Tawa Baptist

Change

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 1:4-10

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Chosen
  • Convinced
  • Committed
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone. My name is Jerome. Will told me you are studying Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. He thought I might be able to shed some light on the subject. You see, I lived in Greece during the First Century. I knew Paul. He told us about God’s love and that changed everything.

Change, transformation, it’s all around us. Tadpoles becoming frogs. Caterpillars becoming butterflies. Seeds becoming trees. It’s wonderful really, how in the process of changing each of these things becomes more itself.  

It was so good to receive Paul’s letter. He remembered us. I won’t read you the whole letter now, just a short section of it, my favourite part. Paul writes…   

4 For we know, brothers and sistersloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 

6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 

8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it,

9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Hearing those words of Paul’s for the first time was so affirming, so reassuring. It still fills me with a feeling of warmth all these years later. Paul saw the change in us and he understood the cost of that change.

Chosen:

The change all started, of course, because God chose us. Isn’t that amazing, we were chosen by God. Think about it. What were the chances of Paul speaking to us? There were 200,000 people in our city of Thessalonica and God arranged for his messenger, Paul, to speak to us. It’s like we won the lottery.

Or, it’s like when you go to the beach to collect shells. There must be millions of shells along the seashore but every now and then one catches your eye, so you bend down to pick it up and take it home. We are chosen from among many.

But the truly remarkable thing is, we weren’t that special. We were like you, just ordinary everyday people. (No offence.) There was nothing exceptional about us that would catch the eye. Of all the people in this world, why would God choose us?

I remember the day I first met Paul. We were in the market place and there was this short bald man, repairing a tent. He had a calmness to him, an assuredness. And then he spoke to me. ‘Could you pass me that tool there please?’ So I did. And that’s how we started. Him asking for my help.

The marketplace is not a safe place. You have to be on your guard. But Paul was different. Somehow I felt I could trust Paul. His face was weathered, his hands calloused and his eyes had seen some pain. So I invited him home and that’s when he told us (our whole family) about the God of love.

God chose us because God loves us. And God loves us because God is love. God can’t help but love people. When God loves, he is simply being himself.

Now some might think we are a bit full of ourselves believing God chose us. (Tall poppy syndrome I think you call it.) ‘Why would God choose you and not me?’ they might say. But that is missing the point. Being chosen by God doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

God chose us for a purpose. Unlike the shells you take home from the beach, which end up collecting dust and being forgotten, we actually serve a useful purpose. God has a plan you see. His plan is to redeem all of creation. God chose us to help others know his love and power.

And Paul’s letter tells how we Thessalonians are serving God’s plan of salvation. I’ll read that part again. This is what Paul said about us:

7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.  8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.   

Isn’t that amazing. Even though we hadn’t left the city, people everywhere throughout the Roman Empire, knew about our faith in God. Our little church had become famous. Even people like you, on the other side of the world, have come to know about us. We became a model for other churches to follow.

It’s not that we were bigger or better than others. It was probably because we were ordinary and unexceptional that God chose us. If God is willing to choose and use us, then the bar isn’t set very high. He can work with anyone and that gives everyone hope. The Kingdom of God is accessible to all who truly believe.  

The point is, God’s election (his choosing) isn’t about who’s in and who’s out. No, God wants everyone to be saved. Being chosen by God is about knowing we are loved by God, knowing we belong to God and knowing we serve a purpose in God’s plan of salvation.

Love, belonging and purpose. Pretty valuable gifts really.  

Convinced:

I wonder, when tadpoles become frogs and caterpillars become butterflies, does the transformation happen automatically?

Becoming a Christian is not automatic, not in my experience anyway. God does choose us (it starts with him) but we also have choices to make. Becoming a Christian requires us to make a few changes and we human beings usually need a bit of convincing before we embrace change. 

It was strange hearing Paul say that God loved us. We had never heard anything like that before. It was hard to accept at first. We worshipped lots of gods and none of them loved us.

The gods we worshipped needed to be appeased. We gave them our time, our devotion, our worship, our food and our money, as payment in return for them not hurting us. The pagan gods were like the mafia running a protection racket.

Paul told us there is only one true God and he is a kind and loving Father. He doesn’t need us to provide for him. He wants to provide for us. He doesn’t want us to cringe in fear of him, always looking over our shoulder, always worrying about the worst. He wants us to learn to trust him. This blew our minds.

It was hard to imagine this invisible God of love, until Paul told us about Jesus. Jesus shows us what the God of love is like. In fact, the Spirit of Jesus convinces us of God’s love.

Not only that but Jesus shows us how to live, how to be fully human. If we are the caterpillars, then Jesus is the fully formed butterfly. If we are the seeds, then Jesus is the fully grown tree, bearing fruit. Jesus is the picture of what God intended human beings to change into. We are to become like Jesus.

We had lots of questions for Paul. I wanted to know how we could possibly relate to God as a Father. I couldn’t imagine having that kind of relationship with God. Paul explained that, as well as representing God to humanity, Jesus also represented humanity to God.

In other words, Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus lived a life of perfect, willing obedience to God the Father, on our behalf. Which means we are able to get close to God through Jesus.

Paul was an intellectual giant and he lost us sometimes with the things he said. But Silas (Paul’s companion) had a way of breaking it down so we could understand.  

Silas translated Paul’s thought like this: Being friends with Jesus gives us a back stage pass to God. Jesus speaks directly to God for us and says, ‘They are with me, Dad’. God the Father treats us like family because of Jesus.

When Paul told Jesus’ story, the way Christ was betrayed, arrested, falsely accused, beaten, mocked, scourged and crucified, the room went very quiet. Thessalonica is a free city but we had seen the cruelty of the Romans. The images of men dying on crosses were tattooed on our brains. You don’t easily forget the sight or the smell.

Something in my spirit was burning, as Paul spoke about Jesus’ grace in the face of such injustice. ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’

When Paul said that Jesus’ forgiveness on the cross extended to us also, I remember feeling a bit offended at first. I mean, when someone says they forgive you, they basically mean you’ve done something wrong. I didn’t think I was an especially bad person. I’d never killed anyone. Did I really need Jesus’ forgiveness?  

Then it occurred to me. If not killing anyone was my measure of being a good person, then I was a long way from the God of love. Love isn’t just refraining from murder. Love requires more from you than that.

The older you get, the harder it is to maintain the illusion of your own goodness. 

As I thought about Jesus on that cross, I felt something sharp, cutting me to the core, like a boil being lanced. Jesus died for me. That is the power of God’s love. In that moment my strength was undone by the weakness of God, my pride laid low by the humiliation of Christ.

We were convinced by Paul’s message. There was no guile, no deceit in him. But it wasn’t just the things Paul said. We were convinced also by the Spirit of love and truth at work in and among us.

It was exactly like Paul describes in his letter: our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.

Committed:

Knowing we were chosen by God and having been convinced of God’s love, there remained only one thing for us to do: commit wholeheartedly to God.

And so that’s what we did.  

Paul sums up our conversion well when he writes: you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son [Jesus] from heaven,   

Turn, serve and wait. That may sound simple enough but, for us Thessalonians, it required a significant commitment. Turning away from idols comes at a cost, in the short term at least. Longer term though, the benefits of worshipping God far outweigh any cost.

To understand the cost of the changes we made, you have to understand how idolatry works. Pagan religions are based on fear. Pay your dues and the gods will look after you. Don’t pay your dues and all hell will break loose. It’s an unreliable system built on lies and superstition.

Some of the people in our city made life difficult for us, when we gave up worshipping idols, because they were afraid of losing their power and position. You know how many tradesmen make their living by sculpting idols? To say nothing of the men who exploit the temple prostitutes. Idolatry is a money making racket.

Of course, people can make idols out of anything. Their career, their following on Instagram, their investment portfolio, sex, beauty, you name it.

I haven’t seen anyone bowing down to a statue, while I’ve been here, but I have seen people bowing to the idol of individualism and personal freedom. (I saw it on your TV news this past week.) Freedom is a good thing but we are not free to do whatever we want. We were set free to love God and our neighbour.

Anything that we make more important than God, that’s an idol and idols always end up breaking your heart. Worshipping the true and living God, putting him first, yea, it’s difficult at times but in the end God heals your heart. He makes it whole again.   

Yes, we suffered greatly for giving our exclusive loyalty to Jesus, but we wear that suffering like a badge of honour. I wouldn’t say we were happy about it exactly, but God gave us the strength, the energy, the attitude to deal with it.

Greater is the power is in us than the power that is in the world.

You can’t always expect the Christian journey to be plain sailing. It takes real commitment to stick with it through the doldrums and the storms. Silas taught us to enjoy God. Delight in him. Enjoying God, taking pleasure in his presence and remembering all his benefits, feeds your commitment. It keeps you going.  

The other thing that supports your commitment is keeping the end in sight. Whatever difficulty you are facing now will not last. This pandemic you’re in, it too will pass. Jesus is coming back to make all things new. That’s a sure thing.

In the twinkling of an eye we, who trust in Jesus, will be changed. These caterpillar bodies will be transformed, resurrected. But it won’t be an awkward or ill-fitting change. The change God’s Spirit creates makes us more fully ourselves.

‘How do we know this?’ you ask. We know it because God raised Jesus from the dead. Paul had seen a vision of the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. It sounded incredible but, on the lips of Paul, it rang true.

Paul was absolutely convinced of the fact and had the scars to prove it. The authorities had whipped him, in the city of Philippi just a few weeks earlier, for talking about Jesus like this.

Whatever else you may think of him, Paul was the real deal. Paul was a walking advertisement for the suffering of Christ. He was our model. 

As hard as it was, being shunned by our neighbours and threatened by the authorities, we could handle it because we knew we were on the right side of history. It is the risen Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Yea, that’s right. The day of God’s wrath is coming. Paul didn’t say this to scare us. He was simply being open and honest so we aren’t blindsided.

Some of you may be wondering, how do we reconcile the God of love with the God of wrath? Well, there is nothing to reconcile really. It’s the same God.

God’s love and wrath are perfectly compatible. In fact, you can’t have God’s love without his wrath. God’s wrath is actually an expression of his love.

In talking about God’s wrath we should not imagine a grumpy old man, losing his temper and flying off the handle in a rage. God’s wrath is measured by his justice and controlled in his mercy.

Simply put, God’s wrath is his steady and uncompromising opposition to evil. 

You see, because God is love, he cannot abide evil. God is pure goodness and light. The God of love is against injustice and cruelty. Yes, God is patient and longsuffering but he will not indefinitely tolerate that which is harmful to his creation. It is not loving to condone evil.

God does not negotiate with evil. He is simply going to destroy it.

The risen Jesus rescues us from being annihilated along with evil. Being in Christ puts us on the right side of history.

Conclusion:

Where I come from church goes all day, that’s how committed we are. But I understand your culture is different. You are not used to listening for long periods of time, so I will stop shortly.

Let me finish by saying this. Although Paul wrote his letter to our church in Thessalonica around 2000 years ago, it also contains God’s word for you today.

You, the people of Tawa Baptist together with all believers in Christ, you have been chosen by God to serve his purpose of salvation. You (together) are here in this time and place in history to bear witness to the love and power of God.

Be convinced of God’s love for you and for the wider world out there. Being convinced doesn’t mean having all the answers. There is quite a lot of mystery attached to our faith. There is quite a bit we don’t yet understand. That’s okay. You don’t need to have all the answers. But you do need to know you are loved by God. You are his. You belong to him.

Finally, commit yourselves wholeheartedly to the God of love, revealed to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. Make the true and living God the number one priority in your life. But don’t stop with one grand gesture of commitment. Nourish your commitment going forward. Feed it. Keep your commitment alive by enjoying God and looking forward to Jesus’ return. 

Let me pray for you…

Father God, we pray for these your people. May they know they are chosen for your purpose. Convince them of your love. Sow in them a deep awareness of your truth. Nourish their commitment to you as they delight in your goodness and look forward to Jesus’ return. We pray these things in and through Christ, our Saviour. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Why did God choose the Thessalonians? (How did God use them in service to his purpose?)
  • Put yourself in the shoes of the Thessalonians, many of whom came from a pagan background. What do you think it would have been like for them hearing about the God of love for the first time? 
  • How were the Thessalonians convinced of the truth of the gospel? (E.g. that God loved them and Jesus had risen from the dead.)
  • What did Christian conversion look like for the Thessalonian believers? Was their experience of conversion similar to yours or different? How was it similar? How was it different? 
  • What is God’s wrath? How is this compatible with God’s love?
  • How can we nourish our commitment to God? (E.g. what practical things can we do to enjoy God and delight in him?)
Tawa Baptist

Connected

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 1:1-3

Video Link: https://youtu.be/pZPJgH83KFI

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Connected in God
  • Connected in prayer
  • Connected in experience
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone and happy Waitangi Day.

Sometimes, when your internet connection drops out, you have to wait a few minutes watching the dots make a little circle until the wifi comes back online. We can become impatient because we have to wait a few seconds but the inconvenience of a buffering internet connection is nothing really. In years gone by, before the internet, people separated by the tyranny of distance had to wait months, even years, to receive word from loved ones.

Last week we began a new sermon series in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. By way of introduction, we looked at Acts 17, which is Luke’s account of how the Christian church got started in the city of Thessalonica, which is in Greece.

Today we get into the letters themselves, looking at the opening verses of First Thessalonians, in which Paul reconnects with the Thessalonian believers, by letter, after having not seen them for several months, perhaps a year. From verse 1 of First Thessalonians we read…

[From] Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. 2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these three short verses we note how Paul makes three quite profound and enduring connections with the Thessalonians. Paul shows how he, Silas and Timothy are connected to the Thessalonians in God, in prayer and in experience.  

Connected in God:

You may remember, from last week, that Paul & Silas had to leave the city of Thessalonica after certain people stirred up trouble and put pressure on Jason and the other believers.

Paul and his companions then went to Berea and from there to Athens. Paul was naturally concerned for the well-being of the Thessalonians and so he sent Timothy back to see how they were getting on.

By the time Timothy returned with his report, Paul was probably in the city of Corinth. As you can imagine, this journey would have taken months on foot. After hearing what Timothy had to say, Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians to reconnect with them and to offer some guidance and encouragement. 

The experts aren’t sure exactly but they think First Thessalonians was probably the second letter Paul wrote to a church, depending on when you date his letter to the Galatians. Paul’s affection for the Thessalonians is clear. Despite being relatively new converts and despite having suffered for Jesus, the Thessalonians’ faith (their connection with God) was strong.

In verse 1, Paul addresses the Thessalonians in an interesting way. He refers to the Thessalonian church as being in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Being ‘in Christ’ is a favourite saying of Paul’s, but he wouldn’t normally start a letter this way or talk about being ‘in God the Father’ in the same breath.

The word translated as church is literally assembly, as in a gathering of people. So the assembly or the gathering of believers is in God. What does that mean? Is it like when the teachers at school say the assembly will be in the hall? Well, not exactly. Paul isn’t talking about the physical location of the Thessalonians. He’s talking in spiritual terms.  

Paul is reconnecting with the Thessalonians by affirming they are not alone. They are as close to God and to Jesus as you can get. They are in God. God is the source of their life, the ground of their being.

The Thessalonian assembly (or church) is in God, like a tree is planted in soil. If you take the tree out of the soil it will die. Keep it in the soil and it will thrive, drawing its life from the nutrients in the ground.

Or to use another analogy, the Thessalonian church is in God, like a school of fish is in water. Take the fish out of water and they soon die. Keep the fish in water and they live. God and Christ provide the right spiritual environment for human beings, much like water provides the right natural environment for fish. 

William Barclay uses the metaphor of air. He says that being in God (or in Christ) is like being in air. Not only is the air all around us (as close as our skin) but when we breathe, the air is inside us as well.

That’s how close and life giving God is to the Thessalonians, as close as air. That’s why their faith is thriving, despite the persecution they are experiencing for being Christians. Their physical or material life might be poor, but their spiritual life is rich.

By affirming the Thessalonians’ closeness to God and to Jesus, Paul is basically saying he is close to them as well. In verse 3 he talks about our God and our Jesus. Even though they are about 576 km’s apart (geographically speaking) they are close in the Lord, for Paul & Silas & Timothy are in God as well.

There are three crosses on the wall behind me. The crosses remind us of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. I can’t see the crosses at the moment because I’m facing the other way. But I know they are there because I’ve seen them before. Now, I might forget they are there because I’m focused on something else but that doesn’t change the fact that they are still there.

You know sometimes we lose sight of God’s nearness and grace. We get busy with something or other and God passes out of our awareness. If God is out of sight and out of mind for too long, it may feel to us like God is absent or distant.

That subjective feeling can have a very real effect on us. It can mislead us into thinking that we are not loved by God or that God is angry with us or that he doesn’t care. But our feelings and perception are not always reliable. Like the crosses on the wall behind me, God doesn’t cease to be close to us just because our back is turned and we are thinking about something else.

We human beings need to turn and face God, regularly. We need to do tangible things to remind ourselves of God’s nearness and grace.

Those things might include starting the day by reading a chapter from the Bible. Or stopping three times a day to be still and pray. Or spending time with other believers, or singing songs of worship or listening to sermon podcasts. Whatever it is that puts you in touch with God again.

Paul is eager to reconnect or, more accurately, to insist that he and the Thessalonians were never disconnected, as verse 2 implies.

Connected in prayer:

At home we have a wall hanging. One of Robyn’s friends from school gave it to her. It reads: Prayer, the world’s greatest wireless connection.

Before the internet there was prayer.

In verse 2 of chapter 1 Paul says: We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.      

Prayer is eternal. Prayer is beyond the confines of time and space. In prayer, we draw close to others and to God. Prayer is about connection.

By keeping the Thessalonians in their prayers, Paul, Silas and Timothy were never apart from them. 

Prayer isn’t just the words we say to God. The larger part of prayer is listening to God. I have come to believe that prayer is also about the burdens we carry with and for others. When we pray for others we, in some way I think, connect with them and make their burden lighter.

I can’t give you any scientific or empirical evidence for this. But, anecdotally, people who have been going through some difficulty and have had others in the church praying for them, have said things like: ‘I feel lighter’ or ‘I feel like I’m being carried by people’s prayers’.

The flip side is that sometimes we can feel a bit weary after praying for others, like we’ve been doing some heavy lifting. At the same time, praying for others can also release us from the burden of our own problems and the tiredness which comes from always thinking about ourselves.

So while praying for others does take some effort, there is a mutual benefit on the whole.  

One of my cousins was really into scuba diving, when he was younger. He loved it. One day he was down fairly deep underwater and his mate got into trouble. My cousin kept his head and shared his breathing apparatus; you take a breath I’ll take a breath sort of thing. They returned to the surface slowly, to avoid getting the benz. Thankfully they made it up before my cousin’s tank ran out too.

Perhaps keeping others in our prayers is a bit like that. A friend finds themselves in deep water and in trouble. Maybe they are in so much distress or pain they can’t find the words or the faith to pray themselves. So you pray for them.

In praying for your friend like this, you are sharing your spiritual oxygen tank with them, at least until they reach the surface and can breathe (or pray) again themselves.    

That’s what intercessory prayer is; praying on behalf of others. We, who believe in Jesus, are priests. Interceding for others in prayer, with God, is what priests do. It is what Jesus (the great high priest) does.

Whether we are praying for ourselves or others, the risen and ascended Jesus knows our deepest needs and desires. He hears the inarticulate cry of our heart, asking God the Father for what he need. So even if we don’t know how to pray or can’t find the words, Jesus does know and has just the right words.    

Is there someone you know who needs you to share your oxygen tank of prayer with them?

Connected in experience:

So, even though they are apart physically, Paul and the Thessalonians are connected spiritually, in God and in prayer.

In verse 3, Paul goes on to point out another connection he and his companions share with the Thessalonians. They are connected in their experience. Paul writes…

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we remember something, we are reconnecting with our experience of what we are remembering. Memory is a powerful form of connection. It brings the past into the present. It brings people, we haven’t seen in a while, close.

When I was at intermediate school one of my friend’s, Mark, had an older brother who sometimes used to pick us up in his Datsun 160B. Mark’s brother, Richard, used to play Dire Straits music in his cassette player; Tunnel of Love, Romeo and Juliet and so on. Very cool when you are 11.

Sometimes when I hear a Dire Straits song from the 80’s, I remember the Datsun 160B and my friendship with Mark, even though I haven’t seen Mark in over 30 years. It’s funny how a familiar tune or sight or smell can reconnect you with your past. Memory is a powerful transporter.

Dire Straits have a song called ‘Brothers in Arms’. In the second verse the singer remembers the connection forged with his mates on the battlefield…

Through these fields of destruction, baptisms of fire. I’ve witnessed your suffering as the battle raged high. And though they did hurt me so bad, in the fear and alarm, you did not desert me my brothers in arms.

The connections made through a shared experience of suffering run deep and live long in the memory.

As we heard last week (in Acts 17) the Thessalonian believers stood their ground under fire and did not desert their faith in Jesus, remaining loyal to Paul, Silas and Timothy. Their suffering for Jesus together is what connects them.

And when we suffer for Christ, we too are connected to other believers (around the world and throughout history) who have suffered for their faith. 

Three points of connection Paul makes when remembering the Thessalonians:

Their work produced by faith, their labour prompted by love, and their endurance inspired by hope

Faith, love and hope come to the surface in Paul’s letters a number of times, most famously in First Corinthians 13 where Paul writes, and these three remain: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Faith, hope and love are to Christian spirituality what oxygen, heat and fuel are to fire. They are indispensable, we can’t do without any one of them.

Faith, hope and love are about connection you see. They connect us to Jesus and to each other.     

Looking more closely, what does Paul mean by the Thessalonians’ work produced by faith. Idle faith, faith that sits around and does nothing is not true faith. Genuine faith finds expression in acts of Christian service and good deeds.

Those who did the online services in early January may remember John Tucker’s sermon about Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding. John made the connection between faith and work when he pointed out how the servants did what Jesus asked of them, filling the jars with water.

Filling each of those 120 litre jars of water was repetitive, time consuming, mundane, tiring work. And it may have seemed pointless too, when the problem wasn’t a lack of water but a lack of wine. Yet the servants did what Jesus asked of them, in faith. And Jesus did something very special with their work produced by faith.

Those of us who serve Jesus are connected through the work we do in faith that Jesus will use it for God’s saving purpose.           

Paul remembers also the Thessalonians’ labour prompted by love. The Greek word translated as labour here refers to hard labour, real back breaking toil. The kind of labour that puts blisters on your hands and sends you to bed early.

As Leon Morris says, the phrase labour prompted by love directs our minds to the unceasing hardship borne by the Thessalonians for love’s sake.

Those of you who are parents of small children understand about labour prompted by love. Caring for babies is exhausting. You are up all hours of the night feeding and changing nappies and working all day putting bread on the table or doing house work. It’s hard yacker. But you do it for the love of your family and through your labours a deep connection is created between parent and child.     

We are reminded of Jacob who laboured seven years for his father-in-law, Laban, so that he could marry Rachel. But those seven years seemed to him like just a few days because of the love he had for her. Romantic love gives you wings. 

Of course, the love Paul has in mind in Thessalonians is not romantic love, it is agape love. Not the love of seeking to possess something but a self-giving love. God’s love is always giving.

The Thessalonian believers did it tough for the love of Jesus. They were persecuted and harassed for becoming Christians but they handled it for love’s sake. Paul, Silas and Timothy also did it tough, working during the day with their hands to support themselves, then feeding the new born believers with God’s word in the evenings. It was hard graft.  

Thirdly, Paul remembers the Thessalonians’ endurance inspired by hope.

Hope is forward facing faith. Hope believes something good waits in our future. The Christian hope is that Jesus will return in glory one day to make all things new. Our hope is a future eternity without suffering or pain, where God wipes away every tear from our eyes, no more war or hunger or pandemics.

But getting there is a marathon, not a sprint. Hope of a better future gave the Thessalonian believers the strength to endure their present sufferings.

How is your hope at the moment? We are two years into a global pandemic and about to face a tidal wave of omicron cases (so we are told). We need the endurance inspired by hope. God has got us through this far. He will see us through to the other side.

Conclusion:      

Looking at the whole of verse 3 again we note that your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope are all in our Lord Jesus Christ.   

These things which connect us and support our life are not done in our own strength.  Nor are they hidden in some treasure vault beyond our reach. No, they are in Christ, whose Spirit is as close to us as the air we breathe.

So this spiritual connection does not depend on us. Nor does it depend on our changing moods or feelings. Our connection to God the Father and to one another depends on Jesus. Which means it is a reliable connection, not subject to buffering.

Our job is to remain in Christ. As Jesus says in John 15…

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for the connection we share with you and each other, through Jesus. Help us to remain in Christ and to draw strength from him, that we may bear the fruit of faith, hope and love. In Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Why do you think Paul is eager to reconnect with the Thessalonians? How do you think the Thessalonians may have felt receiving Paul’s letter and having their connection/relationship with Paul, Silas & Timothy affirmed/renewed? 
  • What does it mean to be ‘in God’ or ‘in Christ’?
  • How do you turn to face God? What tangible things do you do to reconnect with God’s nearness and grace?
  • Have you ever felt light (or carried) in some way by the prayers of others? How do you feel after you have spent time praying for others? Is there someone you know, at the moment, who isn’t able to pray for themselves and needs you to share your oxygen tank of prayer with them? 
  • Discuss/reflect on Paul’s three phrases in verse 3. That is: your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope. What do each of these phrases mean? Can you think of ways in which these three things have been (or are being) worked out in your life? 
  • Is there someone you need to reconnect with? Or, to put it another way, is there someone who needs you to reconnect with them? How might you go about reconnecting? 
Tawa Baptist

Persuasion

Scripture: Acts 17:1-10

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Y-PupQ_mVz8

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Persuasion
  • Protest
  • Persistence
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

One of the things that distinguishes human beings from animals is language. Unlike animals, people are able to communicate using words.

In some ways though, words have become cheap for many people in the western world today. We are bombarded with words in advertising, at work, on TV and the internet. With all the noise and confusion around words and their meaning, we may find ourselves longing for the oxygen of silence.

Words may have become cheap for us but, in the thought world of the Bible, words carry real power.

Today we begin a new sermon series in Paul’s words to the Thessalonians. Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians but, before we start into the letters themselves, we are going to take a closer look at Acts 17, which describes how the Thessalonian church got started.  

In Acts 17 we hear about the power of words for good and for harm. From verse 1 we read…  

When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. 5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. 10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Acts 17, written by Luke, describes Paul & Silas’ experience in the city of Thessalonica. Three things we note. Paul’s mission work is characterised by persuasion, protest and persistence. Let’s start with Paul’s words of persuasion.

Persuasion:

Do you know those toys, for small children, where the child has to fit different shaped blocks through the corresponding shaped hole? There’s no way an oblong block is going to fit through a square hole. You can’t force the blocks.

First, you find the right shape to match the right hole and then you adjust the position of the block so that it lines up correctly. Once you’ve done that the block fits easily.

Persuasion is bit like that. The box that receives the shapes is sort of like the human heart or mind and the shapes that fit into the box are like pieces of the gospel message; ideas and beliefs.

You can’t force someone to accept or believe something that doesn’t fit for them. You have to understand the shape of the person’s heart & mind and then position the idea or belief in a way that person can accept.

Paul understood this. Paul did not coerce or manipulate people into accepting the gospel about Jesus. As verse 4 of Acts 17 tells us, Paul persuaded people.

Paul thought about the shape of his listeners’ hearts & minds and presented the gospel message in a way they could receive, without compromising or changing the gospel and without damaging his listeners’ hearts.

Thessalonica was the capital city of the province of Macedonia. Verse 2 of Acts 17 tells us that Paul went to the synagogue as was his custom. The synagogue was like the local place of worship for people of Jewish faith living in that area.

On the Sabbath (a Saturday) people came together in the synagogue for prayers and singing psalms and hearing the Hebrew Bible (what we know as the Old Testament) read aloud and expounded.

It was Paul’s custom to go the Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath because he had done that all his life. While the Jewish faith is not exactly the same as the Christian faith, the two hold quite a bit in common. The Christian faith grew out of the Jewish faith. The very first Christians were Jews.

From a mission strategy point of view, it made good sense for Paul to preach the gospel of Jesus in the synagogue because the people were starting with a shared understanding of God. This shared understanding included, for example, the belief that there is only one God, the creator of all there is. And he is just and merciful.  

Although Luke tells us Paul talked about Jesus in the synagogue over the course of three Sabbaths, this does not exclude the probability that Paul also talked about Jesus in people’s homes and the market place during the other days of the week. Luke’s account is not a comprehensive report of Paul’s activities. It’s more of a highlights reel.

What we notice in these verses is the way Paul went about persuading people to believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Paul understood better than anyone how difficult it was for Jews to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, when Jesus had been crucified.

The idea of a crucified Messiah was a key piece of the gospel that didn’t fit easily with the Jewish mind-set. To suggest that God’s Messiah had to suffer and die on a cross was like trying to fit a square peg through a round hole.

The Hebrew Scriptures carried authority for the Jews and so Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. 

Reason, explanation and evidence were key tools in Paul’s toolbox of persuasion. We can easily imagine Paul using passages like Isaiah 53, which predicted the suffering of the Messiah, as a way of proving that Jesus had to suffer and rise from the dead. Isaiah 53 reads…

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makeshis life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of lifeand be satisfied;

Verse 11 is talking about resurrection after death you see. Isaiah continues…

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  

Isaiah 53 fits for Jesus, the suffering Messiah.  

While it is Paul’s persuasive preaching that Luke highlights in Acts 17, it wasn’t just Paul’s words alone that convinced people to believe in Jesus.

As Paul himself writes in First Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 5…

…our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.       

This tells us the Thessalonian believers were persuaded not just by Paul’s words but also by Paul & Silas’ example (their lifestyle and deeds).

More importantly though, the Thessalonians were persuaded by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of truth and grace. The Holy Spirit works in our heart and mind to create the right shaped opening to receive the gospel message, with deep conviction. God’s Spirit enables us to recognise when something is true.

Paul was mindful of his listeners, in the way he presented the gospel message, but he also recognised that ultimately the effectiveness of his message depended more on God’s Spirit than anything else.

Returning to Acts 17. Verse 4, tells us of three groups of people who were persuaded and joined Paul & Silas. In other words, they became followers of Jesus. These groups included Jews, God fearing Greeks and many prominent women.

We might pass over that without thinking much of it, but it’s actually quite illuminating. These days Paul gets quite a bit of criticism for what he writes in relation to women. Paul’s thinking may be misunderstood by people today but the fact that many prominent women responded positively to Paul’s presentation of the gospel strongly suggests that the women of the first century quite liked what Paul had to say.

Protest:

Not everyone liked Paul’s words though. Some of the Jews were not persuaded. In fact, some were so jealous at Paul’s success in winning converts that they organised a protest against Paul & Silas. The jealous ones formed a mob and started a riot. What happened next mirrored (in some ways) Jesus’ experience.     

They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”

There are few things less trustworthy than a crowd. The organisers of the protest were basically accusing Paul & Silas of high treason. In today’s terms it would be similar to saying they were terrorists. The accusation was untrue and unfair.   

We are reminded here, of Jesus’ words in Matthew 10…

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Jesus is not promoting war or violence. He is not talking in military or political terms. He is talking in spiritual terms. The point here is that there is no sitting on the fence with Jesus. You have to choose which side you are on, spiritually speaking. And there are real consequences to the choice you make. 

Jason made the choice to show hospitality to Paul & Silas. The eternal (unseen) consequence of this was that Jason was joined to Christ, destined to share in Jesus’ glory. The temporal (felt) consequence, for Jason, was finding himself at the sharp end of a protest and legal action.

8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

In other words, the magistrates put a legal obligation on Jason and the other Christian believers to get Paul & Silas to leave town. If Paul & Silas stayed, then Jason and the other believers would face some kind of penalty like losing their homes or going to prison.

Paul & Silas did not want Jason and the new believers to come to harm so they left quietly in the night, without making a fuss. 

Some years ago I worked in a cycle and mower shop. At times we came across nuts and bolts that were seized together with rust and age. If you tried to force the nut off, you ran the risk of breaking the bolt or slipping and skinning your knuckles.

As Aesop once said, it is better to use persuasion, rather than force. Most of the time you can persuade a rusty nut to come off with patience and a squirt of CRC, no damage done.

The jealous ones, who organised the protest against Paul, did not use reason or truth to persuade the authorities. They used lies and fear. They twisted the facts and manipulated the situation so that Paul & Silas were forced to leave. The problem with using force is that it usually has unintended consequences.

Those who were out to get Paul unintentionally promoted the spread of the gospel. By organising a protest against Paul & Silas, pretty much everyone in the city became aware of Jesus.

Now, it is thought that Thessalonica had a population of about 200,000 people in the first century. At least some of those 200,000 people would have become curious to learn more about Jesus.

Without intending to, the protest organisers actually gave weight and credibility to Paul’s message. They signalled to everyone that the gospel and the name of Jesus is a powerful thing that should be taken seriously.

The gospel is powerful but not in the way the authorities feared. God has a sense of humour. Less than 300 years later the emperor would become a Christian.

One other unintended consequence of the protest was the strengthening of the new believers’ faith.

After a potter has shaped the clay into the vessel they want (a bowl or a cup), they then put the soft clay into a kiln to be fired. The heat of the kiln sets the clay and makes the vessel strong.

By putting heat on Jason and the other believers and dragging them before the authorities, the protest organisers actually made the new believers’ faith stronger. Having suffered for their new found faith, Paul’s converts were more resolved to stick with Jesus.       

Reading between the lines of Acts 17 we see that God has a way of working adverse circumstances for good.

Persistence:

This pattern of persuasive preaching followed by strong protest was not unique to the city of Thessalonica. Time and again (in the book of Acts) Paul and his friends had to flee from one city to the next.

Which brings us to the third ‘P’ in today’s message: persistence. Paul was relentlessly persistent in persuading people to receive Jesus.

Persistence is about never giving up. We see Paul’s persistence in the wider context of Acts.

Before arriving in Thessalonica, Paul had been preaching the gospel in Philippi. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Paul managed to persuade a small group of people to believe in Jesus, including Lydia (the seller of purple cloth). But it wasn’t long before someone protested against Paul and he found himself being flogged and thrown in prison.

Once they had been released from prison in Philippi, Paul and Silas didn’t give up. They carried on, making the 100-mile journey (probably on foot) to Thessalonica, where they were forced to leave again for the next town, Berea. Fortunately, Paul’s reception in Berea was more positive.

Paul’s persistence paid off. As someone once observed, ‘Water cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.’

Of course, even persistence has its limits. The goal is not to be so stubborn that we never give in. The goal is to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that we may go the distance in God’s will for us.

Conclusion:

So what do these three P’s (persuasion, protest and persistence) mean for us as Christian believers today?

Well, persuasion has a number of points of application…

Before we can persuade anyone else that Jesus died and rose from the dead, we must first be persuaded of Jesus’ resurrection ourselves. We must know what it is we believe about Jesus, with deep conviction, and hold to it.

Persuasion also requires us to be respectful of others who have different beliefs from us. What may seem simple and straight forward to you may be incredibly difficult for someone else to accept.

It does no good to force our beliefs on other people. Like Paul, we need to be ready to speak about our faith with gentleness and an understanding of how the other person thinks, trusting the Holy Spirit to create the right shaped opening in their heart and mind.    

We must not be surprised or discouraged by protests against what we believe. When you become a Christian, you choose a side, spiritually speaking. You are not likely to be driven out of town, like Paul was. But there is a good chance you will be misunderstood and misrepresented if you identify yourself as a Christian.

Don’t take it personally. It’s not really about you. The Christian message has often been unpopular and met with resistance. Take heart. God is more than able to use the efforts of those who protest against him for good.

Finally, we must persist in our witness for Jesus. Sometimes that will mean quietly going about our lives, letting our actions speak for us. Other times that will mean proclaiming aloud our deepest convictions about Jesus. Whatever happens, hold to Christ and be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.   

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus, help us to know you more deeply, to love you more dearly and to share you more freely, with the help of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • The Jews of Paul’s day struggled to accept the idea of a crucified Messiah. How were they persuaded to believe in Jesus?
  • Are there any aspects of the gospel message that you have found difficult to accept? How did you come to accept these aspects? (Who, or what, persuaded you?)
  • Verse 4 (of Acts 17) tells us a number of Jews, God fearing Greeks and prominent women were persuaded to accept Jesus after listening to Paul. What does this indicate to you?
  • What were the consequences for Jason in providing hospitality to Paul & Silas and accepting Jesus? What are the consequences for you personally in accepting Jesus?
  • How did God use the protest, against Paul & Silas, for good?
  • How do you think Paul & Silas might have felt meeting resistance in preaching the gospel and having to flee to the next city? Why do you think they persisted?
  • Take some time this week to prayerfully reflect on the points of application in the conclusion (above). Is there any point of application in particular you feel a deep conviction about? What is the Spirit saying to you? 
Tawa Baptist

Jesus’ early life (Neville)

A few weeks ago we celebrated Christmas, the time God became a human baby called Jesus. The New Testament doesn’t tell us a great deal about Jesus as he was growing up – it concentrates on the three years of ministry that started when he was 30. And on his death and resurrection.

Because not much seemed to happen, some people nowadays ask the question “Why did Jesus come as a baby, not a 30 year old?” We do so hate to be kept waiting, don’t we? Whatever happened to the saying that “Anything worth having is worth waiting for”? After all, the Jews of Israel waited many, many years for the birth of their Messiah, because God worked to a long-term plan for humankind.

Jesus was a gift that God gave to the world – and gifts are best enjoyed by taking time to unwrap them carefully, rather than just ripping the paper off and missing things hidden in the folds and layers. So I thought I’d have a go at unwrapping some of the early Jesus.

It’s that time of year when monarch butterflies are busy in our garden. You’ll know the main life stages of a monarch butterfly:

Egg

Caterpillar

Pupa

Adult butterfly

You can divide the human life span into stages too. People who study human development use up to 12 stages, but I think four is enough for today:

Infancy

Childhood

Youth

Adulthood.

Actually, my favourite way to think of human development is a lot less scientific, and doesn’t apply to everyone!

Stage 1: You believe in Santa

Stage 2: You don’t believe in Santa

Stage 3: You are Santa

Stage 4: You look like Santa!

Let’s go back to the idea of childhood, infancy, youth and adulthood.

No stage is more important than any other, so to be fully human, Jesus had to experience all of them. Of course, his three years of adult ministry were vital, and his death on the cross was a necessary sacrifice. But his early years living as a human were important too, preparing him for what was to come.

Like us, he was born virtually helpless, unable to walk, to talk or feed himself. Like us, Jesus would have watched and mimicked people, learnt to walk and talk and soak up what was going on around him.

When Jesus was about 40 days old, Luke 2:22-24 tells us:

The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony of purification, as the Law of Moses commanded. So they took the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male is to be dedicated to the Lord.” They also went to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, as required by the law of the Lord.

This tells us that the family Jesus was born into was a devout one that followed the Jewish laws and traditions. By presenting Jesus in this way, they showed that he was part of the covenant between God and Israel.

In case you were wondering, the ceremony of purification referred to Mary, who by Jewish law was considered unclean for 40 days after the birth of her son.

Something else special happened at the temple during this visit.

Luke 2:25-32 records:

At that time there was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem. He was a good, God-fearing man and was waiting for Israel to be saved. The Holy Spirit was with him and had assured him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s promised Messiah. Led by the Spirit, Simeon went into the Temple.

When the parents brought the child Jesus into the Temple to do for him what the Law required, Simeon took the child in his arms and gave thanks to God:

“Now, Lord, you have kept your promise,

and you may let your servant go in peace.

With my own eyes I have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:

A light to reveal your will to the Gentiles

and bring glory to your people Israel.”

Simeon had waited many years to welcome Jesus. He set us an example of how to welcome Jesus and to give thanks to God for his gift. He reminds us not to become tired of trusting in God, just because things are maybe taking too long. He must have believed in “Anything worth having is worth waiting for”, after all, he got to hold the baby Jesus in his arms.

Jesus’s infancy wasn’t over yet, as recorded in Matthew 2:13-23. Back in Bethlehem, wise men from the East arrived, with special gifts fit for a king. Then Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt to escape King Herod and his plans to kill Jesus – the infant Jesus experienced being a refugee. It would have been unsettling too, when they returned from Egypt after Herod’s threat was gone, this time settling in Nazareth.

So, like any human infant, Jesus was influenced by the events and people around him:

  • His parents brought him up according to strong religious beliefs
  • People around him recognised how special he was, and expected great things from him
  • He was a refugee, and experienced the trauma suffered by his family

Now we come to Jesus’ childhood, which he spent in Nazareth, in Galilee. The Bible tells us of only one specific event of Jesus as a child, but we can fairly speculate on other aspects.

In Jewish families at the time, it was the responsibility of the parents to provide early education. Just about as soon as they could speak, Jewish children were taught the alphabet and some Bible verses. As he grew up, Jesus would have learnt other life skills from his parents – as well as scripture, he’d have learnt the rules of his culture and society, and how to behave in an acceptable manner. It’s good when children today do the same. The difference being that Jesus, who had to lead a completely sinless life, was presumably never naughty!

In Jesus’ time, all Jewish boys from the age of 6 or 7 were offered a free public education. This covered scripture and law, reading and writing, history and their equivalent to science and maths. This education was for boys from all backgrounds, so Jesus would have gone to school and made friends with other boys from all walks of life.

I went to school in the UK, and from the age of 5 my parents received an annual report of my progress. For some reason I have all these reports, and they make for interesting reading!

Here are few examples:

Aged 6: Neville speaks clearly and has a good mastery of words.

Aged 7: Has produced very good results in art and handwork, but prefers to keep clean!

Aged 12: He has made good progress in most subjects. Perhaps a more sustained effort would improve the overall standard of his work.

What do you think Jesus might have had on his school reports? Take a couple of minutes now to talk amongst yourselves about it.

Actually, the Bible does give us a report of sorts.

After the presentation in the Temple, Luke 2:39-40 tells us that

The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and God’s blessings were upon him.

What an example to follow!

When Jesus was 12, he went to Jerusalem with his parents for the Passover festival, as they did every year. Luke 2:41-49 tells of how, after his parents left on the long journey home, Jesus stayed behind in the Temple without telling his parents, who thought they’d lost him.

On the third day they found him in the Temple, sitting with the Jewish teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his intelligent answers. His parents were astonished when they saw him, and his mother said to him, “My son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been terribly worried trying to find you.”

He answered them, “Why did you have to look for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand his answer.

After this reminder that he obeyed a heavenly father, Jesus went back with his parents to Nazareth, where he was also obedient to his earthly parents. Here, from the age of 12 to 30, Luke 2:52 tells us

Jesus grew both in body and in wisdom, gaining favour with God and people.

Already, by the age of 12, Jesus was not just growing and learning, he was setting a good example. He was teaching lessons that we can learn from today. His main ministry started when he was 30, but in a sense this was really the continuation of something that had started many years before.

So what do we know about Jesus as a child?

  • He obeyed God, and his parents, and pleased both
  • He became physically strong
  • He got to know and understand the scriptures inside out
  • He learnt to listen and ask questions
  • He set a good example

The Bible tells us virtually nothing about the teenage years and young adulthood of Jesus – yet it was during this period that he must have met many of the treasure store of characters who gave him an insight into the minds and lives of humans. Perhaps knowing something about where Jesus lived will help us fill in some gaps.

Modern Nazareth is a large and busy city, but archaeologists have been able to find and excavate the remains of the old Nazareth, from the time of Jesus. It seems that in those days Nazareth was a small village with a population of about 500, surrounding by many smaller agricultural settlements. Archaeologists have found artefacts associated with agriculture, glass working, cloth production, other crafts and food processing. Quarrying of limestone was also a busy local industry. Surrounding settlements had lots of roman artefacts, but despite Nazareth being quite close to an important roman city, very few roman artefacts have been found in the village. So Nazareth would have had an exclusively Jewish character, though no remains of a synagogue have been found yet.

This all suggests that in and around Nazareth, Jesus would have had the opportunity to speak with a wide range of people and observe their behaviours. His job as a carpenter or builder may well have taken him to surrounding settlements too. Men and women, young and old, poor and rich, shepherds, craftsmen, bakers, farmers, fruit and vine growers, tax collectors, widows, beggars – what an education in being human! And he certainly drew on these experiences later – he knew exactly how to communicate his teachings in the most relevant manner for different audiences.

Jesus as a youth and young adult experienced a ‘normal’ family life. His family was deeply religious, so Jesus grew up in a home centred on God’s love. He was the oldest of at least 7 children, so he was probably given some responsibilities over his younger brothers and sisters. He would have been glad to escape and hang out with others of his own age too.

So what do we know about Jesus as a teenager and young adult?

  • He continued to live in a God-centred, loving home
  • He knew about the ups and downs of having brothers and sisters
  • He continued to study scriptures
  • He probably got to know many different kinds of people, so he understood about relationships

If we add up all that we’ve heard about Jesus growing up human, we can begin to understand why it had to happen this way. He came to earth to sacrifice himself for us, but he also came to teach the truth about why that sacrifice was necessary. And to do that, he had to understand us, identify with us and sympathise with our weaknesses.

One attempt to make sense of Jesus’ early life was made by Irenaeus, who was a priest in what is now the South of France only about 150 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He thought that:

Jesus passed through every stage of life:

He was made an infant for infants, sanctifying infancy. That is, he declared all infants to be holy, set apart for a sacred purpose.

He was made a child for children, sanctifying childhood. That is, he declared all children to be holy, set apart for a sacred purpose. He set an example of family love, righteousness and obedience.

He was made a young man for young men, an adult for adults, sanctifying youth and adulthood. That is, he declared all youths and adults to be holy, set apart for a sacred purpose.

During his ministry, Jesus drew on all those relationships from his younger days, all those people skills, all those experiences of what makes humans tick. And he has never lost them, only added to them, so that whoever you are, he knows how to relate to you. It doesn’t matter what age you are, what sex or gender, what your background is, what your circumstances are – Jesus knows how to relate to you in a human way. And as God, he relates to you in the very personal way that only God can.

After God appeared to humans in human form, they had to wait for him to grow up before he was ready for his great ministry, his death and resurrection. But he was worth waiting for.

Jesus told his disciples, in John 14:1-3, that he will return to complete his mission of salvation for mankind:

“Do not be worried and upset,” Jesus told them. “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.”

He was saying “I’m worth waiting for”.

Jesus is patiently waiting to come back, because he is giving humanity as much time as possible to choose and follow him. He wants as many people as possible to repent and return to heaven with him. He knows we are worth waiting for.

Tawa Baptist

Christmas Message – Mary’s Song

Scripture: Luke 1:46-55

Video Link: https://youtu.be/LMr7Om-kBKQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God is mindful
  • God is mighty
  • God is merciful
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kai ora whanau and Merry Christmas.

Have you ever noticed how good things often come in threes?

There are three primary colours from which all other colours can be made.

There are only three bones in the human ear, all of which are needed for us to hear.

A chair or a table needs at least three legs to stand.

A triangle, the strongest geometric shape, has three sides.

There are three feet in a yard, three dimensions in the physical world, three wickets in a hat trick, three Bronte sisters and three main ingredients in a BLT sandwich (apart from the bread).     

What’s more, there are three things needed to decide any kind of dispute: rock, paper, scissors.

Today’s message is based on Luke chapter 1, verses 46-55. This is Mary’s song of praise, sung while she was still pregnant with Jesus. From Luke 1, verse 46 we read…

46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses, Mary is basically saying three things about God…

God is mindful, God is mighty and God is merciful. 

These three attributes of God are like the three bones in your ear, or the three primary colours or the three legs of a table or the three sides of a triangle. We need them all. We need to know God is mindful, mighty and merciful.    

God is mindful:

According to the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, mindfulness means paying attention to what is presently occurring, with kindness and curiosity.

The idea with mindfulness is to bring some order and control to our patterns of thinking. Not let our thoughts run away from us. Not allow ourselves to think the worst, nor set ourselves up for disappointment by manufacturing unhelpful expectations. Just breathe and stay present in the moment. 

In verse 48, of Luke 1, Mary says that God has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

I’m not sure that our human definition of mindfulness is transferable to God exactly, but Mary (the mother of Jesus) is certainly mindful that God is paying attention to her present situation with kindness.   

Mary had quite a bit to worry about. What would people think of her being pregnant and not married? How would she tell her fiancé Joseph and what would Joseph do?

But Mary doesn’t go down that path in her mind. Instead Mary enjoys the moment. She focuses on what God has done for her and how blessed she is.

The past couple of years have been difficult. Change is the only constant. We are all pretty tired and feeling over it. Maybe our thoughts are running ahead to next year and what the future might hold.

Try not to go there. Today is Christmas. Now is the time to be mindful of what God has done in sending his Son Jesus. This is the day to be aware that God is thinking of you personally and of his world collectively.

God has not forgotten. God understands the losses you have suffered, the pressures you feel and the burdens you carry.        

God is mindful and God is mighty.

God is mighty:

Some of you may be planning to do one of New Zealand’s great walks this summer. Perhaps the Routeburn or the Abel Tasman or the Milford Track.

If you are spending time in the bush you might come across some predator traps. For many years now our native birds have been under threat from rats and stoats and possums. Conservationists have been seeking to restore the balance by culling as many of these introduced predators as they can.

Mindfulness can be helpful, as far as it goes, but if you are a Kiwi or a Kōkako or a Black Robin, then you don’t need people to just be thinking about you. You need humans to build a predator proof fence to stop stoats from raiding your nest.   

In verse 49 Mary says, the Mighty One has done great things for me, and in verse 51 she says, He has performed mighty deeds with his arm… he has scattered the proud… but has lifted up the humble.

If God were only mindful of you, what good would that do? If you are homeless then you don’t need a sympathy card. No, you need affordable housing. More than that, you need someone with the might (as in the wisdom and power) to make the system more just so you can get into your own home.

As a young woman in a male dominated society, Mary was somewhere near the bottom of the social ladder. She didn’t have much power or influence. She was vulnerable, like a Kiwi or a Kākāpō.

But God, the Mighty One, has done great things for her. He has lifted her up, as humble as she is, by making her the mother of the Messiah.

In some ways, the nation of Israel was a bit like Mary in that they were relatively poor and vulnerable compared with other nations. Israel were oppressed by the Romans and needed God’s mighty power to save them.     

Like Mary and like Israel, New Zealand is not mighty. We don’t have an arsenal of nuclear weapons or a huge navy or the latest in drone strike technology. We need God to defend our free land.

God’s might (his power) goes hand in hand with his mercy. 

God is merciful:

Recently the United Nations (in Geneva) discussed the issue of Lethal Autonomous Weapons (or killer robots). Most countries were against the sort of technology where humans are not in control and decisions are outsourced to computers. But the bigger more powerful nations didn’t want rules around it.

Lethal Autonomous Weapons maybe mighty but they are hardly mindful, much less merciful. The world has enough problems without introducing more. 

In verse 50 Mary says that God’s mercy extends to those who fear him and in verse 54 she says that God has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful…

Mercy is essentially about using your power or might to help someone else.   

Power comes in many forms: for example, money & wealth, knowledge & skill, physical strength, political leverage and so on. When you use the power you have, to help someone who is in a weaker position than you, that’s mercy. 

If someone is having a heart attack and you know CPR, then mercy is stopping to help them. If someone owes you money and can’t repay you, then mercy is forgiving the debt. If someone is marginalised or an outsider and you are well connected, then mercy is including them in your community.

By definition God is the mightiest being there is. Fortunately for us, God chooses to use his power for the benefit of those who fear him. That is, those who respect and reverence God, those who hold the Lord in high regard.

As one who was relatively powerless, Mary was very mindful of God’s mercy. Usually it is when we are at our weakest and feeling vulnerable that we are most conscious of God’s mercy.

Conclusion:

For some, Christmas is a time of happiness and fun and good feelings. For others though, Christmas is a time that just seems to highlight what we have lost and how far from ideal our lives are.

Whatever you are feeling today, may you know that God is thinking of you with love, that nothing is too difficult for him and that he wants to use his power and might for our wellbeing.

Although her situation in life was far from ideal, Mary rejoiced because of God’s mindfulness, might and mercy for her personally.

She also rejoiced because the child she was carrying, Jesus the Christ, embodies the mindfulness, might and mercy of God for the world. That’s what we celebrate at Christmas.    

Tawa Baptist

Joy

Scripture: Isaiah 12

Video Link:  https://youtu.be/KGIJF20p74w

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The joy of God’s salvation – personal acceptance
  • The joy of God’s presence – public celebration
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kai ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Today, because it is the third Sunday in Advent, our message focuses on joy. Joy is a positive energy, one which usually gives us a pleasant feeling and inevitably finds expression in our words and actions.

Isaiah chapter 12 has some things to say about joy. In particular joy is the product of God’s salvation and presence. From verse 1, of Isaiah 12, we read…   

In that day you will say: “I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defence; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

These verses from Isaiah 12 fit neatly into two parts. The prophet quite conveniently introduces each of the two parts with the phrase, In that day you will say, (Isaiah uses this sentence in verse 1 and then repeats it in verse 4). 

This tells us Isaiah is picturing some day in the distant future. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, first the judgement, then the hope. First the demolition of Israel, then the rebuild. First the invasion by Assyria, then the restoration by Yahweh. First the grief, then the joy.

As I see it, verses 1-3 are about the joy of God’s salvation, which calls for personal acceptance.  

While verses 4-6 are about the joy of God’s presence, which calls for public celebration.

The joy of God’s salvation – personal acceptance:

In the ancient world most people could not read or write. Communication was largely by the spoken word, rather than the written word. It was an oral culture.

This meant people had to be good listeners and good at remembering. It also meant if someone wanted to make their message clear they had to repeat key words. Repetition was like highlighting or underlining what you wanted to say.  

When we look at the first three verses of Isaiah 12 we see quite clearly the word salvation repeated three times. We also notice the words comforted, defence and strength, which all describe different aspects of God’s salvation.   

The other thing we notice is the high frequency of singular personal pronouns like I, me and my.

You have comforted me. God is my strength, my defence, my salvation.

To someone in the ancient world, the first half of Isaiah 12 is talking about God’s salvation in a very personal way. You can hardly miss it.

So what is this salvation that Isaiah is at pains to highlight?

Well, salvation denotes an act of deliverance, like when God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt or when Jesus delivered the disciples from a storm on the lake.

God’s salvation is a vehicle. It is that which takes a person from a bad state of being to a good state of being. Salvation, then, is God’s means of transport.

There’s a funny line in the movie, Kung Fu Panda, where Panda finds himself at the bottom of a mountain and he says, ‘My old enemy, stairs’. Salvation for Panda, in that instance, would be an elevator. Something that would transport him to the top of the mountain easily.

Or, if you happen to find yourself in a burning plane, then salvation is a parachute. The parachute transports you safely out of a bad situation.

And of course, there is the famous salvation of Star Trek. Whenever Captain Kirk found himself in trouble on an alien planet he simply said, ‘Beam me up Scotty’, and in seconds he was transported to the safety of his ship.

You may sometimes hear Christians using the word rapture. Perhaps you have had that panicky feeling when you find yourself alone, with no one else around, and you start to wonder, ‘has everyone been raptured and I’ve been left behind’.

The word rapture has two meanings. Rapture means intense joy and it also means transport. Rapture, in a Christian understanding, is the idea that Jesus will one day transport us to where he (and God) are. This is cause for great joy. To be raptured is our salvation, our ‘beam me up Lord’ moment.   

The name Isaiah actually means Yahweh is salvation.[1]God’s salvation, his means of transport from a bad situation to a good situation is multifaceted. God’s ride comes in many different forms.

 As verse 1 (of Isaiah 12) makes plain, the salvation in view is the removal of God’s anger. God had been angry with Israel because of their immoral behaviour. But God’s anger does not last forever. His anger is not divorced from his care. God comes to Israel’s rescue. His salvation will eventually transport the people from a state of wrath to a state of comfort.    

For the Jewish exiles, reading Isaiah’s prophecy in a foreign land, salvation meant being transported out of exile back to Zion, to Jerusalem their homeland.

What does God’s salvation mean for you, personally? What sticky, unpleasant, perhaps painful situation, do you find yourself in? What transport do you need right now?

Do you feel guilty because of something bad you’ve done? Or ashamed because of something good you haven’t done? Then the vehicle of salvation you need is forgiveness and redemption.  

Do you feel hurt or angry because of some injustice or loss you have suffered? Then the vehicle of salvation you need is vindication and restoration.

Do you feel alone in a crowd, misunderstood, a stranger and out of place? Then the vehicle of salvation you need is friendship and intimacy.

Whatever your situation, the Lord knows it and he sees your heart. He understands perfectly the transport you need.

One thing I would say about God’s salvation: we don’t decide what form the transport will take. It might be a Mercedes Benz or it might be a skate board. Either way, our job is to accept God’s vehicle of salvation however he chooses to provide it.    

In verse 2 we read: Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.

The key to accepting God’s salvation is trust. The trust that is meant here is practical not just theoretical. Trust doesn’t just say, ‘the train exists’. Trust gets on the train and allows the train to transport you. Trust believes that you will reach your destination, even though the train may go through some pretty long and dark tunnels at times.

Trust doesn’t just say, ‘God exists’. Trust holds on to Jesus and walks with him, day by day. Trust accepts the fact that Jesus will bring you home to God, even though you can’t physically see Jesus or always feel his presence. 

Verse 3 gives us a wonderful metaphor: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

In the ancient middle east, people didn’t have running water coming out of a tap in their kitchen. They couldn’t jump in the shower to get clean or flush a toilet.

In the ancient world, people had to go to a communal well, a hole in the ground, and draw water out with a bucket. It was time consuming, physically demanding and a bit of a chore. Not really enjoyable. But people still did it because of necessity. You can’t live very long without water.      

Verse 3 says that this mundane, labourious task will be done with joy. You are going to have energy for it. You are going to want to do it. Why? Because you are thirsty and the water of God’s salvation is good, the best you will ever taste. Salvation then is something we are drawn to by our need.

The image of wells of salvation, suggests that salvation is something we imbibe. It is something we take into ourselves. Something that is life giving. Something that sustains us and our transport.

Pilgrims travelling through the wilderness might ride a camel or a donkey or a horse. Or at least they would have an animal to carry all their stuff. At strategic points along the way they would stop at a well to let their animals drink. Sort of like we might stop to fill up our car at a petrol station.

The implication here seems to be that God’s salvation involves a journey.                              

Earlier in the service we read a passage from John 4 (in the New Testament) where Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well.

The Samaritans came about as a consequence of the Assyrian invasion that Isaiah had predicted. The Jews of that area intermarried with the Gentiles and a new race came into being. The Samaritans were sort of half Jew, half Gentile.

Historically Jews and Samaritans hated each other. But Jesus tried to find some common ground. Jesus makes himself vulnerable and asks this Samaritan woman for some water from the well.

The woman doesn’t realise that Jesus is the primary well of God’s salvation. The water Jesus has to offer is the Holy Spirit. For those who believe, Jesus and his Spirit are the means of transport home to God.

Joy is the product of God’s salvation and presence. The joy of God’s salvation calls for personal acceptance, while the joy of God’s presence calls for public celebration.      

The joy of God’s presence – public celebration:

In his book, A Different Drum, Scott Peck tells the story of a monastery that had fallen on hard times. Over the years its ranks had dwindled until there were only five monks left.

In the woods near the monastery was a small hut where the Rabbi, from the local town, would sometimes go for retreat. The Abbot went to visit the Rabbi to see if he had any advice to save the monastery.

“I know how it is”, said the Rabbi. “The spirit has gone out of the people. Very few come to the synagogue anymore. The old Rabbi and the old Abbot sat in silence for a while, feeling the weight of the years, then spoke quietly of deep things.

When the time came for the Abbot to leave, they embraced and he asked the Rabbi, “Have you any advice that might save the monastery?”

The Rabbi answered, “No, I’m sorry. The only thing I can say is that the Messiah is among you.”

When the other monks heard the Rabbi’s words, they wondered what this could mean. “The Messiah is among us, here at the monastery? Do you suppose he meant the Abbot? Of course, he has been the leader for so long. On the other hand, he might have meant Brother Thomas. Thomas is so kind. Certainly he could not have meant Brother Elrod because he is often grumpy. But then again, Brother Elrod is also very wise.”

As they contemplated in this way, the old monks began to treat each other with extraordinary respect, on the off chance one of them might be the Messiah. They also thought about themselves differently.

Every human person carries the dignity of being made in God’s image. And every Christian believer carries the Spirit of the Messiah.    

Because the monastery was on the edge of a beautiful forest, people occasionally came to have a look. They sensed the extraordinary respect and love between the five aging monks. The Spirit of the Messiah was indeed among them, in the way they related with each other.   

Visitors became more frequent and stayed to talk with the monks. There was a real peace in the atmosphere. The brothers’ simple joy, the positive energy people felt just by being with the monks, was contagious. After a while one young man asked if he could join and then another and another. Within a few years the monastery became a thriving order once again.

Verse 6 talks about the joy of God’s presence, where it describes the Holy One of Israel being among you.

Isaiah is looking forward to that time in the future when the Lord God will walk among his people again, like God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Before that could happen though, the people would feel the pain of God’s absence.

In the gospel of John, chapter 1:14, we read how Jesus fulfilled this prophecy of Isaiah. The apostle writes: The Word [that is, Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

After Jesus had completed his work on earth he ascended to heaven and sent his Holy Spirit to be present with his church on earth. While we do not see Jesus physically in the present, we have the words of Jesus who said: ‘wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them’. The Lord also said, ‘By your love for one another will all people know you are my disciples.’

And so, the Messiah is among us now, by his Spirit.

But wait, there’s more. The Christian belief is that one day, when Jesus returns in glory to establish heaven on earth, the Lord will again dwell among us in person. In Revelation 21, the second to last chapter in the Bible, we read…

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Isaiah foresaw a time, at the fulfilment of human history, when God would live with his people. A time of great joy. Not just an inner feeling of personal joy or contentment but a public celebration of communal joy.

Verses 4-5 of Isaiah talk about the public celebration that is called for with the joy of God’s presence on earth…

4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.

In that day it won’t be just the thought that the Messiah is among us. We will actually see Jesus face to face.

Conclusion:

That day has not been realised in its fullness yet. Joy is the product of God’s salvation and presence. Isaiah 12 is big picture stuff. It gives a long range, Hubble telescope, view of the future.

In the meantime, what can we do to put ourselves in the path of joy…

We can take one day off in seven, a Sabbath day to rest and to renew our perspective through worship. We can also maintain regular patterns of sleep and not leave it too long between holidays.

We can make good moral decisions, choosing a lifestyle that is in line with our values. We can think about the needs of others and find ways to show kindness, without embarrassing people or leaving them in our debt.

We can carve out time for simple pleasures like losing ourselves in a good book or hanging out with friends or spending time in our garden or going for a walk. Whatever it is that helps you to let go of the pressures and worries of life.   

Probably the most important thing to remember though, is that we cannot expect to feel joyful or happy all the time. It is completely normal to feel sad sometimes or angry or tired.

Some of you may have become Christians under the false expectation that, in order to be a good witness, you must always be up, always smiling, always positive, always playing the glad game. Nothing will empty you of joy quicker than pretending to be something you’re not. If the psalms teach us anything it is to be honest with ourselves and with God.     

My sense is that many people in our community are feeling quite weary at present. I imagine some here don’t feel much like celebrating this Christmas. Joy may seem a long way off. But the truth is, Jesus could return for our rapture at any moment. Things can change very quickly.

Let us pray…

Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, you are the source of our joy. Thank you for your salvation and your presence among us. Give us eyes to see the transport you provide and hearts to trust you, even in the darkness. Renew our strength and lead us in the path of peace, for your name’s sake we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is your experience of joy?
  • What is God’s salvation? Have you experienced God’s transport from a bad state of being to a good state of being? What happened? How did you feel? How did you accept God’s vehicle of salvation in that situation?
  • Discuss/reflect on the metaphor, wells of salvation. What are the implications for us?
  • How is the presence of the Messiah made real among us today? Can you think of a moment or a relationship in which Jesus has been real for you recently?
  • What can you do (practically) to put yourself in the path of joy? 
  • Take some time this week to bring to mind the things you are thankful for. Do something to celebrate (with others) the things that have gone well.

[1] Refer John Goldingay’s NIBC on Isaiah, page 89.

Tawa Baptist

Peace

Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-9

Video Link: https://youtu.be/-iOYOs5t4dg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Wise Spirit
  • Righteous Judge
  • Universal Peace
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kia ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Have you ever noticed how many dystopian movies there are these days? Dystopia is a term used to describe a highly dysfunctional society, in contrast to utopia which refers to an ideal society.

A dystopian film is usually set in the future with a government that is evil or corrupt. As a consequence, the people suffer in a nightmarish society, ruled by violence and fear and injustice.

Examples of the dystopian genre include The Divergent Series, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Matrix series, Gattaca, The Running Man, Snowpiercer and Escape from New York.

The main function of these dystopian films is to critique our present day society. It’s like these movies are giving a prophetic message of what could happen if we don’t fix the problems we have now.

The Bible also critiques contemporary society but it does so without giving in to despair. The Bible critiques the present day and inspires hope by imagining a good future.       

Today is the second Sunday in Christmas Advent, traditionally associated with peace. Advent is a time of consciously waiting for the peace only Jesus can bring. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Our message this morning focuses on Isaiah 11:1-9. In this passage the prophet paints a picture of a utopian future, one of universal peace. From verse 1 of Isaiah 11, we read…

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord – 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearlingtogether; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

This passage from Isaiah is about the Messiah, God’s anointed King. The Messiah is empowered with a wise Spirit. He is a righteous judge. And, through his wise and just rule, the Messiah will ultimately bring about universal peace.

The Jews of Isaiah’s day were not sure who this ideal king would be, but they could be sure his wisdom and righteousness were a critique of many of Israel’s previous kings who were far from wise or just.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. We believe Jesus will one day usher in universal, lasting peace.

Wise Spirit:

In verse 1 of chapter 11, Isaiah gives us this metaphor for the Messiah:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Jesse was the father of king David. David’s descendants sat on the throne of Israel for many years. Some of those kings were good but many of them were rotten. God was patient but there is only so much he will tolerate.

Eventually God decided enough was enough and he brought an end to the Davidic monarchy. He cut the descendants of David off from the throne, like cutting down a tree and leaving only the stump.

In chapter 11, Isaiah foresees the day when a new king (a descendant of Jesse and David) will be restored to the throne. This new king will be different to any of the kings that went before. He will bear good fruit, the fruit of righteousness.

Two things we notice about this metaphor. Firstly, the new shoot (or the new Messiah) grows out of something considered long dead. This is a miracle of resurrection.

Secondly, waiting for this new Messiah will require some patience. What God has planned is not going to happen overnight. It will take many years for the new shoot to appear, grow and bear fruit.

In verse 2, Isaiah describes the special power and authority of this new Messiah, saying: 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.

In other words, the Messiah will be empowered with the Spirit of God.

Wisdom, in a Biblical understanding, isn’t so much about head knowledge or being book smart. Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come from having a PhD. Wisdom is more practical than that. Wisdom is about making good moral choices and the way one lives their life day to day.

Understanding suggests being able to join the dots correctly. So, someone with good understanding can see how general principles apply in specific situations. Understanding also suggests an awareness of how people tick.      

Jesus demonstrated wisdom and understanding on numerous occasions, especially when questioned by the religious leaders. One time they asked Jesus, ‘Teacher, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “…why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax… Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription? …Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”     

Wisdom and understanding you see. Jesus understood the hearts or intentions of his questioners. He also had the wisdom to know how to apply the spirit of God’s law to a specific situation, which wasn’t necessarily detailed in God’s law.

Returning to our passage from Isaiah. The Messiah will also have the Spirit of counsel and of might. Counsel here is about the right kind of strategic advice. Drawing on last week’s message, the Messiah will be a wonderful counsellor (or wonder planner), good at chess. 

Might is associated with power but, in this context, it’s not so much the power of brute force. More the power of thinking smarter and having the will or courage to follow through on your convictions.

Jesus also fits the bill when it comes to counsel and might. Jesus’ counsel, if someone hits you, is to turn the other cheek. Incredibly difficult to do but an excellent strategy for minimising violence.

Not only was Jesus’ teaching on this point smart, Jesus also had the might, or the strength, to turn the other cheek and not respond with violence when he was physically beaten at his trial. 

Knowledge of the Lord, means knowing God through relationship and experience. Knowledge doesn’t just mean knowing facts about God. Knowledge comes from tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. Knowledge of God is the basis of trust in God.

Fear of the Lord has to do with awe and reverence and respect for God. As Proverbs tells us, ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’.

The Messiah will delight in the fear of the Lord. I quite like Abraham Heschel’s rendering of verse 3: Through the fear of the Lord he [the Messiah] will have supreme sensitivity.

Sensitivity speaks of discernment. When a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, in John 8, the Lord showed supreme sensitivity in his dealing with the angry crowd and the frightened woman.    

Righteous Judge:

In ancient times, if people wanted to settle a serious dispute, they might go to the king for a resolution. King Solomon, who lived many years before Isaiah, was renowned for His wisdom. People brought their disputes before him.

Famously, two women came to Solomon one day. They both lived in the same house and both had infant sons. One of the sons had died, but both women claimed the surviving child was theirs.

Solomon ordered one his soldiers to cut the living boy in two and give half to each woman. One of the women just shrugged her shoulders, she was pretty unmoved by this command. But the other woman begged the king to spare the child’s life and give the baby to her rival.

Solomon had no intention of harming the baby. It was a test to see which of the women was the true mother. Obviously the child belonged to the woman who was prepared to give up her baby to save his life.

In Isaiah 11, verses 3-4, we read…

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

These verses are basically saying that the wise Messiah will be a righteous judge. He won’t give preferential treatment to someone just because they happen to be rich and powerful.

There is a famous statue of lady justice holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. The balanced scales represent fairness and equity. While the sword represents punishment for wrong doing.

The interesting thing is that lady justice is wearing a blind fold. The message with the blindfold is that justice does not take into account a person’s race or religion or wealth or position in society. Whatever your demographic, whatever your background, your case will be decided on the evidence, not on who your parents are or how much money you have.

The inspiration for lady justice comes from passages like Isaiah 11. The Messiah will not judge by outward appearances. He will look deeper, to the heart of the issue, because things are not always as they first appear. 

For example, if a widow steals a loaf of bread to feed her hungry children, then the righteous judge (who is also the king) will acknowledge the law has been broken but also look deeper as to the cause. Why is this woman so poor that she has to steal bread to feed her family?

Is it because her landlord is charging too much rent? Is it because her boss isn’t paying her enough? Or is it because someone has a monopoly on bread making and can charge whatever they want?

If the woman stole bread because the system is broken, then it’s not fair to punish her for something she has no control over. This righteous judge is also the king of the land. His word is law. He controls the system. So he can fix whatever the larger problem (with society) is.   

So that’s the main idea with these verses in Isaiah 11. The Messiah is a righteous judge who looks at the heart of the matter in order to make his kingdom (his society) a fair place for everyone. A place in which widows don’t need to resort to stealing.

But let me develop this idea a bit more, because I don’t want to leave you with the false impression that the rich are evil and the poor are saints. We all know that people are more complex than that. Nor should we think that every act of wrong doing can be blamed on a faulty system. Individuals still have to take some responsibility.

The point we need to keep hold of here is that God’s Messiah does not judge by outward appearances. Sometimes needy people are hidden in plain sight.

Sometimes they are businessmen wearing suits and a thin smile to hide the emptiness they feel inside. Or they may be lampooned politicians who everyone loves to criticise. Or the tired, busy (and somewhat invisible) parent sacrificing their own needs and wants for their family.

No one liked Zacchaeus the tax collector. They all thought he was a corrupt businessman who got rich by robbing decent hard working folks. But that was more of a prejudice. They did not see his loneliness or feel his hurt at the comments people made at his expense.  

Jesus did not judge Zacchaeus by what he saw or heard people say. Jesus looked deeper, beneath the outward appearance, and saw a generosity and faithfulness in Zacchaeus that was just waiting to be released. Jesus honoured Zacchaeus and the whole community was blessed, particularly the poor.  

You know sometimes we judge ourselves by outward appearances. Maybe we look in the mirror and we don’t like what we see. We wish we were a different shape, with better skin or better hair or a bit taller. All superficial things, most of which we have little or no control over.

Or perhaps we get to our middle years and look back at our life, wondering what have I accomplished? What difference have I made in the world? What if I had climbed a different ladder?

In 1946, Frank Capra directed a movie called It’s a wonderful life.  It’s a Christmas movie, although probably not that well known in New Zealand today.

The main character, George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) is a kind man who always puts others first, at his own expense. He is a regular middle class guy, a businessman, who helps people with their finances.

His generosity to others puts him in a vulnerable position. He reaches a low point in his life and his nemesis, Mr Potter, rubs salt in the wound. Potter tells George that he is worth more dead than alive, and George believes him.

George is ready to throw in the towel but then a guardian angel comes along and shows George the good news about himself. Clarence, the angel, shows George the positive difference his hard work and kindness has made in the lives of others.

Maybe you can identify with George. Maybe you do your best to help but still end up feeling like it’s not enough somehow. That your life and efforts have fallen short of the mark. Don’t judge yourself or your efforts. You don’t know how God will use your life for good. What we do know is that God does not waste anything done in love.

Having a Messiah who is a righteous judge, saves us from judging ourselves.

Or, to put it more strongly, you have no right to judge yourself. You are not qualified. You can’t see deep enough or far enough, like Jesus can. You will either think too much of yourself (like Mr Potter) or too little (like George).

Returning to Isaiah 11. The poetry in verses 4 & 5 is vivid. It points to a Messiah (a king) with divine power.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The King, Isaiah has in mind, can slay the wicked with his words. That’s how wise and powerful he is.

Accountants get a bit of a hard time. I know this because I used to be one. But actually accountants have quite a bit of power to do good. You would be surprised by how helpful accounting is in pastoral ministry.

Many of us tend to like movies where the hero takes out the bad guy with a fist or a gun. The movie sets us up to hate the villain with a sense of righteous indignation. Then it satisfies our desire to see revenge.

In real life, it doesn’t necessarily play out that way. In the 1930’s it wasn’t Batman or Wonder Woman or Dirty Harry or Bruce Willis who dealt a blow to the mafia. It was actually the work of an accountant, Frank J. Wilson, who finally brought Al Capone to justice.

The Messiah pictured in Isaiah 11 doesn’t carry a gun or a sword. He doesn’t need to swing his fists. He is more like an accountant, who uses his head. The Messiah’s weapons are righteousness, faithfulness and words of truth. Possibly also a calculator (although Isaiah doesn’t mention the calculator in these verses).   

Universal Peace:

God’s promised King, foreseen by Isaiah, has a wise spirit, he is a righteous judge who ushers in universal peace.  In verses 6-8 we read of a utopian future…

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearlingtogether; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

In this metaphor we have the hunters and the hunted; the weak and the strong; the deadly and the vulnerable; the cunning and the innocent. Each of these pairs of opposites is living together in peace, safely and without fear. When everyone knows the fear of the Lord they feel secure and are not afraid of their neighbours. 

John Goldingay sums up the meaning well when he says: ‘Harmony in the animal world is a metaphor for harmony in the human world. The strong and powerful live together with the weak and powerless because the weak and powerless can believe that the strong and powerful are no longer seeking to devour them.’ [1]

Verses 6-8 are a metaphor about how the world will be when the fruit of the Messiah’s reign is realised in its fullness. It is life as it will be when Jesus returns in glory. This is paradise on earth, at the dawn of a new age.

For this utopian future to be realised, the hearts and minds of the whole world need to be transformed by experiential knowledge of the Lord. Verse 9 reads…

9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

This is telling us something that is hard to believe – that the peace will be universal. The peace is not limited to a particular holy place. The peace fills the whole earth, like the waters cover the sea. Think about that for a moment. The waters of the sea of peace are deep, inexhaustible and full of life. 

In that day preachers, like me, will be out of a job. We won’t need to explain the Scriptures to you because the reality to which the Scriptures point (that is, Jesus the Messiah) will be real in people’s lived experience.

Conclusion:

Sadly, this is not life as we experience it now. This utopian vision of universal peace is a critique of the present world in which weak and vulnerable people are often taken advantage of by ruthless and greedy individuals. This world is still a dangerous place. So don’t go putting your hand in a snake’s nest.

Although universal peace is not a reality for us yet, personal peace with God is possible now through faith in Jesus. Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead opens the door to friendship with God.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Do you have a favourite dystopian film? What is it and why do you like it? What critique might this film be making about our society today?
  • What does Isaiah’s metaphor of a shoot growing out of a dead stump reveal about God’s promised Messiah?
  • What does Isaiah have in mind when he talks about the Spirit of wisdom, counsel, understanding, might and fear of the Lord? Can you think of examples from the gospels where Jesus demonstrates this Spirit of wisdom?
  • Do you judge yourself? Where does this lead? Why is it important to leave judgement (of ourselves and others) to Jesus? 
  • Discuss / reflect on the metaphor of the animals in verses 6-8. What is Isaiah saying with this word picture? Can you imagine a world like that?

[1] Refer John Goldingay’s commentary on Isaiah, page 85.

Tawa Baptist

Psalm 87

Video Link: https://youtu.be/EwqMR_FqM8I

Structure:

  • Introduction – Zion is…
  • An international community
  • People who know God
  • Citizens of Zion
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kia ora whanau and good morning everyone.

Where were you born? Wellington? Auckland? Christchurch? Tauranga? South Africa? Ireland? America? Fiji? Australia? China?

In New Zealand culture, one of the first things people will ask you is: where are you from? I quite like that. It speaks of connection and origins and belonging. It says you are not alone. You are part of a community that is longer and older and broader and deeper than you can possibly be as an individual.

Today our message focuses on Psalm 87, one of the psalms of the sons of Korah. Psalm 87 is a celebration of the city of Zion, the place we are born spiritually. From Psalm 87, verse 1 we read…      

1 He has founded his city on the holy mountain. 2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you, city of God: 4 “I will record Rahaband Babylon among those who know me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’” 5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” 6 The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” 7 As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In a nutshell, Psalm 87 is telling us about Zion. From a physical and geographical point of view, Zion is another name for the city of Jerusalem.

But from a relational and spiritual point of view, Zion is an international community of people who know God.

An international community:

Most of you have probably heard of the organization, doctors without borders. Doctors without borders is a medical humanitarian network which transcends national and political boundaries to reach people affected by armed conflict, epidemics and other health crisis.

Doctors without borders are not concerned so much with geographical or cultural divides. They are more interested in our common humanity and meeting people’s medical needs. 

The sons of Korah, who wrote Psalm 87, are like worship leaders without borders. As much as they love the geographical city of Jerusalem, they are equally interested in what God is doing in creating an international community of people who know Him.

We find this international community in the centre of the psalm, in verse 4, where the Lord God himself says…

“I will record Rahaband Babylon among those who know me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”

Rahab is poetic way of referring to Egypt. The curious thing here is that, in ancient times, Egypt and Babylon were the two arch enemies of Israel.

The Lord is saying that, at some time in the future, Egypt and Babylon (the enemies of Israel) will turn to Him (God Almighty) and be friends with Israel. All part of the same international community, worshipping without borders.   

Philistia is the land of the Philistines. The Philistines, as we know, were a thorn in the side of the Israelites. They were Israel’s close neighbours but they didn’t get along.

The people of Tyre were also close neighbours to Israel, only they weren’t as aggressive as the Philistines. The people of Tyre were wealthy merchants. I guess we could say their motto was: ‘make money, not war’.  

God is saying the Philistines and the people of Tyre will also be part of this international community of worshippers without borders.

Then there is the nation of Cush. Cush is the old school name for the country we know as Ethiopia. Warwick prayed for Ethiopia earlier in the service. Cush (or Ethiopia) represents those countries (like New Zealand) which are a long way away (geographically speaking) from Israel.

The nations listed in verse 4 are not an exhaustive list. They are a way of representing all the nations of the world, whether they be enemies to Israel or trading partners. Whether they be near or far.    

None of those nations were worshipping Yahweh, the God of Israel, at the time Psalm 87 was written. And so, in the context, it is incredible to hear that these pagan nations will come to know the Lord and worship him.

This thought challenges the false notion that people’s salvation is a historical accident. The country or tribe or family you happen to be born into need not determine your eternal fate.  

This idea (in verse 4) also challenges our deeply held prejudices. Who is it that you don’t like? Who is that you consider an enemy? Is there anyone you think won’t make the cut as far as God is concerned? That may be exactly who God has in mind to include in his holy city.

To some extent, at least, the church universal (made up of Christians of many different nations and cultures) is the fruit of God’s plan. We, who believe in Jesus, are part of an international community of worshippers without borders, all citizens of a spiritual Zion.

But we do not have a monopoly on God. God’s grace may be deeper and wider and more far reaching than we imagine. We cannot limit God in any way. We can only wonder, who else might God want to include in his holy city?

People who know God:

The thing about this international community of worshippers, the thing they share in common, is they all know God. What then does it mean to know God?

Well, when the Bible talks about knowing God, it usually means more than just mere head knowledge. It’s not a virtual knowing, like being friends with someone on Facebook or following them on Instagram.

The kind of knowing that is in view here is the deep knowing that usually comes through suffering and trust.  

Three times in three verses we read: This one was born there. Meaning these people from other nations (near and far) were born in Zion. I don’t think the psalm is saying they are physically born in the city of Jerusalem. This is poetry. The birth is a spiritual birth.

We are reminded here of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3, where the Lord says to Nicodemus: “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”     

To know God is to be born again. That is, to experience a profound awakening; one which opens your eyes to the goodness, the grace and the love of God. A change inside that causes you to yearn to be close to God.

James Tissot was a French artist of the 19th Century. He was raised as a strict Catholic but his heart wasn’t really in it, at least not at first. As a young man he dedicated himself to painting beautiful women who were dressed in the latest fashions of the day. He was, shall we say, a bit flirtatious and lived the high life. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

When James Tissot met Kathleen Newton, she became his model and the great love of his life. Sadly, Kathleen died of consumption just six years later. James was heartbroken.  

After that he returned to Paris and found himself in a church one day. He was there for work, not worship. But when the priest raised the communion bread during mass, Tissot experienced a vision that changed his life.

The painting of his vision (known as Inward Voices or The Ruins) shows a bloodied but still luminous Jesus comforting two poor souls in the rubble of a crumbling building. In the painting Jesus is showing the scars in his hands to prove that He is with them in their suffering and that He died as a sacrifice for their redemption. [1]

The vision James received was the polar opposite of the life he was living. It was a completely different image from the ones he normally painted. And yet, at the same time, it spoke to his deepest hurt.   

There’s no fixed formula for being born again in Christ. None of us knows how the Spirit might move in our life. We don’t all get a vision like James Tissot did. But usually, in order for the transformation to happen at a deep enough level for it to stick, being born again involves suffering and the Holy Spirit.

James Tissot suffered deeply when Kathleen the love of his life died. And then the Holy Spirit gave James a vision of Jesus’ compassion in comforting those who are hurting and powerless to save themselves.

This vision was the catalyst for James Tissot being born again. From that time on he went from being a citizen of Paris to being a citizen of Zion. Part of the international community of people who know God, through Christ.

James Tissot stopped painting beautiful ladies in fancy dresses and made it his mission to paint every scene from the gospels of Jesus. It took him ten years. One of his most famous paintings is the view from the cross.

Most artists, when they paint the crucifixion, show us Jesus on the cross. But Tissot switched it around and showed the crucifixion scene from Jesus’ perspective. This is what James imagined Jesus saw as he hung on the cross. Being born again gave James Tissot a whole new orientation.

To be born again is to become a citizen of Zion. Not a citizen of the earthly Jerusalem in the Middle East, but rather a citizen of the international community of peoples who know the living God. We come to know God through faith in Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Citizens of Zion:

When someone is born they are issued with a birth certificate and their name is entered in the register of citizens for that country. Normally your birth certificate states the city in which you were born. It is a legal requirement.

Twice in Psalm 87 we read that the Lord himself records or registers the names of those who are born again into Zion… 

In verse 4: “I will record Rahaband Babylon among those who know me…

And in verse 6: The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”

This is like saying God will make it official. The Lord will write the names of those who know him in the book of life, so they are fully legitimate citizens of heaven. There are no second class citizens in Zion. Everyone who knows the Lord has the same privileges and responsibilities as a natural born citizen of God’s country.

The book of Hebrews picks up this idea where it says of those who have accepted Christ by faith…

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all…

In verse 2, of Psalm 87, we read that 2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion…

The gates of an ancient city were the place of entry. They were a symbol of security in that they kept enemies out. They were also a symbol of justice in that disputes were often settled in the presence of the elders at the city gate.     

On one level verse 2 is a poetic way of saying, God loves the whole city of Jerusalem, not just the gates.

On a deeper level, Christians see in verse 2 a possible reference to Jesus, who called himself the gate for the sheep. For those who believe, Jesus is the gate or the entry way to Zion. Jesus is also the mediator of justice, the one who reconciles us to God so we can become citizens of God’s city.

The point is: entry to Zion is not automatic. We come to know God through faith in Jesus; that is by trusting Jesus and following his way. God loves the gates of Zion. To know God is to love Jesus.  

Conclusion:

Psalm 87 finishes with the words…

7 As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

In the original Hebrew this verse reads like an instruction for the international community of worshippers. Sort of like when the sermon is finished and the leader says, ‘and now we will sing our closing hymn…’.

It is essentially a response of praise for what God has said he will do. None of us deserve to be citizens of Zion. None of us deserve to have our names written in the book of life. We can’t do anything to repay God. All we can do is say, ‘Thank you Lord. I accept. Here’s my offering of praise for your grace’.

A fountain is a spring or an outpouring of water. A fountain, in a dry land like Palestine, is a source of life and refreshment and cleansing. (It’s not just a decoration.)

All my fountains are in you, is an acknowledgement that apart from God we have no good thing. Zion, the city of God, is the source of all that is life-giving and good. Zion is a blessing to the world.

I began this sermon by asking, where were you born?

Let me finish with the question, where were you born again?

Do you know God, through Jesus? Are you a citizen of Zion?

Let us pray…       

Father God, your grace is longer and deeper and broader than we can fathom. Thank you for Jesus, through whom we are able to know you. May Jesus be real for each one of us personally, and for all of us collectively. Help us to know you better, both in times of suffering and times of comfort. Inspire our praise with your vision of an international community of people who know you and worship you, without borders. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Where were you born, physically/geographically? What was your home town like?
  • What is surprising/significant about the nations listed in verse 4?  Who else might God want to include in his holy city?
  • What does it mean to ‘know God’? What does it mean to be ‘born again’? Have you been born again? How did this happen for you?
  • Why does God register the names of those who know him?
  • What is an appropriate response for those who know God and have become citizens of Zion?
  • Take some time this week to look at and reflect on one or two of James Tissot’s gospel paintings. Ask God to show you something new about himself.

[1] Refer Terry Glaspey’s book, ’75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know’, page 201.

Tawa Baptist

Psalm 84

Scripture: Psalm 84

Video Link: https://youtu.be/T0b7x_uOo7Q

Key Point: God is our home

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

A question for you. Who came up with this quote?

“One road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness”  

[Wait] Apparently it was C.S. Lewis, from his book The Pilgrim’s Regress.

Today’s message is based on Psalm 84. Psalm 84 is about the road that leads home to God. From verse 1 we read…  

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. 9 Look on our shield,O God; look with favour on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

God is referred to more than 20 times in the 12 verses of this psalm and references to God’s dwelling crop up about 10 times. The main idea seems to be: God is our home.

A home is different from a house. A house is a building but a home is a place of belonging and connection, a place of sanctuary and refuge, a place of comfort where we can let down our defences and be ourselves.  

Home, in the best sense of that word, meets the needs of our soul. When we are away from home we ache for it.

God is our home:

During the 19th Century, Elizabeth Browning wrote this poem…

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Browning wrote this sonnet for her husband Robert Browning. It is about her love for him, a love which is multifaceted and which she hopes will transcend death. Their love is not just physical, it is spiritual.

Elizabeth Browning’s poem is an expression of deep, heartfelt feeling. It is unrestrained and unashamed, her heart on the page. Robert is her home.

As well as being a poet, Elizabeth Browning was also a campaigner against slavery and human trafficking. She was an advocate for those who had lost their home through injustice.

Elizabeth Browning’s poem parallels the feeling of the poet in Psalm 84. Psalm 84 reads like a love poem, only the author isn’t writing for their husband or wife. They are writing for God and in particular his presence symbolised in the Jerusalem temple.

From verse 1 we read: 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  

When the psalmist describes God’s dwelling place as ‘lovely’, he doesn’t just mean how nice or pleasant. The sense is more like, ‘How dear to me is your dwelling place. I love it so much’.

But it’s not primarily God’s house that the psalmist holds dear. It is the one whose presence is found in the house; it is God himself that the psalmist longs for. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. In other words, my whole being aches for you God. You are my home.

Or as Elizabeth Browning would say: How do I love you [Lord]? Let me count the ways. I love you to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.

Verse 3 provides an image full of warmth where it says: 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

If even sparrows and swallows can make a home in God’s temple, then how much more does the psalmist belong. The psalmist knows God is his home.   

Sparrows and swallows normally mate for life. They are loyal to their mate. Perhaps the psalmist is intimating that he worships only one God and he is loyal to the Lord his God for life.

Sparrows don’t generally leave home. They tend to stay in the same place pretty much all their lives, if they can. In contrast, swallows tend to travel long distances in migration. The image of the sparrows and the swallows suggests that both those who have never left home and those who have wandered far and wide can find a home with God.

As verses 4 & 5 say: Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

These verses might be saying, whether you stay at home with God, like the sparrow, or whether you travel a long way to draw near to God, like the swallow, you are blessed. 

Some people grow up in a Christian family. They go to church all their life and never stray far from the Lord or his people. They are blessed, they are fortunate. Others don’t start life knowing about God or going to church. They may learn about God’s love and become followers of Jesus later in life. They may have further to travel but they too are blessed.

And then there are those who, for whatever reason, spend time in the wilderness, when God seems a long way away. Maybe the wilderness wanderings are of their own making, like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable. Or maybe the wilderness years are not their choice, like a forced exile. Either way, there is strength and blessing for those whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

My great-grandfather served with the New Zealand expeditionary forces in Egypt, Turkey and England during the First World War. He was overseas for around four years during which time he kept a diary of his experience. Nothing too deep, more of a record of what he did each day.

In those times, over 100 years ago now, troops were transported by ship, rather than plane. Each day, on the boat ride home, Albert had only one entry; the number of miles the ship had travelled that day. Albert’s heart was set on home. He’d had enough of war and couldn’t wait to get back to New Zealand.

This is what it is like for those in Psalm 84 whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. They can’t wait to get back home to the Jerusalem temple, the special place of God’s presence.

You may recall, the heart in ancient Hebrew thought refers to a person’s inner life, their mind basically. And a pilgrimage is a special road trip or journey to draw near to God. Ancient Jews tended to make literal pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the various religious festivals, like Passover and Pentecost.

Going a little deeper though, to have one’s heart set on pilgrimage is to have a mind-set or an orientation directed toward God. Or to say it another way, to set your heart on pilgrimage means to have a highway in your mind to God.

So, for example, when something goes wrong the first thing we think to do is pray and ask God to lead us in accordance with his will. And when something goes well, the first thing we think to do is thank God for his grace. And when we have some spare time, our preference is to spend that time enjoying God, looking for signs of his presence, like divine finger prints on the day.          

Verses 6 & 7 describe what it is like for those whose hearts are set on pilgrimage: 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

My grandfather was a well driller. He did all sorts of drilling but his main work was putting down water bores for farmers and whoever else wanted one.

Drilling water wells is something life giving for people and stock. Once a well is put in place it is fairly permanent. You can’t really take the water well with you when you leave the farm. A water well is a lasting legacy. 

The Valley of Baka (in verse 6) is thought to be a dry and arid place. The road back home to God’s presence is not easy in places. Drawing close to God through pilgrimage may feel tiring and dry and inhospitable at times. But those who believe that God is their home make what would otherwise by a dry journey a place of springs.

For Jewish pilgrims of old this may have meant digging physical wells in dry places. For the followers of Jesus (Christian pilgrims) this equates to being a blessing to God’s world. As we journey through this world we are to dig wells, or leave a life giving legacy, for those who follow after us.   

Jesus’ life and teaching (recorded in the gospels) is the deepest well, with the purest water. But there are other wells we can draw from too.

Perhaps the point of application for us is: how might we dig wells in dry places as we journey through life? We do this by sharing the gifts God has given us.

Elizabeth Browning’s poetry is a well for those who take the time to dip into it. C.S. Lewis’ writing is a well for those who read his books with thoughtfulness. The people who paid for and built this church auditorium have left us a well to gather around for worship. The musicians who wrote the songs we sing in church have left wells for us to be refreshed by as we sing their songs.

When you dig deep in giving your time and love to someone else, particularly a child or a young person, you are digging wells of refreshment which they can draw from long after you have gone. Our Deacons do quite a bit of spade work too, in the form of careful decision making to help our congregation both in the present and the future.

What gift has God given you to share? What kind of well (or legacy) can you leave for those who come after you?       

Verse 7 says of these pilgrims: They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

You know when you are on a long hike through the bush or up a mountain, there comes a point when you feel a bit weary. Then, as the end gets closer, you find a second wind. The hope of reaching your goal spurs you on with new strength and a vigour you did not know you had.

Zion is another word for the city of God. Ancient Jews probably thought of the earthly Jerusalem as Zion, God’s holy city. For Christians though, Zion refers to the heavenly Jerusalem. To appear before God in Zion is a way of talking about returning home to God.

We belong with God. God is our home, our sanctuary, our refuge, the one with whom we can be ourselves.   

In verses 8 & 9 the psalmist offers a prayer to God, saying: Look on our shield,O God; look with favour on your anointed one.

The phrase anointed one refers to the king of Israel, the leader of God’s people. The king is also referred to as our shield. In ancient times it was the king’s job to protect the nation, and that’s why he is called a shield. The psalmist is asking God’s favour or grace for the king because when the king is supported by God the whole nation prospers.

In Greek ‘anointed one’ translates as Christ and in Hebrew as Messiah.

For Christians, Jesus is the Christ or the Messiah, God’s anointed one. Jesus is our king and our shield. We look to Jesus for leadership and protection.

What we find though is that Jesus does not necessarily protect us from military or political threat. Rather, Jesus protects us from the power of sin and death, bringing us home to eternal life with God.

Verse 10 reads: Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Psalm 84, was written by the Sons of Korah. The Sons of Korah were Levites, part of the tribe of Levi (nothing to do with denim jeans by the way).

In ancient Israel, God appointed the Levites to serve in his temple. The Levites were not authorised to make sacrifices like the priests. Instead they did things like, being on door duty and singing in the choir.

The Sons of Korah were most likely descended from the same Korah who led a rebellion against Moses in the wilderness. Korah was killed for his disobedience when the ground opened up and swallowed him whole, in Numbers 16. But some of his descendants survived and were appointed by David to lead the temple music. [1] It is a lovely story of redemption.

I imagine the descendants of Korah felt some shame because of what their great, great granddaddy did. But God did not hold it against them. The Lord bestows favour and honour.

Some listening to this may carry a sense of shame because of what someone else in their family has done. Let me say to you, God does not hold the actions of your parents or your grandparents against you. We cannot deny the past but we are free to follow a different path from our forebears.

Verse 11 says: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

To say that God is a sun means that God is the source of all that is life-giving and good. And to say that God is a shield means that God is in fact our King, our protector, our security.

Being blameless, in Hebrew thought, means to be whole or wholehearted. Not two faced but having integrity, so that what you say is one with what you do. Not behaving one way at church on a Sunday and then a different way at home or at school or at work the rest of the week.    

Being blameless then is not about being perfect and never making a mistake. Being blameless is about being the real deal, the genuine article. Not being phoney, not being a chameleon.

In the Marvel (movie) universe, Thor was blameless (in the sense of being wholehearted), while Loki was two faced. And in Jane Austin’s Pride & Prejudice, Mr Darcy was wholehearted, while Mr Wickham was not.   

The Sons of Korah are not faking it. They are wholehearted in their musical worship and in the walk (or rhythms) of their daily lives.

Verse 11, where it talks about God not withholding any good thing, reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 where the Lord says…

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

This is in keeping with the idea that God is our home. Jesus wants us to understand that God is a loving Father who knows how to give good things to His children. It does not necessarily follow that we will always get what we want though.

The 19th Century German artist, Caspar Friedrich has a painting called, “Wanderer above the sea fog”. It shows a man standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking a rugged landscape shrouded in fog. The wanderer cannot see a clear path ahead but he looks quite relaxed. One gets the sense he will find his way home through the fog.

The band U2 have a song called Walk On. It is about home and exile, among other things. Bono has a line in the song where he sings: Home, hard to know what it is if you’ve never had one.

That line resonates. Our collective sense of home has been severely eroded. In the developed world homes are ripped apart by domestic violence, separation and divorce. Hundreds of thousands of kids grow up without any sense of security or any idea of what a functional home life looks like.    

And in other parts of the world people are forced to flee their homes because of war or famine. Literally millions of people are displaced through no fault of their own. Hundreds of thousands of kids grow up in refugee camps.

Home, hard to know what it is if you’ve never had one.    

I’m not sure what you feel when you hear me say, ‘God is our home’. Maybe you feel confused because you’ve never really experienced anything approximating a real home. Or maybe you feel angry because you had a home once but then it was taken from you.

Or maybe you feel hopeful because you are looking forward to that day when you will finally be at home with God, in Zion. 

In another part of that same song by U2, Bono sings a line pregnant with hope: We’re packing a suit case for a place none of us has been. It’s a place that has to be believed, to be seen.   

Our eternal home (with God) is a place that has to be believed to be seen. We can’t really imagine it yet. The best we can do is trust God.

Psalm 84 finishes with another beatitude: Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Trust is more difficult for some than others. If you have been let down or betrayed by those close to you, or had your home ripped out from under your feet, then you may find it hard to trust. Trust is a gift from God.

Most of you are here this morning (or listening to this on-line) because you do trust God, or at least you want to trust him, even if it is a struggle at times.

I believe trusting God is worth the risk. We all have things that go wrong in our life and reasons not to trust. But a lot of things go well also, or at least are not as bad as they might have been.

Conclusion:

The journey home to God requires us to make a choice every day to trust God. We have to believe that God will guide us through the fog. Trust is the foundation on which our home is built.

The good news is that we do not make the journey alone. Jesus gives us his Spirit to guide and help. In John 14, the night before his crucifixion and death, Jesus 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.”

Let us pray…

Father God, you are our home. Help us to trust you regardless of the changing circumstances of our lives. Be our sun and our shield. Guide us and protect us. When the way home is dry, give us strength to dig deep and leave wells for those who follow in our steps. Make us a blessing to others and bring us into your presence with honour and joy. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is the difference between a home and a house? What was your home life like growing up?
  • What might the psalmist be wanting to convey by using the image of sparrows and swallows? Which bird to do you identify with more, the sparrow or the swallow? Why?
  • What does it mean to have your heart set on pilgrimage?
  • What gift has God given you to share with others? What ‘well’ can you leave as a life-giving legacy to those who come after you?
  • How do you feel when you hear the phrase, ‘God is our home’? Why do you feel this way? What did Jesus have to say about home? 
  •  Take some time to look at and reflect on Caspar Friedrich’s painting “Wanderer above the sea fog”. Alternatively, listen to the song “Walk On” by U2. Do either of these pieces of art resonate with your experience? How? 

[1] Derek Kidner, 49-50

Tawa Baptist

1st Corinthians 1:1-18 – Dan Cuttriss

Intro

Jazz music is awesome.  Complicated, free flowing and soulful the Jazz musician must be the master of many facets of music. Beautiful complex solos, incredible feel and dynamics and interesting bending of melodic rules is all part of what makes some good Jazz great to listen to.

But sometimes, Jazz can be hard to listen to. It can get too “wordy” too complicated. As if the musician has learnt how to break the rules of the musical language too well and the result is un-coherent and un-melodic to the untrained ear. It might make perfect sense to the trained jazz musician but to your average Jo, it sounds like nonsense…

This is like the Corinthian’s picture of God that Paul is responding to in His letter. In chapter 1:18-31, Paul describes how what seems like God’s foolishness and weakness is actually Strength and wisdom. Like how the seemingly un-melodic nonsense of a Jazz virtuoso is actually an impressive grasp on musical theory and skill, Paul unpacks the truth behind what the world is reading into God and His plans.

First Corinthians is a letter from Paul to the young churches in Corinth. Mostly house churches, the early Corinthian Christians were in need of some correction and encouragement. In Chapter 1 after some greetings and housekeeping Paul launches into a marvellous and succinct description of what it means to be Christians following a powerful God in a world of unbelievers.

18 For the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God’s power. 19 (A)The scripture says,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
    and set aside the understanding of the scholars.”

20 (B)So then, where does that leave the wise? or the scholars? or the skilful debaters of this world? God has shown that this world’s wisdom is foolishness!

21 (C)For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called “foolish” message we preach, God decided to save those who believe. 22 Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom. 23 As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; 24 but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For what seems to be God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

26 Now remember what you were, my friends, when God called you. From the human point of view few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing. 27 God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. 28 He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. 29 This means that no one can boast in God’s presence. 30 But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By him we are put right with God; we become God’s holy people and are set free. 31 (D)So then, as the scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done.”

Through the wordy Greek to English translation of an excited Paul, we can glean some key messages about God and His people from this passage;

  • The different responses that people have to the message of the cross
  • The power and wisdom of God
  • The upside down way that God achieves His purposes

Fight or flight.

Often When faced with a challenge, something scary or given a big fright; humans respond with either fight or flight. To fight is to stay and defend yourself, push back and try to stop or eliminate the threat. Flight is to run, to put distance between yourself and the threat.

Often it is not as clear as a fist fight with an adversary or a full-on sprint from a foe, but in one way or another we do these things.

I came home recently and when I walked through the door I could hear Charlotte (my flat mate) talking to a young girl from youth group. They were in the Kitchen baking and I overheard one say to the other “should we give him a fright??”.

Uh-oh

Big mistake, nobody gives ME a fright. Not in my own house!

So I crept slowly down the Hallway and burst around the corner to the kitchen yelling loudly. My flat mate jumped. And the young girl screamed… and fell over backwards and landed on the floor on her butt. An unsuccessful attempt at a flight response. She wouldn’t appreciate me showing the video that I have of it as it would be embarrassing for her to be identified. I wouldn’t do that to you, don’t worry.

In Verse 21-24, Paul talks about the two responses he sees when people are faced with the Gospel message – the truth of the cross. Like being faced with a threat and fighting or flying, the Gospel can produce two responses: in verses 21-24 Paul says…

21 For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called “foolish” message we preach, God decided to save those who believe. 22 Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom. 23 As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; 24 but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

Like either fighting or flying Humans either want to see proof, “show me powerful signs!” “If that really happened, and God is real then heal my sore leg!”

Or, some people demand a logical explanation for every aspect of the gospel.

The Bible is full of examples of the Jewish people asking for signs, for miracles to show that the claims of Jesus are real. In Matthew 12, the pharisees have been doing what they do best and are questioning Jesus, trying to trip Him up and interrogating Him. When none of the question-traps work, they outright demand a sign. Jesus refuses.

That wasn’t going to work. Countless times in the Old Testament, we see the nation of Israel following God as He performs amazing miracles and yet they still turn from Him. God splits the ocean, provides food from heaven, opens a rock and provides water, and leads Israel to Him on a mountain to offer them a covenant and they still decide that they will make a golden cow to worship.

How much more can God do for them? What sign would have to hit them on the face for them to be God’s and God’s alone? If there is a way to know God and understand His being, demanding signs and miracles doesn’t seem to work.

“Greeks look for wisdom” Is referring to the Greek population in Corinth asking for some proof, some logical explanation that confirmed Jesus was the Son of God. The Greeks thought they were smart. And they were. Countless smart Greeks came up with smart things that are still in use today. Ancient Greek mathematicians, philosophers and astronomers have influenced the world in big ways. Like I was taught in year 10 mathematics with Mr. Lucas, Pythagoras and his handy little theorem has been essential for me in studying to become an electrician. To demand a logical explanation makes sense and we do it every day in small ways.

I’ve met both types of these responses to Jesus in my life, I’ve even had both responses myself. They both seem to make sense, like a fight or flight, it seems logical to the human mind to take care in discerning the truth and testing someone’s claims. But when it comes to the gospel, when it comes to the gravity defying claims of Jesus ,“the son of God”, being crucified to save the world. There is no sign or logic that can quite explain it or contain it.

“we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles;”

A king that wears a crown of thorns, a Jew – crucified now kind of the world? You’re joking. The promised Messiah, killed by the Romans? Beside thieves? I wasn’t born yesterday!

“A stumbling block to the Jews and nonsense to the gentiles. But, to those who are saved, it is our saving power! “

How then are we to make sense of the good news of the cross?

“18 For the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God’s power.”

Paul is saying that the message about Christ’s death only makes sense when we are being saved. It is only in the action of being reconciled to God; and, feeling loved as we join His family – that we can begin to understand the cross. It is only through our experience that we can fully grasp the gravity of the cross. Like explaining being in love to someone, it’s hard to understand without feeling in, without experiencing it.

You can learn about the historical events of Jesus’ crucifixion all you want, but until it becomes real for you, until it becomes personal and relevant you will not understand it.

“…but for us who are being saved it is God’s power.”

When you have felt low and unworthy or not good enough and then felt the presence of Jesus, then the cross makes sense.

When you have been living life that feels empty or pointless and you feel the call of God to join Him in His mission, then, the cross makes sense. It becomes our lifeline and comfort, our protection and power.

While both responses, demanding signs or logical reason, are valid, it is not how someone gets to know God. It is through joining Christ that His sacrifice becomes our comfort and purpose, it becomes, as Paul puts it – God’s power.

God’s triumph of wisdom over the world’s wisdom

On the screen is a picture of some Formula 1 race cars. Formula 1 cars are fast they can go up to 290kms per hour… through a corner! The world’s top 20 drivers race for up to two hours at un-paralleled speeds. You’d be hard pressed to find a better car or a faster driver outside the formula 1.

Imagine, if you will, that it’s race day in a formula 1 grand prix…

The crowd is full of people, the cars are doing warm up laps, ripping around the race track. Multi-million dollar cars are burning thousands of dollars’ worth of fuel and rubber as they fight to be the best, the fastest on the track. All the stars are there, wearing expensive suits and fancy dresses. The cars are lined up, aero dynamic and spaceship looking, but there is a spare space at the back in the starting pack – and then the last car rolls in… a small 1994 Toyota starlet

The race begins and flying into first from last is the mystery driver in the small economic 1990’s hatchback with automatic windscreen wipers and optional air conditioning. After a few laps, the starlet is lapping the pack of cars and wins by a country mile. It would be unheard of! The world’s best drivers in the world’s fastest cars – beaten by a newcomer in a dinky little Toyota.

This is what Paul is saying God has done in verses 25-28…

“25 For what seems to be God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

26 Now remember what you were, my friends, when God called you. From the human point of view few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing. 27 God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. 28 He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. 

25For what seems to be God’s “foolishness” is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God’s “weakness” is stronger than human strength.

The choices that God makes, to our human brain, might seem odd or foolish. The people He chooses, His timing or His plans can appear illogical as we understand the world. Paul’s terms “God’s foolishness” and “God’s weakness” are not references to some hidden chink in God’s armour or a secret Achilles heel. This is Paul putting words to the views of the world, Paul is saying that even the things of God that the World views as foolish and weak are actually examples of God’s greater wisdom and power.  

Paul uses this great mirroring set of attributes in verses 27-28 to highlight the way that God is wilfully “hamstrung” and still comes out on top.

  • God chose what the world considers nonsense to – shame what the world considers wise
  • God chose what the world considers weak to – shame the powerful
  • God chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing to – destroy what the world thinks is important.

Like a random driver showing up in a small, slow car and beating the world’s best and fastest, God is choosing the un-assuming option and winning anyway. God’s people are not called to be the best and brightest, the most handsome or the richest. God purposely chooses those who are marginalised and uses what the world considers nonsense, weak, low and despised. God doesn’t do this just to flex his muscles, it is not a brag like “I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back”.

 The following verse spells out God’s reasoning –

so that, “no one might boast in the presence of God”.

God chose to use people that the world doesn’t hold in high esteem to prove that the things that humanity values are nothing compared to His power.

The wise, the powerful the high-born – these are the things that we often put on a pedestal and chase after. But God dismisses the things that we see as important and achieves His purposes with the marginalised, the poor, the un-loved and the broken.

Like winning the formula 1 grand prix in a Toyota starlet and silencing the fast cars, God makes sure that nobody can boast in their strength or wisdom as it simply pales in comparison to God.

This is not to say that the whole church is only full of low-born, weak and foolish people, quite the opposite. The church has the power of God, the power that triumphs over death. This is what God has done in His victory on the cross. He has disarmed what the world views as power by defeating it in the most bizarre way – crucifixion.

In another letter… to another church – the Colossians, Paul plays with this idea of Christ’s victory on the cross.

 14 He [Jesus] cancelled the unfavourable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. 15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.”

Jesus’ walk from His trial to the hill where He was crucified was abusive and humiliating. Soldiers and the crowd alike spat on Him and yelled at Him. The crown of thorns on His head and a sign of Jest above Him, Paul realises that this is not a sad crawl to death, but a triumphant march to victory.

In the mess of what the world called most powerful, of what humanity fears most – death, God’s plan is fully realised as He defeats death in the person of Jesus, a humble Jewish carpenter from Nazareth.

The God we worship is powerful. The God we worship is supreme – these actions are not the actions of a foolish weak God, just the opposite! Who are we to ever doubt that He can use someone to do His work? Who are we to doubt that God can use someone we know or don’t like? Who are we to think that God can’t use us?

I have felt many times in my life like there must be someone out there that God could use that would do a better job than me, there must be someone who would stuff up less, complain less and wake up on time and be slightly more handsome. But that is not a concern for our God who triumphed on the cross. We do not limit God, there is no power in the world that comes close and no person or situation that God cannot use for His good purposes. Paul’s realisation that he is sharing with the church in Corinth is so relevant to today. Today our self-esteem is fragile as we navigate the waters of advertising, social media and our western competitive life. Reading this message, we can be assured that God is no stranger to the foolish standards that the world holds and God is no stranger to exposing them. If you are to know one key thing from this passage it should be that God can use whomever He chooses to achieve great things, whether you are a formula one car or a Toyota starlet or anywhere in between, please know that God can and will use you if you accept His offer to be part of His upside kingdom. The God we follow has defeated death on a wooden cross – He can use you to spread the good news of His kingdom and He can use us as His hands and feet to love the world.

While the world still judges the church and the work of God through their own lens, they still see the un-coherent cacophony of Jazz free style, but to us in the know we understand that this is the work of a master composer and he weaves together the melodies of our lives in unassuming but perfect ways.

The message of the cross is huge and, while confusing to others, it is our power and comfort through Jesus. As Paul reminds us – nobody has power or wisdom that even comes close to God and as such we don’t need to worry about being the best. Instead we must have confidence in the God we follow, we must trust that this (sometimes seemingly un-coherent) plan of God is actually more than we could ever do.

Whoever wants to boast, must boast of what the Lord has done.

Let’s pray:

Lord, thank you for your wisdom that surpasses understanding. Thank you that you invite us into your story to be a part of your kingdom.

Use us to bless your world. We pray that your will be done.

In the power name of Jesus,

Amine.