Luke 17:15-19

Scripture:Luke 17:15-19 “Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ ¹⁹And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’”

Observation: The ten people healed were lepers. Because of the contagious nature of leprosy its victims were required to remain apart from healthy people and public places. Lepers were also required to announce their condition by shouting out “unclean, unclean” to anyone who came close to the infected person. Lepers, very often, were forced to rely on the generosity of others to survive since, as the disease progressed, they were generally unable to make a living. As Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, he encountered the 10 lepers who shouted at him saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Hearing the lepers and seeing their condition Jesus had compassion on them and he healed them. Luke also tell us that Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law by telling the healed former lepers to go and show the priests so they could be officially declared clean. It is at this point that one of those healed came to Jesus and after falling at the feet of Jesus gave thanks to Jesus for the

miracle of his healing. We also notice two very important elements in this account. First, only one of the ten people cleansed returned to give thanks to God for this life saving miracle. Second, the person who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan. Clearly, when Jesus said, “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” it was a reasonable expectation that all ten of the healed lepers would have returned and given thanks for their miraculous healing. Finally, we read in Luke 17:19 Jesus said it was the Samaritan’s faith that made him well. As a Samaritan, the healed man most likely practiced a form of Judaism that was considered by the people of Judah to be incomplete and false. But, we hear Jesus saying that this man’s faith saved him! 

Application:We learn from this story that we are to give thanks to God for the miraculous. But, is it only for the miraculous that we are to give thanks? Or are we to give thanks also for the non-miraculous? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 commands us to, “Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Ephesians 5:18-21 adds this, “Be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Philippians 4:4-9 makes our response to God’s provision clear, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” 

Prayer: Lord help me to see that everything you give to me is a miracle because truly I deserve nothing. But you, in your great mercy, gave to me everything I need. You healed me of my sin. Lord, forgive me for not returning to you. Forgive me for not falling at your feet. Lord, forgive me for not thanking you. Lord lead me to thank you for everything you give me, Amen.

Dwight Enfield

Mark 11:1-10

Scripture:Mark 11:1-10 “Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ²and said to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. ³If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord has need of it and will⁴And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. ⁵And some of those standing there said to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ ⁶And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. ⁷And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. ⁸And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. ⁹And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!’”
send it back here immediately.’” 

Observation: This was a planned event. This was an event planned in detail. This was an event planned down to the minute. Previously, at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus confirmed to his disciples that he was indeed the Messiah, that is the Christ, the anointed one and that he was to go to Jerusalem to suffer, die and be gloried. This event is described in Matthew 16:13-21, “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ ¹⁴And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ¹⁵He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ ¹⁶Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ 17 And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ ²⁰Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. ²¹From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Now, just a few days later Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem. Holy week and the Cross lie immediately ahead. Jesus was about to allow himself to be arrested, beaten, ridiculed and ultimately killed just as he had said to his disciples at Caesarea Philippi. But this was not to be the end. Remember Jesus also said, “And on the third day be raised” and “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The building of the church and its mission to break down the gates of hell was about to begin. We can see that every detail of this mission was laid out. Even to the point of arranging for the animal upon which Jesus was to enter into Jerusalem! This was not something done in reaction to circumstances it was a fully orchestrated event! This was nothing less than the plan of God!

Application:We are to trust that Jesus came and that he will come to lead his people. He will come to lead his church in victory over death, over Satan and over the gates of hell. We are to know in full confidence that Jesus’ birth was the triumphal entry of God into this world just as surely as his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was the beginning of his ultimate victory over the devastation that resulted from the Fall.

Prayer: John wrote in Revelation 22:20-21, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! ²¹The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” Dear Lord, as we recall the last words in the Bible prepare our hearts to serve in your kingdom. Let us trust in the fullness of faith your death, resurrection and ascension for our salvation. Let us cry out, as your children, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” Amen.

Dwight Enfield

Matthew 15:8-9

Scripture:Matthew 15:8-9 “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; ⁹in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” 

Observation:The prophet Isaiah was inspired to first write these words over 700 years before Jesus quoted them. In both cases the context was the same. People who by any outside measure, appeared to be religious and who seemed to be acting in a God pleasing way were in actuality hypocrites. These seemingly pious people were not acting with the intent of pleasing God. Instead, these people were acting in a way that was intended to please and/or impress other people. In short, they were not what they appeared to be. Jesus spoke directly to the issue of hypocrisy in Matthew 23:27-28. Jesus was standing before a crowd of people who had gathered near the southern entrance to the Temple mount when he said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed ²⁸So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Jesus often used real life imagery as he taught. In this case the image was found just a few hundred feet to the east. The image was the great cemetery on the Mount of Olives. This huge cemetery was littered with one whitewashed tomb after another. From the vantage point of the Temple steps this created a pleasing picture. I can imagine Jesus motioning with his hands as he pointed to the tombs covering the Mount of Olives. The tombs looked clean and protected observers from seeing their unclean contents. The cemetery on the Mount of Olives “looked clean” but in fact it was full of dead man’s bones that would make a Jewish person who came into contact with them ceremonial unclean. Jesus’ example was clear. People who only appear to be faithful while in reality remaining steeped in sin are just like the cemetery on the Mount of Olives. Just like the whitewashed graves, the hypocrite looks beautiful but is, on the inside, dirty, disgusting and anything but beautiful. 
tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 

Application:This, of course, raises a question that requires both introspection and external observation. From the introspective standpoint we need to ask ourselves if we are acting in a way meant to please or impress others or are we acting to please God. In regard to the external observation - we must exercise discernment regarding the actions and teachings of others while recognizing that we are unable to judge the heart of another person. The prophet Jeremiah wrote about this very issue saying, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?¹⁰‘I the Lord search the heart and test the mind (Jeremiah 17:7-10).’” So, how are we to discern whether the actions of another are self-serving or serving the Kingdom of God? Jesus provides us with the answer. In his answer he provides both a caution and his criteria for discernment. Jesus says in Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” We can’t judge the heart or the motives of another person, that is clearly God’s job and his job alone. However, we can judge actions of another based on the fruit of their actions.

Prayer: Dear Lord, give me the discernment to evaluate my own motives. Give me the discernment to properly judge the fruit of other people while not daring to tread upon your role of judging another person’s heart. Protect me and your people from false prophets who are only whitewashed tombs and filled with self-serving deceit. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ¹¹Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. ¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit (Psalms 51:10-12).” Amen.

Dwight Enfield

Mark 5:18-20

Scripture:Mark 5:18-20 “As he [Jesus] was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹And he did not permit him but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ ²⁰And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.”

Observation: The possessed man who Jesus healed was described as a man with an unclean spirit who lived among the tombs. He was so strong that he could not even be bound with chains and shackles. The response of the man to being freed from his possession by the demons is understandable. He wanted to be with the one who freed him. He wanted to be with Jesus. At first it is shocking to us that Jesus refused to allow the man to join him and his inner group of disciples and travel with them. We think of Jesus calling people to follow him not telling people that they are not to follow him. But notice what Jesus told the man in verse 19, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Jesus had a mission and a ministry for the formerly possessed man. Jesus’ plan was not for the man to simply follow along after him. Jesus’ plan was for the man to more fully follow Jesus by going to do ministry rather than just watching ministry being done by Jesus. This reminds me of the angels’ question to the disciples after Jesus had ascended to heaven. Acts 1:10-11 paints this amazing picture for us. We are told that immediately after Jesus’ ascension that “Behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” We notice in the passage from Acts that the disciples were dumbstruck. They were just staring into the sky. They were seemingly immobilized. Then the angels asked them a pivotal question, “Why do you stand looking into heaven?” They were not to just stare in awe, they were to “Go” and do ministry.

Application:We often hear a great sermon or read an inspiring passage from the Bible. But it is what we do next that is of great importance. Will we just stare into the sky – frozen like the disciples? Or will we “Go” and act on what God has shown us as the disciples were instructed to do by the angels? We have a choice. Which path will we take? Will we take the path that ends with our hearing God’s word but not acting or will we take the path that results in mission and ministry? Robert Frost explains the significance of our decision, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Prayer: Lord lead me, Lord guide me, Lord use me in your mission and your ministry. Amen.

Dwight Enfield

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Observation.  Jesus wants us to join him in his mission to save the world.  He has given us a mission to share his love and the gospel with others.  He wants us to reach those who don’t yet know him with the gospel message and help people grow in their faith.   And he promises to be with us in this endeavor to the end of time.

Application.  As I go about my daily life, God will give me opportunities to engage in his mission.  He will enable me to be sensitive to the Spirit’s move in my life and the lives of others.  Because of God’s lavish love for me, I can view others through the eyes of Jesus, recognizing that Jesus desires that all should be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).  As I share his word with others, I can be assured that his word is powerful and will accomplish the purpose for which it is sent (Isaiah 55:11).  I can have confidence that all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26) and that I am not alone in his mission.

Prayer: Dear Jesus thank you for loving me and for giving me a purpose for my life.  Give me a passion to reach those who are lost and without hope in this world.  Help me to see others as you see them.  Help me to be sensitive to the opportunities you give me to share the gospel and help people to grow in their faith.  Thank you that I am not alone in this mission, that you promised to be with me forever. Amen.

Paul Michaletz

Matthew 27: 50-54 “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. ⁵¹And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵²The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, ⁵³and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Observation.  Jesus’ death on the cross changed things!  No longer do we have to go through a priest to have access to God (torn curtain).  We have direct access to God through our mediator, Jesus Christ.  Creation responded to Jesus’ death and gave up the dead by the resurrection power of Jesus.  Jesus was the first fruit for those falling asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20). The death of Jesus changed hearts. Even the hard-hearted centurion and the soldiers with him could not deny that this was no ordinary death because Jesus was no ordinary person.   They confessed that Jesus was the Son of God.

Application.  The death of Jesus can affect every aspect of my life.  I can boldly come before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), knowing that the Father hears me because of Jesus.  I can look forward to my own resurrection when God will change my mortal body into an immortal body to live with him forever.  I can be confident that the death and resurrection of Jesus does change lives, even those that seem far from God.  I can be a witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus in my own life.

Prayer.  Dear Jesus thank you for your sacrifice for my sin on the cross.  Thank you that because you rose from the dead, I too will rise and spend an eternity with you.  Thank you that you have made it possible to come before your throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in my time of need.  Thank you that you do change lives, even those that are far from you. In your name, Amen.

Paul Michaletz

“Alive In The Spirit”

S: 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” 

O: Genesis records God’s instructions to Adam about one specific tree: 

“The day that you eat of it you will surely die” - Genesis 2:17

And God was right!  

When Adam and Eve CHOSE to disobey God’s warnings, not only were they rejecting God’s will, but they were ALSO rejecting ALL of God’s blessings, His provision for them and their relationship with Him.  It was WAY worse than they could imagine in the moment as Satan was tempting them with the beauty of the forbidden fruit!  And ever since, we’ve

suffered the consequences of their decision…and ours!  ALL sin has its origins in this deceptive and horrible choice.  And all our sins are repeats of this same deceptive and horrible choice!  It shows us that when mankind fell into sin and passed that sinful nature on to us….we too are bound, tied to it….can’t do anything BUT carry out our nature!  It’s like the color and texture of your hair that you received from your parents!  You can dye it, cut it differently, change the look….but in the end, “it IS what it IS”!

Think about everything that has ever been “wrong” in your life.  Think about all the bad outcomes and consequences that have negatively impacted your life because you have willfully made decision and actions that are contrary to God’s will.  Think about that for a moment.  Has you life been better on your own?  Has your life been more blessed apart from God or with Him?  Do your ways lead to “LIFE” or do your ways lead to “tolerable” at best and “death” at worst?  Look, if we’re honest, OUR ways may seem OK….tolerable….maybe even “good” by earthly standards.  But in the end….do they lead to life and life eternal?

Lent can be a powerful time when we remember the impact of the fall and sin on our life.  It can be a powerful time of taking stock and evaluating “how” we’re doing and “where” our relationship with God stands.  It’s a season of contemplation and asking ourselves honest and sometimes difficult questions!  And we need this!  Why?  Because like our first parents we’ve learned to deny our sins or blame them on others.  We’ve learned the art of “self-absolution” or as we often call it: “self-justification”.  And the devil wants us to think like this!  Because if I can blame someone else for MY decisions, then I believe that THEY can carry the consequences instead of ME having to!!!

And this is the devil’s way of twisting the truth!  Because Someone HAS carried the consequences of MY sinful decisions!  Back in the garden, God promised us He would send us a Savior who would “crush” the evil one.  And His crushing blow to the evil one would take place in a way that was unique.  As our verse for today reminds us, Jesus would take OUR place under God’s judgment!  He would “suffer” for sins. And He would “bring us God” AND that He would empower us to “put to death in the flesh”….ALL the works of our “old nature” AND He would make us “alive in the Spirit”!

A: Given what Jesus has done, what areas in your life might need to “die” and what do you need Jesus to make “alive”?

P:  Lord Jesus, thank You for taking on my punishment so that I could know life!  Help me to focus on the life you died to give me and help me walk in newness of life.  Especially Lord, the following areas are in need of change!  __________________ (list those areas you specifically need Jesus to forgive, help you change, rearrange in you, etc.). Thank You that on the cross you declared “It is finished”.  Help me believe that!  Help me trust in You above all that the evil one has lied about.  Help me walk in new life for Your glory and praise!  Thank You Jesus.  Amen.

Pastor Tim