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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Sermons for the Lent
2:</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN> </SPAN>John 3: 1-17<SPAN
style="COLOR: black"> - <SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><STRONG>"</STRONG></SPAN></SPAN><B>Nicodemus</B><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><STRONG>"</STRONG></SPAN><SPAN> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN> </SPAN>Romans 4:1-5,
13-17 - <B>"The Lenten License to Steal, Drink, Lie and Swear"</B> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN>
</SPAN>by Leonard Sweet</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">John 3:1-17 the
sermon titled "</SPAN><B>Nicodemus</B><SPAN style="COLOR: black">" </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B></B> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">For years, the opening of "The Wide World of
Sports" television program illustrated "the agony of defeat" with a painful
ending to an attempted ski jump. The skier appeared in good form as he headed
down the jump, but then, for no apparent reason, he tumbled head over heels off
the side of the jump, bouncing off the supporting structure down to the snow
below.<BR><BR>What viewers didn't know was that he chose to fall rather than
finish the jump. Why? As he explained later, the jump surface had become too
fast, and midway down the ramp, he realized if he completed the jump, he would
land on the level ground, beyond the safe sloping landing area, which could have
been fatal. Surprisingly, the skier suffered no more than a headache from the
tumble. To change one's course in life can be a dramatic and sometimes painful
undertaking, but change is better than a fatal landing at the end.<BR><BR>This
is the problem Nicodemus is having. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he is facing a
fatal landing if he does not change directions. But Nicodemus knows only one way
and that is the way of earth. It is the only way that any of us knows. Suddenly
Jesus appears on the scene and begins speaking of Heaven, of being Born Again.
Nicodemus hears the words "You must be born again," but he is confused. So he
asks, "How can a person go back into his mother's womb and come out
again?"<BR><BR>It is surprising to us that Nicodemus is so confused. He's a
religious leader and should understand spiritual lessons but somehow he feels he
has missed some crucial truth. And, there is a reason he is going to Jesus. He
has an inkling that Jesus might be able to provide that missing important
detail. Nicodemus has somehow been headed in the wrong direction and now he must
change his course. This he knows but Nicodemus seems hesitant. He seems
uncertain about making such a drastic change. Why? What makes this remarkable
man slow to take Jesus at his word? What is confusing him?</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">1. Nicodemus was a religious man.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">2. Nicodemus was a powerful person.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">3. Nicodemus was a man of pedigree.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">4. Nicodemus was an educated man.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">The rest of this
sermon following the outline above can be obtained by joining <A
style="COLOR: #800080"
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=aelnpceab&et=1104828865565&s=45429&e=001gNOQ0FObTji9dmpgvmRSoeGBZTUjHumRqyg_xYke5tpOxnbKC-nWFj7CpTU6xOOZGcT4LHOE3_t0CFF5YiPl3Aqy9WJEtVfrgh1mZVzhyb28IQXW2mvd1Q=="
shape=rect target=_blank>www.Sermons.com</A>. </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black">_______________________</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Romans 4, the sermon
titled "The Lenten License to Steal, Drink, Lie and Swear" by Leonard Sweet
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #7f7f7f; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #7f7f7f; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The world is divided into two kinds of people.
Those who like cruises and those who don't. Or to be more precise: those who
think a cruise is a foretaste of heaven, and those who think a cruise is the
aftertaste of hell.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The world is divided into two kinds of people.
Those that suck the life out of every day, and those that let every day suck the
life out of them.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The world is divided into two kinds of people.
Those who walk into a room and say, "There you are!" and those who say, "Here I
am!" (Thanks! Abigail Van Buren)</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The world is divided into two kinds of people.
Those with the courage that hangs on, and those with the courage that lets go.
</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The world is divided into two kinds of people.
Pitchers and catchers . . . . </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The world is divided into two kinds of people.
Those who finish what they start and so on...(Thanks! Robert Byrne)</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The world is divided into two kinds of people.
Those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don't. </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Can you take one more?</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The world is divided into two kinds of people.
Those who are "control junkies," and those who are "out of control." </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Any control freaks here this morning?</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">We control freaks count every contingency, manage
every moment. Each step we take in life is precisely plotted, its trajectory
traced, before our foot leaves the ground. By controlling the actions of others
around us we live the illusion that we are in control of our own lives, and our
own future is fixed. </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The truth? We "control freaks" are no more in
control of our lives than anyone else. On March 11<SUP>th</SUP>, 2011 all of
Japan was dreadfully reminded how little control we actually wield. When the
earth shifts suddenly and unpredictably, everyone for hundreds of miles
stumbles.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Last week's earthquake and tsunami may have made
the "out of controllers" among us feel justified. By taking big risks, refusing
to plan ahead, springing into spur of the moment decisions, "out of control"
people might seem to be embracing the unknown, courting chaos. Yet in reality
"out of control" people have simply found a different way to control their own
lives. They plan to have no plan. "Out of control" people lead the way and live
their way. They cannot follow another.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">So the "control freaks" and the
"out-of-controllers" are really just flip sides of the same disc. The repeating
message of this one control disc is "This is my life and I will live it my way."
</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">But there is a true opposite to this "control
central" attitude. We encounter the alternative in the archetype Abraham.
Instead of "control" Abraham opted for faith. Already an old man, wandering in a
land where he was a resident alien, Abraham listened to the words and promises
of a deity he barely knew and in the crucible of that commencing relationship,
"Abraham believed God."..</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">The rest of this
sermon following the outline above can be obtained by joining <A
style="COLOR: #800080"
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=aelnpceab&et=1104828865565&s=45429&e=001gNOQ0FObTji9dmpgvmRSoeGBZTUjHumRqyg_xYke5tpOxnbKC-nWFj7CpTU6xOOZGcT4LHOE3_t0CFF5YiPl3Aqy9WJEtVfrgh1mZVzhyb28IQXW2mvd1Q=="
shape=rect target=_blank>www.Sermons.com</A>. </SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black">___________________</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Playing It Safe</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Once there was a small jazz club in New Orleans.
In a corner of that club sat an old dilapidated piano. All of the jazz artists
complained about this antiquated instrument. The piano players dreaded playing
on it. The vocalists dreaded singing with it. And all of the combos that played
the club wished that they could bring in their own piano - just like they could
a saxophone or a trumpet. </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Finally, after years of listening to these jazz
musicians complain about his piano, the owner of the club decided to do
something about it. He had the piano painted. </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Father Henri Nouwen, reflecting on the story of
Nicodemas, writes, "I love Jesus but want to hold on to my own friends even when
they do not lead me closer to Jesus. I love Jesus but want to hold on to my own
independence even when that independence brings me no real freedom. I love Jesus
but do not want to lose the respect of my professional colleagues, even though I
know that their respect does not make me grow spiritually. I love Jesus but do
not want to give up my writing plans, travel plans, and speaking plans, even
when these plans are often more to my glory that to the glory of God."
<BR><BR>Upon reflection Father Nouwen realizes that he isn't all that different
from Nicodemus. He writes, "So I am like Nicodemus, who came by night, and said
safe things about Jesus to his colleagues." Even a great Christian like Father
Henri Nouwen is sometimes content to paint the old piano. <BR><BR>There's an
element of Nicodemus in all of us. It's always easier to play it safe and keep
Jesus off in the distance than to call him the Lord of our life. We need to
know, however, that we cannot always put him off.</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">King Duncan, Collected Sermons,
www.Sermons.com</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">________________________</P>
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