MK040 Sermons
God's Voice in the Thunder (Audio)
morning. Thanks for if you normally come to First Service or still coming even if you slept in a little bit this morning and good to have you here with us as we are enjoying as Johnny has said a little bit our Tim said a little bit of spring time kind of coming our direction as we start this entering this Easter season. It's a significant month for us as a church because it was 24 years ago that we began our church actually this month right around this time and for those of you that don't know the story behind that I grew up in a pastor's home my dad has been a pastor for 40 some years and you know when you ask a little kid you know do you want to do what your dad wants to do if you would ask me that when I was a kid I was said no absolutely not not going there don't want to do that you know saw the struggles and the difficulties and the challenges so that's not for me and it wasn't until my high school year when I got into my high school years where God got my attention said I have some other plans for you and I had to decide if I was open to his plans for me and and I was at that point in time and so I went away to a Bible college to study and learn about being how to study the Bible learn about being in a pastor in a church and my senior year as I was getting ready to graduate didn't know what that was going to look like but I had a professor who challenged a group of us he said instead of asking us maybe you should consider going to start a new church he said he said why wouldn't you go and start a new church to plan a church and I never thought about it that way before and it kind of got the ball rolling in my mind and began to think about that and pray about that and then as I went into graduate school the last year of my training I had to spend a year working at a church somewhere and the church that I was assigned to work out was a church over in the Morgantown area not too far from here and that church had a plan to start churches in the next decade in the decade of the 90s and so I realized God was directing my steps and God was pointing me in the way that he wanted me to go and so Christine and I moved into this area we we had surveyed a couple different areas settled in this area we moved in this area started meeting people began a small group in our home sent out fires made phone calls invited people found a location set a starting date announced that the community loaded all our supplies in the back of our Red Escort wagon and we went there anticipating wondering who was going to show up that morning and a few of you are here were there that morning in the basement of what was then the holiday in which is now the comfort in and that's where our church began and so there was great anticipation for this for this church being launched something that I had thought about wanted about dreamed about considered for almost a decade of my life it was now actually becoming a reality and this morning we're gonna talk about a story that happened in the life of Jesus in which there was great anticipation by the people of Israel they were anticipating what was gonna come and and there's something about anticipation that kind of stir something up inside of us and and maybe it's your favorite artists and you're gonna go hear them and so you buy the tickets and you get some friends to get tickets and you you all go there together and you're sitting there and you're you're in your seats and you're waiting for them to come on stage as a sense of anticipation for them to show up or maybe it's your favorite team that you're gonna go see and see them play and they're in a championship round they're in a championship series and the competition is intense and you're you've got your tickets you're there in your seats you're waiting for them to come out maybe it's not just that maybe it's something you're planning maybe it's a party it's an event and you've invited guests and you planned the menu plan the activities you've cleaned everything you've got everything prepared and you're just now waiting for them to show up or maybe it's a bigger plan maybe it's a plan to give your life and commit your life to someone else and you've asked them and they've said yes and now you're planning and now all the details have been prepared and and and you're standing there waiting at the end of the aisle or waiting to come in and walk down the aisle and the anticipation is really really through the roof and so this morning we're gonna look at a story in Jesus life where the anticipation of the people of Israel was just like that they were literally at the edge of their seats waiting to see what was going to happen next and I think it's gonna surprise you what does happen if you haven't been here with us over the last several weeks we've been in a series during the season of Lent leading up to Easter which will just be in two weeks and the season of Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter instead of just doing something different and then just Easter happening we said what if we can look at some of the events in the life of Jesus some of the people in the life of Jesus and thought about the significance of those events to prepare our hearts and to prepare our minds to celebrate what Jesus did and so we spent some time looking at individuals like John the Baptist and Nicodemus and Peter and last week we looked at a story in the life of Jesus where he attempted to remove the barriers that were keeping people from moving towards God and in that culture and in that day it was people selling animals in the marketplace and marking up the prices so certain individuals couldn't afford them it was also people exchanging money in ways that were taking advantage of people which Jesus which the law strictly forbid and Jesus said we got to move all of these things out and we saw rage come out of him then most of us have never even imagined would be true of Jesus but as those barriers were removed the purpose of that was so that people could have access directly to God if you have your Bibles if you would turn with me to John chapter 12 John chapter 12 and as you're turning there I don't know where you are at on your spiritual journey this morning you're obviously here and and maybe you've come with someone maybe you're checking out things you're kind of coming back to God or you're exploring what CCC is all about and this morning as we talk about what following Jesus is all about I think that you might be surprised what you hear if you have been following Jesus for a while and maybe you're kind of comfortable in your faith it's something that you you practice you live out you do this morning what Jesus is gonna have to say is gonna feel a bit of a like a bit of a crossroads for you so if you have your Bibles if you're there in John 12 the Bibles the guys are handing out is on page 872 or on your wireless devices before we get to chapter 12 let's talk about what was happening in chapter 11 because in chapter 11 Jesus had stirred up the city quite a bit so how did he stir things up in the city we had come into town and his friend Lazarus had been very very sick and Lazarus the sisters Mary and Martha who were friends of Jesus had contacted you Jesus said you have to come you have to come you have to come they'd known the stories likely had seen Jesus heal individuals meet people's needs even have seen him likely raise someone from the dead and so they knew their brother was in a bad condition they called Jesus and Jesus didn't come Jesus didn't come I have to imagine those two sisters were a bit beside themselves when he didn't show up because their brother died and when Jesus came in when Jesus showed up in the town a few days later they're like why didn't you come why didn't you come and Jesus knew why he didn't come he knew because God had a bigger plan but they didn't understand that in the moment and yet Jesus when faced with the reality of that not only the death of his friend Lazarus but likely the confusion of these women that he cared deeply for the scripture says John records that Jesus wept describes the deep soulful grieving there could be more to that as we're gonna see in the passage that we're gonna look out this morning but after Jesus wept he called Lazarus out of the tomb and Lazarus rose from the dead you know it amazed the people and the Bible says John records that the crowds were getting bigger and bigger and bigger that were following Jesus not only was this guy healing the sick feeding the masses but now he was raising people from the dead what was going to come next and the Jewish leaders were a little bit concerned about that and so in attempt to calm the crowds down they sent protesters in there to create havoc no that happened in the news last week no really what happened was they said we've got to do something to stop this guy see I knew I was going to wake you up sometimes just give it a minute it'll pass there we go they just couldn't time it right in the story you'll understand that a little bit later as well so they had a solution they said let's kill him let's kill him we got to kill Jesus and so they started making plans to take his life you say why was this so important why was what was happening with Jesus stirring up so much trouble for the people of for the Jewish people what says in the end of chapter 11 that the Jewish leaders were afraid that the Romans were gonna come and they were going to take away their temple their place of worship and likely wipe out the nation of Israel because the Romans would let you live with your own gods and worship whoever as long as you didn't create trouble and if trouble was stirred up they would squelch that trouble and they would do it fiercely and intentionally and so the Jewish leaders the religious leaders their job was to keep everyone under control that was their job and because of the people the crowds that were following Jesus they said we've got to do something about this well Jesus heard about this and and he kind of goes undercover he kind of goes behind the radar and and he stays out of sight till it's just time before the Passover and as he comes into the city which is we're coming jumping ahead in the story we're gonna look at that next week as he comes into the city look at what it says in there in chapter 12 verse 19 the Pharisees said to one another this is getting us nowhere look how the whole world has gone after him said literally the whole world is going after Jesus everybody is following after Jesus it's very significant that John would write this because John's gospel was written to communicate the message of Jesus to the world remember what John 3 16 says for God so loved who the world and the end of the gospel of John it says these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God not just to the Jewish people not just the religious people but to the whole world was the message of John's gospel he wanted to convince people who Jesus was and so as this is even is taking place John records a story and he's the only one of the writers that records this but he records this story in John chapter 12 beginning of verse 20 it says this now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival this is a little bit unusual because this was a Jewish holiday and so the Jews celebrated Passover that's why they were there in Jerusalem but if you are Greek it wasn't really your holiday wasn't really your festival but some of the Greeks chose to worship God and some of the Greeks were God fearing people and so they came and joined in this festival and when they came there they came up to Philip in verse 21 who is from Bethsaid in Galilee with a request they said we would like to see Jesus they might wonder why did they contact Philip well Philip was also from the northern part of the land of Israel in the land in the area of Galilee and so whether they heard it in his dialect whether they saw it in his demeanor heard his language that he was a little more comfortable with the Greek language them the land of Galilee was the most hellenized area of the land of Israel at that time they came to him and they said can you get us a hearing with these with this guy can you get us a backstage pass we want to talk to Jesus Philip goes to Andrew and they said let's go talk to Jesus and see what we can find out so they came and ran into Jesus and as they ran into Jesus they heard something that they weren't really quite expecting what we're probably thrilled to hear because they heard this they heard the hour has come they literally heard it's time it's time it's time you know if you've ever been a mom who's carrying a child and it's getting close to delivery and and you have your bags packed and you're ready to go and you know when it's time and if your husband said well you know I've got a couple things I need to get done let me get these few things done no no no no it's time there's no more delays we have to go now it's time right now and that's what Jesus was saying that all that doesn't seem very significant but what was the significance of that to the Jewish people his disciples who are hearing this I mean think about it for a moment via the Jewish people had been waiting hundreds of years for the Messiah they had been sharing this story about the Messiah that was going to come for generation after generation after generation after generation after generation and they knew what to look for when the Messiah would come they knew that he would heal the sick they knew that he would feed the masses they knew that he would give life to the dead and so as the Jewish people started watching this taking place they knew what the next thing that was going to happen and the next thing that was going to happen is this Messiah would stand up as the deliver and rescue them from who Rome and that's what they were looking forward to you remember what Jesus was talking about all through the early part of his ministry he kept talking about what a kingdom the kingdom of heaven the kingdom of God and the kingdom needs what he's a king and so maybe this Messiah maybe this deliver that they had been waiting for maybe it was now time and so when he says the hour has come for what the son of man to be glorified for him to be lifted up exalted celebrate honored he's starting to get a sense of what's going on in their minds they are excited they're like I can't believe it's actually in our life we're gonna can you believe this is really gonna happen that's what they thought was gonna take place that's what they were anticipating that's what they were wondering and the question was how the question was how would it be a revolt would it be a rebellion would it be a revolution would it be riots who knows but the question was how is this all going to take place and Jesus as they are thinking as they are likely thinking how is this going to happen he takes them down a path that they did not expect at all because they thought rebel rebellion is gonna lead to him being glorified or a riot or something else is gonna lead to him being glorified but they did not expect for him to say that suffering was going to lead to him being glorified they did not expect that suffering was going to lead for him to be glorified and so Jesus starts to talk about seeds now for many of us who are who are in Lancaster County is starting to be that time right isn't it I mean how many of you are just enjoying the smell manure on the fields you know let me see okay we got some people hands bad bold man they got their hands way up in the air you know you guys are crazy but I can't smell but I can see it so I know it's out there you know I know it's out there and it's morning us that it's time right it's time it's time for what just to put manure on the field internal over no it's time for what what's the next thing that's gonna happen they're gonna do what they're gonna put a seed in the ground that is the next thing that's going to happen and Jesus talks about that look what he says in verse 24 very truly I tell you unless a kernel wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains only a single seed but if it dies it produces many many seeds what good does that seed do if it's sitting on the counter does it do any good no it doesn't do any good what good does that see do if it's sitting in the package in your closet is it doing a good doesn't do any good what has to happen with that seed you have to happen with that seed and go ahead and roll that little you have that what has to happen with that see is you have to put that seed in the ground and what happens when you put that seed in the ground the bottom part of that seed begins to break open in a root goes down into the ground and after that root goes down to the ground after a couple days what happens next what happens next is a stem or a stalk starts to grow up from the top part of that seed and it starts to push its way through the ground and once it breaks the ground and gets exposed to sunlight it begins to transform the sunlight and begins to grow in a grow in an exponential way and very very soon what happens to the seed the seed is what the seed is gone it's gone the seed has fallen in the ground and died and what Jesus says is he says unless a seed falls into the ground and dies it can't produce anything else what was Jesus talking about what was he talking about he was clearly talking about what was going to happen to him that his life was going to be given up and when he would give up his life then many many many would live and as he starts to talk about this I can't believe I have to believe that the followers of Jesus his disciples those standing around were like seeds in the ground dying yeah we kind of know that's what happens to him but what in the world does that have to do with anything it goes on to say in verse 25 anyone who loves their life will lose it well anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life that's a bit confusing let me read that again it says anyone who loves their life will lose it while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it so John I don't really understand is that is that saying that if I I love my family and I love my job and I love my church I love my life that that's a bad thing because I think if someone said I hate my family and I hate my job and I hate my my church and I hate my friends and I hate my life we probably put them on suicide watch wouldn't we yeah we probably would we probably would so what is the point that Jesus is talking about what does he mean if I love my life I'm gonna lose it but if I hate my life life eternal well Jesus talks about this over and over again and we're gonna look at this a little bit more in depth in a few weeks after Easter but one of the things you hear us talk about all the time here at CCC is our purpose to is and is to invite people to love God fully when I think about loving God fully what encompasses that what does that look like what does that mean there's two things that come to my mind the first is that it means that I'm willing to put Jesus at the center of everything in my life my family my job my future my kids my home my possessions my dreams my wishes Jesus is at the center of all of those things and the second thing is that I am willing to do God's will above everything else the will of God matters to me more than anything else it matters to me more than my comfort it matters to me more than being in control it matters to me more than what other people think of me we talk about that with our men's group all the time that the traps men fall into those traps men fall into our grow out of three things a need for control a need for comfort and a need for significance and saying I'm gonna set those things aside because I want God's will for my life more than anything else and I think what Jesus was saying in this passage is he's saying to us he's saying to those that we're listening he's saying is there anything else in your life that matters more than my will for you he goes on in verse 26 he says whoever serves me must follow me and where I am my servant also will be my father will honor the one who serves me we talk about following Jesus here at CCC and we invite people to do that and we challenge you to do that we invite you to serve Jesus and Jesus says the way that you do that is you have to die you have to die say John that's not a very inviting message and I would absolutely agree with you it's really not it's really not because there's a lot of things in my life that I care about there's a lot of things that are important there's a lot of things that matter and I'm not sure I'm willing to give up all of those things but Jesus instead of saying that the way to glory the way to be glorified is through a revolution or riotous is to take charge and to control it and to run the Romans out of town the way to that is to suffer and in his case to give up his life and died and as I think about my life I wonder am I willing to do that am I willing to do that are you willing to do that ask yourself this question can I die to making enough money to retire in comfort can I die to having a good job that life is easy can I die to my spouse wanting to work on our marriage can I die to finding a spouse can I die to making people happy in my life can I die to easing the pain and minimizing the struggle that my kids and people in my world go through can I die to controlling my world can I die to retiring and life being easy can I die to finding a great job and just making a ton of money so John are you saying that those are all bad things I'm not suggesting that those are the question is how much do you love them and how much does your life center around that thing and Jesus says the only way to be glorified is for you to be willing to die to those things you know as I think about some of the things that God has called me to die to never been easy never been easy I've had a die to trying to have relationships with people even family members that I think want to have relationships with me but they really don't I have to let them go I have to die to trying to make people change people that want to talk to me and they tell me what's going on in their lives and it seems obvious to me what they should do but I have to die to trying to make that happen as I think about our church I've had lots of dreams about what God might do in our church and through our church and and over time over 20 some years of of praying about that and thinking that was a good idea and that might be what God wanted and then over time it's not where He takes us and having to release that and let that go and say God I'm gonna let that one go because that's not really what you seem to want in this situation please don't hear me at all suggesting that this is an easy process it is an agonizing gut-wrenching process you know it's encouraging to me what's encouraging to me as Jesus admitted it was like in the next verse he says my soul is troubled and what shall I say father save me from this hour he says my soul is troubled most mornings in our house downstairs you hear this you may know what this is shaker cup and my son's always mixing pre-workout you know mixes and post-workout mixes or I'm mixing something and somebody's mixing something and shaking something up all the time and and that word trouble there is this on the inside that's what it is what it is he was just torn up on the inside because of what he knew what's coming and what does he say he said father save me from this hell I mean what father if their child cries out to them and said can you save me dad doesn't move everything they can to make that happen but it wasn't part of God's plan and Jesus knew that he knew what was coming he knew what was on the horizon for him he knew that he was going to be betrayed by Judas he knew that he was going to be abandoned by his disciples he knew that he was going to be denied by Peter he knew that he was going to be falsely accused numerous and numerous times he knew that the religious leaders were going to try we're going to choose him over another criminal he knew he's going to be beaten within an inch of his life he knew that he was going to carry a cross up that hill he knew that he was going to have nails pounding his hands and feet he knew he was going to hang on that cross and be abandoned and have his back turned by his father no wonder he said God save me it's too hard can't do this and then he says no it's for this very recent that I'm here for this very reason Jesus knew that God had this plan and it wasn't the plan that the Jewish people had for him to become the deliverer you know the Jews knew that they knew what a deliverer was like didn't they they knew what it was like to be slaves in Egypt and God sent Moses the what the deliverer and what did Moses do he delivered them out of Egypt and that's what they expected another deliverer was going to come and and the psalmist would say your kingdom will reign forever and he was going to set up shop and take over the world and it was never going to end that's what they were expecting but that wasn't the plan that God had for them that wasn't the plan that God had for Jesus but he knew that God had prepared him for this moment for this hour right now and when God calls you to die to something in your life when God says this is something that you are holding on to and I need to take your hands off of it and I need you to release it God is doing that for a reason and God is doing that for a purpose and he's preparing you for something that he has for you and the only way you can enter into his plan for your life is to say I'm willing to die to that God as much as my heart is breaking right now as much as I long for it more than what seems like life itself I have to let it go I have to let it go says for this reason I came to this hour Father glorify your name Jesus knew this was more about his comfort Jesus knew this wasn't about just avoiding the pain Jesus knew this was about his father getting the glory and at that moment it says in John's story it says that there was thunder and a voice came from heaven that says I have glorified it referring to the father's name and I will glorify it again and the crowds were like what was that what was that what was that noise what was it and Jesus said that was for you in verse 30 because now is the time for judgment on this world now the prince of this world will be driven out you see what we're going to celebrate in just a couple weeks is the the death and resurrection of Jesus and the death and resurrection of Jesus was a battle that was waged between God and between Satan because when sin was allowed into this world what was the consequence that every man woman and child will face in this earth because of sin one thing death one consequence death because of sin and because of evil and what the cross did is when Jesus hung on that cross he defeated evil he defeated sin and when he rose from the dead he defeated death and that's what we're going to celebrate and Jesus know that the only way to get to this plan the only way to accomplish the will of the father the only way to get there was not through rebellion not through a riot not through overthrowing the Roman government the only way to get there was for him to be willing to die but in his death there would be life there would be victory over sin that the grave would be defeated and there would be life and he closes this by saying at the end of this section he says and I when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself Jesus is starting to give his followers a glimpse beyond their little community called the Jewish people the people of Israel he was giving them a little glimpse that God was going to do something bigger God was going to move outside of this little community at the day of Pentecost and then as thousands of people came to Christ and eventually they were spread out it was going to spread all over the known world and John writes that one day one day every tongue every tribe every nation will turn to Jesus you know as I think about what God's done in the life of our church over 24 years it's been a pretty remarkable journey I never imagined when we started that we would end up being in this little building down in five point bill but God steered us that direction and then when that building got full and we were starting to see people come to Christ I didn't know what God was going to do I had no idea and God steered our path this Menonate school that we spent 18 and a half years in and then we thought we had a plan we were going to move across the street we bought a farm we paid the farm off we we cleaned up the land we had a plan we thought that's where God was going to take us and God said no by God going to move you up here the community of Reinholds and as I've watched God steer us as I've watched God guide us as I watch this plan for CCC unfold over the years I'm just continually amazed at what God is up to I think I'm far less these days trying to plan what God should do and I'm much more willing to wait and watch what God is doing and for those of you to know me that's a hardship for me to let go of because I love to plan but as I've watched God navigate this process I've watched him do something that I could never have mapped it out if I could never have mapped that out but as I think about each step along the way and various things that God did in the life of our church there were things that had to happen in me there were things that had to happen in us as a church there was change there was letting go of things there was dying to some things we talked about recently in a gathering of our members that we have to let go of knowing everybody's name who attends our church because we just can't keep track of everybody that God's bringing here but we made a decision we said we're not going to stop here we're not going to say it's important that we know everybody's aiming and if we're going to do that then nobody else can come in we said no that's not what God has for us and so God's put us here and as God moved us here we wondered what would happen and the month or two before we moved into this location I found myself kind of wrestling with God a little bit because I was like God I finally got to the place where I'm okay with where we are and I'm okay with with who we are as a church and the number of people here and and I think I'm okay with that and God says well I got other things for you it's like God I'm not really ready for this tell me a long time to get here because I kept wanting that and then and now God said no I want you to be continued or now I'm continuing he's like now I have something else for you and so I stand here with you today having watched what we've experienced here in our church the last eight months in our church grew 20 percent the end of last year and 20 more percent since the beginning of this year and we're trying to figure out where to park all of your cars if anybody can build a free floating garage please let us know that can hover over top of our existing parking area but I just have this sense and our leadership has this sense that that God has more for us to do here in this community and maybe beyond but as I think about that and there's a part of me that gets excited there's a part of me that is anticipating that and looking for it but there's a part of me that knows the reality that something in me will likely have to die and I'm not sure I want more of this and something in you no matter where you are on your journey if God wants you to take a next step forward and what following him looks like it's probably going to mean some of this say John I'm not up for that not up for that but for some reason that's what God's called us to be about and maybe you aren't right now but maybe in time you will be not that any of us look forward to it none of us do but we're willing to walk down that road we're willing to take the step that God has for us and you might be here listening to this and you might say I don't really understand this that seems crazy why don't you just take the easy route and avoid all that it's possible we live in America we can avoid pain and heartache and struggle and suffering can we we can to some degree why would we choose that route why would I choose this path why would we go that direction in my life in the years that I've had I haven't found anything better and I'm choosing to rest and I'm choosing to trust that there is a god in heaven who loves me so much he was willing to sacrifice his one and his only son from my deliverance and from my eternity and from my destiny and if he was willing to give up that for me I'm willing to follow the direction that he has for my life wherever that takes me and if you're not sure you want to go down that road I get it I get it but I can tell you that here at CCC what God is calling us to is a group of people that are trying to figure out how do I love God more than anything else in my life but how do I do the will of God regardless of where that takes me because I want God to be glorified I want him to be honored and celebrated more than anything else in my life would you value your heads with me as we close this morning as we close in prayer this morning maybe for you there's something God's calling you into and something you've been holding on to that's making your life easy making your life comfortable and you say god I'm not willing to let this one go and his spirit is tugging at your heart saying it's time it's time for you to let that one go maybe you're saying but god you you know how hard my life has been it's just been a living hell I barely made it here this morning and you're asking me to die to more of myself there isn't anything left and I hope this morning you know that you have a loving father who has unbelievable plans for your heart today and as we think about that what the future is that god might have for us to share this amazing message and hope about Jesus with this community it's not going to be through programs it's not going to be through great events it's going to be through men and women and students who say loving god and doing the will of my father is the most important thing in my life no matter where it takes me because just like that seed I'm willing to die to myself so that god will multiply many things through me god you know the heart of each person here this morning you know those that are hearing this this morning thinking what crazy person would choose that way of life you know the heart of those that are wrestling deeply with you god over things that they're struggling to let go of and die to themselves god you know the plans that you have for us as a church as a faith community to make a difference where we live god we look forward to celebrating over these next two weeks and remembering your entrance Lord Jesus into the city of Jerusalem and all the things that happen the agony of your death and the glory of your resurrection father prepare us for that by being willing to die to ourselves in your name amen as the band comes forward to lead us in this last song one of the things that I'm thinking about in preparation for Easter is so why did Jesus have to die and what's the significance of his resurrection and as we sing this song I hope that it will become clear to you as to why those things happen when we give our lives to him let's all stand and see this together crisis risen