Upon entering the temple grounds Jesus’ first encounter was with the Court of the Gentiles.  This was the area of the temple grounds where Gentiles could come to shop, to pay homage to the God of Israel, or satisfy their curiosity, but they were allowed to go no farther without obedience to all of the ceremonial law.

In the Court of the Gentiles the Jews had set up a marketplace, a mall of sorts, where all manner of sacrificial animals and offerings could be purchased.  Matthew records the event in chapter 21:10-14

Ephesians 6:2

This Sunday is Father’s Day when we honor those men who helped give us life and have nurtured us through life. 

THE MEN’S THESAURUS (men don’t always say what they mean) – excerpts:

- When a man says: "IT’S A GUY THING" - He means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with this, and you have no chance at all of making it logical"
- When a man says "CAN I HELP WITH DINNER" - He means: "Why isn’t it already on the table?"
- When a man says "UH HUH, SURE HONEY,” or “YES, DEAR" - He means: Absolutely nothing – It’s a conditioned response.
- When a man says ’’IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN" - He means: "I have no idea how it works"
- When a man says "TAKE A BREAK, HONEY. YOU ARE WORKING TOO HARD’’ - He means: "I can’t hear the game over the vacuum cleaner"

Satan has a tool in his arsenal of weapons and he’s really been making good use of it in America and here in Maine. The tool is the spirit of Apathy.

In a university library, - on the walls - in bold, sprawling letters, there appeared two words of graffiti - "APATHY RULES!"  Perhaps those words were written by a disillusioned student - a student who has spent endless hours in the pursuit of some intellectual study - only to realize how futile the entire project was.
The story is told of a high school teacher who taught high school just long enough to realize that he should not have been teaching high school in the first place!  It took him several years, however, to come to that conclusion!  He was assigned to teach a course filled to the brim with students who did not want to learn.  In fact, it was one of those classes where the students had to arrive early in order to get a back seat!  A few of the students got there so late, that they were stuck in the front row!  There they sat in their cutoffs and sneakers without sox; and, they could care less what the subject was.

It used to be that Christians would walk miles to hear a good sermon.
It used to be that Christians would feel cheated by a sermon that was less than an hour in length. 
It used to be that people read sermons, discussed them at Sunday dinner, and readily compared the merits of different preachers they heard on a regular basis -- but not now.

In the minds of many modern Christians the sermon has become the equivalent of the 7th inning stretch - no more than a break between the opening hymn and the closing prayer.  And today, any preacher who dares to go longer than 15 -20 minutes is in danger of incurring the wrath of an impatient congregation.  Some churches have replaced the regular exposition of the Word with a 12-minute “life application talk,” or a dramatic skit.  There seems to be a crisis in preaching.

The issue of normalizing homosexuality has been ongoing for decades here in Maine and even appears on the front pages of newspapers at times.  A few days ago, it was the subject of all three radio news stations that I listen to on the way to work in the morning.  One was talking about the significant economic benefits of all the Homosexual Weddings being performed in Maine, another one was talking about women's rights as compared to transgendered men who want to use ladies bathrooms, and the third one was talking about the wording on the referendum question just released by the Secretary of State.

In the beginning, homosexual rights activists emphatically stated that they were just looking for protection from discrimination and that marriage was never their goal.  Those who have been in the battle for over two decades knew better at the time, and so here we are today with Gay Marriage, as the law in Maine. And as we oppose the movement, we are accused of all sorts of things.  Click HERE to read a block starting on May 4th were "Ben" blasted Michael Heath, expressing sorrow for his sons and the reply from Mike's son in Iraq.

This issue has brought much debate, even in the Church.  It is an issue that the church must take a stand on - a Biblical stand.

A little review:

Hebrews 11: 36-40:
“And others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

Did you ever hear the story of “Pushing The Rock”?

Hebrews 12:2-3
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Mark 14:61-62
“But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.  Again the high priest asked Him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?  I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"

Matthew 4:3-7
“The tempter came to Him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.  Jesus answered, It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"

- Jesus was bold in the face of Satan. We need to imitate this as well.

Last week, Miss California Carrie Prejean's response during the Miss USA Pageant to a question asked about gay marriage was a demonstration of authentic Christianity. 

When openly gay judge Perez Hilton asked the beauty queen if every state should approve gay marriage as had Vermont and three other states, she replied: "We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite [marriage]. And you know what, in my country, and in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.  No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

Way to go, Miss Prejean ! ! !  Read the whole story here