Tawa Baptist

Space with God

Scripture: Genesis 28:10-22

Title: Space with God

Structure:

  • Introduction – S.P.I.R.I.T.
  • Jacob’s space with God
  • Our space with God
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

‘Wifi’ – we rely on it so much these days

–         Wifi enables us to interact with others on Facebook

–         To search a world wide database for all the answers to our questions

–         To watch TV shows and YouTube clips, to download stuff,

–         To send and receive email messages

–         To pay our bills and so on

–         I really don’t understand how Wifi works

–         I only know that Wifi gives us the capacity to interact with a whole different world – not the physical world but a virtual world of data and information

 

‘Spirituality’ – you sometimes hear that word (but not as much as wifi)

–         In popular culture these days it’s not cool to be religious but it’s okay to be spiritual

–         If you Google that word ‘spirituality’ it takes you down a whole lot of rabbit holes

 

What then does it mean to be spiritual?

–         Well, if wifi is your capacity to connect with the virtual world of the internet – to interact with others on-line

–         Then spirituality is our capacity to connect with God – to interact with His Spirit in other words

 

I have used the metaphor of wifi to illustrate what we mean by spirituality

–         Jesus used the metaphor of the vine and its branches. Jesus said…

–         No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches… Remain in me.  [1]

 

In very basic terms we could say that, for Christians, spirituality is Christ’s way of being with us as well as our way of being with Jesus

 

Today we begin a new sermon series which I’m calling ‘Being with God’

–         It is essentially about Christian spirituality

 

Now some of you may not think of yourselves as all that ‘spiritual’

–         You might think, I’m more of the down to earth or practical type

–         But being practical and down to earth doesn’t make you any less spiritual

–         In fact it probably makes you closer to God if anything

–         All human beings have the capacity to relate with God and so we are all spiritual beings whether we are aware of it or not

 

Rebecca Nye, who has written a book on children’s spirituality, has a wonderful acronym which I’m borrowing for this series [2]

 

Her acronym spells the word S.P.I.R.I.T.

–         S stands for Space

–         P stands for Process

–         I stands for Imagination

–         R is for Relationship

–         The second I stands for Intimacy

–         And the T stands for Trust

–         Space, Process, Imagination, Relationship, Intimacy & Trust

 

These are all crucial aspects or essential elements of Christian spirituality

–         We need these six things to connect with and interact with Jesus

–         Spirit is our equivalent of a wifi connection with God

–         Over the coming weeks I plan to unpack each of these elements, starting with Space this morning

 

By space we don’t mean ‘Space the final frontier…’

–         It’s not space as in Star Trek or Star Wars

–         But space as in a sacred place

–         A special place where you connect with God

–         A space that especially helps you to be more aware of God’s presence

 

Jacob’s space with God:

To help explore this idea of sacred space please turn with me to Genesis chapter 28 – page 32 near the beginning of your pew Bibles

–         To set the scene a little Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, is on the run from his twin brother Esau – and Jacob has an encounter with God

–         We pick up Jacob’s story from verse 10 of Genesis 28…

 

10 Jacob left Beersheba and started toward Haran. 11 At sunset he came to a holy place and camped there. He lay down to sleep, resting his head on a stone. 12 He dreamed that he saw a stairway reaching from earth to heaven, with angels going up and coming down on it. 13 And there was the Lord standing beside him. “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham and Isaac,” he said. “I will give to you and to your descendants this land on which you are lying. 14 They will be as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth. They will extend their territory in all directions, and through you and your descendants I will bless all the nations. 15 Remember, I will be with you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you.”

 

16 Jacob woke up and said, “The Lord is here! He is in this place, and I didn’t know it!” 17 He was afraid and said, “What a terrifying place this is! It must be the house of God; it must be the gate that opens into heaven.”

 

18 Jacob got up early next morning, took the stone that was under his head, and set it up as a memorial. Then he poured olive oil on it to dedicate it to God. 19 He named the place Bethel. (The town there was once known as Luz.) 20 Then Jacob made a vow to the Lord: “If you will be with me and protect me on the journey I am making and give me food and clothing, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s home, then you will be my God. 22 This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshiped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me.”

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

We were recently in the South Island and were lucky enough to travel down the West Coast

–         We had never been there before, so it was new and exciting

glacier-country-franz-josef-1

We stayed a couple of nights at Franz Josef and during the day we walked up the valley to where you could see the end of the glacier about 500 metres away

–         You can’t actually walk on the glacier anymore unless you go in a helicopter

 

We could see where the glacier used to be – how it has carved out this massive path through solid rock

–         For thousands of years the glacier ice has been slowly advancing and receding, moving mountains as it goes

–         The glacier is God’s chisel

 

There’s a fault line that runs down the valley to the petrol station in the township of Franz Josef and a splinter fault running at right angles to the valley

–         It is a real intersection for the forces of nature

 

Strangely, I felt quite peaceful in that environment

–         The largeness of that space made me conscious of how small I am

–         The oldness of the space made me think how short and insignificant my life really is

–         And the wildness made me aware that I wasn’t in charge

–         I was subject to powers far greater and far older than me

 

Now you may be wondering, how does all of that give you a sense of peace?

–         Well, it’s difficult to explain really – it just does

–         Perhaps it’s the peace which comes from perspective – all your problems fade into insignificance against the grandeur of that kind of background

–         Or maybe it was the understanding that God is in control here, not me

–         And because God is in control I don’t need to worry

–         My life is in his hands

–         Whatever the reason, the bigness of the environment made me feel lighter and freer – it was wonderful

–         For me those mountains and glaciers, and the valleys in between, all that ancient wide open space, was sacred

 

In Genesis 28 Jacob is on the run from his brother Esau

–         Jacob had tricked Esau out of his birth right and the blessing too

–         Naturally Esau was angry

–         Jacob was between a rock & a hard place – he had little choice but to run

 

Alone, scared, exhausted and in an unfamiliar place, Jacob lies down to sleep

–         He is so tired he uses a stone for his pillow

–         And when he dozes off the Lord God appears to him in a dream

 

This morning we are talking about the importance of space in our spiritual lives – that is, in our interactions with God

–         Jacob’s encounter with God takes place, not in wakeful control, but at a time when his guard is down, while he is asleep [3]

–         It also takes place when he has been forced to leave home – while he is on his way into exile

 

The initiative for this encounter is with God

–         Jacob hasn’t been praying or seeking God in anyway – he’s just been running for his life

–         So this interaction is unexpected from Jacob’s point of view

 

Jacob knows on some level that he has done wrong and, if anything, he isn’t expecting grace or encouragement – he’s probably feeling guilty and expecting punishment

–         Yet there is no word of reproach from God

–         There is no telling off, no reprisal

–         The Lord himself stands beside Jacob

–         Wow – imagine that – seeing God stand beside you

–         God isn’t up in heaven sitting on his throne looking down on Jacob

–         He is ‘down to earth’ standing alongside Jacob

 

The main point of Jacob’s vision of the stairway reaching from earth to heaven with angels going up & down, seems to be that heaven and earth are connected

–         Angels are heavenly messengers, running errands for God, so there is an on-going connection between heaven and earth

–         Heaven is in fact coming to earth

–         Jacob can count on the resources of heaven

 

In Jacob’s dream the Lord introduces himself and reiterates the promise he had made to Abraham – Jacob is now the beneficiary of that promise

–         Then the Lord basically says three things to Jacob…

–         I will be with you, I will protect you and I will bring you back to this land

–         Presence, protection and homecoming

–         That was not what Jacob was expecting to hear but it was exactly what he needed to hear

 

When Jacob woke up he said…

–         “The Lord is here! He is in this place and I didn’t know it. What a terrifying place this is. It must be the house of God; it must be the gate that opens into heaven.”

 

It was God’s presence in that place that made it sacred space

–         As a memorial to God’s presence Jacob set up a stone and poured olive oil on it to consecrate it to the Lord

–         Then he named the place “Bethel”

–         Beth means ‘house’ and El is one of the names of God

–         So Bethel means ‘House of God’

–         This is sacred space

 

One thing we note is that it’s not just the physical space which is in view here – Jacob’s emotional space also gets a mention

–         He says, ‘what a terrifying place this is’

–         The presence of God is often presented in the Bible as a frightening thing for human beings

–         In a paradoxical way the fear of God actually gives us a deeper sense of peace

–         When we fear God our other fears don’t seem like such a big deal

–         Like walking in the mountains – being in the presence of something far older and more powerful gives us perspective, setting us free from our petty anxieties

 

The point is, Jacob’s encounter with God has put Jacob in a better emotional space

 

God has made promises to Jacob so Jacob makes a promise to God

–         He will worship God and give the Lord 10% of everything God gives him

–         We call this 10% a tithe

–         Giving in proportion to what we receive

 

The obvious thing to note here is that financial giving is an act of spiritual worship

–         Jacob’s tithe is not a tax – it’s freely promised by Jacob

–         By giving this tithe Jacob is acknowledging that everything he receives actually comes from God and therefore belongs to God

 

Sometimes when we give our offerings in church or through AP’s we might think we are doing God a favour, giving to God out of our own resources

–         But that’s not right – that’s entitlement thinking

–         Everything we have is a gift from God including the ability to work and earn money

–         There are plenty of people in the world who work harder than us and get paid a lot less

–         When we make an offering to the church we are simply returning something to God which came from him in the first place

–         It’s not our money, it’s His

 

The point we shouldn’t miss here is that Jacob’s spirituality permeated the rest of his life

–         It wasn’t something abstract or out there, separate from his life

–         Jacob’s spirituality affected him emotionally and financially

 

Okay, so Bethel was Jacob’s sacred space with God

 

Our space with God:

What about our sacred space with God?

–         Where is it that you are especially aware of God’s presence?

 

For many people the church sanctuary is sacred space

–         After all, it is where people gather for special occasions like weddings and funerals

–         It is also where we come together to sing songs of praise to God, to hear his word, receive communion and take care of our relationships together

–         All special, all sacred and meaningful rituals which support our spiritual life

 

One of the things people notice about this auditorium is that it actually looks like a church

–         It has been purpose built and consecrated as a church

–         It’s not just a generic warehouse style building

–         It’s not that God can’t meet with people in a warehouse – he can

–         It’s more that there is something special about the feel of this place

–         This is more obviously a sacred space

 

When we look around in this auditorium we see a huge space above us

–         From a practical point of view having this massive space overhead doesn’t make sense – it’s difficult to heat, hard to change the light bulbs and doesn’t seem to serve any functional purpose – But I like it

–         It speaks to me of the largeness of God – the spaciousness of God

–         In a way it reminds me of being in the mountains

 

I suppose because church buildings are sacred space they can potentially be a touchy subject if we make changes to the place

–         The thing to keep in mind here is that we worship God, not the space

–         What makes a space sacred is God’s presence

–         Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” [4]

–         Where Christ is, there God is also

–         That means it’s not the architecture which makes a building sacred space, it is Christ among his people who make it sacred

 

While we don’t worship this space we still want to take care of it – to maintain it, keep it clean and tidy and safe for people

–         You know how it is – when you have people coming over to your house you whip round with the vacuum cleaner and make the place clean and comfortable for them.

–         How much more so when it is Christ who we are meeting with

 

As we’ve seen from Jacob’s encounter with God at Bethel, sacred space is not limited to church buildings

–         You may have encountered God while walking up Colonial Knob and so that is sacred space for you

–         Or you may have a particular room in your house which is sacred space because that’s where you go to pray and read the Bible

–         We need to go to those spaces often to be with God in a special way

 

One of the things that goes hand in hand with physical space is time

–         We can’t be in a space without spending time

–         Time seems to be in short supply for most of us these days

–         Life seems to be very busy and rushed

–         Some of that is the choices we make but not all of it

 

Tomorrow is Labour Day when we get a day off to celebrate the introduction of the 40 hour working week

–         It is difficult to find many people in fulltime jobs who work as little as 40 hours a week these days

–         Employers demand more and more – that is one of the downsides to living in a consumerist society I suppose

–         Some people have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet

 

The good news is that even though we are relatively time poor God is Lord of time – he is able to make room in our busy schedules

–         And he is able to accomplish quite a lot in a short amount of time

 

Take Jacob for example – He was in a hurry, a hurry to get away from Esau

–         He didn’t have many discretionary daylight hours

–         So God met with Jacob while he was asleep – in a dream

–         And God accomplished a lot in Jacob’s heart & mind in that short time

 

Now I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t try to make time for God

–         Of course we should – we could often do with less TV and more listening to God and each other

–         But if you are a parent looking after young kids at home then it can be quite difficult sometimes to find half an hour of sacred space to be alone with God

–         God understands that – he gets it

–         He is able to meet you in your busy-ness

–         Maybe for you sacred space is when the other kids are at school or kindy and you take your baby for a walk in the pram – they go to sleep and you listen for God while you walk

–         Or if that doesn’t work then think of some other way you could connect with God as part of your normal routine

–         Or if you are in paid employment and have a demanding job maybe use the commute to listen to some sermons or something else that helps you focus on God – put your earphones in and away you go

–         The point is, be open to God’s presence in the ordinary routines of life for God can meet us anywhere

 

Another form of sacred space is silence

–         There is so much noise in many of our lives and silence gives us rest from the noise

 

Not just that though – when we are silent in order to listen to other people we create sacred space for that person to be heard and understood

–         And when they are heard and understood loneliness is kept at bay

–         Then light and warmth find their way into the soul

 

Stephen King wrote a book called The Body which was later made into the 80’s cult classic movie, Stand by Me

 

In his book Stephen King writes…

–         The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of because words make them smaller. When they were in your head they were limitless; but when they come out they seem to be no bigger than a normal thing.

 

That is very true in my experience

–         Some things are so important their meaning cannot be properly expressed by mere words

–         Silence can be the vehicle which preserves the sanctity of those pearls

–         Or it can be a way of saying something so important it can’t be put into words [5]

 

Conclusion:

Talking about our spiritual lives, like we are, doesn’t really do justice to the reality of being with God

–         With this in mind I want to create the opportunity for some sacred space for you now

–         In a moment I will step down from the pulpit and we will have a minute or two of silence

–         You might want to close your eyes during this time and just be with God

–         Let go of your worry and anxiety and simply listen

–         What is it Jesus wants to say to you – what is it he wants to give you…

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/23-october-2016-space-with-god

[1] John 15

[2] Rebecca Nye, ‘Children’s Spirituality’, page 41.

[3] Walter Brueggemann’s Interpretation commentary on Genesis.

[4] Matthew 18:20

[5] Rebecca Nye, ‘Children’s Spirituality’, page 45.

Tawa Baptist

Good News for the Oppressed

Scripture: Nahum 1:11-15

 

Title: Good news for the oppressed

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The message to Nineveh (and its king)
  • The message to Judah
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

Today we continue our series on the city of Nineveh

–         First we looked at Nineveh through the eyes of Jonah

–         Now we look at Nineveh through the eyes of another prophet, Nahum

–         Nahum is sort of like the Brussel sprouts of the Bible

–         You know it’s good for you but that doesn’t make it taste any better

 

In the book of Jonah, the people of Nineveh repented of their violent ways and God had compassion on them – He relented and did not destroy their city

–         Sadly Nineveh’s repentance did not last

–         Some decades later the Assyrians went back to their old ways of terrorism and torture

–         Fast forward 100 years or so from the time of Jonah and God has another message concerning Nineveh

–         This time Nahum is given a vision of Nineveh’s destruction

–         While Nahum’s message is bad news for Nineveh, it is good news for the people of Judah

 

We pick up the prophecy from verse 11 of Nahum chapter 1…

 

From you, [O Nineveh], has one come forth who plots evil against the Lord and counsels wickedness. This is what the Lord says:

“Although they [Assyria] have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, [O Judah], I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away.”

 

The Lord has given a command concerning you, [O king of Assyria]:

“You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave for you are vile.”

 

Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace. Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfil your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.    

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the name Nahum means comforter

–         Although it might not seem like it to us (because of the strong language used in this book) Nahum’s message was essentially a message of comfort to the people of Judah who had suffered much at the hands of the Assyrians, for more than a century

–         It was a comfort to the oppressed to know that God was going to bring an end to the terror and violence of Assyrian rule

 

Today’s verses contain a message for two audiences – that is: Nineveh (in particular the king of Assyria who lived in Nineveh) and Judah (the Jews)

–         First, let us consider Nahum’s word to Nineveh and it’s king

 

The message to Nineveh (and its king):

One of the truly impressive things about Nahum, we believe, is that he predicted the downfall of Nineveh at a time when Assyria was at the height of its powers

–         I expect it would have taken a great deal of faith and courage for Nahum to say what he said against Nineveh

–         Violent dictators tend to take exception to individuals (like Nahum) who criticise their regime

–         Not only that but Nahum’s own people (the Jews) did not take kindly to false prophets or to false hope

–         To most people Nahum’s prediction that Nineveh would be destroyed would have seemed highly unlikely in the context

 

In the next Jack Reacher movie there is a scene where Jack Reacher is sitting in a diner (a café) and he gets arrested by a Sherriff

–         While he is in cuffs and still in the diner Jack says to the Sherriff

–         “In the next 90 seconds two things are going to happen. First the phone is going to ring and then you will be in these hand cuffs on your way to jail”

–         The Sherriff laughs at him and says, “That’s a hang of a prophecy”

–         Then the phone rings – next thing you see the Sherriff in cuffs and being taken away in a patrol car

–         Apparently the Sherriff was dirty and Jack Reacher had proven him guilty

 

Nahum’s prediction was a bit like Jack Reacher’s prediction

–         Just as the sheriff’s situation would soon be reversed so that he was wearing the handcuffs and not Jack Reacher, so too Nineveh’s situation of relative power would soon be reversed, even though it seemed highly unlikely in the context

 

In verse 12 the Lord says…

–         “Although they [Assyria] have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away…”

 

Nahum’s prediction (that the most powerful nation in the world would be ended) seemed unlikely, but that’s exactly what happened

–         In 612 BC – some years after Nahum’s prophecy – the Babylonians completely destroyed Nineveh

 

God’s message here isn’t just for Nineveh generally – the Lord has a personal message for the king of Assyria in particular

 

In verse 11, Nahum talks about one who plots evil against the Lord and counsels wickedness

–         This is a reference to the king of Assyria who was planning and scheming to destroy Jerusalem

–         God knew what the king was thinking and took personal offence at the king’s plans

–         To give you an idea of the evil character of the kings of Assyria, this is what one of them wrote about himself

–         These words were discovered by archaeologists – content may disturb…

 

I flayed [the skin from] as many nobles as had rebelled against me [and] draped their skins over the pile [of corpses]… I cut off the heads of their fighters [and used their heads to] build a tower before their city. I burnt their adolescent boys [and] girls… I captured many troops alive: I cut off, of some, their arms [and] hands; I cut off, of others, their noses, ears, [and] other extremities. I gouged out the eyes of many troops. I made one pile of the living [and] one of the heads. I hung their heads on trees around the city. [1]  

 

That gives you an idea of the kind of person the king of Assyria was

–         Not only did he torture & terrify people – he was proud of it

–         God is patient and slow to anger – but he’s also just, he won’t tolerate that sort of behaviour for too long

–         Given the terrible things the king has been doing the Lord says to the Assyrian leader…

 

“You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave for you are vile.”

 

Three consequences for the king of Assyria here…

–         He will have no descendants

–         His religion (everything he had sacrificed for & believed in) will be destroyed – which essentially means his life will have no meaning

–         And he will die – God will bury him

 

Now some people might think – gee that’s bit harsh of God

–         But in actual fact what we notice here is God’s mercy in punishment

–         God does not threaten to torture the king, as the king had tortured others

–         God takes no pleasure in the suffering of his enemies

–         His punishment, in this context, is annihilation – which is a relatively merciful outcome

–         The other kindness God shows the Assyrian king is to dig a grave for him – this is more than the Assyrians had done for their enemies

 

So that’s God’s message for the people of Nineveh and for their king personally

–         What then does the Lord have to say to the people of Judah?

–         Well it’s (mostly) good news for them

 

God’s message to the people of Judah:

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend some time in the South Island

–         One of the places we stayed at was affordable but a little bit dodgey

–         We woke up one morning to find that we were locked in our room

–         The door wouldn’t open from the inside so we had to phone someone to come and unlock the door from the outside

–         That was fine except the same thing happened the next morning, which was a bit more frustrating, not to mention dangerous

–         (Especially when the phone didn’t work at first)

–         Not sure what would have happened if the building had caught on fire

–         Having just spent the previous few days walking through some wide open spaces, I didn’t appreciate feeling trapped & powerless in a tiny room

–         Fortunately our incarceration wasn’t long

 

Judah were a trapped nation

–         “Decades earlier the Assyrians had subjugated and exiled the peoples of the northern kingdom [Israel] (2 Kings 17). They did not overthrow the [southern] kingdom of Judah at that time, but for almost a century… the Assyrians controlled Judah as a kind of puppet kingdom” [2]

–         In other words, Judah were essentially locked in their room, unable to escape Assyrian control

–         They were powerless to free themselves and needed someone to release them from the outside

–         This is essentially what God was promising to do for Judah in verse 13 where he says…

 

“…Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away.”

 

Shackles are like hand cuffs and, in this context, the yoke is a metaphor of oppression

–         A yoke is a wooden cross bar that fits over the neck of the ox

–         The farmer uses the yoke to control the ox

–         The Assyrian yoke (their means of controlling Judah) was going to be broken – this was good news for the captives

–         But the good news came with a little sting because just before this, in the second part of verse 12, the Lord says…

 

“Although I have afflicted you, [O Judah], I will afflict you no more.”

 

God is basically taking responsibility for Judah’s suffering

–         It was God who put the Assyrian yoke on Judah’s shoulders in the first place

–         On the one hand this is a difficult truth to face – God has had a hand in Judah’s affliction

–         But on a more positive note it does reassure us that God is in control of the situation

–         Just as he had the power to put the yoke on them, so too he has the power to remove the yoke

 

To give you some context the people of Judah had behaved badly themselves

–         They had been disloyal to the Lord and cheated on him by worshipping other gods

–         Consequently God tried to bring his people back into line using the yoke of Assyrian oppression

–         Unfortunately the Assyrians had gone too far and so God had to break the Assyrians’ power

 

The day would come when the Lord would give his people an easy yoke

–         As Jesus said…

–         Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light

–         Jesus’ yoke is not one of fear or oppression – it is one of wisdom and freedom to do right

 

The message of good news for Judah continues in verse 15…

 

Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace…

 

Here Nahum imagines the future with a messenger running through the mountains carrying the message of good news that Nineveh has fallen

–         Nineveh’s destruction will mean peace for the people of Judah

 

This word would give light to the people living in darkness

–         It would be like being in a prison camp during the Second World War and receiving word that the Allied soldiers had recaptured Paris and were on their way to Berlin

–         Or it would be like living in Syria and hearing the news that the war was finally over (for good this time) and life could return to normal

–         To those who believed Nahum’s message it would have the power of giving people hope to carry on

–         There was light at the end of the tunnel and it wasn’t a train coming

 

Nahum’s verse finds an echo in Isaiah 52, verse 7…

–         How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns”

 

This is the crux of faith really – believing that God reigns (that the Lord is in control of events) even when everything appears to be in chaos

 

Nahum 1 verse 15 continues with the words…

–         Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfil your vows.

 

Just as we have Christian festivals like Easter & Christmas so too the Jews have their religious festivals – community rituals for remembering their history & identity

–         By saying, ‘celebrate your festivals O Judah’, Nahum is encouraging the people to remain faithful to Yahweh

–         Remember who you are, stay solid in your faith, by continuing your normal patterns of worship

 

Most of the Christian life comes down to faithfulness

–         What we generally get in the Bible is the highlights of God’s dealings with humanity throughout history

–         We don’t get the whole 5 day test match

–         For example, we hear how Joseph went to Egypt and saved his family from starvation and then 400 years pass without much comment until Moses comes along

–         What happened in that 400 years between Joseph & Moses?

–         God had promised to give Jacob’s descendants the land of Canaan and yet there they were faithfully waiting in the land of Egypt, believing in the promise and passing on their faith to their children – simply trusting God to make good on his promise one day, somehow

–         Nothing spectacular – just remembering who they were and abiding in God’s promise – Being the people of God together

 

There’s a wonderful article in the latest edition of the Baptist magazine by Dr Greg Liston [3]

–         His article addresses the issue that while the Christian church is growing rapidly in places like Asia, Africa and South America, it is (generally speaking) declining in size, status and significance in western countries like ours

–         Some people respond to this decline by saying we need to do more and do it better – be more relevant, more polished, more innovative, etc.

–         The problem with this is that we end up taking the responsibility (and the stress) for the success of the church on our own shoulders – big mistake

 

Greg says the church’s deepest challenge actually lies – not in working out what we can do better, but in remembering who we are…

–         We need to remember that the church is not principally a human organisation, but one foundationally constituted by God’s Spirit

–         This means the church is not primarily a responsibility

–         Rather the church is a gift

–         So our job is not to make stuff happen

–         Our job is to join in with what God is already doing

 

As Mother Teresa is often quoted as saying…

–         ‘God has not called me to be successful, he has called me to be faithful’

 

Or, as Jesus says…

–         Apart from me you can do nothing

–         Abide in me and you will bear much fruit

 

Celebrate your festivals and fulfil your vows

–         We shouldn’t try to be something we’re not

–         Remember who you are and remain faithful in your worship as you wait for God to fulfil his promises

 

Chapter 1 of Nahum concludes with the words…

–         No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.   

 

This is the good news which makes it possible for Judah to wait faithfully

–         “The wicked” most likely refers specifically to the Assyrians

–         God is not making an unconditional promise here that Judah will never be invaded by anyone ever again

–         He is saying they won’t be invaded by Assyria

 

Sadly the people of Judah were not able to remain faithful to the Lord for long

–         And because of their unfaithfulness Jerusalem eventually fell to the Babylonians, as well, and the survivors were carried off into exile

 

Conclusion:

This part of Israel’s history is a bit sad really

–         Fortunately it doesn’t end there

–         In a kind of muted way Nahum’s prophecy points beyond the politics of his day to Jesus

 

In Luke 4, Jesus gives his job description – quoting from the prophet Isaiah he outlines what he came to do…

–         The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor

–         He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind

–         To release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour

 

The people of Jesus’ day, who lived under Roman occupation (which was similar but perhaps not quite as bad as Assyrian oppression) naturally thought Jesus had come to destroy Rome, as Nineveh had been destroyed

–         But Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world

–         He didn’t come for political revolution

–         Jesus weapons were not swords or spears

–         His weapons were grace & truth

–         Jesus didn’t come to wage war against flesh and blood

–         He came to destroy sin & death

 

Jesus set the captives free by healing people of their diseases

–         By casting out evil spirits

–         And through forgiveness

 

Jesus’ greatest victory was won by laying down his life and dying on a cross

–         Jesus’ resurrection is the sign of his victory over death

–         Our job is to be faithful in trusting Jesus and his resurrection

 

Let us pray…

 

 

[1] Quoted in James Bruckner’s NIVAC on Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,  page 29

[2] Tremper Longman III – page 798 of ‘The minor prophets’ (Nahum).

[3] Greg Liston, Baptist Magazine (NZ), ‘I believe in the Church, pages 4-6.

Tawa Baptist

Nahum on Nineveh

Scripture: Nahum 1

 

Title: God’s comforting judgment

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s comforting judgment
  • God’s righteous anger
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

When I was a kid dinner was meat and three veg and sometimes the three veg included Brussel sprouts

–         Boiled Brussel sprouts tasted just awful to me

 

Recently though, I had a salad with thinly sliced raw Brussel sprouts, apple straws and a nice dressing – it tasted surprisingly good

–         I still don’t like boiled Brussel sprouts but I love raw Brussel Sprouts in a salad – delicious

 

This morning we continue our series on the city of Nineveh

–         Over the past few weeks we have looked at Nineveh through the eyes of Jonah

–         Today we begin looking at the city of Nineveh through the eyes of another prophet, called Nahum

 

People generally like the story of Jonah because it’s familiar and because it reveals a God of compassion and mercy

–         A God who is slow to anger and rich in love

–         And they are the characteristics of God that taste good to us

–         Consequently Jonah gets preached on widely

 

Nahum, on the other hand, presents quite a different side of God

–         Nahum uses some very strong language and can leave one with a feeling of judgment and doom

–         In the book of Jonah, God is patient, Nineveh is saved and Jonah is angry

–         But in the book of Nahum, God is angry, Nineveh is destroyed and Nahum’s feelings are not explored

 

Consequently Nahum has the reputation of being the Biblical equivalent of Brussel sprouts

–         Yea, it’s good for you but kind of hard to swallow

–         But if you thinly slice it and eat it raw – if you break it down and understand it in its original context, it is surprisingly good

 

In the book of Jonah, the people of Nineveh repented of their violent ways and God had compassion on them – he relented and did not destroy their city.

–         Sadly Nineveh’s repentance did not last

–         Some decades later the Assyrians went back to their violent ways

 

Fast forward 100 years or so from the time of Jonah and God has another message concerning Nineveh

–         This time there is no opportunity for repentance – the Assyrians have gone too far and so Nineveh will be destroyed

–         From Nahum chapter 1, verse 1, we read…

 

An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;     the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes     and maintains his wrath against his enemies.

 

3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power;     the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,     and clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up;     he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither     and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.

 

5 The mountains quake before him     and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence,     the world and all who live in it. 6 Who can withstand his indignation?     Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire;     the rocks are shattered before him.

 

7 The Lord is good,     a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, 8     but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh;     he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.

 

9 Whatever they plot against the Lord     he will bring to an end;     trouble will not come a second time. 10 They will be entangled among thorns     and drunk from their wine;     they will be consumed like dry stubble.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

God’s comforting judgment:

Charles Dickens’ classic novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ begins with that famous line “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

–         This is a kind of paradox – a thing exhibiting apparently contradictory characteristics

–         If we think in terms of ‘either / or’ then we will probably struggle with paradox

–         But when we learn to think in terms of ‘both / and’ then paradox starts to make more sense to us

 

Other examples of paradox include…

–         ‘Nobody goes to that restaurant, it’s always packed’

–         Or, ‘The sound of silence’

–         Or, one by our friend C.S. Lewis, “Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again”

 

The humble Brussel sprout is a paradox too – it can taste disgusting but it can also taste delicious

 

The Bible is full of paradox – seemingly contradictory things that go together

–         Like our friend Jesus says…

–         ‘The first shall be last and the last shall be first’

–         Or, ‘Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it’

 

Nahum presents us with paradox in the nature of God

–         The same God who is merciful and ready to forgive the people of Nineveh is also a jealous and avenging God

–         God is full of anger but at the same time in control of his anger

–         He can be a powerfully destructive force against the guilty and a refuge for those who trust in him

–         Paradox – it’s ‘both / and’, not ‘either / or’

 

One paradox in particular that Nahum draws out is God’s comforting judgment

 

The name ‘Nahum’ means comforter

–         And yet, Nahum’s message seems anything but comforting

–         It’s about God coming in judgment to destroy Nineveh

–         This is what God (through Nahum) has to say to Nineveh…

 

…but with an overwhelming flood he [the Lord] will make an end of Nineveh;     he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.

9 Whatever they plot against the Lord     he will bring to an end;     trouble will not come a second time. 10 They will be entangled among thorns     and drunk from their wine;     they will be consumed like dry stubble.

 

Nahum is writing poetry here but it is poetry that came true in history

–         The city of Nineveh was eventually overwhelmed by a flood of enemies in the form of the Babylonian army

–         The city was also destroyed by a literal flood of water

–         The river which Nineveh had relied on as a natural defence became the instrument of its destruction

 

To be pursued into the realm of darkness is a frightening image

–         Darkness in Scripture usually means distress, terror, mourning, dread and  oblivion

 

Entangled among thorns is a picture of pain & powerlessness

–         If you are entangled in thorns then you can’t move without tearing your own flesh or impaling yourself

 

Likewise, being drunk means losing all control and making a fool of one self

–         The thing about being drunk is that it’s self-inflicted

–         In other words, Nineveh have brought this disgrace on themselves

–         They, and no one else, are to blame for their predicament

 

Dry stubble is grass or vegetation that has been consumed so only the short little stalks protrude out of the ground

–         To burn the stubble is to completely destroy what is left

–         There will be no trace left of the city

–         This may seem harsh but it is quite fair

–         The Assyrians used a scorched earth policy with others – burning everything to the ground in their wake

–         Now God is going to do the same with them

 

Overwhelmed, tangled, drunk and consumed – this is to be the end for Nineveh

–         How is that comforting?

–         Well, it’s not comforting if you are from Nineveh

–         But to Nineveh’s enemies (especially to Israel), who have suffered much at the hands of the Assyrians, it is actually a great comfort to know that God is on your side

–         That the evil and violence you are suffering will be brought to an end

 

It’s the comfort of facing a violent attacker knowing that the police are on their way – the bad guys are not going to get away with it

 

The paradox of God’s judgment is that it is a comfort for those who trust him and at the same time a nightmare for those who oppose him

 

7 The Lord is good,     a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

 

We don’t like to think about God’s judgment all that much – it scares us

–         We prefer to think about his mercy and forgiveness

–         We still need to remember his judgment though – not so that we are frightened but so that we will be comforted when we suffer injustice

 

If we complain that God is not fair then it could be that we don’t have an adequate grasp of his judgment

–         Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; they will be satisfied

–         Things may not be right now but God is going to make them right in the end – there is comfort in knowing this

 

God’s righteous anger:

God’s judgment is comforting and his anger is righteous

 

Verse 2 describes the Lord (Yahweh) as a jealous God

–         We generally think of jealousy as a bad thing

–         We think jealousy is born from the fear of being replaced by a rival

–         We associate jealousy with envy

–         And while it can carry those connotations it can also have a more positive meaning

–         As in having zeal or ardour to safe guard or protect something from thieves and robbers (from those who have no right to it)

 

For example, it is entirely appropriate for a husband to be jealous for his wife and for a wife to be jealous for her husband – jealous in the sense of protecting your marriage and not sharing your partner with another man or woman

 

Likewise, it is a parent’s job to be jealous for their children – to protect them, to not allow any harm to come to them and to search for them when they lost

–         Jealousy in that sense is a good thing

 

Jealousy in its best sense is a form of righteous anger

–         Jesus demonstrated zeal or jealousy for God’s temple when he overturned the tables of the money changes

–         Jesus was rightly angry at the merchants because their greedy presence was preventing people from coming to God for worship & prayer

 

There has been a series of movies over the past decade called Taken, starring Liam Neeson

–         The first in the series tells the story of a retired CIA agent whose daughter is kidnapped by some human traffickers

–         I haven’t watched any of these films, mainly because I have two daughters and I don’t find that sort of thing entertaining

–         But there is a famous scene from the first movie, which has become part of popular culture, where Liam Neeson’s character is on the phone with the kidnappers and says to them…

I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. But if you are looking for a ransom I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills that I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you.

 

This is a bit dark and threatening but it helps to illustrate what we mean by jealousy in a fatherly sense

–         Please don’t misunderstand or misapply the illustration

–         I’m not suggesting we have a license to behave like Liam Neeson’s character in that movie

–         We are not to go after our enemies with death threats

 

The point of the illustration is to help us understand what Nahum is getting at when he says…

–         The Lord is a jealous & avenging God… slow to anger & great in power

 

The Assyrians (the people of Nineveh) had kidnapped the people of Israel

–         You’ve heard the expression, ‘the 10 lost tribes of Israel’ – well it was the Assyrians (Nineveh) who did that

–         They invaded Israel and those they didn’t kill, they carried off into slavery, leaving nothing but scorched earth behind them

–         Like human traffickers they were cruel & brutal and did not show mercy for women & children

 

The Lord God is like Liam Neeson’s character in two ways…

–         He is a loving Father who is jealous for his children Israel

–         He will stop at nothing to go after those who have taken his daughter

–         He is also a mighty warrior – the Lord has a particular set of skills that make him a nightmare for people like the Assyrians

–         The difference with God is that he knows exactly who the Assyrians are and where they live

–         And, unlike any human being, the Lord is qualified to act as judge and executioner

 

Now God’s jealousy isn’t just for his children Israel

–         The Lord is also jealous for his reputation and his role as God

–         If anyone tries to displace God by worshipping idols or by putting themselves in the place of God then the Lord is not happy with that

–         It’s not that God feels threatened or fearful of rivals

–         It is that God feels protective of his creation

–         When we try to displace God, when we worship the things we have made rather than our maker, creation suffers for it

–         God won’t tolerate any rivals because it is bad for the world he loves

 

The people of Nineveh had put themselves in the place of God

–         They were arrogant – they thought they were untouchable, undefeatable

–         And at the time when Nahum delivered his oracle (his burden) they were the leading world power of the day

–         Which makes Nahum’s message even more remarkable – because he was predicting Nineveh’s downfall at the height of their powers

 

One of the things we note about Liam Neeson’s character, in the movie Taken, is that he is calm – he is in complete control of his anger

–         There is quite a bit about God’s anger in our reading from Nahum

 

In verse 2 we are told that the Lord is filled with wrath and then in verse 3 we are told the Lord is slow to anger and will not leave the guilty unpunished

–         These statements seem contradictory don’t they – but its paradox

–         Nahum’s point here is that God is in complete control of his anger

 

That the Lord is filled with wrath tells us (paradoxically) that God cares and is deeply affected by injustice and evil

–         If God didn’t care he wouldn’t feel angry – he wouldn’t feel anything

 

That God is slow to anger tells us that God is in control of his temper – he doesn’t react in the heat of the moment or fly off the handle

–         To give you an idea of how slow to anger the Lord is, the Assyrians’ reign of terror lasted for 250 years

–         God’s anger is righteous – He releases his anger at just the right moment and in just the right measure so that the guilty are not left unpunished

 

The image I get when thinking of God’s anger is one of a huge dam holding back water

–         The water of God’s anger (and power) is released in a controlled way

 

It is precisely because God is good and in complete control that he is qualified to take vengeance on his foes – We are not qualified to pass judgment

 

We don’t have time to explore every line of poetry in these verses but there are a couple of metaphors of God’s power I need to draw your attention to

 

In verse 4 we read that God dries up the sea and makes all the rivers run dry

–         To the ancient Hebrew mind the sea symbolised chaos

–         Nahum is saying here that God has the power to make chaos disappear

–         In other words, God’s jealousy (his righteous anger) restores order

 

Then in verse 5 we read how the mountains quake before the Lord and the hills melt away

–         Mountains and hill are the image of stability and security

–         Nineveh may think they are immovable – as stable and secure as a mountain

–         But before God’s righteous anger they are not

 

What was it Jesus said…

–         “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you”

 

Conclusion:

Our reading from Nahum began today with the words…

–         An oracle concerning Nineveh…

 

The original Hebrew word translated as oracle also means burden

–         Nahum’s message is a burden, just as vengeance is a burden

 

So with all this talk of anger & destruction, where is the good news for us?

–         Well, the good news is: we don’t have to carry the burden of vengeance

–         We don’t have to worry about getting even with our enemies because we know God is more than able to take care of that

 

Following the teachings of Jesus, the apostle Paul (in his letter to the Romans) writes…

 

Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.   

 

To heap burning coals on their heads isn’t to be taken literally

–         It is a metaphor which means something like, ‘when you show kindness to your enemies, it causes them to burn with shame’

–         Loving your enemies – it’s a paradox

 

Because God takes vengeance on our behalf, we don’t have to – we are free to keep our hands clean and let God do the dirty work

–         Let us pray…

Tawa Baptist

Nineveh Repents

Scripture: Jonah 3

 

Title: Nineveh Repents

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jonah’s preaching
  • Nineveh’s repentance
  • God’s compassion
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

The Economist Intelligence Unit did a global livability study looking at the most “tolerable” cities to live in given crime levels, threat of conflict, quality of medical care, levels of censorship, climate, schools and transport links [1]

–         And they came up with a list of the 10 best cities in the world

–         There were 4 Australian cities in the top 10 and 3 Canadian cities

–         With Melbourne being rated the best city to live in, in the world

–         Auckland, NZ, came in tenth – which made me wonder whether they had considered Wellington at all

–         We lived in Auckland for 3 years and while it wasn’t too bad, Wellington is a way better city in pretty much every way

 

At the other end of the spectrum, if you google ‘most violent cities’ then Latin American countries are predominant

–         The city of Caracas, in Venezuela, is currently ranked the most dangerous with nearly 120 homicides per 100,000 people  [2]

 

Today we continue our series on the city of Nineveh

–         These days Nineveh is more of a province in northern Iraq

–         But in ancient times it was a significant city

–         Nineveh would not have won any prizes for being the most tolerable place to live but it was certainly up there as one of the most violent places

 

For two Sundays now we’ve looked at the city of Nineveh through the book of Jonah

–         This morning we pick up the story from Jonah chapter 3

–         I will be reading from the New International Version – the words will appear on the wall…

 

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.

 

Now Nineveh was a very important city; a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

 

6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.  9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

 

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

There are essentially three parts to this chapter…

–         Jonah’s preaching

–         Nineveh’s repentance

–         And God’s compassion

 

First let’s consider Jonah’s preaching…

 

Jonah’s preaching:

Robert Frost has a poem called Reluctance

–         The last verse goes like this…

 

Ah, when to the heart of man

Was it ever less than a treason

To go with the drift of things,

To yield with a grace to reason,

And bow and accept the end

Of a love or a season?

 

Jonah is sometimes described as the reluctant prophet – and for good reason

 

When God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah protested and when his protest failed he tried running away

–         Then when God saved Jonah from drowning, by providing a large fish, Jonah was thankful but he wasn’t really sorry for running away

–         Nevertheless God wanted to give Jonah a second chance, so he spoke to the fish and the fish spewed Jonah out onto the beach

 

Once again God calls Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh

–         This time Jonah obeys God, but only reluctantly

–         His heart is not really in it

–         ‘The drift of things’ (of everything in fact) is pulling Jonah towards Nineveh and yet it still feels to his heart like treason

–         Yes, Jonah obeys God this time, but it is a reluctant yielding to reason

–         Like a man subject to the change of seasons or to a love which is ending, Jonah is subject to forces he cannot control

–         The most sensible option available to Jonah is simply to go with it

 

We can’t be sure where the fish spewed Jonah out, but we do know that Nineveh was inland by quite a distance (about 500 miles north of Jerusalem) so it would have taken Jonah a fair while to walk there

 

Verse 3 tells us that a visit to Nineveh required three days

–         This probably means Jonah could reasonably expect to budget three days to proclaim his message in all of Nineveh’s public places

 

Jonah’s sermon, in a nutshell went like this…

–         “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned”

 

Now you might think, a short sermon is a good sermon

–         But this is too short

–         We know for a fact that Jonah could do better

–         Just last week we heard his beautifully composed poem about how God rescued him from drowning

–         Jonah delivered this poem in the belly of a fish where no one but God could hear

–         Now, when he is faced with an enormous audience, Jonah gives 8 words of doom (it’s actually only 5 words in the original Hebrew)

 

There are no illustrations or movie clips and no miracles to prove his point

–         There is no explanation of what Nineveh has done wrong, nor is there any specific application about what they can do to put things right

–         In fact, God’s name is not mentioned at all

–         If Jonah wanted to save Nineveh then we might expect him to be a bit clearer with the details

–         Instead Jonah’s message is blunt and vague

–         It appears that Jonah is forcing himself to obey God – all the time hoping that his message won’t be successful

–         To be fair to Jonah though, the people of Nineveh spoke a different language – so that may have been a limitation

 

Language is a funny thing

–         One word, spelt exactly the same, can have two quite different meanings

–         For example, the word bark can mean a loud noise, like a dog might make, or it can mean the covering of a tree

–         The word light can refer to a lamp but it can also mean not heavy

–         And the word cool – can refer to temperature but it can also mean something is really good or acceptable – as in, ‘that’s cool man’

 

The word, “overturned”, which Jonah uses in his sermon (hapak in the original Hebrew), has a double meaning [3]

–         On the one hand it can mean destroyed – as in God is going to wreck this city

–         But on the other hand it can also mean changed – as in God is going to transform this city, he is going to turn your world upside down so that your whole way of life is different

 

Jonah was hoping for the first meaning (destroyed) but he knew God well enough not to rule out the second meaning (changed)

 

Nineveh’s repentance:

Despite his half-hearted (reluctant) sermon, Jonah’s success as a preacher is unparalleled in history

–         The entire city from the least to the greatest (from the livestock to the king himself) took Jonah’s message to heart and very quickly repented

 

Apparently Jonah didn’t need to use the full three days to spread his message, because the people of Nineveh spread it themselves

–         They didn’t need the problem explained to them because they already knew what they had done wrong

–         The king of Nineveh certainly knew – he summed it up as…

–         “Let them give up their evil ways and their violence”

–         What’s more, even though Jonah never mentioned Yahweh’s name, verse 5 tells us the people of Nineveh believed God

 

Belief in God goes hand in hand with repentance

–         You can’t really have one without the other

–         If we believe in God it will inevitably lead to repentance

–         If belief doesn’t lead to repentance then we are just kidding ourselves

 

For example, if it’s cold and the clothes you are wearing are wet, then the best way to get warm is to get out of the wet clothes and into something dry

–         Simply thinking warm thoughts isn’t repentance

–         Actually changing your clothes (changing your behaviour) is repentance

 

The problem is, most people don’t want to get out of their wet clothes because they think, “I’m not that wet anyway” or “I’ll soon dry off” or “It’s going to make me even colder getting changed”

–         They’re not really facing the problem

–         In order to change our clothes we need to feel even colder

 

If we apply this metaphor to the people of Nineveh, then they were already cold, standing around in wet clothes, when Jonah turned up

–         Jonah’s message to them was, “You’re going to get hyperthermia & die”

 

The people of Nineveh didn’t need convincing – they were freezing and they knew what they had to do to get warm – change into some dry clothes

–         In other words, stop their violent ways and practice kindness

 

Real repentance only comes about when we realise just how cold & wet we are

–         So long as we hold on to the illusion that we are right – so long as we keep denying the truth and justifying ourselves,

–         So long as we keep saying, “I’m not that wet, I’ll dry off soon” – we can’t change

 

It’s harder for good people, respectable people (like Jonah) to admit when they are wrong – they don’t want to change their wet clothes, it’s too embarrassing

–         It was easier for the people of Nineveh to admit they were wrong because they could feel the coldness of their actions

 

Again it is ironic that Jonah (who has experienced God’s miraculous power & grace) is unwilling to say sorry and seek forgiveness

–         Yet the people of Nineveh (who have never experienced God’s miraculous power and only hear a message of judgment) are willing to repent and seek mercy

 

In Matthew 12 Jesus says to the men & women of his day…

–         The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here.

 

If the people of Nineveh listened to Jonah (a foreigner) and believed his message (as poor as it was), it seems crazy that Jesus’ own people did not believe Jesus’ message (as rich as it was)

 

In some ways the king of Nineveh shows more insight than Jonah himself

–         In verse 9, after making a royal decree for everyone to repent and change their ways, the king says…

–         Who knows? God may relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish

 

This is interesting for what it reveals

–         Unlike Jonah, the king of Nineveh seems to intuitively understand that God is free

–         Just because they have repented, it doesn’t automatically follow that God must forgive them

–         The king throws himself and his people at God’s mercy and hopes for the best

 

Earlier this week Brian Gillies sent me a link to an article about Henry Gerecke[4]

–         Gerecke was an American army chaplain during the second world war

–         He served in a field hospital in 1944 following the D Day invasions

–         He also saw inside the Nazi concentration camps at the end of the war

 

Gerecke was preparing to return to the US following the war when he was asked by Colonel Andrus if he would stay behind to act as a chaplain to some high profile Nazi war criminals (Hitler’s henchmen) as they stood trial at Nuremburg

–         Many people on the home front thought these Nazi’s shouldn’t be given the chance to make their peace with God

–         Consequently, Henry Gerecke (a Lutheran pastor) together with Father Richard O’Connor (a Catholic priest), were inundated with hate mail

–         What they were doing was thought to be anti-Semitic, unpatriotic and unjust – a kind of betrayal of the Jews and allies who had died at the hands of the Nazi’s

 

It was a difficult decision to make but in the end Gerecke and O’Connor felt that ministering to these loathsome men was what Christ would have them do

–         Christ too was criticised for keeping bad company but always maintained he came to seek and save the lost

 

Gerecke’s situation was similar to Jonah’s in that God had called Jonah to minister to his enemies – people Jonah considered beyond redemption

–         It would have felt like a betrayal of his own people

However, unlike Jonah, Gerecke and O’Connor were willing to serve and did not try to run away from God

–         Gerecke & O’Connor were not as successful as Jonah

–         Of the 21 men who stood trial, 11 were condemned to die and, according to Gerecke’s final report, only four of them…

–         “…died as penitent sinners trusting God’s mercy for forgiveness [and] believing in Jesus who shed his blood for their sins.”

 

Will those repentant Nazi’s be forgiven and make it into heaven?

–         God is free, so like the king of Nineveh the most we can say is…

–         Who knows? God may relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish

 

God’s compassion:

Jonah’s preaching was reluctant – half hearted

–         By contrast, Nineveh’s repentance was genuine – fully committed

–         But it’s God’s compassion which triumphs in the end

 

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

 

There are two sides to the coin of compassion

–         One side is entering into the suffering of another – sharing their pain

–         The other side is doing something to alleviate that pain

–         When we feel someone else’s pain as our own then we are motivated to relieve their suffering

–         So to have compassion is firstly to feel and then to heal

 

This is a picture of the memorial at Gallipoli

 

The story that goes with this memorial is that there was a wounded British soldier groaning in agony in no man’s land between the trenches

  • – At that moment a piece of white underwear was raised from the Turkish side and a well-built, unarmed soldier appeared.
  • – The Turk walked slowly towards the wounded British soldier, took him in his arms and carried him to the Allies’ side, before gently placing him down on the ground and returning to his trench.

 

There are some who question the accuracy of this story

  • – I don’t know, I wasn’t there
  • – Either way, it is a picture of compassion
  • – Feeling another’s pain and then acting to help & heal that person
  • – Feeling and healing

 

To say that God had compassion on the people of Nineveh means that he was affected by their sin (he felt the hurt they inflicted on each other) and he acted to heal that hurt – feeling and healing

 

God’s compassion wasn’t just a response to the people’s repentance

–         His compassion is seen long before that, when he sent Jonah to warn them

 

That God is compassionate and open to change tells us that the details of God’s will are not fixed in stone

–         Sometimes we are tempted to think of God’s will as a train travelling along the tracks

–         The thing about a train is that it can’t really deviate off the tracks – it has to follow the path laid out for it

–         And once the train gets up some speed it is very hard to stop, because it’s got all this weight (all this history) behind it

 

But I don’t believe God’s will is like a train following the tracks

–         I see God’s will as more dynamic than that

–         God’s will is like a 4WD vehicle

–         God can follow the road or he can go off road

–         If someone or something is in the way then God can easily stop to wait or change course to avoid a collision

–         Yes, he has a fixed destination in mind (the redemption of his creation)

–         But he also has the power and freedom to alter his course in getting to that destination

–         And that’s what he does in the case of Nineveh – God changes his course (without changing his overall purpose) and saves the city

 

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard that Jonah was a reluctant preacher

–         But despite his reluctance the people of Nineveh still humbled themselves in genuine repentance

–         And God had compassion on Nineveh

–         God is free and he uses his freedom to love his enemies

 

I’m conscious that today is September 11 – fifteen years since the attack on the Twin Towers in New York

–         The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and injured over 6,000 others

–         In response to these attacks America declared a war on terror and thousands more died

–         So people might say the city of New York is akin to Nineveh, with its violence

–         Others say, no, it’s the terrorists who are more akin to the people of Nineveh

–         I suspect it’s not that black & white

–         All of our cities have violence in them

–         All of our hearts the seeds of terror

–         None of us can claim to be completely pure or righteous

 

I don’t think the events of 9/11 were God’s will

–         I think what happened that day grieved his heart and went against his will

 

Jesus points us to the will of God (to the compassion of God) when he says…

 

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous…

 

 

Let us pray…

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/11-sep-2016-nineveh-repents

[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/pictures/9477990/The-worlds-10-best-cities-to-live-in.html?frame=2311083

[2] http://www.businessinsider.com/most-violent-cities-in-the-world-2016-1/?r=AU&IR=T/#1-caracas-venezuela-had-11987-homicides-per-100000-residents-50

[3] James Bruckner, NIVAC ‘Jonah’, pages 90-91.

[4][4] http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/may-web-only/would-you-share-gospel-with-hitlers-worst-henchmen.html?start=3

Tawa Baptist

Jonah thanks God

Scripture:

Jonah 1:17 – 2:10

 

Title:

Jonah thanks God

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jonah’s thanksgiving
  • Jonah’s hope
  • Jonah’s blindness
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

This morning we continue our series on the city of Nineveh

 

In today’s terms Nineveh is located in Northern Iraq and in ancient times was one of the strongholds of the Assyrian empire – Israel’s enemies

–         The two books of the Bible which have the most to say about Nineveh are the prophets Jonah & Nahum

 

A couple of weeks ago we started looking at Jonah

–         We heard how God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach against its violence and wickedness

–         Jonah, who believed strongly in justice, didn’t think Nineveh should be given a chance to repent and be forgiven

–         So he got aboard a ship and sailed away in the opposite direction

–         But the Lord didn’t give up on Nineveh or on Jonah

–         God sent a powerful storm and, long story short, the sailors threw Jonah overboard

 

Today we pick up the threads from the end of chapter 1

–         Please turn with me to Jonah 1, verse 17 – page 897 in your pew Bibles

–         At this point Jonah is in the water, no land in sight and no life jacket – things are looking a bit grim for the prophet

–         From verse 17 to the end of chapter 2 we read…

 

17 At the Lord‘s command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

2 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:

2 “In my distress, O Lord, I called to you,     and you answered me. From deep in the world of the dead     I cried for help, and you heard me. 3 You threw me down into the depths,     to the very bottom of the sea,     where the waters were all around me,     and all your mighty waves rolled over me. 4 I thought I had been banished from your presence     and would never see your holy Temple again. 5 The water came over me and choked me;     the sea covered me completely,     and seaweed wrapped around my head. 6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains,     into the land whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God,     brought me back from the depths alive. 7 When I felt my life slipping away,     then, O Lord, I prayed to you,     and in your holy Temple you heard me. 8 Those who worship worthless idols     have abandoned their loyalty to you. 9 But I will sing praises to you;     I will offer you a sacrifice     and do what I have promised. Salvation comes from the Lord!”

10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

Jonah’s thanksgiving:

In an address to the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast in 1994 Mother Theresa told this story…

–         “One evening we went out, and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition.

–         I told the sisters, “You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one who looks worst.”

–         So I did for her all that my love could do.

–         I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face.

–         She took hold of my hand as she said two words only:

–         “Thank you.” Then she died.

 

I could not help but examine my conscience before her. And I asked:

–         What would I say if I were in her place?

–         And my answer was very simple.

–         I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself.

–         I would have said, “I am hungry, I am dying, I am in pain,” or something.

–         But she gave me much more; she gave me her grateful love.

–         And she died with a smile on her face.

–         Gratitude brings a smile and becomes a gift.”

 

Even though Jonah is in a dark and terrifying place

–         As close to death as one can come

–         He does not offer a prayer of complaint

–         Or even a prayer of confession

–         He offers a prayer of thanksgiving

 

It may not be immediately obvious to us that Jonah’s prayer is a thanksgiving because we don’t explicitly read the words, “Thank you God”

–         But we know it was a prayer of thanksgiving because it follows the same pattern as other Jewish thanksgiving psalms

 

Typically with Hebrew psalms of thanksgiving there is a retelling of the crisis in retrospect

–         That is, a looking back at the near death experience and an acknowledgment of Yahweh’s deliverance

–         And there is a promise or a vow to praise the Lord and offer sacrifices to him – as a practical way of saying thankyou

–         If someone does something nice for us then we might acknowledge that by sending them a thank you card

–         What we read in Jonah chapter 2 is the prophet’s ‘thank you card’ to God, for saving him from drowning

 

The first thing we note about Jonah’s prayer of thanksgiving is that it was composed in the belly of a large fish

–         I imagine the belly of the fish was cramped, dark, slimy and smelly

–         It’s not like Jonah had a pen and paper with a desk and chair and lamp to sit down and write

–         Which means that Jonah would have composed the psalm in his head (drawing on other psalms of thanksgiving with which he was familiar) and then spoken or even sung it out loud to God

 

Some people these days have a difficulty with a large fish swallowing a man whole and then vomiting him out 3 days later

–         They think if something is miraculous then it’s not historical

–         And so they explain the story of Jonah as a parable which, although made up, nevertheless communicates some very profound truths

 

Well, that’s one theory, but personally I have no problem with the miraculous

–         I think God could easily make a fish large enough to swallow a man – no problems with that

–         In fact it seems to me to be exactly the sort of practical joke God might play on someone like Jonah

–         It’s totally fits with God’s whacky sense of humour

–         Anyone who has experienced God’s sense of humour for themselves will understand what I’m saying

 

Where the story becomes difficult to believe is in the next chapter – in Jonah 3 – where the entire city listen to Jonah’s message and repent

–         That really stretches the imagination – but we’ll get to that next week

 

In Mother Teresa’s story, which I mentioned before, the dying woman simply said ‘thank you’ – she didn’t draw any attention to herself

–         By contrast Jonah attracts a lot of attention to himself

–         One of the striking things about Jonah’s psalm of thanksgiving is it’s self-centered-ness

–         Most of the psalm focuses on Jonah’s crisis – it’s I, I, I, me, me, me, most of the way through

–         I called, I cried, I thought, I went down, I felt, I prayed, I will sing, I will offer – and so on

–         With all this I, I, I, me, me, me, talk it’s little wonder Jonah gave the fish a belly ache and was vomited up

 

We don’t want to be too hard on Jonah though

–         After all he has been through a tough time and nearly died

–         In fact it is at the very cusp of death – at his lowest ebb – that Jonah finally prays to God. Verse 7…

–         “When I felt my life slipping away, then, O Lord, I prayed to you”

 

You may remember from a couple of weeks ago that Jonah did not pray when the storm hit

–         The pagan sailors were all praying and even called Jonah to prayer, but Jonah refused to talk to God

–         It’s only when he hits rock bottom that Jonah breaks his silence

–         And it’s only when he prays that God sends the fish to rescue him

 

It’s not like the sailors threw Jonah overboard and the fish swallowed him up straight away – No

–         God waits for Jonah to pray before he sends the fish

 

Sometimes we might be tempted to think,

–         ‘What’s the point in praying? God already knows what I’m thinking – he knows what’s in my heart.

–         Why bother saying it out loud?’

–         Well perhaps it’s because we need to own it

 

We’ve been watching that mini-series on Sir Edmund Hillary on Sunday nights – quite enjoying it so far

–         Sir Ed is depicted as a fairly quiet character

–         Kind of a classic kiwi bloke – holds it all in

–         Doesn’t really say how he’s feeling

–         At the end of last week’s episode the girl that Ed fancies is about to head off to Australia for 3 years

–         This girl knows that Ed likes her, but she (quite rightly) doesn’t want to do all the work in the relationship

–         Even though she knows that Ed likes her, Ed still has to be the one to say it out loud – she can’t say it for him

–         When Ed realizes that he may not see the girl of his dreams again for a long time he says,

–         “I wish I had found the courage to ask you out”

–         And that’s enough for him to get a kiss

 

It’s a similar thing with prayer

–         Yes, God knows what we are thinking but we must still say it out loud – he can’t say it for us

 

So Jonah finally prays and God saves him

–         But Jonah’s salvation is not yet complete because he is still in the belly of the fish and he won’t be able to survive there for long

 

Jonah’s hope:

In some ways this is Jonah’s finest moment – thanking and praising God (from the belly of the fish) before his deliverance is fully realized

–         It shows us that Jonah’s faith & hope in the Lord is strong

 

A team of child psychologists wanted to observe how different children respond to negative circumstances

–         So they filled a room with horse manure

–         And put a child in the room to see how he might react

–         The boy whined and cried and despaired that he was in a room full of smelly horse poo

 

Then the psychologists put another child in the room

–         The little girl immediately started tearing around and digging in the manure with an excitement that baffled the on-lookers

–         After a few minutes of watching this, they asked the child why she was so excited

–         And she replied, “With all this manure in the room, there’s got to be a pony somewhere”

 

The reaction of the second child is a picture of hope

–         Even though the little girl could not see a pony

–         She could see the signs of one

–         Her hope of finding a pony was strong because of the manure

 

What was it the Apostle Paul said?

–         For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

 

Paul’s point here is that hope is often strongest when things appear worst

–         Not when life is at its best

 

Jonah’s situation was significantly more life threatening than being in a room full of horse manure

–         Most of his prayer describes the horror of his situation

 

Generally speaking the people of Israel were not a seafaring people

–         They were afraid of the sea and other large bodies of water

–         For them the sea was a symbol of chaos as well as a symbol of deliverance by trial

 

Noah had to pass through the chaotic flood waters (in the ark) in order to save his family and the animals from death

–         The people of Israel had to pass through the Red Sea in order to be delivered from slavery in Egypt

–         And they had to pass through the river Jordan in order to enter the promised land

 

I expect Jonah was conscious of these stories of deliverance through threatening waters, during his 3 days & nights inside the fish

–         And I expect these stories of deliverance strengthened his hope

–         I imagine the smelly inside of the fish and sea all around were for Jonah like the manure was for the little girl

–         Where there is manure there must be a pony

–         Where there is a great body of water there must be deliverance

 

So Jonah’s faith & hope in the Lord was strong – he praises God for his deliverance even before that deliverance is fully realized

 

One of the implications here is that God’s salvation of us is normally a process – it happens in stages, not all at once

–         God didn’t magically transport Jonah to dry land or back to the temple (like in Star Trek when they say, ‘Beam me up Scotty’)

 

The first step of salvation for Jonah was God sending a violent storm

–         The second step was Jonah being thrown in the sea and nearly drowning before he finally cried out to God for help

–         The third step was being saved from drowning by a huge fish

–         Jonah could see where this was going – eventually God would return him to dry land

–         And so while Jonah was waiting for the next phase, he praised God

 

One of the things we do each Sunday is to come together to sing songs of praise to God

–         Some weeks singing songs of praise is easier than others

–         If things are going well and we are aware of God’s goodness in our lives, then no problems singing

–         But if we have had a hard week and we are struggling to see God’s goodness or we feel like we aren’t quite out of the woods yet, then it can be more of a struggle to sing about how great God is

–         This life is not perfect – there are times when God seems absent and we shouldn’t try to deny or ignore the feelings this raises for us

–         But it doesn’t help to dwell too long on those feelings either

–         While we are waiting for God to complete our salvation we can still offer thanks & praise to him in anticipation of what he will do

 

So if you feel like you’re wading through a lot of poo at the moment – just think, there must be a pony somewhere

 

Jonah’s blindness:

Having celebrated Jonah’s strength of hope from the belly of the fish we also need to acknowledge the fundamental contradiction we find in Jonah

–         Yes, Jonah is a thankful believer in Yahweh, but he is also a disobedient believer

–         And to make matters worse, Jonah is unrepentant

 

Once when the famous preacher and evangelist, Billy Graham, was driving through a small town in the southern states of America

–         He was stopped by a policeman and charged with speeding.

–         Graham admitted his guilt, but was told by the officer that he would have to appear in court.

 

The judge asked, “Guilty, or not guilty?”

–         When Graham pleaded guilty, the judge replied…

–         “That’ll be ten dollars – a dollar for every mile you went over the limit.”

–         Then the judge suddenly recognized the famous minister.

–         “You have violated the law,” the judge said.

–         “The fine must be paid – but I am going to pay it for you.”

–         He took a ten dollar bill from his own wallet, attached it to the ticket, and then took Graham out and bought him a steak dinner!

 

“That,” said Billy Graham, “is how God treats repentant sinners!”

 

Many of us have heard that message before – that God forgives and pays the debt for repentant sinners

–         (For those who admit their guilt and try to change their ways)

–         So we are not surprised or impressed by Billy Graham’s story

 

What would make the story more interesting is if the judge still paid the fine even though Billy Graham did not admit his wrong doing and was not sorry for speeding

–         This is basically what God does for Jonah – which is what makes his story so interesting

–         God saves Jonah, even though Jonah is not repentant

 

Nowhere in his psalm does Jonah say, “Woops, sorry Lord. I was wrong, you were right. Will you forgive me?”

–         Jonah may be thankful that God saved him but he’s not sorry for running away

–         Jonah is, in a sense, blind to some aspects of himself

 

The psychologist Carl Jung came up with a term he called the shadow side

–         For many years I mistakenly thought our shadow side was that part of us which was like the dark side of the force – the bad in us

–         But actually our shadow is more simply those aspects of our personality (both good & bad) that we are not aware of and can’t see easily or won’t acknowledge

–         So our shadow side is really our blind spot

 

Now the fact is we all have a shadow-side or a blind spot, including people of outstanding integrity and faith like Jonah

 

In verse 8 Jonah says, rather revoltingly…

–         “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But, with a song of thanksgiving, I will sacrifice to you”

–         This is a clearer translation than what we have in our pew Bibles

 

It’s sort of like Jonah is saying here,

–         “I’m not like those scum bag idol worshippers. I’m better than them. You can count on me to make good on my promises”

 

What Jonah doesn’t realize is that after he was thrown overboard those pagan idol worshipping sailors became worshippers of Jonah’s God, Yahweh

–         And they did exactly the same thing that Jonah promised to do

–         They made vows and offered sacrifices of thanksgiving to Yahweh

–         So Jonah isn’t all that different to the pagan sailors

–         He just has the advantage of knowing more about God than they do

 

But there is an even deeper blindness in Jonah here because actually he is guilty of idolatry as well [1]

–         While Jonah may not literally bow down to images of wood or stone he has attempted to make God in his own image

–         He has tried to make God conform to his way of thinking

 

Whenever we put God in a box or reduce God so that he is smaller, more domesticated, more controllable and less free (as Jonah did) then we are guilty of idolatry

–         As we talked about last time the great Kauri tree of justice is so large in Jonah’s forest of belief that the small Sapling of mercy has no light to grow

–         In Jonah’s mind God is not free to forgive the people of Nineveh

–         Jonah has tried to make God conform to his way of thinking – and that’s basically idolatry

 

Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament had a lot to say about faith

–         And that’s because faith is fundamental to a relationship with God

–         We, finite beings, can’t be in a relationship with the infinite God without trust

–         Faith (trust) doesn’t try to control God – faith let’s God be free

 

Conclusion:

Jonah is a complex character isn’t he

–         He is sincerely thankful and genuinely hopeful but ultimately unrepentant

–         Nevertheless God in his grace breaks with our expectations and saves Jonah anyway

–         Salvation really does belong to the Lord

 

I’m not saying here that God is bound to save us even if we remain unrepentant – far from it

–         God may be patient but he’s no fool, so we shouldn’t push our luck

–         The point is: Deliverance belongs to the Lord

–         That means God is free – free to show mercy to whomever he wants, but also free to withhold his mercy

 

Like all the prophets of the Old Testament, Jonah points to Jesus

–         In Matthew 12, Jesus is asked to perform a sign or a miracle to prove his credentials but Jesus refuses saying…

 

“No! The only miracle (or sign) you will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth”  

 

Jonah may not have been perfect but God still used him to point to Jesus – in particular Jesus’ death and resurrection

 

It is Jesus’ death & resurrection we remember today as we gather around the Lord’s Table

–         The musicians will come now to lead us in sung praise as we prepare for communion…

 

 

Out Takes:

Another thing we notice about Jonah’s prayer is that the Lord’s temple features a couple of times

–         Verse 4, “…I thought I would never see your holy temple again”

–         And verse 7, “…I prayed to you [from the depths of the ocean] and in your holy temple you heard me.”

 

God designed the temple to be a safe, peaceful and ordered space

–         In the temple there is a place for everything and everything in its place

–         The sea (or the ocean) is the complete opposite to the temple

–         The sea is dangerous, messy and chaotic

 

Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone – pave paradise, put up a parking lot.

–         It’s often when we lose stuff, when we are cut off from the people and places we love that we truly realize just how much we value them

–         Jonah had been running away from God and from the temple but when faced with the prospect of never being able to return he suddenly realized what he had

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/4-sep-2016-jonah-says-thanks

[1] Refer Terence Fretheim, ‘The Message of Jonah’, page 103, for more on this

Tawa Baptist

Jonah’s Justice

Scripture: Jonah 1:1-16

 

Title: Jonah’s Justice

 

Structure:

  • Introduction – Nineveh
  • Jonah and God (vv. 1-4)
  • Jonah and the sailors (vv. 5-16)
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

Today we begin a new sermon series on the city of Nineveh

–         According to Genesis, Nineveh was founded by Nimrod (the great grandson of Noah and a mighty warrior & hunter) [1]

–         Archaeologists have found pottery at the site of Nineveh which dates back to 3000 BC – so Nineveh was a very ancient city indeed

In Old Testament times Nineveh was located in the Assyrian Empire – what we today would call Northern Iraq (about 220 miles north of Baghdad)

–         The Assyrian Empire doesn’t exist anymore but back in the day the people of Nineveh were Israel’s enemies

–         At the height of their powers (during the 7th Century BC) the Assyrians controlled a vast area – reaching down through Palestine into Egypt

–         The residents of Nineveh had a reputation for cruelty and violence

–         Consequently the city of Nineveh was considered an evil place – sort of like Sodom & Gomorrah or Babylon

 

The two books of the Bible which have the most to say about Nineveh are the prophets Jonah & Nahum

–         We are going to start our series on Nineveh by looking at the book of Jonah and, depending on how that goes, we may look at the book of Nahum later in the year

Jonah was a prophet who lived in Galilee (that’s the northern part of Israel)

–         We read about Jonah in 2 Kings chapter 14 – where he successfully predicted king Jeroboam II would recapture some of the lands of Israel to restore its former borders

–         In other words, Jonah gave the king of Israel confidence to fight and reclaim lost territory for Israel

–         This was a good message to bring – a patriotic message

 

It also tells us Jonah lived and prophesied in the 8th Century BC, so he came after Elijah & Elisha, but before Jeremiah

–         Jonah was a contemporary of Amos & Hosea

Please turn with me to Jonah chapter 1 – page 895 in your pew Bibles

–         We can’t be certain but the story of Jonah is probably set about 750 years before Jesus when the Assyrians were on the rise – just before they became a super power

–         From Jonah chapter 1, verses 1-16 we read…

 

One day the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. 2 He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are.” 3 Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the Lord.

 

4 But the Lord sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up. 5 The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god. Then, in order to lessen the danger, they threw the cargo overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship’s hold, sound asleep.

6 The captain found him there and said to him, “What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives.”

 

7 The sailors said to each other, “Let’s draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger.” They did so, and Jonah’s name was drawn. 8 So they said to him, “Now, then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?”

9 “I am a Hebrew,” Jonah answered. “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.” 10 Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the Lord.

 

The sailors were terrified, and said to him, “That was an awful thing to do!” 11 The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, “What should we do to you to stop the storm?”

 

12 Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm.”

 

13 Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might. But the storm was becoming worse and worse, and they got nowhere. 14 So they cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, we pray, don’t punish us with death for taking this man’s life! You, O Lord, are responsible for all this; it is your doing.”

 

15 Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once. 16 This made the sailors so afraid of the Lord that they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

Irony - polar bear

Jonah & God:

Here we have a road sign saying, ‘Watch for ice’, with a polar bear slipping over in the background – this is a picture of irony

 

Irony, in this sense, is when the situation seems to reverse normal expectations

–         We wouldn’t expect a polar bear to fall over on the ice, so it is ironic

–         The book of Jonah is full of irony – especially chapter 1

 

The story begins with God telling Jonah to go to Nineveh to speak against it because of its wickedness

–         This is not what Jonah expected

–         Normally in the Old Testament when prophets were asked to speak against foreign nations they simply did it from the relative safety of Israel

–         But in this situation, God actually wants Jonah to go to Nineveh in person

 

The difference is this…

 

If you preach against your enemies at home, then people will applaud you

–         They will take heart and gain hope from your message

–         Not only that but your enemies are unlikely to hear your message and therefore even less likely to change their ways and be forgiven

 

But if you go to your enemies and preach to them, then you are putting yourself at great risk

–         It would be like God saying, ‘Go to ISIS controlled territory (in Iraq) and preach against their violence’

–         You would expect to be killed

–         Having said that, there is an outside chance they will listen, change their ways and be forgiven – after all, you wouldn’t expect God to send you unless he thought there was some possibility of success

 

Jonah doesn’t like what God is asking him to do so he lodges a protest with God

–         The opening chapter doesn’t record Jonah’s protest – it presents Jonah as silent on the matter

–         But chapter 4 makes it clear that Jonah had words with God before going

–         As we shall see, Jonah was not afraid of dying

–         Jonah was afraid he would be successful – that the people of Nineveh would be conscience stricken by his message, repent and be forgiven

 

This also is ironic – a prophet who doesn’t want his message to be successful

–         Jonah didn’t think God should forgive the Assyrians

–         Jonah believed in justice and forgiveness isn’t fair

–         Just as there was no room for Jesus in Bethlehem – there is no room for forgiveness in Jonah’s heart

Instead of obeying God, Jonah goes to Joppa, pays his fare and gets on a boat bound for Tarshish – in Spain

–         Now Tarshish is in the opposite direction from Nineveh

–         In Jonah’s day Tarshish was considered to be on the edge of the known world

–         The point is, Jonah was trying to get as far away from Nineveh (and from the presence of the Lord) as he possibly could

 

Now when it says that Jonah was wanting to flee from the Lord, it doesn’t mean that Jonah somehow thought he could outrun God or go somewhere that God wasn’t

–         As a prophet Jonah knew that God was present everywhere in the world

–         Jonah ran away from Israel because Israel reminded him of the Lord and he didn’t want to be reminded of what the Lord wanted him to do

 

The band U2 have a song, ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’

–         The words go like this…

 

I want to run, I want to hide

I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside

I want to reach out and touch the flame

Where the streets have no name

 

‘The walls that hold me inside’ are the things that restrain us and make us feel trapped on the inside

–         And I interpret ‘Where the streets have no name’ to be a place that is unfamiliar to you – a place you don’t know at all

 

I’m not sure what Bono meant by those words but they speak to me of a person (like Jonah) who is wanting to run away from something but feels trapped

–         If you’ve lived in the same place for a while then you build up this library of memories – some of them good and some of them bad

–         And those memories are attached to places – to streets with names

–         So every time you go down a particular street it reminds you of something – perhaps a failure or a regret or even worse, something good that you’ve lost

 

My grandfather used to take me fishing when I was kid

–         We had some great times in this little aluminium dingy of his

–         He was good to me – we were close

–         When he died I inherited the dingy

–         Funny thing is I never took it out on the water again

–         I can’t really explain it but perhaps it reminded me of my loss

–         Fishing without my grandfather just wouldn’t be the same

 

I reckon Jonah wanted to go somewhere completely new where the street names didn’t have any memories attached to them – where he wouldn’t be constantly haunted by what God wanted him to do or by what he had lost

–         For Jonah, Spain was a place where the streets had no name

–         A place where he wouldn’t be reminded of the Lord

–         Of course, Jonah’s action in running away from God was like playing with fire – reaching out and touching the flame – he would get burned

 

Now at this point God has a choice

–         He can either replace Jonah – cut him loose and ask someone else to go to Nineveh in his place

–         Or, God can go after Jonah and turn him around

 

We’ve just completed a series on the 23rd Psalm and have learned that the Lord is not inclined to cut his sheep loose

–         If a sheep wanders off and gets lost then the Lord (who is a good shepherd) goes looking for that sheep in order to restore it to the flock

–         This is exactly what God does with Jonah

–         God, in his goodness, pursues Jonah – he doesn’t give up on him

 

Verse 4 tells us how God sent a wind on the sea that was so violent the ship was in danger of breaking up

 

Jonah & the sailors:

It must have been a pretty bad storm because the sailors, who were used to high seas, were terrified

–         The fact they threw cargo overboard tells us this was a serious situation

 

But throwing cargo overboard is not the first thing the sailors do

–         These sailors are not atheists – they are pagans

–         They don’t know about Yahweh, the God of Israel, and yet they are still religious in their own way

–         Their first response is to pray – each to his own god

–         Their gods are not real and have no control over the elements but the sailors don’t know that

 

What makes this scene highly ironic is that Jonah (the prophet) is fast asleep while the pagan sailors are praying

–         We would expect Jonah to be leading the prayer meeting, not sleeping through it

 

That Jonah is able to sleep so soundly through such a violent storm tells us that his conscience is not disturbed

–         We would expect Jonah to be feeling some degree of guilt or shame and therefore not to be sleeping well – but apparently he is comfortable with the decision he has made

 

Why is that?

–         Well some people might say it’s because Jonah has hardened his heart

–         But I don’t think so – that doesn’t fit with Jonah’s character

–         He’s actually a fairly sensitive bloke

 

I reckon Jonah is able to sleep easy because, in his mind, he is acting with integrity

 

Jonah’s belief in justice – that people should get what they deserve – is so strong that it allows no room for God’s grace or forgiveness

 

You know how in a forest the larger trees overshadow the smaller saplings

–         So the light doesn’t get through and those smaller plants don’t ever get a chance to grow

–         Well it’s a bit like that with Jonah

 

In Jonah’s heart and mind justice is the really big, dominant tree in the forest – and mercy or forgiveness is the sapling that just doesn’t get a chance to grow

–         Jonah believes the people of Nineveh should not be given an opportunity to repent and be forgiven

–         In his mind that wouldn’t be fair, not after what they’ve done

–         God has to prune the trees of justice in Jonah’s mind to let the light of his grace through and allow the saplings of forgiveness to grow

 

Any guilt that Jonah may feel as a consequence of disobeying God is absolved by his self-imposed exile

–         Jonah is consistent – if he doesn’t obey God’s word then he doesn’t deserve to live among God’s people

–         Which may be part of the reason he takes himself off to Spain

 

Unfortunately, acting with integrity doesn’t guarantee that you are right

–         It is possible to be perfectly consistent and yet still be wrong

 

It seems to me that Jonah has confused justice with God

–         While it is true to say that ‘God is just’

–         It does not automatically follow that ‘justice is God’

–         God is free – both free to punish and free to forgive – that’s what makes him God

–         If God had to submit to Jonah’s idea of justice then he wouldn’t be God

 

The captain has to go and wake Jonah

–         “What are you doing asleep”, he asks, “Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives.”

 

Irony again

–         The pagan captain is basically saying to Jonah, “Pray for mercy”

–         This is what Jonah should be saying to the people of Nineveh

–         But Jonah doesn’t believe in mercy – he believes in justice

–         Despite the captain’s call to prayer Jonah doesn’t pray at this point – he is giving God the silent treatment

 

The sailors draw lots to find out who is to blame

–         We can’t be sure, from this distance in history, what ‘drawing (or casting) lots’ involved, but it was something like throwing dice

–         If your number came up then you were it

–         Surprise, surprise, Jonah’s number comes up

 

The sailors ask Jonah a series of quick fire questions and Jonah responds…

–         I am a Hebrew

–         I worship Yahweh, the God of heaven who made land and sea

–         And, I’m running away from the Lord

 

Now the sailors are even more afraid

–         But their fear this time is different

–         At first they were simply afraid of dying

–         Now they’re afraid because they have become aware they are in the presence of such a great and powerful God

–         It’s that sense of wo-oh – this is for real

–         We are not alone, we are in the presence of someone or something that we do not understand and cannot control

 

The sailors are absolutely shocked that anyone would disrespect their God like that – especially a God so powerful

 

The waves were getting worse so the mariners ask Jonah, “What should we do to stop the storm”,

–         And Jonah replies, “Throw me into the sea and it will calm down”

 

Now this is a brave and interesting move by Jonah

–         There was more than one way to stop the storm

–         Jonah could have cried out to God for mercy and forgiveness

–         The Lord would have stilled the waves and the sailors could return Jonah to Joppa

 

But Jonah doesn’t do this – sadly his integrity gets in the way

–         Jonah wouldn’t ask for forgiveness and mercy for himself all the while expecting justice and judgement for the people of Nineveh

–         No – if they deserve justice, then so does he

–         Jonah may be wrong but at least he is consistent

–         Jonah would rather be thrown in the sea and die than ask the Lord for forgiveness – that’s how tight his integrity is

 

As Terence Fretheim points out…

–         “Jonah admits that he is guilty, yet he will not repent. And so he will satisfy God’s justice. He will take upon himself what he deserves…

–         In a clever move Jonah has here succeeded in throwing the ball back into God’s court. He will show God how to act justly” [2]

 

We the audience are left wondering, ‘How will the Lord respond?’

 

That Jonah is willing to sacrifice himself to save the pagan sailors also shows us that Jonah wasn’t against Gentiles (or non-Jews)

–         Jonah’s resistance in going to Nineveh wasn’t a racial thing – it was a justice thing

 

Like Jonah, the sailors have integrity too

–         They are not about to throw Jonah overboard if they can help it

–         Ironically, they try to repent on Jonah’s behalf – they try to row back to shore

–         But it’s no use – you can’t repent for someone else, they must do it for themselves

 

The wind and waves just get worse

–         In the end they realise there is nothing else for it

–         The sailors pray to Jonah’s God – to Yahweh – asking for mercy,

–         “O Lord, don’t punish us with death for taking this man’s life”

 

Yet again we see the irony…

–         Jonah won’t pray to the Lord (he won’t ask God for mercy, even though he knows he’ll get it)

–         But the pagan sailors do ask, even though they’re not sure of the outcome

 

As soon as they throw Jonah in the drink, the sea goes calm

–         At this the sailors fear the Lord

 

The Hebrew word for fear (yara) is the same as for worship

–         So to fear the Lord (in this context) is to worship the Lord

 

The sailors have been pretty consistent through all of this

–         They have been afraid the whole way along

–         But the nature of their fear has changed

–         In the beginning, when the storm started, they were afraid of dying

–         But in the end, when the stormed ceased, they feared God

 

Two quite different types of fear

–         When you are afraid of dying then you tend to do stupid things

–         But when you fear the Lord, you make better choices

–         The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

–         The sailors’ fear of the Lord led them to offer sacrifices to him and promise to serve him

 

Again there is this beautiful irony

–         Jonah’s disobedience to God results in the sailors’ conversion

–         God doesn’t waste anything, especially not our mistakes

–         If Jonah hadn’t got on that boat to Spain the sailors would never have come to know the Lord

–         They would never have experienced the reality of God’s power like they did in that storm and the calming of the storm

–         Nor would they have met a prophet like Jonah to interpret God’s power for them

 

And that’s the fascinating thing right there

–         God’s power in and of itself was not enough to change the sailors

–         The storm is inarticulate – it doesn’t make sense

–         God’s power by itself just makes the sailors more afraid of dying

–         The sailors need Jonah to articulate God’s purpose in the storm

–         When Jonah interprets the events for them then the sailors’ fear is transformed from soul destroying appeasement to life giving worship

 

We might think the part we play in God’s plan of salvation is unimportant

–         And while it doesn’t depend on us entirely God does give us a vital role

–         Like Jonah we may be called upon to interpret God’s power

–         The wonderfully ironic thing is that it’s through his weakness that Jonah interprets God’s power

–         It is when Jonah confesses his wrong doing that the sailors come to know God’s grace

 

Conclusion:

Some Biblical commentators are pretty hard on Jonah

–         They think the moral of the story is, “don’t be like Jonah”

–         But I don’t think that’s point at all

–         I like Jonah – he is honest and he is brave

–         And most importantly he points to Jesus

 

The name ‘Jonah’ means dove

–         Doves were used by the poor, in ancient Israel, as a sacrifice to the Lord

–         If you couldn’t afford a lamb or a goat then you sacrificed pigeons or doves instead

–         Jonah (the dove) sacrificed himself – he put himself at risk – for the sake of those who did not know the Lord

–         Remind you of anyone?  (That’s right – Jesus)

 

Jesus had integrity – he believed in justice, but not at the expense of grace and mercy

–         God is free – free of our expectations

–         We must have a belief system (a theology) which is spacious enough to allow room for both justice & mercy

–         We don’t want to let the tree of justice grow so large that the sapling of forgiveness has no light to grow

 

Let us pray…

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/21-aug-2016-jonahs-justice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Genesis 10:8-11

[2] Terence Fretheim, ‘The Message of Jonah’, page 88-89.

Tawa Baptist

God’s House

Scripture: Psalm 23:6b and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

(With reference to John 10:7-10)

 

Title: God’s House

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The house of the Lord
  • Jesus is the gate
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

For most of this year we have been journeying through the 23rd Psalm together, exploring some of the ways it points to Jesus

–         Who can tell me the overarching message of Psalm 23? [Wait]

–          That’s right, the Lord is my security

–         And what are the two main metaphors that David uses to describe the Lord? [Wait]

–         That’s right, the Lord is a good shepherd and a generous host

 

In all of us there is a yearning for home, for a secure place to dwell – a place to belong, to put roots down and be sustained

 

And yet we live in a world which is highly mobile

–         People are more transient on the whole than they once were

–         We might travel a lot for work or move cities & countries for another job, leaving behind family, friends and community

–         Add to that the millions of displaced people in the world – those who are forced to shift by circumstance – the homeless and refugees

–         There is much in this life which works against our longing for home

 

Today we conclude our sermon series by focusing on the last half of verse 6…

–         And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for the length of days.

–         This verse speaks to the ache in our heart for home

 

Before we get into it though let’s read the whole Psalm together…

 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters

He restores my soul

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake

Even though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death I will fear no evil

For you are with me;

your rod and your staff they comfort me

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me

all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

For the length of days

 

May the Lord illuminate his Word for us

 

The house of the Lord:

In Maori culture when you are formally introduced to someone, they usually tell you where they are from

–         They might say, this is my iwi (or tribe), this is my hapu (or sub-tribe), this is my awa (my river), this is my maunga (my mountain) and so forth

–         Traditionally Maori feel a deep connection with the land and with their ancestors

–         So the place you’re from – both your geographical home and your biological house (your family) – are very important

 

In this way Maori culture is fairly similar to Jewish culture

–         Land and family are really important to the Jews as well

–         Where you are from, your house, your tribe & your piece of dirt, matters

 

What then does David mean by that expression house of the Lord?

–         Is he talking about a specific building?

–         Or is his emphasis more on being part of God’s family – his household?

–         Or is it both / and

 

Well, we might think the house of the Lord refers to the temple in Jerusalem

–         Just like we might think of this church building as God’s house

–         While God’s house can refer to a special building consecrated for worship (like this auditorium) it is not limited to this meaning

 

One of the problems with equating the house of the Lord (in Psalm 23) specifically to the temple in Jerusalem is that during David’s time the temple hadn’t been built yet

–         The ark of the covenant was housed in a tent or a tabernacle

–         And it wasn’t suitable for people to dwell in – it was a sacred space

 

The other problem with associating the house of the Lord with the temple or the tabernacle is that God cannot be contained in a building or a tent

–         He is far too big for that

 

In ancient Hebrew thought God fills the earth and indeed the universe with his presence

–         So the whole cosmos is God’s temple – not just this building, not just the Vatican in Rome or the temple in Jerusalem

 

Therefore, when David says, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord, what he probably means is that…

–         ‘I am at home with the Lord wherever I go. There is no escaping God’s presence’

–         In other words, David’s sense of belonging is not connected to a building or a specific location – it is connected to the Lord himself

–         ‘Wherever you go Lord, that’s my home’

 

Billy Joel has a song called “You’re my home”

–         There’s a great line in the chorus where he says…

–         “I never had a place I could call my own, but that’s all right my love because you’re my home”

–         The Lord God is David’s home – wherever he goes

 

And that’s quite striking when we remember how important the land and a sense of place is to the Jewish people

–         It’s like David is saying, ‘my river, my mountain, my turangawaewae, my ground of being, my security, is God

–         Or to use another illustration, it’s like David has taken the welcome mat at the front door of his home and turned it around so that it is facing out

–         Every time he walks out the front door he is reminded that he is at home and welcome with God wherever he goes

 

To make the point, if dwelling in the house of the Lord, means being at home with God anywhere in the world then David’s home would be a camper van – a mobile home

 

If dwelling in the house of the Lord in David’s mind also means, being in God’s family, belonging to God’s tribe, then this too is striking

–         Most kings in the ancient world (and in the contemporary one) are interested in making a name for themselves

–         Doing something to be remembered, creating a dynasty – leaving a legacy

–         But not David – he is more interested in God’s name than his own

–         Again it’s like David is saying, ‘my iwi, my tribe, is Ngati Yahweh

–         I belong to God’s household – his whanau

 

So dwelling in the house of the Lord means being at home with God anywhere

–         And it also means being part of God’s family

 

This idea that God is David’s home and his family would have been a tremendous encouragement to the Jewish people, especially when they were cut off from their land and had lost family, after the exile to Babylon

–         And it can be a tremendous strength to us also

–         Land & family can be taken from us, but no one can take God from us

 

What about the last part there?

–         And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for the length of days

 

Most of us are probably more familiar with and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

–         But for the length of days is actually more accurate, even if it is more ambiguous

–         For the length of days can mean for the rest of my earthly life

–         But it can also mean forever – as in, for eternity with God in heaven

–         Heaven is of course God’s eternal house – otherwise known as the Kingdom of God

 

Whichever way you want to slice it, David’s point seems to be…

–         ‘I am at home with God, both in this life and the next. Because of the Lord my future is secure.’

 

Jesus is the gate:

Please turn with me to John chapter 10, verse 7 – page 132 toward the back of your pew Bibles…

–         Psalm 23 points to Jesus

–         Jesus is the good shepherd and the generous host that David spoke of

–         It is through Jesus that we are able to dwell in the house of the Lord for the length of days. From John 10, verses 7-10 we read…

 

7 So Jesus said again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever comes in by me will be saved; he will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

This is a picture of a predator proof fence – like you might see at Zealandia

–         It’s not designed to keep the birds in – rather it is designed to keep the predators out (rats, stoats, opossums and so on)

–         If you are a native bird then you want to be inside the fence, especially at times when you may be vulnerable, like nesting or breeding season

–         But there is nothing to stop the birds coming and going otherwise

 

In John 10, Jesus (the good shepherd) refers to himself as the gate for the sheep

–         What does he mean?

 

Kenneth Bailey, who has been so helpful in this series, sheds light on what Jesus is getting at in John 10 [1]

–         He explains how in the Middle East, towards the end of the year and before the winter rains, when it is very dry, the shepherd must lead their flock further and further from the village to find pasture

–         This means it is harder for the flock to return to the relative safety of the village each evening – so they stay out in the wilderness overnight

 

To protect the flock, and get some sleep, the shepherd builds a rough enclosure using stones in the field

–         They might also put thorns on the top of the brick fence, like razor wire to keep the predators out

–         The enclosure doesn’t have a roof and there is no gate

–         The shepherd acts as a human gate by lying across the entrance way

–         If a predator or thief tries to enter the shepherd is woken and can protect the sheep from harm

 

Jesus is the human gate to God’s house (God’s kingdom)

–         He lets the sheep in, where we can have sanctuary, and he keeps evil out

–         All who enter by Jesus are saved

 

Verse 9 says, those who enter will come in and go out to find pasture

–         This verse speaks of the freedom and sustenance we have in Christ

–         Salvation does not mean the shepherd feeds the sheep from the safety of the barn or the stone enclosure

–         Rather, salvation includes freedom to go in for protection at night and out to the fields during the day to find nourishment for your soul

–         Like the birds at Zealandia who can fly in and out of the enclosure

 

But the main point here is that Jesus is the key to dwelling in the house of the Lord – he is our home security

–         Jesus is the good shepherd who provides sanctuary and acts as a human gate to God’s kingdom, wherever he may lead us in the world

–         So we can abide in Christ anywhere – even in the wilderness

 

On the night before he died Jesus said to his disciples, “Abide in me”

–         Trust me, dwell in me, remain in me, make me your home

–         When you do that you will be sustained and fruitful – like a branch connected to the vine

 

There’s a programme on Friday nights called, ‘The NZ home’

–         It’s a documentary type series looking at the history of NZ architecture

–         Last Friday they were covering the 1990’s when a lot of leaky homes were built

–         They took the cameras inside one of these leaky homes and the mould was so bad they had to wear suits and breathing masks

–         The house had become toxic and the occupants had been forced to leave

–         Really sad stuff

 

Our soul, our heart & mind, our inner person can dwell in damp, mouldy toxic conditions, like the leaky home

–         Or we can abide in Christ who sustains our life

 

What then does it mean to abide in Christ?

–         Let me give you some examples…

 

You can abide in the opinion of others – always a slave to what they think (which is toxic to the soul)

–         Or you can abide in the acceptance that Jesus offers (which is life giving)

 

You can abide in guilt & shame – always carrying out an autopsy on your mistakes, always trying to justify yourself

–         Or you can abide in the forgiveness that Jesus offers

 

You can abide in worry about the future – always anticipating the worst, always planning your escape

–         Or you can abide in the hope that Jesus offers

 

You can abide in loveless duty – always driven to do what you think you ought to do, not what you really care about

–         Or you can abide in the freedom that Jesus offers

 

You can abide in a fantasy world – always avoiding pain, grief & confrontation

–         Or you can abide in the truth and healing that Jesus offers

 

You can abide in bitterness – always feeling sorry for yourself, always taking offence where none was intended

–         Or you can abide in the grace to let go, that Jesus offers

 

You can abide in temptation – always looking over the fence, always imagining that you are missing out

–         Or you can abide in the simple contentment that Jesus offers

 

You can abide in your own abilities and cunning – always looking over your shoulder, always seeing your neighbour as a competitor, a threat

–         Or you can abide in the friendship that Jesus offers

 

You can abide in a treadmill of activity – always on the go, never able to be still long enough to enjoy anything

–         Or you can abide in the peace that Jesus offers

 

We could go on but you get the point – we can dwell in something toxic or we abide in Christ who is our life

 

Jesus says, “Abide in me” – trust me, make me your home

–         Jesus doesn’t leak

 

Conclusion:

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for the length of days means that God is our home and our family (our security), both in this life and the next

 

On the night before his crucifixion & death Jesus also said to his disciples…

 

Do not be worried and upset. Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.

 

These verses are often read out at funerals because they talk about our eternal home in God’s house

 

Jesus is the good shepherd who travels with us through the wilderness of this life – giving shelter and sustenance

–         He is also the good carpenter who goes ahead of us into the next life to build a home for us with God

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/14-august-2016-gods-house

[1] Kenneth Bailey, ‘The Good Shepherd’, pages 220-224.

Tawa Baptist

Comfort

Scripture: Psalm 23:4b – “Your rod and your staff they comfort me”

(With reference to Matthew 9:1-8)

 

Title: Comfort

Structure:

  • Introduction – comfort
  • The shepherd’s rod & staff
  • Jesus comforts the paralysed man – Matthew 9:1-8
  • Conclusion – The Comforter

 

Introduction:

On the wall here are some pictures

  • Some chocolate
  • A teddy bear
  • A sofa piled high with pillows
  • And a couple giving each other a hug
  • Looking at these pictures what seven letter word comes to mind?
  • Let people respond
  • That’s right: Comfort

 

These are the sorts of images we might ordinarily associate with comfort

  • Chocolate is comfort food
  • Pillows provide for comfortable rest
  • A hug communicates emotional comfort and security as does a teddy bear

 

Although we (today) might equate comfort with physical ease, luxury or even self-indulgence it didn’t always mean this

 

To comfort someone generally implies that the person receiving the comfort is in a state of pain or affliction [1]

  • Comfort causes us to feel less worried or upset [2]
  • Comfort eases our grief or trouble
  • And it gives strength and hope – it cheers up in other words

 

The word ‘comfort’ derives from two Latin words

  • Com – meaning with
  • And fortis meaning strong
  • So to comfort someone is to be with them in a way that fortifies them with courage – making them stronger & safer

 

Chocolate and pillows have their place but they don’t provide real comfort – because in the long run they don’t actually give strength or security

 

Other images which are closer to the original meaning of comfort might include

  • A life jacket – because this is a vestment of security; it makes you safer on the water
  • A walking frame – because this fortifies people, giving them strength & confidence to stand
  • A speed camera – because they actually make the roads safer
  • We can still keep the hug because physical closeness helps us to feel less alone and more secure
  • In the right context each of these things comforts us in the sense that they provide strength, courage and relief from anxiety

 

Okay, one more illustration to help us grasp the meaning of comfort

  • On the wall here is a picture of some cake batter being poured into a tin
  • Without the cake tin the batter would run out everywhere and the cake would have no strength to hold its shape
  • The tin comforts the cake in the sense that it gives strength to the cake – at least while the cake is baking in the oven
  • Once the cake is cooked you can take it out of the tin and it will hold together by itself
  • But until then the tin provides the comforting framework or the healthy boundaries needed for the cake’s strength

 

Today we continue our series on Psalm 23

  • The message of Psalm 23 as a whole is: the Lord is my security.
  • God looks after me like a shepherd looks after a sheep.

 

So far we have covered the first three & half verses…

 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters

He restores my soul

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil

 

 

Today we finish verse 4, the centre of the psalm…

 

For you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me

 

This is primarily about the Lord’s comfort in the valley of darkness

  • Not comfort in the sense of ease & luxury – not chocolate & pillows
  • But comfort in the sense of strength, courage & security
  • Real comfort which makes us safer, relieving our anxiety & fear

 

The shepherd’s rod & staff:

So what does David mean by your rod and your staff?

  • How are these a comfort (or a strength) to him?
  • How do they provide security and relieve his anxiety?

 

Well, the rod and staff are two quite different tools of the shepherd’s trade

 

Kenneth Bailey observes that sheep have a special problem – they have no defences [3]

  • Cats have claws, dogs can bite, horses can kick, bears can crush, deer can run, but sheep have no ability to protect themselves
  • Without the shepherd, the sheep are completely vulnerable
  • The shepherd is their only security

 

 

The shepherd’s rod is one of his tools for protecting the sheep

  • It looks something like this…
  • [Show the rod]
  • I collected a couple of examples while walking on the beach up the Kapiti Coast
  • These are the closest I could find resembling a rod
  • As you can see a rod is relatively short and has a lumpy bit on the end – like a mace or a club
  • The rod is essentially a weapon
  • The shepherd uses his rod to protect his flock from predators – wolves and wild dogs and so forth
  • If a wolf threatens the flock the shepherd hits the wolf across the head
  • Good night wolf

 

The rod is a comfort to the sheep because it makes them more secure – it saves them from the wolf

  • David is less anxious knowing that the Lord (his Shepherd) is present with a rod to protect him

 

The shepherd also uses the rod for counting the sheep

  • When the flock return to the village in the evening the shepherd holds the rod over the sheep to account for each one
  • If a sheep or lamb is missing then the shepherd goes out to look for it
  • Knowing that the Lord counts his sheep with the rod also gives David comfort – he is less afraid of being forgotten or abandoned
  • So that’s the rod – it is never used against the sheep

 

Here we have a couple of examples of a shepherd’s staff

  • As you can see the staff is longer & thinner than the rod
  • Some are straight, like this one
  • And others have a curved bit (or a crook) on the end, like this one
  • If the sheep is about to fall down a bank or into a stream the staff with crook gives the shepherd extra reach to grab hold of the sheep and pull it back to safety
  • The shepherd uses the staff to gently guide the sheep back onto the path

 

In the wild Middle East where there are no fences and flocks roam in open country, the shepherd’s staff is like the proverbial fence at the top of the cliff preventing the sheep from going over the edge

 

So while the rod protects the sheep from predators, the staff protects the sheep from itself

  • David is comforted by the Lord’s staff because it keeps him on track – it stops him from going over the edge
  • In this sense the staff is a bit like the cake tin I showed you earlier
  • Like a cake tin the staff provides a framework (a healthy boundary) for holding us together while we are still growing into maturity

 

In some ways, children are like cake batter

  • They are comforted and strengthened and less anxious when they grow up with fair rules and consistent boundaries
  • We don’t need to be hard on our children
  • They don’t need us to hit them with the rod
  • But they do need us to guide them with the staff – to be firm and fair

 

The Lord’s staff, his tool for keeping us on track, is the moral law – the 10 commandments for example

  • There is something quite comforting about the staff of rules and tradition
  • Without the staff of rules and healthy boundaries (like uncooked cake batter) we won’t have the strength to hold together and keep our shape

 

In the Bible the staff is also a symbol of power, authority and journey

  • Moses, for example, used his staff to part the Red Sea and perform other miracles as he guided the people of Israel on a 40 year journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land

 

I mentioned last week that pagan gods are fixed in one location – in so called sacred places like temples or shrines

  • But Yahweh (the living God) is not fixed
  • Yahweh (the Lord) is free to move wherever he wants
  • That the Lord carries a staff (in David’s imagination) is a sign that God is with David wherever he goes
  • Knowing that God is with you (in close proximity to you) is a comfort – it gives strength and confidence and security in the darkest valley

 

For you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me

  • The Lord has the tools and the skills to take care of us
  • His presence gives strength & courage in dark and difficult places

 

Jesus comforts a paralysed man (Matthew 9:1-8)

The film Dolphin Tale was inspired by the true story of a dolphin called ‘Winter’ who lost his tale and had to learn to swim again with the help of a prosthetic tale

  • The doctor who made the prosthetic tale was working in a veteran’s hospital making prosthetic limbs and braces for returned soldiers
  • One soldier in particular, Kyle, was having a hard time adjusting to his disability
  • Kyle used to be a champion swimmer – but after his injury he had to give up that dream
  • When the doctor (played by Morgan Freeman) comforted Kyle, he didn’t do it with words of sympathy (with chocolates & pillows)
  • Instead the doctor comforts Kyle with words of strength

 

  • When Kyle says he is broken the doctor takes a glass and drops it on the ground so that it breaks and says, ‘the glass is broken – you’re not broken
  • Kyle still has options
  • There are a million other things he can still do, even with a gammy leg
  • Kyle is focusing on what he has lost so the doctor reminds him of what he still has – telling Kyle to go home to his family
  • In the long run, Morgan Freeman’s words have the effect of strengthening Kyle, so in that sense they provide more real comfort than sympathy

 

 

How then did Jesus, the good shepherd, comfort people?

  • How did Jesus inspire strength & courage?
  • Well, in Matthew chapter 9 we are given an example…

 

Jesus got into the boat and went back across the lake to his own town 2 where some people brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a bed. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the paralyzed man, “Courage, my son! [Take heart] Your sins are forgiven.”

 

3 Then some teachers of the Law said to themselves, “This man is speaking blasphemy!”

 

4 Jesus perceived what they were thinking, and so he said, “Why are you thinking such evil things? 5 Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your bed, and go home!”

 

7 The man got up and went home. 8 When the people saw it, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such authority to people.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us

 

Being paralysed the man in this story was basically defenceless, like a sheep

  • Not being able to move he was vulnerable, powerless

 

Fortunately this guy had friends to help him

  • The friends comforted the paralysed man by carrying him to Jesus
  • Their comfort wasn’t in the form of sympathetic words
  • Their comfort was in the form of practical action
  • Another version of this story in the gospels tells how the friends made a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was and lowered the man down
  • The friends’ faith in Jesus (collectively) gave emotional strength and spiritual courage to the paralysed man

 

When Jesus sees their faith he speaks words of comfort to the man

  • “Courage my son. [Take heart]. Your sins are forgiven.”
  • Jesus’ words fortify the man’s inner being
  • We don’t know why the man was paralysed
  • It probably wasn’t because of any sin he had committed – otherwise we would all be in wheelchairs
  • But the social reality was such that most people listening to Jesus at that time would have assumed the paralysis was a punishment for sin
  • And it appears the man himself had bought into this lie
  • It appears the man believed he deserved to be paralysed

By saying, “Your sins are forgiven”, Jesus removes the man’s fear

  • Think about that for a moment
  • Forgiveness is a form of comfort – one of the most powerful forms of comfort in fact, because forgiveness takes away the fear of punishment
  • We can equate forgiveness to the shepherd’s rod because sin, guilt & shame are the enemies of the human soul
  • And forgiveness is the weapon by which Jesus, the good shepherd, protects us from sin, guilt & shame
  • Jesus’ rod of forgiveness comforts the paralysed man
  • The rod of forgiveness gives the man courage & permission to stand and walk without fear of punishment

 

Many people of Jesus’ day would have thought the Lord’s rod was some kind of weapon or military force to smash the Roman oppressors

  • But that’s not what Jesus came to do
  • Christ didn’t come to smash people
  • He came to smash sin and its consequences
  • And to guide people in the right path – the path of abundant life

 

By saying to the man, “Your sins are forgiven”, Jesus is making a startling claim – that he has divine authority to forgive sins

  • The scribes (the teachers of the law) are discomforted by Jesus’ claim
  • They begin to get off track thinking Jesus has committed blasphemy
  • So Jesus neutralises their fears and brings back onto the right path by healing the man
  • The miracle Jesus performs is like the shepherd’s staff – it is a symbol of Jesus’ God given authority – his right to forgive and to guide

Jesus wields the rod of forgiveness & the staff of healing with his tongue

  • It was by words spoken with power that Jesus, the good shepherd, brought real tangible comfort to people

 

 

Conclusion:

There is another way that Jesus comforts people and that is with the Holy Spirit

 

On the night before he died Jesus spoke words of comfort to his disciples…

 

The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you… Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

 

The Comforter, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, comes alongside us with strength and courage and truth to guide us, even through the darkest valley

 

Let us pray…

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort

[2] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comfort

[3] Kenneth Bailey, ‘The Good Shepherd’, page 49

Tawa Baptist

Shine

Scriptures: 1st Samuel 18:1-4; 20:3-4 & 23:15-18

 

Title: Shine

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • 1st Samuel 18:1-4 (Commitment)
  • 1st Samuel 20:3-4 (Affection)
  • 1st Samuel 23:15-18 (Remembering & Encouragement)
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

Today is the second of three Sundays when we focus on the work of Tranzsend and our NZ Baptist missionaries serving overseas

 

The framework for the three weeks of the campaign is…

  • Week 1 – Pray (Inoi)
  • Week 2 – Shine (Tiaho)
  • Week 3 – Thank (Mihi)

 

The catch word offered by Tranzsend for, this, the second week of the appeal is shine

Paua

 

To illustrate what they mean by shine, Tranzsend have used the image of a paua shell (Paua is a kind of shell fish)

  • An empty paua shell has a beautiful iridescent quality
  • It is in the nature of a paua shell to shine when it’s turned towards the sun

 

Psalm 34 verse 5 says…

  • Keep your eyes on the Lord and you will shine like the sun
  • The idea here is that God is the source of light and when we face him we reflect His light into the lives of those around us

 

Friendship is one of the main ways that we shine God’s light into the lives of others

  • A friend is someone who cares for you
  • A friend is committed to God’s best for you
  • A friend has affection for you
  • A friend remembers you, and
  • A friend encourages you

 

Commitment, affection, remembering and encouragement – it spells ‘care’

  • These are the different colours of the light of friendship

One of the classic Bible stories of friendship is that of Jonathon & David

  • Jonathon genuinely cared for David
  • Through his commitment, affection, remembering and encouragement, Jonathon shone God’s light into David’s life
  • The story of Jonathon & David’s friendship is found in 1st Samuel chapters 18 to 23

 

1st Samuel 18:1-4 (Commitment)

Jonathon was the son of King Saul

  • That means Jonathon was a prince of Israel (in Old Testament times)
  • Jonathon first meets David just after David has killed Goliath
  • We begin their story from 1st Samuel chapter 18, verse 1

 

After David had finished talking with Saul, the soul of Jonathon was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathon loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.

 

And Jonathon made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathon took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus shine light on God’s word

 

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

 

On the wall here is the picture of a rope of three strands

  • There is a verse in Ecclesiastes which says…
  • A cord (or a rope) of three strands is not easily broken
  • You sometimes hear that verse read out at weddings
  • This image speaks of the strength which comes from binding your life to someone else in a solemn commitment

 

The thing that is striking here is that there are three strands – not two

  • Without the third strand the rope wouldn’t hold together all that well
  • You need the third strand for the plat to work
  • If two of the strands represent the two people in the friendship then the third strand represents God

 

1st Samuel 18, verse 1 says…

  • After David had finished talking with Saul, the soul of Jonathon was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathon loved him as himself.

 

In the context David has just killed Goliath and now he is talking with Saul, while Jonathon (Saul’s son) listens on

  • We don’t know exactly what David said to Saul in that conversation but we do know David’s words & actions resonated deeply with Jonathon
  • So much so that Jonathon’s soul was bound to David’s soul

 

What was it that bound their souls together?

  • I believe it was a shared commitment to God
  • Jonathon saw in David a young man who was completely committed to Yahweh and the Lord’s purpose for Israel
  • This was Jonathon’s heart too
  • They both wanted what God wanted for Israel

 

A friend is someone we share something in common with – perhaps a love of music or a love of cricket or a love of reading or whatever

 

C.S. Lewis said…

– “Friendship is born at the moment when one [person] says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…’ enjoyed such and such a thing, whatever it might be [1]

 

  • Friends love the same things
  • They enjoy doing the same activities together
  • Through their mutual enjoyment of a particular endeavour friends spend time together and a bond of trust and mutual understanding forms
  • Friends come to know each other

 

Aristotle put it most succinctly when he said…

  • “What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.”

 

Jesus says, “You are my friends if you love one another”

  • The soul of Jesus is love
  • If we love one another then we share the same soul as Jesus
  • And we will enjoy the same things as Jesus

 

Jonathon shared the same soul as David

  • Like David, Jonathon was also a man after God’s own heart
  • The heart is the seat of the will – so to be a person after God’s own heart is to want the same things God wants, in the deepest core of yourself

When your life is bound so closely to another, then you genuinely do love that person as you love yourself – one soul, two bodies

  • Jonathon formalised his commitment to David by cutting a covenant – making a sacred agreement with David
  • Jonathon then sealed the covenant by giving David his robe (literally the shirt off his back) and his weapons – an incredibly generous gesture
  • Jonathon was committed to God’s best for David – he cared that much
  • What this means is that David & Jonathon’s friendship wasn’t primarily about them – it was about God

1st Samuel 20:3-4 (Affection)

A true friend cares for you and their commitment comes with affection

 

We tend to think of affection as a nice warm fuzzy feeling toward someone else

  • Affection may include warm fuzzy feelings but it runs deeper than that
  • Affection has to do with empathy – feeling what someone else is feeling

 

When your life is bound up with someone else’s then you can’t help but be affected by that person

  • So you feel what happens to them
  • If they are hurting then you hurt too
  • If they are lonely then you are sad
  • If they are happy then you are pleased
  • If they are distressed then you are moved to help them

 

We see Jonathon’s affection for David in chapter 20 of 1st Samuel

  • By this stage Saul has grown jealous of David and wants to kill him
  • David is distraught and goes to Jonathon for help, saying…

 

“Your father knows very well that I have found favour in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathon must not know [that I intend to kill David] or he will be grieved.”

  • Jonathon said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”

 

 

That’s affection

  • Jonathon would be grieved to know his father’s intention against David
  • And when he does find out, Jonathon is willing to do anything to help David, even if that means deceiving his father Saul

 

At the end of chapter 20, after Jonathon has realised that his father Saul is mad and the best he can do to protect David is send him away secretly, Jonathon and David say goodbye, weeping together as they do

  • Their tears are an expression of their affection for one another

 

Commitment without affection is cold comfort

  • Commitment with affection warms us with the reassurance that we are not alone
  • When we show affection for others – when we feel what they are feeling and are moved to help – then we shine God’s light into their lives

 

For God so loved the world (he was so affected by the world he made) that he sent his only Son…

 

Affection comes with being a Christian

  • You can’t be a Christian and remain unaffected
  • When we follow Jesus it messes with us – the pain of the world together with the Spirit of God bothers us, disturbs us and moves us 

A true friend cares. This means a friend is committed to God’s best for you

  • A friend is affected by what you are going through
  • And a friend remembers you and encourages you
  • Commitment, affection, remembering and encouragement
  • These are the different colours of God’s light shining through friendship

1st Samuel 23:15-18 (Remembering & Encouraging)

Sky over Tawa - 19 May 2016 - morning

This picture was taken last Thursday morning (19 May), in Tawa

  • Isn’t it fantastic the way the light reflects off this dark cloud
  • Normally the proverb says: Red sky in the morning shepherd’s warning
  • Meaning we should watch out for bad weather that day
  • But on this particular occasion (last Thursday) the red sky in the morning was followed by a gorgeous blue sky day

 

When you look at a paua shell, it’s obviously beautiful – it’s pretty

  • But when you look at a dark cloud you don’t necessarily see the potential for beauty until the light shines on it at just the right angle

 

After David is forced to flee for his life from Saul he becomes an outlaw living in the wilderness

  • It is a hard life for David – he is living under a heavy black cloud
  • But Jonathon remembers David and encourages him
  • Jonathon shines light on David’s circumstances at just the right angle to make black look beautiful
  • From 1st Samuel 23, verse 15 we read…

 

While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathon went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.

 

Jonathon remembered David

 

Re-member – it’s an interesting word

  • We tend to equate remembering with recalling a memory or a thought
  • But there is more to remembering than this
  • To re-member is to put something back together again
  • Not just back together mentally – in our imagination
  • But back together practically – in reality
  • Remembering involves actually doing something tangible

 

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Mothers’ day

  • About a week or so before that I said to Robyn…
  • “I’m not planning to get you anything for Mothers’ Day this year”
  • My intention was to manage her expectations so she wasn’t too disappointed on the day
  • A lot of husbands wouldn’t be that sensitive you know

Robyn wasn’t too upset – she knows gift giving is not my love language

  • She just smiled and said something like…
  • “Thanks for letting me know. I wouldn’t want you to waste any time on my account”
  • She was joking of course – but it did make me think
  • There is more to remembering Mothers’ Day than simply waking up and saying, “Happy Mothers’ Day”
  • To remember someone requires doing something real

 

In the end I decided to put a bit of thought & effort in and got her a present – something unique to our relationship

  • I remembered her properly, with a meaningful gift

 

When we celebrate communion we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection by breaking bread and sharing a cup

  • Our remembering isn’t just a mental exercise – it is a meaningful action unique to our relationship with Christ
  • The body of Christ comes together (is re-membered)

 

When someone remembers you in their estate it means more than just writing a few words about you in their will

  • It means they give you something tangible and their legacy to you is special because of the relationship you shared

 

When we hold the Self Denial campaign each year to remember our Baptist missionaries serving overseas, we don’t just recall them to mind

  • We remember them in practical ways by denying ourselves certain luxuries and by offering money and prayer for their support

 

When Saul was trying to kill David and David was forced into hiding, Jonathon remembered David in a practical way by going to see him

  • There was some effort and time and risk involved in this for Jonathon
  • What if his father found out
  • Or what if David’s men misunderstood his actions and tried to kill him
  • But by going to see David, Jonathon was re-membering their friendship
  • He was putting their friendship back together – firming up the frayed ends of the rope, making it stronger

 

Returning to the image of the paua shells for a moment,

  • In order for the shell to shine it needs to be empty
  • We can’t shine God’s light into someone else’s life if we are too full of ourselves
  • We need to go through a self-emptying process if we are to reflect the light of God’s love to others
  • I’m not going to lie to you – this self-emptying may hurt

After finding David in the wilderness of Ziph, Jonathon then encourages him with words of affirmation and reassurance, saying to David…

 

“Don’t be afraid, my father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”

 

To en-courage literally means to put courage into someone

  • No one else could put courage into David in quite the way Jonathon could
  • Not only was Jonathon David’s closest friend but, as Saul’s eldest son, he was also the next in line for the throne
  • Jonathon was basically saying to David…
  • “I lay aside any claim to the throne. I am committed to God’s purpose for you and for Israel. You have my full support”
  • At some point Jonathon had gone through a self-emptying process
  • His ego, his ambition, his pride, the temptation for power – all of that he put aside for the sake of God’s purpose, that David be king

The light of Jonathon’s encouragement for David was no cheap or flippant thing

  • His words came at great personal cost
  • Jonathon denied himself so God’s purpose could be carried out – he wanted God’s best for Israel and for David
  • What’s more he went against his father (Saul) to do it
  • Jonathon was a hero in the best sense of the word

 

In your newsletter this morning you would have received a cardboard paua shell

  • There are basically two types shells:
  • One is for putting on your fridge so you remember to pray for our Tranzsend missionaries
  • And the other is in the form of a postcard for you to remember someone who has shone God’s light into your life
  • We invite you to fill out the card with some words of encouragement and send it to them as a practical act of remembering

 

Conclusion:

A true friend cares. This means a friend is committed to God’s best for you

  • A friend is affected by what you are going through
  • A friend remembers you in practical ways
  • And a friend encourages you, even at cost to themselves
  • Commitment, affection, remembering and encouragement
  • These are the different colours of God’s light shining through friendship

 

Who has been a Jonathon to you?

  • Who can you be a Jonathon to?

Let us pray…

 

 

[1] From the book ‘Four Loves’

Tawa Baptist

Pray

Scripture: 1st Kings 17:8-24

Title: Pray

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Prayer is listening in faith
  • Prayer is asking in hope
  • Prayer is confessing in truth
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Today is the first of three Sundays when we focus on the work of Tranzsend and our NZ Baptist missionaries serving overseas

 

The framework for the three weeks of the campaign is…

  • Week 1 – Pray (Inoi)
  • Week 2 – Shine (Tiaho), and
  • Week 3 – Thank (Mihi)

 

The Scripture story Tranzsend suggest for, this, the first week of the appeal is…

  • 1st Kings chapters 17 & 18 – which focuses on the story of Elijah and the drought in Israel

 

Elijah was one of the great prophets of the Old Testament

  • He lived at the time when Ahab was king of Israel
  • Ahab was the worst king in the entire history of the nation
  • Ahab married Jezebel and together they committed all sorts of evil
  • In particular Ahab encouraged the Hebrew people to turn away from the one true living God, by building a temple for Baal worship

 

In the ancient world Baal was thought by some to be the god of fertility and rain

  • So pagans who wanted a good harvest or rain to water their crops would offer sacrifices to Baal in order to appease him and find favour with him
  • Baal worshippers did all sorts of cruel things including child sacrifice

 

God was not happy with this and wanted to show the people that Baal worship was a lie, so the Lord sent Elijah to tell king Ahab there would be no rain for a few years

  • By stopping the rain God intended to show the people Baal was false
  • Of course, without any rain, the crops failed and there was a terrible famine throughout the region

 

Please turn with me to 1st Kings 17, verse 8 – page 357 toward the front of your pew Bibles

  • At this point in the story the drought & famine have been in progress for some time and people are really feeling the pinch
  • From 1st Kings, chapter 17, verse 8 we read…

 

8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you.” 10 So Elijah went to Zarephath, and as he came to the town gate, he saw a widow gathering firewood. “Please bring me a drink of water,” he said to her. 11 And as she was going to get it, he called out, “And please bring me some bread, too.”

 

12 She answered, “By the living Lord your God I swear that I don’t have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour in a bowl and a bit of olive oil in a jar. I came here to gather some firewood to take back home and prepare what little I have for my son and me. That will be our last meal, and then we will starve to death.”

 

13 “Don’t worry,” Elijah said to her. “Go on and prepare your meal. But first make a small loaf from what you have and bring it to me, and then prepare the rest for you and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The bowl will not run out of flour or the jar run out of oil before the day that I, the Lord, send rain.’”

 

15 The widow went and did as Elijah had told her, and all of them had enough food for many days. 16 As the Lord had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil.

 

17 Some time later the widow’s son got sick; he got worse and worse, and finally he died. 18 She said to Elijah, “Man of God, why did you do this to me? Did you come here to remind God of my sins and so cause my son’s death?”

 

19 “Give the boy to me,” Elijah said. He took the boy from her arms, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying, and laid him on the bed. 20 Then he prayed aloud, “O Lord my God, why have you done such a terrible thing to this widow? She has been kind enough to take care of me, and now you kill her son!” 21 Then Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times and prayed, “O Lord my God, restore this child to life!” 22 The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer; the child started breathing again and revived.

 

23 Elijah took the boy back downstairs to his mother and said to her, “Look, your son is alive!”

24 She answered, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the Lord really speaks through you!”

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us

 

In this passage we see how prayer is listening in faith

  • Asking in hope, and
  • Confessing in truth

 

Prayer is listening in faith:

First let’s consider prayer as listening in faith

  • Listening is about paying attention
  • Being aware of what’s going on around you
  • Taking heed of what God is saying and doing, so that we can respond in obedience to God – so we can work in harmony with Him

 

The story is told of a man who had lost his job and was unemployed [1]

  • Not being able to find work he was facing a personal famine of sorts

 

One cold winter’s night as he was driving home he noticed an old lady stranded on the side of the road – he could see she had a flat tyre and needed help

  • So he pulled over in his Holden Belmont, parked behind her Mercedes Benz and got out

Even with the smile on his face the woman felt anxious and vulnerable

  • It was a quiet road and no one had been past in the last hour
  • The man looked a bit rough – he was missing a tooth and he hadn’t shaved in a few days

 

He could see the woman was cold and frightened, so he tried to make her feel more comfortable…

  • “I’m here to help you. You look freezing. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Sam.”
  • The woman decided to trust Sam – she sat in her car and popped the boot open, so he could get the spare tyre out

 

Sam soon had the tyre changed

  • Feeling relieved the lady offered to pay him
  • But Sam just smiled and said, “You don’t owe me a thing. This is what it means to be human – to help people”

 

Humbled by Sam’s kindness she thanked him, got back in her car & drove away

  • A few miles down the road the lady saw a small café
  • Feeling hungry she went in for a coffee and a bite to eat

 

The waitress had a sweet smile even after being on her feet all day and being 8 months pregnant

  • She went out of her way for the old lady, moving the heater closer for her to sit beside

 

As the old lady drank her coffee she remembered Sam’s kindness to her

  • She wanted to help someone too
  • Not wanting to embarrass the waitress the old lady wrote a note on a paper serviette, “Someone once helped me out the way I’m helping you.”
  • When the waitress returned to the table the old lady had left her a $100

 

Later that night when the waitress got home from work and climbed into bed, she thought about the money and what the lady had written

  • How could she have known how much she and her husband needed it?
  • With the baby due next month it was going to be hard
  • She knew how worried her husband was since he had lost his job
  • As he lay sleeping beside her she kissed him softly and whispered…
  • “It’s going to be okay. I love you Sam.”

 

Prayer is listening in faith

 

Our reading from 1st Kings earlier began with Elijah listening to God in faith

  • God told Elijah to go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay with a widow there
  • I’m not sure exactly how Elijah heard God but I’m pretty sure it would have taken a fair bit of faith for him do what God said

 

Zarephath was not part of Israel

  • This means Elijah had to leave his home country
  • In a very real way this was cross-cultural mission – representing God in a culture which was not his own

 

The other thing about Zarephath is that it was near where Jezebel came from

  • Jezebel, the queen married to Ahab, was Elijah’s nemesis
  • God was sending Elijah into enemy territory – but Elijah listened in faith and obeyed God

 

Our Tranzsend missionaries serve God overseas in a cross-cultural context

  • And like Elijah they are often called to live with and amongst people like the widow of Zarephath
  • People who are poor and vulnerable and barely scrapping to get by

 

Just as Elijah listened in faith to God, so too the widow of Zarephath listened in faith to Elijah

  • When Elijah asked for bread and water she said…
  • “All I have is a handful of flour and a drop of olive oil… That will be our last meal and then we will starve to death”
  • But Elijah said to her…
  • “Don’t worry… The bowl will not run out of flour or the jar run out of oil before the day that the Lord sends rain.”

 

Despite the fact she and her son faced starvation, the widow listened in faith and prepared some bread for Elijah

  • That’s some faith – sharing your last meal with a complete stranger
  • But this act of faith saved the woman
  • She discovered the flour and oil did not run out and there was always enough for the three of them

 

Tranzsend call their campaign Self Denial

  • The implication being that we deny ourselves something in order to identify with the poor and support the work of overseas mission
  • We appreciate that everyone is in a different position financially
  • Some people are able to give more than others – that’s okay
  • From a human perspective the amount you give does matter
  • But from God’s perspective the faith and love with which it is given matters more

 

People should decide how much to give after listening to God in faith

  • So I encourage you to try and hear God on this
  • Is there something you could give up (like a daily cup of coffee or some other treat) in order to put the money toward the Self Denial appeal
  • Or do you have a stash of loose coins sitting in your car that you could clear out to give to Tranzsend at the end of the month
  • Or is God saying, “Be more generous than that. Give a day’s pay”

 

I’m not here to tell you how much to give – that’s between you and God

  • What I can say is that when we give as God directs, like the widow of Zarephath, we find that our needs are met

 

Prayer is listening in faith, and prayer is asking in hope

 

Prayer is asking in hope:

Things seemed to be going along okay for the widow and her son until sometime later the boy fell ill

  • He got worse and worse until finally he died

 

I can only imagine how hard it would be to lose a child

  • But for this poor widow it was worse
  • She had already lost her husband
  • And her only son was her whole life – her present and her future

 

At this point the widow says to Elijah…

  • “Man of God, why did you do this to me? Did you come here to remind God of my sins and so cause my son’s death?”
  • Ouch – these are the words of a mother in pain
  • The woman blames everyone – she blames Elijah, God and herself
  • She thinks God is punishing her for her sins

 

The widow’s words reveal a lot about what she believes

  • She had been brought up to think like a pagan
  • A pagan lives in fear of the gods
  • A pagan thinks, ‘If something bad happens to me it’s my fault and I’m being punished’
  • That was part of the lie and the evil of Baal worship

 

Sometimes we can believe the lie that God doesn’t like us

  • We may suffer some misfortune and wonder…
  • ‘What have I done wrong this time? Is God punishing me?’
  • We may have this concept of God as a harsh judge and cold executioner
  • And while the Lord is judge of all the earth, He is not harsh or detached
  • God is more like a loving Father and a caring coach – he likes us
  • God is not our critic – He doesn’t want us to fail
  • God is our strength and our support – He wants us to prevail
  • Whatever might happen to us – God still loves us
  • So when things go wrong we have hope – we can ask God for a solution

 

The widow wasn’t feeling God’s love though – she was feeling judgment

  • Elijah knows that her perception of God is out of balance and he goes about giving her a new (more accurate) concept of God

 

Because Elijah has hope – he takes the boy in his arms, carries him upstairs and asks God for a solution. Crying out with heartfelt emotion he says…

  • “O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die? Let this boy’s life return to him.”

 

The Good News version, which you have in your pews, has Elijah saying to the Lord, “…why have you done such a terrible thing to this widow?”

  • I think that translation may have taken a few liberties with the original text – it almost sounds like Elijah is accusing God
  • Rather Elijah asks God respectfully “…have you brought tragedy on this widow?…”, as if to say…
  • ‘I don’t believe it is your will for this widow to suffer like this’

 

Elijah can’t tell God what to do – but he can ask God in hope – and when he does the Lord restores the boy’s life

 

Prayer is listening in faith, asking in hope and confessing in truth

 

Prayer is confessing in truth:

The famous Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon once said…

 

“True prayer is measured by weight, not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length.”

 

On seeing her son restored to life the widow confesses in truth, saying…

  • “Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord really speaks through you”

 

What we notice here is that the widow’s confession of truth is hard won

  • It’s not just loosely patched on the outside – she owns it on the inside
  • The crucible of loss & despair gives weight & substance to her confession

 

In John 17, Jesus talks about how his disciples have been sanctified by the truth

  • To be sanctified is to be made holy, purified, cleansed
  • In a way this woman has been sanctified by the truth
  • Not only has Elijah been proved a bona fide prophet of God
  • The widow has also come to know, through personal experience, that Yahweh is Lord of life and death – Baal is just an imposter
  • And knowing that truth sets her free from the fear of Baal

 

What God did for the widow of Zarephath is kind of a story in miniature (a living parable) of what he was doing for Israel through the drought

  • Israel had to go through the crucible of the famine to realise the truth that Yahweh is the Lord of life & death and Baal is just a fraud
  • It’s the truth that sets people free
  • It’s the truth that sanctifies us
  • But getting the truth through a hard heart takes tough love
  • And Ahab, it seems, had the hardest of hearts

 

In his book The Ragamuffin Gospel Brennan Manning (a recovering alcoholic) tells the true story of a group therapy session he participated in once [2]

  • It was April 1975 and there were 25 chemically dependent men in this rehab facility for drug addicts and alcoholics

 

The leader of the group was a skilled therapist by the name of Sean Murphy-O’Connor

  • Sean told one of the patients, Max, to sit in the hot seat in the centre of the group
  • Max was a nominal Christian, married with 5 children and the owner of a successful company
  • He was wealthy, affable and gifted with remarkable poise – it was hard to rattle him

 

Sean, the group leader, started bluntly…

  • “How long have you been drinking like a pig, Max?”
  • Max winced, “That’s a bit unfair”
  • “We’ll see”, replied Sean. “How much do you drink each day?”
  • “Two drinks before lunch, two after work, two before dinner and two before bed”
  • “So that’s a total of 8 drinks a day, Max?” Sean inquired
  • “Yes, not a drop more and not a drop less”

 

“You’re lying”, Sean replied

  • Max didn’t like Sean’s tone and insisted that his word was his bond but Sean wasn’t buying it
  • “Get me a phone” said Sean
  • A phone was brought in and Sean consulted a memo pad for a number
  • The phone was on speaker so everyone in the room could hear

 

Sean dialled Max’s local and spoke to Hank Shea the bartender

  • After introducing himself Sean asked Hank if he knew Max
  • “Yea, I know Max well”, Hank replied, “He has his standard six martinis every afternoon”
  • Max leapt to his feet and unleashed a stream of profanities that would make a stevedore blush
  • Then, after regaining his composure, he sat down again

 

One of the addicts in the group, a guy named Fred, spoke up…

  • “Have you ever been unkind to one of your kids, Max?”
  • “Glad you brought that up Fred. I have a fantastic rapport with my four boys. Last year I took them on a fishing expedition to the Rockies, a great time. Two of my sons graduated from Harvard you know…”
  • “I didn’t ask you that Max. At least once in his life every father has been unkind to one of his kids… Now give us a specific example.”

 

There was a long pause while Max tried hard to think

  • “Well, I was a little thoughtless with my 9 year old daughter last Christmas Eve”
  • “What happened?”
  • “I don’t remember exactly. I just get this heavy feeling whenever I think about it”
  • “Where did it happen? What were the circumstances?”
  • “Now wait one minute!” I told you I don’t remember.”

 

Sean dialled Max’s home number to speak with his wife

  • “Sean Murphy-O’Connor here ma’am. We’re in a group therapy session and your husband just told us he was unkind to your daughter last Christmas Eve. Can you give me the details please?”

 

A soft voice filled the room.

  • “Yes, I can tell you the whole thing. Our daughter Debbie wanted a pair of shoes for her Christmas present.
  • On the afternoon of December 24th my husband drove her downtown, gave her $60 and told her to buy the best pair of shoes in the store.
  • That is exactly what she did
  • When she climbed back in the car, she kissed her father on the cheek and said he was the best daddy in the whole world
  • Max was preening himself like a peacock and decided to celebrate on the way home
  • He stopped at the Cork n’ Bottle and told her he would be right out
  • It was a clear, extremely cold day, so Max left the motor running and locked both doors of the car from the outside so no one could get in
  • It was a little after three in the afternoon…”

 

Max’s wife began to cry.

  • “My husband met some old Army buddies in the tavern… He lost track of time and didn’t make it out of the Cork n’ Bottle until midnight
  • He was drunk
  • The motor had stopped running and the car windows were frozen shut
  • Debbie was badly frostbitten on both ears and on her fingers.
  • When we got her to the hospital, the doctors had to amputate her thumb and forefinger.”

 

On hearing his wife speak the reality of what he had done Max collapsed on the floor and sobbed hysterically – undone by the truth about himself

 

Max was a liar: his lie consisted in appearing to be something he was not – a social drinker

  • Truth for him meant acknowledging that he was an alcoholic and his drinking was hurting those closest to him

 

Like Max, king Ahab and much of Israel were lying to themselves – appearing to be something they were not – righteous

  • Truth for them meant acknowledging that their religion was false and that their worship of Baal was hurting those closest to them
  • God had to turn the rain off to get the message through
  • Israel had to go through a crucible of loss and despair to realise the truth – to be able to pray in truth

 

It’s the truth which sets us free – the truth that sanctifies us

  • I’m not sure what your truth is
  • Maybe you’re not an alcoholic, maybe you are a workaholic
  • Or maybe you’re addicted to something else
  • We all have a tendency to lie to ourselves in some way
  • The point is: prayer requires us to be honest with God
  • But before we can be honest with Him we need to be honest with ourselves
  • Prayer isn’t just reciting a few words from a book
  • Prayer is confessing in truth
  • Being real and owning what we say before God, personally

Conclusion:

They call it the Tranzsend Prayer and Self Denial campaign, because prayer is essential to mission – without prayer there is no mission

  • Prayer means listening in faith
  • Asking in hope, and
  • Confessing in truth

[1] This story is adapted from the story, By the way, my name is Joe, in “Stories for a Man’s Heart, compiled by Al and Alice Gray, pages 17-18.

[2] Refer pages 123-130 of Brennan Manning’s book, ‘The Ragamuffin Gospel’.