Tawa Baptist

A New Heart

Scripture: Mark 13:14-27

Video Link: https://youtu.be/mOK3ojB1xyU

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • A new heart
  • A new security
  • A new King
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

New Zealand law stipulates that church buildings with an occupancy of 100 people or more must have a fire evacuation scheme approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand. This auditorium has an occupancy rating of 200. Therefore, we have an approved scheme.

Part of the scheme requires us to provide fire warden training on a six-monthly basis, which we do. The door stewards, sound and projector operators, pastors, deacons, kids’ church leaders and service leaders all have specific areas of responsibility to help the congregation safely exit the building in case of a fire.

If you hear the fire alarm ringing, then you need to leave immediately by the nearest safe exit and report to the assembly point on the corner of Lincoln Ave and the Main Rd. Don’t go back to get your purse or your phone, just get out before the smoke and fire overwhelms you. Following the emergency evacuation scheme will save your life.

Today we continue our series in the gospel of Mark. Last Sunday we heard how Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. In today’s reading Jesus outlines the emergency evacuation scheme for the people of Jerusalem. Jesus tells his disciples what warning sign to look out for and what they should do when they hear the alarm bells ringing. From Mark 13, verse 14 we read…

14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’standing where itdoes not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequalled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equalled again. 20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’  26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

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

If today’s reading sounds a bit scary, that’s because it is. We need to keep in mind that Jesus was speaking about the fall of Jerusalem which took place in AD 70. So, from our perspective, the events described by Jesus have already happened. They are in the past. But, from the disciples’ perspective, these events were still to happen, 40 years in the future.     

That said, history has a habit of repeating itself. Some say the judgement that fell on the temple in the first century is a foretaste of the judgement that will one day fall on the whole world.

Where then is the good news? Well bigger picture, God is making all things new. He is giving the world a new heart, a new security and a new King. Let’s begin by considering God’s gift of a new heart.

A new heart:

The heart of a car is the engine. Without an engine, the car cannot fulfil its purpose of taking you from one place to another.

The heart of a chocolate cake is cocoa. Without cocoa powder in the mix, it’s not a chocolate cake.  

The heart of an apple is its core, where the seeds are found. Without the seeds, we wouldn’t be able to grow more apple trees and the fruit would be lost forever. 

The heart of a marriage is commitment. Without commitment to one another’s wellbeing the marriage won’t last.

The heart of worship is love for God. Without love, all our singing and giving and talking is just white noise.

The heart of ancient Israel was the temple building. The temple was the engine of Jewish values and identity. The temple was the cocoa powder in Israel’s chocolate cake. The temple was the center of Israel’s worship. The temple carried the seeds of Israel’s faith and covenant commitment with Yahweh.

Sadly, as we heard last week, the Jerusalem temple had become corrupt and so the nation of Israel was rotten at its core.

God’s remedy was to give Israel a new heart. As the Lord says through the prophet in Ezekiel 36…

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

From our individualistic 21st Century cultural context, we tend to read these words as applying to us personally, individually. And that’s okay. The Scripture is spacious enough to accommodate that sort of interpretation.

But if we think more collectively, if we think in terms of we rather than me, we understand that the Lord is probably talking about giving his people, the nation of Israel, a new heart. That is, replacing their temple of stone with a temple of living flesh.

I believe Ezekiel is talking about Jesus here. Jesus is the new heart of flesh who replaces the old stone temple building. Jesus is the engine driving, not just Israel’s values and identity, but the values and identity of all humanity.     

Jesus is the cocoa powder in the world’s chocolate cake. Jesus is the center of our worship. Jesus carries the seeds of humanity’s faith and covenant commitment with God Almighty.

The question is: where is our heart? Who or what is driving the engine of our values and identity. Where does our loyalty and commitment lie?

A new security:

God is making all things new. He is giving the world a new heart, and a new security. Jesus is the new heart and Jesus offers a new kind of security. But there’s a catch; the security Jesus offers doesn’t feel that safe at first. Jesus’ security feels like a risk.

Human development experts tell us that small children have a need for enclosure. By creating boundaries and building enclosures, children start to feel a sense of control over their environment which leads to a sense of security and comfort.  

This need for enclosure often finds expression in children’s play. A child might, for example, build forts out of cardboard boxes or huts out of furniture and blankets. Or they might wrap up their dolls or toys. Playing hide and seek also helps a child to meet their need for enclosure. 

The need for enclosure often remains with us into adulthood. We have an unfortunate but understandable tendency to insulate ourselves against fear and disappointment. We might surround ourselves with small empty comforts, taking refuge behind a wall of cardboard box confidence.    

Enclosure and the sense of security it brings was a deeply felt need for many Jews during the first century. In verse 2 of Mark 13, Jesus predicted the complete destruction of the temple building in Jerusalem. And in verse 4, Jesus’ disciples ask him when this will happen and what will be the sign?

It’s not until verse 14 that Jesus answers their question. After telling his disciples to keep calm and carry on, Jesus says, “When you see the abomination that causes desolation standing where it does not belong – let the reader understand – then let those in Judea flee to the mountains.”      

Verse 14 summarises Jesus’ emergency evacuation plan for Jerusalem.

The abomination that causes desolation is their fire alarm. It is a clear signal that they are in mortal danger and need to get as far away from Jerusalem as quickly as possible.

So, what was this abomination that causes desolation?

Well, an abomination is something that is highly offensive, loathsome or detestable. And desolation is emptiness, isolation, ruin and misery.    

The experts can’t agree on what historical event Jesus was referring to here. Some say Jesus is talking about the Roman legions surrounding the city during the siege of Jerusalem. The idolatry displayed on the Roman standards would be an abomination to the Jews, while the army itself caused desolation.

Others say Jesus was referring to the time shortly before the siege of Jerusalem when the zealots took over the temple building and murders were committed in the temple itself. Which was highly offensive and detestable. 

Whatever the case, the Jews of the first century understood what Jesus meant. God had left the temple building desolate, empty and unprotected, so the Romans could destroy the city. Jesus’ advice was to run for the hills, get away from Jerusalem.

In many ways Jesus’ advice was counter intuitive. The enclosure of the city walls made the people feel safe. Jews flocked to Jerusalem seeking security but also out of a misplaced sense of nationalism. They didn’t realise they would be safer in the wide-open spaces away from the city walls.

Staying in Jerusalem was like remaining in a burning building. History tells how 1.1 million people died in the siege of Jerusalem in the first century. Most were taken by starvation. Thousands were put to the sword or crucified. It was a disaster made more tragic by the fact it did not need to happen. If people had listened to Jesus, there would have been no siege in the first place.

Sadly, for many, Jesus’ voice was largely ignored. In verses 21-22 Jesus warns against false Messiahs and false prophets offering false hope. These false Messiahs were telling people to resist the Roman Empire and God would come to their rescue. Which I suppose is what the people wanted to hear.

Josephus, a first Century Jewish historian, tells how during the siege of Jerusalem several rival groups, with leaders claiming to be sent by God, struggled with one another for control within the city. [1]

Jesus warns against getting involved with these rival factions. Indeed, have nothing to do with the war, for God will not defend the city. This is like the time of Jeremiah when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, only worse.     

All of this goes to prove that true security is found through faith in Jesus.

It is by trusting and obeying Jesus’ word that we are saved, even when that word seems counter intuitive. We need the Holy Spirit to help us discern the voice of Jesus and give us courage to obey.

The question is, where do we find our security? Do we find it in the good opinion of others? Or behind a healthy economy and favourable trade agreements? Do we find it by aligning ourselves with a strong military force? Well, those realities are not unimportant. They can be helpful.

But real security, real peace and wellbeing, is the product of a just society.

We pray for leaders to govern with wisdom and fairness that we may live in respectful relationship with those around us.  

A new King:       

God is making all things new. He is giving the world a new heart, a new security and a new King. Jesus is the new heart. Jesus offers a new security. And Jesus is a King like no other.

For a long time, people thought the sun revolved around the earth. It wasn’t until 1543, when Copernicus published his theory, ‘On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres’, that people’s thinking started to change. Prior to Copernicus everyone thought the earth was the centre of the universe.

Often when we read the Bible, we think it revolves around us. And while the Bible certainly is relevant to us, it’s not primarily about us. The Bible is first and foremost about Jesus.

Jesus is the King at the heart of the universe, both the physical universe and the spiritual universe. Jesus is the centre. Everything in heaven and earth revolves around him. As we read in Colossians 1, verse 17: ‘He is before all things and in him all things hold together’.         

In verses 24-26 of Mark 13, Jesus says…

24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

Some people assume that Jesus is talking about the end of the world in these verses. We human beings naturally think it’s all about us. But, as verse 26 makes clear, these words are primarily about Jesus, the Son of Man. 

It is unlikely that Jesus is talking about the end of the world here. If he was, what would be the point of his earlier advice to flee to the mountains? [2] Furthermore, we know he wasn’t talking literally because the physical sun, moon and stars are still above us today.

In verses 24-25 Jesus is quoting from the prophet Isaiah.[3] In the context of Isaiah, the sun being darkened and the stars falling from the sky is a metaphor to describe the end of the Babylonian empire. (The Babylonians being the great world power back in the day.) It’s a poetic way of describing political chaos.

Jesus is borrowing Isaiah’s metaphor, which his disciples were familiar with, and using it to describe the end of the temple system. As we have heard, the temple was the heart of the Jewish nation and religion. Everything revolved around the temple. To lose the temple was like losing the sun, moon and stars.

Jesus’ point seems to be that just as God passed judgement on the evil city of Babylon, so too he will pass judgement on the Jerusalem temple, which had become corrupt. This is a shocking reversal. [4]

Incidentally, in AD 69 four Roman emperors came and went in quick and violent succession: Nero, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian. These men were like falling stars. So, the metaphor might also refer to chaos in the Roman empire as well as chaos in the nation of Israel.    

Verse 26, which talks about the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory, is a reference to Daniel 7, where the Son of Man comes to God in great triumph and after great suffering.

The term Son of Man, in the book of Daniel, is a metaphor for the faithful people of Israel (the saints of the Most High).[5] Jesus uses the term Son of Man to refer to himself. Jesus is the true embodiment of God’s faithful people.

Jesus is saying those in the heavenly realm will see him come in glory.

People on earth, during the first century, wouldn’t see this because we human beings can’t see what’s happening in heaven.

Jesus is making the audacious claim that he will be enthroned as Son of Man, that is, King in heaven. This means the people of God will no longer be defined exclusively as ethnic Israel. With Jesus’ enthronement in heaven, the people of God are now defined as those who are in Christ, regardless of their ethnicity.

Okay, so Jesus is the new King of the universe. But he is not like any other earthly king we might know. Jesus is a Shepherd King. Jesus has compassion for his people. He weeps over the coming destruction of Jerusalem and he gives his life to redeem God’s creation.

Being the good shepherd King that he is, Jesus gathers all those who belong to him from wherever they are scattered. Verse 27 reads…

And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

There is more than one way to interpret this verse. Some say, verse 27 is talking about the rapture, when Jesus will return for those who believe in him. Others think verse 27 is talking about the spread of the gospel.

The word translated as angels literally means messengers. An angel is a messenger. The angels in view here don’t necessarily have wings.

They may also be human messengers (apostles or missionaries) preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the earth.

This interpretation fits the historical context. With the fall of Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians were scattered to the four winds and spread the seeds of the gospel wherever they went.

Whether verse 27 is talking about the rapture or the spread of the gospel or both, it’s primarily about Jesus. Jesus is the shepherd King who will not leave anyone behind, who believes in him.

The question is: who (or what) is the centre of our universe? Who (or what) do our lives revolve around?  Is Jesus our King? Do we obey his commands?

Conclusion:

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus, you are God’s heart for this world. In you we find security. You are the King of heaven and earth. Help us to trust and obey you, always. 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 function or purpose did the Jerusalem temple serve in ancient Israel? How does Jesus fulfil the function and purpose of the Jerusalem temple?
  3. Where is your heart? Who or what is driving the engine of your values and identity. Where does your loyalty and commitment lie?
  4. Why do human beings feel a need for enclosure? What makes you feel secure and in control of your environment?
  5. What security does Jesus offer? How do we find the security Jesus offers?
  6. Discuss / reflect on the meaning of Mark 13:24-26. How would Christians in the first century have understood these words of Jesus? What do these verses show us about Jesus?
  7. In what ways is Jesus different from any other king? Who (or what) is the centre of your universe? Who (or what) does your life revolve around? Does anything need to change?  

[1] Refer Larry Hurtado’s commentary on Mark, page 217.

[2] Refer Tom Wright’s commentary, ‘Mark for Everyone’, page 183.

[3] Refer Isaiah 13:10 & 34:4 in relation to Mark 13:24-25.

[4] RT France, NICNT Matthew, page 922.

[5] Daniel 7:13 & 18

Tawa Baptist

Attachment

Scripture: Genesis 42:25-43:14

Video Link: https://youtu.be/qdL_nTpVw54

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Fear and attachment
  • Faith and attachment
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

When children are young, they often form an attachment to a soft toy, a teddy, a blanket or something else they cannot part with. The attachment gives the child a feeling of security.

Eventually though, the child forms other attachments. They make friends or get a pet and the toy or the teddy is put away. Although the kinds of attachments we make change through the various stages of our life, the basic reason for forming attachments remains the same, security. 

Attachments are important. We need healthy attachments to survive and thrive, much like a plant needs an attachment to good soil. Sometimes though we become overly attached to the wrong things. Things which might make us feel good in the moment but provide no real or lasting security and are actually harmful to our wellbeing, causing us to wither and die.

This morning we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph. Previously, Joseph’s brothers had travelled to Egypt to buy grain. They did not recognize Joseph but Joseph recognized them and decided to test them to see if they had changed for the better. 

Joseph needed to know the quality of their attachments. Were they still attached to the wrong things? Or had they formed more healthy, life-giving attachments? We pick up the story from Genesis 42, verse 25…

25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?” 29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’ 33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’ ” 35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.” 38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”

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

In these verses we see how fear affects attachment.

Fear and attachment:

Imagine yourself in a room full of gold. The gold is yours to keep if you want it. And you do want it. You’ve got bills to pay and having some money tucked away would give you peace of mind, or so you think.

The problem is this room you are sitting in with the gold is on a ship far out at sea.  And the ship is sinking fast. If you stay with the gold, you will go down with the ship and if you try to take some of the gold with you, in your pockets, the weight will drag you under the waves.

The choice is clear. If you want to live, you must abandon your attachment to the gold.    

Many of us have an attachment to money, although we may not like to admit it. We like having money because wealth gives us a feeling of security. It puts some of our fears to bed and makes us feel safe.

The problem is, having money also awakens other fears. Specifically, the fear of losing our money. Too much wealth can be as bad as too little. Riches, like poverty, tend to isolate us.

But when faced with a crisis, a choice between life and death, most of us would sacrifice the money to save ourselves. The fear of death is usually greater than the fear of poverty. You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time.

Joseph had suffered much at the hands of his brothers. They had sold him into slavery for 20 shekels of silver. By doing this the brothers had demonstrated a greater attachment to money than to Joseph.

When Joseph’s brothers leave Egypt to return to Canaan, Joseph orders his servant to put the silver they had paid back in their sacks. Why does Joseph do this? Is the silver a subtle reminder of his brothers’ crime? Or is Joseph being generous and repaying their wrongdoing with good?

Whatever Joseph’s motivation, when the brothers later discover the silver has been returned, their hearts sink and they feel terribly afraid.

They know this is not a good look. It makes them appear dishonest and gives the lord of the land more reason to distrust them.

In fear the brothers say to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?” Their guilty consciences see the returned silver as a punishment from God.

Although guilt doesn’t feel good, it is not always a bad thing. Guilt acts like bolt cutters for an unhealthy attachment. When we are attached to something that is harmful, like drinking too much for example, then (if our conscience is functioning properly) we will feel guilty about it and the guilt will motivate us to break our harmful attachment to alcohol.   

The brothers’ fear and guilt is a necessary step in the process of their redemption.

When the brothers get home to Canaan and explain to their father Jacob what happened, how the lord of the land wants them to return with Benjamin, Jacob is fearful also. He won’t have a bar of it saying…

38 “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”

Clearly, Jacob’s attachment to Benjamin and to his own grief is greater than anything he feels for the rest of his family.

Benjamin is no longer a child. He is a young man in his 20’s. Jacob’s attachment to Benjamin is not healthy. It keeps Jacob in a prison of fear and threatens the survival of the whole family.

While it is natural for parents to feel a strong attachment to their children, there comes a point when we need to trust God and let our children go. Not all at once, but gradually and with the support they need. Our attachment to our kids needs to flex and adapt as they grow.

It is difficult for Jacob to do this though because he has lost his favourite son, Joseph, and he is still living with the pain of that loss.

In his book, God of Surprises, Gerard Hughes (a Catholic priest and spiritual director) says this; “The answer is in the pain. We fear whatever causes us pain and try to escape, but in escaping we are running away from the answer… Face the fears that haunt you.” (page 101)

Jacob needs to face his fear of losing Benjamin. But will he find the faith he needs to do this?

Faith and attachment:

We continue the story from verse 1 of Genesis 43…

1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.” 3 But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’  6 “Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?” 7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?” 8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.” 11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

In these verses Jacob finds the faith to face his fears. Faith plays an important part in the formation of healthy attachments. 

In the movie, The Sound of Music, Captain von Trapp does not enjoy a close or warm attachment to his children. Then along comes Maria who, through love and music, restores the father to his family.

In the middle of the film, the Captain and Maria start to form a romantic attachment. And, as is often the case with romantic attachments, neither of them is really that aware of their feelings at first.

Maria is confused and, after a quiet word from Baroness Schraeder, decides to return to the convent where she stays in seclusion and prepares to take vows to become a nun.

When the mother superior learns that Maria is actually afraid and hiding in the convent, to avoid her feelings for the Captain, she wisely encourages Maria to return to the von Trapp villa to face her fear and look for her purpose in life.

As it turns out, the Captain’s feelings of love for Maria have not changed, except now he has found the courage to admit his feelings to himself and to Maria. Baroness Schraeder sees the reality of the situation and gracefully leaves. Maria and the Captain are then married.

Faith plays an important part in forming healthy attachments. Faith helps us to face our fears and our pain. At the same time, faith enables us to hold things loosely, so we can let go in trust.

By faith Maria was able to put her romantic attachment to Captain von Trapp in God’s hands. She was willing to let God be God.

In Genesis 43, Jacob finds that he must face his fears and let go in faith, or else lose everything. The famine is so severe that the brothers must return to Egypt to buy more grain, or else they will starve. But they can’t return without taking Benjamin with them.

Reuben, the eldest brother, had tried persuading his father by saying that Jacob could put both of his sons to death if he doesn’t bring Benjamin back with him. But Jacob refuses.

If Reuben is that careless with his own sons, why would Jacob trust him with Benjamin. What good would it do to destroy more innocent lives? Reuben’s proposal is not the letting go of faith. It is the reckless letting go of desperation. It shows that Reuben’s attachments are not healthy.

Later Judah tries persuading Jacob by offering himself as guarantor for Benjamin saying, “I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him…”

You may remember from Genesis 38 that two of Judah’s sons had died. Judah understands his father’s pain all too well.

Unlike Reuben, who was risking his sons’ lives, Judah is taking the risk on himself. Judah is saying that he will take the blame if he fails to bring Benjamin back safely. Judah’s proposal is more like the letting go of faith.

This reveals a real transformation in Judah’s character. Earlier, in Genesis 37, it was Judah who had led the others in selling Joseph into slavery. Now Judah takes the role of leader again, only this time he is not serving his own interests. This time Judah makes himself vulnerable and let’s go of his power in order to help others.   

We see a change in the other brothers too. Twenty years earlier they might have ignored Jacob’s wishes and kidnapped Benjamin in order to get him to Egypt to buy grain.

But now, having witnessed the suffering of their father, the brothers let go of their attachment to violence and power in order to honour their father and allow him to decide.

In the end Jacob realises his options are limited. If he does not let Benjamin go, they will all die. So, Jacob finally allows Benjamin to travel with his brothers to Egypt.

But notice Jacob’s advice to his sons. “Take the best products of the land as a gift… Take double the amount of silver with you… And may God Almighty grant you mercy… As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

In faith, Jacob faces his fear of being bereaved. He does what he can to prepare his sons (sending them off with gifts for the man) and then trusts his sons and the success of their mission to God’s mercy. This is the letting go of faith. Jacob is learning to let God be God.

Letting go in faith requires thoughtfulness and courage. We do what is in our power to do and we trust God with the rest.

Conclusion:

Unhealthy attachments can reveal themselves in many ways. The accumulation of wealth, the compulsion to try and control everything, an obsession with what others think, an affair of the heart, overworking, a destructive habit, self-righteousness, becoming too dependent on one person for our security, and so on. These are all signs of an unhealthy attachment to something.   

If we find ourselves holding onto something so tightly that we cannot let go and leave it in God’s hands, then it has probably become an unhealthy attachment. A millstone around our neck. Something that weighs our soul down and will eventually kill us.

What fears do you need to face?

What attachments do you need to hold more loosely?

Or perhaps let go of altogether?

Jesus understood our need for attachment. He also knew the human tendency to form attachments to the wrong things. The Lord says…

‘For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’  

In the end, the only thing that really matters is the quality of our attachment to Jesus.

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?

  • Why do people form attachments?
  • How does fear affect our attachments? Why do we need to face our fears? What fears do you need to face?
  • What role does guilt play in breaking unhealthy attachments?
  • What role does faith play in the formation of healthy attachments? Can you think of ways that faith has helped you in forming attachments?
  • How might we know when an attachment has become unhealthy? What unhealthy attachments do you need to let go of? Ask God for his grace in doing this.
  • What can you do to strengthen your attachment to Christ? 
Tawa Baptist

Security

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 5:19; 19:14; 23:15-16, 19-20, 24-25; 24:6-7, 10-15, 19-22; 25:13-16 and 1st King 21

Video Link: https://youtu.be/voWPWYrYbm0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Generosity, not greed
  • Security, not anxiety
  • Trust, not threat
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

When I was growing up in the 1970’s people didn’t lock their house during the day. You trusted your neighbours and complete strangers for that matter. If you popped down to the dairy to pick up a bottle of milk, you could leave the keys in your car, with the engine running, and not give it a second thought. You felt safe, like no one was going to pinch your stuff.

It’s not like that now. Almost every week we hear reports of ram raids and smash and grab crimes. Just two weeks ago I noticed a $200 charge on our credit card for something we had not purchased. Theft through the internet. We quickly cancelled the card to stop any further loss.

Many of you have got rid of your landline phones, partly because we use cell-phones now but also because many of the calls we get on our landline are scam artists, trying to weedle their way in our bank account.

It used to make me angry, especially when I thought of someone more vulnerable being taken advantage of. But then I thought, how desperate must someone be if they are having to resort to committing fraud for a living.

Even the post is suspect now. You take a risk sending anything of value in the mail. A number of times we’ve had things going ‘missing’ in the post.   

All these nasty little experiences breed cynicism and anxiety, undermining our sense of security and our ability to trust.

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy. We are up to that part (in chapter 5) where Moses reiterates the ten commandments or the ten words of Yahweh. This morning our focus is the command, ‘You shall not steal’, in verse 19.

You shall not steal is perhaps one of the broadest commandments. It covers a wide range of activity. On the face of it, you shall not steal affirms the right to own personal property and provides protection for one’s material assets.

When we look at Deuteronomy as whole we get the sense that, you shall not steal is about fostering trust between people. It’s about promoting security in the neighbourhood. The kingdom of God is to be a place of generosity.

Generosity not greed, security not anxiety and trust not threat, this is the kaupapa or the purpose with the command not to steal.

Moses gives heaps of examples of how, you shall not steal, applies in daily life. Let’s start with land. The right use of land has to do with generosity. All too often human greed gets in the way.  

Generosity, not greed:

In Deuteronomy 19 we read: 14 Do not move your neighbour’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

To move a boundary stone is to take land that does not belong to you. These days moving your neighbour’s boundary stone would equate to building a fence in the wrong place, so as to disadvantage your neighbour. In ancient Israel moving a boundary stone reduced your neighbour’s capacity for growing food.

Worse than this though, it was an offence against God. You see, land for the ancient Israelites, was not privately owned by individuals. Land is owned by God.

The Lord allocated portions of the Promised Land of Canaan to the various tribes of Israel. Each tribe and clan and family were to act like kaitiaki or guardians, caretakers of the land entrusted to their care. The section of land you were responsible for was to stay in your family and be passed down from generation to generation.

You could use your allocation of land to graze your sheep or grow your grain but you could never sell the land. If a family fell on hard times they could lease their land, for a specified period of time, to someone else from their tribe (ideally a close relative) but they could never permanently sell it.

As a safe guard, once every 50 years, the allocations of land were to be returned to the original family holdings.

In first Kings chapter 19, we read how king Ahab (arguably the most evil king Israel ever had) wanted to buy Naboth’s vineyard so he could grow vegetables. Ahab basically told Naboth to name his price.

Naboth, who was a regular citizen and also a God fearing man, said ‘no’ to king Ahab. ‘God forbid’ that I ever sell my land to anyone. In Naboth’s mind, Ahab was essentially trying to bribe him to move a boundary stone.

Ahab started sulking around the palace and so his wife, Jezebel, arranged to have Naboth killed so that Ahab could seize Naboth’s field. God responded by sending the prophet Elijah to pronounce judgement on Ahab and Jezebel.

We might wonder how this story applies to us in our world today, because we buy and sell land all the time.

Well, the situation of ancient Israel is not exactly the same as contemporary New Zealand. I don’t think we should interpret the law of Moses to be saying we can’t buy and sell land ever. Selling your house to buy a new one is simply a practical necessity in the world in which we live today.

We need to look deeper than the letter of the law in order to find its spirit. The purpose (or kaupapa) of the law is generosity not greed. The land is one of God’s generous gifts to us. It is part of God’s hospitality to humanity. If we misuse the land for our own selfish gain, then we are essentially treating God’s generosity with contempt. We are stealing from God.

In practical terms, not moving your neighbour’s boundary stone, means people should not be pushed off their land. Big business interests need to give way to people’s welfare. In particular, the real estate of indigenous people needs to be respected and restored where it has been stolen.   

We do well to think of ourselves as caretakers of the land and of our neighbours. With this in view, the idea of protecting fertile land, so it cannot be turned into housing or carparks but rather used to grow crops, is a sensible one. 

The command to not steal also applies to paying a fair price for things. If land is being sold under a mortgagee sale, that is no excuse to drive the price lower in order to get it for a steal (as the saying goes). As believers we need to pay what it is worth. That is what it means to be generous and not greedy.

So, generally speaking, as long as no one is being taken advantage of, it’s okay to buy and sell land in New Zealand today. In any property transaction though, we need to be thinking of how that transaction will affect others.

For Christians, the Promised Land of Canaan is a symbol or a metaphor for the Kingdom of God. Through faith in Jesus we get a share in God’s kingdom. As believers in Christ we are meant to be more attached to Jesus than we are to land. God is our eternal home, our place to belong.

So, not moving a boundary stone (in a spiritual sense) means not abandoning our faith in Jesus. It means not selling out for some temporary short term gain. It means staying loyal to God, like Naboth did.      

Security, not anxiety:

Closely related to this principle of generosity is the idea of security. In Deuteronomy 23 we read…

24 If you enter your neighbour’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25 If you enter your neighbour’s grain field, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.

These verses help us to see where the line is drawn between reasonable use and theft. The spirit of the law here is to encourage land owners to be generous, not stingy. At the same time, the law provides a measure of food security for the poor. Generosity and security are held together in these verses.  

In a by-gone era people who were starving in Europe got sent to jail (or to Australia) for stealing a loaf of bread or a handful of potatoes. This kind of hard line punishment against the poor, who are already in a vulnerable position, is not condoned by the Bible. 

That said, I don’t think you can help yourself to grapes and apples when you are walking through the fresh produce section of the supermarket.

It is Moses’ intention to promote security, not anxiety. In Deuteronomy 24 we find another example of food security…

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 

The Lord Almighty (Yahweh) was generous to his people up front, without them having to do anything to earn his favour. The farmers were to pay Yahweh’s generosity forward by leaving plenty of produce in the field for the poor to collect. Boaz famously did this for Ruth.     

I guess we do something similar when we leave garage sale items outside for the wider community to help themselves to.

When the principles of generosity and security are practiced, the poor do not need to be anxious. Of course, being poor or in need is not the only cause of stealing. Some people will steal anything, without any good reason.

Here, at church, we’ve had brass door latches taken, small shrubs stolen out of the garden and copper pinched off the roof. I’m not sure why people would steal from a church? What I do know is that the cost of those thefts was far greater than the value of the items stolen.

Quite apart from the physical damage burglars do to a building, on forcing entry, there is also the damage a burglary does to one’s soul. I’m talking about the erosion of trust, the heightened anxiety you might experience going into an empty building at night and that feeling of being violated in some way.

Thieves don’t just take your stuff; they can potentially rob you of your peace of mind. Who wants to live in a society where you are always looking over your shoulder, always second guessing your neighbour’s motivation?   

By the same token, when someone takes care of your stuff, it has a restorative effect on your soul. It helps you regain some capacity to trust. It makes you feel more positively connected, more at home in the neighbourhood.

In Deuteronomy 22, we read…

If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner… 

It is not enough simply to avoid stealing. We need to actively protect our neighbour’s stuff. This is about being your brother (or sister’s) keeper. It’s about providing security and reducing anxiety in the neighbourhood.

Probably the worst kind of theft is kidnapping. Taking another human being against their will in order to exploit them in some way. This is also known as people trafficking or slavery.

Literally hundreds of thousands of people are trafficked throughout the world each year. Some are forced into the sex trade and others are made to do manual labour for next to nothing. People trafficking is revolting to God.  

In the case of stolen goods, the law of Moses stipulates that what was stolen be replaced at least two fold. But for the one who steals other people, the prescribed punishment is death. That is how serious it is.   

I don’t expect anyone here is a slave trader as such but we have probably all purchased an item of clothing made by an exploited worker at some point. Perhaps the least any of us can do is buy fair trade goods whenever we can.

The problem is we are disconnected from the supply chain. So it is often impossible to know if we are making ethical purchases.

The slave trade is the opposite of God’s law. Kidnapping for exploitation is greed in an extreme form. It threatens the life of those who are enslaved and it creates anxiety in those who wish to do the right thing.

No one is beyond God’s redemption though. Although Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, Joseph was (in the end) able to forgive his brothers saying: What you intended for harm, God intended for good.    

Trust, not threat:  

Okay, so the purpose of God’s command to not steal is to encourage generosity not greed, to promote security not anxiety and to foster trust not threat within the neighbourhood.

Poverty was a real threat for some in ancient Israel. God’s concern and practical care for the poor is seen again and again in Deuteronomy.

For example, in chapter 24, verses 14-15, we read: 14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy… 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it.

Sometimes the rich and middle class don’t have too many clues about how the poor live day to day. We may be completely unaware of the realities our neighbours face. God’s law requires us to put ourselves in other people’s shoes and consider things from their perspective.

We need to be thinking, how can I promote security in my neighbourhood? How can I alleviate my neighbour’s anxiety? How can I promote trust? Paying a fair rate in a timely way helps with all three.   

Sometimes, when it is difficult to make ends meet, people may be forced to borrow money. The law of Moses prohibited charging interest on loans to fellow Israelites, although they could charge interest to foreigners.

This might seem like a double standard to us but in all likelihood the foreigners Moses had in mind here were probably not poor. They might be merchants who bought and sold goods for profit. 

So the distinction is between commercial loans and compassionate loans. It is okay to charge a reasonable rate of interest on commercial loans because the borrower is not hard up and they are using your money to make a profit.

But it’s not okay to charge interest on compassionate loans to the poor because that would be profiting from someone else’s misfortune. That would be like stealing from the poor.

A compassionate loan lets people keep their dignity because they are going to pay it back, it’s not charity. At the same time, an interest free loan is generous not greedy. It promotes security and reduces anxiety in the neighbourhood.

Whether the lending is commercial or compassionate, these verses warn against loan sharking and charging unfair rates of interest.

But there is also an encouragement, for those who can afford it, to offer small interest free loans to help family members or fellow believers who are in need. Of course, common sense dictates that you should never lend more than you can afford to lose.       

In verse 6, of Deuteronomy 24, Moses talks about security for debt and how lenders are to relate with those who have borrowed from them. That is, in a trusting way, not in a threatening way. Moses says…

6 Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security.

And, in verses 12-13 we read:12 If the neighbour is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbour may sleep in it… 

To take someone’s millstone as security for a debt was like taking their fry pan or their bread mixer. It was a threatening thing to do, because without a millstone the poor borrower couldn’t make bread.

Taking a poor man’s cloak as pledge was also a threatening thing to do. Without their cloak they might be too cold to sleep at night.

Moses wants to prevent the haves from intimidating the have nots. He wants people to use their power (their money) to help the poor. This requires lenders to trust God and not threaten people by taking things that are vital for their survival.

Yes, there will be times when you lend to someone and they won’t repay you. Nevertheless, God will act as guarantor for the financially vulnerable. If you loan money in good faith to help someone in need and they fail to repay you, the Lord will see that and credit it to you as a righteous act.

Trust, not threat is the purpose or the kaupapa at work in the law here.  

Another form of theft (which undermines trust) is the use of dishonest weights. Scales that disadvantage the buyer. In Deuteronomy 25, Moses says: 15 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures… 16 For the Lord your God detests anyone who deals dishonestly.

In today’s terms that means more than just having accurate scales. It means not winding the odometer back when selling a second hand car. It means not misleading people about the discount they are getting by inflating the retail price. It means not skimping on the meat in a steak and cheese pie. It means not pumping chickens with water to make them heavier. It means being honest with nutritional information on labels.   

Honest weights support trust. Dishonest weights threaten trust. 

Conclusion:

This morning we have heard how the command not to steal applies in a variety of areas of life. The purpose with this command is to promote generosity and discourage greed. The intention is to create a sense of security in the neighbourhood and reduce anxiety. You shall not steal is also about fostering trust between people and preventing threat.

When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, we notice the Lord was not really that attached to material possessions. His main concern was for eternal life with God the Father. Following this train of thought, our greatest love needs to Jesus, for it is in and through Christ that we have eternal life with God. 

When we are more attached to Jesus than things like money, cars, clothes, houses and furniture, then material possessions will hold less sway over us. It’s not that material things are bad. They are useful and we still need them in this world. But at the end of the day we will lose all that stuff anyway. You can’t take it with you. But nothing invested in God’s kingdom is ever lost.

Let us pray…

Gracious God, thank you for your generosity to us. May we be generous like you. Forgive us for the times we have threatened the poor, through our own ignorance and self-interest. Forgive those who have stolen our stuff, robbed our peace of mind and undermined our trust. Holy Spirit, strengthen our attachment to Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What was the world like when you were growing up as a child? How is it different today?
  • Have you been through the experience of being robbed? What happened? How did you feel / respond? Conversely, have you ever stolen from others? Why did you do this? How did stealing affect you?
  • How might the command not to move your neighbour’s boundary stone apply to us today?
  • In what ways did the law of Moses provide security for the poor? What can we do to strengthen security and reduce anxiety in our neighbourhoods today?
  • Why is the slave trade (kidnapping) so offensive to God?  When is it okay to charge interest on loans and when is it not okay?
  • What practical things can we do to strengthen our attachment to Jesus?
Tawa Baptist

The Gate

Scripture: John 10:7-10

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Security
  • Freedom
  • Nourishment
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today we continue our sermon series on the I am sayings of Jesus in the gospel of John. Jesus uses a number of I am statements to describe himself. These sayings tell us about Jesus’ being, his identity.

Last week someone asked me if I was familiar with Colin McCahon’s I am paintings. Colin McCahon is one of New Zealand’s best artists. In 1970 McCahon painted an enormous piece called Gate III. For some time, it hung on the wall at Victoria University. It is 11 metres wide and 3 metres high.

Gate III is a landscape with the words I AM painted in the middle. Either side are a selection of Bible verses. One of those verses, a quote from Psalm 90:12, reads: Teach us to order our days rightly, that we may enter the gate of wisdom.

Some people say Gate III is a kind of protest or statement against the nuclear situation post world war two. Gate III could be showing a way through either to a pure land or a wasteland. Either abundant life or interminable death.

Please turn with me to John chapter 10, verse 7, page 132 toward the back of your pew Bibles. Last week we heard how Jesus is the good shepherd. This morning we hear how Jesus says: I am the gate for the sheep. From John 10, verses 7-10 we read…

7 So Jesus said again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.

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

In this reading Jesus holds before his readers the option of life or death. Jesus is basically saying he is the gate for entry into life. Not mere existence but rather life in all its fullness. Abundant life. Three aspects of abundant life are highlighted in these verses: security, freedom and nourishment. First, let us consider the security that is ours through Christ.

Security:

It seems every generation faces some kind of threat. Colin McCahon was acutely aware of the nuclear threat. Often the threat is related to war and starvation. But not always.

Many of you would remember the Y2K bug and the way the world nervously waited through 1999 to see if computer technology would crash, when the clock ticked over to the new millennium, sending us all back to the dark ages. It turned out to be nothing in the end.

Currently the threat we are most aware of is the Covid virus, which is something very real. I suppose for people in places like Yemen and Gaza and Sheikh Jarrah the threat is bullets and shrapnel.

Security is the state of being free from danger or threat. Security is one of the pillars of abundant life.

In verse 7 & verse 9, of John 10, Jesus says: I am the gate. In other words, I am your security. (Or, as Frankie Goes to Hollywood would say: I’ll protect you from the hooded claw, keep the vampire from your door…)

Verses 7-10 of John 10 envision a shepherd caring for his sheep in the wilderness. Kenneth Bailey [1] explains that when grass is plentiful, in the middle east, shepherds can easily find pasture for their sheep. Therefore, they don’t need to travel far and can return to the safety of the village at night.

But toward the end of summer and beginning of autumn, when it hasn’t rained for a while and grass is harder to find, shepherds must go further afield to find pasture. This requires them to stay out overnight in the wilderness with their sheep.

Obviously the wilderness at night is a more threatening environment and so the need for security is heightened. Unlike relatively safe New Zealand, the middle east was (and still is) a dangerous place, both in terms of wild animals and thieves (and rockets).           

Typically, the shepherd would build a walled enclosure for the sheep made of rocks with thorns on the top, to deter thieves from climbing over to steal the sheep. The enclosure did not have a door as such, because this is the wilderness and shepherds don’t carry around spare doors in their pockets.

So the shepherd himself would lie across the opening of the sheep fold [2] to prevent the sheep walking out into the night and as a guard to prevent thieves or wild animals coming in. The shepherd themselves would act as the door or gate. Sort of like a bouncer on the door of a night club, except without the loud music and drinking. 

Freedom:

Many of you would be familiar with the folk tale of Rapunzel. The princess who was trapped in a tall tower and who never cut her hair. Eventually she found freedom when she let her hair down so a brave prince could climb up.

Rapunzel was definitely very secure but her life was not at all full or abundant.    Security, by itself, is not enough to ensure abundant life. Too much security actually makes for an impoverished life. Rapunzel had lots of security but no real freedom.

In verse 9 Jesus says: …Whoever comes in by me will be saved; he (or she) will come in and go out…

This verse is talking about the freedom that comes with the security Jesus provides. The shepherd does not keep the sheep locked up in a walled enclosure all the time. The sheep are not prisoners. During the day the sheep are free to come and go from the enclosure as they please. Freedom goes hand in hand with security.

The implication here is that security is provided by one’s closeness to the shepherd, not by the walls of the enclosure.

F.F. Bruce makes the comment: Whenever the people of Christ have… tried to secure unity or safety by building walls around themselves, the results have not been encouraging. The walls have either been so comprehensive as to enclose a number of wolves along with the sheep… or they have been so restrictive as to exclude more sheep than they enclose. [3]   

If you want an example of what F.F. Bruce is talking about here think Gloriavale or Jonestown or the movie The Village or some other religious cult that cuts itself off from the world.

We might think of the walls of the sheepfold as the traditions of a faith community. The walls of our traditions have their place and they do make us feel safe in times of change and uncertainty. But the traditions are there to serve us. We are not there to serve the traditions.

For example, traditionally the communion elements are bread and wine. But we bend the tradition a little to serve the people. Instead of wine we serve grape juice because we don’t want to make life difficult for someone who may have a problem with alcohol. Likewise, we serve gluten free craters alongside the bread because not everybody has the same tolerance for gluten. 

It’s not the tradition that saves us. It’s staying close to Jesus that saves us. The purpose of the tradition is to help us stay close to Jesus. If the tradition no longer does that, then we change the tradition. 

Because Jesus is both the good shepherd and the gate for the sheep, he is at home in the church and in the world. There is a time for the sheep to gather in the fold of the church. Just as there is a time for the sheep to roam the hillsides of the world.

To follow Jesus is to walk in freedom and righteousness. Freedom is both exciting and frightening at the same time because it takes us out of our comfort zone. When we walk with Jesus, we walk by faith and not by sight.

In verse 8 Jesus says: All others who came before me are thieves and robbers. And then in verse 10 Jesus goes on to say: The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy. So who is the thief?

Well, there are many potential candidates. Most likely Jesus is referring to those who falsely claimed to be the Messiah. Often these false Messiahs were insurrectionists and revolutionaries, willing to sacrifice the sheep in a violent uprising against the authorities.

Jesus is the good shepherd. He is not asking people to take up arms and die in a bloody revolution. He wants nothing to do with such violence. God’s kingdom is not of this world.

We are talking about those things that make life truly abundant. Abundant life is not about having lots of stuff. Nor is abundant life about achieving lots of things. Abundance is not the same as busy-ness and clutter. To have abundant life we need security with freedom. But we also need nourishment for our souls.

Nourishment:

It is thought that around 9 million people die of hunger every year. In contrast nearly 3 million people die of obesity. We live in a world of great disparity.

Nourishment can be defined as the food necessary for growth, health and maintaining a good condition. Some foods contain more nourishment than others. Salmon, for example, is one of the most nutrient dense foods. Apparently not all fish are created equal. But if you don’t eat salmon then kale is also high in nutrients, as are foods like garlic, potatoes, seaweed and sardines.

In verse 9 Jesus says: I am the gate. Whoever comes in by me will be saved; he will come in and go out and find pasture.

Pasture is of course nourishment for the sheep.

Earlier I mentioned that grass, in the middle east, becomes more scarce towards the end of summer and into autumn. This means it takes a skilful shepherd to find feed for his flock. Jesus has the wisdom and knowledge to lead his followers to places of spiritually rich nourishment. 

Because of the security and freedom that Jesus provides, his sheep are able to find spiritual nourishment for their souls. Notice though the relationship between nourishment and freedom. We are not free to do whatever we want. No. We are free to find pasture or nourishment for ourselves.   

Our pasture may come in any number of forms. Perhaps through reading and reflecting on the Scriptures. Maybe by spending time in the beauty of God’s creation; climbing mountains or walking beaches. Quality time connecting with other people in an unhurried way may also nourish one’s soul, as can solitude and stillness. 

Interestingly, in John chapter 4, when Jesus’ disciples brought him some food he said to them, I have food to eat that you know nothing about. The disciples misunderstood, taking Jesus literally. But Jesus wasn’t talking about physical food. My food, Jesus said, is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish the work he gave me to do.

Ultimately, the thing that satisfies our hunger for meaning more than anything else, is doing the will of God. So, when Jesus refers to himself as the gate for the sheep to find pasture, he could mean we discover God’s will for ourselves through him – that is, through Christ.

Conclusion:

For life to be abundant we need at least three things: security, freedom and nourishment. Jesus is the one who provides those things.

Now you may be thinking, that’s all well and good but what difference does that make to me today? How does Jesus being the gate translate in our experience?

Well, a gate or a door is a transition point. A gate leads us from one space to another. Our lives are punctuated with gates. Starting school is a transition point or doorway both for the child and their parents. Adolescence is a significant transition in one’s life from childhood to becoming an adult. The mid-life transition is also significant.

Leaving home is a gateway. Getting married, changing jobs, immigrating to another country, retiring from the work force and, when the time is right, passing from this life to the next; these are all doorways where we transition from one place to another.

Each of us must pass through a kind of internal, psychological gate. If we are to develop and mature we must take off our masks, walk through the door of consciousness and face the truth about ourselves.

Transitions or gates, whether they are internal or external, are not always easy to negotiate. Often when we pass through one of life’s metaphorical doorways we feel anxious. What will we find on the other side?

When we follow Jesus, we don’t walk alone. Jesus is the gate or the door for the sheep. We are the sheep. That means Jesus is present with us when we face the many transitions we must make in this life. Most importantly, Jesus is with us when we make our final transition through the doorway of death to eternal life. In fact, Jesus is the doorway to God the Father.

May security, freedom and nourishment 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?

  • How is abundant life different from mere existence?
  • What does Jesus mean when he says: I am the gate for the sheep?
  • How does Jesus provide security for you? Can you think of a time or situation when Jesus shielded you from some kind of threat or fear?
  • Why is freedom a necessary companion to security? When are the walls of tradition helpful? When might we need to step outside the walls of tradition? (Think of an example from your own experience.)   
  • Where do you find nourishment for your soul?
  • Are you facing a transition (or doorway) in your life at the moment? Take some time this week to tell God how you are feeling and to ask his guidance. What is God saying to you?

[1] Kenneth Bailey, ‘The Good Shepherd’, pages 220-224

[2] William Barclay, John, page 58.

[3] F.F. Bruce, quoted in Bruce Milne’s BST commentary on John, page 147. 

Tawa Baptist

In Christ Alone

Scriptures: Ephesians 2:20, John 1:11, Romans 5:18-19, 2nd Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 20:28, Romans 8:38-39, 1st Corinthians 15:20-22.

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Security
  • Atonement
  • Hope
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

What is your favourite comfort food? Is it chocolate? Is it a bag of chips? Is it freshly baked bread? Is it KFC or fish n’ chips? Or maybe you like a good old fashioned roast with lots of crispy potatoes and lashings of gravy.

Comfort food is food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being. We tend to eat comfort food when we are sad or anxious. It usually has a high sugar or fat content and is often associated with some kind of warm memory from our childhood, like when your grandad made pikelets or your mum made apple pie.

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

The song we are looking at this morning is called In Christ Alone. This modern day hymn has proved very popular in churches around the western world. In many ways it is comfort food for the Christian soul.

In Christ Alone was released in 2002. The music was composed by Keith Getty and the lyrics were written by Stuart Townend. Keith Getty was born in Ireland in 1974 and Stuart Townend was born in England in 1963. Stuart also wrote How deep the Father’s love.

In Christ Alone is lyrically rich, touching on many ideas from Scripture.

This morning I would like to explore three of the key themes I see in the song. Namely: security, atonement and hope. First let us consider the theme of security.      

Security:

A few weeks ago, when it became apparent that the world was about to go into lockdown, we saw some panic buying at supermarkets. Some people felt anxious that grocery supplies would run out and started stock piling food.

Flour was one of the first things to disappear, which makes sense because flour is versatile. It can be used in the making of so many comfort foods. But other supplies have also been in high demand – things like sugar, coffee, pasta, lollies, bread, Nuromol, soap and, for some reason, deodorant. Now, I can understand why most of these things would fly off the shelves in difficult times. Having plenty of coffee and sugar and bread gives people a sense of security. But I can’t understand why people felt they needed to stock pile deodorant. We are meant to be practising physical distancing so one would think there was little need to smell nice. Robyn will be the first to tell you, I haven’t really bothered much with deodorant since we’ve been in lockdown. (I’m pretty sure you can’t smell me over the internet.)      

Seriously though, the events of the past few weeks have tested our sense of security and some have been more sorely tested than others. Sadly, people have lost work and income. Fortunately, our government has provided some financial assistance to cushion the blow and many banks and landlords have extended grace to those worst affected.

These physical and financial comforts are helpful for maintaining a sense of security and well-being but, at the same time, the human soul also needs to feel secure at a deeper level – in our spirit.    

In Christ Alone is filled with words of comfort that remind us of the security we have in Christ. Verse 1 reads…

Christ is my light, my strength, my song. This cornerstone, this solid ground.

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace. When fears are stilled, when strivings cease. My Comforter, my All in All. Here in the love of Christ I stand.

Jesus is the light of the world. If you are in the dark and feeling afraid then turning the lights on makes you feel safe – it gives you a sense of security.

Likewise, Christ is our cornerstone, our solid ground – he is a firm and secure foundation on which to build the house of our life. This reminds us of Jesus’ parable of the two builders – one who built his house on the rock and the other who built his house on sand. When the storm hit, the house built on sand fell but the house built on rock stood. To build our life on the rock is obey the teaching of Jesus. There is security in the wisdom of Jesus. We can trust his word.

Jesus is referred to as a cornerstone in a number of places in the Bible, like in Ephesians 2:20 for example where Paul writes…

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

The security that is in view here is that of belonging to the household of God. The title of the song In Christ Alone might give some the impression of being alone in their faith in Christ. But this is not what is meant. Actually we are in Christ together. Even if you are alone in your bubble at this time you are not alone in Christ. You are part of the household of God.     

I’m conscious that a number of people in our congregation and community have immigrated to NZ recently. I’m told that residency applications (even before the Corona virus hit) are a slow process. And that can create a feeling of discomfort and unease. Without residency there’s a whole lot of things you can’t do, like buying a house and putting down roots. This challenges one’s sense of security. Jesus offers himself as a cornerstone for anyone who will believe in him. In and through Christ we have residency in the kingdom of God.

Verse 1 of the song also describes Jesus as my comforter. Jesus is the ultimate comfort food – he is the bread of life. Jesus is the flour which never runs out.

The last line of verse 1 of the song reads, Here in the love of Christ I stand. God is love and, as the apostle John reminds us, perfect love drives out all fear. God’s love is a reliable source of security.

Atonement:

The second major theme we find In Christ Alone is that of atonement.

Atonement is a word which has a very long and complicated history. It is a technical word used by theological experts to describe what Jesus achieved on the cross. Perhaps the simplest way to understand it is at-one-ment. To atone is to be ‘at one’, whole, reconciled.

During this past week there was a news article on TV about bowling greens. Green keepers were asking for a special dispensation from the government to be able to continue looking after the country’s lawn bowling greens. They were saying that safely maintaining what is already there will be cheaper in the long run than letting things get out of control and having to put it right later on.

Many bowling greens in NZ are sown in a species of grass called Cotula (Leptinella dioca). Cotula is a small native herb that spreads out as it grows, forming a very compact mat. You wouldn’t sow a bowling green in Cocksfoot or Buttercup because those kinds of grasses (which you often see on the side of the road) grow up tall, rather than out flat. 

For the bowling green to be an even playing field the lawn needs to be one type of grass. If part of the green is sown in Cotula with patches of Cocksfoot and Buttercup interspersed, then that’s no good. The bowls won’t roll evenly. A well-kept bowling green is one type of grass. In a sense the job of a green keeper is to achieve atonement (or ‘at-one-ment’) of their bowling green.

If we were to think of our relationship with God as a bowling green and ourselves as green keepers, then the truth is, we haven’t looked after the green. We have allowed patches of pride, selfishness and fear to grow. Consequently, the green (of our relationship with God) isn’t right. It doesn’t run true and we can’t fix it ourselves.

On the cross Jesus was making our relationship with God one again – he was removing our sin and making the divine / human relationship whole, making it right, so that things run true.  

Now, if you don’t understand my illustration, then don’t worry. Just think of atonement as reconciliation.  Verse 2 of the song brings to mind Jesus’ work of atonement – making us one with God.      

In Christ alone, who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe

In John 1 we read how Jesus (the Word of God) became flesh. To take on flesh is a poetic way of saying ‘God became human’. We call this the ‘incarnation’. Christian doctrine says that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine at the same time.

The next line of verse 2 of the song reads…
This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save
Jesus is God’s gift of love to the world. As John 3:16 says…

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.

Sadly, as John’s gospel tells us, Jesus came to his own but his own received him not. (John 1:11). Jesus was scorned (rejected) by those he came to save.

The Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, could see that Jesus was innocent and tried to save him but the crowd called for Jesus to be crucified.

So far so good, until we get to the next line in verse 2…    

‘Til on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid. Here in the death of Christ I live.


Hmmm. Most people probably read these lines without giving the words a second thought. But one phrase there has proved quite controversial.

No one disagrees with the fact that Jesus took our sin upon himself and died on the cross. That is generally accepted by Christian believers. The difficulty is with the line; the wrath of God was satisfied.  

The Presbyterian church hymnal committee, in the United States, asked the authors of the song if they could change the words from ‘the wrath of God was satisfied’ to ‘the love of God was magnified’.

Townend and Getty politely said ‘no’.

The Presbyterians respected the author’s wishes but, on the basis of that one phrase, did not include In Christ Alone in their hymn book, even though they agreed with everything else in the song.

So what’s the problem? Well, before I answer that, it is important to acknowledge that the authors of the song are sincere Christians who I believe genuinely want to honour God and build up the body of Christ. It is not my intention to put them down. It is my intention to help us understand the songs we sing in the best possible light. 

The problem is, that line (about the wrath of God being satisfied) makes God look bad. It gives some people the impression of an angry God who must be appeased – sort of like a pagan god. Now I don’t think the authors intended that meaning. After all, the line actually reads …as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied, which suggests timing rather than causation and so allows for some flexibility of interpretation.

Nevertheless, the ambiguity is not ideal. Not only does this line create a problem with people’s perception of God, it also raises a difficulty in logic. It doesn’t make sense to think that the wrath of God was satisfied by the death of Jesus. Jesus was an innocent man. If God is filled with wrath at sin and injustice, then the death of an innocent man is not going to satisfy God’s wrath – it’s only going to add to it.    

So, if we are going to sing this song, what is the best way to understand that infamous line?

Michael Green describes God’s wrath as ‘his settled opposition to all that is evil.’ God’s wrath is different from human anger. God is just and merciful. He doesn’t fly off the handle in a rage and take out his anger on people who don’t deserve it. By the same token his character will not allow him to tolerate evil.

If we agree with Michael Green, that God’s wrath is ‘his settled opposition to all that is evil’, then the thing that satisfies God’s wrath (the thing that turns God’s wrath away) is the end of evil and the beginning of faithful obedience to Him. As we sing in another hymn, ‘Trust and obey for there is no other way.’

Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that it’s not Jesus’ death that satisfies God’s wrath but rather Jesus’ obedience of faith in going to the cross as God asked. Jesus, who is fully human, obeys God on behalf of humanity and in doing so atones for us – he reconciles us to God.

As we read in Romans 5:18-19, 18 So then, as the one sin condemned all people, in the same way the one righteous act sets all people free and gives them life. 19 And just as all people were made sinners as the result of the disobedience of one man [Adam], in the same way they will all be put right with God as the result of the obedience of the one man [Jesus].

That phrase ‘the wrath of God was satisfied’ needs to be read in context with the very next line of the song which says, ‘For every sin on Him was laid’.  

This reminds me of what the apostle Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5:21,

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him [Jesus] who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What Paul is saying here, is that our sin was nailed to the cross with Jesus. Therefore, from God’s point view, our sin died on the cross with Jesus.

Once again, it’s not the death of Jesus that satisfies God’s wrath. More precisely, it is the death of sin which satisfies God’s wrath. Sadly, we can’t have one without the other. For sin to die, Jesus also had to die. 

Verse 4 of the song picks up another angle on atonement where it says…

For I am His and He is mine bought with the precious blood of Christ.

This is probably a reference to the way Jesus understood his crucifixion.

In Matthew 20:28 Jesus said of himself, for the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.

To ransom something is to pay a price to redeem it or secure its freedom. Jesus’ blood ransoms us – it buys us back, setting us free from the bondage of sin.

As with any metaphor we need to be careful not to make it walk on all fours. That is, we shouldn’t over interpret it by imagining that Satan demanded and received a payment from God in Christ’s blood. [1]  That gives the devil too much credit. Satan is not able to leverage God like that.

There are two main ideas to take away from the ransom analogy:

Firstly, that Jesus’ sacrifice was costly, it was paid in his life blood. So we shouldn’t take it for granted.

And secondly, we now belong to Christ. In other words, we are now at-one with Christ and with God.

Now, if you’re still listening, well done. You may be thinking, ‘Wow. This atonement stuff is really complicated and hard to understand, especially for a Sunday morning.’ I make no apology for that. It doesn’t hurt us to think deeply about our faith from time to time. One of the advantages of an on-line service is that you can go back and listen to the message again or read the sermon notes until the complicated stuff makes sense.    

By the same token, don’t stress about it if you can’t get your head around the atonement. Our salvation does not depend on understanding how the cross of Christ works. Our salvation depends on faith in Jesus.

When I get in my car to drive somewhere I don’t have to understand how the engine works in order to get from A to B – I just have to turn the engine on and drive.

Likewise, if I go to the doctor with an infection, I don’t need to understand how the medicine works for it to make me better – I just need to take it.

We don’t have to understand how Jesus saves us – we just have to believe that he does. Like I said in my Good Friday reflection: “We cannot understand the full meaning of the cross of Christ. We can only stand in silence before it, acknowledge its wonder, and submit to its power.”  [2]

Okay, so far we’ve considered two themes of the song: security and atonement. A third theme we notice is hope.    

Hope:

Often with Christian hymns the subject of hope is raised in the last verse, at the end of the song. ‘In Christ Alone’ sounds a note of hope in the very first line, where it says, In Christ alone my hope is found.

Hope is a word that is closely related to faith. Hope is believing we have a good future. Hope says, we will get through this. The best is yet to come. Worry and believing the worst about the future is the opposite of hope. The ‘panic buying’ we saw in supermarkets recently was a sign that some people were not hopeful. On the other hand, the way most New Zealanders have supported the lockdown and stayed in their bubbles indicates many people do have hope – we do believe we can eliminate the spread of this virus. If we didn’t have hope, we wouldn’t bother staying home.   

Hope is like a kite. It rises against the wind. When things are going well we don’t tend to think about the future all that much. There’s no need to. We are happy enough in the present. But when things are difficult, when we face some sort of opposition, we look to better days ahead and hope rises. The word we use to describe the positive energy of hope is joy. Joy lifts us when we are going through difficulty.    

I don’t know about you but one of the things I’ve noticed this year is an unprecedented use of the word unprecedented.

Unprecedented means ‘never done or known before’. Therefore, by its very definition, unprecedented is not a word we should use very often.

One thing that is truly unprecedented in human history is the resurrection of Christ. While it is true that Jesus raised at least three people from the dead during his earthly ministry, those miracles were different from the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection. Lazarus and the two kids who Jesus raised from the dead would have eventually died again but Jesus was raised to eternal life. He received a new body, one not subject to sickness or death.           

The third and fourth verses of In Christ Alone celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the certain hope this creates for us. Verse 3 starts with the words…

There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again.

All four gospels testify to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus’ resurrection is proof that Jesus was who he said he was – the Son of God.

Jesus’ resurrection shows us the justice of God – it was God’s way of vindicating Jesus. By raising Jesus from the dead God was saying Jesus was innocent and did not deserve to die.

Jesus’ resurrection also shows us that Jesus is Lord over life and death – he has victory over sin and the grave. The song picks up this theme of Jesus’ supremacy in various lines. For example, in verse 3 where we sing…   

And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.

In the context of the song, Sins’ curse most likely refers to guilt and death, which are mentioned in the opening line of verse 4.

Our sin was nailed to the cross with Jesus so sin has been crucified. Sin no longer has power over us and this gives us hope. It assures us we have a good future to look forward to.   

Verse 4 of the song continues the theme of Christ’s supremacy where it says…

From life’s first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand.
This reminds me of Romans 8:38-39 where Paul writes,

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Because Jesus is Lord of all, because He reigns supreme we have hope and security, both in this life and the next. 

But wait, there’s more. Jesus’ resurrection provides Christian believers with evidence that God will raise us to eternal life one day too. In 1st Corinthians 15:20-22 Paul writes about the certain hope of resurrection…

20 But the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised. 21 For just as death came by means of a man, in the same way the rising from death comes by means of a man. 22 For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ.

Christ’s resurrection has real implications for those who place their trust in him. Christ’s resurrection guarantees our resurrection to eternal life. This is not an unlikely hope (like winning lotto). This is a certain hope and a real comfort when a believer dies.

Conclusion:

The song finishes with the line, Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

This reminds us that Jesus will return in glory one day. Therefore, we need to be ready. No one knows the day or hour.  

It also reminds us that we don’t stand in our own strength. We stand in the power of Christ’s Spirit. This means we are not alone and it doesn’t all depend on us.  

Jesus is our all in all. He gives us security. He reconciles us to God. And, through Christ, we have the hope of a good future.

Intercessory Prayer

Let us pray.

Generous God, we pray for those who are struggling financially during this time of lockdown. Help people in need who are applying for government assistance. Open doors to release your providence where it is needed.

Father God, may you help those who are managing the pressures that come with working from home and caring for children. Give them the grace of patience and good humour. Make our marriages and families stronger through this experience we pray.

Gracious God, may you help those who are feeling insecure or anxious at this time. Calm all ungodly fears and bring stillness to every racing mind. May your peace be our security.

Loving God, we pray for those who are working in essential services. Protect them from all harm and encourage them in the vital work they do.

Suffering God, may you help those (in NZ and overseas) who have lost loved ones and are unable to gather for a funeral. Comfort them by your Holy Spirit and bring to their minds happy memories. The love we give is never lost. 

Faithful God, may you help those who are seeking residency in NZ, wanting to make this country their home. Give them your reassurance and provide them with a turangawaewae (a place to stand), a cornerstone.

Compassionate God, may you help those who are feeling disconnected or lonely. Make the at-one-ment of Christ real for them. Help them to draw near to Jesus and feel the warmth of God’s people. Help us all as we tend the bowling greens of our relationships.    

Living God, may you help those whose hope is waning. Cause them to rise against the wind and soar on wings like eagles. Keep the truth and wonder of Jesus’ resurrection present in our minds we ask.     

Immanuel, may you help those who are trying to care for parents and family members from a distance. Watch over our loved ones for good. May we all remember that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wise and merciful God, we pray these things in submission to your perfect and pleasing will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Christ Alone is comfort food for the Christian soul. Not junk food, but real hearty nourishment. Let’s nourish our souls as we sing, In Christ Alone…

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Questions for discussion or reflection

Listen to the song ‘In Christ Alone’.  What are you in touch with as you listen to this song? (What connections, memories or feelings does the song evoke for you?) 

What is your favourite comfort food? Is there a special memory attached to this comfort food?  In what sense are certain worship songs like spiritual comfort food?

Discuss / reflect on some of the images of security in the song. E.g. light, cornerstone, firm foundation, comforter and love. How do these connect with Scripture? Which image of security resonates best with you?  Why is that do you think? 

What does atonement mean?

What problems can you see with the line, ‘Til on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied? What is God’s wrath? How does Jesus turn God’s wrath away? (Think obedience, not punishment.)

What is hope? How is hope related to faith and joy?

Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important to Christian faith? What are the implications of Jesus’ resurrection for you personally?  

Outtakes

The cornerstone metaphor is also used of Christ in 1 Peter 2:6 where the apostle writes: 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

In the verses above, from 1 Corinthians 15, we see our three themes of security, atonement and hope drawn together.

Union with Christ speaks of the result of atonement – Jesus makes us one with himself and with God.

Likewise, Christ’s resurrection speaks of hope in that it guarantees our resurrection to eternal life.

And, when we put Christ’s work of atonement and the hope of resurrection together, we have security in Christ.

[1] Refer to the Ransom article in the ‘Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, page 695

[2] Stanley Grenz, ‘Theology for the Community of God’, page 340

Tawa Baptist

Balance

Scripture: Psalm 8

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Security
  • Love
  • Responsibility
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Yippee, Wha-hoo, Go you good thing, On ya mate, Well done, Tu Meke, You are awesome, That was amazing

  • These words and phrases are different ways in which we express praise
  • Some of these words and expressions you won’t find in a dictionary but that doesn’t matter – the words themselves are not the main thing
  • It’s more the feeling we give to those words, the positive intention and energy behind them

This morning we take a break from our sermon series in Ephesians to focus on Psalm 8 – a psalm of David

    • In this song David pours out his praise for God’s creative activity – in particular for the security, love and responsibility God gives, which makes our lives functional and meaningful
  • From verse 1 we read…

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have established, 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?  5 Yet you have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. 6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.   9 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

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

[Listen to a recording of children laughing and playing]

Security:

That was a recording of children laughing and playing and having fun

  • Let’s listen to it again
  • [Replay the recording of children laughing and playing]
  • This is what praise sounds like out of the mouth of babes
  • Children make those sorts of happy sounds when they feel safe and secure – security is the foundation really

Psalm 8 begins and ends with the words…

  • O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

In the original – the word LORD (all in capitals) – actually translates as Yahweh

  • Yahweh is God’s personal name
  • It means something like, I am who I am, or I am with you and for you

The LORD is our Sovereign

    • A Sovereign is a King or a Queen – the ruler of the realm
    • God’s name is God’s reputation & integrity; His greatness and goodness
    • David is saying that Yahweh is King of the whole earth – second to none
  • This is basically a statement of adoration and allegiance

One of the main jobs of the King is security – keeping his people safe

  • The subject of security is pretty big in the psalms
  • Whenever you hear a word like ‘strong hold’ or ‘high tower’ or ‘shepherd’ or ‘bulwark’ or similar the psalmist is talking about security
  • Verse 2 reads…

2Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

It’s interesting that Psalm 8 (a hymn of praise) comes after 5 other psalms where David calls out for help and deliverance from his foes

  • David’s praise for the security God gives wasn’t just a theoretical thing
  • David knew God’s security first hand as someone who lived in a dangerous world and had actual enemies who wanted him dead

The praise of children and infants is pure because children possess a certain innocence

  • In Matthew 21, after Jesus had cleared the temple of the merchants, we read how the blind and lame came to Jesus and he healed them
  • Children witnessed this and shouted praise to God because of Jesus, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David”
  • When the religious leaders heard the children’s praise they were indignant, so Jesus quoted this verse from Psalm 8 to them
  • The Pharisees were the foe; they wanted to kill Jesus but the praise of children was Jesus’ defence, his stronghold
  • God silenced the religious leaders, not through brute force
  • Not through an overwhelming demonstration of his power and strength
  • But through the praise of children and infants; through what appears weak and of little account

Just a few days after that the religious leaders conspired to murder Jesus

  • There was no defence for Jesus on Good Friday, but that was God’s plan
  • To defeat strength with weakness
  • Jesus silenced the foe (sin) and the avenger (death) not with overwhelming force – but through his own suffering and humiliation
  • What looked like Christ’s defeat (on the cross) was actually God’s victory

From 1st Corinthians chapter 1 we read…

  • For the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God’s power…
  • For what seems to be God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and what seems to be God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Now here’s the thing; when what we thought was strong is defeated by what we thought was weak, it has the power to completely change the way we think, so that what we fear most no longer has a hold on us

One of the things children need from parents is security – they need to feel safe

  • Parents give security to children in a number of ways
  • In the first two years of life children learn security by the presence of at least one adult who is consistently there for them to care for their needs
  • In the normal course of events a baby will cry for one of four reasons:
  • Either they are hungry or they have a dirty nappy or wind or they’re tired
  • You take care of those four things in a timely way and they will feel safe and secure and learn trust (as opposed to fear)

As kids gets older they still need to be fed but they also need boundaries to make them feel safe and secure; rules and routines that are kind and fair

  • And if they cross the line then they need to know that it’s not the end of the relationship, that there is a way back
  • For every mistake there is a remedy

God gives us security and we reveal to our children what God is like by giving them security and love

Love:

Some years ago now our family went to Opito Bay in the Coromandel for a summer holiday (Robyn’s aunty & uncle let us stay in their bach up there)

  • I have this enduring memory of lying on the concrete at night, with one of our daughters, looking up at the stars
  • The concrete was still warm, having baked in the sun all day, and the stars were bright because there isn’t much light pollution in Opito Bay
  • The star light we saw may have been billions of years old and who knows, perhaps some of the stars we were looking at had burnt out thousands of years before we were born
  • When you think about the vastness of time and space it makes your problems seem very small; it takes your focus off yourself and puts things in proper perspective
  • The person who looks up to God seldom looks down on other people

In verses 3 & 4 David describes feeling both small and cared for as he gazes up at the stars…

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have established, 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?

This is poetry – it’s not science. We are not to conclude that God literally made the moon and stars with his fingers

  • It’s a metaphor in which God is portrayed as an artist carefully arranging the heavens
  • Fingers are for fine work – they are for taking care of details
  • Fingers are gentle and skilled
  • The fact that God handles the moon and stars with His fingers shows us how big and strong God really is
  • It also speaks of God’s control over the heavenly bodies
  • Our lives are not controlled by the moon and stars or the horoscope
  • God is in control of the constellations, and this should help us to feel secure despite our smallness

The Lord is mindful of us and cares for us

  • When you love someone they populate your every thought (whether that’s your husband or your wife, your son or your daughter, your friend your sister, brother or whoever); you are mindful of them
  • You remember them in your prayers, you remember what they asked you to get at the supermarket, you remember their birthday and you send them text messages when you’re not with them
  • Likewise, when you love someone you care for them – you are affected by what happens to them so that if they cut their finger you feel their pain
  • Care isn’t just a feeling though – care is something practical that we do to help make those we love more comfortable

Children need love – they need people in their lives who are mindful of them and who care for them in practical ways

  • When a child is very young they aren’t able to separate themselves from their mother – they have just spent 9 months in the womb and haven’t developed a sense of their own identity yet
  • This means that they are very sensitive to the way dad treats their mum
  • If dad is kind to mum and treats her with thoughtfulness and care, then they will feel loved by dad
  • But if dad mistreats mum then they will feel hurt and not worth much
  • So the first way for parents to love their children is to love one another

As the child gets older, and is able to differentiate themselves from their mother a bit more, love is given in other ways – mainly through time spent together

  • I don’t remember many of the toys I was given as a child; but I do remember the quality time my parents spent with me
  • We want to give our kids as many good memories as we can

Responsibility:

God provides us with security, God loves us and God trusts us with real responsibility

Some years ago now I read Bill Bryson’s book, ‘A short history of everything’ in which Bryson describes the ‘Goldilocks Effect’

  • The goldilocks effect is a metaphor for how everything is ‘just right’ for sustaining life on earth
  • The earth is just the right distance from the sun, just the right distance from the moon, just the right size and therefore the right gravity
  • With just the right amount of oxygen in our atmosphere, just the right amount of salt in our oceans and so on
  • This planet is held in a wonderfully intricate balance – if any one of thousands of different factors was even a little bit out, planet earth wouldn’t be habitable.
  • Some people say the Goldilocks Effect is just random luck; but there is no hope (or truth) in thinking like that
  • The Bible teaches that God took great care in making this world just right for sustaining life
  • When we think of it like that, we begin to realise there is meaning and purpose to life on earth; our lives are not random, they matter

Not long after I first started at Tawa Baptist I conducted a survey. It was a way of getting to know the congregation

  • One of the questions at the end of the survey had to do with how we contribute to the well-being of others especially in the wider world
  • And I remember R answered in a way that no one else did
  • R said, “I ride my bike to work” and in brackets he wrote ‘pollute-less’
  • R was doing his bit to keep the balance in our world – he was taking care of the environment
  • But I think also that R really likes riding his bike
  • Given R’s love of cycling I had to include a bicycle illustration in the sermon – so please wait for a moment. I’ll be back…

[Go back stage and return with a bicycle]

How long do you think I can keep my balance on this bike? [Wait]

  • Okay, let’s test my balance – let’s see how long I can stay upright

[Try to balance on my bike while not moving]

That wasn’t very long was it. Why couldn’t I keep my balance for more than a few seconds? [Wait]

  • That’s right, because I wasn’t moving. To keep my balance, I need forward momentum, I need positive purpose

Returning to Psalm 8. In verse 5 David talks about the dignity God has given humanity, saying…

5 Yet you have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. 6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.   

Verses 5-8 of Psalm 8 come from Genesis chapter 1

  • There (in the first chapter of Genesis) it tells how God created order out of the chaos and how God made us human beings in His own image

To be crowned with glory and honour is a privilege

  • To have dominion (or stewardship) over the animals, the birds and the fish, is a responsibility
  • As God’s vice regents, as His representatives, His deputies, it is our job to help maintain the balance

The position we have in creation is a position of trust

  • And it’s not a position or a trust that we have earned – it has simply been given to us
  • God shared his glory & honour with us before we had a chance to do anything at all
  • This means that we did not become the dominant species on planet earth by natural selection
  • Our place in the natural order is not the consequence of survival of the fittest. We have dominion over other creatures by divine selection

This means our royal status and authority over creation is subject to God

  • We don’t have free reign to do whatever we want
  • We are to use our authority and power in ways that serve God’s own purposes and reflect God’s own practices
  • God is mindful of us and cares for us, therefore we need to be mindful of the rest of God’s creation and care for it, both human and non-human
  • We are dependent on God to help us keep the balance – we can’t do it without Him
  • Trying fulfil our responsibility as human beings, without God, is like trying to ride a bike without forward momentum; God gives us the positive purpose we need to stay upright

So how are we doing with our responsibility?

  • Not so great. There is a huge disparity between the vision of humanity in this psalm and the reality of human history
  • Our dominion has become domination
  • Our stewardship has become slavery
  • Our rule has become ruin
  • We have dragged God’s reputation through the mud
  • We have become the foe and the avenger
  • And all creation groans as it waits for its salvation

One of the tasks of parenting is to teach our children responsibility

  • We want our kids to grow up to be responsible adults
  • As human beings, made in the image of God, we have a responsibility to care for our neighbour, to care for the environment and to care for ourselves

Responsibility is like riding a bike – it requires balance

  • If our sense of responsibility is too great, then this creates problems:
  • Like we might feel guilty when we don’t need to
  • Or we might keep coming to the rescue when others don’t need rescuing
  • Or we might feel like we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders and life loses its joy
  • Or we find ourselves becoming resentful because we always seem to be the one who does the work while others keep letting us down

On the other hand, if our sense of responsibility is too light or missing altogether, then that creates a different set of problems:

  • Like we make a mess that others have to clean up
  • Or we throw away our plastic so sea birds eat it and die horribly
  • Or we indulge ourselves at the expense of others, causing them trauma and pain

The prodigal son didn’t feel enough responsibility – he was reckless

  • Whereas his older brother carried too much responsibility and he became resentful
  • Responsibility is a balancing act and we teach children to manage the balance by living a balanced lifestyle ourselves
  • By avoiding extremes and excesses
  • Having a time for doing chores, a time for rest and a time for play
  • Having a consequence for misbehaviour that is fair and not too heavy handed
  • By balancing involvement in church with involvement in the community
  • Having time alone and time to socialise
  • Being good to others without neglecting our own needs
  • Being mindful of the products we buy and how we dispose of our waste
  • I could go on but you get the point: being responsible means keeping a healthy balance and the key to keeping our balance is letting God be the boss of our lives because God is the one who gives us the forward momentum of a positive purpose

Conclusion:

While we have failed in our responsibility, Jesus is our Saviour (He has taken responsibility)

    • Jesus is the one who fulfils Psalm 8’s vision of humanity
    • Jesus shows us what God originally intended
    • In Christ we find security.
    • In Christ we experience God’s love
    • And in Christ we learn to balance responsibility

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?
  • Why do you think this stood out to you?

2. How do you feel when you hear children laughing and playing happily? (What memory does this evoke for you?)

3. What is your experience of the security God gives?

  • How might we give a sense of security to those close to us (especially children)?

4. Have you looked up at the stars at night and contemplated like David did? What happened within you as a consequence of doing this?

5. Who do you love? (That is, who are you mindful of, who affects you, who do you show care for?)

  • How might we show love to those around us (especially children)?

6. What does it mean to have dominion over the animals, birds and fish? (What does it mean to live responsibly?)

7. What do we need to keep our balance?

  • What are some of the symptoms of having an over developed sense of responsibility?
  • What are some of the symptoms of having an under developed sense of responsibility?
  • Thinking about these symptoms is there anything you need to do to restore the balance of responsibility?

 

Tawa Baptist

My Shepherd

Scripture: Psalm 23:1a

Key Idea: The Lord is my shepherd

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The Lord is my shepherd
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

In a moment we are going to read a psalm together

  • A psalm is basically a song or a poem
  • The words of the psalm will appear on the wall
  • I invite the men to read the words in plain type and the women to respond by reading the words in italics
  • From Psalm 23 we read…

 

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters,

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

May the Lord illuminate His word for us

 

Today we continue our new sermon series on Psalm 23

  • The plan (God willing) is to look at one aspect of the psalm each week
  • Last week we began with the opening phrase of the psalm – perhaps the most well-known verse in the Bible: The Lord is my shepherd,
  • And so you might expect this week’s message to focus on the second part of that verse, I shall not want
  • But that will have to wait till next week because we still haven’t finished with the Lord is my shepherd

 

The Lord is my shepherd:

Last Sunday we considered the meaning of the word ‘shepherd’

  • What did King David (the author of the psalm) mean when he called the Lord God his shepherd?
  • Well, very briefly, he meant the Lord is my security
  • God looks after me like a shepherd looks after his sheep

 

This week the focus is on the Lord as my shepherd – with the emphasis on my

 

Don’t you find it interesting that thousands of people in the world suffer every day, in a whole variety of ways, and yet for the most part that suffering doesn’t really touch us or affects us?

  • It’s only when we know someone personally, when we have an attachment to them, that their suffering moves us

 

We can watch children starving on the TV news and feel sad and maybe even send some money to help them

  • But if we knew those kids personally – if they were our own children – then we wouldn’t just send money
  • We would get on a plane with some Weetbix, find them, feed them and bring them home with us
  • That’s the difference a personal connection makes
  • Personal relationship has a powerful influence on our soul

 

It is quite striking really that David says, The Lord is my shepherd – singular

  • We would expect David to say, The Lord is our shepherd – plural
  • After all, sheep normally get taken care of as part of a flock, together with other sheep – it doesn’t make sense (economically) to have one shepherd for each individual sheep
  • Not only that but in Middle Eastern culture, where this psalm was written, people are far more community minded – they are more inclined to think in terms of we as opposed to me
  • Generally speaking in the west today we are the opposite – the focus for us tends to be more on the individual

 

 

It’s not that one way is right and the other is wrong, we need to value the importance of both the community and the individual at the same time

  • There might not be an ‘i’ in ‘team’ but there is an ‘i’ in ‘community’

 

Anyway, David, who was brought up in a culture where the sense of community was so strong that the importance of the individual could be neglected, [1] he says, The Lord is my shepherd

  • In other words, I have a personal relationship with the Lord
  • I know, from my own personal experience, that God can be trusted to take care of me
  • This was something David knew to be true, not just because he read it in a book or inherited the idea from his parents or the society he grew up in, but because he lived it and owned it for myself

 

So when Goliath challenged the army of Israel, David’s default setting was, “I’m not afraid of this Philistine. The Lord is my security”

  • And when Saul was trying to kill David, David did not get scared and take matters into his own hands – David trusted the Lord with his future
  • And when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem, David didn’t worry about what people thought of him
  • He danced before the Lord in worship because his security was in the Lord, not in public opinion
  • David wasn’t perfect as we know, but he did trust in the Lord

 

Sometimes in science fiction movies the characters learn new skills, new languages, new ideas simply by having the information downloaded into their mind with a computer

  • So in the film The Matrix, Neo learned Kung Fu in a matter of minutes by being plugged into a computer and having software fed into his brain
  • But in the real world, that we live in, learning is a process which takes time – often years
  • David learned to put his security in the Lord the hard way – through real life experiences – not just through a download of information
  • It’s the same for us – simply listening to a sermon isn’t enough to make God your personal security

 

Bloom's Learning Taxonomy

 

In the 1950’s an educational psychologist by the name of Benjamin Bloom did some research and found there are different categories of learning – some learning happens at a deeper level than others

  • For example: memorising something so you can remember it and repeat it by rote is a superficial form of learning
  • Understanding what you remember and being able to apply it, is a deeper level of learning again

 

A person might remember that the 23rd Psalm starts with the words, The Lord is my shepherd, and still not understand what those words mean

  • If you listen carefully to the sermon you might gain some understanding and learn that The Lord is my shepherd means The Lord is my security
  • If you are really keen you might go home and analyse the psalm yourself and discover other nuggets of meaning
  • The ultimate form of learning though is doing something creative with the psalm
  • Perhaps finding a new and inventive way of teaching the psalm to a group of Flock Sunday school kids
  • Or becoming less anxious in life as you place more trust in the Lord

 

Benjamin Bloom’s classification of learning has undergone a number revisions and adaptions over the past 60 years

  • Here’s another way of looking at it…
  •  Learning Pyramid

[2]

 

This version shows the different stages of learning to integrate a new idea or a new belief into your life

 

The first stage is simply becoming aware of the new idea

  • ‘Hmm, the Lord is my security, that’s interesting. I hadn’t thought of Psalm 23 in that way before’

 

The second stage is pondering the idea, finding out more about it, getting to grips with it in your head

  • This might involve going home after the service and meditating on the psalm in light of that word security
  • You might get your Bible out and look for the word shepherd in the index and consider other passages where the shepherding metaphor is used
  • Or you might do some other form of research into security and risk

 

The third stage is valuing the idea – agreeing with it, perhaps even telling others it’s a good idea.

  • Stage 3 normally begins with great enthusiasm for the new concept
  • ‘Wow, the Lord is my security, that’s so cool. That means I don’t have to worry because God has got my back. I feel really good knowing that.’
  • What we notice here is there is often a gap between agreeing this is a good idea and acting on it
  • There’s a gap between talking about it and doing it

 

Although stage 3 (the valuing stage) often starts with great enthusiasm, it normally ends with a deep sense of conviction – a feeling of guilt & remorse

  • Eventually this new idea that we are so excited about bumps up against reality – it is tested
  • ‘The Lord is my security’ is easy to say when things are going well
  • But when we experience some kind of loss, that’s when we really discover whether the Lord is my security or not
  • I might think the Lord is my security but then I might lose my job and start to worry about how I will pay the mortgage
  • I might also lose my confidence and not try applying for other jobs
  • At that point I realise, ‘actually my job was giving me a greater sense of security than the Lord was’
  • Not a nice feeling to be humbled like that but it’s the beginning of stage 4

 

Now, losing a job is just a random example

  • We could use other examples too – like losing health, or losing a loved one, or leaving home, or a marriage break-up, or anything else that might challenge our sense of security

 

The fourth stage is when we start to apply the idea

  • We reprioritise our life so the new idea actually becomes integrated with a new lifestyle and new behaviour

 

In the case of losing my job, reprioritising so the Lord is my security, and not my work, could mean…

  • Not allowing fear to rush me into things, but pausing long enough to commit my way to God in prayer
  • Reprioritising could also mean reviewing my expenditure and setting a new budget
  • Or not measuring my worth by how many job interviews I get
  • Reminding myself that I am valued by God and was loved by Him before I was born – that is, before I had achieved anything

The final stage (at the top of the pyramid there) is when we own the new idea or belief

  • Owning it means it is properly integrated into my daily life
  • So all my decisions & actions are based on this new idea – this new belief
  • The hard work of re-prioritising is over and I have a new default setting.
  • When I own the belief that the Lord is my security, I’m not concerned about being fully employed or unemployed
  • I’m not worried whether other people think I’m a success or a failure
  • I am content with little and with much

 

Why am I telling you all this – you may be wondering

  • Well, we can’t hide behind someone else’s faith – whether that’s the faith of our parents or our spouse or the faith of one of the pastors or whoever
  • We can’t assume that simply coming to church and listening to sermons will make the Lord my security
  • If we are going to follow Jesus (the good shepherd) then each of us must integrate the practice of trusting Christ into our lives
  • Each of us must be able to say honestly: ‘The Lord is my personal security’

 

This process of learning to own something isn’t just a modern idea

  • The process may have been articulated in the 1950’s but it’s been around a lot longer
  • We see it in the gospels over and over again
  • People don’t normally get what Jesus is saying straight away
  • It takes time for God’s word to sink in
  • And even more time for it to bear fruit in our lives

 

Take Nicodemus for example [3]

  • Nic, as he was known to his friends, was an important man
  • He was a member of the Sanhedrin – sort of like a Member of Parliament
  • He was one of the leaders of the people
  • He was also a Pharisee – a learned and morally upright man
  • Highly respected and not inclined to suffer fools gladly
  • Nic was in a very secure position in his society – or so he thought

 

One day Nic became aware of a young Rabbi in his 30’s teaching the people with real wisdom and performing all sorts of miraculous deeds – healing the sick, casting out demons and making people freer in themselves

 

Nic ponders this & eventually concludes that this Jesus fellow must be from God – how else could he perform all those miraculous signs?

  • The idea that Jesus is sent from God is thrilling to Nic – he gets a bit excited by it and in his enthusiasm goes to meet Jesus
  • The problem is Nic’s Pharisee mates don’t like Jesus much and so Nic decides the most prudent thing is to visit Jesus by night – in private
  • That way no one will find out about it – after all he does have his reputation to think about
  • At this point Nic is at stage 3 of the learning process – he values the idea (in his head) but isn’t ready to change his life for it

 

Nic opens the conversation with Jesus by sharing his belief that Jesus must be from God

  • Jesus then challenges Nic to act on this new belief saying…
  • No one can see the kingdom of God without being born again
  • This confuses Nic
  • He had been born and raised a Jew, one of God’s chosen people,
  • Wasn’t he automatically accepted into God’s kingdom because he was a descendant of Abraham?
  • What does Jesus mean by being ‘born again’?

 

Jesus goes on to say, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”

  • In other words, ‘Nic, your security is misplaced. You think being a Jew and being a Pharisee makes you secure (safe), but it doesn’t
  • You can’t rely on the faith of Abraham to save you
  • And you can’t rely on your good deeds to save you either
  • You must have your own personal faith in the Son of God to be saved.’

 

Nic had come to Jesus like a triumphant school boy, certain he had solved a difficult problem and Jesus just seemed to be giving him more homework

  • Apparently there was a gap between what Nic said he believed about Jesus and what he was prepared to do about it

 

As time passed the hostility toward Jesus increased

  • Most of Nic’s Pharisee mates didn’t think Jesus was from God, like Nic did – they saw Jesus as a threat & wanted to arrest him
  • But Nic tried to stand up for Jesus saying…
  • “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing”
  • The other Pharisees shouted him down though

 

Nic wasn’t ready yet to re-prioritise his life around his new found belief that Jesus was from God

  • He wasn’t prepared to completely abandon his career as a Pharisee
  • But it was a first tentative step in that direction
  • Nic was attempting to bridge the gap from stage 3 (valuing) to stage 4 (re-prioritising)

 

Eventually the Jewish leaders had their way with Jesus

  • They manipulated the Roman governor and the crowd to have Jesus crucified
  • Nic didn’t go along with it – but there was nothing he could do to stop it
  • I imagine he felt a deep sense of conviction at this point
  • I imagine he felt guilty and ashamed at what his mates had done

 

Jesus was dead and so Nic went with Joseph of Arimathea to claim Jesus’ body for burial

  • Finally Nic ‘came out’ and identified himself with the crucified Jesus
  • This was a huge risk – to show support for Christ in his death
  • Not even Jesus’ closest friends were prepared to do that
  • Nicodemus finally owned his belief that Jesus was from God
  • He made Christ his security

 

Conclusion:

Today is the first Sunday in Lent

  • Lent is the 40 days (or so) leading up to Easter
  • It is a time when we re-prioritise our life in order to follow Jesus more closely
  • Lent is about bridging the gap between stage 3 (talking about it) and stage 4 (actually doing it).

 

What idea or belief do you personally need to integrate into your life?

  • What is it you need to re-prioritise in order to follow Jesus more closely?

 

Let us pray…

[1] Kenneth Bailey, The Good Shepherd, page 38.

[2] Peter Scazzero uses this adaption of Bloom’s taxonomy in his book ‘The Emotionally Healthy Leader’ page 44

[3] Refer to John 3:1-21; John 7:50-52 & John 19:38-42

Tawa Baptist

Security

Scripture: Psalm 23:1

 

Title: Security

 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The Lord is my security
  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

Today we begin a new sermon series on Psalm 23

  • Some of the inspiration for this series comes from Kenneth Bailey’s book The Good Shepherd
  • The plan (God willing) is to focus on just one verse or one aspect of the Psalm each week
  • Today’s focus is the first part of verse 1: The Lord is my shepherd,
  • But, to get us into gear, let’s read the whole Psalm together, antiphonally
  • Which means I will read the words in plain type and you are invited to respond by reading the words in bold italics
  • From Psalm 23 we read…

 

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters,

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

May the Lord illuminate His word for us

 

The Lord is my security:

NZ has changed a lot in the last 40 years or so

  • It seems to me we have become a more anxious society

 

When I was a kid growing up in the 70’s it was nothing to disappear for the day with my mates and not turn up again until dinner time

  • My parents didn’t worry about me or need me to text them – cell-phones weren’t invented
  • Some of the stuff we got up to was semi-dangerous I suppose by today’s standards but consequence is a great teacher
  • When I was five I walked to school 2 or 3 kilometres by myself – no worries
  • On holiday my cousins and I would walk to the beach by ourselves to go swimming & fishing – no sun block, little (if any) adult supervision
  • It wasn’t that our parents didn’t care – they did care very much – it’s just that people felt more secure, safer somehow
  • We didn’t feel the need to lock our houses or our cars during the day
  • And we didn’t have ads on TV every 10 minutes warning us to avoid some kind of danger

 

Don’t get me wrong – NZ is still a great place to live – it’s probably safer in many respects than most other parts of the world

  • It just seems that despite our advances in technology people are more anxious and less secure on the whole
  • These days there seems to be a lot more fear around
  • People are generally less trusting and less inclined to take risks
  • In fact we have a lower tolerance for risk

We try to eliminate risk in a whole variety of ways

  • Security cameras
  • Security lights
  • Security guards
  • Security alarms
  • Security clearance
  • Cyber security, anti-virus software & fire walls
  • Police checks
  • Warrant of Fitness checks and code of compliance certificates
  • Occupational safety & health procedures
  • Hazard management plans
  • Road safety messages
  • Insurance and so on

 

These things aren’t bad in themselves, they are quite sensible really – but I’m not convinced they make us any more secure – not deep down where it matters

 

Psychologically speaking security is a fundamental human need

  • We need to feel safe and secure in order to be able to function properly
  • Interestingly the Bible has quite a bit to say about security

 

As Kenneth Bailey notes, the predominant image of God found in the psalms is one of security.

  • Many psalms describe God using words like: shield, high tower, fortress, refuge, rock, stronghold or horn of salvation.
  • Psalm 18 includes many of these images…

 

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised and I am saved from my enemies...   [1]

 

These images are understandable in an ancient Middle Eastern context where living out in the open made one very vulnerable.

  • People naturally felt a compelling need to reside in a well-fortified enclosure on the top of a hill to provide some security against Bedouin raiders or an invading army.
  • Yet overuse of such ‘homeland security’ language could produce paranoia and a siege mentality. [2]
  • And so the psalter offers other (less common) images of God which inspire security without the paranoia
  • One of those images is God as a Shepherd

 

Yes, the security God gives can be likened to something hard and unyielding like a high tower or a fortress or a rock or a shield

  • But God (and the security He offers) can also be understood in more personal, relational terms, like a shepherd

 

As New Zealanders we probably think we know all about sheep but actually the way we care for sheep is quite different from the way shepherds operate in the Middle East

  • In NZ our sheep are relatively safe
  • They are fenced in on farms and don’t normally face that many threats
  • But in Palestine sheep are far more vulnerable
  • They are literally led out into the wilderness to find pasture
  • In those trackless, fenceless open spaces the shepherd and his sheep are alone and at risk of bandits, wild animals, snakes and extreme weather
  • The shepherd and the sheep are without police protection [3]
  • It is a more dangerous environment than a NZ farm

 

The various kings of Israel throughout the Old Testament were referred to as the ‘shepherds’ of Israel

  • Why?
  • Because it was the king’s job to take care of the people – like a shepherd takes care of sheep
  • As head of the army the king was head of security for the country

 

Psalm 23 is attributed to King David

  • Before becoming the shepherd (or the king) of all Israel
  • That is, before becoming the guy in charge of security for his country, David was a shepherd of actual sheep
  • So he had a very grass roots insight into shepherding

 

 

When David writes, “The Lord is my shepherd…”

  • What he means is, The Lord God is my King
  • Yahweh is my security
  • The Lord isn’t just my security when I’m behind the well-fortified walls of Jerusalem
  • He is my security in those situations where I must leave the safety of the fortified city and journey through the wilderness, unprotected

 

In other words, as my shepherd the Lord gives me the sense of security or the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and to go into new and unfamiliar environments – wilderness places where I am not in control

 

The Lord is my security when I step out into the unknown

  • The Lord is my security when my employment is uncertain
  • The Lord is my security when my health is uncertain
  • The Lord is my security when I start a new school and I don’t know anyone
  • The Lord is my security when I leave home for the first time
  • The Lord is my security when I have to leave my homeland to settle in a new country and the language is different and the customs and different
  • The Lord is my security when I become a parent and there is no manual
  • The Lord is my security when I leave a comfortable lifestyle to follow God’s call on my life

 

Let me tell you a story – about a guy named Pete [4]

  • Pete was a fisherman
  • He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed but he was honest
  • You always knew where you stood with him
  • Pete didn’t have a filter – he had an unfortunate tendency to speak before thinking and it got him into trouble on occasion

 

One time he was out in a boat with his mates, at night, and it was getting pretty rough

  • As a fisherman Pete was used to a bit of chop but this was different – this was scary, even for him
  • This was a wilderness experience – a situation in which they had no control over the environment

 

As they were fighting against the wind and the waves, people in the boat began to notice this figure, walking across the water

  • Seeing someone walking on water was something completely outside their experience and so they didn’t know how to interpret it
  • I’m not sure about you but when I’m faced with something new and unfamiliar I tend to think the worst – Pete & his mates were no different
  • They jumped to the conclusion that they were seeing a ghost
  • Not Casper the friendly ghost but something more sinister
  • Some kind of omen of death
  • They were hysterical

 

The figure on the water was actually Jesus

  • Pete and his mates followed Jesus wherever he went
  • Jesus taught them how to be human – that is, how to trust God
  • In an attempt to calm them down Jesus said…
  • “Courage. It is I. Do not be afraid”

 

At which point Pete spoke without thinking…

  • “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.”

 

Really?

  • He had to say that?
  • Couldn’t he have said something less risky like…
  • ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me what’s the first thing you ever said to me’.
  • Or something else no one but the real Jesus would know
  • Instead he had to risk his life by saying, ‘order me to come out on the water’

 

Perhaps I’m being a bit tough on Pete

  • Perhaps his first instinct was good
  • Perhaps this shows he was willing to think the best in this situation

 

In any case, Jesus liked where Pete’s head was at and said…

  • ‘Sweet – do it – come to me’

 

At this point Pete had a choice – either he could step out of the safety of the boat or he could stay put

 

In his book, ‘Take the Risk’, Dr Ben Carson (a gifted surgeon) assesses the risk in any given situation using four simple questions: [5]

 

  • What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
  • What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
  • What is the best thing that can happen if I don’t do it?
  • What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t do it?

 

(In many ways this is similar logic to Pascal’s wager)

 

The best thing that could happen, if Pete stepped out of the boat to walk on the water, is that he wouldn’t sink – he would know it was Jesus and everything would be alright again

 

The worst thing that could happen, if Pete stepped out of the boat, is that he could drown and his mates in the boat could drown as well

 

The best thing that could happen, if he stayed in the boat, is that he would survive but have to live with the shame of making an offer he couldn’t follow through on

 

The worst thing that could happen, if he stayed in the boat, is that he and all his mates would still drown anyway

 

Clearly, by this best / worst analysis, not taking the risk and staying in the boat was a worse option than taking the risk and leaving the boat

 

I don’t know if Pete thought it through like this or not but in the end he made a good choice – a courageous choice

  • On some level Pete had the imagination to believe that Jesus could do this
  • He had the faith to hope for the best and so he stepped out of the boat

 

At first things went well – Pete actually did walk on water

  • But when he took his eyes off Jesus and paid more attention to the strong wind he lost his confidence – he became afraid and began to sink
  • Interesting thing, even though he was sinking Pete still hoped for the best
  • He still believed this figure standing on the waves was Jesus and he said,
  • ‘Save me Lord”
  • So Jesus reached out to grab hold of Peter

 

Now the thing about Jesus is that grace & truth go together

  • You can’t have one without the other
  • The grace of saving Peter came with words of truth
  • “How little faith you have. Why did you doubt?”

 

This seems like an unkind thing for Jesus to say

  • I mean, it was a big deal for Peter to get out of the boat
  • He put his life on the line, not just to satisfy his own curiosity but for the sake of his mates as well
  • If Peter didn’t have much faith then the other disciples had even less – no one else was prepared to take the risk
  • I imagine Jesus’ words would have stung a bit – not just Peter but everyone else in the boat too, because they had all doubted

 

Jesus wasn’t being unkind though – he was simply being real, being honest

  • The truth is their faith (plural) was small
  • No point in pretending otherwise
  • Another word for lack of faith is insecurity
  • The wound of their insecurity had to be cleansed with the antiseptic of truth

 

Conclusion:

To say ‘the Lord is my shepherd’ and really mean it is to say that our security is in Christ – that we trust him in every situation – including those times & places when we are not in control of the environment

 

Please understand me – stepping out of the boat, leaving your comfort zone is not always appropriate

  • There are times when we need a fortress, a safe place, a refuge
  • But there are other times when we are better off to take the risk
  • Learning to trust Jesus as our shepherd (our security) takes time – it’s a process
  • Fortunately for us the Lord is patient

[1] Psalm 18:1-3

[2] Kenneth Bailey, “The Good Shepherd”, page 36.

[3] Kenneth Bailey, ‘The Good Shepherd’, page 37

[4] Refer Matthew 14:22-31

[5] Ben Carson, Take the Risk, page 105.

Tawa Baptist

Light

Scripture: Matthew 5: 14-16

Title: Light

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Goodness
  • Security
  • Hope
  • Community
  • Visible
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

This morning we are talking about light

In Matthew 5 Jesus said to his disciples…

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate our hearts with God’s word

 

What is light?

  • And what does it mean for Jesus to say, ‘You are the light of the world’?

 

Goodness:

If you Google a definition for light you will probably get a scientific answer

  • Something like, ‘Light is a kind of energy’
  • On one level this is true – light is a kind of energy
  • In fact, these days it is considered a very environmentally friendly energy
  • Unlike other forms of energy (like coal or gas or oil), solar energy is carbon zero and therefore not harmful to the planet
  • Light is a good kind of energy

 

The people of Jesus’ day didn’t have a scientific mind-set like we do but they would still have associated light with goodness (as opposed to evil) and so there is a connection here between the ancient world and the modern world

  • When Jesus says to his followers, ‘You are the light of the world’
  • We can take it to mean, ‘You are the goodness of the world’, in the sense that you are life-giving to the world
  • You are the good energy, the positive energy, the clean energy in this world

 

In verse 16 Jesus goes on to say, “…let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

 

To my mind our good deeds are not the light

  • The light shines on the good deeds
  • Our good deeds are a product of the light
  • Just as sunlight (or photosynthesis) gives plants the good energy they need to grow and bear fruit
  • So too the light of God’s goodness causes good deeds to spring up everywhere

 

Letting your light shine doesn’t mean showing off your good deeds

  • When people put on an act or make a show of doing good works to make themselves look good – that’s not light, that’s darkness
  • But when God’s goodness shines out of us then people will see our actions in that light and praise God

 

You see, we don’t produce the light ourselves

  • God produces the light and we are His light bearers
  • In one of his letters to the Corinthians the apostle Paul writes…

 

For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. [1]

                                                                                                              

In other words, Jesus is the light showing us what God is like

  • To know Jesus is to know God and to know God is to know you are loved
  • God produces the light and we are His light bearers

 

So, we the followers of Christ are the bearers of light (or good energy) in this world

  • How exactly does this good energy manifest itself?
  • Well, one thing light does is to provide security

 

 

Security:

These days many people have security lights outside their homes

  • So when it is dark and someone walks up to their house a sensor is triggered and the security light goes on
  • This helps the home owner to feel safer, more secure

 

Although, Jesus’ original audience of 2000 years ago didn’t have security lights like we might, light was still a source of security to them

  • Where there is light evil cannot hide
  • Where there is light things can be seen as they are and fear cannot play on the imagination

 

And so, ‘You are the light of the world’, can mean ‘You are the security of the world.’

  • In others words, the followers of Jesus are like a warning light
  • When there is movement and change in the world we shed light on that change
  • Not all change is bad of course, some change is good
  • The point is, being the light of the world means we (the church) have a role when it comes to interpreting the events in our world
  • We have something to say about whether the change is friend or foe
  • Whether it should be welcomed or warned against

 

What we note here is that the security light is truth or wisdom

  • God’s government is different to the governments of this world
  • Most governments try to make their country secure by military might
  • The security Jesus offers is not found in armies or missiles
  • The security Jesus gives is found in the light of truth & wisdom

 

Hope:

Another function of light is to guide people

  • Traffic lights serve as a kind of guide when you drive your car
  • They tell you when to stop, when to slow down and when to go
  • They enable us to make safe passage – saving us from accidents

 

In the ancient world they didn’t have traffic lights, but they did use the light of the stars to guide them in their travels, whether on land or sea

 

The prophet Isaiah says of the servant of the Lord…

  • “I will make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” [2]

 

‘You are the light of the world’ therefore means Jesus’ followers are the hope of the world – because we possess the knowledge of salvation

 

In the 1950’s a scientist by the name of Curt Richter took some rats and put them into a high-sided bucket of water that they couldn’t escape from and timed how long it took for the rats to drown.

  • It wasn’t long – an average of 15 minutes for the rats to give up, stop swimming, and sink.
  • He then repeated the experiment with a new group of rats and a new twist
  • In the second instance, he “rescued” the rats just after they had given up swimming, again, at around the 15 minute mark.
  • He let them dry off, he fed them some food, allowed them to recuperate
  • And then he threw them back into the bucket of water.
  • The amazing result was that these rats were then able to swim for up to 60 hours before giving up.
  • That’s a big difference – 15 minutes compared to 60 hours.

 

Curt Richter attributed the rat’s new found stamina and survival skills to “hope”

  • The experience of being saved gave the rats energy to hang on longer
  • Because they had been saved once they expected to be saved again

 

Now this little illustration could be misunderstood

  • We are not rats and God is not a scientist doing experiments on us
  • We are human beings and God is a loving Father to us
  • The point is, the experience of salvation gives us human beings hope
  • It gives us the energy not to give up but to carry on

 

The thing I find most interesting about Curt Richter’s experiment is that the rats were saved at the point of giving up

  • It was when hope had died that they were pulled out of the bucket
  • The experience of being saved after they had given up had the effect of resurrecting hope
  • And resurrected hope is far stronger than ordinary hope

 

Have you ever noticed how God’s timing is very last minute, perhaps even after we think it’s too late

  • You remember how Jesus waited four days before raising his friend Lazarus from the dead
  • He could have prevented Lazarus from dying in the first place – but he didn’t – Jesus waited until people had given up hope
  • Why – perhaps he wanted to resurrect their hope at the same time as raising Lazarus. Resurrected hope is far stronger than ordinary hope

 

What was it Jesus said?

  • Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
  • Or as Eugene Peterson puts it…
  • You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.

 

In John 8, verse 12, Jesus says of Himself…

  • “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

 

The light of life is hope

  • To walk in darkness is to have no hope

 

The followers of Jesus are the hope of the world, at least in the sense that we possess the light of the knowledge of salvation

  • Once we have experienced God’s salvation – once we have lost hope and had God resurrect it again – we become a beacon of hope to others, the light of life guiding people to God

 

If you follow Jesus then you are the light of the world

  • You are the good energy of the world
  • You are the security of the world – a security based on wisdom & truth
  • You are also the hope of the world – the light of life
  • More than all this though, you (plural) are the presence of Christ in the world

 

Community:

Earlier in the service we sang a classic church anthem…

  • “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine”
  • There is much about this song which is good and true
  • But it can also mislead us into thinking that we shine our light in isolation, as individuals

 

Straight after saying, ‘You are the light of the world’, Jesus follows with two images of light bearing: a city on a hill and a lamp in a house

  • The image of a city gives the impression of a community of lights shining in the darkness
  • While the image of a lamp in a house gives the impression of a family sharing light together

 

Yes, the light of Christ does need to shine in our heart personally

  • But Jesus does not intend for us to shine our light by ourselves, in isolation from other Christians
  • As followers of Jesus we are not a solitary candle in the wind
  • We are the light of the world together

 

So we don’t just let ‘my little light shine’ – we let our light shine as a community of faith

  • We model goodness, security and hope in our relationships with each other
  • We love one another – for by this will all men know you are Christ’s disciples

 

Visible:

Jesus uses the images of a city of lights on a hill and a lamp in a house, to encourage us to let our light shine – not to hide it

  • After all, the purpose of light is to be seen – to stand out in the darkness

 

Most evangelical preachers will say at this point that, ‘as Christians we are to be in the world but not of it’

  • We are not to assimilate ourselves to the values of this world
  • Our values and therefore our behaviour should be distinctive
  • But nor are we to isolate ourselves from the world either
  • We should mix with people while staying true to who we are

 

While all of that’s true I think Jesus had more in mind than simply our function as light bearers to the world

  • By telling us to, ‘let our light shine’, I think Jesus wanted to give us a defence against shame

 

Last Wednesday Robyn went to the College with pretty much every other teacher in Tawa to participate in a restorative practice training day

  • During one of the workshops she attended, Mark Corrigan spoke about brain development and shame

 

Mark said that shame thrives on three things:

  • Secrecy, silence and stigma
  • The way to kill shame is to break the silence
  • When you reveal your secret with someone and they show you empathy, then shame loses its power – empathy kills shame

 

While Mark Corrigan didn’t relate this to the gospel – I saw a connection with the message I was preparing for this Sunday

  • Just before Jesus tells his disciples that they are the ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world’, he says…

 

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

Jesus seems to be saying here, ‘Look, people are going to try to shame you because of me. Don’t give in to that shame by hiding away’

  • Shame thrives on secrecy, silence and stigma
  • Shame can’t stand the light
  • So let your light shine
  • Don’t keep your relationship with Jesus a secret

 

Do you remember that story in the gospels of the woman who had a problem with bleeding for 12 years [3]

  • She was so ashamed she crept up behind Jesus and touched the hem of his cloak quietly, secretly, in the hope of being healed
  • And she was healed of her bleeding in that instant – but not of her feelings of shame

 

Do you remember what Jesus did next?

  • He invited her to let her light shine
  • Jesus stopped and said, ‘Who touched me? I felt power go out from me.’
  • At first the woman was silent but Jesus was patient and waited
  • Eventually she came forward & confessed to having touched Jesus’ cloak
  • And Jesus said, ‘Your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’

 

Jesus didn’t do that to embarrass her

  • Jesus gave her the opportunity to rid herself of the feeling of shame by breaking the silence and letting the light of her faith shine
  • And when she did speak up Jesus demonstrated empathy and honoured her publicly by commending her for her faith
  • Empathy kills shame

 

Conclusion:

If you follow Jesus then you are the light of the world

  • You are the good energy, the security and the hope of the world
  • You are not the light on your own but through the power of God and in community with other believers – like a city of lights on a hill
  • Although some in this world will misunderstand our light and try to make us feel ashamed of it, we must let our light shine, without shame

 

Let us pray…

 

 

[1] 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

[2] Isaiah 49:6 (see also Isaiah 42:6-7)

[3] Luke 8:40-48