John 10:1-6

John 10:1-6

“Listen – And Follow”

September 27, 2009

3^rd in fall 2009 “Touch Jesus” series

We are in the midst of a busy fall season here at Hopewell – and are “doing” many things!

This is truly an exciting time to be part of Hopewell Presbyterian!

But – even though we have a lot to celebrate and are doing a lot of things – we are also looking at ways that we can grow – spiritually.   As we get involved in and get excited about doing more things we are also growing in our relationship with God.

Our new prayer groups are giving us excellent opportunities to grow in our faith – and the adult study on Wednesday nights of Richard Fosters book Celebration of Discipline gives us an opportunity to explore some of the ways we can grow in our relationship with Christ.

On Sundays we are looking at “touching Jesus” – coming into contact with Jesus – and letting Jesus change our lives.  We’re looking at different ways we can “touch Jesus” – let Jesus touch us – and let Jesus change our lives.  We have seen the need to “touch Jesus” by looking at the story of a woman who reached out from a crowd of folks and touched Jesus – and had her life changed by Him – and we have looked at the Lord’s Prayer and how we can touch Jesus when we pray.

Today I want us to look at another way we can “touch Jesus” – reach out to Him – and let Him touch us and change our lives — that being listening to Jesus and following Jesus.

Listen to God’s Word as we read from John 10:1-6:

I read of a father who was reading the paper and decided to share what he’d been reading with his teenage son. The article said that children today are lazy, have little concentration and barely possess any listening skills at all. When he was finished reading the article he turned to his  son and asked: “Well, son what do you think about that study?”

The boy halfheartedly lifted his head and said, “What was that again, Dad?”

Sometimes we just don’t listen, do we?

We do that with our parents – with our spouse – with our children – with our friends – at work – or wherever we may be – sometimes we just don’t listen.

Sometimes we do that to God and Jesus, our Shepherd, too.

Sometimes we’re just content to be in the presence of the Shepherd — and that’s OK – sometimes. But sometimes we get so absorbed in what we’re doing, what we’re thinking, with ourselves, that we don’t listen.

Kind of like the guy in a commercial that used to be on TV – I believe it was for Geico – who is watching a game on TV, eating popcorn, having a great time – when his very attractive wife walks into room  and asks: “Honey, does this dress make me look fat?” His team just scored a touchdown, and without even looking her way he says: “YESS!” Of course, that’s the wrong answer. And the guy’s in big trouble because he didn’t listen. He recognized his wife’s voice — but he didn’t listen to it!

If we are going to be the Church – and the Christians – God wants us to be, we are going to have to learn to listen to – and follow – Jesus.

Listen – and follow – Jesus.

Our passage for today — John 10:1-6 – has some things we need to hear – to listen to – as Jesus talks about listening and following the voice of the Shepherd.  This passage teaches us several things about the voice of the shepherd. It teaches us that:

The voice of the Shepherd goes before us,

The voice of the Shepherd guides us,

The voice of the Shepherd protects us and

The voice of the Shepherd tells us who we are.

We need to listen to – and follow – the shepherd.

We need to listen to – and follow – Jesus.

First — The voice of the Shepherd goes before us:

Hugh Redwood was a celebrated lay preacher in  England and was in great demand as a speaker. During one period of his life, Redwood passed through a difficult time. He had some very hard decisions to make and wasn’t sure what he should do. He was tempted to just give it all up, to run. He asked God for guidance, but as sometimes happens, it seemed that no guidance was given. The heavens were silent.  One evening he went to have dinner with some friends before going on to address a large public gathering. When the meal was over his hostess suggested he go to the study, put his feet up, and relax beside the fire. Redwood was glad for a little bit of peace and quiet, so that’s what he did. As promised, he found a fire burning. As he sat down in one of the chairs, he noticed that a Bible on the table beside the chair. Picking it up, he discovered it was open to Psalm 59, and began to read.  He came to the tenth verse, where he found these words underlined: “The God of my mercy shall go before me.” Someone had written a paraphrase of the text in the margin: “My God, in His loving-kindness, shall meet me at every corner.” Those words were so powerful and became like a lamp turning on for Hugh Redwood. Later he made his hard decisions, and they proved to be wise ones. He didn’t run away but went on to accomplish great things and to live a useful and fulfilled life.

“The God of my mercy shall go before me.”

“My God, in His loving-kindness, shall meet me at every corner.” Or as the twenty-third psalm puts it,

“The Lord is my Shepherd.”

I personally find great comfort in that idea. The Good Shepherd goes before us to prepare the way, which means there is no place that we go that the Shepherd hasn’t already been. He’s already made sure the path is clear and safe. There may be hardships, there may be mishaps, there may be struggles but the Good Shepherd has already seen those and knows how to help us negotiate through the treacherous territory. He has already prepared a way for us to get through. All we have to do is continue to listen to His voice.

The voice of the Shepherd goes before us.

We need to listen to – and follow – Jesus – who goes before us and prepares our way.

Listen to – and follow – Jesus.

The second thing we can learn from this passage is that the voice of the Shepherd guides us.

When we prepare ourselves,  we are able to listen to the vice of the Shepherd.

And when we listen, Jesus – the Shepherd – will guide us.

At the age of forty-seven, Nick Thomas found himself unemployed and under tremendous financial pressure. He had had a successful career in the Air Force and the insurance business, but a series of financial reversals had set him back and the failure of his own consulting business had left him with no place to turn. He didn’t know what to do.  Frustrated and seeing no way out, Nick’s wife, Liz turned to prayer. She found a church that was opened for prayer every day – and every morning she’d be go and pray that something good would happen to change their fortune. She was in church one morning, praying about their dilemma, when she thought she could almost hear the words, “Make the mustard.” Her family had a mustard recipe from Russia, and every Christmas she made this special mustard and gave it to her family and friends as a special gift. At first she ignored the words. But they kept coming more and more persistent. Reluctantly she told Nick – who — of course — thought she was out of her mind. Liz had no idea from where or whom the voice came. But after considerable discussion and prayer Nick and Liz decided to listen to the voice. She prepared a substantial amount of the mustard – they packaged it — and called on a local cheese shop. The manager tasted it and immediately bought out their entire inventory. Within three months they had one the hottest selling items in the highly competitive New York major deli market.  The Thomases  committed their troubles to God in prayer and looked expectantly to God for guidance — and listened for the voice of the Shepherd.

They listened – and God guided.

Listen to – and be guided by – Jesus.

The third thing we can learn from this passage from John 10 is that the voice of the Shepherd protects us.

Listening to the voice of the shepherd – listening to Jesus — helps us in making hard choices — choices about who we are and what we believe and what is really important to us. The voice of the Shepherd protects us — and by listening to the voice of the Shepherd, He helps us choose.

About 4 years ago, Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, offered WGN Chicago Radio sports-talk host David Kaplan $50,000 to change his name legally to “Dallas Maverick.” When Kaplan politely declined, Cuban sweetened the offer. Cuban would pay Kaplan $100,000 and donate $100,000 to Kaplan’s favorite charity if he took the name for one year. After some soul searching, and being bombarded by e-mails from listeners who said he was crazy to turn down the money, Kaplan held firm and told Cuban no.  Kaplan explained: “I’d be saying I’d do anything for money, and that bothers me. My name is my birthright. I’d like to preserve my integrity and credibility.”

Friends — the name “Christian” is our birthright. From the moment of our baptism and our birth into the Kingdom of God, the Good Shepherd promises to lead us to green pastures and beside the still waters. He promises to restore our souls and leads us through the valley of the shadow of Death. The voice of the Shepherd protects us.  Don’t “sell out” by following other voices – regardless of how tempting they may be.

You have to make sure, however, that the voice you are listening is the right voice. There are a lot of voices out there vying for your attention and loyalty – and a lot of voices that want you to think they are the voice of the Shepherd — when in reality they are the thief Jesus describes in verse 1.

Bob’s Famous Ice Cream Parlor in Bethesda, Maryland, was robbed, but manager Nathan Peabody was warned in time. Moments before the robbery he was contacted by telephone. The voice said, “Are you the manager? Listen carefully; don’t panic. This is the police. You are going to be robbed. Do NOT resist. Let the robber have your money. We will be waiting right outside your store and we need to catch him with the money on him. Thank you for your cooperation.” Sure enough, a man with a scruffy beard and a knife came in demanding money. Mr. Peabody took all of his cash out of the drawer and gave it to him. Peabody watched as the robber left the store, waiting for the cops to close in. Instead, the robber just got in his car and drove away. And as he saw the taillights disappear in the distance he realized what had just happened. He realized that the call hadn’t come from police headquarters after all — but from the thief.

Listen to – be guided by – and protected by — Jesus.

There’s a fourth thing we can learn about following Jesus – the Shepherd – from this passage.

The voice of the Shepherd tells us who we are.

Phillip Keller, in his book A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23, tells us that sheep are very fearful creatures. They simply won’t lie down unless they sense the shepherd is very near. They need to know that he’s present. We’re like that. Jesus was right when he said we are like sheep without a shepherd. Not all of us but some of us. And we’re fearful when we don’t feel we belong.

I once read about a young girl who lived in an apartment in a big city.  Her parents didn’t really care for her – they were too interested in drugs and alcohol to be bothered by her. After supper in the summer the children on the block gathered in the streets to play. But after a while one would say that she had to go home because her mother told her to be in before eight o’clock. Or a father would whistle and a boy would have to leave. A mother would call and others would have to go. The girl said, “They would all go. It would get dark and I would be there all alone, waiting for my father or my mother to call me in. They never did.”

What a sad story that is. There are children who don’t know the voice of a caring parent, who never get called in or called home. They can do whatever they want as long as they don’t inconvenience the parents. Actually, they really want and need someone to care. They really want and need someone to call their name with love — not filled with derision. They really want someone to reach out and let them know they matter.

Some adults — even after hearing all the promises of the God who loves us, who calls us by name, and gave His life for us — still persist in living outside the flock. They question the voice of the Shepherd or the sincerity of the voice. They question the other sheep in the flock, whether they will accept them or not. Or worse, they don’t think they can be worthy of that love, even after the Shepherd has rescued them and has bent down to give them refreshing water.

But that’s why Jesus came. That’s why He gave His life on the cross. He loves you.

Jesus — the Shepherd – even loves those who don’t want to have anything to do with Him. He even loves those sheep who wander away, who are distracted by the little clump of enticing greenery and suddenly find themselves separated from the rest of the flock. That’s when the Shepherd comes searching for them and brings them back into the fold and reminds them where they belong and to whom they belong.

Why? Because the voice of the Shepherd tells us who we are.

We are beloved of God – called by God – and should follow God.

Listen to – be guided by – and protected by Jesus – and let Jesus tell you who you are.

Jesus said:

[3] “the sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

My Dad and I saw this played in right before our very eyes one afternoon on a trip we took with members of my home Church to Israel. It was a beautiful fall day and after lunch we went to the roof of the restaurant to see the view. As we looked out over the city we noticed a large patch of pasture – probably 3-5 acres. All of a sudden, from opposite directions, we saw a couple of shepherds bringing their flocks. Both had about 25 or 30 sheep apiece. The sheep went into the pasture to graze and the two shepherds stood at the gate exchanging greetings and smoking a cigarette. We wandered around to the other side of the roof and looked and then wandered back.

Just about the time we got there, one of the shepherds opened the gate and hollered something. I don’t know what it was but the sheep sure did. All the heads of the sheep in his flock came up. He hollered something else, and here they came. There was the truth of this passage right before our very eyes!

Here’s the thing we have to remember:

Jesus calls us – and we need to listen – and follow.

The voice of the Shepherd is whispering His love for us — calling us — and wooing us into an ongoing relationship.

The voice of the Shepherd goes before us, guides us, protects us and tells us who we are.

Jesus  goes before us, guides us, protects us and tells us who we are.

All we have to do is listen – and follow.

Jesus calls — but He’s not as annoying as the Verizon guy. You won’t hear Jesus say: “Can you hear me now?” But if your heart and soul and ears are tuned to Christ, you will hear.

Are you listening?

Are you following?

Touch Jesus – let Jesus touch you – and let Jesus touch your life.

Listen to Jesus – and follow!   Amen

Matthew 6:5-15

Matthew 6:5-15

Touch Jesus – Pray

September 20, 2009

Part 2 of “Touch Jesus” series

We have begun our new fall schedule here at Hopewell with new youth activities on Sunday nights,  new Wednesday night fellowship times and classes, prayer groups, and so many other activities and programs.  We are reaching a lot of people – and doing a lot of things – and many things we are considering doing to touch others with God’s love are still in the planning process and not ready to be done yet.

This is truly an exciting time to be part of Hopewell Presbyterian!

But – here’s something we have to ask ourselves –

Even though we have a lot to celebrate and are doing a lot of things — how are we doing – spiritually?

As we get involved in and get excited about doing more things it’s easy for us forget about the spiritual aspects of our lives.

The truth is that if we are going to grow as a Church – if we are going to grow as Christians – we are going to have to not just be busy “doing things” – we are going to have to grow spiritually also.

We are going to have to grow in our relationship with God.

Don’t get me wrong – “doing things” is not bad – in fact it is good – and we have to do things to be the Church God wants us to be – but if all we are doing is “doing things” – and if we are not growing in our relationship with God – then we are not really being the Church God wants us to be.

Too many times we get so excited about “doing things” and “looking for something else to be doing” that we forget about growing –we forget about growing in our relationships with God.

This fall we are not only going to be “doing things” here at Hopewell – even though we certainly will be doing a lot of things — we are also going to have opportunities for us to grow in our faith as well.  Our new prayer groups that are beginning to meet are excellent opportunities for us to grow in our faith – and the adult study on Wednesday nights of Richard Fosters book Celebration of Discipline gives us an opportunity to explore some of the ways we can grow in our relationship with Christ.

So – we are not only “doing things” – we are also learning about how to grow spiritually – and taking opportunities to practice the discipline of prayer that will help us grow spiritually.

“Doing things” is important – but only if we are also doing the things that help us grow as God’s people.

Last Sunday we began looking at “touching Jesus” – coming into contact with Jesus – and letting Jesus change our lives.  We’re looking at different ways we can “touch Jesus” – let Jesus touch us – and let Jesus change our lives.  Last Sunday we began by looking at the story of a woman who reached out from a crowd of folks and touched Jesus – and had her life changed by Him – and we looked at whether we were “crowding Jesus” or “touching Jesus”.

Today I want us to look at one of the ways we can “touch Jesus” – reach out to Him – and let Him touch us and change our lives.  One of the ways we can do this is through prayer.

Listen to what Jesus teaches about prayer as we look at Matthew 6:5-15:

Read Scripture

My truck had a dead battery the other day.

I’ve already made a note to myself that the next time I buy a used vehicle – especially from my brother in law – I need to make sure the battery is good!

Well – I knew what I had to do – I had to get out the jumper cables – jump start the battery – and take it to town to get a new battery.

I was hoping that when I went to the store that morning in Sally’s car and explained that mine had a dead battery and I was going to have to “jump it off” that someone would volunteer to help.

No such luck.

I was going to have to do it.

When I got back from the store I pulled Sally’s Explorer up to the tuck – and pulled to lever to raise the hood.

Now – I know that you have to pull a lever on the inside of a vehicle to raise the hood – then pull a lever under the hood to get it up the rest of the way.

I know that much about cars.

The problem was that I couldn’t figure out how to pull the lever under the hood of the Explorer.

What was I going to do?

I did what some men would never do – called Sally on my cell phone (she was in the house and I was out in the yard) – and asked her to come and help me.

When she took over, she couldn’t figure out how to get the hood up either.

So what did we do?

Again – what some men would never do – we got out the manual and read how to raise the hood.  It turned out that on most cars you push up on the lever under the hood – on the Explorer you push the lever to the left.  Once we did that, the hood went up nicely.

So – we got the hoods on the Explorer and my truck raised – put the jumper cables on the batteries – red to red and black to black (I know that much about it!) — cranked the Explorer – then cranked the truck.  I then drove it to town – got a new battery – and – as they say – I was “good to go”.

It took some instruction – it took reading the manual – for me to figure out how to get the hood up on the Explorer.

Now I know.

The point I’m making is this:

Sometimes we have to have some instructions before we can figure out how to do something.

You can probably think of situations where you needed some instructions on how to do something – but once you got the instructions you could figure it out. A little instruction can make a huge difference. Even if we have a lot to learn, just knowing where to begin can be a big help.

In our text this morning, Jesus gives us some instructions about prayer.

Prayer is one of the ways we touch Jesus – let Jesus touch us – and let Jesus change our lives.
Prayer is one of the spiritual disciplines we need to incorporate into our lives if we are going to grow in our faith – grow in our relationship with God – and put ourselves in a position where God can change us.

We touch Jesus as we pray.

But – here’s a question – how do we pray?

How are we supposed to pray?

I don’t know about you, but I still feel like a kindergartner when it comes to prayer.

I still feel I have so much to learn.

But I don’t draw back from prayer because I at least know where to begin.

In Matthew 6 Jesus gives us some fundamental and important instructions on prayer.

We all want our prayers to count.

We want to pray effectively.

Here we find the essential basics for that to happen.

Here we find some instructions on how to touch Jesus through prayer.

“And when you pray…” Jesus begins –

“when you pray” –

What should we do when we pray?

What should we keep in mind?

How should we begin and what should our attitude be?

Jesus’ first point is:

1. Be Sincere!

Don’t be like the hypocrites.

They pray out of the wrong motive.

They pray to be seen by others.

They are missing the most essential dynamic of prayer – prayer is a conversation with God, not a show. The word Matthew uses for hypocrite is the same word used in Greek for actor, showman.

Jesus is saying –when you pray — don’t put on a show — just talk with God.

Hypocrisy is something we all face. It’s a danger because we have made a public statement that we are followers of Jesus — but we are tempted to not truly follow Christ – but keep up the appearance that we are doing so. The temptation is to continue to go through the outward form of religion hoping no one will notice the change that’s occurred in our hearts.

Am I in secret the same way that I am in public?

Our true spiritual condition is reflected in what we do when nobody is looking. When we are in a state of trying to decide between two opinions — on the one hand wanting to serve the Lord — and on the other hand wanting to have our own way — it is hard not to be hypocritical.

Actually the solution is quite simple.

The solution is to follow God – reach out to God – and touch God.
That doesn’t mean we won’t have struggles – but there is a lot of difference between a person who is trying to do the right thing and having some difficulties in the process and a person who has resolutely chosen to do the wrong thing and tries to justify it.

Failure doesn’t make you a hypocrite — pretense and insincerity does.

The key to Matthew 6:5 is the Greek word, hopoos. The word means – purpose. The purpose of those being hypocrites is “to be seen of men”. It’s not public prayer that Jesus is condemning. It’s praying out of a motive “to be seen of men” that Jesus is condemning.

When you pray – Jesus says – be sincere.

Be real, be sincere, come to God to talk to God – let God talk to you – let God touch you – and let God change your life.

Don’t think you’re going to somehow manipulate God by saying just the right words or saying so many words that He finally wears down and gives you what you want.

In verse 7 Jesus says:

“when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

Prayer is about a relationship between you and God.

You’re simply coming to God and talking with Him about what’s going on in your life.

It is a complete misunderstanding to think that you can say some magical formula enough times and your prayer will be heard. That’s the mentality the pagans had.

Jesus said, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt 6:8).

Prayer is not informing God of what we need. Prayer is discussing what we feel we need with Him — and the conversation should be two way. We talk to God– but we also listen to what He has to say to us.

Pray sincerely.

Touch Jesus – pray.

The first point Jesus makes about prayer is to be sincere.

The next point is –

2. Be Personal!

Now we come to what we call “The Lord’s Prayer”.

In this prayer we have several major requests – which can be broken down into two categories.    The first two requests are about God – and the last three requests are about us. The pronoun “your” dominates in the first two. The pronouns “us” and “our” dominate in the last three.

Notice the priority of the requests.

What is usually on our mind most when we come to God?

We’re usually thinking about what we need God to do for us.

If we were designing this prayer, most of us would begin in the middle of it — “Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts…”

In other words — take care of me God.

That’s a valid part of prayer – but it is not the first priority of prayer.

Where do we begin when praying?

We begin with God.

Touch Jesus
Let Jesus touch you.

Pray

Prayer needs to be made in the context of a wonderful relationship we can have with God — not a mechanical parroting of words or a ritualistic religious exercise.  Prayer needs to be made in the context of a conversation.

Jesus tells us to begin our prayers as if we were having a conversation with a person:

Begin here – Jesus says – begin by saying: “Our Father”.
That’s very personal.

That is the most important part of prayer.

Too many conferences on prayer tell you how to “name it and claim it” – how to “rebuke the devil and praise God” and do this and do that. But – the thing is — God is not fooled by good technique. The foundation for prayer is a relationship with God.

It’s amazing how life begins to come into perspective with those two words. There may not be money to pay the rent. There may be health problems — relationship problems — money problems — but we can — by the grace of God – reach out and touch Jesus and have our lives changed by Him when we pray – and we can begin with those two words, “Our Father.”

It is that relationship that gives us the boldness to even come to God. It is that relationship that gives us confidence to make our requests known to Him. It is that relationship that provides us the assurance that the prayer will make a difference.

Our faith rests upon our relationship with God as our heavenly Father – and our prayers need to begin with that relationship. In prayer, we ask things of God believing we will receive what He wills for us because He is our Father and His heart is filled with love toward us.

Touch Jesus
Let Jesus touch you.

Pray

Let your prayer be sincere and personal.

Thirdly – Jesus teaches us to:

3. Be Respectful!

That may initially seem contradictory to being personal — but it isn’t.

There is a beautiful balance taught in Scripture concerning our relationship with God.  On the one hand, we have full acceptance and favor through Christ with the Eternal God. That is a great source of comfort and assurance. On the other hand, we never forget just how awesome our Father God is. He is our Father “in heaven”.

Even earthly fathers are to be respected. How much more our heavenly Father.

We need to enjoy the comfort of knowing the grace of God and our Father’s love toward us and at the same time honor Him for who He is.

“Hallowed be your name” – Jesus teaches us to pray.

It’s our prayer that God would receive the glory and honor due Him. When we pray the words  “Hallowed be your name” we are considering the greatness of God Almighty.  He is the Lord of heaven and earth. This is the time to set your heart on His glory. This is where true worship begins.

Do you see how Jesus is teaching us the right attitude in prayer?

Before we ever make one petition concerning our needs, we get our hearts right toward God. We get our priorities right before Him as well. When we say “Hallowed be your name.” we are saying — up front –

“I don’t want any prayer answered that doesn’t glorify You. Your glory is far more important to me than my person comfort. Your honor is much more important than my promotion.”

Our attitude toward God and His place in our lives has much more to do with the effectiveness of our prayers than the techniques we may learn. So far we have seen that Jesus is teaching us to be sincere, be personal, be reverent — and now we come to another point of instruction.

4. Be Submissive

Jesus teaches us to pray:

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

How is God’s will done in heaven?

It is done in perfect obedience.

That’s how it should be done on earth also.
The kingdom of God has to do with the rulership of the King. We are again saying up front, before any petition is made for our own needs –

“I am committed to Your will, God, even if it runs counter to what I think I want you to do.”

It is recognition of God’s wisdom, God’s sovereignty, and God’s right to rule – our lives and  everything else.

We long for the day when Jesus will return in His glorified body and put down all opposition on the earth even as it is now in heaven. We pray for the final eschatological rule of God when righteousness is uncontested and every knee bows. But in the mean time we apply that to our current situation as well. We want God’s will in everything now because there is absolutely nothing better for us than His will.

The key to effectual prayer has to do with attitudes of heart — attitudes of sincerity and personal intimacy with God — attitudes of respect and submission to the authority of God.

These are some of Jesus’ instructions about prayer.

Prayer is one of the ways we touch Jesus – let Jesus touch us – and let Jesus change our lives.
Prayer is one of the spiritual disciplines we need to incorporate into our lives if we are going to grow in our faith – grow in our relationship with God – and put ourselves in a position where God can change us.

Indeed – let’s learn to touch Jesus.

Let’s learn to pray. Amen

Mark 5:24b-34

Mark 5:24b-34

Am I Touching Jesus – Or Crowding Him?

First in fall 2009 series on touching Jesus

September 13, 2009

We certainly have a lot to celebrate on this Rally Day!

Our Christian Education program is growing – we are reaching more young people and adults as we branch out and do new things on Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, and Wednesday nights.  We celebrated new Sunday School classes this morning — we are staring 2 new youth groups tonight – and Wednesday night begins our Wednesday night suppers and programs for the fall with a lot of opportunities for everyone to fellowship and learn.

We truly have a lot to celebrate today!  I am excited – and I pray that you are also and ready to join us in all the things we are doing!

In the midst of all this celebration and activity, though, I believe that there is a basic question we must ask ourselves –

Even though we have a lot to celebrate and are doing a lot of things — how are we doing – spiritually?

As we get involved in and get excited about doing more things it’s easy for us forget about the spiritual aspects of our lives.

The truth is that if we are going to grow as a Church – if we are going to grow as Christians – we are going to have to not just be busy “doing things” – we are going to have to grow spiritually also.

We are going to have to grow in our relationship with God.

Don’t get me wrong – “doing things” is not bad – in fact it is good – and we have to do things to be the Church God wants us to be – but if all we are doing is “doing things” – and if we are not growing in our relationship with God – then we are not really being the Church God wants us to be.

Too many times we get so excited about “doing things” and “looking for something else to be doing” that we forget about growing –we forget about growing in our relationships with God.

This fall we are not only going to be “doing things” here at Hopewell – even though we certainly will be doing a lot of things — we are also going to have opportunities for us to grow in our faith as well.

One opportunity to grow in our faith we will have is our new prayer groups.

Each member of the Session will be leading a group of congregation members in times of prayer for each other and others – and for the Church.  As these groups pray for the Church, God will bless us with a vision for how we can do His will at Hopewell.

Another opportunity is the study the adults will have on Wednesday nights. They will be  studying Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline.   For over 30 years Christians have used this book to help them grow in their relationships with God.

So – we will not only have opportunities to “do things” – we will have opportunities to learn about how to grow spiritually – and opportunities to practice the discipline of prayer that will help us grow spiritually.

“Doing things” is important – but only if we are also doing the things that help us grow as God’s people.

For the next few Sundays we are going to be looking at “touching Jesus” – coming into contact with Jesus – and letting Jesus change our lives.  We’re going to be looking at different ways we can “touch Jesus” – let Jesus touch us – and let Jesus change our lives.

We’re beginning today with the story of a woman who reached out from a crowd of folks and touched Jesus – and had her life changed by Him.

The question we need to ask ourselves today is:

Am I touching Jesus – or crowding Him?

Am I toughing Jesus – or crowding Him?

Keep that question in mind as we hear God’s word in Mark 5:24(b)-34

Read scripture

The passage we’re looking at today is really a “story within a story” – the bigger story being Mark 5:21-43.  In the “bigger story” Mark brings us face to face with two stories of God’s amazing healing power. We find a woman who had been sick with an incurable condition for 12 years, and a little girl who had been well for 12 years, but was dieing.  You know – everyone can come to Jesus with their needs – those with needs they have had for awhile and those with needs that are more urgent and pressing.  All can come – and receive the help Jesus gives

Today, we’re going to focus on the woman with the issue of blood – and as we look at her I want us to look at the different ways this passage shows us that people responded to the presence of Jesus.

Remember our question:

Am I touching Jesus – or crowding Him?

As we look at the people in this passage, we can see several responses the people made to Jesus – and several types of responses people still make to Jesus here and now.

The first response we see people make to Jesus is that some people crowded Jesus.

Some people crowded Him.

We get the picture of a very large crowd of people packed into a narrow street. It must have been bedlam! Folks from all backgrounds and of all ages bumping into Him and rubbing shoulders with the Him!

It’s quite amazing when you think of it – isn’t it?

The crowd jostling and bumping into Jesus – the Son of God – the Savior – the one who could change their lives and give them salvation!

Yet – in this crowd of folks — no one received a miracle or had their lives changed by Jesus – except this one woman.

Certainly many people touched Him and crowded Him – but only one was changed by Him.

Why is that?

I believe that no one else received a miracle – or had their lives changed by Jesus – in that great crowd of folks because no one else came expecting a miracle.

No one else expected a miracle – or asked for a miracle – so no one else was blessed with one in that crowd of folks around Jesus.

No one else expected to have their lives changed – or asked Jesus to change their lives – so no one else had their lives changed by Jesus in that crowd of folks around Jesus.

They were simply curious onlookers – a crowd of folks – but folks who were merely  crowding Jesus instead of letting Him really touch and change their lives.

They were crowding Jesus instead of touching Jesus.

Are you crowding Jesus – or touching Jesus?

Ask yourself –

Am I touching Jesus – or crowding Him?

I am afraid that many of us are “crowding Jesus” instead of “touching Him”.

On Sunday mornings – if we come to the Fellowship Time before Sunday School – we might enjoy drinking coffee and discussing sports, the weather, or the weeks events with our friends – but we don’t expect anything dramatic to happen.

I’m just as guilty of that as anyone!

We enjoy each other’s company – but don’t expect much more than that!

Then – if we come to Sunday School – we might expect to learn something about God – something we can “file away” in our minds so we can pull it out later if we need it – but we don’t really expect anything much more than that to happen.  We don’t come to Sunday School really expecting God to touch us and change us – so – like the crowd around Jesus in our passage for today – we miss an opportunity to be blessed because we don’t expect it or ask for it.

And what about Worship?

Too often we are only around Jesus but not really expecting Him to touch us or make a difference in our lives.  We might like to walk into church, sing a few hymns, pray – while all the while not really paying attention to what’s going on – not really participating in the service – not really listening that what God says to us as we gather in His name – and then when it’s over  we might shake hands with our friends and go out the door unchanged. Another ho-hum Sunday – nothing different – nothing changed.

“Crowding Jesus” – but not “touching Him” – and letting Him touch us and change us!

And what about the other opportunities we offer here at Hopewell?

Too many times we’re just “part of the crowd” – “crowding Jesus” — like those in our passage that “crowded Jesus” but got nothing from Him.

It amazes me that we can be in the very presence of Chris and be so unaware of His mighty power to change our lives! Too often we are too pre-occupied to notice that maybe God wants to speak to us or touch us or make a difference in our lives when we gather here!

So many times we can “crowd Jesus” – but not “touch Him” – or let Him touch us!

So — are you crowding Jesus – or touching Jesus?

Ask yourself –

Am I crowding Jesus – or touching Jesus?

A second response we see people making to Jesus in this passage is that some rushed Him.

“Come on Jesus! Got to get to Jairus’ house, fast!” some must have been saying.

Yes – it was an urgent visit He was making and time was of the essence!

In one sense it was an was an admirable thing to rush Jesus. Jairus’ daughter needed to be healed! At times like this, someone needs to get Jesus involved!
What the crowd didn’t know was that Jesus wanted to do something right here, right now, to any of them who asked – and do something for Jairus and his daughter.

Sometimes God puts our plans  and what we think He needs to do in a holding pattern while He focuses our attention on what He wants to do in our lives.

You can’t push God around — give Him directions — or a time limit on  God.

There is a great temptation to consider prayer as the art of bossing God around. The sooner we give up trying to fit God into our own agenda, placing Him where we think He should be or trying to convince Him of what is important and what is not, the better off we’ll be!

God will not be relegated to a program or a schedule.

The best we can do is be sensitive to what He is doing here and now – and let ourselves be blessed by His plan for us – whether it our plan or not. This is not easy – but it’s necessary – as we strive to be God’s people.

Don’t try to “crowd Jesus” – or “hurry Jesus “ – but reach out to Jesus – touch Jesus – let Jesus touch you – and change your life!

Are you crowding Jesus – or touching Jesus?

The third response we see people making to Jesus in this passage is one really touched Him.

One really touched Him.

Out from this crowd that was pushing – jostling – “crowding” – and rushing Jesus comes a hopeless, discouraged woman. She had been sick for 12 years – had tried everything to become well —  but her hard-earned money was wasted on the medical help available at the time. In fact, she became worse.

Her condition – this “flow of blood” – was common enough, but hard to deal with. Not only did this condition affect this woman’s health, it also made her “unclean”. According to the Law of Moses, she was to keep her distance and shout, “Unclean” whenever anyone came close. She was cut off from worship and fellowship with her friends. She probably felt hopeless and unworthy, lonely, isolated, hurt, angry and alienated from God.

When Jesus appeared on the scene, something began to well up within her. There was something about Him – He talked of God’s love — He seemed so kind and approachable! Although the Law said “Stay Back!”, this He seemed to say, “if you are weary, come to Me!” Perhaps this woman had listened to Him teach and wondered if this Teacher could help her in her hopeless situation.

So – what does she do?

She touches Him!

Yes – it was  just the fringe of His garment – but it was enough to make a difference – enough to change her – enough for a miracle to happen!

The difference between this woman and the rest of the crowd was that she came to Jesus hoping – praying – and asking for Him to make a difference in her life.

The rest of the crowd didn’t.  They were “just there”.

She realized that Jesus could make a difference in her life —  hoped that Jesus could make a difference in her life – touched Him – and yes – He made a difference!

Some of the rest of the crowd were just crowding Jesus – others were hurrying Jesus – but she was touching Jesus – and she was the one whose life was changed.

So — are you crowding Jesus – or touching Jesus?

Ask yourself –

Am I crowding Jesus – or touching Jesus?

Jesus wants to make a difference in this Church!

Jesus wants to make a difference in your life!

Jesus wants you to touch Him – and wants to change your life.

The question is – will you let Him?

He can’t do it if you’re just “crowding Him” – if you’re just “part of the crowd” – coming here on Sundays and other times but not really expecting anything to happen.

If you’re “crowding Jesus” – just being a part of the crowd that gathers here but not expecting anything different to happen or not expecting God to work in your life – I pray that you will change your attitude and change your mind.  We don’t need folks who are just “part of the crowd” – Jesus doesn’t need folks who are just “part of the crowd” – we need – and Jesus needs – folks who are willing to reach out Him – and have their lives changed by Him.

If you’re  trying to “rush Jesus” – trying to make Him fit your schedule or your plan for what you think He needs to be doing — I pray that you will change your attitude and change your mind. We don’t need folks with pre conceived notions of what God wants us to be doing – we need folks who are willing to be open to God’s leading and God’s direction.  Jesus doesn’t need folks who want to “tell Him what to do” – He needs folks who are willing to listen to what He tells them to do!

But – if you are “touching Jesus” – if you are coming to Him – expecting Him to change your life – expecting Him to make a difference in your life and through you make a difference in the Church and the world – then you who we need – and who Jesus needs.

Don’t “crowd Jesus” – but “touch Jesus”.

For the next few Sundays we’re going to be looking at some ways was can “touch Jesus” – ways we can let Jesus make a difference in our lives and the Church – ways that Jesus can change us. But – for today – I want you to ask yourself the question:

Am I crowding Jesus – or touching Jesus?

I’m very excited about all the things we have going on here at Hopewell – all the things we have to celebrate.  Let’s take advantage of all the opportunities we have before us – but not see them as “doing things” or “things to do” – but as opportunities to come to Jesus – touch Jesus – and have Him change us!

Let’s not “crowd Jesus” – let’s “touch Jesus”!    Amen.