Tawa Baptist

Kings & Priests

Scripture: Psalm 132

 

Title: Kings & Priests

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • A place to call home (King David)
  • A call to worship (Priests)
  • Conclusion – Jesus (King & Priest)

 

Introduction:

Once there was a young man smitten with a beautiful girl

–         She was somewhat indifferent to him though, and careless with his feelings in the way pretty girls can afford to be, but this didn’t deter him

–         When the young man heard the girl’s birthday was coming up he told her he would send her a bouquet of flowers, one for each year of her life

–         Later that afternoon he called the local florist and ordered 21 roses, with instructions that they be delivered on the girl’s birthday

 

As the florist was preparing the order he decided, that since the young man was such a good customer, he would put an extra dozen roses in the bouquet, bringing the total to 33

–         The girl didn’t take it so well and fortunately for the young man, he never heard from her again

–         Years later he found someone else better able to reciprocate his love [1]

 

This morning we return to our series on the Songs of Ascents

–         These songs were probably sung by Jewish pilgrims as they made their way to the temple in Jerusalem for various religious festivals

–         They are songs for the journey home to God

 

Our focus today is psalm 132 – It is a kind of a duet in two halves

–         The first half is essentially a prayer asking God to remember King David and his plans to build a house for the Lord

–         While the second half details the Lord’s response to this prayer

–         Like the florist in the story, God answers by giving his people more than they asked for or imagined.

–         Sometimes His ‘more’ may seem like a set back to us – but in the long run it proves better. From the NIV we read…

 

1 Lord, remember David and all his self-denial. 2 He swore an oath to the Lord, he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3 “I will not enter my house or go to my bed, 4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, 5 till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 6 We heard of it in Ephrathah, we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:7 “Let us go to his dwelling place, let us worship at his footstool, saying,8 ‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. 9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy.’” 10 For the sake of your servant David, do not reject your anointed one. 11 The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne. 12 If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”13 For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, 14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it. 15 I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor I will satisfy with food. 16 I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.17 “Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one. 18 I will clothe his enemies with shame, but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

A place to call home:

There’s been a lot in the news lately about housing shortages, especially in Auckland but also in other main centres

–         Tawa has seen a bit of development as well

–         For some years now new houses have been going in around the Woodman Drive area

–         More recently a sub-division has been going ahead at Kenepuru

–         And we hear of plans for medium density housing around the Tawa Junction area

–         People are wanting room – a place to call home, space to dwell and rest

–         And for many that involves sacrifice & self denial just to save enough for a deposit

 

Psalm 132 begins with the psalmist remembering David’s self denial before the Lord

 

To remember means more than just re-calling to mind a thought from the past

–         The kind of remembering the psalmist is doing here is tangible and practical – like when someone ‘remembers you in their will’ – they actually do something for you

–         On ANZAC day we remember the self denial and sacrifice of soldiers by taking a day off work and holding dawn services to pay our respects

–         More than this though we don’t take our freedom for granted

–         In NZ when someone reaches the age of 65 the government remembers their years of tax paying and contribution to society by giving them a weekly superannuation payment and a gold card

–         We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us – we appreciate the benefits their self denial has brought

 

So when the psalmist says, Lord, remember David and all his self-denial, I think he is letting God know that he values the legacy David has left

–         He doesn’t take David’s self denial for granted

–         It’s kind of a thanksgiving for what David did in the past

 

Verses 2-5 detail David’s vow to find a place for the Lord

–         David plans to deny himself – he won’t rest until he has made room for God

 

What then does it mean to find a place for the Lord?

–         After all, God fills the universe – how can David possibly create a dwelling for God?

–         That would be like me thinking I could dig a hole large enough to contain the oceans of the world

 

David is well aware that God cannot be contained in a house – God will not be domesticated

–         More than likely psalm 132 has the events of 2nd Samuel chapters 6 & 7 in mind when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem

 

This is a picture of what the Ark of the Covenant might have looked like

–         For Israel the Ark embodied the holy presence & rule of the Lord God

–         It was also a tangible reminder of God’s covenant with Israel as it contained the 10 commandments

 

Since its construction in the wilderness the Ark had been kept in a tent

–         Having the embodiment of God’s presence travelling around in a tent showed the people that God wasn’t tied down to one specific location

–         For many years the Ark had sat in obscurity on someone’s farm until David thought to bring it Jerusalem

–         Then, once David had brought the Ark to the capital, it began to bother him that the Ark was kept under canvas while he lived in a flash palace

–         So when David talks about finding a place for the Lord, he means he wants to provide better accommodation for the Ark – he wants to bring it to Jerusalem and build a temple to house it

 

Interestingly God is referred to (in verse 5) as “the Mighty One of Jacob”

–         Jacob was famous for wrestling with God all night as he returned home after many years away

–         Perhaps there is an association here with David wrestling or struggling in his efforts to find a place for the Lord to dwell

–         Certainly it wasn’t an easy thing bringing the Ark to Jerusalem

–         It took David two attempts and a man died in the process

–         Not only that but David became estranged from one of his wives

 

David also wrestled with God over building a temple to house the Ark

–         David lost sleep over this issue – it kept him up at night, just as the angel of the Lord kept Jacob up all night in a wrestling match

 

I think there is a point of application here for us today

–         In our busy lives God often gets crowded out and like David it requires some self denial and commitment on our part to create room for God

 

Let me illustrate what I mean…

–         One of the consequences of more housing in Tawa is more pressure on infrastructure and roads

–         The intersection on the Main Rd and Surrey St, just outside the church here is a case in point

–         The Council would like to put a roundabout there to help traffic flow

–         And while there are some benefits for the wider community in having a roundabout those benefits come at a cost to the church – in particular its looking likely that we will lose around a dozen car parks give or take

–         The Council have been really good in talking with us about how we can minimise the loss of parks – they have gone out of their way to help us by seeking to free up other parks nearby

–         Obviously we would want to reserve the closest parks for the elderly, for those with young children and for visitors or newcomers

–         But there will be some who may have to deny themselves by parking further away in Oxford St, for example

 

Now the church doesn’t exist for itself – we are here for Jesus and for the world that God loves – so I’m not protesting against the roundabout

–         If it benefits the wider community then perhaps we need to see the loss of parking as part of our mission of being a blessing to the world

 

I’m also aware that having to park a little further away is a relatively minor inconvenience, especially when compared with the events in Manchester this past week

–         But although it’s a relatively small thing it is yet another thing in a long list of things which put distance between the church and society and make it more difficult for people to attend worship services

 

The loss of parks seems to me to be a kind of parable in that it illustrates what’s happening on a larger scale in NZ today

–         Incrementally, over time, God and the church are getting crowded out of our society by all sorts of things, like work & sports and other stuff

–         At the same time there is a growing distance between the church and society: the church often holds values which are at odds with society and we Christians cringe at the way the church is misrepresented in the media

–         Our society is generally less accommodating to God and the church (as we’ve seen with CRE) and so it is becoming harder to be a Christian

–         Therefore we who believe in Jesus need to be more intentional, more committed in making a place in our own lives for God to dwell

–         Like David, it is going to require more self denial on our part, to build a bridge between church and society

 

Returning to psalm 132: Despite David’s good intentions the Lord God did not want David to build a house (or a temple) for Him

–         Instead, the Lord would build a house (as in a royal dynasty) for David

 

In verses 2-5 David makes a vow to God, now in verses 11-12 God makes a vow to David, saying…

–         “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne…”

–         The Lord is referring here to Solomon

–         David would not be the one to build a temple for the Lord, but his son Solomon would

 

God then goes on to make a conditional promise to David…

–         “If your sons keep my covenant… then their sons will sit on your throne forever…”

 

This was a pretty big deal

–         Moses’ sons didn’t become the leaders of Israel after him

–         Nor did Joshua’s or Samuel’s or Saul’s

–         This was new – David had no reason (in history) to think that his descendants would be king after him

–         Here God is giving David far more than he ever asked for or imagined

–         We can’t out give God – He is too generous

 

A call to worship:

When I was about 6 my dad decided to build a swimming pool in our backyard

–         My dad likes a project and he is pretty handy at that sort of thing

–         It was 1976 so the pool was kidney shaped and deep enough to dive into

–         Anyway, dad decided he wouldn’t get a digger in to excavate the hole for the pool but would dig it out himself by hand

 

When we started I thought that with my help we could dig the hole in a day, but I quickly learned I had overestimated my digging ability

–         Despite all my efforts it took me most of the morning to shift half a cubic metre with my little spade

–         In the end my contribution was fairly modest and I had to adjust the timeframe I had in mind for completion of the project

 

We worked on digging that hole for weeks but it was worth it in the end

–         We got so much fun and enjoyment out of that pool

–         Of course it’s the end you need to keep in mind when you are shovelling clay – it’s the end that keeps you going

–         The interesting thing is that when the end is in sight you find a second wind – an extra burst of energy in anticipation of realising your goal

 

For the Jewish pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem to worship the Lord the journey was perhaps a bit like digging out the hole for the pool by hand

–         They didn’t fly there in a plane or drive there in a car or ride on a train

–         They typically walked, sometimes a very long way

–         This wasn’t a journey they could knock off in a day – it might take weeks depending on where they had come from

–         But by keeping the end in mind – thinking about the temple in Jerusalem – they found the strength to keep going

 

Returning to verse 6…

–         Ephrathah and Jaar refer to the region around Bethlehem, David’s hometown – Bethlehem is quite close to Jerusalem, about 9 km’s away

 

Verses 7-9 appear to be a call to worship

–         As the Jewish pilgrim’s walk through the fields of Jaar they know they are getting close, the end is in sight and they get a second wind, so they say: “Let us go to his dwelling place…” that is, to the Lord’s temple

–         “Let us worship at his footstool” – his footstool being the Ark

 

Verse 8 recalls the time of the Exodus from Egypt when Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years

–         The Lord God led the people by a pillar of cloud and fire

–         Each time the pillar moved the Israelites would pick up the Ark and say,

–         Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place, you & the ark of your might.

–         They were essentially asking God to bring them home to the Promised Land

 

Verse 13 of psalm 132 tells us the Lord chose Zion for his dwelling – his resting place

–         For the psalmist, in the Old Testament, Zion equated to Jerusalem – basically the main centre from which God ruled

–         For us Christians though Zion isn’t limited to geographic Jerusalem – it is essentially anywhere that God reigns

–         So Zion is a code word for God’s kingdom – the kingdom of heaven

 

Verse 15 tells us that where God reigns (where His kingdom has come) there is abundance and no poverty

–         I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor I will satisfy with food

–         Verse 15 is looking forward to the realisation of God’s kingdom in its fullness when everyone will have enough

–         We haven’t got there yet, we are still digging the hole, still fighting against hunger and poverty in our time – and so the underlying assumption of the economic system we live under is scarcity

–         But this is not what the end looks like at all – the underlying assumption of God’s kingdom (of Zion) is abundance

–         What was it Jesus said? I have come that you may have abundant life

 

In connection with worshipping at God’s footstool (at the Ark) we have the prayer (in verse 9) that the Lord’s priests be clothed with righteousness;

–         The Lord responds positively to this desire in verse 16 saying…

–         I will clothe her priests with salvation, & her saints will ever sing for joy

 

These two verses are almost identical, except that in one the priests are clothed in righteousness while in the second the priests are clothed in salvation

–         Righteousness means ‘right relationship’ – dealing with people in a way that is fair and kind.

–         While salvation means being given abundant life, as opposed to being destroyed or excluded

–         Salvation comes in many forms: physical healing, forgiveness of sins, peace in our relationships, deliverance from evil, the eradication of poverty, acceptance into God’s family and so on

–         In the Bible righteousness & salvation are not things we achieve by our own efforts – they are gifts from God received by faith – by trusting God

–         Having said that God still likes to involve us in the process

 

When I was digging the hole for the pool with my Dad and my Pop, they pretty much did all the work – my contribution was quite small really and yet I probably got more use and enjoyment out of the pool than they did

–         It’s a bit like that with God’s gifts of righteousness and salvation – God does most (if not all) of the spade work but he still accepts what we bring

 

One of the key roles of the priests was to mediate God’s forgiveness to the people through the sacrificial system

–         The priests were there to help restore righteousness – that is to restore people to right relationship with God and between people

–         Priests that are clothed in righteousness therefore are priests who are able to mediate forgiveness because they themselves have been forgiven and stand in right relationship with God

 

Closely related to their role in mediating God’s forgiveness, the priests also had a role in mediating God’s salvation

–         The priests were a bit like doctors (except without the science)

–         The priests didn’t necessarily heal people but they had the authority to declare someone clean after they had been healed or purified

–         We read about this in the gospels. After Jesus healed some lepers he told them to show themselves to the priest so they could be declared clean and re-join the community

 

The Jewish priests wore special garments in carrying out their priestly duties – but wearing a special costume doesn’t make the priest fit to cleanse people, any more than wearing a surgical gown makes me fit to remove an appendix

 

The people’s prayer was for their priests to be clothed in righteousness

–         But in verse 16 God responds by saying, I can do better than that. I will give you priests who are clothed in salvation – that is, priests who mediate my power to heal and cleanse

 

The other part of the prayer in verse 9 is that God’s faithful people sing for joy

–         Worship should not be a loveless duty

–         Singing for joy is the icing on the cake – it speaks of a life that is overflowing with gratitude for the goodness of God

–         God’s response in verse 16 is that Zion’s faithful people (those who submit to God’s reign) will ever sing for joy

–         Once again God answers his people’s prayer with more than they asked for or imagined – their joy will be forever, without end

–         The grind of digging the hole for the pool may last for weeks but the joy of using it lasts a lifetime

 

Conclusion:

Psalm 132 concludes by looking forward in hope to God’s ‘anointed one’

–         ‘Anointed One’ in Hebrew is Messiah

–         As Christians we believe Jesus is the Messiah

 

We find three images for Jesus the Messiah in verses 17 & 18:

–         Horn, lamp and crown

 

Horn is an image of strength

–         Lamp is an image of clarity (or truth & wisdom)

–         And crown is an image of royal dignity – not just power but holiness too [2]

 

Verse 18 tells us that the Messiah’s head will be adorned with a radiant crown

–         The original Hebrew literally reads, ‘his crown will blossom’ [3]

–         Unlike the glitter of a man-made crown which looks pretty but is still dead, God will adorn Jesus’ head with the crown of life

–         God’s Messiah will be King over life and death

–         The poetry here is pointing forward to Jesus’ resurrection life

 

The poetry is also pointing back to Aaron, the high priest of Israel during Moses’ time

–         You may remember how God caused the wooden staff of Aaron to bud and blossom as a way of accrediting Aaron’s ministry as his priest

 

For Christians the connection is intuitive

–         In and through Jesus, God’s promises are fulfilled

–         Jesus replaces the Ark of the Covenant – he is the embodiment of God’s power & presence

–         Jesus is the ideal priest clothed in righteousness and salvation with power to forgive sins and to bestow abundant life

–         Jesus is David’s greater son who, following his resurrection from the dead, ascended to heaven where he sits enthroned in Zion

–         And Jesus is God’s answer to his people’s prayers – an answer far more generous and far better than we asked for or imagined

–         In short, Jesus is our hope and joy

 

Let us pray…

 

 

[1] Adapted from a story found in the book “The bells! The Bells!” compiled by Mark Stibbe, page 70.

[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150, page 488.

[3] Ibid.

Tawa Baptist

People are treasure

Scripture: Acts 9:1-19

 

Title: People are treasure

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The role of doubt
  • Jesus and Saul
  • Ananias and Saul
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

There is a legend told of the wives of Weinsberg

–         The Duke of Weinsberg possessed an immense fortune in gold, silver and fine jewels, which he kept in his castle

 

The Duke had a falling out with King Konrad (the sovereign of the realm)

–         And so Konrad gathered his army and laid siege to Weinsberg demanding the Duke’s fortress, the massive fortune and the lives of the men within

 

Although the King had allowed for the safe release of all women and children, the wives of Weinsberg refused to leave without having one of their own conditions met

–         They requested that they be allowed to leave at sunrise the next day with whatever they could carry on their backs

 

Thinking the women couldn’t possibly make a dent in the massive fortune, the king decided to grant their request.

–         After all, he would be hailed as a generous and merciful king and most of the Duke’s vast fortune would still be left for him

 

But the king got more than he bargained for

–         The next morning at sunrise, as the women walked out, the entire army was stunned to silence as they saw each wife carrying her husband on her back – the wives valued their husbands more highly than silver or gold

 

Deeply moved by their love, King Konrad kept his word and no lives were lost that day.

–         People are the real treasure

 

Today is the second of three Sundays when we promote Tranzsend’s prayer and self-denial campaign

–         Tranzsend supports and resources NZ Baptist missionaries serving overseas

–         The theme for this year’s self-denial campaign is treasures handed down

–         Jesus is the greatest treasure God gave the world

–         That God gave His only Son to save us shows that people are treasure

 

Please turn with me to Acts chapter 9 – page 161 toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         Last week we heard how Jesus valued an outsider – the Ethiopian eunuch

–         Today we hear how Jesus treats one of his enemies as a valued treasure

–         From Acts chapter 9, verses 1-19 we read…

In the meantime Saul kept up his violent threats of murder against the followers of the Lord. He went to the High Priest 2 and asked for letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he should find there any followers of the Way of the Lord, he would be able to arrest them, both men and women, and bring them back to Jerusalem.

3 As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” he asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you persecute,” the voice said. 6 “But get up and go into the city, where you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men who were traveling with Saul had stopped, not saying a word; they heard the voice but could not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but could not see a thing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was not able to see, and during that time he did not eat or drink anything.

10 There was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. He had a vision, in which the Lord said to him, “Ananias!”

“Here I am, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord said to him, “Get ready and go to Straight Street, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying, 12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he might see again.”

13 Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and about all the terrible things he has done to your people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come to Damascus with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who worship you.”

15 The Lord said to him, “Go, because I have chosen him to serve me, to make my name known to Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel. 16 And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake.”

17 So Ananias went, entered the house where Saul was, and placed his hands on him. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord has sent me—Jesus himself, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He sent me so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 At once something like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was able to see again. He stood up and was baptized; 19 and after he had eaten, his strength came back.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

The role of doubt:

In Jane Austin’s novel Pride & Prejudice there is a great deal of tension between the two main characters, Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy

 

Elizabeth has strong feelings of affection for Mr Darcy but she is not willing to admit them – she is blinded by her prejudice

–         Elizabeth wrongly assumes that Mr Darcy has a bad character and her prejudice creates this armour, this defence, this shell around her

 

Mr Darcy also has strong feelings of affection for Elizabeth, which he is well aware of – unfortunately his pride gets in the way

–         He thinks himself so far above Elizabeth Bennett that he is not free to express his feelings without contempt

 

Prejudice blinds and pride binds

 

Acts 9 begins by telling us that Saul (a devout Jewish Pharisee) was on his way to Damascus to arrest the followers of Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem

–         The same Saul who watched with approval as Stephen was murdered now fanatically persecutes the followers of Jesus himself

–         Saul was a religious extremist – a fanatic

 

The psychologist Carl Jung once wrote…

–         Fanaticism is only found in individuals who are compensating for secret doubts  [1]

–         In other words, the less convinced we are of our own position on a matter, the more strongly we are inclined to defend it

–         Our pride and prejudice acts as a shield against the truth which our secret doubts point to

 

Now some people think doubt is a bad thing and certainly too much doubt can be a bad thing

–         If we doubt ourselves all the time then we lose all confidence and find ourselves living in constant anxiety

–         But we still need some doubt

–         Doubt causes the carpenter to measure twice and cut once

–         Doubt causes the scientist to find a proof for her theories

–         Doubt causes the Christian to seek the Lord’s will in prayer and in studying the Scriptures

 

Doubt is not the same thing as fear

–         Too much doubt can lead to fear but a little bit of doubt handled in the right way can lead us closer to the truth

 

Doubt is a bit like salt

–         Too much salt and the meal is ruined

–         But just the right amount of salt brings out the flavour (or the truth)

 

Jesus said to his followers – you are the salt of the earth

–         I wonder if one of the things he meant by that was…

–         Live your life in such a distinctively good way that it causes those who don’t yet know Christ to doubt their own beliefs

–         Those seeds of doubt may start people on a journey of seeking Jesus

 

Doubt is not necessarily the enemy

–         Doubt is what motivates us to check our facts and find out the truth

–         The apparent absence of doubt suggests a proud and arrogant heart

–         While a little bit of doubt indicates humility

 

The people who built the Titanic could have done with acknowledging their secret doubts – it would have saved many lives

–         Instead they over compensated by arrogantly claiming their ship was unsinkable

 

The reason there was so much tension between Mr Darcy & Elizabeth Bennett was because they were both un-willing to acknowledge their doubts

–         Perhaps the reason Saul was so obsessed with persecuting the followers of Jesus was because deep down he had his doubts about being a Pharisee

–         Underneath it all Saul suspected that Stephen was right about Jesus

–         But Saul’s pride bound him and his prejudice blinded him

 

It appears that Stephen’s witness to the risen Jesus strengthened by his example in asking God to forgive his murderers, affected Saul profoundly

–         Stephen’s martyrdom really got under Saul’s skin and made him less certain about his previously held beliefs

 

Jesus & Saul:

In contrast to Saul’s pride & prejudice we see Jesus’ grace & truth

–         The gospel of John tells us, the Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace & truth

–         Jesus embodies grace and truth – he weaves the two together

 

By appearing to Saul on the road to Damascus and asking, “…why do you persecute me?” Jesus is confronting Saul with the truth, in a gracious way

–         The most obvious truth here is that Jesus is not dead, he is risen – which makes it clear that Jesus is the Messiah of God and consequently the followers of Jesus are right, while Saul is wrong

–         All at once Saul’s pride & prejudice is undone

 

Another difficult truth for Saul to face here is that by giving Jesus’ followers a hard time Saul was actually persecuting Jesus himself, God’s Messiah

–         The followers of Jesus really are the body of Christ

–         When we suffer, Jesus suffers

–         And when we are kind to other believers, Jesus feels that kindness too

–         What was it Jesus said?

–         “What you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me?”     

–         People are the real treasure

 

That Saul was wrong and that he had been persecuting God’s Messiah were painful truths to face

–         A third (more comforting) truth for Saul is that Jesus values him enough to intervene to save him

–         Jesus does not destroy Saul, even though Saul has been seeking to destroy him

–         Jesus does not threaten Saul with punishment, even though Saul has been persecuting him

–         Nor does Jesus ignore Saul

–         Instead, Jesus seeks to restore right relationship by being truthful about how Saul’s actions are affecting him

 

Jesus sees the potential (the treasure) in Saul and offers him a way out of his fanaticism

–         There’s no force or fear or coercion from Jesus at all

–         It’s like Jesus is simply giving Saul the information he needs and then trusting Saul, freeing him, to choose for himself

 

In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis writes about his own conversion, saying…

“I became aware that I was holding something at bay, or shutting something out. Or, if you like, that I was wearing some stiff clothing, like corsets, or even a suit of armour, as if I were a lobster. I felt myself being… given a free choice. I could open the door or keep it shut; I could unbuckle the armour or keep it on. Neither choice was presented as a duty; no threat or promise was attached to either… I was moved by no desires or fears. In a sense I was not moved by anything. I chose to open, to unbuckle, to loosen the rein. I say ‘I chose’, yet it did not seem possible to do the opposite. …I was aware of no motives. …I am more inclined to think this came nearer to being a perfectly free act than most I have ever done.”  [2]

 

I understand Lewis to be saying here that he turned toward God freely

–         He was not motivated by the fear of hell or the promise of heaven

–         He simply surrendered his armour, let down his defences and opened himself in trust to the truth and grace of God

 

In verse 6 Jesus gives Saul a choice wrapped up in the command…

–         “…get up and go into the city where you will be told what you must do”

–         By obeying Jesus’ command Saul shows that he believes Jesus to be raised from the dead

–         But as Saul gets up to leave he discovers that he cannot see

–         The fact that Saul was blinded points to the objective reality of the experience – Saul could not discount what happened to him – it was real

 

Verse 9 tells us that Saul was blind for three days, during which time he did not eat or drink anything

–         A total fast like this was both a sign of repentance and an act of humility in seeking God

 

Ananias & Saul:

People are treasure – that’s a statement which implies grace and truth at the same time

 

Paul Windsor, who was the principal of Carey College when we were training for ministry, had a grace & truth graph he liked to show us – sort of like this one

 

On this graph we have four quadrants as indicated by the colours yellow, blue, red and green (This being an election year I need to stress that these colours do not represent political parties – I’m not telling you who to vote for)

The yellow quadrant represents those who are low on truth and low on grace

–         Before his encounter with the risen Jesus, Saul was most likely in the yellow quadrant – full of pride and prejudice, low on grace & truth

–         Nationalism thrives in the yellow quadrant

 

The blue quadrant represents those who are high on truth & low on grace

–         They might hold the Bible in high regard and have strict moral standards but have little tolerance for those who don’t share their point of view

 

The red quadrant is those who are high on grace and low on truth

–         The reds are sort of the opposite of the blues – the reds are light on judgement and repentance, high on forgiveness and mercy

 

While the green quadrant represents those who are high on truth and grace

–         Those in the green believe that God offers salvation to everyone, although not everyone accepts it

–         God is able to forgive even the worst of sinners but His forgiveness is not automatic or unconditional – God’s offer of salvation requires a response from us

–         Forgiveness and salvation are conditional on faith, repentance and us forgiving others. As Jesus taught us to pray:

–         ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us’

 

Jesus exemplifies perfect grace & truth together so you want to be in the green quadrant if you can

–         Ananias was in the green quadrant too – he embodies Jesus’ grace and truth together

 

Ananias also shows us a healthy way to handle our doubts

–         When the Lord Jesus asks Ananias to place his hands on Saul so he may see again, Ananias is a bit reluctant at first

–         He expresses his doubts in Jesus’ request saying…

–         “Lord, many people have told me about this man and about all the terrible things he has done to your people in Jerusalem…”

–         And you want me to welcome him and heal him?

 

Jesus doesn’t reprimand Ananias for airing his doubts

–         Jesus is big enough to handle our doubts and he understands Ananias’ concerns: Ananias is measuring twice before he proceeds – he is making sure he understands correctly

 

If (or when) we have doubts about something we are generally best to lay those doubts before the Lord in prayer

–         Be honest with God about what we are thinking and feeling

–         Ask God to show us where the doubt is coming from

–         Is this an unholy doubt put in our mind by the evil one to mislead us

–         Or has God put the doubt there as a caution in our spirit so that we check our facts and measure twice to avoid error

–         Either way when we are honest with God about our doubts, asking Him to clarify His will in the situation, our pride & prejudice is undone and we open ourselves to grace and truth – fanaticism doesn’t get a toe hold

 

When handled in a good way doubt actually leads us closer to the truth

–         The outcome of being honest with Jesus about his doubts is that Ananias learns more of God’s plan for Saul. Jesus responds saying…

–         Go, because I have chosen him to serve me, to make my name known to the Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel. And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake.

 

Having dealt with his doubts in an open and healthy way Ananias is now free to approach Saul without prejudice

–         And so Ananias steps out in faith and obedience to Jesus

–         He goes to Saul, lays his hands on him and says: “Brother Saul”

–         There is so much grace and truth in those words

–         ‘Brother Saul’ communicates to Saul that he is forgiven and accepted as one of the family – he is welcomed into the Christian community

–         Saul has done nothing to deserve this acceptance but grace isn’t getting what we deserve – grace is getting what we need

 

As Ananias spoke something like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he was able to see again

–         It’s like Jesus has freed Saul from his armour and answered his doubts

–         After that Saul wasted no time in being baptised

 

Conclusion:

Let me tell you a story about a boy we will call Jim…

–         Jim was a quiet kid – not shy exactly, more of a deep thinker

–         He attended a Primary school where people from the local church came once a week for half an hour to talk about God and the Bible

–         In many ways it was an easy half hour – you listened to a story, answered some questions if you felt like it and did an arts and crafts type activity

–         Religious Education (or RE for short) they called it

–         Way better than long division

 

Jim’s RE teacher (Mrs McFarlane) was really nice – always remembered people’s names, always talked about her three kids, Ruby, Hope and Josh and sometimes gave them home baking

 

One evening over dinner Jim (who was about 9 years old by this stage) asked his parents why they didn’t go to church

–         “We don’t believe in God” was the reply his dad gave. His mum didn’t say anything

 

This made Jim wonder whether the Bible stories he had heard in RE were true or made up

–         He figured his dad must know best and decided that he wouldn’t believe in God either

 

One Wednesday, just after the RE lesson had finished, Jim approached Mrs McFarlane and said to her, “I don’t believe in God”

–         The classroom teacher (Mr Dench) was clearly embarrassed that Jim had said this and gave him a stern, disapproving look – as if to say, “Jim, that’s rude – you should apologise.”

 

But Mrs McFarlane just smiled and said…

–         “It’s okay. Tell me James, why do you say that?”

–         “I’m not sure exactly. Dad says that God is just pretend, like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. And you were talking about being honest today so I thought I should tell you the truth.”

–         “I see”, Mrs McFarlane replied. “Well James, you don’t have to make up your mind about God just yet. You may feel differently when you are older. In the meantime I want you to know that you are welcome to continue attending my RE class if you want to. God still believes in you even if you don’t believe in him. He is big enough to handle your doubts”

 

Since it was morning break Jim left it at that and went outside to play with his mates

 

For a long time he didn’t give his conversation with Mrs McFarlane a second thought, although he did still attend her RE classes – she made a nice brownie

 

Ten years passed. Jim was 19 now and attending University

–         He had his restricted license and was driving home in the dark one night when he lost control on a corner and collected a cyclist

–         Jim was okay but the young guy on the bike was in a bad way

–         Although Jim had never been to church his parents had still raised him to do the right thing and so he never even thought about doing a runner

–         He called 111 on his cell-phone and asked for an ambulance

–         Then he waited with the cyclist until help came

 

For some reason (he wasn’t sure why) Jim remembered Mrs McFarlane’s RE class and that conversation he had with her 10 years ago where he had said he didn’t believe in God and she had said, “God still believes in you. He’s big enough to handle your doubts.”

–         In that moment, while he looked at the injuries he had caused, it didn’t make sense to not believe in God

–         He found himself saying under his breath, “God, if you are there and you really do believe in me then please make this right – let him live.”

 

Jim was a long time being interviewed by the police – they weren’t in any hurry to process him. They were being careful to do everything by the book so he wouldn’t get away with it

–         Jim kept wanting to know how the cyclist was but no one would tell him

 

When Jim got home his dad was livid – there was no grace with his dad, just plenty of hard truths

–         Jim didn’t have anything to say – he knew he was in deep trouble

–         He just stayed in his room for three days without checking Facebook once

 

Eventually the police came round and sat him down in the living room with his parents

–         The cyclist was going to live and (much to the constable’s disgust) the boy’s do-gooder parents had asked them to go easy on Jim

–         Jim would lose his licence for a while but he wouldn’t do jail time

 

Jim was relieved. He didn’t get the punishment he knew he deserved – he got the grace he needed

 

Jim asked the police for the cyclist’s name so he could visit him in hospital to say ‘sorry’ but the police wanted to check with the family first

–         A few days later they phoned back. His name was Josh – Josh McFarlane

–         Jim felt like he had been punched in the chest – could it be?

 

He took the shuttle from Kenepuru to Wellington hospital telling himself he wouldn’t stay long – just long enough to apologise and leave

–         But when he got there Josh was sleeping, so Jim sat in the chair & waited

–         Half an hour passed before Jim felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and a soft voice in his ear saying, “James, my friend. I’m so pleased you came.”

–         It was his RE teacher, Mrs McFarlane, Josh’s mum

–         There was no recrimination, no judgment, no condemnation

–         Just a kind smile and a warm hug to answer his doubts about God

 

Let us pray…

 

[1] Quoted in John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 172.

[2] Quoted in John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 173.

Tawa Baptist

Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch

Scripture: Acts 8:26-40

 

Title: The Gospel as Treasure

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

Recently Robyn & I were fortunate enough to spend a week in Taupo

–         While we were there we came across a pamphlet detailing the top 10 walking tracks around the Taupo area

–         One of these walks was up Mount Tauhara, which is the mountain you can see tucked behind the Taupo township

–         I was quite keen to climb this mountain so Robyn and I came to a mutual agreement that she would go shopping for a mothers’ day present for my mum while I went climbing (climbing is less exhausting than shopping)

 

Anyway, Mt Tauhara isn’t that tall – the summit is only 1,088 meters and the track begins half way up anyway – but it is pretty steep all the way

–         I smashed it – got the top in 1 hour – which isn’t bad for an old guy

 

At the top a woman, with her three kids, laid down a painted rock

–         She explained to the rest of us there what she was doing

–         The idea is to paint a rock and then write on the back # the name of your town Rocks

–         For example, we might write #TawaRocks or if you come from Dunedin you would write #DunedinRocks

 

You hide the rock somewhere that people are likely to find it and then the finder snaps a photo holding it, uploads the photo onto social media, and re-hides it for someone else to find

  • – It’s sort of like a treasure hunt – except you don’t keep the treasure for yourself, you pass it on for others
  • – Apparently one rock which started in NZ has ended up in Italy

 

Today is the first of three Sundays when we promote Tranzsend’s prayer and self-denial campaign

–         Tranzsend supports and resources NZ Baptist missionaries serving overseas

–         The theme for this year’s self-denial campaign is treasures handed down

–         Jesus is the greatest treasure God gave the world and one of the main ways that Jesus is handed down to us is through the gospel

 

The word gospel simply means ‘good news’

–         In particular it refers to the good news that, through faith in Jesus, God accepts us

 

The gospel also refers to the four accounts of Jesus’ life and work, which we read about in the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

–         In many ways though the whole Bible points to Jesus – both the Old Testament and the New Testament – it’s all about Christ

–         In fact, Jesus is the key to understanding the Bible

 

Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch:

Please turn with me to Acts chapter 8, verse 26

–         You can find Acts 8 on page 161 toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         The Scripture reading I’ve chosen to go with this theme, that the gospel of Christ is treasure, is the account of Philip’s conversation with the Ethiopian eunuch

–         This is sort of a painted rocks story in that the treasure of the gospel is passed on to a distant land

–         From Acts chapter 8, verses 26-40 we read…

 

26 An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get ready and go south to the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This road is not used nowadays.) 27-28 So Philip got ready and went. Now an Ethiopian eunuch, who was an important official in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia, was on his way home. He had been to Jerusalem to worship God and was going back home in his carriage. As he rode along, he was reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that carriage and stay close to it.” 30 Philip ran over and heard him reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31 The official replied, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to climb up and sit in the carriage with him. 32 The passage of scripture which he was reading was this:

“He was like a sheep that is taken to be slaughtered,     like a lamb that makes no sound when its wool is cut off.     He did not say a word. 33 He was humiliated, and justice was denied him.     No one will be able to tell about his descendants,     because his life on earth has come to an end.”

34 The official asked Philip, “Tell me, of whom is the prophet saying this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak; starting from this passage of scripture, he told him the Good News about Jesus. 36 As they travelled down the road, they came to a place where there was some water, and the official said, “Here is some water. What is to keep me from being baptized?” 37

38 The official ordered the carriage to stop, and both Philip and the official went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. The official did not see him again, but continued on his way, full of joy. 40 Philip found himself in Azotus; he went on to Caesarea, and on the way he preached the Good News in every town.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

In my 20’s I got a job working for a Non-Government Organisation which supports people with disabilities to live in the community

–         Part of my role was to accompany people, who experienced disability, as they led awareness training

–         This involved visiting schools and workplaces so people could talk about their lives and their disability as a way of breaking down barriers and helping mainstream society to accept individual difference

 

One guy I worked with lived with cerebral palsy

–         Cerebral palsy can affect people in different ways but in his case his movement and speech was disrupted, which meant he used a wheelchair to get around and other people found his speech difficult to understand

–         Every other part of his anatomy was in good working order

 

Although he was quite intelligent and capable the sound of his voice created a barrier in other people’s minds so that he was often prejudged as inferior or people simply lost patience with him and wrote him off

–         Part of my job was acting as his interpreter

–         He would say something and I would repeat it so that those in the room who weren’t used to his voice could get his meaning

–         My job then wasn’t so much to help him – he didn’t need my help

–         My job was to help others to understand him

 

One thing I learned quite quickly was that disability is a social construct

–         By which I mean it wasn’t cerebral palsy that disabled this guy so much as the society in which he lived

–         Other people’s prejudice was more disabling to him than cerebral palsy

–         It was not being given a fair go that disabled him

 

Our passage from Acts today begins with an angel of the Lord telling Philip to go out into the wilderness to a lonely road

 

An angel of the Lord is basically a messenger sent by God

–         That’s what angel means, ‘messenger’

–         Receiving a visitation from an angel made it abundantly clear that God was in this

 

Philip was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples

–         When Jesus called Philip to follow him, the first thing Philip did was to introduce one of his friends (Nathanael) to Jesus [1]

–         Nathanael also became a disciple of Jesus

–         Some people are like Philip – they are the glue connecting people

 

Philip was known as an evangelist

–         Evangelism has almost become a swear word these days, which is quite sad because evangelism is actually a good thing

–         It is a word closely related to ‘gospel’ or good news

–         An evangelist is essentially someone who spreads good news

–         Or to put it another way: evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread

–         Philip is called an ‘evangelist’ because he was one man telling others in need they could find acceptance with God through faith in Jesus

 

Prior to being visited by an angel of the Lord, Philip had a very successful time telling the Samaritans the good news about Jesus

–         Crowds of people believed Philip’s message and became Christians by being baptised

 

It seems quite strange then that, after such a successful ministry in Samaria’s principal city, God would then send his star evangelist into the middle of nowhere

–         But Philip didn’t question God’s strategy – he simply trusted that God knows best and went where the Lord directed him

 

Travelling down this deserted road (at the same time as Philip) was an Ethiopian eunuch. What are the chances?

–         It’s a bit like finding a painted rock from Africa on the top of Mt Tauhara

 

Now when we hear the word Ethiopia we tend to think of famine and poverty and starving children

–         But in the ancient world Ethiopia was different to that – more wealthy

–         On today’s map it is located in North Sudan

–         So the Ethiopian eunuch was most likely a black African man

 

A eunuch is a man who has had his equipment (his tackle, his junk) removed or damaged so he can’t have children or even relate with a woman sexually

–         To a certain extent he has been disabled by the society he lives in

–         On the one hand a eunuch (if he was skilled enough) could rise to great power in government

–         This particular Ethiopian eunuch was something like the minister of finance in a very wealthy nation – so he was no slouch

–         But on the other hand eunuchs were also the subject of much derision and scorn – people made fun of them or despised them

 

I imagine it was a very isolated and lonely life being a eunuch

–         You could fall in love but you couldn’t marry or have children

–         You could rise to great power but only in the service of others

–         You could be very good at what you do but still have to endure sniggers and smirks behind your back from people far less capable than you

–         You could serve a very important purpose but never actually belong or be remembered. There was a certain injustice that came with being a eunuch

 

The Ethiopian eunuch had travelled a long way to Jerusalem to worship God

–         Somehow he had heard about the God of Israel and liked what he heard

–         Assuming he had been castrated though, under the Law of Moses, he could never belong to the congregation of God’s people [2]

–         He couldn’t even be circumcised and yet he did what he could to draw near to the Lord

–         He travelled to Jerusalem to worship God, he obtained a copy of the scroll of Isaiah the prophet (no doubt at great expense) and he read these holy Scriptures to know God better

 

It appears the eunuch’s visit to Jerusalem was somewhat disappointing

–         As Jesus had demonstrated, when he cleared the temple, the whole Jewish religious system was set up to exclude foreigners like this eunuch

–         No doubt his experience in Jerusalem had made it more difficult for the eunuch to understand the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament)

–         How might he relate with this wonderful, powerful, creative, redeeming, faithful God?

 

The Bible is difficult to understand

–         What is meant as good news often comes across as bad news or, even worse, as nonsense

–         Because the Bible is hard to understand many people these days lose patience with it and write it off as a myth or untrue

–         In this way they seek to disable the Scriptures

–         This is quite unfair to God (a denial of justice)

 

Part of our role as Christians is to interpret the meaning of Scripture for those (like the eunuch) who do genuinely want to understand what the Bible is saying

–         That’s one reason why we have Bible study groups – not just to improve our own knowledge but also to help others interpret the Scriptures

 

The guy I worked with, who had cerebral palsy, struggled with understanding the Bible and the Old Testament in particular

–         There are verses in the Old Testament which seem to us today to be quite unfair to those who live with disability.

–         For example, Leviticus 21 where it says…

 

No man with any physical defect may make the offering: no one who is blind, lame, disfigured or deformed; no one with a crippled hand or foot; no one who is a hunchback or a dwarf; no one with an eye or skin disease; and no eunuch. 

 

If you live with a disability and you don’t understand the broader context of the Bible then words like these can very unhelpful – they sound like rejection

 

What we need to understand is that the Law of Moses is not the ideal and it was not meant to be permanent

–         God gave the Law to Israel as a provisional step towards restoring His ideal for creation [3]

–         There are a number of things the Law of Moses appears to condone which are far from ideal – like slavery for instance

–         Is slavery God’s ideal? No – of course not. But God couldn’t change everything all at once, it would be too much for people.

–         So God, in His grace and wisdom, meets people where they were at and regulates certain contemptible practices (like slavery) to protect the vulnerable

–         The Law of Moses was actually a huge moral advance for people living at that time in history but it was never the end goal – it was merely a stepping stone to the ideal

 

The prophets who came after Moses (like Isaiah & Jeremiah and all those guys) also provided a stepping stone, but ultimately we find God’s ideal in Christ

–         Jesus didn’t come to do away with the Law & prophets – he came to fulfil the Law – that is to restore God’s ideal for humanity

–         If the Law and the prophets were given to help transition us to God’s ideal then Jesus came to complete that transition

 

Jesus is the one who shows us what God’s ideal looks like

–         And when we look at Jesus’ attitude towards people who lived with disability we find it was one of acceptance and respect and empowerment

 

Returning to our friend the Ethiopian eunuch

–         God, who sees everything, is aware of the eunuch’s struggle with the Old Testament and acts to help him understand the full picture

–         The Holy Spirit says to Philip, Go over to that carriage and stay close it

–         Philip runs over beside the carriage – it would have been moving quite slowly so would not be hard to keep up with

–         And Philip hears the eunuch reading from the book of Isaiah (it was customary to read aloud in those times) so he asks the eunuch…

–         “Do you understand what you are reading?”

 

Socially speaking Philip and the eunuch were poles apart

–         The eunuch was high ranking and Philip was low ranking

–         They were also likely from a different cultural background

–         But that is often the way of Christ – he comes to us in weakness, when we least expect it and in the presence of someone quite different from us

–         Despite the social distance between them the eunuch is humble enough to admit he doesn’t understand and invites Philip to sit with him

–         By inviting Philip to sit beside him the eunuch closes the gap between them

 

The passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading was this…

 

“Like a sheep that is taken to be slaughtered, like a lamb that makes no sound when its wool is cut off, he did not say a word. He was humiliated and justice was denied him. No one will be able to tell about his descendants because his life on earth has come to an end.”   

 

Interestingly the eunuch doesn’t ask Philip, what does this mean?

–         He already knows what it means from his own personal experience

–         The eunuch knows what it is to have parts of himself cut off

–         He understands humiliation and injustice

–         He is well aware that he can’t have descendants and that his life is coming to an end

–         He knows well enough what it is to be near the top and still feel like you don’t belong, still wonder what the meaning of your life is

–         He can identify with the one being written about in a very real way

–         So he asks Philip,

–         “…of whom is the prophet saying this? Of himself or of someone else?”

–         Because whoever it is, the eunuch can relate to that person profoundly

 

Philip starts where the eunuch is at by explaining that the passage he is reading is talking about Jesus – Jesus is the key to understanding the Scriptures

–         Philip then goes on to explain the good news about Jesus – that through faith in Christ we can find acceptance with God

 

We can’t be sure of all that Philip talked about but given that the eunuch had a copy of Isaiah’s scroll on his lap it’s tempting to think that Philip pointed him to chapter 56 where Isaiah says…

 

A man who has been castrated [a eunuch] should never think that because he cannot have children, he can never be part of God’s people. The Lord says to such a man, “If you honour me… and if you do what pleases me and faithfully keep my covenant, then your name will be remembered… among my people longer than if you had sons and daughters. You will never be forgotten.”

 

Do you see here how Isaiah moves beyond the Law of Moses?

–         The Law said a eunuch could not be part of God’s people but by the time of Isaiah God is saying the eunuch is able to belong

 

I can imagine Philip saying to the eunuch: the way we honour God, the way we please him, the way we keep his covenant is through faith in Christ. Put your trust in Jesus, believe in him, and you will find acceptance with God

–         You see, Jesus has fulfilled the law on our behalf and so being a foreigner and a eunuch is no longer a barrier

–         This was incredibly good news to the eunuch

 

As they travelled down the road, they came to a place where there was some water and the official said, “…What is to keep me from being baptised?”

–         In other words, I believe in Jesus and I’m willing to demonstrate my faith in Christ through baptism

–         God had clearly set this encounter up – he had clearly woven Philip’s and the eunuch’s lives together at just the right moment

–         So Philip baptised him

 

After the eunuch’s baptism the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away to preach the good news about Jesus in other places while the eunuch went on his way rejoicing because he had found acceptance with God through Jesus

 

We don’t hear any more about the Ethiopian eunuch (in the New Testament at least) but early Christian tradition, dating from Irenaeus in the second century, says that he went on to proclaim the good news about Jesus in Africa

–         The eunuch shared the treasure of the gospel he had been given

 

Conclusion:

Part of the work of our Tranzsend missionaries involves being a Philip to those around them – helping others to understand the good news about Jesus found in the Bible

[1] John 1:43-45

[2] Deuteronomy 23:1

[3] Refer to Paul Copan’s book, ‘Is God a Moral Monster’, pages 57-62.

Tawa Baptist

The Weaned Soul

Scripture: Psalm 131

Title: The weaned soul

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Humility of heart
  • Contentment of soul
  • Conclusion – Hope

 

Introduction:

On the wall here we have three pictures

–         We have Doctor Who’s ‘Tardis’

–         The Wardrobe from the ‘Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe’

–         And the suitcase from ‘Fantastic Beasts and where to find them’

 

Who can tell me what these three things share in common?  [Wait]

–         That’s right – they are all a lot bigger on the inside than they appear on the outside and they transport you to a different world

 

This morning we return to our series on the Songs of Ascents

–         These songs were probably sung by Jewish pilgrims as they made their way to the temple in Jerusalem

–         They are songs about drawing nearer to God

 

Our focus today is psalm 131

–         While this song appears quite small from the outside (only three verses long) – it is actually very spacious on the inside

–         Psalm 131 is like a gateway into a whole different realm

–         In this song the author, King David, touches on some pretty deep themes including humility of the heart, contentment of the soul and hope for the nation. From the New Revised Standard Version we read…

 

1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,     my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things     too great and too marvellous for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,     like a weaned child with its mother;     my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord     from this time on and forevermore.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

Humility:

I have in my hand a spirit level

–         This is a builder’s tool which shows whether something is level or not

–         If the floor or the wall or whatever it is you are measuring is straight and true then the bubble here will sit nicely between the two lines

–         But if it’s on an angle (if one part is lifted up or standing too proud) then the bubble will move outside the lines [1]

 

David begins psalm 131 by talking to the Lord about humility. He says…

–         O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high…

–         David is saying here that he is not proud – he is humble

 

Some people think that humility consists of being self-deprecating or having a low self-esteem or putting yourself down. It doesn’t.

–         Humility is about having a true and accurate estimation of yourself in relation to God and others

–         The person who is truly humble doesn’t think too highly of themselves nor too lowly of themselves – they are level headed in their perception

–         To be humble then is to be on the level, straight, true and honest

 

Now you might be thinking – isn’t David boasting when he says he’s not proud, doesn’t that undo his humility? (humility is a sort of a Catch 22 like that)

–         Well no. David isn’t boasting, he is simply stating the facts

–         He has got his spirit level out and everything is straight & true – nothing is lifted too high or sitting too proud

 

David says that his heart is not lifted up

–         What does he mean by his ‘heart’?

 

Contemporary western society tends to equate the heart to a person’s feelings or emotions

–         In the Bible though, the heart isn’t limited to a person’s feelings

–         Rather the heart is the seat of the will

–         In other words, the heart is where decisions are made

–         This means, what we say and do comes from the heart

–         Our personal values, the things that are important to us, the principles we live by all reside in the heart

–         The human heart is sort of like the parliament of the individual

–         The heart governs a person’s life

 

You sometimes hear people talking about ‘inviting Jesus into your heart’

–         What does that mean?

–         It means to let Jesus sit on the throne of your life,

–         Let him be Lord, let him be Prime Minister,

–         Give him executive authority, make Jesus your power of attorney

–         Let Christ inform and guide the decisions you make

 

When David says to the Lord, my heart is not lifted up (or not proud) he means something like: I don’t make decisions without you God

–         I am not wilfully disobedient

–         I don’t think that I know better than you Lord

–         I submit my will to your will

–         I give you, O God, power of attorney over my life

 

Now at this point some of you, who know David’s story, might be thinking…

–         ‘Really? Is that right David? What about Uriah and Bathsheba? How did God feature in those decisions?’

–         And that’s a fair point – David wasn’t perfect.

–         We don’t know exactly when David wrote psalm 131

–         It could have been before the debacle with Uriah and Bathsheba or it might have been after that, when David had repented

–         We can be fairly confident he didn’t write it during that time

 

In any case we are told that David was a man after God’s own heart

–         Meaning that, generally speaking, David pursued God’s will

–         He went after what God wanted in most situations

 

Returning to verse 1 – David goes on to say to the Lord:

–         …my eyes are not raised too high

–         If a person’s heart is where decisions come from then a person’s eyes relate to perception

–         It’s like David is saying: I don’t look down on others

–         I don’t think of myself as better than other people

–         I don’t even compare myself to them

–         And I don’t see my desires as being more important than anyone else’s

 

Sometimes we can be bitterly disappointed when we don’t get what we want, especially if someone else does get what we want

–         That’s my seat, I always sit there

–         I was looking forward to that last piece of cake and someone beat me to it

–         I really wanted to be selected for the Lion’s tour of NZ but Warren Gatling didn’t pick me

–         Or, I wanted to sleep in but the kids woke me up early

–         These are frivolous examples of course but you get the point:

–         The truly humble person knows that it’s not realistic to expect to always get what you want

–         Humility is the awareness that we are not the centre of the universe – the world doesn’t revolve around us

 

The second half of verse 1 continues this theme of humility

–         I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me.

 

Here David appears to be saying, I accept my limits – in particular the limits of my understanding and the limits of my ability

–         Humility means accepting that we don’t know everything and learning to live with mystery, which can be more difficult for some than others

 

Science is able to explain many things about the physical universe but not everything

–         In 1953 Albert Einstein wrote a letter in response to one of his critics

–         In the letter he says…

 

“Dear Mr. Moffat, our situation is the following. We are standing in front of a closed box which we cannot open, and we try hard to discover what is and is not in it.” [2] (The closed box Einstein was referring to is the universe)

 

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

–         What happens to something when it enters a black hole in space?

–         Who built Stonehenge?

–         Is there intelligent life on other planets?

 

We could go on but I don’t mean to side track your thinking or occupy your mind with things too great and marvellous

–         If we are this limited in our understanding of the physical universe how much more limited are we when it comes to understanding God?

–         Humility means accepting the limits of what we know and learning to live with mystery

 

Humility of heart is perhaps the most important of all the virtues

–         It’s a bit like the soil out of which the other virtues grow

–         Like the virtue of contentment – which we read about in verse 2…

 

Contentment:

But [instead of occupying my time and thoughts with things too great and marvellous for me – instead of comparing myself with others and instead of lifting what I want above what God wants]

–         I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

 

David has talked about the heart, the eyes and the mind

–         Now he talks about his soul

–         What is the human soul?

 

Well, describing the soul is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle – you can’t really define the soul in one pithy sentence or reduce it to a formula

–         The best we can do is describe the soul in pieces and then admit that we don’t have all the pieces – there are limits to our understanding here

 

The soul is different from the heart and the spirit

–         The heart is where values are held and decisions are made – like the parliament of the individual

–         And the human spirit is our capacity to connect or relate with God and others – sort of like wifi or cell-phone coverage

–         While our soul is the life force which animates us and connects the various aspects of our self

 

If the term ‘life force’ is too Star Wars sounding for you then you might prefer Dallas Willard’s metaphor, where he compares the soul to an inner stream, which refreshes, nourishes and gives strength to every other element of our life [3]

–         Just as a river gives life to the land it passes through, so too our soul gives life to our body, our mind, our heart and our spirit

–         Normally we can see a river or a stream but the stream of our soul is underground, it is hidden deep beneath the surface

–         In fact the soul is the deepest level of life and power in the human being

 

Expanding on Dallas’ metaphor we could say that if the soul is a stream of water, then God is the source (or the well-spring) of the soul

–         While the human spirit is the channel (or the conduit) through which the water of our soul flows

 

The thing that convinces me most that we have a soul is death

–         Whenever I see a dead body it’s obvious to me that the soul has departed

–         Looking at a corpse is quite different from looking at someone sleeping

–         Death has a certain pallor – a kind of greyness

–         A dead body is missing something more than just a heart beat

–         It’s missing the soul – it’s missing the stream of its life force

 

Returning to psalm 131 – David says he has calmed and quieted his soul

–         What does it mean then to quieten your soul?

–         Well, sitting still in silence, is a helpful start but it’s not usually enough by itself – our mind can be racing even if our tongue is still

–         We quieten our soul by abandoning outcomes to God

–         By not seeking to manipulate the end result

–         Not seeking to make ourselves look good in the eyes of others

–         Not seeking success or fame or superiority

–         Embracing the truth that we (on our own) don’t have the resources to make things turn out right

–         The soul settles down and finds its level when we let go of our reputation and simply trust God with the outcome

 

Dallas Willard compares the soul to an inner stream

–         Like any metaphor though it has its limits, it’s just one piece to the puzzle

–         King David provides another piece, comparing his soul to a weaned child with its mother – The poetry in this verse is profound

 

To say the soul is like a child indicates that the soul is not static or fixed but is dynamic, changing and growing, developing and learning

–         Furthermore it seems David is implying that God is the mother of his soul

–         We normally hear God described as a Father but sometimes the Bible associates God with motherhood

–         This is entirely appropriate – God cannot be contained by our narrow human categories

–         In any case, David appears to be saying that his soul feels a close bond with God – like a mother and child

 

The aspect that is underlined most strongly though is that David’s soul is like a weaned child

–         (He says ‘weaned child’ twice, which is significant in such a short poem)

–         To be weaned is to become accustomed to managing without something which we were previously dependent on

–         In the case of a mother and a baby, the child becomes accustomed to food other than it’s mother’s milk

–         So the child stops drinking its mother’s milk and starts eating solid food

–         It’s not that milk is bad – it is good for a time – but as the child grows it needs more substantial nourishment

 

A baby cries when it is hungry so the mother will feed it

–         A weaned child doesn’t cry though – a weaned child knows it will be fed and waits for mum to prepare the meal

 

How does God feed the soul?

–         God feeds the soul with meaning

–         When something is meaningful it is worthwhile – it has a point to it, a purpose that is satisfying

–         Meaning answers the ‘why’ questions of life & death

–         We often find meaning in stories – that’s why the Bible is full of stories – they feed our soul, they help us to make sense of our lives and our losses

 

Ultimately God is the one who gives meaning to our lives

–         The thing is, we often have to wait for that meaning to be revealed

 

Abraham couldn’t see the meaning of his wealth when he had no children to pass it on to – he waited many years for God to fulfil his promise

–         But his wait was not in vain

 

I imagine Joseph struggled to see the meaning of his life when he was sold into slavery by his brothers and then later sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit

–         But God used Joseph to save millions from starvation

 

Moses probably didn’t see much meaning in his life as a shepherd caring for sheep in the desert for 40 years, especially after being raised in a palace

–         But God used Moses to save the Israelites from slavery

 

The disciples struggled to see the meaning in Jesus’ death on the cross

–         At the time it may have seemed to them like they had wasted the last 3 years of their lives

–         Little did they know the cross was part of God’s plan to redeem creation

 

You may be finding it hard to locate the meaning in your life at the moment

–         Perhaps your job seems pointless or maybe you don’t have a job

–         Perhaps you were once very involved in church work or missions but now you feel like God has forgotten you

–         Maybe you have suffered a terrible loss and the grief is overwhelming

–         Hang in there – you never know when God will reveal the meaning

 

John of the Cross was a 16th Century Carmelite monk who didn’t really understand the meaning of his life’s work at the time

–         Through his thinking and writing John was among those who tried to lead a reform of the Catholic church during the 1500’s

–         John was arrested by those he was trying to help and during his confinement he wrote what became a classic, The Dark Night of the Soul

–         I don’t expect he ever imagined God would use his writing to help millions in the centuries that followed

 

Let me read you some excerpts from his book – John speaks directly to this process of God weaning the Christian soul…

 

After a soul has been converted by God, that soul is nurtured and caressed by the [Holy] Spirit. Like a loving mother, God cares for and comforts the infant soul by feeding it spiritual milk. Such souls will find great delight in this stage. They will begin praying with great urgency and perseverance; they will engage in all kinds of religious activities because of the joy they experience in them.

But there will come a time when God will bid them to grow deeper. He will remove the previous consolation from the soul in order to teach it virtue and prevent it from developing vice…

They will enter the dark night of the soul and find all of these things removed. They will have the pleasure taken away so that the soul may be purified. For a soul will never grow until it is able to let go of the tight grasp it has on God…

When their delight [in spiritual milk] comes to an end, these persons are very anxious and frustrated just as an infant is angry when it is taken away from its mother’s breast…

Let it suffice to say, then, that God perceives the imperfections within us, and because of his love for us, urges us to grow up. His love is not content to leave us in our weakness, and for this reason he takes us into a dark night. He weans us from all of the pleasures by giving us dry times and inward darkness. [4]   

 

David’s soul had been feeding on spiritual milk – but God weaned him off milk in order to help David grow up (spiritually)

–         David’s soul had been through the dark night – a time of disorientation and dryness where his usual devotional routines (like writing and singing worship songs for example) had lost all their pleasure

–         But now the dark night has done its work and David’s soul is content

–         He doesn’t cry out to God every time something doesn’t go his way

–         His prayer time isn’t a long shopping list detailing all his needs & wants or worries & fears

–         He knows that God understands his needs and he trusts God to provide

–         David has abandoned the outcome to God

–         His soul has found contentment with the Lord

 

Now some of you will have been through the weaning process we call the dark night of the soul and you will know exactly what David and John of the Cross are talking about

–         Others of you wouldn’t have faced the dark night yet – that’s okay

–         If you haven’t faced the dark night, know that it’s coming

–         And when it does come – don’t panic

–         Be calm, be still, quieten your soul – abandon the outcome to God

–         When your soul is being weaned by God you may feel like you are losing your faith – you’re not

 

Hang on through the dark night – God is bringing you to the next stage of faith in him, where you will be less anxious to know all the answers and better able to accept His will, even when His will is unpleasant or delays your satisfaction

 

Conclusion – Hope:

David finishes his song by addressing the nation…

–         3 O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.

 

Hope has to do with believing something good is coming in the future

–         Hope is a form of meaning more substantial than milk

–         The bread of hope feeds our soul in the present

–         Hope sustains our soul with joy and energy

 

God has weaned David off spiritual milk and is now feeding him the bread of hope – David (the king) wants to share this bread of hope with his people

 

We are currently in the season of Easter, as we wait for Pentecost

–         For Jesus’ first disciples Easter was a time of weaning

–         There was Easter Saturday of course when Jesus was dead and the disciples were confused and grief stricken

–         (A very acute dose of the dark night of the soul)

–         But the time between Jesus’ resurrection and Pentecost was also a time of weaning

–         Previously the disciples had access to Jesus 24-7

–         He was present with them physically all the time – like a mother with a small child

–         But after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension the disciples’ way of relating with Jesus had to change

–         Jesus was no longer present with them physically

–         The disciples had to go through this weaning process in order to grow up in the faith

 

Jesus didn’t abandon them altogether though

–         Jesus gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit and the bread of hope

–         He promised them he would return one day in glory to make all things right – this is our hope too

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/30-april-2017-weaning-the-soul

[1] The inspiration for this illustration comes from Josh Moody’s book, ‘Journey to Joy’, page 137

[2] http://discovermagazine.com/2004/sep/einsteins-grand-quest

[3] You can read more about Dallas Willard’s thoughts on the soul in his book, ‘Renovation of the Heart’, pages 169-181.

[4] From Richard Foster and James Smith’s book, ‘Devotional Classics’, page 33-36.