1) Jesus gives life to the dead
    After the invalid man identified Jesus as his healer, the Jews persecuted him, because he healed someone on the Sabbath. Jesus gave them a very deep explanation for his actions, in John 4:17. He said, "My Father is always at his work, to this very day, and I too am working." Jesus is the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. In his saying he teaches the truth about God, that he is working always for the best blessing of mankind. God gave a Sabbath law through Moses so the Israelites would have a day of rest and meditation with God. Obeying that law should bring people close to God but in their zeal to become righteous by their works, the Jews became critical and self-righteous accusers who did not know God any longer. They could not see God working to save life in Jesus. So Jesus tried to re-introduce them to God as his Father so they may follow him and live and God's children. Sadly, they could not understand his message and they considered Jesus a blasphemer because "he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." The Jews tried all the harder to kill him as a blasphemer. Wow, sinful man gets very angry when God reminds them of the truth. They accused Jesus of breaking their law, but they were breaking the law too in their desire to kill the son of God.

    Let's read verse 19. "Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." In the perfect world, the son does what his father does, and they are good coworkers till the end of many generations. So I asked my son what do I do that you would like to do? Do you want to find junk metal and take it apart to the junkyard? He said, “No.” What was Jesus doing, that his father was also doing at that moment? We should learn from him to do what our heavenly Father does. For one thing, I noticed that God and Jesus were patiently enduring the sinful people who wanted to kill Jesus. God did not hurl lightning at them to kill them when their hearts were hard and spiteful toward Jesus. Jesus endured their hard stares and tried to instruct them about eternal life. In this example I see that God’s on-going work is loving his enemies and teaching all people the way to live forever. Jesus told us to do the same things. Love our enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless the ones who cannot repay, and other such things. We can give good things to our children, and we can teach those who respect and honor us, but who spend such time and effort to help their enemies have eternal life? Only God can do so for his enemies. Let’s pray to imitate our Father in heaven, sharing the words of eternal life with those who do not know God. Let’s pray for our children to co-work together for the same things.

    Recognizing God in Jesus is a blessing. Many respected Jesus as a prophet of their times because he did many physical healing works among them. They saw many healing works, similar to the invalid man and confessed, “Surely a great prophet has risen among us.” They could see temporary blessings from God in Jesus, but they could not see all that Jesus wanted them to witness. Consequently, their view of who he is was limited to this world. In verse 20 and 21 Jesus told about God's most amazing work. He said, "... the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it." What could be greater than completely healing a 38 year invalid? Raising the dead. There are several cases of dead people being restored in the Bible. Jesus saying definitely indicates that God will raise Jesus from the dead. Yet, there is something very present tense about Jesus statement. “... just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.” Let’s think about the life giving work that is going on right now, in the present tense.  

    I found one saying about life from the dead in the book of Romans. Paul wrote the same things about his fellow Jews, when they come to Jesus. He wrote, "... salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. ... For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" Paul teaches that it is life from the dead when a Jewish person is accepted in Jesus by God. I think it applies to the Gentiles too. Paul wrote similar things about us in his letter to the Ephesians. It is in Chapter 2: " ... you were dead in your transgressions and sins ... when you followed the ways of this world ... But ... God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." These sayings reveal that Jesus could be speaking about the conversion of our soul in verse 21. Let's read verse 21 again. "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it." Jesus could see God raising the dead Jewish disciples to life right before his eyes. And he sees the dead people around us come to life when we share the Bible on the campus and pray for his servants in many places. Let's pray Jesus will be pleased to give life to students through our invitation this semester.

    In verse 22 Jesus mentioned another work of God which he does. It is to judge mankind according to what they have done. He did not exercise his authority to judge very much in this world, but he did tell of the day on which all nations will be gathered before him and how he will separate them like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He shares some glimpse of that later in this passage too in verse 28&29. For now, we should know that Jesus described himself as the one who has authority to determine who gets into heaven and who is sent away. There are judgments that Jesus performs in this world too, though we do not always see him slamming the gavel himself. He said, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him.” So the rulers and judges of earth are working under Jesus’ authority, though it is a little hard to see. Some other judgments are described in the Revelation of St. John. There Jesus warns some churches about their works which were getting lazy and compromising with the world. Jesus pronounced many judgments from heaven toward the communities that followed him. For instance, to the church of Sardis he said, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! ... if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.” This kind of judgment is happening at all times there in the heaven. God has done so with his people Israel as well. When they fell into sin, he sent punishing judgments to remove the troublemakers and let a remnant repent and serve him again. In these ways, Jesus has authority to judge, beginning with the houses of God and eventually all mankind who ever lived.

    So in verse 19-22, there are facts about Jesus' on-going work among mankind. His work is far more than simply healing incurable diseases or fixing physical problems like the invalid man at the pool. Jesus is co-working with God to raise dead sinners to eternal life and sending judgments on those who do not follow him. It is the work that God his Father has done from the beginning. From the days of Jesus until now, the same work of God has been going on, as the message of salvation reaches the ends of the earth. We are participating in Jesus' work. We are the body of Jesus through which he raises the dead to life from every nation under the sun. It is the holy calling for God’s people to share his saving grace with all nations. They are the fragrance of life to those who believe and live, and at the same time, the message of death to the unbelievers.

    In verse 23, there is a very controversial statement. "... that all may honor the son, just as they honor the Father. He who does no honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him." This is backing up what Jesus told the Jews about his father earlier on. Human beings must show to Jesus all the honor, adoration, respect and love that they owe to their creator God. This is the kind of thing a man would be insane to claim for himself if it were not true. In light of his saying, it is a very serious matter to consider Jesus any less that we consider God himself. You might call this a theological line in the sand that many people do not want to cross. This causes the biggest controversies among Christians, Jews and Muslims. Some Christians are now trapped by relativism and have downplayed the serious nature of Jesus’ saying. I thought it was far away, but just a few days ago, a Christian lady told me that the Jews attending the synagogue near my house are our brothers and that the Muslim people are also our brothers. It seems opposite from these words of Jesus. So I said, “That’s not true. They will not enter heaven.” These sayings from Jesus make me afraid for such compromisers and unbelievers. Jews & Muslims will not cross the line to honor Jesus above all. They might say that Jesus was a good teacher in his time, maybe even a highly respectable prophet, but they will not honor him as they honor God. Jesus declared that God gave him authority to raise the dead and judge mankind so "that all may honor him, just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him." These are very heavy words. They are words of life or death to the unbelivers. At the same time, they are words that give life to the belivers! They encourage us to honor the man Jesus of Nazareth as God himself. Let's give all glory laud and honor to Jesus our redeemer king!

2) From death to life
    Let's read verse 24 together. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." This quotation reveals what it means that Jesus gives life and it gives a hint about to whom he gives life. When Jesus gives life to a lost soul, an amazing transformation happens. Their attitude changes toward God and they start listening to Jesus. Soon they even believe God who has testified about Jesus throughout the Bible. Has that happened to you? Many people in the world who have heard Jesus' word but did not really believe God. I heard Jesus words many times myself in America, but I did not even know they were Jesus words. I heard of Noah and the Ark, but it seemed like nonsense to me. I heard about "The Good Samaritan" but I had no idea that it was Jesus who said that. I was among the living dead. Eventually I came to Las Vegas where there are many living dead people. They gather like zombies at the slot machines for many hours to pray for a lot of money. I was hoping to experience dead hopes of sinful fun with prostitutes, but I heard Jesus’ speaking to me. “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” It led me to read more from the Bible and eventually I really believed God. Like me, there are many who know things that Jesus said, but have no ears to really hear what he said. They might even talk about God, and do things that seem godly, but they do not really believe God. It is a dead state of the soul without sure hope for eternal life. Jesus words really seem like nonsense to dead people because their ears are not working correctly. They are broken and dead.

    What a miracle that some hear Jesus words and cross over from death to life! When they cross over, the dead life usually becomes un-interesting and they even feel shame for desiring the things they used to crave. Sometimes they have a dramatic change of heart and rapid change in their life. Saint Peter, Apostle John and Levi the Tax Collector were like that. When Jesus said, “Follow me, they left everything and followed him. It is remarkable. Others are more like me. They don't agree with Jesus right away, but they struggle to put away the worldly ideas from their heads until Jesus words really become the words of eternal life in their soul. Then faith in God’s word becomes the powerful agent of change in their life so they can walk away from many sinful ideas and bad practices. When I grew in faith, I heard genesis 1:1, “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” When it came to my mind, I asked, then what about Darwin and evolution? I was in the tow truck at the time, and I looked out the window and said, “Well evolution, out you go!” It was a leap of faith, but actually a very natural conclusion since I was able to believe God at that time. Jesus said the time of hearing his word and believing god is the moment of crossing over from death to life! There are many changes in life and crossing over some bridge or another. There is learning to walk, graduating from school, getting a driver’s license, turning 21, finishing college, getting married and raising a family. All these things change and transform our lives, but to cross over from death to live is the most important event for any man. If we do not cross over, our life is only one dead work after another, and our soul will ultimately perish in the everlasting fires and torment of hell.

    Crossing over from death to life, is not scary or unpleasant, but for some reason, people are deathly afraid of doing so. Mainly they are trapped by their sins and cannot imagine life without their sinful pleasures. Some are ashamed of the consequences from their family or society that will outcast them if they follow Jesus. Crossing over to life is good. Dead life is un-happy, even if there are many toys and worldly things to experience. After trying them all, the dead people are generally cranky and mad and un-happy. They laugh at jokes and things, but their jokes are all bad and degrading others. I was like that too. After crossing over to life, I found wonderful joy singing songs about God and Jesus’ love. My desires changed too, so that I could be happy almost all the time. I still get a little angry when things do not go as I hoped, but I am working on that. Over all, joy that comes from fellowship with Jesus is really good. I highly recommend crossing over from death to life.

    Lets read the key verse again. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." Here is the difference between life and death. "... whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned..." Condemnation for sin is the real barrier between man and eternal life. God will not leave any sin hidden under the rug. Nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed. Jesus even said, that every one of our idle words will come into judgment, so we must take our sins and thoughts and actions and trivial sayings very seriously. We need a real cure for the mortal disease of sin. We cannot cure it with our good works even if we never sin again. The only cure we can find is to hear Jesus’ words and believe that God sent him to be the savior of the world! He has paid the penalty for their sins with his own blood.

    In verse 25-30, Jesus further described the work of transforming sin cursed mankind into children of God. He said the time was coming and had already come, that the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and live. It sound like me in the street of Las Vegas. I think many here can testify to hearing the voice of Jesus in similar ways. But what about the others who do not hear Jesus' word? Let's read verse 28&29. "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." This touches on the day of resurrection from the dead on which God will bring all human beings to give account of their life. They are made in his image and should desire to reflect his image and glory. God has the right to bring them in to give account of their actions. Those who have honored his son and done good in their life will know his reward and love forever, but the ones who did evil will be eternally condemned. This is a dreadful reminder that there are just two destinies for mankind: rise to live, or rise to be condemned. We only pray that each one will rise to live.

    Today's passage is a harrowing message of life and death for all mankind. It positions Jesus as the true savior and ultimate judge of all mankind. We must honor him just as we honor God, and pray that Jesus may have mercy on us and save us. At the same time, this passage is the message of rising from death to everlasting life for Jesus people. Jesus is true and just regarding who will escape the judgment and live. He is not like the self-seeking rulers of the world who only hope to please themselves. Jesus only seeks to please God with his life giving power and by his un-flinching judgment on the evil doers. (v.30) Let's read the key verse and pray to cross over from death to life. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

I think almost everyone knows the basics of Noah's story. Since we are considering God's calling this weekend, it’s my desire to tell about the characteristics of Noah's calling, compared to the what God is calling his people to experience or accomplish in our day. There are many things in common, because God is God, who never changes. His will for his people is the same, though they called to many different ministries, the basic experience seems constant. In one word, we could say that God calls people to do everything that he commands them.

From Noah’s example, I pray we may renew God’s calling for the new semester, and that some here may discover God’s calling them this weekend.

I wanted to share many cool news and stories about the astounding things in Genesis 6-9. In fact, I was most distracted by those things when I tried to understand the passage. Let me show a very brief rundown of those things. Just to break the ice.

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You know about the story of Noah.
    This big ship. How could he build it and survive in there?
    Did the waters of the flood really cover the whole earth?
    Are we really now all descended from Noah’s family?
    Those are many questions on my mind.

Mostly I wondered how could someone build an ark all by their self? It seems impossible.
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    Not really. Here is an ark from Holland. It is half size, built by one man.
    He said it would probably not survive a real Noah’s flood though.

I wanted to talk about the remains of the Ark still in existence after many thousands of years.
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    We can see the new tourist trap. It is maintained by Christians.

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    Wow. They found animal dung in the bottom, petrified wood on the sides.
    Remains of ancient village that was the first tourist trap, even existing in Jesus’ times.


Then there is the scenes of Giants. We want to know what that is all about.
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    Here are the most well known giants, other than the Bible.
    There are many others in legend and history.

All these things seemed to be so important. But they are not. Later, I realized, even if they prove the Bible is true, still, sinful man will reject God and try to seek his own way. It is the history of the world.

So I wondered and wondered what does God want us to know? All the things I thought about, directly related to the passage are so terrifying, I don’t want to talk about them. Yet, after all the secondary stuff, all that is left is God’s calling. He called Noah in his time and he is calling you today. He warned the wicked people of the past just as he warns us today. We have the best chance to consider the calling, and count the cost, and decide to live up to God’s call.
 
So what could be God’s calling? What is the nature of God’s calling and the constant characteristics of God’s calling?

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    I found three things I think remain common.
    People basically don’t change in their desire and sinfulness, so almost any day or age, the mission field is the same.
    God’s calling does not change. Individually, there are different ministries that God wants his servants to accomplish, different means of serving, but the personal effect on each person is relatively the same.
    The different missions have the same direction. God works with each person to accomplish his will and live up to his personal calling. Their lives give glory to God and bring about the salvation of souls, even though they

    I must confess my sin to you before I talk about this passage. So, while I studied the passage, I had big trouble to prepare the actual message. The word of God was too convicting to me, and the devil visited me with doubts, temptations, and so many accusations that I am out of line and the absolute hypocrite. The words of God about evil thoughts, all the time in man’s heart is so true. I kept finding myself thinking evil things all the time, then I despaired thinking, what am I doing? After message practice, I thought, I am finished. I will not be able to share a message anymore. We will see what God wants to do with me after the message.

    Let’s share some key words about Noah and God’s calling to discover our mission.

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    The story begins 10 generations after Creation. Let’s read verse 6:1. This is one of the defining comments of the direction mankind went. They called on the name of the Lord from the time of Seth, but it was not long before the people became entrapped by their lustful desires. People lived much, much longer then, some fellows were over 900 years old when they died. Unfortunately, they did not use their long lives for the glory of God. Instead, they degenerated into slaves of their sinful nature and even the ones who called on the name of the Lord became tempted to enjoy their sinful nature. This verse describes the temptation of the sons of God and how they fell. It was desire for sex with all kinds of women. Even the sons of God could not resist the temptation for sensual pleasure so they were marrying and giving in marriage without any respect for each other. You know how sinful man becomes jealous for lustful women, and how silly women desire the rich and handsome boys who do great exploits. They give themselves over to many shameful things. By the days of Noah, it was unbearable for God to see his beautiful creation become so corrupted and sick with sin. The Bible says, “every inclination of the thoughts of each heart became only evil all the time.” In verse eleven and twelve it says, "Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways." It means they only though selfishly and had no care at all for each other. We are going back that way little by little. Thank God for gospel workers of many centuries who instilled a general compassion and respect others. They are the root of all that is modern in the world today. It is fading away however, maybe too fast.

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    Marriage can serve as the measure of sorts for the spiritual condition of mankind. Now divorcing goes up in every nation. Men begin to marry whomever they choose again. Co-habitation becomes almost standard, even on the campus. So the desire for sexual pleasure are definitely crushing many sons of God again. But other violence and the inclination of each heart id roaring toward evil more and more.

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    Some recent examples. I am talking about ten to 15 years past. Let’s consider the thoughts and inclination of the hearts.

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    The sinful man We are shocked to hear of the infidel Christian who murdered many people in a resort during the summer.
    Murderer. Inclination? Fear that muslim people will take over his christian nation.
    Violent games. Inclination? Malice, and lust for killing. A church invited the neighborhood kids to come and play such games. They justified themselves, as using the event as the chance to share the gospel, and keep the kids out of trouble.
    Looks innocent, father and son playing games. Inclination? Desire for entertainment. Push button satisfaction of human laziness. It will degenerate fast into wicked experiences like the soldier up there.  I tried to help Danny Gates use the computer for Math Games, to help him learn. But I see that he only thinks now about less useful games.
    Here is a recent example. Last few years girls enjoy writing big words on their butt. Inclination. To have boys desire them and cause them to look at their body as an object of worship. Many sinful desires work like this. It is basically advertising, “Hey son of God, choose me and you will have fun!”
    These things are all over. Here is the long lasting temptation. 37 wives. Inclination? I will be happy in the world with much lustful pleasure. He said, “God has been good to me, and let me take care of so many people...” He promoted sin as the blessing from God. It is the mighty work of satan. So our times are very similar to the times of Noah. In reality, it has not changed at all. Even right after the flood, the same sinful nature was alive and well in man’s heart. I noticed it, when I saw Noah’s sacrifice. He was aware that he survived the flood by the grace of God, and he thanked God for his help. But right after that, he got drunk and his son made fun of him, so Noah cursed his grandchildren. Jesus commented on the heart of man referring to Noah in one of his messages. We could see how evil is rampant in our times, so they are quite like the times of Noah. But it is not all bad.
    
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    Try to see the good side of the fact that our times are so similar Noah’s times. Of course it’s bad for the people who do not listen to God’s message. They will be take away. But on the other hand, it is good news for our coworkers who are thinking about starting family. JL, JP, MY we can pray for them. In general, the situation of man does not change. So the calling can also be the same.

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    Noah’s calling seems based on two things to me. One is the grace of God and the other is God’s promise.
    God re-establishes a relationship with his people one by one through his one-sided grace. (The lesson of Abraham will illustrate that more clearly.) Bible calls it God’s favor for Noah.
    His promise also happens to each one. It only takes one word of God to inspire the sinful man to wake up from his nature and come out of his sinful society to serve God. In Noah’s case, there is a covenant to care for him and to keep him and his family alive through the destruction.
    We rejoice greatly when someone testifies about the promise of God has become real in their life. We thank God when he make a promise to me. One day I heard God say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” I was shocked at first because I was not sure if I wanted God standing behind me all the time. But in a few minutes later, I said, “It is good.” I will serve God. In that day, “Never” really came to my mind as the promise that God will be my God forever. I trusted the promise of God and I remember that promise many times.
    So, I testify that God’s calls people the same way as he called Noah, even today. So in the good sense as well as the bad, I think our times are very similar to Noah’s times.

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    Peter wrote about the grace of God at work in the most wicked of times too. He also noted that God was working to rescue Noah in his second letter. Today the temptation to enjoy the worldly way of Noah's time is becoming strong. The inclinations and thoughts of human hearts are becoming evil all the time again. It starts small, but grows until, even the sons of God fall into the traps of worldly temptation to become great and lust for depravity of every kind. We wonder if there is any chance the world will survive even another year. It is possible that wickedness might increase first all the way to the level of Noah's time however, so we must be aware of our times. See the promise of God: “the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from the trials....” There is hope, that we can accomplish God’s calling, in the most wicked of times, thanks to God’s grace in any generation.


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    We have a background that shows God’s calling is relatively constant. He calls us, and empowers his servants, even in the worst of society conditions. Now let’s think a little about the personal nature of God’s calling. Let’s read the verse. Genesis 6:13&14. One important thing we found during study is that God’s calling is for salvation, by with which produces good work for the glory of God. To Noah he said, Make yourself and ark.... God is personally calling each one. You, yourself along with the others in history, including Noah. It remains one of the most amazing facts to me. God calls an individual sinner like me to live for him. Though I cannot do much of anything in the world except sin, God calls me and empowers me and gives me things to do. This happens to so many people I have met. But the important point of the verses is that it is God’s calling for you. The rest of the world will be destroyed. So we should no take God’s calling lightly.

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    Let’s share some practical aspects of God’s calling. I made a short list of some things that I have seen going on in Noah’s life, which I also saw in many of our coworker’s lives.
    Work hard for God: It is not easy to build an ark from scratch. He had to do his regular life work too and still put the ship together. See how this leads to other things.
    New Technology: Bible called Noah a man of the soil. But he learned to build a ship, and became a zookeeper too. He is also called a preacher of righteousness. So on top of all the other things, he was sharing bible study with anyone, any way he could.
    Endure Criticism: This is one of the most obvious, practical experiences. Those who live godly lives will suffer persecution. This is growing toward the Christians in big ways in our day. Obviously, Noah looked like the dummy, building the ark on the land. People surely made fun of him and taunted him to enjoy the world.
    Trusting God: I considered his ark floating on the water. I could not imagine the Ark surviving the most terrible storm and destruction. It had to survive by God’s grace. Moreover, who can build the un heard of invention on the first try? I think Noah really learned to depend on God and rejoice in God’s grace to him. If not he can only despair and fall into the world.
    Heart of concern: The letter to Hebrews called this holy fear, that motivated Noah to obey God. It is caring about God’s will, and the people around you. Noah tried to warn them. Praise God, that a few believed.
    Find the remnant: It cannot be denied that the work of God is basically working for a few people in each generation. It was 8 souls for Noah and just a few of the many animals of the world.
    All or Nothing: Noah really decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back. He spent much time. Much money, and bet the farm on God’s promise. At the end of the day what did he get? The world!
    By the grace of God: Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. But I can see that he was still a sinner while he lived in this world. If not for the grace of God, he too had to be destroyed.

    I think these aspects of Noah’s calling remain constant. We will see the list again and think about how it comes true in our lives.

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    Here is the classic Noah, warning the people. His only real words are recorded after the flood, so we are not even sure if he was preaching like this. For the most part, it is understood that his actions spoke as loud as any words he ever spoke. His ark building was the testimony to his faith and warning to the whole world.
    I have been hearing lately that the Christian life is becoming very important in our times too. The post modern people, are respecting actions even more than words now. So we should renew the calling and desire to let our lives show the holy fear of God.

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    Here is another word that Peter shared, further stressing that the calling we have is the same as Noah’s. First of all notice, that it was by the Spirit that made Jesus alive, which Noah witnessed to the people of his time. It is the same Holy Spirit that works in you to will and do God’s good pleasure. Look also at the salvation. It is rooted in the heart of the believer, “the pledge of a good conscience”

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    Let’s read the Key verse. Now let’s go quickly through the list again and try to find prayer topics for each other to live up to God’s calling.

    Work hard for God: We are praying to make disciples and send missionaries to all nations. We pray for a kingdom of priest and Holy Nation. I think it is easier to build an ark. The guy in Holland built an ark and the people come to him. God’s calling is the same, but the missions may vary. Whatever God calls us to do, we should work hard to accomplish it.
    New Technology: See here at the bottom. These are some technologies that we did not know about before we met Jesus. God give us the chance to develop and work hard learning new things. This is often called the learning mind of disciples in our ministry. God calls the people who have a learning mind. Jesus compared them to new wineskins. I am really surprised by the reality of this phenomenon. I believe the disciples here with the learning mind will grow and do amazing things for God, in the world and in the eternal work of God as well.
    Endure Criticism: Expect it more and more in our times. You will look pretty dumb to the lost world. They will misunderstand and persecute and make fun of you. Have you seen how it is increasing that believers are getting fired from jobs for the company fears their testimony will offend someone of the world? It is getting really hot now. Jesus said, “He who stands firm to the end will be saved.
    Trusting God: I get surprised by the faith of our coworkers. Two families decided to move to Princeton only for God’s mission, sacrificing very much to raise just one disciple. Another guy decided to commute several hours to work, so he could build a prayer alter for Princeton. Amazing trust in God going on there at Honors Review. I heard M. John wants to move to Rutgers and live together with something like 80 students from the world in the same building. What a trust in God.
    Heart of concern: God calls us to understand and share his heart for the lost people. He calls us to be transformed by renewing our minds until we become like our good shepherd Jesus who seeks all over the world for one lost sheep. Let’s pray this weekend for God’s transforming power to make us new creations who can see his burning desire to help anyone come to heaven.
    Find the remnant: This fact almost crushed me. There are many, many souls who will not come to God. My family and yours, students and nice people we know are lost in religion and dying for the small taste of something sinful. They are going to perish when they meet God in the judgement. I heard they will be harder and harder to find as time gets closer to the end. Personally, we too must seriously strive to be counted among the righteous. Jesus said, make every effort to enter the narrow door. The way to destruction is wide and the road is easy, but the way to life is narrow and the road is hard. Only a few will find the way. I pray each one here will be among the blessed.
    All or Nothing: Jesus told us about counting the cost of salvation. He said, those who will have eternal life must take up their cross daily and follow him. Paul told us it a reasonable service to submit our bodies as the living sacrifice, in response to God’s grace for us. Be honest with God and repent with Godly sorrow for those evil thoughts and intentions in the heart. Resist the devil and he will flee, then we will have the victory and God will live among us, we will be his people and he will be our God.
    By the grace of God: When we honestly consider the calling of God, it is immediately notice that we are the worst of sinners, and the ones who least deserve to inherit eternal life. When God calls us, let’s never forget that we are what we are by the grace of God.

Slide
    Our God has brought us here this weekend so he may remind us of his calling. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke the main purpose of God’s calling in this generation very clearly in Matthew 28:18-20. Let’s read this verses together. We share the same message of eternal life but at the same time it is the message that condemns the lost who reject Jesus to carry on in their sinful life. Some may die their, even in our families and among our close friends. It can be overwhelming to consider. Let us pray that we may know this is God’s calling for us this weekend, and prepare ourselves to live up to it, no matter what the world throws at us.

    Is there any question at all?

Slide
    Let’s read the key verse.

1. You must be born again

Read verses 1-2. “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” This visit shows us that Jesus’ ministry was getting noticed. From the least to the greatest, they recognized that Jesus was a teacher who came from God. We only saw one of his miracles and his zeal for God’s house so far, but there may have been other events in Capernaum. Jesus probably took some time to teach the Bible in Jerusalem this time too, after starting with such a bang at the temple.

Nicodemus was a respectable and influential person. John recorded that he was a Pharisee which was the strictest sect of the Jews. He probably got his education among the best teachers in Israel, like Paul who was brought up at the feet of the best when he was young. Nicodemus’ life was very respectable too, so he gained a position among the council members. Maybe he was wealthy like Joseph of Arimathea, or politically tactful and very good at solving people problems. Jesus called him Israel’s teacher. It means that he could instruct anyone about Jewish matters and make decisions that affect the whole nation, politically, economical and spiritually. Although they were influential and well educated, Jesus had many strong words for the leaders and Pharisees like Nicodemus. He saw how they had become proud of themselves and loved praise from the people. So he pointed out a few times how their hearts were strayed far away from God. In fact, they were really following the devil in many ways, especially when they despised Jesus and wanted to kill him. Nicodemus seems a little different at this moment however, because he came to Jesus on his own.

We cannot help but wonder why he came to Jesus by himself at night? But Jesus did not wait for Nicodemus to state his case. Let’s read verse 3. “In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Jesus knew that Nicodemus needed to see the kingdom of God. Do you want to see the kingdom of God? We know that many young people want to see video games and emotional drama movies. Others want to go shopping to see the fashions and toys and restaurants. That is the situation of humans. They want to see the things of the world, or the kingdom of God. To see the kingdom of God is no as popular as seeing the things of the world. We can do a reality check if we ask ourself what we are trying to see. Jesus wants us to see and enter the kingdom of God. What if a person never enters the kingdom of God? All they worked for and accomplished is meaningless if they must perish forever. Surely, Nicodemus had some urgent issue on his mind, but Jesus talked about the most urgent issue that had to be discussed. Jesus did not talk about politics or whether Pharisees or Sadducees were the right Bible teachers. He did not spend any time for conversation about the Israeli national debt. “In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” but Nicodemus was puzzled by Jesus’ saying. See his reply in verse 4.

“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” He was completely stumped by Jesus’ parabolic teaching. It even seems like he tries to bring Jesus back to his senses, with logical reasoning that we cannot go back to our mother’s womb. What Jesus said sounded preposterous to Nicodemus, so he might think Jesus is really a kook. Maybe being born again seems ridiculous, but we should take time consider Jesus’ words carefully, even if they don’t make sense right away.

The parable is based on born, which fills our head with the idea of the baby coming out, helpless and without any way to survive without some one to take care of it. The point of the parable is that humans are completely dependent on God when it comes to his kingdom and eternal life. Jesus mentioned being born in three more places. Let’s read verse 5. “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” This gives a simple explanation of the mechanism for being born again. There are sinful man all over the world. They cannot enter the kingdom of God as long as they remain sinful, flesh and blood. Some how they must have their sin taken away and their flesh and blood must be transformed into a spiritual creation. The mystery of his parable is in the meaning of water and spirit. We make a mistake if we think of water in the sense of water like in the bathtub and spirits in the sense of camaraderie like the “Rutgers” spirit or the other spirits. It is possible to be born again by taking a bath and simply cheering for Jesus? No. Then what is Jesus talking about?

There is water that has life giving power to heal and cleanse our sins. One glimpse of this water is coming up in John’s gospel, where Jesus talks with the Samaritan woman about living water. In Jeremiah 17, the LORD God is called the fountain of living waters. Another reference comes from Paul, who wrote about Jesus giving his life to cleanse and sanctify his church, with the washing of water by the word. From these references we can discover that water that makes us born again is not the same as water we drink. Water is not all we need. There is also spirit. Jesus distinguished the difference between being born in the standard way and the spiritual way very directly in verse 6 & 7 “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” He clearly states that the Spirit is the main actor in the process of being born again. The flesh of man sinful man can only make more sinful men. They need a spiritual influence to make them into children of God and citizens of Jesus’ kingdom. This is often expounded to teach that human effort does help us be born of the spirit, because our desire is always opposite from the spirit. Paul argued much against human effort to become children of God in Galatians.

According to the lesson then, we are sinful people, born of flesh and blood which cannot inherit the kingdom of God. But Jesus told us there is a way, if we are born again by water and the spirit. This lesson is directed toward Nicodemus and those like him. His idea of getting in the kingdom of God was entirely based on his flesh and blood (being a descendant of Abraham) and his personal goodness (a Pharisee who kept the law flawlessly.) What Jesus propose to him is a new life, based altogether on the power of God to forgive his sins and the Spirit of God planted in his life. It is referred to in Ezekiel 26 as God’s work of transforming our heart. He wrote, “I will take you out of the nations; .. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. ... I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remover your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:24-27) Nicodemus should have been looking forward to such work of God through the Messiah, but he was blinded by his religious community and theological instruction. Intellectually, we can see that Jesus is talking about making this word come true in God’s people. However, when it comes to experiencing born again, we have a hard time. Nicodemus could not imagine giving up his humanistic goodness to accept come to God as a terrible sinner. Rather, like the Pharisee in the Temple, they preferred to brag to God about their good behavior, how they fasted and prayed and gave their tithes. They were completely trusting human effort to enter the kingdom of God, but that only gives birth to more human effort to enter the kingdom of God. So Jesus called them blind guides who lead their converts into the ditch. We must be born of the spirit.

How does it happen? It is the mysterious work of God. Let’s read Jesus’ last description in verse 8. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” We can generally predict how flesh gives birth to flesh. We see it in the world and families and there are now very detailed documentaries about how babies are concieved and how they grow. However, when someone is born again by the Spirit it is not so obvious. We can only see the result, not the actual event. So Jesus compared it to the wind. Have you ever seen the wind? No. You have seen the effect, as the wind moves the leaves in the tree and blows our hair, but we cannot see the wind. Likewise, we can hear the message of God’s kingdom through his servants, and we might appreciate the word of God for many reasons like history or good moral advice, but we cannot tell who, when or where someone will be born again as the message is spreading all over the world. We can even establish big religious community based on God’s word, but we cannot cause anyone to be born again simply by that. The Spirit of God moves to accomplish that in God’s way and in God’s time. That is the frustrating part. As far as I can tell, I was born again when the Spirit blew on me on a street in Las Vegas. I was not looking for God or even thinking about God, but the Spirit worked through a word that one servant scattered on the street to change my heart and mind.

Let’s read verse 6&7 again, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” The teaching of born again once caused a spiritual revolution in America. It was part of the great awakening. I did not hear about that much in my life though until I read the Bible. Actually when I told my mom, that I would be a Christian she asked, “Are you going to be a born again christian?” I thought about that and said yes. Then she said, “I hate born again christians.” Why? Because they keep talking about being born again. Some while later, I went for a haircut. After cutting my hair I gave the hair cutter lady a Bible tract. She said, “Oh, thanks, but I don’t need that. I was a born again Christian once, but not anymore.” I wondered if that was possible? It is not. There is a culture and idea that is based on the Bible, even the concept of born again, but it is not really born again, just another manifestation of flesh giving birth to flesh through religious behavior. Let’s pray for being born again or we will not enter the kingdom of God.



2) God so loved the world

In spite of Jesus very gracious explanation of being born from above, Nicodemus was really confused. He had no idea beyond human effort in keeping the law and being a good person, because he grew up a Pharisee. In verse 9 he complained? “How can this be?” In verse 10-12, Jesus rebuked him for his lack of understanding and unbelief. Verse 11 is frightening. “I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.” Jesus talks to him as the spokesman for God and the Holy Spirit at this moment. How miserable that the people of Israel, and their leaders could not accept the testimony of God and his son, though he spoke to them face to face! Surely there was pain in Jesus’ heart, but there was a glimpse of hope for Nicodemus too. Let’s read verse 12 together. “ I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” In this conversation, earthly things are simply the fact that the man of flesh must become a new creation by the work of God in their life, but Nicodemus did not get it. Thankfully, Jesus did not give up on him. “How can this be?” is a question that requires Jesus to discuss the mind of God in heaven, how and why it is possible for sinful man to be born again.

Jesus began to answer his question with and example of faith that Nicodemus knew very well. It was the story of the day Israel was attacked by poisonous snakes. In verse 14 and 15 Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” When the Israelite was bitten they knew immediately that they were in big trouble, so it was rather easy to acknowledge they would die since there was no cure. However, they could be healed of the poison snake bite, if they simply looked at the snake on the pole. There was no doctor visit or medical procedure involved. This requires something simple. It was faith to believe that such a silly solution could heal your snake bite. Jesus said he would be lifted up in the same manner, to accomplish the salvation of God’s people. The real meaning is that Jesus would be lifted up on the cross, giving his life as a ransom sacrifice that redeems his people from their sins. The ones who look to Jesus for salvation and trust his blood to redeem them from sin, will have eternal life in the kingdom of God with Jesus. Jesus told us the result of believing is eternal life! It should tell Nicodemus that Messiah’s kingdom is not of this world. It is a truly heavenly thing! How can Nicodemus begin to understand?

Finally, to answer Nicodemus’ last question, “How can this be?” Jesus explained the love of God. Let’s read it in verse 16 and 17. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” How can it be that sinful humans can be born of the Spirit and have eternal life? It is through the power of God’s love, expressed in the death of his son Jesus who gave his live to redeem us from the curse of death. Some people misunderstand God’s love. When they are reminded of their sins, they get angry with God and Jesus, thinking his servants came to condemn them. They react angrily and even become violent.

In verse 18-20 there is a description of those who do not believe and the reason why they are condemned. It says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

This passage shares exceedingly great mysteries from heaven. God loves the world and wants to save his people out of every nation, tribe, people and language. He made a way for them to be saved by sending his son to redeem from the power of death. Some hear this message and are mysteriously born again. Those who are born again, believed in the name of God’s one and only son and God gave them the right to become children of God. Recently, many things Jesus said in this passage have been rejected by Christian communities. One preacher saw a picture of Mohatma Ghandi, a great civil rights leader from India. On the image was written, “He is in hell.” The preacher began to doubt if such a good person would be in hell, simply because he did not believe in Jesus. Do not let anyone trick you. In order to see or enter the kingdom of God, “you must be born again.” Listen to Jesus and take his words very seriously, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” We can see that many have come to Jesus through God’s work in them. They believed in Jesus through his word in Bible study, or a tract or by the message of many servants who went into all the world to preach the good news. Thank God for those who come out of darkness into the light even though it looks impossible.

Let’s read verse 3. “In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’” What a blessing we have today. We were able to sit with Jesus and learn about the miracle of entering the kingdom of God. We pray to live by the truth, bringing our sinful deeds to Jesus’ light so we may be forgiven and healed and renewed by the love of God. Because of Jesus teaching about the new birth, we can see that it is more than just an intellectual matter. Being born again, to believe in Jesus, is really the work of the Spirit which moves around the world in every generation like the wind. We hear the sound of the people being born again through their testimony and we rejoice to together over the truth of God that Jesus is our savior and or lord. And we pray that we may bring the love of God to many around us, so they may have eternal life in Jesus’ name as well.

Living As New Covenant People
Luke 22:24-38
Key Verse: 22:26

    “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

    Last week Jesus shared a passover dinner with his disciples in the large upper room. He eagerly looked forward to that hour of fellowship with his disciples because he wanted to welcome them into the new covenant relationship with God. Jesus broke the bread and shared the cup telling them it was his body and blood which he offered to give them life and to secure forgiveness of their sins. It was the greatest moment of their lives. They became the first of God's new covenant people. Sadly, we saw that the disciples were not on the same page with Jesus. When Jesus mentioned the devil's work among them they became anxious and confused. They might remember the story of Julius Caesar who was betrayed by his friend Brutus and wondered if far down the road one of them would betray Jesus while he sat on the Messianic throne. One said, I will not betray Jesus. Another said, "Nobody will harm Jesus while I am alive. I will knock them all out." In a few seconds, their confusion turned into an argument about which of them was the greatest. This led Jesus to instruct them again about true greatness. We want to consider his instructions as the hope of God for the new covenant people.

1. Be like the youngest and like the one who serves
    It was not the first time the argument about being the greatest came up. We saw it before in Luke chapter 9. It's resurfacing, shows the disciples were fiercely selfish and worldly in their hearts. It is not strange that man desires to be great, nor is it inherently bad. One of the blessings God promised Abraham and David was that their names would be great (Gen 12:2; 2 Sam 7:9). God wants man to be great. However, man's concept of greatness is corrupted by the power of sin, so their idea of what makes someone great is very confused. What did Jesus say? Read verses 25-26. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves."

    Jesus words set a standard of greatness for new covenant people which is totally backward from worldly people's idea about what makes man great. He gave the example of kings of the world and their backward opinion of themselves as a contrast. The kings of the world demand respect and admiration from their subjects and they obtain it by ruthlessness and by planting the fear of death in people. They exploit others and then inflate their opinion of themselves until they imagine they are the ones who made everything possible. It is the inverted benefactor attitude. I saw Jesus words come true in a documentary even in our time. In the film a doctor brought a medical machine to a land ruled by a certain communist dictator to perform cataract surgery. He was literally opening the eyes of many blind people. It is a common operation in our times, but it was impossible for those people to have because their medical equipment was way out of date. The people were overjoyed to see again, but instead of thanking the doctor, they had to go first to the picture of the dictator and fall on the ground bowing and praising him for their eyesight. "Oh dear leader, it is all thanks to you that I can see now! Thank you! Thank you dear leader." That is exactly what Jesus was talking about. What is worse, that is exactly what his disciples were dreaming about. Who does not dream of being so highly honored and praised and respected by others? Everyone has such dreams, to rule the world, and their house and friends. According to Jesus it is an evil desire, to have others worship you and serve you as if you are worthy of something.  
    New covenant people have been warned of the tendency to rule over others for selfish or sinful reasons like this. They pray night and day to overcome their ungodly self because this tendency comes from the sinful nature of fallen mankind. It is not only political rulers that have to watch out. God gives many kinds of authority to mankind. Any kind of authority can be misused for the wrong purposes. Husbands can abuse their authority over their wives, parents can do the same over their children. Employers may mistreat their employees and popular people might despise the needy and outcast. Satan works powerfully to destroy many people by distorting the concept of authority in sinful man. Jesus does not want new covenant people to be like.

    Look again at verse 26. "But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves." Does it sound funny, to be like the youngest in order to be the greatest? It is well known that the youngest has the hardest time in the group. It is especially hard in families with many brothers. The youngest brother never gets any new clothes. People always tell him, why don't you be more like your older brother? His older brothers are also very abusive to him. They make him do their chores, while they get the big allowance. They blame their little brother for everything that goes wrong, so he becomes a scapegoat for his older brother's mistakes. Why did Jesus teach his disciples to be like the youngest one in the family? One reason is to show that true greatness does not come from a certain position in the family or in the society; it comes from within. God does not see greatness in our achievements like we do. He see greatness in the character of those who humbly endure injustice and bear up against the wicked by lowering themselves again and again. The best example is our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he is in very nature God, he came down to this world and became a little baby who was placed in a manger. He grew up in Nazareth, the least respected Israelite town of his day. Why did he do that? It was to experience the humblest and least respected way of life, so he might dwell among all mankind as our Savior and Friend. Jesus could have demanded respect and riches because he is the Son of God, but He did not seek glory and honor when he lived in the world. Rather, Jesus renounced his rights so that we might come to know him as he truly is. When Jesus emptied himself of all human desires, God filled him up with grace and truth and it overflowed to countless lives wherever Jesus went. God was able to work in and through Jesus because Jesus only hoped to give glory to God in everything he did. New covenant people do well if they follow Jesus' example to renounce their right for higher positions and greater respect among each other. They are happy to be nobody in the world so that the glory of God may be revealed in them.
    Jesus also said that the one who rules should be like the one who serves. This is one of the hardest saying Jesus ever spoke. How can a ruler be a servant to the people they are supposed to lead? Jesus is the best example again. He lead the disciples and the crowds for several years. He did not lead them by marshaling gangsters and armies to force the nations into submission. No. He leads people to God by showing them the love of God until the people desire God in their lives. He served them by teaching them the word of God until they heard the voice of their heavenly father and repented. How could Jesus lead the people like this? What motivated him? We have to pray for the same inspiration. The first thing is to see the value of human beings from God's perspective. When we see how valuable they are, we cannot imagine dis-respecting them or treating them spitefully. Next step is to consider everyone else more highly than ourselves. If we consider others more important than ourselves then we can sacrifice everything to help them. Just ask any parent how they can sacrifice so much for their children. Next is to foster a genuine concern in building others up for their good. Jesus knew the result of someone coming back to God. It is eternal life in God's kingdom. If there is hope for any soul to escape from death, then it is worth anything to help them escape. These are some essential things that can enable new covenant people to serve others rather than hoping to be served by others. It is the wisdom of God to transform humans in this way. When everyone decides to serve everyone else, it is a very interesting atmosphere. There is no chance to argue about who is the greatest. Rather, everyone who is born of God becomes more humble and willing to serve others even more. When the young believers see the old leaders serving and cooking and working hard, they feel like they should work hard too. All their pride goes away and Satan has a hard time to discourage them because they are so happy together. Have you seen this in your life? I am trying to learn. What happens when you see the pile of dishes in the sink? Most people will not even wash their own dish. If we really wanted to be great in heaven, we would never have a dirty dish problem. Genuine serving like this cannot be forced or even attempted while your heart is apart from Jesus. If there is any hint of desire for selfish gain in this world, nothing will work.
    Jesus was not speaking hypocritical things. He lived as the example. Look at verse 27. "For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves."  In John's gospel, as the dinner was being served, Jesus put a towel around his waist and began to wash his disciples' feet, taking the position of the lowest servant. He could tell them this lesson because he practiced what he preached. It was not the first time. Jesus was always serving those in need. Jesus healed a pitiful man with leprosy. Jesus raised a helpless paralytic in both body and spirit. Jesus drove out demons from a tormented man, restored his humanity, and enabled him to serve God. He could not even think of sending away 5000 people when they were hungry. He had compassion for them and served them dinner one by one. Most of all, Jesus served the work of God by shedding his blood on the cross to take away the sin of the world. Jesus forsook himself to express the love of God for sinful man. It is Jesus' life giving example of serving everyone, no matter who they are. No matter how high or low in society, Jesus came to serve them by laying down his life for them so they may have eternal life with him. His serving is unconditional and his love is undeniable.  
    God's hope for new covenant people is the same. Paul says: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!” How does it look? Do you want to be great in the kingdom of God like Jesus? To some it looks like a big waste of life. It looks silly to give up the chance for greatness in order to serve others if the result is dying when they turn their back on you. We have faith and the promise of God however, that tell us it is not a losing business,  but has a glorious result. Paul told of the result of Jesus' obedience saying, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus had such great hope for his disciples and all his people too.
     Look at verse 28-30. "You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." It is the amazing grace of God, but I think the disciples still did not really understand what it meant.
    I read a story of conferring honor on someone this morning. John Capaletti won the Heisman trophy the award for the most oustanding college football player of the year. He stood up to thank everyone for making it possible, and at the end of the speech he started to cry. He said, I have a little brother, he has lukemia (a fatal blood disease). He said, I have my suffering, but only on the football field, and only in the fall. But my brother has pain everyday. I want to give this trophy to my brother Joey because he is my inspiration.” The book said, everyone was crying and shocked by his action. He conferred all the honor of the Heisman trophy to his little brother because he saw his suffering to endure life with a fatal disease.
    Jesus did like this for his disciple. He conferred on them a kingdom, a throne, and a place at his own table in the kingdom of God. Why? Jesus could see the future. He saw all that Peter was going to suffer preaching the gospel to the gentiles and his martyrdom in Rome. Jesus saw the life of his friend John, exiled on Patmos island and suffering years of lonely worship as a prisoner of the gospel. He saw the future of every disciple and recognized their sacrifices and struggles to bear the hard times with him, and he commended them for it. Jesus sees the suffering of all his new covenant people from every generation and promises them eternal blessings. New covenant people are the ones who share Jesus sufferings as witnesses of salvation to their generation. They endure many kinds of suffering in the hope of sharing everlasting glory rather than obtaining something in this world. Paul wrote about this too. He said, "...we are co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
    This part gives us some insight into God's idea of greatness. God sees greatness from a totally different perspective. He see greatness in the depth to which his servants humble themselves to share Jesus' suffering in this life. Ungodly people want greatness and respect in this world, but new covenant people hope for true greatness in the kingdom of God. The give up their chance for glory in the world in order to let the glory of God shine out of from them to the whole world.
2. Jesus' prayed for Simon's faith
     I talked a while about the new covenant way of life, but Jesus only spoke a few moments about that. Right after sharing his hope about the throne and the kingdom, Jesus noticed that Satan was filling Peter's head with glory dreams of something in the world, and he spoke plainly about this to him right away. Read verses 31-32. "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Maybe Simon had been the loudest one in the greatness argument. His pride in himself was really big. He was also proud of his nickname, Peter. He thought he was the immovable stone and strong foundation, but Jesus told him about a great disappointment in himself just up the road. Satan was there, sneaking around the room, working hard to destroy anyone he could. Somehow or another he asked if he could get his hands on Peter for a moment. Jesus should not allow it, but he did. He allowed Satan to expose Peter's sinful mind and and flawed humanity. Jesus compared it to sifting wheat. Why did Jesus allow it?
    Proud people do understand that they exist only by the mercy of God. Yet the fact is that we are like grains of wheat which Satan can toss up and down and crush with demonic influences.  We would indeed be ruined if not for the help of Jesus. In verse 32, Jesus said, “I have prayed for you, Simon, that you faith may not fail.” This is a humbling word to Peter who was sure he could be something by his own merit and become great by ruling others as he did his fishing business. Jesus did not pray for Peter to escape from Satan's attack, but that his faith may not fail in the midst of the onslaught. Jesus had a reason to allow Peter's suffering. He allowed it to bring Peter to pure and absolute faith in Jesus. New covenant people need faith in Jesus. Faith in Jesus is the thing that pulls the new covenant people through all their suffering and doubt and trials. The devil plants many evil ideas in our head. Suicidal thoughts, plans to run away from our mission, dreams for easy money, hope to avoid any kind of suffering, lustful thoughts and schemes to enjoy sin come into our mind from Satan every day. Unless Jesus prays for us, there is no possibility to endure. The best chance for Satan to attack is when our sinfulness is exposed. Peter was heading for such a moment, so Jesus counseled him to keep the faith, and then strengthen his brothers after the trial. Peter did not understand the magnitude of the spiritual battle he was about to go through. He trusted himself rather than in Jesus prayer so he said, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” It was true that Peter loved Jesus with passion, but Peter did not know himself very well. In truth, he loved his own life a little more than he loved Jesus. Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."
    Jesus was not punishing Peter. He told him the future so that he and the others might truly know that Jesus was in charge of all things. He told them about Satan's attack because he wanted them to keep their faith in him and to trust him as the real foundation of their eternal life. Jesus prayed for Simon, and God was listening to Jesus' prayer. Jesus' prayer is real. His prayer is at work in every believer right now. Paul said, "Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Hebrews 7:24-25 says, that Jesus "… has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Jesus is praying right now before the throne of God. This prophecy reminds us that new covenant life is not a spiritual “bed of roses” by any means. The devil tries to destroy new covenant people  along with the people of the world, but the new covenant people will win the victory by faith in Jesus. It is the genuine life or death battle that goes on in every new covenant person. Jesus does not spare us from the battle, he sends us to it. Sometimes, he sends his people right into the hands of Satan. It is their glorious chance to conquer themselves and the world when he allows it. It means intense inner struggle to put all hope in Jesus alone, but the new covenant people win the victory by faith in Jesus. There is a poem about this :
    On every hand the foe we find, drawn up in dread array
    Let tents of ease be left behind and onward to the fray
    Salvation's helmet on each head, with truth all girt about;
    The earth shall tremble 'neath our tread, and echo with our shout.
    Faith is the victory,
    Faith is the victory,
    Oh glorious victory, that overcomes the world!
The poem describes the battle Peter was going to go through. It like the war song of the new covenant people. I am thankful that it exist in our generation too. Peter did not sing this song at the moment. He was having trouble accepting Jesus' words. We also have this trouble now and then. Thank God that Jesus is there to pray for us every time.
3. What is written is reaching its fulfillment
    Jesus spoke next to all the disciples in verse 35 asking them to remember the journeys they took to the towns and villages when he sent them with nothing. They confirmed that they had no lack of provision on their way. Then Jesus gave them new instructions, to take their purses and even a sword from now on. They may have been excited to think the revolution would begin soon, but Jesus went on to share the word of God with them. Let's read verse 37 together.  “It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.” It was about time for Jesus to be handed over to the gentiles, and killed. So his disciples were about to find themselves alone, in the real world again. Jesus' mission was almost done and the disciples mission was about to begin. As for the disciples, Jesus changed their evangelistic marching orders. Now they needed some money for their boat fare, and they needed their bag to carry some food and their notebook to write their sheep's email and phone number. And they should have a sword or two in case some wild animals came out of nowhere to attack them. In other words, Jesus wanted them to get ready for their self-supported mission from now on. Of course he knew it would take some time. Jesus is very patient to see his gospel spread to the ends of the earth. When they found two swords, Jesus said, that's enough. He did not let them all buy a sword, that would make them into gangsters. One or two was enough to stand guard late at night against a bear or to scare a bandit. In the past, they obeyed Jesus' instructions not to take purse, bag or sandals. Then God used them to drive out evil spirits and heal diseases. God also provided for all of their needs. In their new situation, no one was going to show them hospitality. From that time on, they would need to pray and follow the Holy Spirit and learn to apply Jesus' teachings in different situations and later in different cultures. What is written about the disciples was about to begin in those around Jesus at the last supper. It is also reaching its fulfillment right now thanks to you. It is written. “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It is reaching it fulfillment right in front of your eyes.

    Let's read v26. “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” In this passage Jesus has taught us how to live as new covenant people overcoming ourselves, the devil and this world by faith in Jesus.  Our guiding principle is to be like Jesus, especially in his humility and loving service toward others. We are weak and sinful. But Jesus' blood is mighty to cleanse and transform us day by day. Let's trust Jesus and grow to be like him as humble and loving servants for his glory.

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

     Passages about demons and exorcisms challenge me very much. I grew up in the modern world and originally believed that demons and spiritual things were just supersititious silliness. When I decided to trust Jesus and read about the demons he drove out, then I had to upgrade to the spiritual dimension. It is still uncomfortable for me to spend much time in the spiritual dimension though, especially when I think of evil spirits working around me. Evil spirits have a powerful influence on people. They plant many lies in our mind that provoke our natural pride and poke our human insecurities to lead us into many sins, and drive us into various conditions. Always the result of their influence is that humans become useless to God. What is more, when I consider the subtlety and huge influence that evil spirits have, it is clear there will always be the work of demons and the kingdom of God clashing and co-existing in society. Sometimes I thing the evil spirits are winning, but today's passage gave me great joy when I realized that the kingdom of God has come to me. "Your kingdom come" was a prayer topic in the last passage. So it is very encouraging to see the kingdom come with power as God's finger touches one man's demonic problem. Let's consider the passage and ask God to let the kingdom of God come to us.

1) A demon possessed mute man

Let's read verse 14. "Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed." Jesus had resolutely set out to Jersualem in chapter 9 and, though it's not clear how much time remained until he was handed over to be crucified, the interest in Jesus gospel work was definitely increasing. A few chapters later, a crowd of many thousands gathered to hear Jesus lesson. Jesus did not brush off any small jobs either, such as helping this mute man get rid of his demon. Jesus was always ready to talk about the kingdom of God and always ready to help someone.

The man's situation makes me think about the work of demons in human beings. I know from the Bible that evil spirits lead people to destructive behavior, and distort the image of God in us. The devil himself started the trend by telling a lie to Eve in the beginning. I spent to much time trying see how they work. Have you been able to see how they work? Many times the demons start to work when we lust for something intensely. There was a man here once who fell in love with a girl. Though she did not love him, a demon told him that he was destined to marry the girl. Though she moved far away and got married, he never stopped believing that he was destined to marry her. It was a strong case of believing a lie and his life was totally confounded by the false impression. I can see demons use the same lying tactic they have from the beginning. Maybe the man in the story fell under such possession. He might have asked a silly question one day in school and everyone laughed at him. When he had a moment of insecurity, the demon got inside his head and told him, "Your are a total idiot. Just shut up and stop asking ridiculous questions or every one will hate you." When he believed the lie he became so afraid of talking that he actually forgot how to use his voice. The demon made him mute. Maybe you know someone who has suffered something similar. When a person is possessed by such a spirit, their family and friends feel really helpless and there is a lot of trouble. The story of Saul pursuing David to kill him for no reason also came to my mind.    

So I can see that demons work to destroy lives and families by planting a lie in this person or that one. There are other times though, when demons cause people to act totally insane like the boy who jumped in a fire, or the man who cried and cut himself in the tombs of Gerasea. Those demons actually take complete control over a persons body at certain times and even speak with their voice as they try to permanently destroy the person they have possessed. We must not think the work of demons is a superstition or fairy tale. Demonic influences are a real threat to human beings.

The demon possessed person may start life as a normal kid, but at some point they come under the influence of evil spirits and start acting unusual. A great majority just accept their condition as it is and try to get by. Some fully succumb to demonic influences and perish. Now and then friends or family have tried to fix the demon possessed person, with exorcist rituals or with psychological medicines. Such things may help the symptoms, but only Jesus can really set a person free from their life of slavery to the demonic world. So it is a blessed person who comes to Jesus for help with their difficult and life ruining problems like this. Jesus took time to help this fellow by driving out the demon that made his life miserable. Suddenly he was talking and praising God in the sight of all the villagers. Everyone was amazed. "Wow, that mute guy was singing in the streets today! Jesus cured his muteness and he started to talk!" It was a very great day in their village, and as the people thought the miracle there was a rising opinion among the crowds. "It's true, Jesus is our Messiah!" "Yea, nobody can tell evil spirits what to do unless they have authority over them." “Jesus must be a Prophet from God.” At the same time, some were looking in the direction of their religious leaders to see if they would also agree that Jesus was on God’s side.

The leaders could not condone Jesus thought. They could not accept him because he was not from their sect. In verse 15 and 16, some of them said, "By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons." Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. The other gospel indicates they were teachers of Law who were also Pharisees. Jesus had many confrontations with those sects and leaders in many villages. They were very skeptical of Jesus because he did not follow their customs or belong to their sect of Judaism. They had doubtful hearts toward Jesus and there reputation was on the line now. They had to agree that Jesus was working for God or find some good excuse for his amazing authority. They quickly considered the matter and concluded that Jesus was working for the devil. That could allow Jesus to order the evil spirits around, if Beelzebub had somehow promoted Jesus above many of his evil sprits. What a good answer and good reason for the people to quickly stop following Jesus. Thinking of this idea, some others among the blind leaders became very proud, and figured Jesus must display a miracle sign from heaven to prove he was really working for God. Perhaps they expected him to make fire come from the sky like the famous story of Elijah against the prophets of Baal. Anyway they figured they had Jesus trapped by their simple explanation and that his failure to meet their demand would surely prove that he was a fake prophet. How did Jesus deal with their accusation?

2) The Kingdom of God has come to you

Let's read verse 17&18. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub." Jesus did not cater to their demands at all. Instead he shared the very obvious truth of God to reveal the absurdity of the leaders original premise. What Jesus said makes perfect sense. If the devil sends his own demons away from the people he seeks to destroy, how can he accomplish is goal of ruining their lives? Imagine a university president who tells all the professors to get out of the class rooms. Will it be possible for the students to learn anything? No way. And the university will close soon because the people will be upset, or the president will be arrested. No leader will seek to destroy his or her own purpose. The prince of demons would be commiting suicide if he send all his agents away. This logic lays the foundation for Jesus' lesson about the work of God going on that day. In verse 19 Jesus asked them another very challenging question. "Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges." This further illustrates the absurd suggestion that the leaders just made. If the Devil is the one who chases away demons from people, then the Pharisees own members were utilizing his power if they ever suceeded in driving out demons. I don't know if they ever had success at that or not, Jesus did not mention it. Jesus was trying to make the point that if they did have success, the only way it could be possible is if God decided to bless their exorcism. The kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God exist in this world side by side, without any political border or cultural barrier. Servants of God sleep in the same bed as servants of Satan in many places. That is the big picture that comes to mind when we think about Jesus questions. The two kingdoms exists, and the devil has the predominant influence among people until the kingdom of God comes to them. God always wins when he decides to put evil spirits in their place. In today’s passage, God put a demon in his place with the finger of God.

Let's read verse 20. "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you." What do you think of when you consider the finger of God? I was stuck by considering my own fingers so I imagined God driving out the demon with a flick of his finger. Did you ever have success flicking away a little bug from the desktop like that? I have done that to ants and some flies in the past when I was typing the message at my desk. Many times the bug actually lives after I flick them away. They sail off my desk, but just fall to the ground and run away, or fly into another room. That reminded me of the fact that God does not destroy the demons when he chases them away. He gives them a whack so they leave one person alone, but they do seem to survive in the village and in the world. Even Jesus alluded to that later on.

Another thing I thought of when I considered my fingers was tickling. I like to use my finger to tickle a little kid. It is a very cute and pleasant to use our fingers for tickling. It makes joy and smiles in our children when we tickle them. Seeing the demons evicted from the man also made great joy for the servants of God and villagers, and very much happiness for the man who was suffering in the past because of the demons influence. Perhaps God’s finger works like that in our lives too.

Later I looked for the finger of God in the Bible. The finger of God appears just three times in this Bible. In Moses’ day finger of God was the only explanation that Egypt’s magicians could find for the amazing miracles that were going on. At that time the finger of God gave unmistakable proof that the Israelites must be released from slavery to serve God from then on. God used his finger to poke Pharaoh and wake him up to the fact that he was being out of line with God’s desire. But Pharaoh harden his heart toward God’s nudging and there was a great disaster. Later Moses also told the people that God used his finger to write the ten commandments on stone tablets when he was on Mt Sinai. God himself wrote the word of God one time in history. His word became the moral standard of right and wrong for the human race from that time on. For his glory, God’s laws quickly prove that each person has a corrupted heart and that each one has fallen short of his glory. In this way, throughout history, the finger of God has inscribed certain values and principles on each persons heart. Paul thanked God for those laws because they revealed his sinfulness so that he could truly recognize his need of salvation in Jesus. We praise God for his finger that touched the world in several ways and affects the life of every person under the sun. Here Jesus claims God’s finger was working to drive away demons from one person in order to prove God’s kingdom had indeed come.

Let’s read verse 20 again. "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you." God’s finger working in Jesus’ generation is very personal. In these times of Jesus’ world mission, God uses his finger to reveal his kingdom coming through one person whom Jesus cares for and blesses. We would expect God to reveal his kingdom coming with lightning bolts or with thunder and hail like ten plagues on Egypt. He did not. God chose the very personal, very gracious way of revealing his kingdom through very ordinary, everyday people. It is amazing that God uses his finger in just one person at a time to show the lost world that his kingdom has come to them. I thank God because I have heard about his kingdom coming in many lives through UBF testimony sharing. I thank God that I can read about his kingdom coming in many lives around the world and pray for gospel works in many countries because of the internet and world mission news. Now and then there are dramatic stories of demons running away too. But over all, their influence just fades away in believers when they really start listening to God’s word. It is the far more common experience. All in all, the witnesses of God’s finger at work, halting demonic influences and bringing the kingdom of God to one soul at a time are many. They all show that the finger of God works in certain lives around the world to continually prove that the kingdom of God has come to us. I thank God that his kingdom comes to us here as well.

Jesus shared a parable about this in verse 21 and 22. "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.” Surely Jesus is talking about Satan when he mentions the strong man. Satan’s house is the opposite of the kingdom of God. Just consider the world at the time Jesus came to die on the cross. In the whole wide world, how many people really worshiped God. Just a tiny handful. Perhaps 99.999999 percent of the people in the whole world were totally without knowledge of God when Jesus walked in Israel. Satan really had the whole world under his control, and even offered all it’s kingdoms to Jesus, as a temptation in the wilderness. Satan guarded his house with legalistic religions, fancy idols and the fear of death. With those weapons he controlled his house and almost succeeded in destroying humanity. But Jesus came with the truth of God and his blood to overpower Satan and rescue many souls. By his own death and resurrection, Jesus offered the living hope of everlasting life to anyone who believes in him. Amen

3) Gather with Jesus

It was a critical moment for the leaders who doubted about him and the people nearby. They was a blasphemous rumor starting that the Devil was working to drive out demons through Jesus. Jesus told the parable of the strongman to help everyone think hard about the real spiritual conflict that was going on at the moment. He wants all people to share the spoils of his victory over sin and death, not remain in the house of bondage, under Satan’s control.

Jesus invited everyone to share the victory with him in verse 23. Let’s all read that verse together. “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.” Many here have experienced the demonic influences power waning and losing all ability to control them when Jesus decided to bless them. Praise Jesus for the healing power that set us free from slavery to religion, addiction and lying justification for our sinful pleasure seeking in the world. Priase Jesus for those we know whom the finger of God has touched and healed right her before our eyes. Did you hear of the man mute man who envied the dogs because they could bark loud when they were hungry while he could not even order a big mac? Jesus set him free and now he preaches the Good News in two languages! Did you hear about the dark lady who screamed at her mom and then hid in her room where she wallowed in despair and self pity? Jesus set her free when she started listening to his words. Now she start to shine like the stars in the kingdom of God. When I lived in Satan Strongman’s house I believed that drinking alcohol would make me happy. I thought that three wives would be like paradise on earth. I was deceived into thinking that I was a good and righteous person who really did not do anything wrong. And I was a spokesman for anti-god ideas, tricking people to believe they were just accidents that evolved from goop. Even though I felt a spark of shame in my heart when I sinned, I was able to suppress it and became proud of my evil doing. Satan was very glad that he could take my soul to hell. I was working hard for Satan without even realizing it, to scatter people from the kingdom of God to die in their sins. Thank God that Jesus decided to bless me. He overpowered the strongman with one word of God and took away influential power of sinful temptations from my life. Jesus taught me what God prefers and helped me see my sinful life for what it was. The truth set me free to serve God and changed my direction. Now I know the truth of God, one wife is really paradise on earth. Now I am praying to gather people for God’s kingdom along with Jesus.

There really are two sets of people in the world. One set belongs to Satan’s house, they scatter the people into destruction through their influence and generally don’t hang around with Jesus. They are in a terrible situation. The other set of people have come to Jesus for salvation and they decided to help him gather his sheep from the ends of the earth. Many here are gathering. Some near here are scattering. This is the state of the union as God’s kingdom comes to you. Since we have many evidences of God’s kingdom coming in the souls set free right before our eyes, we do well to fix our life mission on gathering with Jesus.

There was intense fighting in the spiritual dimensions happening. Jesus chased away one of Satan’s cronies, and the people were amazed. But the devil convinced a few leaders of terrible lie, and they ultimately became the leaders of the plot to kill Jesus. The common people might miss the point too. They were apt to rejoice much in the things they saw, and imagine many glorious things about the kingdom of Israel which they desired. Jesus started to warn them about the work of evil spirits in verse 24-26. Evil spirits don’t give up when they are cast out of people. They go into hiding for a while and then try to come back when the person has let their guard down. They can even come back with many friends to mess up a man much worse than he was at first. According to Jesus’ saying there was a very real danger that the mute man might get even more messed up than before if he did not pay attention to his own house. Jesus put his house in order for the time being, but if the man simple takes Jesus’ work for granted, there is a definite chance that the demon will come back with his friends and make the man a real mental case. Someone said, “Jesus is not a janitor, or visiting maid service, who cleans up our demons so we can just relax and take it easy.” No. He is the Lord who calls us from darkness to light so that we can live for his kingdom and for the glory of God until the end. This saying also reminds us of his word in John’s gospel, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The truth of God, and his Holy Spirit must abide where the demons used to live, or the man will have a hard time. How much more then must we pray for the Holy Spirit as we start to see God’s kingdom coming to our lives.

As he was talking about this a woman called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." She admired Jesus because he spoke so authoritatively about the kingdom of God. She was a little jealous of Mary, so Jesus gave he a lesson on being blessed. He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." It is really another way of inviting everyone to join Jesus’ side and share the spoils of his victory. Those who hear the word of God and obey consistently and persistently will see the kingdom of God come to their lives.

Today’s passage tells us many things about the spiritual dimension that exists all around us. There are real demons seeking to ruin our lives with many lies and evil impressions of Jesus. Many will fall into their traps and be destroyed. But there is hope for all who have a chance to listen to Jesus. The kingdom of God comes to them when they hear God’s word and obey it.

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

But he answered, "You give them something to eat."
      They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"

"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."
      When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish."

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.