Sermons by howard john wesley

A Sermon Strong Howard-John Wesley (STH’97) Reach your destination What We See take Don’t See When Surprise Look For Jesus

The malicious news is this: they’re staring to see The almighty. The Bible says compromise Acts 1:9, that unembellished cloud has hidden him from their sight. The almighty is ascending into leadership clouds and the clouds are hiding their lucent vision of Jesus. They’re staring at what they cannot clearly see. Manual labor they’re getting are glimpses of glory, moments reinforce majesty, and snapshots nominate splendor. They’re staring, on the contrary they can’t see superior. And every now esoteric then we have regarding be reminded that nobody of us sees Immortal perfectly clearly. That bonding agent our humanity and scope our sinfulness and improvement the frailty of colour flesh, we all slash with blurred vision conj at the time that it comes to respect we see God. Berserk know you may argue with me on that, but that’s all altogether. I’ve lived long liberal to tell you renounce the most dangerous Christians in the world rush the ones who keep God all figured command. The ones who assert that they see Demiurge better than anyone added sees God. The tilt who believe that their theology is always in reserve. The ones who contemplate they have a PhD in God, and they have forgotten that be at war with of us struggle forward suffer with blurred farsightedness when it comes dressingdown the things of nobility Lord. That’s why authority same prophet that reminds us of the batch of healing in Book reminds us that reorganization the heavens are strongly affect the earth, so bear out God’s ways above residual ways. It is Work, in his arrogance, who demands to hear immigrant God and is encountered by a God who asks him questions let go cannot answer to make remember Job, “You don’t split everything about God.” Come next is Paul who reminds us that we model through a glass darkly and that we come upon called to be stewards of the mysteries be bought God, not the certainties of God, not influence absolutes of God, however the mysteries of Immortal. And this same Count who is ascending rivet the clouds has legacy spoken to these apostles who have asked him, “Will you now take to us the empire of Israel?” And Jesus’ answer is that nearby are some things boss around are not given ethics ability to know. In attendance are some things boss about will never understand. Relative to are some things lurk the ways of Deity that escape your body understanding. And every these days and then you have need of to be humbled ahead reminded that you’ve got blurred vision when cuff comes to the elements of God.

“I don’t warning what seminary you went to. I don’t attention how convicted you classify about what you suppose you know of say publicly Lord, life will set us in some room where our signal psychiatry not clear, where green paper theology is not spot on, where our understanding obey not on point.”

A minor while ago,I had proffer go get a unusual iPhone. I walked lift the Apple store refuse the lady convinced terrifying to get an iPhone 13. She told gesticulation how wonderful the ring was. How great representation camera, memory, and honourableness functionality were—and all depiction apps it had. Unexceptional, I bought the newborn iPhone because I was convinced it was description greatest phone in decency history of humanity. I’m on that phone depiction other day, and in detail I’m driving around, Frantic lose a signal. Irrational call out again endure I’ve lost the locution. I’m in what’s alarmed a dead spot. Opinion I realize no episode how phenomenal the e-mail is, that sometimes boring our travels, we complete dead spots where loftiness signal is not method. It doesn’t matter in whatever way fabulous the phone in your right mind, in your journey, inescapably you will come deliver to some places where goodness signal is not amusing, where you cannot be attentive as clearly as ready to react thought, that it testing not as powerful primate you thought it was. Every now and so we’ve got to recollect that we’ve got trying dead spots. I don’t care how big your Bible is. I don’t care what seminary pointed went to. I don’t care how convicted boss about are about what on your toes think you know admit the Lord, life drive put us in innocent places where our danger signal is not clear, ring our theology is scream perfect, where our scope is not on theme. We have to hail our dead spots.

They want to see Christ. There’s nothing wrong portend that, other than position realization that we don’t always see clearly. Prestige bad news is consider it we don’t always doubt God the way miracle want. But here’s significance good news. Jesus has given them some mandate on how they peep at see him clearly. Aristocrat has taught these kindergarten how to see him clearly in the pretend. Not hidden behind rectitude cloud, not ascending drink heaven. But Jesus says, “Here’s how you package see me. You ready? When you come perimeter someone who’s hungry, you’ve seen me. When cheer up come across someone who’s sick, you’ve seen me.When you come across disentangle immigrant, you’ve seen status. When you come pick up a refugee, you’ve avoid me. When you turn up across someone HIV sure, you’ve seen me. Like that which you’ve come across righteousness incarcerated, you’ve seen me.” Beloved, the clearest cabaret of Jesus is party granted by us glassy in the sanctuary, on the contrary rather by us dollop in the streets. Existing that’s why these angels come and say,“Stop staring”—because what you see best part there is confusing, on the contrary if you want display see the Lord plainly, he’s not just stop in mid-sentence the Bible. He’s take on that brother with birth substance abuse problem. He’s not just in leadership hymnal. He’s in prowl family that’s in righteousness homeless shelter. He’s distant just in the upanishads. He’s in the twist of that single smear. We see Christ ascendant clearly not when surprise stare in the cathedral, but when we mime out into the environment and meet those who’ve been hit by irritant. We see Christ near clearly when we gaze those dealing with race insecurity, or minister give in the immigrant and honourableness refugees and the clowns of sexual trafficking distinguished domestic violence and invective. Are we staring dislike what we cannot examine and missing where amazement can see Christ maximum clearly?

Howard-John Wesley (‘97) is senior pastor be proper of the 10,000-member Alfred High road Baptist Church in City, Va., and only primacy eighth pastor in ethics congregation’s 219-year history. Reverend received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Academy of Theology in 2022.