TMNT Life in the Sewer - Pt 4

To finish the series we looked at Michelangelo. The orange one is also the most fun of the bunch. He does not take life too seriously and always loves a good joke. He has a tendency to not think through the consequences of his actions which cause him to miss something important.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was an incredible artist both as sculptor AND painter. He is considered to be one of the best EVER. His marble statues, like the Pieta and David, are unmatched in their perfection. He took a single stone and chiseled "until he set the statue free." He was very modest about his painting and felt inadequate to be selected for such a task as decorating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (133'x46'). But he knocked it out in a short four years. Then later in his life he tackled the altar wall (40'x44'). These masterpieces have changed the course of art history and set the bar for other artists to follow.

In Matt 25:31-46 Jesus tells about the last (or final) judgment, which happens to be the name of Michelangelo's painting of the Altar wall. Jesus says very clearly that a distinction and separation will be made followed by either an eternal reward or punishment. The painting eloquently portrays this in a simple way. Jesus, with his mother, is in the middle, and angels are pulling people up into heaven on his right and taking/pushing people to hell on his left.

This is a scary question to ask sometimes - Which side would I be on? We often freak ourselves out and it causes us to "get saved" over and over again. While it is very serious the only requirement, according to scripture, is to believe, to have faith (John 3:16, Eph 2:8). God's grace is a gift we cannot earn. So if we have accepted, believed, and confessed, then WE ARE SAVED, and we should not worry. We understand that it is not about what we DO that gets us into heaven.

But Scripture also makes it clear that there must be more than simple belief. Once we believe there must be action. James 2:17 teaches that faith WITHOUT works is dead. Matt 7:24-27 quotes Jesus teaching that whoever hears his word and DOES NOT PUT IT INTO PRACTICE will be destroyed. And Prov 14:31 reveals that oppressing those in need shows contempt for their maker. So while our salvation does not depend upon our works, it appears that our works depend upon our salvation. And having NO works speaks of one's faith or lack thereof.

Jesus reveals the qualifier in his goats vs sheep message. He says, in response to the people asking why they are on that particular side, the things you did for one of the least of these you were actually doing them to him.

So are you on the Right of the Left? Are you missing something in this equation?

Who is ONE of the least of these in your life? What can you do for them - something that will give life?

Maybe today you just need to be reminded of the truth Michelangelo taught in speaking of his sculpting. "Every stone has a statue in it...just waiting to be set free."

What inside does God want to set free?

As life takes you in the sewer...stay on the RIGHT,  give LIFE to others, and let God set you FREE!

TMNT Life in the Sewer - Pt 3

Raphael is the baddest turtle with the roughest attitude. He is the most violent and aggressive. He is sarcastic and cynical and pulls no punches. This turtle is 100% genuine though - what you see is exactly what you get.

Raffaello Sanzio, better known as Raphael, was painter and architect. He is one of the highest regarded painters of his time and stands next to Leonardo and Michelangelo. He is the youngest of our Renaissance counterparts but his work is just as significant.

His mom died when he was 8. He was orphaned at 11 after his father passed away but he had already learned much skill from his father who was an artist himself and had a flourishing workshop, which Raphael took over in some regard. As he grew older his talent only increased.

His most famous works were the slew of Madonnas. A Madonna is a depiction of Mary, the mother of Jesus. He painted around 30 in his short lifetime of only 37 years. These paintings are obviously religious and were extremely spiritual for people in the 16th century. The interesting thing about this is that there is a legend that Raphael was an atheist which brings some irony to these pictures. When asked about his reasoning he stated that he painted what the people wanted not what he personally believed.

Whether or not this is true is not the focus and I do not claim it as fact. I am simply highlighting the dynamic that even if Raphael was a follower of Jesus it is not the most prominent detail of his life. And a mention of religion says he did not have any.

Our two Raphaels seem to differ in the characteristic of TRUTH.

James 2 talks about showing favoritism and warns against it. James writes that it is no different than murder or adultery. What happens is that in showing favoritism a person judges and determines who is worthy of value. Favoritism is self-full in nature as it only serves to benefit the one showing it. So in showing favoritism one is making a strong statement of life away from Christ and now there is a case for hypocrisy if one proclaims to follow Jesus.

So what is TRUTH in your life?
What do you need to own up to? Life in Jesus does not mean we are perfect but it means we acknowledge and confess when we fail! This brings freedom.

Who have you decided is NOT deserving of worth?
Who do you need to show MORE favor toward?

This is the life that Jesus came to give us as stated in John 10:10 that we have looked at every week.

What is God asking you to do? Will you do it? Model this life for your teens and kids. Their eternity is counting on it.

As life takes you in the sewer...ask God to help you live in TRUTH!

God Speaks in the Unique

A bush that burns but does not burn up, a talking donkey, the voice of God heard through such oddities. When the unique bursts forth through the ordinary, we take notice, we tune in, we perk up. And in these moments God often speaks as our hearts are open to new possibilities.

Where/How is God trying to speak to you right now?

Are you listening? How will you respond?

TMNT Life in the Sewer - Pt 2

Donatello is our turtle of the week. He is a bit of an extremist. By that I mean that he is the least violent of the turtles and yet he can be the most devastating. He is a scientist, a brainiac and is a weapons specialist. With his intelligence he has the capacity to create mass destruction if necessary. This is the framework for the rest of our lesson.

Now looking at our Renaissance man number two, Donatello. Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi, was nicknamed Donatello at an early age by his friends and family, probably because they could not nor had time to pronounce his name. He quickly became a master sculptor creating things that surpassed his instructors and mentors. He sculpted with stone and metal, in 3D and on flat surfaces. He was brilliant.

His early career saw him sculpting things with a Gothic feel, emotionless faces yet still high in detail or the rest of the body. He became famous for his "larger than life" sculptures. Then at some point he made a change. He began to incorporate high emotion into his works. This brought controversy when he depicted a Mary Magdalene with such distress she was a horror to look at. He too made a drastic shift from one extreme to the next.

These two characters set the stage for our scripture. Matt 8, Mark 5, and Luke 8 hold the story of the demon possessed man whom Jesus healed.

The man was so dangerous he had to be excommunicated from society. No one could pass by because he was such a threat. But not only did he harm others he was in absolute devastation internally as well. He would weep and yell every night and cut himself. Although the demons oppressed him and would take control this man still had feelings and understood his despair or at least felt it to the core of his being.

Have you ever felt this way? Have you felt fine one minute and full of anger, bitterness, hate, greed, lust, fear, insecurity, inferiority, loneliness, depression, pride, self-fullness, anxiety the next? I believe this is the demon within us. What is yours?

Jesus and the disciples got off the boat to be greeted by this man (and his demons). The scene played out in that Jesus engaged the demons and, at their request, sent them into a heard of pigs for their fulfillment of destruction and death wish, delivering this man from his prison. The man was restored, not only in himself but with his community as well.

What have you been separated from because of your demon? What damage to you, to others, or to your relationships has it done? Will you let God break the chains and deliver you TODAY? Stop right now and bring it to Jesus, fall at his feet. He is the one who can handle it. Then what you do after that is up to you. The man in the story was to become a missionary amongst the people who he had hurt, who had seen him decline. Will you obey what God asks of you?

As life takes you in the sewer...ask God to deliver you from the demons within!