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"The Gigantic Leap That Few Noticed” Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – January 11, 2015 Centenary United Psalm 29; Mark 1:4-11 This morning we will be discussing the popularity and
significance of John the Baptist's preaching.
What attracted people to walk from their homes into a wilderness
that lies between the center of Judea and the John's entire life was lived in protest about what was happening
to people as they grew more comfortable with their contemporary
lifestyles. They were gradually
moving away from many of the practices and traditions that were once
held sacred. John had a
difficult time with change. John was no city dweller.
He dressed like the poorest of the poor, wearing a woven garment
made from braided camel hair -- identical to what was once worn by the
prophet, Elijah. John lived
on locusts and wild honey.
More than likely his diet was
beans from the carob tree
and the sap from certain trees in the wilderness. John had an aura about him that communicated power and authority. A famous violist once remarked that as soon as Toscanini mounted the rostrum to direct the orchestra, the authority of this great man's energy flow covered all of the musicians. This was the impact that John's humble nature and his fiery message had on listeners from every level of society. Perhaps what drew people in droves into this wilderness was
John's references to the one who was coming after him. He said, "I
baptize you with water, but the one who will come after me will baptize
you with God's spirit." That
statement alone ignited the imaginations of his listeners about the
promised Messiah.
Perhaps we might pause here to visualize an imaginary day when Jesus was working in his carpenter's shop when a friend came to visit. During their conversation the friend asked, "Have you been down to the river to listen to your cousin's preaching?" Jesus said, "No, I haven't. Things have been fairly busy here. Maybe I'll get down there soon." "Well," his friend said, "you don't want to miss what he's saying. He's drawing big crowds of all kinds of people. Some have even suggested that he might be the Messiah." Jesus said, "John! . . . the Messiah? Jesus became curious.
When business had slowed, he took time one afternoon and made his
way to the river. As he
listened to John's message, he became particularly interested when he
heard about the one who is to come.
Something stirred in Jesus and he decided to enter the Mark's Gospel describes what happened next.
When Jesus came up out of the water, Jesus experienced
words appearing in his mind, "You are my own dear son.
I am very pleased with you." (Mark
1:11) The gathered crowd experienced nothing unusual. Apparently, what Jesus experienced caught him totally by surprise
because he left the river dazed and bewildered.
He had to leave his familiar surroundings to consider what had
just happened. This was one
of those moments of special
revelation that we discussed last Sunday. Jesus did not return to his carpenter's shop.
Instead, he wandered in the wilderness trying to make sense of
his experience. If Jesus
knew anything about his miraculous birth or of certain statements made
to his mother by a spirit-being, none of that helped him to
connect the dots.
Plus, he was mystified by John's words, "the one who will
come after me will baptize you with God's spirit."
During his wilderness experience, Jesus experienced temptations.
All of them had to do with self-interest and desires that would
have been more attractive to someone that wanted to find fulfillment and
power in the material world.
That was never Jesus' intent. Suddenly, Jesus' moment of awakening came—a
moment when everything focused.
His mission was not to improve
the external world. His
mission was to teach people about their internal world.
In addition, Jesus learned that
God was not somewhere in the external world, like on This new understanding was one of those aha moments that would change the world. His discovery would transform the lives of countless people, shape governments, produce new industries and improve the quality of life for the world's people. This was a quantum leap that very few people noticed when it happened. This idea represented a major shift in human consciousness, and it would take centuries before Jesus' insights would become commonplace in the minds of people everywhere. The challenge for Jesus was how to teach an idea that was opposite from what his people had been taught for centuries. God was not out there; God was in here. While John's preaching had been important for Jesus, Jesus came away with a far different idea about the potential of people to respond creatively to their life-experiences. John was critical of what was going on in contemporary society.
Jesus wanted to teach people how
to live in their society without reflecting its values. John was still
seeking to change the external world. Jesus
was seeking to change the way people understood their world.
John was angry until he died.
Jesus was loving even while he was dying. When we think about the preaching of John the Baptist and his
primitive lifestyle, he might represent a sharp contrast to the
lifestyle and message of Joel Osteen.
Joel's Lots of Christians have mixed feelings about Joel's approach as a
pastor and to his message of wealth and prosperity.
His family lives in a 17,000 square foot mansion in River Oaks, This understanding may appear shocking because it sounds as
though Osteen's prosperity
message is causing people to look to the material world for symbols
of their success. However,
Osteen is practicing what he preaches.
His sermons are well-illustrated and yet his message is the same
Sunday after Sunday. Osteen preaches that God intends for everyone to be successful,
fulfilled and happy. (Matthew 7:11) He
preaches that people have to begin by harvesting what is within
themselves. People have to
take risks and use what they find, trusting that it will lead them to
the promised land.
When they do, doors open, and
they find everything they have always wanted to make this world a better
place to live. Joel Osteen is living evidence of his message.
He does not take a salary from his church.
Most of his 50 million net worth has come from his best selling
books. Joel unlocked his
inner world where his ideas and self-confidence were waiting for him to
turn them loose. He took
enormous risks of faith and never looked back.
Yes, there were and are material rewards for Osteen, but they
came as a result of his being faithful to what he enjoyed doing.
They were never his goal.
Jesus said that God's spirit is within us.
All we have to do is access it in whatever profession we have
chosen, and our creative energies will take off.
Whether we are a gardener, a surgeon, a flower shop operator, a
waitress at a restaurant -- when we are doing what we love, our world
becomes magical.
Having a job does not make us happy.
Performing any task to
the absolute best of our ability with a spirit that wants to serve--this
is what creates our happiness and sense of fulfillment.
Think of all the people who were transformed because they had
been taught by Jesus to let their transformed spirits show up in what
they do. Jesus never told Zacchaeus to stop being a tax collector.
He taught him how to be a better
tax collector. Jesus never
judged Peter for cutting off someone's ear, or denying three times that
he knew Jesus or going home after finding Jesus' tomb was empty.
He said, "Peter, give away to others what you have found."
(John 21:17) Jesus' insights were revolutionary!
The religious authorities who heard them recognized that he was
committing blasphemy. It
was very dangerous for anyone to suggest that God was inside of people.
Today, Jesus' discovery has opened the flood gates to anyone who
has an idea of how to better serve humanity.
People have created entire industries by doing what they loved
doing. Think of the people like Walt Disney, Milton Hershey, or my
Grandmother's first cousin, Earl Wise.
My Dad used to make potato chips with Uncle Earl, the very first
ones sold from what eventually became the Wise Potato Chip Company.
Earl was passionate about what he was doing.
There is no
stopping the acceleration of Jesus' discovery that everything we need to
thrive is inside of us where God dwells.
This understanding was an idea whose time had come.
Today, Jesus' orientation to life is in full-bloom.
If more people would start creating from what they find inside
themselves, they would find all
the treasures -- both spiritually and materially -- that they could
possibly want.
Success has to do with where we
look and the attitudes and faith that we develop because of what we
find. |