Tawa Baptist

Liminal Experiences

Scripture: Acts 1:1-11

Video Link: https://youtu.be/x8IwMmDbypc

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Proof of life
  • Promise of Spirit
  • Purpose moving forward
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Our lives are peppered with liminal experiences. A liminal experience is a time or place of transition and change. An in-between moment, a period of waiting.

The word “liminal” comes from the Latin word “limen,” which means threshold. A liminal moment therefore is one in which we stand on the threshold of something new and different.

A liminal experience may last only a few seconds or it could last many years. 

The days a caterpillar spends in a cocoon, before it becomes a butterfly;

the years it takes to go through adolescence; the minutes you spend waiting at the bus stop or the train station; these are all examples of liminal time.

Indeed, bus stops and train stations are liminal spaces, places of transition. Pregnancy is a liminal experience, an in between time, when you are waiting on the threshold of a significant life change. The seconds between when a baby is born and takes its first breath is a liminal moment.  

That imperceptible time between waking and sleeping, when your mind is half half-conscious, emerging from a dream; that’s a liminal experience.

Routine, stability, normality are the opposite of liminal experiences. Life in the liminal can feel exciting, like you are on the cusp of realising a long awaited hope. But it can also feel a bit disorienting or scary, because your regular routine is unsettled and you are not sure what comes next.   

Last Thursday was Ascension Day, that day in the Church calendar when we remember Jesus’ ascension to heaven. We usually celebrate Ascension the following Sunday (which is today) because hardly anyone is at church on Thursday.

According to the Bible the risen Lord Jesus appeared to his disciples for 40 days after his resurrection before being taken into heaven. The time in-between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension was a liminal period for his followers.

With this in mind we take a break from our series in First Corinthians to focus on Acts chapter 1, verses 1-11, which describes what happened during those 40 days of liminal time. From Acts 1, verse 1, we read…

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized withwater, but in a few days you will be baptized withthe Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

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

Quite a bit happens in the liminal moments of our lives, although we are often unaware of it. There isn’t time now to cover everything Luke writes about in Acts 1, so we will focus on three of the main things that Jesus did in those 40 days of liminal time.

Firstly, Jesus presented himself to his followers, proving that he really is alive and well and risen to eternal life. Secondly, Jesus promised his followers the gift of the Holy Spirit. And thirdly, Jesus gave the apostles purpose moving forward. Let us begin with Jesus’ proof of life.

Proof of Life:

Learning things, taking in new information, is a liminal experience. Learning so it becomes second nature, involves a process of change. With any real learning there is an uncomfortable in-between moment when we are leaving what is familiar to venture into unknown territory.

Take learning to drive for example. Knowing the road code is one thing but actually getting to a place where you feel comfortable behind the wheel is another thing altogether.

If you learned to drive in a manual car, then getting the hang of synchronising the clutch and the accelerator smoothly probably took months of practice.

That practice time was a liminal experience. It may have felt uncomfortable at first, but now you change gear without thinking about it.  

Or take marriage as another example. You have the wedding and become husband and wife, and its lovely and all that, but holding a marriage certificate doesn’t automatically make you a competent marriage partner.

There is a liminal period, which may last a year or two, when you are adjusting to married life. Getting used to living together. Abandoning a single person’s mindset. Sorting out roles and responsibilities. Learning to say, ‘Yes dear, you were right’, and settling into a new rhythm and routine.

Luke, the author of Acts, starts by saying: In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.

Luke’s former book is the gospel of Luke. The significant thing here is that Luke says he wrote about all that Jesus began to do. The implication being that Jesus’ earthly ministry was only the beginning. And in fact, what Theophilus is about to read in the book of Acts is the continuation of Jesus’ deeds and words.

Jesus’ ministry on earth was followed by his ministry from heaven, exercised through the Holy Spirit by his apostles. [1] The apostles (empowered by the Spirit) function as Jesus’ hands and mouth. Of course, this all points to the fact that Jesus is not dead, he is very much alive.

Luke draws attention to Jesus’ resurrection in verse 3 where he writes that after his suffering, Jesus presented himself to his apostles and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

As I said earlier, the initial 40 days after Jesus’ death and resurrection was a liminal time. It was an in-between moment, a period of adjustment and learning for Jesus’ followers. 

The apostles had seen Jesus brutally murdered, his body dead and buried.

Then on the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead. Even though Jesus had predicted this would happen, it was still a lot for the disciples to process. They needed time for this new information about Jesus to sink in.  

Grief is a liminal experience. It takes time to accept the fact of someone’s death. Have you ever had the experience of losing someone you love and then seeing them in the supermarket or across the street. But it’s not them, because they are gone. Your mind is still in liminal space; still catching up with the reality of what’s happened.  

The apostles had no real chance to come to terms with Jesus’ death, before they had to adjust to his resurrection. Their minds were in liminal space, disoriented, standing on the threshold of something entirely new. 

Learning to trust the reality of Jesus’ resurrection was like going through the grieving process in reverse. It was conceptually more difficult. Death is normal for us, it is commonplace. But Jesus’ resurrection was a first. Yes, people had been resuscitated before but not resurrected to eternal life, like Christ.    

In the same way you don’t learn to drive after one lesson, so too it wasn’t enough for the apostles to see Jesus once. They needed to see the risen Christ several times doing normal things with them (like eating and talking about the kingdom of God) before they could comprehend the reality of his resurrection.

You know, by God’s grace we can believe in the resurrection of Jesus in our head, but it can take years (and much suffering) for that belief to descend into our heart. The journey from the head to the heart is a liminal experience.

The reality of Jesus’ resurrection puts us on the threshold of eternity and all the mystery that entails. 

Okay, so that’s the first thing Jesus does in the 40 days of liminal time prior to his ascension; he offers proof of his own life, helping his followers to adjust to the reality of his resurrection.

The second main thing Jesus does is to promise the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is essential to the work Jesus will do through the apostles. Without the Spirit the apostles have no power or agency, no connection with the living Christ.

Promise of Spirit:

Whenever you go to the beach you become aware of the tidal system. Most of the day the tide is on the move, either going out or coming in. There are times in the day though when the tide is slack. Around high tide and low tide the water is relatively still.

A slack tide is a liminal period for the sea. It’s a time of waiting in-between tidal changes. This liminal time, when the tide is slack, provides a kind of smoko break for sea life. It allows sediment from the seabed to settle so water clarity is restored.   

One of the key characteristics of a liminal experience is having to wait.

Waiting for exam results. Waiting for a break in the traffic. Waiting to hear whether you got the job you interviewed for. Waiting to find out if you have kept the job you’ve got. Waiting for the doctor’s diagnosis. Waiting for the next Covid lockdown announcement.  

Waiting can feel tense or stressful but, if we don’t overthink the unknown, times of liminal waiting also allow the dust to settle. And when the dust settles, we receive the gift of clarity and perspective.    

In verse 4 we read how the risen Jesus said to his apostles, wait for the gift my Father promised, by which he meant the gift of the Holy Spirit.

There were 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension and another 10 days between his ascension and the day of Pentecost. Those 50 days (in total) were like a slack tide. They were a liminal time of waiting.

In that time of relative stillness, the sediment stirred up in the apostles’ minds by recent events was allowed to settle, giving them clarity and perspective before the tidal change brought by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Jesus wants his apostles to wait during these 50 days of liminal time, because as any good fisherman knows, you are not likely to catch much when the tide is slack. That is, until the Spirit gets the waters moving.     

Unfortunately, the apostles aren’t quite getting it. They ask Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”

In other words, are you now going to boot the Romans out of Israel and put us in charge of our own country again? (Like when David and Solomon were king.) The disciples had confused the spiritual kingdom of God with the political kingdom of Israel.

Jesus’ response shows they were asking the wrong question. First Jesus says, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be”. Jesus is basically saying here, ‘forget about the political situation of Israel. That’s not what is important right now’.

Jesus then goes on to show the apostles what is important. He says…

“…when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”    

The apostles’ purpose, their mission, is to be witnesses for Jesus. They are to pass on Jesus’ teaching, tell the truth about his death and resurrection and proclaim salvation through faith in him.

The disciples had been thinking about power in a narrow political sense. They didn’t realise it at that time, but they were standing on the threshold of receiving a different kind of power, the power of the Spirit. The power to bear witness and proclaim, not the power to control or coerce.  

Jesus dismantles the apostles’ nationalism telling them plainly that they will be witnesses, not just to Israel but to the ends of the earth.

I like what John Stott says about these verses: The Kingdom of God is… spread by witnesses, not by soldiers, through a gospel of peace, not a declaration of war and by the work of the Spirit, not by… political intrigue or violence. [2]

Witnesses, not soldiers. The word for witness in Greek is martys, from which we get martyr. To be a witness for Jesus in the first and second centuries was to be a martyr, someone who suffered for their faith. The fact the apostles were ready to die for their witness concerning Jesus, shows their witness is true.

Purpose moving forward:

Although liminal experiences are necessary in helping us to make transitions in life, it’s not good to become stuck in a liminal experience. We need to find our purpose moving forward.

The butterfly can’t fly unless it emerges from the cocoon.  Eventually you have to deliver the baby and when the baby is born it needs to take its first breath. At some point we must leave adolescence behind and accept the responsibilities of adulthood. You can’t live in a bus stop or at the train station. And if we don’t find a way to let go of our grief, well, we get stuck in the past. 

The apostles needed to witness the miracle of Jesus’ ascension, so they didn’t get stuck in their liminal experience. For 40 days since his resurrection, the risen Jesus had been appearing and disappearing. If Jesus just disappeared one day without explanation, the apostles would be left in confusion, stuck in liminal time, not able to cross the threshold and move forward with purpose.

After proving his resurrection and promising the Spirit, Jesus was taken up to heaven as the apostles watched him and a cloud hid him from their sight.

In the Old Testament the presence of the Lord guided the Israelites through the wilderness in a pillar of cloud by day [3] and when Jesus met with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration a bright cloud enveloped them. [4]

Now, at his ascension, Jesus is taken into a cloud. It was no ordinary cloud that hid Jesus as he ascended. It was a supernatural cloud, a sign of God’s presence.

Jesus’ ascension was a miracle of God, just as the resurrection was a miracle. And because the ascension was a miracle, we don’t need to try and find a materialistic explanation for it. We don’t need to think of heaven as some place up in the sky or in space. Better to think of heaven like another dimension, hidden from our eyes. And the cloud is like a curtain into heaven.   

For the early Christians, Jesus’ ascension was very important. For them the ascension went hand in hand with the resurrection. The disciples would suffer much as witnesses for Christ. The memory of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension was an anchor for their faith; something real and tangible they could hold onto when all else was against them.  

Jesus’ ascension means he sits at the right hand of God in heaven, interceding for us with the Father. We do not need to fear, for our best friend (Jesus) is the Lord of the universe.

Verses 10 and 11 of Acts 1 tell us how the disciples were still staring up into the sky (apparently stuck in a liminal moment) when two men dressed in white suddenly appeared beside them and said…

“Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken away from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”

The men dressed in white were probably angels, heavenly messengers sent to help the disciples move forward with purpose. Angels announced the birth of Jesus. Angels announced his resurrection too. Now there are angels again at Jesus’ ascension.

There are two points of application here: Firstly, the apostles were not to become so focused on heaven that they were no earthly use. By the same token they still needed to keep the end in sight. They were not to become so busy ‘witnessing’ that they forgot why they were doing it.  

Like the apostles we need to find our purpose moving forward. We do this by looking outward in compassion to a hurting world and forward in hope to the return of Jesus who makes all things new. 

Conclusion:

Acts 1 describes the liminal experience of Jesus’ apostles in-between the Lord’s resurrection and ascension. What liminal experiences are you going through? What life transitions are you navigating? What thresholds do you stand on the edge of?

Don’t rush it. It takes as long as it takes. Wait for the Spirit. But don’t get stuck in your liminal experience either. When the Spirit comes, move forward with him. Next Sunday is Pentecost.

Let us pray…

Eternal God, help us to wait for you. May the risen Jesus be real for us and may we find our purpose moving forward 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. Can you think of some liminal experiences from your own life? What happened? How did you feel? How did you make your way through?
  3. Why are liminal experiences necessary?
  4. Why did the risen Jesus appear to his disciples repeatedly over a period of 40 days?
  5. Why did Jesus tell his disciples to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit?
  6. Why did Jesus ascend to heaven? What difference did Jesus’ ascension make for the disciples? What difference does Jesus’ ascension make for you?
  7. Why is it important not to get stuck in a liminal experience? How might we know when we are stuck? How can we move on?

[1] Refer John Stott’s (BST) commentary on Acts, page 34.

[2] John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 42

[3] Exodus 13:21

[4] Matthew 17:5

Tawa Baptist

Building Bridges

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27

Video Link: https://youtu.be/o7Bdmv-u9XQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The freedom to build bridges (vv. 19-22)
  • The necessity of self-discipline (vv. 23-27)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

I grew up in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton, a city with a river running through it. There are eight bridges spanning the Waikato River in Hamilton. Six vehicle bridges, one rail bridge and one pedestrian bridge. I was there for the opening of the Whitiora bridge in the 1970’s. But the Fairfield Bridge, the one with the humps, is probably the most iconic and my favourite. 

The purpose of a bridge is to connect people, allowing greater movement and better communication. If Hamilton had no bridges, then your options for getting to the other side of the river would be limited.

You could swim across but that’s not ideal; the water is cold, dirty and dangerous. Alternatively, you could travel by hot air balloon but that is time consuming, especially if the wind is blowing the wrong way. 

Without bridges our world would be an even more divided place. Bridges save time and drownings. They promote life and relationships. I like bridges, almost as much as I like trees.

Not surprisingly, the term building bridges has become a metaphor for improving relationships between people who are different from each other; people who may not agree or like one another all that much. 

Today we continue our series in First Corinthains, not the whole letter, just three chapters (8, 9 and 10) where Paul discusses the subject of freedom.

How are Christians to use their freedom?

This week’s Bible reading focuses on Corinthians 9, verses 19-27, where Paul describes how he uses his freedom to build bridges. Not literal physical bridges, but relational bridges. Bridges which span the religious and cultural divides that separate people. From First Corinthians 9, verse 19 we read…

19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

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

There are two parts to this morning’s message. In verses 19-22 Paul writes about the freedom he has to build bridges and in verses 23-27 he writes about the necessity of self-discipline. Let us begin then with the freedom to build bridges. 

The freedom to build bridges:

The psychiatrist, Dr Milton Erickson, was a master at building bridges of rapport with people.

On one occasion Dr Erickson was working with a man in a psychiatric ward who had only spoken six sensible words in the five years he had been in hospital. Four of those words were, ‘My name is George’. The rest of the time he spoke in ‘word salad’, a long jumble of words and sounds in no apparent order.

In all that time no one had been able to connect with George much less get any sense out of him. Dr Erickson did something different. He got his secretary to record a sample of George’s speech. Erickson then studied this sample until he could improvise a word salad in similar form.

Dr Erickson sat down beside George and introduced himself. George responded with an angry stream of word salad. Dr Erickson then replied with an equally angry stream of the same kind of sounds. George appeared puzzled and spat out more word salad. So Dr Erickson responded in kind.

A few days later Erickson returned and again George spoke in word salad, this time for four hours. The doctor, aware that George had been watching the clock on the wall, replied in word salad for another four hours. He missed his lunch. George listened carefully.

The next day George gave only two sentences of his word salad. After Erickson had returned his two sentences of gobbly gook, George did an extraordinary thing…

He said: “Talk sense doctor.”

“Certainly, I’ll be glad to. What is your last name?” Erickson asked.

“O’ Donavan, and it’s about time somebody who knows how to talk asked. Over five years in this lousy joint…” and then he lapsed back into word salad.

It was the start of his recovery.

A few months later, with Dr Erickson’s input, George left the hospital and found himself a job. He was never readmitted. Before George could move past speaking in word salad, he needed to feel understood; he needed to be met with his own experience of the world. [1]

Dr Erickson did that for him. Milton Erickson built a bridge and helped George to cross it.

In verse 19 of Corinthians 9, Paul says: Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

Paul is talking here about how he uses his freedom. Paul builds bridges of trust so that others may come know Jesus and the abundant life he offers.

For example, when Paul is with Jews, he eats kosher food so as not to offend Jewish sensibilities. But when he is with Gentiles, Paul eats whatever is put in front him, because the people Paul is building a bridge with matter to God more than food.

For a physical bridge to stand it needs to be anchored on both sides of the river. It’s the same when building a relational bridge with people who are different from us. If we don’t have a firm foundation in knowing who we are and what our purpose is, then the bridge will collapse and we will fall. 

In verse 21 Paul writes: To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),       

In building a bridge to connect with those who are different from him, Paul does not abandon his principles or beliefs. He does not lose himself in the process. He holds on to himself and to what is important, namely Christ.

When Milton Erickson built a bridge to reach George, the good doctor did not lose himself. He didn’t go home speaking word salad. Erickson remembered who he was and his purpose, to help George.

It’s not always easy to show empathy for someone without compromising who you are and what you value. Before you can build a bridge, you need to have a strong sense of identity and a healthy self-awareness.

Paul’s identity and purpose in life is firmly grounded in Christ. Paul knows that he belongs to Jesus and he is very clear about why he is building a bridge;

in order to share the love and truth of Jesus. 

So how might this apply in our lives? Well, here’s one example. If you are invited to a party by a friend who is not a believer, then you are free to go to the party remembering who you are and what you stand for.

If others are drinking alcohol and alcohol is not a problem for you, then you might have a wine or a beer, but you don’t get drunk. And if alcohol is a problem for you, then you drink ginger ale, otherwise the bridge you are building will collapse.

Whoever we are with and wherever we might go, we hold fast to Christ for we belong to Jesus. He is our foundation. We can’t build bridges without remaining in him.

Now, when it comes to building bridges, it is important to remember that construction happens from the bottom up. Construction of a bridge is never a top-down thing. You have to put the supports in place first, before you lay the top part which spans the divide.

After the emperor Constantine had conquered territory with his great army, he sent preachers in to proclaim the gospel to the defeated people. [2] That is a top-down approach. That doesn’t really work with the gospel. The defeated people might submit to Christ out of fear, but they will struggle to love or trust him.

Paul’s approach was modelled after Jesus. Paul came, not in overwhelming strength, but in weakness. Paul came alongside people, building bridges from the bottom up. He earned their trust. He spoke their language. He received their hospitality and he served them.

Paul’s bottom-up approach often meant he suffered abuse and hardship. But it also meant others came to faith in Jesus, submitting to Christ out of love and not out of fear.

When we build bridges with people, we need to avoid a top-down approach. We shouldn’t come with a superior attitude, like we’ve got all the answers, or we have a monopoly on the moral high ground. Because we don’t.

In our contemporary New Zealand context, a bottom-up approach to sharing the gospel often means we need to start by listening. The first duty of love is to listen. We also need to live our lives in alignment with the gospel; be true to the gospel in other words.

Then, when the opportunity presents itself, we articulate the gospel; we give words to our faith. And when we speak, it’s important not to feel ashamed or embarrassed about what we say. Just say it. Own it and let the other person feel whatever they might feel.  

Listen in love, be true to the gospel and speak without shame. That’s what a bottom-up approach looks like. 

The necessity of self-discipline:

We are talking about freedom. Freedom is a wonderful thing, but it needs to be tempered by self-discipline. If freedom is the accelerator, then self-discipline is the brake to stop you crashing.

If freedom is hot water, then self-discipline is the cold water to stop you burning yourself. If freedom is sky diving, then self-discipline is your parachute. Freedom needs self-discipline. Without self-discipline, freedom becomes a kind of tyranny. Self-discipline makes freedom functional.

Now in using a term like self-discipline I need to be clear about what we mean. Some people associate discipline with punishment, like hitting a person with a stick. This is not what we mean by discipline.

Discipline is another word for teaching or learning. A disciple (from which we get the word discipline) is an apprentice or a learner, someone in training.

Self-discipline, therefore, is about discipleship. It’s about training yourself, through the formation of good habits. Having a rule of life or a rhythm and routine to your day and week which makes your self-control muscles stronger and trains you in the ways of Christ.  

In verses 24 to 27 Paul writes about the necessity of self-discipline. From verse 24 we read…

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 

The city of Corinth hosted the Isthmian games. The Isthmian games were sort of like the Olympics, except they happened every two years and were located in Corinth. Paul is using an image his Corinthian readers were familiar with. 

In order to be eligible to compete in the Isthmian games one had to commit to a strict training regimen for months beforehand. If you failed to do the training properly, then you were disqualified and could not compete in the games.

High performance sport takes a great deal of self-discipline. You have to exercise your self-control muscles and curb many of your freedoms to be able to compete. You might, for example, give up eating pizza and only eat healthy food. You may also have to forego your sleep-in to get up early and train.

Paul says to run in such a way as to get the prize. In other words, exercise self-discipline. Run purposefully, with a clear objective in mind, for the prize at stake is eternal glory, a crown that lasts forever; something even more valuable than coming first at the Isthmian games.

We need to be careful here not to make Paul’s parable walk on all fours. Paul is not suggesting that only one person can win in the Christian faith. Christian believers are not competing against each other for a place in heaven. There’s plenty of room. Paul is simply saying, it takes self-discipline to be a believer.

Indeed, it requires self-discipline to build bridges. In reaching out to others, Paul found that the bridge doesn’t build itself. There is considerable effort involved in travelling to a new place where the culture is different and you have to learn a new language and new customs. It’s hard graft building rapport.     

Paul carries on to say, 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; 

I do not fight like a boxer beating the air

The apostle Paul (God bless him) has a habit of mixing his metaphors.

He switches from the runner to the boxer halfway through verse 26. Just as a runner in the games competes to win the prize, so too a boxer aims to land his punches and knock out his opponent.

The strange thing about Paul’s boxing metaphor though, is that he is throwing punches against himself. In verse 27 we read: No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Please understand, Paul is not advocating self-harm or self-flagellation here. Paul’s opponent is self-indulgence, the opposite of self-discipline.  

Paul exercises self-discipline so that he is not disqualified for the prize.

What is Paul talking about here? What exactly is the prize he has in mind?

Well, in the context of what he has just been saying about building bridges to win others for Christ, it stands to reason that the prize (or the crown) is winning others for Christ. Paul doesn’t want to forfeit the privilege of being an apostle of Christ. He doesn’t want the bridges he has built to collapse.

But, given what Paul is about to say in Corinthians 10 (which we will get to another time), we can’t rule out the possibility that he might be talking about losing his eternal salvation. That’s a scary thought.         

We shouldn’t live in fear though. God is not looking for an excuse to exclude us from his kingdom. He wants a right relationship with us. We do better to remember that God’s grace is sufficient for us, for his power is made perfect in weakness.

Just as we cannot build bridges in our own strength, so too we can’t really teach ourselves. We need the help of the Spirit of Jesus who supports us and encourages us in our self-discipline, like a personal trainer.

If you are sincere in your desire to please God and follow Jesus, then you can be confident that He who has started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (The Lord has got you.)

Conclusion:

Paul was a remarkable individual. We might feel quite inadequate and under achieving by comparison. But comparisons are not always helpful. Kiwi culture (so I’m told) is quite relaxed, quite chill. We might not have Paul’s sense of intensity or passion, but we can learn from Paul.

Can I suggest little steps to start with, whether it’s building bridges or exercising self-discipline, start small and grow with God. 

Building bridges might mean talking with someone at work who may be different from you or making a connection with a neighbour who you don’t know.

If they are a person of peace, then you might make time to get to know them better and let them get to know you. See where the Spirit leads. You don’t have to quote Scripture at them straight away. Take the pressure out of it. They are not a project or a prop. They are a person to be listened to, understood, respected and loved. 

Exercising greater self-discipline might mean being more selective about what you watch on TV or spending less time focused on work in order to create a more consistent rhythm of physical exercise, prayer, Bible reading and practising hospitality.

Self-discipline isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it’s about learning to be still and quiet your soul.

I don’t want to be too prescriptive. You need to figure out what is right for you in conversation with your personal trainer, the Holy Spirit. What’s good for one person may not be good for another. Know yourself, be yourself, share yourself, in Christ.

Let us pray: Gracious God, establish us in your love we ask. Guide us in paths of freedom and righteousness for your name’s sake. Help us to build bridges where we can and where you lead, 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. Why do we need bridges? What does it mean to build a bridge?
  3. Why did Paul build bridges? Can you think of a time when someone built a bridge with you (or vice versa)? What happened? How did you feel?
  4. How might we go about building relational bridges with people we don’t know and/or who are different from us?
  5. Why is self-discipline essential to freedom?
  6. What habits or rhythms do you practice to strengthen your self-control muscles and train yourself in the ways of Christ? What sorts of things get in the way of self-discipline?
  7. What are the next (little) steps for you from this message?

[1] The Dr Erickson story came from a book called ‘Transforming Communication’ by Richard Bolstad and Margot Hamblett, page 71.

[2] Refer Kenneth Bailey’s commentary on 1st Corinthians, ‘Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes’, pp. 257-258.

Tawa Baptist

The Freedom Paradox

Scripture: 1st Corinthians 9:1-18

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ZG-yEtPvtoY

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • An apostle’s proof
  • An apostle’s rights
  • An apostle’s responsibility
  • Conclusion – Paul’s freedom

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Less is more. The only constant is change. The more you know, the more you know you don’t know. You have to spend money to make money. It’s hard making elegance look easy.

Each of these statements describes a paradox. A paradox is a statement or situation that seems contradictory or absurd at first but when investigated proves to be true.

Two weeks ago, we started a new sermon series in First Corinthians, not the whole letter, just one section of it: chapters 8, 9 and 10. We interrupted this series last Sunday for Mothers’ Day. We return to Corinthians again this morning.

In this section of Corinthians, Paul addresses the issue of freedom. How are Christians to use their freedom? Well, for Christians, freedom is somewhat of a paradox. When it comes to freedom, less is more. From First Corinthians chapter 9, verses 1-18 we read…

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defence to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? 8 Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?  9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever ploughs and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. 16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

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

There are a few twists and turns in Paul’s thinking here. So that we don’t get too lost, let me summarise…

Some of the Corinthian believers were questioning Paul’s pedigree as an apostle because he refused financial support from them. They figured, we pay the other apostles and preachers who come to visit but we don’t pay Paul, therefore Paul can’t be a real apostle.

In a world that attaches value to money there is this false assumption that if you are a volunteer (and not a paid professional) you are somehow less.

Paul counters this assumption by proving that he is an apostle and as an apostle he has every right to claim support. By the same token he is also free to refuse financial support.

Here in lies the freedom paradox. Less is more. If he accepts his right to payment, Paul loses his freedom as an apostle. But by refusing payment he loses his credibility but preserves his freedom.  

In the process of presenting the freedom paradox, Paul illuminates an apostle’s proof, an apostle’s rights and an apostle’s responsibilities. Let us begin then with an apostle’s proof. How do we know someone is a genuine apostle?

An Apostle’s Proof:

If you ever have the misfortune to call your bank or insurance company on the phone, you will have to prove to them that it’s really you. It’s not enough to give your name, you also need to tell them your date of birth, your address, your last eftpos withdrawal and what you ate for dinner on Wednesday three weeks ago. It’s hard to prove who are sometimes.

As I said before, some in the church at Corinth were questioning whether Paul really was a genuine apostle. So, in the opening two verses of Corinthians 9, Paul gives them his credentials by way of a series of short rhetorical questions. This shows humility on Paul’s part and invites empathy from his readers.

Paul’s first two questions are these: Am I not free? Am I not an apostle?  These two questions go together because what Paul is really talking about here is his apostolic freedom.

The word ‘apostle’ literally translates as ‘sent one’. An apostle is one sent by Jesus, like an ambassador of salvation sent to a foreign land. By definition an apostle is free. Not free to do what they want, but free to go where the Spirit of Jesus sends them. Paul is clear in his own mind that he definitely is an apostle.

Paul’s next question is this: Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?  

An apostle bears witness to the resurrection of Jesus. And so, in the first century, one of the qualifications of apostleship was having seen the risen Jesus with your own eyes. Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and it turned his life around. It transformed his whole outlook.

Not many people these days can claim to have seen the risen Jesus with their own eyes, although we do hear reports of some in the Middle East and Asia who say Jesus has appeared to them. Given the transformation that happens in their lives as a result, we need to take their testimony seriously.

In any case, to be an apostle one must be completely convinced of Jesus’ resurrection and live out of that conviction, as Paul did wholeheartedly.  

After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to 500 people on one occasion. Not all of them though became apostles. Consequently, Paul’s final proof is this: Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?

This is probably Paul’s strongest proof and the hardest one for the Corinthians to refute. They had come to faith in Jesus through Paul’s evangelism and preaching among them. How could Paul have done this if he wasn’t a real apostle?

Indeed, to call Paul’s apostleship into question is to call their own conversion into question. Paul’s intellectual and spiritual leadership is proof that his apostleship is genuine.

The Corinthians are the seal of Paul’s apostleship in the Lord. In ancient times a wax or clay seal guaranteed the authenticity of a document. The presence of the Corinthian church guarantees the authenticity of Paul’s apostleship.

So do we have apostles today? Yes, we do. To say we don’t have apostles implies the risen Jesus has given up on sending ambassadors of salvation to the world, which he hasn’t of course.

In practical terms, we might think of an apostle as someone with special gifts of leadership and preaching, who establishes churches in unreached places.

Paul doesn’t spend too much time proving his apostleship (just two verses), the evidence speaks for itself. Rather strangely, he spends a lot more time talking about an apostle’s rights (12 verses).

An Apostle’s Rights:

The Prime Minister of NZ is entitled to a number of perquisites or benefits.

To start with they are paid close to $500,000 a year. Their official residence while in office is Premier House. They are transported by the Diplomatic Protection Service in a BMW car or by Air NZ or the Air Force.

The Prime Minister and their spouse and children are also entitled to travel allowances and reimbursement for accommodation.

The Prime Minister is given the title ‘Right Honourable’ and retains this title after leaving office. Those Prime Ministers who serve for more than two years get paid an annuity after leaving the role. Usually, they are made a knight or a dame as well and they are entitled to a state funeral.

Most Prime Ministers accept these entitlements and fair enough. It’s a demanding job and they shouldn’t have to pay their own way. There was one Prime Minister though (John Key) who gave up some of his rights by donating his salary to charity.

In verses 4-6 Paul outlines the rights of an apostle to receive food and drink from those they minister to and to take a believing wife along with them, who would also be supported by the church. We are not talking about a Prime Minister’s entitlements here. Just basic food and lodging.

Paul mentions that other apostles (and their wives) receive this kind of support, including Cephas (which is another name for the apostle Peter) and the Lord’s brothers. Apparently, Jesus’ half-brothers became believers after Jesus’ resurrection and had an honoured role in the early church.

Paul and Barnabas, however, chose to pay their own way. They supported themselves by working with their hands to make ends meet, then preaching and evangelizing whenever they could. Paul was a tent maker. He worked with leather (sort of like Suzy from the repair shop).

Paul came from a Jewish background, where rabbis worked at a trade and refused to be paid for teaching the Torah. For the rabbis, using the Torah to make money was like using something sacred as a spade. They wouldn’t do it.

But for the Corinthians, who had a Greek influenced background, the idea of a teacher or philosopher working with their hands was absurd, it was a contradiction. Philosophers were supposed to have lots of free time to think.

How can you think properly if you are laying bricks or sewing tents all day?

This may be why the Corinthians questioned Paul’s apostleship.              

Paul then proceeds to provide a series of justifications for why apostles (like himself) have a right to be provided for. Soldiers, vintners, shepherds, temple workers all get fed on the job. Even oxen get to eat the grain as they work.

How much more right does Paul have to be fed. He was the very first apostle to bring the gospel to them.  

As usual, Paul saves his best argument to last saying in verse 14: In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Paul is referring to Luke 10, verse 7, where (in the context of sending out some disciples on a short-term mission trip) Jesus says: Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.

Boom. There you have it. Mic drop. Paul is entitled to financial support from the Corinthians and yet he declines this support. Why?

Well, rights come with responsibilities, something once known as duty.

Rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. The more rights you claim, the greater your responsibility and the greater your responsibility the less free you are. It’s the freedom paradox you see.    

An Apostle’s Responsibilities:

Imagine a future in which you are a scientist and you discover a way to make engines run on water. The great thing about your discovery is that it doesn’t use up water in the environment, it recycles water without causing pollution.

Your discovery means that fossil fuels are no longer needed. The potential benefits for the world’s ecosystems are manifold, reducing humankind’s carbon footprint and saving the planet from ecological disaster.

You now have a choice. You could, by rights, sell your intellectual property for an enormous amount and make a lot of money so that you never had to work again. But that would hinder the roll out of your discovery and millions of the world’s poor would pay the price in the meantime.

Alternatively, you could post your research online, making it freely available to any and all to reproduce. You would still need to work for a living but you would also remove any hindrance to the redemption of the environment and save millions of lives.

It’s a choice between the money or the environment. You can claim your rights by taking the money or you can give up your rights and save the environment from the tipping point of climate change. What would you do?

The apostle Paul did not discover the secrets of the water engine, but by God’s grace, he did discover the key to eternal life when he encountered the risen Christ. And from that point on he chose to make Jesus freely known to as many people as he could.    

After going to great lengths to show he is entitled to the right of support from the Corinthians, Paul then says (in verse 12), But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

This phrase about not hindering the gospel is key. Paul wants to avoid anything which might prevent a clear road for the advance of the gospel. How then does accepting support hinder the gospel?

Probably the main reason Paul doesn’t want to accept support from the Corinthians is that he would lose his apostolic freedom. As an apostle, Paul needs to be free to go wherever Jesus sends him.

If he is on the Corinthians’ payroll then he has a greater obligation to the Corinthian church. He would get sucked into doing a lot of admin for them and he wouldn’t be free to preach to other unreached people groups. Also, he would not be as free to correct the Corinthians when they got out of line.

In verse 16 Paul says he is compelled to preach the gospel. In other words, he doesn’t have a choice. For Paul, preaching the gospel is compulsory. He has been commissioned by Jesus to do it.

He does have a choice however in whether he charges for his services and, as we read in verse 18, Paul chooses to offer the gospel free of charge and so not make full use of his rights as a preacher.

Paul’s pay is to receive no pay, thus preserving his apostolic freedom. This is the freedom paradox. Less is more. Claiming less rights allows Paul more freedom.

I know what some of you are thinking. If Paul didn’t accept payment for his work as an apostle, why don’t I do as Paul did? Why don’t I preach for nothing? Well, I’m not an apostle. I don’t have Paul’s gifts or energy. Besides, preaching is not the only thing I do for the church.

We need to ask the right question. Not the superficial question. The deeper question. The question is not, should we pay people to do Christian ministry? The question is, what will remove any hindrance to the gospel? Or said more positively, what will make the gospel more accessible to others?

If I worked fulltime as an accountant or a business analyst or a teacher or a movie star, I would earn more money, but I would be less free to give myself to preaching the gospel.          

Now please understand, there’s nothing wrong with secular employment.

The world needs Christians to be salt and light for Jesus in the workplace. Accounting and teaching and plumbing are no less sacred than church work.

If I could do both, I would. But if God compels you to preach (like Paul) then you have to give yourself to the gospel.   

For Paul it was all about the gospel. Although he would not accept support for himself, he did ask for money to help other churches in need, and he did ask for travelling expenses for his mission work. Why? Because this promoted the gospel and preserved his freedom.

Paul’s example warns us to avoid self-interest. We don’t want to be like some TV evangelists from the 80’s who always had their hands out for money. It is not right to use the gospel like a spade to dig for cash, taking advantage of the sick and the old. That sort of thing is a hindrance to the gospel. As Bono said, ‘The God I believe in isn’t short of cash’.

Nevertheless, there is still a price to pay in making the gospel accessible to others.

A question for you personally to consider, what are you compelled to do for the gospel? Not everyone is compelled to preach. Not everyone has the same gifts or calling. What are you compelled to do for the gospel?  Maybe you are already doing it. Maybe you are yet to discover it? Don’t look back with regret. Look forward in hope.  

Conclusion:

In thinking about Paul’s freedom paradox, I’m reminded of another paradox. We might call it the life paradox. In Luke 17, verse 33, Jesus says: Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus, thank you for the freedom we enjoy. Help us to spend our freedom responsibly in service to your gospel purpose. 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 an apostle? How do we know someone is a genuine apostle? Can you think of any apostles in recent history?
  3. Why do some in the Corinthian church question Paul’s pedigree as an apostle? How do you think this made Paul feel? How does Paul respond?
  4. Why does Paul give up his right to financial support? What is the cost to Paul of doing this? What does Paul gain by giving up his right to support?
  5. What would you do if you discovered how to make an engine run on water? Take the money or give your research away to save the environment? Why?
  6. What are you compelled to do for the gospel? 
  7. What sorts of things today are a hindrance to the spread of the gospel? What will make the gospel more accessible to others?
Tawa Baptist

Life Interrupted

Scripture: Acts 9:32-43

Video Link: https://youtu.be/HljaddMFH5M

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Peter and Aeneas
  • Peter and Tabitha
  • Peter and Simon
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today is Mothers’ Day. To be a mother it seems, is to be interrupted. Mum, can you take me to football? Mum, what’s for dinner? Mum, can you help me with my homework? Mum, where’s my favourite top? Mum, can I have my friends over? Mum, can you get this Lego out of my nose? Mum, I don’t feel well.  

Of course, it’s not just mums who get interrupted. We all live with interruptions these days. Cell-phones pinging at all hours, social media alerts, work emails coming in at 10 o’clock at night and so on.

Sometimes interruptions are a good thing; they can slow us down, allowing us to reflect and see a different perspective, providing opportunity for a much-needed reset. By the same token, interruptions can also distract us from the more important stuff, syphoning off our vital energy.

With the bigger interruptions to our lives, we do well to ask: How is God at work in this interruption? Maybe the Lord is trying to get our attention?  

Last week we started a new sermon series in First Corinthians. This week we interrupt Corinthians for Mothers’ Day. Our message this morning is based on Acts 9, verses 32-43, which features a woman named Tabitha. We don’t know if Tabitha had children of her own but she certainly showed a motherly love and so her story seems appropriate for Mothers’ Day.

God willing, we will return to Corinthians next week, unless there are more interruptions. We’ll see how it goes. From Acts chapter 9, verse 32 we read…

32 As Peter travelled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. 36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.  38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!” 39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. 40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

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

If we were to depict today’s reading in the form of a pie graph, it would divide into three uneven portions. Aeneas gets four verses, Tabitha gets seven verses and Simon the tanner gets just one verse. Let us begin then with Aeneas.

Aeneas:

Interruptions come in many forms. Sickness is a common interruption. When I was about 18 or 19, a spider bit my leg while I was on camp. The bite became infected. I thought I could deal with it myself by squeezing out the puss. Unfortunately, that just made it worse.

The lower half of my leg swelled to almost twice its normal size and I had to go to hospital. They put a drain in the wound and pumped me with IV antibiotics.

I was in hospital for a few days. Funny how it’s often little things (like spider bites) that interrupt your life.  

When I look back on that time I wonder if I missed what God was trying to tell me. At 18 and 19 I had a lot of energy and not much experience. I thought I could do everything.

I was working part time, studying fulltime at uni, immersed in Youth for Christ leadership, not to mention keeping up with family commitments and maintaining a social life. My schedule was full to overflowing and I didn’t think anything of it.  

In hindsight the hospital interruption may have been God’s way of getting me to slow down and think about what was important. I was doing too much and needed to drop a few things. But being young and insensitive, I didn’t pick up on the Lord’s divine intervention. I didn’t want to be interrupted and so I learned the hard way.

The book of Acts tells the story of the Holy Spirit and the church in the first century. One thing we notice throughout the book of Acts is the way the Holy Spirit gently interrupts people’s lives in service to God’s purpose.

The apostle Peter was an agent of the Holy Spirit. Peter travelled around the country telling people about Jesus and encouraging the church. As an agent of Jesus’ Spirit, Peter was open to the Spirit’s interruptions, which are really divine interventions.

One time Peter was visiting God’s people in Lydda. Lydda isn’t far from Jerusalem. While in Lydda Peter found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. Eight years of being confined to a bed is a significant interruption to one’s life.

During that time Aeneas would have been dependent on the kindness of others. He also would have had a lot of time to think. We are not told whether Aeneas believed in Jesus or not. It’s possible. But it’s also possible Aeneas knew nothing about Jesus.

Peter said, 34 “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.

Aeneas doesn’t ask for anything that we are aware of. Peter simply makes a declaration. Jesus’ healing here is the sovereign act of a King. Jesus has made an executive decision that Aeneas will walk again and Peter announces the good news.

This miracle points to Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus, who had died on a cross, is alive and well and indeed powerful enough to heal by his Spirit.

Peter is interruptible enough to notice what the Spirit of Jesus is doing here. Aeneas is also interruptible. He doesn’t need to think twice. He has had 8 years to think. Aeneas responds in faith and obedience by getting up immediately.

The account of Aeneas’ healing echoes Jesus’ healing of the paralysed man in the gospels. Jesus forgave the man first, then healed him. The response of the people on that occasion was awe and praise.

But in Acts 9, the people responded by turning to the Lord. They repented and believed in the risen Jesus in other words, which is something more than awe and praise. Aeneas’ healing is a clear sign to them that Jesus is alive.   

Okay, so that is Aeneas’ piece of the pie. What about Tabitha? Well, Tabitha gets the lion’s share, 7 verses.

Tabitha:

My stepfather used to say, ‘People are not machines’. He never really explained what he meant by that which was good because it made you think. People are not machines, could mean a number of things.

For example, it could mean people have feelings, and you need to be mindful of their feelings when dealing with them. You can’t just put people away in the shed at the end of the day like you do with a chainsaw. You need to listen to people and show kindness and appreciation.

People are not machines, also implies people are unique, one of a kind; unlike machines which come off the production line all the same. Because people are different, it doesn’t work to treat everyone the same way. If you want to help someone, you have to take time to understand them. Indeed, you have to understand yourself and your own points of difference. 

People are not machines. A machine can go and go and go all day and all night, but people are not like that. People need to have their work interrupted.

If you work at a computer, you need to take a break every so often to walk around and have a stretch and look out the window at the real world.

And if you work with people all day, you need to come home and have some time alone. Even if you love what you do for a job, you still need one or two days off a week to rest and be restored.

Sleeping at night and dreaming are God’s way of interrupting your conscious mind, allowing the waters of your soul to be still and heal. People are not machines. We need to be interrupted sometimes.

Tabitha lived in Joppa, what we know today as Jaffa. Luke (the author of Acts) gives us two names for Tabitha. Tabitha is her Aramaic name and Dorcas is the Greek translation. Luke was writing for an ethnically diverse audience.

Tabitha translates into Hebrew as Zibiah. Zibiah was the mother of king Joash, in the Old Testament. Tabitha’s name means gazelle or deer, which brings to mind Psalm 42, As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you.

But also that saucy poem, Song of Solomon, my lover is like a gazelle.

Tabitha’s name then touches the collective unconscious, evoking memories of love, longing, worship, royalty and motherhood.

More importantly, verse 36 says Tabitha was a disciple. A disciple is an apprentice, someone learning to be like Jesus. Reading the New Testament, we might think all of Jesus’ disciples were men. They weren’t. Many of Jesus’ disciples were women, which was a new thing 2000 years ago.  

We could say disciples are not machines. Disciples don’t come off a production line all the same. Disciples don’t learn by uploading a computer programme. Disciples learn organically through experience, by being around other believers, by reading the Bible and having a go at what Jesus taught.

Tabitha did her apprenticeship (she learned to be like Jesus) by doing good and helping the poor. As she served and cared for people, Tabitha learned to love like Jesus loves.

Discipleship does happen at church on a Sunday morning but that’s not the only place it happens. Discipleship is worked out in your everyday life. We learn to be like Jesus as we care for children and parents. We learn to be like Jesus as we seek the wellbeing of our husband or wife and our neighbours and friends.

Discipleship happens in the morning when you walk into the kitchen to find a sink full of dirty dishes. It happens late at night when you are struggling to stay awake and your teenager wants to talk with you.

It happens at work, when no one is watching, and you are tempted to do something dodgy. It happens on the train when everyone is watching, and you give up your seat for someone who needs it more.

It happens too when you set time aside for prayer and daily devotions. Christian discipleship is woven through all of life. It is in your regular routines and it is often also in the interruptions to your routine.

Tabitha’s life and good works were interrupted by sickness and death. If an engine dies you can usually take it to pieces, replace a few parts and bring it back to life as good as new. But when a person dies, it’s pretty final.

Death is the ultimate interruption. When death comes at the end of a long life well lived or when it interrupts pain and indignity, it is welcomed. But when death comes too soon… well words and reason fail us.

Tabitha’s death came too soon. Her body was washed and she was placed in an upstairs room. Washing the body was Jewish custom at that time but placing the body in an upstairs room was unusual.

Normally, the body would be buried before sunset the same day, if possible. But in Tabitha’s case, her church was not ready to let her go. They held out hope that even now God might intervene to save her and them.

Two men went to get Peter in nearby Lydda, about 10 miles away. Peter, who was probably quite busy with many people turning to the Lord in Lydda, accepted the interruption and went to Joppa where he was taken to see Tabitha’s corpse in the upstairs room.

All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

Clearly, Tabitha was not just a human sewing machine to these widows.

They cared about her and were deeply distressed at her passing. Death doesn’t just interrupt the life of the deceased; it interrupts the lives of all those who feel the loss keenly. Grief is often an unwanted interruption. Grief ambushes us when we are not expecting it.

The widows’ tears bear testimony to Tabitha’s love for them. Tabitha did more than just feed and clothe the poor, she interrupted the monotonous ache of their loneliness. She offered some light and companionship.

To make clothes for someone by hand is a very personal thing. You have to get to know the person first. You need to get the right measurements of course, but more than that you need to understand what they like and what will be useful for their daily life. Tabitha really knew these widows and they knew her.

Peter could plainly see the love and grief of Tabitha’s community. So he sent them all out of the room, got down on his knees and prayed. Peter wants to consult with the risen Jesus before he does anything and he doesn’t want an audience.   

After praying Peter says, “Tabitha, get up”. She opens her eyes, sees Peter and sits up. Peter then helps her to her feet. Again, this miracle of bringing Tabitha back from the dead points to Jesus’ resurrection.

Those who are familiar with the gospels will notice the connection with Mark chapter 5, where Jesus brought Jairus’ daughter back from the dead. On his way to Jairus’ home, Jesus was interrupted by a woman with a bleeding complaint. Jesus healed the woman, but by the time he got to Jairus’ home the 12-year-old girl had died.

This didn’t stop Jesus though. Jesus sent the mourners out of the room where the child was lying and said to her in Aramaic, “Talitha koum”, which means ‘little girl, get up’.

In Acts chapter 9, Peter imitates Christ almost exactly, clearing the room and saying in Aramaic, “Tabitha koum”, which means ‘Tabitha, get up’. We are meant to see that the risen Jesus is at work here, interrupting death with his life-giving Spirit. Peter did not do this by himself. The risen Jesus did it through Peter.

After Jesus has resuscitated Tabitha, Peter presents her to the believers and widows. It’s one thing to receive her physical life back, Tabitha also needs to receive her social life back. She needs to be restored to her community. 

The response of the wider community in Mark 5 was one of amazement. The people of Joppa do better than that though. Many in Joppa believed in the Lord when they heard of Tabitha’s resuscitation. Faith in the risen Jesus is a deeper response than amazement. 

Simon (the tanner)

At the very end of Acts chapter 9, Luke gives us one solitary verse that at first glance seems inconsequential…

43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

A tanner is someone who works with animal skins. This requires them to handle dead animals. Under the law of Moses, handling dead animals makes a person ceremonially unclean.

This meant Simon the tanner was not able to participate in religious life or community life to the same degree as others. In fact, people probably avoided Simon in case he somehow contaminated them.

Peter has just participated in Jesus’ miracle of raising Tabitha from the dead. People all over Joppa are believing in the risen Jesus. Peter could have stayed wherever he wanted (in a flash house with the cool people). And yet, Peter chooses to stay with Simon the tanner, a virtual outcaste. Why?

Well, again this all points to Christ. Jesus fulfills the law on our behalf.

Jesus’ death and resurrection means the ceremonial law no longer applies.

Touching dead animals makes no difference to your relationship with God. What you believe, say and do, that’s what matters to God.

Probably too Peter was following Jesus’ example. During his earthly ministry, Jesus crossed boundaries and created connections with unlikely people.

We are reminded of the time Jesus chose to stay in the house of Zaccheaus the tax collector.

Zaccheaus was sort of like Simon the tanner, an outcaste. Jesus interrupted Zaccheaus’ social isolation and Zaccheaus welcomed the interruption, showing hospitality to Jesus and generosity to the poor.

In a similar way, Peter interrupted Simon’s isolation and it appears Simon was pleased to welcome Peter and show him hospitality. Simon may have only got one verse, but he gets the most time with Peter. Imagine the conversations they had. What would you ask St Peter if he stayed in your home for a while?     

Conclusion:

We’ve been talking this morning about interruptions and how these can be a good thing, divine interventions even. C.S. Lewis had this to say on the subject:

“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own,’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life — the life God is sending one day by day.”

Part of our faith is welcoming interruptions as our real life; the life God is sending us day by day.

Let us pray…

Loving God, thank you for interrupting our lives for good. May you interrupt our busy-ness with your rest. Interrupt our loneliness with your presence. Interrupt our failure with your forgiveness. Interrupt our fear with your love. 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. What interruptions do you experience most often in your life? How do these interruptions make you feel?
  3. Why do we need to be interrupted sometimes? (When might interruptions be a good thing?) Can you think of an example from your own life when an interruption may have been a God thing? What happened? How did you respond?
  4. Discuss / reflect on Aeneas’ healing and Tabitha’s resuscitation. How are they similar? How are they different? What do these miracles reveal about Jesus?
  5. How did Peter work out his discipleship? How did Tabitha work out her discipleship? How do you work out your discipleship?
  6. Why did Peter stay at the home of Simon the tanner? What would you ask Peter if he stayed in your home for a while?
  7. What difference would it make for you to welcome interruptions as the life God is sending you day by day? How might you do this?
Tawa Baptist

The Tree of Life

Scripture: Genesis 2:8-17, 3:22-24, Proverbs 3:18, 11:30, 13:12, 15:4, Revelation 22:1-2

Video Link: https://youtu.be/bDNF7EVaRIE

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • In the beginning – Genesis
  • In the middle – Proverbs
  • In the end – Revelation
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Sustainability is a word we hear a lot these days. In 1987, the United Nations defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” 

Or said another way, sustainability aims to leave the world in better shape than we found it.  

Sustainability has a variety of facets including environmental, social and economic. There is an interconnectedness with the world we live in. Harm done to the environment has a long-term negative impact on the global economy and on social cohesion.

Today we conclude our Testimony of Trees series by focusing on the Tree of Life. We might think of the tree of life as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future. The tree of life is God’s gift of sustainability to the world.

The tree of life is mentioned at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the Bible. Let’s start at the beginning because that’s a very good place to start. From Genesis chapter 2, verse 8 we read… 

8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resinand onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

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

In the beginning – Genesis 2 & 3

According to the experts, New Zealand is ranked 26th in the world on the Environmental Performance Index. The Environmental Performance Index (or EPI) measures the health and vitality of a country’s eco-systems.

We might think being ranked 26th in the world, out of 170 odd, is pretty good but, sadly, in 2023 New Zealand began to use more from nature than the planet can renew in a year. This means we are not living in a sustainable way. We are taking more than we give.     

In Genesis chapter 2, we read how God planted a garden in the East, in Eden. When we think of a garden, we probably imagine a nicely manicured back yard, perhaps with some roses and raised vege beds. But the sort of garden in view here is more like a national park.

The garden of Eden is sacred space, like a sanctuary or a temple for God on earth. Adam is formed and placed in the garden to take care of it. In many respects Adam is like a DOC ranger and a priest, serving in God’s natural sanctuary. 

Eden (which in Hebrew means ‘delight’) [1] is filled with all sorts of trees which look beautiful and are good for food. The garden of Eden is a picture of sustainability. There is no shortage of food in Eden. The air quality and water purity are excellent. Eden’s EPI is perfect. Admittedly the human population was small back then, but it was about to grow exponentially.

At the centre of God’s national park / holy temple, are two special trees. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Back in February we heard about the tree of knowledge, so I don’t need to rehearse that again today. Our focus this morning is the tree of life.

Immediately after introducing the two special trees, the author of Genesis goes on to describe a river flowing out of Eden. This river then divides into four headwaters, each flowing in a different direction.

We recognize two of the rivers (the Tigris and the Euphrates) but the other two (the Pishon and the Gihon) are lost to history. In any case, these rivers water the land beyond Eden and bestow treasures of gold and onyx.

Water represents life. The message here is that God’s presence is the source of life. God makes this world more than just sustainable. God’s presence bestows richness and fertility. God makes life abundant. 

The river flowing through Eden waters all the trees in the garden, including the tree of life. There is some mystery surrounding the tree of life. Does one bite of the fruit instantly grant immortality, or do you have to keep eating the fruit to sustain your life?

We can’t be sure, but the wider Biblical witness and reason would suggest you have to keep eating the fruit to reverse the aging process and live longer. [2] Sounds magical doesn’t it. But it’s not magic, although it may be sacramental.

A sacrament is a physical reality which communicates or transfers God’s grace.

For example, when someone makes a meal for you, that meal communicates you are provided for and loved.

On at least one occasion, Jesus’ saliva served as a sacrament healing a man’s blindness. And on the day of Pentecost, the apostles’ tongues acted as a kind of sacrament communicating the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. 

If we think of the tree of life in the garden of Eden as sacramental, then it was a physical tree that transferred the gift of life and vitality to Adam and Eve.

Of course, the specifics of these things are beyond our knowing so we cannot be too dogmatic about it.

Access to the tree of life was lost to humanity when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. From verse 22 of Genesis 3 we read what happens after Adam and Eve broke faith with God.

22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east sideof the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

You may have heard of the law of entropy. The law of entropy says that when left alone in natural states, eventually everything goes into disorder. Or, as Murphy’s Law puts it, when left alone everything goes from bad to worse.

For example, after you have boiled the water for your tea it will eventually cool and return to room temperature. Or once you have frozen the ice cubes for your lemonade, they will eventually melt and your lemonade will become lukewarm.

Or if you leave your shiny new car out in the rain, it will eventually rust and fall apart. Or as you approach middle age, the six pack you were once so proud of will start to resemble a keg. Entropy is all that we know.  

But what if there was an antidote to entropy? Well, there is. The tree of life is the antidote. Eating the fruit of the tree of life reverses the aging process and restores your six pack. It takes away your sore back, your cataracts and your grey hair. It renews your strength and your health.

After eating from the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve were denied access to the tree of life. God placed cherubim in the way to guard the tree. Cherubim are not the cute little cherubs (with cupids’ bow and arrow) that we might think of. Cherubim are God’s throne bearers. They are fearsome creatures, guardians of the holy presence, sort of like God’s secret service agents.  

Without access to the tree of life, humanity could not reverse the aging process. Consequently, life was no longer sustainable, and we all became subject to the law of entropy and death.   

It might seem like God’s judgement, in denying humanity access to everlasting life is a bit cruel, but actually God’s judgement is merciful.

Who wants to live forever if it means more and more pain and suffering?

Who wants to live forever if it means enduring our own sinfulness and the harm caused by others’ sin? If you live with entropy long enough you get to a point when you want it all to end.

In the middle – Proverbs

Okay, so that is the tree of life as it was in the beginning. We next hear about the tree of life in the middle of the Bible. In the book of Proverbs, the tree of life is associated with four things which make life sustainable: wisdom, righteousness, hope and healing.

In Proverbs chapter 3, verse 18, wisdom is described as a tree of life. Those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Wisdom enhances life. Wisdom makes life better, for you and others.

One bite of wisdom won’t grant you immortality, but if you keep nurturing the tree of wisdom, you will be blessed and life will become more sustainable.

In Proverbs 11, verse 30 we read: The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves souls.

In the Bible, to be righteous is practically the same thing as being wise.

Here the righteous are pictured as a tree of life, feeding others. The fruit of the righteous person (that is, their deeds of justice and mercy) save the souls of other people.  

In Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Miserable, the fruit of the righteous Bishop Myriel, giving away his silver candlesticks in an act of grace and forgiveness, was a tree of life for Jean Valjean. It made life sustainable for him.

Who has been a tree of life for you? Who can you be a tree of life for?

Proverbs 13, verse 12 says: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.   

Just as the tree of life heals those who eat its fruit, so too a hope (or a longing) that is realised restores our faith and fills the cup of our soul.

When the disciples met the risen Jesus, in the days and weeks following his resurrection, their longing to see the Lord again was fulfilled and this reinvigorated their lives with fresh purpose and joy.

Seeing the risen Jesus was a tree of life for them. It sustained them in their mission of spreading the gospel. Indeed, faith in the resurrection of Jesus provides us with a pathway to eternal life.

What do you long for? Is your hope based on the sure promises of God?

Or is your hope misplaced in that which will ultimately disappoint?

Proverbs 15, verse 4 tells us that, a gentle tongue is a tree of life,but a perverse (or deceitful) tongue crushes the spirit. 

If you break your leg, you will probably need crutches to support your weight for a while, until the leg heals. The crutches serve as a kind of tree of life.

Bad words, deceitful words, words said with the intention of wounding, break something in our spirit. They cause pain and prevent us from walking by faith.

But a kind word, a true word, communicated at the right time and in the right way, can silence the voice of the critic and heal a broken spirit.

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, providing the strength and support we need to walk again by faith.

In the movie, Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams’ words to Matt Damon, “It’s not your fault”, were a tree of life.

What gentle words do you need to hear? What gentle words do you need to speak?

We’ve heard about the tree of life at the beginning of the Bible (in Genesis). And we’ve heard about the tree of life in the middle (in the book of Proverbs). What then does the Bible have to say about the tree of life at its end?

In the end – Revelation

From Revelation 22, the very last chapter of the Bible, we read…

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

We are talking about the tree of life. So, what is life? People today often reduce the meaning of life to physical terms. We tend to think that if our heart is still beating and our lungs are still breathing, then we are alive. But for the writers of the Bible, life and death are not merely physical, they are spiritual as well.

Life is connection. You see, we can’t live in isolation. We need other people and we need other non-human creatures too. When we don’t have good connection, fear and insecurity creep in and before you know it people are doing harm to each other.

One of the key messages woven through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is that God is the source of life. Therefore, if we want our lives to be sustainable and abundant, then we need to have a good connection with God.

If life is connection with God (intimacy with him) then death is when we are cut off from the presence of God, alienated from him, hanging on by a thread.

At the end of the Bible, the apostle John gives us a vision of the heavenly city (the city of God) come to earth. It is a vision of renewed connection. A vision of abundant life. A vision of healing and nourishment. A vision of fulfilling service and intimacy with God.

In Revelation 22, verse 1, the angel shows John the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb…

This picture creates a connection with the paradise of Eden. In Genesis 2 we read about a life-giving river flowing out from the presence of God, sustaining the earth. There is another life-giving river in our future.

The Lamb in Revelation is a reference to Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus reigns with God in heaven. Indeed, Jesus is God, Lord of all.

The water of life is probably a reference to the Holy Spirit.

In the gospel of John chapter 7, Jesus said: “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.   

Returning to the vision in Revelation 22, John sees the tree of life growing on each side of the river of life. Again, the mention of the tree of life creates a connection with the garden of Eden, but also with the tree of life proverbs we heard earlier.

This heavenly tree of life bears twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. It is unclear whether these are 12 different kinds of fruit each month or whether it is the same kind of fruit all year round.

In Galatians we read that the fruits of the Spirit are many and varied: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Given what we know about the diversity of God’s creation, we are inclined to think the tree of life bears many different kinds of fruit.

In any case, we are shown a picture of abundant nourishment. Twelve is an ideal number, representing wholeness and perfection. This tree is well watered and extremely fruitful. No one is going hungry in the city of God. Everyone’s needs are met.

But wait, there’s more: the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations.

Tree leaves are often used in traditional medicine for the healing of wounds.

In Māori culture Kawakawa leaves are regarded as having medicinal properties and are often worn at special ceremonies like tangihanga, when people are in need of healing and restoration. 

In a world torn apart by war and violence, the nations are in desperate need of the healing leaves of the tree of life. We pray for this kind of healing in places like the Middle East, Ukraine and parts of Africa, but also in our own land, for we are not without strife.

Conclusion:

God’s presence is a tree of life, renewing our relationships and transforming this world beyond mere sustainability to abundance. 

How then do we gain access to this wonderful tree of life? Through Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple which separated the holy of holies, was torn in two as a sign that humanity has access to God the Father through faith in Jesus. Jesus restores our connection with God and one another.

Let us pray… 

Gracious God, we thank you for sustaining your creation. Help us to remain in Christ, faithful to the end, that we may eat from the tree of life and enjoy eternity with you. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What is life?
  3. What does sustainability mean to you? How might we live in a more sustainable way? Environmentally? Economically? Socially? Spiritually? Etc. 
  4. What is the tree of life associated with in Genesis? Why do you think God created the tree of life in Genesis 2? Why did God deny access to the tree of life in Genesis 3?
  5. Discuss / reflect on the tree of life in the book of Proverbs. E.g. In relation to wisdom, righteousness, healing and hope? Who has been a tree of life to you? Who can you be a tree of life for?
  6. What connections do you observe between the tree of life references in Genesis, Proverbs and Revelation? 
  7. How do we gain access to the tree of life?

[1] Refer Derek Kidner’s commentary on Genesis, page 62.

[2] Refer John Walton’s NIVAC on Genesis, page 170.

Tawa Baptist

Transformation

Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-25

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Spt3lNxBec0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s new creation
    • From grief to joy
    • From death to life
    • From frustration to fulfilment
    • From harm to harmony
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Miracles of transformation are all around us. Perhaps the most common and yet unnoticed transformation is the miracle of photosynthesis.

Plants are able to absorb water, carbon dioxide and sunlight then transform it into glucose energy. As part of this process, plants release oxygen into the atmosphere as a by-product. We human beings benefit from this miracle of transformation. Plants form the basis of the food chain and they give us air we can breathe.

I wish I could explain to you the miracle of cows transforming grass into milk,

or acorns transforming into oaks or caterpillars transforming into butterflies or salmon transforming from saltwater fish into freshwater fish, but that’s a whole other level of complicated. Miracles of transformation are happening around us all the time.

Today, Easter Sunday, is a day when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is more than mere resuscitation, it is a miracle of transformation.

One of the classic Old Testament readings for Easter Sunday is Isaiah 65. In this passage we hear how God intends to transform the whole cosmos. From Isaiah 65, verse 17 we read…

17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. 20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reacha hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They will not labour in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

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

God’s new creation:

You’ve probably heard of anagrams. An anagram is a word, or a phrase, created by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. For example, you can rearrange the letters of the name Andrew to spell Warden.

The names Andrew and Warden are quite close in meaning. Andrew means manly or strong, while Warden means guardian or watchman. Not all anagrams are similar in meaning though.

Those anagrams which are opposite or contradictory in meaning are called antigrams. For example, you can rearrange the letters of the phrase entails sin to create the word saintliness. The antigram of the phrase ill fed is filled. On the sly becomes honestly and antagonist transforms into not against.

Fluster is actually restful in a muddle. Violence converts to its opposite, nice love. Ailed becomes ideal. And adultery changes to true lady. Just as we can transform the meaning of a word by rearranging its letters, so too God can transform our quality of life by rearranging our values and circumstances.

In verse 17 of Isaiah 65 the Lord God (Yahweh) says he will create new heavens and a new earth. This does not mean God plans to throw out the existing heavens and earth. Rather it means God is going to transform this world into something far better.

In the Genesis accounts of creation, God rearranges the elements of chaos to create order so that life can flourish. In doing this, God did not destroy what was there, he transformed it into something functional and beautiful, into a paradise.    

Likewise, when God raised Jesus from the dead, he didn’t destroy Jesus’ earthly body. Rather he transformed Jesus’ corpse into a spiritual body, a body that would not get sick or age but would be fit for eternity. A body made new with the stuff of heaven and yet still bearing the scars of his earthly experience.  

In verse 17 the Lord God goes on to say, the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

This indicates God’s renewed creation will be fully realized in the age to come. The current age we are living in now is drawing to a close and when it does the things we have suffered in this life will be forgotten, like a bad dream.

Indeed, the start of the next age (when God makes all things new) will be like waking up to the reality of what God originally intended for his creation.

From grief to joy:

In verses 18-19 we read of the first transformation, from grief to joy.

From weeping and crying to rejoicing and delight. From funeral to real fun.

(That’s right, if you rearrange the letters of the word funeral you get real fun, it’s an antigram.)

Verse 19 highlights the transformation of Jerusalem, the holy city.

In Matthew 23, Jesus lamented over Jerusalem saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

In the age to come, the new Jerusalem will be transformed from a source of grief to a source of joy and a delight to the Lord. The thing that strikes us here is that God suffers with people. When bombs rain down on homes, when parents lose their children, when families are torn apart, God is grieved.

By the same token, when human beings treat each other with justice and compassion, when we exercise self-restraint for the well-being of others,

when we turn away from violence and greed, then perhaps we put a smile on God’s face and a warm glow in his heart.

From death to life:

The next picture of transformation is from death to life, or more accurately from an untimely death to long life. 20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years…

The average life expectancy in New Zealand these days is 82 years and 9 months. A little less for men, a little more for women. In 1960 the average life expectancy was a touch over 70 years.

The oldest human being, in recent history, was a French woman who lived to be 122 years old. The oldest living land animal is a giant tortoise (named Jonathon) who is thought to be at least 192 years old.

But these ages are nothing compared to some varieties of trees. The largest living kauri tree (Tāne Mahuta) is estimated to be roughly 2000 years old, give or take.

In verse 22 of Isaiah 65, the Lord says, ‘For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people’. This is a proverbial way of saying, that in the age to come (in God’s new creation) people will live much longer than the 70-80 years we are used to. People will live for hundreds of years.

Now for those who are feeling the aches and pains of getting older, that might sound like a terrible thought. But it’s not, for these extra years will be good ones, filled with health and vitality. As verse 20 says, one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child.

In the book of Job chapter 14, Job laments the brevity of human life and the finality of death saying…

7 “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. 8 Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, 9 yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant. 10 But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more.

There’s a Norwegian spruce tree growing in Sweden which (according to carbon dating) is over nine and half thousand years old. However, it is not the original tree. When the trunk and branches die, the roots remain alive and grow a new trunk and branches. Some trees can do this.

But human beings are not like that. When a person dies, we don’t sprout a new body and limbs. There is a finality to death which mocks life’s meaning and cuts hope short.

Many centuries after the time of Job, Jesus conquered sin and death on the cross. God raised Jesus to eternal life on the third day and now humanity has hope of another life, a more abundant life, after death.

From frustration to fulfilment:

Returning to God’s vision for his creation in Isaiah 65, so far we have observed the transformation from grief to joy and from death to life. Now we note a third transformation, from frustration to fulfilment.

I’m working on a little building project on my days off at the moment, making a small retaining wall in one part of the garden where there is risk of erosion. This has involved digging some holes for the posts.

Unfortunately, the ground is hard and compacted with lots of tree roots in the way. While the tree roots help to provide stability for the soil, they also make digging quite frustrating. Rather than breaking my spade and my back, I decided to buy a manual post hole borer.

It worked like a dream, peeling through the dirt and slicing up the tree roots. The right tool for the job, transforming frustration into fulfilment.

Anyway, the next morning after digging the holes, I was woken by a heavy downpour. The first thing I thought, on hearing the rain on the roof was, what’s happened to my holes. Hope the rain hasn’t washed away my hard work, because that would be really frustrating. 

By God’s grace (and the shelter provided by a camelia tree) the holes survived and frustration was avoided.

In verses 21-23 of Isaiah 65, the Lord says to his people…

21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat… my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They will not labour in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;

Note the three crippling frustrations in these verses. The loss of houses, the loss of income, and the even more devastating loss of seeing your children suffer misfortune. Home, work and family. These are things we can identify with.

Many people in this world work hard to establish some form of security, they labour to have something to hold on to and something that will hold them, only to have it ripped away by forces beyond their control. Sometimes the things we hoped would be fulfilling turn out to be frustrating.   

But this is not what God wants for humanity. The Lord’s vision for the age to come is one of fulfilment, not frustration. A future in which his people enjoy the fruits of their labours and get to see their children doing well.

Previously, in Isaiah 64, the prophet had cried out to the Lord in frustration…

1 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down… 10 Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people. Your sacred cities have become a wasteland… 12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?

This shows the great chasm the people felt between themselves and God.

The Lord seemed distant and indifferent to their suffering.

We all have times like that don’t we. Times of desolation when we feel like God has forsaken us, that he doesn’t care. Times of frustration in prayer when we desperately desire God to intervene and come to our aid, but we get no response.

In verse 24 of Isaiah 65, the Lord answers the prophet’s prayer of frustration, saying:Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.

In the age to come, the frustration of unanswered prayer will be forgotten.

The Lord will be so close to his people that we will know the fulfilment of God’s presence in real time.

To be heard and understood is a precious thing. It makes us feel less alone, more connected. This kind of intimacy with God is what eternal life is like.

From harm to harmony:

We are talking about the transformation God envisions for his creation. It is a transformation from grief to joy, from death to life, from frustration to fulfilment and from harm to harmony. 

In verse 25 we read…

25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

This verse may sound familiar; it is found in Isaiah 11 as well.

In this world, the age in which we live, the wolf is the proverbial enemy of the lamb. Wolves are ferocious predators and lambs are defenseless creatures. Wolves (as we know them) do harm to lambs. But, in the next age, the wolf will do no harm to the lamb. To the contrary, wolves and lambs will live in harmony.

In this world, lions eat meat and they pose a threat. They are to be feared.

But in the age to come (in God’s perfect world) lions will be vegetarians and pose no threat. This is a parable. Wolves and lions represent the strong and powerful, while lambs represent the weak and vulnerable.

The Old Testament scholar, John Goldingay, explains…

Harmony in the animal world is a metaphor for harmony in the human world. The strong and the powerful (the wolves and lions) will live together with the weak and the powerless (the lambs) because the weak and the powerless can believe the strong and powerful are no longer seeking to devour them. [1] 

The mention of the serpent eating dust is a reminder of Genesis 3, where the snake tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. In God’s vision for the future, sin and temptation will be under our feet. Sin and temptation will have no power over us.

The harm we experience in this world will be transformed into harmony. All of God’s creatures living in peace and respectful relationship with one another.

Conclusion:

Isaiah 65 is a picture of paradise. It is life as God intended it. It is the kingdom of heaven on earth. It is creation raised from the dead. Sadly, the world we live in is like a desert in comparison. It may seem to us that Isaiah 65 is just pie in the sky, a mere pipe dream that will never be realised.

Well, if it was up to human beings to realise the vision of Isaiah 65, then we would have to agree, just pie in the sky, opium for the masses. But it does not depend on us. It depends on God Almighty, and all things are possible with God.

God’s sovereignty sets the tone for the vision of Isaiah 65. In verse 17 the Lord says that he will create new heavens and a new earth. We could no more bring about our own transformation than we could raise ourselves from the dead.         

The renewing of God’s creation is God’s work. The resurrection of Jesus is the first fruits, the down payment guaranteeing God’s commitment to make all things new. Knowing God plans to transform and renew his creation gives us real hope for the future.

When we are overwhelmed by grief, we recover some joy and strength from knowing that grief will not have the last word.

When death cuts life short or we feel like our life is going too fast, we remember that this life is not all there is. The best is yet to come for those who are in Christ Jesus.

When our prayers, our work and our plans for our family are frustrated by forces beyond our control, we find consolation in trusting that God works all things for good in fulfilment of his redemptive purpose.

And when the wolves of this world devour the lambs, when the strong crush the weak, when harm is done to people and the planet, we live in the light of the age to come (the age of harmony). We take responsibility to care for others and protect the environment, to the extent we can.

Let us pray…

Sovereign God, we thank you for the hope that is ours through faith in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. May your vision for the transformation of the cosmos be real in our minds. Keep our feet on the ground as we walk through this world with you. 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. What miracles of transformation do you observe in the natural world? What miracles of transformation do you observe in history? What miracles of transformation do you observe in your own life?
  3. What does it mean for God to ‘create’ in Isaiah 65? What does Isaiah 65 show us about God’s intention for his creation?
  4. How does Jesus’ resurrection relate to the vision of Isaiah 65?
  5. Discuss / reflect on the four main transformations envisioned in Isaiah 65. That is: from grief to joy, from death to life, from frustration to fulfilment and from harm to harmony.
  6. What frustrations have you experienced in your life? How might we deal with our frustrations? What fulfilments can you give God thanks for?
  7. What difference does the vision of Isaiah 65 make for us now, today?  

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

Tawa Baptist

Palm Sunday – by Sam Barris

Scriptures: John 12:12-19, Hebrews 10:22-25, Matthew 27:15-26, 1 Peter 3:15-16

Palm Sunday – by Sam Barris:

Good morning everyone, have you ever been swept in the energy or the excitement or the momentum of a crowd?

Maybe you’ve been at a sports game, jumping up and down out of your seat cheering when your team has scored.

Maybe you see on TV that everyone is panic buying toilet paper and suddenly you’ve bought enough rolls to last you far too long?

Maybe you’ve been ordering at a restaurant, the waiter is going around the table, you know exactly what you’re going to get, it’s obvious – the beef burger with fries and a coke zero. Although, you’re hearing some of the other orders around the table and you’re starting to doubt whether you really want your go to burger and coke. Your last 3 friends around the table have just ordered the fish and chips and oh boy, you haven’t had fish and chips in how long? The waiter comes to you and in that fleeting moment, that last second – you change your mind. You go with the fish and chips. The food comes out and the regret starts to build up. Why did you get the fish and chips? Who orders fish and chips at a restaurant? This is going to cost you $34 when you could have gone to one of the countless fish and chip shops in Tawa and paid a quarter of that price for a tastier meal!

As you can probably tell by the length of that example, that one was a personal one and one I have learnt and grown from.

Whether it’s a crowd the size of a stadium or a few of you at a restaurant, a work meeting or just at the dinner table – we’ve all been influenced by the actions of the group or the collective mood.

Today is Palm Sunday, the day we remember Jesus, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, days before his crucifixion on Good Friday. This is Jesus fulfilling prophecy from Zechariah and therefore Him publicly letting the people know He is the Messiah. He comes as the prince of peace, riding in on a donkey.

What I want to focus on today is what the crowd were thinking and feeling at this time, how they responded to Jesus in this triumphant entrance contrasted with the crowd’s response at Jesus’ trial, and also how we respond to Jesus – what influences us in those moments?

Let’s begin by turning in our Bibles to John chapter 12 verses 12 to 19. I’m reading from the New Living Translation version which you can follow along on the screen.

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,

“Praise God!

Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hail to the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:

“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.

Look, your King is coming,

    riding on a donkey’s colt.”

His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.

Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”

Growing up hearing this story, I would never quite understand the magnitude of this event. I felt like all the depictions of Jesus riding into Jerusalem that I saw made me believe that there was Jesus riding in on a donkey and maybe 10 people welcoming Him in.

While there’s not a direct statistic given to us about the number of people witnessing this, there are some clues that it was quite a large crowd.

Firstly, there was a large crowd that had followed Jesus and His disciples since they left Jericho where He had just healed two blind men sitting on the road (Matthew 20:29) so even before His entrance into Jerusalem, the crowd was already building.

Secondly, as we read in verses 12-13, there was a large crowd of Passover visitors who heard that Jesus was on the way into Jerusalem.

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him.

Thousands of people would travel to Jerusalem for Passover. While I don’t know for sure, there are estimations that the regular population of Jerusalem at this time was around 20 to 30 thousand whereas at Passover time, this would jump up to hundreds of thousands. Those who would travel in for the festival would often be camping outside the city as there was no room within for them so Jerusalem was full!

Finally, as we read in verse 19, the Pharisees look on this crowd with defeat. There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after Him!. This also leads me to believe it was quite a large crowd as they probably wouldn’t have been too worried if there was a measly few welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem.

Again, while we don’t know exact numbers, there’s enough here for us to believe, this was a very decent crowd. A lot of people laying down palm branches, praising God, hailing Jesus as the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

On the face of it, this sounds great and it would have been a very exciting thing to witness. We know how this story continues on though, Good Friday is just around the corner.

Let’s now look at how the crowd are responding to Jesus, what has led them to be here and are they seeing Jesus for who He truly is?

In January this year, American fried chicken chain Popeyes opened a restaurant in Lower Hutt. Here’s an article from the opening day:

Lower Hutt’s Popeyes chicken is proving to be so popular amongst the community that it has had to bring in traffic management to prevent long queues from spilling onto the road.

The restaurant is so popular that when it opened its Lower Hutt outlet earlier this month, customers were queueing from as early as 3am, and the queues did not stop there.

“We’re big fried chicken fans, so we’re happy we found a new spot to go,”

“We tried once but it was too busy so we’re trying a second time,”

“Maybe KFC level, maybe a little better because they’re new, you know, they like to put out the best,”

Let’s take a moment to pause and remember, my focus right now is on the crowd of people. In no way am I even starting to compare the wonder of Jesus with fried chicken from Lower Hutt.

As we know already, Jesus was building up a crowd wherever He went. There were people who were swept up in the hype as they had all heard the rumours that this man had raised Lazarus from the dead. Many were simply there to lay eyes on this man who could perform miracles. As we read in verse 17 & 18, many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. These people were spectators, interested in whatever was causing this hype and rush – the hot topic of the week. These are the people who would queue at Popeyes at 3am.

In saying that, this in itself is not bad intention. People come to church out of curiosity, wanting to spectate, see what’s going on – maybe church is hosting an exciting outreach event and they’ve heard all about the friendly people there and want to head along. That’s great and I’m sure there were many people in this crowd who started off caught up in the hype and the rush of this miracle man who raised someone from the dead and then grew to truly understand why He was here and what He was here to do. I’m sure there were also people who were also attracted by the sensationalism of Jesus but that’s all it was for them – some who saw Jesus as a sensation on this day were later shouting for His death.

Another quote from the Popeyes article:

“Look at this line. Nothing’s worth this line. I didn’t even want to come but she (I assume his wife) goes ‘yes let’s go’ and then I got stuck in the line,”

There were people in the queue for Popeyes who thought it wasn’t all it was cracked out to be, it didn’t meet their own expectations. There were also people there who had the wrong end of the stick of who Jesus was and who He was going to be. A lot of the crowd saw Jesus as a new national leader, a military leader who was going to lead them to overthrow the Romans and restore their nation to its former glory. That is what they felt like they needed and they ignored the words of prophets and were blind to Jesus’ real mission. When they later realised that Jesus was not going to fulfill their misguided hopes and dreams, many of these people also turned against Him.

 We also see the disciples get caught up in this way of thinking momentarily – they also were caught up in the hype of the crowd. Later on, they realised what Jesus was doing. As we saw in our verses, His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him. His previous words and actions, at the time of His resurrection, took on new meaning and made more sense to them. In retrospect, the disciples saw how Jesus had led them into a deeper and better understanding of His truth.

Does any of this echo with you in how you respond to Jesus in your own life?

Are we welcoming Him in, laying things down in front of Him, shouting His praises?

Or are we here following what others are doing? We’ve heard about Jesus but really, we love the energy, singing together, people to talk to, something to do on a Sunday morning. Remember – this isn’t a bad way to start but it’s not all there is.

What about when life doesn’t go our way or we put our faith in Jesus and it doesn’t give us what we think we need? We’ve believed and trusted in Jesus, put our faith in Him and are trying to live a life that would please Him but actually, why isn’t life getting easier? Do we turn away from Him and try to find something else to make our problems go away or do we remain strong and determined in our faith?

Or maybe we’re like the disciples. We’re caught up in the rush and excitement, we’re going along with the flow, life is busy and we’re just getting on with it. Stop now and think – think about the events in your life leading up to where you are now. How has God led you to this point? As we grow in our faith, let’s continue to look back and see God’s hand in our lives, guiding us through. It’s harder to see in the moment.

Why are you here? What is your foundation? Our foundation needs to be in Jesus. We need to work hard to understand God’s word, pray for continued growth of our own understanding and we need to be ready to discern. Am I here because I want to praise God in community and grow in my faith or am I here because I like the people who are here, I like singing songs, I enjoy having a cup of tea and a chat – all of those are good things but by themselves, are they going to be enough when life gets tough? Are we leaning on Jesus and putting our faith in Him regardless of what is going on? With that, are we noticing and thanking Him for working through us and guiding us in our walk with Him?

Hebrews 10 verses 22 – 25 tells us … let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.

Start with that firm foundation. Go right into God’s presence, accept that Jesus has made us clean by dying for us and hold tightly to hope. What does accepting Jesus look like? It is believing who He says He is, that He is the son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins and rose again.

With that, community is so important. Coming to church is so important. We are here to build each other up, motivate each other to do good works and show love. We gather together to share our faith and to strengthen one another in the Lord. Just like those in Jerusalem who chose to welcome Jesus, let’s continue to create an environment where He is at the center, where we can shout praises to Him as that’s happening less and less all around us.

Now, let’s look at a different crowd and how they responded to Jesus. Let’s fast forward to Friday, the day where Jesus was crucified. 5 days after he arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey with crowds praising and welcoming Him. Jesus has now been arrested and is standing before Pilate on trial.

Please join with me in reading Matthew chapter 27 verses 15 to 26:

Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”

The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”

So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

This crowd has substituted Praise Him for Crucify Him. There is a similar hype, excitement, building off each other’s energy from what we saw from the last crowd but this is negative. There may be people here who would have happily welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem a few days before but with persuasion from the leading priests and elders and the mentality of the crowd shifting, they no longer see Jesus as an interesting novelty but a dangerous heretic. This mob won’t listen to reason or questions such as, ‘What crime has he committed?’, they want Jesus dead and gone. They are even willing to take responsibility for this, even having responsibility placed on their children. They’re not kidding about it.

Here we can really see the pressure of the crowd wearing Pilate down. He doesn’t see why Jesus should be crucified. He hesitates and questions why Jesus deserves this. He believes Jesus is innocent and under Roman law, there’s no reason why He should be put to death. His wife even encouraging him to let Jesus go due to a nightmare she had. There was a lot in favour of Jesus being let go here, but clearly not enough.

Pilate was scared. He was scared of the mob – he didn’t want a riot to break out. He was also selfish, he didn’t want this impacting his political opportunities and was worried if he didn’t do what was asked of him here, he would be worse off. He tried to claim innocence by washing his hands but his inaction caused Jesus to be crucified. 

How do we respond to Jesus when those around us aren’t also praising Him? Maybe they are indifferent or even against Jesus. You don’t have to look far to see that – I’m sure a lot of us see it very regularly – whether that’s at work, in what we see on the news and in politics, there’s a continuing shift away.

It is harder and harder to find places where Jesus is loved or even believed in. I’m sure we’ve all been in environments or seen situations like that, maybe not quite at a mob level of anger and shouting but we’ve all been in spaces where Jesus isn’t loved by all and that’s being made very clear.

How do we react? I believe the best response comes with balance because it can be too easy to go one of two ways.

We could be like Pilate and fold. We go along with the crowd for our own benefit, maybe we’re in a situation where it would just be easier to not be honest and open about your faith. We know what we truly believe but whatever situation we’re in, it would make it awkward to speak up.

It’s not easy to avoid that option either, right? We saw that from Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, just before His trial before Pilate. He went from defending Jesus, cutting off someone’s ear to protect Him from arrest to denying he even knew Jesus three times – probably because he felt the pressure of the crowd.

We should also be careful of going too far the other way, moving away from Peter’s denial and more towards the ear chopping territory. We could be courageously standing up against the crowd in Jesus’ name and laying down all the biblical truths but if we’re approaching it in a way that is seeking to win an argument, show off, or act high and mighty over those who aren’t Christians – we’re not representing who Jesus is well.

We need to balance both of these by being steadfast in our beliefs and also allowing people to question us and providing responses with humility and kindness.

1st Peter 3v15 & 16 tell us And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Just like Jesus, we need to ride into these conversations on our donkey, bringing courage and peace.

In all of this today, we’ve seen that people are uncertain. We fluctuate, we can struggle to respond in the right ways depending on changing environments, differing opinions, and challenging ideas. One thing remains constant though.

Try to picture how Jesus felt riding through Jerusalem. He knew the thoughts and feelings of the crowd – some not understanding that he wasn’t there to conquer with military force, he is the prince of peace. He was surrounded by people praising Him, knowing that 5 days later they would fight angrily for His death.

What does He do? He does exactly what He came here to do. He rides a donkey through Jerusalem to fulfill prophecy and show them the King he has come to be. He sits through his trial calmly and allows everything to happen as He knows it is supposed to.

The mood of the crowd doesn’t turn Him away from His purpose. On the cross, He asks God to forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing, he dies in our place and offers us eternal life. He did that for those praising His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, He did that for the angry mob calling for his crucifixion, He did that for the religious leaders plotting His death and inciting the crowd, and He did that for you and me as well.

After Jesus died on the cross, there was an earthquake. In Matthew 27 v 54 we read, The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Where do you place your faith? Is it in the ever changing mood of those around you? Is it in yourself and what you think is best? Or do you look to Jesus and say this, that he is truly the Son of God?

Let’s pray

Father God, thank you that you sent your Son down to die for us.

Thank you that he came as the prince of peace, riding in on a donkey.

We pray today that we can see Jesus for who He truly is and what He has done for us. May we carry that with us everyday and let it be our leading influence as we seek to honour You.

In Jesus name

Amen

Tawa Baptist

The Cedar Tree

Scriptures: Leviticus 14, 1 Kings 6, Psalm 92, Ezekiel 17

Video Link: https://youtu.be/PAZlUkTL934

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Health (purification)
  • Holiness (presence)
  • Hope (purpose)
  • Conclusion

Good morning everyone.

There are five countries in the world who have a tree on their flag, one of which is Lebanon. Would anyone like to guess what tree we find on the Lebanese flag? [Wait] That’s right, the cedar tree. 

Today we continue our testimony of trees series by focusing on the cedar tree. The Cedar of Lebanon (scientific name: Cedrus libani) is mentioned many times in the Old Testament. The cedar is a majestic tree, reaching a height of 20-30 metres. It grows in the mountains of Lebanon where the temperature is cooler and it gets plenty of water. 

Our message this morning draws on a variety of Scripture references. Essentially though the cedar is associated with health, holiness and hope.

Or, if you prefer the three points of a sermon to start with a P, then purification, presence and purpose. Let us begin then with purification and health. From Leviticus 14, we read…

Health – Leviticus 14

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest: 3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

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

How many of you say grace before eating a meal? To my mind, a meal isn’t ready to eat until we have said a prayer to thank God and bless the food.

The spiritual ritual of saying grace is as important as the physical ritual of cooking the food properly.

We are not just bags of skin, bone and flesh. We are spiritual beings, inhabiting a physical body. There is a relationship between the physical and the spiritual. Saying grace before eating, acknowledges the reality of God’s provision for our lives.

In ancient Israel, people with skin diseases were excluded from community life. Although they may have done no moral wrong, they were considered ceremonially unclean and therefore not allowed to participate in religious events.

If a person recovered from their skin disease, then the priest (who was also the public health officer) checked the disease was gone and performed the purification ritual described in Leviticus 14 to declare the person fit to return to community life.

This ritual involved the use of cedar wood. It’s not that the cedar tree was used to heal skin diseases. Rather, once a person had been healed of a skin disease, cedar was used in the purification rite declaring them clean.

This ritual probably seems strange or unnecessary to us but, to someone with an ancient mindset, who believed in spiritual reality as much as material reality, the healing wasn’t complete until the priest had carried out the ritual.

We might think of this ritual like saying grace before eating a meal. The ritual acknowledges the reality of God in our lives. It is God who heals and purifies us, just as it is God who feeds and sustains us.

One of the distinctive features of the cedar tree is its natural resistance to insects and rot. The cedar tree contains certain oils which make it smell nice and repel insects, while also preserving the wood. It may be for this reason that the cedar tree was used by Jewish priests in purification rituals. Cedar wood symbolises restored strength and good health.

One of the interesting things about the ritual in Leviticus 14, is that two birds are used. One bird is offered to God as a sacrifice, while the other bird is set free, signifying that the person who was healed is now free to rejoin the worshipping community. 

As Christians, we don’t need to perform the rituals prescribed in Leviticus every time we recover from shingles or boils or scabies or whatever. But we do need to give thanks to God for restoring our health and purifying us. What rituals do you observe that acknowledge the reality of God in your life?

Alongside health and purification, the cedar tree is also associated with holiness. In particular, the beauty of God’s holy presence represented by the temple.

Holiness – 1 Kings 5 & 6

In First Kings chapters 5 and 6, we read how Solomon used cedar in the building of the Jerusalem temple. The external structure of the temple was mostly made from stone, but a lot of cedar wood was used inside the temple.

Cedar trees grew abundantly in the mountains of ancient Tyre. The region of Tyre lay north of Israel in the land we know today as Lebanon. Solomon made a deal with Hiram, the king of Tyre, to obtain the cedar.

Solomon conscripted 30,000 labourers to cut down the cedar trees. The trees were then brought to Jerusalem where they were used in the construction of the temple. Let me read you a selection of verses from First Kings chapter 6, which describe how the cedar tree was used…

14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it. 15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, panelling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper. 16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.

These verses tell us cedar was used extensively in the temple, including in the most holy place and for the construction of the altar.

Most likely cedar was used for both practical and aesthetic reasons. As already mentioned, cedar is a strong, durable wood that smells nice, repels insects and is resistant to rot, making it an excellent building material.

Aesthetically, cedar wood has a beautiful grain, without knots. It is pleasant to look at. Cedar is beautiful inside and out.

A temple is a holy place, a place of God’s presence, where prayers and worship are offered. Ideally, a place of reconciliation that brings people closer to God and closer to one another. Because of its use in the temple, cedar is associated with the beauty of holiness.  

We don’t often think of holiness as a beautiful thing. Holiness in our society seems more weird than attractive. Not so in ancient Hebrew society.

In Psalms 29 and 96, we are told to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

The kind of beauty in view here is that of splendour or majesty. God’s holiness is like the beauty of a mountain range or the beauty of a cedar forest. God’s holiness is evergreen, its beauty does not fade.

To worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness is to worship God with clean hands, a clean heart and a clean conscience, without pretense or hypocrisy.

Worship the Lord like no one is looking.

Solomon cut down thousands of cedar trees, both for the temple and for his own palace. His carbon footprint was enormous.

Does this mean we (today) need to use cedar in the construction of our church buildings? Well, no. For Christians, God’s holy presence does not rest in a building. God’s presence is found in Jesus and among his people. We are the new temple, a temple not made by hands. The church is like a forest of living souls, made pure and holy by Christ.

The cedar tree is associated with health and purification, together with the beauty of God’s holy presence. The cedar tree is also pregnant with hope and purpose.

Hope – Psalm 92 & Ezekiel 17

Because of their strength and beauty and usefulness, the cedar forests of Lebanon have been depleted down through the centuries. Consequently, the Lebanese authorities have established special reserves to protect and regenerate cedar trees.

Despite humanity’s greed, some cedars have survived for more than 2000 years. One of the keys to the cedar’s longevity is its root system. The roots of the cedar tree grow deep to find water and give the tree stability. Once the tree is established, it will generally last a long time if left undisturbed.   

In Psalm 92 we read…

12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, 15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Psalm 92 is a worship song for the Sabbath day. Being a song for the Sabbath, Psalm 92 looks forward (in hope) to that day of eternal rest, when there will be no more evil or suffering or death, when every day will be a perfect day, an everlasting Sabbath fulfilling God’s purpose for creation.

Cedars don’t grow as quickly as some plants, but they do grow tall and last a long time. The poetry of Psalm 92 is saying the righteous have hope for a good and lasting future. Their purpose is to serve and worship God.      

Righteousness in the Bible simply means right relationship. The righteous relate with God and their neighbours in a right way, in a way that is gracious and true, fair and kind.

You don’t have to be perfect to be righteous. Righteous people sometimes mess up. But if a righteous person does make a mistake, they do everything in their power to put it right.

Faith is the foundation of righteousness. Or to use the metaphor of the cedar, faith is the root system of the tree. Faith in God finds the water of life and lends stability to the tree.

Notice the underlying tone of humility in these verses. Just as the cedar grows best at altitude (in the mountains of Lebanon), so too the righteous grow best in the courts of our God. That is, in close relationship with the Lord and his people. The righteous owe their vitality and fruitfulness to the Lord, not their own righteousness. It is by God’s grace that the cedar tree enjoys long life.

The point is, the righteous are like cedars, they have hope of an evergreen future. The worship and service of the righteous is purposeful and lasting.

We are talking about the cedar tree and its connection with hope and purpose in the Bible.

In Ezekiel 17 we read… 

22 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 24 All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.

You all know the story of Cinderella. The girl who was loved by her father but hated by her stepmother and stepsisters. When her father died, Cinderella experienced a reversal of fortunes. She became a servant to her stepmother and stepsisters and was mistreated by them.

When the prince of the realm decided to hold a ball, Cinderella was made to stay home, until her fairy godmother intervened. Cinderella goes to the ball and dances with the prince but has to leave in a hurry at midnight. In her rush she leaves behind a glass slipper.

In his search for the mysterious woman who left so quickly, the prince goes through the land trying to find the one who fits the glass slipper. Eventually, after a few twists and turns, the prince is reunited with Cinderella and they are married.

Once again Cinderella experiences a dramatic reversal of fortunes, this time from being a lowly servant girl to becoming a princess.         

The Bible is full of Cinderella stories. In fact, the fairy tale of Cinderella is inspired by the true stories of the Bible. The stories of Jacob and Joseph are packed with reversals. As is the story of Ruth and Naomi. To say nothing of the history of Israel; from slavery in Egypt to exodus in the wilderness to a fresh start in the promised land of Canaan to exile in Babylon and return from exile. 

Why does the Bible contain so many stories of reversal? Two reasons mainly. Firstly, because these stories literally happened in history. And secondly, because stories of reversal inspire hope and humility.

If you are down on your luck, bullied by your enemies, poor in spirit and unable to see a way forward, you can remember how God reversed his people’s fortunes to give them a good future.

God did it for Joseph and Ruth and Naomi and Hannah and Israel and many others. Perhaps he will do it for you too. These true stories of reversal inspire hope and give purpose to our struggles.

At the same time, if life is going well and you feel like you are on top, healthy, wealthy and wise, remember how God reversed the fortunes of people like Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh and Saul, to humble them. Then any pride you might feel at your accomplishments will be diminished. Stories of reversal let the air out of an over inflated ego. No one wants to be the ugly stepsister.   

God has the power to reverse our fortunes. In verse 24 of Ezekiel 17, the Lord says: All the trees of the forest will know that I, the Lord, bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.

That is a picture of reversal, inspiring both hope and humility at the same time.

In verses 22-23 of Ezekiel 17, the Lord says that he will take a shoot from the top of a cedar tree and plant it on the mountain heights of Israel, where it will become a splendid cedar tree.

To the ancient mind the image of a majestic tree (like a cedar) stands as a metaphor for a mighty king and his kingdom.

For Christians, the shoot that God takes from the top of a cedar tree to replant, is a picture of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus is the King who embodies the tree of God’s kingdom on earth.

God’s kingdom, established through Jesus, is strong and enduring like the cedar tree. God’s kingdom is healthy and holy, with a purifying presence resistant to rot. God’s kingdom bears good fruit and provides shelter for every kind of bird. The birds here probably represent the different peoples of the world. God’s kingdom is for all nations.

We are reminded of Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. The kingdom of heaven starts small like a mustard seed but grows to be a large garden plant providing shelter for the birds of the air. Transformation from small to large; sounds like a story of reversal, inspiring hope, giving purpose.

Conclusion:

Most of you will see where this sermon is headed. Jesus, the prince of heaven, born into humble circumstances. Raised in obscurity, the son of a carpenter. Homeless and relying on the kindness of strangers for the three years of his public ministry.

Condemned for a crime he did not commit. Sentenced to a humiliating, agonizing death on a cross. Dead and buried, then raised to eternal life on the third day. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is God’s ultimate reversal story and the foundation of our hope.

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the priest who purifies us and sets us free. You are our holiness, the root of all righteousness. Your resurrection is the ground of our hope. We thank you for your faithfulness to God and to us. 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 are some of the distinctive characteristics of the cedar tree? What is the cedar tree associated with in the Bible?
  3. Why did God provide rituals of purification for people who had recovered from a skin disease? What rituals do you observe that acknowledge the reality of God in your life?  
  4. Why was cedar wood used in the construction of the Jerusalem temple? What does it mean to worship God in the beauty of holiness? How do we do this?
  5. Why does the Bible contain so many stories of reversal? What purpose do these stories serve? Do you have a personal story of reversal? If so, what happened?
  6. How does the parable of the cedar shoot (in Ezekeil 17:22-24) point to Jesus?
Tawa Baptist

The Fig Tree

Scripture: Luke 13:1-9

Video Link: https://youtu.be/DGLyluurx5s

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Suffering, Sin and Repentance – Luke 13:1-5
  • The Parable of the Fig Tree – Luke 13:6-9
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

All fruit trees produce flowers. Usually, the flowers grow on the outside of the tree so you can see the flower. But fig trees are different. With fig trees the flower is inverted, it is hidden inside the fig itself. To see the fig flower, you must cut the fruit open. Figs are beautiful on the inside.

Today we continue our Testimony of Trees series by focusing on the fig tree. (Not to be confused with the sycamore fig which we heard about some weeks ago.) The fig tree (scientific name: Ficus Carica) is mentioned many times throughout the Bible, including most famously in Genesis, where Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover their nakedness.

This morning’s message though focuses on Jesus’ parable of the fig tree in Luke 13. From verse 1 of Luke 13 we read…

Now some came at that time and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” 6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Dig it out! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit in the future, fine! If not, then dig it out.’”

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

Suffering, Sin and Repentance:

To properly understand Jesus’ parable of the fig tree, we must first come to grips with what Jesus is saying in verses 1-5 of Luke 13. In the context, Jesus is talking about God’s judgement and mercy, which calls us to bear the fruit of repentance.

Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in direction. It’s an internal change of attitude that results in an external change in behaviour.

Let me illustrate with a story…

Once there were two brothers who lived on neighbouring farms. For many years they got on well until a small misunderstanding developed into a major argument. Tit for tat bickering and retaliation only escalated the ill feeling.

One morning there was a knock on the older brother’s door. On the porch stood a man with a toolbelt. “I’m looking for some work”, he said. “Would you have a job for me?”

“Yes”, said the farmer. “You see across the creek there? That’s my brother’s farm. Last week there was a paddock between us. Then he took his bulldozer to the riverbank and flooded the field. Now there is a swamp. But I’ve got a plan to fix him. See that pile of timber? I want you to build me a fence, tall and solid, so I won’t see him or be reminded of him.”

The carpenter looked at the creek, before answering. “I think I understand the situation. Leave it to me. You’ll be pleased with my work.”

The older brother went to town for supplies and was gone for most of the day. When he returned his eyes popped wide in surprise and his jaw dropped. There was no fence at all.

Instead, he found himself looking at a foot bridge, stretching from one side of the creek to the other. It was a sturdy piece of carpentry, built to last.

There, on the far side of the bridge, was the farmer’s younger brother walking towards him. When the two brothers met in the middle, the younger one said, “You are the bigger man to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.”

Relieved and humbled the older brother said, “I just want my brother back. I’m sorry.” The two men hugged and agreed to forgive the past.

The carpenter was gathering his tools ready to leave, when the older brother said, “Please stay, I’ve got plenty of other jobs for you”. The carpenter replied, “I’d love to, but I’ve got more bridges to build.” [1]

Before the brothers could be reconciled, they both had to repent. They both had to experience a change of mind that led to a change in the way they related to each other. But neither brother was able to change their mind without help.

The carpenter’s bridge provided the catalyst both brothers needed to imagine a different future, to forgive their differences and move forward together.   

Luke 13 begins with some people coming to Jesus and telling him that Pilate had mixed the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices. Pilate was the Roman governor in charge of the province at that time. Later, Jesus would stand trial before Pilate.

Pilate did some terrible things while in office. Apparently, on this occasion, he had his soldiers slaughter some Jews from Galilee while they were offering sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem. The blood of the Galileans mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.

It would be like a foreign military force coming into this sanctuary and shooting people in the congregation while we were sharing communion.        

It is well known that truth is the first casualty in any war. Whether the people reporting this incident to Jesus were just spreading rumours to gain support for the cause of Jewish nationalism or whether they were being truthful, is unclear. Either way, Jesus is expected to respond with indignation and sympathy, loudly denouncing Pilate.

Those reporting this violence want Jesus to build a fence between them and their enemies. But Jesus doesn’t do what’s expected of him. Instead, Jesus (who is motivated by a deep concern for people’s wellbeing) builds a bridge by telling them to repent or they too will meet with a violent end.

Kenneth Bailey paraphrases Jesus’ meaning here. It’s like Jesus is saying… 

“You want me to condemn evil in Pilate. I am not talking to Pilate. He is not here. I am talking to you. Evil forces are at work in your movement that will destroy you, Pilate or no Pilate. You must repent or all of you will be destroyed by those forces.” [2]   

Jesus is telling these Jewish nationalists that they have more in common with Pilate than they realise. The same evil that is in Pilate is also in them. If they don’t repent of that evil, if they don’t get off the path of violence and retaliation, they will all wind up dead.

Winston Churchill is credited with saying, “Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.” Jesus shows incredible courage here. He does not react negatively. He decides to respond positively.

Jesus’ brave decision to rewrite the script, by calling for repentance, puts him at risk of being physically attacked on the spot by the Jewish patriots. Those who fight for what they believe is a just cause assume the struggle for the cause makes them righteous. It does not.

Seeing a teachable moment, Jesus asks the question (in verse 2), do you think those who perished were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered in this way. I tell you, no.

Then Jesus goes on in verse 4 to give another example: Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no!

The Galileans, allegedly killed by Pilate, are an example of suffering caused by human evil. While the 18 people, killed by a collapsing tower, are an example of suffering caused by natural disaster.

We are reminded of Job here who lost his children and his wealth through a combination of human evil and natural disasters. Sadly, Job’s friends thought Job’s misfortune was caused by some grievous unconfessed sin.

There was and still is a belief that personal misfortune of any kind, whether poverty or illness or natural disaster or whatever, is the direct result of sin. Therefore, if something bad happens to you, that means God is punishing you. This only adds insult to injury and further alienates someone who needs support.  

In the Old Testament, the fig tree was symbolic of peace and prosperity.

For example, in 1st Kings chapter 4, we are told that: During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree. 

To sit under your fig tree eating figs, therefore, was to be blessed by God.  

But what if your fig tree is taken away? Does that mean you are under God’s curse for doing something wrong? Well, not necessarily.  

In John 9, Jesus’ disciples notice a man born blind, and they ask whether the man’s blindness is due to his own sins or the sins of his parents. Jesus says: 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 

Correlation does not prove causation. Just because someone suffers in some way, it does not automatically follow that God is punishing them. There isn’t always a one-to-one relationship between the sin of an individual and their suffering. Sometimes there is, but not usually.

This world does not operate by karma. It operates by God’s grace. Everyone sins. Everyone falls short. Everyone, at some point, commits an evil act. Just as we all fail to do the good God wants us to do. If there were a direct link between sin and suffering, we would all be poor or sick or maimed or worse.

It is only by God’s grace and mercy that we don’t suffer more.       

When talking about the relationship between sin and suffering, some theologians use the phrase ‘a loose causal weave’. A loose causal weave means that while there is a connection between sin and suffering in a general sense, that connection is not always well aligned where the individual is concerned.

For example, looking at history we can see that nations which blatantly disregard God’s laws do come to ruin eventually. Within those nations, there will be some relatively innocent or righteous people who do not deserve the same treatment as the rest, and yet they suffer just as badly because they are part of that society. On an individual level there can be collateral damage.

From our limited human perspective, it often seems this life is not fair, which is precisely why we need to believe that this life is not all there is and that ‘the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice’.

We need to believe in a day judgement when God rights all wrongs. Otherwise, we will attempt to get justice for ourselves by taking revenge. None of us are in a position to judge.  

Jesus does not call God’s justice into question. Jesus says those killed by Pilate and the 18 who died in the tower collapse were not worse sinners, but sinners all the same. Therefore, they were not innocent. But that is not why they died prematurely. Their deaths serve as a warning to us all to repent while we still can, for none of us knows when our time is up. 

Jesus preached urgent repentance because faith with repentance is how we get on the right side of God’s judgement. As I often say, God’s judgement is not at odds with his mercy. God’s judgement and mercy are one. Indeed, they are in conversation with one another. Which is where the parable of the fig tree comes in…

The Parable of the Fig Tree:

Many fruiting trees are pollinated by bees and other insects who visit the flowers for nectar and in the process collect and pass on pollen.

The fig tree is different though. As I mentioned at the beginning of this message, the fig flower is inverted, it is hidden inside the fruit, where bees can’t get to it. So how is the fig tree pollinated?

Some varieties of fig trees are pollinated by a tiny insect called a ‘fig wasp’.

The fig wasp is not like the big German wasps we are familiar with. A fig wasp won’t sting you; it is too small for that. The female fig wasp crawls through a small hole in the fig and lays her eggs inside the fruit.       

In the process of depositing her eggs, the female transfers pollen from her original host fig. This pollinates some of the female flowers on the inside of the receiving fig and allows them to mature. After the female wasp lays her eggs, she dies, and the cycle continues with her offspring who leave their host fig and lay eggs in another fig. Essentially, the fig tree needs the fig wasp.

Why am I telling you this? Well, Jesus’ parables are a bit like the fig wasp and our minds are like figs. The parables of Jesus are small enough to get under our skin and into our imagination, where they pollinate our thoughts with the ideas of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ parables bring a new way of thinking which (if we let it) leads to repentance.

From verse 6, Jesus tells his parable of the fig tree, saying…

“A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Dig it out! Why should it use up the soil?’

Before we finish the parable, let’s pause to observe a couple of things.

Firstly, for Jesus’ original Jewish audience, the vineyard was a metaphor for the nation of Israel.

Isaiah 5 famously gives us the song of the vineyard, where Israel is the vineyard and God himself is the one who planted the vineyard. The vineyard does not bear good fruit. The Lord looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. Therefore, God allowed the nation of Israel (his vineyard) to be destroyed. This happened with the exile.

Relating Isaiah 5 to Jesus’ parable of the fig tree, we can say that the vineyard represents God’s people. However, Jesus’ parable isn’t about the whole vineyard. It is focused on just one tree in the vineyard, specifically the fig tree.

What (or who) then does the fig tree represent? Probably not the nation of Israel as a whole. Some say the fig tree represents Israel’s religious leadership who (at that time) appeared righteous but were not actually producing the fruit of justice or mercy.

Thinking more broadly, the fig tree could represent any of God’s people who make an outward show of religion without bearing the fruit of genuine repentance.

In verse 7, the owner says to the man who takes care of the vineyard that he’s been coming to look for fruit for three years and not found any. It typically takes two or three years after planting for a fig tree to start bearing fruit, so it is reasonable to expect fruit after three years.

The command to dig out the tree reminds us of Luke 3, where John the Baptist warned that the axe was already at the root of the tree and any tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down.

That said, we should not miss the vineyard owner’s heart here. The vineyard owner is not hell bent on destruction for destruction’s sake. He is concerned for the wellbeing of the whole vineyard. If he allows fruitless trees to take up room and exhaust the soil, he is not being fair or kind to anyone.   

Then comes the twist in verses 8 and 9, where the worker says to the owner: 8 “‘Sir, leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.

 9 If it bears fruit in the future, fine! If not, then dig it out.’”

Notice here how the fig tree needs outside help. The fig tree cannot save it itself; it needs the orchard worker to advocate for it and fertilise it. Just like the brothers needed the carpenter to build a bridge. Just like the fig fruit needs the fig wasp.

You might be wondering: who is the worker who intercedes to save the tree?

We might think the worker is Jesus, but it is probably better to think of the vineyard worker as a personification of God’s mercy, while the vineyard owner is the personification of God’s judgement. [3] Therefore, God’s judgement is in conversation with his mercy. God’s judgement is informed by his mercy.

God knows he has to take action where a fruitless tree is concerned (for the sake of others in the vineyard), but he still feels a tender mercy toward the fruitless tree and would prefer to see it saved and bearing good fruit.    

We are reminded of what the apostle says in 2nd Peter 3, verse 9…

 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”. 

Time is grace. If we are not being fruitful for God’s glory, then the best use of our time is repentance.

Conclusion:

As is often the case, Jesus’ parable is left open ended. We, the audience, are in suspense. Did God’s mercy convince God’s judgement to wait a while longer? Did the vineyard owner agree to give the fig tree another chance? And if the fig tree was given another chance, did it eventually manage to bear fruit?

We are not told.

We don’t know when God’s judgement will come. In the meantime, we are better to ask ourselves whether our lives bear the fruit of repentance. Repentance will look different for each of us, depending on our sin.

If our sin is pride, then repentance is walking humbly with God.

If our sin is greed, then repentance is generosity.

If our sin is resentment, then repentance is being ready to forgive.

If our sin is violence, then repentance is gentleness.

If our sin is deceit, then repentance is truthfulness.

If our sin is theft, then repentance is honest work.

If our sin is gossip, then repentance is self-control. You get the idea.

But remember this. We cannot repent without help. The key to bearing the fruit of repentance is not trying harder. The key to fruitfulness is abiding in Christ. 

Let us pray… 

Merciful God, we thank you for your patience and for the grace of time.

When we stray off course, change our minds and gently set us in the right direction. Help us to remain in Christ that we would bear good fruit for your glory. 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. How is the fig flower different from most other flowers?
  3. What is repentance? Why is repentance necessary? How do we repent?
  4. Why do we need to believe in God’s judgement? Why do we need to believe in God’s mercy?
  5. What might the fig tree in Jesus’ parable represent? What might the vineyard owner and worker respectively represent? What is the main purpose of Jesus’ parable of the fig tree in Luke 13?
  6. Does your life bear the fruit of repentance? Does God want you to change your mind and direction in life? If so, what might that change look like? 

[1] The story of the bridge building carpenter is adapted from a story by J. John and Mark Stibbe in their book “A Barrel of Fun”, page 173. 

[2] Kenneth Bailey, “Through Peasant Eyes”, page 79.

[3] Refer Kenneth Bailey’s book, “Through Peasant Eyes”.

Tawa Baptist

Nebuchadnezzar’s Tree

Scripture: Daniel 4

Video Link: https://youtu.be/D-yuZGs-fuc

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
  • God’s Sovereignty
  • God’s Just Mercy
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Many of you would have heard of the story of Beauty and the Beast. In one version of this fairy tale, the young prince is turned into a beast because he behaves in a beastly manner; he is cruel, unkind and selfish. Only when he learns to be more human, to love and be loved, is the curse lifted.

Beauty and the Beast is a redemption story. A story of overcoming fear and evil with faith and self-giving love. It’s a story with a happy ending. Reality is seldom so kind and yet the story endures because we need to believe that change is possible, that the beast within each of us can be transformed by love.

Today we continue our testimony of trees series. In recent weeks we have considered the mustard tree, the almond tree, the sycamore, the tamarisk and the olive tree. These are all physical trees with scientific names. Nebuchadnezzar’s tree is a psychological tree, seen in a dream by a king who behaves like a beast but, in the end by God’s mercy, has his humanity restored.  

We learn about Nebuchadnezzar’s tree in the book of Daniel chapter 4.

Daniel 4 is very long with lots of repetition, so we won’t read it all.

To set the scene, Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon who lived around five or six hundred years before Christ. Nebuchadnezzar was the one who conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, killed thousands of Jews and had the survivors deported into exile in Babylon.

Among those Jews brought to Babylon was a young man named Daniel.

Daniel became an advisor to the king and was given a new Babylonian name, Belteshazzar.

Anyway, one night king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a tree. Well, it was more of a nightmare really, one that stayed with him and terrified him. No one was able to interpret the king’s dream, so Daniel (aka: Belteshazzar) was asked to give the meaning. From Daniel chapter 4, verse 10, Nebuchadnezzar retells his dream…

10 These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed. 13 “In the visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked, and there before me was a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven. 14 He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. “‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven timespass by for him. 17 “‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’ 18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” 19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! …

22 Your majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth…

24 “This is the interpretation, your majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.  26 The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, your majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

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

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

I started this sermon by talking about the story of Beauty and the Beast.

In doing this I do not mean to imply that the story of Nebuchadnezzar is a fairy tale. The story of Beauty and the Beast was not written until many centuries after the Babylonians.

Nebuchadnezzar was a real person in history. We have good reason to think the events described in Daniel 4 did happen. To a modern reader, it appears Nebuchadnezzar had some kind of breakdown followed by a period of mental illness. He would not be the only ruler in history to experience this.

Charles VI reigned as king of France from 1380 to his death in 1422. He came to the throne at the age of 11 and lived with psychosis for much of his life. Charles VI thought he was made of glass and that if he were knocked, he might break. One can only imagine the mental anguish he suffered from this belief.

Our minds are like icebergs. Our conscious thoughts are just the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot more going on beneath the surface, in our unconscious, that we are not aware of.

Depth psychologists reckon that the dreams we have while we sleep are our unconscious minds communicating with our conscious minds. The unconscious speaks to us in symbols. Most dreams you have will not be that significant. They are simply the mind’s way of ironing out the wrinkles in your day.

But sometimes our dreams are telling us something important. Warning us to restore the balance and get our life back in order. Dreams can be like a warning sign at the top of the cliff, there to prevent us going over the edge. 

Occasionally God communicates with us through the dreams that surface from our unconscious. Most dreams are not from God, but some are. God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream to warn him to get his life in order or he would take a fall.      

There are basically four main images in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The first is of an enormous tree which provides food and shelter for the creatures of the earth. Daniel says the tree in the dream represents Nebuchadnezzar himself. The king is great and powerful. The nations of the earth are subject to him, they depend on him. 

The second image is that of a holy one, a messenger from heaven, what we might call an angel or a watcher. The image of the angel shows us that this is no ordinary dream. This dream is a message from God in heaven.

And the message is this: as great and powerful as Nebuchadnezzar is, he is still subject to God in heaven. Heaven is in charge, not Nebuchadnezzar. The king is about to lose it all.  

The third image Nebuchadnezzar sees is the stump of the tree, still in the ground, bound with iron and bronze. This shows that Nebuchadnezzar will be cut down. He will be humbled. He will lose his power and authority for a time, but not forever. Just as a tree stump can grow new shoots, there is hope too for Nebuchadnezzar. He will be restored to his throne in the fullness of time.

The fourth image is that of animals in the field. In many ways Nebuchadnezzar’s treatment of people was inhumane. The king could be brutal and animal like in the way he behaved toward others. Therefore, he would be given the mind of a beast. Nebuchadnezzar will think he is animal.

What’s interesting here is that Nebuchadnezzar is given the mind of a relatively harmless beast. He won’t be like a lion or a bear, which might attack other creatures. He will be more like an ox, eating plants in the field.   

God’s Sovereignty

In verse 25 Daniel says, seven times will pass by before the king acknowledges that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.

We don’t know exactly how long seven times is. It might be seven seasons or seven years, or it might be a proverbial way of saying, as long as it takes, or until God decides the king’s sentence is complete. The point is, God is in control, not Nebuchadnezzar.     

Verse 28 tells us that all this happened to king Nebuchadnezzar. The king did not heed Daniel’s warning to change his ways. His behaviour towards his subjects remained beastly and he continued in his pride. Consequently, the king’s dream came true. A year later, when Nebuchadnezzar was congratulating himself on all his achievements, a voice from heaven said…

“This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.”

Immediately, what was said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. 

Now at this point I need to make something very clear. The cause of mental illness is not the same for everyone. Just because God gave Nebuchadnezzar the mind of an animal, it does not automatically follow that mental illness is a punishment from God.

Mental illness can be caused by any number of factors. Sometimes physiological or chemical, other times it is the result of trauma or something else that science cannot explain. We don’t have an answer for everything.   

What we do know is that ultimately God wants people to enjoy good mental health. In John 10, Jesus says: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. Jesus goes on to talk about himself as the good shepherd, who gives his life for the sheep. Jesus came that we would have abundant life. Jesus wants to renew our minds.

Those who know their history (or who at least watch Bridgerton) will know about king George III of England, the husband of Queen Charlotte. King George reigned 60 years from 1760 to 1820. He came to the throne at the age of 22.

It is unclear exactly what his mental health disorder was, but he suffered a great deal because of it, as much from doctors as from the malady itself. Despite all he went through though, George was a kind and decent king.

He had a sense of justice and compassion.

For example, according to the historian Andrew Roberts, “George never bought or sold a slave in his life. He never invested in any of the companies that did such a thing. He signed legislation to abolish slavery.” 

King George was a humanitarian. He was nothing like king Nebuchadnezzar.

I don’t believe George’s bouts of mental illness were a punishment from God. We don’t know why George suffered in this way. Most of the time we are given no explanation for suffering. Suffering is usually cloaked in mystery.

However, Nebuchadnezzar is given an explanation. In verse 17 the angel says: ‘…the holy ones declare the verdict so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’

Nebuchadnezzar need not flatter himself by thinking it’s all about him. It’s not. Nebuchadnezzar will be humbled and restored so that people everywhere will know that God in heaven is in charge. Being the king doesn’t make you great. Leadership is simply a function. God can make anyone he wants king or queen.

So, whatever you do with Daniel 4, don’t transfer it to other people you know who live with a mental illness. Nebuchadnezzar’s case is unique, just as every person is unique.

Daniel chapter 4 is more about God in heaven than it is about Nebuchadnezzar or anyone else. The text is showing us, in bright neon colour, that God is sovereign over all. God is in charge. God has all power and authority and dominion. Failure to acknowledge God’s sovereignty is madness.

In an individualistic, me centred, consumer oriented society like ours, it’s easy to think it’s all about us. The culture and ethos of Babylon is alive well today. We need constant reminders that we are here to serve God. The Lord is not some kind of cosmic Santa Claus or magic genie, there to grant our wishes.

We acknowledge God’s sovereignty by trusting and obeying him.

Sometimes obedience to God is pleasant. Other times it is painful or at least uncomfortable. None of us is fully able to trust and obey God. All of us fall short in that regard. This is why Jesus came. Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus trusted and obeyed God even unto death on a cross.

God’s Just Mercy

Beyond the obvious, of highlighting God’s sovereignty, Daniel 4 is also showing us the just mercy of God. That is, God’s mercy is one with his justice. They go together. God’s justice is not separate from his mercy. 

We see God’s just mercy in the way the Lord warns Nebuchadnezzar in a dream of the path he is on. God could have simply removed Nebuchadnezzar and replaced him with someone else. But God gives the king an opportunity for redemption.

God’s just mercy is embodied in the person of Daniel. Daniel unlocks the meaning of the king’s dream in a way that is gracious and true.

Remember that king Nebuchadnezzar was the leader of Israel’s enemies.

He destroyed whole cities and subjected the survivors to slavery. He was not a very nice man. Nebuchadnezzar was probably responsible for killing some of Daniel’s friends and family. He was certainly responsible for Daniel’s exile and forced servitude.

And yet Daniel does not rejoice at hearing of the king’s coming fall. Daniel is deeply disturbed by the dream and has compassion for the king. Daniel says, ‘My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries.’

Daniel also shows courage in speaking the truth to Nebuchadnezzar, pointing out that the king is sinful and wicked and needs to repent. Daniel seeks the king’s wellbeing at risk to his own life. Daniel shows us what it looks like to love your enemies. Grace and truth. Justice with mercy. That’s what you get with the Spirit of Jesus.  

In his letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul encourages us to pray for those in authority. This was no small thing when we remember the governing authorities were often hostile to the Christian church of the first century.

To pray for Caesar was to turn the other cheek and love one’s enemies.

Whoever may be in government, whether we agree with their politics or not, whether they make good decisions or not, we have a responsibility to pray for them, that we might live in peace and respectful relationship with others. Ultimately, the governing authorities are subject to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.    

God’s just mercy is also seen in the way the Lord gives Nebuchadnezzar twelve months to change his ways. Time is grace. Sadly, Nebuchadnezzar did not recognise this time of grace for what it was.

Nothing though is wasted in God’s economy. The time Nebuchadnezzar spent in the fields living like an ox, provided some relief for those who were oppressed by the king. For many, it was an act of God’s mercy to have Nebuchadnezzar sidelined for a while. 

God’s just mercy is also seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration. From verse 34 we read… 

34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honoured and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” 36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honour and splendour were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Conclusion

Verse 34 tells us it was when Nebuchadnezzar looked to heaven that his sanity was restored. We are never as sane as when we recognize our need for God.

The prodigal son came to his senses while starving in a pigs stye.

Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Only when we come to the end of own resources are we ready to truly acknowledge God’s sovereignty and throw ourselves on his just mercy.

Let us pray…

Sovereign God, thank you for your just mercy. Forgive our arrogance and help us to walk humbly with you. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory. Forever and ever. 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. Nebuchadnezzar was terrified by his dream. Have you ever had a dream that terrified you? What happened in your dream? What images did you see? Do you know the meaning (or purpose) of your dream?
  3. Discuss / reflect on the four main images in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. What were these images saying? What is the main message of the dream? Why does God give Nebuchadnezzar this dream?
  4. What do we mean by God’s sovereignty? How do we acknowledge God’s sovereignty in our lives?
  5. In what ways do we see God’s just mercy at work in Daniel 4? In what ways are you aware of God’s just mercy at work in your own life?
  6. What does good mental health look like? How might you know when your mental health is improving (or declining)? What practical things can you do to support good mental health? For yourself? For others?
  7. Spend some time this week praying for the governing authorities.