Jesus, Why Don't You Get Lost?

Jesus’ ministry was personal and to the point. He reminded the Pharisees that their self-righteous attitudes stood in the way of a personal relationship with God. Our Lord likewise pleads with us to turn from our sin – our immorality, dishonesty, profanity, and neglect of his Word. Will we receive him or tell him to get lost?

Sermon
Jesus, Why Don’t You Get Lost?

Scripture: Luke 13:31-35
At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day – for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Hymns
“Lamb of God Most Holy”
“The Old Rugged Cross”

Renewing Reflections
It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon “What Shall I Do With Jesus?“ delivered on Christian Crusaders January 13, 2008.
We will have hundreds of important questions to answer in our lifetime: questions regarding health issues, such as dementia and cancer. We need to be united in order to learn the answers to these perplexing problems. We face political issues. Who will we vote for? Who can best lead us? Yet none of these questions are as important as this one: What shall I do with Jesus? If we will let him into our lives, he will turn us around and affect our lives in such a way that we will find the answers to most of the other questions.

National Religious Broadcasters in Convention
National Religious Broadcasters is a non-partisan, international association of Christian communicators whose mission is to keep the doors of electronic media open for the spread of the Gospel. The following is adapted from the article, “Engaging the Quiet Revolution,” by Craig L. Parshall, Sr. VP and General Counsel, in their February 22, 2010 newsletter to Christian Crusaders and other NRB members.

“As the National Religious Broadcasters prepare for their annual convention in Nashville this week, they are readying for a kind of revolution. It is a revolution of a clash of worldviews and a media upheaval of Titanic proportions. Where this revolution will end, at least in the short-term view, is uncertain.
“First, there is the explosion of legislative and regulatory proposals coming from Capitol Hill – some already passed – which represent the most direct challenge to the Church and to Christian communicators we can remember. Second, we are witnessing a moral, cultural and spiritual revolution in America, where biblical confusion is rampant, and where there is a soul hungry for the Good News of Jesus Christ, but it is too often ensnared in vague, pagan ideas of spirituality or “politically correct” religion. Third, a technological tidal wave of change is hitting every aspect of media, and the Christian media is not exempt. Attendees will be exposed to two very different belief systems about the future of religious liberty, and what it means for you and your ministry.”

Please pray for the National Religious Broadcasters this week as they confront anew the need for a global Great Commission strategy.

On the Light Side
Fore!
The 16th tee featured a fairway that ran along a road. The first golfer in a foursome teed off and hooked the ball. It soared over the fence, bounced onto the street, and hit the tire of a moving bus, then ricocheted back onto the fairway.

As they all stood in amazement, one of the golfer’s friends asked, “How did you do that?”

The golfer shrugged. “You have to know the bus schedule.”