2006-12-17 Communion Dedication – Baldwin Christian Church

1 John 1:1-3

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Life can be discouraging sometimes (A few of you are probably thinking, “tell me something that I don’t know”).  We are so easily discouraged.  For some of us, we wake up in the morning, and the discouragement begins with the first thing we see, ourselves in the mirror.  It doesn’t end there.

We meet resistance everywhere we turn.  The people we deal with out in public can be very frustrating.  Our friends don’t always act friendly.  Sometimes our own family members are the most difficult people to deal with.  And then, there’s always that person in the mirror; something always reminds us of our own shortcomings.  We just can’t get very far away from our faults; they find their way out into the light at the most inopportune times.

Resistance, frustration, hopelessness; think about what Jesus endured.  Before He was even born, the angel told His mom that He would be the king of an everlasting kingdom (Luke 1:30-33).  I can imagine in the weeks that followed, Mary nagged her “carpenter” husband-to-be until he finished making a crib fit for a king, and she got busy painting castles and chariots on the walls of Jesus’ room.  Well, things don’t always go according to plan.  Everyone had to go back to his home city and be taxed.  At a stage of pregnancy when you usually try to avoid bouncing around, Mary and Joseph had to ride that bumpy road from Nazareth, (80~100 mi) up through the hills all the way to Bethlehem.  When Jesus was born, He didn’t get to sleep in a fancy crib, He was laid in a food trough in a stable.

That was a pretty rough start, but it got worse.  It wasn’t long after this when King Herod put out a hit on Jesus, so Joseph and Mary had to hit the road again, and hid down in Egypt.  Before Jesus was two years old, He had ridden hundreds of miles on bumpy, dusty roads, and had a death sentence passed on Him.  It gets worse.

When Jesus was 12 years old, He got in trouble with His folks for hanging out at church (the temple) too long.  Did He get frustrated and backtalk His folks?  No, He sucked it up and obeyed them (Luke 2:41-52).

When He grew up, nobody believed He was the Messiah.  People would take advantage of His healing powers, but very few were thankful for it (Luke 17:12-19).  The folks at church (synagogue) would argue with Him and twist His words around so they could use them against Him.  A trusted member of His inner circle stole from Him, turned against Him, and delivered Him up to the authorities (John 12:4-6, 18:1-5).  Almost all of His friends abandoned Him at that point.

Jesus felt resistance in this life.  He dealt with frustration, but He overcame it all so you might receive His strength, His endurance, and His faith.  The Father wants to show Himself strong through your weaknesses, through your faults, but He can’t do it if you dwell on them all the time.  When you look in that mirror first thing in the morning, you can see Him instead of your faults.  When people are difficult, you can choose to be frustrated, or you can choose to see how patient He is with you.  When your family comes against you, tap into the humble endurance of Jesus, and remember how often you have abused His grace.  When nothing seems to be going your way, remember His suffering, and be encouraged that something much better is waiting for you.  When you see the things you want but cannot afford, remember that He died with only His clothes as possessions, and be thankful for the blessings you already have.

Do you see the glass as half-full, half-empty, or do you say the glass is too big?  Are you just thankful for the glass and the water you have?  We all need to work on our attitude.  John is telling you this morning that you have fellowship with the Father and the Son by His Spirit.  Keep this like a little sign always hanging in front of your eyes; you have fellowship, togetherness with the One who experienced more resistance than anyone.  Be encouraged.  Jesus lives, and nothing can stand against Him.