Tawa Baptist

Jesus, Lamb of God

Scripture: John 1:29

Title: Jesus, Lamb of God

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus’ innocence
  • Jesus’ vulnerability
  • Jesus’ sacrifice
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Today is Ram’s day – when rams all over New Zealand are put in paddocks with ewes for breeding purposes – it seems quite appropriate then to be talking about the Lamb of God today

In 1982 there were over 70 million sheep in New Zealand and about 3 million people – which equates to about 22 sheep per person

–         In recent years though this ratio has dropped – now there are more like 29½ million sheep and closer to 4.9 million people, which equates to about 6 sheep per person

–         Any way you look at it that’s a lot of sheep and lambs

 

Today we conclude our sermon series on the titles of Jesus by taking a closer look at the term Lamb of God

–         It’s strange in a way; Jesus’ favourite way of referring to himself was Son of Man and despite the fact that title is used numerous times in the gospels, it never really caught on in Christian tradition

–         By contrast the title, Lamb of God, only appears twice in the Bible and yet somehow it has become popular in Christian culture

–         Not sure if it’s just a New Zealand thing or if Christians all over the world prefer to think of Jesus as a lamb

 

The title, Lamb of God, is heard on the lips of John the baptist as he points out who Jesus is

In the gospel of John chapter 1, verse 29, John sees Jesus approaching and says:

–         Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  

–         Then, the very next day, John sees Jesus walking by again and says to his disciples: Look, the Lamb of God

In addition to the gospel of John the Book of Revelation uses the term Lamb a number of times as a kind of code word for ‘Jesus’, but stops short of the full title Lamb of God

 

Now before we get into what the Bible has to say about the Lamb of God, I’m interested to find out what you think…

When you see the image of a lamb what comes to mind – what do you associate a lamb with?

–         [Wait for people to respond]

 

Jesus is like a lamb in some ways, but not in every way. Three ways in particular we can say Jesus is like a lamb…

–         Jesus is innocent, Jesus makes himself vulnerable, and Jesus offers himself as a sacrifice. First let us consider Jesus’ innocence

 

Jesus’ innocence:

One of the things the gospel writers make clear is that Jesus was condemned to die as an innocent man

–         And when we say ‘innocent’, we don’t mean naïve or gullible – Jesus was no green horn

–         By innocent we mean not guilty, without sin

–         We would of course expect Jesus’ friends to say he was innocent and so the real test is what someone impartial says about Jesus

–         When Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, Pilate questioned Jesus repeatedly and found no reason to charge him

–         Not only that but in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ trial, we read…

While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him a message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” 

Both Pilate and his wife (independently of each other) could plainly see that Jesus had done nothing wrong

–         Several times Pilate tried to have Jesus released but in the end, to appease the crowd and prevent a riot, Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified

–         But it wasn’t just Pilate and his wife who thought Jesus was innocent

Jesus was crucified between two criminals. One of the criminals hurled insults at Jesus but the other criminal responded by saying…

–         “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what we deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”  

Later that same day when Jesus had breathed his last the Roman Centurion who witnessed Jesus’ death said…

“Surely this was a righteous man.”

–         When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.

Beating of the breast is a sign of protest & outrage – people could clearly see it had been a set-up, a terrible injustice. Jesus, an innocent man, had been killed

 

Jesus was as innocent as a lamb, and as vulnerable too

 

Jesus’ vulnerability:

To be vulnerable is to be open and unprotected, defenceless

 

On the wall here are a couple of pictures from our garden at home

–         The first is of a caterpillar eating the leaves of a swan plant

–         And the second is of a swan plant that has been stripped bare of its leaves

–         A swan plant is vulnerable to caterpillars – it has no defence against them

–         Caterpillars are in turn vulnerable to birds and those caterpillars who manage to become butterflies are vulnerable to wasps

–         Wasps, as far as I know, aren’t vulnerable to anything much and consequently no one really likes wasps

 

At one point, after I’d left home, my Dad owned a small lifestyle block

–         To keep the grass under control he had a couple of sheep – it was a steep section and not really suitable for mowing

–         One day I went to visit and while my brother and I were out in the paddock we noticed one of the sheep on its back

–         At first I thought the sheep had died but when I got closer I could see it was still breathing, it just couldn’t move – it was stuck on its back with its legs in the air

–         When we pulled it back onto its feet it ran off

–         There was nothing wrong with the animal – it had simply got caste

Reflecting on that afterwards it occurred to me just how vulnerable sheep are

–         A lamb has no way to defend itself

–         A dog has teeth, a cat has claws, a horse can run fast, a bird can fly away but a lamb has no natural defence

–         If a sheep loses its balance and winds up on its back it can’t even find its feet again – a sheep is dependent on the shepherd

Jesus’ vulnerability is not exactly like the vulnerability of a sheep or a swan plant or a caterpillar

–         A lamb, a swan plant and a caterpillar are all vulnerable by their very nature, whereas Jesus chooses to make himself vulnerable – Jesus chooses to put aside his divine force field and remain open to others

 

Vulnerability obviously comes with risk

–         Vulnerability tends to evoke one of two responses: either violence or love

–         If someone is defenceless then certain individuals will take advantage of that vulnerability for their own ends, as we saw (tragically) on Friday with the shootings in Christchurch

–         Most people though will act to care for and protect the vulnerable, as we have seen since, with the outpouring of support for those affected by the shootings

–         Jesus tended to have quite a polarising effect on others – people either loved him or hated him

–         Jesus’ disciples and those he healed and forgave tended to love him, not just because of what he did for them but because of the way he did it, with kindness and humility

 

By sending his Son to earth God was making himself vulnerable, opening his heart toward humanity in love

–         Jesus’ vulnerability was an invitation to love God – because we usually find it easier to love a lamb than a wasp

–         Sadly many of the religious leaders misunderstood God’s invitation and took advantage of Jesus’ vulnerability for their own ends – they plotted to murder Jesus

By choosing not to defend himself Jesus made it possible for the authorities to crucify him

–         In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ arrest, in the Garden of Gethsemane, one of the disciples struck the high priest’s slave with a sword, cutting off his ear, but Jesus responded with vulnerability saying…

“Put your sword back in its place. All who take the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you know that I could call on my Father for help, and at once he would send me more than twelve armies of angels? But in that case, how could the Scriptures come true…?”

Jesus had the power to smash his opponents but he chose not to defend himself

 

We should remember though that when Jesus returns it won’t be in vulnerability, it will be in glory and with power.

In Revelation chapter 6 the Lamb (aka: Jesus) breaks a number of seals

–         With the sixth seal there was an earthquake, the sun became black and the moon turned red…

Then the kings of the earth, the rulers and the military chiefs, the rich and powerful, and all other men, slave and free, hid themselves in caves and under rocks on the mountains. They called out to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the eyes of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb. The terrible day of their anger is here, and who can stand against it.” 

We may feel a little disturbed by this picture of the future. Certainly anger is not normally something we would associate with a lamb

–         The anger of the lamb is a righteous anger though – an anger at injustice

–         Many of the original first century audience of the book of Revelation were persecuted, living in fear, if not in hiding from the authorities

–         Being told the tables would be turned, and their oppressors would one day be the ones in hiding, was actually a great comfort and gave the early Christians hope in the face of their suffering

John’s vision of the power of the Lamb reminds us there is more than one side to Jesus’ character, as we have seen throughout this series.

–         With this in mind it isn’t always appropriate for us to make ourselves vulnerable – we need to be discerning about who we open our heart to

–         Jesus instructed his disciples to be as wise as serpents but as innocent as doves

 

So far we’ve heard how Jesus is innocent and makes himself as vulnerable as a lamb

–         What is perhaps less obvious to us today, but which would have been most obvious to the people of Jesus’ day, is that lambs were often used as a sacrifice

 

Jesus’ sacrifice:

Sacrifice is the act of giving up (or surrendering) something of value

–         If it’s not worth much to us then it doesn’t really count as a sacrifice

–         Usually we make a sacrifice in order to save or gain something else we value even more

–         For example, in a game of chess you might sacrifice a pawn to save your king, because without the king its game over

–         Or if you have a loved one who needs an organ transplant, you might sacrifice a kidney or part of your liver to save their life, because your liver will grow back and you can survive on one kidney

 

In the Bible lamb sacrifices were memorials of deliverance

–         When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar, God provided a lamb as a substitute, thus delivering Isaac and his descendants from certain death

–         When the people of Israel were about to leave their slavery in Egypt, God instituted the Passover festival – where each family was to sacrifice a lamb and paint the blood over the door frame, so the angel of death would Passover that house

–         And, on a daily basis, lambs were sacrificed in the Jewish temple as a way of atoning for sin

–         Lamb sacrifices were reminders of God’s deliverance, his redemption

–         So when John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” his Jewish listeners would likely have thought in terms of a sacrifice that delivers them from sin & death

At this point I’m reminded of the movie Finding Nemo

–         Quick quiz – what nickname is Nemo given, by the other fish, in the dentist’s fish tank? [Wait]

–         That’s right – ‘Shark Bait’

–         Shark Bait is a nickname with foreboding overtones

Although John wasn’t using Lamb of God as a nickname for Jesus (he meant it as a term of respect), there is still a sense of foreboding in the title

–         Lamb of God is code for ‘sacrifice of God’ and imagines a future in which Jesus is destined to give his life to save others

–         The imagery wasn’t lost on the disciples. As the apostle Peter writes in one of his letters…

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

For a sacrifice to be truly worthy of the name it needs to be something of value

–         Therefore, under Old Testament law, it wasn’t good enough to offer a second rate lamb, that would be convenient to get rid of anyway

–         The sacrifice had to be valuable, a lamb without defect, one you would rather have kept for breeding purposes

–         Jesus is the perfect lamb, the innocent lamb, the best on offer, the most valuable in the whole flock

–         Clearly God loves his creation a great deal if he is willing to sacrifice his Son to redeem us

 

This is not to imply that we are more valuable than Christ

–         Using the chess analogy, Jesus the King became a pawn (like us) and sacrificed himself to save the game

–         Through his sacrifice Jesus not only saves the game, he changes the rules

–         Jesus, the sacrificial pawn, is resurrected to eternal life and restored to the throne as King, which means no one can ever remove him from the board

–         What’s more, by his Spirit, Jesus transforms the other pawns (that’s us) into knights and bishops and rooks

 

As followers of Jesus we are called to offer ourselves as living sacrifices

–         We give up things we value to make ourselves available to God’s purpose, to obey God in other words

–         We do this in faith, trusting Christ for redemption

 

Conclusion:

Let me finish with a reading from Isaiah 53 – this sums up the innocence, vulnerability and sacrifice of Jesus the Lamb of God

“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God. 5 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.
6 All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved.

7 “He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word.

8 He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die, and no one cared about his fate. He was put to death for the sins of our people. 9 He was placed in a grave with those who are evil, he was buried with the rich, even though he had never committed a crime or ever told a lie.”

10 The Lord says, “It was my will that he should suffer; his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness. And so he will see his descendants; he will live a long life, and through him my purpose will succeed.
11 After a life of suffering, he will again have joy; he will know that he did not suffer in vain. My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased, will bear the punishment of many and for his sake I will forgive them.
12 And so I will give him a place of honour, a place among the great and powerful. He willingly gave his life and shared the fate of evil men. He took the place of many sinners and prayed that they might be forgiven.”

 

Let’s stand and sing our closing hymn – this is really a prayer of intercession for our country – ‘God defend New Zealand’…

 

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 comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘Lamb’?

–         In what ways is Jesus like a lamb?

–         In what ways is Jesus not like a lamb?

3.)    How do we know that Jesus was innocent?

4.)    How do you respond to someone who is vulnerable?

–         How do you respond to the powerful?

5.)    When is it appropriate to make ourselves vulnerable?

–         When is it not?

6.)    Can you think of a time when you made a sacrifice? What happened?

7.)    What does Jesus’ sacrifice reveal about God’s attitude to us?

–         What is an appropriate response to Jesus’ sacrifice?

8.)    Read Isaiah 53 and take some time to reflect on (or discuss) Jesus’ innocence, vulnerability and sacrifice in those verses.

 

Tawa Baptist

Son of God

Scripture: Matthew 3:13-4:11

 

Title: Jesus – Son of God

Key Idea: Jesus shows he is God’s Son through total commitment and trusting obedience to the Father

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus’ baptism
  • Jesus’ testing
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

As most of you know by now the church lounge is under renovation at the moment. The purpose is to strengthen the room in case of an earthquake

–         One of the things the builder is doing (as David showed us last week) is attaching the brick work to the wooden frame using metal ties like this

–         Without the ties the brick wall would be independent of the frame and in an earthquake would be weaker without the frame to support it

–         The ties keep the bricks in the right position

–         Obviously just one tie isn’t going to be sufficient – we need the right number of ties

 

Here’s another picture – this one is of a ship’s mast and sail

–         Hopefully you can see that all the way up the mask there are ties keeping the sail attached to the mast

–         I guess without these ties the skipper would have no control of the sail    or the boat

–         As with the brick wall and framing, one tie isn’t going to be enough – you need a number of ties

 

This next picture is of a father and son walking hand in hand by the sea

–         In some ways the father is like the frame and the son is like the bricks

–         Or the father is like the mast and the son like the sail

–         The son is close to the father and gets strength from the father

–         They are connected not just by a single biological tie but by the bond of many shared experiences

–         This father and son are creating a bond simply by spending time together

 

Today we continue our sermon series on the titles ascribed to Jesus

–         So far we have looked at Jesus the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father, Mighty God, Jesus as Lord and Son of David

–         This morning we look at what it means to say that Jesus is the ‘Son of God’

 

The gospels of Matthew & Luke both make it clear that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, not by a man, so in a very unique sense Jesus is God’s Son

–         However, there is more to being someone’s son than mere conception

–         Conception is one tie between father and son but one tie isn’t enough

–         To be a son, in the full or whole sense, is to have a certain quality of relationship with the father – a relationship characterised by closeness & trust, with many ties or shared experiences

 

To help us explore what it means to say that Jesus is the ‘Son of God’ I’ve selected Matthew’s account of the baptism and testing of Jesus

–         From Matthew 3, verse 13, we read…

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

In this reading we see the quality of Jesus’ relationship with God

–         Jesus demonstrates he is God’s Son through total commitment and trusting obedience to the Father

 

Jesus’ baptism:

At Christmas time I was given the gift of a book written by the Frenchman Antoine De Saint-Exupery (my apologies for butchering the French language)

–         The book was called The Little Prince

–         It is wonderful and packed with many profound things including this…

 

One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.

 

This is very true – God is both essential to us and invisible to our eyes

–         Not just God though but also the many ties that are essential to our relationship with God

 

Once the wall lining goes up in the lounge we won’t see the ties anymore but they will be there, invisible, holding things together

 

Prayer is an essential tie in our relationship with God but you can’t really see prayer – it’s something done in faith

 

Likewise, the Word of God is invisible – sure, you can read words on a page in a Bible but that’s not the same as discerning the Word of God

–         You can only see the Word of God by faith with the heart

 

Communion is another invisible tie in our relationship with God

–         We might be able to physically see, touch and taste the symbols of bread & wine but the essence of communion is invisible

–         The bond we have with Jesus (and each other) through breaking bread and sharing the cup can only be seen with the heart

 

Same thing with baptism – baptism is a relational tie with God; Father, Son & Spirit – it’s an outward sign of an inward reality

–         People see you getting wet but they can’t see the internal bond God is creating between you and Him

 

Our reading from Matthew earlier begins with the baptism of Jesus but what Matthew focuses on is not the part people can see with their eyes but the part that can only be seen clearly with the heart

 

To everyone else Jesus was just another person in the crowd coming to be baptised by John – but John could see what was invisible to everyone else

–         John saw with his heart – he recognised who Jesus really was and said it’s me who should be baptised by you

 

But Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented.

 

This tells us Jesus was getting baptised out of obedience to God

–         John’s baptism was for the repentance of sins and yet Jesus was sinless so he didn’t need John’s baptism – there was an element of humiliation in it for Jesus, like he was being tarred with the same brush as a thief or a liar even though he was not guilty of anything

–         God’s purpose was for Jesus to save the people from their sins

–         By being baptised Jesus was identifying with sinful humanity and publicly accepting God’s purpose for him, which was to go to the cross

–         Identifying with sinful humanity created a bond with us

–         Accepting God’s purpose created a bond with God

 

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

 

Now we don’t know if the bystanders saw the Spirit descending on Jesus and heard the voice from heaven or whether only Jesus was aware

–         Either way it is a divine affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God

–         The Holy Spirit is the ultimate bond (or tie) between God the Father and Jesus the Son

 

Those who are familiar with the Old Testament will hear echoes from the past

–         In the Hebrew Scriptures God refers to the nation of Israel as his son who he brought out of Egypt

–         This means Jesus is like a new Israel and, through Jesus, God is bringing about a new exodus, setting his people free from sin & death

–         Likewise, in Psalm 2, the king of Israel is referred to as God’s son

–         Most (if not all) of the kings of Israel failed to live up to the title of God’s son through their disobedience to God

–         But Jesus succeeds through his trusting obedience to God the Father

 

There are many other allusions to the Old Testament in these verses but the main point is: God the Father validates Jesus as his Son and expresses his pleasure that Jesus has embraced God’s purpose for him

 

Jesus’ testing:

There is a wonderful scene in the book I was talking about earlier where the little prince meets a fox and asks if the fox will play with him

–         And the fox replies, ‘I can’t play with you. I’m not tame’

–         When the little prince asks what does ‘tame’ mean, the fox explains,

–         ‘It means “creating a bond”.’ (A tie)

 

The conversation goes back and forth for a bit and then the fox says…

–         “One only understands the things that one tames. Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me.”

–         “What must I do to tame you?” asked the little prince

–         “You must be very patient”, replied the fox. “First you will sit a little distance from me, like that, in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings.”

 

The author of the Little Prince lived in the desert for some years, he loved it there. The desert is a lonely place, a place without words, without misunderstandings

 

Straight after his baptism the Spirit leads Jesus into the desert, just as the nation of Israel were led into the desert after their exodus from Egypt

–         Why does the Spirit do this?

–         To test the strength of the bond between Jesus the Son and God the Father

–         God was confident in the quality of his relationship with Jesus – he trusted his son to choose the right path

 

The devil tries to break (or at least fracture) the father / son relationship between God & Jesus through three temptations – all of which have to do with power

 

The first temptation comes after Jesus has been alone and without food for 40 days – when he is at his weakest

–         The devil says, ‘If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread’

–         On the face of it the devil doesn’t appear to be asking Jesus to do anything obviously bad – it’s not like he’s suggesting Jesus steal the bread from orphans – and so we might be puzzled by Jesus’ response

 

Two reasons I think Jesus said ‘no’

–         Firstly, Jesus is at war here with the forces of evil – He is in combat against the devil

–         When you are at war you don’t do what the enemy says – you don’t let your opponent set the agenda

–         Jesus wasn’t going to start taking orders from the devil even if what Satan suggested seemed harmless enough

–         Jesus was only interested in doing what he saw God his Father doing – which brings us to Jesus’ second reason for saying ‘no’

 

God isn’t sitting on a cloud untouched by human suffering

–         God is present and involved with his creation

–         Human suffering, animal suffering, the poisoning of the air, land and sea affects God – he feels our pain

–         Jesus the Son only does what he sees God his Father doing – he sees God close to people and affected by our lives and so he knows that God wants him to enter into the human experience as well (like Father like Son)

–         Part of the human experience is hunger and powerlessness

–         If Jesus used his special power to satisfy his own hunger then he wouldn’t be entering into the human experience, he would be avoiding it

–         To avoid the human experience would be a denial of his baptism and a denial of God’s purpose for him and a denial of himself as God’s Son

–         It is God’s will to save humanity and that meant it was necessary for Jesus to enter into the experience of those he’d come to save

–         By fasting and experiencing hunger Jesus was creating a bond or a tie with those who have known hunger & powerlessness

 

As well as entering into the human experience generally, God wanted Jesus to enter into Israel’s experience particularly – and part of Israel’s experience was hunger & vulnerability in the wilderness

–         As Son of God, Jesus is doing for Israel what Israel failed to do

–         In all three temptations Jesus refutes the devil by quoting Scripture from Deuteronomy chapters 6 & 8

–         Deuteronomy 6-8 forms part of the instruction Moses gave to the people toward the end of their time in the wilderness

–         Moses was basically saying that God had been training Israel to trust and obey him – much like a Father teaches a son – and here’s some of the things they should have learned from their experience

 

Lesson number one: ‘Man cannot live by bread alone’ (and by man we mean humankind – men & women)

–         Eating food is essential to survival in this life

–         Likewise, obedience to God’s will is essential to this life and the next

–         Jesus’ refusal to break his fast until God said so proved the point that doing God’s will is even more life giving than eating bread

–         Fulfilling God’s purpose satisfies our souls in a way that food can’t

 

Having said all that Jesus didn’t always fast – in fact he had a reputation for eating well

–         On another occasion in the wilderness Jesus would use his power to miraculously multiply loaves and fishes to feed thousands

–         On that occasion Jesus was actually proving a similar point – that God is the source and sustain-er of life

–         Jesus had just been feeding the people with God’s word through his teaching – then, after he had fed their souls with his sermon, he fed their bodies with food – because we need both for life

 

So if you’re thinking I might do a fast for 40 days like Jesus – then don’t, it will kill you (you’re not Jesus)

–         If you want to give up something don’t give up food which is good for you – give up the things that are bad for you, like complaining or self-pity or gossip or resentment or worry or excess screen time

 

Jesus’ obedience in submitting to God’s will for him shows that Jesus trusted God to provide bread for him when God was ready

–         And this is exactly what God did – after the devil had left, angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs

 

The second temptation comes in the form of a vision

–         The devil transports Jesus to the highest point of the temple and invites him to jump off, saying…

–         “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

–         The devil wants Jesus to act as though God is there to serve him

–         Leverage your relationship with God, get him to pull some strings for you

 

Notice how the devil uses the Bible to entice Jesus here – he makes it seem like a good idea, a holy idea even

–         The devil misuses holy Scripture by taking a verse out of context and applying a crude literalism to it – what we might call ‘proof texting’

–         Jesus isn’t fooled though – he finds the true meaning of Scripture by putting things in the right context

–         He understands Scripture because of his closeness to God the Father

 

Again Jesus quotes Scripture from Deuteronomy

–         “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

–         This is another lesson Israel should have learned in the wilderness

–         ‘Don’t put God to the test’ means don’t try and force God’s hand

–         Don’t put God in an awkward position

–         Don’t try to manipulate God

–         Don’t take advantage of your relationship with God for selfish ends

–         It’s the Father who teaches the Son, not the other way around

 

God wasn’t asking Jesus to jump off the temple roof

–         God was asking Jesus to hang on the cross

–         Jesus shows he is the Son of God by obeying the will of the Father

 

The third temptation also comes in the form of a vision

–         This time the devil isn’t so subtle – he shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour and says…

–         “All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.”

–         The devil is offering Jesus a cosy alternative to his mission

–         Imagine the good you could do if all the kingdoms of the world were yours – this is an easier way than the way God has for you

 

But Jesus isn’t going to repeat the mistakes of the Israelites in the wilderness who bowed down to the statue of a gold bull and says…

–         “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”

–         Jesus loves God his Father and wouldn’t trade him for all the kingdoms of the world – that’s the quality of their relationship, that’s the strength of their bond

 

Conclusion:

Jesus shows he is God’s Son through his total commitment and trusting obedience to the Father

Most of Jesus’ contemporaries couldn’t see he was the Son of God because they were looking with their eyes and not with their hearts

–         It was only after his death and resurrection that it began to dawn on people who Jesus really is

The good news is: through faith in Jesus God tames us – through Jesus, God creates a bond making us his friends and family

 

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 (or who) ties Jesus to God?

–         What (or who) ties us to God?

3.)    Why did Jesus go to be baptised by John?

4.)    Who did the son of God refer to in the Old Testament?

5.)    The baptism of Jesus sounds many echoes of the Old Testament. What echoes can you hear?

6.)    Why did the Spirt lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil?

7.)    Discuss / reflect on Jesus’ response to the three temptations and their relationship to Israel’s experience in the wilderness

–         In what ways has your faith / relationship with God been tested over the years?

8.)    How might God tame us?

 

 

Tawa Baptist

Son of David

Scriptures: Matthew 1:1-17; 12:1-6 & 38-42; 21:1-17; 22:41-45 & Psalm 110

Title: Jesus, Son of David

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Greater than Solomon
  • Greater than the temple
  • Greater than David
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

One of the good things about being an adult is that your feet stop growing

–         And that’s a good thing because it means you can buy a pair of shoes that are the right size and they’ll keep being the right size

–         When you are a child your feet are always getting bigger, so when you buy a pair of shoes that fit it’s not long before they become too tight and you have to curl your toes up at the front

I have here a child’s chair from the Sparrow’s Sunday school

–         This chair is great if you are four but it’s not so wonderful if you’re 40

–         Most of us could probably sit in this chair if we had to but it would be too small – we might have our knees up around our ears or we might find it difficult to get up

 

Today we continue our sermon series on the titles ascribed to Jesus

–         So far we have looked at Jesus the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father, Mighty God and ‘Lord’.

–         This morning we consider the title, ‘Son of David’ – as in King David

–         Jesus didn’t go around calling himself the ‘Son of David’ but he accepted it when other people called him that

–         What we find though is the title ‘Son of David’ doesn’t really fit for Jesus

–         It’s too small, like a pair of shoes you’ve grown out of or a kindy chair

–         Jesus isn’t just the king of Israel, his realm is much larger than that

 

Greater than Solomon:

In the ancient way of thinking the life of a father is continued in his son

–         To the ancient mind a son fulfilled the purpose of a man’s life

–         We don’t necessarily think that way today but in the world in which the Bible was written they did think that way

Two of the gospels place Jesus’ family tree near the beginning

–         Matthew’s gospel in particular opens with the verse…

A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Matthew then goes on to list the line of male descendants from Abraham, through King David and all the way down to Joseph, the husband of Mary

–         In doing this Matthew is making it clear that Jesus is royalty – he is the Messiah, the king of Israel descended from David

–         As a son (or a descendant) of David, Jesus continues David’s reign and fulfils the purpose of David’s life

Now some of you may be thinking, ‘But wait a second, this is Joseph’s family tree and Jesus wasn’t Joseph’s biological son. Mary conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit (not by Joseph) – so how does that make Jesus a son of David?’

–         Well, Jesus is Joseph’s son by adoption. The fact that Jesus is adopted by Joseph in no way undermines Jesus’ royal lineage

–         In Jewish thought a child became a man’s son not so much by physical procreation as by acknowledgement on the part of the man

–         So Jesus is a ‘Son of David’ by adoption into Joseph’s family

 

Looking at David’s sons more closely we see Matthew lists 14 kings from Solomon to the time of the exile, when Judah no longer had a king of their own and the nation became subject to foreign kings

–         Of all the sons of David listed there Solomon was probably the most famous and politically successful king

Most people remember Solomon for his wisdom

–         For a nation to have peace the leaders must act with justice and justice requires wisdom

–         Solomon was a clever politician – under his reign the nation of Israel reached its zenith, it’s pinnacle of glory & riches

–         This being said Solomon’s policies actually oppressed the people – he laid a heavy burden of taxation on the working class

–         Not only that but Solomon had hundreds of wives and consequently his loyalty to Yahweh was divided

–         So there were some serious blind spots in Solomon’s wisdom

–         Nevertheless people came to him from all over the world for advice

In Matthew 12 some Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign and Jesus refuses saying…

“A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign… The Queen of the South will rise at the judgement with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.” 

Of all the sons of David to sit on the throne Solomon was the greatest and yet Jesus is greater than Solomon

–         Jesus is greater in wisdom and power and status – even if he lacked all the pomp & ceremony and material wealth of Solomon

–         Jesus isn’t just another son in a long list of sons – Jesus is the Son of David, promised by God through his prophets long ago

During the time of the Jewish exile, when the people were subject to foreign rulers, God said through his prophet Jeremiah…

‘The days are coming when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is right in the land…’

–         Jeremiah was talking about the Son of David in these verses – ‘Branch of David’ is just a poetic way of saying ‘Son of David’

–         Christians believe Jesus is the righteous branch – the King descended from David who will reign wisely and do what is right

 

Greater than the temple:

Let me tell you a story…

–         Once there was a man who was good with money

–         As a child he didn’t have much – in fact he didn’t always know where his next meal was coming from

–         Poverty lit a fire in him – he worked hard to put as much distance between himself and his past as he could

–         Working two or three jobs at a time he managed to scrape together enough for a loan to start his own business

–         The business grew and so did his portfolio until he was worth millions

Sadly, the man’s great wealth came at an even greater cost

–         Working long hours and carrying all that stress took its toll on his relationships

–         By the end of his career he found himself alone in an empty mansion, drinking too much and wondering what the point of it all was

–         He’d spent his whole life climbing the ladder of success only to reach the top and discover the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall

 

When the man died his entire estate went to his grandson

–         Everyone expected the young man to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and make even more money

–         But the boy was not like his grandfather – he had seen what the pursuit of money had done to his family, the loneliness & grief it caused

–         So the young man took some time to think how best to use his inheritance

–         He loved his grandfather but he couldn’t walk in the old man’s shoes – they just didn’t fit him

–         To repeat the mistakes of the past would be a betrayal of his grandad and of himself

After much thought the young man decided to use his grandfather’s wealth to help others

–         The empty mansion became a women’s refuge

–         The rental properties all got an uplift and the tenants got a rent decrease

–         The bach up north was built on Maori land so he gave it back – justice is better than charity

–         Most of the shares got liquidated and the cash he loaned interest free to people in developing countries or put towards educational scholarships

He didn’t give everything away though – he kept some for himself because having too little money is just as destructive as having too much

–         If his grandfather had taught him anything it was that poverty and excess are opposite sides of the same coin

Perhaps his grandad would have turned in his grave to know how he had spent his inheritance but really it was the most meaningful thing the young man could do – It gave his grandfather’s life work a greater purpose

–         Money is a wonderful servant when it is used to set people free

In some ways the young man in this story is like Jesus

–         Jesus inherited the title ‘Son of David’ and with it came an expectation that he would behave like David & Solomon

–         That he would defeat the Romans and make Israel glorious again

–         But Jesus couldn’t walk in their shoes – they didn’t fit

–         Israel’s expectations of the Messiah were too small, too narrow

–         To repeat the past would have been a betrayal of sorts

–         Jesus doesn’t copy David & Solomon verbatim – but neither does he disrespect what he has inherited

–         Instead Jesus uses what he has been given to set people free and in doing that he gives David’s life a greater purpose

 

For most of his ministry Jesus downplayed the idea that he was the Son of David, perhaps because it meant something quite different to him than it did in the minds of the people – the term ‘Son of David’ was politically loaded and Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this world

–         There was one occasion though when Jesus did walk in David’s shoes – he intentionally encouraged the people to think of him as their king by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey

–         David and his sons rode mules – not only that but the prophets to the exiles predicted the Messiah would come riding on a donkey:

–         Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

–         When Jesus did that a week before Passover the crowds went wild and shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.’

Soon after that Jesus went into the temple in Jerusalem, saw the merchants in the court of the Gentiles and drove them out, quoting Scripture…

–         “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers.”

 

King David had wanted to build a temple for the Lord but God said it wasn’t for David to do that – Solomon would be the one to build the temple

–         The temple of Jesus’ day was not the same as the temple of Solomon’s day – Solomon’s temple had been destroyed centuries earlier

–         Nevertheless in thinking about the title ‘Son of David’ we are reminded of the role of David’s son in restoring the temple to its proper purpose

From Matthew 21, verse 14 we read…

  • – The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
  • – But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

Most of the gospel references to Jesus as Son of David are in the context of Jesus healing people, which stands in contrast to King David who, as a soldier, maimed and killed people

–         The interesting thing here is that the blind and lame were not usually welcome in the temple, yet they do feel welcome with Jesus there

–         Jesus restores their sight and mobility so they are able to participate in prayer and worship with the rest of the community

 

The religious leaders don’t like the way children are ascribing the title ‘Son of David’ to Jesus, but Jesus defends the children

–         Ironically the kids have more spiritual insight than the chief priests

 

It has to be said though that Jesus was never as enamoured by the Jerusalem temple as David & Solomon were. He was critical of the temple system and foresaw its destruction

  • – In Matthew 12 Jesus’ disciples pick some heads of grain as they walk past a field on the Sabbath
  • – The Pharisees point out to Jesus that his disciples are breaking the law in doing this. (Actually they weren’t breaking God’s law, just the Pharisees’ man made rules). Jesus defends his disciples saying…

“Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.”

In these verses Jesus compares himself to David and his disciples to David’s companions

  • – The ‘something greater than the temple’ is Jesus and the community of his followers
  • – Jesus came to build something greater than a physical building
  • – Jesus came to build the church – a people united in love for him
  • – Those of you who were here for the all-age Christmas service last year may remember what Neville said about Jesus being the corner stone and each of us being living stones in God’s house

 

So far then we’ve heard how Jesus, the Son of David, is greater than Solomon and that he builds something greater than the temple – he builds the church

  • – But what about King David himself – how does Jesus compare to David?

 

Greater than David:

If I say, ‘Jim is a chip off the old block’, what do I mean? [Wait]

–         ­­That’s right, I mean that Jim is like his father. The old block being Jim’s father and the chip being Jim himself

–         And what would you say was greater in this analogy – the old block or the chip? [Wait] The old block is greater

–         But even greater still is the one swinging the axe

 

Okay, what do I mean if I say, ‘The apple didn’t fall far from the tree’? [Wait]

–         That’s right, I mean the child is similar to the parent

–         The parent being the tree, the apple being the child

–         And what is greater – the apple or the tree [Wait] The tree is greater

–         But even greater still is the gardener who planted and watered the tree

To say that Jesus is the Son of David is true in a sense but it doesn’t tell the full story – it suggests that Jesus is a chip off the old block or the apple that didn’t fall far from the tree – when in actual fact Jesus is greater than David

–         In Jesus we find something more than the old block or the tree

–         Jesus is the gardener

 

You all know the story of Cinderella – the girl who was treated cruelly by her step mother and step sisters, but with the help of a fairy god-mother gets to go to the ball

  • – She has a wonderful time and the prince falls in love with her
  • – But she must leave before the stroke of midnight when her carriage turns back into a pumpkin
  • – As she runs out of the palace she leaves behind a single glass slipper
  • – It is the only clue the prince has to her identity – he must find out who this beautiful and mysterious woman is
  • – In his quest to find her the prince goes from house to house through his kingdom getting ladies to try on the glass slipper – if it fits she is the one

In some ways Jesus was a little bit like Cinderella and the chief priests and Pharisees were like his step mother and step sisters; jealous of him, never giving him the respect he was due

  • – After Jesus had cleansed the temple he was peppered with questions from the religious establishment to try and trip him up
  • – They didn’t like Jesus and wanted an excuse to get rid of him
  • – But Jesus always had an answer for them
  • – When the Pharisees grew tired of questioning him, Jesus asked them…

“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

“The son of David,” they replied.

He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’

If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”

 

A couple of Sundays ago I said that Jesus was more interested in getting people to think about the who and why questions than he was the how

  • – Here we have a classic who question: Who is the Messiah?
  • – The Pharisees answer as expected, ‘The Son of David’
  • – But Jesus points out how this doesn’t quite fit with the glass slipper of Scripture. Jesus quotes King David from Psalm 110

It sounds a little confusing so I’ll try to make it as simple as possible

  • – David (speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) relays a conversation he overhears between his superiors
  • – Yahweh (or God) says to David’s Lord (the Messiah), ‘Sit at my right hand…’
  • – Now to the ancient Jews there was only one person above the king and that was God Almighty
  • – Yet David is saying there is someone else above me – someone equal to God – for he sits at God’s right hand
  • – Who is this mysterious Lord (this Cinderella) of whom David speaks?

The Pharisees don’t know how to answer Jesus and Jesus doesn’t spell it out for them either – he leaves the question in their minds like grit in an oyster shell which, with time, forms a pearl

 

The point is, ‘Son of David’ is not an adequate title for the Messiah

  • – David himself acknowledges that the promised Messiah is his Lord
  • – Jesus (the Messiah) is greater than David

 

Conclusion:

Jesus had a pretty high opinion of himself – it’s no wonder he was crucified

  • – Jesus basically said he was greater than Solomon
  • – That he (and his companions) were greater than the Jerusalem temple
  • – And that he was greater even than King David himself

As C.S. Lewis said, anyone who made those sorts of claims about himself was either a lunatic, a liar or the Son of God

No one likes a big noter and yet Jesus isn’t blowing his own trumpet

  • – If anything he is squeezing into a pair of shoes that are too small for him
  • – Or sitting on a child’s seat
  • – He’s making himself smaller to accommodate us
  • – The titles we have for Jesus are not adequate to define him
  • – Just as the categories we have for Jesus are not sufficient to contain him

 

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.)    Why does Matthew open his gospel with Jesus’ genealogy, tracing the line of David?

3.)    In what ways is Jesus similar to Solomon?

–         In what ways was Jesus different to Solomon?

4.)    What have you inherited from your forebears (either materially speaking or otherwise)?

–         How might you best use that?

5.)    Who (or what) is greater than the Jerusalem temple?

6.)    In what ways is Jesus similar to David?

–         In what ways is Jesus different to David?

7.)    Why is the title ‘Son of David’ inadequate for Jesus?

8.)    What expectations do you have of Jesus?

–         Do your expectations fit with the glass slipper of Scripture?

 

Tawa Baptist

Mighty God

Scripture: Mark 1:21-39

Title: Mighty God

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Jesus preaches with authority
  • Jesus heals with power
  • Jesus prays with perspective
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Lieutenant General, Lord, Freyberg served in the Dardanelles & Europe with the British Army during the first world war

–         Then he served in Italy & Africa with the New Zealand army during the second world war

–         As all the letters before and after his name suggest, Bernard Freyberg was awarded many titles and decorations for his bravery in combat, including the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order (with three bars) and the French Croix de Guerre

–         Winston Churchill called Freyberg the ‘Salamander’ due to his disregard for danger and always being in the thick of the action

–         Despite being wounded many times Freyberg survived and kept coming back for more

 

Today we continue our sermon series on the titles ascribed to Jesus

–         Like Bernard Freyberg, Jesus has earned many titles too

–         So far we have looked at Jesus the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father and what it means to call Jesus, ‘Lord’

–         This morning we consider the title of ‘Mighty God’ for Jesus

–         ‘Mighty God’ comes from Isaiah 9 verse 6 and in the context was a reference to the Messiah as a courageous warrior king, a general, empowered by God to defeat evil and deliver the people

 

Freyberg and Jesus were similar in that they were both courageous leaders who weren’t afraid to get in the thick of the action

–         But they were very different in the way they went about their combat and who they fought against

–         Jesus did not come to wage war against flesh & blood (as Freyberg did)

–         Jesus fought against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm

–         Jesus waged war against Satan, without guns or swords

 

To help us see Jesus in action against evil we will read a passage from Mark 1

–         This describes a day in the life of Jesus’ early ministry

–         From Mark 1, verses 21 to 39, in the NIV, we read…

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

In a war, one country invades another and takes their land by force

–         As a consequence the people of the country that is invaded lose their freedom

–         It’s similar when someone gets sick – it’s like the illness or the infection invades the person’s body so they lose their health & freedom

 

God created the world good but the world has been invaded by evil

–         As a consequence we (humanity) have lost our health & freedom

 

Jesus came to establish God’s Kingdom (God’s reign) on earth

–         In doing this Jesus was taking back what Satan had invaded & stolen

–         But, unlike other military commanders, Jesus didn’t come to take back God’s world by force, with tanks and guns or chariots and swords

–         Jesus simply offered himself

–         Jesus is a General like no other – he uses a quite different approach

 

In our reading from Mark 1 we note three strategies Jesus employs in the war against evil…

–         Jesus preaches with authority

–         He heals with power

–         And he prays with perspective

 

Jesus preaches with authority:

First let us consider Jesus’ preaching with authority

 

Last year the Nobel Prize for physiology & medicine was awarded to Dr James Allison, from The University of Texas, and Professor Tasuku Honjo, from Kyoto University

–         They were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discoveries in cancer treatment

–         Traditional cancer treatments, like chemotherapy, involve a bit of collateral damage, with the good cells getting killed along with the bad

–         But Allison & Tasuku have made advances in immunotherapy, using the body’s immune system to target cancer cells

–         So instead of nuking everything, they have worked out a way for the body to identify the real enemy (the cancer) and attack those cells only

–         I’m not sure I properly the understand the science of it all but it works on a molecular level – really clever stuff

 

The Israel of Jesus’ day had been invaded by the Romans and was occupied by them, so the Jews weren’t free

–         They naturally thought of the Romans as the enemy

–         But Jesus didn’t see it that way – Jesus could see that the real enemy was Satan and the forces of evil

–         Jesus knew the battle for people’s souls needed to be fought in people’s hearts & minds, at a molecular level (spiritually speaking)

–         So Jesus’ main strategy in bringing God’s Kingdom to earth was to preach & teach the ways of God

 

But he didn’t preach like anyone else. Verse 22 tells us…

–         The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

 

The teachers of the law were the guardians of oral tradition

–         They passed on to others the man made rules and regulations that explained how to apply God’s law as contained in the first five books of what we call the Old Testament

–         Their teaching was essentially a list of rules – dos and don’ts for everyday life

–         For example, the Law of Moses says you can’t work on the Sabbath and so here’s what that means – you can’t heal someone on the Sabbath, if it can wait till tomorrow but you can pull your donkey out of a well if it falls in on the Sabbath

–         I imagine their teaching was quite focused on answering the questions of how and what?

–         How are we supposed to apply God’s law? What constitutes work? Etc.

 

Jesus’ preaching was different to this though – Jesus didn’t base his message on the authority of the scribes’ oral tradition or their man made regulations

–         For Jesus the more important questions were why and who?

–         Why do we keep the Sabbath? Who is God to us? That sort of thing

–         It’s not that the how & what questions are unimportant

–         It’s just that when we understand who God is (his character, his love) and why he has given various commandments, then we don’t need all the other man-made legislation, because we can discern the spirit of the law

 

The title ‘Mighty God’ applies to Jesus because his message was based on God given authority – on his personal knowledge & relationship with God the Father

–         He could talk about the Kingdom of Heaven from personal experience because he came from heaven – the scribes couldn’t do that

–         He had authority to break the scribes’ rules about healing on the Sabbath because he came to fulfil the purpose of the Sabbath – to restore people

 

I think Jesus’ approach in preaching & teaching was a bit like immunotherapy

–         His words worked at a spiritually molecular level, inside a person’s heart & mind

–         Jesus was sowing the seed of a thought to activate our spiritual immune system (our conscience) so that we could identify the true enemy inside and attack that

–         You see, the enemy wasn’t really the Romans or any other political / cultural people group that we might not like

–         Jesus preached forgiveness of people because people are not the enemy

–         The real enemy is things like fear and pride and greed and loneliness and cynicism, and the many lies we tell ourselves are true

–         They are the sorts of things that eat away at us and rob our peace

 

The other thing that helped to reinforce the authority of Jesus’ preaching was his deeds of power – his healings & exorcisms

 

Jesus heals with power:

Like Freyberg, Jesus wasn’t afraid to get in the thick of it

–         In fact we know Jesus’ preaching was on target and effective because of the reaction it got from the powers of darkness

–         When Jesus preached in the synagogue in Capernaum a man with an evil spirit reacted by saying…

–         “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

–         25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

 

There was no contest really – Jesus set the man free from the forces of evil with just a few simple words. He didn’t even raise a sweat

–         This shows us who the real enemy is and at the same time it reveals that Jesus embodies the mighty power of God

–         But notice that the power of God is different from human power

–         God’s power (as embodied in Jesus) is not the power of violence but rather the power of holiness

–         Now when we talk about holiness we don’t mean being ‘holier than thou’

–         We mean holiness in the sense of wholeness or integrity

–         Holiness is really about being one thing – being true to who we really are as creatures made in the image of God

–         Jesus knew who he was and why he was – he was clear about his identity & purpose and that gave him strength and courage to stand against evil

 

U2 have a song called ‘There is a Light’. One of the verses reads…

 

I know the world is done, but you don’t have to be
I’ve got a question for the child in you before it leaves
Are you tough enough to be kind?
Do you know your heart has its own mind?
Darkness gathers around the light
Hold on, Hold on 

 

I don’t know what Bono meant by those words but to me he is saying something like…

–         Yes, there is evil and darkness in the world but it’s not too late for you

–         Don’t give in to cynicism, don’t give in to the darkness

–         It takes more courage, more strength, more toughness to be kind

–         And when your kindness (your light) is met with hostility and rejection, then remember that ‘darkness gathers around the light’

 

The toughness to be kind is the toughness that comes from holiness, from being one thing, from knowing who we are in Christ and why we are (our purpose)

–         Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are the light of the world’

–         That tells us who we are why we are – we are the light and our purpose is to shine in the darkness

–         Jesus also said, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake’

–         Goodness (light) is powerful in its own way and it usually gets a reaction from evil – the darkness gathers around the light

 

Following the exorcism in the synagogue Jesus goes to Simon & Andrew’s home where Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever

–         While sickness is not exactly the same as being possessed by an evil spirit, neither is it God’s will for us

–         Interestingly Jesus demonstrates his power & authority without saying a word – he simply takes Simon’s mother-in-law by the hand – he heals her with his touch and Simon’s mother-in-law serves them

–         As usual it is a woman who shows us the right response to Jesus

 

Once the sun goes down the Sabbath ends and people come to Jesus at Simon’s home for healing. Nothing is too difficult for him

–         Jesus isn’t a one trick pony – he can heal any sort of disease and cast out any demon

–         These powerful healings coupled with Jesus’ authorative preaching show that Jesus is worthy of the title, ‘Mighty God’

 

There is an irony here – despite all the miracles the people of Capernaum aren’t able to join the dots to work out who Jesus is – that he is the Messiah spoken of by the prophet Isaiah

–         They are amazed but uncomprehending

–         Miracles don’t necessarily produce faith or understanding

–         The demons know who Jesus is, but Jesus silences them – it is not for the forces of evil to set the agenda or reveal God’s plan

 

Jesus prays with perspective:

We’ve talked about how the title ‘Mighty God’ finds resonance with courageous and powerful leadership

–         One of the attributes of a good military leader is their ability to see the bigger picture and not become distracted from the main objective

–         Maintaining a healthy perspective is crucial for any leader

 

There is a scene in the second Hobbit movie, where Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves get lost in the Mirkwood forest

–         Mirkwood is a dark and disorienting place – evil lurks in the shadows

 

Bilbo senses they are going around in circles so he climbs to the top of the trees and looks out over the branches to get some perspective and find some direction

–         Above the trees it is sunny and bright and Bilbo can see for miles

 

Spiritually speaking, Capernaum was perhaps a bit like Mirkwood forest

–         Given the large number of demon possessed & sick, and given the obtuseness of the people, it appears the powers of darkness were at home there

 

Verse 35 of Mark 1 tells us that, very early in the morning, Jesus left the house and went off to a solitary place to pray

–         Jesus had just had a very busy and successful day

–         Both busy-ness and success have a way of causing us to lose perspective

–         Jesus and his disciples could have lost their way in Capernaum

–         They could have been tempted to stay and clean the place up

–         I’m sure the evil one would have been more than happy keeping them busy fighting fires, going round & round in circles performing miracles without achieving the greater purpose God had for them

–         By going to a solitary place to pray Jesus was climbing to the top of the trees and looking out over the branches of Capernaum to restore his perspective and find some direction from God

 

We don’t know exactly what Jesus said in his prayer on this occasion but it is apparent that his purpose was to listen to God and find out his next move – for when Peter found him and said, ‘Everyone is looking for you’

–         Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

–         Jesus didn’t operate independently of God or in his own strength

–         Through prayer Jesus maintained his perspective and remembered why he had come (God’s larger purpose)

–         He did not allow himself to be distracted – there were others who needed the opportunity to hear his message and discover who & why they are

 

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard how Jesus fulfils the title of ‘Mighty God’

–         Jesus is our General in the battle against evil; courageous and powerful to defeat the forces of darkness

–         Jesus’ weapons in battle include preaching with authority, healing with power and praying with perspective

–         Jesus’ power is not the power of violence but the power of holiness, the power of being one with God, of knowing who and why he is

 

In a few moments we will share communion

–         Communion is a time when we remember Jesus’ victory over the forces of darkness

–         It’s a time when we lift our heads above the trees and regain our perspective by remembering who we are in Christ and why we are here; to love & enjoy God

 

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 does the title ‘Mighty God’ tell us about Jesus?

3.)    Who is the real enemy?

4.)    Why is Jesus’ approach to the war against evil different to that of a military leader?

–         Why does Jesus place so much importance on preaching & teaching?

5.)    What do we mean by the power of holiness?

6.)    Are you tough enough to be kind?

7.)    Why did Jesus make time to be alone in prayer?

–         Why do you pray?

8.)    Take some time this week to contemplate who you are in Christ and why you are here (i.e. God’s purpose for you).