A Movement of the Heart-Nov.30,08

Date: Sunday, November 30, 2008

Speaker: Michael Fedunec

Title: A Movement of the Heart

Text:: Luke 2:8-52; John 14:15

Series: Because Christmas Can Still Change The World:

Theme: Spiritual Growth

Introduction

In four short weeks we will be celebrating Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, the preparation for the coming of Jesus
We begin today a new series of messages titled, “Because Christmas Can Still Change the World.”
For the past several weeks I have been reading through the first four chapters of the book of Luke
After about the umpteenth time reading through the 2nd chapter of Luke the eyes of my heart saw something that I had never seen before.
It was something so subtle yet to me so profound.
The 2nd chapter of Luke is the account of the Christmas story
I would like to read it to you and see you catch what I saw.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ?a? the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

22 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”?a?), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”?b?

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:9 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss?c? your servant in peace.30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people,32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.?d?She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. 43 After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Did you catch it
Did you notice the subtle change in Mary’s response to Jesus
In the beginning when Mary had been confronted by the message of Shepherds concerning this child she just gave birth to her response was

“19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

12 years later, Mary’s response to Jesus and his claims of who he is and why He was born is:

“But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:52)

In the beginning, Mary’s encounter with Christ was filled with excitement and anticipation, but also with a lot of questions, uncertainty etc
After spending 12 years with Christ one thing was for certain, even though there were still things that that she did not understand but her heart was resting on those things she knew for certain – she treasured them.
There was no more pondering- no more deep questioning or considering
Friends, as I looked at those two verses I could help but ask myself the question.
After 30 years of knowing Jesus had I moved experienced the same kind of growth that Mary did.
Had I moved from pondering (considering deeply the things of God) to treasuring (regarding as precious) the things of God.
The truth of the matter is I sadly have to admit that I had not.
For some time I had stalled.
What I concluded was that the difference between Mary and I, and I suspect of many of us is our movement from pondering to complete treasuring has a lot to do with our view of Jesus

Discussion

As you and I journey toward relevance in our lives, we must begin with an assessment of our view of and relationship with Christ – the cornerstone of our faith.
Scripture reminds us that “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11) and that “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” of our faith (1 Peter 2:7)
Throughout this message I will make reference to Jesus Christ and God the Father interchangeably.
After all, Christ said, “Anyone who has see me has seen the Father” and I and the Father are one” (John 14:9; 10:30.
It is important for me to note that our view of God impacts every aspect of our faith

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF OUR VIEW OF JESUS ON US?

Our View of Jesus Will Hinder or Empower Our Love for Him

Trying to sustain an intimate walk with anyone other than the real God will leave us frustrated and empty.
We will find that it is easy to love the God who is excited to care for us, but it will be difficult for any view of God that differs from that to inspire love
We will discover that our worship can be hindered if we are trying to relate to anyone other than the real God
Our prayer life may involve more duty and obligation than intimate fellowship and love.
If we cannot see the real God, our relationship with Him will have little impact on our lives and our experience of love for Him will be incomplete at best

Our View of Jesus Will Hinder or Empower Our Ability to Experience His Word

If we cannot see the real God, we will be hindered in meeting with Him at the point of His Word
Every sermon or Bible lesson is filtered through our concept of God, and any distorted view of Him chokes out the impact of the Word upon our heart
For example: If you view God as one who is constantly disappointed with you, Scripture may seem to bring only God’s criticism
Such a distorted view of God will push you away from a relationship with Him
By contrast, if we come to see the real God, the God who is excited to love us, we will approach His Word with expectation and hope.
Hearing, reading, and studying scripture will become a joyous pleasure not to be missed

Our View of Jesus Will Hinder or Empower Our Love of Others

If we cannot see the real God who is love, our ability to demonstrate love will be hindered

1 John 4:8

We will discover that if our God is harsh and condemning, we may display the same characteristics in our relationship with others.
If our god is inspecting and critical, we may easily find fault with others.
But seeing the God who is excited to love us will empower in us an excited love for other people

Our View of Jesus Will Hinder or Empower Our Heart for Evangelism

If we cannot see the real God, our message to an unbelieving world may be characterized by irrelevance and little effect.
We may struggle with being a living letter of his life and love, focusing more on sharing the Gospel than actually “imparting” it to others through the example of our life

(1 Thessalonians 2:7, 8)

If we cannot see the real God, we may also struggle to look beyond the sins of others to see their needs.
Effective and relevant evangelism will find the followers of Jesus telling stories of the real God’s love at work in their lives and hearts.

ASSESSING YOUR VIEW OF GOD

Many of us have never even considered our view of God
We have believed certain things about Him and never questioned them or been challenged with an alternative.
For the next few minutes, I would like for you to consider how your view of God might differ from who He really is.
You may discover that when different people read the same Bible verses, their perceptions of God can be quite different..
On the screen and in your sermon outline there is scripture verse that I would like for you read several times to yourself.

Imagine that Christ is standing before you in the upper room
Listen as He speaks these words.
Listen to the inflection of his voice
Where is the emphasis?
What tone accompanies these words?
What are the subtle implications behind the words you hear?

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 New American Standard Bible)

Now that you have read the verse several times, contemplating the tone of voice and words of emphasis, consider the following possibilities.
Can you identify with one of these concepts of God?
Does the voice you heard reflect on of these characterizations of God

Is Your God An Inspecting God?

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

Some of us view God as an inspecting God.
As you read the verse you may have imagined a tone of expectation and demand
An inspecting god might raise his eyebrows as he utters the words, “If you love me you will keep my commandments”
These words may carry a questioning tone, conveying a sense that there is a test to be passed or a measurement to be taken.
“If you love me, then you’ll do what I say! I’ll wait and see just how much you really love me.”
You may have even imagined your inspecting god shaking his finger at you as he speaks these words

If we have an inspecting God, it seems as though he is constantly recording what we do on a heavenly tally sheet
Every time we sin or fail to measure up, he frowns and records it.
He may also keep track of things we have done well, but he inspects our every move and relates to us only on the basis of the number of positive and negative tally marks we have accumulated
If our god is an inspecting god, we may become defensive and consider innocent comments or events to be personal attacks
If our god is constantly seeking to find fault with us, it is easy to assume that others are doing the same, thus we may react defensively to anyone who attempts to share their disappointments, even their needs

Is Your God A Disappointed God?

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

Some of us may view God as disappointed in us
As you read the verse you may have heard a voice full of dissatisfaction
This kind of god might look down at you with arms crossed, shaking his head as he says, “If you really loved me, then you would be able to keep my commandments. In fact, I have known all along that you did not really love me, and what you just did prove it!”
If we have a disappointed god, we may live out our Christian faith with a sense that we will never measure up.
Our god looks down at us but seldom likes what he sees.
He notices our attempts at living a righteous life, but ultimately shakes his head in displeasure.
He shrugs his shoulders as he watches us as if he has given up, certain that we will never “make it”
For that kind of god, no amount of right behavior will ever be good enough

It will be difficult to experience contentment and peace in our spiritual journey.
If we believe we will never measure up, our personal worth will always be in question
We may strive to perform for God and others in order to feel worthy of their love
Likewise, attitude of “nothing is ever good enough” may pervade our homes and family relationships.
If our god is a disappointed god, we may become hard to please, find ourselves driven by perfectionism, or seek to control the things and people around us

Is Your God A Distant God?

“If (you) love Me, (you) will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

Some of us may see God as a distant god.
As you read the verse the voice you heard may have seemed cold or disinterested.
A distant god would speak the verse with half-hearted enthusiasm or great indifference.
This kind of god might seem preoccupied with other things
You might picture him looking up absentmindedly and saying, “Oh, if you love me, then you will probably keep my commandments. Thanks for stopping by.”
If we see God as a distant god, then we may believe that He is really only listening to the “important people” or taking care of the “important things”
We may wonder, “Out of all of the millions of people on the planet, why would God even notice me?”
Our hearts may approach this kind of god with reluctance.
A distant god sees to listen with only one ear when we pray and therefore we may not truly believe that our needs and concerns are of interest to him.

If our god is a distant god, we may relate to others with similar emotional detachment
We may politely interact with family, friends, etc but there may be little intimacy and true fellowship.
Because trust is difficult for those of us who have a distant god, we may resist getting to know others and allowing them to know us.
We may live self-reliantly, believing that we are on our own.

Time of reflection

Consider how you might be hindered from seeing the real God
How might your hindered view of God have impacted your life?
Complete the following statement….

“I am sometimes hindered in seeing Christ as one who is excited to love me. Instead I see him as……”

“I think that this hindered view of Him has impacted my life in the following way…

Factors That Contribute To Hindered Views of God

1. Family Relationships

Positive or painful interactions with caregivers shape our experience of trust, intimacy and affection
It is through the lens of these early interactions with family members that we come to view other relationships, including our relationship with God

2. Religious Experiences

Many of us were raised rigid church structures, religiosity, and the pressure to conform.
The messages being sent our way revealed in three questions

What sin is to be avoided?
What commands are to be obeyed?
What now needs to change in your life?

The impact of these questions were subtle but severe.

We were trained to read the bible only in order to identify sins, commands, and things that were wrong with our lives.

What I needed, what some of you needed was more of Christ’s sanctifying grace at work in your life.
What you got was a god who was inspecting and displeased with you.

3. Painful Life Events

As we walk through life in a world of tribulation, we inevitably encounter painful events, critical losses, and life altering traumas.
Such events often leave us wondering “Where was God when..?”
If such questions are not sufficiently processed, our hearts are left with unresolved pain and uncertainty.
When we are uncertain of God’s care or His presence, we are left vulnerable to misconceptions of who He really is.

Knowing the Real Christ

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

Now that we have assessed our view of God/Christ let us go back to our scripture passage
If God is not an inspecting god, disappointed god, or distant god then how would the real Christ speak these words
We must go back to the context of the passage
The scene is the upper room where Jesus began to comfort and prepare the disciples for His upcoming death and departure
It was a sacred time of tender care from the Savior toward his followers
Christ began to reassure His followers with several promises:
“Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms…I am going to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:1,2)
Next Jesus gave the promise of His return:

“I will come back and take you with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:3)

The Savior went on to make a promise about all that they would do as a result of their faith in Him.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (v12).

Finally, notice the verse immediately preceding our scripture of interest:

“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (v14).

This too is a verse of promise
Now, pause and re-read John 14:15 as it was intended – as a promise for every believer.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments!
It was within the context of this list of promises that Jesus made the declaration of John 14:15
This verse is a promise that was meant to bring reassurance, blessing, and security to our hearts
Indeed, Christ might have smiled and proclaimed the certainty of this connection: ”If you love me you will keep my commandments”
If you and I have a love relationship with one another, you will keep the commandments
It will happen. I promise
“When you woke up this morning, Jesus was not checking to see if your were keeping His commandments in order to prove your love
Rather, He was longing for you to love Him, knowing that as you do, you will keep His commandments!
This is the same promise that Paul relates to the church at Galatia when he reminds them,

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:16)

The real Christ is not inspecting, disappointed, or distant.

Seeing God as a Genuinely Loving God

He is excited to love us, longs for us to share in His love!
He is excited when we wake up in the morning and cannot wait to talk with us and relate to us.
The real Christ generously and graciously gave up his life because he could not bear the thought of eternity without you.
He is pleased with you because he sees you with the eyes of the Master Creator, One who admires his handiwork and values each of his treasures because they are unique and wonderful.
Of course, the real God is also holy, without spot or blemish, and his plan is that out of our deep love for him we would live out his commands.

Conclusion

What does it do to your heart to consider that the real Jesus desires a love relationship with you?
Can you imagine the joy that is possible as we are able to experience the love of the real Jesus?
Our life can overflow with gratitude and love.
Our worship will be meaningful and fulfilling as we celebrate the special relationship with our trusted Friend – Christ Jesus
Our prayers will be more than an obligation; they will be filled with expression of thanksgiving, faithfulness and vulnerable need.
The life we live will become more and more “His Life” as we walk worthy of our high calling in Christ, fulfilling the challenge to be holy as he is holy
As we experience the love of the real Christ, our ability to love others will increase through the empowerment of the Spirit.
Our lives and ministries will reflect the heart of God.
We will begin to look more like Him and as our “appearance” changes, we will bring Him the glory of which He alone is worthy.
Friends, join me in this journey of moving from pondering to treasuring
It is because of Christmas the world can still change

a Or Messiah. “The Christ” (Greek) and “the Messiah” (Hebrew) both mean “the Anointed One”; also in verse 26.

a Exodus 13:2, 12

b Lev. 12:8

c Or promised, / now dismiss

d Or widow for eighty-four years

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