Sermon Text

(James 3:16-4:6 ESV) For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in

us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

John 5:5-18

5 Now a certain man wasthere who had an infirmity thirty–eight years.

6 When Jesus saw him lyingthere, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time,He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"

7 The sick man answeredHim, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirredup; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

8 Jesus said to him,"Rise, take up your bed and walk."

9 And immediately the manwas made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

10 The Jews therefore saidto him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you tocarry your bed."

11 He answered them,"He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’"

12 Then they asked him,"Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?"

13 But the one who washealed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in thatplace.

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, andsaid to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worsething come upon you."

15 The man departed andtold the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

16 For this reason the Jewspersecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things onthe Sabbath.

17¶ But Jesus answered them, "MyFather has been working until now, and I have been working."

18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not onlybroke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equalwith God.

(Luke 10:25-37 ESV) "And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying,"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in theLaw? How do you read it?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with allyour heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and yourneighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and youwill live." 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers,who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance apriest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 Solikewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he hadcompassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then heset him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the nextday he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, andwhatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, doyou think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "Theone who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise.""

Our meditation is based on the healing of the ten lepers. You will see that the sinner finds false comfort in getting caught up in the crowd, but that the Son of God calls you out of mischief to live out a new identity as redeemed and restored in Him.

(Luke 17:11-19 KJV) "And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice

glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."

Matthew 14:22-33 (EHV)

22 Immediately Jesus urgedthe disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead of him to the other side,while he dismissed the crowd. 23 Afterhe had dismissed the crowd, he went up onto the mountain by himself to pray.When evening came, he was there alone. 24 By then the boat was quite a distance from shore,being pounded by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 In the fourth watch ofthe night, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples sawhim walking on the sea, they were terrified and cried out in fear, “It’s aghost!” 27 ButJesus spoke to them at once, saying, “Take heart! It is I! Do not be afraid.” 28 Peter answered him andsaid, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 Jesus said, “Come!”Peter stepped down from the boat, walked on the water, and went towardJesus. 30 Butwhen he saw the strong wind, he was afraid. As he began to sink, he cried out,“Lord, save me!” 31 ImmediatelyJesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, “You of littlefaith, why did you doubt?” 32 Whenthey got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying,“Truly you are the Son of God!”

(Zechariah 4:10 NKJ) "Forwho has despised the day of small things?"

I Samuel, chapter 5, verses 1 through 8: When

the Philistines captured the ark of God, they

brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then

the Philistines took the ark of God and

brought it into the house of Dagon and set it

up beside Dagon. 3 And when the people of

Ashdod rose early the next day, behold,

Dagon had fallen face downward on the

ground before the ark of the LORD. So they

took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4

But when they rose early on the next

morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face

downward on the ground before the ark of

the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both

his hands were lying cut off on the

threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left

to him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon

and all who enter the house of Dagon do not

tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod

to this day. 6 The hand of the LORD was

heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he

terrified and afflicted them with tumors,

both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when

the men of Ashdod saw how things were,

they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must

not remain with us, for his hand is hard

against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So

they sent and gathered together all the lords

of the Philistines and said, “What shall we

do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They

answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel

be brought around to Gath.” So they brought

the ark of the God of Israel there.

(Matthew 6:13 NKJ) "But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom andthe power and the glory forever. Amen."