Mount of Olives: Place of Prayer

This morning as we continue our message series on “Retracing the Steps of Jesus,” we are leaving the region of Galilee where Jesus carried out the majority of his earthly ministry and we are going to examine some observations that we can make from an area just outside of Jerusalem called the Mount of Olives.

We are introduced to the Mount of Olives in the NT portion of the Bible in Matthew’s gospel:
As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. Matthew 21:1-2 NLT

What I didn’t realize fully until going to Israel was that this Mountain ridge outside of Jerusalem is covered with Olive Trees and that is why it is called the Mount of Olives. This is the location of the villages of Bethany (the home of Jesus good friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus). And in this previous passage that we just read it was also the location of the town Bethphage.







This was also the beginning point of his triumphal entry into Jesus at the beginning of his last week prior to his death on the cross. It was here that he got on a donkey and rode into Jerusalem. As our group of pilgrims, were walking down the Mount of Olives, we saw a donkey on the road, little did I realize that this photo would cost me a $1 and so I wanted to make sure that I got my dollars worth this morning. (See Pictures Below)





From the Mount of Olives, you can see the Kidron Valley that separates the Mount of Olives from Mount Zion the location of the city of Jerusalem and yet while in the Mount of Olives you find yourselves in a peaceful serene atmosphere nestled in the midst of the groves of olive trees. No wonder that while Jesus was in Jerusalem, he would spend his evenings with friends in this peaceful setting. (Show Pictures)











This morning we are going to learn from Jesus as he frequently visited the Mount of Olives and treated it as his place of prayer, and in fact we have recorded in the Bible one of his most famous prayers that was prayed in this place. This morning, we want to ask ourselves five practical life application questions as we examine Jesus’ prayer as he felt extremely burdened by the task that lay ahead for him. So our first question this morning is …

1. What causes your heart to be worried and burdened?

Let’s read in the Bible from Matthew 26:36, about what burdened Jesus …

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:36-38 NLT

First of all it is important for us to notice that the specific olive grove Jesus prayed was called Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane means - “oil press”. I learned during my pilgrimage to Israel that the way Olive Oil was extracted from the Olives was in an Olive press. This is what an olive press looked like … (Show Pictures). The farmer would place the Olives in the press and then place a series of weights on top of the olives. In fact they would give the first oil that was extracted from the olives by the first weight was given to the priest. The oil extracted by the second heavier weight would be used for food and cooking. The oil extracted by the third yet heavier weight would be used for lamp oil. And the oil extracted by the final heaviest weight would be used to make soap, so that nothing would be wasted.







Interestingly enough Jesus describes the burden that he felt in his heart for the human race prior to going to the cross as a crushing wine press weight. Understandably so, Jesus said … “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” It is important to note that Jesus was a willing participant in His sacrificial death on the cross, and yet that does not mean it was an easy task or decision. It was an act of sacrificial love, with great cost and since Jesus, the Son of God, became human or flesh, then he had to struggle with his human desires of self-preservation. And yet the good news is that his love for us overcame his human desire to avoid pain and death.

What is it in your life that leads you to fill like you are being crushed under the weight of the world? Is it the burden of caring for other people as Jesus carried? Is it worries that you are facing at work? Is it the burden of taking care of elderly parents? Is it worries about your marriage? Is it worries about your children? Is it the burden of debt that you feel from past poor financial decisions? Is it worries about your family’s financial situation? What is it that causes you to feel burdened and worried?

And maybe an even more important question: How do you handle the burdens of this life? Do you look for the answer within yourself? Do you look for comfort from a bottle or overeating or some addiction? Or do you follow Jesus example of turning to His Father in Heaven to find comfort, relief, and direction? Let’s look at how Jesus relied on the Father during times of prayer and let’s look at the specific question:

2. How did Jesus pray?

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:39 NLT

What did you notice? First of all Jesus approached His Father in a personal (“My Father”), and yet reverent way. He bowed with his face to the ground … can you picture it?





When is the last time you got down on your knees and put your face on the floor or ground and prayed to the One who can really lift you up and remove the burdens of life?

It is good to have time that we kneel before God in prayer … and yet more important than our bodily posture is the posture of our heart.

The story is told of a little boy, who got in trouble with his parents and the little boy had to sit in a time-out chair in the corner of the room. The defiant little boy told his parents, I might be sitting down on the outside, but I am standing up on the inside!



Possibly more important than us kneeling on the outside is that we are kneeling on the inside with our face to the ground before God our Father!

The Hebrew writer recorded Jesus attitude in prayer as:
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7 NIV

When is the last time you bowed and cried out to the One who can deliver you from the burdens and worries of your life and truly prayed for deliverance? Jesus was heard because of his reverent submission. Does that describe your approach to His Father and Our Father in Heaven?

Another important application for us on this question … is that Jesus took his closest friends to pray with him. During this intense time in Jesus’ life, he takes some close friends aside to pray with them. Not only do we need to approach the LORD with reverent submission, but there is great power available through turning to close friends of faith during intense times of our lives. If Jesus needed others around him in prayer … How much more so us!

When is the last time you confided in a friend some challenges you are facing (some burdens and worries) and ask someone else to pray for you? There is tremendous power found in prayer and for many of us we have not tapped into the source of strength and comfort available through asking others to pray for us!

In fact, this morning, I would like to ask for your prayers on a couple of matters: First … please pray that the LORD will give me the wisdom I need to be a godly leader of the Southwest Church helping us become a church of major impact reaching out to this community and surrounding communities. Specifically, for this fall, please pray for us to wisely choose our church wide message focus and small group material for this upcoming fall.

Also, please join me in praying that we will not simply (only) have love, serve, share as our purpose statement, but that will be consistently demonstrating what it means to be a church that is committed to love, serve, and share!! In fact, we welcome your prayers as we are seeking a new church logo that we will plan on unveiling as we get closer to the opening of our new Worship and Community Center. We plan to incorporate those three words (love, serve, share) into our logo and yet we want to make sure that we don’t simply have these words on our bulletin and on a logo, but that we are living it out in our lives individually and collectively!!!

This brings us to our next life application question surfaced from this text …

3. Why is it important that you consistently pray?

Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Matthew 26:40-41 NLT

Jesus tells us the answer … it is because although our spirit is willing, in and of ourselves we are weak! Now let me pause there for a minute: Some of us have to be honest that at times we struggle with having “willing hearts” or “willing spirits.” But here is good news we can also pray for a heart that is willing to obey God as well! King David of Israel was described as a man after God’s own heart, but on one occasion he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. … Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” Psalm 51:10, 12 NLT

If you are seeking God for the first time or for the first time in a long time and you are having trouble getting your heart into this whole God thing … maybe a beginning point for you, is to take the “David Challenge” and to simply pray … ”LORD, Give me a Willing Heart!” “LORD, make me willing to obey you!”

And for those of you who are seeking after God’s lead in your life, and yet you like these early friends of Jesus find yourself willing and yet at times incredibly weak, then recognize that there is a direct correlation between the amount of time you spend praying to God and your ability to say “No” to temptation! What is that temptation in your life that keeps tripping you up? Have you specifically asked the LORD’s help to “deliver you from that temptation?” Remember Jesus taught us to pray: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13 NIV

How much have you been praying for God’s deliverance in that area of weakness in your life? It is amazing to me how there is a direct correlation between the amount of time that I spend praying for strength in the face of temptation and deliverance and the victories that I experience.

Why is it important that you & I consistently pray? … So we can tap into God’s strength!

Our fourth life application question this morning is …

4. What are you doing when you should be praying?

Let’s read about what Jesus’ friends were doing while he was having this intense time of prayer:

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!” Matthew 26:42-46 NLT

For these guys, Peter, James, and John, they were sleeping when they should have been praying with Jesus!! Maybe for some of us we have been sleeping when we should be praying. Possibly, we are sleeping up to the very last possible moment prior to going to school or work and we are walking into our work day trusting in our own strength, as opposed to being clothed with God’s power as the result of spending some time in the morning getting our hearts focused in God’s word and strengthened by a time of prayer.

What else can we be filling up our time with that is robbing us from strength found in prayer? Possibly watching TV shows, sporting events, spending time on line playing games or on facebook. Now am I saying that those things are wrong? NO … not in and of themselves, but if we call ourselves follower of Jesus and yet we find ourselves spending hours every evening watching television or spending hours on line, but we don’t have time to spend 15 minutes in prayer with the giver and sustainer of life, then something is wrong about our priorities.
What are you doing when you should be praying?

And finally let’s learn from this passage …

5. What is the result of not praying?

Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” Matthew 26:50-54 NLT

Following Jesus time in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is prayed up and ready to face the incredible challenges ahead. Peter, on the other hand, who was snoozing when he should have been praying, resorts to pulling out a sword and trying to use a physical weapon to fight a spiritual battle. I like what the Apostle Paul later wrote in the Bible:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NIV

As you go through your day, are you tapping into divine power or are you simply fighting with the weapons of this world?

My concern is that there are many powerless, defeated, burnt-out Christians, because they are failing to tap into the divine power that is available to the follower of Christ. Are you willing to put the effort to develop a prayer life as we get serious as a church what it means to follow Jesus?!

In closing, I want to share with you something that is one of my souvenirs from my time in Israel. This is a rock that I found on the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane.



We had about 30 minutes to read, pray, and meditate on the significance of this place.





After reading through this prayer in Matthew 26 (and Mark 14 & Luke 19), I found the tree that I thought would have looked like the one that Jesus possibly knelt in prayer in this same garden. I knelt and prayed that the Lord would have his way in my life and that I would totally surrender to the LORD’s Will in my life. And I prayed “Not my will, but your will be done!”



After getting up from my time in prayer, I realized that I had my head resting on a little rock that was beside this tree. So I put in my pocket as a reminder of my meaningful time of surrender to the LORD’s Will. (Hold up rock and show the picture of rock near tree).



Have you surrendered to the LORD’s lead in your life? Today, Rick Stump is going to surrender his life to the Lordship of Christ by being obedient in baptism. Have you made that initial decision to follow Jesus and to surrender to his leadership in your life?



If not, then you are welcome to join Rick in his decision and be baptized today as well? If you have already made that decision, and yet you have fallen into the trap of trying to grow as a Christian by relying on your own power, if that true is of you, then possibly today is the day for you to truly bow on the inside and recognize your need to tap into the divine power that is only available in Christ!! Possibly for some of you today will be a breakthrough by either coming forward during this final song to ask for prayers and/or write down your prayer need on the communication card and pass it in during this song.
Let’s Pray!

Sea of Galilee: Renewal of the Call

As we continue to retrace the Steps of Jesus, it was extremely important for us to spend one week examining a very important realization that hit me, while I was both by and on the Sea of Galilee.



During our two week stay in Israel, we spent the first week in and around the Sea of Galilee. Our hotel was located in Tiberias, a seacoast city by the Sea of Galilee.



And on Saturday, May 28th, we had scheduled for the day a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Prior to leaving for Israel, I shared with you during a message on Jesus life that on one occasion he slept while he was on a boat during a storm and that I was hoping for a storm during our boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Well it didn’t storm during our boat ride, but it was cloudy and on the morning of the 28th it rained a little bit on the day of our boat ride (it was the only day that it rained during our entire time in Israel), which I couldn’t help but think that this was God smiling down on my pilgrimage.





While in the boat, it was truly phenomenal to try to take in the sounds, the smells, the sights of the Sea of Galilee. To try to imagine being in the boat with Jesus and to try to imagine what it would be like to have seen Jesus walking across the sea and to actually be like Peter and try to follow Jesus example of walking on the water toward him.



And by the way, there is an amazing exhibit in a museum next door to the Sea of Galilee that shows a 2,000 year old fishing boat that was rescued from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee.



As we looked at this incredibly old boat, it was fun to try to imagine was this one of the boats that Jesus rode in or was it one that Peter, Andrew, James, or John either owned or fished from.



But back to my boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, which is not as big as I had imagined. The lake is 12 ¼ miles at the longest point and 8 ¾ at the widest point of the lake, and is in the shape of a harp. We motored out to the center of the lake, and then our leaders had instructed the captain of our boat to shut off the engines.



While we floated in our boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, one of our trip leaders, Tom Jones, asked us to look at the shore of Galilee and at some of the sites that we had visited the two previous days and he asked us to visualize Jesus walking along the shore and calling people to follow him.





He then asked each of us in our group of ministers, to share with our group our initial call to follow Jesus and specifically for us to share our call to ministry. It was a powerful time to hear of how God had worked in each of these guy’s lives. Personally, I shared how that growing up, I had regularly attending Church, but it wasn’t until I was a college student, that I understood that I was personally called to follow Jesus. And then I shared that due to a terrible stage fright experience that I had when I was in my early teens, that I had resolved that I would never be able to work in any type of work that required public speaking. And yet after I became a Christian, I had a message on my heart to share with others and felt compelled to begin sharing, teaching, and preaching with others the difference that Jesus Christ had made in m life.

With this personal experience as our backdrop, let’s read together about Jesus and some of his first followers and their …

Initial Call
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. Matthew 4:18-22 NLT

Let’s make some observations of this initial call made to Peter, Andrew, James, and John:

The first is that Jesus took the initiative. He called out to them. He invited them to follow him, not because they deserved to be called but because they needed the good news that he had for their lives. What is the application? Jesus calls us to a personal relationship with him not based on our goodness, but upon his goodness. It is a calling of grace!

Secondly, the call is to follow Jesus! Not simply to believe in Jesus, but to actively follow him in life. I like what author, D.A. Carson wrote in his commentary on this passage. He wrote, “His followers were not just ‘hearers’; they actually followed their Master around (as students then did) and became, as it were, trainees.” – D.A. Carson

You see Jesus didn’t call people to simply be hearers or church attendees, but he called us to be disciples (students) or followers of His! Now here is the obvious question: Have you accepted Jesus call in your life to follow Him? I am not asking: do you believe in Jesus, do you attend church, do you read your Bible. What I am asking you this morning is the following:
Have you accepted the call to truly follow Jesus? Let me repeat that question:
Have you accepted the call to truly follow Jesus?
And are you actively following him now?

A third observation in this text is that this is a calling with an accompanying mission and that is to become a “fisher of people!” Jesus uses a powerful analogy with these professional commercial fishermen. Up to this point you have been fishing for fish, but now I am calling you to begin to fish for people. He is saying up to this point fishing for fish has been your profession or main focus of life, now I am going to give you a calling of greater meaning and that is to fish for people.

Important note: It is important that we recognize the language that Jesus uses here … “I will show you how” or as some versions read, "Come follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Here is the good news, if we accept Jesus call to follow him, God’s Spirit (or the Holy Spirit) will make us or transform us into someone who is able to in turn to influence others to also follow Jesus. Sometimes people put off making that initial decision to follow Jesus because they think I don’t know if can live that life or calling. But the good news implied in Jesus call is that if we accept his call, He will miraculously intervene in our lives to transform us and make us into something we are presently not! Don’t wait until you have it all down to begin to follow Jesus, because the truth is that you and I can’t follow Jesus by our own power, you and I need God’s spirit to intervene in our lives!

A final observation from this text is that there was an immediate response to Jesus invitation by Peter, Andrew, James and John. Now some have suggested that this is not the first time that they encountered Jesus (Luke 5 and John 1) were previous encounters with Jesus. And yet on this occasion they responded immediately and radically to Jesus call. They left their nets (which represented their business and means of income) at once and followed Jesus.

Let’s go back to this call to follow Jesus and seek to define a little bit more precisely what it means to follow Jesus. Well here is the good news, as Matthew continues his description of Jesus ministry along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he defines what Jesus and his first followers were doing in that region …

Follow Jesus
Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed —he healed them all. Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River. Matthew 4:23-25 NLT

Jesus went throughout the region of Galilee, which one commentator wrote would have included 204 cities and villages and the Roman historian Josephus said could have totaled more than 3,000,000 people. And as Jesus and his followers traveled throughout this region, he did three things. What were they?

He taught … He announced Good News … and He healed people.

Now what does it mean for us to follow Jesus …
Well I believe we are all called to follow Jesus example of teaching. Now you might think, well I don’t have the gift to teach. Well it might be true that you don’t have the gift to teach publicly, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the responsibility to teach with your words, your actions, and your attitude what it means to be a follower of Jesus. If you have children and/or grandchildren, you are called to teach them. As I have shared before, I love Francis Assisi’s famous quote: “Preach the gospel always … and use words when necessary!”

We are also called to follow Jesus example of proclaiming or announcing good news to others! We live in a world that is bombarded with bad news! Have you ever roomed with, worked with or lived next to someone who always looked at life with a negative world view. Someone who could see the dark clouds in every silver lining!  Growing up, one of my grandmothers had that type of disposition. I would go visit her and say... it’s a beautiful day outside today, and she would say yes but it is awful humid, or there is a chance of rain later today. I would say, grandma dinner was great and she would say well the mash potatoes were too lumpy! No matter how hard you would try to encourage her, she would turn into a negative.

Followers of Jesus are called to be light and salt in a fallen world full of bad news. Followers of Jesus are called to remind others of the good news of God’s love, God’s presence and God’s promises in this world! And to share with others that He is still at work today in people’s lives in a powerful way. Are you seeking to share that good news with those you work with and those you live around? Are you taking advantage of opportunities that are provided here at the church to share the good news of God’s love with others? … In the bulletin today, there is a description of an opportunity coming up later this month to participate in a free car wash in the community. Just another opportunity to show God’s love and God’s presence in the community!

I like how Peter would later describe Jesus life in Acts 10. "Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Acts 10:38 NLT

It seems to me that one very practical way to follow Jesus in our lives would be to pray and look for practical ways every day and at least every week, to do something good for someone who is presently living far away from God to communicate to them God’s love! What will be your acts of kindness or service this week? Intentional Acts of Kindness …not Random Acts of Kindness

And finally, Jesus went from town to town healing people. I am not suggesting that we have healing gifts today, although I am confident that we can bring healing into people’s lives by coming along side people, listening to them, and praying for them. It is interesting to note that in this text the phrase in the language that the Bible was originally written describing Jesus healing ministry is the Greek verb, “Therapeuo,” which is where we get our English word “Therapy.”

Sometimes people need to go to a trained therapist, but sometimes all people need is a caring friend who will care, listen and pray. I have to confess that sometimes I find myself in conversations with some one that I don’t have a clue what to say. Sometimes all I say is “wow … that is a tough one!” … I am going to be really praying for you and even better yet … could we pray about that together right now. You see I don’t have to know the answers but point them to the One who does!

Now some of you might say … well we have to accept our limitations and realize that we aren’t Jesus. And although I agree we have to accept our personal boundaries and limits, we also have to take to heart what Jesus taught in John 14, when he said …
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.” John 14:12-13 NLT

Now I am not suggesting that we will be able to perform miracles as Jesus did, like walking on water or creating a mass amount of food from a couple of fish sandwiches. But the collective impact in the world of Jesus followers can be of greater magnitude than he accomplished while he was on earth. If every follower of Jesus gathered here today would take to heart this message and say, this week I am going to follow Jesus and look for ways to bring light and good news into people’s lives that I live around and work with. And to practically look for ways to carry out specific acts of kindness this week to individuals who are presently living far away from God as a simple way to show them God’s love! If every follower of Christ would take that to heart then collectively we can have a great impact!

There are two things that can hold us back from responding as these first followers of Jesus did:

One is procrastination: It is easy to say well I eventually plan on following Jesus and become a fisher of people, but just not right now. This is a busy time of life, I am in school and the pressures are great, my job is very demanding and I am trying to get my career to that next level, our kids are young and very needy, etc.

As a church if we aren’t careful, we can put off following Jesus and making disciples in our community by saying well, when the new church building is open, then we will really begin to influence others. But the truth is Jesus calls us to an immediate response: Listen to what he said:
Jesus said: My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do. You may say that there are still four months until harvest time. But I tell you to look, and you will see that the fields are ripe and ready to harvest. John 4:34-35 CEV



Let’s not wait until the Worship and Community Center is completed to begin to get serious about leading others to Jesus. Let’s look for practical ways throughout this summer that we can carry out acts of kindness. Let’s all be praying for opportunities to share with others the good news of how God is working in our lives and in our church and encourage others to come and see what God is doing in the life of the church while we continue to worship here in the YMCA, so they too can experience healing in their lives! In fact, this past week I began to dream again of how many people we could influence as a church if every follower of Jesus worshipping in this place would truly …

Accept Mission that Jesus has given us!
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20 NIV

If you are a follower of Jesus have you accepted the mission that Jesus has given you and that is to make disciples? If every disciple of Jesus, or follower of Christ, would accept their lifelong mission to make disciples, then we would really begin to see that collective worldwide impact in our day greater than what Jesus accomplished while he was on earth!

Earlier, we talked about the danger of procrastination in accepting this mission. Another big obstacle is being overwhelmed with the mission and task at hand. It is easy to say well I am just one person and there are so many people who aren’t following Jesus… How can I make a difference?

The story is told of a little boy who came across thousands of star fish that had washed up on the ocean shore.



And of course star fish can’t survive outside of water, so the little boy recognizing this fact began to throw one by one back into the ocean. An older man was watching this unfold and asked the little boy … Do you really think you can make a difference in this huge catastrophe. And the little boy, held up one of the star fish and said, I can make a difference for this one!



Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the task at hand of trying to take the good news of Christ to a community and an entire region. But I am reminded that in the overwhelming task of bringing a community or region to Christ, we can start one by one making a difference by leading one other person to Christ!

While I was on the boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, we were also asked by our group leader, “Will you continue to accept Jesus call to follow and will you call others to follow Jesus?” And I answered in my heart with an emphatic … YES! I wrote in my journal, “I am not sure [exactly] what it will look like yet, but I resolved on the boat in the Sea of Galilee to renew my passion and calling to make disciples of Jesus!”



How about you? Will you accept Jesus call in your life? … To be a disciple and to make disciples! And remember it begins with helping one other person that right now is living far away from God!
Let’s Pray!

Caesarea Philippi and Mount Tabor: Transforming Time

The Author Standing Near the Banias (Israel) Waterfall

Today and Tomorrow all over this country people are going to be celebrating in parades, picnics, family gatherings, and community gatherings; and many of these 4th of July gatherings will include fireworks. Why? Because … it is the anniversary of our declared independence from Great Britain.

The 4th of July is a uniquely United States Holiday, which other countries don’t observe. One of my daughters, who is a French Major at Miami University, is studying abroad this summer in France and she will be taking Finals tomorrow, because France doesn’t celebrate the 4th of July … and I can guarantee you that Great Britain doesn’t either. Although we celebrate the 4th of July with Fireworks, it didn’t mark the end of the war for Independence, but instead the beginning of it. And although there were many battles to be fought after July 4, 1776, it was a huge milestone to mark the beginning of our nation, the declaration of our independence … our freedom. It is not surprising that the claim of freedom resonates in the heart of Americans, because it is in the very fabric of who we are as a nation of people.

And yet almost 1750 years before our freedom as a nation, Jesus of Nazareth walked and talked on this earth to bring true freedom for those who would believe in him and entrust their lives to him. On one occasion Jesus taught …
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32-32 NLT

What is the truth that we are to believe about Jesus? We are to believe the truth that was first declared by one of Jesus closest friends in Caesarea Philippi in Matthew 16. If you have your Bibles with you, please turn to Matthew (which) is the first book of the NT portion of the Bible.

Declaration at Caesarea Philippi: Caesarea Philippi is one of the locations that we visited during my recent pilgrimage to Israel. Caesarea Philippi was a city built in Northern Israel as a tribute to Caesar (the Emperor of Rome), by Herod the Great’s Son named Philip. So it was Philip’s Caesarea or Caesarea Philippi. It was an amazing site to visit.




In fact Caesarea Philippi is located near Mount Hermon and in a state park of Israel called Banyas, which is 30 to 40 miles north of Galilee. It is a beautiful park with an incredible water fall that marks one of the origins of the Jordan River. This was one of the most beautiful natural sites that we saw during our travels in Israel.





It was no doubt a great location for a retreat for Jesus and his closest friends to get away from the heat, the crowds, and the demands of his ministry. Actually it was a great location for us to get a break from the heat as well and of course our group from OHIO couldn’t resist another opportunity to show where we were from!



And it waas in this general location that Jesus chose to ask the most important question still to this day … let’s read about it …

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:13-15 NIV

I am curious this morning, if we worked our way through the crowd today and asked every person here … Who do you say Jesus of Nazareth is? What would you say? Would you answer the same way that one of his best friends, Simon Peter answered?

Let’s read Simon’s response …
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 NIV
This was the first time that one of Jesus followers declared him to be the long awaited Jewish Messiah, the Son of the Living God!! It was a powerful declaration. It is more profound than the declaration made 235 years by the founders of this nation. This faith declaration by Peter, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God is a declaration that needs to be made over and over again by every person and by every generation!

It is a faith declaration that transforms our understanding of this world, our purpose in it, and our focus for living! Peter and every person who follows in this faith confession will find eternal blessings! And let’s read what Jesus had to say to Peter in response to his declaration.

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:17-19 NIV

Now some have taken this Bible passage to say that the church is built on Peter, but I believe that the church is not built on Peter, who was undoubtedly an influential living stone within the early church, but that the church is built upon the faith confession that Peter was the first to declare. And that bedrock foundational faith of the church is that Jesus is the Christ, or the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”

And what is the promise that Jesus made to Peter? In addition to telling Peter that he would give him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven … and by the way it is evident that Peter was very influential in the first century of opening the doors into the Kingdom of Heaven by being the first to declare the good news of who Jesus was not only to his fellow Jews in Acts 2, but also to non Jewish people in Acts 10. And by the way, I don’t think that this means that Peter is the one standing at the pearly gates of heaven to let people in as is often stated in Jokes. For example …

But the other promise made to Peter here by Jesus is that the Gates of Hades will not overcome it. Now I had always assumed that this meant that Satan or the powers of Hell could not stop the church. And yet after being in Caesarea Philippi, I recognized another powerful application.





Caesarea Philippi was a modest size city, originally called Paneas, because it was the center of worship of the Greek god Pan. Today Paneas is pronounced Banias by the Arabs and the city, which was known as Caesarea Philippi (in Jesus’ day) was built on the Streams of Banyas, near a cave that during the 1st Century had a spring flowing from that cave.





And in this Northern Israel City, Herod built a temple to Augustus (the emperor of Rome), he also built a temple to the pagan gods Zeus, Pan, the Nymphs, and also a temple to the dancing goats. This was a pagan place that no respectable Jewish boy would have visited and yet it is in this location that Jesus retreated with his friends.





Possibly Jesus chose this location to help them see a striking contrast between these false gods worshipped here and the One and only Living God that Jesus was representing!



In fact the cave that the Temple of Augustus was built in front of was actually called the Gates of Hell or Gates of Hades. And as we visited these remains and reflected on all the pagan temples that were standing in the days of Jesus, it was a powerful moment to reflect on the lasting power and strength of the church that Jesus built. Although these popular religions and cult practices no longer exist, the church of Jesus Christ still remains and is growing in its influence 2000 years later! Truly the Gates of Hell will not overcome the Church of Jesus Christ!

Following this declaration of faith by Peter in Caesarea Philippi, the Bible records that six days later Jesus climbs what we call today the Mount of Transfiguration. We don’t know for sure which mountain Jesus climbed. Some believe that it is Mount Hermon near Caesarea Philippi and yet tradition says that it is Mount Tabor, which is in lower Galilee.







On our last day in Galilee, prior to traveling to Jerusalem, we were given a day of rest. And I am sure many of the younger guys needed a day of rest , but I thought to myself I can rest in Ohio, and I am probably only going to have one chance to see Northern Israel, so along with 3 other guys, we rented a car and drove to Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the site of the Mount of Transfiguration. We learned that the church building on top of the Mountain Tabor closed for lunch at 11:30 am, so we drove our rental car to the very top of the Mountain.







After viewing the amazing church building that was built in this desolate area at the top of Mount Tabor and the amazing view from the mountain, we drove back down the mountain to a rest station.





And then we got the bright idea of climbing the mountain. That experience brought new meaning to the first verse of Matthew 17:1 …

Climbing the Mountain
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. Matthew 17:1 NLT



This mountain was incredibly steep. In fact as we started climbing the mountain and recognized how steep it was, we started rethinking this Bible Passage. I had always thought what an honor it would have been to have been selected to climb this mountain with Jesus. As we got about ¼ of the way, we wondered if Peter, James, and John were wondering to themselves … Why didn’t Jesus pick Andrew, Nathaniel and Phillip? And we wondered if the remaining 9 apostles were thinking … boy I am glad Jesus picked those three.



As we got about half of the way up the mountain I was out of breath and it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. After asking the three guys were 15 to 20 years younger than me to stop about three times and they had to help me get over huge wall embankments, I thought that it was probably the better part of wisdom to let them continue the hike without me. I didn’t think it was a good idea to have a heart attack on the Mount of Transfiguration. While sitting on a rock on the side of the mountain, I had an extended period of time to reflect on this important scene in Jesus life that is recorded in the Bible in Matthew 17.



Let’s return to our reading and see what happened once they got to the top of this mountain that I couldn’t climb …

As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Matthew 17:2-3 NLT

Can you imagine this scene in your mind? Peter, James and John are tired from their walk up the mountain and one of the gospel writers even records that they were sleeping and upon waking up, they see Jesus transfigured “so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.”

Interesting enough while I was on top of my mountain my green shirt was “transfigured” into a white shirt with lettering on it. (Smile) And all joking aside, the web site listed on my shirt is my personal blog that I am posting these messages and many of the pictures that I am showing during this message series. So if you would like to get a closer view of these pictures and/or you have missed one of these messages you can check it out on line.





Can you imagine what it was like to wake up and see Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah? As you can see in the artwork displayed in the church building on top of Mount Tabor, the disciples would have shuddered in fear as they saw Jesus talking with Moses, the one who delivered the Law and Elijah, the one who personified the spirit of the prophets. So in one moment, these followers of Jesus could see that Jesus was the fulfillment of both the law and the prophets. It is understandable that they wanted to grasp the moment and possibly build some monument to it.



Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4 NLT

And yet that wasn’t the purpose for Peter, James, and John to accompany Jesus. Instead they were to recognize that they were in the midst of the Son of God. And that although the law and prophets pointed to Jesus, He stands alone and supreme as God’s Son! In many ways this event is described in a similar manner as the scene that happened centuries earlier when Moses climbed up Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments and the Law of God. But there are some striking differences between this mountain top experience and Moses experience on top of Mt. Sinai. Listen to one author’s description of this scene …

“Moses had reflected the glory of God as the moon reflects the light of the sun. But Jesus produces the unsurpassable glory of God; it emanates from him. Jesus does not point to the glory of God as Elijah, Moses, and every other prophet has done; Jesus is the glory of God in human form.” -- Kings Cross by Timothy Keller

Let’s keep reading …
But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus. Matthew 17:5-8 NLT

This was truly a mountain top experience, and while on that mountain they recognized that they were in the presence of someone greater than anyone who had ever walked this earth! They were in the presence of God’s Son and they were called to listen to Him!!



I believe that this story is told not just so that we can know this historical event, but for us to recognize in our own lives the glory of Christ and the supremacy that he holds in history and that we too should be humbly acknowledge his greatness and his glory and that we too are called to listen to his authoritative voice and apply his teachings in our life!

How are you doing in this area? Is Jesus the focus of your heart? Or do you get distracted by competing voices and competing focuses? Honestly, where is the focus of your heart? Is it on work? Is it on school? Is it on family? Is it on some hobby or interest? … Or is your heart focused on Jesus’ life and teaching?

This is why we need times of worship together like this morning to help us refocus our hearts on the one who is truly worthy of our worship. In many ways you become what you worship … If you worship that which is decaying and will not last, you too will wither away, decay and not last. And yet if we worship the One who is still alive and glorious, then you will not only become more and more like him in this life, but you will spend eternity with him in glory!

Peter, James, and John got a glimpse of that glory while on the mountain, and my hunch is that this glimpse helped sustain them through some tough times ahead. Likewise, in our lives we get glimpses of God’s glory on earth, we experience great times of worship and we are encouraged to refocus our hearts and minds on Jesus and his teachings. In my life, the time in Israel was truly a mountain top experience. And yet unfortunately like Peter, James, and John, we have to come off the mountain. And the challenge is to maintain our focus on the glory of Christ when we come off the mountain …

Coming Off the Mountain
At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. … Matthew 17:14 NLT

We won’t take time this morning to read what happened after they came off the mountain, but a quick overview is that Jesus found the remaining 9 apostles being unsuccessful in healing someone in need. And Jesus points out that they were focusing too much on their own ability and their own strength, instead of the power that is available in Him and His father. Jesus points out that it is a faith issue …
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20 NLT

And in the NASB, we read the following verse …
“But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:21 NASB
Jesus is pointing out to them and us that to sustain our calling to follow him after we come off the mountain top experiences it is going to take a dependence upon God’s power through the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting! How are you doing in your dependence upon God’s power in our daily life? As much as we love the mountain top experiences, most of life is spent in the valleys!

I wanted to close with sharing something very personal from my heart. While I was in Israel, I had all of you praying for me every day. It was wonderful, I felt strong, focused, and energized! Honestly, I didn’t want my pilgrimage to end! Yet eventually our time in Israel came to an end.
And I came home with a determination to be a different person, to be a better husband, better dad, and a more effective teacher and leader for this church family!

And yet, after coming off the mountain, I found myself facing some intense temptations and tests to my resolve. Now on one hand that fires me up, because that means we must be on the verge of some pretty cool stuff as a church family! But I also was frustrated that I was struggling and even falling on my face in some areas that I had felt much stronger prior to my pilgrimage.

Could it be that this mountain top experience was not just possibly because of the land that I was visiting, but also because so many of you were praying for me? In fact, I had one person share with me, “I prayed for you every day that you were gone.” Now I was encouraged by that statement, but I also thought to myself does that mean you aren’t praying for me now.

You see we not only need prayers from others so that we can have mountain top experiences, but also so that we can face the challenges when we come off the mountain. I need your prayers so that I can be the person has called me to be. You need the prayers of others so that you can be the person you need to be …not just on the mountain-tops of life, but also during the challenges of the valleys.

Is there something in your life that needs to be driven out of your life? Are you depending upon God in prayer and fasting for that deliverance? And are you willing to humble yourself to ask for prayers from others? If so, then why not decide on this Independence Weekend, that you will claim freedom in your life … a freedom that only Christ can bring. And maybe the first step is to ask for help and prayers from others who are also on that journey of following the One who brings true freedom! Let’s Pray!