the people came to him there so he began to teach them. The scribes and Pharisees brought this woman to him saying this woman was caught in the act of adultery and the Law of Moses commands us to stone such a woman. What do you say? They kept pressing him for answers.

Jesus bends over and writes something in the sand. They continue to question him. He stands up and says “Let anyone among you who is without sin cast the first stone” then he bends down again and continues to write in the sand.

Slowly people start drifting away, one by one. Shortly, after everyone has left he stands. Now alone with the woman, he says, “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you…. Go and sin no more.”

Jesus spoke with authority in confronting sin and they were amazed. They were astonished.

We all don’t speak with authority, but today some people can. Rick Warren has accomplished a great deal serving humanity with humility. Even Obama asked him to look at his book, “The Audacity of Hope” before it was published, he reviewed the chapter on religion. Through their dialogue they forged a friendship that led to Obama to ask Warren to do his invocation. Pastor Warren comes with great credibility. His book “The Purpose Driven Life” has sold 40 million copies and impacted thousands of lives. Warren has called attention to hunger and illiteracy and is credited with expanding the evangelical agenda beyond such issues as abortion and gay rights, even though he sticks to his Southern Baptist roots in opposing them.

Warren’s often called “America’s most influential spiritual leader.” Founding Saddleback Church in Mission Viejo now one of the largest and best-known churches in the world. He’s called a “spiritual entrepreneur,” by many and Forbes magazine said, “If Warren’s ministry was a business it would be compared with Dell, Google, or Starbucks in regards to impact.” Rick and Kay Warren give away 90 percent of the profits from their books to charitable causes, including their global P.E.A.C.E. plan and Acts of Mercy, which services those infected with and affected by AIDS. These are amazing attributes for anyone, wouldn’t you say? Not everyone achieves these kind of accolades while their alive.

In fact, there’s another man “who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked building cabinets, furniture as a carpenter until He was middle aged. Then he decided to become an itinerant preacher. He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He travel experience was pretty limited. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where He was born.

He never did one of those things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself. “While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends deserted him. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed on a cross between two thieves. While he was dying his executors gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth – His coat. When he was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Pretty sad life don’t you think.

“Nineteen long centuries have come and gone and today He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever were built, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.”

During our season of Lent, which will be starting in just a few weeks, we will try to get to know the Holy One more deeply because he speaks with authority.

Just like the unclean spirit in our Gospel lesson today, we as unclean sinners know when we are in the presence of the Holy One. Sin tries to deny us access, but God calls us to a new life.

Remember Paul from Romans 8, said if we live according to the flesh we must die, but for all who are led by the Spirit of God they are sons & daughters of God and will live. I want to live.

God wants us to become heirs of the kingdom – we talked about it last week. If we suffer with Jesus in this life won’t we also be glorified like Jesus in the next life.

What did the preacher say about sin – he’s against it.
What does God say about sin – he can forgive it. You can ask him when you know the Holy One….
Amen

The Shepherd’s Voice – Sermon Audio

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