Sermon Notes from 7.25.10

Here are the sermon notes from Sunday, 7.25.10, on Mark 6.14-29.  Resisting the temptations from the church staff to title the sermon something macabre, I focused on the necessity of speaking the truth to culture.  You can find the audio at sermons.heritagepark.org, though it might be delayed a few days in getting up on the web and iTunes since our webmaster is on a mission trip in the UK.  May God grant us the grace to hear and obey.

Love the Truth

Mark 6.14-29

There is a culture that is desperately in need of the Truth even though it rejects the Truth.

Herod loved Pleasure

• He embodied the credo:  if it feels good, do it.
• Part of the Problem:  the need for ever-increasing pleasure to feel good.
• Anyone can move from “I want” to “I need” to “I’m entitled to,” especially those with power or clout.

Herod loved Status

• He had exposure without examination – there was no intention of changing.
• He threw a party for himself so others would come and celebrate him.

Herod loved Approval

• The applause of the crowd affected him more than the sorrow he felt.
• This kind of sorrow is worldly and leads to death (2 Cor. 7.10).
• The need for approval and brutality are often companions.

John loved the Truth.  How do we know?

Clarifying Perspective

• John was clear on who he was and who God is.

Enduring Suffering

• No one suffers for something they know to be a lie.
• No one endures in suffering if they are not convinced of the Truth.
• John’s moral claims are challenged today by those who protect and promote immorality, punishing those who speak against it.

Legitimate Link

• Herod knew John’s life and words to be authentic.
• Herod feared John because of the accompanying authority.

Speaking Out

• John spoke the Truth consistently, whenever he had an audience.
• Some will reject it outright.
• Some will grow from it (Eph. 4.15).
• Some will develop an appetite because of it.