Luke 18: 35-43

35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.

36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant.

37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him,

41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.”

42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.”

43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. 

It is the too true reality that so many in our community, nation, and world do not know our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, at all, much less as a savior. The reason is that too many do not see their need for a savior. The blind do not feel the need to cry out, “Jesus, have mercy on me!” Let us pray that those blind in their sin would feel the need to see Christ clearly and their need to cry out to him.

Luke 18: 9-14

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

 

The self-righteous are the ones in most danger of not crying out to the Lord for mercy.

We see in Luke 18: 9-14 a contrast between the pharisee who was self righteous and the tax collector who was humble. The self righteous Pharisee was blind to his need for mercy. His salvation was of his own making. In contrast, the tax collector was honest and full of vision. He saw his sinful state before our Holy Righteous Creator God. He cries out in verse 13, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

I ask that you spend time during this hour meditating on these two passages of scripture. The attached prayer guide is only that, a guide. Pray as you feel led, but please focus your prayers on the need for mercy. Not just for the lost in our world…but also for yourself…this church…this community.

May God richly bless you and may you hear HIM clearly during this hour of prayer.

In HIS Grip

Pastor Bryant

 Guide to 1 hour of Prayer

10-15 minutes: Begin your hour with rest before the Lord. Stop. Breathe. Focus on God’s Word.
These passages may help.

Psalm 141 – Ask the Lord to hear you
Psalm 142 – Plea with the Lord for mercy

20-30 minutes: Center your mind on God’s WORD. The focus of our 24 hour prayer vigil is the lost who do not know our Lord. Focus on Luke 18: 9-14 & 35-43.

Luke 18:35-43 – Are you a Pharisee or a Tax Collector in your attitude toward our Lord’s mercy?
Luke 18:9-14 – Plea with the Lord for mercy. Who do you know who is blind to Christ? Pray that the Lord would soften their hear and cry out in their blindness for mercy. Pray that they will seek Christ for this mercy and not focus on their own efforts.

10-15 minutes: End your hour of prayer with focus on Clintwood Baptist Church. Pray that our Lord would awaken all in our church to our need for mercy.

Pray this way while breathing in and out:
Breathe in: “Jesus, Son of David,”
Breathe out: “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Breathe in: “Jesus, Son of David,”
Breathe out: “Have mercy on us, sinners.”

Pray for the next prayer volunteer. Focus on that person.

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”
— Hebrews 1:3-4

Christology is a theological discipline of seeking answers to two questions about Jesus. Who is Jesus? (discovering his identity). What is the nature and significance of his incarnation? (what was his work).

Perhaps you have often realized that you truly do not understand fully who Jesus is and what it is he accomplished. You have heard the Sunday School and Vacation Bible School stories and that is all you know. But do you truly KNOW who Jesus is and what it means that Jesus was God incarnate?

The other significant victory that Jesus secured was salvation for those who call upon his name. What makes Jesus’ name so significant that by calling out to him one’s sins are forgiven? Soteriology is the theological study of salvation.

“For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers”
— Hebrews 2:11

Salvation is an impossible act for sinners. You and I, all of us, do not deserve salvation. We have rebelled against God our creator in our thoughts and actions. Our very nature is sin. We inherited it from our ancestor Adam. There is nothing we can do about it.

But, Jesus did do something about it.

Salvation is through Jesus Christ and through him alone.

The book of Hebrews is a wonderful source of knowledge about Christ and Salvation. Jesus is greater than any human being. He is God. Yet he is also like you and me, but not exactly like you and me. Please join us on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights as we learn more about what the bible says about Jesus and salvation.

In HIS Grip

Pastor Bryant Owens

“Send the light, the blessed gospel light; let it shine from shore to shore! Send the light, the blessed gospel light; Let it shine forevermore!” — “Send the Light” by Charles H. Gabriel. Baptist hymnal #595

November 6 was the day to set clocks back one hour from the Daylight Savings time that began in March. Although an extra hour of sleep was a blessing, the sun sets earlier in the evening now.

By December, most of us drive home in the dark after work. It is at this time of year we notice the darkness because there is less daylight in the twenty-four hour day. December is a month of anticipation. We anticipate Christmas and anticipate the return of the light. This is one reason why candles and Christmas lights are so popular during the Christmas season.

John’s gospel shares the words of our Lord when he declares, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” — John 9-4-5 [ESV]

We live in a dark world. Sin abounds. Rejection of the gospel is proudly proclaimed by non-believers (and Christians as well). The church is called to a difficult job. Christians are called to be the light that our darkened world so desperately desires to see. I challenge us all who claim salvation through the blood of Jesus and boast in his name to reflect His light during these dark months. Let us work together in cooperation to ease the depression many of our neighbors face at this time. The economy has taken a hit, but we can cooperate together to shine the light of Jesus to everyone.

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” — 1 Corinthians 3:7-9 [ESV]

One individual light is limited in how effective it can cut through the darkness. It is when many lights shine together that a large swath of light is seen at a great distance. Southern Baptists are known for cooperation in spreading the gospel. We must cooperate together with like-minded, bible believing Southern Baptist Churches to be an effective light.

Let us beware of those who would seek to hinder the light of the gospel. Well intended efforts of cooperation can lead to a hindered gospel message when only one party does not agree that hope only comes through a new life in Christ. It is through Christ that lives are changed. Free food, clothing and shelter are blessings to a dark world, but it is the light of Jesus that will truly make a difference. Let us seek to work with those who share the same passion for the gospel that we do as a church. Cooperation is only effective when all involved shine the same light in the same manner pointing all who need Christ to Christ.

May God richly bless you this Christmas season and may he grant you a blessed new year in 2012.

In HIS Grip

Pastor Bryant Owens

– Psalm 111:9 –

He has caused his wondrous words to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and merciful.

He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;

they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

– Psalm 111:3-8 –

– Psalm 111:2 –

– Psalm 111:1 –

Jamie is now eighty-three years old and has wrestled with the reality of her declining healthy for several years. She has remained in the only place known as home for her entire life. I have had the privilege of becoming Jamie’s pastor since my arrival at Clintwood Baptist Church in 2009. Becoming Jamie’s pastor is a high honor because she has such a high expectation for a pastor. She has seen many pastors come and go during her lifetime. Most of the pastors at Clintwood Baptist Church in the earliest days of the church history served as itinerate preachers, many traveled on horseback through the mountains serving more than one congregation. Longer term pastors served during the 1960s through 1980s. Jamie McCoy has seen much change in her lifetime while remaining unchanged herself in her home, work, and church life.

Jamie has taught the same women’s Sunday School class for fifty-six years. These women began studying scripture together as young women and are now the senior adult women’s class. They have seen much together and are now the oldest members of our congregation.

Missions education has always been a large part of Jamie’s life. Her active involvement in the WMU has yielded decades of missionary support.

I have visited with Jamie often lately as she adapts to the new changes in her life. Jamie asked me a few months ago to advise her on her pending move to an assisted living community. As I listened to Jamie recount her memories of her house and her community, I was struck at how rare a treasure Jamie McCoy really is. Jamie has only known one home her entire life and to change her address and church home at this stage comes with many challenges. My advice to her was to embrace this time of change as a mission opportunity. God will introduce Jamie to new friends and will certainly give her a new ministry for teaching.

Clintwood Baptist Church will be honoring Jamie McCoy this Sunday with a luncheon. She will move to her new home the next week but will never leave our church family. Clintwood Baptist Church is facing change. We will not be the same without Jamie. May God richly bless her in her new life with new friends and new opportunities to share the truth of God’s Word.

May God bless you Jamie McCoy. I am honored to be your pastor.

At the final judgment…all people will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Which are you? A sheep or a goat? Blessed or cursed?

Click here for sermon audio

“Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke recount the same scene, a scene where a wealthy young man seeks acceptance by Jesus, the Good Teacher [Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30]. This young man first recognizes that the kingdom Jesus proclaims is truly what he desires. He approaches acceptance into this kingdom with the only understanding he has, earning favor through following a rule. The situation that Jesus addresses with the young wealthy man is the same issue facing Jake and his favorite t-shirt.

Ethical dilemmas in the Christian life and in the church always begin with questions. The questions asked by both Jake and the wealthy young man point to the same answer stemming from the same issue. The problem is, the questions Jake and the wealthy young man in the gospels ask are not the right questions. These two young men really ask the same question without realizing it; “Jesus, will you accept me?”

“This is my favorite t-shirt. Can I wear it to youth group on Wednesday night?”

Like most of us, Jake truly wants to belong and has learned he must earn acceptance. Earning acceptance always leads to submission and change. In seeking to belong, Jake finds comfort in his music, which leads to his wardrobe, a favorite t-shirt promoting his favorite heavy metal band. The music is inviting. Jake has placed his trust in his own desires. What he likes he treasures and this becomes his treasure, his source of wealth, and ultimately his idol.

The guitar licks and smooth beat of the music allow Jake to escape the dilemmas he faces every day as a young man struggling to find acceptance. His immaturity and the perceived dysfunction in his family life drive him to find any place of escape where he can vent his frustration. In his process of self-discovery come other friends with similar musical taste. A social group forms of like-minded adolescents escaping reality together.

Jake is also seeking authority while at the same time rebelling against authority. God has designed all people to grow from child to adult being guided by authority of parents or parental figures. He reveals himself as Father who sends His Son to establish authority over sin and death. Jake’s appeal to Wednesday night youth group stems from several factors. He sees a healthy environment for loving acceptance with peers and adults who point him to the truth of Christ. However, the influence of the heavy metal culture has steered Jake away from what he knows instinctively. Two worlds pull on Jake. God loves him and Jake truly desires God’s favor.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21

Jake’s treasure is his heavy metal world. This world of vulgar lyrics and hate spewed energy calls Jake to behave the same way. Rebellion toward his mother, church, and authority of any kind is not blamed on the music. But, the music clearly feeds the anger in Jake. His strongest influence is the world of heavy metal. Jake faces a spiritual struggle, one of looking for acceptance but stumbling in his search.

The other side of the spiritual struggle in Jake is an inherent sense of truth. Jake is made in God’s image and in that truth Jake senses something else must be calling him. “…that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [1 Timothy 2:3-4]

Jake recognizes that the kingdom Jesus proclaims is truly what he desires. He approaches acceptance into this kingdom with the only understanding he has, earning favor through following a rule.

Adults at church have reached out to Jake in various ways. The 80s heavy metal band that Jake loves is also a band many of the adults connected with in their adolescent years. This is a generational connection between Jake and the adults he encounters at church. Through their experience with this same music, these adults can model for Jake the proper place of worldly things. They discovered a greater truth and can lead Jake by example. Unfortunately, when any adult speaks to Jake, he withdraws assuming they are condemning him. He has a past of negative encounters with adults who fail in guiding him and only condemn him as a wild teenager. Jake would definitely benefit from positive generational connections that guide him to Christ.

Jake’s question about his favorite t-shirt is the same question the young wealthy man asks Jesus. It is the same question we all ask when coming to the cross of Jesus Christ. “Can I still hold on to my idols? Do I have to give up my own created comforts? Jesus loves me just as I am so do I have to give up what gives me identity to become like Christ?”

Jesus’ response is yes. Our self-made comforts are idols that hinder our submission to Jesus Christ’s Lordship and authority. The peace Jake seeks will not come from Christ when Christ is not first. If his world of heavy metal music comes before the peace of Jesus Christ, then Jesus is not Lord and Jake will not receive peace.

“And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, ‘ One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’” – Mark 10:21

Adults in the church love Jake. The friends he has in Wednesday night youth group love him too. As Jake becomes more a part of the Christ-like family at church, he realizes the struggle between the two worlds calling him to belong.

Should Jake wear his heavy metal t-shirt to Wednesday night youth group?

The answer is that as Jake begins to follow Christ’s call to the Kingdom of God, Jake’s identity will begin to change, becoming more like Christ little by little. No adult has asked Jake to not wear his t-shirt. Jake is asking permission to wear his t-shirt because he is like the wealthy young man who asks Jesus what he must to do to inherit eternal life. Jake is asking what he must do to be accepted.

Jake’s question about the t-shirt is truly a question about salvation. The only answers will come from the adults Jake is asking. These adult Christians will love Jake enough to tell him the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jake will begin to feel more accepted by the family of God through their love and gentle guidance. In time, Jake will give up his idols and embrace the truth of Jesus Christ. He will then desire to model the Christians around him as they influence his attitude.

“But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property.” – Mark 10:22

The answer for Jake’s question is not in how the wealthy young man responded to Jesus’ compassionate answer. This gospel narrative ends in tragic rejection. Jesus does not push the wealthy young man away. The wealthy young man walks away from compassionate truth mistaking it for a rule he can not obey. He chooses his idols over Jesus.

Jake’s real question about his t-shirt points to the real question he wants to ask.

“Jesus, can you forgive me and accept me?” Jesus will always answer, “Yes!”