Tawa Baptist

Teaching & Encouraging

 Scripture: Romans 12:7

Video Link: https://youtu.be/WFz64Wj_FKk

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 7 Dec 2025 – Teaching & Encouraging by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Teaching
  • Encouraging
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

We have had no shortage of rain lately but (according to the Wellington City Council) we could be in for a dry summer. Careful watering will be needed.

They reckon the best time to water your plants is in the morning. The soil is coolest then and the water has the best chance of seeping down to the roots.

They also say it is best to water your plants at the level of the soil, rather than pouring water all over the leaves. It’s the roots that take the water in not the leaves. Baptising the tree tends to waste the water.

When watering your plants take it slow, be gentle. You don’t want to knock the plant around or blast the soil away and expose the roots.

Of course, you don’t just water once and walk away. Watering is something we do on repeat. New plants generally need more frequent watering early on.

Watering then needs to be timely, focused, gentle and repeated.

Today we continue our series on spiritual gifts, this week focusing on the gifts of teaching and encouraging, in Romans 12. If we think of our faith as a plant, then teaching and encouraging are like watering the tree of our faith.

As a general rule, teaching and encouraging need to be timely, focused, gentle and repeated. To remind you of the context, let me read a few verses from Romans 12, starting at verse 6…

 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with yourfaith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

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

Teaching:

I invite you to take a moment now to think back to when you were at school. Some of you may need more time than others. Who was your best teacher? Who was the teacher who really got you and helped you more than any other?

I was fortunate to have many good teachers when I was at school. One in particular was Mrs Smith. She was my teacher in standard 1, the equivalent of year 3. I could not read or write. Had no clue with words or with numbers either for that matter. But I enjoyed eating my lunch.

Mrs Smith could see that and knew what I needed. For a whole year she gave me individual coaching and special homework. The extra work required some effort from me and I probably complained to my parents quite a bit at the time, but Mrs Smith taught me how to read and write.

Her teaching was timely. Had Mrs Smith not intervened when she did, I would have fallen further and further behind and my life may have taken a very different path.

Mrs Smith’s teaching was focused on what I needed. She taught me basic sight words and this gave me confidence to learn more. There was a lot of repetition. Pretty much every morning before school, day in, day out Mrs Smith introduced new words and reinforced what we had learned. Mrs Smith was firm but gentle in her approach.

There was no stick but there was a carrot. At the end of year prizegiving I was awarded the most improved student. This was an acknowledgement of my work and a reflection of Mrs Smith’s skill as a teacher.

We are talking about the gift of teaching. What then does the apostle Paul mean by teaching? Is it the same as a modern schoolteacher or is it different?

Well, the Greek word used in the Bible for teaching covers a wide spectrum of roles and functions. It could mean someone who teaches children to read and write but, in the context of Romans 12, it probably refers more specifically to those who teach others about Jesus and the Bible.

At its heart, teaching in a church context, is about communicating truth, the truth of what we believe about God and Jesus. If prophecy is the revelation of new truth from God, then teaching is conveying old truth from God.     

Teachers were vitally important in the early church. The Christians of the first century had the Hebrew Bible, what we know as the Old Testament, but they did not have the New Testament compiled in a book like we do.

People couldn’t just go to their bookshelf, pull out the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John and read for themselves about Jesus. Early Christians were reliant on teachers to recount the historical events of Jesus’ death and resurrection and explain the meaning of this for them.

Teachers in the early church had a huge responsibility. Without people to accurately pass on Jesus’ teachings, the core message of God’s grace in Christ would be diluted or lost altogether.

These days we do have a New Testament and stacks of books we can pick up and read anytime. However, it has been 2000 years since the events described in the New Testament and, without good Bible teachers to explain the meaning, much of the Bible is lost in translation, misunderstood and misapplied.   

Someone who is good at maths once calculated that for every one degree you are off course, you will end up being 1 mile off course after traveling 60 miles.

For example, if you are flying from Wellington to Auckland and the plane is 1 degree off course you might end up in Indonesia or run out of fuel and crash into the Pacific Ocean. 

Teachers are like navigators. Just as a ship or a plane needs the navigator to keep the craft on course, so too the church needs teachers to keep it on course.  

The church’s teachers these days are not limited to people who offer sound Biblical preaching but extend to anyone who faithfully passes on the truths of the Christian faith. This might include, for example, Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, youth group leaders and parents.

Parents play an important role in watering the faith of their children. Parents might do this by reading Bible stories to their kids and praying with them so their children can see and hear how prayer is done. Children probably learn most from the model their parents give them.        

In some ways teaching is like an iceberg. The presentation people see or hear from the teacher is just the tip of the iceberg. The bigger part of the work of teaching is the preparation. The preparation lies beneath the surface and is not usually seen.  

Preparation is one of the key differences between prophecy and teaching.

A prophet may stand up in church on a Sunday and spontaneously speak the words given them by the Spirit.

A teacher, on the other hand, does not normally give an extemporaneous talk. Rather, they do their homework ahead of time. They carefully prepare their sermon through prayer, reading, research, reflection, and writing. The teacher is aiming to water the roots gently.

If you have a formal teaching role, whether in the pulpit or Kids’ Church or as a Bible study leader or a parent, then you cannot expect to pass on the truth of the gospel unless you have done the hard yards in learning the truth yourself.

Studying the Scriptures is not merely an intellectual exercise. Yes, it does involve using your brain, but the Bible asks more of you than that. The Scriptures contain the word of God. The Scriptures interpret us. They make claims on us, test us, discipline us, and ultimately put us to work.     

Every believer has a responsibility to learn what they can about the Christian faith. We need to love God with our mind as well as our heart and soul.

We never know when a teaching moment might present itself. Maybe when you are sitting beside someone on the train or tucking the kids in at night or lying in a hospital bed. If someone asked, why are you a Christian, what would you say?   

Some people have a special gift in teaching others. They understand their subject matter, they can see things from the perspective of the learner, and they know how to bridge the gap in understanding.

More than this, a good teacher possesses the patience to gently water the roots in a timely way, over and over again until the truth is firmly established.  

Jesus prioritised teaching in his ministry. After healing people, the Lord often instructed the person he had healed to tell no one. For Jesus, the miracles were not the main thing. In fact, the miracles risked becoming a side show which distracted people from the main thing. The main thing being Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God.    

In Matthew 11 Jesus says: 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

A yoke is a piece of equipment worn over the shoulders to make it easier to carry a load. Yokes could be worn by animals for pulling a plough or they could be worn by people for carrying water say.

In this little parable the yoke represents teaching. The Jews of Jesus’ day were weary and burdened by the yoke of the Pharisees’ teaching. The Pharisees insisted upon a whole lot of extra rules.  

By contrast, Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden is light. The word translated as easy means fitting, as in not rubbing or chaffing. Part of Jesus’ work as a carpenter may have involved making and shaping wooden yokes so they fitted easily over the animal’s shoulders, without causing injury to the animal.

To take Jesus’ yoke upon ourselves is to listen and learn from his teaching. Jesus’ teaching shows us how to love God and our neighbour in a way that fits who God made us to be.    

Encouragement:

Closely related to the gift of teaching is the gift of encouragement. Now, when we hear the word ‘encouragement’, we tend to think of someone who says kind and affirming words to make another person feel better about themselves or their situation. Things like…

“That was really good. You are doing so well. Keep it up. You will get there.” 

And while this is partly what Paul means by encouragement, the Biblical understanding of encouragement is broader than that.

The Greek word translated in verse 8 as encouragement is ‘parakaleo’. Para means beside or near and kaleo means to call. So parakaleo is literally ‘to call beside’. To be an encourager in this Biblical sense then is to come alongside another person and speak good words to them, words that build up and strengthen them.     

Parakaleo has a range of meanings and is variously translated into English with words like encourage, exhort, urge, comfort and entreat. No one word in English does parakaleo justice, but in the context of Romans 12, Paul probably means those with the gift of encouraging Christians to live out the truth of the gospel.

Those with the gift of teaching give people an understanding of the truth of the gospel and those with the gift of encouraging come alongside to give people the courage to obey Jesus’ teaching in the gospel.

For example, the teacher might explain the way of Christ is to love our enemies and bless those who curse us. That is wonderful teaching but very difficult to put into action, especially by yourself. The encourager is the one who comes alongside you and by their presence and gentle words actually helps you to love your enemies.  

John Stott comments that encouragement can be exercised from the pulpit when the preacher gives an inspiring talk, but more often it is used behind the scenes as the gift of counselling or in offering friendship to the lonely or giving fresh courage to those who have lost heart. [1]         

Jesus sent his disciples out two by two so they would not be alone, so they could encourage one another. 

Part of the role of a spiritual director is to help people hear what God is saying and encourage them to do what God is asking. (Incidentally, Kim is embarking on spiritual director training. She is looking for someone to encourage. So, if you want some help in your spiritual journey, talk to Kim.)

Like watering, encouragement needs to be timely, focused, gentle and repeated. Those with the gift of encouragement don’t carelessly pour a deluge of words over you. No. They listen first. They don’t assume. They seek to understand and they show empathy. Then they focus the water of their words on the roots. They gently speak to your heart the refreshment you need to hear. They believe in you, giving you confidence and hope.

In Luke 5, we read how Jesus encouraged Peter. When Jesus was calling his first disciples, Peter fell at Jesus’ knees and said: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” And Jesus replied, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Jesus gave Peter the courage and the comfort to become his disciple.

If teaching is about communicating truth, then encouraging is about giving hope. The teacher says, this is the way of God, and the encourager says but you don’t have walk it alone. I am here to walk it with you.

One of the most winsome souls we come across in the Bible is a man named Barnabas. Actually, his real name was Joseph, but he was given the nickname of Barnabas which means ‘son of encouragement’. In the book of Acts chapter 11 we learn how the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to the believers in Antioch. From verse 23 we read…

23 When he [Barnabas] arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

Iron in your blood is essential for carrying oxygen and producing energy. Without sufficient iron your physical strength and immunity is weakened.

The right encouragement at the right time is like an iron infusion, it boosts your energy and strengthens your immunity. Barnabas’ encouragement was like an iron infusion for the church in Antioch.

Barnabas came alongside the believers and watered their roots by speaking good words to them, words that brought refreshment and strength. Barnabas’ presence reassured the believers in Antioch they were not alone and gave them courage to share their faith.

But wait, there’s more. From verse 25 of Acts 11 we continue…  

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.

The apostle Paul was first known as Saul of Tarsus. Before his conversion, Saul persecuted Christians. After his conversion, Saul repented and changed his ways. He became one of the church’s greatest missionaries.

I imagine though it was not easy for Saul in those early days after his conversion. Many Christians had suffered because of Saul and people still viewed him with suspicion. I expect it was quite isolating for Saul at times.

Verse 25 tells us Barnabas went out of his way to look for Saul. Barnabas sensed somehow that Saul needed some comfort and companionship. Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch and encouraged him to teach.  

One wonders what might have happened to Saul / Paul had Barnabas not found him and encouraged him in his calling for the Lord. Barnabas put Saul on a good path in God’s purpose.

Conclusion:

Teaching and encouraging (like watering plants) needs to be timely, focused, gentle and repeated.

Two questions to ponder…

How are you watering your faith?        And..

What opportunities has God given you to water other people’s faith?

(Who can you be a Barnabas to?)

May the Spirit of Jesus continue to fill each one of us and all of us together. 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. Who was your best teacher and why?
  3. What does Paul mean by the gift of teaching? Why is good teaching important in the church? In what ways can someone be a teacher?
  4. If someone asked why you are a Christian, what would you say?     
  5. How is the gift of encouragement different from the gift of teaching? How do these two gifts complement each other?
  6. Why do teaching and encouragement need to be timely, focused, gentle and repeated? 
  7. How are you watering your faith? What opportunities has God given you to water other people’s faith? (Who can you be a Barnabas to?)

[1] Refer John Stott’s commentary on Romans, page 328.

Tawa Baptist

Tongues & Ears

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:10c and 14:1-25

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

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 19 Oct 2025 – Tongues & Ears by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The gift of tongues
  • The gift of ears (interpretation)
  • The gift of making sense
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today I thought we could start with a little experiment. How many of you here can roll your tongue into a tube shape, like this? Give it a try.

Apparently, the ability to roll your tongue is a genetic trait. You either have the gene, or you don’t. If you cannot roll your tongue, then don’t feel bad. There is no shame in it. You are not less in any way. Rolling your tongue does not make you a better person; it is simply a mildly entertaining party trick. You would not choose your friends based on whether they could roll their tongue or not.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. So far, we have heard about the gifts of wisdom and knowledge, as well as faith, healing and miraculous powers. Last week we heard about the gifts of prophecy and discernment, but this week we focus on the gifts of tongues and their interpretation.  

The gift of tongues:

Some of the Corinthians believed if you could speak in tongues then you were incredibly spiritual. And conversely, if you did not speak in tongues then you were a second-class Christian.

For these Corinthian believers the ability to speak in tongues was the Everest of spiritual gifts, there was nothing higher in their minds. If exercising spiritual gifts had been an Olympic sport, then those who spoke in tongues would have got the gold medal every time.

This thought is wrong of course. In some ways, the gift of tongues is like being able to roll your tongue. It does not make you superior. Just as you would not judge a person’s character based on whether they could roll their tongue, so too you would not judge another person’s commitment to Jesus based on whether they spoke in tongues.    

It appears some of the Corinthians may have been using the gift of tongues like a party trick (to show off) during their gathered worship. In First Corinthians 14, Paul seeks to correct the exaggerated importance the people of Corinth had placed on speaking in tongues. From verse 1 we read…

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tonguedoes not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

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

Before we dive into the detail of Corinthians 14, we should probably clarify what Paul means by speaking in tongues? In his book, ‘I Believe in the Holy Spirit’, Michael Green gives this definition: “Tongues is the ability to speak in a language that the speaker has not learnt and does not understand…”

The language may be a human language unknown to the speaker, or it could be a spiritual language, maybe the tongues of angels. Either way it sounds like gibberish to anyone listening. Tongues is (for most people) unintelligible.

However, it is understood by God. Indeed, tongues is given by the Holy Spirit so people can speak to God. Far from being a cheap party trick, tongues is a deep form of prayer and praise to God. To speak in tongues is to engage in a kind of intimate communion with the Lord.   

Paul draws a contrast between prophecy and tongues. With prophecy, God is speaking directly to people. Whereas with tongues, the individual is speaking directly to God. Prophecy is meant for people and tongues is meant for God.  

So did Jesus pray in tongues? We do not know. We do know Jesus went off to spend time alone in prayer with God, but we cannot be sure if tongues was ever part of his personal devotional time. Maybe it was. But then again, perhaps Jesus enjoyed a different kind of communion with God the Father?

In Mark 16, after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus did predict that some of his followers would speak in strange tongues. This in fact happened shortly after on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2 we read…

2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them.5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?  8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 

At Pentecost the apostles spoke to God in languages they had not learnt and did not understand. On this occasion the people who heard them could understand because the tongues were spoken in their native language.

There have been some occasions in more recent times when people have spoken in tongues and someone from another culture recognised the words from their own language. But that does not always happen. The gift of tongues is not always given in a human language.

Returning to First Corinthians 14, for Paul, the gift of prophecy was more valuable than tongues, because prophecy edifies the whole church, whereas tongues (without interpretation) only edifies the individual believer.

The word edify simply means to build up or strengthen. In what sense does speaking in tongues edify the one speaking? Well, Paul does not go into details on this point, which means we are left to our own experience.

In his commentary on Corinthians, David Prior suggests some possible benefits of speaking in tongues during your private devotions. These include a particular sense of God’s presence (that feeling of closeness with God), relaxation from tension, strength to cope with pain, and experiencing a greater freedom in your prayer life (being able to praise God with free abandon). [1]  

I know one pastor who uses tongues to prepare himself for spiritual ministry. It’s a way of getting into the zone. For him, speaking in tongues is like a warm-up exercise before taking to the field or its like tuning into God’s frequency so he can better hear what God might be saying.

Others believe there is a psychological benefit to speaking in tongues. Morton Kelsey (a theologian and psychotherapist) writes: “Speaking with tongues is one evidence of the Spirit of God working in the unconscious and bringing one to a new wholeness, a new integration of the total psyche, a process which the church has traditionally called sanctification.” [2]

He may be right. To use the Russian dolls metaphor, with tongues one of the deeper parts of yourself may be talking with God and in the process being reconciled to one of the other parts of yourself.  

This is not to say that speaking in tongues should be accepted blindly or without caution. There is a demonic counterfeit to speaking in tongues. Pagans have their own version of tongues, which does not involve praising God.

How then do we know if the tongue we are speaking is genuine or on the level? How do we know we are not just spouting gobbly gook or even worse, cursing God? Well, like any of the spiritual gifts, tongues is exercised by faith.

If you love Jesus, if you are directing your spirit toward God in an attitude of prayer and praise, when you speak in tongues, then you can trust the Holy Spirit in good faith. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans…

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

If speaking in tongues edifies you personally, if you find it helpful in your private devotions, then you are probably on the right track.

There was quite a damaging heresy circulating during the second half of the 20th Century that unless you spoke in tongues you did not have the Holy Spirit and therefore were not a real Christian. This is complete rubbish.

Just because some Christians speak in tongues, it does not automatically follow that all Christians must speak in tongues. As Paul writes in First Corinthians 12…

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord… 

So, if you don’t speak in tongues, then don’t worry. There is more than one way to pray and serve God. Find your way.

The gift of ears:

I started the sermon this morning by asking whether you could roll your tongue. Apparently, most people can roll their tongues, upwards of 65% of the population in fact.

But what about wiggling your ears? How many of you can move your ears independently, without touching them with your hands? Give it a go.

According to the internet, only 20% of the population can wiggle their ears. And, like rolling your tongue, it is a genetic trait. You either have the gene or you don’t.

Again, there is no shame in not being able to wiggle your ears. You are not inferior in any way if you cannot wiggle your ears. Your value as a human being comes from being made in the image of God, not ear wiggling.

Now at this point you might be wondering, ‘I thought today’s message was about tongues. Why is he talking about ears?’

Well, the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues is really the gift of ears. Technically, the Bible does not use the phrase, ‘the gift of ears’, but in practical terms Paul is saying the church at Corinth need to use their ears more than their tongues. Tongues need interpreting in gathered worship.

Not only do ears enable us to hear, so we can understand, ears also help with balance. The Corinthians had got the spiritual gifts out of balance. Paul wanted to restore the balance.

What exactly is the gift of interpretation then? Well, the interpretation of tongues is not a literal word for word translation. Anyone who speaks more than one language knows that a particular word in one language do not always have a corresponding word in another language. Often you have to go with a word that approximates the meaning as closely as possible.

The one giving the interpretation, therefore, is summarising; giving a kind of paraphrase which communicates the sense of what the Spirit is saying. 

Another thing to note is the interpretation is usually related to God’s response. It is not necessarily a translation of what the speaker said in tongues.

Tongues is an effusion of prayer and praise to God and interpretation is hearing God’s response to that. This means the interpretation of tongues is effectively a form of prophecy and as a form of prophecy it needs to be tested by the community of believers.

The interpretation of tongues and prophecy both require the gift of ears.

You cannot give an interpretation or a prophecy without first hearing from God.

Paul takes some time to emphasise the importance of the gift of ears.

From First Corinthians 14, verse 6 we read…

6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 

In these verses Paul compares speaking in tongues with the sound a musical instrument makes. Music is its own kind of language (music speaks to our spirit) but for the language to make sense the notes need to be arranged properly.

Speaking in tongues without interpretation (in the context of gathered worship) is like playing an instrument without distinct notes. It is both unpleasant and pointless for those listening.

Kenneth Bailey observes how the pipe and the harp are instruments that invoke tranquillity and soothe the troubled soul. They bring peace and harmony.

By contrast a trumpet directs the troops in the midst of battle… How disastrous, if at the critical moment, the troops did not know whether to advance or retreat. [3]

The gift of ears, to interpret God’s response to tongues, should bring peace to the troubled soul. Likewise, the gift of ears to hear a word of prophecy from the Lord, should give clear direction so the church knows what to do in the spiritual battle we find ourselves in.

Okay, to recap so far: The gift of tongues is best exercised in private devotions for the edification of the individual. But if tongues are spoken in the context of gathered worship, then there needs to be someone present with the gift of ears to interpret.  

Following this line of thought, what is said in gathered worship needs to make sense if it is to build up the church and glorify God. 

The gift of making sense:

Some people think spiritual gifts are a bit woo woo, a bit flaky, a bit out there.   

They imagine a massive divide between things cerebral and things spiritual.

For them, spiritual stuff is intellectually soft or irrational. Chalk and cheese.

But this is not how Paul saw it. For Paul, it wasn’t either / or. It was both / and. Mind and Spirit.

Embracing the gifts of the Spirit does not mean discarding rational thought. We are to love and worship God with our whole selves. As Paul writes in verse 15…

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.

We need to remember our purpose. One of the main purposes of gathered worship is to edify the church. As we read in verse 12: Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

To paraphrase Gordon Fee: The point of corporate worship is not personal experience. The point is building up the church.[4]

This means when we come together to worship God on a Sunday, we don’t go into our own little bubble for a private emotional experience. No. We are mindful of God and of those around us. We are thinking ‘we’ not ‘me’.   

When gathered worship helps others in their faith, when it creates connections and strengthens unity, then we put a smile on God’s face.

Gathered worship is like playing a team sport. When you are on the field you have your eyes on the ball and on your team-mates. If you have the ball, you look around to see who you might pass to. And if you don’t have the ball, you think about how you can support your team-mate who does have the ball.   

And if your team-mate drops the ball or misses the goal, you don’t shower them with criticism and contempt. You lift them up with your words and reassure them they are still part of the team.

Off the field you might have your own individual training programme to improve your fitness and performance, but on the field, you stay in your position ready to play the part the team is relying on you for.

Glorifying God in our gathered worship goes hand in hand with edifying the church. With this in view Paul reminds his readers to be aware of those on the fringes who may be watching our worship. From verse 23 we read…

23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Not everyone who comes to church on a Sunday is a committed Christian. Some may be interested in Christianity and are here to check it out. If we act a bit too strange or use language which excludes those on the margins, well that does not glorify God. That potentially turns people away from Jesus.

Having said that, I don’t think anyone could accuse this congregation of being too woo woo. If anything, we could probably afford to be a little less reserved in our worship.  

Conclusion:

This morning we have learned about the gift of tongues, the gift of ears and the gift of making sense.

The gift of tongues can be helpful in one’s private devotions, but in gathered worship tongues needs the gift of ears. Tongues needs to be interpreted.

In line with this thinking, what is said in gathered worship needs to make sense if it is to build up the church and glorify God.  

Let us pray…

Gracious God, bring the understanding you want to edify the church and glorify yourself. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Can you roll your tongue? Can you wiggle your ears? Whether you can or can’t, what difference does this make to you?
  3. What is meant by speaking in tongues? How is this different from prophecy or any of the other spiritual gifts? Why does the Holy Spirit give the gift of tongues? What purpose does it serve?
  4. Do you speak in tongues? If so, is this helpful to you? In what way? If not, how do you commune with God?
  5. What is the gift of interpretation? Why is the gift of interpretation important?
  6. What is the purpose of gathered worship? Why is it important that what is said in gathered worship makes sense?
  7. Where is your mind when you are worshipping God? How might we hold together the mind and the spirit in our worship?

[1] Refer footnote in David Prior’s commentary on First Corinthians, page 240.

[2] Morton Kelsey, ‘Speaking with Tongues’, page 222, quoted in David Prior’s commentary, page 246. 

[3] Refer Kenneth Bailey’s book ‘Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes’, page 393.

[4] Refer Gordon Fee’s NICNT, 1 Corinthians, page 667.

Tawa Baptist

Transformation

Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-25

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Spt3lNxBec0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s new creation
    • From grief to joy
    • From death to life
    • From frustration to fulfilment
    • From harm to harmony
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Miracles of transformation are all around us. Perhaps the most common and yet unnoticed transformation is the miracle of photosynthesis.

Plants are able to absorb water, carbon dioxide and sunlight then transform it into glucose energy. As part of this process, plants release oxygen into the atmosphere as a by-product. We human beings benefit from this miracle of transformation. Plants form the basis of the food chain and they give us air we can breathe.

I wish I could explain to you the miracle of cows transforming grass into milk,

or acorns transforming into oaks or caterpillars transforming into butterflies or salmon transforming from saltwater fish into freshwater fish, but that’s a whole other level of complicated. Miracles of transformation are happening around us all the time.

Today, Easter Sunday, is a day when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is more than mere resuscitation, it is a miracle of transformation.

One of the classic Old Testament readings for Easter Sunday is Isaiah 65. In this passage we hear how God intends to transform the whole cosmos. From Isaiah 65, verse 17 we read…

17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. 20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reacha hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They will not labour in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

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

God’s new creation:

You’ve probably heard of anagrams. An anagram is a word, or a phrase, created by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. For example, you can rearrange the letters of the name Andrew to spell Warden.

The names Andrew and Warden are quite close in meaning. Andrew means manly or strong, while Warden means guardian or watchman. Not all anagrams are similar in meaning though.

Those anagrams which are opposite or contradictory in meaning are called antigrams. For example, you can rearrange the letters of the phrase entails sin to create the word saintliness. The antigram of the phrase ill fed is filled. On the sly becomes honestly and antagonist transforms into not against.

Fluster is actually restful in a muddle. Violence converts to its opposite, nice love. Ailed becomes ideal. And adultery changes to true lady. Just as we can transform the meaning of a word by rearranging its letters, so too God can transform our quality of life by rearranging our values and circumstances.

In verse 17 of Isaiah 65 the Lord God (Yahweh) says he will create new heavens and a new earth. This does not mean God plans to throw out the existing heavens and earth. Rather it means God is going to transform this world into something far better.

In the Genesis accounts of creation, God rearranges the elements of chaos to create order so that life can flourish. In doing this, God did not destroy what was there, he transformed it into something functional and beautiful, into a paradise.    

Likewise, when God raised Jesus from the dead, he didn’t destroy Jesus’ earthly body. Rather he transformed Jesus’ corpse into a spiritual body, a body that would not get sick or age but would be fit for eternity. A body made new with the stuff of heaven and yet still bearing the scars of his earthly experience.  

In verse 17 the Lord God goes on to say, the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

This indicates God’s renewed creation will be fully realized in the age to come. The current age we are living in now is drawing to a close and when it does the things we have suffered in this life will be forgotten, like a bad dream.

Indeed, the start of the next age (when God makes all things new) will be like waking up to the reality of what God originally intended for his creation.

From grief to joy:

In verses 18-19 we read of the first transformation, from grief to joy.

From weeping and crying to rejoicing and delight. From funeral to real fun.

(That’s right, if you rearrange the letters of the word funeral you get real fun, it’s an antigram.)

Verse 19 highlights the transformation of Jerusalem, the holy city.

In Matthew 23, Jesus lamented over Jerusalem saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

In the age to come, the new Jerusalem will be transformed from a source of grief to a source of joy and a delight to the Lord. The thing that strikes us here is that God suffers with people. When bombs rain down on homes, when parents lose their children, when families are torn apart, God is grieved.

By the same token, when human beings treat each other with justice and compassion, when we exercise self-restraint for the well-being of others,

when we turn away from violence and greed, then perhaps we put a smile on God’s face and a warm glow in his heart.

From death to life:

The next picture of transformation is from death to life, or more accurately from an untimely death to long life. 20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years…

The average life expectancy in New Zealand these days is 82 years and 9 months. A little less for men, a little more for women. In 1960 the average life expectancy was a touch over 70 years.

The oldest human being, in recent history, was a French woman who lived to be 122 years old. The oldest living land animal is a giant tortoise (named Jonathon) who is thought to be at least 192 years old.

But these ages are nothing compared to some varieties of trees. The largest living kauri tree (Tāne Mahuta) is estimated to be roughly 2000 years old, give or take.

In verse 22 of Isaiah 65, the Lord says, ‘For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people’. This is a proverbial way of saying, that in the age to come (in God’s new creation) people will live much longer than the 70-80 years we are used to. People will live for hundreds of years.

Now for those who are feeling the aches and pains of getting older, that might sound like a terrible thought. But it’s not, for these extra years will be good ones, filled with health and vitality. As verse 20 says, one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child.

In the book of Job chapter 14, Job laments the brevity of human life and the finality of death saying…

7 “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. 8 Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, 9 yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant. 10 But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more.

There’s a Norwegian spruce tree growing in Sweden which (according to carbon dating) is over nine and half thousand years old. However, it is not the original tree. When the trunk and branches die, the roots remain alive and grow a new trunk and branches. Some trees can do this.

But human beings are not like that. When a person dies, we don’t sprout a new body and limbs. There is a finality to death which mocks life’s meaning and cuts hope short.

Many centuries after the time of Job, Jesus conquered sin and death on the cross. God raised Jesus to eternal life on the third day and now humanity has hope of another life, a more abundant life, after death.

From frustration to fulfilment:

Returning to God’s vision for his creation in Isaiah 65, so far we have observed the transformation from grief to joy and from death to life. Now we note a third transformation, from frustration to fulfilment.

I’m working on a little building project on my days off at the moment, making a small retaining wall in one part of the garden where there is risk of erosion. This has involved digging some holes for the posts.

Unfortunately, the ground is hard and compacted with lots of tree roots in the way. While the tree roots help to provide stability for the soil, they also make digging quite frustrating. Rather than breaking my spade and my back, I decided to buy a manual post hole borer.

It worked like a dream, peeling through the dirt and slicing up the tree roots. The right tool for the job, transforming frustration into fulfilment.

Anyway, the next morning after digging the holes, I was woken by a heavy downpour. The first thing I thought, on hearing the rain on the roof was, what’s happened to my holes. Hope the rain hasn’t washed away my hard work, because that would be really frustrating. 

By God’s grace (and the shelter provided by a camelia tree) the holes survived and frustration was avoided.

In verses 21-23 of Isaiah 65, the Lord says to his people…

21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat… my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They will not labour in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;

Note the three crippling frustrations in these verses. The loss of houses, the loss of income, and the even more devastating loss of seeing your children suffer misfortune. Home, work and family. These are things we can identify with.

Many people in this world work hard to establish some form of security, they labour to have something to hold on to and something that will hold them, only to have it ripped away by forces beyond their control. Sometimes the things we hoped would be fulfilling turn out to be frustrating.   

But this is not what God wants for humanity. The Lord’s vision for the age to come is one of fulfilment, not frustration. A future in which his people enjoy the fruits of their labours and get to see their children doing well.

Previously, in Isaiah 64, the prophet had cried out to the Lord in frustration…

1 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down… 10 Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people. Your sacred cities have become a wasteland… 12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?

This shows the great chasm the people felt between themselves and God.

The Lord seemed distant and indifferent to their suffering.

We all have times like that don’t we. Times of desolation when we feel like God has forsaken us, that he doesn’t care. Times of frustration in prayer when we desperately desire God to intervene and come to our aid, but we get no response.

In verse 24 of Isaiah 65, the Lord answers the prophet’s prayer of frustration, saying:Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.

In the age to come, the frustration of unanswered prayer will be forgotten.

The Lord will be so close to his people that we will know the fulfilment of God’s presence in real time.

To be heard and understood is a precious thing. It makes us feel less alone, more connected. This kind of intimacy with God is what eternal life is like.

From harm to harmony:

We are talking about the transformation God envisions for his creation. It is a transformation from grief to joy, from death to life, from frustration to fulfilment and from harm to harmony. 

In verse 25 we read…

25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

This verse may sound familiar; it is found in Isaiah 11 as well.

In this world, the age in which we live, the wolf is the proverbial enemy of the lamb. Wolves are ferocious predators and lambs are defenseless creatures. Wolves (as we know them) do harm to lambs. But, in the next age, the wolf will do no harm to the lamb. To the contrary, wolves and lambs will live in harmony.

In this world, lions eat meat and they pose a threat. They are to be feared.

But in the age to come (in God’s perfect world) lions will be vegetarians and pose no threat. This is a parable. Wolves and lions represent the strong and powerful, while lambs represent the weak and vulnerable.

The Old Testament scholar, John Goldingay, explains…

Harmony in the animal world is a metaphor for harmony in the human world. The strong and the powerful (the wolves and lions) will live together with the weak and the powerless (the lambs) because the weak and the powerless can believe the strong and powerful are no longer seeking to devour them. [1] 

The mention of the serpent eating dust is a reminder of Genesis 3, where the snake tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. In God’s vision for the future, sin and temptation will be under our feet. Sin and temptation will have no power over us.

The harm we experience in this world will be transformed into harmony. All of God’s creatures living in peace and respectful relationship with one another.

Conclusion:

Isaiah 65 is a picture of paradise. It is life as God intended it. It is the kingdom of heaven on earth. It is creation raised from the dead. Sadly, the world we live in is like a desert in comparison. It may seem to us that Isaiah 65 is just pie in the sky, a mere pipe dream that will never be realised.

Well, if it was up to human beings to realise the vision of Isaiah 65, then we would have to agree, just pie in the sky, opium for the masses. But it does not depend on us. It depends on God Almighty, and all things are possible with God.

God’s sovereignty sets the tone for the vision of Isaiah 65. In verse 17 the Lord says that he will create new heavens and a new earth. We could no more bring about our own transformation than we could raise ourselves from the dead.         

The renewing of God’s creation is God’s work. The resurrection of Jesus is the first fruits, the down payment guaranteeing God’s commitment to make all things new. Knowing God plans to transform and renew his creation gives us real hope for the future.

When we are overwhelmed by grief, we recover some joy and strength from knowing that grief will not have the last word.

When death cuts life short or we feel like our life is going too fast, we remember that this life is not all there is. The best is yet to come for those who are in Christ Jesus.

When our prayers, our work and our plans for our family are frustrated by forces beyond our control, we find consolation in trusting that God works all things for good in fulfilment of his redemptive purpose.

And when the wolves of this world devour the lambs, when the strong crush the weak, when harm is done to people and the planet, we live in the light of the age to come (the age of harmony). We take responsibility to care for others and protect the environment, to the extent we can.

Let us pray…

Sovereign God, we thank you for the hope that is ours through faith in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. May your vision for the transformation of the cosmos be real in our minds. Keep our feet on the ground as we walk through this world with you. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What miracles of transformation do you observe in the natural world? What miracles of transformation do you observe in history? What miracles of transformation do you observe in your own life?
  3. What does it mean for God to ‘create’ in Isaiah 65? What does Isaiah 65 show us about God’s intention for his creation?
  4. How does Jesus’ resurrection relate to the vision of Isaiah 65?
  5. Discuss / reflect on the four main transformations envisioned in Isaiah 65. That is: from grief to joy, from death to life, from frustration to fulfilment and from harm to harmony.
  6. What frustrations have you experienced in your life? How might we deal with our frustrations? What fulfilments can you give God thanks for?
  7. What difference does the vision of Isaiah 65 make for us now, today?  

[1] Refer John Goldingay’s commentary on Isaiah, page 85.

Tawa Baptist

Nebuchadnezzar’s Tree

Scripture: Daniel 4

Video Link: https://youtu.be/D-yuZGs-fuc

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
  • God’s Sovereignty
  • God’s Just Mercy
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Many of you would have heard of the story of Beauty and the Beast. In one version of this fairy tale, the young prince is turned into a beast because he behaves in a beastly manner; he is cruel, unkind and selfish. Only when he learns to be more human, to love and be loved, is the curse lifted.

Beauty and the Beast is a redemption story. A story of overcoming fear and evil with faith and self-giving love. It’s a story with a happy ending. Reality is seldom so kind and yet the story endures because we need to believe that change is possible, that the beast within each of us can be transformed by love.

Today we continue our testimony of trees series. In recent weeks we have considered the mustard tree, the almond tree, the sycamore, the tamarisk and the olive tree. These are all physical trees with scientific names. Nebuchadnezzar’s tree is a psychological tree, seen in a dream by a king who behaves like a beast but, in the end by God’s mercy, has his humanity restored.  

We learn about Nebuchadnezzar’s tree in the book of Daniel chapter 4.

Daniel 4 is very long with lots of repetition, so we won’t read it all.

To set the scene, Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon who lived around five or six hundred years before Christ. Nebuchadnezzar was the one who conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, killed thousands of Jews and had the survivors deported into exile in Babylon.

Among those Jews brought to Babylon was a young man named Daniel.

Daniel became an advisor to the king and was given a new Babylonian name, Belteshazzar.

Anyway, one night king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a tree. Well, it was more of a nightmare really, one that stayed with him and terrified him. No one was able to interpret the king’s dream, so Daniel (aka: Belteshazzar) was asked to give the meaning. From Daniel chapter 4, verse 10, Nebuchadnezzar retells his dream…

10 These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed. 13 “In the visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked, and there before me was a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven. 14 He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. “‘Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven timespass by for him. 17 “‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’ 18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” 19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries! …

22 Your majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth…

24 “This is the interpretation, your majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.  26 The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, your majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

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

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

I started this sermon by talking about the story of Beauty and the Beast.

In doing this I do not mean to imply that the story of Nebuchadnezzar is a fairy tale. The story of Beauty and the Beast was not written until many centuries after the Babylonians.

Nebuchadnezzar was a real person in history. We have good reason to think the events described in Daniel 4 did happen. To a modern reader, it appears Nebuchadnezzar had some kind of breakdown followed by a period of mental illness. He would not be the only ruler in history to experience this.

Charles VI reigned as king of France from 1380 to his death in 1422. He came to the throne at the age of 11 and lived with psychosis for much of his life. Charles VI thought he was made of glass and that if he were knocked, he might break. One can only imagine the mental anguish he suffered from this belief.

Our minds are like icebergs. Our conscious thoughts are just the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot more going on beneath the surface, in our unconscious, that we are not aware of.

Depth psychologists reckon that the dreams we have while we sleep are our unconscious minds communicating with our conscious minds. The unconscious speaks to us in symbols. Most dreams you have will not be that significant. They are simply the mind’s way of ironing out the wrinkles in your day.

But sometimes our dreams are telling us something important. Warning us to restore the balance and get our life back in order. Dreams can be like a warning sign at the top of the cliff, there to prevent us going over the edge. 

Occasionally God communicates with us through the dreams that surface from our unconscious. Most dreams are not from God, but some are. God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream to warn him to get his life in order or he would take a fall.      

There are basically four main images in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The first is of an enormous tree which provides food and shelter for the creatures of the earth. Daniel says the tree in the dream represents Nebuchadnezzar himself. The king is great and powerful. The nations of the earth are subject to him, they depend on him. 

The second image is that of a holy one, a messenger from heaven, what we might call an angel or a watcher. The image of the angel shows us that this is no ordinary dream. This dream is a message from God in heaven.

And the message is this: as great and powerful as Nebuchadnezzar is, he is still subject to God in heaven. Heaven is in charge, not Nebuchadnezzar. The king is about to lose it all.  

The third image Nebuchadnezzar sees is the stump of the tree, still in the ground, bound with iron and bronze. This shows that Nebuchadnezzar will be cut down. He will be humbled. He will lose his power and authority for a time, but not forever. Just as a tree stump can grow new shoots, there is hope too for Nebuchadnezzar. He will be restored to his throne in the fullness of time.

The fourth image is that of animals in the field. In many ways Nebuchadnezzar’s treatment of people was inhumane. The king could be brutal and animal like in the way he behaved toward others. Therefore, he would be given the mind of a beast. Nebuchadnezzar will think he is animal.

What’s interesting here is that Nebuchadnezzar is given the mind of a relatively harmless beast. He won’t be like a lion or a bear, which might attack other creatures. He will be more like an ox, eating plants in the field.   

God’s Sovereignty

In verse 25 Daniel says, seven times will pass by before the king acknowledges that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.

We don’t know exactly how long seven times is. It might be seven seasons or seven years, or it might be a proverbial way of saying, as long as it takes, or until God decides the king’s sentence is complete. The point is, God is in control, not Nebuchadnezzar.     

Verse 28 tells us that all this happened to king Nebuchadnezzar. The king did not heed Daniel’s warning to change his ways. His behaviour towards his subjects remained beastly and he continued in his pride. Consequently, the king’s dream came true. A year later, when Nebuchadnezzar was congratulating himself on all his achievements, a voice from heaven said…

“This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.”

Immediately, what was said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. 

Now at this point I need to make something very clear. The cause of mental illness is not the same for everyone. Just because God gave Nebuchadnezzar the mind of an animal, it does not automatically follow that mental illness is a punishment from God.

Mental illness can be caused by any number of factors. Sometimes physiological or chemical, other times it is the result of trauma or something else that science cannot explain. We don’t have an answer for everything.   

What we do know is that ultimately God wants people to enjoy good mental health. In John 10, Jesus says: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. Jesus goes on to talk about himself as the good shepherd, who gives his life for the sheep. Jesus came that we would have abundant life. Jesus wants to renew our minds.

Those who know their history (or who at least watch Bridgerton) will know about king George III of England, the husband of Queen Charlotte. King George reigned 60 years from 1760 to 1820. He came to the throne at the age of 22.

It is unclear exactly what his mental health disorder was, but he suffered a great deal because of it, as much from doctors as from the malady itself. Despite all he went through though, George was a kind and decent king.

He had a sense of justice and compassion.

For example, according to the historian Andrew Roberts, “George never bought or sold a slave in his life. He never invested in any of the companies that did such a thing. He signed legislation to abolish slavery.” 

King George was a humanitarian. He was nothing like king Nebuchadnezzar.

I don’t believe George’s bouts of mental illness were a punishment from God. We don’t know why George suffered in this way. Most of the time we are given no explanation for suffering. Suffering is usually cloaked in mystery.

However, Nebuchadnezzar is given an explanation. In verse 17 the angel says: ‘…the holy ones declare the verdict so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’

Nebuchadnezzar need not flatter himself by thinking it’s all about him. It’s not. Nebuchadnezzar will be humbled and restored so that people everywhere will know that God in heaven is in charge. Being the king doesn’t make you great. Leadership is simply a function. God can make anyone he wants king or queen.

So, whatever you do with Daniel 4, don’t transfer it to other people you know who live with a mental illness. Nebuchadnezzar’s case is unique, just as every person is unique.

Daniel chapter 4 is more about God in heaven than it is about Nebuchadnezzar or anyone else. The text is showing us, in bright neon colour, that God is sovereign over all. God is in charge. God has all power and authority and dominion. Failure to acknowledge God’s sovereignty is madness.

In an individualistic, me centred, consumer oriented society like ours, it’s easy to think it’s all about us. The culture and ethos of Babylon is alive well today. We need constant reminders that we are here to serve God. The Lord is not some kind of cosmic Santa Claus or magic genie, there to grant our wishes.

We acknowledge God’s sovereignty by trusting and obeying him.

Sometimes obedience to God is pleasant. Other times it is painful or at least uncomfortable. None of us is fully able to trust and obey God. All of us fall short in that regard. This is why Jesus came. Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus trusted and obeyed God even unto death on a cross.

God’s Just Mercy

Beyond the obvious, of highlighting God’s sovereignty, Daniel 4 is also showing us the just mercy of God. That is, God’s mercy is one with his justice. They go together. God’s justice is not separate from his mercy. 

We see God’s just mercy in the way the Lord warns Nebuchadnezzar in a dream of the path he is on. God could have simply removed Nebuchadnezzar and replaced him with someone else. But God gives the king an opportunity for redemption.

God’s just mercy is embodied in the person of Daniel. Daniel unlocks the meaning of the king’s dream in a way that is gracious and true.

Remember that king Nebuchadnezzar was the leader of Israel’s enemies.

He destroyed whole cities and subjected the survivors to slavery. He was not a very nice man. Nebuchadnezzar was probably responsible for killing some of Daniel’s friends and family. He was certainly responsible for Daniel’s exile and forced servitude.

And yet Daniel does not rejoice at hearing of the king’s coming fall. Daniel is deeply disturbed by the dream and has compassion for the king. Daniel says, ‘My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries.’

Daniel also shows courage in speaking the truth to Nebuchadnezzar, pointing out that the king is sinful and wicked and needs to repent. Daniel seeks the king’s wellbeing at risk to his own life. Daniel shows us what it looks like to love your enemies. Grace and truth. Justice with mercy. That’s what you get with the Spirit of Jesus.  

In his letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul encourages us to pray for those in authority. This was no small thing when we remember the governing authorities were often hostile to the Christian church of the first century.

To pray for Caesar was to turn the other cheek and love one’s enemies.

Whoever may be in government, whether we agree with their politics or not, whether they make good decisions or not, we have a responsibility to pray for them, that we might live in peace and respectful relationship with others. Ultimately, the governing authorities are subject to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.    

God’s just mercy is also seen in the way the Lord gives Nebuchadnezzar twelve months to change his ways. Time is grace. Sadly, Nebuchadnezzar did not recognise this time of grace for what it was.

Nothing though is wasted in God’s economy. The time Nebuchadnezzar spent in the fields living like an ox, provided some relief for those who were oppressed by the king. For many, it was an act of God’s mercy to have Nebuchadnezzar sidelined for a while. 

God’s just mercy is also seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration. From verse 34 we read… 

34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honoured and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” 36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honour and splendour were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Conclusion

Verse 34 tells us it was when Nebuchadnezzar looked to heaven that his sanity was restored. We are never as sane as when we recognize our need for God.

The prodigal son came to his senses while starving in a pigs stye.

Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Only when we come to the end of own resources are we ready to truly acknowledge God’s sovereignty and throw ourselves on his just mercy.

Let us pray…

Sovereign God, thank you for your just mercy. Forgive our arrogance and help us to walk humbly with you. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory. Forever and ever. 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. Nebuchadnezzar was terrified by his dream. Have you ever had a dream that terrified you? What happened in your dream? What images did you see? Do you know the meaning (or purpose) of your dream?
  3. Discuss / reflect on the four main images in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. What were these images saying? What is the main message of the dream? Why does God give Nebuchadnezzar this dream?
  4. What do we mean by God’s sovereignty? How do we acknowledge God’s sovereignty in our lives?
  5. In what ways do we see God’s just mercy at work in Daniel 4? In what ways are you aware of God’s just mercy at work in your own life?
  6. What does good mental health look like? How might you know when your mental health is improving (or declining)? What practical things can you do to support good mental health? For yourself? For others?
  7. Spend some time this week praying for the governing authorities.  
Tawa Baptist

The Olive Tree

Scripture: Zechariah 4

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

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Have you noticed how much the price of olive oil has increased lately. A couple of years ago you could buy one litre of olive oil for around $10 or $12. Now it costs nearly twice that or even more for some brands. The reason for the increase seems to be a shortage in global supply due to climate change. 

Olive oil is still worth using though, if you can afford it. Scientists tell us that olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids which help to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering bad cholesterol and raising good cholesterol.

As well as being good for your heart, olive oil also contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Plus, it tastes good in cooking.

Today we continue our Testimony of Trees series by focusing on the Olive Tree. The Olive Tree is mentioned throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. This comes as no surprise given it was widely cultivated in the ancient near east.

Perhaps the most famous reference to olive trees is found in the gospels where we read that Jesus often retreated to the Mount of Olives (when he was near Jerusalem) to spend time in prayer and teaching his disciples.  

Our message this morning though focuses on Zechariah chapter 4, which describes a vision the prophet Zechariah had of a lampstand holding seven lamps fed by the oil from two olive trees.

Zechariah 4

From Zechariah chapter 4, verse 1 we read…   

Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. 2 He asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

5 He answered, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied.

6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. 7 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.

10 “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstonein the hand of Zerubbabel?”

11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”

13 He replied, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I said. 14 So he said, “These are the two who are anointed toserve the Lord of all the earth.”

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

Olive trees are self-sterile, which means they cannot produce fruit on their own. They need another compatible tree close by for pollination.

The other thing olive trees need to be fruitful is lots of light. If you let an olive tree grow wild, the foliage gets quite dense, and you won’t get much fruit from the tree because the leaves and branches block out the light.

The Italians say you should prune an olive tree so a bird can fly through it. That way, the tree gets the light it needs to bear fruit.

People are a bit like olive trees in some ways. We need lots of light and we cannot be fruitful on our own. We need the right people alongside us if we are going to be fruitful.

However, we are not like olive trees in every way. A human being might live around 70 to 80 years on average, whereas an olive tree can live for as long as two or three thousand years. Olive trees are pretty resilient. They bear witness to human history through long periods of time.

Zechariah was born in exile in Babylonia and migrated back to Jerusalem as a young man. He was from a priestly family. Zechariah prophesied around 520 years before Christ, about the same time as the prophet Haggai. 

At that point the temple built by Solomon lay in ruins and the people’s morale was low. Zechariah and Haggai encouraged the returning exiles and their leaders to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Zechariah chapter 4, which we heard earlier, retells one of the visions Zechariah received from the angel of the Lord.

In verse 1 of Zechariah 4, the prophet describes what it was like when the angel of the Lord came to him. It was like being woken from sleep. I don’t think that Zechariah was physically asleep. It’s more like the angel was waking Zechariah up to spiritual realities.

In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul talks about how our vision of spiritual reality is incomplete in this life. Paul writes: 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

There is more to the picture than meets the eye. We don’t know what we don’t know. Each of us are, in a sense, sleepwalking through this life, spiritually speaking. Without God to reveal the truth to us, we are stumbling in the dark, not fully conscious.   

In the vision, the angel shows Zechariah a golden lampstand with seven lamps on it. The seven lamps in the vision receive an unending supply of olive oil from two olive trees either side of the lampstand.

On hearing of a gold lampstand, an ancient Hebrew listener would most likely think of the holy place in God’s temple, which had a golden lampstand. The lampstand didn’t hold candles like we might imagine today. Rather it had seven lamps fueled by olive oil. (There was no electricity in Biblical times.)

The number seven has special significance in the Bible. Seven is the proverbial number of wholeness or completion. A set of seven is a perfect set. The Sabbath is the seventh day, a holy day set apart for the Lord.

So, what we have here (with the vision of a gold lampstand and seven lamps) is a highly valuable, holy light that never goes out.   

Basically, the lampstand with its seven lights represents the witness of God’s people in the world.[1] The lampstand symbolizes both the fixed physical witness of the temple building and the dynamic relational witness of the Jewish community. God’s faithful people worshipping together are a light for the world.

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John borrows this metaphor of lampstands as a picture for the witness of God’s people in the world.

John presents the seven Christian churches of the first century as seven lampstands in a dark world.

From an earthly perspective the people of God feel poor and weak, vulnerable and despondent. They are living in relative poverty and life is difficult. But from a heavenly perspective they are highly valued and resilient. The witness of their light will never go out.  

Zechariah doesn’t ask about the meaning of the lampstand. The lampstand does not seem strange to him. He is more puzzled by the two olive trees and the oil they produce. Although the temple doors were made out of olive wood, the holy place in God’s temple did not have two living olive trees in it.

Zechariah asks the angel about the olive trees, and the angel replies by saying…

“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Zerubbabel was the governor of Jerusalem during the time of Zechariah.

The Persians, who were the dominant world power at that stage, had put Zerubbabel in charge. Interestingly, Zerubbabel was a direct descendant of king David. He was royalty.

Often, we hear the prophets confronting the leadership of the land, telling them to change their wicked ways. Last week, for example, we heard how Amos had a message of judgement for Jeroboam the king of Israel and Amaziah the priest at Bethel.

But the Jewish leadership of Zechariah’s day were not the same as the leadership of Amos’ day. Zechariah has not been charged with giving Zerubbabel a telling off. Quite the opposite. God wants to encourage Zerubbabel to get on with finishing the rebuild of the Jerusalem temple.

However, they would not complete the temple by human might or power.

In other words, they would not accomplish this task like Solomon did, with an army of workers or by applying political pressure or heavy taxation.

The completion of the temple would be resourced by God’s Spirit, the same life-giving breath of God that was present at the creation of the cosmos. Indeed, the rebuilding of the temple signifies a new creation, a new beginning for the people of Israel.

The oil from the olive trees, therefore, is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit would keep the lights on. The Holy Spirit would enable the returning exiles to complete the temple under the leadership of Zerubbabel.

The angel of the Lord continues his message for Zerubbabel in verse 7 saying:

7 “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground…” 

The returning exiles were facing opposition to the rebuilding of the temple, and they were overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. From an earthly perspective, the obstacles in front of them felt like a mountain to move. Heavy. Impossible. That’s why the building work had stalled.

But from a heavenly perspective, the mighty mountain of obstacles is nothing, for Zerubbabel is empowered by the Spirit of God. What is a mountain to God’s Spirit. The Spirit of God is wise and powerful. Nothing is too difficult for God.

Did Jesus have Zechariah 4 in mind when he told his disciples they could move mountains with faith the size of a mustard seed? Perhaps he did. Because it’s not the size of our faith that matters. It’s the power of God’s Spirit that moves obstacles. Faith is the key which releases the power.

The capstone mentioned at the end of verse 7 is the final stone of the building project. This is a message of hope. The angel of the Lord is saying, Zerubbabel will put the finishing touches on the new temple, with the blessing and support of the people.

In verses 8-9 Zechariah gets another word from the Lord. It’s the same message just said more plainly. Zerubbabel will complete the temple rebuild. Zechariah’s prophecy was fulfilled about four or five years later. The second Jerusalem temple was dedicated around 516 or 515 BC.

Verse 10 addresses a concern. The newly restored temple was not as grand or glorious as the temple Solomon had built. For some the new temple was underwhelming. It was a case of reality falling well short of expectation.

But the angel of the Lord won’t have any disappointment, saying..

“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstonein the hand of Zerubbabel?”

The ‘seven eyes of the Lord’ is not to be taken literally. It’s a proverbial way of saying God sees everything that happens around the world. God is all knowing in other words. Basically, from an earthly point of view the new temple might not look like much but from a heavenly point of view, it is a cause for great joy.

Of all the majestic and wonderful things the Lord sees around the world, this new temple makes God happy (even if it is small in comparison to the first temple).  

The word to not despise the day of small things reminds us of Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed, which we heard about a couple of weeks ago. Jesus said…

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”   

Thinking of small things also brings to mind Genesis 8. After the flood, Noah (who was still in the ark) sent out a dove to test whether the waters had gone down. At first the dove came back emptied handed. But seven days later when Noah sent the dove out again, the bird returned with an olive leaf in its beak.

An olive leaf is small but that small leaf carried a great deal of hope for those on the ark. That olive leaf was a sign that the waters had subsided and God was making all things new.    

Zechariah is still unclear about the meaning of the two olive trees, so he asks the angel again in verse 11, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” And the angel replies…

“These are the two who are anointed toserve the Lord of all the earth.”

To be anointed by God is to be chosen for special service, perhaps as a king or a prophet or a priest. The Hebrew word for ‘anointed one’ is Messiah and the Greek word is Christ. The Lord anointed a number of people for special service in the Old Testament.

Most likely, in the historical context of Zechariah 4, the two olive trees signify Zerubbabel and Joshua, two men chosen by God to lead his people at that time. Zerubbabel, as we’ve just heard, was the governor of Jerusalem and a descendant of David, while Joshua was the high priest.

(Please note: this Joshua is not to be confused with the Joshua who was Moses’ assistant centuries earlier.)    

In other parts of the Bible (like, Jeremiah 11, Romans 11 and Revelation 11) the olive tree is a metaphor for the people of God collectively.

Here, in Zechariah 4, the two olive trees together with the lampstand are representative of God’s people. The olive trees are intimately connected to the lampstand. Neither can serve God’s purpose without the other.

Joyce Baldwin puts it all together for us…

“Joshua and Zerubbabel wait on the unseen Lord, who is the source of their authority and power. They in turn give themselves to build both the temple and the community; by daily life and worship the whole people is to be a light to others. The city on a hill cannot be hid.” [2] 

Or to say it another way, Zerubbabel and Joshua (the co-leaders of Israel) act as conduits for the oil of God’s Spirit, empowering the people to be a strong witness, an enduring light, to the nations. 

Zerubbabel and Joshua are examples of servant leaders. They don’t bully the people or hold them to ransom. They lead with humility and in a way that sustains the people of God to continue in their witness.

Zerubbabel and Joshua point to Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate anointed one, the perfect Messiah. Jesus is Servant King and High Priest all in one.

Conclusion:

So how does Zechariah’s vision of the lampstand and the twin olive trees apply to us today?

Well, part of our purpose as a church (as God’s people in this place) is to bear witness to Christ in the world. (Our vision statement is literally ‘Christ in community’.) As Jesus said to his disciples: you are the light of the world. Among other things this means we are Jesus’ witnesses in the world.

We bear witness to Christ. Light is a complete contrast to darkness. Therefore, to be Jesus’ witnesses means to be distinctive in a good way, in a way that reveals the truth and casts out fear. We are to be in the world but not like the world.

Tawa Baptist is not the whole lampstand here in this place, but we are one of the seven lamps on the lampstand, together with the other churches in Tawa.

Our church building and our congregation is not big or impressive.

By comparison with years gone by, we are perhaps a little underwhelming. 

But who dares despise our smallness. The Lord delights in faithfulness.

The task of being Jesus’ witnesses in this world may feel overwhelming at times, particularly as the church in New Zealand becomes more and more marginalised. But we don’t need to worry about the waxing and waning of society’s attitude to the church. We can’t control that.

Our part is to stay connected to Jesus, to abide in him. For Jesus is our olive tree. Jesus is the one anointed by God to lead us and feed our lamp with the oil of his Spirit.

Let us pray…

Gracious God, we thank you for Jesus who sustains our light by your Spirit. Help us to remain faithful witnesses for you, together in this place. 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 are some of the characteristics and uses of the olive tree?
  3. What does the golden lampstand in Zechariah 4 represent? What is its significance?
  4. What do the olive trees in Zechariah 4 represent? What does the oil of the trees signify?
  5. Discuss / reflect on the words: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Why does God say this to Zerubbabel? What might God be saying to you (or us) with these words?   
  6. How does Zechariah’s vision of the lampstand and the twin olive trees apply to us today? How might we let our light shine? How might we remain in the world but distinctive from it? How might we bear witness to Jesus? 
  7. What connections do you see between Zechariah 4 and the teaching of Jesus?

[1] Refer Joyce Baldwin’s commentary on Zechariah, page 124.

[2] Refer Joyce Baldwin’s commentary on Zechariah, page 124.

Tawa Baptist

The Gospel

Scripture: 1st Corinthians 15:1-11

Video Link: https://youtu.be/USnGS04z94s

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The heart of the gospel
  • The truth of the gospel
  • The grace of the gospel
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Some years ago our washing machine stopped working mid cycle, full of water and clothes. I got the repair person to come and take a look.

Turns out there was a hair clip trapped in the water pump. (Not my hair clip, by the way.) I watched to see how he unblocked it and then, the next time a hair clip went through the wash, I was able to fix it myself. (Even when you check pockets, things still find their way into places they shouldn’t.)

Although it was frustrating at the time, if the water pump hadn’t become blocked, I would never have learned how the washing machine worked much less how to remedy a blockage. Problems and mistakes usually provide a learning opportunity.

This morning we begin a new sermon series based on 1st Corinthians 15. Not the whole of Corinthians, just chapter 15. First Corinthians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in ancient Corinth, which is in Greece.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses a number of problems in the church. For example, some people were saying there was no resurrection of the dead, which is sort of the equivalent of a blocked water pump in your washing machine. It basically stalls faith, stops the flow of hope and kills joy. 

In chapter 15, Paul shows us the inner workings of his theology of resurrection. He pulls apart the Corinthians’ thinking, clears the blockage and puts things back together again.

As frustrating as it must have been for Paul to have to correct this breakdown, being able to read how Paul addressed the issue provides a learning opportunity for us. It shows us how to fix the same problem.   

First Corinthians 15 is over 50 verses long, so the plan is to look at this chapter in smaller pieces during the weeks leading up to Pentecost. This morning we cover the first 11 verses, in which Paul writes about the gospel. From 1st Corinthians 15, verse 1 we read… 

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter,and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

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

As I mentioned before, the main theme of these verses is the gospel. Gospel is a word which simply means ‘good news’. The gospel of Jesus is the good news about Jesus Christ. In today’s message we consider the heart of the gospel, the truth of the gospel and the grace of the gospel.

The heart of the gospel:

When we talk about the heart of something we are normally referring to the core of the matter, the most important part, that aspect upon which life depends.

Paul gives us the heart of the gospel in verses 3-5. Essentially, Christ died for our sins and was raised on the third day. The death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, is the heart of the gospel.

So what does Paul mean when he says, ‘Christ died for our sins’?

Well, there is a mystery to what Jesus accomplished in dying on the cross. So we need to approach these words with a good measure of humility.

Some people think solely in terms of punishment. For them the phrase, ‘Christ died for our sins’, means that God punished Jesus for our sins. The problem with this kind of thinking is that it makes God out to be a monster.

If you have two children and one of them does something bad and the other does something good, you don’t punish the one who did good as a substitute for the one who did bad. That would be child abuse.

In fact, as a loving parent, you are probably not thinking about punishment at all. You are more likely thinking about how best to teach your child the right way. In other words, how can I redeem this situation?

The main emphasis with this idea that ‘Christ died for our sins’ is redemption. Jesus died on the cross for our salvation. The cross is really God’s way of showing his love for us, so we can be close to him.

Kenneth Bailey uses Jesus’ parable of the good shepherd and the lost sheep to explain. When a sheep goes astray the good shepherd acts out of love for the sheep. He goes looking for the sheep and when he finds it, he brings it home so the life of the sheep is redeemed.

The shepherd does not say to himself, ‘The lost sheep has wandered five miles off the beaten track, so I must hike five miles through the bush to pay for the sheep’s mistakes’. No, what would be the point of that? The sheep would still be lost and the shepherd would be tired. When it comes to ‘Christ dying for our sins’, the focus is on the rescue, not the penalty. [1]

Or to put it another way, if we think of sin as a grenade. When we pull the pin of the grenade (when we sin), Jesus is the one who smoothers the grenade with his own body to shield us from the shrapnel. By going to the cross to die for our sins, Jesus was falling on the grenade to save us. Jesus was taking our sin upon himself so that when he died our sin died with him.

With the cross of Christ, the emphasis is on redemption, not punishment. If we put the emphasis on punishment, we end up with a warped idea of God; a God who is graceless and unfair and just waiting for us to slip up. Belief in a God like that is not sustainable.     

There’s an old Star Trek movie (called The Wrath of Khan) in which the Star-ship Enterprise is having engine problems. The core reactor is melting down and needs to be fixed before the whole ship explodes. Spock enters the reactor and fixes the problem but, in doing so, he is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation and dies. Spock gives his life to save the ship and its crew.

Jesus dying for our sins is a bit like that. Our sin is causing the whole of creation to melt down. Jesus’ going to the cross is like Spock going into the reactor to fix the problem. In the process of saving us and redeeming creation, Jesus dies.  

The writers of the Star Trek movies must have been reading the gospels because in the very next movie, Spock is resurrected. 

After Jesus had died on the cross for our sins and been buried, God raised Jesus to eternal life on the third day. That is the heart of the gospel. What about the truth of the gospel?

The truth of the gospel:

There are two kinds of truth: objective truth and subjective truth. Objective truth describes reality as it actually is, without bias from an individual. While subjective truth is reality as it is perceived or experienced by the individual.

For example, ‘the sun rises in the East’, is objective truth. That is true, irrespective of what you personally think or feel about sunrises. Whereas, ‘the sunrise is beautiful’, is subjective truth. Some people find a sunrise beautiful and others could take it or leave it; they would rather sleep in.

The good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection is objectively true and, for Christians at least, also subjectively true.

In verses 5-8 Paul gives evidence for the objective truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The risen Jesus appeared to Peter, to all the apostles (including James), to 500 others at one time and then later to Paul himself.

Paul was probably writing to the Corinthians about 20 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. So most of the original eye witnesses were still alive and therefore could provide objective testimony to confirm Jesus’ resurrection.

We know these witnesses were telling the truth because they were prepared to give their lives in testifying to the fact that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Their encounter with the risen Jesus was stronger than death itself. Indeed, the apostles were not afraid of death because they had seen first-hand how Jesus had conquered death.

Paul talks about those eyewitnesses who have died as having ‘fallen asleep’. That’s the difference the resurrection of Jesus makes. For the Christian believer, physical death is not ‘good bye forever’. Rather, physical death is simply, ‘goodnight my love, I will see you in the morning’.

Given the diverse number of witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, plus their level of commitment to what they had witnessed and the closeness of the written record to the actual events, the objective historical evidence for Jesus’ death and resurrection is very strong. 

In verses 3 & 4 Paul offers the witness of the Old Testament as further evidence to support the facts of the gospel. These things did not happen at random. They happened according to God’s plan.    

But is the witness of Scripture objective truth or subjective truth? It’s both and.

Personal experience is the lens through which we interpret the Scriptures. The early Christians who had actually witnessed Jesus’ death and met the risen Jesus, could see how the Old Testament foretold these things because their personal experience gave them the insight to recognise it.

In talking about objective and subjective truth, it’s not that one is more valid or more important than the other. When it comes to the gospel, both are needed. If we don’t receive and believe in the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection subjectively, for ourselves, then it won’t become a source of hope or joy or comfort for us personally.

Imagine you are out on the open sea. The boat you are in is sinking fast. Then along comes another boat. The captain of the other boat can see you are in trouble and asks if you want to come on board his boat. The rescue boat doesn’t look that flash but at least it is not leaking.

Both boats and the ocean are objectively real. Whereas, how you personally feel about the situation is subjectively real. Two people on the same sinking ship might be experiencing quite different emotions. One might be in a state of happy denial and the other might be frightened for their life.

Subjective truth matters a great deal because how you personally feel about the situation influences your decision. The objective truth is that if you don’t climb aboard the rescue boat you will drown.

In verses 1 & 2, Paul reminds the Corinthians that they did in fact receive the gospel he had preached to them and that they have taken their stand on the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection and furthermore that they are being saved by the gospel.

The gospel is like the rescue boat and Jesus is the captain. The gospel may not appear that flash at first but it is objectively true, it does not leak. What’s more, the Corinthians have accepted the gospel as subjectively true for them. They have taken their stand in the boat of the gospel and it is saving them. To change their mind and jump out of the boat would only result in their death.

The grace of the gospel:

Okay, so the heart of the gospel is Jesus’ death and resurrection. The gospel is objectively true but it also needs to be subjectively true for us personally, if we are to be saved.

Jesus embodies the truth; he is the truth. Jesus also embodies the grace of God. With Jesus, truth and grace go together. Let’s consider then the grace of the gospel.

Grace means gift. Grace is not an entitlement, like wages or the repayment of a loan. It is not earned or owed. Grace is undeserved goodness. Or, to borrow a phrase from years gone by, grace is unmerited favour.  

In verses 5-8, Paul mentions three people by name whom the risen Jesus appeared to: Peter, James and Paul. The curious thing here is that Paul does not mention Mary Magdalene or any of the female disciples by name.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark & John all tell us that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning. So why does Paul leave Mary out?

Well, we can’t know for sure. Perhaps Paul was only naming individuals that the Corinthians knew and they didn’t happen to know Mary, whereas they did know Peter, James and Paul.

What we can say is that Peter, James and Paul were shown special grace by the risen Jesus. Peter denied knowing Jesus and yet the risen Christ restored Peter asking him to ‘feed my lambs’.

Likewise, if the ‘James’ Paul is referring to here is the biological half-brother of Jesus, then Jesus was reaching out in grace to James. Jesus’ brothers did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah; they all thought he was mad. Seeing the objective truth of the risen Jesus changed James’ mind.

And then there is Paul, who says of himself in verses 8 & 9…

8 and last of all he [Jesus] appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

The risen Christ appeared to Paul, on the road to Damascus, even as Paul was on a mission to kill the followers of Jesus. In his grace, the Lord gave Paul the gift of a new perspective and a whole new mission. Paul’s response to Jesus’ grace was to obey the Lord in faith.

The phrase in verse 8, abnormally born, translates more literally as ‘miscarriage’ or ‘abortion’. It’s a term of verbal abuse. Perhaps Paul was ridiculed by his critics as an ‘abortion’ of a man?

Paul graciously endures the insult and turns it into something positive, for God’s glory. Paul says in verse 10…  

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.            

One way to understand Paul’s thought here is like this: Yes, my work before I met the risen Jesus was a lifeless abortion. My attempts to please God by persecuting Christians were a miscarriage. But, by God’s grace, my work since encountering the risen Christ has been fruitful and life-giving. [2]     

We are talking about the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The grace of Jesus is greater than Peter’s denial, more real than James’ disbelief and more powerful than Paul’s persecution. The objective historical truth is that the grace of the risen Jesus is greater than human sin. 

One other thing we observe about grace. Notice how Paul says (at the end of verse 10), I worked harder than all of them – yet not I but the grace of God that was with me. Paul thought of God’s grace as a co-worker, someone working with him, alongside him. What a beautiful idea.

Have you ever felt like you’ve let God down? That might be your subjective truth (your internal reality) but it is not the objective truth. The objective truth is that you cannot let God down. You are not actually supporting God. God is supporting you, by his grace.   

When we serve the Lord we are not alone. God’s grace is working with us. Yes, we want to give our best but more often than not even our best will fall short. That’s okay. We don’t need to beat ourselves up. God’s grace is sufficient for us. God will see to it that his purpose prevails.

As you start the week, try to imagine God’s grace as a co-worker, supporting you, working with you as you serve God in your home, in your place of work and in the community.   

Conclusion: 

The heart of the gospel is Jesus’ death and resurrection. The gospel is objectively true but it also needs to be subjectively true, if we are to be saved. It is the grace of the risen Jesus which makes the truth of the gospel real for us.

May God’s Spirit of grace and truth make the resurrection of Jesus real for you and me, personally. Amen. 

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?

  • Can you think of a time when a problem or mistake created a valuable learning opportunity for you? What happened? What did you learn?
  • What is the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
  • How do we know the gospel about Jesus (his death & resurrection) is objectively true?
  • Discuss / reflect on the phrase, “Christ died for our sins”. What does this mean? Why is it important to emphasise redemption (rather than punishment) when thinking about what Jesus accomplished on the cross?
  • What difference does the death and resurrection of Jesus make for you personally?
  • What practical things can you do to remind yourself that God’s grace is a co-worker, supporting you and working with you as you serve God’s purpose in your home, in your place of work and in the community. 

[1][1] Kenneth Bailey, ‘Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes’, page 432.

[2] Refer James Moffatt’s commentary on 1st Corinthians, page 239.