TUG OF WAR
Mark 12:13-17
Sermon Objective: God loves humanity and looks at us with favor; this should transform how we look and treat others.
Supporting Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 139:13-16; Mark 12:28-34
Can I think out loud with you today? I just want to talk to you for a few moments.
We are all theologians. We live our theology. In fact, the theology we live is our real theology – our stated theology is often just mental assent, wishful thinking, or the answers we think we are supposed to give. We show what we really believe by how we live.
Our living theology is worship. Worship is not just what we are doing here today – worship is what we did last night and what we will do after we leave here. That’s where we reveal what we really believe. That is when we bring glory to God or bring glory to something else, thus showing what we really worship.
Worship is theology that has come alive.
Our theology (and worship) is deeply and intrinsically related to our identity. What I think of God directly affects how I think of myself. And how I think of myself directly affects what I think of God.
• If God is judgmental, seeks reparation, and keeps a ledger then I tend to see myself as inadequate and woefully incapable of pleasing him.
• If I understand God to be redemptive, pardoning, and seeking to reconcile the relationship with humankind then I can see myself as filled with potential and capable of living in His pleasure.
Mark 12:13-17
13Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15Should we pay or shouldn’t we?"
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." 16They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar’s," they replied.
17Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s." And they were amazed at him.
Mark 12:28-34
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ’Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’31The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself. ’There is no commandment greater than these."
32"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
Genesis 1:26-27 (portions)
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, … 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Psalm 139: 13-16
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be
YOU ARE WHAT GOD DESIGNED YOU TO BE
• When God formed you you were not an afterthought
• When God made you you were not an experiment
• When God made you his hand did not slip
• When God made you he didn’t lose his concentration
• When God made you he never said “Oops!”
• When God made you he made you with intricate detail and forethought
• When God made you he counted the hair on your head
• When God sees you he sees a piece of art … not a “piece of work.”
• When God made you he made you with deep respect and awe (Psalm 139:13) … you thought you were the one who had deep respect and awe for God? Well, the feeling is mutual
• When God made you he said “That’s good!”
As I said earlier, understanding this changes the way I respond to God. God’s love for me makes me want to be
• Holy
• Magnanimous
• Generous
• Hospitable
• Pleasant
• Creative
In short it makes me want to be like him and what he has created me to become.
This should not surprise anyone. You see, God has not designed me (us) to be something I can never be. God does not require something of me that he has not / does not make possible.
It is also worth noting that God did not design us to be
• Sinful
• Self-consumed
• Gloomy and negative
Now here’s the rub … Not only did God design you with passion, forethought and wonder … God designed everyone else in this room the same way.
• God also designed that co-worker that you don’t appreciate.
• God also designed your spouse.
DO YOU EVER WANT TO “FIX” PEOPLE?
Sometimes I want to “fix” people. Sometimes I want to rewire them to think and act like I think they should … I want to make them in my image … I want to place my imprint and inscription on them.
Instead of rendering to God what is in His image I want them to render it unto ME!
It is kind of ironic and humorous that I think I can fix you.
• That’s one incomplete work trying to fix another incomplete work.
• That’s one sinner trying to sanctify another sinner.
When I try & fix you three things happen:
1. I get frustrated because you won’t do what I want you too – you wont become what I want you to become.
2. You become dehumanized and humiliated because I suggest you are “less than.”
3. God is insulted.
Your spouse, that person sitting across the room from you, that co-worker is as much a part of God’s plan and design as you are. When you treat them in a lesser manner you sin! That sin is not just some personal sin that hurts no one because you keep it to yourself; it deeply affects the body of Christ and the mission of the church.
Jesus says that our relationships with each other are so important that they impact our worship and our interaction with God. They are more important than just about anything you can think of … it is the second most important duty of man (Mark 12:31).
WHEN GOD MADE ME HE BEGAN A WORK … he did not finish it … I am still being made.
The Bible says in Philippians 1:6 that, he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Sometimes I place a period where God has places a comma. That really messes things up.
I am still a work in progress SO CUT ME SOME SLACK! When God is finished then you can give an assessment of his product.
And there’s the rub … not only am I still being fashioned into His image but … God is still making you too.
When I (we) fail to cut you slack I sin against God because I question his timing.
When I fail to cut you slack I sin against you because I see you as inferior.
WRAP-UP
Listen to me …
There is a significant difference in God using me to make people into the image of Jesus and me using God to make people into my own image!
In order for Biblical relationships to be nurtured this must be understood. Because …
We are all theologians. We live our theology. In fact, the theology we live is our real theology – our stated theology is often just mental assent, wishful thinking, or the answers we think we are supposed to give. We show what we really believe about God and people by how we live.
Our living theology is worship. Worship is not just what we are doing here today – worship is what we did last night and what we will do after we leave here. That’s where we reveal what we really believe. That is when we bring glory to God or bring glory to something else, thus showing what we really worship.
Worship is theology that has come alive.
Mark 12:
"Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar’s," they replied.
17Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s."
Anything that has God’s portrait on it (people) belongs to God.
When we treat each other with dignity and awe we treat each other the way God treats us.
Why would we fail to do any less?
When we live in tension with other people it shows we are sinners in need of divine guidance and mercy.
It shows that others need us to love them with grace.
The way we treat others is … hold on … WORSHIP. It glorifies something. I want my worship to be worship of the Living Christ not false worship of myself or for myself.
Mark 12:29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ’Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’31The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself. ’There is no commandment greater than these."
He Who Has Ears to Hear
Let Him Hear.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam (New York) Church of the Nazarene
www.potsdam-naz.org
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CHILDREN’S SERMON
YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR FATHER!
Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27
Prop: a Mirror
Hi everyone! It is GREAT to see you today! You all look WONDERFUL this morning! Seeing you makes me happy. Speaking of seeing you … let me show you what I have in my treasure chest today.
It’s a mirror.
Let me ask you … when you look in this mirror what do you see? Yourself?
Well, yes, but I see more. Do you know what I see when I look at you … I see your mommy and daddy. Do you know why. Because when we were born we became a mixture of our moms and dads … we have “physical features” that look like them. Maybe it is your nose. Or maybe it is your toes. Maybe it is your ears or eyes. But there are things about you that resemble your mom and dad.
I see something else when I look at you too. I see … God. Yep. There are things about you that resemble God! Did you know why? Because you were made “In His Image.”
Wow! That is incredible and exciting!
Listen to what the Bible says about you:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, … So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 portions)
I spent a lot of time in airports last week. I watched a lot of people walk by and God did something very powerful in my heart while watching them. He said, “Ken … all these people who look so different all look like me! All of them! I made them all and if you will look closely you will see their beauty and their resemblance.” That conversation with God rekindled my love for people because I saw in them what I see in you … resemblance of God.
I want you to remember that this week. I want you to think about how you look like God and how other people also were made in His image. Okay?
Let’s pray.
This children’s sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam (New York) Church of the Nazarene
www.potsdam-naz.org
