Tension
Notes
Transcript
I. Intro: A World of Opposites
A. This morning we’re in a two-part series about Tension. Right tension creates balance, which we need for presenting the full Gospel. If we’re not holding what God values in tension, then we’re only living half of God’s design for us as believers.
ILLUSTRATION: My Wife Didn’t Need a Pastor.
-If I focus on loving her and being present with her, my revelation might be attractive to her.
Punchline: What my wife needed wasn’t a Bible factoid machine, but compassionate, loving husband.
We need to love truth and champion sound doctrine WHILE being a compassionate people and excited about mercy.
STATEMENT: To live in tension, we must allow the Holy Spirit to stretch us to hold grace and truth together (interdependently, simultaneously).
o Illustration: Rubber Band
II. Tension
-We sometimes think of tension as a negative..
-Tension is simply:
• The act of stretching or straining
• The state of being stretched or strained.
-In other words, there’s such a thing as right tension.
• Budget.
• Tension stabilizes.
III. Tension of Scripture
o Tension applies spiritually.
o 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn. 1:14)
o For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (Jn. 1:17)
In theology, we have orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
o “Ortho” means “correct, straight, right, upright.”
o Orthodontists help “correct, straighten, make right” crooked teeth.
o Orthopedists help “correct, straighten, make right” the skeletal structure.
o Ortho-doxy deals with doctrine—right doctrine or right beliefs.
Orthopraxy.
o right behavior and actions.
o Why is this important?
o Orthodoxy more prevalent than -praxy
o We need to live it out.
o Application:
o Right doctrine is paramount.
· Greasy grace, social gospel, good works, good person.
o Heresy hunters” seek to expose falsehood/do little to nothing to further the kingdom.
· Truth campers need to See God’s grace
· Grace campers need to Champion Truth
oToday we’re talking to the TRUTH CAMPERS. I’m more of a “truth camper.”
o Zealous about truth, skeptical over movements.
o Don’t know if I would have recognized Jesus
o What about you?
o Are you TRUTH or GRACE?
è Turn with me to Mark 2.
READ
Mark 2:1-12 (NKJV) READ
Mark 2:1-12 (NKJV)
· 1And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
· 2Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.
· 3Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
· 4And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
· 5When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
· 6And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
· 7“Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
· 8But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?
· 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?
· 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,
· 11“I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
· 12Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
· Tension from many angles
-Scribes
-Friends
-Witnesses
PRAY
IV. READ: Jesus meets us in the tension between the desire for wholeness and the demands for holiness.
A. This story is probably familiar to many of you
B. Jesus is in middle of war for both.
C. Everybody needs four crazy friends”
D. Tension between truth and grace camps.
E. “Philanthropists” and the “Protectors.”
V. Philanthropists
A. See Him as Champion of downtrodden
B. Want to see if He can really heal.
C. They are creative.
D. We need audacious faith.
E. Up stairs, sawing hole, lowering down.
F. Distracted by broken roof
G. Friends only want friend healed.
H. Don’t care for sermon, want Savior
I. Jesus saw their faith—what matters most to Him.
J. “Your sins are forgiven.”
K. Friends and scribes confused.
L. PUNCHLINE: Need to desire transformation instead of just healing.
M. He wants us holy, not just whole
VI. Protectors
A. Protectors in room.
B. Scribes devoted to studying and copying Law.
C. On iPad: “Their fundamental task was to copy the sacred text, not just to render judgment about it. The great amount of time they spent with the sacred texts helped to qualify them for making judgments about the law.”
D. The scribes treated these traditions as LAW.
E. Scribes wanted to protect truth. Sent to spy on Jesus.
F. Wanted to scrutinize; don’t care about total transformation.
G. Annoyed by interruption.
H. But here’s where it gets interesting:
Mark 2:6-7 READ
6And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
· 7“Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
I. Which is easier? “You are forgiven,”--an unseen action
J. Telling paralytic to defy his permanent state.
K. “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins…” turns to paralytic “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
L. William Barclay, READ ON iPAD
“There is no sick man healed of his sickness until all his sins have been forgiven him’ … to the Jews a sick man was a man with whom God was angry. [According to] the experts…on their own stated beliefs[,] the man could not be cured, unless he was forgiven. He was cured, therefore he was forgiven. Therefore Jesus’ claim to forgive sin must be true.”[1] (Barclay)[2]
M. Truth and grace reassign permanent state from paralyzed to whole, sinner to child.
N. Deals with sin primarily, changes physical state secondarily.
O. Both camps are satisfied, but still surprised.
Protectors Vs. Philanthropists
A. Philanthropist--focused on doing good, improving their broken friend’s brokenness
B. Protectors--bent on guarding the truth; demanding holiness.
Illustration: “Bring him to Me.” (Mk. 9:19-ESV)
PUNCHLINE: I was the TRUTH guy. What he needed wasn’t a thesis on Christianity’s relevance, but introduction to Jesus Who dispels lies, and transforms lives. Truth and grace.
VII. Hold Criticism Loosely and Compassion Firmly.
A. Truth Camp must learn how to hold criticism loosely, and compassion firmly.
B. We need open mind towards the things of God, in regard to holiness.
C. Jesus utilizes a “wholeness” response to achieve a “holy” result
D. The Scribes and Pharisees saw everything through a lens of tradition but were convinced it was truth.
E. Truth Campers are mighty when they champion truth, and long for God’s mercy.
F. If you a protector, you love the word of God.
G. What drives me as “truth camper” is that people will seeing whole picture to come to Jesus through authenticity and not pretense.
H. But all you see is legalism from me when I set the table for truth but don’t invite you to partake.
Truth Without Grace is Mean, Grace Without Truth is Meaningless
Close
Salvation response:
“Forgiveness is the greatest miracle that Jesus ever performs. It meets the greatest need; it costs the greatest price; and it brings the greatest blessing and the most lasting results.” (Wiersbe)[3]
SONG: By the Grace of God
Transition:
-Jordan and Rachel, lay leaders, Snooks, Gores, Sarah, KEVIN join me onstage,
2nd Service: ADD KEVIN McHANN TO INVITATION TO STAGE
Introduce
[1] Guzik, D. (2013). Mark (Mk 2:8–12). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
[2] Guzik, D. (2013). Mark (Mk 2:8–12). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.
[3] Guzik, D. (2013). Mark (Mk 2:5–7). Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.