Tawa Baptist

Gracious Spirit

Scriptures: John 1:17, John 8:1-11, Proverbs 4:23, Luke 9:51-56, John 16:5-16, 1st Peter 1:13-15

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Grace & truth
  • Tenderness & Might
  • Holiness & sanctification
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Some of you may have paddled kayaks or gone rafting on rivers. You will know how powerful a river is. A river is life giving, flexible and patient. Water always finds a way.  

In years gone by rivers were a means of transport, a highway of sorts. Boats would travel from place to place up and down rivers because the forest was too thick or the terrain was too rugged. When you travel on a river you need to respect the current; to cooperate with the flow of it. If you just drift and let the river take you, it won’t be long before you find yourself in trouble.

In some ways the Holy Spirit is a bit like a river. He is both powerful and life giving. Just as a river can carry us along to our destination, so too the Holy Spirit helps us in our journey of faith. However, we can’t afford to simply drift and let the river do all the work. We have to cooperate with the Spirit by reading the changing eddy lines and putting in some effort to guide our soul in the right direction.

Today we continue our ‘Anthems’ series. In this series we are looking at the lyrics of one hymn or Christian worship song each week to see how that song informs our thinking about God and how it connects with Scripture and the heritage of our faith.

This morning, because it is Pentecost Sunday, we are looking at the song Gracious Spirit, dwell with me. As the name suggests, Gracious Spirit is a song about the Holy Spirit. In particular, it is a prayer about cooperating with the ebb and flow of the Holy Spirit in the journey of becoming more like Christ.

Gracious Spirit, dwell with me was written by Thomas Lynch, a Nineteenth Century London church minister. Although Thomas’ congregations were relatively small his reach was larger. The quality of his preaching attracted theological students and thoughtful people who had an influence on others.

He died in 1871 at the age of 52. His last words were: “Now I am going to begin to live.”   

There are 5 verses to Thomas Lynch’s song, each of which focus on a different facet of the Holy Spirit’s character. Verse 1 focuses on grace, verse 2 on truth, verse 3 on tenderness, verse 4 on might and verse 5 on holiness. (Verse 3 is not included in the Baptist Hymnal, so you may not be familiar with that one.)

These five facets are not the only characteristics of the Spirit; they are simply the ones Thomas Lynch thought were appropriate for the people of his day. All five facets align with the character of Christ.

What we notice is that the first two verses, about grace & truth, form a natural pair as do the second two verses, about tenderness and might. While the last verse, about holiness, offers a kind of summary or conclusion. 

Grace & truth:

In the opening chapter of his gospel, John writes: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

This tells us the Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace and truth, in contrast to the law of Moses which has to do with obligation and guilt.

Grace, as we know, means gift. To receive grace is to be given something good, something beautiful that we don’t deserve. Grace is unmerited favour. Truth is the natural companion of grace. We tend to think of truth as the correct or right information and, while it is that, it’s more than that. Truth is lasting or eternal. Truth is a power, something that sets people free. Truth is also a person. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life.” Jesus, in himself, embodies grace and truth together. He doesn’t separate them.        

The truth & grace of Jesus is like a surgeon’s scalpel. A scalpel may hurt but it also heals at the same time. All truth and no grace is like a hammer; it causes pain without healing. Likewise, all grace and no truth is like putting a band aid on an infected wound. It may be well intentioned but it doesn’t actually deal with the cause of the problem.

Everything Jesus did combined grace and truth. The grace & truth of Jesus, in contrast to the obligation & guilt of the law of Moses, is seen clearly in John chapter 8.

One morning, around dawn, Jesus was teaching in the temple courts. People were gathered around him listening when the teachers of the law and the Pharisees presented a woman caught in adultery. Straight away we wonder where the man is? According to the law of Moses he had to face up to what he had done as well. Sadly, the religious leaders’ intention was not gracious or true. Their purpose was to try and trap Jesus.

They made the woman stand before everyone and said to Jesus, ‘The law of Moses commanded us to stone such women. What do you say?’

They think they have Jesus between a rock and a hard place. If Jesus says, “stone her”, then he would be in trouble with the Romans because Jews had to submit Roman law. But if he says, “don’t stone her”, he would lose face with the people for contradicting the law of Moses.

Jesus doesn’t answer straight away. He bends down and starts writing on the ground with his finger. We are not sure exactly why Jesus did this. Perhaps he was being kind and giving his enemies a chance to walk away; de-escalating the situation in other words. But it’s also an act of grace for the woman. By writing on the ground he was drawing attention away from the woman and onto himself. I imagine the woman felt overwhelming shame and the last thing she wanted was a lot of men looking at her.

The experts in the law don’t take the hint. They keep questioning Jesus. So Jesus straightens up and says to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

This sentence embodies both grace and truth. Jesus had the power to expose the secret sins of his enemies – that is to major on truth without grace – but he doesn’t. Instead Jesus makes a skilful incision with his scalpel of grace and truth to release the infection and cleanse the wound.

One by one the truth dawns on each person there – the truth about themselves. As they remember their own sins, their conscience is moved. They drop their stones and walk away.

Eventually it’s just Jesus and the woman left standing there. Once again Jesus speaks words of grace and truth saying to the woman,

“Where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go and leave your life of sin.”  

Grace and truth you see. Jesus does not condemn the woman. He gives her a second chance. But nor does he condone her sin. He puts her on the right path.

Verse 1 of the song reads…

Gracious Spirit, dwell with me: I myself would gracious be;
And, with words that help and heal, would Thy life in mine reveal;
And, with actions bold and meek, would for Christ my Saviour speak.

Meek is a word which describes strength with gentleness. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is great power under control. Jesus demonstrated meekness in his handling of the crowd who wanted to stone the woman. He could have smashed his enemies but he doesn’t. Instead he does the more difficult thing of respecting his enemies and helping them from within. 

Verse 2 of the song, the companion to verse 1, reads…

Truthful Spirit, dwell with me: I myself would truthful be;
And with wisdom kind and clear let Thy life in mine appear;
And with actions brotherly speak my Lord’s sincerity.

Again we see the kind and clear wisdom of Jesus in his response to the woman in John 8. I am in awe of Jesus’ grace and truth. His calmness in highly pressured situations. His ability to know clearly what to do and the courage to carry it through without doing violence. We need the help of the Spirit to be like Jesus. Thomas Lynch’s song repeatedly asks the Spirit to dwell with us so that we would think and act in Christ-like ways. 

We started this message by comparing the Holy Spirit to a river. The Spirit is also like the wind.

As Christians we are on a journey – it is the journey of becoming more like Christ. This journey is epic, like travelling from one continent to another. It is too far to swim. We need help. If faith in Jesus is the boat for getting us to the land of Jesus, then the Holy Spirit is the wind in our sails. But we have to cooperate with the Spirit. We have to pay attention to the way the wind is blowing and trim our sails to catch it. While the journey to becoming more like Christ doesn’t depend on us entirely there is some concentration and effort required on our part.

Tenderness & might:

Just as verses 1 & 2 of the song are companion verses, so too verses 3 & 4 go together. The Spirit of Jesus is both tender and mighty. Tenderness and might don’t look like they fit at first glance but, in Jesus, these qualities are a perfect match.  

Verse 3 reads…

Tender Spirit, dwell with me! I myself would tender be;
Shut my heart up like a flower at temptation’s darksome hour,
Open it when shines the sun, and his love by fragrance own.

This verse of the song reminds us that the way to be tender and gentle is to guard our heart. Proverbs 4:23 reads,

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well spring of life.”

We guard our hearts by keeping temptation out and letting the light of God’s goodness and love in.

The importance of the human heart is found throughout Scripture. The prophets warned against having a hard heart and looked forward to the time when God would give people a heart transplant: removing their heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh, a soft and tender heart toward him. It is the Spirit of Jesus who softens our heart. It is grace & truth that makes us tender on the inside, at our core.

If you burn your dinner while cooking it, you might end up with some crusty stubborn charred food stuck to the bottom of the pot. You can try and clean this quickly with steel wool and harsh scrubbing. Or you can let the pot soak in water and detergent overnight. It takes longer soaking it but the hard stuck on food softens in the process and comes off easier. God’s Spirit is tender, not rough. He often takes the slow, gentle approach with us, letting us soak for a while to soften up our burnt crusty stubborn bits. 

A tender heart is a necessary companion to mightiness and power.

Verse 4 of the song reads…

Mighty Spirit, dwell with me! I myself would mighty be,
Mighty so as to prevail where unaided man must fail,
Ever by a mighty hope pressing on and bearing up.

The Spirit of Jesus is tender and gentle but tenderness should not be mistaken for timidity or lack of courage. The might of Jesus redefines strength and courage. We’ve already heard about Jesus’ courage in facing an angry crowd in John 8 but there were many other times when Jesus’ might prevailed in non-violent ways. The might (or power) of Jesus is the strength to love one’s enemies and the grace to forgive. In Luke 9 we read… 

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

This story shows us Jesus’ might in keeping a tender heart. The Samaritans and Jews were arch enemies. Generally speaking, they hated each other. But that did not stop Jesus from reaching out to them. Jesus’ heart was tender toward them.

On this particular occasion one Samaritan village refused hospitality to Jesus and his disciples. Not all Samaritan villages treated Jesus in this way. Some welcomed Jesus.[1] The wonderful thing about Jesus is that he didn’t let rejection harden his heart. Jesus could have reacted in anger and called down fire from heaven to destroy them but he doesn’t. Instead he guards his heart, keeping it tender. That village rejected Jesus in ignorance and Jesus graciously moved on to the next village, without making a fuss. Can you see how Jesus’ might and tenderness go together? It requires real strength to be gentle and not take revenge.

Returning to verse 4 of the song, we see another aspect of might – the might of hope. The last line reads: Ever by a mighty hope pressing on and bearing up.

The idea here is that of patient endurance and tenacity. As I said before, it is a long road to become like Christ. It is the Spirit who inspires the hope we need to go the distance and not give up.  

The Biblical images for the Holy Spirit, of wind and water, are helpful but they only give us pieces of the picture. Wind and water are powerful but they are not personal. We need to remember the Holy Spirit is a person. Wind and water cannot inspire hope in quite the same way a person can.

In John 16, the night before he died, Jesus explained to his disciples how the Holy Spirit would come to help them. Jesus described the Holy Spirit in personal terms as a Counsellor or an Advocate. The Greek word used here to describe the Holy Spirit is ‘paraclete’, which literally means ‘one who comes alongside’. Verse 13 of John 16 reads: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth… and he will tell you what is to come.”

I find it helpful to think of the Holy Spirit as a coach. If you’ve ever been part of a sports team you probably had a coach. A good coach comes alongside the players to inspire hope. A good coach gives the players a picture of future success. A good coach encourages and guides the players by speaking the truth to them in a way they can accept. A good coach listens and understands and motivates and gets the best out of their team by helping them to work together.

If we think of the church as a sports team, then the Holy Spirit is the coach. He comes alongside us to help us become more like Jesus.          

Holiness & sanctification:

And so we come to the last verse of the song…

Holy Spirit, dwell with me: I myself would holy be;
Separate from sin, I would choose and cherish all things good;
And whatever I can be, give to Him who gave me Thee.

To be holy primarily means to be set apart for a special purpose. You might have a tea set or silverware that you set apart for special occasions. You don’t use it every day. That is holy in a sense.

The defibrillator on the wall outside the church office is holy – it is set apart for a special purpose but at the same time it is accessible to the community.

A surgeon’s scalpel is holy – it is sterilised and set apart for one purpose only, operating on people.

Your dinner table is holy – it is set apart for serving food. You don’t sit on a table because bottoms shouldn’t go where food goes.

Likewise, your toothbrush is holy. You don’t use your toothbrush for cleaning the toilet. Your toothbrush is set apart for cleaning your teeth.    

Holiness also has to do with wholeness and integrity and good morality. As followers of Jesus we are set apart for God’s special purpose. That includes being set apart from sin but not set apart from the world. We are in the world to point people to Jesus and indeed to reveal Jesus.

In 1st Peter, chapter 1 we read…

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

The process of becoming holy, like Jesus, is called sanctification. The task of the Holy Spirit is to effect in us what God commands. [2] Our task is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the process of becoming holy.

So how do we become holy? How are we sanctified? The French Jesuit priest, Jean-Pierre de Caussade has some helpful things to say in this regard. [3] Jean-Pierre lived during the 17th & 18th Centuries. He basically said we are sanctified by doing the will of God, that is, by obedience to the Spirit of Jesus. This does not mean blindly following a set program of spiritual exercises. Rather it means being sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit and doing what the Spirit directs us to do in the present moment. Much like cooperating with the current of a river or trimming our sails to catch the shifting wind or taking the specific advice of a sports coach.   

For example, if the Spirit is prompting us to be still in silence, then sanctification (being made holy) happens as we do that. If we try to read Scripture or pray out loud when the Spirit is telling us to meditate quietly, then our soul will emerge troubled. There is nothing wrong with reading Scripture and praying out loud of course. At certain times (when the Spirit directs) this is what we need to do. But it is not always the right thing to do. “All we need to know is how to recognise his will in the present moment.” [4]

And I guess that’s where it gets tricky. It takes time and experience to learn sensitivity to the Spirit. Sensing the Spirit’s movement is like communication in marriage. The longer you are married the better able you are to sense what your husband or wife is thinking. Or it’s like batting in cricket. You need to give yourself a few overs to get your eye in and feel how the pitch is playing.

The point is we are sanctified, we are made holy like Jesus, as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows us intimately and he knows what is best for us. We need to trust him and flow with him.

Conclusion:

Not sure about you but it often feels like I have a long way to go to become like Jesus. Progress seems incrementally slow. It doesn’t help to think too much about the gap. It is helpful to remember that sanctification is a process and it doesn’t depend entirely on us. We don’t need to worry about our past mistakes or the distance yet to travel. The past and the future are in God’s hands.

Our part is to obey the Spirit in the present moment. So ask yourself: what is the Holy Spirit wanting me to do right now?

Is it to sit still and rest?

Is it to pour out your heart in words and tears before the Lord?

Is it to take a walk outside?

Is it to ring someone who needs to hear a friendly voice?

Is it to listen to your husband or wife?

Or is it something else?

Let us pray. (You could pray this prayer responsively if you like)

Lord Jesus, you are generous. Help us to enjoy your kindness and pay it forward.

Gracious Spirit, dwell with me.

Lord Jesus, you are wise. Help us to be honest with ourselves and to listen.

Truthful Spirit, dwell with me.

Lord Jesus, you are gentle. Help us to guard our hearts and let you in.

Tender Spirit, dwell with me.

Lord Jesus, you are courageous. Help us to harness hope and go the distance.

Mighty Spirit, dwell with me.

Lord Jesus, you are enough. Help us to serve your purpose in the present moment, with love.

Holy Spirit, dwell with me. Amen.

Let’s stand and sing, Gracious Spirit, dwell with me. Make this your prayer…  

1. GRACIOUS Spirit, dwell with me:
I myself would gracious be;
And, with words that help and heal,
Would Thy life in mine reveal;
And, with actions bold and meek,
Would for Christ my Saviour speak.

2. Truthful Spirit, dwell with me:
I myself would truthful be;
And with wisdom kind and clear
Let Thy life in mine appear;
And with actions brotherly
Speak my Lord’s sincerity.

3. Tender Spirit, dwell with me!
I myself would tender be;
Shut my heart up like a flower
At temptation’s darksome hour,
Open it when shines the sun,
And his love by fragrance own.

4. Mighty Spirit, dwell with me!
I myself would mighty be,
Mighty so as to prevail
Where unaided man must fail,
Ever by a mighty hope
Pressing on and bearing up.

5. Holy Spirit, dwell with me:
I myself would holy be;
Separate from sin, I would
Choose and cherish all things good;
And whatever I can be,
Give to Him who gave me Thee.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

Listen to the song ‘Gracious Spirit, dwell with me’.  What are you in touch with as you listen to this song? (What connections, memories or feelings does the song evoke for you?) 

Have you ever gone swimming or kayaking or rafting on a river? What do you remember about your experience of the river? In what ways is the Holy Spirit like a river?

How is the grace & truth of Jesus evident in John 8:1-11? Can you think of any other gospel stories that show Jesus’ grace & truth working together? 

Have you ever been sailing or flown a kite? What do you remember about your experience of the wind? In what ways is the Holy Spirit like the wind?

Why is it important to guard your heart? How might we guard our heart from evil, while still allowing the goodness and love of God in?

How do Jesus’ tenderness and might combine in Luke 9:51-55?  Can you think of any other gospel stories that show Jesus’ tenderness & might working together?

Have you ever had a sports coach? What does a good coach do? In what ways is the Holy Spirit like a good coach?

What is sanctification? How did Jean-Pierre de Caussade believe we are made holy? How might we recognize the will of God’s Spirit in the present moment?

Take some time each day this week to ask yourself: ‘What is the Spirit wanting me to do right now?’

[1] See for example John 4.

[2] Refer Stanley Grenz, ‘Theology for the Community of God’, page 442.

[3] Refer ‘Devotional Classics’, edited by R.J. Foster & J.B. Smith, page 230-233.

[4] Ibid, page 231.

Tawa Baptist

Grace

Scripture: Various (see below)

Title: G.R.A.C.E.

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God                   (Romans 5:6-10 & Luke 10:30-36)
  • Realisation        (Luke 18:9-14 & Luke 15:11-24)
  • Acceptance        (John 13:6-10 & 2nd Corinthians 12:7-9)
  • Change              (Luke 3:7-14 & Matthew 18:23-35)
  • Evangelism       (Luke 8:26-39)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Hi everyone

  • This morning we are taking a break from our series in Ephesians for a one off sermon on grace. The word grace simply means gift.
  • We can’t earn grace; we can only receive it, like soil receives a seed or like a baby receives her mother’s milk.
  • Grace is a good gift, a beautiful gift, a valuable gift, a treasure.
  • God’s grace is also a process, but it’s not an entirely easy process.  

God:

Not surprisingly God’s grace starts with God Himself.

  • Grace is always God’s initiative and God’s grace is often at work long before we are even aware of it. In Romans 5 Paul writes,

You see, at the just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us…

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life.  

These verses are saying; God’s grace was at work to save us when we were still enemies of God, long before we were even aware of our need for God’s help.

  • God does this because that’s who God is. He saves us out of his goodness and love. When God shows grace He is simply being true to himself.  

Many of you will be familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

  • You know the one; where some poor bloke got mugged and left for dead on the side of the road.
  • Most people of that time were easily identifiable by what they wore.
  • You could tell who was Jewish and who was Roman and who was Samaritan and who was Greek by their clothes.
  • But the man who had been beaten up wasn’t wearing anything because the robbers had taken his clothes.
  • The Samaritan had no way of knowing whether the stranger was a friend or foe.
  • Maybe the wounded man was Jewish, a sworn enemy to the Samaritans.
  • But that didn’t matter, his need trumped everything else.
  • The Good Samaritan showed grace and mercy to that man, even though he didn’t know the guy.

Jesus is like the Good Samaritan and we are like the stranger, unconscious and bleeding out in the gutter.

  • Jesus shows us mercy and grace while we are helpless to save ourselves and indeed, while we are still concussed and unaware of how vulnerable we really are.
  • So often we can only see God’s grace in the rear-vision mirror.

Realisation:

The next step in the process of grace is realising our need.

Have you ever had the experience of losing your keys, needing to find them in a hurry and frantically searching everywhere for them?

  • Robyn has and I’ve been the mug frantically looking with her.
  • After about a minute or two, when it becomes obvious the keys are not in any of the usual places, we realise our desperate need and start praying, asking God to help us find the keys.     
  • Then, when they finally turn up, we are very relieved and thankful. 

Of course, looking for lost keys is a frivolous example, at least in hindsight.

  • Realising our need can be far more painful and difficult, but it’s necessary if we are to become aware of God’s grace
  • Without realising our need, we can’t really accept, let alone appreciate, God’s grace.

They say, ‘You can’t trust someone who has never lost anything’ and its true.

  • In Luke 18 Jesus tells a story of two very different men, a Pharisee and a tax collector.
  • The Pharisee, who is at the top of the pecking order in his society, has never lost anything – he isn’t aware of his need for God and consequently he looks down on others.
  • He thinks he is better than everyone else and reminds God of all the good things he does.
  • The tax collector, on the other hand, knows loss all too well – he is somewhere near the bottom of the social ladder and is acutely aware of his need.
  • He stands at a distance, not daring to look up to heaven, beating his chest saying, “God, have mercy on me a sinner”. 
  • Jesus concluded his story by saying it was the tax collector who went home justified by God.

Before God’s grace can find its home in our heart, we have to realise our need for it.

  • When life is tickety boo and everything is going along fine we usually aren’t aware of our need for God – we tend to think we can manage on our own, without God.
  • It’s not until we are faced with our need that we cry out for help
  • We come to a realisation of our need for God by having our heart broken.
  • To paraphrase Richard Baxter, ‘God breaks every person’s heart in a different way.’
  • Perhaps through illness, maybe through the loss of a loved one, sometimes through betrayal or our own failure or in some other way.
  • But having our heart broken isn’t enough in itself – we also need to reflect on our situation.
  • Reflection (thinking time) helps us to join the dots. Reflection allows the penny to drop.

The problem is, many of us don’t take the time to reflect – we don’t sit with our pain long enough.

  • We find some way to distract ourselves or we numb the pain with alcohol or by keeping busy.
  • Not all pain is good, but sometimes pain is God’s messenger if we would only listen to it.   
  • Having said that, we need to find the right balance between reflection and action.
  • We don’t want to spend so long sitting with our pain that we become stuck, feeling sorry for ourselves.    

The prodigal son, in Luke 15, didn’t come to his senses (he didn’t realise his need) until he hit rock bottom and became so hungry he would have eaten the food he was feeding to the pigs.

  • But it wasn’t just being hungry that made him realise his need – it was also honest reflection.
  • As the younger son thought about how well his father’s servants were treated he realised his best bet was to return home and ask for help.

If God’s grace is a sapling plant and our heart is the soil, then realising our need is the spade which opens our heart to receive God’s grace.

  • Or if God’s grace is a wholesome meal, then realising our need is the hunger which opens our mouths to dine on God’s grace.
  • The same God who breaks our heart also heals our heart.

Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  • The poor in spirit know their need for God’s grace and they’re not too proud to ask for help.

Acceptance:

After we have realised our need, the next step in the process of grace, is accepting God’s help.

  • This might seem obvious and it might seem like the easy part but it is neither obvious nor easy. Accepting God’s help can be humiliating.
  • The problem is we often want to stay in control. We want to accept God’s grace on our terms. But that’s not how grace works.

The night before he died Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and when he got to Simon Peter, Peter refused because he thought it was beneath Jesus to do this. [1]

  • Perhaps Peter meant well but it’s not for us to set the terms of grace.
  • Jesus said, if you don’t let me wash your feet (if you don’t accept my grace on my terms) you have no part in me
  • Peter couldn’t argue with that and neither can we.

We don’t dictate the terms of God’s grace. All we can do is accept or reject what God decides to give or withhold. 

  • In 2nd Corinthians 12 Paul talks about two of God’s graces given to him.
  • Paul was given a wonderful vision or revelation but then, to stop him becoming conceited, he was also given a thorn in the flesh.
  • Paul writes; Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
  • The vision and the thorn were both forms of God’s grace.
  • The vision was pleasant and the thorn wasn’t.
  • Paul would rather not have had the thorn, but we don’t decide the terms of God’s grace.
  • We are not God. We are his creatures and our part is to come to terms with God’s grace for us – to learn to accept what God gives, as Paul did.

When it comes to God’s grace we may also have a hard time accepting what God does for others.

  • Returning to the parable of the prodigal son, in Luke 15, the older brother certainly had a hard time accepting his father’s grace for the younger son.
  • We see his resentment at the father welcoming the prodigal home with a party.

The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him.    

God’s grace for others requires us to be gracious too and that can be difficult.

The process of GRACE starts with God. Next comes the realisation of our need, followed by acceptance and then change.

Change:              

Sometimes we long for change don’t we. Other times we prefer to keep things as they are.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said…

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy, for which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow… Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.”

Those were Bonhoeffer’s words.

  • Grace requires change. The technical words for the change grace requires are repentance and sanctification.
  • Repentance means a change of mind and a change of behaviour.
  • And sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ.
  • Repentance goes hand in hand with forgiveness and sanctification should follow justification.
  • We can’t expect God’s grace to leave us unchanged or untouched.
  • We can’t say, ‘Thank you God for your forgiveness. I’ll be on my way now to live as I please.’

In preparing the way for Jesus (the Messiah) John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He didn’t mince his words.

  • Here’s a sample of John’s preaching from Luke 3…

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…9 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

John preached costly grace and so did the apostle Paul. In Romans 6 Paul says,

  • What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

I said before that we were taking a break from Ephesians but actually today’s sermon, about the process of grace, follows the pattern of Ephesians.

  • In the first part of Ephesians Paul talks about what God has done for us in Christ (all the good gifts that are ours because of Jesus).
  • And in the second part of Ephesians Paul talks about the change God’s grace should effect in us.

Now in saying that grace requires us to change we need to know that God is not asking us to be something we are not.

  • The change is from our false self to our true self.
  • It also needs to be said that God is willing to help us change.
  • Sometimes we want to change but we can’t, at least not on our own – we are stuck, frozen like statues. We need the help of God’s Spirit.
  • God’s grace comes with truth to set us free from the lies that trap us.   

The ultimate test that God’s grace has changed us (made us more true on the inside) is our willingness to forgive others. As we say in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’

Jesus told some chilling tales – real horror stories. One of his scariest parables, in Matthew 18, was told as a warning against cheap grace.

  • The story goes that a servant racked up an incredible debt with the king. We might say a billion dollars in today’s currency.
  • I don’t know how this man did it. Maybe he had a gambling problem or maybe he just liked fast cars and expensive parties.
  • Anyway, when he was brought before the king and asked to give account the servant fell to his knees begging for more time to repay the debt.
  • The servant thought he could set the terms of grace and buy his way out.
  • The King (and everyone else) knew the servant had no hope of repaying the money and yet the King did more than the servant asked for – he forgave the entire debt outright.

Now, you would expect the King’s generosity to change the servant.

  • Sadly, the servant went out, found someone who owed him about $50, grabbed the man by the neck and demanded payment.
  • When the man begged for more time the first servant refused and had him thrown into debtors’ prison.
  • The other servants were extremely upset and told the King.
  • The King, who was a just man, became angry saying, ‘I forgave you the whole amount, you should have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you’.
  • Then the King sent that servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back every penny.
  • And Jesus concluded: ‘That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart’.

God’s grace may be free but it’s not cheap. We need to be careful not to forfeit it. The real proof that grace has done its work in changing us is our willingness to forgive others.  

God, Realisation, Acceptance, Change and Evangelism – spells GRACE.

Evangelism:

Evangelism simply means, passing on good news.

  • Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.
  • True evangelism is the fruit of a thankful heart – a heart that has been touched and changed by God’s goodness.

I remember as a kid my grandparents had a Newton’s Cradle, like this one, only bigger. [Hold up Newton’s Cradle and set it going]

  • When you lift one metal ball and let it fall, the energy passes all the way through the row causing the metal ball on the end to swing up.
  • The device is named after Isaac Newton because it demonstrates one of the laws of physics; the conservation of momentum and energy.

God’s grace is an energy – it must find release or expression somehow, somewhere. Evangelism and praise are two natural ways in which the energy of God’s grace is released.   

  • If the process of God’s grace is like a Newton’s Cradle, then God’s goodness is the metal ball on one end and evangelism is the ball on the far end. [Set the Newton’s Cradle going again]

Often when Jesus healed or forgave or delivered someone, that person would then tell others what Jesus had done for them.

  • Even when Jesus warned them to be quiet they couldn’t help themselves; the positive energy of his grace needed to find release and expression.
  • Sometimes though Jesus did instruct people to pass on the good news.

In Luke 8, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the lake with his disciples to Gentile territory.

  • No sooner had they stepped off the boat and they were confronted with a man who was possessed by a legion of demons.
  • This man was so troubled, his life in such chaos, that he used to live among the tombs.
  • People tried to restrain him, for his own safety and their own, but he broke the shackles and lived like a wild animal. 

Jesus commanded the demons to leave the man. The demons were afraid of Jesus and begged him not to send them into the abyss.

  • So Jesus showed them grace and let them enter a herd of pigs, which promptly ran off the side of a steep bank and into the lake. 

When the villagers saw the man sitting with Jesus, clothed and in his right mind – his dignity (and humanity) restored, they were frightened.

  • The grace of God is a powerful energy and divine power can be terrifying.
  • Because of their fear the people of that region asked Jesus to leave.
  • Jesus is meek (strong & gentle at the same time) so he did what they asked of him.
  • As Jesus was leaving the man who had been delivered begged to go with him, but Jesus said; Return home and tell how much God has done for you.

Here we see the wisdom of God’s grace.

  • The man had been estranged and alienated and lonely for a long time.
  • He needed to belong again – to be restored to his community.
  • The man was a Gentile. If he went with Jesus, back to Jewish territory, he would be excluded all over again.
  • The man also needed to find expression for the energy God’s grace had created within him.
  • By sending the man back home with the task of telling his story of grace, Jesus was releasing the man.
  • So the man went away and told everyone in town how much Jesus had done for him.   

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard about the process of God’s grace.

  • Grace begins with God’s goodness, before we are even aware of it.
  • But for grace to do its work we must realise our need for God.
  • Once we have realised our need we must accept grace on God’s terms.
  • Then comes change for good; personal repentance, proven in the crucible of forgiveness.   
  • Eventually though, the energy of grace must find release in evangelism, and praise; telling others the good things God has done for us.

This process of God’s grace isn’t just a one off thing though – it is a cycle which repeats itself, going deeper and deeper into our soul each time, until we reach maturity in Christ-likeness.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Thinking back over your life, can you recall a time when God’s grace was at work before you were aware of it? (When have you seen God’s grace in the rear-vision mirror?)
  3. Can you recall a time in your life when you realised your need for God? What happened?
  4. Why is it important for us to reflect on our situation when things go wrong?
  5. What has been your experience of accepting God’s grace? Is it similar to that of the prodigal son, or of Peter having his feet washed or of Paul’s thorn in the flesh? Or is it different to that?
  6. What is the difference between cheap grace and costly grace?
  7. What change has God’s grace brought in your life?
  8. How can we release the energy of God’s grace?
  9. Is there someone who would benefit from hearing about the good things God has done in your life?
  10. Take some time this week to reflect on the different times God has led you through His cycle of grace. Where are you at in the cycle of grace right now? What are the next steps for you?    

[1] John 13:6-10

Tawa Baptist

The Big Reveal

Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-13

Title: The Big Reveal

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God reveals his plan
  • Paul preaches Christ
  • The church reveals God’s wisdom
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Walk on to stage with a blindfold on: I can’t see. Can anyone help me?

  • Wait for someone to tell me to take the blindfold off
  • That’s better – now all is revealed

The goodness of God, the providence of God, the grace of God, the beauty of God, the thoughtfulness of God, the wisdom of God, the kindness of God, the plan & purpose of God is all around us

  • But we don’t always see it because we haven’t removed our blindfold

 

This morning we continue our series in Ephesians by focusing on chapter 3, verses 1-13

  • In chapter 2 Paul had been talking about our salvation in Christ, both our personal salvation and the salvation of the group
  • Now, in chapter 3, Paul is about to pray for the Ephesians when he gets side tracked for a few moments talking about the work God has given him to do – this is essentially the work of revealing God’s eternal plan
  • Paul’s job is to help remove the blindfold by preaching Jesus
  • From Ephesians 3, verse 1, we read…

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture

Following Paul’s train of thought can a little difficult at times – like a braided river Paul’s stream of consciousness is complex and intertwined

  • We need to step back to try and see the bigger picture – where is this braided river heading?
  • Well, Paul is essentially talking about the revelation of God’s eternal plan
  • In Ephesians 3 Paul describes the revelation of God’s plan like this…

By his Spirit, God reveals the mystery of his plan to Paul and the other apostles

  • Paul (and the other apostles) then reveal God’s plan of salvation to humanity by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ
  • As a result of their preaching people find peace with God and with each other – communities of like-minded believers become the church
  • And, through the church, God reveals his wisdom to the unseen (non-human) spiritual beings
  • So that’s the big picture of this passage – now let’s look at the different braids of Paul’s thought
  • First let’s consider the mystery of God’s plan revealed to Paul

God reveals his plan:

Hold up a USB stick. I have here, in my hand, a USB stick

  • No one here (but me) knows what secrets are held in this device
  • And none of you, just by looking at it, can know – not without plugging it in to a computer – but even then you might not understand it

In verses 2-5 of Ephesians 3 Paul talks about the mystery of God’s plan revealed to him

  • In this context a ‘mystery’ is a truth known only by divine revelation
  • In some ways the Old Testament Scriptures were sort of like a USB stick – they contained a secret, the mystery of God’s plan, but no one knew how to properly access the Scriptures to reveal the contents
  • Jesus and the Holy Spirit unlock the USB of the Scriptures to reveal God’s plan
  • Paul, and the other apostles of the first century, got to see the contents because God showed them – he opened their minds with insight to understand
  • Therefore, the writings of the New Testament achieve the status of holy Scripture because they are a record of God’s revelation to human beings

When we were kids we would go to birthday parties and almost always we would play a game of pass the parcel

  • Sitting in a circle we would pass the present around and each time the music stopped the person holding the present would remove a layer of paper. Pass the parcel was exciting because it was full of mystery
  • No one knew when the music would stop or how many layers of paper there were or what present was waiting inside
  • The mystery of God’s plan is a bit like the present hidden inside layers of paper in a pass the parcel game
  • Each generation removed a layer and got a bit closer to revealing the mystery inside but it was Paul’s generation who were at the right time and place in history to open the final layer

So what is God’s mystery plan then? Well, it was a gift no one expected. Paul spells it out in verse 6…

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Notice here the repetition of the word ‘together’

  • Paul is talking about God’s creation of the church in this verse

Those of us who have grown up in NZ probably don’t realise how incredible and audacious God’s plan is because most of us haven’t been close to the kind of Jewish / Gentile hostility that Paul was in touch with

  • But we do have some idea. Throughout our lifetime we have watched news reports of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and Israel’s other Gentile neighbours
  • God’s mystery plan is to bring the Jews & Gentiles together, in peace, and make us one in Christ
  • And it’s the church’s purpose to model that togetherness – it is the church which embodies the hope of that peace
  • But God’s plan goes beyond mere reconciliation – God’s plan is to give believing Jews & Gentiles equal status in Christ
  • While the Old Testament does talk about the Gentiles turning to the God of Israel no one thought we would be included on an equal footing with the Jews, as members of God’s family – no one foresaw the Christian church hidden in the USB of the Hebrew Bible

 

Paul preaches Christ:

Having received the revelation of God’s plan, Paul then shares it with others by preaching Christ to people – he realises he can’t keep it to himself

  • If you are a scientist and you discover a cure for cancer you don’t keep it to yourself – you share it with the world
  • Evangelism, sharing the good news, is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread

In verses 8-9 Paul says…

  • Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery…

Paul hasn’t forgotten how he used to persecute the followers of Christ and so he refers to himself as less than the least of all the Lord’s people

Paul describes the preaching task he has been given as a ‘grace’ – that is, a gift, a privilege, something beautiful that God has given him

  • As well as being a privilege preaching is also hard work and it can get you in trouble
  • Preaching that it was God’s plan to include the Gentiles on an equal footing with the Jews got Paul arrested and jailed
  • He was under house arrest when writing this because of the message he preached, but his eyes weren’t on his chains
  • His eyes were on the privilege of being the one who got to unwrap the final layer of God’s parcel of truth to share with others

The content of Paul’s preaching is the boundless riches of Christ

  • Paul has already touched on the nature of these riches in the first two chapters of Ephesians – let me refresh your memory…
  • Christ’s riches include: resurrection from death,
  • Enthronement with Jesus in the heavenly realms,
  • Reconciliation with God and peace with other believers
  • Citizenship in the Kingdom of God
  • Adoption into God’s family
  • And intimacy with God – becoming a part of God’s new temple, where his Spirit dwells

In verse 12 of Ephesians 3 Paul describes another one of the riches of Christ

  • In Christ and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
  • This connects with what Paul had been saying at the end of chapter 2 when he talked about us being part of God’s family and indeed his temple
  • This access of all Christian people to God through Christ is what the sixteenth century reformers termed ‘the priesthood of all believers’ [1]
  • In Old Testament times, only the descendants of Aaron could serve as priests in the temple but through faith in Christ we too can draw near to God as his priests

So it’s not like Daryl & I are the only priests here, you also are priests

  • The role of a priest is to help people in their relationship with God
  • When you intercede in prayer for others you are acting as a priest
  • When you listen with compassion to someone at work and encourage them to find the right path you are acting as a priest
  • When you say a blessing over your children at home and proclaim the goodness of God to them you are acting as a priest
  • When you sacrifice your time and your money for the sake of God’s church and God’s purpose in the world you are acting as a priest

Paul’s message to everyone also includes the administration of this mystery

  • In verse 2 Paul talks about the administration of God’s grace
  • Two ways of referring to the same thing – God’s plan of salvation
  • Paul’s use of the word administration is quite refreshing
  • Normally we associate administration with tedious paper work but Paul associates it with the mystery of God’s grace
  • Medicine might be administered in the form of a pill or by an injection
  • And the payment of money might be administered by cash or eftpos
  • But the mystery of God’s grace is administered by faith in Christ and by preaching

When I was reflecting on this passage over the past week or so I was reminded of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was an administrator of God’s grace

  • Sold into slavery in Egypt, Joseph proved to be a good manager and, through the revelation and insight God gave him to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph rose to the position of Prime Minister where he administered God’s grace in the form of food security

We, like Paul and Joseph, can also administer God’s grace at least to the extent that we have received it

  • What grace or gift has God given you as one of his priests?
  • Is it the grace to be present and listen – who would God have you come alongside?
  • Is it the grace to speak words of encouragement into the lives of others – what would God have you say?
  • Is it the grace of being in a position to help people with your influence or your resources – who would God have you empower?
  • Is it the grace to remove someone’s blindfold so they can see God’s goodness in the world around us – who can you help to see the good news?
  • There are many other gifts of course but the question is: What grace has God given you to share as one of his priests?

God revealed his plan to Paul and Paul didn’t keep it to himself – he preached Christ to all kinds of people because Christ is the key to God’s plan, Christ opens God’s USB

 

The church reveals God’s wisdom:

But there is another level of revelation going on that we can’t see and might not even be aware of: The church reveals God’s wisdom, not to humankind necessarily but to non-human spiritual beings in the heavenly realms

A tapestry has two sides – a top side and an underside

  • The underside of the tapestry usually looks like a mess – you can barely tell from the underside what’s going on up top
  • The physical / material world in which we live is like the underside of the tapestry, while the spiritual world is like the top
  • From our perspective (in the upside down, from underneath) we can’t see things as they really are in the spiritual realm

In verse 10 of Ephesians 3 Paul writes…

  • His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers & authorities in the heavenly realms,

God’s wisdom is manifold – it is multi-faceted, with many different threads forming a coherent and beautiful picture

  • The rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms is most likely a reference to spiritual (non-human) creatures like angels and demons
  • The main idea here is that God reveals his wisdom to these spiritual beings through the church on earth
  • From our perspective below, the church doesn’t always seem beautiful or gracious or perfectly ordered – it often looks and feels a bit messy
  • But when angels & demons look at the church they see the topside of the tapestry and they are in awe of what God has done through Christ

We might wonder why God would do this – using a church comprised of imperfect human beings to reveal his wisdom to the spiritual realm

  • I don’t think it is just to make himself look good
  • More likely God does it to redeem his non-human creation
  • It is, after all, God’s plan and purpose to reconcile all things to himself through Christ – ‘all things’ includes the creatures of the spiritual realm

Now, if you think about it, this places a very high value and meaning on church

  • The church isn’t just about us – it’s also about a whole dimension of reality that we can’t see
  • When we gather for worship each Sunday our audience is greater than we might imagine

 

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard how God, by his Spirit, reveals the mystery of his plan to Paul and the other apostles

  • Paul (and the other apostles) then reveal God’s plan of salvation to humanity by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ
  • As a result of their preaching people find peace with God and with each other – communities of like-minded believers become the church
  • And, through the church, God reveals his wisdom to the unseen (non-human) spiritual beings

This morning’s reading finishes with Paul saying…

  • I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
  • The reason Paul was in prison was that he believed Gentiles now have the same access to God that Jews have
  • Paul’s suffering tells us that he really loved the Gentiles and believed in God’s plan for them
  • ‘Glory’ is a weighty word, it refers to something substantial and meaningful, something lasting
  • Paul’s suffering for the Gentiles gives real weight and substance to his message and it gives glory to his Gentile readers also
  • Paul’s suffering says people like us matter to God
  • You might not feel that glorious – you might not think your life is that significant but Paul’s suffering for us says otherwise
  • You are glorious, your life is significant, you do matter to God
  • We matter to God

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  • What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?
    • Why do you think this stood out to you?
  • Have you ever had a significant ‘aha’ moment, when God revealed to you a deeper insight about himself and his purpose?
    • What happened? What was the revelation you received? How did you respond?
  • What revelation did God give Paul?
    • How did Paul respond?
  • Why do you think Paul describes the task of preaching as a ‘grace’?
    • What grace (or gift) has God given you to share with (or administer to) others?
    • In what ways can you act as a priest?
  • Discuss / reflect on / give thanks for the boundless riches of Christ
  • What are the implications of Ephesians 3:10 for us?
    • How might this verse inform our attitude and behaviour regarding church?
  • Take some time to reflect on Paul’s suffering for preaching the gospel to the Gentiles.
    • How do you feel knowing that Paul (and others) have paid a high price so that you/we can be included in God’s family?
    • How might you/we honour Paul’s sacrifice?

 

[1] John Stott, The Message of Ephesians, page 124.

Tawa Baptist

Baptism

Scriptures: Various

Title: Baptism

Key Idea: Baptism is like a bridge, it connects people

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Belief
  • Repentance
  • Identity
  • Discipleship
  • Grace
  • Entry
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

–         Hamilton is a city of two halves in a way – it is dissected by the Waikato River and consequently there are a number of bridges spanning the river, providing points of connection for people on either side

–         There is a flat looking bridge known as the Whitiora Bridge

–         I remember walking across that as a 7 year old when it was first opened

–         But probably my favourite bridge is the one with the humps – the Fairfield bridge

–         It’s older than the Whitiora Bridge and more interesting to look at

–         As a school boy I remember hearing stories of how someone rode the humps of the bridge on a motorbike – probably just a folk legend

On one occasion I found a 5 speed push bike in the water near the river bank underneath the Fairfield Bridge

–         I handed it in to the police and after a few months, because no one claimed it, they said I could have it. I rode that bike for years

 

This morning our message focuses on baptism

–         Baptism is a word that means to submerge or immerse

–         It is also a ritual of Christian initiation

To help us understand the meaning of baptism and what it stands for I’ve come up with the following acronym: BRIDGE:

–         Belief, Repentance, Identity, Discipleship, Grace and Entry

–         In some ways baptism is like a bridge – it connects people

–         First let us consider the belief that goes with baptism

 

Belief:

Belief in Jesus is central to Christian baptism

–         In particular belief in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead

–         And belief that Jesus is Lord

In the book of Acts the apostles preached that Jesus is the Messiah and to prove their point they spoke of how God raised Jesus from the dead

–         For example, in Acts 18, after Paul had preached about Jesus, we read that: Crispus, who was the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his family; many other people in Corinth heard the message, believed, and were baptised.

–         In this situation, as in others like it, belief & baptism go together

 

Sometimes we understand what something is by reference to its opposite

–         The opposite of belief is cynicism

–         Many of the Jewish religious leaders of Paul’s day were cynical about Jesus – they didn’t believe Jesus was Lord & Messiah

–         In other words, they didn’t want to submit to his authority

–         But Crispus stands against the flow by submitting to Jesus in baptism

Christians are not cynical or hard hearted (or at least they are not supposed to be)

–         Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that he still lives today

–         If we believe that Jesus is the Messiah of God who has conquered death then it logically follows that Jesus is Lord – that he has legitimate authority over life & death and over us

–         To be baptised is to submit oneself to the Lordship or authority of Christ

–         It is to say, “From this time forward my first allegiance is to Jesus. He is my King, I give Christ my loyalty and the keys to my heart.”

For most of us these days submitting to any sort of authority can be difficult

–         Our society places a high value on personal freedom

–         Not only that but we tend to be suspicious of those in authority

–         What we need to understand is that Jesus is no ordinary king

–         In submitting our will, our desires, our wishes & dreams to Jesus we are placing our very lives in the hands of someone who is wise and gentle and compassionate and good – someone who loves us personally and has our best interests at heart

–         We each have a choice: either we take charge of our own lives or we let Jesus be in charge

–         Jesus is a far kinder authority than we are, even to ourselves

 

Now I’m aware that not all of you come from a Baptist background – some of you may come from an Anglican or Catholic or Lutheran background where the tradition is for infants to be baptised

–         So, if belief in Jesus’ resurrection and Lordship is central to Christian baptism, how does infant baptism fit with that?

–         (Because babies aren’t able to make that choice for themselves)

–         Well, in the case of infants, it is the parents and the community of faith who believe on the child’s behalf until such time as the child is old enough to confirm their belief in Jesus for themselves

–         While we don’t practice infant baptism in this church we do accept people into membership who have been baptised as babies and later accepted Jesus as Lord & Saviour

–         We believe in a God who is generous & spacious – we don’t believe God would exclude people on a technicality like how much water was involved or when the baptism took place

 

Belief in Jesus goes hand in hand with baptism in the New Testament, as does repentance

 

Repentance:

Repentance is a change of mind which leads to a change in behaviour

–         If we truly believe that Jesus is Lord then we will be willing to make changes to our lifestyle as Jesus requires us to

–         A belief in Jesus that does not result in some kind of positive change, over time, probably isn’t genuine

 

Complacency is the enemy of repentance

–         Often it is only when we are deeply troubled that we change

The year was 1970 something – I was about 8 or 9 years old I suppose and my grandfather took me and three of my cousins to the winter show in Hamilton

–         The winter show was sort of a make shift carnival with various rides and side shows

–         You know there was a Ferris wheel and dodgems and a shooting gallery and put the ball in the clowns mouth and candy floss and so on

There was this one ride called the ‘Sizzler’

–         The Sizzler goes round and round in circles really fast

–         Any way my three cousins and I all sat in a bench seat on the Sizzler and the ride started

–         As the speed was building I noticed the safety bar had come undone

–         We tried to fix it but it wouldn’t latch properly so I yelled out for the operator to stop the ride but the operator ignored us – we were just kids

–         My grandfather could see we were in distress and he asked the operator to stop it but the operator said he couldn’t because the ride was on a timer

–         We did our best to hold on but eventually the G forces became too much and we were thrown out onto the tar seal

–         We lost a bit of skin off our hands and knees and face but we were lucky really not to have been thrown into the metal fence

–         Funny thing was, as soon as we came off the operator shut the ride down

–         Hmm, so much for it being on a timer

Repentance is about change – a change of mind that leads to a change in behaviour

–         When we are deeply troubled we want change and we want it now

–         My cousins and I wanted change on the Sizzler but the operator wouldn’t repent – It was only after he saw us come off that he became troubled enough to change

 

In Acts 2, when Peter preached to the crowd in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost he spoke about Jesus’ death & resurrection saying…

–         “People of Israel, know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah.”

–         When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said, “What shall we do?”

–         Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from their sins & be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven…”

The crowd in Acts 2 were willing to repent (to change and turn away from their sins) because they felt deeply troubled at what they had done to Jesus, God’s Messiah

–         Someone once said, ‘Jesus comes to disturb those who are comfortable and to comfort those who are disturbed.’

 

It’s not just Peter who put repentance & baptism together – so did John the Baptist and the apostle Paul

In his letter to the Romans Paul writes…

–         What shall we say then? Should we continue to live in sin so that God’s grace will increase? Certainly not! We have died to sin – how then can we go on living in it? For surely you know that when we were baptised into union with Christ Jesus, we were baptised into union with his death. By our baptism then we were buried with him and shared his death in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life. 

Baptism with repentance gives us a fresh start, a clean slate from which to move forward

The Great Flood of Noah’s day offers an image of baptism as a fresh start

–         In a sense the whole earth was baptised in the flood and God made a fresh start with Noah and his family

–         Likewise, after 40 years wandering in the wilderness, the people of Israel went through a kind of baptism, when they passed through the River Jordan, before making a fresh start by entering the Promised Land

 

There is a danger with any sort of ritual that it can become convention, just going through the motions

–         Baptism doesn’t mean business as usual

–         Baptism usually involves being disturbed enough to repent (to change our mind & behaviour) and make a fresh start

 

Identity:

Receiving a new identity – becoming a new creation in Christ is part & parcel of the fresh start implied by baptism

Some of you here follow the Super Rugby competition which has recently finished

–         When I say the colours red & black, what team do you think of?

–         What about yellow & black, which team wears those colours?

–         A sports team is known by the colour of their uniform

If someone has been playing for the Crusaders and then repents and changes to the Hurricanes they don’t keep wearing their old red & black colours – they start wearing their new yellow & black colours

In his letter to the Galatians Paul writes…

–         You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

When we are baptised into Christ we are clothed in his colours – his identity

–         That means we are no longer defined by our past mistakes or by superficial things like our gender or our ethnicity or our occupation

–         We are defined by Christ and given a new identity as children of God

–         We become a new creation in Christ – we belong to God’s family

 

Last week I spoke about naming as an act of creation by God

–         God gave Abram the new name of Abraham

–         And he gave Jacob the new name of Israel

–         Many centuries later Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, meaning rock

–         When the Lord changes a person’s name he is giving them a new identity

–         It is no accident that when infants are baptised they also receive their Christian names – signalling the child’s identity in Christ

 

It is not easy or popular these days (in NZ) to identify yourself as a Christian

–         The politics of identity has become complex and fraught

–         Standing in solidarity with Jesus can be uncomfortable

 

Belief, repentance, identity and discipleship…

 

Discipleship:

Baptism is a commitment to become a disciple of Jesus

–         A disciple is essentially a student or an apprentice – someone who learns from and follows the example of their master

–         And in the case of Christian baptism the master is Jesus

At the end of Matthew’s gospel, after his death & resurrection but before his ascension to heaven, Jesus says to his disciples…

–         “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…”

Baptism marks the beginning of Christian discipleship – of learning the ways of Christ

–         And it’s important to understand that baptism is a beginning

–         Baptism is not a badge that says you’ve made it – it’s not a sign that you’ve got your black belt in loving God and your neighbour

–         Or to use a Star Wars reference, baptism doesn’t make you a Jedi master, rather it makes you a Padawan – a learner or apprentice

–         So you don’t have to have it all together to get baptised – but you do need to be serious in your commitment to learn from Jesus

 

We learn how to be like Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit…

–         By reading the Scriptures; especially the gospels

–         By being in community with other believers

–         And by having a go at doing what Jesus taught

When it comes to reading the Bible we tend to get more out of it when we listen to sermons or read Bible study notes or discuss the meaning of the Scriptures with other Christians in a study group

Of course we need more than reading and sermons and Bible study

–         In the Christian life understanding comes with practice

–         For example, we learn to pray by reading what Jesus taught about prayer, and by listening to other Christians praying and by praying ourselves

–         We learn patience by not having all our prayers answered quickly but by being made to wait sometimes

–         We learn forgiveness by being part of an imperfect community of faith where we are forgiven for our mistakes & have to forgive others for theirs

When we are new to the Christian faith it is important to have a few older more mature believers we can go to for guidance or encouragement

–         And when we’ve been walking with Jesus for a while it is important to be available to those who may want a bit of support in their faith

–         Whether we’ve been on the journey for a short while or a long while we all have something to offer toward each other’s faith development

 

Baptism is like a bridge – it connects people

–         B is for Belief, R is for Repentance, I is for Identity, D is for Discipleship and G is for Grace

 

Grace:

The classic definition of God’s grace is ‘unmerited favour’

–         This means grace is something favourable or pleasant & good that God gives without us having to earn it

–         Grace goes beyond the contract – beyond the letter of the law

Imagine for example that you have an employment contract that allows you up to 5 days a year sick leave and that sick leave doesn’t accumulate beyond 5 days

–         If you get sick and need to take time off then the first 5 days of sick leave is not grace, it’s something you are entitled to under the terms of your contract – your employer is obligated to pay you that much, no one is doing you any favours

–         But if you have to take two weeks off to recuperate and your boss decides she will pay you for a second week as well, without taking your annual leave, then that is unmerited favour

–         Your boss is not obligated to pay you – she is showing you grace

 

Baptism is a ceremony that celebrates God’s grace – sort of like a wedding is the ceremony that celebrates marriage

 

God’s grace has many dimensions to it – very briefly 2 significant aspects of grace in baptism include: forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit

In preparing the way for Jesus, John the Baptist said,

–         I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire…” [1]

Then, about 3 years later, in Acts 2 at Pentecost, Peter says to the crowd…

–         “Repent and be baptised, everyone one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

–         The grace of forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit – God’s unmerited favour

Now it needs to be said that the Holy Spirit is free to move as He wishes

–         There are some in the book of Acts who receive the Spirit before being baptised in water and others who receive the Spirit after

–         In any case it is the Holy Spirit who makes our baptism effective

 

Baptism is like a bridge – it connects people

–         Belief, Repentance, Identity, Discipleship, Grace & Entry

 

Entry:

The bridge of baptism represents entry into the church universal

In Anglican churches the baptismal font is at the front door to symbolise that baptism is entry into the church

Baptism isn’t something people do in isolation – it is a ceremony that joins the one being baptised to the community of believers throughout the world and indeed throughout history

–         Baptism is something Christians share in common

–         So in being baptised we aren’t just identifying with Jesus, we are also identifying with his body, the church

–         Baptism then is about belonging to a community of Christian faith – becoming part of God’s family

In his letter to the Ephesians Paul touches on the mystery of our oneness in Christ when he writes…

–         As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  [2]

Christian believers are connected in a profound way by Jesus, so we need to tread gently in each other’s lives – what one believer does is felt by another

 

Conclusion:

Baptism is like a bridge, but we don’t build the bridge on our own

–         Jesus, the master carpenter, does the building by His Spirit

–         We need to decide if we will cross the bridge

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

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

2.)    What is your experience of baptism? (E.g. Have you been baptised? If so, when and how? What led you to your baptism? Or, what keeps you from being baptised?)

3.)    What core beliefs do we affirm in baptism?

–         What does it mean to submit to Jesus’ authority?

4.)    What does true repentance look like?

–         What is the catalyst for true repentance?

5.)    In what sense do we gain a new identity at baptism?

6.)    What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ?

–         How might we work out our discipleship today?

7.)    What is grace?

–         How is God’s grace present in baptism?

8.)    Take some time this week to reflect on Ephesians 4:1-6 and our oneness with other Christian believers throughout the world and throughout history.

 

[1] Matthew 3:11

[2] Ephesians 4:1-6

Tawa Baptist

Fear & Grace

Scripture: Genesis 20

Title: Fear & Grace

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Fear
  • Grace
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

In the 1980’s the NZ band Split Enz released a song called History Never Repeats

–         The chorus says: “History never repeats, tell myself before I go to sleep”

–         I’m not sure what the band had in mind when they wrote the song but it has always carried a sense of irony for me: History often repeats, despite what we might tell ourselves

This morning we pick up our series on the life of Abraham, from Genesis chapter 20 – page 22 near the front of your pew Bibles

–         Abraham’s journey of faith could be described as two steps forward, one step back – with a few sideways steps thrown in for good measure

–         Genesis 20 seems to be describing a backward step for Abraham

–         This is one of those occasions when history repeats itself

–         In Genesis 12 Abraham led Pharaoh to believe that he wasn’t married to Sarah, so that Pharaoh would treat him kindly

–         Now in Genesis 20 Abraham does the same thing by misleading king Abimelech. From Genesis 20, verse 1 we read…

 Abraham moved from Mamre to the southern part of Canaan and lived between Kadesh and Shur. Later, while he was living in Gerar, 2 he said that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. 3 One night God appeared to him in a dream and said, “You are going to die, because you have taken this woman; she is already married.”

4 But Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, “Lord, I am innocent! Would you destroy me and my people? 5 Abraham himself said that she was his sister, and she said the same thing. I did this with a clear conscience, and I have done no wrong.”

6 God replied in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did it with a clear conscience; so I kept you from sinning against me and did not let you touch her. 7 But now, give the woman back to her husband. He is a prophet, and he will pray for you, so that you will not die. But if you do not give her back, I warn you that you are going to die, you and all your people.”

8 Early the next morning Abimelech called all his officials and told them what had happened, and they were terrified. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? What wrong have I done to you to make you bring this disaster on me and my kingdom? No one should ever do what you have done to me. 10 Why did you do it?”

11 Abraham answered, “I thought that there would be no one here who has reverence for God and that they would kill me to get my wife. 12 She really is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother, and I married her. 13 So when God sent me from my father’s house into foreign lands, I said to her, ‘You can show how loyal you are to me by telling everyone that I am your brother.’”

14 Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and at the same time he gave him sheep, cattle, and slaves. 15 He said to Abraham, “Here is my whole land; live anywhere you like.” 16 He said to Sarah, “I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver as proof to all who are with you that you are innocent; everyone will know that you have done no wrong.”

17-18 Because of what had happened to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, the Lord had made it impossible for any woman in Abimelech’s palace to have children. So Abraham prayed for Abimelech, and God healed him. He also healed his wife and his slave women, so that they could have children.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

We notice two themes in Genesis 20, fear & grace. First let’s consider fear…

 Fear:

Basically, fear is a feeling of distress caused by impending danger

–         In some ways fear is sort of the opposite of hope

–         Hope is a feeling of joy caused by impending satisfaction

 

Fear (like hope) comes from what we think or imagine might happen

–         When what we think or imagine is accurate & true, then fear protects us

–         For example, I imagine (quite accurately) that if I try to monkey climb the steel ‘I’ beams in this auditorium I will probably fall and hurt myself

–         This thought creates a feeling of distress which prevents me from attempting to climb the blue beams

 

By the same token, when what we think or imagine is inaccurate & untrue, then fear becomes something which puts us at risk

–         For example, if I were to imagine (quite wrongly) that the floor was covered in snakes then the feeling of distress caused by that thought might cause me to climb the walls, which would inevitably lead to me falling and hurting myself

 

With these two examples we see that fear can act as both a brake and an accelerator

–         Sometimes fear stops us doing things

–         Other times fear moves us to do things, at speed

 

The really disconcerting thing is that we are subject to what we fear – which means we are not usually in the driver’s seat

–         When we are afraid we are not the ones with our foot on the brake or the accelerator – we are the passenger

 

Fear is taxing – it sucks the life out of us, kind of like an anti-energy

–         For example, we may be afraid of failure and that fear motivates us to work extra hard to succeed, but at the same time it also stresses us out and exhausts us

 

The other thing fear does is it makes us forget, at least temporarily

–         Fear has this way of locking out every other thought

–         In Genesis 20 Abraham appears to forget God’s promise to make him a father of nations

–         He also seems to forget what happened with Pharaoh in Egypt

–         Abraham’s fear of being killed overwhelms him and he manages the feeling of distress by deceiving Abimelech

–         In verse 11 Abraham says, “I thought that there would be no one here who fears God and that they would kill me to get my wife.”

–         Given that the people of Sodom & Gomorrah had no fear of God we can understand why Abraham might think Abimelech was similar

–         But in this situation at least, Abraham’s fear is based on a false assumption and when our fear is based on a lie it inevitably leads us to put ourselves or others at risk

 

When you hear the word ‘Philistine’, what do you think of? [Wait]

–         The Philistine’s were an ancient race of people who we read about in the Bible – traditionally thought of as enemies of Israel

–         David killed the Philistine giant, Goliath

–         These days though the word ‘Philistine’ has come to mean someone who is hostile toward culture and the arts – sort of like a bogan

–         Someone who is uncouth or ignorant, perhaps even dangerous

 

This may be quite an unfair prejudice

–         King Abimelech was a Philistine and yet (in Genesis 20) he behaved better than Abraham

–         I’m not saying Abimelech was perfect – after all, he already had a wife and some concubines and then decided he would have Sarah as well, like an all you can eat smorgasbord

–         (I’m not sure that women had a lot of choice in the matter in those days)

 

Despite his rapacious appetite king Abimelech still had a moral code

–         Contrary to Abraham’s prejudice Abimelech did fear God

–         He was probably what we might call a good pagan

 

A pagan (by definition) lives in fear of the gods

–         A pagan lives with the feeling of constant distress, that if they put a foot wrong the gods will punish them

–         While we are not pagan, it’s not difficult for us to understand the utter exhaustion of living with constant fear

–         Anxiety is very much a part of the fabric of our society – it is epidemic today

 

To people in the ancient world (whatever their religion) adultery was a heinous crime – it was one of the worst sins you could think of

–         If you committed adultery in the ancient world you could expect a severe punishment, if not from the community then from the gods

 

Abimelech’s fear that God might kill him if he did commit adultery was accurate and true

–         When God told him in a dream that Sarah was married to Abraham, Abimelech was quick to point out that he didn’t know and he hadn’t touched her yet – he wasted no time in repentance

–         Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham with livestock and silver, not because he was feeling guilty, but out of fear & respect for God Almighty

 

You see fear is a form of respect – we are subject to what we fear

–         When we react in fear of something we are saying (often unconsciously) that the thing we fear has power over us

–         To fear God then is to say (in a very deep way) God is more powerful than I am and therefore I am subject to him

–         Abimelech’s fear of God caused him to bend his knee in submission and obedience to God

 

Fear of God is quite close to faith in God

–         Proverbs talks about the fear of God being the beginning of wisdom

–         Or to use a metaphor – if faith in God is the butterfly, then fear of God is the caterpillar. Before we can fly we must first crawl

–         Before we can learn to trust God we must first fear him

–         That is, we must first submit to God in the realisation that he is more powerful than anyone or anything else

–         I wonder if the pandemic of anxiety in our society today is partly due to the fact we have lost our fear of God

–         We have made ourselves subject to so many things (that aren’t God) and consequently we are afraid of many things

 

What we notice in Genesis 20 is that Abraham believed (temporarily – in that moment) that God was not the most powerful one in the neighbourhood and as a result he put Sarah’s virtue and God’s promise at risk

–         This is all upside down and back to front – here we have Abraham, a hero of the faith, showing more fear of man than of God

–         While king Abimelech, the Philistine – the one we least expect, fears God more than Abraham does

The lesson is: both fear of God and faith in God can be found anywhere – sometimes those outside the church have a greater fear of God than we do

–         I think of the Roman Centurion who said to Jesus:

–         “Lord do not trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof… But say the word and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go’, and he goes and that one, ‘Come’, and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this’, and he does it.”

–         When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and… said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” [1]

 

There is something of God’s image (something noble) in everyone, even those we may write off as Philistines – but we have to be humble to see it

–         Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

 

Grace:

Okay, so far we have talked about Abraham’s fear of man and Abimelech’s fear of God

The other main theme running through these verses is grace – in particular God’s grace for Sarah & Abraham, as well as the Lord’s grace for Abimelech and his household

–         Grace is a gift, something we haven’t earned – it is undeserved favour

–         Grace is different from fear

–         Fear is the stick – grace is the carrot

–         Fear is about punishment – grace is about freedom

–         Fear makes us a passenger – grace puts us in the driver’s seat

–         Fear is a feeling of distress – grace is a feeling of humility

 

Once there was a boy, who we’ll call Hunter

–         Hunter came from a dysfunctional family

–         Dad wasn’t around anymore & Mum was preoccupied

–         Hunter was left to fend for himself most of the time

On benefit day (which was a Tuesday) there was usually something in the pantry, some instant noodles or budget bread

–         But by Thursday there wasn’t much food left in the house so Hunter went to school without lunch three days a week

–         Although he was really hungry he didn’t steal from the other kids because he didn’t want to get in trouble

–         He had been taken away from his mum and put into foster care once before and he didn’t want to do anything to risk that happening again

–         Foster care is a bit of a lottery – Fear kept him in check

Hunter’s teacher saw what was going on and quietly snuck sandwiches, biscuits & fruit into Hunter’s bag on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays

–         At first Hunter didn’t realise how the food got there, but it didn’t take him long to figure it out

–         That teacher had always looked out for him – like a guardian angel

–         It made him feel strangely warm and humble inside

One day the winter show came to town

–         We don’t have winter shows in Wellington – it’s more of a regional town thing, with Ferris wheels, hot dogs, side shows and candy floss

–         Hunter couldn’t afford the ticket price but that didn’t stop him, there was always a hole in the fence somewhere he could squeeze through for free

–         He didn’t have money to go on any of the rides or buy any food – he just enjoyed being there, the sights, the sounds and the smells

As he walked along he noticed a purse on the ground – small enough to fit in your pocket. It had $40 inside and a lipstick

–         He could really use the money

–         Finders keepers, he thought to himself – whoever she was she wouldn’t miss it anyway

As he stood in line waiting to buy some hot chips he noticed his teacher, in the distance on the merry go round, with her family

–         She saw him and smiled – he looked away, suddenly conscience stricken

–         How could he steal this money when she had been so good to him?

–         Realising he couldn’t enjoy the chips now, he handed the purse in to lost property (with the money intact) and slipped out the gate feeling hungry

On Monday at school the teacher called the roll and, as usual, went round the room giving the kids a chance to talk about what they did in their weekend

–         Lots of people talked about going to the winter show and, as usual, Hunter said nothing

When everyone had finished the teacher shared her own news, saying that she had gone to the show with her 11 year daughter who had lost her purse

–         Her daughter was upset because there was $40 in the purse which she had earned from doing various odd jobs

–         Fortunately someone handed the purse in and all was well

Realising he had done something good Hunter smiled to himself as he looked at the ground, feeling strangely warm and humble inside.

 

God’s grace is manifold – it’s not one dimensional

–         It’s layered, like a trifle or filo pastry

We see God’s grace in the way the Lord appears to Abimelech in a dream, warning him of the danger he is in

–         In Genesis 12 God communicated with Pharaoh through sickness and disease but in Genesis 20 the Lord has a conversation with Abimelech

–         Probably because Abimelech is more willing to listen than Pharaoh was

 

One thing we notice is that God’s grace comes to Abimelech in the form of truth – Abraham had lied to Abimelech but God speaks the truth

–         Grace & truth go together with God

–         The Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace & truth

–         Being told that he is at risk of committing adultery with Sarah is not an easy truth for Abimelech to face but there is grace in the timing of it

–         In fact, verse 6 tells us that God has kept Abimelech from sinning by not letting him touch Sarah

–         God has a wonderful way of saving us from temptation and delivering us from evil – diverting us in the nick of time, sort of like Hunter was diverted by a smile from his teacher

 

God’s grace in preventing Abimelech from sleeping with Sarah is at the same time an act of grace for Sarah & Abraham

–         Despite Abraham’s faithless action on this occasion the Lord still intervenes to protect Sarah and save Abraham’s life

 

I’m impressed with the way Abimelech restores the relationship with Abraham

–         After learning from God that Sarah is actually Abraham’s wife Abimelech calls Abraham in and asks for an explanation

–         While this was probably an awkward moment for Abraham it actually enables the two men to clear the air and makes it possible for Abraham to remain in the land

–         Pharaoh gave Abraham no such hearing – he simply sent Abraham & Sarah packing

 

In spite of the way Abraham insults Abimelech (saying, I thought there would be no one here who fears God) the Philistine king gives Abraham livestock, servants, the pick of pastureland & 1000 pieces of silver to vindicate Sarah

–         This silver in some way undoes any shame or slur on Sarah’s reputation

–         It is an incredible amount of money – more than most people would earn in their life time at that point in history

–         As mentioned before Abimelech’s generosity is more out of respect for God, than anything else

 

Finally we see God’s grace in the way the Lord answers Abraham’s prayer to heal Abimelech and his household so they could have children

–         God had promised that Abraham would be a blessing to the nations and this prayer of intercession is one example of that blessing

–         God’s gift of children for the Philistine royal family surely sounds a note of hope for Sarah & Abraham

–         If God is willing to do that for Abimelech, who has been promised nothing, then the Lord will surely make good on his word to Abraham & Sarah

 

Conclusion:

Fear & grace are part of our experience too

–         Although fear & grace are different they both have the power to humble us before God, as Abraham & Abimelech were humbled

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/29-april-2018-fear-grace

 

Questions for discussion & reflection

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

2.)    What is fear?

–         How does (or has) fear affected your life?

3.)    How might we manage the thoughts which govern our fear (in a healthy way)?

4.)    What is the relationship between fear of God and faith in God?

–         How are they similar? How are they different?

–         How might fear of God make us less anxious?

5.)    What is grace?

–         How is grace different from fear?

6.)    In what ways can you see God’s grace in Genesis 20?

7.)    Can you think of times when God has diverted you from making a mistake in the nick of time? (e.g. as he prevented Abimelech from committing adultery with Sarah)

–         What other ways have you experienced God’s grace in your life?

8.)    Take some time this week to thank God for the noble Philistines you’ve known

 

 

[1] Luke 7:6-9

Tawa Baptist

Barnabas & Mark

Scripture: Acts 15:36-40

 

Title: Barnabas & Mark

 

The term ‘big hearted’ describes someone who is:

–         Compassionate, generous, open, kind, gracious, encouraging & noble

–         Someone who is big hearted looks beyond the flaws in others to see their  potential – they accept people and make room for them

 

Please turn with me to Acts chapter 15, verse 36 – page 171 toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         This morning we continue our series on intergenerational relationships

–         An intergenerational relationship is one between people of different ages or generations

–         Next week Brian Gillies will conclude our sermon series by looking at the relationship between Jonathon’s son, Mephibosheth, and David

–         This morning’s focus though is Barnabas & Mark, two missionaries in the New Testament

–         Barnabas was Mark’s older ‘big hearted’ cousin

–         Although the young Mark made a false start, Barnabas gave him the grace and the courage to make a fresh start

 

From Acts 15, verse 36 we read…

 

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in every town where we preached the word of the Lord, and let us find out how they are getting along.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, 38 but Paul did not think it was right to take him, because he had not stayed with them to the end of their mission, but had turned back and left them in Pamphylia. 39 There was a sharp argument, and they separated: Barnabas took Mark and sailed off for Cyprus, 40 while Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the care of the Lord’s grace.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus give us understanding

 

Although the focus of today’s message is primarily the relationship between Barnabas and Mark we can’t we really talk about them without also mentioning the relationship between Barnabas & Paul and Peter & Mark

–         Intergenerational relationships don’t just happen in pairs – they often hold together within a network or a community

 

Barnabas and Paul had been friends and co-workers for a number of years

–         When Paul first became a Christian all the other believers were scared of him and wouldn’t accept him

–         You can’t blame them though; previously Paul (who was then known as Saul) had been persecuting Christians

–         So it was a bit suspicious having him turn up on their door step wanting to be friends – maybe it was a trick

 

Barnabas (who was full of the Holy Spirit and faith[1]) was big hearted enough to forgive the past

–         He trusted the Holy Spirit’s work in Paul’s life – that Paul’s conversion would stick and he acted as Paul’s advocate in that situation

–         Barnabas took Paul to the apostles and vouched that his conversion was genuine

–         Consequently Paul found acceptance among the other Christian believers

 

About eight years later, after Paul had returned to his home town of Tarsus and been all but forgotten, it was Barnabas who remembered Paul and went to Tarsus to enlist his help in teaching the new Gentile converts in Antioch

–         I’m not sure if there was any age difference between Barnabas and Paul but Barnabas had certainly been a Christian longer than Paul

–         Barnabas saw potential in Paul and sought to develop that potential

–         If it had not been for Barnabas, Paul may not have had such an influence in spreading the gospel

 

After a year or so of ministering together in Antioch, Paul & Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to deliver a monetary offering for the believers there

–         While in Jerusalem they met Barnabas’ cousin , John Mark

–         The church in Jerusalem met in Mark’s mother’s house – so Mark would have had a strong Christian network

–         Many of the original disciples, people like Peter, James & John, would have gathered in his home for worship services

 

Barnabas & Paul took John Mark back to Antioch with them [2]

–         Then, sometime later, when the Holy Spirit sent Barnabas and Paul out on their first missionary journey together they decided to take John Mark with them as their helper [3]

–         But for reasons unknown to us Mark didn’t complete the journey – he gave up part way through

–         Sometimes when we are young we bite off more than we can chew or we simply mess up and make a false start

–         Those of us who are older need to be careful not to place so much hope or expectation on our young people that we are devastated when they slip or fail

–         Our young people are still learning and growing as we are all learning & growing

–         On the one hand young people need to be allowed to take some risks but we shouldn’t be surprised by a few false starts along the way

–         Those of us who are older need to remember our own mistakes and the grace we’ve been shown

–         We need to be big hearted enough to give a second or third chance

 

After Barnabas & Paul finished their first missionary journey they returned home

–         Sometime later they decided to make a second trip to visit and encourage the churches they had planted the first time

–         Big hearted Barnabas wanted to give his cousin, John Mark, a second chance – after all, being given another chance is the gospel of Jesus, the gospel of grace – but Paul was adamant that Mark should stay behind

 

If we give Paul the benefit of the doubt he was probably thinking of both Mark’s well-being and the success of the mission

–         What if Mark turned back a second time – that wouldn’t be good for him or the mission

 

It appears that in Paul’s mind at least Mark came with too much risk

–         Barnabas, on the other hand, had a different perspective

–         He was willing to trust God with the risk

 

Barnabas’ real name was actually Joseph

–         Joseph got the nickname ‘Barnabas’ because he encouraged people

–         That’s what Barnabas means, ‘son of encouragement’ [4]

–         Encouragement is more than just saying nice things to people

–         To encourage someone literally means to put courage into them – to give them confidence

–         Barnabas gave people confidence with his presence, his trust and his words of truth

 

I imagine that Mark felt like a complete failure after his false start

–         Barnabas could see that Mark had ability – what he lacked was confidence

–         Mark needed someone like Barnabas to give him the courage to get back on the horse and try again

 

Remember it was Barnabas who believed in Paul when no one else did

–         It was Barnabas who opened the door for Paul to be included in the fellowship of the early church

–         It must have seemed, to Barnabas, like a double standard that Paul would reject Mark, given Paul’s own chequered history

 

The Bible is a very honest book – it tells the story warts and all

–         Luke, the writer of Acts, does not hide the fact that Barnabas & Paul had a ‘sharp argument’ over this

–         Here we have two Godly men, full of the Holy Spirit, good men who love Jesus and are totally committed to serving him, whatever the cost, and yet they have this heated argument over whether or not to take Mark

 

That neither Barnabas nor Paul were prepared to back down shows us that this issue touched on a deep conviction for them both

–         Perhaps for Paul the deep conviction was that people needed to hear the good news about Jesus – nothing should get in the way of their mission and Mark’s lack of reliability threatened the mission

–         Perhaps for Barnabas it was a matter of integrity – ensuring they practiced the gospel they preached

–         How can we go on a missions’ trip preaching a gospel of grace if we ourselves are not willing to be big hearted enough to forgive Mark?

 

Barnabas was being consistent in advocating to give John Mark a second chance, just as he had advocated for giving Paul a chance years earlier

–         Despite Barnabas’ advocacy Paul didn’t see it the same way and the two of them decided to part company for a while:

–         Barnabas & Mark went to Cyprus while Paul & Silas went to Cilicia

 

This bust up may seem less than ideal to us but God used the separation for good

–         Paul went on to mentor the young Timothy and after working with Barnabas in Cyprus, John Mark went on to become Peter’s assistant

–         God, in his grace, was big hearted enough to use Paul & Barnabas’ disagreement to multiply the workers

 

I said before that intergenerational relationships don’t just happen in pairs – they often hold together in a network or a community

–         A healthy inter-generational church provides the network of relationships necessary to sustain and grow faith

–         Mark had more than one mentor

–         As well as Barnabas and Paul, Mark also had Peter

 

In many ways Peter was a good match for Mark

–         The apostle Peter, who denied Jesus three times, was well acquainted with false starts – his failure served to deepen his experience of grace

–         As Jesus said, the more you’ve been forgiven, the more you love

 

Mark assisted Peter as he preached the good news about Jesus

–         In one of his letters Peter refers to Mark as a son [5]

–         Clearly Peter appreciated Mark and loved him

–         Tradition tells us that John Mark wrote the gospel of Mark based on Peter’s preaching

 

Mark may have made a false start but by God’s grace, mediated through Barnabas and Peter, he found the courage to make a fresh start

 

But Mark’s story doesn’t end with Peter

–         The gospel of Jesus is a gospel of forgiveness & reconciliation

–         We don’t know exactly how it happened but it did happen

–         Mark & Paul were reconciled to one another (as were Barnabas & Paul)

 

Some years later, in his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes…

–         Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions to welcome Mark if he comes your way.) Joshua, also called Justus, sends greetings too. These three are the only Jewish converts who work with me for the Kingdom of God, and they have been a great help to me. [6]

 

But wait, there’s more…

–         Towards the end of his life, Paul writes to his protégé Timothy saying,

–         Get Mark and bring him with you, because he can help me in the work. [7]

 

Paul, who previously rejected Mark because he didn’t think he was up to it, now accepts Mark and acknowledges that Mark is a great help to him

–         By implication Paul was admitting that his old friend Barnabas was right

–         That’s the grace of God – that’s the power of the gospel

 

So what do we take from this – what is the application for our lives?

–         Well, two things…

 

Firstly, if we make a false start or we mess up in some way or turn back as Mark did, then that doesn’t mean the end for us

–         The good news is that through Jesus we get a second chance

–         And not just a second chance, but a third and a fourth and so on

–         When Peter asked Jesus, ‘How many times should I forgive’ the Lord replied, ’70 x seven’ – or as often as the person repents in other words

–         So that’s the first thing, with Jesus a false start makes room for grace

 

The second point of application is that we (like Barnabas) need to be big hearted enough to give courage & confidence to others who are struggling in the faith

–         The early church in Jerusalem struggled to believe that Paul had really changed but Barnabas gave them confidence to trust the Holy Spirit’s work of conversion in Paul’s life

–         Some years later Paul himself struggled to believe that Mark could make it as a missionary but Barnabas stood up for Mark, giving the young man confidence to trust in God’s grace and make fresh start

 

Eventually Paul came round too

–         Paul learned that God’s grace is made perfect in our weakness

–         He also learned that believers in Christ are connected, like a network or a body

–         We need each other: the eye cannot say to the hand I don’t need you

–         [Nor can Paul say to Mark I don’t need you]

–         On the contrary, we cannot do without the parts of the body that seem to be weaker; and those parts that we think aren’t worth very much are the ones which we treat with greater care. [8]

 

So the question is: who can you be a Barnabas for?

–         Who is your Mark?

–         Who can you encourage?

–         Who can you give confidence to?

–         Who needs greater care?

 

Questions

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

2.)    What does the term ‘big hearted’ mean to you?

–         Can you think of someone who is big hearted?

3.)    How did Barnabas help Paul (and the church) when Paul was a new convert?

4.)    What does it mean to encourage someone?

–         How did Barnabas encourage people?

5.)    How did God use Paul & Barnabas’ separation for good?

6.)    How did Paul’s attitude toward Mark change over time?

7.)    Who can you be a Barnabas for?

–         Who is your Mark?

–         Who can you encourage?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/1-oct-17-barnabas-mark

[1] Acts 11:24

[2] Acts 12:25

[3] Acts 13:1-5

[4] Acts 4:36

[5] 1st Peter 5:12-13

[6] Colossian 4:10

[7] 2 Timothy 4:11

[8] 1 Corinthians 12:21-22

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 2 and 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.

3 As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him. 4 He 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.”

7 The men who were traveling with Saul had stopped, not saying a word; they heard the voice but could not see anyone. 8 Saul 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. 9 For three days he was not able to see, and during that time he did not eat or drink anything.

10 There 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.

11 The 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, 12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he might see again.”

13 Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and about all the terrible things he has done to your people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come to Damascus with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who worship you.”

15 The 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. 16 And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake.”

17 So 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.” 18 At once something like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was able to see again. He stood up and was baptized; 19 and 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.

Tawa Baptist

Baptism

Scripture: Mark 16:16a “Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved”

 

Title: Baptism

 

Key Idea: Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith
  • Conclusion

 

 

Introduction:

This morning Duan is being baptised

  • The word ‘baptise’ means to dip or immerse
  • There is a pool of water here at the front – we call this the ‘baptistery’
  • Duan will go into the water, make a profession of his faith in Jesus, then be immersed under the water before coming out again
  • That is the act of baptism

 

Baptism comes up in the New Testament quite a bit

  • John the Baptist immersed people in the Jordan river to get them ready for the coming Messiah
  • Jesus himself was baptised by John, as a sign that he had come to take away the sins of the world

 

Later Jesus went through another sort of baptism – not in water – but on the cross, when he was immersed in suffering

  • After his resurrection from the dead Jesus commanded his disciples to…

 

Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. [1]

 

Throughout the Book of Acts, the apostles did as Jesus instructed…

  • They preached the gospel and when people believed in Jesus the apostles baptised them

 

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith:

We could go on listing other New Testament references to baptism but the key idea I want to communicate this morning is…

 

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

 

Or as Beasley-Murray puts it…

  • “Baptism is… the divinely appointed rendezvous of grace for faith.” [2]

 

In the New Testament the same gifts of grace are associated with faith as with baptism – so grace, faith and baptism go together

  • Baptism is a nexus point for God’s grace & our faith

Just so we are on the same page…

  • By grace we mean a multifaceted gift from God
  • A gift, by definition, is freely given – we don’t pay for it
  • So grace is unearned – it costs God but it doesn’t cost us

 

And faith is believing (or trusting) to the point we are prepared to act on that belief

 

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

 

Let me illustrate by way of analogy

  • Imagine someone tells you that Mexted Motors are giving away cars – brand new cars at no cost
  • All you have to do is turn up at their car yard, collect the key, get in the car and drive away

 

Grace is being given the new car for free

 

And baptism is the rendezvous point for collecting the new car – that is: the yard at Mexted’s

 

Faith is believing that what you have been told is true and then acting on that belief by walking down to Mexted’s, collecting a key, getting in a vehicle and driving away

  • Faith is not saying, ‘I agree that Mexted’s are giving away cars’ and then sitting at home on the couch
  • Faith is acting on your belief – trusting that what you have heard is true

 

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

 

Now, in many ways this is an inadequate analogy for baptism

  • We don’t just turn up to collect the goodies from God and then drive away – see you later. No
  • In baptism we become forever friends with Jesus
  • So when we get in the car (when we are baptised) the Spirit of God is already there waiting for us – ready to show us the way to go through life

Translating the analogy for you…

  • Duan has heard the gospel preached
  • He has heard the good news that God has grace – a wonderful multi-faceted gift to give away
  • And he has come to the waters of baptism in faith to receive God’s grace
  • After receiving the grace God wants to give, Duan will continue his journey through life with God

 

So what is this grace of God?

  • Well, firstly Duan, there’s no free car
  • And that goes for the rest of you as well
  • I don’t want anyone turning up at Mexted’s this afternoon, saying…
  • “I’ve been baptised. Where’s my free car.”

 

Seriously though, Jesus embodies the fullness of God’s grace

  • All the different facets of God’s grace we find in Christ
  • Jesus is God’s gift to the world for the salvation of creation

 

When we are baptised into Christ we receive forgiveness from sin [3]

  • And union with Christ [4]

With forgiveness God wipes our slate clean – He doesn’t hold our wrong doing against us

  • That means our guilt is removed – we’re justified & accepted before God
  • Not only are our sins forgiven – but sin also loses its power over us
  • The power of sin is death – because we are forgiven, death can’t hold us
  • And because we are justified, the accusations of the evil one won’t stick

 

In believers’ baptism we also receive from God union with Christ

  • Baptism is sort of like a wedding ceremony in that it unites us to Christ
  • Just as marriage is for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, so too union with Christ is for better or worse, through thick & thin
  • Baptism doesn’t mean the end of suffering or difficulty in this life
  • But it does mean the end of trying to cope with difficulties on your own

 

It also means a change to our lifestyle

  • I remember when I married Robyn, I had to change my mind set
  • No longer could I think like a single man
  • Now I had to consider Robyn in everything I did
  • I needed to learn to listen to her and tell her what I was thinking & feeling
  • It’s the same with our union to Christ – we have to consider him in all our decisions – how will this affect Jesus?
  • We need to listen to him and be honest with him – we call that prayer

 

Union with Christ is a biggy – it comes with a number of benefits

  • For starters union with Christ gives you the Spirit of Jesus
  • The Holy Spirit is the key to everything really
  • The Spirit precedes baptism in that He leads us to Christ and makes faith & repentance possible
  • Faith is a gift from God
  • The Holy Spirit is also given in baptism [5]
  • One of the Biblical metaphors for the Holy Spirit is water
  • We are baptised in water as a sign that through our union with Christ we are being immersed in God’s Spirit
  • The Holy Spirit then follows baptism – we go on being filled with the Spirit who empowers us to live the Christian life

 

Union with Christ gives you the promise of resurrection

  • In Romans 6 Paul writes: Don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?
  • …If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. [6]

 

Because Jesus is God’s Son, union with Christ makes us sons & daughters of God

  • As co-heirs with Christ we will inherit God’s kingdom

 

And last but not least, union with Christ means we become members of the church universal

  • Duan’s baptism is not something which is done in isolation
  • It’s not just between him and God
  • Duan’s baptism is between him and God and us
  • Duan is being incorporated into Christ’s body, the church
  • So we who have been baptised are affected by this
  • We are encourageed and strengthened by it

 

There is much more I could say about baptism but that’s enough for today

  • The main point is: Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

 

We will now hear a testimony from Duan…

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Mark 16:15-16

[2] G.R. Beasley-Murray, ‘Baptism in the New Testament, page 273.

[3] Acts 2:38

[4] Galatians 3:27

[5] 1 Corinthians 12:13

[6] Romans 6:3 & 5

Tawa Baptist

God’s Plan

Scripture: Exodus 19:1-6

Title: God’s Plan

Structure:

  • Introduction – God’s plan
  • What God has done for Israel – Grace
  • What God expects of Israel – Obedience
  • What Israel will be (if they obey) – Purpose
    • A treasured possession
    • A kingdom of priests
    • A holy nation
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Today we continue our series in Exodus, focusing on chapter 19, verses 1-6

  • I will be reading from the New International Version this morning
  • So the words will appear on the wall shortly

At this point in the story the people of Israel have travelled to the foot of Mount Sinai – it has been 3 months since they left Egypt

  • The Israelites will camp at Sinai for 11 months while God gives them the Law
  • Today’s Scripture describes the first of Moses’ seven ascents up the mountain to meet with God
  • From Exodus 19, verse 1 we read…

 

On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt – on that very day – they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

 

3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:

 

4 “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.

 

Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.’

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

In these verses Yahweh lays out his blue print for Israel

  • If you have a look on the back page of your newsletter you will see the basic outline of God’s plan for His people

Firstly, God recaps what He has done for Israel in delivering them from slavery in Egypt – step one is salvation by grace

Then God makes it clear (in general terms) what He expects of Israel and so step two is obedience

  • Obedience is the appropriate response to grace

And thirdly God explains what Israel will be (if they obey)

  • Step three, therefore, is about purpose
  • God’s purpose is for Israel to be…
  • A treasured possession
  • A kingdom of priests
  • And a holy nation

So that’s the basic outline of God’s plan for Israel

  • Let’s unpack each step of the plan a little now…
  • Firstly, God’s grace in delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt

eagle

What God has done for Israel – Grace

Tell me, when you see this eagle, what is it that comes to mind?

[Wait for people to respond]

 

Thanks for those thoughts

  • When I see a picture of an eagle in flight I mostly think, freedom
  • But I also think skill and good vision – eagle eyed

One fact I wasn’t aware of before preparing this sermon is that the mother & father eagle are known for their devotion to their young

  • More than most other birds they take great care over their eaglets
  • Another thing I learned is that young eagles need to be taught to fly
  • It doesn’t come instinctively to them
  • In fact, without an adult eagle to mentor them, young eagles won’t learn to fly – they learn by watching their parents and imitating what they do

 

In verse 4 the Lord says to Moses…

  • “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”

In this verse God is recapping what He has done for Israel in rescuing them from slavery in Egypt – this is stage one of God’s plan in retrospect

  • Israel have been carried by God out of harm’s way
  • They did not need to fight for their release – God fought for them
  • All they had to do was hold on and enjoy the ride
  • Israel did not do anything to earn this special treatment by God
  • It was done at God’s initiative and by His grace – freely

God hasn’t just carried the people out of Egypt, He has brought them to Himself

  • This speaks of a personal relationship and of being at home with the Lord
  • It also indicates that God’s presence is revealed in a special way here at Sinai, where the people are now camped

It’s interesting that God associates Himself with an eagle – a powerful & skilful bird that is known for its freedom – this fits because God is free

  • If we are to imply from the metaphor that Israel is like a young eagle learning to fly then we have a very powerful image
  • The Israelites, who had been slaves, were being told by God that they should think of themselves as free, like an eagle
  • But while they were free in principle, they still needed to learn how to fly
  • That is, Israel needed to learn how to use their freedom well, without falling, and God intended to teach them

The giving of the Law at Sinai needs to be understood in the light of the eagle metaphor

  • God didn’t give the Israelites a whole lot of rules to make their lives more difficult – he gave them the Law so they could learn how to fly safely
  • So they could get the most of life and enjoy their new found freedom

Okay – so that’s stage one of God’s plan – it starts with grace

  • The next stage covers Israel’s response to that grace
  • God makes it clear his expectation of the people is obedience

 cart before the horse

What God expects of Israel – Obedience

Who can tell me what’s wrong with this picture?

  • [Wait for people to respond]

Yes, that’s right – the driver has got the cart before the horse

The expression ‘cart before the horse’ is English idiom for getting things in the wrong order – the wrong way around

Obviously things work better when the horse pulls the cart

  • It doesn’t work so well when the cart is in the way of the horse

When it comes to Jewish faith (and Christian faith for that matter), the horse is God’s grace and the cart is our obedience

  • The horse of grace pulls the cart of obedience
  • Grace is the engine – it is the power for us to obey

Judaism and Christianity are concerned with keeping God’s grace in front and allowing the awareness of God’s grace to draw us into obedience

  • So we don’t do things for God in order to get Him to do things for us
  • That would be paganism
  • God does good things for us up front and then as a grateful and willing response we do what God asks

So when the apostle Paul (in the New Testament) said we are not saved by works but by grace through faith – what he meant was, ‘Don’t get the cart before the horse’

  • God’s grace comes first and gives us the willingness to obey

It’s interesting isn’t it that the book of Exodus gives us 19 chapters of God’s grace before it introduces the Law with the 10 commandments

  • Grace precedes law, like a horse precedes a cart

The wonderful thing about the horse of God’s grace is that it leads us in the way we should go and at the right pace

  • It is an intelligent horse – we don’t need to drive it – it will draw us along

Okay then – stage 1 of God’s plan is grace

  • Stage 2 is obedience
  • And stage 3 is purpose

What Israel will be (if they obey) – Purpose

From verse 5 of Exodus 19, God instructs Moses to say to the people…

  • Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be…
    • my treasured possession
    • a kingdom of priests
    • a holy nation

Clearly this is a conditional statement

  • If you obey me this is what you will be
  • Some things with God are unconditional – like His deliverance of the people from slavery in Egypt
  • It was all grace – a free gift, or more accurately a free ride

Other things with God are conditional – like whether or not we will fulfil the purpose He has for us

  • Fulfilling God’s purpose for us is not automatic – it depends (to some degree at least) on the choices we make

The horse of God’s grace will take us to the destination God has planned for us – but only if we attach our cart to the horse and stay on the cart

  • If we fall off the wagon (so to speak) then we can’t expect to arrive at the destination

A couple of weeks ago Robyn was offered some free tickets to the WOW festival (WOW stands for World of WearableArt)

  • Some people pulled out at the last minute and we had the option to use their tickets that night
  • Now I wouldn’t ordinarily go to something like this, but it was free, so I made the choice to accept the offer and we had a great time
  • What an amazing display of creativity
  • WOW is certainly the right word for it

The point is, although the tickets were free to us – a gift – our attendance at the event was not automatic

  • Fulfilling the purpose of the tickets was conditional on me changing my plans for the evening, driving into the city and collecting the tickets

It was like this with Israel

  • God was giving them a free ticket for a wonderful purpose – being His priests to the world
  • But whether Israel would actually fulfil God’s purpose for them was conditional on their obedience
  • They had to put aside their plans in order to go with God’s plan

As we’ve already noted verses 5 & 6 give three descriptions of God’s purpose for Israel – they are to be…

  • A treasured possession
  • A kingdom of priests
  • And a holy nation

These aren’t three separate things

  • They are three different but related ways of describing the same thing – Israel’s special relationship to Yahweh for the world
  • Israel don’t exist for themselves – they live for God’s purpose in the world

Each of the three descriptors highlights a unique perspective on God’s purpose for Israel

  • What then does it mean to be a ‘treasured possession’?

Imagine for a moment that your house is on fire

  • No one else is inside – only you
  • As it happens you have just enough time to rescue one item from the flames – your most treasured possession – What would you take?

Maybe the family photographs or your grandfather’s war medals or your mother’s wedding ring?

You probably wouldn’t take the TV or the microwave – those things can be replaced with insurance

  • You would be more inclined to take those things which have a special significance because of their association with people you love – right?
  • Things that can’t be replaced

In verse 5 we read that if Israel obeys Yahweh fully they will be His treasured possession – like the special photo you keep in your wallet or the heirloom wedding ring or the watch your grandfather gave you – something priceless

Now it is important to understand that God chose Israel as His people before they obeyed – their photo is already in His wallet

  • But whether their photo will be a painful reminder to God or a joyful one is conditional – it depends on Israel’s obedience

 

The second (and central) descriptor of God’s purpose for Israel is they are to be

  • A kingdom of priests

Most kingdoms are about ruling – being the boss in charge of other nations

  • But Israel is to be a kingdom of priests
  • A priest’s job isn’t to exert power and rule over people
  • A priest’s job is to serve people
  • So Israel is to be a servant nation, not a ruling nation [1]
  • God’s purpose for Israel is not total world domination
  • Rather God wants Israel to bless the other nations of the world
  • To this end priests act as mediators – representing other people to God

 

On the wall here is the picture of a linesman, working on overhead wires

  • Priests are a little like linesmen in that they work to restore the connection between God and people when the lines are down
  • In other words, priests pray (or intercede) for other people – especially those who are not able to pray for themselves

The whole world is God’s temple and Israel are to function as God’s priests in the world

  • They are to be a kingdom of priests both by representing others to God and by representing God to the world
  • Priests are God’s rep team
  • They make Yahweh known to others & they teach God’s ways to people
  • In particular Israel are to represent God by being a holy nation
  • You can’t expect to complete a marathon if you don’t do the training
  • You can’t expect to represent God as a priest if you live a life of drunkenness & debauchery

 

To be holy basically means to be different in a good way

  • If Israel obeyed the Lord then they would be distinctive from the nations around them
  • People would look at them and think: ‘Wow, they are on to it – we want what they’ve got.’

When Jesus talked about holiness in Matthew 5, he said to His disciples…

14 ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

To be a holy nation therefore is to be distinctive – a light in the darkness

  • When all the other nations around them are worshipping many gods, Israel is to worship just one God, Yahweh
  • And when all the other nations around them are stealing and lying and committing adultery and wishing they could get their hands on their neighbour’s stuff, Israel are to look out for their neighbour’s well being

There is a cost to being holy – or different in a good way – and that is people don’t always like you or accept you

  • But Israel are to fear the Lord, not the nations
  • They are to care more for what God thinks than for what other people think

 

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard God’s plan for Israel in three basic steps:

  • Grace, obedience and purpose
  • God has rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt by His grace
  • And in response to that grace God is calling for their obedience
  • If they obey the Lord then Israel will serve a special purpose as God’s priests to the other nations of the world

This blueprint for Israel applies to Christians as well

  • While we were still sinners Christ died for us – the righteous for the unrighteous
  • Jesus is our rescue from slavery to sin & death – He is God’s grace for us up front before we’ve done anything to deserve it
  • In response to that grace we follow Jesus, in obedience to God
  • And if we obey the Lord in this way then we will be…
    • A treasured possession to God
    • A kingdom of priests

  • And a holy people

    •  

    The apostle Peter picks up God’s blue print in his letter to the churches, where he writes…

     

    9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

     

    11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.  

    Grace, obedience and purpose

    Let’s pray…

    [1] Durham 263, cited in Fretheim, Exodus, page 212.

    Tawa Baptist

    Brothers

    Scripture: Genesis 4:1-16

    Title: Brothers

    Structure:

    • Introduction
    • God’s grace for Cain
    • Conclusion

    Introduction:

    Yesterday was ANZAC Day – NZ’s national day of remembrance for war veterans

    • 2015 also marks 100 years since Australian and NZ troops landed at Gallipoli during the First World War
    • Gallipoli is something of a sacred memory in the hearts & minds of New Zealanders and Australians
    • Some say it is where we forged our identity
    • In reality though Gallipoli was a military disaster for both sides, with over 100,000 men killed in total and many more wounded

    A lot is made of Gallipoli, in NZ & Australia at least, but we don’t hear much about the Armenian genocide which happened around the same time

    The Armenian Genocide was the Ottoman Empire’s systematic extermination of its minority Armenian subjects from their historic homeland within the territory of present-day Turkey.

    • The starting date of the genocide is conventionally held to be the 24th of April 1915, the day before the ANZAC’s landed at Gallipoli
    • Other indigenous and Christian ethnic groups such as the Assyrians and Ottoman Greeks were also targeted for extermination [1]
    • It is thought that more than 3.5 million people (Armenians, Assyrians & Greeks) were killed over a 30 year period. [2]  That is a lot of death
    • One can’t help wondering if the genocide might have been less extensive had the ANZAC troops succeeded at Gallipoli

    Why am I telling you this?

    • Well this morning, in view of the ANZAC’s and the Armenians, our message looks back to the first known murder in Genesis 4
    • On the surface this story appears to be about Cain killing his brother Abel
    • But looking a little deeper we see it also has something to say about God’s grace. From Genesis chapter 4, verse 1 we read…

    4 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, ‘With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.’ 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’ 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ 10 The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.’ 13 Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’ 15 But the Lord said to him, ‘Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

    May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

    God’s grace for Cain

    About 17 or 18 years ago now, when we lived in Tauranga, I was at the hair dressers getting my hair cut

    • In the course of the conversation it came out that I was a Christian – at which point the hairdresser went very quiet for a few moments before telling me she couldn’t believe in God because so many wars had been caused by religion
    • Perhaps she really believed what she was saying or perhaps it was just an excuse to avoid the inconvenience God creates – I don’t know
    • But there is a perception among many people that religion is responsible for war

    To my mind this is not a very accurate way to think about it

    • Saying that ‘religion is responsible for war’ is like saying ‘wood is responsible for forest fires’
    • Yes, the wood of religion can fuel the fire of war but it isn’t the tree which strikes the match
    • Sadly some people hijack religion for evil ends

    Although Cain doesn’t exactly hijack religion in Genesis 4, the context of his murder of Abel is religious

    • Abel kept flocks and Cain grew crops
    • Cain brought some of his crops as an offering to the Lord
    • And Abel brought fat portions from some of the first born of his flock
    • These offerings were not for the forgiveness of sins
    • They were an act of worship – an acknowledgement that God was their boss, the one in charge, the one responsible for their crops and flocks

    Verses 4 & 5 tell us that the Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour.

    It is unclear what the text means exactly by “God’s favour”

    • What is clear is that Cain was upset to miss out on it
    • As most people know, if you have a group of children and you don’t treat them all the same then there will be protest…
    • “That’s not fair – why did he get two scoops of ice-cream when I only got one?”

    So why did God show favour to Abel and not to Cain?

    • Was it because there was something wrong with Cain’s offering?
    • Some people over the centuries have suggested that God favoured Abel’s sacrifice because it involved the shedding of blood, while Cain’s didn’t
    • But that idea doesn’t really wash – later in the Bible God condones and even prescribes grain offerings, so it can’t have anything to do with blood
    • Others point out that Abel’s sacrifice included the fat portions of some of the first born of the flock while Cain’s offering gets no special mention, which might suggest that Cain’s grain was substandard
    • Possibly, but the text of Genesis 4 doesn’t actually criticise Cain’s offering

    It seems to me a mistake to make God’s favour dependent on Cain’s (or Abel’s) sacrifice – after all, God’s favour is not earned, it is given

    • Neither Cain’s (nor Abel’s) offerings were adequate in themselves to earn God’s favour
    • As the song goes, were the whole realm of nature mine, would be an offering far too small [3]

     

    Jesus told a parable about some workers who were hired by a land owner at different stages of the day

    • When it came to the end of the day the land owner paid everyone the same amount, whether they had worked all day or just the last hour
    • When those who had worked all day realised this they grumbled against the land owner, but he answered them…

    ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for what I paid you? Take your wages and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’    [4]

    God is free to show favour to whoever he wants

    • That doesn’t make God unfair – it just makes him generous
    • And if Cain is to become angry & envious due to God’s generosity then that tells us pretty clearly, the problem is with Cain, not with God

     

    The writer to the Hebrews (in the New Testament) says…

    • By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did… [5]
    • This indicates that faith is the key issue, more than the offering itself
    • Abel made his offering in good faith (trusting God) and God credited his faith as righteousness
    • Whereas Cain made his offering in a way that somehow lacked faith

    In verses 6 & 7 the Lord says to Cain…

    • ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’

    God’s message to Cain seems to be…

    • You have a choice between reconciliation and alienation
    • Between peace and anger – choose reconciliation, choose peace
    • Face the problem and put things right before it is too late
    • We often think of God’s grace as the ambulance at the bottom of a cliff (fixing us up after we have crashed)
    • But here God’s grace (for Cain) is a warning sign at the top of the cliff

    We are reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5…

    • Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 

    Sadly Cain ‘yields to the waiting rage’ [6]

    • As Derek Kidner points out, ‘…while Eve had been talked into her sin [by the serpent], Cain will not have even God talk him out of it…’ [7]

    Verse 8 tells us how Cain responded to God – by inviting his brother (Abel) out into the field and killing him

    • There is no wrestling with his conscience – just cold blooded, premeditated murder
    • Cain is angry because God has not accepted his offering so he destroys one made in God’s image
    • This murder reveals Cain’s lack of faith

    Fortunately the way of Cain is not the only option available to us when it seems that God has rejected our offering

    • Let me tell you the true story of a man who offered himself for missionary service only to be turned down, twice

    Paul Brand was the son of a missionary couple

    • Like his parents he also aspired to mission work and trained as a carpenter in the hope of travelling overseas to build schools and hospitals in the name of Jesus (as his father had done before him)
    • After completing his apprenticeship Paul approached J.B. Collin, the president of the mission council, and asked to be accepted for service in India
    • But despite being a ‘missionary kid’ and despite having carpentry skills Paul was judged unready for the kind of work the mission required
    • He was told he needed more preparation
    • Paul Brand writes, “I was crushed. God’s will had seemed so clear to me and now this key person was standing in my way.” [8]

    Cain would have killed the mission director but not Paul Brand

    • After a short period of figuring things out he enrolled in medical school, counting his four years in the building industry a waste of time
    • Then, on completing his general medical training, Dr Paul Brand presented himself once again to the mission board
    • And once again he was turned down
    • This time the interference came from the Central Medical War Committee of Great Britain
    • They rejected his application to work in a mission hospital on the border of Nepal and instead ordered him into the bomb casualty clearing services in London (this was during the Blitz of World War 2)
    • Dr Brand continues his own story…

    “Impatiently biding my time during the forced delay, I studied for higher qualifications in the field of surgery. Twice my good plans had been stymied, once by a wise and godly mission administrator and once by a secular committee of bureaucrats. Each time I had felt shaken and confused. Had I somehow misread God’s will for my life?”  [9]

    As it turned out, those rejections and set backs were God’s hand directing Dr Brand’s life

    • Eventually Dr Bob Cochrane in India convinced the Central Medical War Committee to assign Paul Brand to a new medical college in Vellore, India, where Dr Brand received a call from God to work with leprosy patients
    • His carpentry skills became invaluable both as an orthopaedic surgeon and in setting up a carpentry workshop for his patients
    • God doesn’t waste anything

    Just because God doesn’t accept your offering the first time, doesn’t mean he is finished with you

    • If Cain had had the faith to keep trusting God, when his offering had not been accepted, imagine the good God might have brought from it

    It’s striking, isn’t it, that God doesn’t stop Cain

    • While God does warn Cain, he doesn’t control Cain
    • God does not interfere with human free will, even when the choices we make are destructive
    • By the same token God also holds us to account for the choices we make
    • Freedom always comes with responsibility

    As Walter Brueggemann writes…

    • “The story would have Cain discover that life with the brother is not lived in a void but in relation to God…
    • …whoever violates the brother must face God”  [10]

    9 Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’

    • ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’

     

    Cain lies to God – denying any responsibility – he is without remorse

    • God’s response, from verse 10, makes it clear that, yes, we are supposed to be our brother’s (and sister’s) keeper
    • Looking out for each other is part of what it means to be human

     

    10 The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.’

     

    Abel’s death affects God – it moves Him

    • God is concerned for justice for Abel, so there is a consequence for Cain
    • But the punishment is not ‘an eye for an eye’ or ‘a life for a life’
    • God does not kill Cain here
    • The punishment is somewhat less than the crime deserves
    • The Sensible Sentencing Trust would not be pleased
    • God shows mercy to Cain as well as to Adam & Eve who would have lost two sons if God had chosen to kill Cain

    In a word the punishment is exile

    • This was a punishment the Jewish people were all too familiar with
    • To be exiled is to lose almost everything
    • In exile a person loses their family, their home, their land, their work, their routines and consequently their security
    • The prospect of exile is frightening

    From verse 13 Cain’s words reveal what is in his heart

    •  ‘My punishment is more than I can bear…’
    • “Cain responds with self-pity instead of repentance…” [11]
    • He talks about God driving him from the land when in fact it is Cain’s own actions which alienate him

    Cain has lost touch with the truth and so he adds to what God has said…

    • ‘…whoever finds me will kill me’
    • This  reveals Cain’s fear
    • He is more afraid of other people than he is of God
    • To fear the Lord is to have an accurate perception of reality – to know in your heart of hearts that God is more powerful than anything else
    • To fear the Lord is to be more concerned with what God thinks than with what other people think
    • ‘Faith in God’ and ‘fear of the Lord’ are two sides of the same coin
    • To fear the Lord is to know Him and to trust Him

    Despite the fact that Cain shows no remorse for what he has done and no ‘fear of the Lord’, God (in his remarkable grace) still promises to take care of him

    • God puts a mark on Cain so that no one would kill him
    • We don’t know what that mark was, much less whether some people still carry that mark today, but that’s beside the point
    • The point is: God’s concern for justice (for the innocent) is matched by his grace for sinners

    We see God’s grace for Cain throughout Genesis 4

    • Firstly, God tried to persuade Cain to reconcile
    • And when Cain ignored God’s warning and murdered Abel, God showed mercy to Cain
    • God did not take Cain’s life but instead protected him and gave him descendants of his own who made all sorts of advancements in technology and industry

    When we reflect on the Bible as a whole we notice that Cain is not the only killer that God extended his grace to

    • Moses, Samson, David and the apostle Paul, to name a few
    • All killers at some point in their life and yet used by God, but not without  being broken, humbled and purified in the process
    • God is gracious in a way that fills us with wonder if we pause long enough to think about it

     

    Conclusion:

    There is so much violence in our world today – the spirit of Cain seems alive and well

    • But it won’t always be that way
    • Listen to what the prophet Isaiah says about the future
    • A note of hope to finish with…

    In the last days…

    • The Lord will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
    • Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.  [12]

    [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide

    [2] Barnabasaid magazine for March/April 2015, page 8.

    [3] Line from the hymn ‘When I Survey the Wondrous Cross’

    [4] Matthew 20:13-15

    [5] Hebrews 11:4

    [6] Refer Walter Brueggemann’s commentary on Genesis, page 62.

    [7] From Derek Kidner’s commentary on Genesis, page 74.

    [8] From Philip Yancey’s book, ‘Stories for the Soul’, pages 69-73.

    [9] Ibid

    [10] From Walter Brueggemann’s commentary on Genesis, page 61.

    [11] Refer Bruce Waltke’s commentary on Genesis, page 98.

    [12] Isaiah 2:4-5