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Apart From Jesus We Can Do Nothing - Rev. Ronald Fink |
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St. Mark 6:1-6; St. John 15:5
Sermon for 7/23/2006
Rev. Ronald Fink
?¨Apart From Jesus We Can Do Nothing Jesus. Apart From Us Jesus Chooses To Do Next-To-Nothing!?Æ
I
want to get into the words of Jesus I just read from John??s Gospel, as
well as today??s appointed Gospel from Mark with a simple, yet sometimes
slippery riddle. You may have heard it. If you haven?´t, play along with
me and think it through.
What is more powerful than God,
And, at the same time, more evil than the devil?
The poor have it,
The rich need it
And, if you eat it, you will surely die.
For those still thinking, I will repeat it.
What is more powerful than God,
And, at the same time, more evil than the devil?
The poor have it.
The rich need it.
And, if you eat it, you will surely die.
NOTHING!
That??s it! NOTHING! Tell me, what is more powerful than God? NOTHING!
What is more evil that the devil? NOTHING! The poor have NOTHING! The
rich need NOTHING! You will surely die if you eat NOTHING! The Gospel
text I read from John reminds us that apart from Jesus, the Vine, we,
the branches, can do NOTHING! Finally, today??s appointed Gospel from
Mark informs us that in respect to His ministry in His own hometown,
Jesus was able to do NEXT-TO-NOTHING. My goal is that before we quit
this morning you will in faith understand two things. First, in respect
to our walk with God apart from Jesus we can do NOTHING of
significance. NOTNING!! Secondly, apart from us Jesus CHOOSES to do
NEXT-TO-NOTHING!.
I.
The Gospel imagery of a vine and
its branches suggests that people who follow Jesus are intimately
connected to Jesus in the same way that a living branch is intimately
connected to a healthy vine. It??s obvious that a branch cannot exist on
its own apart from the source of its life. Sever the branch from the
vine and you kill the branch. It is as simple as that in respect to our
walk with God. Separate yourself from Jesus, the source of your life
with God, and in no time at all you will be gasping for spiritual
breath. That is precisely what happened to those in Jesus?? hometown.
Their offense concerning Jesus grew out of their separation from Jesus.
The point is that apart from Jesus, there is no spiritual life of any
consequence. It??s all about Jesus, the Vine. We are the branches. And
this is where we connect with today??s appointed Gospel.
II.
Jesus
and His disciples re-visit Nazareth, the place where He grew-up. The
townspeople are astonished by His teaching and offended by His wisdom.
Something about Jesus brings discomfort to His boyhood acquaintances
who remember when He was only a ?¨carpenter?Æ. For whatever reason, they
are not able to take in the greatness of Jesus and, as a result, Jesus??
ministry crawls to a standstill. It is not altogether obvious how we
are to understand Mark??s observation that Jesus ?¨could not do any
miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal
them. And He was amazed at their lack of faith.?Æ It seems certain that
among the people who had the opportunity to get close to Jesus and know
Him best Jesus?? ministry is in some way hindered by a lack of faith.
Not a weak faith, or a questioning faith. But, a lack of faith.
For
people like us who through faith have the opportunity to get close to
Jesus and know Him best, it is important to take note of a not-so-happy
thought! Apart from faith, many mighty works that Jesus might do in
your life and mine, are left undone. It is not that God cannot do them.
The fact is, Jesus chooses not to minister to a life that claims
loyalty to more than one master. The Lord chooses not to go where He is
not welcomed by faith. And, what is true of individual believers is
also true of a congregation. No mighty work will be done in a
congregation that is not passionately possessed by a corporate trust
that the Lord Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega of God, the grace of God
made known in the Cross, which is the power of God for forgiveness and
salvation for anyone who believes. Without that passionate corporate
trust, a congregation is destined to go nowhere of significance.
Today??s Gospel texts confirm that as we apart from Jesus can do
NOTHING, apart from us, Jesus CHOOSES to do NEXT-TO-NOTHING.
In
June of this year Warren Buffet shocked the world of philanthropy by
pledging thirty billion dollars to the Gates Foundation. I am impressed
by his generosity and I truly admire and respect the tremendous good he
desires to do with his fortune. I was less impressed by a comment that
the Charlotte Observer picked up earlier this month. When asked about
the motivation behind his generosity, Warren Buffet is quoted as
saying, ?¨There is more than one way to get to heaven. And this is a
great way.?Æ Perhaps he said it ?¨tongue-in- cheek?Æ as a way of
expressing his joy at the good he is able to do. I will not judge his
comment. But, I will say that if he meant it literally, the world??s
smartest man in respect to financial wizardry is the dumbest man in
respect to God. Because whether it is thirty billion or thirty cents,
you can??t buy God, or the forgiveness of sins. Remember your catechism?
I believe that He, Jesus, has purchased and won me, not with gold or
silver, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and
death. That we may be His own and live under Him, and serve Him.?Æ If we
hear today??s Gospel texts correctly, apart from Jesus we can do
NOTHING. And, apart from us, Jesus CHOOSES to do NEXT-TO-NOTHING.
These
texts offer a powerful description of what it means to walk with God.
We are people of faith who know Jesus best. So, what in heaven??s name
are we waiting for? I hope you are ready to respond, ?¨NOTHING!!?Æ
Absolutely NOTHING!!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Emmanuel, Asheville, NC,
Pentecost 7, July 23, 2006
Disk #120
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