Arm Chair Sermons by Thomas E Williams

MUSINGS - January 31, 2019

Q&A

Matthew 8:28-34
When he arrived in the territory of the Gadarenes on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, two men met him. They were possessed by demons and had come out of the tombs. No one could travel along that road because the men were so dangerous. They shouted, "Why are you bothering us now, Son of God? Did you come here to torture us before it is time?" A large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance. The demons begged Jesus, "If you're going to force us out, send us into that herd of pigs." Jesus said to them, "Go!" The demons came out and went into the pigs. Suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the cliff into the sea and died in the water. Those who took care of the pigs ran into the city. There they reported everything, especially about the men possessed by demons. Everyone from the city went to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their territory.

Several questions cone to mind in this reading.

Are these men Jews living on the east side of the lake?

If they were Jews, why were their herds of pigs that were forbidden for Jews to eat, being "unclean" animals?

Why were the people so upset by Jesus?

I have come up some possible answers to those questions.

The question is significant because, with very few exceptions, Jesus's ministry was to the Jews only. It wasn't until just prior to his ascension that Jesus commanded his disciples to go into all the world. We know from the 32nd chapter of Numbers that the tribes of Reuben and Gad asked for and received lands on the east side of the Jordon. In the centuries since then its reasonable that many Jews lived in the area. However, it was mostly inhabited by non Jews. So these men may or may not have been Jews.

Even if these men were Jews that doesn't mean that there weren't non Jews there who raised hogs. It is still possible that people who were Jewish by birth were not practicing the Jewish laws and had adapted to the culture in which they lived. This is certainly a problem faced but both Jews and Christians today. It it's difficult to be a "people set aside by God" when living in a culture who do not share the same values and have open disdain and contempt for our beliefs.

The third question why did they beg him to leave their territory? I would have thought that freeing these dangerous men from their demons would have been welcomed. After all no one could travel along that road because the men were so dangerous. And now they were no longer a threat. That's a good thing, right? Ah, I think the answer goes back to the large herd of pigs. After the demons entered them, the pigs ran off a cliff and drowned. That would have been a large financial loss for the owners. These people would rather have these men tormented than loose their livelyhoods. I can not cast judgement on them for their self interest. I too have been in positions where I could have been a help to a person in need, but the cost to me outweghed my desire to assist. Lord, forgive me and make me a better Christian.

I hope thesequestions and answers have given you seeds for thoughts.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2019

WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?

MUSINGS - January 27, 2019

WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?

Matthew 8:23-27
Jesus' disciples went with him as he left in a boat. Suddenly, a severe storm came across the sea. The waves were covering the boat. Yet, Jesus was sleeping. So they woke him up, saying, "Lord! Save us! We're going to die!" Jesus said to them, "Why do you cowards have so little faith?" Then he got up, gave an order to the wind and the sea, and the sea became very calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"

That it's the question that people have asked about Jesus for several thousand years. "What kind of man is this?" There are various ways to learn that answer. One way it's by studying the scriptures seeking understanding. Read these selected verses.

John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made.

Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Genesis 1:6-8
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Genesis 1:9-10
God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so. God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh, and lived amongst us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Do you understand that Jesus has existed from the beginning? Do you understand that the same Jesus who, from the boat, commanded the sea and the sky to become calm, was the one who created the sky and the sea?

As I said, the scriptures are one way to understand the true nature of the man called Jesus. There are other ways. Perhaps it takes being knocked to the ground to understand. Acts 9:3-5
As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?" Saul asked, "Who are you, sir?" The person replied, "I'm Jesus, the one you're persecuting.

Sometimes the truth about Jesus is a quiet revelation from God. Matthew 16:13-17
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They answered, "Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!" Jesus replied, "Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! No human revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven revealed it to you.

Some people come to an understanding by observation of nature. Acts 17:26-28
From one man he has made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth. He has given them the seasons of the year and the boundaries within which to live. He has done this so that they would look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. In fact, he is never far from any one of us. Certainly, we live, move, and exist because of him. As some of your poets have said, 'We are God's children.'

Some come to a revelation about Jesus's true nature by understanding events. Mark 15:37-39 Then Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. The curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. When the officer who stood facing Jesus saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, "Certainly, this man was the Son of God!"

What it's your answer to the question, "What kind of man is this?"

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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

DID THEY? WILL YOU?

MUSINGS - January 27, 2019

DID THEY? WILL YOU?

Matthew 8:18-22
Now, when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he ordered his disciples to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. A scribe came to him and said, "Teacher, I'll follow you wherever you go." Jesus told him, "Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep." Another disciple said to him, "Sir, first let me go to bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

We read so much about the 12 disciples following Jesus that we may forget that they were but the inner circle of his many followers. The gospels record that great crowds followed Jesus. And we know from Luke 10 that at least 70 were called disciples.

Amongst all of those crowds, we have this narrative where two come and pledge to follow Jesus. Jesus warned one of some of the cost of following him, "the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep". To the other he demonstrated that, to be Jesus's follower, he must be the most important thing in their life, "let the dead bury their own dead."

The rest of the story is left unrecorded. Did they continue to follow Jesus? Or did they turn away because they could not accept him as the master of their life?

Today many claim Jesus as their savior. That's the easy part because that is his gift to them (us). But I often wonder, how many have accepted Jesus as Lord? How many accept that he is more important than their family, friends, jobs, possessions, comfort, and life? The only thing he requires of us is "everything". That is what it means to give our life to Christ. That is what it means to call him Lord. Is he your Lord and Savior?

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Monday, January 28, 2019

PROOF

MUSINGS - January 27, 2019

PROOF

Matthew 8:14-17
When Jesus went to Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law in bed with a fever. Jesus touched her hand, and the fever went away. So she got up and prepared a meal for him. In the evening the people brought him many who were possessed by demons. He forced the evil spirits out of people with a command and cured everyone who was sick. So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true: "He took away our weaknesses and removed our diseases."

In Matthew's narrative it appears that recording all the miraculous things that Jesus did was less important to him than the fact that Jesus did them. Here he could have written chapter after chapter by listing each and every healing and exorcism. Instead Matthew lumped them all together with the simple words, "many"and"everyone".

Matthew's purpose for writing this gospel was not to give a history lesson. Nor was goal to write a biography of Jesus. His gospel showed how the life and acts of power performed by Jesus fulfilled old testament prophecy, proving that Jesus was the messiah.

What proofs do you have or need to prove to you that Jesus came to bring you into the kingdom of God?

Sunday, January 27, 2019

SO GREAT A FAITH

MUSINGS - January 27, 2019

SO GREAT A FAITH

Matthew 8:5-13
When Jesus went to Capernaum, a Roman army officer came to beg him for help. The officer said, "Sir, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain." Jesus said to him, "I'll come to heal him." The officer responded, "Sir, I don't deserve to have you come into my house. But just give a command, and my servant will be healed. As you know, I'm in a chain of command and have soldiers at my command. I tell one of them, 'Go!' and he goes, and another, 'Come!' and he comes. I tell my servant, 'Do this!' and he does it." Jesus was amazed when he heard this. He said to those who were following him, "I can guarantee this truth: I haven't found faith as great as this in anyone in Israel. I can guarantee that many will come from all over the world. They will eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. The citizens of that kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there. Jesus told the officer, "Go! What you believed will be done for you." And at that moment the servant was healed.

Back in Matthew 5:43 Jesus preached, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this scripture Jesus does just that.

And here he practiced what he preached. Israel was a conquered nation. They were under the thumb of Rome and the Roman army enforced that. Yet here came a Roman soldier to Jesus.

He came begging not demanding. He was humble. And he came not for himself not a family member but for his servant. He was a man of compassion. He went not to a Roman doctor but to a Jewish healer. He was a believer in Jesus's power and ability. So strong was his belief that rather than have Jesus go to his home,he said, "But just give a command, and my servant will be healed." It is no wonder that Jesus praised his faith.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

YOU CAN, IF YOU ARE WILLING

MUSINGS - January 26, 2019

YOU CAN, IF YOU ARE WILLING

Matthew 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. A man with a serious skin disease came and bowed down in front of him. The man said to Jesus, "Sir, if you're willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out, touched him, and said, "I'm willing. So be clean!" Immediately, his skin disease went away, and he was clean. Jesus said to him, "Don't tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean."

Matthew records that Jesus, having completed his teaching, came down from the mountain and began a series of healings. The first one was a man with a serious skin disease, leprosy.

It was considered that leprosy was punishment from God for the person's sin. Because it was a mark of sin, the leper was not to go to a physician for diagnoses and treatment. He was to present himself to be examined by the priest. The priest could offer no healing if the skin disease was found to be leprosy. Only God could forgive the sin and remove the disease.

A leper, buy the law of Moses (Leviticus 13) must isolate himself away from everyone except other lepers. He could no longer live with his family. That also meant that he was not allowed in the city. If another person approached him, the leper was required to announce his disease by loudly saying, "Unclean!"

This is the life that this man had been living before coming to Jesus. He came believing that Jesus could heal him. Listen to his words. "Sir, if you're willing, you can make m, e clean." He doesn't say, "If you can." He only said, "if you're willing." Understand that by saying what he said, the man was recognizing that Jesus was God. Jesus immediately declared, "I'm willing. So be clean!" Jesus then sent him to the priest to fulfill the law*.

When we come before the Lord with our petitions, we must come believing that he can. We must also understand that it must be within the will of God, "Not my will but Thine."

*Leviticus 14:1-22 The LORD spoke to Moses, "These are the instructions for making a person clean after a skin disease. He must be taken to the priest. The priest will go outside the camp and examine him. If the person is healed, the priest will order someone to get two living, clean birds, some cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig to use for the cleansing. Then the priest will order someone to kill one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water. The priest will take the living bird, the cedar wood, the red yarn, and the hyssop sprig and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. He will sprinkle the blood seven times on the one to be cleansed and will declare that person clean. Then he will let the living bird fly away into the open country. "The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash. Then he will be clean. After that he may go into the camp. However, for seven days he will live outside his tent. On the seventh day he must shave off all the hair on his head, his beard, and his eyebrows, and he must wash his clothes and body. Then he will be clean. "On the eighth day he must take two male lambs that have no defects and a one-year-old female lamb that has no defects. He must also take eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering along with a quart of olive oil. The priest who will declare him clean must bring the person and his offerings into the LORD's presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The priest will take one of the male lambs and the quart of olive oil and present them to the LORD as a guilt offering. He will slaughter the lamb in the holy place where he slaughters the offering for sin and the burnt offering. He will do this because the guilt offering, like the offering for sin, belongs to the priest. It is very holy. Then the priest will take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. The priest will also take some of the olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. He will dip his right finger in the oil in his left hand, and with his finger sprinkle some of the oil seven times in the LORD's presence. The priest will put some of the oil that is still in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering. The priest will put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed. So he will make peace with the LORD for that person in the LORD's presence. The priest will also sacrifice the offering for sin to make peace with the LORD for the one who is being cleansed from his impurity. After that, he will slaughter the burnt offering. The priest will sacrifice the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest will make peace with the LORD for that person, and the person who had the skin disease will be clean. "But if the one to be cleansed is poor and cannot afford that much, he must take one male lamb, present it to make peace with the LORD for himself, and use it for his guilt offering. He will take only eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, a quart of olive oil, and two mourning doves or two pigeons (whatever he can afford). The one will be an offering for sin and the other a burnt offering.

Friday, January 25, 2019

DON'T BE FOOLISH

MUSINGS - January 25, 2019

DON'T BE FOOLISH

Matthew 7:24-29
"Therefore, everyone who hears what I say and obeys it will be like a wise person who built a house on rock. Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not collapse, because its foundation was on rock. "Everyone who hears what I say but doesn't obey it will be like a foolish person who built a house on sand. Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and struck that house. It collapsed, and the result was a total disaster." When Jesus finished this speech, the crowds were amazed at his teachings. Unlike their scribes, he taught them with authority.

One year ago in January 2018 100 homes were destroyed and at least 17 people died when deadly walls of mud and debris roared down California hillsides.

Over the years I remember seeing many news reports of homes, that had been built on the edges of cliffs, destroyed when the earth gave way after heavy rains. And yet people continue to build in precarious places.

People are foolish. They are foolish in this natural world and they are foolish in the spiritual world. A life built on anything but the Word of God is foolishness that leads to destruction that never ends.