What would a house divided look like? Jesus takes us down that train of thought in the Gospel lesson. How ridiculous to think that Satan would drive out his own demons. Jesus’ critics were looking for any and every reason to condemn him and his teaching. Jesus was teaching with power not just because he was God, but because his teaching was unique. In a Jewish world dominated by laws and rules, Jesus offered grace. To be certain, Jesus talked about God’s will for your life, but when he brought the Kingdom of God to the people of Israel, he offered forgiveness.
That forgiveness was the focus of our sermon. The Apostle Paul encouraged us to fix our eyes on Jesus. He spoke of light and momentary troubles. That doesn’t mean that our troubles aren’t severe or chronic. It means that our God points us to our heavenly home. It can be easy for anyone, including lifelong Christians, to get caught up in our struggles. Refocusing frequently is the answer to those problems.
This week there were two high profile suicides, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Both struggled with depression and substance abuse. Suicide is a scourge on our society. Twenty-two veterans take their lives every day. There are a variety of reasons for people to despair. Sometimes it is mental illness. Whatever the reason may be, we can be an incredible help. We can offer simply a listening ear. We can offer the hope of forgiveness and eternal life. What people so often don’t understand, we can bring the power of God the Holy Spirit to a trouble life. That power of God produces real change. That doesn’t mean our struggles are gone – including those of Christians. What it means is that lives can be fixed on Jesus. It means that we are not alone. We are not divided. We stand together with Jesus under his grace.
Topic(s): Cross Bearing
Book(s): 2 Corinthians
Tag(s): Cross Bearing, Paul
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg