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<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sermons for Easter 5:</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> John 13:31-35 – “Love One
Another” </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> Revelation 21:1-6 – “Time to
Get Wet” by Leonard Sweet</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">John 13, the sermon titled “Love One Another"
</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A junior high music teacher had just organized a band in
her school. The principal was so proud of the music teacher's efforts that
without consulting her he decided that the band should give a concert for the
entire school. The music teacher wasn't so sure her young musicians were ready
to give a concert, so she tried to talk the principal out of holding the
concert, to no avail. Just before the concert was ready to begin, as the music
teacher stood on the podium, she leaned forward and whispered to her nervous
musicians, "If you're not sure of your part, just pretend to play." And with
that, she stepped back, lifted her baton and with a great flourish brought it
down. Lo and behold, nothing happened! The band brought forth a resounding
silence.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sometimes we in the church are like that junior high
band, unsure of our parts, tentative in our roles, reluctant to trumpet forth
the music of faith that God desires of us. And that's because we have trouble
deciding what's most important.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">An incident a couple of summers ago in San Antonio,
Texas, illustrates what I'm talking about. It was a hot, 99-degree August day
when a ten-month-old baby girl was accidentally locked in a parked car by her
aunt. Frantically the mother and the aunt ran around the auto in near hysteria,
while a neighbor attempted to unlock the car with a clothes hanger. The infant
was bawling at the top of its lungs, beginning to turn purple and foam from the
mouth, a combination of anxiety and the intense heat inside the
car.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It had quickly become a life-and-death situation when
Fred Arriola, a tow-truck driver, arrived on the scene. He grabbed a hammer from
his truck and smashed the back side window of the car to free the baby. Was he
heralded a hero? Not so. According to an article in the San Antonio Tribune, he
is quoted as saying, "The lady was mad at me because I broke the window. I just
thought, 'What's more important -- a baby or a window?' "</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Most of the choices we make in life are not between what
is trivial and what is important. Rather, most of the choices we make are
usually between what is important and what is more important. This morning's
Gospel reading is so timely for us because it shows us what is most
important.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">1. The Greatest Blessing We Have is God’s
Love</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">2. Our Love in Action</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">3. May God Help Us Love</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The rest of this sermon following the outline above can
be obtained by joining </SPAN><A href="http://www.sermons.com/"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">www.Sermons.com</SPAN></A><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_______________________ </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Revelation 21, the sermon titled "Time to Get
Wet"]</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The governor of Washington state just signed a new
series of "sin taxes" into effect. The items being taxed include the usual
suspects: tobacco products and beer (though NOT beer produced by
micro-breweries). But there is a new sinful category: you can now add "snack
food" to the roster of iniquity. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But the most anticipated money raiser for the state is
the "sin tax" on -- are you ready for this? -- bottled water. From now on if you
want to indulge in guzzling a bottle of H2O, it’s going to cost you. Just over
the state line in Idaho, eager shop owners are creating water bottle pyramids
next to their cartons of Camels, anticipating a stream of thirsty
Washingtonians.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Every savvy entrepreneur knows that water is a sure fire
way to attract people. Is there any mall in America that doesn’t have a fountain
or a pool full of pennies in it somewhere? Hotel lobbies, office complexes,
libraries, county courthouses, all spurt water, inviting people in and making
them feel welcome. Can you find a doctor's office nowadays without an aquarium?
</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Human beings crave closeness to water. That's why most
of the earth's population hugs the shorelines of its continents. Maybe it is
because we are made almost entirely of water. Maybe it is because we started our
life in water, living in it and breathing it for our first nine months of life.
Maybe it is because almost none of us get the recommended daily 60-70 ounces of
water we need to be optimally hydrated, so that whether we recognize it or not,
our bodies are constantly thirsty.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Water is life. Disney's Earth Day release of "Oceans," a
103 minute special breathtaking in every way, reminded us that we live on the
only blue planet in the galaxy and it is that azure which animates us. Is it any
wonder then that, in this week’s text from Revelation when John receives his
vision of "the new heaven and the new earth," the first thing God does is to
offer water to all who are thirsty? And because this is the beginning of a new
creation, a new living relationship, whole and healed, between all the peoples
of the world and God, this can only be called "living water."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Living water comes freely and fully from
God…</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The rest of Leonard Sweet's sermon can be obtained by
joining </SPAN><A title=http://www.sermons.com/
href="http://www.sermons.com/"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">www.Sermons.com</SPAN></A></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Loving as Jesus Loved Us</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Some years back neurologist Oliver Sacks wrote a
fascinating vignette of an intriguing neurological difficulty. As some of you
know, Tourette's Syndrome is a bizarre mental disorder that causes victims to
have any number of physical and verbal tics. Some Tourettic people have constant
facial twitches, others find themselves uncontrollably uttering verbal whoops,
beeps, and sometimes also raunchy swear words. One man with Tourette's whom Dr.
Sacks knew was given to deep, lunging bows toward the ground, a few verbal
shouts, and also an obsessive-compulsive type adjusting and readjusting of his
glasses. The kicker is that the man is a skilled surgeon! Somehow and for some
unknown reason, when he dons mask and gown and enters the operating room, all of
his tics disappear for the duration of the surgery. He loses himself in that
role and he does so totally. When the surgery is finished, he returns to his odd
quirks of glasses adjustment, shouts, and bows.<BR> <BR>Sacks did not make
any spiritual comments on this, of course, yet I find this doctor a very
intriguing example of what it can mean to "lose yourself" in a role. There
really can be a great transformation of your life when you are focused on just
one thing--focused to the point that bad traits disappear even as the performing
of normal tasks becomes all the more meaningful and
remarkable.<BR> <BR>Something like that is our Christian goal as we travel
with Jesus. Our desire is to love one another—to love the whole world finally, I
suppose—as Jesus loved us. To do that, we need an infusion of a kind of love
that does not arise naturally from the context of the world as we know it. So as
we lose ourselves in Jesus and in being his disciples, we find even our ordinary
day-to-day activities infused with deep meaning as a love from another place
fills our hearts. Because if sacredness happens to us at all, it happens among
the pots and pans of the everyday and not just on Sundays when we feel
particularly jolted by worship or on Tuesdays when we volunteer for some service
project (vital though those things are, too). If we are to love as Jesus loved
us, this becomes for us a daily reality that is possible if and only when the
love of Christ fills us to the brim.<BR> <BR>Scott Hoezee, Comments and
Observations<BR>________________________________________<BR><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">How Do You Know My Name?</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I've always loved the little story about the boy who's
trying to learn the Lord's Prayer, and one night as he knelt by his bed, these
words came out:<BR> <BR>Our Father, who are in heaven <BR>How do you know
my name?<BR> <BR>Such individualized affection will always remain a mystery
to us mortals, and at the same time, let us never forget we're made in the image
of that extraordinary love. And doing what Jesus did in loving each one he ever
met as if there were none other in all the world is at least an ideal toward
which we can reach even if it always remains utterly beyond our complete
grasp.<BR> <BR>John R. Claypool, Loving as Jesus
Loved<BR>___________________________________________<BR><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Closer to Christ</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">God never intended God's boundaries to be less than the
whole world. Therefore, none of us have a monopoly on God's love. We may feel
like we do when we look down on someone different than we are, or when we
snicker at someone's misfortune, or when we say, "Thank you, Lord, that I am not
like them," or when we say, "It's too bad they do not believe as we believe."
But woe be unto us whenever we reek of such arrogance! For when we try to
restrict God's grace to ourselves, we cut ourselves off from that very grace.
Why? Pierre Teilhard de Chardin may have said it best, "It is impossible to love
Christ without loving others, and it is impossible to love others without moving
nearer to Christ."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">John K. Bergland, Love without Limits, One Heaven of a
Party: Year C Sermons on the First Readings, CSS Publishing Company</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_______________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A Sympathetic Gesture</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Edgar Guest, a renowned American poet at the turn of the
century, tells of a neighbor by the name of Jim Potter. Mr. Potter ran the drug
store in the small town where Edgar Guest lived. Guest recalled that daily he
would pass his neighbor and how they would smile and exchange greetings. But it
was a mere casual relationship.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Then came that tragic night in the life of Edgar Guest
when his first born child died. He felt lonely and defeated. These were grim
days for him and he was overcome with grief. Several days later Guest had reason
to go to the drug store run by his neighbor, and when he entered Jim Potter
motioned for him to come behind the counter. "Eddie," he said, "I really can't
express to you the great sympathy that I have for you at this time. All I can
say is that I am terribly sorry, and if you need for me to do anything, you can
count on me."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Many years later Edgar Guest wrote of that encounter in
one of his books. This is how he worded it: "Just a person across the way--a
passing acquaintance. Jim Potter may have long since forgotten that moment when
he extended his hand to me in sympathy, but I shall never forget it--never in
all my life. To me it stands out like the silhouette of a lonely tree against a
crimson sunset."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">[Suggestion for follow-up on this story]</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I have wondered how it is that I want people to remember
me when I come to end of life's journey.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But I really don't care if someone remembers me for
that. I really don't.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I do hope that people are able to say of me at the end
of my life's pilgrimage: When we were sick he came to us; when we needed help,
he was there; when I was down, he lifted me up. In short, I hope that my
ministry is remembered for simple acts of kindness. For if that is the case,
then my life would have been worth it and I might have come close to fulfilling
the greatest commandment in life: Love God and love your neighbor.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Brett Blair and Staff,
www.eSermons.com </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Didn't Look Like an Elephant</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in
his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of
his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of
art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge
boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he finished, it was
gorgeous, breath-taking.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A neighbor asked, "How did you ever carve such a
marvelous likeness of an elephant?"</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The man answered, "I just chipped away everything that
didn't look like an elephant!"</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">If you have anything in your life right now that doesn't
look like love, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have anything
in your life that doesn't look like compassion or mercy or empathy, then, with
the help of God, chip it away! If you have hatred or prejudice or vengeance or
envy in your heart, for God's sake, and the for the other person's sake, and for
your sake, get rid of it! Let God chip everything out of your life that doesn't
look like tenderheartedness.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True,
Nashville: Dimensions, 1994, p. 32.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Law of the Spirit</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">We need our laws. Laws tell us what is acceptable
behavior and what is unacceptable behavior. To be sure, society will fail if its
people reject law. But law can only go so far. It can dictate to us what we can
and cannot do but it is powerless to dictate to us what we think and what we
feel. When Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you," I want you to hear
those words within the context of community law. When the disciples, or the
Jews, talked about Commandments they were discussing laws for acceptable
behavior in society. Now, I want you to hear how utterly strange these words
really are, "A new COMMANDMENT I give to you: LOVE one another."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Did you catch it? A law telling us, no, commanding us to
love. Rev. Richard Daggett says, this law invades the very depths of our beings;
this law presumes to have jurisdiction over the way we think, the way we feel,
over our opinions, our prejudices and biases, our concepts of superiority, over
the way every fiber of our being, both inward and outward, responds to the world
around us.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">And then Richard says this: This law clarifies to us
that while religion and law may exercise lordship over our actions, over the way
we live, Christ wants lordship over everything we are. It is the law of the
spirit and not simply the law of the letter.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">And to whom does this new law apply? My brothers and
sisters in Christ. It is to us.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com. Richard Dagget statements
adapted from Minister's Manual, 1995, p. 188.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A Lie</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Now I want to tell you a lie. Hate is an emotion we
can't help. Hate is a feeling we cannot overcome. If we hate someone, it is
because we just can't help ourselves. We're human. We have no choice but to
hate. That is a lie. Unfortunately, it is a lie many people believe. They
believe this lie in order to excuse their hatred. After all, if we can't help
but hate, if hate is a feeling we simply cannot help, then hatred is never our
fault, is it? </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But we can help it. Hatred is a choice. We choose to
hate, just as we choose to love. Oh, I know, there are people out there who
believe love isn't a choice, that love is primarily an emotion, a feeling, a
stirring in the loins. These are the same people who stay married for six
months, then divorce. These are the people who love the idea of love but seem
unable to stay in it. Love is a matter of the will - something we decide to do.
Love is a choice.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Philip Gulley, For Everything a Season, Sisters, Oregon:
Multnomah Publishers, p. 204</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">We are judged by our actions, not our intentions. We may
have a heart of gold, but then, so does a hard-boiled egg.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Traditional</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A Great Inheritance</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">One of the great preachers of our time is Dr. Fred
Craddock. Craddock tells a story about vacationing with his wife one summer in
Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One night they found a quiet little restaurant, where
they looked forward to a private meal. While they were waiting for their food,
they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to
table, visiting with the guests. Craddock leaned over and whispered to his wife,
"I hope he doesn’t come over here." He didn’t want anyone intruding on their
privacy. But sure enough, the man did come over to their table. "Where you folks
from?" he asked in a friendly voice.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"Oklahoma," Craddock answered.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"Splendid state, I hear, although I’ve never been
there," the stranger said."What do you do for a living?"</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips
University," Craddock replied.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">"Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well,
I’ve got a story to tell you." And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair
and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Dr. Craddock said he groaned inwardly and thought to
himself, "Oh, no! Here comes another preacher story! It seems like everybody has
at least one."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The man stuck out his hand. "I’m Ben Hooper," he
said…</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The conclusion to this illustration and for many
additional illustrations and sermons for Easter 5 can be accessed at </SPAN><A
title=http://www.sermons.com/ href="http://www.sermons.com/"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">www.Sermons.com</SPAN></A><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">.</SPAN></DIV>
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