jesus and his mother

Do our requests influence Jesus?
INTRODUCTION
First miracle (SIGN) performed by Jesus in his ministry. Now if you were here last week, we spoke about Nathanael and how he would see heaven open up on Jesus, as Jacob’s ladder foretold and now we see the transforming power of God’s love bursting upon the present world
Water…lots of water, 150 gallons possibly, are turned into a wine that is exclaimed to be the best ever. Around this miracle is weaved a conversation between Jesus and his mother Mary as he is making the shift from a son of a Jew to the savior of the world. What is the message to us from the text? God is saying to these people and through the centuries to us the following:
• “I am interested not so much in your requests as in your faith.” God is not with us to meet our needs and we he wants us to make the shift to believe whatever He says for us.
• “I am ready to do not so much what you expected but far more than you imagined.” This
is an assurance to us that He is interested but also will respond greater than expected.
• “I am committed to break into your world not so much for your happiness but far more for my glory.” He is not here to fulfill our agenda

Imagine and out of them Tap comes beer. That’s what happened to Haldis Gundersen Western Norway. She told reporters she thought it was a
"Water to beer miracle." mistake in the plumbing—someone downstairs at the Bar hooked the beer hoses to the water pipes to Gundersen’s apartment.
And while Haldis was getting beer from her tap those at the bar were not so thrilled, as they were getting water from their beer taps. Asked if the turning water-to-beer was a blessing, she responded—not much— the beer was flat.
IN JOHN 2, however, we find a water to wine incident that turned out to be a real miracle (read 2:1-11)
The story turns sideways in places--prompting a host of questions
-why did Mary feel responsible for the lack of wine—was she the caterer?
-why was Jesus so abrupt in His response? Was He being a party pooper?
-why did He reject His mother’s request—than proceed to do it? Did she give Him that look?
-why did Jesus use ceremonial cleansing jars rather than just fill up the wine containers?
The reader is left with a simple story that has a deeper meaning and significance -above all else--what is God saying to us in this story, in this conversation between Him and His mother, that just might change our lives?
Right away we notice this exchange took place in the context of a wedding
The wedding took place in Nathanael’s home town, Cana,
-and while weddings are nice
-weddings were like our weddings, baptisms, 21st, 5Oths, golden weddings all rolled into one in ANE culture, all the village would be invited, all the neighbouring villages too, which is why Mary and Jesus are there,
-Weddings brought celebration and joy to a rather mundane existence
-There would be a public procession and merriment that often stretched out a week or more lots of free food and wine—time off from work
In this case--the appearance of servants suggests it might have been a high-class ceremony
-Only the bridegroom might have been cheap--they were running out of wine
-Which—in a culture where hospitality is everything—would have been a huge embarrassment -a major social faux pas, the family would have to live with the shame of it for a long time, the bride and groom might regard it as being bad luck for their married life, even a possible lawsuit
-w/o wine—the wedding falls flat—the joy vaporizes—the party ends
It all prompted a conversation between Jesus and His mother-read John 2:3
When the wine had given out, Jesus' mother said to him, "They are out of wine."(GNT)
It’s not clear what she expected did this represent a mother waiting for her resourceful son to do something? Was it a woman who perceived in her son divinity—time to do your God thing Jesus?
APP-All of us find ourselves in this conversation—we’ve had it often with Jesus
-we are the worried Mary—things are not going right here—and Jesus needs to fix it –our world is like this dried up party—fill the emptiness
And Jesus’ response is not what we anticipate
-but then His response to our requests can be perplexing as well
-there is an obtuseness—yet a directness 2:4
"You must not tell me what to do," Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."(GNT) -Jesus lit says-What is it to Me? What is it to you woman?
There is a seeming callousness and coldness in these terms
-“Woman, what does their problem have to do with me or you?”
But when we dig for clarity-we discover that Jesus is not speaking about their relationship to this wedding crisis—so much as their relationship with each other!!
“What is it to me, to you” was an idiom of the day that communicated this idea—
-What it is to you and what it is to me are two different things Let me illustrate with shopping what it is to me and what it is to my wife are two different things
-the other day- Donna and I were at tesco—we rarely go together—for the sake of our marriage -for me—it is a list, sales, speed (I actually time it) -for her-it is meander, talk, experience, try something new, time to enjoy
Here--Mary and Jesus saw the situation differently -she takes-“since we’re neighbours let’s be friends” seriously
For Mary—it was social crisis, a potential embarrassment, someone’s miscalculation- and Jesus needed to be informed -for Jesus-He understood the need
For Mary-it was about family responsibility, for Jesus-family definitions had changed
The language of “WOMAN” was intentional, things are changing Mary can no longer presume on the family tie
-for “family” has been redefined—His family is His disciples those who are His mother and brothers are now those who do His will- Mk 4:34
For Mary-it was doing her will—meeting her expectation—that her subordinate son—the oldest—will be resourceful -will find a way—and in the end—make her happy
for Jesus-the governing will of His life has changed from her to His Father in heaven -He is here to act on the authority of His Father-fulfill His purpose -He will not do ministry on other people’s terms
for Mary—it is time, for Jesus—it is not the time
-His ministry will have its moment in Jn 13:1-the hour has come—the Cross, the resurrection, the glory -the wedding in heaven-the consummation of the Bridegroom and His people, the church- the day will come when the symbol of blessing—wine--will drip from the mountains and flow from the hills-Amos 9:13 but not yet—not today
It was a critical moment in the conversation and you wonder where things will go from here how would Mary respond to these perplexing--even painful words?
-vs 5 tells us "Do whatever he tells you."(GNT)
On the surface—they could be understood as a mother who will nonetheless
have her way -but could it be these words declared just the opposite?
-this is Mary--pausing-reflecting—shifting -something had changed in their relationship
Illus-dad and me
Here-it was more than a shift in this parent-son relationship
-Mary was moving from an expectant petitioner to submissive believer -from seeing Jesus as subordinate to Jesus as Master No longer her will—but His will
-From “what I would like” to “whatever He says” -she will trust everything now to Him and Mary will now fade out of the story
But while the conversation ended—the story did not faith has been expressed—Mary has placed her trust now in His will -and Jesus always responds to these things
One can hear Him say--come on Nathanael—let’s see heaven open up
-let’s see something of the reality of GOD’S PRESENCE—something of the glory of God
-LET’S MAKE UP THERE COME DOWN HERE!
-for he is God who responds to faith
1-SO Jesus BLEW APART THEIR TRADITIONS-vss 6-7
-Jesus will not refill wine containers-John wants us to see this-vs 6
-He used the jars—those used for ceremonial washing -for the washing of utensils—the fulfilling of ritual washing regulations -symbols of Jewish law, custom, purification And Jesus did the unthinkable -He transformed these vessels of purity into containers of wine, God was doing a new thing in the old system, bringing purification, but in a new way, for Israel for the world
2-Jesus BLEW AWAY THEIR EXPECTATIONS
-150 gallons of wine—that should be enough—like about 900 bottles of wine -and not just any wine -not some cheap wine-but the best—wine served at the beginning-when palates are most discriminating and guests most impressionable—this wine that was anything but flat
No wonder-vs. 11 declares—it all amounted to a sign—all amounted to His glory
-Something of the kingdom of God was manifested-that broke all the categories
of possible and impossible - the kingdom of grace had begun
-The astonishing thing is that most were looking straight at the glory—and didn’t see it
-The servants missed it, the wedding party missed it -the master of the banquet was oblivious -and the bridegroom apparently was so distracted he could only but take the credit for whatever happened
So what is God saying to us in this conversation?
1-I AM INTERESTED—NOT SO MUCH IN YOUR REQUESTS—AS IN YOUR
FAITH
-it’s trust I respond to
-it wasn’t until Mary moved from her will to God’s will that something happened
-it’s the same with us
-like Mary-we usually tell God what is needed -but He will not conform to our will— or BE GOVERNED BY OUR DESIRES
-He is not here to meet our needs, fit our time frame -He is here to do the will of the Father—and respond to a faith that says—“whatever you say”
He is also saying 2-I AM READY TO DO—NOT SO MUCH WHAT YOU EXPECTED--BUT SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU IMAGINED
-when we have the faith to make the same shift Mary made -to lay our needs before Him and say—whatever you want -to avoid our attempts to tame Him (Aslan)
-we find not only that He is interested in the ordinary —the simple conundrums of life -interested in our dilemmas -He will do far and away more than we could have expected -blowing away our traditions, outstretching our imagination
And God is saying today to us 3-I AM COMMITTED TO BREAK INTO YOUR WORLD—NOT SO MUCH FOR YOUR HAPPINESS BUT GIVE YOU LIFE IN ALL IT’S FULLNESS—BUT EVEN MORE FOR HIS GLORY
-He is breaking in—do we notice? -His kingdom will not only come—it has come
-but when it breaks in—it is all about Him—not us-it is for His glory--this is why we exist—the universe exists -Christ does not exist to make much of us—we exist to make much of Him
CONCLUSION The transformation from water to wine shows the effect Jesus can still have today on people’s lives today, He came to give life and LIFE TO THE FULL, transformation only came when Mary said “do whatever he tells you” will you do whatever he tells you? Despite the failures and the disappointments of the past, will you do whatever he tells you?
REALISE HE WILL NOT DO WHAT YOU EXPECT BUT MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE
RECOGNISE THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS HE IS IN CONTROL AND HE HAS A PURPOSE TO TRANSFORM YOU AND GIVE YOU LIFE TO THE FULL
REMEMBER WE EXIST FOR HIM, NOT HIM FOR US
RESPOND IN FAITH, DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU TO DO AND EXPERIENCE HIS TRANSFORMING POWER

sermon this week and holiday club!

Series: Conversations with Jesus
“How Wide are Your Horizons?”

Conversations, Sandy and Angus, identical flats 7 rolls of wallpaper, 2 and half left over, so did I!
This first conversation with Jesus takes place with Nathanael
- A man we know little about, Early tradition says he went on to minister in Armenia, Persia, India flayed and beheaded or tied up in a sack and cast into the sea But all we really know about him is what John tells us here in
John 1:43-51
- On the surface, lots of things turn on their head in this story
1) Nathanael’s skepticism turned to sudden affirmation of Jesus
2) Jesus’ strange response
- Which makes us feel He is speaking in code, seems to be
concealing something, That John chooses to not explain Which is typical John Who is unwilling to accommodate to those who want fast, painless, effortless passages Quick and easy blessings
There is a hidden-ness here that invites us to dig deeper That at the end might hopefully lead to a rush of insight like the kind that comes to you at the end of a really good movie; The Sixth Sense, A Beautiful Mind You’ve been confused about something since the first scene, but suddenly it all comes together
In this case, it won’t come together until we work through a couple of layers
1) One of them is THE CULTURAL LAYER
In order for parts of the story to make sense, one must grasp the setting
Israel during the time of Jesus was under an oppressive regime, a pagan empire called Rome
And people coped with one of three responses:
A) Some chose to withdraw, like the Essenes, who inhabited the Jordan valley towards Masada, separatists who formed communities, believing their proper response was to separate from the wicked world and hope their righteousness would encourage the advent of Messiah
B) Closer to Jerusalem, others chose to be compromisers, collaborators, get along with the powers, get what you can out of them, hope that all of this is okay with God
The Pharisees sort of rode the fence between these first two groups
C) Finally, there were the zealots, who sort of went by the philosophy of “say your prayers, sharpen your swords, fight a holy war, and God will give the victory, God over the monsters” (NT Wright).
It’s within this third setting Jesus came (verse 43) “Jesus came to galilee”
Galilee was the site of numerous fishing villages (Bethsaida, Cana)
But you would be wrong to assume these were sleepy, peaceful, cozy towns
They may have looked more like modern day Iraq, Gaza near Israel breeding grounds for insurgents Who wanted no outside interference, no occupation, no domination Especially by pagans but What they did want was a deliverer
And so, Galilee, in particular, produced pseudo-Messiahs who periodically led rebellions, only to be crushed in ruthless crackdowns by the Romans Luke 13 describes one of the encounters in which Pilate was nothing short of cruel and cold-blooded
So Jesus came preaching kingdom language that resonated “Blessed are the poor, they shall inherit the earth” “Blessed are the oppressed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
And men responded Like Andrew who invited Simon, like Philip who found Nathanael
Men who were inclined to follow anyone brave enough to go public, speak out, and offer hope
Men desperate for a Messiah, But Nathanael was not so inclined to sign on Nathanael was a skeptic, like lots of people today He had his reasons, as verse 46 makes clear, It was inconceivable the messiah would come from a tacky place like Nazareth. Nazareth was a no-name town of about 300; so obscure it was not mentioned in a list of 63 Galilean towns in the Talmud
Whose inhabitants were largely unrefined, and uneducated
Like saying… We’ve found Him, Jesus of Bonnyrigg, Jesus of Penicuik
We’ve found the One we have waited for, Jesus of Dalkeith
The messiah, from boring
Judeans hated Galileans but Galileans hated people from Nazareth
- Philip did not debate, rather he responded, as we must to those who are skeptical
- “Come and see. Look into my life.”
- “Look into my Church.”
- “Look into Jesus.”
- “Meet Him for yourself and tell me what you think.”
- So Nathanael did, and here’s what he discovered
- It’s what we find when we come and see…
1) THIS IS THE ONE WHO KNOWS WHO WE ARE
- Jesus spoke to Nathanael as if He had met him, knew his heart, his choices
- And of course, He did (verse 47)” here comes one with no deceit in him, a true son of Israel” The opposite of Jacob, heHe knew what Nathanael was like, what his heart’s desire was. For Jesus knows everyone, and as the words suggest here, Jesus knows us inside out
- More than this, He knew Nathanael’s ways His going and sitting, just as He knows our movements (verse 48) “under the fig tree” the fig tree was the place of meditation, was Nathanael reading the account of Jacob? Was it his daily reading? If so this passage makes sense to us, Jacob means “he deceives, Nathanael is referred to as true, Jesus is showing him how well he knew him already!
- Jesus Knows our day to day lives as well with all it’s business Knows our needs, knows our tears, hears us even before we call Here is Someone who never discovers, is never surprised, never amazed, never needs to be informed
- There was something in His manner, His ways, His words that unnerved, convinced Nathanael
- That there is more than clairvoyance at work that this Jesus could see into his heart Such that in the span of a moment he moved from skeptic to follower
- But as the conversation continued, Nathanael came and saw, and discovered something even scarier (verse 51) “he will see heaven open………..”
- At first, I am not ready for the words I am expecting Jesus to say something like
this:
- “Nathanael, I like your immediate response, but whoa, whoa. I haven’t even explained the gospel. God loves you and has a plan for your life, but sin has separated you from God. God has provided a Saviour; His name is Jesus, that’s me Nathanael.” “Would you like to receive me into your heart?”
But Jesus in effect declares, “Nathanael, there’s something else you have to see, something God intends for all who come and see. But it will require working through another layer.
- The second layer - THE OT LAYER these words will make no sense until
we go back to the OT, Where Jesus was pushing Nathanael
And maybe it went something like this for him…
- “Wait a minute… I recognize these words. These were the same words Jacob heard. He too was linked to Israel; only he was a man with guile who cheated his brother out of his blessing. Not to mention his dealings with his uncle Laban, who one night fell asleep only to have a rather weird dream of angels ascending and descending on a ladder, standing on earth, leaning against heaven.”
- This was God breaking into Jacob’s small world Informing him life is a lot more than daddy’s blessing, Heaven is breaking into your world Jacob
- The reality of My presence and power is entering into your world
- “I will go with you” (Gen 28:15) “My angels will enter this world and surround you and guard you.”
- No, this was more. This was God breaking Nathanael’s world. I think Jesus knew that Nathanael was thinking and reading about Jacob, and this is why Nathanael is so convinced that not only Jesus is a rabbi, king of Israel but the son of God
2) JESUS IS THE ONE WHO BRINGS THE REALITY OF GOD’S PRESENCE AND POWER INTO OUR LIVES
A) God is once again revealing Himself, Jesus is saying to Nathanael
- I am that revelation Nathanael
- I am the one, God has done this, I am the culmination of God’s plan
- The Son of Man predicted in the OT is here
B) I am the promised Messiah, but not the One you are probably looking to sign up For I am bringing a kingdom far different than you have in mind
- A kingdom of justice and mercy a revolution far more radical than you imagined
- A revolution that goes neither with violence nor bloodshed, hatred nor revenge a revolution that is driven by a love that is stronger than death
A messiah who is not only for the nation of Israel but the whole world as well, and Jesus is the one who brings God’s presence for us today, his presence and his power, when Jesus speaks to Nathanael he is speaking of how the presence of God met with Jacob, how the presence of God is meeting with Nathanael, but also how his presence can meet with us today
V 51 is the key to this conversation, Jesus seems to be saying that you will see more than an act of insight into your life, before I even met you, what you will see from now on is the reality of Jacob’s ladder, if you follow me, you will see what it is like when heaven and earth are open to each other, you will have your life changed in amazing ways, Jesus is still saying that to us today.
The promise that God’s presence and God’s power is beside us is as true today as it was for Nathanael, when we let go of our skepticism, our hang ups and let God in, he will complete us in the most amazing ways that we can never expect. Nathanael had an open honest heart, that is all Jesus asks of you, to believe the truth not what you have always thought, or what you feel but the thing is we have to be open to Jesus, he always stands at the door and knocks, he awaits invitation and when he comes in he will make our lives so much sweeter than we have ever have thought, and when the power, the peace, the purpose, the presence of Jesus gets into us, not only are our lives changed, but the lives of others are changed too. Let him in, let him reveal his truth for you in your life, let God work in you, and know wherever you are he is with you, going ahead of you, and even when we fail, fall down make a mess of things, he is there to speak words of hope to you, to give you purpose and joy in this world and great expectation for the world to come..

sermon for the week

Sermon notes
Where you going to be in 1 year? How would you like to grow in your faith? What goals do you have for the year to come? How will you judge you Christian walk between now and the?
What will need to happen to give you sense of satisfaction? What will need to happen to say “it’s been a good year?”
What we believe? Will it give a sense of satisfaction, will we deliver the goods, or are the goals we have misguided, or faulty in some way?
Our goals in life, spring from what we believe, if what you do no longer bears fruit, then you have to review your beliefs, if your behaviour is out of order, it is a result of what you have chosen to believe.
Walking by faith in the nitty gritty of daily life is a lot like golf, 10 – year old boy, 15 degrees off, but he doesn’t hit it far enough to end up in trouble, but as he grows he ends up in the rough all the time, accuracy is very important when he can drive 300 yards he ends up in the lake in every shot.
As a new Christian your accuracy will be off for a while, but it is not disastrous at that stage, but if you continue in that way, thinking that success is like a big house and a good job, rather than what God wants for you, if you carry on in your own way, slightly off centre, you may find yourself in a lake, crisis hits, when you discover that what you have believed isn’t quite true, the longer you walk in false beliefs the more pronounced your limp will become, and sometimes you can see it in the way people live.
To walk by faith means to live life on the basis of what you believe, we already walk by faith, even atheists do, the real question is whether you are putting your faith in the truth.
Feelings are God’s red flag of warning from the moment we are born, all of us try to work out what will make us happy, find fulfilment, achieve satisfaction, have fun, live in peace and so on. Whether we know it or nor, we continue to make and adjust plans to achieve these goals
Who knows best to how to make us fulfilled, happy and peaceful? God! Believe it or not, sometimes our best laid plans are not in harmony with God’s will for us. How can you know what is right or wrong? Well pretty obvious, if it is in line with God’s truth as revealed in the bible, God has shown us the way to go, but he has also blessed us with feeling, when an experience or relationship leaves us angry, depressed, anxious, this should ring bells within ourselves. When we feel depressed (not clinical) angry, anxious, it should prompt us to go back to God’s word and discover why we feel this way.
Teenager rock concert, not sure if allowed (anxious), told no angry, when she realises that she will not go, no matter the bargaining and pleading she tries she is depressed because her goal is impossible. You get angry when you don’t get what you want! How mad do you get when you are stuck in traffic and you know you are going to be late for that vital meeting? How mad do you get when you go to the checkout and you find you are in the shortest lane, but it takes the longest?
When you have a goal that is dependent upon others then your goal is misguided, your goal could be to have a loving harmonious Christian family, but anyone in that family will could and probably block that goal, a minister could have the goal of reaching the community for Christ, but it is dependent on others, anyone could block that goal, if your goal is dependent upon others then it will be blocked no doubt, which will lead to anger, depression anxiety, you can’t control others, all you can do is control yourself.
Anger highlights blocked goals, anxiety signals an uncertain goal, even when you find success you are still anxious, this probably means you don’t find peace even though you have achieved all you thought you needed, depression signals an impossible goal, hopelessness and helplessness come when the thing you desire most is never going to happen.
It is of course right to want your loved ones to come to Christ, for the community to be reached for Christ, and we are to pray and work to that end, but when your sense of worth is based upon someone else you set yourself up for problems, why? Because their responses are beyond your ability or right to control. Be a witness of Christ, share faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God, we can’t save anyone, if you are feeling low or desperate or helpless, it may be because you have not got your goals in line with what God has in mind. The thing to remember is this, with God all things are possible, he is the God of all hope, turn to him no matter how you feel and put your trust in him.
Wrong responses when our goals are frustrated. If our goals can be blocked what is our reaction to those people or things that threaten our plans? We can try to manipulate or control or we can bring our goals in line with God’s goals. Minister youth ministry, parent, perfect Christian family. People who try to control and manipulate are easily understood they want happiness, but when frustrated they get bitter, angry, resentful or they develop a martyr’s complex thinking they live in defeat for a reason, they struggle through thinking God has given this burden to live with, rather than seeking what God really wants in their life.
Turning bad goals into good goals ask yourself this question; if God wants it done can it be done? Or if God has a goal for your life, can it be blocked, unfulfilled or impossible? Course not!
Or to put it another way would God ever say to you, “I’ve called you into being, I have made you my child, I have a job for you to do, but I know you won’t be able to do it, but give it your best shot!” crazy, it is like saying to your child, “mow the lawn, but the mower has no petrol, the lawn is full of stones and the mower doesn’t work anyway, try your best though!”
No God given goal can ever be impossible, uncertain or blocked, God would not do that to you.
Look at Mary, young girl, virgin; having a kid, what is her response? Nothing is impossible for God, God doesn’t give you goals you can’t achieve, his goals are possible, certain and achievable, we need to understand what his goal for our life is and then say with Mary “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said”
The point is, no God-given goal can be dependent on people or circumstances that we have no right or ability to control.
Difference between goal and a desire semantics, but there is a difference between a god given goal and a godly desire, it is a difference that change failure to success and pain to peace.
A godly goal is this, that which reflects God’s purpose for your life and doesn’t depend on circumstances or people beyond your control, only you can block a godly goal.
A godly desire is a result that depends on the help of others, the success of events or favourable circumstances beyond your control
There is a crucial difference, you can’t base your sense of worth on your desires, because you cannot guarantee success, we all know that life doesn’t always go our way. When a desire is not met, we face only disappointment, not anger, anxiety or depression, dealing with disappointment is a lot easier, that that comes from getting your goals from God.
For the parent who wants her children to come to Christ, how about being the mother God wants her to be, for the minister whose success and sense of worth is based upon winning the community for Christ, or having the best youth group in the area, worthwhile desires, but as a goal he is doomed to failure, a good goal? To be the minister God has called him to be, no one can block that goal except himself!
The goal is to become the person God called you to be God wants us to become like Jesus “it is God’s will that we should be sanctified” 1 Thess 4:3, sanctification means becoming like Jesus, that is God’s Goal for our lives, nothing can keep you from becoming the person God wants you to be, but there are loads of distractions, disappointments, trials, temptations traumas that can disrupt this process, everyday you will struggle against the flesh, the devil the world which are opposed to you becoming like more like Jesus.
Nobody and nothing can stop you getting there present circumstances blocking the way? but Paul tells that difficulties actually are a stepping stone to become more like Jesus. Rom 5v 3-5 we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
James offers similar advice Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
Perseverance results in proven character, which is God’s goal for us, who we are, rather than what we do
Difficulties help us towards God’s goal when people are in dire straits never offer false hope, if a husband leaves a wife, if a prodigal son never returns, we can encourage them to grow nearer to God, to leave situations out of our control to him, and to become more like Jesus, difficulties can show if our goals are off kilter, it can be the catalyst for sanctification, to be more like Jesus
Defeated spouses say “my marriage is hopeless” so they change partners, others feel their job or their church is just as hopeless so they change them too, in most cases they should hang in there and grow up. There are legitimate times to change jobs or churches, but if we are just running from our immaturity, it will follow us wherever we go
Christian car salesman, anger, be the one God called him to be, is there an easier way to become more like Jesus without difficulties and trials? We as believers have probably looked everywhere for one, but it is usually the times of testing that have brought about maturity that makes life meaningful. We need the joy of mountain top experiences, but the fertile soil for growth is always on the valley floor, not the mountain summit.
When our goal is love 1 tim 1:5 “The goal of our instruction is love” love (agape) is the character of God, because God is love. If you make godly character your goal, then the fruit of the Spirit that will be produced in your life will be love, joy (instead of depression0, peace (instead of anxiety) and patience (instead of anger).
So how would you answer the question I asked at the beginning, one year on how will you judge how your Christian walk has been? What will make you say it has been a good year? What will give you satisfaction? Are your goals in line with God’s goals? Have the fruit of the Spirit been seen in your life? So where are you heading in life? It is never too late to let God change you, I hope you can respond by becoming the person God wants you to be and no one and nothing can stop you!
Interestingly when you follow what God wants you may find your family coming to Jesus, you may find the community turning to Christ, you may discover the youth of Dalkeith finding Jesus, why? Because when you co-operate with God, you can expect your life to bear good fruit.
In finishing here is a story that illustrates how often we misunderstand God’s goals in our livesA man was sleeping one night in his cabin, when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down; his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night, the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved." Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough."And that is what he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord", he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?" The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are calloused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. Now I, my friend, will move the rock." But, your calling was to be obedient and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done.