Who Validates You?

[credits to Neil Shenvi & Doug Wilson] Good morning, and welcome to Bethel. The last time I was up to preach, I talked a bit about justice -- the justice that every human heart longs for. Even the hearts of little children. As you can tell from the uniform that I am wearing, I help out with the Awana program. And the color of my uniform indicates that I help with the youngest children: the three- and four-year-old “cubbies.” And even three- and four-year-olds are known to cry, “that’s not fair!” Built deep inside each of us is this idea of justice. But justice isn’t just what individuals long for. Justice is also something that nations longs for. There is nothing like injustice for destroying societies. So it is no surprise that we hear cries for justice from every direction these days.

But a legitimate question to ask of anyone marching under the banner of justice is “whose justice?” Who gets to decide what justice looks like? Who gets to judge? Justice, by its very nature, isn’t justice without a judge... or a justifier. To be “justified” simply means to be judged to be on the right side of justice, after all. Justice needs a justifier. So who is your justifier this morning? Sure -- all manner of people would love to have that kind of control over us. Celebrities, newscasters, politicians, professors, parents, even preachers(!?) -- they might all like to pose as justifiers, or judges over groups of people, and we are all too often tempted to grant them that power. But which one? They all have their own perspectives and their own agendas. Why should we consider any one of them authoritative? On the other hand, we may like democracy so much that we want the “court of public opinion” to be our judge and justifier. But anyone who has been paying any attention over the last few decades knows how fickle that can be.

These days, people look for justification (that’s an interesting word, isn’t it… we’ll get back to it, but for now, let’s use the more common word “validation”) people look for validation in all manner of places -- social media, friends, work, family, or even church, I suppose. There is really only one true justifier, and that would be God. But God is a Holy and perfect God, so He doesn’t justify just anyone. At the same time, he didn’t want us left in the dark about the kinds of people who he is willing to justify. So he sent Jesus, who told us a story revealing exactly that. From it we can learn how we can be on the right side of justice; how we can be justified; how we can be right with God (that’s what it means to be justified, after all). But as short and as simple as this story is, be warned: it could be challenging. Let me read it to you:

Jesus told this parable:(Luke 18) 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one [was] a Pharisee and the other [was] a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector: 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you [says Jesus] that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.”

Just four sentences, representing our outline this morning: first is the set-up (verse 10), then the Pharisee (verses 11 & 12), then the tax-collector (verse 13), then the judgment (the first part of verse 14).

The set-up (verse 10): “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one [was] a Pharisee and the other [was] a tax collector.” Here, Jesus contrasts two men, two attitudes, two prayers, and -- spoiler alert! -- he is going to pronounce a verdict on those two men. One goes home right with God. The other does not. Now before going further, we need to realize that this aspect of the parable is not just a story: every human being in history, every human being on the planet, is one day going to stand before God and discover whether God considers us on the right side of justice. There is no middle ground, folks. Either we go home justified before God or we do not. Either we are the Pharisee or we are the tax collector. Jesus has no intention of giving us a third option. But the good news here is that we need not be troubled at the prospect of a final judgment! We, too, can be justified. And Jesus has told us all we need to know to be so.

Next is the Pharisee (verses 11 & 12): As you may know, we now use the word "Pharisee" to describe self-righteous arrogance and pride. But hey, we're not so much talking about Pharisees in general -- we're talking about this Pharisee in particular, and we all know that it isn’t fair to judge an individual based on some stereotype or other, no matter who we think we can associate them with. That’s the kind of thinking that leads to racism. That’s the kind of thinking that leads to sexism. So let’s avoid all that this morning. Let’s treat this man as an individual based on Jesus’ description of him. So what do we know about this particular Pharisee? He is:

1. Religiously perfect. In Jesus’ day, the fact that he was a Pharisee would have meant exactly that. The Pharisees were an exclusive club, and to join that club meant that you had received careful instruction, you had excelled at religious education, you had demonstrated devotion and dedication to the law. And the fact that this man is going to the Temple shows us that he is taking God seriously. The Temple is where all the orthodox, spiritual, and godly action was when Jesus was telling this story. So the Pharisee was religiously pure. But that’s not all… he was also…
2. Morally upright. After all, not all pharisees were hypocrites. And there is no indication of hypocrisy in Jesus’ story. No: this Pharisee seems to have practiced what he preached. He was virtuous in all matters -- exhibiting perhaps all of the marks of a godly man. He respects people and property. He gives generously. He’s socially conscious. And he is spiritual: fasting -- not just twice a year, as the law required, but twice a week. (that’s verse 12) All indications are that this Pharisee was morally blameless. Religiously orthodox and morally upright. So far so good. But that’s not all… this Pharisee also…
3. Gave credit to God: we see that he is explicitly thanking God for his place in the order of things. He realizes that all that he is and all that he has derives from the goodness of God, and he does not neglect to thank God for all those things. Religiously orthodox, morally upright, and humble enough to give credit to God. So what’s not to like?

The trouble is that when we hear this story, most of us don’t like this guy. Now it might be because we had the punchline tipped to us: this man was not justified before God, and we know better than to contradict the Lord of Glory. Unfortunately, we might struggle to know why he didn’t impress God. We almost want to make up excuses for disliking him. We might call him proud or arrogant. Perhaps he was, but Jesus doesn’t cooperate with us here: he doesn’t give us any reason to come to such a conclusion. So this man does not go home right with God, and we feel it in our bones that he shouldn’t go home right with God. But we still need to discover “why.”

Now we will come back to him in a few minutes, but before we do, let's consider the other guy: the person that Jesus uses as a role-model for us -- the one who does go home justified before God. And we need to understand that Jesus is using the most unlikely, and surprising, and shocking role-model he could ever have chosen: This second man is a tax collector. (verse 13)

But to explain why that's such a scandal, I'd like to tell you a bit about my father. My Dad was a marvelous man. He loved me. He loved my brothers. I have fond memories of many hours playing sports in the back yard with him. Our yard was where the entire neighborhood gathered to play plastic baseball. I have very few memories in which my Dad was agitated or unhappy, but those I have stand out for me. One of the very few things that made my father frustrated was the yearly attempt to file income tax. Nobody likes being taxed. And, as a result, nobody likes tax collectors. But there are many reasons why folks in Jesus’ day disliked tax collectors even more than they are disliked today.

Today, the government uses business to tax us: very few of us actually come face to face with a real tax collector. Today, there are rules that at least apply to most people, and for the vast majority, at least, those rules are fair. Today, taxes are administered by elected representatives of the people, and are applied to things we value, like roads, and schools and hospitals. In Jesus day, perhaps only the "roads" applied.

When Jesus told this parable, the tax collector would arrive at your door, unannounced, and behind him would be a squad of Roman soldiers. He would demand a sum of money, and there was nothing you could do to check whether the amount that he asked for was fair. The money was going to make your enemies wealthy and finance their military campaigns. The tax collectors weren’t just associating with the bad guys, they were collaborating with them, and in the process making themselves absurdly wealthy.

As you might know, there are these luxury resorts these days called “Club Med”. I once thought that their name was because doctors were among the few who could afford vacations at such places. I’m told that in Kenya, they have luxury resorts called “Club Police,” instead -- now if that’s true, it tells you all you need to know about the corruption in Kenya. But if there were luxury resorts in Jesus’ day, they wouldn’t call them “Club Med” or “Club Police” -- they would call them “Club Tax”: tax collectors had became known for their greed, their injustice, their treachery, and their thievery.

But just like with the Pharisee, it isn’t fair to lump this individual tax collector in Jesus’ parable in with the worst of his bunch and stereotype him. So let’s give him a fair shake, shall we? So what do we know about this particular tax collector?

1. He was a sinner - he says so. Perhaps he is aware of the pain that he inflicted on the weak and the helpless. With the power of the Roman Empire behind him, he could steal and extort, and he could have done it to widows and orphans. Notice that this man does not claim any virtues. He doesn’t present anything to offset his sin. There is no money in an offering plate. He doesn’t compare himself to anyone else, either. In fact, he sees himself as the only sinner. In the original language he actually says, “God have mercy on me, ‘the’ sinner.” Nobody else is involved in his standing with God. But what else can we say about him?
2. He is upset that he's a sinner. Other tax collectors no doubt thought of their sins as “coming with the territory” of their job, or as “the cost of doing business.” But this tax collector is aware of how his lifestyle did not come close to God’s standard of behavior. He knows that he has no standing before God, and this grieves him greatly. He is a sinner, and this upsets him. He displays deep grief and regret. What else?
3. He is humble before God. He stands at a distance. He does not look up. He is not attempting to approach God. He knows he is guilty and is overcome with remorse.

So that’s it: we have been presented with two men: one is moral, the other immoral; one is respectable, the other unrespectable; one is a religious leader, the other a religious outcast. The first is convinced he's righteous, the second is certain that he is not…

But now comes the surprise. The shock -- the scandal! -- of the parable arrives at its punchline: the specific judgment at the beginning of verse 14 is that the second man -- the tax collector! -- is granted standing with God. The bad man is accepted, the good man is not. The man who would likely have been too embarrassed to come near a synagogue is accepted, and the pillar of the religious community is not. Sure, the Pharisee might have had issues, but not robbing widows; not stealing, lying, cheating. Sure, it is great that the tax collector repented and all, but how can this be right? How can God accept a bad person and reject a good one?

Now while Jesus tells this somewhat puzzling story, and likely left his disciples scratching their heads, Luke -- the writer recording Jesus’ parable -- gives us a hand here. But please keep in mind that what we are about to read is not part of the original story that Jesus told: it is simply Luke’s introduction to that story. In verse 9, right before the parable we just read, Luke writes that Jesus told this story to those who were “confident in their own goodness and who looked down on other people.”

Now if you are anything like me, when you hear this, there is a sense of relief. That’s it! That’s the problem. The Pharisee was one of those religious people who is confident in his own goodness and looked down on others. That’s the worst, isn’t it? And that’s the attitude keeping the church from being effective, isn’t it? That’s the problem with so many churches today. In fact, too many churches seem to be all about being: “confident in their own goodness and looking down on others” -- I really can’t stand people like that, can you? I’m so glad that Bethel is not like that. Thank God that I’m not like that…

Hold on! Did you see what I just did? Were you tracking me? Did you see how easy and natural it was? I was, in fact, being no better than the Pharisee! In every one of our hearts is this deep, deep capacity for self-justification. And when we exercise it, we are doing nothing more or less than demonstrating our confidence in our own goodness and looking down on others. And Jesus is saying that as long as we think of ourselves in this way, we can never approach God, we can never be acceptable to God. The primary thing that disqualifies us from being justified by God is the universal human desire to justify ourselves. And this self-justification blocks God’s work and God’s presence and God’s blessing in our lives.

Now the thing that gives the Pharisee’s problem away is the fact that he compared himself to the tax collector. In this way, he was able to feel good about himself. And that’s a huge temptation for us to do all the time. Hey: I just caught myself trying to feel better about myself by comparing myself to the Pharisee. But Jesus is really smart -- he knew the hearts of man -- and he knows that whenever we judge the Pharisee, we become the Pharisee. As a philosopher (Nietzsche) once wrote:

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.

Whoever judges the Pharisee, becomes the Pharisee. Whenever we are caught in something we know that we shouldn’t have done, what do we do? We immediately look for an excuse. Or we find somebody else to blame. Or we try to find fault with the victim. And if none of that works, we often fall back on, “Well, what about… ?” comparing ourselves with others -- just as the Pharisee did with the tax collector. This fault-finding? It is just the flip-side of self-justification. It is the “looking down on others” to self-justification’s “confidence in one’s own goodness.” And you know as well as I do that this kind of behavior starts really young. Even cubbies do it.

The self-justification that we find in the Pharisee and the self-justification that we find deep in each of our hearts is a symptom of a fatal spiritual disease: that is, our desire to keep God from His rightful place as the only judge and justifier in our lives -- our desire to encroach on God’s exclusive territory. There is only one true justifier. There is only one Person who can truly justify us. Let’s not allow our self-justication to get in His way this morning, because the good news is that God is ready, willing, and able to justify us!

Sure: the Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” but the very next verse (and the remainder of the same sentence) tells us that we “are freely justified by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”

Because of what Christ has done for us, we can receive the free gift of justification. We do nothing to earn it. All it takes is for us to renounce our claims to be the judge and justifier for ourselves. All it takes is for us to do exactly what the tax collector did -- to come to God recognizing our need for His mercy.

When the tax collector asks for mercy, the word in the original language (sounds like “he-la’-sko-my”) only shows up in one other place in the Bible: in Hebrews 2:17, where it is translated “make reconciliation”. I'm sure you understand the idea: a relationship has been broken, and through patience, forgiveness, gentleness and kindness, reconciliation is the process of restoring relationships. And that is what the tax collector is asking God for: he realizes that he needs to be reconciled to God; he recognizes that he is in no place to approach God. He understands that if there is going to be any reconciliation that God is going to need to be the one taking the action, and that is what he is begging God for.

You know, one of the great things about this parable is that the one telling it knows something about God taking reconciling action. Jesus -- the one telling the story in the first place -- is all about our reconciliation with God. This is what the scripture says:

God, [has] reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:18)

And the amazing thing is that this reconciliation enables us to come to God as our loving Father. The Bible also says (Hebrews 4):

Therefore, since [our] great high priest [is] Jesus the Son of God, let us ... approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

And that, of course, is exactly what we find the tax collector doing in Jesus’ parable. Because there is likely going to come a time in your life, as it has in mine, that the walls of the pit you find yourself in are too steep and too high, and the mud at the bottom seems to be sucking you down, and there is only one rescue -- to throw ourselves at the mercy of the God who loved us enough to send his Son to suffer and die for us (Romans 8:32,33):

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Coming to God as the one who justifies makes all the difference. But doing so implies a bit of discomfort, doesn’t it? Here’s what Jesus says right on the heels of this parable (end of verse 14): “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” It is a principle that sounds a bit like a paradox: but if we think that we are acceptable to God, then we are not acceptable to God. If we realize that we are not acceptable to God, then and only then can we become acceptable to God.

Humbling ourselves goes against every inclination of the human heart. But the human heart has let you down before; are you going to let it mislead you again? Eternal life, confident approach to God, forgiveness from sins, right standing with God -- humbling ourselves is a small price to pay for the riches that God is offering to you in return. God is waiting, offering you reconciliation this morning. Are you willing to acknowledge your need? Are you willing to receive his offer? If you are, you could do worse that approaching God with the words of the tax collector: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

The Wisdom from Above

Who is wise and understanding among you? 

That’s how our text begins this morning. James, the brother of Jesus, writing a letter to the church scattered throughout the world, asks, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” Now as you know, the schedule of preachers and topics at Bethel is managed by [A]. And when he asks us to preach, it is the prospective preacher’s responsibility to first apply the text to ourselves, personally. Last time I was up to preach, the text was “if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God…” and now this: “Who is wise and understanding among you?” Now I’m not going to try to pin this on [A]. God must be trying to tell me something. And I don’t think it is a coincidence that these two preaching requests on the topic of wisdom just happen to span a significant career change decision. So please be patient with me as I navigate that -- I think that this is also a reminder that I will need to be continually asking God for wisdom.

In moments of clarity and honesty, we all recognize the value of wisdom, and we all understand that God is the only source of wisdom -- there is nothing remotely like wisdom in the animal kingdom; it is only due to our creation in the image of God that we can consider wisdom at all -- and we all long for more of it in our lives. Everywhere we go, we hear whispers of the words of the poet (T. S. Eliot):

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

We live, after all, in an “information age” -- and our vast storehouses of information and formal knowledge mask the fact that we, as a society, are deeply impoverished when it comes to wisdom. Part of our problem is that technological advances have deceived us into thinking that the new is always better than the old, and the trendy is always better than the traditional.

But if we’re serious about wisdom, we need to have some respect for tradition. As Jeremiah wrote:

This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest for your souls.

So yeah: ask for the ancient paths. And you would discover what Solomon says on the subject of wisdom almost three thousand years ago. His writings still represent treasures of wisdom. They just don’t get old, folks. Let me read a few representative proverbs (2:2,9,10):

My son, if you [turn] your ear to wisdom
    and [apply] your heart to understanding—
Then you will understand what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
For wisdom will enter your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Please notice two things. First, that line: “Then you will understand what is right and just and fair”? Another way to put that would be “Then you will understand... justice” -- because that’s what being “right and just and fair” is all about, after all. Solomon is making it clear that the goal of wisdom is, in fact, justice. Please understand what this means: if society is struggling to be fair; if the church is in conflict over “social justice,” this crisis is best understood to be a crisis of wisdom. And anyone who wants anything resembling true justice should be doing everything they can to seek true wisdom -- starting, as James tells us, by coming to God with a request for wisdom.

Second, “for wisdom will enter your heart …[and it] will be pleasant to your soul.” Previously, we read, “ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your soul.” The goal of wisdom is justice, but one of the benefits of wisdom is personal well-being. It’s funny: the last two times I was up here, I had good reason to mention the happiness studies, and now I have another good reason. Because there are four things that correlate significantly with human happiness. Gratitude -- I mentioned that a few months ago. Meaning -- I mentioned that last month. The fourth one is forgiveness -- that might show up next month? But the third one is caring for others. When we spend our time and our energies bringing justice and mercy to those around us, it will “be pleasant to your soul.”

Let me use two more items from the Old Testament to establish the connection between wisdom and justice, both from the story of Solomon. You may remember: not long after Solomon was crowned the king of Israel, God appeared to him in a dream saying, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” And then, because God was so pleased with the substance of Solomon’s request, He granted it to him with these words (1 Kings 3:11,12):

So God said to [Solomon], “Since you have not asked for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have you asked for the death of your enemies but have instead asked for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart....

Now in Sunday School, they would tell you that Solomon asked God for wisdom. But once again, as we can see from God’s reply, both Solomon and God understood that the point of wisdom was to be better able to understand and administer justice. And to drive the point home, right on the heels of God’s promise in these verses, the Bible tells a story in order to illustrate Solomon’s great wisdom. 1 Kings chapter 3, verse 16:

16 Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled.17 “Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. 18 Three days later this woman also had a baby. ...
19 “But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. 20 Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. 21 And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”
22 Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”
“No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.
23 Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other. 24 All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.
25 Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”
26 Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!”
But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”
27 Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”
28 When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.

This story comes right after the Bible has just finished telling us that Solomon was the wisest man alive. It represents the pinnacle, the height of wisdom. This is the story that the Spirit of God chose to demonstrate for us what wisdom is like. Note that wisdom is not about science. And wisdom is not about theology. Solomon did not solve a puzzle or prove a theorem. Solomon is not revealing the mysteries of the universe. Instead, we see Solomon reunite a prostitute to her child. We see justice being granted to one who might expect no hearing at all; we see the strong and powerful and rich and wise taking the time to deliver fairness and kindness and mercy to the weak, and powerless, and poor and foolish. This is the essence of wisdom. This is the picture of God’s wisdom for us. And just so we don’t miss the point, the story concludes with all Israel observing that God had given their king wisdom… for rendering justice.

And this is the background that James had when he wrote about wisdom. This is the foundation that he is going to build on for us. Let’s turn to that text now. James 3:13-18:

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

So what is James doing here? Well, he’s making it clear that there are competing “wisdoms”. There is a “wisdom from above” and then there is an “earthly” wisdom. That is, there is a “true wisdom” and there is a “counterfeit wisdom.”

Paul writes that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against “principalities and powers” (in King James) or against “spiritual forces of evil (in the NIV), and one of the strategies of the enemies of God is to insinuate counterfeits into the church. Let me describe how this works: when the church places value in any word, whether the word is “faith” or “love” or “justice” the enemy takes that word, twists it, and makes it mean something that it was never intended to mean in the first place. Then, this counterfeit is smuggled into and imposed on the church, putting us on the defensive. And all too often, we don’t have the knowledge or the confidence to be able to say, “hold on: that’s not what the Bible means by that word at all.”

Unfortunately, the reason that the enemy succeeds in these attacks is not just that we have failed to faithfully transmit what, exactly, these precious and important words were intended to mean in the first place. But that all too often the church has also failed to be the example of love and faith and justice that God calls us to be.

So James is addressing the challenge of the enemy wanting to insinuate  “counterfeit wisdom” into the church. And the stakes are high, folks. Earlier, we established that the goal of wisdom is justice. So that means that if we start buying into the enemy’s “counterfeit wisdom,” you can be sure that the end result will be a “counterfeit justice.”

As I’m sure that you are aware, all bank tellers are trained to detect counterfeit money. And they tell me that this training primarily involves becoming intimately familiar with the detailed features of authentic currency. James’ strategy here is similar: he is going to identify for us the key features of authentic wisdom, and as we become more and more comfortable with the real thing, we will simultaneously become more competent at detecting any counterfeit. So James begins by telling us that “true wisdom” is characterized by good conduct done in meekness.

That “good conduct” business -- it is easy to overlook, perhaps because we’re in such a habit of thinking that the church is all about having us behave well. But it is an important reminder that true wisdom moves us -- and it moves us toward justice. It isn’t an academic thing; it isn’t something that resides in our heads. Two weeks ago, James reminded us that “faith without works is dead.” And just like with faith, wisdom without works is also dead.

But that “meekness” now: it isn’t a word that we use very much anymore. Other translations use the word “gentleness” and still others use the word “humility” -- so that might help us to understand better. Humility and gentleness: rare commodities these days, but these are the first key features to identify the wisdom from above.

Typically, those who pose as the “wise” among us today are more frequently characterized by the exact opposite: their arrogance, their nasty put-downs of others, their pride in wearing a mantle of authority. And our society actually rewards people like that, giving them a voice in the media, and even electing them to our highest offices. So, naturally, the temptation to copy such behavior is strong, even, unfortunately, in the church. But James is saying that this kind of arrogance is the first indication of a counterfeit wisdom. The truly wise will know how to be humble; and how to be gentle. The truly wise will also know when to be humble and when to be gentle.

And James has given us plenty more to go on in order to distinguish between true and counterfeit wisdom (v17):

...the wisdom that is from above is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

The wisdom from above is first of all pure. Please note how this proceeds: first, the wisdom comes from above. As James tells us in his first chapter, all good gifts come from above, from our gracious Father. Then, after that, the wisdom from above is pure. I’ve noticed that churches occasionally seem to get this backwards: as valuable as personal purity is, we don’t preach purity so that then people will then be wise, so that they can then bless God. Instead, God blesses us with His wisdom -- and encourages us to ask for more of it -- and then that wisdom then guides us toward personal purity.

“Then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruit, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” Remember the connection that we established earlier between wisdom and justice? James is quite aware of it, too. And so we see the hallmarks of Biblical justice -- that is, being “reasonable” and “full of mercy” and “without partiality” -- featured as characteristics of true wisdom as well.

So be careful: when someone is ungentle, when they are unpeaceable, when they exhibit precious little mercy, look out! This is not someone demonstrating the wisdom from above. This is not someone that you want to define justice for you.

You know, by its very nature, justice isn’t justice unless there is a justifier. So who is your justifier this morning? Who do you look to for your justification? (or, using more common language) Who do you look to for your validation? Some people look for validation on social media; some people look for it in academia; some people look for it from the law, I suppose. Some people look for validation among their friends, or perhaps their community. But none of these are true justifiers. None of them deserve to have that kind of power over you, and we get ourselves in deep trouble when we grant them that kind of power. Instead, Paul makes it clear (Romans 8:33b):

It is God who justifies. 

In fact, it is only God who truly justifies. And looking for justification (or validation) elsewhere is quite simply a breach of faith, and also a recipe for disaster. One of the tell-tale features about all those other counterfeit justifiers is that they all seem to require allegiance to some political movement or other.

And that’s where things start to get tricky. You see, all manner of people are quite happy to be gentle and reasonable and peaceable -- as long as they are dealing with their own “tribe.” Far too often people today demonstrate “selective mercy” or “selective gentleness” -- according to their political leanings. You know how that goes: the standard that political opponents are held to is one that would never be applied to political supporters. James would likely tell us that that's partiality and, frankly, hypocrisy. Rather, the test of true wisdom is being able to exhibit gentleness, reason, mercy, and impartiality when dealing with outsiders.

Because the “peace” that only applies within one’s political orbit really isn’t of much value. Mercy isn’t mercy that counts unless it crosses the boundaries that divide us. Gentleness isn’t gentleness that counts unless it reaches out beyond our comfort zones. Let there be peace and justice between people of different races, by all means. Let there be peace and justice between the sexes. But let there also be peace and justice between those of competing political leanings.

Our common over-simplification in the world of politics involves the words “left” and “right”: “progressive” and “conservative”. They each have their own brand of justice, and they are almost mirror-images of each other -- both failing to extend mercy and fairness beyond their own “in-group”. The progressive criticism of the conservative brand of justice is that it often marginalizes those who look or behave differently. On the other hand, the conservative criticism of the progressive brand of justice is that it often marginalizes those who think differently. Now, the progressive Christian might say, “well, God cares about how people think.” But the conservative Christian might say, “well, God also cares about how people behave.” Neither one is no closer to true justice than the other. Both are failures. Both represent counterfeit justice.

But who can rescue us from this lose-lose situation? Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory in Christ Jesus, in whom are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In Ephesians, Paul writes about how Christ has torn down the most pervasive cultural barriers of the time -- let me read his words taking his situation as the prototype of all cultural barriers (2:14-16):

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. ... [For] in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall[s] of hostility that separated us. ...He made peace ... by creating in himself one new people from [a very divided humanity]. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled [us of all] to God by means of his death on the cross, [where] our hostility toward each other was put to death.

And later in the same letter, Paul tells us that this unity we find in Christ is the best defense against the danger of counterfeits (4:14):

[when] we all come to such unity in our faith…[then] We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

You see, the only remedy to the failures of politicized counterfeit justice is to break free from the thinking of left and right, and to look up, coming to God asking Him for wisdom from above. And when we do, James also tells us that He will give freely without finding fault. But we need to come confident that God is, indeed, the only true justifier; that He is the only true source of wisdom. If we still need validation from human sources, we’re doing that double-minded thing that James so strongly warns us against in chapter one.

Faith, love, justice, wisdom -- all of these are critical to the life and health and the effectiveness of the church. So let us not be seduced by counterfeits this morning. Don’t settle for any less than the wisdom from above. But remember: even though this wisdom, as Solomon puts it, “will be pleasant to your soul”, the goal of wisdom has always been for us to “understand what is right and just and fair.” May God also share His vision for justice with His church even as he answers our prayers for wisdom.

A Prescription & a Promise

To begin this morning, I'd like to ask you to share a bit of my experience with me. As most of you know -- and some of you may even be tired of hearing about -- I’m what’s called a celiac. What that means is that if I ingest even the tiniest trace of gluten I get really ill. In my case, that means brain fog and emotional distress. Then there are also the sleep problems, and the digestion problems, and all the rest.

Imagine going to the doctor with all these awful symptoms, as they are getting worse and worse (and you know what is at the end of that kind of trajectory). So you are put through a bank of tests, and afterwards, the doctor calls you in for a talk about their results. “I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” she says. “First, the good news: in a few months -- give or take -- you’ll have your life back, and you can feel as good as you used to feel.” “Right on!” you think, “but… what’s the bad news?” “Well,” she replies, “you will have to be really, r-e-a-l-l-y careful to avoid gluten in all of its forms.” Now at the time of diagnosis I am reasonably certain that no celiac on the planet realizes just how difficult that actually is. The doctor said "a few months," right? That's not how long it takes to recover -- that's only a few days! That's how long it takes to really, truly implement the prescription. But we all manage to do it! We all figure out how to make the doctor’s recommended course of action work for us. Why? Because we all want to give up that painful, exhausting, awful existence and to have our lives transformed.

Well, this morning, the lesson from scripture is a little like that. There is a prescription of sorts in the text we will be considering this morning. And none of us has any idea how difficult that prescription will be. But if we are willing to adopt it, it will be so worth it in the end. If we are willing to follow the recommended course of action of the Great Physician, our lives can be completely transformed for the better by it.

But before we get there, a little bit of history will set the stage. Now I know that many of us are glad to have left history behind in High School, but I do hope those of us who come here this morning as followers of Jesus won’t mind being reminded of his story.

We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, we know that he delivered the most revolutionary moral teaching in history -- teaching that is changing lives even to this day, and teaching that has resulted in more benefit to humanity than anything else in history, with no close seconds. It is from Jesus’ influence that we can trace universal literacy, colleges and universities; it is from Jesus’ influence that we can trace health care and charity and relief efforts; it is from Jesus’ influence that we can trace all human rights, including rights for women, minorities, and the abolition of slavery.

Sure: throughout history, churches have messed up again and again. But this reminds me of the appliance salesman confronted by an angry customer, "my washing machine is rusting!" he complained. "Hmm," replied the salesman, "does your washing machine use water?" Well, of course it does, and we all know the corrosive effect that water can have on exposed steel. In the same way, if an organization -- it doesn't matter if it is a church, a union, a school board, a political party or a publicly traded corporation -- if an organization has people in it, then there will be those who put their interests ahead of the interests of others. But the benefit to humanity happens when people set aside their own interests -- something that happens disproportionately throughout history when people are influenced by the one who loved us and gave himself for us.

Because Jesus’ influence isn’t simply due to his teaching. It is also as a result of his example. And that example involved his willingness to die as an innocent victim on a Roman cross, experiencing one of the nastiest forms of torture known to man. But that’s not all! We also know that God raised Jesus to life again! And that’s the game-changer. The eyewitnesses made Jesus’ resurrection the centerpiece of their testimony as they proclaimed Jesus’ message throughout the known world.

Knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that their Master’s suffering had rebounded to his great glory, the early Christians understood that following Jesus also involved their suffering, with the expectation to also share in Jesus’ glory -- in Acts 14:22, the words of the early church leaders are recorded for us:

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,”

And about those early days of the church, we also read:

"On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria."

And it was not much later than that time that a letter was written to this scattered church -- a letter that we will begin to look at this morning: the book of the Bible we call “James” after the man who wrote it. Now two of Jesus’ twelve disciples were named James (the English form of the Aramaic name Yacov, or Jacob -- the French Jacques is much closed to the original), but this James wasn’t one of them. He was, however, a really big deal in the first century, being the leader of the church in Jerusalem. In fact, this same James recently made the news all over the world because of an archaeological find -- perhaps you remember it from around fifteen years ago.

The discovery of an ossuary -- a bone box, used to store the bones of decayed bodies -- was made public. And this particular ossuary bore the inscription, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” Now this was of particular interest because those are the exact relationships of the very person who wrote the book of the Bible we will start to consider this morning. Of course, it is quite rare for a brother to be mentioned in such an inscription --the brother would have to have been rather famous indeed!

As it happens, some experts claim that the inscription on the ossuary is a forgery, some claim that only part of it was a forgery, and other experts claim that the entire inscription is authentic. Now because forging antiquities is such a big deal in Israel, the antiquities dealer who made this ossuary public was brought to trial… but he was eventually acquitted. Of course, that doesn’t prove anything, but it is a fascinating story, and even Wikipedia does a reasonable job of telling it if you are interested.

But given the fact that he is barely ever mentioned in the gospels, you might be curious as to how this James’ writings got into the Bible in the first place. Well, we don’t know the whole story, but we do know that after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus made a point of reaching out to his brother James. In fact, James is mentioned by name in 1 Corinthians 15 as an eye-witness of Jesus’ resurrection. And that clearly made all the difference. And no surprise. Even today people’s lives are changed when they have encounters with our risen Lord. May such an event be something everyone here can experience!

Now there is a lot more that could be said about James, but instead let's consider what he has to say to us. But before we open it, before we read the first eight verses of its first chapter, I’d like to read just a phrase from verse four:

...that you may be perfect and complete

That’s right: in this short book, James, the brother of Jesus, is wanting to help his readers (you and me) become “perfect and complete.” How cool is that? This is the life transformation that I mentioned at the beginning. I don’t know about you, but I’d sure like to be (even just slightly closer to) “perfect and complete.” But before we take the time to consider what James says about how to be “perfect and complete,” I’d like to make a comment on what this phrase means.

This word that has been translated “perfect” -- well, it isn't an ideal translation from the original language: other translations use the word “mature”, which isn’t bad -- it helps us get the flavor. But this word, more than anything, is related to purpose or meaning. That is, it indicates that something or someone is to fulfill their intended purpose. This means living life as it was meant to be lived. Recently, Mark Zuckerberg said this about purpose:

"Purpose is that feeling that you are part of something bigger than yourself, that you are needed, and that you have something better ahead. Purpose is what creates true happiness,"

The last time I was up here, I mentioned that social scientists have recently investigated all the things that make human beings happy. To the surprise of many, the primary correlate to human happiness was gratitude -- giving thanks. But one of the other few things that correlate with human happiness is a sense of purpose. If we know why are doing what we are doing, we can experience a fulfillment and joy that isn’t otherwise available. And more than that, meaning and purpose have been shown to be the key to being able to hold up under great trials.

It is harder to find a better illustration connecting purpose and well-being than a dog I once met at camp. Kali was bred -- over scores of generations -- this was her true purpose and calling -- to be a companion to people, to run fast, and to play hard. But at camp, there is often a child who is afraid of dogs, which meant that Kali had to be chained up. And one look at this poor dog would immediately convince you that under those circumstances, she was m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e. When she was free to be the dog that she was bred to be, however, she was the happiest creature alive. And it is similar with us: there is an amazing well-being found in knowing our true calling.

So now that I’m sure that everyone here is on board with wanting this kind of perfection, let’s now turn to James’ advice on how to achieve it (1:1-4):

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 And let perseverance have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Wow: now I wouldn’t blame you if suddenly you aren’t nearly so enthusiastic about the prospect of perfection. “count it all joy... when you meet trials of various kinds.” If you are anything like me, the inclination is to respond, “you’ve got to be kidding!” Because we don’t like trials. We don’t like hardship. We don’t like suffering. And yes: the expression “trials of various kinds” here implies all those things. But we don’t like any of it. We avoid it. We gripe about it. We blame it on others. The last thing that we’re inclined to do when faced with life-challenges is to “count it all joy.” and that’s a problem.

But this isn’t an isolated instruction in scripture, either. In fact, almost exactly the same kind of instruction appears in both the writings of Paul and the writings of Peter. Let me read them to you: Romans 5:3,4:

we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope

1 Peter 1:6,7:

you rejoice, though now for a little while... you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith… may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

All these three leading pillars of the early church write that we should rejoice in suffering for our own good. We should rejoice in suffering for our own good. We need to understand that this is a really significant theme in the New Testament. But guess what? This is an idea that is just starting to catch on outside the New Testament, too. The number one best-selling book on Amazon right now in the categories of Organizational Learning, Problem Solving and Decision Making is a book that came out a year ago with the title “Principles” (written by Ray Dalio). Let me read a short excerpt from it:

“To succeed we need to embrace all realities, especially the harsh realities that we wish weren’t true. At first, looking at these harsh realities caused me a lot of pain. But … I learned to treat pain as a cue that a great learning opportunity is at hand....”

This idea is such an important one, and it is deeply rooted in scripture. If it is a principle that makes sense in corporate decision-making, how much more sense is it going to make if we acknowledge its Source, being obedient to our Creator, and rely on Him to help it mould us and shape us? We should rejoice in suffering for our own good.

So why is it that people today have such great difficulty with this principle? Let me suggest the reason: we have developed really bad (and lazy) habits of thinking, starting in childhood. In fact, I’d like to publicly apologize to N. this morning for my responsibility (as a parent) in his habits of thinking. Because the fashion these days is for parents to do everything they can to keep their precious little ones from any kind of discomfort. And children, who are almost always smarter than their parents imagine, pick up on this parental obsession, and conclude that avoiding suffering is what life is all about. But that’s not what life is all about.

Now as it turns out, there is one place in our society that understands that avoiding suffering is not what life is all about -- but regrettably it is not in the church! Where do people understand that there can be benefit in suffering? In the gym. I haven’t been to a gym in decades, but I do remember seeing this sign the last time I went, and I bet that these signs are still common in many gyms:

No Pain; No Gain

That’s what we’re talking about, people. Life is full of challenges, and they weren’t sent our way just to make us grumble, let alone make us crumble. God’s purpose in them is to help us find our purpose, to help us mature, to help us become the person we were made to be. And if we were willing to work on this instruction to count trials as joys, we’ll discover that it isn’t so impossible after all, and the more we do it, the more natural it becomes. This is God’s spiritual training plan for all his children.

In the NIV, verse two reads “consider it all joy,” and that word translated “consider” is the same word that Paul uses when he writes (Romans 8:18):

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

And this word “consider” is one that implies an exercise of authority. By using it, James is indicating that we have that authority (over our emotions). And with the authority comes the responsibility to take it seriously and follow in obedience.

Wayne Augustine, a one-time basketball coach at a college in the states, used to tell his athletes, “he is no great athlete who gives his best when he feels like it; anybody can do that. Rather he is a real athlete who gives his best when he doesn’t feel like it.” Of course, that’s what trials do to us: they make us feel like rebelling; they make us feel like giving up. But the real follower of Jesus remembers that our Master endured the cross, despising its shame, for the joy set before him. And with that in mind, we, too, can “count it all joy” even when we encounter the most heartbreaking trials.

And as we do this more and more “[letting] perseverance have its full effect” we will find our purpose in life, and great joy in its fulfillment. Of course, “letting perseverance finish its work” is not just a one-and-done kind of thing, but the challenge of a lifetime.

Now at this point in our text, James seems to change the topic. But he isn’t, actually. After explaining how we can become “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” (in verse 4) the Holy Spirit identifies for him the one thing that Christians commonly lack. That is, this is the one thing that Christians could use more of, and typically struggle with having enough of. Verse five:

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

This is such an important verse. When we encounter trials, the difficulties they represent are often compounded by prayers that don’t seem to be answered, aren’t they? The most critical times in our lives are always those when God seems far away, after all. But here we have a clear promise of a prayer that will be answered -- a prayer for wisdom. In difficult times, we might call out to God for Him to change our circumstances, but He is far more interested in changing our attitudes and our ways of thinking. I need to tell you, though: this promise of answered prayer comes with a caveat. Let’s continue reading past verse five:

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, without wavering, for the one who wavers is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

“Let him ask in faith without wavering.” Now you might notice that the pew Bibles render this as “you must believe and not doubt,” and while that isn’t a bad translation, it plays into all manner of modern misunderstandings. First, the “faith” mentioned here isn’t just belief. It never was. It represents a commitment and a dedication. Think of the word “faithfulness” and you get the idea. Second, the “wavering” mentioned here is literally “two-judging” or you could even say “second-guessing.” The idea here is that if we want to receive wisdom when we ask God, we must (naturally) be committed to God’s timeline and strategy for delivering that wisdom to us, and not be inclined to bail out the second things don’t seem to be working according to our plan or our preferences.

This “wavering” (or “doubting”) that we want to avoid might even be compared to the modern practice of “hedging”. You understand “hedging,” I’m sure: that’s when you bet on one horse, but place lesser bets on other horses “just in case”. In the first century, when the book of James was written, “hedging” could also be applied to things more serious than investments. You could “hedge” your commitment to Jesus by maintaining your status in the Synagogue, choosing not to mention that you consider Jesus to be the Messiah. Or you could “hedge” your commitment to Jesus by keeping close relationships with the governing Romans, choosing not to mention that you considered Jesus, and not Caesar to be Lord. This is the type of thing that James is warning against. Because we really can’t expect to have our prayers answered unless we are “all in.”

The church is not called to compromise with the world. The church is not called to water down the message of the cross to be more acceptable to society. Instead, we are called to stand up for the truth in a world that desperately needs to hear it. But it is critical to be wise as we do that, isn't it? May God grant us the wisdom from above as we seek to represent Him.

So this morning, let us come to God asking for this wisdom; let us commit to God without hedging; let us exercise authority over our emotions in life’s challenges. God wants us to become perfected in the image of His Son. Are we willing to commit to his training plan? Are we willing to accept his prescription? When we do, then (and only then) will we become perfect and complete -- recognizing the purpose for our lives, and enjoying the fulfillment that comes from being the people that God intended us to be.

Pleasing God

As many of you know, a little over a year ago, I became a grandfather. What fun is that!? S. and P.: any day now, right? :-) And it is increasingly fun as my grandson F. interacts with others more and more. F. is the boy who hears a crying baby, and goes over to comfort him. I like that. 

Aren’t children wonderful? I also enjoy the fact that all healthy children seem to be love-sponges. They really respond well to interest, and time, and attention, and care, and... they just absorb it all. And as they get older, they instinctively discover that there are things that they can do to make all this loving attention continue. And then it results in a positive feedback loop. The more they get, the more they learn.

Healthy young children learn how to do cute little baby tricks and cute little baby sounds, noticing what our reactions are to all of those things, and learning what we like. It is like they have been wired with a “find-out-what-pleases-your-parents” program at birth.

Because children regularly want to please anyone who loves them, don’t they? Especially parents, but also good teachers, uncles, cousins, aunts, and even grandparents, of course. You don’t have to be a psychologist to know that children need love, and their response to love is to want to please the one who loves them. Of course, this should also be our attitude toward the One who loves us with an everlasting love. And the Bible actually explicitly instructs us (Ephesians 5:10)

(NCV) “Try to learn what pleases the Lord” or (NIV) find out what pleases the Lord.

So let’s come to God as his children this morning. (The Bible does say that “we are indeed his offspring” in Acts 17:28) And let us also try to determine what pleases the Lord. Now I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve done some of the work for you: that is, I’ve combed the Bible for every hint of what might please the Lord, and I’m going to give a partial report on that research this morning.

But before we continue, I’d like to ask you to put on your scientist hat, and do what any self-respecting scientist would do before embarking on a study or line of experimentation: ask yourself what you would anticipate of such a study. That is, what do you predict we will find when we go to scripture looking for what it says about what pleases God? This is a great exercise, by the way. It trains the brain. If you discover what you anticipated, it is good reinforcement; if you discover something other than what you anticipated, well, we know scripture is profitable for correction, isn’t it?

But you know the first thing I discovered? It is a shame that some churches have directed so much attention toward the things that displease God. Because there is just so much in the Bible about what pleases Him. (So fear not: I can’t possibly do justice to everything the Bible says about pleasing God. If you anticipate something I don’t mention, you can search the scripture to find it -- a good exercise in itself) But the primary thing that pleases God is exactly the thing that we should put front and center in our report this morning. In Colossians 1:19,20, we read:

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

What pleases God? Jesus does. But the reason that Jesus pleases God should be interesting: God wanted to make peace with you (being part of “all things” as we are) and to reconcile you to Himself, the source of all goodness, of all joy, of all love, and of all wisdom. And He has really has gone out of His way to make your life better than you ever imagined it could be.

But most people prefer to think that there must have been easier ways to go about doing that (you know, rather than by making peace through Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross), but such thinking simply indicates how little we understand the depth of the problem. When we think that way, we are, of course, being like the disciple Peter. You remember the story: Jesus told his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer and die. And Peter tried to talk Jesus out of it, “no, no, that will never happen.” (Matt 16; Mark 8) You remember how Jesus replied? “Get behind me, Satan!” Harsh words reserved for the severest of mistakes.

But it is easy for us to make the same mistake. We want to pretend that a little education or medication or therapy should do the trick. Sure -- those things can have superficial effect; they can be band-aids (and band-aids have their value). But God knew that nothing less than the sacrifice of His Son could actually address our deepest needs; nothing less than Jesus’ death and resurrection could actually change us. And what’s more, God is totally psyched and passionate about how that’s worked out. What do you think about that?

Now it can be difficult to appreciate why God would be pleased about the brutal torture and execution of an innocent man. Naturally. But to illustrate why it make him pleased, I have three illustrations. Here I have some pictures of people who are pleased. This gentleman is on the basketball team of someone who just scored a winning basket within the final second of the game. This gentleman is also pleased. He is a technophile who has just been given the opportunity to assemble his favorite high-tech toy in the factory in which it is made. And here is someone that folks in the vicinity of my age might recognize. He is pleased, because, “[He] love[s] it when a plan comes together.”

But that’s the kind of pleasure that God is enjoying when he considers Jesus’ role as the Saviour of the world. This was His plan from the moment of creation. And it has come together perfectly. All the parts are fitting together in a brilliant way. And the end result is winning. The good news is being preached to the poor; the blind are receiving their sight; and the captives are being set free. Now if you can’t get quite as excited about it as God does, you’re not alone. The idea that the greatest good can come from Jesus’ suffering is naturally foreign to people. And it can be an idea that people take a while to come around to. But when you finally get it, it can feel like this amazing eureka moment. Alistair McGrath, a formerly-atheist Physics professor at Oxford who now teaches Science and Religion, writes:

One of my objections to Christian belief had been my feeling that God was ...irrelevant. I conceived this ... God as a distant figure, without any involvement in the world. God was in heaven - wherever that was. And I was located in the flow of space and time that we call human history. Since God was absent from the flow of history, God seemed to me to be an irrelevance.
Yet as I began to grasp what Christianity was about, I came to see that the core Christian idea of incarnation addressed this deep ...concern. The incarnation spoke of a God who chose to inhabit history; who chose to come to the place which I inhabited as one of us; who suffered, as I and so many others did, but who also chose to make that same suffering the basis of our salvation. I discovered a God who journeyed to my place of exile in order to bring me home.

Sure: many people today imagine that they can come up with an economic plan, or a political plan, or an educational plan, or a technological plan that will address the world’s problems. But those plans have failed throughout history -- often disastrously (particularly when they are disconnected from reliance on God) -- and they will continue to fail, in spite of folks’ best intentions. If you don’t believe me, pay close attention over the next five or ten, or twenty years and consider: if politicians are any indication, people really aren’t getting any smarter or more capable. To solve the world’s problems, we don’t just need more people in charge who will never have to suffer the consequences of their own policies. We need a radical re-think -- and that’s, of course, what God has already done on our behalf. As Paul writes:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to [those of] us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

And then, just a few verses later (v21),

God was pleased through [what many consider] foolishness ... to save those [of us] who believe.

So what pleases God? Our salvation! And more fundamentally, God is pleased by the brilliant execution of His plan of salvation by His Son, Jesus. We also see this, of course, reflected in God’s own words recorded for us in scripture. These aren’t just the words of men inspired by the Holy Spirit -- these are words directly from God’s intervention into time and space. And we can find them twice in Matthew, twice in Mark, and twice in Luke; for example, here is Matthew 17:5 --

...a voice [was heard from] the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.

What pleases God? Jesus does. Does that make you want to become more familiar with this Jesus? It should: it should drive us to “listen to him” -- to come, sit at his feet, and receive his teaching.   

But I’m afraid that as important as this theme is, we’re going to now consider other things that God considers to be pleasing to Him. And, in particular, we need to consider what we can do to please Him, because the Bible has plenty to say about that, too. But before we go there, I’d like to open a bit of a parenthesis. Because I’ve observed that it is quite common in churches to treat pleasing men to be always and forever at odds with pleasing God. Have you ever heard that? You know, something like “let’s be God-pleasers rather than man-pleasers.” And that’s not wrong ...exactly. After all, we read (in 1Thess 2:4):

 ...we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts.

So sure -- it is a suggestion of scripture that pleasing men can, in fact, be in conflict with pleasing God. But there are other scriptures suggesting that pleasing men is not such a bad thing. For example:

Rom 15:2 - Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

Or, how about:

1Co 10:33-11:1 - [Paul writes] I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

And then in the very next verse Paul makes it clear that we should be behaving in this manner even as he is (he writes):

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

So which is it? Do we want to please men or not? Well, I’m sure you’ve noticed that the world is full of people with delightfully different personalities. Some people are just naturally people-pleasers. And some are just naturally … well, not. And, of course, there are personalities of every possible type in between. So scripture seems to be warning the natural people-pleasers that people-pleasing can pose a spiritual danger -- it can divert us from the path that is most pleasing to God. But at the same time, scripture is also encouraging those who aren’t naturally able to please people -- that they might want to work on that a bit more. (close parenthesis)

At this stage, we need to consider what we can do to please God, so I’d like to direct your attention to the book of Colossians. I will be reading from the English Standard Version (ESV):

And so... we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him:

• bearing fruit in every good work;
• increasing in the knowledge of God;
• being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;
• giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Now the ESV agrees with the NIV here. Both those versions have a colon in verse ten -- indicating, in this instance, that what follows is a list of things that Paul wants to tell us are pleasing God. And not only that, but Paul is trying to make this an exhaustive list -- that is, he trying to make sure he hasn’t left anything out. That’s what the phrase “fully pleasing” likely indicates (or, as the NIV has it “please Him in every way”).

So let’s quickly look at these ways in which we can please God. Number one: “bearing fruit in every good work.” Now it should be no surprise that the first thing Paul thinks about that we can do to please God connects us with the primary thing that pleases God. You recall what Jesus said to his disciples:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I remain in you, you will bear much fruit.

If we remain in Jesus -- looking for our resources in him; getting our direction from him; finding our identity in him -- we will bear the fruit that pleases God. And as the Sunday School can tell you, Paul is likely thinking of “the fruit of the Spirit” when he writes this. “Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-Control.” These are the things that God is looking for when he considers our lives. These are the first way in which we will be able to please God. It has been said before, but let me say it again: the fruit of the Spirit are entirely things that show up in your dealings with other people. Sure -- these days you can also be patient with technology I suppose (am I the only one who needs to learn how to do that?), but when you learn how to be patient with technology, you’re just really in training for being patient with other people.

Number two: “increasing in the knowledge of God.” Now Paul isn’t talking the kind of “knowledge of God” that you might obtain by taking a course in Theology. That would likely be a “knowledge about” -- a head-knowledge. Instead, Paul is talking more about something like “intimate knowledge”. That is, it pleases God for us to get to know Him personally. That means talking to Him. That means sticking with Him even when it isn’t popular or convenient. That means listening to Him. That means walking with Him. Here is Paul’s testimony (Phil 3:8a):

I consider everything [in my past] a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

When I was getting to know E., I showed up at her camp where there were a dozen Perkins family members gathered. I sat down at lunch between E. and her father and across from her brother. Soon enough, K. (E.’s oldest brother) and I were engaged in conversation, and I could start to detect some discomfort on the part of her father. I had no idea why. I was enjoying myself. K. is a brilliant guy. But Mr. P. was very much hoping that I’d have the opportunity to, you know, talk with E.!

Now wouldn’t it have been odd if in my conversation with K. I were to have said, “so… tell me about your baby sister.” I suspect that the entirely family would have immediately thought I was joking, and laughed politely. But if I had persisted, they would have legitimately concluded that I was a bit crazy. Here was the girl that I was wanting to get to know sitting right beside me, and it would have looked like I preferred to be talking about her. In the same way, God is pleased when we actually come to him, because that’s what the work of his Son -- the very first thing that pleases him -- permits us to be able to do.

I wonder, though, how often we prefer to talk about God rather than talking to him. Something to think about the next time we have a prayer meeting?

Number three: “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might.” That sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Who couldn’t use some extra power in one’s life? But check out the rest of the verse? “...for all endurance and patience with joy.” These likely aren’t the first things that come to mind as expressions of power. These are exactly the least showy and least obvious expressions of power -- but they are exactly the ones that please God.

In the last two years of my father’s life, he struggled with some physical challenges. He used to say to my daughter (F.’s Mom), “G. never become an old man.” And she would laugh. “Growing old isn’t for sissies,” he used to say. And in the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with a number of people who may be in their last years. Years with great discomfort and weariness. But as God’s children, they receive the ability to be patient and show endurance while still demonstrating great grace to those around them.

Number four: “giving thanks to the Father”, it pleases God that we joyfully give him thanks. Modern psychology has taken two thousand years to catch up to the New Testament. They’ve done the science, and discovered that the thing that correlated the most with human happiness is not wealth, or youth, or beauty, or health. There are plenty of rich, healthy, young, attractive and miserable people. The thing that correlated the most with our happiness is gratitude. We’re just wired to need to say “thank you.” And it pleases God when we know who to say “thank you” to! Just like every parent is pleased to receive thanks from her children, thanksgiving offered with joy is pleasing to God.

Now I’ve given you four things to remember this morning. I don’t know about you, but when I go to the grocery store with three things to get, I can usually pull it off. But if I need to get four things, I’m going to forget one for sure -- unless I make a note for myself. So this morning I’ve given you four things to remember, and I understand that four things can be challenging, so I have a trick to help you remember.

If we want to be “fully pleasing” to God, then we need to [closing the fingers of one hand to count] be:

Bearing [F]ruit, (that’s an “F”)
[I]ncreasing in the [I]ntimate knowledge of God (that’s an “I” -- and I like it that the “I” reminds us that it isn’t just head-knowledge, but relationship-knowledge)
being [S]trengthened with God’s power (that’s an “S”)
joyfully giving [T]hanks to the Father (that’s a “T”)

And if you were paying attention, you’ll have noticed that those four letters were “F-I-S-T” -- spelling FIST. When you count four things off with your fingers, you end up with a fist, don’t you? So every time you make a fist -- when you get excited, when you greet someone with a fist-bump, when you wake up in the morning and stretch, you have the opportunity to remember what pleases God: bearing fruit, increasing in the intimate knowledge of God, being strengthened for endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father.

And as we not only know this, but put it into practice, we will discover the experience of more and more of God’s love.

Royal Investments

How many of you have ever taken a ride on the Montreal Metro or commuter train? Have you ever noticed the advertising on the cars? If you have, I’m sure you’ve also noticed one category of advertising in particular. Here’s an example: “an MBA at John Molson School of business will take your career to the next level.” Here’s another: “jump-start your career by enrolling at LaSalle College.” The suggestion of this kind of advertising is that there are all kinds of really valuable secrets out there -- secrets that could change your life if you were only willing to pay the secret-keepers to divulge their secrets. But if we pay too much attention to advertising like this, we might start to imagine that learning these important life-changing secrets is just a matter of hearing them.

But we know that that isn’t how life works. Learning is only as easy as hearing for the secrets that don’t matter much; it never is when it comes to important things in life. When Paul wrote about our salvation -- one of the most important things he wrote about -- he pled with his readers to “work out [their] salvation with fear and trembling,” because he understood this principle: our salvation is worth the investment of time and care and effort. And when Jesus talked about our salvation, he ...spoke in parables -- for the same reason. Because parables might be simple, but parables certainly aren’t easy. Anyone who thinks that Jesus’ parables are easy is only pretending to understand them. In Matthew chapter 13, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him why he spoke in parables and in verse 10, we read:

 “And Jesus replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.’”

Now isn’t that a curious reply to the question “Why do you speak to people in parables?” It is almost a parable in itself! But whatever else Jesus is saying here, he is making a strong connection between his parables and “the secrets of the Kingdom of God.” But parables are not like courses at community college: instead of a collection of facts that many people acknowledge to be true, parables can be a source of great controversy and puzzlement. Jesus’ parables can be very difficult to understand, and they can be even more difficult to put into practice -- because, of course, putting the teachings of Jesus into practice is vastly more important than simply understanding them.

As most of you know, I have a hobby that some people think is all about “secrets.” Now I know that many of you have seen this before, but if I were to take one of my business cards, and make it disappear… well, it isn’t magic, of course. There is a secret to it. But there isn’t just one secret. There are secrets on at least three levels. There is the appreciating level of secret -- a secret that you know -- and I’m happy to give that to you: “I quickly put the business card where you couldn’t see it.” :-) Now if you aren’t satisfied with that as an explanation, that’s good: that means you are looking for the next level of secret: the apprehending level. That is, knowing isn’t enough: you want to understand -- you’d like me to show you where the card was hidden, and how it got there. But even if I were to explain all that to you (which I won’t), some would still be unsatisfied. Some might want me to train you how to do it: because the last level of secret is the apprenticing level -- where you don’t just know; you don’t just understand; you actually come to own the secret.

Playing the piano is similar. At a appreciating level, the “secret” of playing the piano is simply putting your fingers on the right keys, but just knowing that has no value. At a apprehending level, the “secret” of playing the piano requires a bunch of theory, until you understand the connections between that theory and the marks on the page and the keys on the piano, but that isn’t enough to enable you to play the piano. For the likes of me, what Medad does on the piano is thoroughly amazing. But if you were to beg him to reveal his secrets, he would likely look at you with that smile, and ask if you were ready to put in the time and effort -- are you really willing to sit down and let him train you? He might start with scales. And after weeks of playing scales, you might say, “No, seriously: what are your secrets.” And he’d then get you to do those scales with two hands. Over and over and over. It might involve ear training. “But that’s difficult,” you might say. Quite right. “But that’s boring,” you might say. Perhaps. But the real secrets of playing the piano are not just in the head -- they are in the fingers and in the ears as well. Similarly, the real secrets of sleight of hand are in the hands and in the attitude.

Now the secrets of the Kingdom of God are all apprenticeship-level secrets, or, if you prefer, discipleship-level secrets. If we are satisfied with knowing, or even understanding, then we are just hearers of the word. Instead, we need to invest in the “higher level secrets”, the ones that we can’t get by just listening to a sermon -- we need to own them.

It would be awesome if everyone here this morning left church praying that God would train them to be a disciple. You need to know what kind of practice is necessary, and then become so adept at it, it comes naturally. Because putting the teachings of Jesus into practice is vastly more important than simply understanding them. So as we approach one of Jesus’ parables this morning, let’s be on the lookout for some of those secrets of the Kingdom of God. Reading from Matthew 25, starting at verse 14...

“For [the Kingdom of God] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his staff and entrusted to them his valuables. 15 To one he gave five million dollars, to another two million, to another one million, each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received five million dollars went at once and traded, and he made five million more. 17 So also he who had two million dollars made two million more. 18 But he who had received one million dollars went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received five million dollars came forward, bringing five million more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five million dollars; here, I have made five million more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with something small; I will appoint you to something great: enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had two million dollars came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two million dollars; here, I have made two million more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with something small; I will appoint you to something great: enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received one million dollars came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your money in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed[?] 27 So you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 Now take the money from him and give it to him who has ten million dollars. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Ok: the contours of this parable are certainly familiar to anyone who grew up going to Sunday School. And it is all so familiar… with one small exception, that we need to get out of the way before we proceed. As most of you know, in the King James Version -- and many other versions -- of the Bible, the Greek word that my translation renders “one million dollars” is rendered with the word “talent”, which, in the English language, means a natural gift. But in Jesus’ day, that word meant something like “kilogram” -- it was just a unit of weight (about 50kg). And in the context of money, that amount of silver would be enough to pay a typical worker’s salary for twenty years. So if you do the math using Quebec’s median household income, it’s about one million dollars.

So let’s let go of the idea that this parable is about what we now call “talents”. The point of the parable is not at all to tell us to develop our natural gifts. After all, of all the people who have ever lived, Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God and Lord of Creation, was certainly more than capable of composing exquisite music or writing beautiful literature or designing helpful technology, but the fact that he didn’t do any of those things proves that a life dedicated to God and His glory doesn’t require that kind of talent-development at all. But if the money in the parable isn’t representing talents, then what does it represent? It is a very important question; but we’ll save it for later.

But before we get back to that, let’s ask what else the parable is telling us? What can we know from the parable before we discover what the money represents? Three quick things. First, this parable is telling us that life isn’t fair. Some people get more; some people get less - one servant received five times as much as another. There is just no avoiding unfairness in this life. And most modern efforts toward “equality” -- no matter how well-intentioned, no matter how well the government legislates and polices it (because governments do that kind of thing so well?) -- those efforts inevitably result in some people being “more equal than others” (thank you, George Orwell). You know it is true. Life just isn’t fair.

But that’s not the end of the story. When we arrive at the end of the parable, when the master returns, we discover a different kind of fairness -- an ultimate fairness -- is in play. What does the master say to the first two servants? His commendation of them is word-for-word identical, isn’t it? (he says)
Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with something small; I will appoint you to something great: enter into the joy of your master.

Hold on. Did you notice that this master is saying that five million dollars is “something small”? Wouldn’t it be nice if someone wanted to invest in you to the tune of even one million dollars? What an amazing opportunity and privilege that would be! But the master says that this was just “something small.” Now that’s the kind of person I want to work for! And those words? “Well done, good and faithful servant” those are words I want to hear!

But back on point: the first servant was given five, and made five; the second servant was given two, and made two. One has more than twice what the other has, but their reward is identical. And of course, the lesson here is that we aren’t defined by what we have; we are defined by what we do with what we have. Now people -- people will often judge you by what you have. God won’t. God isn’t impressed by anything we have. After all, He gave it to us in the first place. And people will often judge you by your circumstances. But God won’t. After all, He put you in those circumstances in the first place. He knows how difficult they can be for you. He’s asking that you do what you can with what you have in the circumstances you find yourself in. Life isn’t fair; but God has a way of making things fair in the end.

Do you remember the event outside the temple? The disciples watched as a rich man empty bags of money into the collection box. But then Jesus called the disciples’ attention, not to the drama of the rich man, who sounded trumpets to make sure that everyone was noticing his great charity, but to a poor widow who put two small coins into the box while nobody else was looking. Please listen again to our master’s words (Mark 12):

“Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the collection box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

...we aren’t defined by what we have; we are defined by what we do with what we have! So first? Life isn’t fair… now; God makes everything fair in the end.

Second, like a number of Jesus’ other parables, this one tells us that we shouldn’t be surprised if it feels like the master is far away. After distributing his wealth to his servants, the master in the parable goes away (in verse 15), and in verse 19, we read that he is away for a long time. So yeah: there will be many times in our lives when God seems far away.

But just like in the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (that we looked at a few months ago), all the important decisions in life are made when God seems far away. That’s when the temptations are the most difficult. But that’s also when our choices make all the difference. But the parable is also telling us that we better not make the mistake of using God’s distance or his delay as an excuse to live like He doesn’t care. That business about outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth? I don’t know exactly what that implies outside of the parable, but it is a fair bet that it is something we want to avoid.

You see, this parable is exceedingly serious. Jesus is making this dramatic contrast between the reward of the first two servants and the punishment of the third servant because he wants to impress upon us just how important getting the lesson of this parable is. He doesn’t want us to end up being surprised at our treatment when the master returns to judge the living and the dead. He is giving us the “heads-up” to keep us away from what he calls that “wide and easy way that leads to destruction.”

And so these are the easy lessons: Life isn’t fair until the end. God will often seem far away. What we do with what we’ve been given is gravely serious. But now we need to come back to the money. Because it is also clear from the parable that God has entrusted something really valuable to us, and is counting on us to act as his financial managers, growing his investment. SO what, exactly, is this valuable trust? Well, the key is found in verse 29. Once the parable has reached its conclusion, Jesus adds:

For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Does that sound familiar? It should: that’s what we read from chapter 13 earlier:

The disciples came to [Jesus] and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’ And [he] replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.’”

Clearly, what is true of the money in the parable is also true of the knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God. So the money in the parable could very well represent those secrets. But let me repeat: these secrets aren’t just head-knowledge. Kingdom secrets are those that move us, and change us, and prepare us for glory. Kingdom secrets reside deep in our hearts, not just in our heads. That’s why James writes:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

That’s why Jesus, elsewhere, says:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

That’s why Jesus’ final commission to his disciples was to go and make disciples (and not just converts). It is no coincidence that the word “disciple” and the word “discipline” are so closely related. And, of course, discipleship is apprenticeship -- representing the highest level of secret. Being a disciple take time. It takes patience. It takes investment. It takes commitment. It is more than just listening to Jesus words, it is doing them.

Now we could stop there. This parable has already provided a number of important lessons. But if we want to truly understand the parable, we need to consider its most difficult and challenging passage -- that is, the confrontation between the third servant (the lazy one) and his master. Their exchange takes up more than one quarter of the entire parable, and Jesus isn’t in the habit of wasting words -- so it must be important.

Some commentators suggest that this servant’s opening words: “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,” are an insult or a judgment or an accusation from the servant to the master. But that’s our modern thinking being imposed on an ancient story: servants back then wouldn’t even think of behaving that way.
Besides: there are hints in scripture that reaping where you did not sow is not a negative. In Joshua 24:13, for example, God tells his chosen people: “you live in [cities you did not build] and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.” And in John 4, Jesus tells his disciples “Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.” Now I’m not claiming to understand exactly what’s going on, but we can at least say we can’t be confident that this represents an insult on the part of the third servant.

Instead, the lazy servant seems to think that these words will actually be acceptable to the master -- that is, they represent the best possible spin he can think of -- it is his best excuse for inaction: “so I was afraid, and I went and hid your money in the ground.”

You see, in those days, it was common for a master to give his money to his servants, but it wasn’t common for that to be done for the purposes of investment. Instead, it was common for the purpose of safe-keeping. And that’s the spin that the third servant is attempting to get away with here. He wants to pretend that the commission that he has received -- after all, his master didn’t spell it out -- is simply to return his master’s resources in pristine condition. And safekeeping wasn’t an unreasonable assumption in those days. After all, back then, commerce was considerably more risky than it is today. They didn’t have GICs; they didn’t have insurance; they didn’t have huge regulated banks.

But the surprise in the parable -- the scandal, if you like (and whenever there is a surprise in Jesus’ parables, that’s likely where the most important lesson is) -- is the fact that the master finds this servant’s behavior to be unacceptable -- entirely unacceptable! Jesus is saying that while the inclination of the human heart might be to hoard the valuable things of God, our master is requiring us to go and do commerce with them. So what are those things? What are the real secrets of the Kingdom?

We find a clue in Jeremiah, where God says: “I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” Kindness. Justice. Righteousness. These are things that need to be shared. These are the things with which we need to do commerce. When E. is kind to me, it doesn’t leave E. with less kindness. When I am good to N, it doesn’t leave me with less goodness. And so we see that when it comes to the things that are valuable to God, the risk is low. There is no need to be afraid. The return on the investment is guaranteed.

You see, salvation isn’t just a mark that God puts on our hearts, without any impact on how we live our lives. Rather, salvation picks us up, saving us from being pointed in the wrong direction, doing the wrong things and running after the wrong goals and sets us down in the right direction, to do good works that he has prepared for us in advance to do. But it is up to us to take that new direction seriously.

Salvation that doesn’t change your life is a contradiction in terms. Our King wants His Kingdom to grow -- particularly at the expense of the kingdoms of this world. If we aren’t pushing back the darkness, we aren’t being the light of the world. So let’s choose to spend our time and energies and opportunities to grow his Kingdom this morning, this week, this month, this year. And we too, will then hear those wonderful words “Well done, my good and faithful servant.