Tawa Baptist

Kidneys

Scriptures: Psalm 16:7, Psalm 26:1-3, Psalm 119:10-16, Jeremiah 12:1-2, Leviticus 7:3-6 and Mark 3:1-6.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/uQPyS8hrCLs

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 2 Aug 2026 – Kidneys by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The kidneys are the seat of conscience
  • The conscience is sacred to God
  • Jesus wants to redeem our conscience
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

The human body is a wonderful thing. Take your kidneys for example.

You cannot see your kidneys; most of the time you are not even aware they are there. And yet, your kidneys are continuously working to look after your body, even when you are asleep.

According to the Health NZ (Te Whatu Ora) website, the kidneys carry out a number of vital functions including removing waste products from your blood, balancing your body’s fluids, and releasing hormones that help control your blood pressure.

Your kidneys also control the production of red blood cells and produce an active form of vitamin D that helps your body absorb calcium from your diet. Calcium is needed for building and maintaining strong bones. Today we continue our series on body parts, with a focus on the kidneys.

The kidneys are the seat of conscience:

People in Biblical times did not have the same scientific understanding of their kidneys that we do. In the Bible, kidneys were thought to be the seat of the conscience.

For those who may not be familiar with English idiom, to refer to something as the seat, is to say it is a place of high importance. The seat is the centre or the core, where decisions are made.

For example, the seat of government in New Zealand is our parliament, what we call the Beehive. This is where decisions are made and laws are passed. Likewise, the seat of justice is our court system, where legal cases are decided that often have a far-reaching effect on society.

So when we say, ‘the kidneys are the seat of the conscience’, we are talking figuratively. We mean that part of us, in our core, where moral decisions are made.

Just as our kidneys filter our blood, so too our conscience acts like a moral filter; helping us to choose right from wrong. Basically, our conscience guides our actions and our actions shape our character.  

Deciding what colour pants to wear is not a moral decision and therefore does not involve the conscience. Choosing whether to drink and drive is a moral decision and therefore does involve the conscience; although depending on how many drinks you’ve had, your conscience may be impaired. 

How many of you have ridden a horse? [Wait]

Even if you haven’t ridden a horse, you will know that you steer a horse by pulling on the reins. Pull the reins to the left and the horse will go to the left. Pull the reins to the right and the horse will turn to the right. Pull both reins back and the horse will stop (hopefully). Reins control the horse.

Does anyone here know the Latin word for kidneys? [Wait]. That’s right.

It is renes (spelt R E N E S), from which we get the English word for the reins of a horse. In fact, the King James Version of the Bible translates the word ‘kidneys’ as reins, R E I N S.

Why am I telling you this? Because I’m hoping you will see the connection between the kidneys and the conscience. To the ancient mind, the kidneys were like the reins of a horse. Just as the reins help to control the horse, so too the conscience helps to control our desires and passions.

This is difficult for our 21st Century minds to grasp, because we think about the conscience in a more scientific way, as residing in the frontal lobe of our brain; not the renal lobes of our bowel.   

Let me give you some verses of Scripture which refer to the kidneys as the seat of conscience. The first comes from Psalm 16 which reads…

7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart (kidneys) instructs me.

The word translated as heart (in English) is literally kidneys in the original Hebrew. The English translators have used heart instead of kidneys, in this instance, because saying ‘my kidneys instruct me’ makes no sense to the modern English reader. 

This is poetry, not science. The kidneys are a metaphor here for the conscience. A more straight forward translation might read something like this: I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my conscience instructs me.

The psalmist is basically saying: God guides me by speaking to my conscience. Just as a rider guides a horse by pulling on the reins, so too God guides the psalmist by pulling on the reins of his conscience.    

Psalm 26 also refers to the kidneys as the seat of conscience. From verse 1 we read: 1 Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. 2 Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind (kidneys); 3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

The word translated as mind (in verse 2) is literally kidneys in the original Hebrew. The English translators have used mind instead of kidneys, because saying ‘examine my kidneys’ makes no sense to the modern English reader. 

It made perfect sense to the psalmist though, because (to his way of thinking) the kidneys represented his conscience. That part deep in his core where moral decisions are made. That part which only God can see.

The interesting thing about Psalm 26 is the way the author thinks about righteousness. For the Psalmist, being blameless does not mean never making a mistake. Rather, it has more to do with where he places his trust. The Psalmist’s conscience is clear because he lives in reliance on God’s faithfulness. In other words, he doesn’t have any idols in his life. The living God comes first.

The conscience is sacred to God:

Okay, from a Biblical perspective, the kidneys are thought to be the seat of the conscience, and the conscience is sacred to God; it is holy, set apart for a special purpose.  

The Law of Moses stipulated how the kidneys of sacrificial animals were to be offered to the Lord. In Leviticus 7 we read…

3 All its fat shall be offered: … 4 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. 5 The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord… 

Verse 6 goes on to say that the fat and kidneys of the animal is most holy.

Highlighting the sacredness of the kidneys (which represent the worshipper’s conscience) indicates the sort of sacrifice God wants. He wants us to offer our moral decision making in a holy way. The Lord wants us to hand over the reins of our conscience in faith to him, so our desires and passions are guided by his purpose.

Said another way, the Lord wants us to worship him from the depths of our being, from the inside out. He doesn’t want people to merely go through the motions. God doesn’t want tick box worship.

The prophet Jeremiah was grieved by the empty worship of his day saying to the Lord: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? 2 You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts (kidneys).

Once again, the word translated as hearts (in English) is actually kidneys in the original Hebrew.

We sang a song earlier by Matt Redman called The Heart of Worship.

“I’m coming back to the heart of worship and it’s all about you Jesus…”

The song offers a mild critique of the consumerism which has crept into church worship in the west.

If Matt was writing that song in Jeremiah’s day, he might have called it, The Kidneys of Worship. The lyric might read: “You search much deeper within, through the way things appear, You’re looking into my kidneys (that is, my conscience).”

Jeremiah is lamenting the false religion practised by the wicked. They pay lip service to God, but their kidneys (their moral decision making, their conscience) is far from what God desires.

The idolatry of consumerism coupled with the injustice it causes were widespread throughout the nation. People had become so accustomed to doing evil at the expense of their neighbour that they no longer thought of it as evil. The consumerism of their day did not bother their conscience.

That’s the thing with our conscience; as sacred as it is, it can still be led astray by the surrounding society we live in. Our conscience is like a musical instrument; it gets out of tune sometimes. We need to keep our conscience in tune with God’s will and purpose.

Like some of you, I do the Lectio 365 devotion each day. Last Wednesday’s devotion celebrated the life of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was a man whose conscience was in tune with God, which led him to challenge the prevailing view of the society in which he lived.

Meditating on the Scriptures was one of the things Wilberforce did to stay in tune with God. Apparently, William Wilberforce would recite Psalm 119 each day on his walks from London’s parliament to Hyde Park…

10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. 13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

To be clear, the word translated as heart in these verses is heart in the original Hebrew as well, not kidneys. But the heart and the kidneys are connected. The same blood that flows through the heart also passes through the kidneys. The point is that we keep our conscience in tune with God by keeping his word in our heart.

Wilberforce was elected to parliament as an independent MP in his early 20’s. He wasn’t sure, at first, whether he should stay in politics, but his purpose soon clarified. In 1787 he wrote in his diary: “God Almighty has placed before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.”

By ‘manners’ Wilberforce meant the morals of the nation. The British empire saw no problem with slavery, but William Wilberforce did, because his conscience was in tune with God’s word.

For over 40 years Wilberforce acted as a Godly conscience in parliament; labouring to pass legislation to ban slavery, among other things. He faced many obstacles, but he overcame in the end. On Friday 26 July 1833 the Abolition of Slavery Act passed its final reading in parliament. Three days later Wilberforce died.

His legacy pricks our conscience today. Sadly, despite anti-slavery laws, human trafficking still flourishes in this world. Like William Wilberforce, we need to keep our conscience in tune with God’s purpose. We need to hide God’s word in our heart and resist the consumerism of the prevailing culture.

Jesus wants to redeem our conscience:

You don’t need to answer this question out loud, just think about it in your head? On a scale of 1 to 10, how strict is your conscience? (Where 1 equals ‘my conscience lets me get away with murder’ and 10 equals ‘my conscience is a fascist dictator’.)

We are not all made the same. Some people seem to breeze through life without any scruples. Nothing troubles their conscience. The strictness of their conscience might register around 1 or 2 on the scale.

People like this tend to have little regard for how their actions might affect others. They are obtuse, maybe even borderline sociopaths, leaving a trail of hurt and destruction in their wake, wherever they go. They don’t think there is anything wrong with their actions. They are strangers to guilt.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who suffer much because of an over sensitive conscience. The strictness of their conscience might be more like a 9 or a 10. For these poor souls the conscience can be a bit of a bully; criticising their every move, always condemning them, robbing their joy and making them feel guilty, even when they haven’t done anything wrong.

A conscience like that can cripple a person with fear. It locks them in a prison of sorts, where they are at war with themselves. An over-zealous conscience can sometimes drive a person down the path of legalism, forcing them against their true nature, to comply with the letter of the law at the expense of its spirit.  

Neither extreme is helpful. Ideally, what we need is a backbone conscience.

A conscience which is strong enough to stand up to our selfish desires, but also flexible enough to show mercy. A conscience which holds grace and truth together.

I believe God wants to set our conscience free; not free to do whatever we want, but free to follow his law of love. So that when we are faced with a moral decision, we are thinking, how can I be God’s agent in this situation? How can I do some good?  

Jesus came to redeem people, body and soul. That includes redeeming our conscience. Helping us to hold grace and truth together, so we can keep our moral balance.

Many of the people of Jesus’ day had a conscience which was bound by legalism. They felt compelled to rigidly follow a harsh set of rules which often missed God’s purpose of justice and mercy. They had lost their moral balance.

The gospels are peppered with stories of Jesus seeking to set people’s conscience free. On one occasion, in Mark 3, Jesus encounters a man with a shrivelled hand in the synagogue. Some of Jesus’ critics (the legalists) were watching closely to see if Jesus would break their rules by healing the man on a Sabbath.

Jesus knows this and wants to redeem their dysfunctional conscience. So, the Lord says to the man with the shrivelled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” 

Jesus is showing us here the right way to use our conscience. The law says we should not work on the Sabbath, but what if someone needs our help?

Well, a conscience that trusts in God is not afraid to risk doing some good.

A conscience that trusts in God is able to see beyond the letter of the law to find its true spirit (its purpose). 

Sadly, the people remained silent. Their conscience was bound. They refused to answer the question.

5 Jesuslooked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 

Jesus’ healing of the man’s hand proves it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. But Jesus’ critics don’t want to look at the evidence. The Pharisees’ conscience is in complete renal failure. They plot to kill Jesus.

Conclusion:

This morning we have heard how the kidneys are the seat of the conscience; that place deep in our core where moral decisions are made. Like the reins of a horse, our conscience guides us in matters of justice and morality.

The conscience is sacred to God. Mere lip service won’t cut it in our worship.

The Lord wants us to offer the kidneys of our conscience in faith and obedience to him. That is an acceptable offering.

Jesus wants to redeem our conscience; to set us free. Free from legalism and guilt. Free to follow God’s law of love. Obtaining the freedom Jesus offers requires us to step out in faith, trusting the Lord to justify us.

Let us pray…

Gracious and compassionate God, we offer ourselves to you. May your word dwell richly in our heart that our conscience would be in tune with your purpose. Set us free, by faith in Jesus, to do some good in the world. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. 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?
  2. What is the conscience? Why is our conscience important? What does our conscience do?
  3. How might we get a clear conscience? 
  4. Have we handed the reins of our moral decision making over to God? Is our conscience in tune with the Holy Spirit? Are we challenging injustice in our society? Or are we conforming to the prevailing culture?
  5. On a scale of 1 to 10, how strict is your conscience? (Where 1 equals ‘my conscience lets me get away with murder’ and 10 equals ‘my conscience is a fascist dictator’.) Why is this do you think?
  6. Why does Jesus want to set our conscience free? What does a redeemed conscience look like from a Christian perspective?
Tawa Baptist

Eyes

Scriptures:   Psalm 139:1-16, Psalm 33:13-19, 2 Chronicles 16:9,

Matthew 5:27-29 & 38-41, Matthew 6:19-23, John 9.

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

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 19 Jul 2026 – Eyes by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The eyes of God
  • The eyes of the body
  • The eyes of faith
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

The human eye is a remarkable thing. Apparently, your eye can see something like 10 million different shades of colour. It can detect the flame of a candle over 2½ kms away and take in around 36,000 bits of information every hour.

I’m not sure how scientists work this sort of thing out, but any way you look at it, the human eye is amazing. Your eyes provide your brain with the data you need to make decisions. They guide you and protect you. They help you in a myriad of ways, without you even being aware it most of the time.   

Today we begin a new sermon series on body parts. The Bible is full of hands, feet, hearts, lips, heads, bones, ears, and other body parts. This morning’s message focuses on the eye. Eyes are mentioned somewhere north of 500 times in the Bible. So make yourself comfortable, we have a lot to get through today. Just kidding.

Our message this morning takes a closer look at just three types of eyes:

the eyes of God, the eyes of the body and the eyes of faith. We begin with the eyes of God. The eyes of God see the inner workings of the human heart.  

The eyes of God:

According to the internet, there are in excess of 15,000 active satellites orbiting the earth with operational payloads. Most of these (over 11,000) are owned by the US.

These satellites are used for communication, navigation and observation.

They are like 15,000 eyes in the sky. However, they do have their limitations.

Satellites are expensive to launch, difficult to fix and not always reliable.

They are subject to limited band width (which restricts how much data can be transmitted at once) and they are vulnerable to bad weather. A satellite cannot see through dense cloud, much less read your mind or rescue you.

The eyes of God though, are not affected by the weather, they never fail and they penetrate deeper than the surface of things. In Psalm 139 we read how God has x-ray vision. The psalmist writes…

1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar… 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place…16 Your eyes saw my unformed body

God is our maker and he sees further and deeper than we can.

In Psalm 33 we read…

13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all humankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

The eyes of God see everything and everyone, better than any satellite. More than just seeing what people do, the Lord sees into the human heart and mind. He considers our actions. From verse 18 the Psalmist continues…

18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

The Lord God does not just watch from a distance, like a satellite, detached unfeeling, impotent. No. The eyes of the Lord are looking out for those whose hearts trust in him, in order to save them.

Did you know, the pupil of the eye expands as much as 45% when we look at someone we love. Scientists reckon this response is triggered by the anticipation of reward or pleasure. They say dopamine and oxytocin flood our brain and dilate our pupils.

That may be true on a chemical level but there is more to love than hormones. True love lasts long after the dopamine and oxytocin have worn off. Love is an enduring commitment to the wellbeing of another.

In Second Chronicles 16 we read: 9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

In other words, God is on the lookout for people who love him in a committed way, when the dopamine and oxytocin have worn off. God’s eyes see deep into the human heart; our motivation, our fear, our hope, our trust, our loyalty.

The eyes of the Lord are looking to strengthen those who love him.

Jesus had his Father’s eyes; eyes which can see the inner workings of the human heart and mind. Eyes which look on people with love.

The eyes of the body:

What then did Jesus have to say about eyes? Well, Jesus’ teaching was more focused on the human eye. The eyes of our body serve an important function; they guide us.   

Let me tell you a story dating from eleventh century England. At that time there lived a nobleman named Leofric. Leofric was Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry. His wife was known as Lady Godiva.

According to legend, Leofric levied a burdensome tax upon the people of Coventry. Lady Godiva looked upon these people as her friends. She acted as a mediator on their behalf. Feeling compassion for the people, Lady Godiva asked her husband to reduce the tax, but he refused.

Not one to be easily dissuaded, Lady Godiva pestered her husband until finally, to get some peace, he said: “The day you ride naked at noon through the streets of Coventry will be the day I reduce the taxes.”

Leofric thought this would be the end of the matter. He could not imagine his wife doing such a thing. But Lord Leofric should have known better than to test his wife’s resolve.

Lady Godiva passed word to her friends all through the city, asking that on a certain day at noon everyone remain in their houses with their shutters closed. Out of love and respect the people did as she asked.

At the appointed time, Lady Godiva mounted a snow-white horse and rode naked through the city and back again. To his credit, Lord Leofric, honoured his word and promptly reduced the tax.

In Matthew 6, Jesus had this to say about our eyes…

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Jesus is speaking figuratively here. This is symbolism, not science. The purpose of a lamp is to shine light so you can see where you are going. A lamp guides you in the dark. Likewise, the purpose of your eyes is to guide your body, to help you see where to go, so you don’t bump into things or fall into a ditch.

If your eyes are healthy, if you can see clearly, then your body will be protected (inside and out); you won’t kick your foot against a piece of furniture or walk off the edge of a cliff. You will have the information you need to make good choices and take care of yourself.

But if your eyes are not healthy, if you cannot see clearly, then you will inevitably put the rest of your body (and soul) in danger.

Lady Godiva had healthy eyes. Her perception of others was sound and generous. She could see her neighbours in need and she cared about them. She could also see her husband’s tax policy was unfair. It was crippling people. Lord Leofric’s eyes were unhealthy. He saw the common people as cash cows to be milked, not as people to be cared for.    

In the same breath as talking about the eyes being the lamp of the body, Jesus warns against hoarding riches. From verse 19 the Lord says…  

19 “Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal.

Jesus is warning against the dangers of greed and accumulating excess material wealth. Pursuing worldly riches can make us blind to the well-being of others. It can cloud our perception and darken our inner life.

If your eyes are healthy, like Lady Godiva, then your perception, your way of looking at others will be generous, warm and open hearted. Your inner life will be full of light; meaning you will have a right perspective and be happier. More than this, you will store up riches for yourself in heaven.

But if your eyes are unhealthy, like Lord Leofric, then you will look at others with a meanness of spirit and your inner life will be filled with darkness. You will lose perspective and become cynical, cold and suspicious.

Given the importance of our eyes in guiding us, it logically follows we need to take care of our eyes and be careful what we look at.  

There’s a dark addendum to the legend of Lady Godiva. A tailor named Tom sneaked a peek at the naked Lady, through a gap in his shutters, and later made the mistake of bragging about it. He lost his eyesight. Some said his blindness was divine judgement. Others said it was caused by local citizens with red-hot pokers.

The infamous Tom is still remembered today. His name is often used to describe any peeping Tom who spies on another person, especially a man who sneaks a lustful look at a woman when she doesn’t want to be seen. [1]  

Our eyes guide our body. If we are not careful, they will guide us into trouble.

In Matthew 5, verses 27-29, Jesus talks about taking care of our eyes and what we look at. The Lord says…

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna…” 

Adultery doesn’t start with jumping into bed with someone. It starts with the eyes and the way we look at people. If we look at a person with a view to how they might satisfy our appetite, or how we might use them, our body and mind will be guided into dark places.

Gehenna was the name of the rubbish dump outside Jerusalem, always smouldering, where the worm never dies. It has become a metaphor for hell. Verse 29, where it talks about gouging out your right eye, is not to be taken literally. Jesus is speaking figuratively; he is using words to paint a picture.

The point is to rid your life of anything that would lead you astray. Don’t be a peeping Tom. Don’t put yourself in a position where you may see things with your eye that tempt you in the wrong direction. You don’t want your eyes to guide your body into Gehenna.

Are there things in your life that you need to be rid of? Things that distract you or syphon off your best energy? Things you need to cut out. Don’t let those things become habits. Whether they have become a habit or not, ask God (your spiritual surgeon) to remove them.   

There is a saying which comes from the Old Testament law of Moses:

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

You can interpret this verse one of two ways. If your eye (or your perception) is bad, then you might think you are commanded to take revenge when you are wronged. Tit for tat. This interpretation is false.   

The good eye, the healthy eye, looks at others with generosity and interprets God’s law in a positive way. Moses was not commanding revenge; he was trying to limit revenge. The intention is to prevent people going overboard when avenging wrong.

As Ghandi pointed out, ‘An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind’. Ghandi got his inspiration from Jesus on this point.

This is how the good eye of Jesus interpreted the law of Moses…   

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

This is difficult to do. Jesus did it, but it doesn’t come naturally to us. Everything in us wants to get even when we are wronged.

Resisting the temptation to take revenge requires us to look at the situation with the eyes of faith, trusting that God (who sees all) will make things right in the end.

The eyes of faith:

What then do we mean when we talk about the eyes of faith? Well, faith is how we see spiritual reality. Just as our physical eyes enable us to see the material world, so too our faith enables us to see God at work in the world.

The eyes of faith are like a guide dog. We cannot see the spiritual realm.

God is invisible to us and his ways are a mystery. But faith in Jesus guides us through this world to the next, sort of like a guide dog guides a blind person.

As Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians: We walk by faith not by sight.   

There are a number of gospel stories of Jesus healing people who were physically blind. Often though, these blind men possessed the eyes of faith to see who Jesus really is, when others couldn’t. They had spiritual insight.

One such story is found in John chapter 9…

As he went along, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 

Interesting. When the disciples see this blind man, the first thing they think of is sin and who to blame. They operate from, what we today might call, a deficit model. They can only see what is wrong, not what is right. Jesus sees this man using a strengths-based approach; as someone capable of glorifying God.

Jesus heals the man by making some mud with his saliva and putting the mud on the man’s eyes. We are reminded of God, at creation, forming Adam’s body from mud. Jesus is creating eyesight for this man.

The blind man obeys Jesus. No questions. This is faith. Trust with obedience.

Now you would think most people would celebrate with the man, but no one seems to do this. Not even his parents. When the Pharisees investigate, they want to know who healed the man, because this happened on the Sabbath and, by their (bad eye) interpretation of the law, healing people was work and therefore not allowed on a Saturday.

The Pharisees are divided. Some think Jesus is a sinner (because he healed on the Sabbath) and others are not so sure, saying: “How can a sinner perform such signs”. They cannot decide whether Jesus is from God or not. So they question the man again and he applies the Pharisees’ own logic to the situation, saying…

“Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

The man whom Jesus healed cannot get over the Pharisees’ spiritual blindness. It seems obvious to him that Jesus is from God. How can they not see it?

The Pharisees don’t want to look at the evidence; much less be hoisted on their own petard. In their anger they throw the (formerly) blindman out of the synagogue, unjustly.

Afterwards, Jesus caught up with the man who was expelled and revealed himself as the Son of Man. The Son of Man has a range of meanings in the Bible but, in this context, it refers to Jesus as the long-awaited Saviour from God, who redeems humanity and indeed all of creation.

The man whom Jesus healed responded in faith and worship. He has the spiritual insight to recognise divine revelation when he sees it. He possesses the eyes of faith.

Then Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

These words need some explanation. Jesus did not come into this world to condemn people. Jesus is not looking to catch people out. No. Judgement is not Jesus’ purpose, but it is the inevitable consequence.

Jesus is the light of the world. Light does not condemn. Light simply reveals what is there. Jesus’ presence reveals the truth of the matter. There is no sitting on the fence with Jesus. You either see him with the eyes of faith (like the man born blind), or you don’t (like the Pharisees).    

Who is Jesus to you? That is the question we each need to face. And it can only be answered by faith. We judge ourselves by the way we respond to Jesus.  

Conclusion:

This morning we have considered three types of eyes in the Bible:

The eyes of God, the eyes of the body, and the eyes of faith.  

The eyes of God see the human heart.

The eyes of our body guide us.

And the eyes of faith enable us to see Jesus.

Let us pray…

Gracious God, give us eyes of faith to see you at work in the world. Guide us in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake. Help us to walk in the light of your word. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. 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?
  2. Discuss / reflect on the eyes of God. How are God’s eyes (vision) different from our human eyes? What does God look for?
  3. What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘The eye is the lamp of the body’? In the context of Matthew 6:19-23, what does it mean to have healthy eyes? What does it mean to have unhealthy eyes?  
  4. Are there things in your life that you need to be rid of? What practical steps can you take to be rid of them? Ask God for his help.
  5. What do we mean by the eyes of faith? Can you think of a time in your life when you couldn’t see a way forward but then discovered the way by faith? What happened?
  6. How does Jesus see the man who was born blind? How is this different from the way most other people saw the blind man? How do you view people who are different from you?
  7. Why does the blind man worship Jesus?  Who is Jesus to you? 

Bibliography

  • Leon Morris, ‘NICNT: The Gospel According to John’, 1995.
  • Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, General Editors: L Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Temper Longman III, IVP, 1998.
  • John Burge, ‘NIVAC: John’, 2000.
  • Leonard Mann, ‘Green-Eyed Monsters and Good Samaritans’, 2006.
  • R.T. France, ‘NICNT: The Gospel of Matthew’, 2007.  

[1] Leonard Mann, ‘Green-Eyed Monsters & Good Samaritans’, 169.

Tawa Baptist

The Covenant Justice of God (by Mike Harvey)

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 12 Jul 2026 – The Covenant Justice of God (by Mike Harvey) by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Good morning everyone.

You will probably be familiar with the idiom “That’s Greek to me” or “It’s all Greek to me”. We say this when we don’t understand something, usually technical, like a piece of legislation, or the terms and conditions page on a website, or science fiction jargon on a TV show like Star Trek. 

The idiom dates back to medieval times, and even Shakespeare used it in his play Julias Caeser, as you can see on the wall.

Today I’d like to look at Romans chapter 3 verses 21-24.  Romans was written by the apostle Paul, and it’s generally agreed that his audience was a group of small house churches in the city of Rome, and that the church members were a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus.

I’m reading from the New International Version, or NIV.

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus

Now, if someone not familiar with the Bible or Christianity were to read this passage for the first time, they might say that this is Greek to them.  There’s a lot of jargon in here – the word righteousness, redemption, justified, and the glory of God.  Today I’m not going to try to explain ALL of these words, but I do hope to make this passage more understandable.

Just for fun, this is how verses 21-24 actually look in Greek.

As you might know, the New Testament was originally written in Greek, and the Old Testament was written in Hebrew,  There are many, many English translations of the Bible out there, maybe as many as 450 according to Google AI. 

One translation of just the New Testament is called the New Testament for Everyone translation, or NTFE.  The NTFE was written by NT Wright and published in 2011.  NT Wright, also known as Tom Wright, is a UK New Testament scholar, former Bishop of Durham, and author of over 70 books. 

Let’s see how the NTFE translates verses 21-24 into English.

21 But now, quite apart from the law (though the law and the prophets bore witness to it), God’s covenant justice has been displayed.

 22 God’s covenant justice comes into operation through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah, for the benefit of all who have faith. For there is no distinction:

 23 all sinned, and fell short of God’s glory— 

24 and by God’s grace they are freely declared to be in the right, to be members of the covenant, through the redemption which is found in the Messiah, Jesus.

As you can see, there are some differences between the NIV and the NTFE.

For example, in verse 22.  The NIV talks about God’s ‘righteousness’, and the NTFE instead talks about God’s ‘covenant justice’.   Also, the NTFE speaks of the faithfulness OF Jesus, rather than talking about our faith in Jesus, as the NIV does.  Why has the NTFE done this?   Hold that thought; we’ll get back to that in a few minutes.

For now, let’s imagine, about half an hour from now, you are walking out of church towards your car.   Someone named Julie has seen you come out; you don’t know her and she doesn’t know you.   But she’s feeling bold & brave today, and so asks you, “Can you explain what this church thing is all about?  Why do you believe in this stuff?  What’s so good about it?”

What do you think you would say?  How would you give a summary of the Good News? Would it go something like this? 

“Well, Julie, we believe in a God that created this earth, and you and me.  And he wants a relationship with us.  But you and I are sinners; we do wrong things, selfish things, have unclean thoughts and so on.   And that sin separates us from God; he’s pure and righteous and on the other hand we are not, and so He cannot have a relationship with us.  And our sin deserves death.  But God sent Jesus to die the death we deserved.  He sacrificed his life for us, for you.   That death cleans your sin so you can have a relationship with God and spend eternity with him in Heaven.”

Rom 3:21-24 in the NIV translation seems to line up well with your answer to Julie about what the Good News is.   It is also consistent with version of the Good News that many of us have learned since Sunday School when we were kids, or at least that’s true in my case. 

But I’d like us to consider whether Rom 3:21-24 is really talking about personal salvation, how you are personally made right with God.  Is that Paul’s main focus?  Or is Paul actually talking about something else here?

To answer this, let’s look at 3 questions. 

What does the word ‘sin’ mean?  What does Paul mean when he uses the Greek word for righteousness, or covenant justice.  And finally what does the Cross have to do with both of these? 

First, what does Paul mean when he talks about ‘sin’?   Well, Paul gives a list of sins earlier in Romans, at chapter 1 verses 29-31.  He says:

“They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.”

So this is one way to define sin – we could say sin is bad actions or thoughts.   For example, we could point to the first sin the Bible records, when Adam & Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge in Genesis 3:6.  

Genesis tells us that God had created a perfect world, the Garden of Eden; chapter 1 says that food was provided, and it seems Adam didn’t need to work for it.  And God created community – he said that it was not good Adam to be alone so he made a partner for relationship and intimacy.  Further, God himself was there, wanting to be part of that community.   Genesis 3:8 says that God was walking in the garden.  God himself.  Extraordinary.   

God also gave humans the task of caring for God’s creation.   It must have been incredible to live in the Garden.  It was an early version of God’s kingdom on earth.

But Adam & Eve for some reason were not satisfied.  They thought maybe there was something better out there,

In English, we have the saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side”.  In Persian, which is spoken in Iran and Afghanistan, the equivalent saying is “The neighbor’s chicken is a goose”.   Behind the saying is the truth that it’s not necessarily the case that everything on the other side is perfect.  Among Afghan refugee friends of mine who moved to America in the 1990s to escape civil war, I saw disillusionment play out; they had thought they would find a golden goose in America, but it was often harder than they had imagined.

With Adam & Eve, despite all that God had given them, I wonder if they thought there was another side that was greener.   Maybe their hearts were restless, not thankful for what they already had.  “I want to try this thing over here; maybe that will give me more happiness, more knowledge, more autonomy….”  That’s what the serpent was whispering to Eve – that if you eat the apple, you’ll be like God.

This is idolatry – giving more worth to something other than God’s kingdom.   It is a root sin, a foundational sin, or what I like to call sin with capital S.  Eating the apple, or for us, stealing or having hate or arrogance, or a love of money or whatever it is, these are ‘sins’ sure, but they are only the fruits of the root problem, idolatry.

What happens when we give our hearts to something?  That thing comes to have power over us, like an addiction.  Jesus talks about how one can’t serve God & money, and how we can become a slave to money if we aren’t careful.  When that happens, our hearts turn away from God and his kingdom – and further apart from each other.    

Do we appreciate what we have already, for example God’s creation, the nature around us?  Do we appreciate the signs of God’s kingdom already here on Earth, the amazing work of theologians and doctors and scientists and teachers, many many of them motivated over the centuries to learn about and serve God’s creation. 

Will gave a sermon some weeks ago on the parable of the weeds and the wheat.  Yes, some things are awful – we do need to work to restore those things that are broken.  But I think we also need to rejoice in those things that are beautiful and are working well, due to God’s grace and the servants, the human beings, he has worked through.

If we don’t appreciate and put value on God, his creation and each other, if we have the mindset that there are other things that would be better for me to pursue, then idolatry can take over.

Romans 1:19-20 says God’s goodness and his kingdom way of doing things had been plain to us humans, but verse 21 says we did not thank him, and set out on a different way.

And so God GAVE us OVER to the things you see on the wall, sinful desires, shameful lusts and a depraved mind.  (Romans 1: 24, 26, 28.)  Does this mean God actively pushed us into sin?  No, this is rather like the parable of prodigal son who was un-thankful, who dishonoured his father by demanding his inheritance early, wanting to get away from his father and live a different life, and his father, much as it pained him, letting his son go. 

Just like the prodigal son, when society turns away from God, the power of sin takes over and we become poor, lonely, alienated and broken.

So what was God’s solution to this?  Well, he could have snapped his fingers to re-create the Garden of Eden.  He could have overpowered our wills so that all humans would immediately love and value him again.

But he did not do this.  Instead, he chose to partner with humans, to work together with us to set things right, to restore Eden, to restore his presence, to restore his kingdom. 

After the Adam and Eve story, Genesis goes on to describe how God entered into a covenant with Abraham and his descendants – that all nations would be blessed through the people of Abraham.  God gave the people of Abraham a vocation to restore the world, to set the world right.

As we read on in the OT, Israel did partially fulfil that vocation – we see glimpses here and there of people outside of Israel coming to know God – but mostly we see sin with a capital S holding Israel back, and causing them to fail in its vocation.  The power of Sin was too great, and so they were largely unfaithful to God and their covenant purpose. 

But God did not give up.  He gave the Law to order their society well, and he gave instructions about how to build a tabernacle, and then a temple, so that his presence could dwell among his people.

From beginning to end, the Bible shows us a picture of God wanting to live among us here on Earth.  God walking in garden in Genesis, and then the tabernacle & temple in the age of Israel’s judges and kings.   And then Jesus comes and is called Emmanuel, meaning God with us.  Jesus himself taught us to pray for the kingdom of God to come down to earth, and heaven and earth coming together will finally and fully happen according to the last two chapters of Revelation.

Going back to the vocation God gave Israel through the covenant with Abraham.  Again and again, Israel was failing and floundering in that vocation, and it got so bad that they were exiled to Assyria, ending the time of the kings.  But still, God used prophets to give his people hope and to show them he still loved them.  Eventually, the exile ended; they returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple.  Throughout the Old Testament, we see God’s faithfulness to the Covenant of Abraham.   In other words, we see God’s covenant faithfulness, despite the covenant Unfaithfulness of Israel. 

This is the story Paul is telling in Romans chapters 2 through to chapter 3 and our passage which I’ll get to shortly.  At Romans 2:17 Paul says:

 (17) Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God…

 (19) if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark…

(21) you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?….

(24) God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you   

Paul is saying that Israel has a vocation,,, to be a guide for the blind (that is the Gentile world)….but so far they have largely failed because the power of Sin has been too great, and so God’s name has been blasphemed among the Gentile nations.  Romans 3:9 says that Jews & Gentiles were both under the power of sin. 

But now, Paul says in 3:21.  But now, here’s the solution to the power of sin.  But now the righteousness of God has been made known. In other words, righteousness is the solution, or as Tom Wright puts it in his translation, God’s covenant justice is the solution.  As we saw before, the two translations are different.  Why the difference? 

Well, the word in Greek that the NIV translates as righteousness is Dikaiosyne.  (D-kai-o-SUU-neh).  This word in Greek can mean morally right, virtuous, being a good person.  But it also can mean justice, fairness and equity. 

Many of us are familiar with Micah 6:8, which says:  What does the Lord require of you? To act justly [mishpat] and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 

To act justly, to act with justice, comes from the Hebrew word mishpat.  When the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek, probably in the 3rd or 2nd century BC, the Hebrew word mishpat in Micah 6:8 was changed into Greek using the word Dikaiosyne.

And when the Bible speaks of God’s justice, it is not far from the idea of God’s love for humanity.  Justice and love are not opposites, but go closely together.

Tom Wright says in his book “Into the Heart of Romans”:

“When the Bible speaks of God’s justice, it is talking about the creator’s utter determination, faced with his creation in a mess, to put it all right.  When it speaks of God’s love, it is talking about the creator entering into a ‘covenant’, a close personal relationship, with his people – as the means by which he will put the world right.  Paul draws on this combined meaning explaining throughout [Romans]…how God has been faithful to his covenant…by which he is putting the world right.”  (page 14).  

See also endnote 1

To capture this idea, Tom Wright uses the phrase ‘covenant justice’ in some of his books and in his NTFE translation of Romans 3. 

Humanity was sinful and therefore broken, but now a new ‘setting things right’ has happened, aligned with the covenant faithfulness of God throughout the Old Testament that we’ve been talking about.  Covenant justice is the putting into operation of God’s covenant faithfulness.

Where is this covenant justice placed?   How does it come about?   Precisely in Jesus the Messiah; his life death and resurrection.  Verse 22 – God’s covenant justice comes into operation through the faithfulness of Jesus. 

In other words, God has set things right through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  The problem of sin with a capital S, the problem explained in Romans 1 and 2, has been dealt with through the covenant justice put into operation by Jesus.

Verse 25 reiterates the same idea, that God’s demonstration of his covenant justice is found in the cross of Jesus, who was faithful to the point of shedding his blood. 25 says: 

God put Jesus forth as the place of mercy, through faithfulness, by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his covenant justice

I began this sermon thinking about what ‘Good News’ we might say to Julie outside of church, and I included a line about God sending Jesus to die for my personal sin, and then I raised the question about whether that was in fact the message of our passage in Romans 3.    What I’ve tried to suggest today is that in this passage, Paul is not so much talking about Jesus being killed in my place for the bad things I’ve done, but rather he’s talking about the Cross dealing with sin with a capital S, breaking the power of Sin and death, so that we are now set free to take forward the vocation he had given Israel to set the world right. 

Now, how does Jesus’s death actually ‘deal with sin’ in that way?  How does it actually break Sin’s hold on me, on us?  That’s a puzzle that I’ve agonised over for the last 2 or 3 years and which I’m still working through – I don’t know if I’ve quite solved that puzzle completely.

But I think part of the answer is to imagine what happens, or should happen, in my heart when I look on Jesus, when I look on that cross with amazement at what he did, and grapple with what it all means, and if I soak it all in with the help of the Holy Spirit, should it, and will it, make my heart sing and set me free?

About 25 years ago when I was in seminary, I read a book by Paul Fiddes called the Creative Suffering of God, and when I read the passage from his book that I’m about to show you, I think I did feel the Holy Spirit opening my eyes to something new about the cross.

In the book, Paul Fiddes speaks of death in a wider way than just physical death.  For him, it’s also a loss of relationship, it is alienation.  He explains how God experienced that death throughout the Old Testament, and then experienced death in his own being as the Son was separated from the Father at the Cross. 

Now, Paul Fiddes, being a good and proper British theologian, tends to use very dense language that can hurt your brain and make you reach for a tall cup of coffee, so I asked Google AI to paraphrase it for us into simpler English.

Saying God defeats death does not mean death just disappears. It means that when God exposed Himself to death through Jesus, death was unable to destroy Him. Instead of being ruined by this dark power, God used the experience to show His character.

Because death could not break Him, it now belongs to Him and leaves a permanent mark on who He is.  We cannot think of God without remembering that He experienced death, and we cannot think of death without realising it failed to shatter God.

While God has always encountered and overcome death throughout human history, the death of Jesus was the ultimate demonstration of this. It was the deepest moment of isolation and pain God ever experienced.

This terrible event actually became the clearest message about who God is. It shows that God willingly chooses to share in our deepest loneliness and suffering, which naturally moves us to trust Him more.

This connection changes everything for humanity. When we choose to trust God, death loses its aggressive power and control over our lives.

Finally, the resurrection of Jesus acts as a powerful sign. It proves that even when faced with absolute finality, God does something new for his creation in the face of finality and death.

See also endnote 2

Tom Wright says this:  “The answer to human idolatry, the root of sin, is the fresh revelation of the one true God.  God has supplanted the idols worshipped by Israel and the nations alike with a fresh revelation of himself.” (Page 332 – The Day the Revolution Began)

And because those chains of sin have fallen off you and me, we are now free to join with God in doing “something new for his creation”, as Paul Fiddes says in his book.

I spoke earlier about God being in the business of ‘setting things right’.  Further on in Romans 3, verses 24 and 26 suggest that through Jesus, we are now ‘in the right’ – we are now Abraham’s family, and so can join in God’s business of ‘setting things right’.  We can take on the Abrahamic vocation of being a blessing to the nations. 

We can restore what is broken in our communities, we can restore our environment, we can celebrate and reflect divine creativity through art and music, working now, today towards that vision at the end of Revelation when a new heavens AND NEW EARTH will be realised, when heaven and earth finally come together, when God himself will again walk among us, just as he did in the Garden of Eden and in the life of Jesus.

If I were to meet a Julie coming out of church today, that would be the Good News I think would tell. 

End Notes

  1. Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel also writes:  “It would be wrong to assume that there was a dichotomy of mishpat and kindness.  [Quoting R Niebuhr] ‘Justice was not equal justice but a bias in favour of the poor.  Justice always leaned toward mercy for the widows and orphans’ ….Justice dies when dehumanized, no matter how exactly it may be exercised.  Justice dies when deified, for beyond all justice is God’s compassion.  The logic of justice may seem impersonal, yet the concern for justice is an act of love.”  Page 201, The Prophets Vol 1.
  • The actual words from Paul Fiddes’ book are:  “..to claim that God conquers non-being, or the death which has become an alien power through the fall of creation…means that God is not destroyed by it [the power] when he exposes his being [Jesus] to it.  Instead, he uses it [death, or the alien power] to define his own being, and in this way makes death serve him…..The point is not what has happened to alien death, but what has happened to God in confronting it, in terms of alienation….  Such death now belongs to God… it leaves a permanent impression upon his life.  This means that we cannot think of God except as one who has experienced death, and we cannot think of death except as the power which could not shatter God….So God uses death to define his being.”

“Throughout human history…God has been encountering death and making it serve him.  But the depth of alienation God experiences in the death of Jesus, means a corresponding clarity of definition….The most dreadful assault of non-being has become the most articulate word about God… [We] encounter God as the one who participates in our estrangement, and this has a persuasive power, moving us to trust him.  In our trust of God, non-being loses its aggressive power over us….[and the] sign of the resurrection of Jesus affirms that God does something new for his creation in the face of finality and death.”  Pages 265-267, The Creative Suffering of God.

Tawa Baptist

Your God is too small (by Ewan Stewart)

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 5 Jul 2026 – Your God is too small (Ewan Stewart) by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

When we look at how Israel and the Church have understood God over the millennia, it is clear that this understanding sometimes conflicts with the record in our bible.  Our bible tells us a few facts about God, and the book of Job in particular, gives some insight but sometimes we take it further and even contradict the bible.  When Jesus came, he was able to help us understand God (Jn 14:9).

From our bible and our own knowledge we can put together some facts about God: (OH 1)

FACT 1: We worship an infinite God

FACT 2: We human beings are finite creatures

FACT 3: We are rarely able to fully understand ourselves, much less fully understand another person

CONCLUSION: We cannot ever fully understand God.  Our understanding must be

•          incomplete and wrong at times

•          we may not even realise our own misunderstanding

RESULT: God sent Jesus to come to us, show us the way to God and help us understand Him

So can we at least start and recognise some of our faulty understanding?

The well known bible commentator, J B Phillips wrote to say “Your God is too small”.  The book of Job tried to help Israel recognise essentially the same point.  So let us start by looking at Job.

Job is one of the less well known books in our bible.  It is one of the books of Wisdom literature – alongside Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs.  Wisdom literature is a well known teaching tool used throughout the middle East in biblical times.  The book of Job is not history, it is a story, a story intended to teach rather than record details of religious reality.  Through the story, Job tries to teach us how great God is.

Job is a most unusual book.  Apart from portions at the beginning and end, it is a single work of poetry and poses some of the most difficult tasks for translators.  We are fortunate that translators have put so much effort into their work that we are able to appreciate the meaning of what was written, even if the quality of the poetry is lost to us.  Some experts “regard it as one of the most original works in the poetry of mankind”.  Written in Hebrew, few of us today are able to appreciate the significance of Job as literature.

However it is clear the significance of Job does not lie in it’s being a unique work of literature. Poetry was merely the tool used to present a message that is far more significant than the literary value of Job.

The story of Job is that of a man whose life was a model even God valued.  He was VERY rich and had sons and daughters, which confirmed he was favoured by God using the traditional Hebrew viewpoint.

Job then suffered a tremendous series of calamities.  He lost his wealth, his children and his health.  His suffering was enormous, and he was in despair.  His wife even urged him to curse God and die, as a way of ending his suffering.  From the traditional Hebrew viewpoint, he appeared to be cursed by God, which implied that he had committed some great sin.  I have even heard preachers comment that the fact that his wife was left to him was another curse, given her advice!

In Job’s suffering, he was visited by four of his friends to advise and comfort him.  They are the origin of the term “Job’s comforters” to describe friends whose advice makes our troubles seem worse.  Job’s friends could not believe his sufferings had arisen by any other means than sin. They told Job (at great length) to confess his sin and that God would help him if he did.  Job rejected their advice, with much exaggeration, because he knew he had committed no such sin.

Towards the end of the book, the words of Job and friends are rejected by God in person (Job 38 – 41), not because they are untrue, but because they are too narrow.  With all Job’s exaggeration we recognize at once that his friends are in fact producing their picture of what the fate of the wicked should be. They create their picture of God only by a careful selection of evidence. Job was suffering because what had happened to him didn’t fit his understanding of God either.

This explains the apparently unsatisfactory climax in which God does not answer Job’s questions or charges.  Though God proclaims the greatness of his might, not of his ethical rule, Job is satisfied. He realizes that his concept of God collapsed because it was too small; his problems evaporate when he realizes the greatness of God.

The book does not set out to answer the problem of suffering but to proclaim a God that is so much greater than Job could understand that his concerns dwindle into insignificance.  Perhaps this will help us with understanding God.

Let us look at part of God’s answer to Job in chapter 38 (OH2):

38            Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.

He said:

2     “Who is this that darkens my counsel

with words without knowledge?

3     Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

4     “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

Tell me, if you understand.

5     Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6     On what were its footings set,

or who laid its cornerstone—

7     while the morning stars sang together

and all the angels shouted for joy?

8     “Who shut up the sea behind doors

when it burst forth from the womb,

9     when I made the clouds its garment

and wrapped it in thick darkness,

10   when I fixed limits for it

and set its doors and bars in place,

11   when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;

here is where your proud waves halt’?

12   “Have you ever given orders to the morning,

or shown the dawn its place,

13   that it might take the earth by the edges

and shake the wicked out of it?

14   The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;

its features stand out like those of a garment.

15   The wicked are denied their light,

and their upraised arm is broken.

The writer of Job devoted 4 chapters to his rendering of God’s response to Job, so I hope you will forgive me if I only present those few verses.  Yet these verses are a tribute to how great God is.

The writer of the book tells us that Job was made aware that criticising God for his misfortune was a trivial matter when considered against God’s creation and knowledge.  In the following chapters the writer continues God’s response to an extensive summary of the limits of human knowledge of God and his creation, as known at the time. Following that response, Job accepted that his understanding of God was too small, and apologised for his criticism.

With our knowledge today, we can recognise some of the limitations of the writer’s understanding of God, so long ago.  Yet we can now add our own tributes to the power and wisdom of God.  God is awesome beyond our understanding.

Job was made aware of how small was his understanding of God.  Complaining to God because life does not go the way we expect is pointless because we cannot understand God and his plans.  God can help us in our need even if the writer does not discuss it.  However He has plans for us that go beyond this life into eternity.  That is how much greater God is than we or Job can understand.

Despite the message of Job, Israel continued to misunderstand God.   Israel remained focused on the law and obeying it rather than recognising how great God is.  The prophet Micah in about 735BC was also among those who tried to show how narrow this is, but he took a different tack.  He addressed the mindless giving of sacrifices based on the law.  (Micah 6: 6-8) [OH 3]

6     With what shall I come before the Lord

and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

7     Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8     He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

It is possible Micah was contemporary with the writing of Job, with both inspired by a similar issue.  A failure to understand God.  Israel needed to have a better perspective on understanding God.  Sacrifices and the law were no substitute for justice, mercy and trust in God.

For the Jews after their return from the Babylonian exile, their faith remained based on the words of the law as in our Old Testament.  Not much change from Micah’s day.  The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had a faith that was limited to the observance of rules derived from their understanding of the law.  They did not see that God was bigger than any formal expression of law.  As a result the Pharisees understanding of God was constrained by their rules.  As Jesus pointed out in Matthew 23: 23, the weightier matters of the law consisted of Justice, Mercy and Faith, rather than the details expressed in their rules.  Almost exactly what Micah had said 700 years before.

Jesus also directly addressed the idea of a faith based on rules, as taught by the Pharisees, when he was asked by a Pharisee “What is the greatest commandment”:  (Matt 22: 35-40) [OH 4]

 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus’ words again sound remarkably like those of Micah 700 years before.  “And what does the Lord require of you?   To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  They reflect a wider understanding of God than the rules of the Pharisees and show us what God considers important.

Jesus’ simple summary showed that all that is important among the rules taught by the Pharisees could be reduced to two absolute requirements.  To love God and to love your neighbor.  Elsewhere in the gospels we see Jesus rejecting specific rules such as those forbidding work on the Sabbath, where he said, “the Sabbath was made for Man not Man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27).  The rules the Pharisees considered important were secondary to the two greatest commandments.  We too need to recognise that we cannot understand God just by following rules.

However, recognising the two greatest commandments still leaves the issue of sin since nobody manages to always obey them – all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.  Sin separates us from God because He cannot accept sin.  Only His Son, Jesus, was without sin.  Jesus died for our sin on the cross in our place, since the penalty for sin is death.  Jesus’ death allows us to come to God.  We recognise that we need to accept Jesus’ sacrifice to allow us to come to God.  God’s plan includes a way for us to come to Him.

When we seek to understand God, we need to cling to the important things.  God is so much greater than us, that our problems are close to trivial as shown by Job.  Yet God is aware of even trivia.  Jesus taught us that God cares for every sparrow  (Luke 12:6), let alone for each of us and he taught that the Father knows what you need before you ask Him (Matt 6:8).  Peter also taught us to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1Peter 5:7).   God knows us intimately and His care includes even trivia.

Job taught us that God is overwhelmingly great.  Yet Jesus has taught us that God is great enough that He still knows all our troubles, even if He does not resolve them as we would wish.  He has sent Jesus as His answer, so that we have a way to come to Him.  Jesus is our way to God.

Jesus told Thomas, and us, in John 14:5-6:  [OH 5]

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God is great beyond our imagining, just as Job came to understand.  But let us remember that our God, the creator of the universe, including ourselves, also cares for each of us.  He is great enough to know each one of us individually.  He even knows every sparrow, and He gave His only Son to suffer the penalty for our sin.  Is your God too small?

Let us therefore [OH 6]:

•          Try to recognise our limitations in matters of faith

•          Try to expand our understanding of our faith so that it may grow.

•          Recognise that because of our limitations, our “God is too small”, because our understanding is limited.

•          Recognise that God is so great yet He is able to care for each one of us.

•          Trust Jesus as the way to God through all that we fail to understand.

Let us pray

Our Father, we recognise that you are so much greater than us, and we cannot understand you as we wish.  We recognise that you understand us while we even fail to understand ourselves.  Please help us to obey the two greatest commandments, to love you and to love our neighbour, especially even though we cannot fully understand you.

Tawa Baptist

Jesus’ Mission

Scripture: Luke 4:14-30

Video Link: https://youtu.be/gOnnJc8hsso

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 28 Jun 2026 – Jesus’ Mission by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus’ mission
  • Jesus’ rejection
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

This June we have given special focus to mission work. Over the past three weeks we have heard about the work of Arotahi and our Baptist missionaries. Today’s message highlights the mission of Jesus, as outlined in Luke 4. From verse 14 of Luke 4, we read…

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All witnessed to him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. 23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’” 24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosyin the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

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

There are two halves to our message this morning. Jesus’ mission and Jesus’ rejection. What then was Jesus’ mission? What did the Lord set out to do?  

Very simply, Jesus’ mission was (and still is) to make all things new. He came to redeem and restore, to put things right.

In his book the Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning tells the following true story about one of New York’s most loved mayors, Fiorello LaGuardia. [1]

One bitterly cold night in January 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself.

Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges.

“It’s a real bad neighbourhood, your Honour.” the man told the mayor.

“She’s got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.” LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said “I’ve got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions—ten dollars or ten days in jail.”

But even as he pronounced the sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill saying: “Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Baliff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”

The following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. The mayor received a standing ovation.

I love that story. It gives us a picture of the justice and mercy of God.

After his baptism and forty days of testing in the wilderness, Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. He went from place to place teaching in their synagogues and people praised him.

Luke records, in some detail, the sermon Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth, where he had been brought up. The synagogue was sort of like a community centre or a church hall; a place where Jews could gather to say prayers and hear the Scriptures read and discussed.         

When the attendant handed Jesus the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus selected some verses from Isaiah 61, where it says…

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

These verses describe Jesus’ mission, in a nutshell. They are talking about the Messiah making all things new. They speak of God’s justice and mercy, his redemption and restoration.

The first thing we notice here is that Jesus’ mission is prompted and empowered by the Spirit of the Lord. This is not something Jesus is doing in his own strength or by his own initiative. This mission is really God’s idea. And it’s an idea God has been planning for a long time. Isaiah gave this prophecy around 700 years before Jesus.   

The next thing we notice is that Jesus’ mission is one of proclaiming. Three times in two verses Jesus says he has been sent to proclaim. To proclaim something is to announce it officially or publicly.

Proclaiming involves speaking words, of course, but in Jesus’ case it involves performing signs as well. For example, Jesus proclaimed recovery of sight for the blind by speaking the truth and physically restoring people’s sight. Word and deed, you see.

Jesus’ mission includes proclaiming good news to the poor. So, who are the poor? Well, we tend to think of the poor in economic terms; those who don’t have enough money. But to be poor in Luke’s gospel has a broader definition than this. The poor are basically those who are excluded or who have low status for any number of reasons.   

For example, lepers were among the poor because they were not able to participate in corporate worship. They were excluded from society and regarded with fear. Likewise, tax collectors were among the poor, not because they lacked money, but because they were despised.

Jesus proclaimed good news for Zaccheaus the tax collector by inviting himself over for dinner. By doing this Jesus created the opportunity for Zacchaeus to repent and be restored to right relationship with God and his community.

In the context of Isaiah, freedom for the prisoners was a poetic way of saying the Jewish exiles would be forgiven and set free to return home to Israel.

In the context of Luke, freedom for the prisoners equates to forgiveness of sins, so that people may return home to God our Father. Jesus is the way home to God.

Recovery of sight for the blind has to do, not just with physical healing, but with opening the eyes of a person’s heart and mind. It’s about spiritual insight and revealing the truth, the truth about God and the truth about ourselves.

Mayor LaGuardia shows us what it looks like to set the oppressed free. When he paid the fine for the grandmother, he restored her, he released her. And, by fining everyone else in the court room, the mayor rebuked the people of New York for their callousness in letting this happen in the first place.  

Setting the oppressed free comes from Isaiah 58 where the prophet says…

6 Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free? …“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness…

Isaiah 58 is a challenge to those who practice false religion, those who don’t walk their talk. Those (for example) who sing songs about loving God in church on Sunday but then gossip about their neighbour the rest of the week or cheat people in their place of work or beat their wife and kids. Jesus challenged false religion when he called out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy.

In verse 19 of Luke 4, Jesus jumps back into Isaiah 61 when he talks about proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favour.

The year of the Lord’s favour is a reference to the year of Jubilee. The Law of Moses stipulated a Jubilee every 50 years, when debts were to be forgiven, slaves set free and ancestral lands returned to their original owners. The Jubilee was a year of restoration, a year of making all things new again.

It prevented the rich from getting richer and it gave people hope.

The verses Jesus read out from Isaiah 61 were a crowd favourite, one of Isaiah’s greatest hits. However, Jesus left out the part about proclaiming the day of vengeance of our God. And for the Jews of the first century this was the best part. They were oppressed by the Romans and looked forward to the day when God would destroy their enemies. Why did Jesus leave out God’s revenge?

Jesus had the congregation on the edge of their seats, at which point he says to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

This is a pretty audacious claim. Jesus is essentially saying he is the Messiah, God’s anointed one. Jesus is saying of himself, ‘I am here to make all things new, to restore and redeem, to set free and forgive. And I am doing it today. This is not some far off future promise. God’s plan of salvation has now gone live, in and through me’.  Mic drop.

Jesus’ rejection:

Having heard what Jesus has just said, the people are amazed. Amazed, yes, but not believing. They ask, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”  The people have a hard time believing the son of the local carpenter might be the agent of God’s salvation. They knew him when he was a toddler playing in the dirt. Their preconceived ideas about Jesus blind them to the possibility that Jesus could be the Messiah.

Not all creatures see colour in the same way. Unlike humans, deer have dichromatic vision, which means they can only see two types of colours; blues and greens. Reds and oranges, which stand out to us like a neon sign, appear greyish to deer. That’s why hunters often wear hi viz orange vests and hats.

It makes them invisible to deer but highly visible to other hunters (so they don’t get shot).    

Bulls are similar to deer in that they can only see blues and greens as well. Contrary to popular belief, bulls are not angered by the colour red. In fact, red appears grey to them. Bulls become aggressive when they sense sudden erratic movement. It’s the flapping of the matador’s cape that triggers a defensive fight response in the bull, not the colour red. The matador’s cape is red to hide blood stains.

Not everyone sees Jesus in the same way. Some people see Jesus in his full spectrum of colour; he stands out as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, worthy of our worship. To others though, Jesus appears greyish; just another ordinary human being.

The people of Nazareth were spiritually blind; they saw the world in black and white and so they could not see who Jesus really is. Jesus was one of them (Joseph’s son, so they thought), and that made it nearly impossible for them distinguish him from themselves, much like deer cannot see reds or oranges.

Jesus is aware of this so he brings their thoughts out into the open saying, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’

In other words, if you are God’s anointed one why don’t you perform some miraculous healings like we heard you did in Capernaum.

But Jesus does not need to prove anything to them. He is secure in his identity as God’s Son. Besides, a prophet is never accepted in his hometown.

Jesus illustrates his point with two accounts from the Old Testament Scriptures. The prophet Elijah was not sent to a Jewish widow during the famine of that time. He was sent to a Gentile widow in the region of Sidon.

Likewise, Naaman the Syrian was the only leper healed by the prophet Elisha. None of the Jewish lepers were healed.

The widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian are both examples of the poor whom God set free. In the minds of the people of Nazareth, they should have been excluded from God’s grace; they were among Israel’s enemies, destined for God’s vengeance. And yet, they are people who demonstrated great faith in the Lord.  

The widow of Zarephath was down to her last meal when Elijah turned up and asked to be fed. Elijah was a foreigner to her and he was literally wanting to take the bread out her son’s mouth.

By taking Elijah in and showing him hospitality, the widow was showing faith in Yahweh, she was trusting God with the life of her son. And Yahweh provided for her. As long as Elijah was with the widow, she and her son had food to eat. The oil never ran out.

Naaman the leper also demonstrated faith in the God of Israel. When Naaman, who was an army general came to Elisha, the prophet told him to wash in the Jordan river seven times. Naaman, a man of honour for whom reputation was important, was offended by this.

But, with some encouragement from his servants, he humbled himself and did what Elisha asked. Naaman trusted God with his reputation and the Lord healed him.

The people of Nazareth won’t believe in Jesus. They want miracles as proof.

But God wants faith. By holding up two Gentiles as examples of the kind of authentic faith God wants, Jesus is saying the Jews of his hometown are less faithful, less righteous, less pleasing to God than the Gentiles they despise.

What’s more, they have misunderstood God’s purpose. God does not intend to destroy their enemies. God wants to save their enemies.   

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They drove Jesus out of town with the intention of throwing him off the cliff. They wanted to kill Jesus. Their rejection of Jesus was vicious and unjust. This was a lynching.

We note here that it was the people inside the synagogue who were furious with Jesus. Many of the poor, whom Jesus came to help, would have been outside the synagogue, excluded for a variety of reasons. Jesus came for those inside and outside the synagogue. But, more often than not, it was the outsiders who accepted him.

When we left Tauranga to move to Auckland to train for pastoral ministry, some people were supportive. They could see the fit and sent us off with a blessing. Others were not so supportive. No one tried to throw me off a cliff, but some did not like our decision and their disapproval leaked out in various ways.

Perhaps these friends and workmates felt like we were rejecting them, abandoning them. Perhaps they felt a little hurt. Or maybe they thought,

“Who does he think he is? He is not better than us.” I did not think that.  

I don’t want to defend or condone those in the Nazareth synagogue who rejected Jesus that day. What they did was wrong. I wonder though if they possibly felt like Jesus had rejected them. Who does he think he is? He’s not better than us.

Jesus was not rejecting them. Jesus was trying to open their eyes. He was trying to set them free from the narrow nationalism which was blinding them to God’s broader plan of salvation. Sadly, Jesus’ words triggered a defensive fight response, so they reacted like a bull being startled by sudden movement.

By God’s grace the angry mob did not manage to harm Jesus. Verse 30 tells us the Lord walked right through the crowd and on his way.

God protected his Son. As it is written in Psalm 91: 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Conclusion:

How then does today’s message apply to us?

Well, Jesus’ mission is our mission. Jesus invites us to participate in his work of proclaiming good news to the poor, recovery of sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed and the year of the Lord’s favour.

How might we do this? Well, grace comes first. We cannot proclaim good news to the poor until we face our own poverty and realise our need for God.

We cannot proclaim recovery of sight for the blind until we recognise our own blindness and accept the truth which restores sight.

We cannot proclaim freedom for the oppressed until we name our own demons and are set free.

We cannot proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and forgive others until we confess our own sin and receive God’s forgiveness. Grace must always come first. 

What grace do you need to receive from God?

What grace has God given you to pass on to others?

We proclaim the good news by being the good news.   

Let us pray…

Jesus, you came to make all things new. You are our hope. Help us to receive your grace, that we may embody your good news, your truth, your freedom, your forgiveness, your love for others. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. 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?
  2. What was Jesus’ mission? Discuss reflect on the meaning of verses 18-19 of Luke 4.
  3. In what ways do we see Jesus’ mission carried out in the gospels? In what ways do we see Jesus’ mission carried out in the world today?
  4. Why did Jesus remind his listeners of the widow and Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian? What can we learn from the widow’s and Naaman’s example of faith?
  5. Why did the people in the synagogue at Nazareth reject Jesus so violently?  
  6. How do we participate in Jesus’ mission? Why must grace come first?
  7. What grace do you need to receive from God? What grace has God given you to pass on?  

Bibliography:

  • William Barclay, ‘The Gospel of Luke’, 1965.
  • Leon Morris, ‘Tyndale Commentaries: Luke’, 1976.
  • Fred Craddock, ‘Interpretation Commentaries: Luke’, 1990.
  • Brennan Manning, ‘The Ragamuffin Gospel’, Multnomah, 1990
  • Darrell Bock, ‘NIV Application Commentary: Luke’, 1996.
  • Joel Green, ‘New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Luke’, 1997.
  • Kenneth Bailey, ‘Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes’, 2008. 

[1] Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Multnomah, 1990, pp. 91-2

Tawa Baptist

On this rock…

Scripture: Matthew 16:13-20

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

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Clear identity
  • Stable leadership
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

You don’t own a cricket bat just to oil it. The purpose of a cricket bat is to score runs. Of course, a bat cannot score runs by itself. It needs to be guided by the hands of a skilled cricketer.

Likewise, you don’t buy a tea pot just to keep it on the shelf looking pretty.

The purpose of a tea pot is to brew tea. But the pot cannot make the tea by itself. A person needs to pour the water and add the leaves.

You don’t purchase a tractor to leave it sitting in the shed. The purpose of a tractor is to do work in the field. However, the tractor isn’t going to operate itself. The tractor needs a driver.   

The church does not exist for itself. The purpose of a church is to carry out God’s mission, his purpose in the world. But the church cannot carry out God’s mission by itself. The church, which is the community of God’s people, is built up, guided and moved by the Spirit of Jesus.

Over the past couple of weeks our messages have been in support of the work of Arotahi, our New Zealand Baptist missions organization. Two weeks ago, we heard how Mary said yes to God’s call on her life. And last Sunday we heard how Jesus is our way home to God.

In today’s message we listen in to Jesus’ conversation with his disciples about building his church. From Matthew 16, verses 13-20, we read… 

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadeswill not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bebound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will beloosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

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

This morning’s message is about building the church. Not the bricks and mortar construction of church buildings, but the spiritual and relational formation of a community of people who believe in Jesus. The church is the people.

As he talks about building his church community, Jesus has two things in mind: clear identity and stable leadership.

The Christian church gets its identity from Jesus and it requires stable leadership; leadership that is guided and sustained by the Spirit of Jesus.   

Clear identity:

Front and centre of today’s reading is the importance of having a clear sense of identity; we need to be clear about who we are. Without a clear identity, the church risks being assimilated into the surrounding culture. We don’t want to lose our saltiness, our distinctiveness, and become just another club.

Some of you may be familiar with the Avatar movies, made by James Cameron. This series of films features a fictional people known as the Na’vi. The Na’vi have blue skin. They live close to the natural world and they care for it. The Na’vi have a clear sense of identity. They know who they are and what they value.

When the Na’vi’s world is invaded by corporate raiders wanting to steal the planet’s natural resources, the Na’vi do not assimilate. They stay true to who they are. They remain clear on their identity and hold to their values.

The Na’vi have a saying, ‘I see you’. More than just a way of greeting people,

‘I see you’ is an acknowledgement of who that person is, deep in their soul.

It conveys respect, understanding and value for the person.

‘I see you’ is often accompanied by the gesture of moving one’s hand from the forehead to the chest, signifying trust and profound spiritual connection.    

As human beings we have a deep longing to be seen, in this way, by someone. We even have a word for it; intimacy. Into-me-see.

In verse 13 of Matthew 16, Jesus asks his disciples “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” The Son of Man is Jesus’ way of referring to himself. Jesus is asking, ‘Who do people (in general) say I am?’ It is a question of identity.

The disciples reply, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Each of these people were servants of God, his spokesmen.

Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead. Herod’s conscience was haunting him after he had John killed.

Elijah was one of Israel’s greatest prophets. He lived during the time of king Ahab and queen Jezabel. Like Jesus, Elijah confronted false religion and afterwards was taken up to heaven. Unlike Jesus, Elijah used violence.

People at the time of Jesus believed Elijah would return to herald the coming of God’s Messiah. In fact, it was John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus.

Jeremiah was probably more like Jesus than any of the other prophets.

Like Jesus, Jeremiah was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And like Jesus, Jeremiah, challenged the Jewish nationalism of his day, without resorting to violence. He had the unpopular task to telling his people to submit to their enemies. Sadly, the people paid a high price for not listening to Jesus or Jeremiah.   

In some respects, calling Jesus a prophet was no small thing. The Jews of the first century did not think God had spoken through a prophet in 400 years. And while it is true that Jesus was a prophet, this title is not adequate for him. Jesus is more than a prophet. The people of Jesus’ day did not see him, not properly.

So Jesus said to his disciples, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
And Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Peter nailed it. Peter sees who Jesus really is.

Messiah is a Hebrew word which literally means ‘anointed one’. Christ is the Greek equivalent. In Old Testament times, God selected someone to be a prophet or priest or king by having his messenger pour oil over their head; oil being a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s anointing.

Jesus is God’s anointed one. He is not just a prophet. He is priest and King as well. More than this, there is something qualitatively different about Jesus.

He is in a league of his own. He is the Son of God. There is no other prophet, priest or king who comes close to Jesus. No other with the same standing.  

As Son of God, Jesus knows the mind of his Father. Indeed, Jesus reveals God the Father. To see Jesus is to see God.

Only God can reveal God, and so Jesus affirms Peter’s declaration, saying: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter… 

The name Peter means rock. It’s like Jesus is saying to Peter, “I see you. You are a rock, strong, dependable.”

Two points of application here. Firstly, our discovery of Jesus’ identity must be a personal discovery. Peter was not following the crowd. His perception of Jesus was not influenced by the surrounding culture. Peter was able to see who Jesus really is because God revealed it to him personally.  

Being a Christian is more than simply knowing about Jesus. Being a Christian means knowing Jesus through a personal relationship with him. Recognising who Jesus really is, on the inside. Understanding that he is Lord of life and death, that he alone is righteous; and therefore, worthy of our trust and obedience. To see Jesus is to have an intimate spiritual connection with him.  

Only God can reveal God. We need the Holy Spirit to turn the lights on in our mind and spirit if we are to see Jesus. 

The second point of application is this: We don’t define ourselves. Jesus defines us. Peter was not always called Peter. His given name was Simon. Jesus gives Simon a new name (a new identity) and a new purpose.

The surrounding culture we live in says, you can create your own identity; you can define yourself. Our surrounding culture is at odds with the gospel of Jesus. We don’t create our own identity. Our identity and purpose are intimately entwined with Jesus. It is in discovering who Jesus is, for ourselves personally, that we discover who we are and why we are.

A cricket bat is not a cricket bat until it is in the hands of the batsman. Without the batsman, the bat is just a piece of wood. Jesus is the batsman.

A tea pot is not a tea pot until it holds the tea. Without someone to pour the water and add the leaves, it is just a pretty ornament, an empty vessel. Jesus is the one who pours the water and makes the tea.  

A tractor is not a tractor until it is put to work in the field. Without the driver, the tractor is just a hunk of metal sitting in the shed. Jesus is the driver. Jesus defines us.

We do not know who we are or why we are without Christ. Jesus shows us our true self and he helps us to fulfil our God given purpose. More than that, Jesus defines the church (the body of believers) and he enables the church to fulfil God’s mission.         

Whenever someone asks me what the vision of the church is, my answer is always the same, Jesus is the vision. Jesus is God’s vision for the church. No one can improve on him.

Stable leadership:

The Christian church gets its identity from Jesus. But for the church to have a sustainable future, it needs stable leadership; a team of people who will steady the ship and make decisions that are in keeping with the will of Christ.

After Peter makes his personal discovery that Jesus is God’s anointed one, the Lord then goes on to appoint Peter as leader for the early the church. In verse 18 Jesus says: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hadeswill not overcome it…”  

The word translated as church is literally assembly, as in the assembly of God’s people. As already mentioned, the Christian church is not a physical building or even an institution. The church, as Jesus describes it, is a gathering of people who can say with Peter, “I see you Jesus. You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”    

That Jesus is building his church on a rock speaks of stability. The church has a secure, strong, dependable foundation. So strong in fact that the gates of Hades shall not overcome it.    

Hades is the Greek name for the realm of the dead. Some English versions say the gates of hell, but that translation is misleading. Hades is not the same as our modern concept of hell. We think of hell as a place of torment and demons and destruction. But Hades, in this context, is simply a metaphor for death, no torture or suffering implied.

Jesus is saying his church will be stronger than death. Indeed, those who are part of Jesus’ church (his assembly of people) will be raised from the dead.

The church on earth may not appear that strong or robust, but it is eternally secure, not because of Peter but because of Jesus.

As we have already noted, the name Peter means rock. When Jesus says that the apostle Peter will be the rock on which he builds his church, he is speaking poetically. In plain language, Peter will be the leader of the early church; his leadership will give stability to the church community, like a rock foundation gives stability to an actual building.

Now when we think of leadership, we picture the person at the top. But that is not the picture Jesus gives us of leadership. According to the logic of God’s kingdom, the leader is on the bottom, like the foundation of a building. The leader paves the way for others; the leader supports others.

Providing stable leadership includes setting standards for the community; making it clear what is acceptable and what is not. In verse 19 Jesus says to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;

This verse has been prone to quite a lot of misunderstanding over the years.

In popular culture, there is this idea that Saint Peter stands at the pearly gates, deciding who to let in and who to turn away. But this is not what Jesus had in mind in Matthew 16. Peter does not decide who gets into heaven. That is God’s decision.

We are better to understand the keys to the kingdom of heaven as the gospel concerning Jesus. As we heard last Sunday, Jesus is the way to God the Father. Therefore, the key is believing in Jesus. But how are people to believe in Jesus unless someone tells them the good news about Jesus?

Peter and the other apostles opened the door to the kingdom of heaven by their witness and preaching about Jesus. For example, in Acts 2 at Pentecost, Peter opened the door of the kingdom for 3,000 souls when he called on those present to repent and believe in the risen Jesus.

Likewise, in Acts 8, Peter and John opened the door of the kingdom for the Samaritans, by praying for those who believed in Jesus to receive the Holy Spirit, which they did.

And then, in Acts 10, Peter opened the door of the kingdom for the Gentile, Cornelius and his household. By doing this Peter was laying the foundation, paving the way, for all peoples to enter God’s kingdom through faith in Jesus.  

Of course, Peter was not doing this on his own initiative. Peter was responding to the impulse of Jesus’ Spirit.

Jesus continues addressing Peter saying, “…whatever you bind on earth will bebound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will beloosed in heaven.”

Binding has to do with what one forbids or prohibits, while loosing has to do with what one permits or allows.

During the first century the Jewish Rabbis had responsibility for interpreting the Law of Moses. Their interpretation either bound certain things (meaning it was prohibited), or it loosed certain things (meaning it was permitted).

Jesus is the word of God. In Jesus we have someone greater than the Law of Moses. Indeed, Jesus is the true interpretation of the Law. Peter has just confessed Jesus as the Son of God and so Peter (and the other disciples) were given the responsibility of interpreting the teaching of Jesus. [1]

To be clear, it is not that Peter makes a decision and heaven then endorses it. No. It’s the other way round. Peter is not the initiator of new directions for the church, he is the faithful steward of God’s prior decisions. [2]

Jesus’ words to Peter here are a promise of divine guidance. If Peter is like the cricket bat, then Jesus is the batsman guiding Peter. If Peter is like the tea pot, then Jesus is the one who fills Peter with the water of his Spirit and the tea of his word. If Peter is like the tractor, then Jesus is the one in the driver’s seat. The Spirit of Jesus is guiding Peter in accordance with God’s will in heaven.

We see an example of the Spirit’s guidance in Acts 10. Just before Peter went to preach the gospel to Cornelius (the Gentile), the Lord gave him a vision of all sorts of animals both clean and unclean, saying it was okay to eat them. This happened three times to reassure Peter it was okay to fellowship with Gentiles.

This vision gave Peter authority to loosen the tradition around food and fellowship so that the gospel of Jesus could spread. Without this direction from heaven, Peter could not have opened the door of God’s kingdom for Cornelius and other Gentiles.    

Conclusion:

This morning we have heard how Jesus builds his church; the community of his people. Two things are crucial for building the church. Having a clear identity in Christ and having stable leadership, which is guided by the Spirit of Jesus.  

For more than 140 years New Zealand Baptists have been involved globally in planting and building churches by training pastors and evangelists and supporting church associations so that churches are equipped to grow.

In particular, New Zealand Baptists have helped to plant churches in Tripura, a northern state of India. We have worked alongside these churches for 87 years. Now, with local growth, there are 1,000 Baptist churches with over 100,000 members who collectively make up over 60% of all the Christians in Tripura.

The Tripura Theological College is the only theological college in the state.

To serve such a large population, it needs support to train people to interpret God’s word and provide stable leadership for the church.

Following this morning’s sermon (while we are singing our closing song) the stewards will take up the special Renew Together offering for the work of Arotahi. Some of this money will help support the building of Jesus’ church in Tripura.

Now though, let us pray…

Jesus, you are the one who builds your church. Our identity is found in you. You define us. Help us to stay true to who we are in you. Bless your church, here in Aotearoa and overseas, with stable leadership guided by your Spirit. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. 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?
  2. What is the church? Why does the church exist? What is the purpose of the church? What is God’s purpose for you in relation to his church?
  3. Why is having a clear sense of identity important for the church? Where does the church’s identity come from? How do we strengthen / maintain our sense of Christian identity?
  4. When did you first ‘see’ Jesus? How did this happen for you?
  5. Why is stable leadership important for the church? What does stable leadership look like?
  6. Discuss / reflect on Matthew 16, verse 19. What does verse mean? What does it not mean? In what sense did Peter unlock the doors of the kingdom for people? What does it mean to bind and loose?    
  7. Who are you?

Bibliography:

  • R.V.G. Tasker, ‘TNTC: The Gospel According to St Matthew’, 1963.
  • William Barclay, ‘Gospel of Matthew Vol. 2’, 1967.
  • Michael Green, ‘BST: The Message of Matthew’, 2000.
  • R.T. France, ‘NICNT: The Gospel of Matthew’, 2007.
  • Craig Keener, ‘The Gospel of Matthew – A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary’, 2009.

[1] Green, page 180.

[2] France, page 627.

Tawa Baptist

The Way Home

Scripture: John 14:1-7

Video Link: https://youtu.be/L8xoKm0YL8g

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus is our hope (vv.1-3)
  • Jesus is our way home (vv.4-7)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Having a home, a place to live and belong, is foundational to our wellbeing.

It is a deeply seated need; essential not just for our physical survival, but for our soul and spirit too. Having a place to call home gives us a sense of security and connectedness.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 117 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution, conflict or violence. That equates to 1 in every 70 people on the planet and it doesn’t include those hundreds of millions of people around the world who are homeless in their own country due to poverty.

Today we continue our annual Renew Together campaign in support of Arotahi, our New Zealand Baptist missions organization. The Renew Together campaign runs during June, culminating with a special appeal next Sunday.

Today’s message draws on part of Jesus’ farewell discourse in John 14, where the Lord talks to his disciples about the eternal home he is preparing for them. Jesus is the way home to God. From John chapter 14, verse 1 we read…

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

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

There are two main points to our message this morning. The first is that Jesus is our hope. The second is that Jesus is our way home.

Jesus is our hope:

Hope and home are two words that go together. They are almost spelt the same, just one letter difference. Swap the p for an m and your hope becomes a home. More than mere spelling though, our hope is often intimately entwined with our desire to find and make a home.

Hope is believing you have a good future. Or to say it another way, hope is knowing your future is secure. When you don’t have a home, you look for one, in hope. You imagine what that home will be like. You look forward to finding a home, a place where you can be secure and belong.   

Let me tell you a story, an allegory, about the hope of finding a home.

Once there was a small boat carrying refugees across the ocean to a neighbouring country. The refugees were not safe in their own land and were looking for a new home. A place where they could be secure and find peace.   

During the night a storm blew up capsizing the boat. Most of the those on board managed to swim to a nearby island but not everyone made it.

Once ashore one of their number, a young man in his thirties called Josh, emerged as their leader. He found water, built a shelter, made fire, caught fish and took care of the sick and injured.

The survivors loved Josh and depended on him; he possessed a wisdom beyond his years. His kindness kept them calm. Although stranded on a remote island, this small group felt safe with Josh, much safer than in the war-torn land they had escaped from. In many ways Josh became their home.

After three years on the island, a ship was spotted on the horizon. It was headed straight for them. At first the survivors were excited. It looked like they were going to be rescued.

But when they realised it was a pirate ship, their joy turned to terror. Josh was not afraid though; he saw this as an opportunity. If he allowed himself to be captured by the pirates, he could escape the island and then come back to rescue the others. It was a daring plan, but he knew going away was the only way to secure his friends’ future.

Josh’s community were deeply troubled by the idea. They wanted to keep their leader with them. Josh was their security. All their hope was wrapped up in him. But what could they do. They were not strong enough to fight the pirates and no one else was going to help them.

Sensing how they felt, Josh reassured them he would return one day and take them to be with him.

The next morning the pirates anchored in the bay and sent a raiding party ashore to scavenge what they could. Josh went out to meet them while his friends hid in the trees. Quite unaware of the other survivors on the island, the pirates kidnapped Josh and sailed away. Josh had saved his friends by surrendering himself to evil men.

At first, those left on the island were distraught, thinking Josh was dead and the plan had failed.

But after several weeks, an airplane flew over, dropping supplies to the island by parachute. There was a note with the supplies. It read, “I made it and I’m coming back for you.” The survivors took heart and lived with the hope of knowing their future was secure. 

For those who need me to connect the dots, the Josh in this story represents Jesus and the survivors on the island are like Jesus’ disciples. The pirates are the pharisees who took Jesus away to be crucified and the supply drop is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In verse 1 of John 14, Jesus says to his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled…” Why are the disciples so deeply troubled?

Well, Jesus has just been explaining that he has to go away and leave them for a while, by which he means he is going to surrender himself to evil men and be killed.

The disciples are understandably upset by this. They have sacrificed a lot to follow Jesus, including leaving their homes and families. Indeed, Jesus has become their home and their security. Now they are going to be separated from him, the one they love and depend on, the one they have invested all their hope in.  

With this in view Jesus reassures his friends that the separation is not permanent; but it is necessary if he is to secure their future. Jesus is going to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house, that is in heaven. The preparation Jesus has in mind here is his atoning sacrifice on the cross.  

There are times in our journey of faith, when Jesus feels very absent. Times of darkness when our peace and joy are stolen. Times when our prayers don’t seem to make it past the ceiling and our heart feels empty. Times when all we can do is wait out the spiritual winter in faith and hope.

In stillness and trust is your salvation. The Lord has not forgotten you. He will return for you.

In verse 3, Jesus promises to come back for his disciples and take them to be with him. Just as Josh had to leave the island to find the means to rescue his friends, so too Jesus had to leave this world (via the cross) in order to save us.

Most commentators agree Jesus is talking about his second coming in glory here. After Jesus died, he was raised to life by God on the third day. Then he appeared to his disciples for 40 days before being taken up to heaven.

Ten days after his ascension, the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost and is still being poured out. One day, we don’t know when, Jesus will return for those who love and trust him. That is our hope, a hope which is guaranteed by Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.

Jesus is our hope and Jesus is our way home.

Jesus is our way home:

Another story for you. This one is a true story about finding my way home; one I’ve told a couple of times in sermons. When I was about four, I got lost, separated from my mum, in Chartwell Square. Chartwell Square was, at the time, Hamilton’s largest shopping mall.

At first, I felt fine. I just walked around looking up at everyone. But it didn’t take long before I started to get upset. The mall was new and big. I wasn’t familiar with it and I had no idea where to find my mother.

The adults around me were friendly enough but as is often the case with adults, they were not much help. They didn’t know where my mum was or even who she was.    

For some reason (perhaps God put the idea into my head) I decided that my best bet was to return to our car, which at that time was a burnt orange Mark 1 Ford Escort (similar to this one); relatively easy to find. Being the 1970’s no one locked their cars, so I let myself in and waited.

I just wanted to go home and I knew the car was my way home. Eventually my mum did return to the Ford Escort, relieved to find her son safe and sound.

In verse 4 of John 14, Jesus reassures his disciples that they know the way to the place where he is going. Thomas, who is known for his doubt and his honesty, says: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

To which Jesus famously replies: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…”    

Jesus was going home to his Father, in heaven. Therefore, Jesus is the way home. We come to God the Father by being in Christ.

To put it another way, Jesus is like the car in my story. Find the car and you are guaranteed a ride home. Find Jesus, remain in him, and you will be taken to God the Father. Jesus doesn’t just give you directions on how to get to the Father. Jesus takes you to God the Father himself.

The emphasis in these verses is on Jesus being the way to God the Father. Access to the Father is only through Jesus. The idea that Jesus is the only way to God is offensive to many people these days. It comes across as arrogant, like Christians think they better than everyone else.

Well, Christians are not better than everyone else. The ground at the foot of the cross is level. As one of my lecturers (Brian Harris) used to say, ‘We are all sinners and we are all sinned against’.

A Christian is not better than others. I Christian knows they fall short and is relying on Jesus’ righteousness.

While it is true that Jesus is the only way to God the Father, it is also true there are many ways to come to Jesus. We human beings have only one heart, but there are many blood vessels leading to our heart.

Some people come to Jesus because a friend introduces them. Others encounter Jesus in a dream or through a miraculous intervention in their life. And still others (smart people like C.S. Lewis) work it out logically, rationally.  

Whatever way we might come to Jesus, we won’t really accept him (not properly) until we know our need for him. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. The horse will only drink if it is thirsty. It is our need, our thirst, our hunger, which makes us open to receiving Jesus.   

Someone might say, what about those who don’t know anything about Jesus? It’s not an even playing field, especially if you are born in a country that is not friendly to Christianity.

Well, God is fair. He takes all those factors into account. We don’t know how God will work things out in the end, but we do know he will do what is right by each person. The worst we can expect is justice. The best we can expect is mercy.

Jesus also said he is the truth. We (in the west) tend to think of truth as a body of knowledge, or a system of belief. Something is true or false; it is fact or fiction. For example, it is true to say the sun rises in the east, but it is false to say the earth is flat.

And while that captures part of what truth is, it is not the whole picture. Jesus takes a broader view, a more relational view. Jesus says he is the truth. Which means, truth is more than just a body of knowledge or a system of belief. Truth is a person; someone we can relate with.

The body of knowledge Jesus passed on to us (his teaching) is true because Jesus is true. If we think of our faith as a house, then Jesus is the foundation of the house.

When the foundation of a house is straight and true, the walls are straight and true. The doors and windows open and shut easily, the picture frames hang properly, the roof doesn’t leak and everything else is level.

But if the foundation of the house is crocked or untrue, the rest of the house will be out of square and prone to problems.     

We can trust Jesus’ word to us because Jesus is true. We can build our life on the foundation of Jesus’ teaching and know that the house will stand, because Jesus is on the level. He is faithful, reliable, trustworthy, strong.

Another example of what Jesus means when he says, ‘I am the truth’.

It’s like the difference between whole foods and processed foods. Whole foods are foods which are eaten in their natural state (or close to it). Things like fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, grains and boiled eggs. Whole foods have a high nutritional value. They sustain you through the day.

Processed foods (on the other hand) have been altered or modified. Processed foods, like biscuits and white bread and fruit loops, tend to be high in sugar and carbohydrates, but low in nutritional value. They give you a quick pick me up, they make you feel good for a short while, but they don’t sustain you. They let you down over the long haul.

Receiving the truth of Jesus is like eating whole food. It is high in nutritional value, it sustains you. It doesn’t let you down. You can rely on it.   

Jesus doesn’t just tell us things that are true, he embodies the truth in himself. Jesus shows us the truth by his example. The Lord practices what he preaches. Jesus says, ‘love your enemies’ and when his enemies strike him, he turns the other cheek.  

The suffering of Christ shows us Jesus is trustworthy. He is true. You can rely on him.

Jesus completes the trifecta by saying, “I am the life”. Now, most people today think of life in merely physical terms. If you are breathing and your heart is beating, then you are alive. That is a relatively narrow definition of life. Again, Jesus takes a broader view, a more relational view on life.

In Christian understanding, life is connection. Specifically, connection with God.

The life of a plant depends on its connection with the sun. A plant can survive through the night, but if the night never ends, the plant will die. For a plant, life is connection with the sun.

Likewise, the life of a human being depends on their connection with God.

We can survive through the dark night of the soul, when it feels like God is absent, but if we are separated from the light of God for too long, we will die.

Without a real connection with God, our heart may still beat and our lungs fill with air, but our spirit will be dead. We will lose the capacity to give and receive love. We might exist but existing is not the same as living.

Eternal life is not existing forever. That would be a kind of hell. Eternal life is never ending connection with God. Eternal life is intimacy with God, forever. Life that is worth living. Life that never grows tired. Life that keeps its wonder and vitality.

Conclusion:

In verse 7 of John 14, Jesus indicates it is through him that we are able to have intimacy with God. Jesus says to his disciples, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Very simply, Jesus shows us God. If you want to know what God is like, if you want intimacy with God, then look to Jesus, remain in him. To remain in Christ is to stay connected to God, the source of life. As we remain in Christ, the Spirit works through us to create life-giving connections for others.   

Putting it all together, God is our home and Jesus takes us home to God, so stick with Jesus.

This year Arotahi is building homes; physical bricks and mortar which serve as places of security where people can connect with Jesus and each other.  

In partnership with the Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship, Arotahi is building hostels in Bangladesh for children. In addition to this, Arotahi is building homes here in Aotearoa, New Zealand for people who face barriers and adversity, including former refugees.

These homes will provide safe and stable spaces for people to live and belong. They will be rented at social housing provider rates to ensure affordability.

The rent received will contribute to the care of the children in the Bangladesh hostels.

Over the years to come, the value of these local homes will grow, creating a lasting legacy that will contribute to Arotahi’s future work.  

Let us pray…

Jesus, you are the way home to God. You are our hope, our security, our place to belong. Make us fruitful as we remain in you and wait for your return. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. 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?
  2. What is a home? Why is home important?
  3. Why are the disciples so deeply troubled? Why did Jesus have to go away?
  4. Have you ever been lost? What happened and how did you find your way home? 
  5. Discuss / reflect on Jesus’ statement: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. What does it mean that Jesus is the way? What does it mean that Jesus is the truth? What does it mean that Jesus is the life? 
  6. Why do we need to remain in Christ? How do we stay connected to Jesus?
  7. Do you know someone in need of connection? How might you reach out to them? 

Bibliography

  • R.V.G. Tasker, ‘TNTC: The Gospel according to John’, 1960.
  • William Barclay, ‘The Gospel of John: Vol. 2’, 1975.
  • Bruce Milne, ‘BST: The Message of John’, 1993.
  • Leon Morris, ‘NICNT: The Gospel According to John (Revised)’, 1995.
  • Gary Burge, ‘NIVAC: John’, 2000.
Tawa Baptist

Mary Said Yes

Scriptures:   Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 2:13-15, Luke 2:41-50,

Mark 3:20-21 & 32-35, Luke 14:31-33 and John 19:25-27.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/cBEKGkHA5rE

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Saying yes requires faith
  • Saying yes changes you
  • Saying yes costs you
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Yes, is a powerful word. Yes, makes things happen. Yes, can change the course of your life and sometimes the course of history.

Some yeses are relatively low impact, like when someone asks you for the time or when they ask you to open a jar of pickles and you oblige. Other yeses cost you more and cannot be taken back, like enlisting in the army or agreeing to start a family.

Today we begin our annual Renew Together campaign in support of Arotahi, our New Zealand Baptist missions organization. The Renew Together campaign runs over the first three Sundays in June, culminating with a special appeal on the 21 June.

Today’s message draws on the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Let’s read how Mary said yes to God, from Luke chapter 1, verse 26…

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be calledthe Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

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

Today’s message is about saying yes to God: saying yes requires faith, saying yes changes you and saying yes costs you. Let’s continue with the faith that’s required to say yes to God.

Saying yes requires faith:

A river is a powerful thing. Sometimes deep and calm, other times wild and rough, but always moving forward. A river nourishes the land; it serves people, plants and animals alike.

God’s purpose, his redemptive will, is like a river; powerful, life-giving, unstoppable. Saying yes to God’s purpose for our lives is a bit like climbing into a whitewater raft. It is an act of faith. It requires courage.

Whitewater rafting puts you close to the action. It’s not some easy pleasure cruise. You are bound to get wet. Sometimes the water is slow moving and you need to paddle quite hard. Other times its swift and raging, and all you can do is hold on.

The thing with the river of God’s purpose is that we never know what’s around the corner or when it will end. Our best bet is to stay in the raft, follow the instructions of our rafting guide (the Holy Spirit) and take care of others on the river with us.

When Mary said yes to the angel, it was like she was climbing into a whitewater raft. Mary’s yes required real faith. She didn’t know what she was in for.

As far as yeses go, they don’t come much bigger. Mary was a teenage girl engaged to Joseph the carpenter. For Mary to get pregnant while still engaged was a huge risk for her personally.

Worst case scenario, she could have been stoned for what others would have wrongly presumed to be her infidelity. More likely though, Joseph would have been obliged to divorce her, which would leave Mary a single mum with little or no means of supporting herself financially.

For Mary to say yes, in this cultural context, was brave indeed. It required a high level of trust in God to provide for her. She really didn’t know how her yes would play out.

Mary’s faith was rewarded though. After Mary said yes in faith, God confirmed his call and gave Mary encouragement along the way. When Mary went to her cousin Elizabeth, it was as the angel had told her. Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist and greeted her warmly.

On returning home Mary was not stoned and Joseph did not divorce her.

He stuck by her. Mary’s yes was supported by Joseph’s yes.

Later, after Mary had given birth to Jesus, the holy family received a visit from the wise men, who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then, when at the temple, the elderly Simeon and Anna, both spoke prophecies over the Christ child. God confirmed his call.

Mary pondered these things in her heart, not really understanding their meaning or where it would lead her.

In speaking about Mary’s faith in saying yes to God, we must also acknowledge God’s faith in trusting Mary with his son. God could have gone with a far safer plan, but he didn’t. God relied on the help of a vulnerable young woman.

God’s choice of Mary is interesting in itself. Mary embodied the righteous poor. The Lord worked through ordinary human beings (like Mary and Joseph) who were willing to say yes in faith. This shows God trusts us. Will we trust him?

Saying yes to God requires faith. Saying yes also changes us.

Saying yes changes us:

At the start of the Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey, Gandalf asks Bilbo to come on an adventure with him. Bilbo is not sure. He takes a while to say yes.

Gandalf says, “You’ll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back”.

And Bilbo asks, “Can you promise that I will come back?” 

To which Gandalf replies, “No. And if you do… you will not be the same.”

For some, the call to overseas mission work is like Gandalf inviting Bilbo on an unexpected journey. There Bilbo is, minding his own business, enjoying his garden and his books, when quite out of the blue a wizard interrupts his hobbies and his peace. Bilbo does eventually agree to follow Gandalf on the journey, but he has no idea what he is in for.  

Saying yes, changed the direction of Bilbo’s life. He did return to the shire, but he was not the same. Saying yes to God, set Mary on a journey of change too.

Parenting is a journey that changes us. We embark on that journey not knowing what we are in for. You have settled times of course, but you also get blindsided occasionally. There’s no terror like a parent’s terror.

Not long after giving birth to Jesus, Mary and Joseph were forced to flee to Egypt. They became refugees, living in exile, for a couple of years. Being away from home in a forced exile is no easy thing. Having to learn a new language and new customs. Not knowing anyone. Trying to fit in. Missing loved ones. Eventually, though the holy family were able to return to Nazareth.

Those sorts of experiences shape us; they change us somehow. We return from a cross-cultural experience seeing the world and own culture differently.

Another scary moment came when Jesus was around twelve. The family had travelled to the temple in Jerusalem for a feast and, when it came time to leave, Jesus was left behind by accident.

When Mary found Jesus again (three days later) she said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this. Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

Jesus replied, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he was saying to them.     

Even at twelve, Jesus knew who he was, but his parents were slow to catch on.  They did not understand their son. We might think we know Jesus, but do we really? Jesus won’t be tamed or domesticated. He will surprise us.

On another occasion, when the adult Jesus was preaching to the people, his mother and brothers heard about his ministry and thought he was out of his mind. They tried to take charge of him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd. Jesus was not out of his mind. He was in God’s will.

When someone told Jesus that his mother and brothers wanted to see him, he replied: 33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Saying yes to God redefines our relationships with others. To say yes in obedience to God is to choose a new loyalty.

Saying yes to God requires faith and it sets us on a life long journey which changes us. Mary also discovered that saying yes to God would cost her.    

Saying yes costs us:

Over the past couple of months Robyn and I have been watching the TV programme Grand Designs New Zealand. Grand Designs documents the house building process from architectural drawings to new build and lived in.

At the beginning of each show Tom Webster (the host) asks the owners what their budget is and at the end of the show he asks them what it actually cost. Almost every time the owners end up going over budget by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Building houses usually costs more than you expect.

Saying yes to God is like building a house. It takes time and energy and despite your best laid plans, there will be hold ups and challenges and frustration and it will cost you, probably more than you expect.

A hundred and twelve years ago thousands of men said yes (in good faith) to the call of king and country to go overseas and fight in the first world war. When these men enlisted, they had no idea of the real cost of war. Many did not return and those who did were not the same. The war left its mark.

Saying yes to God is like enlisting in the army. You give up your freedom and your comfort for a time, and you follow orders, so that others may be set free.

Saying yes to God will cost you in blood, sweat and tears. You won’t be the same on the other side.

In the gospels, Jesus tells a parable or two about counting the cost of discipleship. In Luke 14 the Lord says…

“…suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

Saying yes to following Jesus, means surrendering our lives to the Lord’s purpose. It means saying no to many other things. No to the selfish pursuit of fame, fortune and our own grand designs. Not to mention the more painful decision of saying no to family at times.

Saying yes to Jesus may cost us dearly, in this life. It certainly cost Mary.

In John 19 we read something of that cost…

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother… 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”

From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Mary saw her son die in the worst way imaginable. We often talk about Jesus’ sacrifice, and it is right that Jesus gets the glory; but Jesus’ sacrifice was also Mary’s sacrifice.

The bond between a mother and a child is profound. I imagine, next to Jesus, no one at the foot of that cross felt the anguish more than our Lord’s mother. As the prophet Simeon had said to Mary in the temple over 30 years earlier, “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Mary was able to take comfort in knowing Jesus’ death was not in vain; that her son’s death meant our salvation. Mary knew Jesus’ resurrection.

We might not know (in our lifetime) how our saying yes might serve God’s purpose and benefit others. That’s okay. We do know God does not waste anything, especially what we offer in love for him.

Whatever our yes may cost us, God is able to restore in full measure. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away and then the Lord restores again. Orientation, disorientation, new orientation. (It’s the cost that changes us.)

Conclusion:

Saying yes to God reminds me of the Mainland cheese ads. ‘Good things take time.’ Mary’s yes was a life-long response. As a teenage girl, Mary may not have known what changes her yes would bring about or how it would cost her, but Mary saw it through in faith that God would work it all for good.

As New Zealand Baptists we have said yes to ongoing partnerships with Christians across Asia, with Maori in Aotearoa and with people in other parts of the world. Our work and relationships are for the long haul.

Our goal, our hope, is to see gospel renewal in all places and for all people.

This doesn’t happen quickly; it takes the faith and work of many generations continuing to say yes to God’s purpose of salvation.

Mary’s yes begs the question: What is your yes to God? What is our yes?  

A question like that may leave you feeling burdened. Yet another thing to do and another thing to feel bad about if it doesn’t get done. Saying yes to God doesn’t just mean doing things for God, as important as that is. Saying yes begins with receiving what God wants to give us, by his Spirit.

Grace comes first. We can only give to others what God has given us.

Without the Holy Spirit, Mary would not have been able to bear God’s Son. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot become vessels of God’s word either.

So the question becomes: What particular grace has God given you to share? What grace has God given us?

If you are not sure what God has given you, then ask him to reveal it.

You probably won’t be visited by an angel, as Mary was. Often the grace we have been entrusted with is so familiar, so natural to us that we take it for granted, not realising the treasure we hold in these jars of clay.  

Let me finish now with a prayer written by the people at Arotahi…

God, you who first spoke yes, are the One who breathed life into being.

You, who drew close, spoke to Mary, calling her to bear your hope into the world. Teach us to listen to the movement of your Spirit, and to walk humbly in your ways, so that we too may say yes, echoing the love and openness that Mary showed. Weave our response into the fabric of your kingdom work: to notice the faithfulness of others, to nurture the seeds of courage, and to invite others to say yes. May our yes be to the work of justice and renewal: to stand with those at the margins, and to go to the places you call, from here to the ends of the earth. Like Mary, may we carry your hope. May our yes join with your work, so that your kingdom of justice and peace may take root in our world. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. 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?
  2. Imagine being Mary. Put yourself in her shoes. How would you feel? How might you have responded to the angel? Why was Mary’s response brave?
  3. How did God confirm his word/call to Mary? How has God confirmed his word/call to you?
  4. In what ways has God shown trust in you?
  5. What is your (personal) yes to God? What particular grace has God given you to share?
  6. If you have been saying yes to God for a while, how has this changed you?
  7. What has it cost you to say yes to God? In what ways has your yes served God’s purpose and benefited others?    
Tawa Baptist

Father, Son, Spirit

Scripture: John 16:5-15

Video Link: https://youtu.be/dlaJZBC44q0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The person of the Spirit
  • The prosecution of the Spirit
  • The revelation of the Spirit
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today is Trinity Sunday, one week after Pentecost. The Trinity is the name we give to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Some think of the Trinity as three divine persons who are one.

In simple terms, we might say the Trinity is the divine community of love. Beyond that, it is difficult to find the right words. There is a mystery in God that we cannot comprehend.

We read about the Trinity a number of times in the gospels. All three persons are present at Jesus’ baptism and, Father, Son and Spirit are woven through Jesus’ conversation with his disciples the night before he died.

Our message this morning focuses on John 16, verses 5-15, where Jesus talks about God the Father and the Holy Spirit in relation to himself. From John 16, verse 5 we read…

5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

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

Today’s message has three parts: the person of the Spirit, the prosecution of the Spirit and the revelation of the Spirit. Although that sounds like a very Spirit centred message, what we discover is the Spirit does not act in isolation.

The Spirit acts in close relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son.

Let us continue then with our first point: the person of the Spirit.

What is a person? You might think that is obvious, but it’s actually more complicated than you think. The best simple definition I could come up with was, a person is someone capable of relationship.

Now, there may be some exceptions to this but, for the sake of clarity, let’s use this as a working definition. A person is someone (not something), but someone capable of relationship. 

By this definition, a potato is not a person. A potato is not a someone. A potato is a something; it’s a vegetable. You can eat and enjoy a potato in many different ways, but you cannot really communicate with a potato. You can’t be friends with a potato or enemies for that matter. The potato is not aware it is a potato. It doesn’t care whether you mash it or fry it.

But a fellow human being is a person. Human beings are made with the capacity to relate, to communicate, to think and feel, to have opinions and make choices. Human beings care very much how you treat them. Don’t ever try to mash or fry a human person, it won’t be good for your relationship.

Now, there will be some human beings you find it impossible to relate with. That’s beside the point. They are still persons. They have a personality, a soul. They are able to relate with someone, even if it is not you.   

What about dogs? Is a dog a person? Well, I would say yes. Dogs are not human persons, obviously, but they are capable of relationship. You can communicate with a dog. A dog has feelings. Canine persons often make better friends than human persons.

A person then, is someone capable of relationship.   

Last Sunday we heard how Jesus used water as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also associated with wind and fire in the Bible. Wind, water and fire are forces of nature. They are not persons. They are a something, not a someone. They don’t possess a mind of their own or consciousness, as we do.

For this reason, wind, water and fire are helpful, but not adequate for describing the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of God is not a force of nature; the Holy Spirit is a divine person, capable of reason and relationship. You cannot communicate with wind, water or fire but you can communicate with God’s Spirit.

In verse 7 of John 16, Jesus says to his disciples: Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 

Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit here. The original Greek word, translated as Advocate, is: paracletos, which literally means to call alongside. Advocate, in the legal sense of that word, is a good translation but there is no one word in English which does justice to describe the work of the Holy Spirit.

Notice here how Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a person, using the personal pronoun, ‘him’.  The Spirit is a ‘him’, a someone, sent by Jesus to come alongside and relate with us as our advocate and helper.

In verses 5-7 we see something of the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity. Jesus says: but now I am going to him who sent me. Jesus is talking about God the Father here. It was God the Father who sent Jesus (His Son) into the world to save us.

Jesus had to go away to God the father before he could send the person of the Holy Spirit. The going away that Jesus speaks of is a reference to Jesus’ death on the cross, followed by his resurrection and ascension to heaven.

As I mentioned last Sunday, sin had to be dealt with first [by Jesus on the cross] before the Spirit could be sent. Jesus’ atonement for sin made it possible for the Spirit to be poured out at Pentecost. We live at a time in history when the Holy Spirit is available to all who repent and put their faith in Jesus.

Coming back to the point: the Holy Spirit is a divine person. We relate with the risen Jesus by the Holy Spirit, and we relate with God through Jesus.

This is mind-blowing stuff. Jesus is talking about human beings participating in the life of the Trinity by his Spirit. This means the Trinity is not a closed society, it’s not an exclusive clique. God wants to make room for humanity in his love.

Okay, so the Holy Spirit is a person. What then does the person of the Spirit do? Well, the Spirit has many roles and functions, one of which is acting as a prosecutor.     

The prosecution of the Spirit:

A prosecutor is a type of lawyer. A person with special skills who advocates for justice in the realm of the courts.    

The prosecution lawyer represents the state or the government. Their job is to decide whether to press charges and then provide evidence to prove guilt and secure a conviction against the accused.

The prosecutor in any criminal case is advocating for all citizens of that society. Although we are unaware of it most of the time, the prosecutor is upholding justice and defending each one of us against dangerous criminals.   

The person of the Holy Spirit acts a bit like a prosecution lawyer. He brings convictions against the world and the devil. By doing this the Spirit is upholding justice in the spiritual realm and defending us against evil.

In verse 8 of John 16, Jesus says the Holy Spirit will prove the world to be in the wrong… The world, in this context, refers to those people and systems who are against God and his people. The world as organised by Satan.

Although they were not aware of it, many of the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day were aligned with the world, as were the Romans.

Jesus says the Holy Spirit will prove the world to be in the wrong about three things: sin, righteousness and judgement.

How then is the world wrong about sin? Well, the people who called for Jesus to be crucified got it very wrong. They thought Jesus had committed a grave sin by claiming he was from God. But the truth is, those who condemned Jesus to death were the real sinners.

On the face of it, their sin was killing an innocent man. They framed Jesus so they could murder him. But their sin went deeper than that. Their primary underlying sin was not believing Jesus was sent from God. Had the religious leaders believed in Jesus to start with, they would not have killed him.

Jesus is giving us a definition of sin here. Sin isn’t just all the bad things we do or all the good things we leave undone. Sin, at its root, is not believing in Jesus. If we don’t align ourselves with Christ, then we are aligning ourselves with the world as organised by Satan.  

Given the world is wrong about sin, it logically follows it is also wrong about righteousness. The world (by in large through history) thinks of righteousness as an achievement. If we do enough good deeds, then we can earn enough points to go to heaven or nirvana or paradise or whatever.

Not according to Jesus. Christians believe that righteousness cannot be earned, no matter how hard you try. Righteousness can only be received as a gift from Jesus.

Jesus is the only truly righteous one. This is proved by his going to God the Father. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven is God’s vindication of Jesus. It proves Jesus’ righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to believe in Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.  

To put it simply, if sin is not believing in Jesus, then righteousness is believing in Jesus. Therefore, we are made righteous by putting our faith in Jesus.

Accept Jesus and God will accept you. Reject Jesus and you condemn yourself.

That is the gospel.

The world is wrong about judgement too. Many people in this world think God wants to punish them or their enemies or both. There is this perception that God is a severe judge, gathering evidence against people so he can condemn them. That is not a fair perception of God.  

The prince of this world (also known as Satan, or the devil), he is the one who wants to accuse you and condemn you. But we do not need to be afraid, for the Holy Spirit (like a good prosecuting lawyer) has proven the devil wrong so the evil one now stands condemned.

What is your perception of God? Do you think God is out to get you? Do you think he is gathering evidence to punish and condemn you? Or do you think he wants to heal you, to redeem and save you?

God is for you. He is not against you. Jesus defeated the devil on the cross.

If you are in Christ, then the evil one has no power over you. 

We see a real historical example of the Holy Spirit proving the world wrong in Acts chapter 2. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached to the crowds saying…

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter preached Jesus and the Holy Spirit brought the inner conviction, so the people that day were cut to the heart. This conviction led the people to a realisation of the truth about Jesus and the grace of God.

Okay, so the Holy Spirit is a person, and he acts like a prosecutor, proving the world and the devil wrong. Now let’s turn our attention to the revelation of the Spirit.

When we talk about the revelation of the Spirit, we simply mean the Holy Spirit reveals things. It’s like we are in the dark and the person of the Spirit turns the lights on so we can see what was right in front of us all the time.

The revelation of the Spirit:

Have you ever believed something to be true, only to find you were wrong?

A hundred years ago, cigarettes were promoted as healthy, something good for you. Doctors endorsed smoking. It was accepted as a normal part of life. Now we know smoking can kill. Cigarette packets come with graphic health warnings.

It makes you wonder, what new truth will be revealed in 20 years’ time, changing the way we live?   

From verse 12 of John 16, Jesus says to his disciples: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth…”   

These verses are talking about the revelation of the Spirit. The truth is too big, too much for us to take in all at once. We need time to absorb new information and adjust to that information gradually. The adjustment isn’t just intellectual; there’s an emotional and behavioural adjustment as well.

Although Jesus had told his disciples (ahead of time) that he would suffer and die and be raised to life again, they could not take it in. They were struggling to understand what Jesus meant when he said he was going away where they could not see him anymore.

Jesus understood this and reassured them that the Spirit would reveal to them what they needed to know as they needed to know it.

Some of you may have been to Pilot Bay at the Mount. Pilot Bay gets its name (I guess) because of the pilot boats that guide larger ships in and out of the harbour.

A navigator, who knows the coast well, boards the larger ship and helps to guide it safely, avoiding rocks and sandbars and other hazards. The ship’s crew don’t have the local knowledge they need, but the navigator from the pilot boat knows all the truth and guides the crew in it.

I wonder if it is like that with the Holy Spirit. When we come to a tricky time in our journey of faith, when we lack the specific knowledge we need, the Spirit guides us like a pilot guiding a ship into (and out of) a harbour.

Unlike the navigator from a pilot boat, the Holy Spirit is with us always, but we are usually more aware of him at the transition points in our lives.

We come across a real historical example of the Holy Spirit guiding Peter into the truth, in the book of Acts. In chapter 10, the Spirit piloted Peter to preach the good news to the Roman Centurion, Cornelius.

All his life Peter had avoided certain foods and certain people, thinking that contact with non-kosher food and non-Jewish people might offend God. This was a deeply held, sacred belief for Peter and other Jews of his time.

This belief was wrong. What’s more, it was getting in the way of the spread of the gospel. So the Spirit of Jesus reassured Peter, through a vision and through circumstance, that it was okay for Peter to eat non-kosher food and accept the hospitality of a gentile like Cornelius.

Long story short, as Peter was telling Cornelius about Jesus, the Roman Centurion and his gentile household received the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit guides us into the truth, especially the truth concerning Jesus and his redemptive purpose. How then do we know if a revelation is from the Holy Spirit?

In verses 13 and 14 of John 16, Jesus gives us two clues for recognising the Holy Spirit’s revelation: Firstly, the Spirit will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears Jesus saying.

In other words, the Holy Spirit won’t contradict Jesus. During his earthly ministry, Jesus said that food cannot make a person unclean. Peter’s vision in Acts 10 was consistent with Jesus’ teaching. So that’s the first test; the Spirit’s revelation will always be consistent with the teaching of Jesus.

The second test goes hand in hand with the first. The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus. When Cornelius and his household received the Spirit, they praised God. The Spirit does not draw attention to himself; he is always putting the spotlight on God the Father and Jesus. So, if it doesn’t glorify Jesus, it’s not from the Spirit.

Conclusion:

In verse 15 Jesus says: All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Here we have a picture of the communion between Father, Son and Spirit.

God the Father shares all his knowledge, all his power and wisdom with Jesus the Son. Jesus in turn shares this with the Spirit who reveals the truth to us, as we need to know it.  

Let us pray…

Holy God, thank you for sharing yourself with us. Help us to share your love and truth with others, in harmony with your Spirit and to the praise of your glory. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. 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?
  2. How would you define a person? What are some of the key characteristics of personhood? How do we know the Holy Spirit is a person?
  3. What did Jesus mean by ‘going away’? Why did Jesus need to ‘go away’ before the Holy Spirit could come?
  4. What is sin, according to Jesus? What was the deeper underlying sin of those who called for Jesus’ crucifixion? 
  5. How does the world’s understanding of righteousness differ from a Christian understanding of righteousness?
  6. What is your perception of God? Do you think God is looking for ways to condemn you or save you? Why do you have this perception?   
  7. What is your experience of the Holy Spirit’s revelation / guidance? Can you think of / share a specific example?
  8. How do we know if a revelation is from the Holy Spirit and not from some other source? 

Bibliography

  • R.V.G. Tasker, Tyndale Commentaries: The Gospel According to John, 1960.
  • William Barclay, The Gospel of John, Vol. 2, 1975.
  • Bruce Milne, BST The Message of John, 1993.
  • Leon Morris, NICNT The Gospel According to John, 1995.  
  • Gary Burge, NIVAC John, 2000.
Tawa Baptist

The Spirit’s Flow

Scripture: John 7:37-39

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

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The inward flow of God’s Spirit
  • The outward flow of God’s Spirit
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Few people in our society do more to support our physical health and wellbeing than plumbers. Plumbers, in my view, are up there with doctors and nurses in terms of preventing disease and promoting community health.   

Think about it for a moment. Plumbers ensure we have clean water for drinking and washing. They keep the rain out and the sewage pipes clear. Without plumbers we would be living in our own filth a lot of the time, exposed to all sorts of bugs and overrun with rats. Plumbers prevent us from getting sick.

Today is Pentecost Sunday, fifty days after Easter. Pentecost is a special time in the church calendar when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church.

The Holy Spirit is often associated with water in the Bible. If the Holy Spirit is like water, then Jesus is much like a plumber, connecting us to the water mains of heaven, bringing refreshment and cleansing to our spiritual lives.

With Pentecost and the Holy Spirit in mind, our Scripture reading this morning focuses on John chapter 7, verses 37 to 39…  

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

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

In John 7, Jesus uses water as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. What we notice here is the water of the Holy Spirit flows two ways: inward and outward.The Spirit is something we drink into ourselves, like water. And it is something that flows out of us like a spring.

First let us consider the inflow of the Spirit which quenches our thirst for God.

The inward flow of God’s Spirit:

The story is told of Lawrence of Arabia who once visited London and brought along some of his desert-dwelling friends. These men were impressed by the bustling city and its modern conveniences. In particular, they marvelled at the water taps. All one had to do to obtain fresh water was turn a handle.

Not understanding how it worked the visitors asked Lawrence, ‘Would it be possible to take some of these water taps back to the desert?’ They didn’t realise the taps were connected to an elaborate system of pipes which in turn were connected to a huge reservoir of water.

The tap was simply the outlet. To disconnect the tap from the source of the water is to render the tap dry and useless.

Verse 37 of John 7 tells us that on the last and most important day of the festival Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink…”

The festival referred to here is the Festival of Shelters. During the eight days of this festival the people were required to live in temporary shelters as a way of recalling the Israelites’ 40 years in the desert when they lived in tents and relied on God to provide for them day by day.

The festival of Shelters was celebrated in Jerusalem during late autumn, once all the crops had been gathered in. It was both a joyous thanksgiving to God for his provision through the past year and a request to God for his on-going provision.

Being late autumn, it was the driest time of year; a time when it didn’t usually rain and water reserves were low.

So, by standing up in the dry season and announcing in a loud voice,

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink…” Jesus was making a prophetic statement. Jesus was not addressing people’s physical thirst. He was addressing their spiritual thirst for God.    

In much the same way that we need water to survive physically, so too we need the infilling of the Holy Spirit to survive spiritually. The Spirit quenches our thirst for the living God.  

Notice the implication here. Jesus is saying the Festival of Shelters and indeed the Law of Moses finds its fulfilment in him. Jesus fulfils the purpose of the Law like a plumber fulfils the purpose of a tap. Without Jesus to send the water of his Spirit, the tap of the Law is dry and useless. It cannot refresh.

Notice too, the way Jesus appeals to people’s need for him. Jesus does not appeal to our ego. He does not flatter us. Nor does Jesus appeal to our fear.

He does not threaten us with a big stick.

Jesus simply appeals to our basic need for God. He is honest with us. Our soul needs God’s Spirit like our body needs water. The reality is, we won’t come to Jesus until we are genuinely thirsty; until we realise our need for him.

How then do we drink in the water of God’s Spirit? Through faith in Jesus.

Faith isn’t just believing something in your head. Faith is a verb. It is something we act on, something we do.

If someone offers you a cup of tea, then faith isn’t just believing the tea exists. Faith is trusting the person enough to drink the tea. It’s like that with Jesus. Faith isn’t just believing that Jesus is real. Faith is trusting Jesus enough to drink in His Spirit.   

In practical terms, this means coming to Jesus in prayer and asking for the water of his Spirit. You can pray on your own, or you can invite other believers to pray with you and for you as well.

You might receive the Spirit the moment you ask. But you may also have to wait. Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the Spirit came. They waited together for 10 days, in trust and prayer, between Jesus’ Ascension and the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost.   

Drinking the Spirit is about taking the Holy Spirit into ourselves, through faith in Jesus. But the Spirit doesn’t just flow inwards. There is an outward flow with the Spirit too.

The outward flow of God’s Spirit:

Many of you would have seen the freshwater spring at Petone. Some of you may have helped yourself to the water. The water there bubbles up through the ground naturally. Even though people could easily get water by turning a tap on at home they still come to the spring to fill up bottles to drink.  

In verse 38 of John 7, Jesus says: Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

The expression ‘living water’ literally translated from the Greek means ‘running water’, as opposed to stagnant water. Running water has a cleansing effect. Because it is moving, it carries the impurities away.

If our hearts, spiritually speaking, are like a well, then the Holy Spirit is the water in the well of our heart. The water of God’s Spirit does not sit stagnant in the well of our heart, no. The Spirit is given in such abundance that it bubbles up through the layers of our soul, giving life to others through us.

To be clear, the Spirit does not come from us. It comes from Jesus. We are like the tap. We, who receive Jesus by faith, act as conduits or vessels of the Spirit. We don’t keep the gift of the Spirit to ourselves; we pass it on.   

Jesus is speaking in a poetic way here. How might we translate this to our own experience? What does it look like for rivers of living water to flow from within us?

Well, the water of God’s Spirit bubbles up in all sorts of ways. One way is through the words we speak.

In Acts 2 we read how the Spirit enabled the apostles to proclaim the message of salvation through faith in Jesus. The apostles spoke in the mother tongues of those who were gathered in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Pentecost. Thousands believed their message and were baptised.    

We might not preach to thousands in a foreign tongue, but we might share the story of how we came to faith in Jesus with someone who is ready to hear it.  

Or we may be the person God uses to first listen and then offer a kind word in season, to heal a hurt.

Our Spirit inspired speaking may contain words of truth which get under someone’s skin, leading them to change their ways for good.

Our words, welling up from the Holy Spirit within, may also be words of grace, gentle words which God uses to turn away wrath and bring peace.

Of course, the living water of God’s Spirit does more than issue forth in a fountain of words. God’s Spirit empowers our actions as well.

The Holy Spirit enabled God’s servants in both the Old and New Testaments to perform all sorts of miraculous signs, from parting rivers, to feeding multitudes to healing every sort of illness and infirmity.

Sometimes we get to participate in the miraculous, and it is wonderful when we do, but more often God’s Spirit flows out in our day-to-day work. What aptitude or special gift has Jesus given you?

Are you a teacher, a parent, a plumber, a doctor, a nurse, a chef, an accountant, an artist? Whatever our work, whether paid or voluntary, it is the Holy Spirit who inspires our imagination and lends the skill we need to serve God’s purpose and bless others.

As we remain in Christ, the Spirit of Jesus welling up from within will gradually have a purifying effect on our character; influencing the way we handle ourselves through the highs and lows and the stresses and strains of this life.

I’m thinking about the fruits of the Spirit here: In Galatians 5, Paul writes…

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

You see, it’s not just what we say and do that matters; it’s also the way we say it and do it. Our words and our deeds are to be offered in the Spirit of God’s holy love.

Conclusion:

In verse 39, John explains that the living water Jesus is talking about is the Holy Spirit. At the time Jesus made this offer, the Holy Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

In John’s gospel, Jesus’ glorification refers to his crucifixion and death, together with his resurrection from the dead and his ascension to heaven. For John, the suffering of Jesus is an essential part of Jesus’ glorification. There is no glory without suffering.

The point we should not miss here is this: Sin had to be dealt with first [by Jesus on the cross] before we could enter life in the Spirit. [1]

Jesus’ atonement for sin made it possible for the Spirit to be poured out at Pentecost. This means we are fortunate, for we live at a time in history when the Holy Spirit is available to all who repent and put their faith in Jesus.

Now, we don’t always feel fortunate do we. Life is difficult. Sometimes our faith can feel more like a burden than a blessing. We might hear these words of Jesus about the living waters of God’s Spirit welling up from within us and think, ‘Yea right, I wish’.

At various points on our journey through this world, we can feel weary, tired and empty; like God is absent. You are not alone in feeling that way. Many faithful believers before you have walked the same path.

Is the well of your soul dry, browned out? Do you thirst for God’s presence?

Before the Spirit can flow out of you, He must first flow into you. Ask Jesus to fill your heart with his Spirit and wait in hope for him.

29 The Lord gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Not everyone here will feel browned out and empty. Some of you may feel very close with the Spirit. Is the well of your soul full to overflowing? Enjoy the experience for the gift it is. But remember, the Spirit is not given merely for our own private enjoyment. The Spirit of Jesus is meant for sharing.

We cannot be everything to everyone, but we can be something to someone. So ask yourself, what particular gift has Jesus given you to share? And who might he want you to share it with this week?

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus, go on filling us with your Spirit we ask. Make our souls like a well-watered garden, bearing good fruit for the praise of God’s glory and the wellbeing of others. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. 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?
  2. What role does water play in your life? How do you use water? How long could you survive without water?
  3. What is the significance of Jesus’ announcement on the last day of the festival of shelters? What does this tell us about Jesus?
  4. How do we drink in the water of God’s Spirit? What is your experience of waiting for and / or receiving the Holy Spirit?
  5. What did Jesus mean when he said, “Rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  Discuss / reflect on the various ways the Holy Spirit may flow out of us (based on your own experience &/or your reading of Scripture).    
  6. Is the well of your soul dry, browned out? Do you thirst for God? Ask Jesus to fill your heart with his Spirit and wait in hope for him. Who can support your prayers in this regard?
  7. Is the well of your soul full to overflowing? What particular gift has Jesus given you to share? Who might he want you to share it with this week?

Bibliography

  • William Barclay, The Gospel of John, Vol. 1, 1975.
  • Leon Morris, NICNT The Gospel According to John, 1995.  

[1] Leon Morris, NICNT John, pages 379.