Tawa Baptist

Life Interrupted

Scripture: Acts 9:32-43

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

Structure:

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

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aeneas:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tabitha:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Simon (the tanner)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion:

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

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

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

Let us pray…

Loving God, thank you for interrupting our lives for good. May you interrupt our busy-ness with your rest. Interrupt our loneliness with your presence. Interrupt our failure with your forgiveness. Interrupt our fear with your love. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What interruptions do you experience most often in your life? How do these interruptions make you feel?
  3. Why do we need to be interrupted sometimes? (When might interruptions be a good thing?) Can you think of an example from your own life when an interruption may have been a God thing? What happened? How did you respond?
  4. Discuss / reflect on Aeneas’ healing and Tabitha’s resuscitation. How are they similar? How are they different? What do these miracles reveal about Jesus?
  5. How did Peter work out his discipleship? How did Tabitha work out her discipleship? How do you work out your discipleship?
  6. Why did Peter stay at the home of Simon the tanner? What would you ask Peter if he stayed in your home for a while?
  7. What difference would it make for you to welcome interruptions as the life God is sending you day by day? How might you do this?
Tawa Baptist

Hinge

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38

Video Link: https://youtu.be/D8Rd-gYujQI

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Identity
  • Paradox
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today we start with a crossword. The word we are looking for has five letters. And to make it easy for you, I have provided several clues: elbow, depend, joint, pivot, axis and connect. Any guesses? [Wait]

Yes, that’s right. The answer is hinge.

A hinge is a pivot point. Movement and change hangs on the hinge. Hinges allow doors to open. From time to time, we face hinge moments in our lives. Times of decision when it feels like we are about to break through some barrier or turn a corner. Hinge moments are often accompanied by an epiphany, an ‘aha’ moment, when the penny drops and a connection is made in our minds.

This Sunday’s lectionary reading focuses on Mark 8, verses 27-38. Chapter 8 is a hinge passage in Mark’s gospel. It comes in the centre of the book of Mark and describes a significant turning point in Jesus’ ministry.

It is also a hinge moment for Peter and the other disciples as they become aware of who Jesus is, what he came to do and what it means for them.

From Mark 8, verse 27 we read…

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

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

Identity:

Time for another crossword. This word has 8 letters. Here’s a few other words to serve as clues: name, signature, self, family, whakapapa and fingerprint. What do you reckon? [Wait] That’s right, identity.

At the core of Mark’s gospel, we read about Jesus’ true identity. The revelation of Jesus’ identity is a hinge moment for the disciples. Understandably, it proves too much for them to take in all at once.

In verse 27 of Mark 8 we read that Jesus and his disciples went to the villages near the city of Caesarea Philippi. This was north of the Sea of Galilee, near the source of the Jordan River.

At the time of Jesus, Caesarea Philippi was a centre of emperor worship.

Before that the city had been a centre of worship for Pan, the Greek god of nature. And before that it had been a site of Baal worship. [1]

Now you would think this was a most unlikely location for Jesus to reveal his true identity, like hearing God speak to you at a Metallica concert, or in a shopping mall. Totally unexpected. But that is why Jesus came. To topple the idols in our hearts.

Whales communicate by a technique called echo-location. They can’t see all that well under water, so they make high pitched sounds measuring how long it takes for the sound to bounce back to them. The longer it takes for the sound to come back the further away the object.  

Jesus uses a bit of echo-location with the disciples on this occasion. Jesus doesn’t come straight out with it saying, “Guess what guys – I’m the Messiah”. No, he gently questions the disciples to sound out how far they are from understanding who he really is.

In an area which is renowned for its worship of false gods Jesus says to his followers, “Who do people say I am?” And they reply, “Some say you are John the Baptist, others say that you are Elijah, while others say that you are one of the prophets.”

This tells us most people didn’t yet perceive who Jesus really was. Yes, they had a vague idea that Jesus was a messenger from God but their vision of Jesus was still blurry. Most people thought of Jesus as a forerunner to the Messiah.

So Jesus asks his disciples another echo-location question. “What about you? Who do you say I am? This is more specific, more personal. Peter replies, “You are the Messiah”

The word ‘Messiah’ is a Hebrew word which literally means ‘anointed one’.

The Greek equivalent is ‘Christ’. Messiah and Christ mean the same thing.

In Old Testament times, when God wanted to identify someone to be king he would have one of his prophets anoint the chosen one by pouring oil on his head.

The words ‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’ are not surnames for Jesus; they are titles.

To call Jesus, ‘Messiah’, was like calling him King, a rival to Caesar. This title was politically explosive, a treasonable offence.  

Verse 30 tells us that Jesus ordered his disciples not to tell anyone about him. The Jews thought the Messiah would be a military leader (like king David) who would destroy Israel’s enemies. If word got out that Jesus was a king like David, violence might follow. So Jesus orders his disciples to remain silent about his true identity. Jesus didn’t come to take life; he came to give life.  

In the verses just before today’s reading, Jesus heals a man who was blind. First Jesus takes the man outside the village, away from the crowd. Then he put spit on the man’s eyes, laid his hands on him and asked, ‘Do you see anything?’

The man looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around’. The man had some sight, but the healing wasn’t complete. So Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes once more and this time his sight was fully restored so he could see everything clearly.

This miracle of sight came in stages. It serves as an acted-out parable for the disciples and for us. Jesus wants to open the eyes of his disciples so they will see who he is and what he came to do. But, like the blind man, they don’t see fully or clearly at first. Their vision of Jesus comes into focus in stages.

Peter had correctly confessed that Jesus is the Messiah. That was true but there was more to it than Peter imagined. Peter could only see the crescent.

He couldn’t see the whole of the moon.

The disciples (for whom Peter was the spokesman) were under the common misconception that the Messiah would spill their enemies’ blood. But Jesus’ blood was the only blood to be spilled.

From verse 31 we read how Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

There’s quite a bit going on here. Firstly, Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. This is Jesus’ preferred title. Son of Man can simply mean, an ordinary human being. But, in this context, it more likely refers to a vision the prophet Daniel had centuries before, during the Babylonian exile.

In Daniel chapter 7 we read…

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The Son of Man figure in Daniel 7 is one who endures great trial and suffering, but who emerges victorious in the end. This concept of suffering first, then glory later, is the picture Jesus wants his disciples to see.

The thought of a dead Messiah is anathema to Peter and the other disciples. They cannot imagine such a thing. How can you win by losing? How can you save us from our enemies if you are killed? How can you be from God if the religious leaders reject you? It doesn’t make sense.

But Jesus insists it must happen this way. This is part of God’s plan. There is no plan B. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see how passages from the Old Testament, like Isaiah 53, were plainly talking about the suffering and vindication of God’s servant, the Messiah.

But the disciples (in Mark 8) didn’t have the benefit of hindsight. They only saw the crescent. Jesus saw the whole of the moon. Jesus’ picture of a suffering Messiah destroys Israel’s hopes. And without hope, what do they have? Well, false hope is no hope at all. It is kinder in the long run for Jesus to be truthful.

And yet there is hope in these verses. For beyond suffering and death there is resurrection. Did the disciples catch that part? Maybe not. 

When Peter takes Jesus aside to rebuke him, Jesus rebukes Peter saying…

“Get behind me Satan. You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Ouch! That must have stung. What’s happening here? Well, the devil is using Peter to create a moment of temptation for Jesus. But this is not Jesus’ first rodeo. He sees through it.   

Mark’s gospel highlights three times when Jesus was sorely tempted. The first is at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Immediately after his baptism the Spirit sends Jesus into the wilderness where he is tempted by Satan.

The second is in today’s reading when Satan tempts Jesus through a friend.

And the third instance comes near the end, when Jesus wrestles in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Father, not my will, but your will be done.

The temptation to avoid the cross was very real for Jesus, which is why he rebukes Peter as strongly as he does. Jesus cannot afford to allow his disciples (or anyone else) to define Messiahship. It is for God to define the identity of the Messiah. Jesus must stick to the straight and narrow way God has chosen. 

Although Peter wears the brunt of the rebuke, he was only saying what everyone else was thinking. Jesus may have been talking to Peter, but he was looking at the other disciples as he spoke. They (and we) have all had our thinking distorted by the devil.

We must not miss Jesus’ grace though. Jesus is not telling Peter to get lost. Jesus is not rejecting Peter outright. Rather, Jesus is telling Peter, ‘Follow me’. Stop trying to lead me. Stop trying to manage me. Stop trying to set the agenda for me. Get behind me as my disciple. I need your support not your opposition.

Paradox:

One more crossword. You might find this a bit harder. This word has seven letters and the clues are: contradiction, puzzle, mystery, catch-22 and conflict. What do you think? [Wait] That’s right: paradox.

A paradox is a contradictory statement that proves to be true. For example, you have to leave home to find home. When I am weak, then I am strong. Less is more. Go slow and you’ll finish sooner. There’s no success like failure. And infinite possibility leaves you with no choice.

Perhaps the greatest paradox is life itself. As Jesus says in John 12…

Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

In verse 34 of Mark 8, near the centre of the gospel, Jesus says… 

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me…”

Again, we don’t really appreciate how shocking this would have been for people in Jesus’ day. For Jesus’ first century audience, carrying your cross wasn’t a metaphor for putting up with a difficult person or living with a chronic illness. Carrying your cross meant being treated like an outlaw, a criminal of the worst kind.

Carrying your cross was like digging your own grave. To carry your cross was to go to your own execution in the most humiliating and painful way imaginable.

It involves looking like the bad guy in the eyes of others, even though you have done the right thing.

To deny yourself does not mean pretending to be something you are not.

Self-denial, in this context, means putting aside what you want in order to do what Jesus asks of you. Denial of self involves the obedience of faith.

Being a disciple of Jesus means following Jesus’ example. We see Jesus’ integrity here. Jesus does not ask us to do anything he has not already done himself.  

In verse 35, Jesus gives us the paradox of salvation in a nutshell…

For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

The word translated as life, in verse 35, is psyche in the original Greek, from which we get the word psychology. Psyche is the Greek word for soul.

Your soul is your life force but it’s also your mind and personality. Your soul is the essence of who you are, deep down. It’s your true identity. 

Perhaps, among other things, Jesus is saying: you can only find your true self in me. You won’t find your self by pursuing a high-flying career or becoming the world’s best at something. You won’t find your self through fame or fortune or pleasure or good deeds or anything else this world might offer. We are defined by God and so we find our soul (our true self) in and through Christ.

With these words of Jesus, we find ourselves on the cusp of mystery.

The meaning is elusive. The paradox of life (and salvation) is like a rainbow.

A rainbow is meant to be enjoyed from a distance. If you try to understand a rainbow by getting close, it will keep evading you.

The full meaning of Jesus’ words cannot be grasped this side of eternity.

What we do know is there is no rainbow without the rain. There is no glory without suffering. There is no hope without waiting.    

We see the paradox of salvation worked out in the events of Easter. Jesus died on the cross in obedience to God’s will and God raised Jesus to eternal life on the third day. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection millions are saved and find eternal life. This is a wonder, beyond our comprehension.

In verses 36 and 37, Jesus says:  36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

The word translated as soul is psyche in the original Greek, the same word translated as life in verse 35. You are not just a collection of chemicals. By God’s grace you are a living soul. There is a value to your life and soul which cannot be measured. You are priceless.

Today’s lectionary reading finishes with Jesus saying: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Jesus is calling for loyalty here. Mark’s gospel was written for the early church and the early church was a persecuted church. Christians were being brought before the authorities and faced with a brutal choice. Renounce Jesus or die.

Jesus is saying it is better in the long run to remain loyal to him, even if that means being killed. If we share in Jesus’ suffering, we will also share in his glory. Some Christians around the world today still suffer violence for their faith. I imagine these words of Jesus carry real weight for them.

Although the church in New Zealand is not persecuted like the church of the first century, Christianity generally has fallen out of favour in this country.

We have witnessed a gradual erosion of trust between church and society.

Also an erosion of basic Biblical knowledge. Wisdom is called for.

We want to live in respectful relationship with others in our society, without compromising our loyalty to Christ. We need to conduct ourselves in a way that honours the name of Jesus.

We must face the reality that some people will respect our faith and others will view us with contempt, irrespective of what we do. We cannot control what other people think or feel. But, with the Spirit’s help, we can follow Jesus’ example of being gracious and true.

Conclusion:

Jesus’ words in our reading today are incredibly challenging. The spiritual equivalent of trying to climb K2. We cannot follow Jesus in our own strength. Peter tried and ended up denying Jesus three times. But the Lord restored Peter and Peter went on to remain loyal to Jesus, even unto death.

How you finish matters more than how you start, but you still need to start.

If you are feeling inadequate to accept the call of Christ, then you are not alone. Take courage. God has a way of giving you what you need when you need it. We walk by faith, not by sight. If you fall or fail, do not give up.

Take a breath, seek forgiveness and carry on. Your soul is more valuable than you think. God’s grace is sufficient for you.

May goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life and may you dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Can you think of a hinge moment in your life and faith? What happened? How did you feel?
  3. Why did Jesus prefer the title ‘Son of Man’, rather than ‘Messiah’? What is the difference?
  4. Why does Jesus rebuke Peter saying, ‘Get behind me Satan’?
  5. Discuss / reflect on verses 34-38 of Mark 8. How would people in the first century have understood Jesus’ words? How do you understand these verses? What are the implications for us today?
  6. Who do you say Jesus is?

[1] Ben Witherington, ‘The Gospel of Mark’, page 240.

Tawa Baptist

The Spirit & Peter

Scripture: Acts 2:1-41

Video Link: https://youtu.be/hckX4rgSt9I

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The Spirit’s presence
  • Peter’s message
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning, everyone.

Many of you probably know that the Tawa tree (from which our suburb gets its name) relies on just two birds for the dispersal of its seeds, the kererū and the kokako.

The fruit of the Tawa tree is quite big, up to 3.5cm long. The kererū and the kokako are the only birds large enough to eat the fruit and pass the seeds through their gut unharmed. If the kererū and the kokako became extinct then the tawa tree might follow.

Everything in God’s creation is connected. Each part relies on the parts around it for propagation and survival.

Today, we say goodbye to Joseph and hello to the book of Acts. During the month of August, we will focus on four messages from the book of Acts in support of Arotahi, the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society. Then, at the end of August, we will take up a special Renew Together offering for our Baptist missionaries.

The book of Acts tells how the message about Jesus started to spread throughout the world. Just as God uses kererū and kokako to spread tawa tree seeds, so too the Spirit of God uses ordinary men and women to spread the gospel.

The Spirit’s presence

Let’s begin then with a reading from Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. From Acts 2, verse 1 we read…

When the day of Pentecost came, they [the disciples of Jesus] were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?  8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?… 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

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

You may have heard of the goldilocks principle, named after the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Like Goldilocks, we human beings want things ‘just right’. Not too hot or too cold. Not too hard or too soft and not too big or too small.

Dark KitKat is (for me) a goldilocks chocolate. Not too sweet (like milk KitKat) and not too bitter either. The biscuit gives the KitKat a nice texture without breaking your teeth (not too hard or too soft). And one KitKat finger is just the right amount, not too much or too little.   

Planet earth is in the goldilocks zone, situated the perfect distance from the sun and the moon and in the right part of the galaxy. The temperature and gravity (and hundreds of other things) are just right for supporting life.

The day of Pentecost, in Acts 2, is a goldilocks moment. Thousands of God-fearing Jews from all over the known world have come to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of Pentecost. It has been seven weeks since Jesus’ death and resurrection. The disciples have spent much of that time in prayer and worship. They are in the zone, spiritually speaking.

The disciples are together, ready and waiting for what God will do next, when a sound like a violent wind blowing from heaven fills the whole house. This sound is not too loud that it deafens them and not too soft that they don’t notice it.

The Holy Spirit is like the wind in some ways. A powerful, untameable, uncontrollable, unseen energy. But it’s not like the wind in every way. The Spirit is more than just an energy. The Spirit is a person; creative, intelligent, intentional and capable of self-control. The Spirit is just right.  

After the sound like wind, the disciples saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. The Spirit’s touch was not too hot or heavy. No disciples were harmed by the tongues of fire.

In the ancient world, fire was thought to be the purest thing of all. The Holy Spirit is like fire in some ways, an agent of cleansing and purification. But the Spirit is not like fire in every way. The Spirit is life giving. The Spirit fills people just the right amount, without destroying them or requiring a 111 call.

Verse 4 says all of the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in different languages (languages they did not know and had not learned) so that people from all over the known world heard a message in their mother tongue.

Why did the Holy Spirit do this? Well, the Spirit is given for the purpose of mission. The Spirit empowers believers to communicate Jesus.  

One thing we observe about the Spirit, from our own experience, is that he has a unique way of creating connections. It appears the Spirit was connecting the dots for those present at the Pentecost festival in Acts 2. 

If you find yourself in just the right place, at just the right time, with just the right skills and resources to help someone, that’s probably not a coincidence.

A goldilocks moment like that may well be the Holy Spirit’s way of connecting someone with Jesus. Making Jesus real for that person.

The crowd were amazed and perplexed, asking one another, “What does this mean?” They cannot understand how uneducated men from Galilee (a despised place) were able to speak so fluently in foreign languages. From verse 14 we pick up the story…

Peter’s message:

14 Peter raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. …this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

In the Old Testament, the festival of Pentecost celebrated the giving of the Law. For Christians though, the festival of Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Law was given through Moses, but the Spirit was given through Christ. 

Peter quotes some familiar verses from the prophet Joel as a way of interpreting these events. This is what the prophets foretold centuries earlier. This is God pouring out his Spirit on humankind.

The remarkable thing about the gift of the Spirit is the universal scope. It had always been God’s intention to pour out his Spirit on all people, not just the Jews, but Gentiles also. Not just men, but women too. Young and old.   

About 35 years ago, I worked for Youth for Christ as a volunteer. In those days YFC ran youth groups, camps and rallies, through which the gospel was presented in creative ways. YFC also provided training for their leaders. One skill they taught us was how to give a short talk about the gospel.

When speaking in front of a crowd your talk needs four things: hook, look, book, took. The hook is something to get people’s attention. Something that connects them to the message. Once you have people’s attention you tell them what your talk is about. ‘Look, here’s the point of what I’m saying’.

Then you support your main point with some words from the Bible, that’s the Book part. And the ‘took’ is the takeaway, something people can do to apply what you’ve said so the message sticks.

We see this pattern of hook, look, book, took, in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit provided the hook, by enabling the apostles to speak in foreign languages that the audience could understand. That certainly got people’s attention. It brought them together and connected them.

Then Peter (by the inspiration of the Spirit) provided the look, book and took parts. In verses 22-24 Peter points to Jesus, as if to say, ‘Look, here’s the point’…   

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

In just three short verses Peter directs his audience to look at the work, death and resurrection of Jesus, which was all part of God’s plan of salvation for humankind and directly linked to the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter’s comment that it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Jesus, indicates that Jesus has conquered sin and death. For if death is the consequence of sin, then it logically follows that Jesus was without sin, for death had no claim on him.

Peter draws on various Scriptures (from the book of the Old Testament) to support his point. For example, in verses 25-27 of Acts 2, Peter quotes Psalm 16 saying…

25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.

Peter is saying here that king David was talking about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead when he wrote Psalm 16. More than this, Jesus is even greater than David, for God did not raise David from the dead. So, Jesus is God’s promised Messiah. 

In verse 36 of Acts 2, Peter drives his main point home saying…

36 “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”  37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

This is gutsy stuff from Peter. He is telling his audience, quite bluntly, you are responsible for killing Jesus, the Messiah of God.

Verse 37 says the people were cut to the heart when they heard this. What Peter said resonates as true and they cannot deny it. They are convicted to their core.

This feeling of conviction and remorse is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit shows us the truth about ourselves so that we realise our need for God’s grace and call out for help.   

In verses 38-39, Peter finishes with his took. This is the takeaway of his message. This is what his listeners are to do, so the message sticks…

38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Peter gives us a recipe for Christian conversion here. Becoming a Christian involves believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection, as well as repentance, water baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.

The elements of Christian conversion don’t always happen in the same order and they don’t always happen on the same day. Elsewhere in the book of Acts we see a variety of conversion experiences, all of which are based on faith in the resurrection of Jesus. And all of which are orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is always pointing us to Jesus. Always looking for ways to connect us to Christ and make Jesus real in our experience.   

Not everyone accepted Peter’s message that day, but for about 3000 people it was a goldilocks sermon, it was ‘just right’. Most of those 3000 had been present for the Passover festival, two months earlier, when Jesus was condemned and crucified. Now they were present for a miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Many of the 3000 were pilgrims from other parts of the world. They were like the kererū and the kokako. On returning to their homes, they took with them the digested seed of the good news about Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus has conquered sin and death. Through Jesus, God’s Spirit is poured out.

Conclusion:

One other thing we notice and that is the transformation that takes place in Peter in such a short time. Just seven weeks earlier, the night of Jesus’ trial, Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times. At that stage the Holy Spirit had not been poured out and Peter was understandably afraid for his life.

Now at Pentecost, when the religious leaders are still a very real threat, Peter (an uneducated fisherman from the backwaters of Galilee) is filled with the Spirit and boldly tells thousands of people about Jesus.

Without the Holy Spirit, Peter’s best intentions to stand for Jesus, end in failure and shame. But with the Holy Spirit, Peter bears witness to the risen Christ, with courage and clarity.

The Holy Spirit does not always manifest his power in such dramatic ways, like he did in Acts 2. But, 2000 years later, he is still very active in the world, creating connections and making Jesus real for people.

The work of the Spirit does not need to be dramatic to be effective. We may not speak in foreign languages, like the apostles, but our experience of the Spirit is still valid. There is a certain winsomeness and intimacy in seeing the Spirit do something special that only you and one or two others notice.

The point is, when it comes to Christian mission, we cannot do anything without the power and guidance of God’s Spirit. Our part is to prayerfully wait for the Spirit, remaining open to receive what God wants to give and ready to respond to Jesus’ prompting.

Whether we are speaking to thousands, like Peter did, or simply sharing our faith with one person over coffee, may we go on being filled with the Spirit of Christ. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. In what ways is the Holy Spirit like wind and fire? In what ways is the Spirit not like wind and fire?
  3. Why does the Holy Spirit empower the apostles to speak in foreign languages? Why is the Spirit given?
  4. What is the main point of Peter’s message in Acts 2?
  5. If you had the opportunity to tell people about Jesus, what would you say?
  6. How did you become a Christian? Are any of the elements of conversion, mentioned by Peter in Acts 2:38, missing for you?
  7. What is your experience of God’s Spirit? How does the Spirit help you to share the love and truth of Jesus?
Tawa Baptist

Redeemed

Scripture: 1st Peter 1:13-21

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Holy Hope
  • Reverent Fear
  • Costly Redemption
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

If someone says, “You are a chip off the old block” or “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”, what they mean is: you are very similar in character to your father or mother. You are like your parents, in other words.

Today we continue our series in the New Testament letter of 1st Peter, taking a closer look at chapter 1, verses 13-21. In this passage Peter focuses on his readers’ personal relationship with God the Father. Because God has given us new birth into a living hope (1:3) we are now his children. And as his children, we need to ensure we are a ‘chip off the old block’ (no disrespect intended). If God is the tree, then we are to be the apple that doesn’t fall far from the tree. In other words, our character should be like that of God our Father. Holy. From 1st Peter, chapter 1, verses 13-21 we read…

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope on the grace to be brought to youwhen Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedientchildren, 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.”

17 Since you call on a Fatherwho judges each person’s workimpartially, live out your time as foreignershere in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemedfrom the empty way of lifehanded down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious bloodof Christ, a lambwithout blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world,but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

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

There are three main ideas I want to draw out of today’s reading: Holy hope, reverent fear and costly redemption. First let us consider the holy hope to which we are called.

Holy hope:

Last week we heard about hope. Hope is the capacity to imagine a good future. Hope is like a rope connecting the future to the present. When we are struggling to keep our head above water, hope connects us – it keeps us afloat and allows us to imagine things will turn out well in the end.

Christian hope is not a long shot. Christian hope is a sure thing because it is based on something that has already happened – the resurrection of Jesus.

Christian hope is also a holy kind of hope. It is the expectation that we will become like Christ – a genuine chip off the old block.

In verses 13-16, of chapter 1, Peter makes a connection between hope and holiness. To clarify what Peter is saying here I’ve come up with an acrostic which spells the word H.O.P.E.

H stands for the holiness of hope

O is for the obedience of hope

P stands for the preparedness of hope, and…

E is the expectation of hope

We’ll start with the expectation of hope and work backwards from there.

In verse 13 Peter instructs his readers to set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.

The expectation of Christian hope is that we will receive grace (and not punishment or wrath) when Jesus returns in glory. To expect grace is look forward in anticipation of receiving something good.

When I was in standard 1 (Year 3 by today’s terms) I was called out of class to meet the headmaster in the gym. As I entered the gym I saw other kids of all ages throughout the school gathered too. I had no idea why we were there. The headmaster stood up and explained that each of us were going to receive an award at the end of year prize giving.

I was not told what prize I was going to get, just that I had to sit up on the stage and come to the front when my name was called. From that moment on I waited in eager expectation that something good was coming my way. When my name was called I received a certificate for most improved student and a picture book, which I still have.

It’s a bit like that with being a Christian. We have been selected to receive a prize, not because of anything we’ve done necessarily, but because God is gracious. We don’t know what the prize will be but we do know it is something good to look forward to in eager expectation.      

The E of Christian hope stands for expectation and the P stands for preparedness.

Verse 13 of chapter 1 begins with Peter saying: Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you… 

The reason they called us to the gym before the prize-giving is so we would be prepared. They wanted us to be there on time, in the right place and dressed appropriately, in our full uniforms. They also wanted us to be on our best behaviour, to be self-controlled, since we were going to be on the stage for everyone to see.

When Peter says, prepare your minds for action, he means, ‘gird up the loins of your mind’. To gird up the loins is an Old Testament phrase. In the ancient near east men wore long robes (sort of like Jedi knights). If they needed to make haste or do some manual labour they would hitch their robe up into their belt so they could move more freely. These days we might say, ‘Roll up your sleeves’ or ‘Get stuck into it’.

Christian hope is not a lazy or dreamy thing. Christian hope means rolling up the sleeves of your mind, getting your brain into gear and being mentally prepared.      

Karen Jobes notes how “Girding up the loins” may be an allusion to Exodus 12:11, where the Lord instructs his people to prepare for the exodus by eating their final meal in Egypt with their sandals on and their loins girded”. [1] That is, prepared and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Returning to 1st Peter 1:13, the word translated as self-controlled is literally ‘be sober’. People who have no hope might drown their sorrows (they might get drunk). But Christians have real hope and so we have no need to find comfort in a bottle.

Like a batsman in cricket, facing a fast bowler, we must be mentally prepared and self-controlled with each ball that comes our way. We don’t want to nick ourselves out or miss the opportunity to put away a bad delivery.

The O in Christian hope stands for obedience. In verse 14 Peter writes: As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

God’s grace does not give us a license to do whatever we want. Christian freedom comes with the responsibility to obey God. Indeed, the fruit of Christian faith is obedience. The kingdom of heaven is a place where God’s will is done perfectly. This means heaven is a place where God is obeyed, willingly and with love.

If our hope includes heaven then we need to get some practice in and obey God now, in this life. Obedience can feel difficult in this world, because there are forces within us (and around us) that work against God’s will. But part of our hope, part of the grace we look forward to with eager expectation, is that obedience in the kingdom of heaven will come more naturally, more easily.   

The H of Christian hope stands for holiness. In verse 15 Peter says: But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  

To be holy is to be set apart for a special or sacred purpose. As I’ve said on other occasions, your tooth brush is holy, set apart for your mouth. You don’t use your toothbrush to clean the toilet. A table is set apart for food. You don’t put your bottom on the dinner table.

Holiness is about moral purity and integrity. Holiness is about living in a distinctive way from the society and culture around you. To be holy is to be light in the darkness.  

We note too that we are to be holy in all we do. Our hope is to be fully set on the grace to be given us. Holiness is not a half-hearted thing. Holiness speaks of wholeness or fullness. Oneness. Last week I used the analogy of hope as a rope or a life-line. If you are drowning and someone throws you a life-line, you hold onto that rope of hope fully, with both hands and with all your strength, because it is your salvation.

In verse 16 Peter quotes from the Old Testament book of Leviticus where God says to Israel: “Be holy, because I am holy.” God’s people are to reflect God’s holy character, even though this makes them strangers in this world.

Christian hope is characterised by holy living, obedience to God the Father, preparedness for action and expectation of grace when Jesus returns.

Reverent fear:

The second idea I want to draw your attention to this morning is that of reverent fear. In verse 17 Peter writes: Since you call on a Fatherwho judges each person’s workimpartially, live out your time as foreignershere in reverent fear.

In verse 13 Peter had just talked about setting our hope on the grace to be given us when Jesus is revealed. Now, in verse 17, he talks about God’s judgement. These two ideas, judgement and grace, may appear to be at odds with each other. But they actually work together like two cogs in a clock which, although moving in opposite directions, actually function in harmony to keep the clock in time.

Or to use another analogy, our faith in God is like a guitar string, held in tension. One end of the string is anchored to the bridge, on the body of the guitar, and the other end is tied to the tuning keys on the head of the guitar. If the string is too loose it makes a dead, limp sort of sound. And if it is too tight it sounds out of tune and is at risk of breaking.

As Christian believers we need to hold the judgement of God at just the right tension with the grace of God. If the string of our faith is too tight – if we only ever think of God as a stern dispassionate judge – then our faith will sound highly strung and is at risk of snapping. But if we go to the other extreme of thinking that God is an over indulgent Father, who will forgive us without requiring confession or repentance, then our faith will make a dead, limp sound.

Yes, God is a loving Father who longs to show grace to his human children. But at the same time he is also an impartial judge who must be true to his own character and carry out justice. God’s grace and judgement are not separate. They are one – part of the same instrument. But they need to be held in the right tension, by faith, if we are to be in tune with God.           

So what is reverent fear? Well, reverent fear is the note that sounds when grace and judgement are held in tune.

Reverent fear is not so much the fear of being punished if you do something wrong. That would be a denial of our hope of grace. Perfect love drives out the fear of punishment. Reverent fear is the fear of not giving glory to God by the way we live our lives.

Reverent fear is like when someone represents their country in sport. The sports-person feels a great honour in representing their country and does not want to let their team down. The fear is not of being punished but rather of disgracing yourself by dropping the ball.

As Christians we have been given a great honour in representing God. Our greatest fear is not punishment. No, our greatest fear is failing to give our best for God. We don’t want to look back at our life, from the vantage point of eternity, and feel ashamed or have regrets. That’s the fear.       

Reverent fear is often the attitude of fathers as they drive their wife and new born baby home from the hospital. A man never drives as carefully as when he has his children in his car. It’s not that he is afraid of getting a speeding ticket. He drives with reverent fear because he wants to protect the precious life on board. Reverent fear is not about punishment. It’s about care and respect.  

When Robyn and I were married, a friend of ours (Geoff) made a metal stand for our wedding cake. Geoff had a degree in physics and he was a welder. The two tiers of the cake stand were welded together by a rod of steel, in the shape of a spiral.

Geoff made that cake stand in reverent fear. By which I mean he took great care in his work to ensure the welding was sound and the cake stand stable. Geoff was not fearful of being punished if the welding did not stick. Rather he was more concerned that our wedding cake not be ruined by faulty workmanship. Geoff did a good job. His workmanship was vindicated. The stand stood.

The main purpose of God’s judgement (at the end of time) is to vindicate God. Judgement day is a day when God’s workmanship (His justice and goodness) are revealed and people see that God’s work was sound and true all along.

Holy hope, reverent fear and costly redemption.

Costly redemption:

In 1998 the film Saving Private Ryan was released in New Zealand. The premise of the movie is that Private James Ryan is one of four sons serving in active combat during the Second World War. Each of his three brothers have been killed in combat and so James is the sole survivor. To prevent the family from losing all their boys, Captain John Millar and his platoon are assigned the task of searching for and redeeming the life of Private Ryan, who is somewhere in France behind enemy lines.

Although the movie is fictional it draws on the story of a real life soldier called Fritz Niland. I’m not sure of the details of Fritz’ story but Private Ryan’s redemption was a costly one indeed. While James Ryan was rescued and went on to live a long and full life, only one member of John Miller’s platoon survived. Private Ryan was redeemed by the blood of his fellow soldiers.   

From verse 18 of chapter 1 Peter writes: For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemedfrom the empty way of lifehanded down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious bloodof Christ, a lambwithout blemish or defect.  

Peter is talking here about costly redemption. So what is redemption?

Redemption is being released from one state of being into another better state of being.  Private Ryan was rescued from behind enemy lines and released from active duty. He was taken out of a combat zone and allowed to return home.

In the ancient world of the first century, slaves could be redeemed when someone paid money to buy their freedom. Once they had been redeemed the person was a slave no longer. Their status changed from slave to freeman.

God redeemed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. That is, God set his people free. He did not do this by paying a fee to Pharaoh. He did it by his mighty power. The people of Israel went from living in a foreign land under a state of oppression to (eventually) entering the Promised Land where they were free to serve the Lord God and not Pharaoh.

In some ways the kind of world we live in today (a world organised against God) is a state of oppression. God is redeeming us (or releasing us) from the kingdom of this world and into the kingdom of heaven where we are truly free to do his will.

Another Old Testament reference to redemption relates to the exile. In Isaiah 52:2-3 the prophet says: Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion. For this is what the Lord says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”

Isaiah is talking here about the redemption (or setting free) of the Jews scattered in exile throughout Babylon and Assyria. It is a message of holy hope. God is going to open the door for the exiles to return home to Jerusalem.

Picking up this metaphor of the people of God as exiles and strangers, Peter addresses the Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor as strangers or sojourners. God is redeeming those who believe in Jesus, from their long exile in this world, and bringing them home to the heavenly Jerusalem.      

This redemption is achieved not with money but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. There is nothing more precious in all of creation than a human life. And there is no human being more perfect than Jesus. The Lord’s costly redemption reveals the depth of God’s love. 

Peter is stressing the costliness of our redemption here. Jesus is the unblemished sacrificial lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus’ blood shed on the cross seals the deal, releasing us from the oppressive power of sin and death into a state of righteousness and eternal life.

In verse 20 Peter explains how Jesus, the Christ, was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

This speaks of God’s foreknowledge. It tells us that God had a plan to redeem his creation even before he made the world.

It is through Jesus that we are able to believe in God. It’s not just that Jesus makes us aware that God’s exists. Nature does that. It’s more that Jesus shows us what it means to be truly human, made in the image of God.

When you are renovating your house it is helpful to have a picture in mind (a vision) of what you want your house to look like when it is finished. Same thing when cooking a meal. If you are following a recipe it helps to have a picture of what the meal is supposed to look like when it is ready. Jesus is the picture of what humanity is supposed to look like after our redemption is complete.

It is because God redeemed us with the blood of his own son that we can believe that he loves us. Furthermore, it is because God has raised Jesus from the dead that we can believe God will raise us also and make us truly human like Jesus. So your faith and hope are in God.

Jesus is the bridge. He is the pathway on which we walk by faith out of slavery to the Promised Land. Out of our exile, in the Babylon of this world, and into the heavenly Jerusalem.  

The thing we need to understand about being redeemed is that we are not set free to do whatever we want. We now belong to the one who redeemed us. We belong to God the Father in other words.  

So if we are not free to do what we want, what are we free to do?

We are free to call God our Father.

We are free from the emptiness and spiritual ignorance of our past.

And we are free to emulate (or to copy) God’s holiness.  

Conclusion:

Not only does God’s costly redemption make holiness possible, it also makes God’s love visible.

May grace and peace be yours in abundance.

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?

  • What is the expectation of Christian hope?
  • How might we prepare our minds for action?
  • What does holiness look like for you personally? How do we live a holy life?
  • Why do we need to hold God’s judgment in tension with his grace? How well tuned is the string of your faith? Is it too highly strung (overly weighted towards God’s judgement)? Or is it too limp (biased towards God’s grace)?
  • What does it mean to live in reverent fear?  How is this different from living in fear of punishment?
  • What does Peter mean by redemption?
  • How do you feel when you consider the costliness of your redemption?  

[1] Karen Jobes’ commentary on 1st Peter, page 111.

Tawa Baptist

Peter preaches Jesus

Scripture: Acts 3:12-19

Title: Peter preaches Jesus

Structure:

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

 Introduction:

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

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

 

Today is two Sundays since Easter

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

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

–         Peter preaches the death & resurrection of Jesus

–         And Peter preaches to heal the crowd

 

Peter preaches the death & resurrection of Jesus:

I have here a banana

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

 

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

–         Well, both are important

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

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

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

 

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

–         Probably not the best start to their marriage

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

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

 

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

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

–         Then he gives Jesus the credit

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

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

 

Peter describes Jesus in four ways…

–         As God’s servant (in verse 13)

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

–         As the author of life (in verse 15)

–         And as the Christ (in verse 18)

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

Holy & Righteous One is a reference to Jesus’ innocence

–         Holy means set apart for a sacred or divine purpose

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

Albrecht Durer was a famous 16th Century Renaissance artist

–         Albrecht was German and a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci

–         This is a self-portrait of Albrecht

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church.

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

500 years have passed since that time.

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

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

 

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

 

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

–         Difficult to separate the two really

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

Peter preaches to heal the crowd:

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

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

o   You handed him over to be killed

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

o   You asked that a murderer be released to you instead

o   You killed the author of life

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

Faith & repentance go together in the Bible

–         Faith is not exactly the same as repentance

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

It affects the past in that sins are wiped out

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

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

 

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

–         ‘Times of refreshing’ speaks of Sabbath rest

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

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

 

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard how Peter preached Jesus

–         Peter boldly preached the death & resurrection of Jesus

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

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

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

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

 

Questions for discussion &/or reflection

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

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

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

4.)    Who is responsible for Jesus’ death?

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

Tawa Baptist

Jesus & Peter

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

Title: Jesus and Peter – before & after

Structure:

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

Introduction:

We are in the season of Easter at the moment

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

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

 

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

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

–         But after the cross he had a more realistic perspective

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading

 

Jesus & Peter before:

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

–         Or it could be that others have misunderstood us

–         Often it’s a mixture of both

 

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

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

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

–         After the experience of the cross Peter is more circumspect

–         Only Jesus sees all four windows

 

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

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

–         And secondly, they must love one another

 

Jesus says these two things to help his disciples

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

Loving one another is by far the more difficult thing

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

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

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

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

–         By sharing each other’s joys and sorrows

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

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

–         We love others by guarding their reputation and being discreet

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

–         Peter is filled with regret and remorse

 

Jesus & Peter after:

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

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

 

One of Jesus’ post resurrection appearances was by Lake Tiberias

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

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

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

–         Jesus has filled their empty net

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture reading for us

 

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

–         It became a classic

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

–         Those who survived lost their innocence

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

–         Previously Peter had denied Jesus three times

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

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

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

 

Jesus does not give Peter the silent treatment

–         Jesus does not demand an apology from Peter

–         Jesus does not require Peter to grovel and beg

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

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

 

The message is pretty clear

–         Peter’s sins are forgiven

–         Jesus does not hold anything against him

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

–         Then we face the cross in our own personal way

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

–         Love is the main qualification for pastoral ministry

–         The primary qualification for being a minister is love

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

Grace begets grace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

–         So they crucified Peter upside down

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

 

Conclusion:

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

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

 

In a few moments we will share communion together

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

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

–         Communion is not a grand gesture on our part

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

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

Questions for discussion & reflection:

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

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

–         What did you learn?

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

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

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

–         How is this different from a state of experience?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

Tawa Baptist

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

But Who Do You Say I Am?

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

 

Good morning

 

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

 

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

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

 

From Matthew 16 we read:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

At this point it looks like Peter has got it.

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

 

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

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

 

This is pretty mind blowing stuff!

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

Peter decides he needs to set Jesus straight.

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

 

This time Jesus’ response is very different.

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

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

 

Two things stand out here for me.

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Jesus’ question is not static.

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

But would we?

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

But who do you say I am?

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

“But who do YOU say I am?”

 

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

  • What is your answer for Jesus?
  • What does your answer mean for you?
Tawa Baptist

Spread the Nets

Scripture: Acts 11:1-18

Title: Spread the Nets

Key Idea: Spread your nets to receive from God

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Receiving the vision
  • Receiving the Word & Spirit of God
  • Receiving the other
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

The headline for this year’s Tranzsend Prayer and Self Denial campaign is: ‘til the nets are full’

  • We have certainly known about the fullness of water this past week
  • Anyway, ‘til the nets are full’ is a reference to the story in Luke 5, where Jesus said to Peter…
  • ‘Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets to catch some fish’
  • When Peter did this they caught so many fish their boats were on the verge of sinking. Afterwards Jesus says to Peter…
  • “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be a fisher of men.”
  • In other words, ‘Peter, I’m calling you to catch people for me – to bring men & women into the kingdom of God’

This story from Luke forms the back drop of Tranzsend’s Prayer & Self Denial campaign this year

  • Today’s sub heading is “Spread the Nets”

Please turn with me to Acts 11 – page 164 toward the back of your pew Bibles

  • 2000 years ago, when the Christian church first began it was comprised pretty much entirely of Jews
  • Over the past 2 weeks we have heard how the Spirit of God led Peter to spread the net of the gospel wider, among the Gentiles
  • On hearing this some of the Jewish Christians criticised Peter
  • Acts 11 describes how Peter responds to this criticism.
  • From verse 1 we read…

Read Acts 11:1-18

 

May the Spirit of Jesus help us to receive God’s Word

On the wall here we have a picture of four things…

  • A TV aerial, an ear, a net and a softball glove
  • Who can tell me what these four things have in common?
  • [Wait for people to respond]
  • Yes, that’s right. They are all used for catching or receiving things
  • A TV aerial receives a signal
  • An ear receives sound
  • A net receives fish
  • And a softball glove receives the ball

 

When we think of mission (and Christian service generally) we tend to think about giving and making sacrifices and going out into the world

  • And while giving & going out is certainly integral to the work of mission
  • Receiving is just as important
  • In fact, without first receiving, we find we have nothing to give

After being criticised by his own for spreading the net of the gospel wider (to include the Gentiles) Peter responds by retelling the facts of what happened

  • And what we notice in Peter’s retelling is there is lots of receiving going on in this mission
  • Peter receives a vision from God
  • The Gentiles receive the Word & Spirit of God
  • And the Jewish believers back in Jerusalem are faced with the challenge of receiving the other – that is, those different from them, the Gentiles

Receiving the vision:

From Peter’s perspective it started with receiving a vision from God

  • The vision was of a sheet containing all sorts of animals, both clean and unclean, both kosher for eating and not kosher
  • Some commentators reckon the sheet represents the church which will contain all races and classes without distinction [1]

This vision of an inclusive church is not entirely new

  • It actually goes back to the time of Noah

Richard Rohr observes how God tells Noah to bring into the ark all the opposites: the wild and the domestic, the crawling and the flying, the clean and the unclean, the male and the female of each animal…[2]

  • God puts all the opposites together and holds them together in one place
  • The ark is kind of a metaphor for the church where God brings opposites together: male & female, sinners & saints, conservatives & liberals, Jews & Gentiles, the socially acceptable & the outcastes
  • Perhaps God wants us to learn to live with dirt & difference

So Peter’s mission to the Gentiles begins with him (personally) receiving a vision from God

  • Interestingly none of the other believers receive this vision – just Peter
  • And Peter acts on this vision without consulting the wider Jewish church in Jerusalem
  • Yes, he takes six Jewish believers along with him as witnesses and helpers but essentially Peter doesn’t involve the church congregation or even the church leaders in the decision

This is quite different from the traditional Baptist way of doing things

  • We are highly consultative in our decision making process
  • We regularly find ways to listen to the congregation

And we do this for a number of reasons

  • Firstly, we believe God speaks through the congregation
  • We figure if God wants something to happen he won’t just speak to one individual – he will speak to many
  • Secondly, we are keen to bring the congregation along with us
  • We don’t want to alienate people if we can help it and so we discuss things (sometimes at length)
  • It is probably also fair to say we are influenced by our social & political environment and therefore we favour a democratic approach

But, if Peter had asked his congregation to vote on whether he should visit Cornelius they would have said ‘no’

  • God’s ways are not always our ways
  • God does not always speak through the congregation
  • God isn’t always democratic
  • Sometimes the majority are wrong
  • Sometimes God speaks in ways we may not be expecting

Peter certainly wasn’t expecting to receive the vision God gave him

  • Going to the home of a Roman Centurion was probably furthest from his mind – I imagine it made Peter feel really uncomfortable
  • But Peter obeyed God, in faith, and was criticised for his efforts by people from his own church
  • After hearing Peter’s minority report though, the Jerusalem Church recognised God’s hand at work
  • The Gentiles had received God’s Word & His Spirit so they were legit

Receiving the Word & Spirit of God:

On the wall here we have three pictures

  • One of a rain gauge attached to a post
  • Another of a man opening a door from the inside
  • And a third of a man hugging a tiger

The rain gauge receives water passively – as it falls from the sky

  • The rain gauge does not make a conscious decision to receive water
  • That just happens without the rain gauge’s awareness or consent

By contrast the man opening the door is actively receiving someone

  • Likewise the other man actively receives the tiger by hugging him

To receive the Word of God is an active thing, not a passive thing

  • For Cornelius, receiving the Word of God meant believing the message Peter was preaching – putting his faith in Jesus

Likewise to receive the Spirit is an active thing – like opening the door to let someone into your home, or like hugging a tiger

  • When Cornelius believed the gospel message he opened the door of his heart to the Spirit and the Spirit came on him
  • God’s Word and God’s Spirit go together

You may be wondering why I used a picture of a tiger hugging a man when talking about receiving the Spirit

  • Well, the Spirit is like a wild tiger in the sense that he is more powerful than us and we can’t tame him – he is free to roam where he pleases
  • However, the Spirit is not like a tiger in every respect – the Spirit would never force himself on a person much less maul them

The point is, receiving God’s Word and his Spirit is an active thing, not a passive thing

If we read the Bible passively, without really letting it in – so the words roll off our soul like water off a ducks back – then we aren’t really receiving God’s Word in any meaningful sense

  • Or if we study the Bible as if it was just another historical artefact or an interesting piece of literature, without connecting the words to our own experience or situation – then we are missing the point

God’s word and God’s Spirit go together

  • The door of our heart may be closed when reading the Bible or listening to a sermon but the Spirit can still knock on the door

Receiving the other:

In verse 18 we read how, after hearing Peter’s account of what had happened in Caesarea, the Jewish believers stopped their criticism and praised God saying…

  • ‘God has given the Gentiles also the opportunity to repent and live”

This strikes me as a little ironic really

  • Repentance is about transformation and conversion
  • It means a change of mind and a change of behaviour
  • The first Jewish Christians would not associate with Gentiles – now the Spirit was knocking on the door of their heart with an invitation to receive the other – which in their case meant the Gentiles
  • It seems the Spirit was also giving the Jewish believers the opportunity to repent and live (even if they weren’t quite ready to admit it)

Emmanuel Levinas (a 20th Century Jewish philosopher) notes how the Biblical tradition says that truth is not found in abstract concepts, but in an encounter with otherness

  • According to Levinas it is “the face of the other” that transforms us, converts us and gives us our deepest identity [3]

For example, Moses’ life was changed through an encounter with Yahweh

  • As was David’s through an encounter with Goliath
  • Jonah was confronted with the truth about himself through an encounter with the people of Nineveh (his enemies)
  • Jesus’ deepest identity (as God’s Son) was revealed through his encounter with Satan in the wilderness
  • Peter (a Jew) realised the broader more universal truth of the gospel through his encounter with Cornelius (a Gentile)
  • And the apostle Paul experienced conversion through his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus

We are not changed by being in a room with people who are the same as us

  • We are transformed and come to know our true selves through encounter with others who are different from us
  • What this means is that true religion isn’t really about arguing over ideas and abstract concepts
  • Nor is evangelism & Christian mission simply about communicating four spiritual laws which people must know (in their head) to be saved
  • True religion, real evangelism (the kind that brings authentic change for the better) is about encounter and presence and relationship

When I look around this room I don’t see everyone being the same

  • This is a room full of people who are different from each other
  • God designed the church that way
  • Christianity isn’t just a good idea
  • Christianity is face to face encounter, it is felt presence – it is relationship
  • That is why we gather – that is why coming to church on a Sunday and meeting each other during the week is important

Perhaps the best way to get this across is by telling a story

  • Oscar Wilde wrote a piece of short fiction called the ‘Selfish Giant’
  • I’m not sure what meaning Oscar Wilde intended but to me this is a salvation story
  • It’s about being transformed and coming to know our true self in the face of the other
  • We don’t have the time to read the whole story this morning so I’ll give you an edited version…

Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant’s garden.

     It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit…

     One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. When he arrived [home] he saw the children playing in the garden.

     ‘What are you doing here?’ he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.

     ‘My own garden is my own garden,’ said the Giant; ‘any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself.’ So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.

 

TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED

 

He was a very selfish Giant. The poor children now had nowhere to play…

 

     Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only, in the garden of the Selfish Giant, it was still Winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom.

The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. ‘Spring has forgotten this garden,’ they cried, ‘so we will live here all the year round.’…

.

     ‘I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming,’ said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden; ‘I hope there will be a change in the weather.’

     But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant’s garden she gave none. ‘He is too selfish,’ she said. So it was always Winter there…

 

     One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music… It was only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. Then… a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement.

‘I believe the Spring has come at last,’ said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and looked out.

          What did he see? He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the children’s heads…

 

It was a lovely scene, [except] in one corner it was still Winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly…

     The Giant’s heart melted as he looked out. ‘How selfish I have been!’ he said; ‘now I know why the Spring would not come here. I will put that poor little boy in the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children’s playground for ever and ever.’ He was really very sorry for what he had done.

     So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became Winter again.

 

The little boy did not run [though], for his eyes were so full of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. The Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang in it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant’s neck, and kissed him.

 

When the other children saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, they came running back, and with them came the Spring.

‘It is your garden now, little children,’ said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall…

     All day long the [children] played, and in the evening they came to the Giant to bid him good-bye.

     ‘But where is your little companion?’ he said: ‘the boy I put into the tree.’…

     ‘We don’t know,’ answered the children; ‘he has gone away.’ …

     The Giant was kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him…

 

     Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched the children at their games, and admired his garden.

‘I have many beautiful flowers,’ he said; ‘but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.’

    

One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.

     Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.

    

Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass… [toward] the child. But when he came close his face grew red with anger… For on the palms of the child’s hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet also.

     ‘Who hath dared to wound thee?’ cried the Giant; ‘tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him.’

     ‘Nay!’ answered the child; ‘but these are the wounds of Love.’

     ‘Who art thou?’ said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child.

     The child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, ‘You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.’

     And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.

We are changed and come to be our true selves through encounter with Christ

  • Funny thing is, Christ is often present to us in the face of the other

[1] Rackman, cited in John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 194.

[2] Richard Rohr, ‘Things Hidden’, page 36.

[3] Refer Richard Rohr, ‘Things Hidden’, page 61.

Tawa Baptist

Into the Deep

Scripture: Acts 23b-48

Title: Into the Deep

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Peter approaches Cornelius as an equal
  • Conclusion

Watch the Week 2 Self Denial ‘Into the Deep’ DVD clip…

https://www.tranzsend.org.nz/week-2-video-prayer-and-self-denial

Introduction:

The headline for this year’s Tranzsend Prayer and Self Denial campaign is: ‘til the nets are full’

  • This is a reference to the story in Luke 5, where Jesus taught the crowds from Simon Peter’s fishing boat
  • When Jesus had finished speaking to the people he said to Simon Peter…
  • ‘Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets to catch some fish’
  • When Peter did this they caught so many fish their boats were on the verge of sinking. Afterwards Jesus says to Peter…
  • “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be a fisher of men.”
  • In other words, ‘Peter, I’m calling you to catch people for me – to bring men & women into the kingdom of God’

This story from Luke forms the back drop of Tranzsend’s Prayer & Self Denial campaign this year

Today’s sub heading is “Into the Deep”

  • Please turn with me to Acts 10 verse 23 – page 164 toward the back of your pew Bibles
  • In this passage we read how Peter ventures into the deep to preach the gospel among the Gentiles
  • This was a fishing spot Peter hadn’t imagined God would use – but one which would become very fruitful

You may remember from last week how Cornelius had sent 3 of his men to invite Peter to his home in Caesarea, after receiving a vision from God

  • God gave Peter a vision as well, assuring Peter he should go with them
  • We pick up the story from the second half of verse 23 – top of page 164

Read Acts 10:23b-48

 

May the Spirit of Jesus give us understanding

Peter approaches Cornelius as an equal

There was a Scottish farmer who did not believe the gospel story

  • The idea that God would become a man seemed absurd to him
  • His wife however was a devout believer and raised their children in the Christian faith
  • The farmer sometimes gave her a hard time, mocking her faith and belief
  • “It’s all nonsense”, he said. “Why would God lower himself to become a human like us?”

One snowy Sunday evening his wife took the children to church while the farmer stayed home to relax

  • After they had left the weather deteriorated into a blinding snow storm
  • Then he heard a loud thump against the window
  • Then another thump and another
  • He ventured outside to see what was happening
  • There in the field was the strangest sight: a flock of geese
  • They’d been migrating south & had become disorientated by the storm

The farmer had compassion on them

  • Wanting to help he opened the doors of his barn and stood back, hoping they would find their way in for warmth & shelter – but they didn’t
  • So he tried to shoo the geese in but they scattered in all directions
  • Perplexed, he got some bread and made a trail into the barn but they didn’t catch on
  • Nothing he did got them into the warmth and shelter of the barn

Feeling totally frustrated he exclaimed…

  • “Why won’t they follow me? Can’t they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm? How can I possibly get them to safety?”

He thought for moment and then realised they wouldn’t follow a man – the only way would be for him to become a goose

  • If he were like them he could speak to them in their own language and they would trust him and follow him anywhere

At that moment the farmer realised the implication

  • “If only I could become like one of them, then I could save them”
  • At last he understood God’s heart towards humankind [1]
  • God became a man (in the person of Jesus) in order to save us

In the Tranzsend DVD clip we saw earlier, Richard & Sally told us about Nondita – a young woman who had graduated from their Bible school and made the decision to work in a garment factory, from the bottom up

  • Nondita did this to understand the way the garment workers think, to fully appreciate where they are coming from
  • This is very much the incarnational model of Christ

That word ‘incarnation’ essentially means that God became a human being in Jesus

  • In other words, God approaches us on equal terms or on an even footing
  • He puts himself in our shoes, not talking down to us in a language we can’t understand, but walking & talking with us (alongside us) as one who has entered into our experience and shared our suffering and knows the joys and pains of being human

As a Bible College graduate I imagine Nondita had options, but (like Jesus) she laid her options aside and chose to approach garment workers on an even footing, on equal terms, as one alongside

We see Peter take a similar approach in Acts 10 with Cornelius

  • From verse 25 of Acts 10 we read…
  • As Peter was about to go in, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and bowed down before him. But Peter made him rise. “Stand up”, he said; “I myself am only a man.”

John Stott observes here that…

  • Peter refused to be treated by Cornelius as if he were a God
  • And he refused to treat Cornelius as if he were a dog. [2]

In other words, Peter approaches Cornelius on equal terms

  • Peter does not look down on Cornelius and he does not allow Cornelius to think of himself as inferior
  • Peter makes it clear that the ground is level at the foot of the cross
  • Evangelism (telling others good news) is simply one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread
  • Peter has the humility to understand that they are both beggars and God is the baker
  • Just because Peter knows where the bakery is doesn’t make him superior to Cornelius
  • To the contrary, it makes Peter responsible to pass on the good news

As Richard Rohr points out, Jesus referred to his followers as salt and light

  • Salt is not the whole meal and light illuminates something else [3]
  • Peter knows he’s not the whole meal – he is simply there to illuminate the way for Cornelius

Peter says, “You yourselves know very well that a Jew is not allowed by his religion to visit or associate with Gentiles. But God has shown me that I must not consider any person ritually unclean of defiled.”

  • Now, from a Gentile point of view, that might seem offensive to us
  • It kind of comes across like Peter is saying, “I’m better than you”
  • But I don’t think Peter means it like that – he’s not being offensive
  • Actually he’s taking responsibility for one of the excesses of his own people, the Jews
  • He’s basically admitting that the Judaism of his day had got it wrong by becoming too exclusive

Now let me be clear – a certain amount of exclusiveness is necessary to maintain cultural identity and purity of worship

  • If we become too inclusive we end up losing our distinctiveness and blending in with everyone else
  • The Jewish exiles needed to work very hard at being distinctive from the nations around them in order to stay faithful to Yahweh
  • They just took it too far
  • The Jews were meant to use the light they had been given to illuminate the way for the Gentiles, but instead they hid their light under a bushel
  • We hide our light under a bushel when we don’t associate with people who are different from us – when we don’t let others see our light

Of course it’s not just the Jews who have made the mistake of becoming too exclusive

  • Different branches of the Christian church have done the same thing at various times over the past 2000 years – including the Baptist movement

A little exclusiveness is necessary then, to maintain our distinctiveness from the world

  • But inclusiveness is also needed for people to taste the salt & see the light

After Cornelius has explained his reason for inviting Peter, Peter then goes on to give his sermon and he begins by saying…

  • “I now realise that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. Whoever worships him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what race he belongs to…”

The implication here is that Cornelius’ Gentile nationality is acceptable to God and so Cornelius has no need to become a Jew [4]

  • This does not mean that Cornelius’ own righteousness was adequate for salvation – if it was then Cornelius would have no need to listen to Peter

Peter continues his sermon in this affirming tone, acknowledging what Cornelius and his household already know

  • Verse 36: ‘You know the message… of peace through Jesus’
  • Verse 37: ‘You know of the great event that took place…’
  • Verse 38: ‘You know about Jesus of Nazareth…’

This is quite lovely of Peter really

  • It’s like Peter is saying to Cornelius, you’re not starting from scratch here mate, you already know much of the background
  • It’s a way of acknowledging what Cornelius brings to the conversation
  • In doing this Peter is finding common ground
  • And the beautiful thing is Jesus is the common ground

Having acknowledged what Cornelius already knows about Jesus, Peter then goes on to talk about what Cornelius doesn’t know – in particular…

  • Jesus’ healing ministry
  • Jesus’ death and resurrection
  • Jesus as judge of the living and the dead
  • And Jesus as the means of salvation
  • For as the prophets (of the Old Testament) said…
  • …everyone who believes in him will have his [or her] sins forgiven.  

As Peter spoke the Holy Spirit came down on all who were listening and they started speaking in strange tongues, praising God’s greatness

To receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is to receive something of God himself

  • The gift of the Spirit is proof of God’s acceptance of us personally
  • It’s sort of like God’s authenticating signature on the portrait of our lives
  • Or His water mark on the currency of our soul
  • Or, to use a more 21st Century analogy, His electronic identification chip in the passport of our heart

There is more to the person of the Spirit than that of course, but you get the point – the gift of the Spirit seals the deal. Nothing trumps the Spirit.

Speaking in strange tongues in this context means speaking another language (one you don’t know)

  • Like being a native English speaker and then suddenly being able to speak fluent Cantonese or German or Afrikaans or whatever

Speaking in strange tongues is not the only sign of the Spirit

  • God’s Spirit can express Himself through us in any number of ways
  • But on this particular occasion God’s Spirit expressed Himself through tongues, most likely for the benefit of the Jewish believers who were witnessing it
  • You may remember in Acts 2 how God poured out His Spirit on the Jewish believers and they started speaking in strange tongues too
  •  Acts 10 is sort of a repeat of the Pentecost of Acts 2, only it is the Gentiles’ Pentecost this time

Peter had already said Cornelius and his household were on an even footing with him – now God confirms it with the gift of the very same Spirit & tongues

  • God couldn’t be more clear – He accepts people of all nations
  • Peter recognises this and orders the Gentiles to be baptised with water in the name of Jesus

Throughout the book of Acts Christian conversion normally involves 6 things…

  • The gospel about Jesus is preached, in particular his death & resurrection
  • The listener is convicted of their sin
  • And they put their faith in Jesus to save them
  • There is baptism with water (in the name of Jesus)
  • And the Holy Spirit is given to seal the deal
  • The new believer also starts sharing life with other Christians – they become part of the church in other words

These things don’t always happen in the same order and they don’t necessarily happen on the same day – they may happen over weeks, months or even years

The text of Acts 10 implies that Cornelius’ conversion happened over the course of a number of years

  • It appears that Cornelius felt a conviction of sin well before he met Peter
  • Cornelius lived a very pious life, praying and performing acts of charity, which suggests to me he was conscious of his wrong doing and wanting peace with God
  • Cornelius’ faith is seen by his obedience to God in asking Peter to come to his home and in listening to Peter’s message
  • That Peter preaches the good news about Jesus to Cornelius is quite clear in today’s reading
  • Next comes the gift of the Holy Spirit
  • Closely followed by baptism in water
  • And then they share life together as Cornelius invites Peter and the other Jewish believers to stay a few days
  • Eventually (as we shall hear next Sunday) the Jewish church in Jerusalem also accepted the Gentile believers as part of the wider Church universal

That’s the way it happened for Cornelius

  • Maybe it happened a different way for you?

Perhaps you were baptised as an infant but didn’t really begin to live out that baptism until much later in life when God made Jesus real for you by His Spirit

Or maybe your conversion is still a work in progress

  • Maybe you have prayed the sinner’s prayer and asked Jesus into your heart but have never got around to being baptised in water
  • Maybe that’s something to think & pray about?

Or perhaps, like Cornelius, you have lived with a feeling of guilt (the conviction of sin) for many years and you long for peace with God

  • As Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied
  • Maybe God wants you to lay down your burden, to stop doing your penance and put your trust in Jesus
  • If that’s you then there will be someone to pray with you at the front by the water cooler after the service this morning     

 

Conclusion:

Today we have heard how Peter ventures into the deep by approaching Cornelius on equal terms

  • Peter won’t allow Cornelius to feel inferior
  • Instead Peter makes it all about Jesus
  • And God confirms the Gentile believers’ equality with the Jewish believers through the gift of the Holy Spirit

One thing in all of this (which is pretty obvious but still needs to be said) is that the initiative with conversion is always with God

  • God got Cornelius to invite Peter to his home
  • And God changed Peter’s point of view so that Peter could see it was a good idea to go to the home of a Gentile
  • Peter preached, but God interrupted Peter’s sermon with a message of His own – the gift of the Spirit
  • The initiative was always with God – Peter was just doing his best to keep up

The application for us is we need to wait for God

  • If we go out into the deep of mission work without God we are courting disaster
  • If we try to rush people into making a decision for Christ before they are ready we can do more harm than good

By the same token we don’t want to lag too far behind God either

  • When God calls us out into the deep then we must act
  • What we learn in the process is that God owns the deep
  • When someone is ready to receive Christ (as Cornelius was) simply sharing our story of Jesus will probably be enough

The question for us is: what is God doing and how can we work in harmony with Him?

Let us pray…

[1] This story comes from J. John & Mark Stibbe’s book, ‘A Bundle of Laughs’, page 39.

[2] Refer John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 189.

[3] Refer Richard Rohr’s book, ‘Things Hidden’, page 44.

[4] Refer John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 190.