God – Page 33 – Tawa Baptist

July 20, 2017July 20, 2017 Tawa Baptist

But Who Do You Say I Am?

BUT WHO DO YOU SAY I AM? (Sermon Notes – by Mrs Karen Brassett)

Good morning

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Karen. Those of you who do know me may be wondering why I am up here and, believe me, I am wondering that too! When Will first mentioned writing a sermon I just laughed and forgot about it – I thought he was joking. A few days later, however, he followed up on the idea and assured me that he had actually been quite serious. As I have never done anything like this before I hope you will bear with me.

Today we are going to look at Matthew 16:13-23.

I am using the New Living Translation and the words should appear on the wall.

From Matthew 16 we read:

¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

¹⁵Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. ¹⁸Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. ¹⁹And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

²⁰Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

²¹From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

²²But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

²³Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

May the Holy Spirit use this reading to speak to our hearts and teach us more about Jesus.

Jesus headed north with his disciples, to the region of Caesarea Philippi.

It is generally thought that he did this to take a bit of a break from the crowds, so that he could spend more time teaching the disciples and trying to prepare them for what was to come.
A lot has been happening in the two preceding chapters. Chapter 14 includes the feeding of the crowd of five thousand men, plus an undisclosed number of women and children, followed by Jesus walking on the water and calling Peter to come to him. In chapter 15 Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman and rewards her faith, in the face of some quite harsh rejection, by releasing her daughter from demon possession. He heals many more people besides in both chapters, and also feeds another crowd, this time of four thousand. It certainly seems like some time out would have been beneficial.
The setting chosen for this passage is a very significant one, for both religious and cultural reasons, but I would like to leave that to one side this morning and focus on the personal significance of what is happening.

In the context of all these things that the disciples have recently witnessed, Jesus asks them two questions as they are walking along the road. The first question is rather safe and neutral:

¹³“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

The disciples are able to report back what they have been hearing from the crowds.

¹⁴ “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

These answers show that the crowds recognise Jesus as someone special. They are placing him in the category of “Prophet” which was a very high honour. But this is still a human category and falls far short of the truth.

Jesus then asks a second question which is anything but safe and neutral. This question is direct and very personal:

¹⁵ Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Every time I read this an image comes to mind of the whole group suddenly going very quiet, probably even coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the road. This time only one of them gives an answer.

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

At this point it looks like Peter has got it.

He has listened to Jesus teaching for several years now
He has witnessed miracles and healings
He has even had his own personal experience of walking on water.

The response Peter gets from Jesus certainly makes it seem like he has got it right:

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. ¹⁸ Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. ¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

This is pretty mind blowing stuff!

Stop and try to imagine for a minute how this must have felt for Peter. He had just put himself way out there and declared that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. That in itself would have been an intense experience. But Jesus then responds by changing his name (Simon is now Peter, “the Rock”), and bestowing unimaginable authority on him. That has got to be more than anyone can get their head around in just a few minutes, and so it proves to be.

In the next verse Jesus predicts his death for the first time.

²¹From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Poor Peter! This really is too much!! He has just made a really courageous declaration, been rewarded with an amazing affirmation and the apparent appointment to a really important position, and now Jesus is talking about dying. Not only does it not seem right that the Messiah, the Son of God, will die, but he is talking about being tortured and murdered by the religious leaders.

Peter decides he needs to set Jesus straight.

²² But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

This time Jesus’ response is very different.

²³ Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not God’s.”

Peter goes from number one supporter to dangerous enemy in the blink of an eye.

Two things stand out here for me.

Firstly, I have to admit to feeling rather sorry for Peter.

A lot of very intense and significant stuff has just happened in a short space of time.
He has just had some huge future responsibilities and expectations described to him.
Before he has had time to even try to process what they might mean he is confronted with yet another major announcement.

He responds with his typical impetuous enthusiasm, steps in to start trying to live up to his new job description, and runs head first into a brick wall. Ouch!

So let’s have a look at what just happened.

Jesus asked his disciples a question.
Peter answered him. In fact Peter not only answered the question, he gave the perfect answer.

Surely that should have been the end of it – ten out of ten for you Peter.

The answer Peter gave Jesus was honest and genuine. What happened next, though, brings me to my second point:

Jesus’ question is not static.

He was not just seeking information or setting a test to see which of the disciples would pass. Peter gave a great answer, and he believed what he said, but his subsequent actions show that he did not really understand his answer, or who Jesus really is.

How did Peter end up on such a roller coaster ride?

He had been following Jesus for several years by this time, living closely together with him, and learning daily from his teaching.
He had witnessed countless healings and other miracles, including several people being brought back to life, and he really believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.
So why could he not accept Jesus’ predictions of what was about to happen next?

It is easy for us to look back from 2000 years after the Resurrection and ask why Peter did not understand the significance of these things. We probably like to think that, with all that evidence, and having such a close relationship with Jesus, we would have been able to see things more clearly. Surely we would have understood when he talked about having to die and be raised from the dead.

But would we?

Peter accepts, I believe whole-heartedly, that Jesus is the Messiah, but his concept of what that means is shaped by the Jewish teachings he has been raised with from birth. These present the Messiah as a person sent by God to restore Israel, and bring peace to the earth, by ruling as a human king. In spite of all the time he has spent with Jesus, and all the new teachings he has heard, he has still not been able to make the transition from the strong historical traditions he has grown up with to the radically different concept of an eternal, heavenly kingdom which begins on earth.

Here I would like to swap sides in the conversation for a moment. It is easy for us to imagine how confused and hurt Peter must have felt in all this – but what about Jesus? Have you ever stopped to think how Jesus must have been feeling at this point?

The words Jesus uses to denounce Peter hark back to his response to Satan during his temptation in the wilderness. One of the temptations Jesus was offered was all the kingdoms of the world if he would only kneel down and worship Satan.

In effect Peter is now trying to get Jesus to accept the very same thing, earthly kingship and power. This is, after all, the Jewish interpretation of the Messiah. It is his human expectation of what should happen.

I imagine the temptation must have seemed so much stronger to Jesus this time because it was being offered by a friend in the guise of support and acclamation, rather than by his obvious enemy. I am absolutely certain that it must have been incredibly painful for him.

Jesus was on a very similar roller coaster to the one Peter was riding.

When we look at this passage we can imagine, and probably identify with, the range of feelings and reactions that Peter and the other disciples might have had. But how often do we try to put ourselves in Jesus’ place, to imagine the significance these interactions had for him?

Although they had been on the same journey over the last few years, Jesus would have experienced it from a very different perspective.

Only Jesus understood the importance and true meaning of what he had been sent to do.
Only Jesus knew how crucial it was that the disciples should start to understand his teachings before he left them
Only Jesus understood the significance of Peter’s declaration.

When Peter made his declaration, Jesus must have been elated, and probably also a bit relieved. Here was the evidence that all his work was bearing fruit. He knew that Peter was to be the one who would lead the infant Christian community and now, as he prepared to face the events ahead of him in Jerusalem, he had some reassurance that Peter was nearly ready.

“You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you.”

How hard would it have been for him then, to have to turn around and say:

“You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not God’s.”

For me these two statements help explain how Peter could get everything so right and then so wrong. His first answer was described as a revelation from God. He ran into trouble when he turned from that revelation and fell back on his human thinking and experience.

They also highlight for me something that caught my attention recently when I was reading the second chapter of John. Verses 23-25 say:

²³Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. ²⁴But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. ²⁵No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.

Jesus may have experienced a similar high and low but, unlike Peter, he did not experience confusion or disbelief.

²⁵No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.

While he may have been excited by Peter’s declaration, and deeply hurt by the temptation Peter put in front of him, Jesus was not caught by surprise. He knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. He knew that Peter was going to stumble, and even that he would desert him. He knew what was in Peter’s heart, and he knew that he did not yet understand what his answer meant.

This brings me back to the point I made earlier, that the question Jesus asked is not static.

¹⁵ Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

You see Jesus still asks this same question today. He asks each one of us, and we need to think about this carefully. It is not a question that you can answer and leave.

But who do you say I am?

Like Peter, we can give the perfect answer, and we can believe it. But do we understand what our answer means?

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

The truth is that our understanding of what our answer means can change with each significant experience we have in life.

It is influenced by where we are in our spiritual journey.
It is influenced by what is going on in our lives right now, and by what has gone before.
It also has a big influence on how we live our lives, on the decisions and choices we make.

This is why Jesus’ question is just as important for us today as it was for the disciples when he asked them. Who we say Jesus is, how deeply we believe it, and what we understand that to mean, directly determine how we choose to live.

As we get older we grow
As we live we experience so many different things
As we experience different things we learn
As we learn we gain knowledge and, hopefully, increased understanding.

^“for he knew what was in each person’s heart.”

We need to remember that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. Today he continues to ask each one of us the same question he asked Peter and the other disciples. He asks because he knows that our answers are not important for HIM, they are important for US.

“But who do YOU say I am?”

I want to leave you with these two questions this morning:

What is your answer for Jesus?
What does your answer mean for you?

July 2, 2017July 7, 2017 Tawa Baptist

Naomi & Ruth

Scripture: Ruth 1 & 3

Title: Naomi & Ruth

Structure:

Introduction – unlikely friendship
Ruth 1 – Naomi & Ruth’s hesed
Ruth 3 – Ruth & Boaz’ hesed
Conclusion

Introduction:

On the wall here we have a picture of a bird nestled on the belly of a cat

– This is an unlikely pairing – normally we would expect cats to hunt and kill birds, not give refuge to them

Today we continue our sermon series on intergenerational relationships in the Bible

– An intergenerational relationship is a relationship between two people from different generations, someone older and someone younger

– We find a number of intergenerational relationships in the Bible

– For example: Moses and Joshua, who we heard about two weeks ago

– The aging priest Eli and the young prophet Samuel

– King Saul and King David

– As well as the apostle Paul and his protégé Timothy

Our focus this morning though is on the relationship between Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth

– Naomi & Ruth’s friendship was as unlikely as that of a cat and a bird

– They were years apart in age

– They were from a different ethnic & cultural background – Naomi from Israel and Ruth from Moab

– They had grown up with a different religion

– Their nations had been at war (off and on) for many years

– And, they were mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, which is often (but not always) a relationship fraught with tension or at least distance

Despite all these differences though there was real warmth and commitment in their relationship

– It wasn’t a mentoring relationship as such (like Moses & Joshua)

– It was more of a mutually caring intergenerational friendship – with both of them looking out for one another’s interests

The name Ruth means ‘friend’ or ‘companion’

– And the name Naomi means ‘sweetness’ or ‘pleasantness’

– Although they are an unlikely pairing, Naomi and Ruth characterise the ideal inter-generational relationship – one of friendship & companioning, sweetness & pleasantness

We don’t have time to cover all four chapters of Ruth this morning

– I will be focusing mainly on chapters 1 & 3

Ruth 1 – Naomi & Ruth’s Hesed:

The story is set during the time of the Judges in ancient Israel – which is after Joshua and before Saul & David

– In many ways it was the worst of times – but it brought out the best in certain people

– There was a famine in the land and Naomi’s husband and two sons were forced to leave Bethlehem to try and find food in Moab, the land of their enemies – they were essentially refugees – displaced people

While they were in Moab, Naomi’s husband died and her two sons married Moabite girls: Orpah and Ruth. Neither Orpah nor Ruth had any children

Ten years passed in Moab before Naomi’s two sons died also

– There are no words to describe the profoundness of Naomi’s loss

When she hears that God has provided food for his people in Israel, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem with her two daughters-in-law

– Not long into the journey home Naomi releases Orpah and Ruth from their obligation to her, saying:

“Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”

There weren’t many options for single women in the Ancient Near East – it was a tough world

Although Naomi has suffered the worst kind of loss imaginable, and could well do with the comfort and support of Orpah & Ruth, she puts aside her own need and releases her daughters-in-law

– Naomi knows she can’t provide for them herself and, having already been married, it will be hard enough for Ruth & Orpah to find another husband among their own people let alone among the men of Israel

– Going back to Moab is Orpah & Ruth’s best bet, even though it means more loss for Naomi

That word ‘kindness’ is hesed in the original Hebrew

– We don’t really have one single word in English for hesed

– It is a Jewish term which is sometimes translated as kindness, sometimes as mercy and other times as steadfast love or loyal (covenant) love

– Hesed isn’t just an abstract concept though – it is an action, something tangible that you do for someone else’s well-being

Both Orpah and Ruth had shown hesed to their late husbands, while they were alive, and to Naomi – now Naomi wants to return the favour

Katherine Sakenfeld, who did her PhD on this subject, outlines the three main criteria of hesed… [1]

– Firstly, the action is essential to the survival or the basic wellbeing of the recipient – so it’s not something you do to entertain a whim or a fancy

– Secondly, the needed action is one that only the person doing the hesed is in a position to provide – given the circumstances no one else can do it

– And thirdly, hesed takes place in the context of an existing relationship

Now an act of hesed can be a relatively small thing or it can be a really big thing

– Let me give you some examples of hesed – one which is relatively simple and two which are more significant:

Imagine you are tucked up in bed one cold winter’s night, enjoying a nice sleep when your cell-phone goes off – you sit up and answer it

– It’s someone you know from work – what could they want at 2 o’clock in the morning?

– Well, they’ve been out on the town, it’s freezing cold, they’re wearing a cocktail dress and they’ve lost their jacket and their purse

– It’s too far, too dangerous and too cold for them to walk home

– And without money or a card they can’t pay for a taxi so they are asking you for a ride – no one else is returning their calls

– It’s a bit of an inconvenience for you but you are a kind hearted person

– What’s more you couldn’t live with yourself if you did nothing and some harm came to them

– So you put on some clothes, get in your car, drive to where they are and take them home

That is an act of hesed – a simple act of kindness or mercy

– Getting them to a warm & safe place is essential to their well-being

– Under the circumstances there is no one else available to help them

– And you have an existing relationship with them

Okay, that’s a relatively small act of hesed – now a more significant or demanding example…

Imagine a good friend of yours gets sick and they need a kidney transplant but no donor can be found

– You care for your friend deeply and want to help them

– So you go and get yourself checked out to see if you are a match and as providence would have it you are

– You donate one of your kidney’s to your friend and they live

That is an act of hesed – but the meaning of hesed in that situation goes beyond simple kindness – it is really a sacrificial act of mercy & loyal love

– The action of donating a kidney is essential to your friend’s basic survival

– It is something that, under the circumstances, only you can do

– And it’s done in the context of an existing relationship with your friend

Another example…

– This time imagine a slightly different scenario with your good friend

– Imagine they are sick but there is nothing the doctors can do for them

– Your friend is going to die and, because your friend has no family members able to do it, she asks you to take care of her 2 year child

– So you agree to adopt the child and raise her as your own

That is an act of hesed – an act which demonstrates both kindness & loyal love

– Although you can’t save your friend’s life you are still doing something huge for their well-being (and the well-being of their child)

– You are giving them peace of mind in their last days by providing security for their daughter

– No one else is going to love that child like you will – without you the child would most likely end up lost in the system

– And you are doing this in the context of an existing positive relationship with your friend

Returning to Ruth & Naomi: by releasing her daughters-in-law Naomi is performing an act of hesed for them

– It meets all three criteria

– Her action in releasing them from further obligation is for their wellbeing

– It is an action that only Naomi can perform – no one else can do it

– And Naomi has an existing positive relationship with Ruth & Orpah

Orpah takes a bit of convincing but in the end she accepts Naomi’s advice and returns to Moab

– Ruth, on the other hand, insists on staying with Naomi saying:

“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried…”

Ruth commits herself to Naomi, to Naomi’s people and to Naomi’s God

– And this commitment isn’t just until Naomi dies – it is until Ruth dies

– Ruth will be buried where Naomi is buried

– If you think about it Ruth was essentially saying goodbye to her family and her homeland for good

This was huge – Ruth was making this commitment at great risk to herself

– She didn’t know whether Naomi’s people would accept her or not

– Abraham, that great father of the faith, stepped out into the unknown but only after God called him and made a promise to him

– Ruth’s faith was even greater than Abraham’s

– Ruth steps out into the unknown without any word from God and what’s more she does so without the wealth and backing that Abram had

The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians:

– The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love

– Ruth takes a massive leap of faith out of her love for Naomi

Ruth knows that her own chances of survival are better if she returns to Moab but she also knows that Naomi’s chances of survival are better if she (Ruth) goes to Israel and takes care of Naomi

– By releasing Ruth from further obligation, Naomi had performed hesed for her daughter-in-law

– Ruth responds by going above and beyond, doing an even greater act of hesed for Naomi

– Ruth is performing an action essential to Naomi’s well-being & survival

– No one else is available to take care of Naomi – her husband and sons are dead and Orpah has gone back to Moab

– Furthermore Ruth is doing this hesed in the context of an existing positive relationship with Naomi

– Ruth’s hesed ticks all the boxes

What we note here is that both Naomi’s & Ruth’s acts of hesed are done freely and out of genuine love and concern for one another’s well-being – not out of grudging duty or obligation

When Naomi returns to Bethlehem (her home town) she is greeted by the people there but she says to them:

– “Don’t call me Naomi (which means sweetness), call me Mara (which means bitterness) because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full but the Lord has brought me back empty…”

Naomi has been emptied by her loss

– She has nothing to show for her life and nothing to look forward to

– She is alive physically but (inside) her sense of hope has died

One of the things that young people can give us is hope – a sense that life doesn’t end with us (that the future holds something good)

– The young don’t usually realise they are doing this though

– By the same token those of us who are older may also miss the hope the young have to offer

Ruth embodies hope, only Naomi can’t see it straight away – she is blinded by her grief

– But nor does Ruth realise it – she is simply getting on with it, making sure they don’t starve

Ruth 3 – Ruth & Boaz’ Hesed:

Ruth goes out to glean in the fields – picking up the left-overs after the harvesters have been through – and in the process she meets Boaz, a wealthy and influential citizen of Bethlehem

– As providence would have it Boaz is a good match for Ruth – by which I mean he is related to Naomi’s late husband, he is able to provide for Ruth and they seem to like each other

– When Naomi hears of Boaz her hope (embodied by Ruth) is kindled

After some months have passed Naomi comes up with a plan to find some security for them both by getting Boaz to marry Ruth

– Not only would this provide Ruth & Naomi with financial security and protection, it could also provide an heir for Ruth’s late husband

You see the Law of Moses provided for widows through something called levirate marriage [2]

– ‘The levirate law provided that when a man died without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child by her to preserve the lineage of the man who had died.’ [3]

– Keeping the family line going was a really big deal in ancient culture

Under normal circumstances Naomi might approach Boaz herself and ask if he would help them out by marrying Ruth (sort of like an arranged marriage), but these weren’t normal circumstances

– Ruth was a Moabite – a foreigner

– Furthermore, Boaz wasn’t Ruth’s brother-in-law, although he was a near relative of Naomi’s late husband

– So the law of levirate marriage was not an exact fit in this situation

– If Naomi approached Boaz he might easily say ‘no’

– But if Ruth dolled herself up and got close to him at night, well he might find it more difficult to say ‘no’.

Naomi said to Ruth…

– “Wash and perfume yourself and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down… go and uncover his feet and lie down too. He will tell you what to do.”

It was a risky plan

– What if Ruth was seen by someone else, sneaking into bed with Boaz?

– What if Boaz took advantage of Ruth? (Everyone would believe Boaz – no one would believe Ruth)

– Or what if he thought she was a bit loose and rejected her?

– Ruth was putting her reputation on the line in a culture where reputation was everything

– But that’s one of the great things about young people – they are often more ready to take risks than those of us who are older and feel like we have something to lose

Ruth does what Naomi says – well, sort of

– She gets under the blankets with Boaz while he is asleep

– There is no hanky panky but when he wakes up in the middle of the night to find another person there he doesn’t tell her what to do

– He is startled – it is dark and he can’t see, so he asks a question…

– “Who are you?” To which Ruth replies…

“I am your servant Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer”

This is a poetic way of saying ‘marry me’

– Ruth doesn’t wait for Boaz to tell her what to do – she tells Boaz what she wants

– Some men might be put off by that sort of forthrightness but not Boaz

– He responds positively to Ruth saying…

“The Lord bless you, my daughter. This kindness [this hesed] is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor…”

There’s that word, hesed, again

– Ruth’s first act of hesed was to promise to go with Naomi wherever she might go – to be Naomi’s companion till the end of her days

– Now Ruth’s second act of hesed is to marry within the family

In thinking of the three criteria for hesed…

– Ruth is doing something essential for the well-being of others – seeking an heir for her late husband and a grandson for Naomi

– This is something no one else can do – Naomi has no other children

– And it is done in the context of existing relationships

If Ruth had gone after a younger man who wasn’t related to Naomi, then Ruth’s first born would not be considered Naomi’s grandchild, nor would he carry on her late husband’s name (and as I’ve already mentioned, carrying on the family line was massive in ancient Hebrew culture)

Boaz is impressed by Ruth’s noble character – he loves her hesed

– And, after a little plot twist, he reciprocates the hesed by redeeming Naomi’s land and marrying Ruth. Ruth gave birth to a son, Obed.

– Obed became the father of Jesse and Jesse the father of king David

– This really is an intergenerational story where people of all ages are valued and cared for – each with a vital role to play

Conclusion:

Ruth & Naomi provide an ideal to inspire our own intergenerational relationships

– I’m not saying we all need to make the same level of commitment as Ruth did with Naomi – but we do well to look for opportunities to demonstrate hesed where it is in our power to do so

In Micah 6, verse 8 – the passage of Scripture we looked at last week – the prophet says:

– And what does the Lord require of you? To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

– The original Hebrew word, translated there as ‘mercy’, is actually hesed

– So the Lord God Almighty requires us to love hesed

– That is to enjoy performing acts of hesed, when it is in our power to do so, and to value or cherish the acts of hesed we witness or receive

– Together Ruth, Naomi and Boaz show us what it means to ‘love hesed’

Some times our acts of hesed will be relatively small, like picking someone up in town in the middle of the night

– Other times we may be asked to consider a far bigger act of hesed – one which can only be done once and can’t be repeated

– If you donate a kidney to your friend you can’t donate one to anyone else

– Likewise, Ruth’s hesed for Naomi prevented her from taking care of her own parents (presumably there were others in Ruth’s family who could do that)

My intention here is not to load you up with some impossible burden

– It is not always in our power to do hesed – no matter how much we may want to

– If you are not a match then you can’t donate your kidney to save your friend

– What you can do though is walk with your friend through the process – be their companion so they don’t have to go through it alone

Who can you do hesed for – whether younger or older?

– Who can you companion – through good times and bad?

[Jesus performed acts of hesed (kindness, mercy & loyal love) throughout his ministry as he healed the sick and forgave the guilty and delivered people from evil. His ultimate act of hesed though we remember now in the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup. Through his death on the cross Jesus did something for us that no one else could do – he reconciled us to God…]

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/2-july-2017-naomi-ruth

[1] Katherine Doob-Sakenfeld, Ruth, page 24

[2] Deuteronomy 25:5-10

[3] Katherine Sakenfeld, ‘Just Wives’, page 36.

June 25, 2017June 26, 2017 Tawa Baptist

True Worship

Scripture: Micah 6:6-8

Title: True Worship

Structure:

Introduction
Content & packaging
Conclusion

Introduction:

On the wall behind me is the Tawa College crest on which are written the words

– Do justly

‘Do justly’ is a quote from the prophet Micah

– Let me read to you the context of these words

– From Micah chapter 6, verses 6-8 we read…

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

May the Lord bless the reading of his word

Content & packaging:

[Hold up a packet of M&M’s]

– Who likes M&M’s?

– Okay – leave your hand up if you would like to come to the front to receive these M&M’s (you can bring an adult with you if you want)

– [Choose someone (close to the front) to come to the front]

Now, before I give you this bag of M&M’s I want to ask you a question – it’s not a trick question:

– Which of these two bags would you prefer?

– This one here which is empty?

– Or this one which is full?

– [Let them respond]

The full one – good choice – here is your bag of M&M’s

But before you go I want to ask you one more question

– Which of these two bags of M&M’s would you prefer?

– This big empty bag?

– Or this small full bag?

Okay – so even though the empty bag is much bigger, you would still prefer to have the smaller bag which is full

– That would be my preference too – here’s the smaller bag for you to give to someone you like or don’t like (up to you)

– Thanks for helping me – you can sit down now

The point here is that the contents of the bag are more important than the packaging

– It doesn’t matter how big and glossy and fancy the packaging is, without any M&M’s inside it is worthless

– Now it’s not that the packaging is necessarily bad in itself

– We need the packaging – the packet is good for holding the M&M’s together so they don’t roll all over the floor

– And it’s also good for letting you know what’s inside the bag

– The packaging only becomes rubbish when the bag is empty

In Micah 6 the prophet asks the question…

– Shall I come before [the Lord] with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression…?

The first four examples of ritual offerings listed here: burnt offerings, calves a year old, rams and oil, are like the packaging – they are only good if they are accompanied by the contents of the bag: justice, mercy and humility

– The last example of sacrificing a first born child is not packaging – it is poison – never good under any circumstances.

Micah is saying here: God is not pleased when we offer Him an empty bag

– God is more interested in the contents of our life than the packaging

– There’s no point in following a whole lot of religious rituals if we don’t live our lives with justice, mercy and humility

These days we don’t sacrifice animals to God – Jesus put an end to that by his death on the cross

– Generally speaking, these days our ritual offerings are things like giving money to the church and singing songs of praise

– But all that kind of stuff is packaging – it only becomes meaningful when it holds a life of justice, mercy and humility

– It’s not that we should stop giving financially and singing songs – those things are still important (we need the packet to hold everything together)

– But if singing or giving money or some other religious ritual becomes a substitute for justice, mercy & humility then we’ve got a problem

You see, it’s not either/or – it’s both/and

– It’s not either the packet or the M&M’s – it’s both the packet and the MM’s

– It’s not either attending Sunday services or practicing justice & mercy the rest of the week – it’s both those things together

– Like Jesus said in Matthew 23, when he was telling the Pharisees off:

– You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. (It’s both/and – not either/or)

Worship of God needs to encompass all of life

– Offering ourselves (as living sacrifices) by doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God is true worship – this is faith in action

– And if we want to know what justice, mercy and humility are, we look to Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of our faith

Conclusion:

On the wall here is an invitation and response based on Micah 6, verse 8

What does the Lord require of you?

– To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God

June 18, 2017June 18, 2017 Tawa Baptist

Moses & Joshua

Scriptures: Exodus 17:8-13; 33:11; 24:13; 32:17;

Numbers 11:25-29; 13:1-14:10; 27:18-20

Title: Moses & Joshua

Structure:

Introduction – Intergenerational relationships
Symbiotic relationship
Mentoring relationship

o Showing and telling

o Inviting reflection

o Providing a catalyst

o Investing authority

Conclusion

Introduction:

On the wall here we have a picture of a pair of oxen or bullocks

– In the old days when they wanted to train a young ox to pull a load they would yoke it with an older well-trained ox

– The younger ox would learn what to do and how to follow directions by walking alongside the older ox [1]

– In a way the older ox was a mentor to the younger beast

Today we begin a new sermon series on intergenerational relationships in the Bible

– An intergenerational relationship is exactly what it sounds like – a relationship between two people from different generations, someone older and someone younger

– We find a number of intergenerational relationships in the Bible

– For example: Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth

– The aging priest Eli and the young prophet Samuel

– King Saul and King David

– As well as the apostle Paul and his protégé Timothy

Our focus this morning though is on the relationship between Moses and Joshua

– No disrespect to Joshua and Moses but in some ways Joshua is like the younger ox learning from Moses, the older more experienced ox, while the Lord God is the one giving the directions, leading them both

Symbiotic relationship:

Please turn with me to Exodus 17 – page 78 near the front of your pew Bibles

– Joshua was Moses’ personal assistant – his aide

– Joshua was probably about 50 to 60 years younger than Moses

– We don’t know exactly how they met, but it seems they had chemistry – a special kind of rapport

– We first hear about Joshua and Moses working together in the wilderness, following the Israelites’ escape from Egypt

– From Exodus 17, verses 8-13, we read…

[Read Exodus 17:8-13]

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

A healthy intergenerational relationship is mutually symbiotic – or mutually beneficial, in other words

– Symbiosis comes from a Greek word meaning “living together”

– From a scientific point of view a symbiotic relationship is ‘the living together of unlike organisms’ [2]

An example of a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, in nature, is that of the sea anemone and a clown fish (from ‘Finding Nemo’ fame)

The clownfish supports the life of the sea anemone by feeding on small invertebrates that otherwise have potential to harm the anemone,

– What’s more the fecal matter (or the poos) from the clownfish provide nutrients (or dinner) to the sea anemone.

– The clownfish receives the benefit of being protected from predators by the anemone’s stinging cells, to which the clownfish is immune.

– The clownfish also emits a high pitched sound that deters butterfly fish, which would otherwise eat the anemone [3]

The anemone and the clown fish are unlike organisms but they support each other in a mutually symbiotic relationship

– We need each other and we need each other to be different

At their best intergenerational relationships are mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships

– We see this mutual symbiosis in Moses’ and Joshua’s relationship

In Exodus 17 (which we just read) the young Joshua goes into battle against the Amalekites to protect Israel at a place called Rephidim

– Rephidim means support [4]

– Moses, who is most likely in his 80’s at this stage, is not physically fit enough for hand to hand combat – he relies on Joshua for that

– But Joshua and the Israelites are the under dogs in this fight

– Israel has just spent the last few hundred years in slavery – the people are vulnerable and relatively weak

– They need God’s help and God lends them a hand through Moses & Joshua working together

Moses supports Joshua and his soldiers by raising his hands in the air

– We are not sure how this helps – but it does

– As long as Moses’ hands stay up Israel gets the advantage – but as soon as Moses’ hands droop, the Amalekites start winning

– In the end Joshua wins, not by his own strength but by the hand of God and Moses supporting him

Why did God do it this way?

– Why not just zap the Amalekites with lightning from heaven or have the ground swallow them up, or drown them like he did the Egyptians?

– Well, perhaps God is teaching Israel to work together symbiotically

Moses needed Joshua and Joshua needed Moses and they both needed God

– By working together as they did Moses & Joshua are a living parable to Israel of how God wants the people to function as a nation

So that’s the first thing about Moses’ & Joshua’s intergenerational relationship – it was symbiotic or mutually beneficial, not just to each other but also to the wider community

Mentoring relationship:

The second thing we observe is that Moses became a mentor to Joshua

– Now not every intergenerational relationship is necessarily a mentoring relationship but they can often develop that way

A mentor is a wise and trusted advisor who guides a protégé and helps them to develop their potential

– Mentoring is more than simply teaching a particular skill set

– Mentoring is about developing the whole person

– Moses does at least four things in his mentoring of Joshua

Moses mentors Joshua…

– By showing and telling

– By inviting reflection

– By providing a catalyst for change

– And, eventually, by investing his authority in Joshua

Let me give you some examples from the books of Exodus and Numbers to illustrate how Moses does these things. Firstly, showing and telling…

Telling is when the mentor gives the protégé instructions to follow

– (Whether the protégé follows those instructions or not is the telling part)

– And showing is when the mentor demonstrates to the protégé by his own example

In Numbers 11, verse 28, we read that Joshua had been Moses’ aide (his personal assistant) since his youth

– This means that Joshua was sort of like Moses’ first lieutenant

– In this role, as Moses’ aide, Joshua did what Moses told him to do – just as a lower ranking officer would follow the orders of a general

– Some religious orders require their priests & nuns to take a vow of obedience

– Obedience is not a very popular word or discipline these days but learning to follow instructions is essential for any man or woman of God

– That Joshua was willing to obey Moses was very telling – it demonstrates that he is capable of following God’s instructions

Joshua’s role as Moses’ assistant also meant he went everywhere with Moses

– So when Moses went up the mountain to meet with God and receive the 10 commandments Joshua went with him, not all the way but far enough [5]

– Likewise when Moses met with God in the tent of the Lord’s presence Joshua was close at hand [6]

– Wherever Moses went Joshua followed and so Joshua was continually exposed to Moses’ example in leadership

More than just showing Joshua what leaders do (the tasks of leadership), Moses was, by his presence, actually showing Joshua how to be a leader

– Character is more caught than taught

– We tend to become like the people we hang out with

– As adults we need to be careful in the example we model for the young among us

– Our children will learn more from what we show them, through our actions, than they will through what we tell them with our words

After nearly 40 years living and working with Moses, Joshua had perhaps one of the longest apprenticeships in history

– But by the end of it he had a pretty good handle on what was involved in obeying God & leading the nation

– Not only that but he had developed, and imbibed from Moses, some vital character qualities like patience and faithfulness and integrity

As well as showing and telling, Moses also helps Joshua to think for himself by inviting him to reflect on his experience

– A good mentor doesn’t always spell out the answer for their protégé

– Sometimes it may be necessary to explain things but often it is better to teach people to figure things out for themselves and let them draw their own conclusions

Turn with me to Numbers chapter 11, verse 25 – page 142 in your pew Bibles

– This little story is relevant for the season of Pentecost that we are in

– Incidentally though it also shows Moses inviting Joshua to reflect on his experience – from Numbers 11, verse 25 we read…

[Read Numbers 11:25-29]

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

You may remember me telling you the story of when I went to Cubs as a boy and attempted my ‘Duty to God’ badge

– Most badges were supervised by the Cub leaders but the ‘Duty to God’ badge had to be supervised by a minister

– There was a chaplain at my school so I approached him and asked if he would supervise me – to which he replied…

– “You can never do your duty to God”

– I was 10

The Chaplain wasn’t telling me off but nor was he willing to explain what he meant – he was inviting me to reflect on what I was doing

– It seems I’m still reflecting on it some 36 year later

Joshua was loyal to Moses and was worried I suppose that the elders prophesying in the camp might undermine Moses’ authority

– But Moses doesn’t feel threatened

– He doesn’t reprimand Joshua for his outburst, nor does he seek to explain the meaning of God sharing his Spirit

– Instead Moses sees a teachable moment here and invites Joshua to reflect on the experience, and his response to it, by saying…

– “…I wish that the Lord would give his Spirit to all his people…”

I’ll leave it with you to figure out what that could mean

The third thing Moses does in mentoring Joshua is he provides a catalyst for the young man

– A catalyst is something which causes or precipitates a change in the protégé’s identity and thinking

Some catalysts can be quite pleasant – like when you get married, your identity and consequently your thinking changes

– Other catalysts can feel less pleasant

– Just as hot water is a catalyst for drawing out the flavour in a tea bag

– So too when we find ourselves in hot water over something – this becomes a catalyst drawing out what is inside of us

Moses does two things to precipitate a change in Joshua’s identity and thinking:

Firstly, in Numbers 13 verse 16, he changes his protégé’s name (and by implication his identity) from Hoshea to Joshua

– This name change is a relatively pleasant / feel good catalyst

– Hoshea means salvation while Joshua means The Lord saves [7]

– I wonder if Moses is making the point here that it is not Joshua who will save the people – it is the Lord God who saves

– This change in thinking would lift a huge weight off Joshua and would remind everyone (including Joshua) to put their trust in the Lord

Incidentally, the Greek form of the name Joshua is the same as that of the name Jesus – so Joshua points to Jesus, the ultimate successor to Moses

The second thing Moses does to precipitate change in Joshua is send him to the Promised Land with the other 11 spies to scout things out

– By doing this Moses is putting Joshua into a new and unfamiliar situation

– How will Joshua respond in a foreign culture?

– Will this new experience draw out faith or fear?

Ironically Joshua doesn’t find himself in hot water until he returns to the Israelite camp in the wilderness

– Ten of the Israeli spies give a bad report, spreading fear among the people

– Only Caleb and Joshua respond in faith by essentially saying, “with the Lord on our side, we’ve got this”

– Despite being under tremendous pressure Joshua & Caleb provide an unpopular minority report and the people are ready to stone them

– But God intervenes

– Joshua’s character proves true to his name: the Lord saves

You know, when a butterfly emerges from its cocoon it doesn’t just slip out easily – the butterfly has to struggle to get out

– But the struggle is necessary to get the fluid pumping into its wings – without the struggle the butterfly wouldn’t fly

– It wouldn’t have been easy for Moses to see Joshua in hot water with the people – but it was necessary for Joshua to go through this struggle

– The whole experience acted as a catalyst to precipitate a deep change in Joshua – it strengthened his resolve and showed everyone what Joshua was made of

One of the things we notice about the butterfly’s struggle to emerge from the cocoon is that it happens in stages, not all at once

– So in providing a catalyst, little steps are usually best

– For example, if you are a leader in Sunday school you could develop the potential of your helper by providing the catalyst of extra responsibility

– Don’t throw them in the deep end by making them prepare the whole lesson – rather start by asking them to organise one game or one craft activity, then gradually give them more responsibility as they are able

– A bit of extra responsibility might feel like a struggle for them at first but they will grow into it – step by step

Providing a catalyst for change requires wisdom from the mentor

– Knowing when to step in and help and when to hang back and let our children and our protégés fend for themselves – it’s not easy

Okay – so far we’ve seen how Moses mentored Joshua by showing & telling, by inviting reflection and by providing a catalyst

Now let’s consider how Moses invests his authority in Joshua

– Investing authority is about the mentor letting go (when the time is right) and passing the baton of responsibility to the protégé

– It’s about handing over the keys for good

If power is the ability to do something then authority is the license or the permission to do it

– You may know how to drive a car but without a license you don’t have the authority to drive

– You may be a very capable administrator but without winning an election you don’t have the authority to make decisions in public office

– You may be able to climb through the window of a house but without a deed of ownership or a rental agreement you have no right to be there

Towards the end of Israel’s long sojourn in the wilderness God tells Moses he is going to die and Moses responds, not by thinking of himself, but by thinking of what is best for the nation. [8]

– Moses knows that the people need good leadership – he doesn’t want them to be left alone like sheep without a shepherd

– So the question is: who will become the new shepherd of Israel?

– Who will guide and protect the fledgling nation?

To his credit Moses doesn’t assume anything

– He doesn’t assume one of his sons will succeed him as leader of Israel

– Nor does he assume that because he has been mentoring Joshua all these years that Joshua will automatically succeed him

– Instead Moses asks God to appoint his replacement and God chooses Joshua because Joshua is capable

– After all those years of mentoring, Moses had given Joshua the ability to lead the nation

– But by asking God to choose his successor, Moses was giving Joshua the authority to lead – and it was a rock solid authority for no one can argue with God’s decision

Moses formally transfers his authority by publicly laying his hands on Joshua’s head and proclaiming Joshua as the new leader of Israel

Moses’ and Joshua’s mutually symbiotic relationship has come full circle

– Joshua needed Moses to prepare him for leading Israel and Moses needed Joshua to pick up the mantle of leadership for the sake of the nation

Joshua went on to be a wise & courageous leader during a time of great change

– He transitioned the nation into the Promised Land – no easy task

– The surprising thing is that, as far as we know, Joshua didn’t mentor anyone else after him

– And if the book of Judges is anything to go by the nation suffered for it

Conclusion:

Here at Tawa Baptist we are blessed with a diversity of ages – all the generations are represented

– Not all churches are as lucky as we are in this respect

– We want to encourage people to grow healthy relationships together – not just with people of the same age but also with people of a different generation – we need each other and we need each other to be different

To help people deepen their relationships we sometimes run lunches after church – like the Count Me In lunches we are having today

– I encourage you to attend one of these lunches and get to know someone in a different age bracket to you

– You don’t need to force the conversation but if you find a natural chemistry with someone older or younger than yourself then look for opportunities to develop the friendship

– You might not end up in a full on mentoring relationship like Moses & Joshua but your life will probably be richer for it

Let me leave you with two questions…

– Who is your Moses?

– Who is your Joshua?

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/18-jun-2017-moses-joshua

[1] http://www.draftanimalpower.org/forums/topic/young-and-old/

[2] Heinrich Anton de Bary, 1879.

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiosis

[4] Refer George Knight’s commentary on Exodus, ‘Theology as Narration’, page 122.

[5] Refer Exodus 24:13 and 32:17

[6] Refer Exodus 33:11

[7] Refer the footnote in the NIV Study Bible

[8] Refer Numbers 27:15-20

June 11, 2017June 11, 2017 Tawa Baptist

Unity

Scripture: Psalm 133

Title: Unity

Structure:

Introduction – unity is diversity with order
The Trinity and us
Unity comes down from God above
Unity is for sharing
Conclusion

Introduction:

On the wall here we have a picture of a tapestry of the Lord’s Supper

– A tapestry is a unity

– It is not sameness which makes for unity – rather, unity is diversity with order

– Although there are many different coloured strands they are all woven together in an ordered way to pleasing effect

– Together the strands form a bigger picture which makes sense

In our house there are three women and one shower

– One of the things that happens with this arrangement is that long strands of hair gather in the drain, causing a blockage, so that the water in the bottom of the shower rises to your ankles

– Whenever this happens it is my job to unblock the drain, pulling all the hair out by hand – I don’t mind though, it makes me feel useful

The hair in the drain is the opposite of unity

– Unlike the tapestry which has a variety of different strands woven together in an ordered way, the hair in the drain is pretty much all the same and it is clumped together in a tangled mess of soap scum

– There is no order, no bigger picture, no meaning, no pleasantness with hair in the drain

– Unity is diversity with order – unity is pleasing

This morning we return to our series on the Songs of Ascents

– These songs were probably sung by Jewish pilgrims as they made their way to the temple in Jerusalem for various religious festivals

– They are songs for the faithful as they gather together for worship

Our focus today is psalm 133

– This song celebrates God’s gift of unity

– From the New Revised Standard Version we read…

¹How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! ²It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.

³It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

The Trinity and us:

One of the prominent features at the front here is the organ

– The organ is a unity – it has a diverse range of parts & pipes put together in an ordered way to make music which is pleasing

The organ is a metaphor for creation – creation is a unity, a diversity of different matter put together in an ordered and pleasing way

Today is Trinity Sunday, when we reflect on the mystery of the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

– God is a unity – a diversity of three persons who are one

In a limited way the organ serves as a metaphor to help us understand the Trinity’s interaction with creation

– I say ‘in a limited way’ because I’m very cautious about using any sort of analogy for God or the Trinity

– God is holy – which (among other things) means he is different from us and indeed different from any created thing

– God is beyond compare so no metaphor is adequate for describing God

Having said that, metaphors can be helpful to help our finite human minds form some concept of our infinite God and how we might relate with Him

Anyway, as I was saying, if the organ represents creation then the Trinity (Father, Son & Spirit together) designed and built the organ

– The organ is not God – creation is not God – it was just made by Him

God the Father is like the organist and composer of the music

– The Father writes the music and plays it on the organ (or through creation)

The gospel of John tells us that God the Son (who we know as Jesus) is God’s Word – so the Son is like the music God has composed

– Just as music is an expression or embodiment of the composer’s soul, in a similar way, Jesus is an expression or embodiment of God Himself

– Just as the music unites the choir, so everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet, so too Jesus unites the church and indeed all of creation – Jesus shows us which notes to follow

If we imagine that God the Father is the organist and Jesus is the music and we (in all our diversity) are the organ pipes, then the Holy Spirit is the wind passing through the pipes, making the sound God wills through us

– We can’t make the music on our own – in fact we only find our meaning and purpose when we let God’s will be done in our life

– Nor do we get to hear the whole song in our lifetime – we have to wait for eternity for that

Now in some ways this analogy is inadequate

– Firstly, Jesus is more than just the music (as important as that is)

– Jesus is a real person – the one who came to redeem & repair creation

– It’s like the organ of creation was damaged by sin and Jesus (the organ builder’s Son) came to fix it

Likewise the Holy Spirit is more than just the wind blowing through the pipes (as important as that is)

– The Spirit of God is also a real person

– If we are the organ pipes, each one of us sounding a different note, then the Spirit is like the tuner who comes to adjust us when we get out of tune

Of course – an organ is not a living thing with free will

– Some parts of God’s creation always do what they are supposed to at the right time – not so us humans, we are far more difficult to work with

In John 15 Jesus uses the image of the vine – the vine being a living organic unity

– The Lord says to his disciples: I am the vine, you are the branches and God the Father is the gardener

– Following this logic we might cautiously suggest the Holy Spirit is the sap or the life flowing from within the vine to the branches

– As branches we come in different shapes and sizes but we are united by Christ, the main trunk of the vine

– What’s more we are sustained and made fruitful by the life giving Spirit of Jesus in us

Unity comes down from God above:

Returning to psalm 133

– This song is attributed to King David and it is essentially about unity

Although it is short (only 3 verses) psalm 133 uses two quite different images to convey the one idea that unity is a good and pleasing gift from God

Verse 1 begins with David describing the experience of unity from a human perspective

– How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.

On the sixth day of creation (in Genesis 1) the Lord God saw all that he had made and it was very good

– Creation before the fall was a perfect unity – it was diverse but at the same time ordered in such a way that was good and pleasing

Unity from God is not unpleasant, like tangled hair and soap scum clogging up the shower drain

– No – unity from God is good & pleasant, like a well ordered tapestry conveying a meaningful bigger picture

– Or like an organ playing the right notes at the right pitch at the right time

The implication of verse 1 is: if it’s not pleasant then it’s probably not unity as God intended it

In verse 2 we are given the first image of unity

– It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.

Now to us this image doesn’t seem all that pleasant

– It actually sounds messy and inconvenient

– If someone poured so much oil on your head that it ran down your face and onto your clothes you would probably want to jump in the shower and put your clothes in the wash

But in ancient Middle Eastern culture it was customary for the host to greet a guest by pouring oil on their head

– It was a way of saying welcome, you have a special place of honour among us, we are pleased you are here

– Oil on the head was a picture of generous hospitality – it was an expression of unity

We read of Jesus being anointed in this way on more than one occasion in the gospels, by women (because the men were preoccupied)

But the picture in verse 2 isn’t just one of hospitality – for the verse goes on to describe the anointing of Aaron, the high priest of Israel during the time of Moses

– Aaron was anointed with a special kind of oil – one mixed with perfume

– So the oil of unity is sacred and it has a pervasive aroma

– Unity is a pleasant fragrance which cannot be contained and which everyone can enjoy [1]

Jesus is our high priest – he is the Christ or the Messiah

– Christ and Messiah mean the same thing: anointed one

– Jesus (the anointed one) is the head of the church and we are the members of Christ’s body

– Although we are quite diverse in many ways we are united by Christ

– Jesus brings order to our diversity and the oil of his Spirit is a pleasant fragrance which cannot be contained

The main thing to note in verses 2 & 3 of psalm 133 is that the oil of unity runs down – it descends from above, meaning that unity comes from God above

– Unity is not manufactured by us from the ground up – it is a gift (or a blessing) bestowed by God from on high

We heard last week about the builders of the Tower of Babel

– In the end their unity was revealed to be false for they were trying to manufacture it themselves from the ground up

– That kind of forced unity never lasts

– True unity is a blessing from God above – not a human achievement

Verse 3 offers a second simile for unity

– It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.

Mount Hermon is the highest mountain in Israel, found in the north near Galilee

– Hermon is proverbial for its heavy dew

– The mountains of Zion refer to the much smaller mountains in the south of Israel on which the city of Jerusalem was built

– Hermon and Zion were diverse geographically speaking (they were spaced well apart) and they were quite different in height

– Yet little Mount Zion enjoyed the same gift as grand old Hermon – they both share the same dew from heaven above

– High and low drink the same sweet refreshment. [2]

– Like the labourers in Jesus’ parable, at the end of the day, we are all paid the same, regardless of how many hours we worked

Perhaps also, as King of Israel, David is reflecting on what God has done in uniting the different tribes of Israel – bringing the north and the south together

– David sees a diverse range of people all coming together to worship God at his footstool in Jerusalem and he appreciates the harmony of it all

In any case, unity is a life giving blessing from God

– Just as oil flows down from the head and just as dew comes down from above, so too unity comes down to us from God above

The thing is though that God often blesses us with unity in unexpected ways

– Just last Friday night there was a power cut in Tawa – it was a complete black out

– But it was also a blessing to our family – it was something a bit different, something fun and unexpected that brought us together

– We lit candles, gathered close, laughed and talked because there wasn’t anything else we could do

– It was quite a lovely time of family unity and felt like a gift from God

Unity is for sharing:

As well as showing us that unity comes from God above, the two images in psalm 133 also show us that unity is not designed to be contained

– Rather, unity is for sharing

– The pleasant fragrance of the perfumed oil on Aaron’s head and shoulders cannot be contained – the aroma is for everyone

– Likewise the dew of Hermon falls liberally on Zion as well – it is not funnelled off somewhere exclusive – it is for high and low alike

Given that unity is a gift from God and given that it may come to us in unexpected ways, when it does come we need to be careful to recognise it and share it, without getting in the way – without creating a blockage

– We need to ask ourselves how can we be a conduit for God’s gift of unity

In Luke 12 Jesus tells a rather sobering parable about a man whose land yielded a bumper crop

– This blessing from God above created a problem for the farmer

– Instead of consulting with his neighbours though he ignored his community and tried to figure out the problem on his own

– He said to himself: ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

– Still talking to himself he said, ‘I know, I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones to store all my grain – then I’ll be able to retire early, put my feet up and take life easy.’

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

The tragedy is this man didn’t realise he was actually quite disconnected and God was trying to bless him with the gift of unity in the form of a bumper crop

– If only he had talked with his neighbours he might have realised how his actions would only isolate him further

– By holding onto the grain the farmer was driving the price up

– If he had been less greedy and sold the grain at a lower price then the rest of the community would have benefited, especially the poor

– Everyone would have enjoyed the pleasant fragrance of God’s special anointing on his land

– High and low alike would have been refreshed by the dew of Hermon poured out on him

– What’s more he would have enjoyed something far better than money – he would have experienced how good and pleasant it is to dwell in unity

By keeping it all for himself the man (ironically) rejected God’s gift of unity

– He became a blockage to unity and God had little choice but to remove the blockage by taking back his life

Jesus told some really sad stories aye. That one was real tragic. I’m more of a happy ending kind of guy so let’s imagine this parable differently

Once there was a farmer who worked on his land from dawn till dusk six days a week

– God had been good to him and blessed his hard work so that he was able to pay off his mortgage about 10 years sooner than he expected

– But these kinds of gains come at a cost

– As a consequence of working such long hours he didn’t have time for a wife and family – his was a relatively solitary life

He did reserve Sundays as a day off though when he would go into town to attend church in the morning before picking up some groceries from the supermarket on the way home

– It wasn’t that he was particularly religious – he went to church mostly for the social contact (the cuppa and chat afterwards was his favourite part)

As the years went by the city expanded into the countryside and it was just a matter of time before property developers started eyeing up his farmland to build new homes for a hungry suburban market

– One such developer offered the farmer 5x what he had paid for his land

– It was a tempting offer – with no mortgage and this sort of cash in the bank he could retire before he was 50

That Sunday the preacher at church spoke about the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12

– The farmer didn’t normally care for the sermon that much but this particular week he hung on every word

– After reflecting on Jesus’ parable he decided not to get back to the developer just yet

The next Sunday, over coffee after the service, the farmer mentioned to one of the bankers in the congregation that he had been approached by a developer who was wanting to buy his land and turn it into a sub-division

– The banker asked what the developer was offering and, on hearing a figure, explained how the land would be worth a lot more than that after it had been sliced up – The farmer had guessed as much

– The banker asked if the farmer would consider subdividing the land himself

The following Sunday the farmer got into a conversation with a young guy in his 20’s who was saving to buy a house – it was tough to get a deposit together these days, especially with a large student loan

– The farmer didn’t say anything about the developer’s offer this time

– He was all of sudden conscious of a great divide between the two of them

– So he offered the young guy some extra work on his farm

– The young man was grateful and proved to be pretty good at fencing

– To his surprise the farmer found he quite enjoyed the company

– It had been a long time since he had worked with someone, it made the job seem more pleasant somehow

A few more weeks went by and the developer returned with an even bigger offer – but this time the farmer said ‘no’

– Instead he made an offer of his own – not to the developer but to the young guy and his wife

– He sold them a parcel of his land for half what the developer was offering him – which was about a quarter of the retail rate

– To make the deal even sweeter he had a lawyer draw up a contract saying as long as they lived in the house they could pay him back interest free over a 20 year period

The couple still needed to borrow from the bank to build the house but the reduced cost of the land and the less onerous repayments made getting into their own home more affordable

– The great divide he had sensed at first, between himself and the young man, was gone – the farmer felt closer to his neighbours

He did the same thing for others who were struggling, gradually selling pieces of his farm at below market rates

– It meant reducing stock numbers a bit and being a bit smarter with his pasture management but it was workable because he was freehold

As the farmer shared his land a tight but diverse community developed so he became less isolated and more connected

– He no longer needed to work 12 hours a day six days a week on his own – there were always willing neighbours ready to lend him hand

– No one defaulted on their loans – partly because he was discerning about who he helped but also because a bit of grace usually motivates people to do the right thing

The farmer worked till he was 65 before taking his super and he lived comfortably in his retirement till his death at age 84

When asked by the pastor one day why he had helped so many people the farmer replied…

– “When I look back on it I realise it wasn’t me who did it. I was isolated and alone before God blessed me with unity. All I had to do was get out of the way so God could do His thing.”

Conclusion:

Unity is diversity with order

– Unity is pleasant

– Unity comes down to us from God above, often in unexpected ways

– Ultimately though unity is for sharing

Let us pray…

– Father God, we thank you for your gift of unity through Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit

– Help us to recognise your blessings when they come and to be a conduit for unity by sharing your good gifts

– We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/11-jun-2017-unity

[1] Refer Derek Kidner’s commentary on ‘Psalms 73-150’, page 489

[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150, page 489.

June 4, 2017June 5, 2017 Tawa Baptist

The Tower of Babel

Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9 (also Acts 2:1-12)

Title: The Tower of Babel

Structure:

Introduction
A stairway to heaven
God’s judgment is salvation
Conclusion – Pentecost

Introduction:

The New Zealand short story writer, Owen Marshall, has a poem called The Divided World

– It’s quite long so I won’t read you the whole thing but here’s a few lines,

The world is divided between those who blame Lucifer, and those who blame a lack of dietary fibre – between the superstitious, and the unimaginative

The world is divided between those who say they adore the country and never go there, and those who say they hate the city and never leave it

The world is divided between those who try themselves, and those who seek a less corrupt judge.

The world is divided between those who are tolerant and wise, and their husbands. Between the people we always suspected, and the butlers who did it.

The world is divided between those who have shifted to the North Island, and those passed over for promotion;

Between those who face the world with a religion, and those who wish to but have only irony in its place.

The world is divided between those who boast of their climate, and those who rejoice in secret that a cold wind isolates a landscape; between the few now, and the great majority on the other side.

The world is divided between those who are proud, and those who have lost their self-respect and so become the most dangerous of men;

When we look around the world today we see a great deal of division

– The U.K. is divided over the Brixit issue

– The U.S. is divided over Donald Trump’s nationalism

– Syria is divided by Assad’s regime

– The Middle East is divided by the Israeli / Palestinian conflict

– While East Africa is divided by war and famine

– Closer to home, families are divided by divorce

Today our message focuses on the story of the Tower of Babel – this is one of the traditional readings for Pentecost

– It speaks to a divided world

– From Genesis 11, verses 1-9 we read…

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ²As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

³They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

⁵But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

⁸So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

A stairway to heaven:

In 1971 Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote a song called Stairway to Heaven

– It became a rock classic & was later criticised (in the 80’s) by people who said that when you play it backwards one of the lines talks about Satan

– If that’s true then I suggest you don’t play it backwards

– It sounds better if you play it forwards anyway

The first verse goes something like this…

There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold And she’s buying a stairway to heaven. When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed With a word she can get what she came for. Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.

When asked what the song was about Robert Plant said it was “about a woman getting everything she wanted all the time without giving back any thought or consideration…” [1]

In other words, it’s about someone who is a bit spoilt in that they always get their own way, while taking others for granted

– The song criticizes those who think they are entitled to special treatment because they have lots of money or because of who they know

– This verse in particular is saying you can’t buy happiness – you can’t expect money to make life perfect, you can’t buy a stairway to heaven

– You are not entitled to special treatment – life doesn’t owe you anything

Now, I’m not here to defend Led Zeppelin – I have no interest in condoning them or condemning them (and I can’t speak for the rest of the song either)

– It’s simply an illustration to help us better understand Genesis 11

– The people who built the Tower of Babel were a little bit like the woman in the song who thought she could buy a stairway to heaven

Genesis 11 is set sometime between Noah and Abraham when everyone still spoke the same language

– Language is a great unifier – being able to reach a common understanding connects us and helps us to work together cooperatively

– As the descendants of Noah repopulated the earth a group of them migrated east and settled on the plains of Mesopotamia where they decided to build a city with a tower reaching to the heavens

– They were essentially trying to build a stairway to heaven

According to archaeologists and historians the tower of Babel was most probably an ancient ziggurat. It would have looked a bit like a pyramid with a staircase to the top. Unlike a pyramid though it wasn’t hollow inside and it wasn’t used as a tomb.

In those times people didn’t actually live in the city like we do today – the city was more of a temple complex

– The purpose of the tower was to provide a gateway and a staircase for the gods to come down from their heavenly realm and bless the people

– People didn’t walk up and down the staircase themselves – it was sacred space for the gods to use

– Therefore, the ziggurat or the Tower of Babel was very much a symbol of pagan religion

Now when we hear the word ‘pagan’ we tend to think of someone who has no religion, when in actual fact a pagan is very religious

– Pagans seek to placate and manipulate the gods for their own benefit

– Pagans view the gods as having needs

– They think, “If I take care of the gods, by making sacrifices and offerings, then they will take care of me”

– It is a quid pro quo arrangement: you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours

– Pagans basically think they can pay the gods off and buy their way into heaven

In contrast to paganism, Christians believe there is only one God and He doesn’t have needs – He is Holy – meaning (among other things) that He is morally good and He doesn’t need us to take care of Him

– God is not short of cash or any other resource

– He doesn’t need anyone to build him a staircase to come down from heaven and He doesn’t need anyone to feed him with offerings of food

– In fact it is the other way around – we need God to provide for us

Now, because God has no needs he cannot be manipulated – He is free – and the idea of a free God who won’t be manipulated is quite scary for some

– What might the most powerful being in the universe to do us?

Given that we need God to provide for our needs and given that we can’t control God then it logically follows the only way we can relate with God is by faith – by trusting in His goodness & grace to provide for us

Faith in God’s grace, as opposed to buying a stairway to heaven – this is what makes Christian religion different from pagan religions

Verse 4 of Genesis 11 reveals the pagan nature of the building project

– The people were building a city and a staircase for the gods so they could make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the whole earth

– They were seeking to harness the power of the gods to leave a legacy – to make themselves famous and secure

– We need to be careful what we wish for – the people of Babel did become infamous for all the wrong reasons

The builders of Babel’s stairway to heaven stand in stark contrast to Abram – the wandering Aramean who doesn’t settle in one place for too long, but walks by faith, trusting in God’s promises

You know, sometimes paganism can creep into Christianity

– In its most obvious form paganism is known as ‘cargo cult’ or ‘prosperity doctrine’

– The idea that if I give a lot of money to God he will bless me with health and prosperity and my life will go well – this is false

– God does not promise us health and prosperity – these things are not entitlements. Nor are they for sale. They are gifts, pure and simple

– We give back to God out of gratitude for what he has already given us

– We give without strings

– We practice generosity because God is generous

Sometimes though our paganism can be more subtle

– Maybe we live a good clean life,

– We meet our obligations and pay our taxes,

– We take care of our family,

– We serve in the life of the church (perhaps sacrificially),

– We do everything right and yet we still have this abiding feeling of resentment, simmering away just beneath the surface

– If that’s the case for us then perhaps on some sub conscious level our paganism is at work so that we think we are being short changed and that God owes us for all we’ve done for him

– Like the lady in the song (deep down) we think we are entitled

One way to counter the dormant paganism which resides in each of us is to stay in touch with our vices – be honest with ourselves about our sin

– If we turn a blind eye to the darkness in us and if try too hard to be good all the time, it usually comes back to bite us on the bum

– We end up thinking that our good behaviour entitles us to special treatment, so that we shouldn’t suffer injustice or misfortune

– We are not entitled to any special treatment in this life

– God doesn’t promise that we won’t suffer.

– To be sustainable our good behaviour needs to be born out of gratitude for God’s grace, not out of fear of calamity

The elder brother, in the parable of the prodigal son, shows us the ugly face of paganism when he refuses to come in and celebrate his younger brother’s return

– The elder son thinks his long service and good behaviour entitles him to certain benefits which his reckless undeserving brother is now enjoying

– He resents the Father’s grace toward the younger son

In the parable of the labourers we see an attitude of entitlement (and paganism) by those who worked all day and were paid the same as those who worked less time

These are negative examples – let me give you a more positive one…

– You may remember Steve Askin, the helicopter pilot who died while fighting fires in Canterbury earlier this year

– Well Steve’s dad is a Baptist pastor – Paul Askin

– I shared a ride from the airport to a pastors’ conference with Paul Askin a few years ago – he’s a genuine soul

Anyway, after his son Steve had died fighting the fire, Paul was interviewed by the news media and he said…

– ‘I got to spend 38 years with Steve’

– What struck me here is that Paul said this with gratitude

– Although he had suffered a terrible loss Paul was thankful for the time he had been given with his son

– He didn’t deny his loss but nor did he deny the gift of Steve’s life

Paul is an outstanding pastor – he has served God faithfully for many years

– If anyone might deserve a break its him

– But Paul didn’t think his service to the Lord entitled him to special benefits – despite the pain he was in there was no resentment

Now I’m not saying it’s bad to feel angry when we suffer loss

– Resentment is not always a sign of paganism

– Grief is an unpredictable critter and we all handle our grief in different ways the best we can

– All I’m saying is: in that moment, when Paul was at his most vulnerable, I saw Christ who didn’t think he was entitled to special favours because he was God’s Son but rather accepted the cross he was given

God’s judgment is salvation:

In verse 5 the Lord comes down to see the not yet completed city and tower

– Clearly the Lord didn’t need the people to build him a stairway – he was quite capable of managing the journey to earth without their help

The fact that God came down to investigate shows us that God is fair & just

– He doesn’t react rashly or flippantly – the Lord’s response is measured and considered – taking into account the facts

When God sees what they are doing he says to the heavenly council (which is presumably the other members of the Trinity and the angels in heaven)…

“If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

God can see the people have embarked on a bad path – one which would ultimately be destructive to the builders’ themselves and to others

– So God intervenes to prevent a disaster

Now we might ask ourselves, ‘What is the offense here? Why does God deem it necessary to intervene?’

– Well, it’s not that cities or towers or other forms of technology are bad and it’s not that working together is bad either

– Nor is it bad to want to leave a legacy

– As we heard last week God chose a city (Jerusalem) as a dwelling for his footstool – the Ark

– Not only that but he promised to make David’s name great and give David an everlasting legacy

Most likely the problem is with the people’s perception of God – their pagan theology sucks [2]

– They have seriously misunderstood God by thinking he has needs and can be manipulated like a man

– Paganism is fundamentally bad because it is based on a lie and eventually leads to all sorts of evil including human sacrifice

– As a consequence God prevents them from doing further harm by taking away the key to their success – he confuses their language

Imagine for a moment that you’ve had some friends over to watch the rugby

– Although you have been a responsible host one of your mates has had a bit too much to drink

– You invite him to stay for the night but he refuses. So you offer to drive him home yourself but he won’t let you do that either

– In the end you have no choice but to take his keys off him and wait for him to pass out on your living room floor

– He isn’t too happy with you but that’s better than letting him drive drunk at the risk of causing an accident

By deeming your mate unfit to drive and taking his keys away you have passed judgment on him – but it’s a merciful judgment – a judgment which saves him

By confusing the languages God was taking the keys away from the builders and passing judgment on them – but it was a merciful judgment

– In fact God’s judgment (in this context) is also His salvation

By scattering the people over all the earth the Lord was actually giving them a second chance – He wasn’t destroying them

– But nor was he enabling their fantasy – he wasn’t colluding with their lie

– He was putting them in a position of vulnerability where they would have a better chance of learning to trust Him

Verse 9 explains why the abandoned building site was called “Babel”

– Babel is a parody on the Akkadian word Babilu from which we get the name Babylon – meaning ‘gate of god’ [3]

– I say that Babel is a parody of Babilu because Babel is the Hebrew word for confusion and as providence would have it Babel also sounds very close to the English word babble

Babylon (or Babel as the Jews called it) was of course a city of exile for the Hebrew people – so you could imagine the delight the Jewish exiles had in reading this story of Babel – the city of their enemies

– The narrator of Genesis is essentially criticising Babylonian theology

– He’s basically saying, you think that Babylon is the ‘gate of the gods’ but you are confused – completely deluded in fact.

– You can’t build or buy a stairway to heaven.

– Right relationship with God is by faith, not manipulation.

Conclusion:

Today we celebrate Pentecost and the gift of God’s Spirit

– At Pentecost we catch a glimpse of God’s plan of salvation for the world

– The Holy Spirit translates the truth about Jesus for us

– Not only that but the Holy Spirit resides in our hearts

– And when the Spirit of Jesus is in our heart we don’t need to build a stairway to heaven because God is right there inside us already

– Like an antidote to our hidden paganism the Spirit gently shows us our vices (He convicts us of our sin) and reassures us of God’s grace & forgiveness

When we look at what happened next (after Acts 2) we find that Jesus’ followers didn’t gather in Jerusalem for long

– Rather God scattered the believers outward from Jerusalem to Samaria and to the ends of the earth,

– And as they went the believers spread the good news of salvation by faith in Jesus

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/4-jun-2017-the-tower-of-babylon

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

[2] Refer John Walton’s (NIVAC) on Genesis, pages 371-377 and 379-382.

[3] Refer Bruce Waltke’s commentary on Genesis, page 181.

May 29, 2017May 29, 2017 Tawa Baptist

Kings & Priests

Scripture: Psalm 132

Title: Kings & Priests

Structure:

Introduction
A place to call home (King David)
A call to worship (Priests)
Conclusion – Jesus (King & Priest)

Introduction:

Once there was a young man smitten with a beautiful girl

– She was somewhat indifferent to him though, and careless with his feelings in the way pretty girls can afford to be, but this didn’t deter him

– When the young man heard the girl’s birthday was coming up he told her he would send her a bouquet of flowers, one for each year of her life

– Later that afternoon he called the local florist and ordered 21 roses, with instructions that they be delivered on the girl’s birthday

As the florist was preparing the order he decided, that since the young man was such a good customer, he would put an extra dozen roses in the bouquet, bringing the total to 33

– The girl didn’t take it so well and fortunately for the young man, he never heard from her again

– Years later he found someone else better able to reciprocate his love [1]

This morning we return to our series on the Songs of Ascents

– These songs were probably sung by Jewish pilgrims as they made their way to the temple in Jerusalem for various religious festivals

– They are songs for the journey home to God

Our focus today is psalm 132 – It is a kind of a duet in two halves

– The first half is essentially a prayer asking God to remember King David and his plans to build a house for the Lord

– While the second half details the Lord’s response to this prayer

– Like the florist in the story, God answers by giving his people more than they asked for or imagined.

– Sometimes His ‘more’ may seem like a set back to us – but in the long run it proves better. From the NIV we read…

¹Lord, remember David and all his self-denial. ²He swore an oath to the Lord, he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: ³“I will not enter my house or go to my bed, ⁴I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, ⁵till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.” ⁶We heard of it in Ephrathah, we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:⁷“Let us go to his dwelling place, let us worship at his footstool, saying,⁸‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. ⁹May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy.’” ¹⁰For the sake of your servant David, do not reject your anointed one. ¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne. ¹²If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”¹³For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, ¹⁴“This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it. ¹⁵I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor I will satisfy with food. ¹⁶I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.¹⁷“Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one. ¹⁸I will clothe his enemies with shame, but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

A place to call home:

There’s been a lot in the news lately about housing shortages, especially in Auckland but also in other main centres

– Tawa has seen a bit of development as well

– For some years now new houses have been going in around the Woodman Drive area

– More recently a sub-division has been going ahead at Kenepuru

– And we hear of plans for medium density housing around the Tawa Junction area

– People are wanting room – a place to call home, space to dwell and rest

– And for many that involves sacrifice & self denial just to save enough for a deposit

Psalm 132 begins with the psalmist remembering David’s self denial before the Lord

To remember means more than just re-calling to mind a thought from the past

– The kind of remembering the psalmist is doing here is tangible and practical – like when someone ‘remembers you in their will’ – they actually do something for you

– On ANZAC day we remember the self denial and sacrifice of soldiers by taking a day off work and holding dawn services to pay our respects

– More than this though we don’t take our freedom for granted

– In NZ when someone reaches the age of 65 the government remembers their years of tax paying and contribution to society by giving them a weekly superannuation payment and a gold card

– We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us – we appreciate the benefits their self denial has brought

So when the psalmist says, Lord, remember David and all his self-denial, I think he is letting God know that he values the legacy David has left

– He doesn’t take David’s self denial for granted

– It’s kind of a thanksgiving for what David did in the past

Verses 2-5 detail David’s vow to find a place for the Lord

– David plans to deny himself – he won’t rest until he has made room for God

What then does it mean to find a place for the Lord?

– After all, God fills the universe – how can David possibly create a dwelling for God?

– That would be like me thinking I could dig a hole large enough to contain the oceans of the world

David is well aware that God cannot be contained in a house – God will not be domesticated

– More than likely psalm 132 has the events of 2^nd Samuel chapters 6 & 7 in mind when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem

This is a picture of what the Ark of the Covenant might have looked like

– For Israel the Ark embodied the holy presence & rule of the Lord God

– It was also a tangible reminder of God’s covenant with Israel as it contained the 10 commandments

Since its construction in the wilderness the Ark had been kept in a tent

– Having the embodiment of God’s presence travelling around in a tent showed the people that God wasn’t tied down to one specific location

– For many years the Ark had sat in obscurity on someone’s farm until David thought to bring it Jerusalem

– Then, once David had brought the Ark to the capital, it began to bother him that the Ark was kept under canvas while he lived in a flash palace

– So when David talks about finding a place for the Lord, he means he wants to provide better accommodation for the Ark – he wants to bring it to Jerusalem and build a temple to house it

Interestingly God is referred to (in verse 5) as “the Mighty One of Jacob”

– Jacob was famous for wrestling with God all night as he returned home after many years away

– Perhaps there is an association here with David wrestling or struggling in his efforts to find a place for the Lord to dwell

– Certainly it wasn’t an easy thing bringing the Ark to Jerusalem

– It took David two attempts and a man died in the process

– Not only that but David became estranged from one of his wives

David also wrestled with God over building a temple to house the Ark

– David lost sleep over this issue – it kept him up at night, just as the angel of the Lord kept Jacob up all night in a wrestling match

I think there is a point of application here for us today

– In our busy lives God often gets crowded out and like David it requires some self denial and commitment on our part to create room for God

Let me illustrate what I mean…

– One of the consequences of more housing in Tawa is more pressure on infrastructure and roads

– The intersection on the Main Rd and Surrey St, just outside the church here is a case in point

– The Council would like to put a roundabout there to help traffic flow

– And while there are some benefits for the wider community in having a roundabout those benefits come at a cost to the church – in particular its looking likely that we will lose around a dozen car parks give or take

– The Council have been really good in talking with us about how we can minimise the loss of parks – they have gone out of their way to help us by seeking to free up other parks nearby

– Obviously we would want to reserve the closest parks for the elderly, for those with young children and for visitors or newcomers

– But there will be some who may have to deny themselves by parking further away in Oxford St, for example

Now the church doesn’t exist for itself – we are here for Jesus and for the world that God loves – so I’m not protesting against the roundabout

– If it benefits the wider community then perhaps we need to see the loss of parking as part of our mission of being a blessing to the world

I’m also aware that having to park a little further away is a relatively minor inconvenience, especially when compared with the events in Manchester this past week

– But although it’s a relatively small thing it is yet another thing in a long list of things which put distance between the church and society and make it more difficult for people to attend worship services

The loss of parks seems to me to be a kind of parable in that it illustrates what’s happening on a larger scale in NZ today

– Incrementally, over time, God and the church are getting crowded out of our society by all sorts of things, like work & sports and other stuff

– At the same time there is a growing distance between the church and society: the church often holds values which are at odds with society and we Christians cringe at the way the church is misrepresented in the media

– Our society is generally less accommodating to God and the church (as we’ve seen with CRE) and so it is becoming harder to be a Christian

– Therefore we who believe in Jesus need to be more intentional, more committed in making a place in our own lives for God to dwell

– Like David, it is going to require more self denial on our part, to build a bridge between church and society

Returning to psalm 132: Despite David’s good intentions the Lord God did not want David to build a house (or a temple) for Him

– Instead, the Lord would build a house (as in a royal dynasty) for David

In verses 2-5 David makes a vow to God, now in verses 11-12 God makes a vow to David, saying…

– “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne…”

– The Lord is referring here to Solomon

– David would not be the one to build a temple for the Lord, but his son Solomon would

God then goes on to make a conditional promise to David…

– “If your sons keep my covenant… then their sons will sit on your throne forever…”

This was a pretty big deal

– Moses’ sons didn’t become the leaders of Israel after him

– Nor did Joshua’s or Samuel’s or Saul’s

– This was new – David had no reason (in history) to think that his descendants would be king after him

– Here God is giving David far more than he ever asked for or imagined

– We can’t out give God – He is too generous

A call to worship:

When I was about 6 my dad decided to build a swimming pool in our backyard

– My dad likes a project and he is pretty handy at that sort of thing

– It was 1976 so the pool was kidney shaped and deep enough to dive into

– Anyway, dad decided he wouldn’t get a digger in to excavate the hole for the pool but would dig it out himself by hand

When we started I thought that with my help we could dig the hole in a day, but I quickly learned I had overestimated my digging ability

– Despite all my efforts it took me most of the morning to shift half a cubic metre with my little spade

– In the end my contribution was fairly modest and I had to adjust the timeframe I had in mind for completion of the project

We worked on digging that hole for weeks but it was worth it in the end

– We got so much fun and enjoyment out of that pool

– Of course it’s the end you need to keep in mind when you are shovelling clay – it’s the end that keeps you going

– The interesting thing is that when the end is in sight you find a second wind – an extra burst of energy in anticipation of realising your goal

For the Jewish pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem to worship the Lord the journey was perhaps a bit like digging out the hole for the pool by hand

– They didn’t fly there in a plane or drive there in a car or ride on a train

– They typically walked, sometimes a very long way

– This wasn’t a journey they could knock off in a day – it might take weeks depending on where they had come from

– But by keeping the end in mind – thinking about the temple in Jerusalem – they found the strength to keep going

Returning to verse 6…

– Ephrathah and Jaar refer to the region around Bethlehem, David’s hometown – Bethlehem is quite close to Jerusalem, about 9 km’s away

Verses 7-9 appear to be a call to worship

– As the Jewish pilgrim’s walk through the fields of Jaar they know they are getting close, the end is in sight and they get a second wind, so they say: “Let us go to his dwelling place…” that is, to the Lord’s temple

– “Let us worship at his footstool” – his footstool being the Ark

Verse 8 recalls the time of the Exodus from Egypt when Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years

– The Lord God led the people by a pillar of cloud and fire

– Each time the pillar moved the Israelites would pick up the Ark and say,

– Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place, you & the ark of your might.

– They were essentially asking God to bring them home to the Promised Land

Verse 13 of psalm 132 tells us the Lord chose Zion for his dwelling – his resting place

– For the psalmist, in the Old Testament, Zion equated to Jerusalem – basically the main centre from which God ruled

– For us Christians though Zion isn’t limited to geographic Jerusalem – it is essentially anywhere that God reigns

– So Zion is a code word for God’s kingdom – the kingdom of heaven

Verse 15 tells us that where God reigns (where His kingdom has come) there is abundance and no poverty

– I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor I will satisfy with food

– Verse 15 is looking forward to the realisation of God’s kingdom in its fullness when everyone will have enough

– We haven’t got there yet, we are still digging the hole, still fighting against hunger and poverty in our time – and so the underlying assumption of the economic system we live under is scarcity

– But this is not what the end looks like at all – the underlying assumption of God’s kingdom (of Zion) is abundance

– What was it Jesus said? I have come that you may have abundant life

In connection with worshipping at God’s footstool (at the Ark) we have the prayer (in verse 9) that the Lord’s priests be clothed with righteousness;

– The Lord responds positively to this desire in verse 16 saying…

– I will clothe her priests with salvation, & her saints will ever sing for joy

These two verses are almost identical, except that in one the priests are clothed in righteousness while in the second the priests are clothed in salvation

– Righteousness means ‘right relationship’ – dealing with people in a way that is fair and kind.

– While salvation means being given abundant life, as opposed to being destroyed or excluded

– Salvation comes in many forms: physical healing, forgiveness of sins, peace in our relationships, deliverance from evil, the eradication of poverty, acceptance into God’s family and so on

– In the Bible righteousness & salvation are not things we achieve by our own efforts – they are gifts from God received by faith – by trusting God

– Having said that God still likes to involve us in the process

When I was digging the hole for the pool with my Dad and my Pop, they pretty much did all the work – my contribution was quite small really and yet I probably got more use and enjoyment out of the pool than they did

– It’s a bit like that with God’s gifts of righteousness and salvation – God does most (if not all) of the spade work but he still accepts what we bring

One of the key roles of the priests was to mediate God’s forgiveness to the people through the sacrificial system

– The priests were there to help restore righteousness – that is to restore people to right relationship with God and between people

– Priests that are clothed in righteousness therefore are priests who are able to mediate forgiveness because they themselves have been forgiven and stand in right relationship with God

Closely related to their role in mediating God’s forgiveness, the priests also had a role in mediating God’s salvation

– The priests were a bit like doctors (except without the science)

– The priests didn’t necessarily heal people but they had the authority to declare someone clean after they had been healed or purified

– We read about this in the gospels. After Jesus healed some lepers he told them to show themselves to the priest so they could be declared clean and re-join the community

The Jewish priests wore special garments in carrying out their priestly duties – but wearing a special costume doesn’t make the priest fit to cleanse people, any more than wearing a surgical gown makes me fit to remove an appendix

The people’s prayer was for their priests to be clothed in righteousness

– But in verse 16 God responds by saying, I can do better than that. I will give you priests who are clothed in salvation – that is, priests who mediate my power to heal and cleanse

The other part of the prayer in verse 9 is that God’s faithful people sing for joy

– Worship should not be a loveless duty

– Singing for joy is the icing on the cake – it speaks of a life that is overflowing with gratitude for the goodness of God

– God’s response in verse 16 is that Zion’s faithful people (those who submit to God’s reign) will ever sing for joy

– Once again God answers his people’s prayer with more than they asked for or imagined – their joy will be forever, without end

– The grind of digging the hole for the pool may last for weeks but the joy of using it lasts a lifetime

Conclusion:

Psalm 132 concludes by looking forward in hope to God’s ‘anointed one’

– ‘Anointed One’ in Hebrew is Messiah

– As Christians we believe Jesus is the Messiah

We find three images for Jesus the Messiah in verses 17 & 18:

– Horn, lamp and crown

Horn is an image of strength

– Lamp is an image of clarity (or truth & wisdom)

– And crown is an image of royal dignity – not just power but holiness too [2]

Verse 18 tells us that the Messiah’s head will be adorned with a radiant crown

– The original Hebrew literally reads, ‘his crown will blossom’ [3]

– Unlike the glitter of a man-made crown which looks pretty but is still dead, God will adorn Jesus’ head with the crown of life

– God’s Messiah will be King over life and death

– The poetry here is pointing forward to Jesus’ resurrection life

The poetry is also pointing back to Aaron, the high priest of Israel during Moses’ time

– You may remember how God caused the wooden staff of Aaron to bud and blossom as a way of accrediting Aaron’s ministry as his priest

For Christians the connection is intuitive

– In and through Jesus, God’s promises are fulfilled

– Jesus replaces the Ark of the Covenant – he is the embodiment of God’s power & presence

– Jesus is the ideal priest clothed in righteousness and salvation with power to forgive sins and to bestow abundant life

– Jesus is David’s greater son who, following his resurrection from the dead, ascended to heaven where he sits enthroned in Zion

– And Jesus is God’s answer to his people’s prayers – an answer far more generous and far better than we asked for or imagined

– In short, Jesus is our hope and joy

Let us pray…

[1] Adapted from a story found in the book “The bells! The Bells!” compiled by Mark Stibbe, page 70.

[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150, page 488.

[3] Ibid.

May 14, 2017May 15, 2017 Tawa Baptist

People are treasure

Scripture: Acts 9:1-19

Title: People are treasure

Structure:

Introduction
The role of doubt
Jesus and Saul
Ananias and Saul
Conclusion

Introduction:

There is a legend told of the wives of Weinsberg

– The Duke of Weinsberg possessed an immense fortune in gold, silver and fine jewels, which he kept in his castle

The Duke had a falling out with King Konrad (the sovereign of the realm)

– And so Konrad gathered his army and laid siege to Weinsberg demanding the Duke’s fortress, the massive fortune and the lives of the men within

Although the King had allowed for the safe release of all women and children, the wives of Weinsberg refused to leave without having one of their own conditions met

– They requested that they be allowed to leave at sunrise the next day with whatever they could carry on their backs

Thinking the women couldn’t possibly make a dent in the massive fortune, the king decided to grant their request.

– After all, he would be hailed as a generous and merciful king and most of the Duke’s vast fortune would still be left for him

But the king got more than he bargained for

– The next morning at sunrise, as the women walked out, the entire army was stunned to silence as they saw each wife carrying her husband on her back – the wives valued their husbands more highly than silver or gold

Deeply moved by their love, King Konrad kept his word and no lives were lost that day.

– People are the real treasure

Today is the second of three Sundays when we promote Tranzsend’s prayer and self-denial campaign

– Tranzsend supports and resources NZ Baptist missionaries serving overseas

– The theme for this year’s self-denial campaign is treasures handed down

– Jesus is the greatest treasure God gave the world

– That God gave His only Son to save us shows that people are treasure

Please turn with me to Acts chapter 9 – page 161 toward the back of your pew Bibles

– Last week we heard how Jesus valued an outsider – the Ethiopian eunuch

– Today we hear how Jesus treats one of his enemies as a valued treasure

– From Acts chapter 9, verses 1-19 we read…

In the meantime Saul kept up his violent threats of murder against the followers of the Lord. He went to the High Priest ²and asked for letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he should find there any followers of the Way of the Lord, he would be able to arrest them, both men and women, and bring them back to Jerusalem.

³As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?”

⁵“Who are you, Lord?” he asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you persecute,” the voice said. ⁶“But get up and go into the city, where you will be told what you must do.”

⁷The men who were traveling with Saul had stopped, not saying a word; they heard the voice but could not see anyone. ⁸Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but could not see a thing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was not able to see, and during that time he did not eat or drink anything.

¹⁰There was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. He had a vision, in which the Lord said to him, “Ananias!”

“Here I am, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹The Lord said to him, “Get ready and go to Straight Street, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying, ¹²and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he might see again.”

¹³Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and about all the terrible things he has done to your people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And he has come to Damascus with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who worship you.”

¹⁵The Lord said to him, “Go, because I have chosen him to serve me, to make my name known to Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake.”

¹⁷So Ananias went, entered the house where Saul was, and placed his hands on him. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord has sent me—Jesus himself, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He sent me so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸At once something like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was able to see again. He stood up and was baptized; ¹⁹and after he had eaten, his strength came back.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

The role of doubt:

In Jane Austin’s novel Pride & Prejudice there is a great deal of tension between the two main characters, Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy

Elizabeth has strong feelings of affection for Mr Darcy but she is not willing to admit them – she is blinded by her prejudice

– Elizabeth wrongly assumes that Mr Darcy has a bad character and her prejudice creates this armour, this defence, this shell around her

Mr Darcy also has strong feelings of affection for Elizabeth, which he is well aware of – unfortunately his pride gets in the way

– He thinks himself so far above Elizabeth Bennett that he is not free to express his feelings without contempt

Prejudice blinds and pride binds

Acts 9 begins by telling us that Saul (a devout Jewish Pharisee) was on his way to Damascus to arrest the followers of Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem

– The same Saul who watched with approval as Stephen was murdered now fanatically persecutes the followers of Jesus himself

– Saul was a religious extremist – a fanatic

The psychologist Carl Jung once wrote…

– Fanaticism is only found in individuals who are compensating for secret doubts [1]

– In other words, the less convinced we are of our own position on a matter, the more strongly we are inclined to defend it

– Our pride and prejudice acts as a shield against the truth which our secret doubts point to

Now some people think doubt is a bad thing and certainly too much doubt can be a bad thing

– If we doubt ourselves all the time then we lose all confidence and find ourselves living in constant anxiety

– But we still need some doubt

– Doubt causes the carpenter to measure twice and cut once

– Doubt causes the scientist to find a proof for her theories

– Doubt causes the Christian to seek the Lord’s will in prayer and in studying the Scriptures

Doubt is not the same thing as fear

– Too much doubt can lead to fear but a little bit of doubt handled in the right way can lead us closer to the truth

Doubt is a bit like salt

– Too much salt and the meal is ruined

– But just the right amount of salt brings out the flavour (or the truth)

Jesus said to his followers – you are the salt of the earth

– I wonder if one of the things he meant by that was…

– Live your life in such a distinctively good way that it causes those who don’t yet know Christ to doubt their own beliefs

– Those seeds of doubt may start people on a journey of seeking Jesus

Doubt is not necessarily the enemy

– Doubt is what motivates us to check our facts and find out the truth

– The apparent absence of doubt suggests a proud and arrogant heart

– While a little bit of doubt indicates humility

The people who built the Titanic could have done with acknowledging their secret doubts – it would have saved many lives

– Instead they over compensated by arrogantly claiming their ship was unsinkable

The reason there was so much tension between Mr Darcy & Elizabeth Bennett was because they were both un-willing to acknowledge their doubts

– Perhaps the reason Saul was so obsessed with persecuting the followers of Jesus was because deep down he had his doubts about being a Pharisee

– Underneath it all Saul suspected that Stephen was right about Jesus

– But Saul’s pride bound him and his prejudice blinded him

It appears that Stephen’s witness to the risen Jesus strengthened by his example in asking God to forgive his murderers, affected Saul profoundly

– Stephen’s martyrdom really got under Saul’s skin and made him less certain about his previously held beliefs

Jesus & Saul:

In contrast to Saul’s pride & prejudice we see Jesus’ grace & truth

– The gospel of John tells us, the Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace & truth

– Jesus embodies grace and truth – he weaves the two together

By appearing to Saul on the road to Damascus and asking, “…why do you persecute me?” Jesus is confronting Saul with the truth, in a gracious way

– The most obvious truth here is that Jesus is not dead, he is risen – which makes it clear that Jesus is the Messiah of God and consequently the followers of Jesus are right, while Saul is wrong

– All at once Saul’s pride & prejudice is undone

Another difficult truth for Saul to face here is that by giving Jesus’ followers a hard time Saul was actually persecuting Jesus himself, God’s Messiah

– The followers of Jesus really are the body of Christ

– When we suffer, Jesus suffers

– And when we are kind to other believers, Jesus feels that kindness too

– What was it Jesus said?

– “What you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me?”

– People are the real treasure

That Saul was wrong and that he had been persecuting God’s Messiah were painful truths to face

– A third (more comforting) truth for Saul is that Jesus values him enough to intervene to save him

– Jesus does not destroy Saul, even though Saul has been seeking to destroy him

– Jesus does not threaten Saul with punishment, even though Saul has been persecuting him

– Nor does Jesus ignore Saul

– Instead, Jesus seeks to restore right relationship by being truthful about how Saul’s actions are affecting him

Jesus sees the potential (the treasure) in Saul and offers him a way out of his fanaticism

– There’s no force or fear or coercion from Jesus at all

– It’s like Jesus is simply giving Saul the information he needs and then trusting Saul, freeing him, to choose for himself

In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis writes about his own conversion, saying…

“I became aware that I was holding something at bay, or shutting something out. Or, if you like, that I was wearing some stiff clothing, like corsets, or even a suit of armour, as if I were a lobster. I felt myself being… given a free choice. I could open the door or keep it shut; I could unbuckle the armour or keep it on. Neither choice was presented as a duty; no threat or promise was attached to either… I was moved by no desires or fears. In a sense I was not moved by anything. I chose to open, to unbuckle, to loosen the rein. I say ‘I chose’, yet it did not seem possible to do the opposite. …I was aware of no motives. …I am more inclined to think this came nearer to being a perfectly free act than most I have ever done.” [2]

I understand Lewis to be saying here that he turned toward God freely

– He was not motivated by the fear of hell or the promise of heaven

– He simply surrendered his armour, let down his defences and opened himself in trust to the truth and grace of God

In verse 6 Jesus gives Saul a choice wrapped up in the command…

– “…get up and go into the city where you will be told what you must do”

– By obeying Jesus’ command Saul shows that he believes Jesus to be raised from the dead

– But as Saul gets up to leave he discovers that he cannot see

– The fact that Saul was blinded points to the objective reality of the experience – Saul could not discount what happened to him – it was real

Verse 9 tells us that Saul was blind for three days, during which time he did not eat or drink anything

– A total fast like this was both a sign of repentance and an act of humility in seeking God

Ananias & Saul:

People are treasure – that’s a statement which implies grace and truth at the same time

Paul Windsor, who was the principal of Carey College when we were training for ministry, had a grace & truth graph he liked to show us – sort of like this one

On this graph we have four quadrants as indicated by the colours yellow, blue, red and green (This being an election year I need to stress that these colours do not represent political parties – I’m not telling you who to vote for)

The yellow quadrant represents those who are low on truth and low on grace

– Before his encounter with the risen Jesus, Saul was most likely in the yellow quadrant – full of pride and prejudice, low on grace & truth

– Nationalism thrives in the yellow quadrant

The blue quadrant represents those who are high on truth & low on grace

– They might hold the Bible in high regard and have strict moral standards but have little tolerance for those who don’t share their point of view

The red quadrant is those who are high on grace and low on truth

– The reds are sort of the opposite of the blues – the reds are light on judgement and repentance, high on forgiveness and mercy

While the green quadrant represents those who are high on truth and grace

– Those in the green believe that God offers salvation to everyone, although not everyone accepts it

– God is able to forgive even the worst of sinners but His forgiveness is not automatic or unconditional – God’s offer of salvation requires a response from us

– Forgiveness and salvation are conditional on faith, repentance and us forgiving others. As Jesus taught us to pray:

– ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us’

Jesus exemplifies perfect grace & truth together so you want to be in the green quadrant if you can

– Ananias was in the green quadrant too – he embodies Jesus’ grace and truth together

Ananias also shows us a healthy way to handle our doubts

– When the Lord Jesus asks Ananias to place his hands on Saul so he may see again, Ananias is a bit reluctant at first

– He expresses his doubts in Jesus’ request saying…

– “Lord, many people have told me about this man and about all the terrible things he has done to your people in Jerusalem…”

– And you want me to welcome him and heal him?

Jesus doesn’t reprimand Ananias for airing his doubts

– Jesus is big enough to handle our doubts and he understands Ananias’ concerns: Ananias is measuring twice before he proceeds – he is making sure he understands correctly

If (or when) we have doubts about something we are generally best to lay those doubts before the Lord in prayer

– Be honest with God about what we are thinking and feeling

– Ask God to show us where the doubt is coming from

– Is this an unholy doubt put in our mind by the evil one to mislead us

– Or has God put the doubt there as a caution in our spirit so that we check our facts and measure twice to avoid error

– Either way when we are honest with God about our doubts, asking Him to clarify His will in the situation, our pride & prejudice is undone and we open ourselves to grace and truth – fanaticism doesn’t get a toe hold

When handled in a good way doubt actually leads us closer to the truth

– The outcome of being honest with Jesus about his doubts is that Ananias learns more of God’s plan for Saul. Jesus responds saying…

– Go, because I have chosen him to serve me, to make my name known to the Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel. And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake.

Having dealt with his doubts in an open and healthy way Ananias is now free to approach Saul without prejudice

– And so Ananias steps out in faith and obedience to Jesus

– He goes to Saul, lays his hands on him and says: “Brother Saul”

– There is so much grace and truth in those words

– ‘Brother Saul’ communicates to Saul that he is forgiven and accepted as one of the family – he is welcomed into the Christian community

– Saul has done nothing to deserve this acceptance but grace isn’t getting what we deserve – grace is getting what we need

As Ananias spoke something like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he was able to see again

– It’s like Jesus has freed Saul from his armour and answered his doubts

– After that Saul wasted no time in being baptised

Conclusion:

Let me tell you a story about a boy we will call Jim…

– Jim was a quiet kid – not shy exactly, more of a deep thinker

– He attended a Primary school where people from the local church came once a week for half an hour to talk about God and the Bible

– In many ways it was an easy half hour – you listened to a story, answered some questions if you felt like it and did an arts and crafts type activity

– Religious Education (or RE for short) they called it

– Way better than long division

Jim’s RE teacher (Mrs McFarlane) was really nice – always remembered people’s names, always talked about her three kids, Ruby, Hope and Josh and sometimes gave them home baking

One evening over dinner Jim (who was about 9 years old by this stage) asked his parents why they didn’t go to church

– “We don’t believe in God” was the reply his dad gave. His mum didn’t say anything

This made Jim wonder whether the Bible stories he had heard in RE were true or made up

– He figured his dad must know best and decided that he wouldn’t believe in God either

One Wednesday, just after the RE lesson had finished, Jim approached Mrs McFarlane and said to her, “I don’t believe in God”

– The classroom teacher (Mr Dench) was clearly embarrassed that Jim had said this and gave him a stern, disapproving look – as if to say, “Jim, that’s rude – you should apologise.”

But Mrs McFarlane just smiled and said…

– “It’s okay. Tell me James, why do you say that?”

– “I’m not sure exactly. Dad says that God is just pretend, like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. And you were talking about being honest today so I thought I should tell you the truth.”

– “I see”, Mrs McFarlane replied. “Well James, you don’t have to make up your mind about God just yet. You may feel differently when you are older. In the meantime I want you to know that you are welcome to continue attending my RE class if you want to. God still believes in you even if you don’t believe in him. He is big enough to handle your doubts”

Since it was morning break Jim left it at that and went outside to play with his mates

For a long time he didn’t give his conversation with Mrs McFarlane a second thought, although he did still attend her RE classes – she made a nice brownie

Ten years passed. Jim was 19 now and attending University

– He had his restricted license and was driving home in the dark one night when he lost control on a corner and collected a cyclist

– Jim was okay but the young guy on the bike was in a bad way

– Although Jim had never been to church his parents had still raised him to do the right thing and so he never even thought about doing a runner

– He called 111 on his cell-phone and asked for an ambulance

– Then he waited with the cyclist until help came

For some reason (he wasn’t sure why) Jim remembered Mrs McFarlane’s RE class and that conversation he had with her 10 years ago where he had said he didn’t believe in God and she had said, “God still believes in you. He’s big enough to handle your doubts.”

– In that moment, while he looked at the injuries he had caused, it didn’t make sense to not believe in God

– He found himself saying under his breath, “God, if you are there and you really do believe in me then please make this right – let him live.”

Jim was a long time being interviewed by the police – they weren’t in any hurry to process him. They were being careful to do everything by the book so he wouldn’t get away with it

– Jim kept wanting to know how the cyclist was but no one would tell him

When Jim got home his dad was livid – there was no grace with his dad, just plenty of hard truths

– Jim didn’t have anything to say – he knew he was in deep trouble

– He just stayed in his room for three days without checking Facebook once

Eventually the police came round and sat him down in the living room with his parents

– The cyclist was going to live and (much to the constable’s disgust) the boy’s do-gooder parents had asked them to go easy on Jim

– Jim would lose his licence for a while but he wouldn’t do jail time

Jim was relieved. He didn’t get the punishment he knew he deserved – he got the grace he needed

Jim asked the police for the cyclist’s name so he could visit him in hospital to say ‘sorry’ but the police wanted to check with the family first

– A few days later they phoned back. His name was Josh – Josh McFarlane

– Jim felt like he had been punched in the chest – could it be?

He took the shuttle from Kenepuru to Wellington hospital telling himself he wouldn’t stay long – just long enough to apologise and leave

– But when he got there Josh was sleeping, so Jim sat in the chair & waited

– Half an hour passed before Jim felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and a soft voice in his ear saying, “James, my friend. I’m so pleased you came.”

– It was his RE teacher, Mrs McFarlane, Josh’s mum

– There was no recrimination, no judgment, no condemnation

– Just a kind smile and a warm hug to answer his doubts about God

Let us pray…

[1] Quoted in John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 172.

[2] Quoted in John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 173.

May 8, 2017 Tawa Baptist

Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch

Scripture: Acts 8:26-40

Title: The Gospel as Treasure

Structure:

Introduction
Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch
Conclusion

Introduction:

Recently Robyn & I were fortunate enough to spend a week in Taupo

– While we were there we came across a pamphlet detailing the top 10 walking tracks around the Taupo area

– One of these walks was up Mount Tauhara, which is the mountain you can see tucked behind the Taupo township

– I was quite keen to climb this mountain so Robyn and I came to a mutual agreement that she would go shopping for a mothers’ day present for my mum while I went climbing (climbing is less exhausting than shopping)

Anyway, Mt Tauhara isn’t that tall – the summit is only 1,088 meters and the track begins half way up anyway – but it is pretty steep all the way

– I smashed it – got the top in 1 hour – which isn’t bad for an old guy

At the top a woman, with her three kids, laid down a painted rock

– She explained to the rest of us there what she was doing

– The idea is to paint a rock and then write on the back # the name of your town Rocks

– For example, we might write #TawaRocks or if you come from Dunedin you would write #DunedinRocks

You hide the rock somewhere that people are likely to find it and then the finder snaps a photo holding it, uploads the photo onto social media, and re-hides it for someone else to find

– It’s sort of like a treasure hunt – except you don’t keep the treasure for yourself, you pass it on for others
– Apparently one rock which started in NZ has ended up in Italy

Today is the first of three Sundays when we promote Tranzsend’s prayer and self-denial campaign

– Tranzsend supports and resources NZ Baptist missionaries serving overseas

– The theme for this year’s self-denial campaign is treasures handed down

– Jesus is the greatest treasure God gave the world and one of the main ways that Jesus is handed down to us is through the gospel

The word gospel simply means ‘good news’

– In particular it refers to the good news that, through faith in Jesus, God accepts us

The gospel also refers to the four accounts of Jesus’ life and work, which we read about in the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

– In many ways though the whole Bible points to Jesus – both the Old Testament and the New Testament – it’s all about Christ

– In fact, Jesus is the key to understanding the Bible

Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch:

Please turn with me to Acts chapter 8, verse 26

– You can find Acts 8 on page 161 toward the back of your pew Bibles

– The Scripture reading I’ve chosen to go with this theme, that the gospel of Christ is treasure, is the account of Philip’s conversation with the Ethiopian eunuch

– This is sort of a painted rocks story in that the treasure of the gospel is passed on to a distant land

– From Acts chapter 8, verses 26-40 we read…

²⁶An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get ready and go south to the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This road is not used nowadays.) ^27-28So Philip got ready and went. Now an Ethiopian eunuch, who was an important official in charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia, was on his way home. He had been to Jerusalem to worship God and was going back home in his carriage. As he rode along, he was reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that carriage and stay close to it.” ³⁰Philip ran over and heard him reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹The official replied, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to climb up and sit in the carriage with him. ³²The passage of scripture which he was reading was this:

“He was like a sheep that is taken to be slaughtered, like a lamb that makes no sound when its wool is cut off. He did not say a word. ³³He was humiliated, and justice was denied him. No one will be able to tell about his descendants, because his life on earth has come to an end.”

³⁴The official asked Philip, “Tell me, of whom is the prophet saying this? Of himself or of someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip began to speak; starting from this passage of scripture, he told him the Good News about Jesus. ³⁶As they travelled down the road, they came to a place where there was some water, and the official said, “Here is some water. What is to keep me from being baptized?” ³⁷

³⁸The official ordered the carriage to stop, and both Philip and the official went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. The official did not see him again, but continued on his way, full of joy. ⁴⁰Philip found himself in Azotus; he went on to Caesarea, and on the way he preached the Good News in every town.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

In my 20’s I got a job working for a Non-Government Organisation which supports people with disabilities to live in the community

– Part of my role was to accompany people, who experienced disability, as they led awareness training

– This involved visiting schools and workplaces so people could talk about their lives and their disability as a way of breaking down barriers and helping mainstream society to accept individual difference

One guy I worked with lived with cerebral palsy

– Cerebral palsy can affect people in different ways but in his case his movement and speech was disrupted, which meant he used a wheelchair to get around and other people found his speech difficult to understand

– Every other part of his anatomy was in good working order

Although he was quite intelligent and capable the sound of his voice created a barrier in other people’s minds so that he was often prejudged as inferior or people simply lost patience with him and wrote him off

– Part of my job was acting as his interpreter

– He would say something and I would repeat it so that those in the room who weren’t used to his voice could get his meaning

– My job then wasn’t so much to help him – he didn’t need my help

– My job was to help others to understand him

One thing I learned quite quickly was that disability is a social construct

– By which I mean it wasn’t cerebral palsy that disabled this guy so much as the society in which he lived

– Other people’s prejudice was more disabling to him than cerebral palsy

– It was not being given a fair go that disabled him

Our passage from Acts today begins with an angel of the Lord telling Philip to go out into the wilderness to a lonely road

An angel of the Lord is basically a messenger sent by God

– That’s what angel means, ‘messenger’

– Receiving a visitation from an angel made it abundantly clear that God was in this

Philip was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples

– When Jesus called Philip to follow him, the first thing Philip did was to introduce one of his friends (Nathanael) to Jesus [1]

– Nathanael also became a disciple of Jesus

– Some people are like Philip – they are the glue connecting people

Philip was known as an evangelist

– Evangelism has almost become a swear word these days, which is quite sad because evangelism is actually a good thing

– It is a word closely related to ‘gospel’ or good news

– An evangelist is essentially someone who spreads good news

– Or to put it another way: evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread

– Philip is called an ‘evangelist’ because he was one man telling others in need they could find acceptance with God through faith in Jesus

Prior to being visited by an angel of the Lord, Philip had a very successful time telling the Samaritans the good news about Jesus

– Crowds of people believed Philip’s message and became Christians by being baptised

It seems quite strange then that, after such a successful ministry in Samaria’s principal city, God would then send his star evangelist into the middle of nowhere

– But Philip didn’t question God’s strategy – he simply trusted that God knows best and went where the Lord directed him

Travelling down this deserted road (at the same time as Philip) was an Ethiopian eunuch. What are the chances?

– It’s a bit like finding a painted rock from Africa on the top of Mt Tauhara

Now when we hear the word Ethiopia we tend to think of famine and poverty and starving children

– But in the ancient world Ethiopia was different to that – more wealthy

– On today’s map it is located in North Sudan

– So the Ethiopian eunuch was most likely a black African man

A eunuch is a man who has had his equipment (his tackle, his junk) removed or damaged so he can’t have children or even relate with a woman sexually

– To a certain extent he has been disabled by the society he lives in

– On the one hand a eunuch (if he was skilled enough) could rise to great power in government

– This particular Ethiopian eunuch was something like the minister of finance in a very wealthy nation – so he was no slouch

– But on the other hand eunuchs were also the subject of much derision and scorn – people made fun of them or despised them

I imagine it was a very isolated and lonely life being a eunuch

– You could fall in love but you couldn’t marry or have children

– You could rise to great power but only in the service of others

– You could be very good at what you do but still have to endure sniggers and smirks behind your back from people far less capable than you

– You could serve a very important purpose but never actually belong or be remembered. There was a certain injustice that came with being a eunuch

The Ethiopian eunuch had travelled a long way to Jerusalem to worship God

– Somehow he had heard about the God of Israel and liked what he heard

– Assuming he had been castrated though, under the Law of Moses, he could never belong to the congregation of God’s people [2]

– He couldn’t even be circumcised and yet he did what he could to draw near to the Lord

– He travelled to Jerusalem to worship God, he obtained a copy of the scroll of Isaiah the prophet (no doubt at great expense) and he read these holy Scriptures to know God better

It appears the eunuch’s visit to Jerusalem was somewhat disappointing

– As Jesus had demonstrated, when he cleared the temple, the whole Jewish religious system was set up to exclude foreigners like this eunuch

– No doubt his experience in Jerusalem had made it more difficult for the eunuch to understand the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament)

– How might he relate with this wonderful, powerful, creative, redeeming, faithful God?

The Bible is difficult to understand

– What is meant as good news often comes across as bad news or, even worse, as nonsense

– Because the Bible is hard to understand many people these days lose patience with it and write it off as a myth or untrue

– In this way they seek to disable the Scriptures

– This is quite unfair to God (a denial of justice)

Part of our role as Christians is to interpret the meaning of Scripture for those (like the eunuch) who do genuinely want to understand what the Bible is saying

– That’s one reason why we have Bible study groups – not just to improve our own knowledge but also to help others interpret the Scriptures

The guy I worked with, who had cerebral palsy, struggled with understanding the Bible and the Old Testament in particular

– There are verses in the Old Testament which seem to us today to be quite unfair to those who live with disability.

– For example, Leviticus 21 where it says…

No man with any physical defect may make the offering: no one who is blind, lame, disfigured or deformed; no one with a crippled hand or foot; no one who is a hunchback or a dwarf; no one with an eye or skin disease; and no eunuch.

If you live with a disability and you don’t understand the broader context of the Bible then words like these can very unhelpful – they sound like rejection

What we need to understand is that the Law of Moses is not the ideal and it was not meant to be permanent

– God gave the Law to Israel as a provisional step towards restoring His ideal for creation [3]

– There are a number of things the Law of Moses appears to condone which are far from ideal – like slavery for instance

– Is slavery God’s ideal? No – of course not. But God couldn’t change everything all at once, it would be too much for people.

– So God, in His grace and wisdom, meets people where they were at and regulates certain contemptible practices (like slavery) to protect the vulnerable

– The Law of Moses was actually a huge moral advance for people living at that time in history but it was never the end goal – it was merely a stepping stone to the ideal

The prophets who came after Moses (like Isaiah & Jeremiah and all those guys) also provided a stepping stone, but ultimately we find God’s ideal in Christ

– Jesus didn’t come to do away with the Law & prophets – he came to fulfil the Law – that is to restore God’s ideal for humanity

– If the Law and the prophets were given to help transition us to God’s ideal then Jesus came to complete that transition

Jesus is the one who shows us what God’s ideal looks like

– And when we look at Jesus’ attitude towards people who lived with disability we find it was one of acceptance and respect and empowerment

Returning to our friend the Ethiopian eunuch

– God, who sees everything, is aware of the eunuch’s struggle with the Old Testament and acts to help him understand the full picture

– The Holy Spirit says to Philip, Go over to that carriage and stay close it

– Philip runs over beside the carriage – it would have been moving quite slowly so would not be hard to keep up with

– And Philip hears the eunuch reading from the book of Isaiah (it was customary to read aloud in those times) so he asks the eunuch…

– “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Socially speaking Philip and the eunuch were poles apart

– The eunuch was high ranking and Philip was low ranking

– They were also likely from a different cultural background

– But that is often the way of Christ – he comes to us in weakness, when we least expect it and in the presence of someone quite different from us

– Despite the social distance between them the eunuch is humble enough to admit he doesn’t understand and invites Philip to sit with him

– By inviting Philip to sit beside him the eunuch closes the gap between them

The passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading was this…

“Like a sheep that is taken to be slaughtered, like a lamb that makes no sound when its wool is cut off, he did not say a word. He was humiliated and justice was denied him. No one will be able to tell about his descendants because his life on earth has come to an end.”

Interestingly the eunuch doesn’t ask Philip, what does this mean?

– He already knows what it means from his own personal experience

– The eunuch knows what it is to have parts of himself cut off

– He understands humiliation and injustice

– He is well aware that he can’t have descendants and that his life is coming to an end

– He knows well enough what it is to be near the top and still feel like you don’t belong, still wonder what the meaning of your life is

– He can identify with the one being written about in a very real way

– So he asks Philip,

– “…of whom is the prophet saying this? Of himself or of someone else?”

– Because whoever it is, the eunuch can relate to that person profoundly

Philip starts where the eunuch is at by explaining that the passage he is reading is talking about Jesus – Jesus is the key to understanding the Scriptures

– Philip then goes on to explain the good news about Jesus – that through faith in Christ we can find acceptance with God

We can’t be sure of all that Philip talked about but given that the eunuch had a copy of Isaiah’s scroll on his lap it’s tempting to think that Philip pointed him to chapter 56 where Isaiah says…

A man who has been castrated [a eunuch] should never think that because he cannot have children, he can never be part of God’s people. The Lord says to such a man, “If you honour me… and if you do what pleases me and faithfully keep my covenant, then your name will be remembered… among my people longer than if you had sons and daughters. You will never be forgotten.”

Do you see here how Isaiah moves beyond the Law of Moses?

– The Law said a eunuch could not be part of God’s people but by the time of Isaiah God is saying the eunuch is able to belong

I can imagine Philip saying to the eunuch: the way we honour God, the way we please him, the way we keep his covenant is through faith in Christ. Put your trust in Jesus, believe in him, and you will find acceptance with God

– You see, Jesus has fulfilled the law on our behalf and so being a foreigner and a eunuch is no longer a barrier

– This was incredibly good news to the eunuch

As they travelled down the road, they came to a place where there was some water and the official said, “…What is to keep me from being baptised?”

– In other words, I believe in Jesus and I’m willing to demonstrate my faith in Christ through baptism

– God had clearly set this encounter up – he had clearly woven Philip’s and the eunuch’s lives together at just the right moment

– So Philip baptised him

After the eunuch’s baptism the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away to preach the good news about Jesus in other places while the eunuch went on his way rejoicing because he had found acceptance with God through Jesus

We don’t hear any more about the Ethiopian eunuch (in the New Testament at least) but early Christian tradition, dating from Irenaeus in the second century, says that he went on to proclaim the good news about Jesus in Africa

– The eunuch shared the treasure of the gospel he had been given

Conclusion:

Part of the work of our Tranzsend missionaries involves being a Philip to those around them – helping others to understand the good news about Jesus found in the Bible

[1] John 1:43-45

[2] Deuteronomy 23:1

[3] Refer to Paul Copan’s book, ‘Is God a Moral Monster’, pages 57-62.

May 1, 2017 Tawa Baptist

The Weaned Soul

Scripture: Psalm 131

Title: The weaned soul

Structure:

Introduction
Humility of heart
Contentment of soul
Conclusion – Hope

Introduction:

On the wall here we have three pictures

– We have Doctor Who’s ‘Tardis’

– The Wardrobe from the ‘Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe’

– And the suitcase from ‘Fantastic Beasts and where to find them’

Who can tell me what these three things share in common? [Wait]

– That’s right – they are all a lot bigger on the inside than they appear on the outside and they transport you to a different world

This morning we return to our series on the Songs of Ascents

– These songs were probably sung by Jewish pilgrims as they made their way to the temple in Jerusalem

– They are songs about drawing nearer to God

Our focus today is psalm 131

– While this song appears quite small from the outside (only three verses long) – it is actually very spacious on the inside

– Psalm 131 is like a gateway into a whole different realm

– In this song the author, King David, touches on some pretty deep themes including humility of the heart, contentment of the soul and hope for the nation. From the New Revised Standard Version we read…

¹O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me.

²But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

³O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

Humility:

I have in my hand a spirit level

– This is a builder’s tool which shows whether something is level or not

– If the floor or the wall or whatever it is you are measuring is straight and true then the bubble here will sit nicely between the two lines

– But if it’s on an angle (if one part is lifted up or standing too proud) then the bubble will move outside the lines [1]

David begins psalm 131 by talking to the Lord about humility. He says…

– O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high…

– David is saying here that he is not proud – he is humble

Some people think that humility consists of being self-deprecating or having a low self-esteem or putting yourself down. It doesn’t.

– Humility is about having a true and accurate estimation of yourself in relation to God and others

– The person who is truly humble doesn’t think too highly of themselves nor too lowly of themselves – they are level headed in their perception

– To be humble then is to be on the level, straight, true and honest

Now you might be thinking – isn’t David boasting when he says he’s not proud, doesn’t that undo his humility? (humility is a sort of a Catch 22 like that)

– Well no. David isn’t boasting, he is simply stating the facts

– He has got his spirit level out and everything is straight & true – nothing is lifted too high or sitting too proud

David says that his heart is not lifted up

– What does he mean by his ‘heart’?

Contemporary western society tends to equate the heart to a person’s feelings or emotions

– In the Bible though, the heart isn’t limited to a person’s feelings

– Rather the heart is the seat of the will

– In other words, the heart is where decisions are made

– This means, what we say and do comes from the heart

– Our personal values, the things that are important to us, the principles we live by all reside in the heart

– The human heart is sort of like the parliament of the individual

– The heart governs a person’s life

You sometimes hear people talking about ‘inviting Jesus into your heart’

– What does that mean?

– It means to let Jesus sit on the throne of your life,

– Let him be Lord, let him be Prime Minister,

– Give him executive authority, make Jesus your power of attorney

– Let Christ inform and guide the decisions you make

When David says to the Lord, my heart is not lifted up (or not proud) he means something like: I don’t make decisions without you God

– I am not wilfully disobedient

– I don’t think that I know better than you Lord

– I submit my will to your will

– I give you, O God, power of attorney over my life

Now at this point some of you, who know David’s story, might be thinking…

– ‘Really? Is that right David? What about Uriah and Bathsheba? How did God feature in those decisions?’

– And that’s a fair point – David wasn’t perfect.

– We don’t know exactly when David wrote psalm 131

– It could have been before the debacle with Uriah and Bathsheba or it might have been after that, when David had repented

– We can be fairly confident he didn’t write it during that time

In any case we are told that David was a man after God’s own heart

– Meaning that, generally speaking, David pursued God’s will

– He went after what God wanted in most situations

Returning to verse 1 – David goes on to say to the Lord:

– …my eyes are not raised too high

– If a person’s heart is where decisions come from then a person’s eyes relate to perception

– It’s like David is saying: I don’t look down on others

– I don’t think of myself as better than other people

– I don’t even compare myself to them

– And I don’t see my desires as being more important than anyone else’s

Sometimes we can be bitterly disappointed when we don’t get what we want, especially if someone else does get what we want

– That’s my seat, I always sit there

– I was looking forward to that last piece of cake and someone beat me to it

– I really wanted to be selected for the Lion’s tour of NZ but Warren Gatling didn’t pick me

– Or, I wanted to sleep in but the kids woke me up early

– These are frivolous examples of course but you get the point:

– The truly humble person knows that it’s not realistic to expect to always get what you want

– Humility is the awareness that we are not the centre of the universe – the world doesn’t revolve around us

The second half of verse 1 continues this theme of humility

– I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me.

Here David appears to be saying, I accept my limits – in particular the limits of my understanding and the limits of my ability

– Humility means accepting that we don’t know everything and learning to live with mystery, which can be more difficult for some than others

Science is able to explain many things about the physical universe but not everything

– In 1953 Albert Einstein wrote a letter in response to one of his critics

– In the letter he says…

“Dear Mr. Moffat, our situation is the following. We are standing in front of a closed box which we cannot open, and we try hard to discover what is and is not in it.” [2] (The closed box Einstein was referring to is the universe)

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

– What happens to something when it enters a black hole in space?

– Who built Stonehenge?

– Is there intelligent life on other planets?

We could go on but I don’t mean to side track your thinking or occupy your mind with things too great and marvellous

– If we are this limited in our understanding of the physical universe how much more limited are we when it comes to understanding God?

– Humility means accepting the limits of what we know and learning to live with mystery

Humility of heart is perhaps the most important of all the virtues

– It’s a bit like the soil out of which the other virtues grow

– Like the virtue of contentment – which we read about in verse 2…

Contentment:

But [instead of occupying my time and thoughts with things too great and marvellous for me – instead of comparing myself with others and instead of lifting what I want above what God wants]

– I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

David has talked about the heart, the eyes and the mind

– Now he talks about his soul

– What is the human soul?

Well, describing the soul is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle – you can’t really define the soul in one pithy sentence or reduce it to a formula

– The best we can do is describe the soul in pieces and then admit that we don’t have all the pieces – there are limits to our understanding here

The soul is different from the heart and the spirit

– The heart is where values are held and decisions are made – like the parliament of the individual

– And the human spirit is our capacity to connect or relate with God and others – sort of like wifi or cell-phone coverage

– While our soul is the life force which animates us and connects the various aspects of our self

If the term ‘life force’ is too Star Wars sounding for you then you might prefer Dallas Willard’s metaphor, where he compares the soul to an inner stream, which refreshes, nourishes and gives strength to every other element of our life [3]

– Just as a river gives life to the land it passes through, so too our soul gives life to our body, our mind, our heart and our spirit

– Normally we can see a river or a stream but the stream of our soul is underground, it is hidden deep beneath the surface

– In fact the soul is the deepest level of life and power in the human being

Expanding on Dallas’ metaphor we could say that if the soul is a stream of water, then God is the source (or the well-spring) of the soul

– While the human spirit is the channel (or the conduit) through which the water of our soul flows

The thing that convinces me most that we have a soul is death

– Whenever I see a dead body it’s obvious to me that the soul has departed

– Looking at a corpse is quite different from looking at someone sleeping

– Death has a certain pallor – a kind of greyness

– A dead body is missing something more than just a heart beat

– It’s missing the soul – it’s missing the stream of its life force

Returning to psalm 131 – David says he has calmed and quieted his soul

– What does it mean then to quieten your soul?

– Well, sitting still in silence, is a helpful start but it’s not usually enough by itself – our mind can be racing even if our tongue is still

– We quieten our soul by abandoning outcomes to God

– By not seeking to manipulate the end result

– Not seeking to make ourselves look good in the eyes of others

– Not seeking success or fame or superiority

– Embracing the truth that we (on our own) don’t have the resources to make things turn out right

– The soul settles down and finds its level when we let go of our reputation and simply trust God with the outcome

Dallas Willard compares the soul to an inner stream

– Like any metaphor though it has its limits, it’s just one piece to the puzzle

– King David provides another piece, comparing his soul to a weaned child with its mother – The poetry in this verse is profound

To say the soul is like a child indicates that the soul is not static or fixed but is dynamic, changing and growing, developing and learning

– Furthermore it seems David is implying that God is the mother of his soul

– We normally hear God described as a Father but sometimes the Bible associates God with motherhood

– This is entirely appropriate – God cannot be contained by our narrow human categories

– In any case, David appears to be saying that his soul feels a close bond with God – like a mother and child

The aspect that is underlined most strongly though is that David’s soul is like a weaned child

– (He says ‘weaned child’ twice, which is significant in such a short poem)

– To be weaned is to become accustomed to managing without something which we were previously dependent on

– In the case of a mother and a baby, the child becomes accustomed to food other than it’s mother’s milk

– So the child stops drinking its mother’s milk and starts eating solid food

– It’s not that milk is bad – it is good for a time – but as the child grows it needs more substantial nourishment

A baby cries when it is hungry so the mother will feed it

– A weaned child doesn’t cry though – a weaned child knows it will be fed and waits for mum to prepare the meal

How does God feed the soul?

– God feeds the soul with meaning

– When something is meaningful it is worthwhile – it has a point to it, a purpose that is satisfying

– Meaning answers the ‘why’ questions of life & death

– We often find meaning in stories – that’s why the Bible is full of stories – they feed our soul, they help us to make sense of our lives and our losses

Ultimately God is the one who gives meaning to our lives

– The thing is, we often have to wait for that meaning to be revealed

Abraham couldn’t see the meaning of his wealth when he had no children to pass it on to – he waited many years for God to fulfil his promise

– But his wait was not in vain

I imagine Joseph struggled to see the meaning of his life when he was sold into slavery by his brothers and then later sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit

– But God used Joseph to save millions from starvation

Moses probably didn’t see much meaning in his life as a shepherd caring for sheep in the desert for 40 years, especially after being raised in a palace

– But God used Moses to save the Israelites from slavery

The disciples struggled to see the meaning in Jesus’ death on the cross

– At the time it may have seemed to them like they had wasted the last 3 years of their lives

– Little did they know the cross was part of God’s plan to redeem creation

You may be finding it hard to locate the meaning in your life at the moment

– Perhaps your job seems pointless or maybe you don’t have a job

– Perhaps you were once very involved in church work or missions but now you feel like God has forgotten you

– Maybe you have suffered a terrible loss and the grief is overwhelming

– Hang in there – you never know when God will reveal the meaning

John of the Cross was a 16^th Century Carmelite monk who didn’t really understand the meaning of his life’s work at the time

– Through his thinking and writing John was among those who tried to lead a reform of the Catholic church during the 1500’s

– John was arrested by those he was trying to help and during his confinement he wrote what became a classic, The Dark Night of the Soul

– I don’t expect he ever imagined God would use his writing to help millions in the centuries that followed

Let me read you some excerpts from his book – John speaks directly to this process of God weaning the Christian soul…

After a soul has been converted by God, that soul is nurtured and caressed by the [Holy] Spirit. Like a loving mother, God cares for and comforts the infant soul by feeding it spiritual milk. Such souls will find great delight in this stage. They will begin praying with great urgency and perseverance; they will engage in all kinds of religious activities because of the joy they experience in them.

But there will come a time when God will bid them to grow deeper. He will remove the previous consolation from the soul in order to teach it virtue and prevent it from developing vice…

They will enter the dark night of the soul and find all of these things removed. They will have the pleasure taken away so that the soul may be purified. For a soul will never grow until it is able to let go of the tight grasp it has on God…

When their delight [in spiritual milk] comes to an end, these persons are very anxious and frustrated just as an infant is angry when it is taken away from its mother’s breast…

Let it suffice to say, then, that God perceives the imperfections within us, and because of his love for us, urges us to grow up. His love is not content to leave us in our weakness, and for this reason he takes us into a dark night. He weans us from all of the pleasures by giving us dry times and inward darkness. [4]

David’s soul had been feeding on spiritual milk – but God weaned him off milk in order to help David grow up (spiritually)

– David’s soul had been through the dark night – a time of disorientation and dryness where his usual devotional routines (like writing and singing worship songs for example) had lost all their pleasure

– But now the dark night has done its work and David’s soul is content

– He doesn’t cry out to God every time something doesn’t go his way

– His prayer time isn’t a long shopping list detailing all his needs & wants or worries & fears

– He knows that God understands his needs and he trusts God to provide

– David has abandoned the outcome to God

– His soul has found contentment with the Lord

Now some of you will have been through the weaning process we call the dark night of the soul and you will know exactly what David and John of the Cross are talking about

– Others of you wouldn’t have faced the dark night yet – that’s okay

– If you haven’t faced the dark night, know that it’s coming

– And when it does come – don’t panic

– Be calm, be still, quieten your soul – abandon the outcome to God

– When your soul is being weaned by God you may feel like you are losing your faith – you’re not

Hang on through the dark night – God is bringing you to the next stage of faith in him, where you will be less anxious to know all the answers and better able to accept His will, even when His will is unpleasant or delays your satisfaction

Conclusion – Hope:

David finishes his song by addressing the nation…

– ³O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.

Hope has to do with believing something good is coming in the future

– Hope is a form of meaning more substantial than milk

– The bread of hope feeds our soul in the present

– Hope sustains our soul with joy and energy

God has weaned David off spiritual milk and is now feeding him the bread of hope – David (the king) wants to share this bread of hope with his people

We are currently in the season of Easter, as we wait for Pentecost

– For Jesus’ first disciples Easter was a time of weaning

– There was Easter Saturday of course when Jesus was dead and the disciples were confused and grief stricken

– (A very acute dose of the dark night of the soul)

– But the time between Jesus’ resurrection and Pentecost was also a time of weaning

– Previously the disciples had access to Jesus 24-7

– He was present with them physically all the time – like a mother with a small child

– But after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension the disciples’ way of relating with Jesus had to change

– Jesus was no longer present with them physically

– The disciples had to go through this weaning process in order to grow up in the faith

Jesus didn’t abandon them altogether though

– Jesus gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit and the bread of hope

– He promised them he would return one day in glory to make all things right – this is our hope too

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/30-april-2017-weaning-the-soul

[1] The inspiration for this illustration comes from Josh Moody’s book, ‘Journey to Joy’, page 137

[2] http://discovermagazine.com/2004/sep/einsteins-grand-quest

[3] You can read more about Dallas Willard’s thoughts on the soul in his book, ‘Renovation of the Heart’, pages 169-181.

[4] From Richard Foster and James Smith’s book, ‘Devotional Classics’, page 33-36.