Embracing Change: Comforting the Afflicted, Challenging the Comfortable

Devotional

Day 1: Comfort and Challenge

We are called to comfort those who are afflicted and challenge those who are comfortable. This dual call requires us to be advocates for the vulnerable and to question systems that perpetuate inequality. It is a reminder that our faith should lead us to action, not complacency. [23:45]

Isaiah 1:17 (ESV): "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."

Reflection: Who in your community is in need of comfort or advocacy today, and how can you take a tangible step to support them?

Day 2: Transformation Over Transaction

Jesus' cleansing of the temple teaches us that true worship is about transformation, not mere ritual or transaction. Our spiritual practices should lead us closer to God and foster genuine change in our lives and communities. [36:33]

Amos 5:21-24 (ESV): "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

Reflection: What spiritual practice in your life has become more of a ritual than a transformative experience, and how can you invite God to renew it?

Day 3: Embrace the Journey

The spiritual journey is not about reaching a final destination but about embracing the process and the lessons learned along the way. We are encouraged to find joy in the present and trust in God's guidance for the future. [23:45]

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV): "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Reflection: What is one lesson or blessing you can recognize in your current season of life, and how can you express gratitude for it today?

Day 4: The Real Temple

Jesus reminds us that He is the true temple, and our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. This calls us to live lives that honor God, recognizing that our actions and attitudes reflect our faith. [36:33]

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV): "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Reflection: In what ways can you honor God with your body and actions today, acknowledging that you are a living temple of His presence?

Day 5: Engaging the Next Generation

The church is challenged to create spaces that are welcoming and authentic for young people. By embodying the love and inclusivity of Jesus, we can build communities that resonate with the values and hopes of the next generation. [01:08:07]

1 Timothy 4:12 (ESV): "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

Reflection: How can you actively contribute to making your church or community a more welcoming and inclusive space for the younger generation?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound call to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," a phrase that has challenged thinkers and reformers throughout history. This call invites us to examine our lives and the systems we are part of, urging us to speak up for the vulnerable and challenge the status quo. Through the story of Lady Celine and Callum, we see the transformative power of stepping out of comfort zones to address the needs of the marginalized. Lady Celine, initially living in privilege, was moved by Callum's advocacy for the poor, leading her to redirect resources to support the needy. This narrative serves as a reminder that we are all called to be agents of change, whether we identify with the comfort of Lady Celine or the struggle of Callum.

We also reflected on the story of Jesus cleansing the temple, a powerful act that challenges us to examine our own spiritual practices. Jesus disrupted the comfortable routines of the temple, reminding us that true worship is not about transactions but transformation. This act of cleansing is a call to introspection, especially during the Lenten season, urging us to evaluate what adjustments we need to make in our lives to align more closely with God's will.

The journey of faith is not about reaching a destination but embracing the process, recognizing the small blessings along the way. We are reminded that our hope is not in earthly kingdoms but in the eternal King of Kings. As we navigate this journey, we are encouraged to remain open to God's guidance, even when it challenges our comfort and certainty.

In closing, we are called to be mindful of the younger generation's perception of the church. While some have been hurt by religious institutions, there is a hopeful desire for authentic, Christ-centered community. This is an opportunity for us to embody the love and inclusivity of Jesus, creating spaces where all feel welcome and valued.

Key Takeaways

1. Comfort and Challenge: We are called to comfort those who are afflicted and challenge those who are comfortable. This dual call requires us to be advocates for the vulnerable and to question systems that perpetuate inequality. It is a reminder that our faith should lead us to action, not complacency. [23:45]
2. Transformation Over Transaction: Jesus' cleansing of the temple teaches us that true worship is about transformation, not mere ritual or transaction. Our spiritual practices should lead us closer to God and foster genuine change in our lives and communities. [36:33]
3. Embrace the Journey: The spiritual journey is not about reaching a final destination but about embracing the process and the lessons learned along the way. We are encouraged to find joy in the present and trust in God's guidance for the future. [23:45]
4. The Real Temple: Jesus reminds us that He is the true temple, and our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. This calls us to live lives that honor God, recognizing that our actions and attitudes reflect our faith. [36:33]
5. Engaging the Next Generation: The church is challenged to create spaces that are welcoming and authentic for young people. By embodying the love and inclusivity of Jesus, we can build communities that resonate with the values and hopes of the next generation. [01:08:07]
** [68:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Opening Prayer
[01:45] - Comfort the Afflicted, Afflict the Comfortable
[05:20] - Story of Lady Celine and Callum
[10:15] - Jesus Cleanses the Temple
[15:00] - The Call to Introspection
[20:45] - Embracing the Journey
[25:30] - The Real Temple
[30:00] - Engaging the Next Generation
[35:45] - Communion
[40:00] - Offering and Closing Prayer
[45:30] - Final Blessing and Dismissal

Sermon Clips

"Comfort the afflicted and afflict those that are comfortable. This was a thought that provoked scholars, theologians, media personals in the 20th century in America. And it brought a lot of reformation, a lot of reform thinkers. But if we want you to draw yourself along, thank you for telling Adeltas .相信 you." [00:19:14] (26 seconds) Edit Clip

"As people think how can we comfort those that are afflicted means those that are vulnerable among us and those and afflicts the comfortable you may you know have your own ways of thinking about it and it may be challenging in your mind but either way the call is for us to speak for the vulnerable among us." [00:19:39] (32 seconds) Edit Clip

"Comforts those that are afflicted and afflates those that are comfortable this is a challenging message to all of us whether you are in the position or you identify yourself with lady Celine or you identify with Carlin we are all called to afflict the comfortable and to comfort all those that are being afflicted all those that are vulnerable among us is that a good message." [00:23:45] (47 seconds) Edit Clip

"And when we think that sometimes we become comfortable we we have got everything all figured out we've got the right job we've got the right routine we got the right way of doing things you know the man I'm talking about the man Jesus the Lord and our Savior Jesus comes in and upends all of our our certainty and brings us into moments and seasons of uncertainty always moving us into deeper truth into deeper relationship with God." [00:24:36] (43 seconds) Edit Clip

"This morning as we continue on our journey of where are we as we we we go continue on this journey are we there yet are we there yet on our journey we have established so many takeaways that I hope is blessing your life we have established the fact that this spiritual journey is not about the destination it is about the journey it is about us enjoying every moment of it because sometimes we think too much of the arrival mentality this is where we want to get and we miss on the day to day little blessings little graces that comes among us." [00:25:56] (51 seconds) Edit Clip

"Cleanse the temple the temple is a place of cleaning the way we clean our houses some of us we don't wear shoes in our you know living space we want our homes to be clean we want to be hygiene we want to sanitize every place the same in god's house god wants his house to be clean as cleaner even than our own homes jesus was frustrated by the transaction that the people were doing he said my house is not a place of transaction my house is a place of transformation my house is not a place or of exchange my house is a place of prayer leave the temple courts for the people to come and pray because that is what god wants his house to be how many know that if there is somebody to pray there is a god to answer my god how many know that the god we serve still answers prayer we still serve a god who answers prayer oh my god he told jeremiah i said call on me and i will answer you and i will show you great and mighty things you do not know there are still depths in god." [00:36:33] (86 seconds) Edit Clip

"Cleanse the temple what do we learn from this story about the god and about god's character we learn that god shakes us up sometimes not for the just for the sake of being destructive or distracting our life but god shakes us up so that there will be transformation jesus points to them that the temple that they are already not following the rules that temple is fleeting and temporary jesus wanted them to know that the real temple was the lord jesus himself that the real temple and when he asked them the the action that jesus responded to what sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all these things jesus said to them you destroy the temple and i will raise it in three days and they don't understand it takes 46 years some of them said to build this temple john should be able to tell us how long it took to build this beautiful temple how long it took to build this church." [00:38:00] (83 seconds) Edit Clip

"Jesus wanted them to know that i am the way the truth and the light jesus wanted to remind them that i am the very real temple that we are dealing with and the son of man has come to save and seek that which was lost and if there is anything that is not um in in consonance with my father's house that must be glanced sometimes god interrupts the the things that we have become so much comfortable about jesus is the real temple and it reminds us even paul make it very clear for us that our bodies is the temple of the holy spirit so when we leave amen when we leave it's not the apostle paul said i live it's my life is not me that i live i live by faith in the son of god who gave himself to me so christ in us is the temple of the holy spirit so whatever we put into our hearts we have to know that it is going to the christ that is in us christ in us the hope of glory the temple now is not the temple made of of hands again but it's the temple that is made by god himself and our bodies is the temporal temple we look forward to death building we look forward to the city whose builder is god we look forward to that heavenly city but once we are here whilst we are here we need to take care of this temple we need to make sure that this temple is clean the temple of our hearts is clean over and over again sometimes we are freaked out sometimes god challenges us sometimes god asks you to love the person that is so difficult sometimes god asks you god challenges your faith to go the extra mile all those things cleanses your temple sometimes you go through hard times oh my god even when you go through difficult times it is cleansing you it is making you it is making you tough it is making you better it is making you more loving it is making you more and more like jesus christ do i have witness at all this morning come on give god some praise in the of the house amen." [00:40:38] (161 seconds) Edit Clip

"The cleansing of the temple look at your neighbor say don't get too comfortable don't get too comfortable yeah don't get too comfortable don't get too comfortable this week I read something that faked me out I got frightened when I read a recent a recent research that came from Fuller in California there there is a team of researchers that talk to young people and talk to them about why why young people are not I'm not being religious and moving away from church and the young people we are talking about is a white spectrum from 13 to 25 years old and it was a fake out finding however there there's a positive side and a negative side do you want to hear the negative or the positive which one you want to hear first all right so the negative side is that young people say that they have not aimed the trust of organized religion they are three times more likely to have been hurt by religion." [00:43:06] (88 seconds) Edit Clip

"Religion whether is Christianity or Islam or Buddhism that is supposed to bring them together the same place that we want them to come and find hope they say that they'll be hurt by that place of course if somebody's telling you they are hurt just accept the fact that they are hurt we don't need to question or we don't need to challenge but they have been hurt they have been hurt by the unkindness of the church so when I heard Peter talking about Canada this morning I said thank you you're already preaching for me they have been hurt by the unkindness of the church they have been hurt by the moral failures of the church leaders they have been hurt by hypocrisy because they see more loving kindness in the person of Jesus Jesus and they don't trust the church anymore." [00:44:46] (56 seconds) Edit Clip

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