INTO HIS PRESENCE
Mark 16:1-20
INTRO:
Some things seem rather strange. I’m not saying they can’t be true, mind you, I’m just saying they don’t seem … normal.
For example: my wife got this catalog in the mail a while back. It is from a vendor who sells various plants and trees you can grow. Some of these got my attention because they seemed … strange.
Like this one … “Five Kinds of apples on the same tree! Your very own apple orchard on one tree!” Now I’m not saying it can’t happen … I’m just saying it aint normal!
Or here’s an even better one; it’s called “The Fruit Salad Tree” and it claims “5 kinds of fruit all on the same tree! Peaches, nectarines, purple plums, apricots and red plums.” It’ll give you “bushels of fruit!”
There are others too; pumpkin trees, giant “skyscraper” sweet corn, and a plant that guarantees to grow over 16,000 blueberries on one bush.
Maybe the youth group’s community garden should look into some of these.
Once again, I am in no position to judge whether this is true … but I am in a position to tell you this isn’t typical of how produce is grown.
Some things seem rather strange. That’s all.
There are other, more significant things that seem strange to me too. For instance, how can a person bless God with one breath and curse another human being with the next. I’m not saying it can’t happen (it obviously does) but it seems strange to me (and to God) that such behavior can coexist. It would appear there is a disconnect in us that does not see the close relationship between the Divine One and those created in his image.
And then there’s another strange-but-true occurrence that is a bit more germane to our final sermon in Mark’s Gospel … HOW CAN A PERSON HAVE AN INTIMATE ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING AND LOVING GOD AND NOT BE TRANSFORMED SIGNIFICANTLY?
That is a question I have asked myself all through adulthood … all through my own spiritual pilgrimage. I cannot think of anything that seems more incongruent, less harmonious than this occurrence.
I’m not saying it doesn’t happen. I’m just saying it aint logical and doesn’t seem like it is the way things were designed to be.
Chapter 16 gives insight (or a snapshot) into the transformation that one can anticipate when they have encountered the living and loving God in an intimate way … not through a book or a speech or some other somewhat detached manner … but through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
As a way of closing the book out … I just want to share some of these with you. You can be the judge of whether or not your relationship with God fits the “normal” or not.
1. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STIR YOUR EMOTIONS (16:8)
The after-effects of meeting with God are trembling hands, whirling mind, fluttering heart, and a silenced tongue. It may inspire surprise, wonderment, silence, awe, fear, … it may evoke a myriad of emotions and responses but it seems unlikely that it will leave one completely w/o any affect whatsoever.
How could it?
Many in the Church decry an experience-driven faith experience. Granted, one’s experiences and emotions must be interpreted in light of Scripture and tradition but to say our faith should not be driven by such is to fail to take into account the way we were designed.
Lutheran Pastor Don Matzat states it well:
I believe that we must recognize the legitimate role of feelings and experience in the Christian life. Those who attend churches which offer a feel-good brand of Christianity are not wrong in doing so. Can we blame people who come to the church seeking the experience of love, joy, peace, hope, and contentment in the midst of a world of confusion? Are we willing to acknowledge that perhaps in our zeal to be doctrinally correct we have ignored or even put down feelings and emotions? If visitors who are seeking a life-affecting experience with God come to our churches and observe that the people sitting in the pews express no different attitudes and emotions than the people in the world and that their worship of God is devoid of any feelings or emotions, can we blame them for going elsewhere?
There is nothing wrong with Christians desiring feelings, emotions, and experience. In fact, the lack of any experience is in itself an experience. The lack of feeling is a feeling. The lack of emotion is an emotion. Any cursory reading of the New Testament demonstrates that love, joy, peace, hope, contentment are to be the Christian’s experience, feeling, and emotion.
Yet, that same reading of the New Testament will also demonstrate that feelings and emotions are an effect and not a cause. All of the imperatives or commands of Scripture are based upon the indicatives, or the doctrinal statements of what God has done for us. In other words, the subjective feelings and emotions commanded in the Word of God must be the result of embracing in faith …Christ Jesus. Feelings and emotions that arise because of a group dynamic involving lively music and expressive demonstrations are no different than the feelings and emotions that arise at a rock concert. They are not the fruit of the Spirit.
I must hasten to say that if your judge you faith or your relationship with God strictly on feeling you will be a very confused and shallow Saint. Emotions change, ebb, flow, and deceive us. That does not negate their existence and I think it is safe to say that an authentic encounter with God will indeed stir one emotionally.
1. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STIR YOUR EMOTIONS (16:8)
2. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STRENGTHEN (AND ALTER) YOUR FAITH (16:10-20)
After hearing of Jesus’ resurrection while visiting the grave the women had to travel back home to see Jesus – that was an act of faith.
Faith is the daily exercise of walking where the Lord has gone and where the Lord instructs. As with these ladies, faith leads to intimate encounters with God.
Faith (also known as trust and confidence) grows throughout one’s spiritual pilgrimage. As we understand God more fully our faith deepens, becomes more elastic.
Growth like this often comes in spurts … just like physical growth. There are a few things that specifically might kick-start a growth spurt
(1) Suffering and hardship
(2) A good spiritual diet of the Word, Prayer, and Fellowship
(3) A close encounter with the Living and Loving God.
Like the first disciples, I suspect that a special encounter might initially shake your faith … face it … we all have some preconceptions about God’s nature, how God operates, who God is pleased with etc., that are simply flawed. However, once we have worked through those our faith will be stronger and more utilitarian!
1. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STIR YOUR EMOTIONS (16:8)
2. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STRENGTHEN (AND ALTER) YOUR FAITH (16:10-20)
3. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD PRODUCE RENEWED LOVE AND PASSION (16;10, 20)
We can learn a lot about loving God from these ladies.
† In 16:1 LOVE OFTEN CAUSES IRRRATIONAL ACTIONS – The women went to anoint a body – they were not expecting a resurrection. Anyway – Nicodemus had already anointed the body . The real purpose was probably to visit the grave …
† In 16:3 – LOVE IS NOT DETERRED BY PROBLEMS – The women didn’t think to get someone to take the stone away? The Greek could be translated “They kept asking” … Any how
But, as much as we learn from love here … we also see a love that has been stunted and stunned into numbness. A FRESH ENCOUNTER WITH GOD CHANGED THAT!
Have you ever ran into an old friend that you had lost contact with many years ago? Do you remember how that relationship was rekindled and the joy you two once shared began to reemerge? I can think of one occasion where someone thought their old High School buddy was dead only to discover otherwise years later through a chance meeting! The friendship’s passion was easily stirred again.
A fresh and intimate encounter with God is much like that. It isn’t that you no longer loved Him but the love may grow cold or commonplace. A new meeting brings renewal of passion and a renewed awareness of your love too!
So, have you? Have you had an intimate encounter with God recently that affected you outwardly and inwardly? If so, there are at least three ways already that this would evidence itself.
1. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STIR YOUR EMOTIONS (16:8)
2. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STRENGTHEN (AND ALTER) YOUR FAITH (16:10-20)
3. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD PRODUCE RENEWED LOVE AND PASSION (16;10, 20)
4. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD PROVIDE A MORE COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS’ HEART (16:15 &-20)
In verses 9-18 Jesus reveals Himself to those he loves in personal accounts and ways. Those intimate encounters spawned enlightenment. THEY UNDERSTOOD THINGS ABOUT GOD THEY HAD NEVER KNOWN BEFORE! This like: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (16:15).
It was only after the resurrection that Jesus’ mission of reconciliation began to make sense to His followers. They had more pieces of the puzzle and more knowledge. That happens every time we have a fresh encounter with God too.
When we understand God’s heart we understand His drive to redeem humankind. "It is always the case that when the Christian looks back, he is looking at the forgiveness of sins." Karl Barth
God is always seeking to bring forgiveness and empowering grace to the world and an intimate encounter with Him reveals this in fresh and more powerful ways.
1. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STIR YOUR EMOTIONS (16:8)
2. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STRENGTHEN (AND ALTER) YOUR FAITH (16:10-20)
3. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD PRODUCE RENEWED LOVE AND PASSION (16;10, 20)
4. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD PROVIDE A MORE COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS’ HEART (16:15 &-20)
5. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD INSTILL PASSION TO SERVE AND OBEY (20)
With the emotions moved, faith strengthened, love rekindled, and understanding expanded, is it any wonder that the last element we see illustrated in this chapter is service and obedience? It is a natural by-product of a relationship with God in Christ. Without it … we are living in deception.
It is no wonder that these ladies and the other disciples proclaimed the Good News from this day onward … even at their own peril. And when you and I meet Him in a fresh manner we might too!
WRAP-UP
So here’s another strange-but-true plant you might want to consider growing – a “Tomato Potato Tree”! It grows potatoes under the ground and tomatoes above ground.
I’m not saying they can’t be true, mind you, I’m just saying they don’t seem … normal.
And for you or I to come into the presence of God and not leave significantly different than we were before hand seems just as abnormal. At least if the New Testament is any indication.
There are other tell-tale indicators that show someone who has had a fresh encounter with God; two that come to mind are worship and holiness. But Mark 16 illustrates at least five for us.
1. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STIR YOUR EMOTIONS (16:8)
2. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD STRENGTHEN (AND ALTER) YOUR FAITH (16:10-20)
3. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD PRODUCE RENEWED LOVE AND PASSION (16;10, 20)
4. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD PROVIDE A MORE COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS’ HEART (16:15 &-20)
5. AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIVING GOD SHOULD INSTILL PASSION TO SERVE AND OBEY (20)
I would encourage you today to welcome a visit from the Living and Loving God. Be open to new insight and a renewed / transformed relationship. It may prove to be, after all, just what we need to empower us to Love God with all our heart, soul. mind,and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves.
This Sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
