Everyone Wants to get to Heaven, But...
I heard a sermon by our minister Neal Carter a couple of weeks ago. The Gospel text that Sunday was Mark 8: 27-38. I begin with verse 31:
31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Part of the sermon contained the following:
"John Fischer once wrote this song:
You want to have wisdom Without making mistakes
You want to have money Without the work that it takes
You want to be loved But you don’t want the heartaches
Everyone wants to get to heaven but nobody wants to die
You want to be forgiven without taking the blame
You want to eat forbidden fruit without leaving a stain
You want the glory but you don’t want the shame
Everyone wants to get to heaven but nobody wants to die
You want to be a winner without taking a loss
You want to be a disciple without counting the cost
Want to follow Jesus but you don’t want to go to the cross
Everyone wants to get to heaven but nobody wants to die."
Throughout the days that have followed my hearing that scripture reading and that sermon, the message of that Gospel and the words of that song have intruded upon my mind on several occassions. And, that ain't a bad thing at all.
31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Part of the sermon contained the following:
"John Fischer once wrote this song:
You want to have wisdom Without making mistakes
You want to have money Without the work that it takes
You want to be loved But you don’t want the heartaches
Everyone wants to get to heaven but nobody wants to die
You want to be forgiven without taking the blame
You want to eat forbidden fruit without leaving a stain
You want the glory but you don’t want the shame
Everyone wants to get to heaven but nobody wants to die
You want to be a winner without taking a loss
You want to be a disciple without counting the cost
Want to follow Jesus but you don’t want to go to the cross
Everyone wants to get to heaven but nobody wants to die."
Throughout the days that have followed my hearing that scripture reading and that sermon, the message of that Gospel and the words of that song have intruded upon my mind on several occassions. And, that ain't a bad thing at all.
posted by the doc at 10:02 PM
1 Comments:
Truer words have rarely been spoken. Doc, have you ever thought of hitting the inspirational speaking circuit?
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