Tawa Baptist

Peter preaches Jesus

Scripture: Acts 3:12-19

Title: Peter preaches Jesus

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Peter preaches the death & resurrection of Jesus
  • Peter preaches to heal the crowd
  • Conclusion

 Introduction:

On the wall here we have a picture of a small child with his head in the mouth of a camel

  • – Now, what would you say was more important here?
  • – Taking a photo to capture the moment? (as it appears is happening)
  • – Or coming to the rescue of the child? Hmmm.
  • – If I were ever unfortunate enough to find myself in that situation I hope that my first response would not be to take a photo

 

Today is two Sundays since Easter

  • – As we are still in the season of Easter our message this morning comes from the lectionary – Acts chapter 3, verses 12-19
  • – These verses peel back the skin of the Easter story and look within it to find its meaning and application

 

Acts 3 is set at the gate of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem

  • – Two of the apostles, Peter & John, have just healed a man who has been unable to walk since birth
  • – It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a traditional time of prayer, and therefore a busy time at the temple
  • – Everyone who saw the miracle is gob smacked in amazement – they crowd around Peter & John utterly astounded
  • – Seeing the opportunity God has provided Peter preaches to the crowd
  • – From Acts chapter 3, verse 12 (in the NIV) we read…

 

When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

In this reading we hear Peter’s sermon to a crowd of Jewish worshippers coming to the temple for prayer. Two things about Peter’s message

–         Peter preaches the death & resurrection of Jesus

–         And Peter preaches to heal the crowd

 

Peter preaches the death & resurrection of Jesus:

I have here a banana

  • – What would you say was more important – the skin of the banana or the flesh inside? [Wait for people to respond]
  • – Well, both are important aren’t they
  • – The skin protects the flesh of the banana – without the skin we wouldn’t have a banana we could eat
  • – But without the flesh the skin has no purpose really and could in fact become a hazard – something that slips people up
  • – At the end of the day the most important part is the part we eat, inside

 

Thinking of Acts 3, what would you say was more important – the miracle of healing or Peter’s message explaining the miracle? [Wait for people to respond]

–         Well, both are important

–         Without Peter’s explanation the meaning of the miracle is lost

–         But without the miracle Peter would not have had opportunity to explain the meaning of Easter in the first place

–         Peter’s message peeled the skin of the miracle back to reveal the real power behind the healing – the death & resurrection of Jesus

 

On the wall here we have a picture of a groom polishing the wheels of his car… with his new wife’s wedding dress

–         Probably not the best start to their marriage

–         What would you say was more important here – a happy wife or clean mags?  [Wait for people to respond]

–         The right answer is a happy wife – and if I have to explain that then you are in trouble

 

In verse 12 of Acts 3, Peter is quick to clear up any misunderstanding, saying…

–         ‘People of Israel, why does this [miracle] surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?’

–         Then he gives Jesus the credit

–         Peter isn’t going to use this miracle to polish his own reputation – that would be like using a wedding dress to polish the wheels of his chariot, if he had a chariot (which I don’t think he did)

–         No, Peter puts Jesus front & centre because Jesus is the most important

 

Peter describes Jesus in four ways…

–         As God’s servant (in verse 13)

–         As the Holy and Righteous One (in verse 14)

–         As the author of life (in verse 15)

–         And as the Christ (in verse 18)

 

The over-arching point here is that Jesus is someone very special & unique

 

Christ is a word that means the same thing as Messiah – ‘anointed one’

–         Jesus is the one chosen by God to be our King & Saviour

 

Author of life means that life comes from Jesus – Jesus is the Word of God through whom God created the universe – we find life in Jesus

 

Holy & Righteous One is a reference to Jesus’ innocence

–         Holy means set apart for a sacred or divine purpose

–         And righteous means being in right relationship with others, doing the right thing, acting justly and loving our neighbour

 

Peter’s description of Jesus as God’s servant is probably a reference to the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. We find the same Greek word in Acts 3 as we do in the passage from Isaiah

 

For those not familiar with Isaiah 53, Christians read it as a foretelling of Jesus’ suffering, death & resurrection. Here’s a sample of verses to give you the idea…

 

See, my servant will act wisely; [1]     he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted… 3 He was despised and rejected by humankind,     a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces     he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds we are healed…

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living…     9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…     11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…

The content of Peter’s speech indicates that Jesus is the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. Although Jesus was innocent, he suffered & died that we might live

 

Albrecht Durer was a famous 16th Century Renaissance artist

–         Albrecht was German and a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci

–         This is a self-portrait of Albrecht

 

According to legend Albrecht’s family was poor [2]

–         Although his father was a skilled and hard-working goldsmith, there were 18 children to feed and not much money to go around

–         Albrecht and one of his brothers had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art

–         The problem was they knew their father could never afford to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the academy there

 

After many long discussions at night the two boys finally worked out a pact.

–         They would toss a coin. The loser would go to work in the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy.

–         Then, in four years, when the brother who won the toss completed his studies, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by labouring in the mines.

 

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church.

–         Albrecht won the toss and went off to Nuremberg, while his brother went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed Albrecht to study at the Academy

–         Albrecht’s etchings, his woodcuts and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

 

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a special dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming.

–         After a long meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honoured position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfil his ambition.

–         His closing words were, “And now, my brother, it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”

 

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albrecht’s brother sat, tears streaming down his face,

–         Shaking his head from side to side he sobbed and repeated, over and over, “No, no, no.”

–         Finally, the boy who had spent 4 years in the mines rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then said softly…

–         “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look what the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, my brother, for me it is too late.”

 

500 years have passed since that time.

–         Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolours, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world

–         But perhaps the work most people are familiar with is, “Praying Hands.”

 

Some believe that Albrecht Durer drew these hands in honour of his brother who had sacrificed so much for him

 

What would you say was more important, the drawing of the hands or the brother’s sacrifice?

–         Difficult to separate the two really

–         Without the brother’s sacrifice the drawing loses its meaning

–         But without the drawing the brother’s sacrifice is forgotten

 

The point is, Jesus is like the brother who went to the mines

–         Jesus went to the cross, suffered & died that we might have abundant life

–         Jesus gives our lives meaning and we makes sure his sacrifice is not forgotten

 

Peter preaches to heal the crowd:

In verses 13-15 Peter recaps the Easter story, of Jesus’ death & resurrection

–         The startling thing here is the way Peter tells his audience, quite bluntly, how they caused Jesus’ death. Peter says…

o   You handed him over to be killed

o   You disowned him before Pilate (that is, you rejected him and didn’t advocate for him even though it was clear he was innocent)

o   You asked that a murderer be released to you instead

o   You killed the author of life

 

We might wonder why Peter is so strong in convicting the people of their injustice against Jesus – after all, no one likes to be blamed or told off

–         There’s a risk the crowd might become defensive and turn on Peter & John at this point

–         Well, it seems to me that Peter is hoping to heal the crowd – but before they can be healed they have to realise they are not well

–         In some ways (although not in every way) the crowd are little bit like the man who had been born lame [3]

–         By killing the author of life the people of Jerusalem have disabled their relationship with God – they are no longer able to walk with God

–         But God wants to heal that relationship so they can walk with him again

–         Before that healing can take place though, the people have to recognise what they’ve done wrong

–         Peter makes the crowd aware of their wrong doing by intentionally putting his finger on the sore spot, where it hurts – in much the same way a doctor does when diagnosing an ailment

 

Having shown the crowd that their relationship with God is broken, Peter then explains how things can be healed

–         Peter says (in verse 16) that the man born lame was healed by faith in Jesus. His healing is a pattern for their healing. They too can be healed by putting their faith in Jesus’ name.

–         From verse 17 Peter continues: Now, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders… Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out…

 

In a nutshell Peter’s message is this: your relationship with God is broken, it’s lame but it can be healed (as this man has been healed) through faith in Jesus

–         And in case you’re not sure what faith in Jesus looks like, it begins with repentance

 

Faith & repentance go together in the Bible

–         Faith is not exactly the same as repentance

–         Christian faith means believing in Jesus – putting our trust in him

–         While repentance is about change – changing our mind (or our way of thinking) and changing our behaviour (our way of living)

 

Now what would you say was more important – faith or repentance?

–         Well, we can’t really have one without the other

–         Repentance is to faith what clean sheets are to a bed – it helps us to sleep better at night

–         Repentance is to faith what food is to our stomach – it satisfies something in our soul and gives us strength

–         Repentance is to faith what legs are to walking – without repentance our faith has no legs, its going nowhere

–         Repentance is to faith what training is to an athlete – without repentance we’re just not that serious

 

Repentance is not the only expression of genuine faith – but it is perhaps the primary expression of faith

 

Before our relationship with God can be healed we have to realise we are not well – we have to realise we all share responsibility for Jesus’ death

–         We may not have been there in the crowd that day shouting ‘crucify him’ but we all needed Jesus to die in our place, so we are all responsible for Jesus’ death – not just the Jews

 

I listened to someone recently who had spent time in Africa teaching new Christians

–         There was this one man who heard about Jesus & started believing in him

–         Everything was great, fantastic, wonderful – as it usually is when we first become a Christian

–         And then the penny dropped for this man – believing in Jesus would mean a change in occupation for him

–         You see, this guy was a contract killer – he went across the border from one country to the next to kill people for money

–         I suppose if you are poor and live in a country with high unemployment then becoming a hit man is more attractive than begging or starving

–         Now that he was a follower of Jesus though, he had to repent – he had to stop killing people and trust Jesus to provide him with other work

–         That’s an extreme example but the principle is the same for other sins like greed or slander or sex outside of marriage or resentment or whatever your sore point is. Faith in Jesus and repentance go together

 

In commenting on verse 19 of Acts 3, William Barclay points out that repentance affects both the past and the future [4]

 

It affects the past in that sins are wiped out

–         Ancient writing was on papyrus and the ink used was different to the ink we use these days. If you made a mistake with your writing in the ancient world the ink could be removed with a wet sponge – sort of like we might wipe ink off a white board today

–         Peter is saying that with repentance and faith in Jesus our sins are erased

 

Repentance also affects the future in that it brings times of refreshing

–         ‘Times of refreshing’ speaks of Sabbath rest

–         It speaks of the light burden and the easy yoke that Jesus promised

–         With our sins removed we walk freely, without the burden of guilt

 

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard how Peter preached Jesus

–         Peter boldly preached the death & resurrection of Jesus

–         And with courage he preached to heal the crowd’s relationship with God

Peter’s brave preaching in Acts 3 stands in stark contrast to his denial of Jesus in Luke 22, which we heard about last week

–         In many ways though Peter’s denial of Jesus made his message more authentic, for Peter was preaching to the crowd as someone like them

–         Someone who had realised how lame he was before God and found healing and forgiveness through repentance & faith in Jesus

 

Questions for discussion &/or reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Discuss the meaning / significance of the four titles Peter ascribes to Jesus. That is: God’s servant, the holy & righteous one, the author of life and the Christ.

3.)    What similarities do we notice between Peter’s sermon, in Acts 3:12-19, and the passage describing the suffering servant in Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12?

4.)    Who is responsible for Jesus’ death?

5.)    Why does Peter convict the crowd so strongly of their injustice toward Jesus?

6.)    What pathway does Peter offer for healing the relationship between us and God?

7.)    What is the relationship between repentance and faith in Jesus?

8.)    Take some time this week to consider if the Holy Spirit is touching any sore points in your life? What healing does God want to bring?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/15-april-2018-peter-preaches-jesus

 

[1] The word ‘servant’ actually comes from Isaiah 52:13, which forms part of the picture painted of the suffering servant from 52:13 – 53:12.

[2] https://www.thoughtco.com/praying-hands-1725186

[3] This is not to imply that the man born lame had a bad relationship with God. For all we know he may have been closer to God than most. Also, the man born lame was well aware he couldn’t walk, whereas the crowd weren’t yet aware of their condition before God.

[4] From William Barclay’s commentary on Acts, page 32.

Tawa Baptist

Jesus & Peter

Scripture: John 13:33-38 & 21:15-19

Title: Jesus and Peter – before & after

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus & Peter before – John 13:33-38
  • Jesus & Peter after – John 21:15-19
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

We are in the season of Easter at the moment

–         Easter is a time when we tend to eat more chocolate than usual

–         Consequently we may find ourselves in different shape before and after

 

Our message today focuses on the relationship between Jesus & Peter – both before the cross and after the resurrection

–         Before Good Friday Peter may have thought his faith was fit and trim

–         But after the cross he had a more realistic perspective

 

Please turn with me to the gospel of John chapter 13 – page 137 toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         The night before his suffering and death Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. He washed their feet, he prayed for them and he tried to prepare them for what was about to happen

–         From John chapter 13, verse 33, Jesus says…

 

My children, I shall not be with you very much longer. You will look for me; but I tell you now what I told the Jewish authorities, “You cannot go where I am going.’ And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.”

“Where are you going, Lord?” Simon Peter asked him.

“You cannot follow me now where I am going,” answered Jesus; “but later you will follow me.”

“Lord, why can’t I follow you now?” asked Peter. “I am ready to die for you!”

Jesus answered, “Are you really ready to die for me? I am telling you the truth: before the rooster crows you will say three times that you do not know me.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading

 

Jesus & Peter before:

On the wall here is a diagram of the Johari window – many of you would have seen this (or something like it) before

–         The Johari window is a technique created by two psychologists in 1955

  • – In the exercise, you pick a number of adjectives from a list, choosing ones you feel describe your own personality.
  • – Your peers then get the same list, and each picks an equal number of adjectives that they think describe you. [1]
  • – Some of the adjectives include words like: bold, brave, cheerful, extroverted, introverted, calm, trustworthy, loving and so on

 

Adjectives picked by both you and your peers go in the ‘open’ box

  • – These things are common knowledge to you and to others
  • – Adjectives you chose for yourself but not chosen by others go in the ‘hidden’ box – things you know about you that others don’t
  • – And adjectives others choose for you but you didn’t choose go in the ‘blind’ box – things others can see that you can’t
  • – The fourth ‘unknown’ box is the sub-conscious part of us that neither ourselves nor others see
  • – We might say the unknown is known only to God

 

The purpose of the Johari window is to help people better understand their relationship with themselves and others

–         Sometimes there is a gap between how we perceive ourselves and how others experience us – a gap between our ideal self and our real self

–         This could be because we don’t know ourselves that well

–         Or it could be that others have misunderstood us

–         Often it’s a mixture of both

 

If you asked Peter to do the Yohari window exercise before & after Good Friday I expect he would have come out with a very different result

–         Before the cross Peter thinks of himself as brave and loyal, a hero willing to lay down his life to protect Jesus from the authorities

–         But on this occasion at least there is a significant gap between Peter’s ideal self and his real self

–         After the experience of the cross Peter is more circumspect

–         Only Jesus sees all four windows

 

Returning to our reading from John 13, Jesus tells his disciples two things…

–         Firstly, they cannot go where he is about to go – meaning they can’t go to the cross as he is about to go to the cross (at least not yet)

–         And secondly, they must love one another

 

Jesus says these two things to help his disciples

–         Being told they can’t go to the cross with him lets them off the hook

–         It tells them this is God’s purpose for Jesus, so they don’t have to feel responsible for this, they don’t need to try and protect Jesus or prevent it from happening – It’s not in their power to do anything about this

 

Having told them what they can’t do Jesus then tells them what they can do –love one another, for by this everyone will know you are my disciples

–         That’s profoundly interesting – we might think (like Peter did) that people will know we are Jesus’ disciples by some grand gesture or heroic act – by putting ourselves in harm’s way and fighting Jesus’ enemies

–         But Jesus insists that people will know we belong to him by our love for one another

 

Loving one another is by far the more difficult thing

–         Love can be a glorious grand gesture but more often than not it is small and unseen – yet no less expensive

–         We love one another by being patient with those who frustrate us by their personality or rub us up the wrong way by their behaviour

–         We love one another by listening and seeking to understand, even though we ourselves may feel misunderstood

–         We love one another by singing each other’s songs in church

–         By sharing each other’s joys and sorrows

–         By praying for others and making them meals when they have a need

–         We love by forgiving hurts and saying ‘sorry’ when we mess up

–         We love others by guarding their reputation and being discreet

–         We love one another in a thousand other little ways that only God sees

 

Peter isn’t captured by the idea of loving one another, nor does he accept what Jesus is saying about not being able to follow him to the cross

–         At this point Peter stills sees himself as a brave hero, ready to lay down his life for Jesus

–         Perhaps Peter is under the illusion that he might somehow save Jesus

–         He does not realise yet that he can’t even save himself

–         So Jesus, in his grace, responds by pointing out to Peter something he is blind to – a truth he can’t yet see about himself

–         Namely, that Peter will deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows

–         And, as we know, this is exactly what Peter does

 

Later that night, when Jesus is arrested in the Garden, Peter draws his sword and cuts off the ear of the High Priest’s slave – Peter hasn’t accepted what Jesus has said, he still wants to be the hero – but Jesus puts a stop to the violence

 

Undaunted, Peter follows at a distance and manages to get into the courtyard of the high priest where Jesus is being interrogated

–         As he warms himself around a charcoal fire Peter is asked three times if he is one of Jesus’ companions and three times he denies it

–         It’s not until the cock crows that Peter remembers the Lord’s words to him, at which point the truth hits home

–         Luke’s gospel tells us that Peter went out and wept bitterly – this is a painful learning for the would be hero

–         Peter is filled with regret and remorse

 

Jesus & Peter after:

The good news is, the story doesn’t end there

–         After his death on the cross Jesus is resurrected by God and appears to his disciples on a number of occasions

 

One of Jesus’ post resurrection appearances was by Lake Tiberias

–         The disciples had been out fishing all night and caught nothing

–         So Jesus tells them (from the shore) to throw their net out one more time on the right side of the boat

–         At first the disciples don’t realise it is Jesus but they throw their net out anyway & struggle to pull it back in because they’d caught so many fish

–         Jesus has filled their empty net

 

When they realise it is the Lord, Peter (spontaneous as ever) dives into the water & swims ashore to meet Jesus (sort of like Forrest Gump swimming to Lt Dan)

–         From verse 15 of John 21 we pick up the story…

 

After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my lambs.”

A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.”

A third time Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” and so he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep. I am telling you the truth: when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you up and take you where you don’t want to go.”

(In saying this, Jesus was indicating the way in which Peter would die and bring glory to God.)  Then Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture reading for us

 

William Blake wrote a collection of poems he titled: Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul

–         It became a classic

–         I’m not sure exactly what William Blake meant by innocence but to my mind it is a state of not really knowing oneself all that well

–         Consequently there is a gap between the way those in a state of innocence perceive themselves and how others experience them

–         Those in a state of innocence are also prone to projecting their ideals on to others – ideals which those others may not share

–         This inevitably results in disappointment when those in a state of innocence realise they have placed their hope in the wrong things

 

Most of the young men who went off to fight in World War One were in a state of innocence

–         They had this misplaced idea that the war would be over quickly, that the Turks and the Germans would put up little resistance, that the generals would only make good decisions, that they would be impervious to the heat and the cold, the flies and the bullets, and that God was on their side

–         Those who survived lost their innocence

 

Experience is a ruthless teacher – it adjusts our perceptions, quite painfully sometimes

–         It’s not always pleasant learning something about yourself that you had been blind to but that others could see all along

–         Good Friday was, for Peter, a sort of innocence lost

–         Now, on the other side of the cross, Peter lives with his experience

 

In the passage we just read, from John 21, Jesus restores Peter

–         Previously Peter had denied Jesus three times

–         Now Jesus asks Peter three times, ‘Do you love me?’

–         And three times Peter says, ‘Yes Lord, you know that I love you’

–         And three times Jesus says, ‘Take care of my sheep’

 

Jesus does not give Peter the silent treatment

–         Jesus does not demand an apology from Peter

–         Jesus does not require Peter to grovel and beg

–         Nor Jesus does prescribe a punishment for Peter – he doesn’t need to

–         Peter is already painfully aware of his failure and has been beating himself up for days

 

The message is pretty clear

–         Peter’s sins are forgiven

–         Jesus does not hold anything against him

–         The relationship is restored but not exactly the way it was before

 

Before, in a state of innocence, Peter had thought he might be able to save Jesus

–         Now (after experience) he realises that Jesus has saved him

 

Before the cross, Peter trusted in himself to be able to the right thing

–         After the cross Peter is humbled and he trusts in Jesus’ grace

 

We see Peter’s humility in his response to Jesus’ three fold question

–         Peter does not point to his own actions to prove that he loves Jesus

–         Rather he appeals to Jesus’ knowledge of him – you know me Lord, you now all things 

–         Sometimes we may feel like we must do something great to prove our love for the Lord – but this is not necessary

–         What we come to in time is the realisation that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves – even the unknown sub-conscious part

 

This begs the question, why then did Jesus keep questioning Peter’s love?

–         Well, Peter’s denials cast doubt on his credentials to serve & lead in the church

–         Not only did Peter need the opportunity to reverse his threefold denial, the other disciples also needed to see Peter formally reinstated

–         There is a certain formality to the way Jesus addresses Peter, using his full given name, ‘Simon, son of John’ (and not his nickname, Peter)

–         By formally & publicly reinstating Peter – saying three times, ‘Take care of my sheep’, Jesus is showing everyone that Peter has his blessing

–         And Jesus is showing the other disciples there is grace for them too

–         If Peter was still accepted after his denials, then they were accepted as well, even though they had abandoned their Lord in his time of need

 

Another hidden gem here is that, through the experience of the cross, Peter now loves Jesus as he really is and not just as he wishes Jesus to be [2]

–         In his state of innocence Peter loved the idea of a successful hero Messiah (like king David) and he projected this ideal, this fantasy, on to Jesus

–         By his actions Peter had shown that he did not want a crucified Messiah

–         When Jesus had tried to tell the disciples that he must suffer and die Peter took him aside to correct him – because this didn’t fit with Peter’s dream of a successful hero king

–         Peter had plans for Jesus and those plans didn’t include Jesus dying – that would be failure (as far as Peter was concerned)

–         But Jesus was crucified and with him Peter’s fantasy also died

–         Even though Jesus had disappointed Peter’s expectations Peter still maintained his loving devotion to the Lord

 

As Shakespeare put it, “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds”

–         In other words, true love is constant even though circumstances and perceptions might change

 

We, like Peter, may project onto God our own ideas or fantasy of what he is like and how he should behave

–         We may, for example, think of God as a divine Santa Claus – that he will give us what we want if we are good

–         Or we think of God as our own personal body guard – who won’t let any harm come to us

–         Or as a genie in a bottle ready to grant us our wishes

–         Or we may think becoming a Christian will make us healthy, wealthy & successful

–         For many people this is part of their journey of faith, a stage of innocence

–         Then we face the cross in our own personal way

–         Maybe God doesn’t answer our prayers as we thought he should

–         Or maybe he allows us to suffer illness or injustice without explanation

–         Whatever form our cross may take, when God doesn’t perform as we expect our fantasy of Him is crucified and we may feel let down by Jesus

–         In that experience of disappointment we, like Peter, have a choice

–         Are we going to love God as he really is & not just as we wish him to be?

 

On hearing Peter’s threefold affirmation of love, Jesus’ threefold commission is ‘take care of my sheep’

–         Peter is to express his love for Jesus by caring for Jesus’ followers

–         Love is the main qualification for pastoral ministry

–         The primary qualification for being a minister is love

–         Just as the primary qualification for being a Sunday school teacher or a youth group leader or a parent or a brother or sister, son or daughter, is love

 

Love of Jesus goes hand in hand with love of his people

–         We’ve already heard Jesus say, ‘Love one another for by this everyone will know you are my disciples’

–         The implication here is that those who say they love Jesus but do not love other Christians are kidding themselves

–         They may love an idea or fantasy they have of Jesus but not the reality

 

Grace begets grace

–         Jesus had shown Peter grace when Peter failed and so it is significant that Peter shows grace to others in his ministry

–         Last year, during our series on inter-generational relationships in the Bible, we looked at the relationship between John Mark and Peter

–         John Mark was rejected by the apostle Paul because Mark turned back while on a missions trip

–         But Peter took Mark under his wing, despite Mark’s failure, probably because Peter knew what it was like to be in Mark’s shoes

–         It is thought that the gospel of Mark was written by John Mark who had followed Peter around listening to his preaching

–         Eventually Mark & Paul repaired their relationship but I’m not sure it would have had the happy ending it did if Peter hadn’t shown Mark grace

–         Of course Peter was simply following Jesus’ example – paying forward the grace he himself had experienced

 

Having formally reinstated Peter, Jesus then goes on to foretell Peter’s future

–         In John 13 Jesus had said, you can’t follow me now where I am going

–         (Meaning you can’t die on the cross with me)

–         Now, in John 21, Jesus says to Peter, ‘Follow me’

–         ‘…when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you up and take you where you don’t want to go.’

 

Jesus is saying here that Peter will get the opportunity to follow in his footsteps by dying on a cross (stretch out your hands is a euphemism for crucifixion)

–         Tradition tells us that when Peter was old he refused to deny Jesus

–         As a consequence the authorities led Peter out to be crucified like Jesus

–         But Peter said he was not worthy to die like his Lord

–         So they crucified Peter upside down

In the end Peter was ready to die for Jesus – not to be a hero or to draw attention to himself, but rather to affirm the truth of Jesus’ resurrection

 

Conclusion:

The beauty is, God used Peter’s weakness & failure for good

–         If Peter can be restored after denying Jesus then so can we

 

In a few moments we will share communion together

–         Communion is a time when we remember Jesus’ death and affirm his resurrection

–         To share communion is to say with Peter and millions of other believers, “Yes Lord, you know I love you”

–         Communion is not a grand gesture on our part

–         But is a significant aspect of following Jesus and loving one another

–         In communion we remember our own sin and Jesus’ grace in restoring us

Questions for discussion & reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Have you ever done the ‘Johari Window’ exercise before?

–         What did you learn?

3.)    How was Peter’s perception of himself different before and after the cross?

4.)    What does it mean to love one another? (Think of practical examples)

5.)    What does it mean to be in a state of innocence?

–         How is this different from a state of experience?

6.)    Why did Jesus ask if Peter loved him three times, in front of the others?

–         Why did Peter appeal to Jesus’ knowledge of him? (I.e. Why does Peter say, ‘You know I love you Lord’?)

7.)     Before the cross Peter had a false perception of Jesus – he loved Jesus as he wished Jesus to be. After the resurrection Peter’s perception had changed and he loved Jesus as he really is (a crucified & risen Messiah).

–         Has your perception of Jesus changed since becoming a Christian? How so?

–         Have you (like Peter) had a personal cross experience, when you felt disappointed by God and your fantasy of Jesus was crucified?

–         Do you still love Jesus as he really is or only as you wish him to be?

8.)    Grace begets grace. Jesus showed Peter grace and Peter paid it forward to John Mark. Take some time this week to reflect on the grace you have been shown by others. How (or who) might you pay this grace forward to?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/8-april-2018-peter-and-jesus-before-after

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window

[2] Refer Leon Morris, NICTNT on John, page 768.

Tawa Baptist

Jesus’ Trial – Good Friday

Readings & Reflections on Jesus’ Trial from Luke 22:66-23:25

Good Friday is about the suffering & death of Jesus

–         It is the day Jesus’ suffering comes to a head

–         Jesus’ suffering was undeserved and yet he accepted it with humility & grace

 

Following Jesus’ agony and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane he was taken away for a series of trials

–         After a night in the courtyard of the high priest, where he was mocked & beaten by the temple guards, Jesus was brought before the Jewish elders

–         We pick up the story from Luke chapter 22, verse 66

 

66 When day came, the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law met together, and Jesus was brought before the Council. 67 “Tell us,” they said, “are you the Messiah?”

He answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me; 68 and if I ask you a question, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of Almighty God.”

70 They all said, “Are you, then, the Son of God?”

He answered them, “You say that I am.”

71 And they said, “We don’t need any witnesses! We ourselves have heard what he said!”

 

Luke’s account places an emphasis on Jesus’ innocence

–         Despite all the miracles Jesus has performed and despite all the reasoning Jesus has provided, the Jewish Council refuse to believe that Jesus is God’s Messiah, their King

–         They have already made up their mind to kill Jesus and are simply gathering ammunition to use against him

 

Jesus knows this but he doesn’t deny his true identity to save himself

–         To the contrary he takes it a few steps further and essentially says he is a lot closer to the Almighty in heaven than they realise – at God’s right side no less

–         Jesus has intentionally played into their hands – he is embracing the suffering of the cross in obedience to God the Father

 

The Jewish Council can’t believe their luck, they think they have all the ammunition they need for a conviction of blasphemy

–         Blasphemy is when someone says or does something which shows contempt or disrespect for God – it was a really big deal to ancient Jews

–         Of course it’s only blasphemy if it’s not true & Jesus has spoken the truth

–         The irony is, the Jewish Council are the ones who are guilty of blasphemy – they have insulted God by rejecting His Son

 

The Jewish Council don’t have freedom to kill Jesus on their own terms, they have to get permission from Pilate, the Roman governor

–         Blasphemy is not a crime under Roman law but sedition is

–         If they can convince Pilate that Jesus is a rival king stirring up trouble then Pilate might agree to execute Jesus

–         But Pilate isn’t buying it – after questioning Jesus he concludes…

–         “I find no reason to condemn this man”

–         In Pilate’s estimation Jesus is innocent – but the Jewish Council insisted even more strongly so, to avoid responsibility, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod.

8 Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus perform some miracle. 9 So Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus made no answer.

10 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law stepped forward and made strong accusations against Jesus. 11 Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and treated him with contempt; then they put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

 

Herod wanted to be entertained by Jesus

  • – He wanted Jesus to perform some miracle, like a party trick, but Jesus does not respond – in fact Jesus remains completely silent
  • – In the end Herod makes his own fun by dressing Jesus up in royal robes and mocking him
  • – Clearly Herod does not believe Jesus is a threat
  • – As far as Herod is concerned the Jewish Council’s charges of sedition are a joke and Jesus is innocent

 

Pilate is different to Herod – Pilate is more professional, more respectful. Pilate has a conscience. From verse 13 read…

13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me and said that he was misleading the people. Now, I have examined him here in your presence, and I have not found him guilty of any of the crimes you accuse him of. 15 Nor did Herod find him guilty, for he sent him back to us. There is nothing this man has done to deserve death. 16 So I will have him whipped and let him go.”

18 The whole crowd cried out, “Kill him! Set Barabbas free for us!” (19 Barabbas had been put in prison for a riot that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)

20 Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, so he appealed to the crowd again. 21 But they shouted back, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

22 Pilate said to them the third time, “But what crime has he committed? I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death! I will have him whipped and set him free.”

23 But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified, and finally their shouting succeeded. 24 So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.

 

Clearly Jesus was innocent – consequently Pilate did his best to see justice was done by releasing Jesus, but he failed (despite multiple attempts)

  • – Although Jesus could have defended himself he didn’t – Jesus chose instead to embrace the cross in obedience to God

The Jewish Council treated Jesus with open hostility

  • – Herod didn’t take Jesus seriously
  • – And Pilate tried to save Jesus
  • – But Jesus accepted his suffering with humility & grace

 

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, when taken away you did not resist

When mocked and falsely accused you remained silent

When questioned as to your identity you responded with truth

When condemned you did not justify yourself

When we face injustice grant us wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent

And when we collude with injustice grant us the conscience to repent

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on us. Amen.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What does Luke emphasise in his account of Jesus’ trial?

–         How does Luke do this?

3.)    What temptations do you think Jesus may have faced during his trial(s) on Good Friday?

4.)    Jesus did not deny his true identity to save himself. Why do you think Jesus gave the Jewish Council the ammunition they needed to condemn him?

5.)    What is blasphemy?

–         How did the Jewish Council (and Herod) unwittingly commit blasphemy?

–         What are some of the ways that blasphemy might express itself today?

6.)    Why do you think Jesus had nothing to say to Herod?

–         When is it right for us to speak up and when is it right to remain silent?

7.)    Jesus embraced the suffering of the cross because it was God’s will for him. How might we know when suffering is God’s will for us and when it isn’t?

8.)   The Jewish Council treated Jesus with open hostility, Herod didn’t take Jesus seriously and Pilate tried to save Jesus. None of these are ideal responses to Jesus. Can you think of some other better responses?

 

Tawa Baptist

A New Generation

Scripture: Luke 9:1-10

Title: A New Generation

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus creates a new generation
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Over the past couple of weeks we have been working through a sermon series for the Tranzsend Self Denial campaign called Made New

–         Jesus came to make all things new and that newness begins with the initiative of the Holy Spirit

–         Last week we heard how Jesus gives us a new perspective

–         Today we conclude the Self Denial series by looking at how Jesus creates a new generation  

Please turn with me to Luke chapter 9, verse 1 – page 89 toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         In today’s reading we hear how Jesus empowers the new generation of his disciples to heal the sick and preach the gospel

–         From Luke 9, verses 1-10 we read…

Jesus called the twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. 2 Then he sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick, 3 after saying to them, “Take nothing with you for the trip: no walking stick, no beggar’s bag, no food, no money, not even an extra shirt. 4 Wherever you are welcomed, stay in the same house until you leave that town; 5 wherever people don’t welcome you, leave that town and shake the dust off your feet as a warning to them.” 6 The disciples left and traveled through all the villages, preaching the Good News and healing people everywhere.

7 When Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about all the things that were happening, he was very confused, because some people were saying that John the Baptist had come back to life. 8 Others were saying that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 Herod said, “I had John’s head cut off; but who is this man I hear these things about?” And he kept trying to see Jesus.

10 The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He took them with him, and they went off by themselves to a town named Bethsaida.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

Jesus creates a new generation:

We are talking this morning about how Jesus creates a new generation, but what do we mean by the word generation

–         Well, as a verb (a doing word) generation means producing something or bringing something into being

–         As in generating power or producing a crop or getting a project underway

 

But as a noun (a naming word) generation refers to a group or cohort of people born about the same time

–         As in generation X or baby boomers or millennials

 

We see both senses of this word generation in our reading from Luke 9 this morning

–         By empowering the disciples and sending them out to heal & preach Jesus is generating something new, he is creating a new movement

–         Also the disciples represent a new generation of God’s people

–         Just as there were twelve tribes of Israel, so too there are twelve disciples representing a new generation of leadership

 

Jesus does a number of things to create this new generation

–         Firstly he calls the disciples – inviting them to leave their old lives and follow him, learn from him, become his apprentices

–         We read how Jesus called his first disciples in Luke 5

 

Then, once Jesus has called the new generation, he shows them what to do by his own example – Jesus gives the disciples a model of how to do ministry

–         When we think of education we might think of sitting in a class room but the disciples learned by being with Jesus 24-7

–         Prior to Luke 9 the disciples have been following Jesus around everywhere, looking & listening, soaking up his way of doing things

–         I call this the tea bag approach to learning – Jesus’ example is like a tea bag and the disciples are like the water

–         As the disciples spend time with Jesus his way of doing things is infused into them, like tea is infused into water

–         This kind of learning happens without us necessarily being aware of it

–         The next generation (the children in our midst) are having our example infused into them, so we need to be careful of the model we provide

 

In Luke 9 Jesus takes the next step in creating this new generation of leadership

–         At this point the disciples have a clear picture in their mind of what preaching & healing the Jesus’ way looks like but they haven’t actually done it themselves

–         They know it in their head but they don’t yet know it in their hands

 

Last Tuesday night 14 of us gathered in the church lounge to learn how to operate the defibrillator

–         Amy from the Wellington Free Ambulance explained some procedures to us and then demonstrated on a manikin what to do if someone has a cardiac arrest (if their heart stops)

–         After showing us by her example, Amy then got each of us to practice on a manikin as well

–         It’s one thing to watch someone demonstrate a certain technique

–         It’s quite another to actually do 100 chest compressions a minute for over 2 minutes – watching and doing are quite different

 

Having shown his disciples what to do Jesus then gives them the opportunity to have a go themselves

–         But before sending them out Jesus first sets them up to succeed by giving them power & authority over demons & disease

–         No point in taking a knife to a gun fight – I imagine Jesus wants his disciples to have some wins, to get some runs on the board, because that will help generate confidence

 

Power & authority aren’t exactly the same thing although they often go together

–         Power is the ability to do something while authority is the permission or license to do it

–         I might have the power to drive a bus because I have the key but I don’t have authority to drive unless I have a license

–         I might have the power to cut down a tree because I have a chainsaw but I don’t have authority to cut it down unless it’s on my property

–         Jesus deputises his disciples with both the ability to drive out demons & heal disease as well as the license to do it

 

Demons are a manifestation of spiritual evil (the minions of Satan if you like) and disease is a manifestation of physical evil

–         What we observe here is that Jesus has jurisdiction over both the spiritual realm and the physical realm – there is nothing beyond Jesus’ reach

 

We also observe that Jesus shares his power & authority with those he trusts

–         Jesus doesn’t do it all himself, he uses a team approach

–         At the defibrillator training the other night Amy underlined the importance of using a team approach

–         You don’t try to do everything yourself – you get someone to ring 111 while you do chest compressions and you line up one or two others to help you do the chest compressions like a tag team

–         Later in Luke’s gospel we read how Jesus sends out the 72 in pairs

–         By using a team approach Jesus creates a new culture of cooperation & partnership, in contrast to the old culture of competition & one-up-man-ship – the new generation has a new culture

 

Another thing we notice is that Jesus gives the new generation a new focus and a new purpose

–         The old generation had been focused on things like politics and money and military might, because those things enable one to control people

–         But Jesus doesn’t give his disciples power & authority to control people

–         Rather he gives them power & authority to drive out demons & disease

–         Therefore Jesus’ focus, and the focus of the new generation, is to set people free from the forces of evil – both physical & spiritual

 

Most people have no difficulty understanding what is meant by physical disease – science has provided helpful insights into physical illness

–         Unfortunately we don’t understand as much about spiritual dis-ease

–         Demons are beyond the reach of science – in fact a lot people today would want to deny the existence of spiritual forces

–         However, just because we can’t look at it under a microscope doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist

 

When I was about 15 I was asked to sit in on an exorcism and provide prayer support (because you don’t do an exorcism on your own).

–         I was a relatively new Christian at that stage

–         The woman was having the exorcism because she had been a witch, part of a coven and all that goes with that

–         Witchcraft is the opposite of setting people free – witchcraft is about controlling or manipulating people

–         The sad reality is that when we seek to control or manipulate others we open the door to forces of evil that end up controlling us

–         At first this woman appeared quite normal – you wouldn’t know she was any different from anyone else

–         But as we started praying her behaviour changed – strange stuff happened to her, stuff she wasn’t in control of, stuff I can’t explain

 

I went away from that experience realising that demons are real – there are forces at work which we don’t understand and often aren’t even aware of

–         But we do not need to be afraid – Jesus has defeated Satan

–         If we have trusted our lives to Christ, if we have placed ourselves under his Lordship, then we are under his protection

 

We talked a couple of weeks ago about the human spirit being like a cup and the Spirit of God being like communion wine or fresh clean water

–         If the cup of our human spirit was designed to hold the water or wine of God’s Holy Spirit then we could say that demons (or evil spirits) are like dirty water or poison in the cup of our human spirit

–         To caste out a demon then is to clean out the cup of our spirit – to remove the dirty water, extract the poison, sort of like vomiting removes a stomach bug

–         Science can find cures for many physical diseases but only Jesus has the cure for what ails us spiritually

 

Now in talking about the spiritual realm and the physical realm, demons & disease, I don’t mean to imply a false dichotomy

–         While the spiritual & the physical are different by definition, they are not separate or mutually exclusive

–         There is some kind of inter-relationship between the spirit and the body

–         I’m not going to say much more about that relationship because I’m not sure I really understand it – for me it is in the realm of mystery

 

The other thing I want to say is that medical science doesn’t stand in opposition to Jesus, nor in isolation from him

–         Historically speaking science owes its existence to Jesus and the church

–         As I see it medical research to cure disease can be as much a part of God’s work of healing as the laying on of hands in prayer

–         Jesus takes a team approach – he often uses both doctors and our prayers to heal people

 

Take cataract operations for example

–         If left untreated cataracts can make a person go blind

–         They didn’t have cataract operations in Jesus’ day (that we know of) so Jesus simply healed by saying a word

–         Later in history God gave us the knowledge we needed to safely remove cataracts and restore people’s sight – that’s the sort of thing we would expect to happen under the reign of God.

–         These days thousands of cataract operations are performed every year, so it doesn’t seem miraculous to us anymore – it seems routine & mundane

–         We still pray for someone when they have a cataract operation though because we are depending on God, not just the surgeon

–         We acknowledge that healing comes from God and God is free to heal however he wants, whether that’s through science & doctors or in some other way – nothing is beyond Jesus’ reach

 

We also acknowledge that God is free not to heal

–         So if we pray with sincerity and in good faith for God to heal and nothing happens, it is no reflection on us or our prayers

–         It just means God has said ‘no’ on this occasion

–         God said ‘no’ to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed to avoid suffering

–         God had a far bigger purpose in mind – the redemption of creation

 

In Luke 9, Jesus empowers his disciples to heal disease and exorcise demons because it served the immediate purpose of setting people free, as well as the bigger purpose of showing people that the Kingdom of God was near and had in fact arrived in the person of Jesus

 

I think it was C.S. Lewis who said, ‘Miracles are for beginners’

–         When we are just starting out, when we don’t yet know Jesus, miracles can serve the purpose of making us aware that Jesus is the real deal, he’s not fake or an imposter – miracles can ignite faith, get it started

–         But once we accept Jesus by faith the miracles are no longer necessary – just as sign posts are no longer necessary once you have reached your destination, or matches are no longer necessary once you have lit the fire

–         Yes, miracles are nice to have and God still does miracles today, even if we might take them for granted, but they are not the main thing

–         Jesus is the main thing, the Kingdom of God is the main thing

–         God doesn’t want us to rely on miracles, he wants us to rely on Christ

 

So if Jesus and the Kingdom of God are the main thing what does it mean then to preach the Kingdom of God, as the disciples are instructed in verse 2?

 

Well, the Kingdom of God refers to the reign of God, as in the government of God. The kingdom of God is what life is like when God is in charge

–      When God is in charge we have justice & mercy, we have truth & grace, we have healing & deliverance, we have peace & joy, we have freedom – not freedom to do what we want, but freedom to do God’s will, freedom with righteousness and we have abundant life

 

In verses 7-9 of Luke 9 we read about Herod, the ruler of Galilee

–         The reign of Herod stands in stark contrast to the reign of God

–         Under Herod, righteous men like John the Baptist were beheaded

–         Herod would later involve himself in the plot to kill Jesus

–         But under God’s reign there is justice so that Jesus (& those who belong to him) are resurrected to eternal life while Herod reaps what he has sown

–         In Acts 12, verse 3 we read how an angel of the Lord struck Herod down and he was eaten by worms

 

The disciples were sent to preach the Kingdom of God – to tell people that God’s reign was beginning – and that was good news for those who were oppressed by evil

 

One of the things we notice here is that Jesus sent his disciples throughout the villages of Galilee

–         Villages indicates smaller settlements, as opposed to the more populated cities – we might imagine villages to be the sorts of places most people pass through on their way to somewhere else

–         And the region of Galilee was considered a bit inferior, at least by those in Judea & Jerusalem

–         The poor in the villages of Galilee are visited by Jesus and his disciples, while Herod the ruler misses out

–         So this is a case of the last being first and the first being last

–         On this occasion Jesus sent his disciples to the least on the margins, before sending them to the greatest at the centre

 

Last Thursday Sarah Harris, a lecturer from Carey College, came to Wellington to speak to a group of Baptist pastors, and over lunch she told us a true story

–         A couple of years ago Sarah arranged a trip to Israel and on this trip there was a woman who was hearing impaired, practically deaf

–         The woman wasn’t sure about going, she was anxious about whether she would fit in – being deaf you tend to miss out on a lot of the conversation

–         Anyway one day on the trip they paused at a certain holy place for a while before moving on

–         Later that evening the woman said to Sarah, wasn’t that beautiful music we heard earlier today (presumably the woman had some hearing)

–         And Sarah replied, what do you mean? There was no music.

–         Yes there was – it was like nothing I had ever heard before

–         Sarah said again, we didn’t hear any music

–         Then the woman said, so you’re saying that I was the only one in the group who heard music and yet I’m deaf?

–         At that moment they both realised God had done something quite special just for her. She was deeply touched and her anxiety was relieved

 

God didn’t permanently heal the woman’s deafness, she was still hearing impaired, but he did let her hear a small sample of his Kingdom

–         It was like God was saying to her, my Kingdom is coming and this is what it sounds like

–         I expect no one appreciates the sound of heaven more than someone who is deaf

–         The disciples’ short term mission trip was giving people a taste, a glimpse, of the reign of God (this is what’s like when God is in charge)

 

One of the striking things in Luke 9 is the paradox of power & vulnerability

–         On the one hand the disciples are given incredible power, to cast out demons and cure disease, but at the same time Jesus says to them,

–         “Take nothing with you for the journey: no stick, no beggar’s bag, no food, no money, not even an extra shirt. Wherever you are welcomed, stay in the same house until you leave that town; wherever people don’t welcome you, leave that town and shake the dust off your feet as a warning to them.”

 

Jesus has called his disciples

–         He has given them an example to follow,

–         And he’s given them power & authority to do the job – to set people free

–         Now he gives the new generation wise advice specific to this situation

 

By telling the disciples to travel light Jesus is saying, go in weakness, make yourselves vulnerable

–         To be vulnerable is to be exposed to the possibility of harm – to be in need of protection, care or support. The disciples went without a staff to protect themselves and with no money to pay for lodgings or food. They were are the mercy of strangers. They were vulnerable.

Vulnerability protects against the corrupting influence of power

–         They say, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”

–         But when we find ourselves in a position of needing others’ help we are less inclined to abuse our power or misuse it for selfish ends

–         Yes, the disciples have power to deliver and heal but the people to whom they come also have power – power to welcome & provide, or not

–         The disciples go to help people in need, having needs of their own

–         This sort of power with vulnerability fosters interdependence (or reliance on each other) and interdependence has a way of distributing power

 

It’s like Jesus is saying:

–         Don’t abuse the power I’m giving you by shopping around for the best accommodation in town, honour your host by staying in the first home that welcomes you

–         Don’t abuse your power by retaliating against those who reject you – don’t make a big fuss, just quietly dust your feet off as a warning against them and leave judgement in God’s hands

 

Jesus is the very picture of vulnerability both at Christmas and at Easter

–         Born in a stable to poor parents during a time of violence

–         Becoming a refugee to escape the sword of Herod

–         Growing up under Roman occupation

–         Coming from Nazareth where it was presumed nothing good was found

–         Being misunderstood by those he came to save

–         Then being nailed to a cross, naked & bleeding, for all the world to see

–         The vulnerability of Christ has the power to open the human heart

 

It should be noted that Jesus’ advice to travel light was for a particular short term mission situation and doesn’t necessarily apply for all time

–         Later in Luke chapter 22, Jesus says to his disciples…

–         When I sent you without purse bag or sandals, did you lack anything?

–         “Nothing” they answered

–         He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one…”

–         Travelling light is not always the right approach – different situations call for different strategies

 

In verse 10 we read how Jesus cares for his disciples by taking them away by themselves to debrief and refresh – a sort of spiritual retreat I suppose

–         Jesus is teaching the disciples to care for themselves

–         Alongside self-denial we also need self-care

–         We can’t be on the job all the time, we need to have a break every now & then so we don’t burn out

–         The new generation is not a disposable object to be thrashed & thrown away – Jesus wants his disciples to go the distance

 

Conclusion:

This morning we have heard how Jesus went about creating a new generation to lead God’s people

–         This new generation of disciples wasn’t just a carbon copy of the old one

–         The new generation has a new culture, a new approach and a new purpose

–         The culture is one of team work and cooperation

–         The approach involves power with vulnerability

–         And the purpose is setting people free to enter God’s kingdom

 

Questions for discussion or reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What do we mean by the word generation?

3.)    How does Jesus go about creating a new generation to lead God’s people?

4.)    What example are we setting for the next generation?

5.)    Jesus gave his disciples power & authority to drive out all demons and to cure disease

–         What do we observe from this? (What does this tell us?)

6.)    Why do you think Jesus told his disciples to take nothing with them (to travel light) on their journey?

7.)    Has God ever showed you a glimpse of his Kingdom? What happened?

8.)    In what ways is Jesus’ new generation different?

–         (Think culture, approach & purpose)

9.)    How is the balance in your life between self-denial & self-care?

–         What strategies do you have for looking after yourself?

10.)       Take some time this week to reflect on the vulnerability of Christ

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/18-march-2018-a-new-generation

 

Tawa Baptist

A New Perspective

Scripture: Luke 9:28-36

Title: A New Perspective

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • A new perspective
  • Who is Jesus?
  • Jesus revealed
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Three preachers sat discussing the best positions for prayer while a telephone repairman worked nearby. “Kneeling is definitely best,” claimed one preacher.

–         “No,” another contended. “I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven.”

–         “You’re both wrong,” the third insisted. “The most effective prayer position is lying face down on the floor.”

The repairman couldn’t contain himself any longer. “The best praying I ever did was hanging upside down from a telephone pole”.

The telephone repair guy put things in perspective for the three preachers

 

During the month of March we take a break from our sermon series on the life of Abraham to focus on the Tranzsend Prayer & Self Denial campaign

–         As already mentioned the overarching theme of this year’s Self Denial campaign is Made New – Jesus came to make all things new

–         Last week we heard how the newness that Jesus brings begins with the initiative of God’s Spirit

–         The headline for today’s message is A New Perspective

–         Understanding who Jesus is gives us perspective

 

Please turn with me to Luke chapter 9 – page 90 toward the back of your pew Bibles. This is Luke’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus

–         As they witnessed the transfiguration Peter, James & John were given a whole new perspective on who Jesus really is

–         From Luke chapter 9, verses 28-36 we read…

About a week after he had said these things, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up a hill to pray. 29 While he was praying, his face changed its appearance, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly two men were there talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in heavenly glory and talked with Jesus about the way in which he would soon fulfil God’s purpose by dying in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were sound asleep, but they woke up and saw Jesus’ glory and the two men who were standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, how good it is that we are here! We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not really know what he was saying.)

34 While he was still speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them with its shadow; and the disciples were afraid as the cloud came over them. 35 A voice said from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen—listen to him!”

36 When the voice stopped, there was Jesus all alone. The disciples kept quiet about all this and told no one at that time anything they had seen.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

A new perspective:

We are talking this morning about a new perspective – but what is perspective?

 

Perspective is understanding how aspects of a subject relate to each other and to the whole

–         In other words, perspective is seeing things in proper proportion and as they really are

 

Let me give you a visual example to illustrate

–         Here we have a picture of what appears (at first glance) to be three people leaning against a wall – we think we have the right perspective on this…

 

But when we widen the frame of the photo and turn it around we see things in better perspective – more accurately

–         The three people we thought were leaning against the wall are in fact lying on the ground with their feet against the wall

–         Perspective is seeing things in proper proportion and as they really are

 

New perspective comes from new information, from new experiences

–         For example: learning how to read

–         Going to university

–         Leaving school and getting a job

–         Becoming a parent

–         Or travelling overseas and experiencing a different culture

–         All these things give us a new perspective on life

 

I remember being so excited the first time I put on prescription glasses because I was able to see leaves on trees

–         Up till that point in my life trees were just a blurry green smudge

–         Glasses helped me to see with clarity – a whole new perspective

 

It should be acknowledged that loss can also give us a new perspective – whether it’s losing your health or your job or a loved one or whatever

–         There’s a line in the Hall & Oats song, Rich Girl, from the 1970’s which says: It’s so easy to hurt others when you can’t feel pain

–         If you can’t feel pain then you can’t see things from the other person’s perspective

–         Suffering pain & loss have the potential to give us a new perspective, a new understanding, a new sensitivity toward others

 

New perspective comes from new information, from new experiences

–         Humility is the awareness that we may not have all the information and so our perspective might not be quite right

 

Douglas Adams tells a true story about humility & perspective. Douglas writes:

  • – It was April 1976, in Cambridge, UK. I was a bit early for the train so I got myself a newspaper to do the crossword, a cup of coffee and a packet of cookies. Then I went and sat down at a table.
  • – There was a guy sitting opposite me, perfectly ordinary-looking guy wearing a business suit & carrying a briefcase. It didn’t look like he was going to do anything weird.
  • – What he did was this: he suddenly leaned across, picked up the packet of cookies, tore it open, took one out, and ate it.
  • – Now this, I have to say, is the sort of thing the British are very bad at dealing with. There’s nothing in our background, upbringing, or education that teaches you how to deal with someone who in broad daylight has just stolen your cookies.

 

In the end I did what any red-blooded Englishman would do: I ignored it, pretended to read my newspaper and had a sip of coffee

  • – After a while I took out a cookie for myself. I thought, That settled him. But it hadn’t because a moment or two later he did it again. He took another cookie.
  • – Having not mentioned it the first time, it was somehow even harder to raise the subject the second time around.
  • – We went through the whole packet like this. When I say the whole packet, I mean there were only about eight cookies, but it felt like a lifetime. He took one, I took one, he took one, I took one.
  • – Finally, when we got to the end, he stood up, we exchanged meaningful looks, then he walked away, and I breathed a sigh of relief

 

A moment or two later the train was coming in, so I tossed back the rest of my coffee, got to my feet, picked up the newspaper, and underneath the paper were my cookies.

  • – [I had been indignant because I thought he was stealing my cookies when in fact I had been stealing his]

 

Douglas Adams finishes his story by saying…

  • – “So next time you are convinced that you know everything and that you are right, make sure you check under the newspaper first. You might just be missing something important”

 

Who is Jesus?

There are many different things that can inform our perspective but ultimately, the biggest game changer is understanding who Jesus is

–         We might think we know enough about Jesus but really we don’t know what we don’t know. So the question is: Who is Jesus?

 

In Luke chapter 8 (after Jesus had calmed a storm) the disciples asked each other in amazement, ‘Who is this man?’

 

Then a little bit later (in Luke 9) when Herod heard about all the miraculous things that Jesus was doing he also asked, ‘Who is this man?’

 

And a few verses after that Jesus asks his disciples, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’

–         To which the disciples replied, ‘Some say you are John the Baptist, others that you are Elijah, while others say that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’

–         ‘What about you?’ Jesus asked them. ‘Who do you say I am?’

–         And Peter answered, ‘You are God’s Messiah’

 

‘Messiah’ is a Hebrew word which literally means ‘Anointed One’

–         In Old Testament times, when God wanted to choose someone to carry out a special role or task (like being a king) He would have the chosen one anointed with olive oil

–         For example God told the prophet Samuel to anoint David as king of Israel. This identified David as the Messiah – God’s chosen king

 

Peter got it right when he said that Jesus is the Messiah but there was more to it than this

–         Peter didn’t quite understand what kind of Messiah Jesus was

–         Most Jews of his day thought Jesus would be a king like David – a king who would conquer his political enemies and be victorious in battle

–         But God was doing something new with Jesus

–         Jesus was the kind of Messiah who would suffer much, be rejected and die before being raised to life on the third day

–         Jesus’ victory would not be a military victory

–         Jesus’ victory would be a victory over sin & death

–         And it would look more like defeat, at least at first

 

Jesus tried to tell his disciples this but they didn’t seem to listen or understand

–         The reality of what Jesus was saying washed over them

–         Sometimes we listen selectively

–         We only hear what we want to hear – the nice bits – the comforting bits

–         And we are deaf to the things that we don’t like or can’t understand

 

Jesus revealed:

And that brings us to our reading this morning – the transfiguration of Jesus

–         About 8 days after Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Messiah

–         Also 8 days after Jesus had predicted his own death and resurrection

–         The Lord takes Peter, James & John up a mountain to pray

For some of us prayer may feel like a waste of time

–         We’ve got lots to do and we just want to get on and do it

–         But prayer is very important for refreshing our perspective

–         The problem with just getting on and doing it (without taking time to pray) is that we risk losing our perspective

–         We risk forgetting why we are doing what we are doing and we fall into the trap of thinking we are doing it alone

–         Prayer is a way of looking under the newspaper – it has the power to restore our perspective

 

While Jesus is praying the disciples are heavy with sleep

–         Then Jesus’ face changes in appearance and his clothes become dazzling white – he is transfigured

–         The Biblical scholar, Joel Green, explains: “In Old Testament and Jewish tradition, one’s countenance [their face] is a mirror of one’s heart and a manifestation of one’s relationship with God” [1]

–         So in ancient Jewish thought your face essentially reveals what’s going on inside, indicating the quality of your relationship with God

–         A bit like we might say today, ‘The eyes are the windows of the soul’

–         Basically Jesus’ inner being, his true heavenly identity, is being revealed to the three disciples

–         It’s sort of like Jesus has been in disguise but his disguise is removed for a little bit and his true heavenly glory is revealed

The disciples are wide awake now and they see Moses & Elijah talking with Jesus about his departure – his exodus – his death on the cross

–         This scene (the transfiguration) does not compare with anything in our own experience – it is shrouded in mystery

–         We can’t be sure but it seems the disciples were being shown a window (or a glimpse) into eternity

–         Eternity (like Jesus) provides the ultimate perspective

 

I’m reading a book by Laurie Guy at the moment and in it Laurie retells the true story of the Australian, Arthur Stace [2]

–         Arthur Stace had a pretty tough childhood

–         He never learned to read or write properly and grew up on the streets. He got involved in petty crime and became a ward of the state because his parents didn’t take very good care of him

–         He served in France during World War One and turned into an alcoholic

–         Then in the 1930s Arthur discovered who Jesus is and found a new perspective on life

–         He converted to Christ, gave up the drink and turned his life around

 

After hearing the evangelist John Ridley tell a congregation in Burton Street Baptist Tabernacle that he wished he could ‘shout eternity through the streets of Sydney’ Arthur Stace was inspired!

 

He became gripped with the word ‘eternity’, secretly writing it over 500,000 times in chalk on the pavements of Sydney (at least 50 times a day for 33 years)

–         Arthur was giving people a new perspective – lifting their focus out of the here and now to think about their lives in the light of eternity

–         Can you imagine people in the 1930’s, during the great depression, facing hard times and seeing that word ‘eternity’ on the streets – a message of hope that this life is not all there is

 

He died in 1967 but his legacy still lives on in the Australian imagination

–         When the lights lit the Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the new millennium they emblazoned Arthur Stace’s word: ‘Eternity’

 

The disciples had caught a glimpse of who Jesus really is from an eternal perspective but they don’t yet understand – it takes time for this new information to sink in

–         Moses & Elijah start to leave but Peter wants them to stay

–         He wants to build shelters for them

–         Maybe Peter has the feast of tabernacles in mind

–         Or maybe he just wants to capture the moment – to preserve it

–         But he is missing the point – he does not know what he is saying

 

While Peter was speaking a cloud appears and envelopes them – the disciples feel afraid

–         The cloud + fear is a clear sign that this is a manifestation of the presence of God Almighty

 

A voice from the cloud says three things to endorse Jesus…

–         ‘This is my Son,

–         my chosen;

–         listen to him.’

Seeing by itself is not enough

–         The disciples also need to hear the divine voice in order to make sense of what they are seeing

–         Jesus is not John the Baptist or Elijah or some other prophet from the past come back to life, as the crowds thought

–         Peter was right – Jesus is the Messiah – the one chosen by God

–         But he is not like any Messiah the Jews have ever known before

–         For Jesus is the Son of God

–         Jesus is divine – He is quite literally from heaven

–         This might seem old hat to us 2000 years later but it was a completely new perspective for the disciples at that point in time

 

The voice from the cloud also refers to Jesus as ‘my chosen’

–         ‘My chosen’ is a reference to the servant of the Lord, described in Isaiah 42: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice…; a bruised reed he will not break and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;

  

The third thing the voice from the cloud says is: listen to him

–         This is both a command and another reference from the Old Testament

–         In Deuteronomy 18 Moses predicted Jesus’ coming when he said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall listen to him. 

 

We are to listen to Jesus because he shows us how to interpret the Law and the prophets (as represented by Moses & Elijah)

–         Understanding who Jesus really is gives us perspective on the Bible

 

We are to listen to Jesus because he comes to confront evil and set people free from slavery to sin & death

–         Like Moses confronted Pharaoh and set Israel free from slavery in Egypt

–         Like Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal and set Israel free from the futility of paganism

–         Understanding who Jesus really is gives us perspective on right & wrong

 

We are to listen to Jesus because he tells us the way of the Messiah is the way of the cross – for if anyone wants to follow Jesus, he (or she) must deny themselves and take up their cross daily

–         Understanding who Jesus really is gives us perspective on the difficulties we face in our own lives

 

We are to listen to Jesus because, as God’s Son, he shows us what God is like and what God wants

–         Understanding who Jesus really is gives us perspective on God

 

Most people of Jesus’ day thought he was just a prophet or a great moral teacher but Jesus is so much more than that

–         In his book ‘Mere Christianity’ C.S. Lewis writes…

 

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say.

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Conclusion:

Luke’s account of the Transfiguration finishes by telling us the disciples kept quiet about all this, and told no one at that time anything they had seen

–         This was the best response in the context

–         Whenever we are given a new perspective we need time to be silent and reflect on it – to take it in and allow the new information to do its work in adjusting our old perspective

 

We are in the season of Lent – when Christians traditionally take time to be still and reflect on who Jesus really is

–         Lent is a time for perspective prayer

 

Sometimes, perhaps most of the time, we (like the disciples) have an inadequate understanding of who Jesus is

–         For example, we might think of Jesus like a first aid kit – someone we only turn to in an emergency

–         And while it is okay to turn to Jesus in a crisis there is more to him than that – he wants to be involved in our whole life

 

Or we may think of Jesus like a bar of chocolate or a glass of wine – someone who gives us comfort when we are down

–         Again there’s nothing wrong in looking to Jesus for comfort but by the same token, he doesn’t exist primarily for our comfort

 

Maybe you think of Jesus like a kind older brother – someone you feel close to, someone who looks after you, someone you aspire to be like one day

–         That’s wonderful, what a beautiful relationship you have with him,

–         But the gospels also show us a side to Jesus which is less cozy, more demanding

–         Jesus is our brother, yes, but he is also our Lord & God. Can we obey Him?

 

Perhaps your perception of Jesus is not cozy at all – perhaps he is more like a distant dead relative in a black & white photo on your wall, you pass by him every day without really noticing he’s there or even knowing who he was

–         That’s sad. The gospel perspective is that Jesus is alive and he wants to share life with us – he wants to know us and he wants us to know him

–         Understanding who Jesus really is gives us perspective

 

I encourage you this week to find time to contemplate who Jesus is to you personally

–         And ask yourself ‘how does that fit with who the gospel tells us Jesus is?’

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is perspective?

3.)    Can you recall an experience in your own life that gave you new perspective?

–         What happened and how did your perspective change?

4.)    Can you think of a time when praying has restored your perspective?

5.)    Discuss / reflect on the three things God says from the cloud to endorse Jesus: “This is my Son, my chosen. Listen to Him.”

6.)    How do you think of (or picture) Jesus? Who is He to you personally?

–         How does your picture of Jesus fit with what the gospels tell us about Jesus?

7.)    Take some time to reflect on that word ‘eternity’. What are you in touch with?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/11-march-2018-a-new-perspective

 

[1] Joel Green, NICNT, ‘The Gospel of Luke, page 380.

[2] Laurie Guy, ‘Unlocking Revelation’, page 23.

Tawa Baptist

A New Spirit

Scripture: Luke 3:1-18

 

Title: A New Spirit

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • What is spirit?
  • The spirit of John’s message
  • The Spirit of Jesus’ baptism
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

During the month of March we take a break from our sermon series on the life of Abraham to focus on the Tranzsend Prayer & Self Denial campaign

–         The overarching theme of this year’s Self Denial campaign is Made New – Jesus came to make all things new and that newness begins with the initiative of God’s Spirit

–         With this in mind the headline for today’s message is A New Spirit

 

Please turn with me to Luke chapter 3 – page 79 toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         I’ve chosen the reading from Luke 3 because it fits in a number of ways

–         Firstly, Luke 3 features John the Baptist and John is the picture of self-denial (the opposite of self-indulgence) – living in the desert on locusts and wild honey, making his own clothes out of camels’ hair

–         Not only that but John’s preaching signals a new move of God’s Spirit, as John is the herald or forerunner of Jesus, the Messiah

–         John baptised with water but the Messiah baptises with the Holy Spirit & fire. From Luke chapter 3, verses 1-18 we read…

 

It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Emperor Tiberius; Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip was ruler of the territory of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias was ruler of Abilene, 2 and Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests. At that time the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 So John went throughout the whole territory of the Jordan River, preaching, “Turn away from your sins and be baptized, and God will forgive your sins.” 4 As it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:

“Someone is shouting in the desert:
‘Get the road ready for the Lord;
make a straight path for him to travel!
5 Every valley must be filled up,
every hill and mountain leveled off.
The winding roads must be made straight,
and the rough paths made smooth.
6 The whole human race will see God’s salvation!’”

7 Crowds of people came out to John to be baptized by him. “You snakes!” he said to them. “Who told you that you could escape from the punishment God is about to send? 8 Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins. And don’t start saying among yourselves that Abraham is your ancestor. I tell you that God can take these rocks and make descendants for Abraham! 9 The axe is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire.”

10 The people asked him, “What are we to do, then?”

11 He answered, “Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it.”

12 Some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what are we to do?”

13 “Don’t collect more than is legal,” he told them.

14 Some soldiers also asked him, “What about us? What are we to do?”

He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or accuse anyone falsely. Be content with your pay.”

15 People’s hopes began to rise, and they began to wonder whether John perhaps might be the Messiah. 16 So John said to all of them, “I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 He has his winnowing shovel with him, to thresh out all the grain and gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out.”

18 In many different ways John preached the Good News to the people and urged them to change their ways.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

What is spirit?

We are talking this morning about a new spirit – but what is spirit?

–         Well, the word spirit can mean different things in different contexts

 

Usually spirit refers to some kind of non-physical quality or attribute – so spirit is not something we can touch or measure in a scientific sense

–         Spirit can also refer to that which is the deep essence or the most important part of a thing – as in ‘the spirit of the law is love’, or the spirit of the game of cricket is fairness

–         Other times the term spirit can be used to describe temperament or character – as in ‘he had a generous spirit’ or ‘the Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace & truth’

 

Spirit is commonly used in relation to a person’s underlying motivation or emotional tank, their mental strength or energy

–         When understood in this sense, the ‘poor in spirit’ are those whose emotional tank is empty so they don’t have the energy reserves to face the difficulties of life

–         The really wonderful thing, Jesus tells us, is that the poor in spirit are blessed (they’re lucky) for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven

–         Perhaps what Jesus means here is: it’s when you are at the end of your rope, when you’ve got nothing left to give and your emotional tank is empty that you are able to receive what God wants to give you

 

When the word Spirit is spelt with a capital ‘S’, in the Bible, it generally means the God’s Holy Spirit

–         The Holy Spirit is the power or breath of life which animates the body, giving us vitality & special ability, making us come alive & sustaining us

 

The human spirit (with a lower case ‘s’) is different from God’s Holy Spirit

–         The human spirit is our capacity to respond to or relate with God

–         So a spiritual person is someone who is aware of their capacity to relate with God and in fact exercises that capacity

 

By way of analogy, the human spirit is like the sail of a yacht catching the wind of God’s Spirit

–         So a spiritual person is someone who knows how to trim their sail to catch the wind of God’s Spirit

 

Or to use another analogy, if the human spirit is our capacity to relate with God then our spirit is like a wifi connection with God

–         Or like a radio or TV aerial, designed to pick up the signal of God’s Spirit

–         A spiritual person then is someone who is tuned in to God – they are aware of what God wants and they respond accordingly

 

The spirit of John’s message

Luke 3 begins with reference to the various political and religious authorities at the time John began his ministry

–         The 15th year of the Emperor Tiberius places John’s ministry in historical context – beginning around 28 or 29 AD

–         Old Testament prophets were often introduced in the same way, so Luke is showing us that John the baptiser stands in the same tradition as men like Isaiah & Jeremiah & Elijah

 

God’s word doesn’t come to John in a vacuum – it comes at a time when the Romans are in charge

–         The spirit of the age (as in the character of the age) is hierarchical, it is a top down dictatorship and brutally violent at times

–         This spirit breeds inequality and abuse of power – there is an underclass and oppressors

–         John’s role is to prepare the way for the Messiah and that means challenging the spirit of his day by calling people to change their behaviour

 

The spirit (or essence) of John’s message is summarised in verse 3, where John is quoted as saying…

–         Turn away from your sins and be baptised and God will forgive your sins

–         John is trying to get people to trim their sails to catch the wind of God’s Spirit

–         He is encouraging them to realign the aerial of their human spirit and tune in to what God is doing

 

In some ways John’s message is not new – he is warning people that God’s judgment is coming and so they should repent to avoid being destroyed

–         Verse 9: The axe is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire

–         Turn or burn basically

–         The prophets of the Old Testament had a similar message – they also called people to change their behaviour – to act justly & mercifully

 

Having said that, John’s approach is not exactly the same as his forebears

–         John is saying God will forgive the people’s sins if they repent and are baptised – the baptism part was new

–         Up until that time the Jewish people made atonement for their sins through animal sacrifice but John doesn’t require animal sacrifice for forgiveness – which implies the sacrificial system was on the way out

 

Now when I say baptism was new, I mean it was new for the Jews

–         Jews didn’t baptise themselves – they felt they were already clean and didn’t need a spiritual bath as it were

–         They reserved baptism for Gentiles who were converting to Judaism because they considered Gentiles unclean, spiritually speaking

–         So in calling Jews to be baptised John was basically saying to his own people, you guys are not clean – you are no better in God’s eyes than a Gentile – this was really insulting stuff if you were a Jew

 

The spirit (or character) of John’s message is that it’s our behaviour that counts, not genetics – It’s how we treat our neighbour that matters, not who our great grand-daddy was.

–         Verse 8: Do those things that will show you have turned from your sins. And don’t start saying among yourselves that Abraham is your ancestor.

–         I tell you that God can take these stones and make descendants for Abraham.

–         The image of God bringing forth descendants for Abraham out of stones is an image of God giving new life & breath (new Spirit) to that which is lifeless and without spirit

–         If God can give life to a stone on the ground then he can certainly give new life to a people with hearts of stone

 

The predominant spirit of our age (21st Century western society) is (among other things) one of permissiveness and individualism

–         Many things are socially accepted now that weren’t previously permitted

–         Hand in hand with this spirit of permissiveness & individualism goes a spirit of entitlement and consumerism

–         The spirit of our age is not all bad though – there is a growing sense of environmental responsibility which, to some degree, mitigates against our sense of entitlement and consumerism

–         But we also seem to be a less robust, less resilient and more sensitive, more fragile, generally speaking, so John’s ‘turn or burn’ message probably sounds quite harsh and overly severe to most people today

 

John calls the people a brood of snakes (snakes being a symbol of evil)

–         And he paints a picture of God that seems very punitive

–         God is going to burn you (he’s going to vaporise you) if you don’t change your ways – like he did the people of Sodom & Gomorrah

–         John’s words are very strong because he has such a clear vision of God’s goodness and when we see God’s goodness as clearly as John did we tend to have a low tolerance for anything that falls short of the justice, mercy & humility that God requires of humanity

 

By the same token having a clear vision of God’s goodness also widens our awareness of the scope of God’s redemption

–         What I mean here is that the spirit of John’s preaching is not narrow – it’s remarkably broad in the cultural context of his day

–         Even those who were most despised by the community (tax collectors and soldiers) could be forgiven if they acted justly

 

Because John is preaching in a hierarchical, top down society, where power is often abused, his message is aimed at those in a position of relative power

–         If he can get the powerful to change their ways then the powerless will benefit

–         When people come to him asking, ‘What should we do?’ (Or what does repentance look like in practical terms) John answers…

–         Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none and whoever has food must share it.

–         John is encouraging practical acts of mercy when it’s in our power do so

 

In speaking to tax collectors and soldiers John essentially tells them to act justly

–         Don’t take more tax than is legal

–         Don’t extort money from people or accuse anyone falsely

–         Be content with your pay

 

Tax collectors and soldiers were generally hated by the Jewish people because they colluded with the enemy and often used their position to feather their own nest, at the expense of others

–         The interesting thing here is that John doesn’t require tax collectors and soldiers to leave their jobs – what good would that do?

–         Someone else would only replace them and do just as bad or worse

–         But if those tax collectors & soldiers change their behaviour and stay in their jobs then the system changes too

–         The spirit of John’s preaching was broad in its reach of redemption and immensely practical

 

Sometimes we might think that our so called ‘secular’ employment is somehow less spiritual or less Christian

–         But actually spirituality is not determined by who our employer is

–         You might sell real estate or used cars

–         You might work in education or insurance

–         You might make lattes or drive a truck

–         You might work in the city or you might stay home looking after the kids

–         You might be paid for what you do, you might not

–         You might write reports or read them or both

–         You might work in the private sector or for government, it doesn’t matter

–         God is no less present in those jobs than he is in the work of the church

 

You see spirituality isn’t about what we do for a living

–         Spirituality is about our capacity to respond to & relate with God   

–         You can be aware of God and relate with him in your work Monday to Saturday, just as much as you can in church on a Sunday

–         So if you are a retailer then being spiritual means being aware that God is just and engaging in fair trade practices

–         Or, if there is someone in your work place who you find particularly difficult, then being spiritual means remembering that God loves that person and Jesus died for them – which might lead you to pray for them

–         Or if you find your job frustrating or menial then being spiritual means doing that job as for the Lord (giving your best) and being mindful of Jesus who took the role of a servant and washed his disciples’ feet

 

One of the reasons we gather for worship each Sunday is to stay in tune with the Lord so we can sense what he is doing Monday to Saturday – so we can trim the sails of our spirit to catch the wind of His Spirit

 

The Spirit of Jesus’ baptism

Okay, so we’ve talked about what it means to be spiritual

–         And we’ve talked about the spirit of John’s preaching

–         But the whole reason John was calling people to repent was Jesus

–         Jesus, God’s Messiah, was coming and he would baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire

 

In the Old Testament the prophet Ezekiel said…

 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

 

If you have a stringed instrument (a guitar or a violin or a piano) and the strings break, you don’t throw the whole instrument away – you replace the broken strings

–         It’s similar with the human soul

–         If the human soul is the whole instrument then our spirit is sort of like all the strings together – our spirit carries the music

–         If the strings of our spirit break or our spirit becomes so damaged it can no longer hold its tune then God has the power to replace our spirit

–         He has the power to transform a heart of stone (a dead heart – a heart without a spirit) into a heart of flesh (a living heart, with spirit)

 

Central to John’s message was this idea that the Messiah was coming soon and he would give those who were willing a new spirit

–         By the power of God’s Holy Spirit Jesus gives people the capacity, the energy, the motivation, the discernment to respond to & relate with God

 

It’s sort of like the sails of our human spirit have been torn so they no longer catch the wind of God’s Spirit

–         God’s remedy is to give us new sails and put his wind in those sails, so we can move in the right direction

–         Or, it’s like the aerial of the human spirit has been broken so people can’t pick up God’s signal anymore

–         God’s solution is to replace the aerial of our spirit so we can tune in to what God is saying and doing

 

Jesus came to make all things new and that newness begins with the Holy Spirit

–         John baptised with water whereas Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit and fire

–         To be baptised with the Holy Spirit means to be immersed in the life and energy of God

–         But what does John mean by Jesus baptising with fire’? – because that sounds really uncomfortable to me

 

Well, let me offer three possible meanings

–         Fire is one of the images in the Bible associated with the Holy Spirit

–         For example, at Pentecost when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, what looked like tongues of fire came down & touched each person there

–         In this case fire is just another way of saying Holy Spirit – so it’s like John is saying the same thing twice for emphasis

 

Of course a ‘baptism of fire’ can also mean a difficult or painful ordeal – as in a particularly vicious battle in war time

–         Daniel’s friends: Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego were literally baptised in fire when king Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the fiery furnace

–         On that occasion God delivered them

–         Certainly Jesus predicted that those who followed him would suffer and face many trials and ordeals – so becoming a disciple of Jesus involves its own baptism of fire, much like becoming a soldier involves battle

 

A third interpretive possibility is that the fire applies to those who reject Jesus

–         Fire destroys things – so those who reject Jesus are destroyed

–         While those who accept Jesus are immersed in God’s life giving Spirit

 

All three meanings are possible at the same time – so you don’t have to pick one

–         But it seems the third meaning is the one foremost in John’s mind

–         In verse 17, straight after talking about Jesus baptising with the Holy Spirit and fire, John says of the Messiah…

–         He has his winnowing shovel with him, to thresh out all the grain and gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out

–         John is essentially talking about the future judgment here

 

It’s tempting to read these verses in a lazy or superficial way so the grain (which is saved) equates to good people and the chaff (which is destroyed) equates to bad people

–         But that kind of black & white, simplistic interpretation just won’t do

–         It’s not consistent with the gospel – Jesus came to transform bad people

–         Nor is it consistent with our experience in this life

–         The reality is, none of us are 100% grain or 100% chaff – our lives are a mixture of both

 

Grain has substance, while chaff is light and without substance

–         It makes more sense to say the grain represents those things of eternal value – things that last, like our acts of justice & mercy, our deeds of faith motivated by love and the truth we speak

–         While the chaff represents that which is temporary – things like money, our reputation and the lies we tell ourselves, the sorts of things you can’t take with you when you die

–         God’s judgement is the process of separating the grain from the chaff, separating the eternal from the temporal

 

John’s message is this: God’s Messiah is coming for judgment so make sure your house is in order before he arrives

–         Invest your trust, your hope, your whole lives in God’s Messiah (in Jesus) because by doing that you are investing in eternal life

 

One thing we notice is there was a real urgency with John’s message

–         It seems that in John’s mind judgement would happen with the arrival of the Messiah – but things didn’t happen exactly as John expected

–         God, in his grace, has withheld the day of judgement to give humanity more time to turn to him – but there will still be a day of reckoning

–         When Jesus returns in glory we will have to give account for how we have used our freedom – so John’s message of pending judgement and the need to repent is still relevant for us today

 

Conclusion:

The main thing to take away in all of this is that Jesus makes all things new

–         And it begins with the work of the Holy Spirit

–         Jesus has the power to give us a new spirit – one that is tuned in to what God is doing, one that is able to catch the wind of God’s Spirit

 

Questions for Discussion or reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is spirit?

–         How is the Holy Spirit different from the human spirit?

–         Can you think of some other analogies to describe the relationship between God’s Holy Spirit and our human spirit

3.)    What does it mean to be spiritual?

–         How might you be spiritual in your job &/or everyday life?

4.)    What is the spirit of our age? (I.e. what characterises our time & culture?)

–         How does this spirit express itself?

5.)    What was the spirit (or essence) of John’s message?

6.)    What could it mean to be baptised with the Holy Spirit and fire?

7.)    Discuss (or reflect on) John’s image of God’s judgement as winnowing

–         What does grain represent?

–         What does chaff represent?

8.)    Are you ready for Jesus’ return?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/4-march-2018-a-new-spirit

Tawa Baptist

Lot’s Rescue

Scriptures: Genesis 19:12-29

 

Title: Lot’s Rescue

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s justice & mercy go together
  • God’s mercy to Lot (and Abraham)
  • Jesus’ commentary
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

In winter time Robyn makes a really nice potato and leek soup

–         Of course to be able to eat the soup we need a bowl

–         The bowl is different from the soup in pretty much every way

–         The soup is liquid while the bowl is solid

–         The soup fits the shape of the vessel it’s in, while the bowl holds its shape

–         And, you can eat the soup but you can’t the bowl

–         The point is, the soup and the bowl go together even though they are quite different

 

Today we continue our series on the life of Abraham

–         The main over-arching theme of the last two Sundays’ readings has been God’s justice

–         God’s justice is a bit like a bowl in that it contains God’s mercy

–         God’s justice & mercy go together – just as we can’t eat soup without a bowl so too we can’t really have God’s mercy without his justice

 

Two weeks ago, in Genesis 18, we heard how Abraham explored some of the facets of God’s justice including that God does not ignore injustice – he is affected by the cries of the oppressed and has compassion on them

–         This tells us God’s justice is motivated by mercy

  • – Furthermore, God’s justice differentiates between the righteous and the wicked – the fate of the righteous is not determined by the wicked
  • – To the contrary, God in his mercy allows time for the righteous minority to have a redeeming effect on the world around them

–         In a nut shell, God’s justice & mercy go together

 

In the first part of Genesis 19, last week’s Scripture reading, God’s two angelic witnesses checked out the situation on the ground (in Sodom) and could not find even 10 righteous people in the place

–         The angels did find Abraham’s nephew, Lot, who tried his best but in the end wasn’t able to influence his neighbours for good

–         By their own actions the men of Sodom condemned themselves

 

In today’s reading, Genesis 19 verses 12-29, we see God’s mercy & justice worked out as the Lord rescues Lot before destroying Sodom & Gomorrah

–         You may remember from last week how Lot showed hospitality to the two angels in the form of men, giving them a meal and a bed for the night

–         We pick up the story from verse 12 of Genesis 19…

 

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city—bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”

So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up, get out of this place; for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be joking.

When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be consumed in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered; so the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and left him outside the city.

When they had brought them outside, they said, “Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, or else you will be consumed.”

And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords; your servant has found favour with you, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life; but I cannot flee to the hills, for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die. Look, that city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!”

He said to him, “Very well, I grant you this favour too, and will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” Therefore the city was called Zoar.  The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt.

Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord; and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the Plain and saw the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of a furnace.So when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, God remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities in which Lot had settled.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading

 

God’s justice & mercy go together:

Environmental activist and writer, George Monbiot, narrates a Ted Talk about how wolves change rivers

 

Wolves are apex predators – they are at the top of the food chain

–         We all know that wolves kill certain creatures (including humans) and so they have a bad reputation – we have fairy tales about the big bad wolf, wolves are scary creatures in our imagination

–         What scientists have discovered is that apex predators (like wolves) are crucial for maintaining a healthy ecosystem

–         As well as taking life, wolves also give life and foster bio-diversity – so they may not deserve the bad reputation they have

 

The classic example is Yellowstone National Park in the United States

–         In the 1920’s wolves were eradicated from Yellowstone Park

–         As a consequence the population of elk & deer exploded

–         Elk & deer are herbivores – they only eat trees and plants

–         Their effect, in large numbers, was quite devastating on the vegetation in Yellowstone – sort of like opossums in NZ native bush

–         Park rangers tried to cull the deer but it wasn’t enough

 

Then, in 1995 after nearly 70 years absence, 41 wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and the impact was incredible

–         The wolves killed a small number of the elk & deer for food but more significantly the wolves’ presence changed the behaviour of the elk

–         The elk & deer now avoided certain places like valleys & gorges where they were more vulnerable to being caught by the wolves

–         Immediately the vegetation in those areas started growing back

 

With the return of trees and shrubs birds returned to feed and nest

–         More trees meant the return of beavers who used the wood to make dams

–         Beavers are eco engineers – they create niche environments for other species

–         The dams they built provided habitats for otters & musk rats & ducks & fish & reptiles & amphibians

–         All this bio-diversity because of the wolves. But wait, there’s more…

 

The wolves killed some of the coyotes which meant more mice and rabbits which in turn attracted more hawks, more foxes and more badgers

–         Eagles and ravens came to feed on the carcasses left by the wolves

–         The population of bears also rose – partly because there were more berries growing on the regenerating shrubs

 

The really remarkable thing is that the rivers changed in response to the wolves

–         When there were no wolves the rivers kept changing course and meandering all over the place

–         But with the return of the wolves the regenerating forest stabilised the land

–         With more trees there was less erosion and the banks of the rivers collapsed less often, which meant the rivers became more fixed in their course and less meandering

–         The wolves’ presence had a flow on effect which actually changed the physical geography of the place

 

In some ways (although not in every way) God’s justice is like a wolf

–         Just as the presence of wolves improved bio-diversity & was good for the environment so too God’s justice has a positive, stabilising effect for all

–         We may fear God’s justice (much like we fear wolves) but ultimately the Lord’s justice is life giving

 

Now we shouldn’t press this analogy between wolves and God’s justice too far

–         God’s justice isn’t prowling around ready to pick off some poor unfortunate – to the contrary, God’s justice is keeping a protective eye on the unfortunate

 

The point is: God’s justice actually facilitates his mercy for all of creation

–         Just as wolves & bio-diversity go together, so too God’s justice & mercy go together – they can’t be separated

 

As we’ve already covered, over the past couple of weeks, the people of Sodom & Gomorrah were wreaking havoc and having a destructive effect on those around them – they were beyond redemption

–         They had consumed others so God’s justice consumed them

–         The measure we use for others is the measure God uses for us

 

While this thought might strike terror in the minds of the oppressor – it is good news to the oppressed

–         God’s justice is actually an act of mercy for the oppressed

–         If you are being bullied and someone removes the bully then you experience that as an act of mercy

–         By wiping out the wicked the Lord brought stability to the region and respite to the oppressed, so they could live their lives in peace

–         There is no peace without justice and mercy

 

God’s mercy to Lot (and Abraham)

We also see God’s mercy in his treatment of Lot

–         The angels ask Lot if he has any other family in the city, saying they need to get out quickly

Lot goes to the two men engaged to his daughters and tries to warn them but they think he’s joking

–         This is telling – the people of Sodom were oblivious to their wrong doing

–         They simply couldn’t believe that disaster would fall on them

–         Everything seemed okay to them – they were over confident

At dawn the angels tell Lot and his wife & daughters to leave the city quickly but Lot and his family linger, they are reluctant to go

–         Perhaps this indicates they don’t quite believe the angels either

–         Or maybe they are simply afraid to let go of the old & familiar

–         In any case they don’t realise the urgency of the situation so the angels lead them out by the hand, the Lord being merciful to them

 

Once they are out of the city the angels tell Lot to run for the hills but Lot doesn’t want to – he asks to be allowed to go to another city (Zoar)

–         So Lot is shown mercy again and allowed to flee to Zoar

–         Lot’s presence in Zoar would have saved the people of that place too – mercy you see

–         Sadly, Lot’s wife looks back (or turns back to Sodom) and becomes a pillar of salt

 

I was talking with Neville & John during the week and they told me about Nigel, the gannet

–         In an attempt to attract gannets to Mana Island the Department of Conservation placed some concrete gannets on the cliffs of the island and played recordings designed to lure real gannets

–         Their cunning plan worked

–         For the first time in 40 years a gannet flew in to roost but, instead of bringing a partner, this solitary gannet (named Nigel, because he had no mates) quickly became infatuated with one of the 80 decoys

–         Nigel built a nest out of seaweed and sticks for the concrete bird and was seen apparently trying to woo it.

–         Suffice to say Nigel’s love remained unrequited

 

A month or two ago, after a slight change to the sound system, three real gannets landed and took up residence at the opposite end of the colony.

–         Despite the company of real birds, Nigel stuck to his concrete mate, and it was next to “her” that he was recently found dead [1]

–         Nigel’s story might be funny if it wasn’t so tragic

 

In some ways Nigel reminds me of Lot and his family with their misplaced allegiance

–         Like Nigel, Lot’s wife was unable to leave the dead for the living, she clung to the decoy and missed the real thing

–         Nigel makes me wonder, what are the concrete decoys (or fake gannets) in our lives?

 

Our reading today finishes with the comment that God was remembering Abraham when he went out of his way to save Lot

–         What does it mean that God remembered Abraham when he rescued Lot?

–         Well, it could mean that God remembered his conversation with Abraham

–         Previously Abraham had appealed to God’s sense of justice & mercy by saying, ‘Surely you won’t destroy the righteous with the wicked?’

–         The problem (as I see it) was that Lot’s righteousness wasn’t clear cut

–         Lot wasn’t perfect – he was relatively righteous compared to his neighbours, but that’s not saying very much

–         Lot’s righteousness was sort of a grey area

 

The tradition with the umpire’s decision in cricket is that the batsman always gets the benefit of the doubt

–         So, for example, if the appeal for LB is unclear the batsman stays in

–         With the technology available to us today there is a lot less doubt – but where there is still doubt the batsman should not be given out

 

In Genesis 19, it seems that God was giving Lot the benefit of the doubt

–         Lot’s righteousness was marginal but God remembered his conversation with Abraham, and went beyond the justice with mercy Abraham had asked for – and God chose to save Lot

 

Lot’s rescue was as much an act of mercy for Abraham as it was for Lot

–         By saving Lot, God was also saving Abraham the grief of losing a close family member.

 

Jesus’ commentary:

The story of Sodom & Gomorrah and the rescue of Lot is a paradigm for God’s justice & mercy

–         In fact Jesus used this story to illustrate what it will be like when he returns in glory

–         In Luke 17 Jesus was asked about the coming of God’s kingdom

–         And this is what Jesus said…

 

For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

  • – [In other words, when Jesus (the Son of Man) returns it will be sudden, unexpected & public [2] ]

…Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

 

Part of the message here is, don’t be like Nigel the gannet, don’t cling to what is false

–         Don’t be like Lot’s wife, don’t go back for what is already dead

–         When the opportunity for salvation presents itself, take it

–         If you are floating in the open ocean, clinging to a piece of drift wood and a boat comes along, throwing you a life line – you don’t cling to your drift wood, you let go of the wood and grab hold of the line

–         Jesus is the one in the rescue boat who throws us that life line    

 

Conclusion:

Passages, like the ones I have read this morning, can be frightening to us – like stories of the big bad wolf

–         It’s tempting for me as a preacher to miss out these bits

–         After all, who wants to hear about God punishing people

–         I would rather preach about good Samaritans helping strangers

–         And prodigal sons being forgiven by loving fathers

–         And lepers being healed by Jesus

–         But if we don’t hear the difficult bits, about God’s justice, then we can’t fully appreciate his mercy

Just as we can’t see the stars in the sky without the darkness of night

–         So too we can’t see God’s mercy apart from his justice

–         These things go together…

–         We can’t have grace without truth

–         We can’t know we are forgiven without first realising we have sinned

–         We can’t experience healing without first being wounded or sick

–         We can’t have freedom without responsibility

–         We can’t have faith without uncertainty

–         We can’t share in Christ’s glory without sharing in his suffering

–         We can’t follow Jesus without carrying our cross

–         We can’t have resurrection without death

Let us pray…

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/18-february-2018-lots-rescue

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    The sermon offers a number of images to express the idea that God’s justice & mercy go together – e.g. soup and a bowl, wolves and bio-diversity, stars and the night sky.

–         Discuss (reflect on) the different nuances of these images – e.g. in what sense is God’s justice like a wolf (and in what sense is it not)?

–         What other images can you think of to reflect this idea that God’s justice & mercy go together?

3.)    Who would have experienced the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah as an act of God’s mercy?  Why?

4.)    How did God show mercy to Lot in Genesis 19?

–         How did God show mercy to Abraham in Genesis 19?

 

5.)    What are the concrete decoys (fake gannets) in our lives?

6.)    What does the story of Sodom & Gomorrah and Lot share in common with the return of Jesus? (refer Luke 17)

7.)    How do you feel reading these passages (i.e. Genesis 19 & Luke 17)?

–         Why do you feel this way?

8.)    Take some time to reflect on the pairings at the end of the message – e.g. we can’t have grace without truth, etc.

–         What are you in touch with as you meditate on these?

 

Footnotes:

[1] https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/101073714/the-wrong-ending-nigel-the-lonely-gannet-found-dead-beside-his-concrete-love

 

[2] Refer footnotes in NIV Study Bible, Luke 17:24, page 1574

Tawa Baptist

God’s Justice

Scripture: Genesis 18:16-33

Title: God’s Justice

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s friend
  • God’s justice
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

This morning we continue our series on Abraham by focusing on Genesis chapter 18, verses 16-33

  • – Last week we heard how Abraham provided hospitality to the Lord and two of his angels – Abraham was fully present to the Lord
  • – This week God engages his friend Abraham in a conversation about justice. From Genesis 18, verse 16 we read…

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

It’s interesting that the writer of Genesis chose to explore the idea of God’s justice within the context of a conversation with God’s friend, Abraham

 

God’s Friend:

This weekend we’ve been looking after a dog

–         They say a dog is man’s best friend and it is generally true

–         In many ways dogs embody the essential elements of friendship

–         Once a dog gets to know you they like being with you, they give you affection and they remain loyal to you

 

According to the Collins Concise Dictionary a friend ‘is a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection and loyalty’ [1]

–         This definition tells us there are 4 elements to friendship

–         Knowing, liking, affection and loyalty

–         You really need all four elements for it to be true friendship

 

The kind of knowing that is in view here is not just knowing facts about the other person but the deep knowing that comes with sharing life together

–         Knowing someone intimately, understanding how they think, experiencing both good times and bad with them

–         But simply knowing someone well, isn’t enough for friendship – you also need to like that person

 

Liking is about enjoying or appreciating the other person, spending time with them because you want to, not because you have to

–         We don’t always understand why we like someone, we just do

 

Affection has to do with feelings and it comes from the value we place on that person

–         If we really care about someone we will be affected by what’s happening for them

–         If they are happy it will cheer us up & if they are hurting it will trouble us

 

Loyalty is about what we do – it’s our actions that reveal our true loyalty

–         A friend sticks by you through thick & thin

–         A friend has your back in a fight, they align themselves with your cause

–         Unless of course you are off track and then they will speak the truth to you and get (gently) get you back on track

 

So a true friend (not just the Facebook kind) is someone who knows you well

–         Someone who likes being with you

–         Someone who is affected by you so they feel stuff you’re going through

–         And someone who is loyal – they are there for you when it counts

 

By that definition most of us wouldn’t have a lot of friends but that’s okay because you only need one or two

 

Our reading today begins with Abraham walking along with the Lord God and two angels, in the form of men

–         Abraham doesn’t have to do this but he apparently wants to

–         He likes being with God and wants to spend time with him

 

As they are walking along enjoying each other’s company God says (as if thinking aloud), “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”

–         (After all friends confide in each other)

–         Then the Lord goes on to say of Abraham, “For I have chosen him…”

 

This is a paraphrase – the original Hebrew actually says, “I have known him…” meaning ‘I have made him my friend’ [2] or ‘I have chosen him to be my friend’

–         The Lord is saying here that Abraham is his friend – he knows Abraham well (or intimately) from years of experience with him and it’s because they are friends that God lets Abraham know what he’s planning

 

In John 15 Jesus talks about friendship in a similar way with his disciples…

–         I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love one another.

 

Friends know each other and trust each other enough to share what they know

 

The story is told of a wealthy businessman who was driven to Wall Street every morning in a shiny black limousine by a chauffer

–         The chauffer was an intelligent man – he loved to read and had in fact taken the job as a driver so that he would have more time to read

–         There was a sound proof window inside the car to give the passengers privacy from the driver but this particular businessman always left the window down – he knew his driver from way back and he liked him

–         In this way the chauffer could hear his master’s business – what his boss was buying and selling on the stock exchange

–         Although he didn’t have a great deal of money to start with he used what he had to buy what his boss was buying

–         And when he heard his boss selling shares, he sold them too

–         Over time the chauffer became a millionaire all because his boss treated him like a friend and not an employee

 

Returning to Genesis 18, the Lord says…

–         “I have known him (or chosen him to be my friend) so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just…”

–         That sounds like loyalty to me

–         When we do what is right & just then we align ourselves with God’s cause, we prove ourselves his loyal friends

 

Righteousness & justice are closely related but they are not exactly the same thing

–         A righteous person lives in a way that promotes the life or well-being of everyone in the community

–         While a just person restores broken community, especially by punishing the oppressor and delivering the oppressed [3]

–         Righteousness is an on-going pattern or rhythm of living

–         Whereas justice is more of a singular action to right a wrong

 

Righteousness is like eating healthy & not smoking to reduce the risk of heart disease

–         Justice is like bypass surgery on the heart

 

Righteousness is not drinking and driving

–         Justice is taking the keys and license away from a drunk driver

 

Righteousness is buying fair trade goods

–         Justice is locking up slave traders

 

Righteousness is recycling and being careful with water use

–         Justice is killing opossums and fining water polluters

 

God’s true friends are loyal to him

–         God knows us (as friends) by whether we do what is right & just

–         We are God’s friends if we love one another

 

Abraham was God’s friend and as God’s friend he shared God’s concern for righteousness and justice

–         Just as God was affected by injustice, so too Abraham was affected

 

God’s Justice:

There is something in us as human beings that needs justice

–         I suspect it is the residue or imprint of God’s image in us

–         Injustice creates a hunger that must be satisfied

–         There are so many crime & murder mystery TV shows

–         I think we watch these not because we like violence but because we like to see justice done – the resolution satisfies something in our soul

 

From verse 20 we read…

–         Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.

 

We notice at least three aspects of God’s justice in this verse

–         Firstly, when something is wrong God takes action to fix it

–         God doesn’t ignore the outcry of those who are suffering – he has compassion and cares enough to do something about it

–         Secondly, God goes down to see the situation for himself, first hand

–         God’s justice is evidence based – he doesn’t act on gossip or hearsay

–         Thirdly, God sends two objective witnesses (angels) to verify the facts

 

These verses don’t specify the nature of the sin of Sodom & Gomorrah

–         They simply say that the outcry against them was great and their sin grievous

–         This probably means they oppressed others and were guilty of a host of injustices – their sin wasn’t just one thing

–         The prophet Ezekiel confirms this view when he writes…

 

This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.

 

It appears the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were violent consumerists

–         They were rich at the expense of others, not for the benefit of others

–         They took what they wanted when they wanted, without regard to God or the well-being of the community – the opposite of righteousness

 

After the two men (or angels) had left to check out the situation in Sodom, Abraham stands before the Lord, or (as the original text reads) the Lord stands before Abraham

–         ­Abraham is God’s friend and God wants to talk about this decision with his friend, because that’s what friends do

 

Now at this point God hasn’t actually talked about destroying Sodom & Gomorrah – he’s told Abraham that he’s heard bad things and is going to check it out for himself

 

Abraham is the one who raises the possibility of destruction saying…

  • – “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? … Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike…

 

This little dialogue continues to explore the nature of God’s justice

  • – Abraham is probing God to understand God’s justice better
  • – One of Abraham’s concerns is, will the righteous be treated the same way as the wicked? Will the righteous be collateral damage?
  • – And God’s answer is ‘no’
  • – The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

 

While we were on holiday a few weeks ago we went for a walk through the Mamaku Forest near Rotorua – beautiful native bush

  • – What we noticed on our walk were these little devices for killing rats and possums and other pests and predators
  • – The really cool thing about these devices is that they target the culprits without doing harm to the innocent
  • – There is no collateral damage with these, unlike poisons which can end up killing the good with the bad
  • – God’s justice is like this trap – it only targets the guilty

 

Abraham’s questioning of God is also trying to discover whether there is room for mercy & redemption in God’s justice?

  • – Can the fate of the wicked be determined by the behaviour of the righteous?
  • – Would God spare the city for a time to see if a righteous minority could turn things around?
  • – And God’s answer is ‘Yes, there is room for mercy & redemption’

 

The rest of the chapter has Abraham pursuing the question of how small the minority of righteous people can be before God would destroy the city

  • – 45? 30? 20? 10?
  • – “This is an important issue for Abraham to explore because his family is to be that righteous minority among the nations” [4]
  • – And God answers, ‘For the sake of 10 I will not destroy it’
  • – God’s justice is very merciful indeed

 

As we shall see in the coming weeks not even 10 righteous people could be found, but God in his grace remembered his friend Abraham and rescued Lot.

 

Conclusion:

This morning we heard about God’s friendship with Abraham and we’ve explored some of the dimensions of God’s justice

The destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah serves as a paradigm for God’s justice

  • – The Lord does not ignore injustice – he is affected by the cries of the oppressed and has compassion on them
  • – God investigates the situation himself and ensures at least two objective witnesses to establish the facts
  • – He doesn’t act unilaterally or in isolation – the Lord involves his faithful ones (like Abraham) in making his judgement
  • – God’s justice differentiates between the righteous and the wicked – the fate of the righteous is not determined by the wicked
  • – To the contrary, God in his grace allows time for the righteous minority to have a redeeming effect on the world around them

 

Jesus said to disciples, ‘You are the salt of the earth’ – meaning (among other things) you are the redeeming minority if you do what is right & just.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Why do you think the writer of Genesis chose to explore the idea of God’s justice within the context of a conversation with God’s friend, Abraham?

3.)    Discuss the four elements of friendship: knowing, liking, affection & loyalty

–         What other elements might we find in true friendship?

4.)    What proves our loyalty to (or friendship with) Jesus? (Hint, read John 15:12-17)

5.)    What is the difference between righteousness and justice?

6.)    What was the sin of Sodom & Gomorrah?

7.)    Discuss the different facets of God’s justice as revealed in Abraham’s conversation with the Lord. (See the conclusion for a summary of these facets)

8.)    Take some time this week to consider what it means to be a redeeming minority

 

[1] Collins Concise English Dictionary, page 509

[2] Derek Kidner, Genesis, page 132

[3] Bruce Waltke, Genesis, page 269

[4] John Walton, NIVAC Genesis, page 483.

Tawa Baptist

Being Present

Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15

Title: Being Present

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Abraham is present
  • Sarah is afraid
  • God is free
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Last year we began a series on the life of Abraham, pausing for a few weeks during Advent

–         This morning we pick up Abraham’s journey of faith from Genesis 18, where we left off

Abraham’s journey of faith is characterised as two steps forward, one step back

–         Abraham & Sarah didn’t start with perfectly formed faith – it took time and testing for their faith to grow and develop

–         From Genesis 18, verse 1, we continue Abraham & Sarah’s story…

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, “If I have found favour in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread.”7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.  He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he said.

Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading

There are three main characters in this episode: Abraham, Sarah & God

  • – Abraham is present – fully present to serve his guests
  • – Sarah is afraid – she is hiding in the tent
  • – And God is free – nothing is too hard for the Lord
  • – First let’s consider how Abraham is present

 Abraham is present:

A couple of weeks ago Robyn and I were fortunate enough to take a trip to Kapiti Island

  • – Kapiti Island is a special conservation reserve – it’s a place set apart for native bird life
  • – You can’t just travel over any old time and land your boat on the island, you need a permit
  • – So Robyn made the arrangements, we had our bags checked to make sure we weren’t bringing anything to the island that we shouldn’t and then took a boat ride over – we spent most of the day there

 

There’s really only one thing to do on Kapiti: walk around and look at the bird life

  • – Some people might find that boring but Robyn & I really enjoyed it
  • – You see, when you have only one thing to do you are able to be fully present to that one thing
  • – I’ve walked through native bush many times but usually it was to get from point A to point B – I was on a mission
  • – Kapiti was different. There was no mission, no goal to achieve – all I had to do was be present and enjoy
  • – The forest and birds filled up my senses so I could be fully present to just one thing – it was freeing

 

There’s a line in John Denver’s “Annie’s Song”, which says…

  • – You fill up my senses, like a night in the forest, like a sleepy blue ocean, like a storm in the desert, like a walk in the rain …
  • – ‘You fill up my senses’ means I am fully present to you, you are so beautiful, so captivating that I’m not distracted by anything else, you have my full and undivided attention

 

In Genesis 18 Abraham is fully present to God

  • – The Lord appears to Abraham in the form of a man
  • – The Bible shows us that manifestations of God’s presence are rare – they don’t happen often and when they do happen it’s usually different each time (unexpected)
  • – For example, the Lord appeared to Job as a storm in the desert and he appeared to Moses in the burning bush and to the people of Israel in a pillar of cloud & fire
  • – But on this occasion the Lord appears to Abraham as a human being
  • – Imagine that, God physically turning up and knocking on your door

 

Now obviously in appearing to Abraham as a man, God is holding back his full glory – it was like God was making himself smaller so He could meet Abraham where he is at

  • – Abraham does not go to God – God comes to Abraham in a form that Abraham can relate to
  • – The Lord is incredibly considerate of us human beings

 

God is accompanied by two heavenly associates, most likely angels also in the form of men

  • – They come during the heat of the day – which in Abraham’s culture wasn’t altogether convenient, it was siesta time (time for rest)
  • – But Abraham does not let that bother him – as soon as he notices them Abraham hurries out to greet them, inviting the men to stay and enjoy his hospitality for a little while – the Lord accepts

 

Abraham is fully present to their every comfort

  • – He offers water to wash their feet, rest under a shady tree and a full meal with the best food he has to offer

 

Abraham moves quickly to prepare the meal – he respects his guests’ time

  • – And he provides generously for them – more than they can eat
  • – He tells Sarah to bake some bread using three seahs of fine flour
  • – Three seahs is about 22 litres of flour – that makes a lot of bread [1]
  • – He also has one of his servants prepare a tender calf – a whole beast between three men, plus curds and milk (curds is probably a bit like yogurt) – only the best for his guests

 

Once the meal is served Abraham stands near them waiting and listening

  • – This is a sign of respect – he won’t eat until they have finished
  • – Abraham is taking the role of a servant, making himself fully present, fully available for whatever his guests may want
  • – Apparently the Lord and his heavenly companions have filled up Abraham’s senses

 

We live busy lives don’t we – we are pulled in so many different directions, distracted by so many competing voices, juggling to keep all the balls in the air

  • – Being on Kapiti Island, letting the forest fill up my senses, put me touch with the creator of that forest, with the Lord God – it was prayerful

 

At its best prayer is about opening ourselves up to God so that he fills our senses and we are able to be fully present to him, ready to do whatever he asks

 

What is the one thing that fills up your senses?

  • – What is the one thing that sets you free to be fully present?

 

Sarah is afraid:

During the meal the three men ask Abraham, “Where is your wife Sarah?”

  • – This question tells us two things:
  • – Firstly, even though Abraham has never seen these men before, they seem to know Sarah’s name – how do they know this

 

The second thing it tells us is that Sarah is not present – she is hiding

  • – This seems a bit strange to me – we would expect Sarah to be coming in and out of the tent helping Abraham serve, but the guests haven’t seen her
  • – Why is Sarah hiding?

 

Abraham answers honestly, “She’s there in the tent”

  • – By being honest and not holding anything back Abraham is trusting God

 

Then the Lord said…

  • – “I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife will have a son”

 

Sarah, who is still in the tent, overhears this and laughs to herself

  • – But it’s not a happy laugh – it’s more a laugh of disbelief, she can’t (or won’t) believe this word because she is past the age of child bearing
  • – The original Hebrew basically says she has finished having her monthly cycle – so she is on the wrong side of menopause for having children
  • – For Sarah to get pregnant would be a miracle on par with raising someone from the dead – resurrection, it’s the biggest miracle you can think of

 

Sarah’s faithless response is understandable

  • – For years she has hoped for a child and every month of waiting and hoping she has had to deal with the disappointment
  • – Now, from a natural (human) point of view, she is beyond hope

 

Hope is a dangerous thing

  • – If we put our hope in the wrong things, the disappointment can destroy us
  • – I wonder if Sarah has suffered so much disappointment in her life that she is not able to risk hoping anymore
  • – She is (understandably) afraid to believe the Lord’s promise of resurrection

 

When we were on Kapiti Island we met a couple from the UK, from Yorkshire in fact, who were having a holiday here in NZ

  • – They had hopes of seeing a kiwi in the wild
  • – Kapiti Island has kiwis but they don’t come out during the day – you can only see them at night

 

This couple, who looked about the same age as Robyn & I, were on the track ahead of us

  • – When we caught up with them they motioned for us to be quiet
  • – As we drew closer they whispered that they had seen a kiwi come out of the bush and walk across the track in front of them
  • – I thought that was unlikely but I didn’t say anything
  • – Then, out of the undergrowth, a brown bird looking much like a kiwi emerged onto the track

 

I could tell straight away that it was a Weka, not a Kiwi (Weka are far more common than Kiwi)

  • – Seeing the excitement on their faces I didn’t have the heart to correct them, so I smiled and said nothing
  • – I figured, what harm would it do if they went back to the UK thinking they had seen a Kiwi in the wild

 

Later on we met up with them again at the homestead for lunch

  • – By that stage I was thinking to myself, ‘I wish I had the courage to be honest with them on the track. Now it’s going to be more awkward if I have to burst their bubble’
  • – Fortunately on the way back they saw another Weka and realised their mistake and, because they were good sorts who didn’t take themselves too seriously, they admitted to us they had it wrong and that cleared the air for everyone – the truth sets you free

 

Returning to Genesis 18, when Sarah laughed in disbelief at the Lord’s promise of a son, the Lord responded by saying…

  • – Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child now that I am old?’
  • – Sarah was afraid so she lied and said “I did not laugh”
  • – But the Lord has the last word saying, “Yes, you did laugh”

 

The Spirit of God is a Spirit of grace & truth

  • – Grace & truth go together with God – you can’t separate them
  • – God can forgive us (that’s grace) but God’s forgiveness comes with truth
  • – We must be honest with ourselves and confess what is true because it’s the truth that sets us free and clears the air
  • – It is when we name things for what they are that they lose their power over us

 

I respect the couple from the UK

  • – Obviously they hadn’t done anything morally wrong in confusing the Weka for a Kiwi (that’s a harmless mistake), but they had the courage to be honest with themselves and with us, while I fumbled with the socially awkward truth, albeit to save them embarrassment

 

I don’t think God was trying to humiliate or embarrass Sarah by calling her out for laughing in disbelief – God is not like that

  • – I believe the Lord understood Sarah better than she understood herself
  • – He was simply inviting Sarah into a conversation so that Sarah could speak her truth (because it’s the truth that sets us free)

 

Had Sarah found the courage to be honest with herself and with God the conversation may have continued with Sarah saying something like

“Yes Lord, I did laugh in disbelief. All these years I’ve waited for you to fulfil your promise of a child and you have disappointed me time and time again. You’ve let me down and now it’s too late. Now I can’t have children anymore. I have become cynical and untrusting because it’s safer than getting my hopes up and risking more disappointment.”

I don’t really know what Sarah might have said if she was being honest with God – I’m just guessing

  • – Whatever was on her heart God knew it already and I believe He was giving Sarah the chance to clear the air and find release

 

Abraham is present and Sarah is afraid, but God is free

God is free:

In responding to Sarah’s fear & doubt God says of Himself…

  • – “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
  • – That’s a key question which keeps coming up in the Bible
  • – It’s a question all believers must face at some time or other
  • – Israel faced this question in the wilderness when they wondered how God would provide for them
  • – They faced it again centuries later during their exile in Babylonia

 

Jesus’ disciples faced it too, asking our Lord, “How then can anyone be saved?”

  • – To which Jesus responded, “…all things are possible with God.” [2]
  • – Jesus himself faced the question in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed: “Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” [3]
  • – As we know, God did not remove the cup (of suffering) from Jesus

 

The point is, while all things are possible with God, it doesn’t automatically follow that we will always get what we want

  • – All things are possible with God but not all things are promised
  • – God is free to do the impossible
  • – But he is also free to say ‘no’ to us
  • – Whether God is promising us the impossible or saying ‘no’ to what we want, our best option is to trust Him, as difficult as that might be

 

God promised Abraham & Sarah a son but up until Genesis 18 he didn’t put a timeframe on it

  • – God made Sarah & Abraham wait until their situation seemed hopeless from a human perspective
  • – I expect this wasn’t what Sarah or Abraham wanted but there is no glory without suffering
  • – Just as truth & grace go together, so too suffering & glory go together
  • – It was possible for God to remove the cup of suffering from Jesus, but not without diminishing Christ’s glory
  • – It was possible for God to give Abraham a son through Sarah while they were still young but not without diminishing their faith

 

The fact that Sarah lied showed that she didn’t trust the Lord, but God in his grace did not hold it against Sarah

  • – While I believe God would have preferred Sarah to trust Him, the fulfilment of His promise of a son did not depend on her trust
  • – God was still able to do what he said even though Sarah did not believe
  • – If God’s purpose could be thwarted by Sarah’s doubt & denial then he wouldn’t really be God

Conclusion:

Genesis 18 presents Abraham & Sarah as polar opposites

  • – Abraham is fully present to the Lord, ready & willing to serve
  • – While Sarah is hiding, too afraid to admit her disbelief
  • – But God is free – nothing is too hard for the Lord
  • – The Lord is able to work out his purpose through Abraham’s faith & service as well as Sarah’s fear & doubt.

 

Questions for reflection or discussion

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    In Genesis 18 God manifests His presence in human form. Can you think of other ways in the Bible (or your own experience) that God makes His presence real?

3.)    What does it mean to be fully present?

–         How was Abraham fully present to God in Genesis 18?

–         What helps you to be fully present?

–         What gets in the way of you being fully present?

4.)    Why do you think Sarah was hiding in Genesis 18?

–         Why do you think Sarah laughs in disbelief at the Lord’s promise that she will have a son within a year?

5.)    In what sense is hope a dangerous thing?

–         Have you ever felt disappointed by God?

–         How can we handle our disappointment?

6.)    How did the Lord respond to Sarah’s laugh of disbelief?

7.)    What does it mean that ‘God is free’?

8.)    Make some time this week to be present to the Lord

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/28-jan-2018-being-present

[1] Refer the NIV Study Bible, page 32 – in the footnotes

[2] Mark 10:17-27

[3] Mark 14:36

Tawa Baptist

Something old, something new…

Christmas Day Message – 25th December 2017

There is an old rhyme often quoted in reference to a bride on her wedding day

–         The tradition is to give the bride…

–         Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

Something old represents continuity with the past

–         Something new speaks of change and making a fresh start

–         Something borrowed represents the joy or energy we borrow from hope

–         And something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity

This saying: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, seems to sum up the Christmas story

 

Now when we talk about something old we mean something valuable that lasts, something with history, like a family heirloom

–         For example, a bride on her wedding day may receive a piece of jewellery from her mother which has been handed down through the generations

–         To receive something old is to be trusted with something priceless

–         It is not old in the sense of being broken down or obsolete

–         It’s old in the sense of being original and resilient

Something old is seen in the opening verses of John’s gospel, where John writes: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Jesus is the Word of God

–         He has always been with God even before time existed

–         So Jesus, the Word of God, is very old indeed

–         But not old in a broken down or out of date kind of way

–         Old in the best sense of that word

–         Jesus is the original word of God, he has history from the beginning

–         He is timeless, classic, tried & true – his oldness speaks of his resilience and priceless value

John’s gospel was written in Greek and the Greeks have at least two ways of expressing the term Word

–         Rhema (as in Radio Rhema) which refers to the spoken word

–         And Logos (from which we get the term logic) which refers to the unspoken word, the thought in one’s mind before it is spoken

John uses the term Logos to describe Jesus

–         Jesus is the logic of God – the inner word of God

–         Or to put it another way, Jesus shows us how God thinks – with grace & truth

 

As well as being something old, Jesus also brings something new   

–         In fact, Jesus came to make all things new

Most of you would have received something new for Christmas

–         Perhaps a new cell phone or a bicycle or a new dress or a pair of socks, which is fine, we need to replace stuff like that from time to time

–         But those kinds of new commodities soon wear out, they lose their shine, become obsolete and have to be replaced by something else new

–         The kind of newness that Jesus brings is a lasting newness – it’s not a newness that loses its gloss or has to be replaced again next Christmas

John 1, verse 4 reads…

–         In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.

Light and life go together

–         Light is the foundation of life – light sustains life, it keeps things alive

–         John is saying that Jesus is the source of life & light – Jesus has the power to sustain eternal life

–         So the newness Jesus brings does not wear out or become obsolete

If light & life go together then it follows that darkness relates to death

–         There is a shadow side to Christmas and the shadow is cast by death

–         For some reason (at this time of year) we are often more aware of what we don’t have

–         We feel more sharply the loss of those we love who have died and so Christmas is tinged with sadness

–         The light of Jesus’ life is stronger than the darkness of death

–         The newness that Jesus brings is a lasting newness, it won’t die

–         When God’s kingdom is realised in its fullness there will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more death

 

Something old, something new, something borrowed…

–         The something borrowed, for a bride, is happiness or joy

–         Joy is an energy, a power, a force which comes from hope

–         Hope is like the wind – you can’t own the wind but you can borrow its energy

Or to use another analogy, hope is like a wave on the ocean – you can’t own a wave but you can borrow its energy to ride the wave, like a surfer

–         Joy is that positive energy borrowed from the wave of hope

–         We can’t own hope but we can ride it

–         Newlyweds borrow joy & happiness from their hope for the future, riding that hope like a surfer rides a wave

Like any powerful force hope can be dangerous

–         If we get hope wrong – if we misplace our hope (put all our hope in the wrong things) then it can crush us and leave us in the pit of despair

In Luke chapter 2 an angel appears to some shepherds as they watch their flocks by night. The angel says to the shepherds…

–         Do not be afraid. [Don’t be anxious.] I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. 

Jesus embodies the hope of salvation for all people and the shepherds rode the wave of that hope – they couldn’t contain their joy, spreading the good news that the Saviour of the world was born

There is so much anxiety and depression in our society today

–         Most of us don’t really want stuff for Christmas

–         We just want to be free of worry – to be happy, to enjoy life

–         We want to know that our kids are going to be okay

–         We want to know that our parents are going to be okay

–         We want to know that we are going to be okay

–         What we really want are those things that can’t be bought with money, things like peace & joy

–         In Jesus we find a hope that can be relied on – and from that hope we borrow the positive energy of joy to carry us through

 

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

–         Blue stands for purity, love and fidelity

–         Fidelity is a word that means faithfulness or loyalty

–         You give a bride something blue as a symbol of the pure and faithful love between a husband & wife

 

The Christmas story is a story of purity, love and fidelity

–         Mary, the mother of Jesus was the picture of purity – she was a virgin and she conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit

–         Joseph, the fiancé of Mary (and a step father to Jesus) was the picture of fidelity – when he discovered that Mary was pregnant he decided to break off the engagement quietly so as not to embarrass her

–         But when an angel appeared to him in a dream explaining the situation he stuck by Mary and married her, such was his loyal love for Mary & God

 

Mary & Joseph bring something blue – a pure and faithful love

–         The quality of Mary & Joseph’s relationship points to the faithfulness & purity of God’s love for us in Christ

 

Christmas is a time to celebrate the gift of God’s Son, Jesus

–         With the gift of Jesus comes something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

 

Let us pray

–         I will pray the words in the plain type and I invite you to respond with the words in bold italics…

Jesus, you are the logic of God, older than time itself. You are the most worthy, the most valuable, the most priceless gift of all…

–         Help us to receive and honour you

Jesus, you came to make all things new. In you is the light of life, more powerful than the darkness of death…

–         Fill us with the life of your Spirit

Jesus, you are our hope of salvation. Forgive us for the times when we misplace our hope. Save us from anxiety and despair…

–         Carry us in your peace & joy 

Jesus, you embody the love of God, faithful & pure. You are committed to the well-being of all creation with a goodness beyond compare…

–          Make us loyal to you Jesus. Amen.